Untitled - Holy Sword

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THE MADNESS! •2•

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Greg War: Sabathan contacted me in June 2009 to join the band. At that time the band consisted of Sabathan, David DC and the first singer Laurent. The name HORACLE had already been chosen by Sabathan and David DC. I noticed in an interview you did for That’s Metal #18 that Sabathan (the band’s bassist and founder) has been in bands since the mid-80s, but what about the rest of you guys? What have you been up to before forming/joining HORACLE? Drinking and listening to Metal doesn’t count as an answer, musically I mean… Terry: I played in a couple local bands before, nothing big though. I am in another band too but we struggle with the line-up since... quite a while now... Though I also have another project in preparation for next year! Dyno: I’ve made my classical studies. Then I bought my first electric guitar playing old MAIDEN, METALLICA and GNR’s stuff. I’ve played in several local bands since more than 20 years, but the more established one was my latest before HORACLE, OIDHEHE BAALTINNE (Black Death Metal with pagan inspirations). We had an EP and played gigs in Belgium and France, opening for bands like VADER and MARDUK. We split in 2013, one month before recording a full length album, due to the lack of personal involvement of a part of the musicians. Greg War: Nothing serious for me, musically talking, only a few jams with some friends. So THIS means that HORACLE is my first official band. As far as I know (please correct me if I am wrong), the band’s first release was the s/t mini-CD from 2011, which you did on your own. HORACLE is a new speed Metal band from Belgium, a Were there no demos before, or was it a deliberate choice to record country not much is heard from when it comes to new your first songs and present them in your local fans but also abroad as bands playing classic Metal… Both their mini-CD’s (2011 professionally as possible? Dyno: The first EP has to be taken as a demo. As we did not have a label, we had and 2013) are highly recommended and since the band is to propose a record to get people to know about us. Actual technologies allow preparing their debut album (set for release later in 2015) us now to not record shit and you can do something great with a lower budget an interview became an “obligation” for us. than in the 80s. So we wanted to have the best product possible with the lower Below is what Terry (singer), Dyno (guitars) and Greg budget possible. This release is already sold out, how many did you print? The cover has War (drums) had to say… a weird charm, do you like it? Terry: The cover sucks as far as I am concerned! lol! No offense to the guy Hello guys and allow us to congratulate for the very good EP’s you have though. We had Velio Josto work on an “updated” artwork for the first EP and released so far… The band is currently working on its’ debut album. he did a great job on it! Because we intended to re-print it, people still want to What should we expect? have a hold of it. 400 copies were sold. Terry: Hello Kostas, and thank you very much for your compliments as well as Dyno: Vinyl Edition with Velio’s cover should be out early in 2015 under Emanes for this interview! Yes, we are on the very last preparations for our 1st full length Metal Records. About the original cover, this is the result of what I said above: album, every song is already composed and we will start recording in the studio in less than two weeks up until early February. It will be released in the current “…with the lowest budget possible!” Lol! A friend of ours did this drawing, nearly without any charges, but it was the first time he was drawing on a computer. of 2015. What you should expect? Nothing less than some pure, full on Heavy Anyway, I love our shitty cover LOL. Metal record like there is so few these days! It will be the natural evolution Greg War: Dyno said it all, I just wanted to add that I deeply think that many for the band in that in general, the songs are better and more constructed, bands had some fucking worst artwork for their first cover! the riffs are sharper and slightly more complex for some, hard edged and Why did you go for a second mini-CD with “A wicked Procession” straight forward for others. I also had the time and the opportunity to show instead of recording a full length? Did the prospect of a deal with Dying my evolution in the vocals. My voice is more powerful, I have more range and Victims led to you such in a decision in the sense of “holding back” a dynamics and I am more confident than before, which led me to really get crazy on those vocal lines and harmonies! (laughs). So, to wrap it up, it is a varied, debut release in case more interest would come from this, since they obviously have better connections and distribution? focused and powerful album! Terry: the same old situation: Money! We didn’t have the funds to release a full Tell us a few more things about it, which label it will be on, recording length album so far... Looking from the outside, it might seem a bit odd... But info, title etc. Will it be released on vinyl or CD only? looking back, I don’t regret it personally. Dying Victims didn’t have anything to Terry: The album is entitled “Dead eyes Revelations”, which symbolizes the do with it, you see, most labels don’t pay for the studio nowadays, so it’s all from visions of the Horacle. We will record it in a studio in Belgium called the “Noise your pocket! But honestly, the band is a lot stronger now, we really work more Factory”, our 1st experience with them, but Alex, our guitar player has already as a unit than when we released “A Wicked Procession” and we grew enormously worked with them with his other band BURSTING. About the label… nothing is as musicians and as A BAND. So really, NOW is the right time for us to release set in stone so far, so we can’t really tell right now, we’ll see! But it will, and we insist on that, be released on vinyl at some point!! How, with who and when... the full length album. The last song in “A wicked procession” is “Freewheel burning” by JUDAS we don’t have a definitive answer right now, but, IT WILL be on vinyl as well as PRIEST, which is not mentioned in the back cover of the CD. Would it be on CD. It will also be available for legal download on all the big sites like amazon for copyright reasons? mp 3, itunes, etc, where you will also be able to find our first two EP’s. Terry: Well, you will have to ask the label! Lol! We didn’t have anything to do Let’s go a few years back, when HORACLE was formed. What brought with that decision. you together and how did you come up with the name? Dyno: The label had a project for a cover compilation but he finally didn’t get Terry: Personally, I arrived in late 2010. the rights for it. In the same time, we had already recorded the song. “A Wicked Dyno: The previous singer of HORACLE is a friend of mine. At the time he was Procession” should have been normally out with only 4 tracks, so I imagine that trying to complete the line up so, as it was my stuff, he introduced me to the the label didn’t want to lose such a piece as our cover lol. other members.

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Are you satisfied with how it turned out? What was the feedback from it, as well as “Horacle”? Would you agree that the production makes the 2nd effort sound more “in line” with the current Speed/thrash wave than you actual playing and attitude is? Terry: I don’t know exactly...We really lacked of promotion, I don’t blame Dying Victims though but with some serious promotion this band could be A LOT bigger! ”A Wicked procession” in my opinion is a better CD than “Horacle”. A more professional product and for my part, I was contributing really in the band, so a much better experience! Now about Speed/Thrash, I don’t know really, HORACLE is probably a Heavy Metal band in the general term, very much infused with a lot of traditional NWOBHM but also some Speed and Thrash bands as well. I think that the song “Axes of Blood” actually is quite thrashy! Still a more organic sound would probably be better for us, but nowadays it’s tough to get really that. Dyno: I totally agree about the sound of “A Wicked Procession” and that’s the way when you work with the wrong people (studio side, I mean). But anyway, music speaks by itself and it sounds heavy. It’s clear for all of us that we definitively do not want to slide to modern stuff and the upcoming album will be more rock ‘n roll than ever. Belgium was overshadowed by Holland in terms of band production back in the 80s (the comparison is made because of quite common sound/feeling most bands had), but this didn’t prevent your country sporting some killer bands and releases (and also a lot that never released more than demos, but fortunately found their way into fans’ collections the last couple of years through official releases). What would be your favorite and what do you think about WARHEAD, BAD LIZARD, ACID, KILLER, CYCLONE, TRIAL, OSTROGOTH and BREATHLESS? What about more current bands like POWERVICE, DOUBLE DIAMOND and DESPERATION? Terry: I’ll let my comrades talk; I am the only non Belgian dude! Lol! Though I know CROSSFIRE and OSTROGOTH for example... As a Frenchy, I’ll raise my flag with SORTILEGE! Sabathan: You’re right, the Belgian Heavy Metal scene has never been recognized, so many good bands back in the day were obscured by the rest of the European scene, and the Belgian scene has never been taken seriously, except for CYCLONE, OSTROGOTH, CROSSFIRE, ACID and a few others, there were so many others like LIGHTNING FIRE, PALASS, STEEL LOVE, CRIME, FN GUNS etc… My favorites were WARHEAD, CYCLONE, LIGHTNING FIRE and ACID. But it’s hard to say as I’m a big supporter of the Belgian scene. I regret that our scene has never been recognized, and it has always been totally underrated, and it still is the case nowadays, even worse. How is the scene in your country nowadays? Any bands you think deserve more recognition and want to suggest us? Sabathan: In matter of Heavy Metal there’s nothing left in Belgium comparatively to the 80s….we are sadly almost the only one band practicing that style, principally here in the French part of Belgium, Heavy Metal is totally dead, no audience, no scene, nothing left!!! Sad but true. This is a cliché question for almost every new band we present, but how do you see the Metal scene nowadays? Is everything ok in our small world? Good music and bands versus trends and marketing tricks, at least this how we see it, what’s your take? Terry: Pretty much everything is fucked nowadays, not only in the Metal world! It is tough for a real and honest band to make it in 2014. When you want to make a good album, like the one we are actually working on, it’s gonna take some time and... money! We could probably release our music a lot faster and then come up with an “ok” record. But “Ok” is not ok! Lol! Quality takes time, but the world of today is made of quantity instead. And if you want to make at least a decent living, well most guys sacrifice the quality. Why is it so hard to find any great album these days? Well that’s just my two cents... But we believe in making it, without sacrificing the quality, and rest assured that our new album is gonna destroy everything we’ve done so far! Ho and...FUCK THOSE TRENDY BANDS! Big time! Sabathan: Nowadays everything is a matter of having a long arm and to know personally the influential people in the scene… music quality is not an asset anymore… you make music for your own satisfaction, people and principals. Business people don’t give a single fuck anymore. Has the band performed much in Belgium and maybe abroad? What would be some of the best gigs and for what reasons? Terry: Belgium, Denmark, Germany and France. Best gigs, I’d say were the Metal Magic festival in Denmark, which was awesome! We are gonna play again there in 2015. Opening for SKULLFIST in our second gig in Germany was also memorable in, well... many ways for me! Lol. I just had a teeth pulled, and a strong infection a day before I could not even stand on my legs nor talk! Medication and even more, dedication can work wonders!!lol. But many gigs were great, really; our audience is •5•

always freaking passionate and so we love them! Dyno: Do not hesitated to contact us, it will be a pleasure to burn your place :- ) How is a HORACLE song being written? You all jam on ideas through rehearsals or…? Is there a recipe in what song you are working on, or it just comes out naturally based on your current feelings and mood? Terry: Actually it has evolved through the years. The band works more as a unit now than ever. Everyone can come up with the basic idea of a song, or a full song. Then someone else will add his idea. You might be surprised to know that we don’t specially write for our respective instruments. Greg and myself write guitar parts, Aleksey comes up with drum ideas, Franck might have a vocal line idea sometimes, Dyno a bass line, who knows? As long as the song is good, who cares, right? It’s very democratic lol. Dyno: Most of the time, for the musical part, one of us comes with several riffs and an idea of the song structure. We put this on the table at the rehearsal room and then we build the song all together. Everybody expresses his opinion and we take decisions together, consulting each other. As Terry said, this is democracy lol. What are the future plans of the band? What should we expect from HORACLE in 2015? Terry: First thing is: indeed the release of “Dead eyes Revelations”. Then we already have a couple great dates planned, in Belgium, Denmark...and many others will be added on the way, we want to play everywhere, so promoters if you read this, don’t be shy! I hope we will be given the opportunity to play in Greece, because we know Greek fans are awesome! We are also trying to develop our business on our own, aside from this rotten industry that is “music” these days. It is a lot of work, but it gives us the opportunity to really be ourselves musically. We think about maybe doing a crowdfunding campaign to raise the money for this album, which is a great way to get in close contact with our fans, without big corporate crooks in between them and us! We don’t have a label behind us, so it is a lot of expanses, so if you enjoy our music, don’t hesitate to participate to the adventure which will allow the fans to grab some exclusive stuff!;) That’s all from my part. Thanks for your time, please end this feature any way you like! Terry: Thanks to you man, and thank you all Greek Metalheads for your support! If you love some true Heavy Metal record, make sure to check out “Dead eyes Revelations”! You can reach us on our website (as well as on facebook) where you can find all our stuff, CD’s, T-shirts, patches... As well as our concert dates, videos and all info about us! Support the underground and your favorite bands, you fans are the heart and the soul of music, no one else! And...”spread the word... ‘cause the Horacle is watching you!” \m/ http://horacleofficial.e-monsite.com https://www.facebook.com/HoracleOfficial Kostas Kailiazis

The internet is a true wonder, when used reasonably! This is how I found out about this band that startled me within the first few seconds I heard their demo in their bandcamp page. I could not resist but instantly buy it and I’d advise you to do the same! Outstanding Doom Metal the way I like it and all nostalgic of the reminiscence of the excellent guitars of SOLITUDE AETURNUS and the gloom of CANDLEMASS crave can be found here offered profusely. On the wait for their upcoming debut, Steve Jansson was kind enough to grant us with the latest news of CRYPT SERMON!  

CRYPT SERMON is a new band out there, so please introduce the band to our readers. How long have you been around as CRYPT SERMON and did you serve other bands prior to the one in question? The origins of CRYPT SERMON go back to 2011 but it didn’t become a full band until mid 2012, I believe. All of us have been playing in bands for years as well as have other projects which include TRENCHROT, HIVELORDS, LABYRINTHINE, ASHENCULT and INFILTRATOR. You decided to go the traditional way, recording a demo before all else, with the appropriate novelty - a worthy move - providing your work for free first and foremost. Was pressing it on tape something you chose or it came about after Dark Descent Records threw the idea on the table? Why wouldn’t you release it yourselves, even in a CD-R format to make up for the recording expenses and reach a wider audience, given that tapes are obsolete to most of the new coming fans? We initially were just going to release it ourselves digitally and maybe do some CD-Rs . Matt from Dark Descent got in contact with us the day that we put it up online and offered to do a tape release for us so we went for it because we were all fans of the label and thought it would be a cool opportunity. That said, releasing it via tape was his idea. While I admittedly am not a fan of tapes, they definitely are coming back as even some of the larger labels are offering a cassette option with their releases and we sold out of ours fairly quickly, so there is definitely an audience for them. Do you think, in hindsight, that offering your music for free helped the band? What is your stance against the argument between free or paid music? Well, the whole purpose of a demo is that it’s a tool to get your music out to as many people as you can so that they can hear your band (e.n: I wish every band knew that). People are less inclined to pay for things like demos because the bar is set pretty low as almost every band ever has one and more often than not they are awful. For digital releases, bandcamp offers a pay-you-want option which has actually been wonderful for all of my bands and it shows that people are willing to pay for things that they care about even when they have the option not to. I think that offering our music in a free format has definitely helped get us our name out there. As for albums, I personally like to pay for music as well as have a physical copy as I’m sure most music fans understand that it feels much more personal and if it were up to me I think everyone should support the artists they like by at least paying for their records. However, the genie has been out of the lamp for a while so obviously, more often than not, people are going to go for the free option and there is nothing you can do about it. Since releasing albums, I’ve noticed how vehemently entitled people can be with music and it’s really infuriating. I like the way the demo sounds; was it recorded at a home studio or you chose to use the help of professionals for it? It was recorded at our practice space, actually! Our practice space is the basement of a house in West Philadelphia. We recorded it with our good friend Rich “The DungeonMaster” Scott. I found it rather impressive, the fact that 300 units of the demo tape were pressed and are all gone by now! What was the impact of this overwhelming response and how did it affect the band’s future decisions? •6•

It was definitely rewarding and I guess we were definitely a little surprised at how much people liked it. I think it definitely gave us a bit more momentum towards getting the album done. Strike while they iron is hot, as they say! I’d really like you to enlighten us on the influences CRYPT SERMON invoke. Personally, I can thankfully hear CANDLEMASS and SOLITUDE AETURNUS as your major example of how to pen serious Doom Metal, especially the solo department sounds at times as if the Swedish / Texan masters of the style would partake! I guess it’s no secret who our influences are, haha. Yes, we worship both of those bands. We are all Heavy Metal enthusiasts and listen to everything across the board but for CRYPT SERMON those two are the main template as far as influences along with tons of old/classic Heavy Metal. We are still a young band so we will eventually evolve into our own a bit more as we continue to write and gel more as a band. Reading the lyrics in “Demo MMXII”, I understand you undertake Christianity and The Bible as your subject matter, not in the religious aspect of things though. Could you comment on the lyrics a little further? Brooks (vocalist) writes all of the lyrics. He takes Christian and historical themes and offers alternate starting points or inversions of the common, faith-based epistemology. “Belly of the Whale” is the story of Jonah from God’s perspective for instance. I recently came across some good news regarding CRYPT SERMON, finally mentioning a full length release that is soon to come. Have you completed writing it? Could you give us some insight and information about your imminent debut? Dark Descent Records has quite a few releases under their belt, so was there something they especially did and you found satisfactory to stay with them? The album is all finished and will be coming out on February 24th of 2015.  It is entitled “Out of the Garden” and we actually have a new song “Heavy Riders” streaming online right now. Musically, it’s just much more developed and is steps beyond the demo as any LP should be.  As far as labels, we did get a few offers but none of them were as good as what Dark Descent was offering us and one of the big things was helping us out on funding the recording of the album. That, and Dark Descent has a presence. Their releases get a lot of coverage and Matt has been really supportive of us since day 1. Indeed, “Heavy Riders” is an example of the band’s improvement, sound-wise at least, compared to the demo! You also revealed the cover art, a glorious hand-drawn painting in the vein of the glorious 80s cover arts! Who did this painting? Actually, Brooks (vocals) did that painting.  He paints and illustrates when time allows, and we had a few options for this album cover.  We chose the one that seemed to fit the theme best. You named the album “Out Of The Garden”, what is the meaning behind this album title? It’s the title of the final song on the album, as well as a summary of what we’ve accomplished so far.  Our accomplishments figuratively as a band, and symbolically as humankind.  We’re out of the walled paradise, into the world of sin.  You’d have to listen to the song to figure out if you think that’s a good or bad thing, I guess. Do you know by the way in which formats the album will be available? it would be a shame not to demonstrate such a cover art on LP size! The album will definitely be on CD, LP and digital.   We

are vinyl enthusiasts, so that would have definitely been our priority.   Since tapes seem to be back in style, there might be a pressing on tape too.   Do you perform live a lot within the Philadelphia area? There are several new acts active there but in the more traditional side of things, LADY BEAST, POWER THEORY, MISTRESS to name a few, but how hard is it for a Doom Metal band to book a venue and to be accepted by local fans? We definitely perform but I wouldn’t say a lot. We all work day jobs and it’s often hard for us together to even rehearse so we often have to do a lot of planning when it comes to shows. The shows that we have played have often been with bands of more extreme styles like Black Metal but the reaction has been surprisingly pretty great. There aren’t a whole lot of bands doing what we do around here, if any, so I think a lot of people are excited to have some variety. So don’t you think playing with bands of utterly different styles could if not harm - at least hold back or affect CRYPT SERMON’s momentum? I don’t know exactly how things work there, but speculating from my own European experience, most fans can’t take all genres too positively. Could the fact that there’s no concrete fan base in the US but lots of fans are scattered throughout the country affect the band’s progression?    I think we’d be happy to play with bands that are more along the lines of our style, but the fact of the matter is- in the States- the audience for extreme metal is the same as the audience for traditional metal.  Still, we’ve had the chance to play with bands like Grim Reaper and The Skull, and we’ve definitely noticed a difference in the general age-range that makes up these audiences.  The truth of it is, we’re gonna play any show where people will care to see us, and we’re gonna rip it up every time we play.   Even though I am not a huge Doom fan, meaning that I wouldn’t normally like ANY band that plays ANY style of Doom Metal but only the very good ones and especially those who play what I tend to call “Power Doom” in the vein of leviathans such as CANDLEMASS or SOLITUDE AETURNUS, I was struck by surprise by “Demo MMXIII” and was instantly captured by it. Nevertheless the Doom scene had always been pretty big and active in the barren underground days and till today there are numerous quality bands around. Have you separated some of these new acts so to speak? Thank you very much! I thought that the BELOW album “Across the Dark River” that was released this year was great. ATLANTEAN KODEX is another band that comes to mind along with another German band called CROSS VAULT who just put out their debut this year. SOLSTICE is bacak which is killer as I really liked their last EP. Those are a few that come to mind off of the top of my head. Are there any future plans to share? We’re going to be laying low for a couple months after the initial album release,

Brooks is expecting a kid soon. As summer approaches we hope to return to writing for another album and resuming live performances in the Autumn of 2015. Last words are yours; share your sermon in our crypt. From our side, good luck and please, stay active! Thanks for your interest and your great effort in keeping REAL HEAVY METAL alive and vibrant! http://cryptsermon.bandcamp.com Thanos Stafylarakis

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When it comes to Aussie underground back in the glorious 80’s, there’s not much to think of. Next to the bigger names of MORTAL SIN, TARAMIS, BENGAL TIGERS, NOTHING SACRED, you can’t evade recalling the great Speed/Thrashers known as ENTICER! While they were unsigned and practically overlooked by the corporate status at the time, the band has reformed the last few years, culminating this come back with their first ever full-length album. What better occasion could there be than this to catch up with a combo of history and the present state the band is at, by interviewing old ENTICER members Michael Keating and Rhett McCooullough? Welcome guys and thanks for honoring our pages with your participation! As some might be unaware of your past, lecture us with a history lesson and justify the title given as one of the legendary Aussie bands from the 80’s. What’s the story behind ENTICER to start with? Is this the first band for the guys involved in the first incarnation of ENTICER? You started off a tad later compared to the first wave of Heavy Metal bands erupting from the land of Oz. What was the situation like at the time had the downfall of the scene kicked off already there? Michael: 1987 when ENTICER first formed was an interesting time in Australian metal. The first wave of bands that were influenced by AC/DC and then later by more “glam” rock were starting to break up and the scene was starting to be dominated by Thrash Metal especially after MORTAL SIN got big. I remember being in a rehearsal studio hearing DEATH for the first time and thinking it was amazing. So there was a lot of influences swirling around and we developed a Thrashier sound after hearing all those great bands coming out of the US and Europe. Plus it took a while for us to become proficient enough musicians to play that fast! Rhett: Thrash was really starting to gather momentum in the late ‘80s. For me joining ENTICER in ‘89, it seemed a natural progression to take the band in that direction. Who were your youth heroes back then, those that inspired you to form a band and write your own music? Michael: I’ve always loved a wide range of music but my journey towards metal started with ZEPPELIN, SABBATH, PURPLE, URIAH HEEP, Hendrix and CREAM and then MAIDEN and PRIEST and then of course METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER. Rhett: I loved bands like KISS and SLADE when I was young, but it was all over when I heard IRON MAIDEN and the SCORPIONS. So after constant practicing and rehearsing, you came of age as a band and decided to record your own thing, heard in the 5 songs of your demo tape “Into Reality”! How was your first experience of releasing your music; do you have any memories to share about that time? Have you been performing live even before the tape was out? Michael: We’d been performing live for a while when we decided to record a demo which became the “Into Reality” EP. Of course back then we had no idea what we were doing but luckily we had a great engineer called John Hresch who I think got a decent sound concerning our inexperience. Had you generated your own following by then? Was the local metal world accepting you as a new potent force, taking in mind that precedent legends such as MORTAL SIN or NOTHING SACRED were already around and pretty big there? Michael: We had developed a good following in the first couple of years. The scene was very small but loyal so got a lot of support from metal fans and the other bands on the scene like MORTAL SIN, ADDICTIVE and DETRIMENT. I was always a fan of NOTHING SACRED and saw them a couple of times but you have to remember that although there were great bands in Adelaide and Melbourne they were thousands of miles away and it’s not like in Europe where you can drive a short distance and be in another city. Cities in Australia are isolated! And there was no internet in those days so it was hard to establish ties with scenes in other cities. Later on you return with a single including two songs, “Reaper of the Earth” and “Dying Aged” namely, two downright slashers! The single was however released without a picture sleeve, was it meant to be for promotional use to hook you up with a record label deal? How many copies did you press of it and was there demand overseas about your music? Michael: Once we fully became a Thrash band we needed something to promote our new style. We’d just got a new singer in Steve Sidhu and Rhett also joined at this point. I don’t think the thought of a picture sleeve even crossed our minds. We probably couldn’t afford the extra cost anyway. We sold a few copies at gigs but the demand for copies has only come in the last few years with collectors wanting old vinyl from that era. A few years ago one copy went for $80 on ebay. Finally someone is making money from ENTICER! I often get offers to buy the single but I’ve only got two copies myself and I’m not letting them go! There were a bunch of songs also recorded, enough for a full-length, however it never materialized. How come, regarding your Speed/ Thrash delivery was considerably appealing, at least to these ears? Michael: We recorded eight new songs and new versions of “Reaper” and “Dying Age” to use as demos for a possible album. At the time we were shared management with ADDICTIVE and the plan was to have Bob Daisley produce the album as he was back in Sydney to produce ADDICTIVE’s great “”Kick Ém Hard” album. But problems with management and money caused a break up. In fact I think we broke up on the last night of recording these demos. So nothing •8•

happened with those songs until they were release by Quarterpipe Records a few years ago. I actually caught up with Bob Daisley a few weeks ago and was album to present him with a copy of “”Origin of Sorrow”” and told them that we finally got to do a full length album! Rhett: I think we were also a bit frustrated with the scene by this point. If we had the right guidance at the time, I’m sure we would’ve carried on. What about press support, did you ever get any? Do you think that the damned year of 1990 and on, that is the time your single was issued, when all those changes in the musical direction started occurring, are to be blamed for not moving any further back then? That shouldn’t be away from the time the aforementioned Aussie bands decided to break up also, is that right? Michael: We got great support from street press, radio and also Hot Metal magazine, which was the Australian Heavy Metal bible at the time. Grunge had come in so most of the Thrash bands disappeared or changed direction. Don’t get me wrong, I love SOUNDGARDEN and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and Grunge made it cool to listen to heavy music again so in one way it saved metal. Rhett: While I agree for the most part, the ‘90’s were a dark time for me ha ha. Unfortunately the power metal stuff from overseas just didn’t filter through to us here. Everyone was so wrapped up in the Seattle scene. So when and how did you come to decide that you should call it quits with ENTICER? What were the main reasons? Michael: It was the middle of 1991 and mainly management and financial problems. Fast forward to 2011, was this the year you started thinking about reactivating the band? What had you been doing music related in the years in-between? I know Mick was still involved with Heavy Metal music, I once came across his blog that had an adequate amount of Aussie metal history engaged in it, rendering it utterly interesting, while Rhett had worked on his own project ULFHEDINN, a completely different piece of work than what he did with ENTICER. I also know Serg Dimitrijevic had moved to the US, so what was the plan behind this reunion? Michael: I hadn’t done much musically in the intervening years but Rhett had played in a few bands. Serg went to LA and is now a professional musician. He now plays with EARTH, WIND AND FIRE and recently performed in front of 50,000 people in London so he’s doing fine! There was no real plan behind the single apart from having fun. Rhett and I had always wanted to work with our friend Mark Briggs and he was keen. I had a riff that had been running through my head for a while so thought I’d better record it! Rhett: Well I’d been in a few bands from when ENTICER ended. Nothing really satisfied though. By the early 2000’s I realized there was a new wave of metal bands coming through, which got me really excited. I wish we had of kicked off a bit earlier. Over the years, I’d asked Michael a few times, but nothing eventuated. Just a matter of timing really. ULFHEDINN came about as a side project, but as we were writing the new songs, we knew Marks vocals would fit in perfectly. The result of this reunion was 2 songs that were digitally available to the public. How was your comeback received and was it then that you started working on new songs for a full length? I have to admit that combined with a rational direction change met in these songs, I was a bit skeptical about what to expect...Did you have a complete line-up at the time by the way? Michael: The single was only done for fun so we didn’t really get a lot of reaction or feedback which was okay with us as we knew we could do a lot better. The new line-up has Rhett and I as its heart and now that Mark is on board with vocals that will be the steady line-up. We’ve used three different drummers so far. I’m hoping though that Frog Stone will be still interested and available in the future. He’s got a great band called NORSE. Very

extreme and experimental. Rhett: When we did the first 2 songs, nothing much else was planned, but I think it gave us the inspiration from a writing perspective to complete a full length album. After losing contact with you guys, 3 years later I see an announcement of an upcoming album by ENTICER, thrilling news if I may! Tell us a few things about it; the recording procedure, the new band members and their musical background etc... Michael: Well mate it took three years to complete! A lot of setbacks and delays but Rhett and I knew we had something so there was never any chance that the album would not happen. As I said Mark was always going to be our choice on vocals. He’d always sung in hard rock bands rather than full metal but he’s a Halford freak so I knew he’d do us proud. Firstly we had Allan O’Rourke on drums and I think he did a great job on “Total War” and “We Fight” but he wasn’t comfortable with the faster stuff. I saw Frog play with Steve Grimmett and knew he was our man. Most of the drums and bass and all the vocals were recorded by Russell Pilling at Damien Gerard studios here in Sydney but Rhett did all the guitars in his own studio so he could take as much time as he needed. Mixing and mastering was courtesy of Lord Tim and he certainly knows what he is doing! Even though it is once again different than your early material, I really dig the new album, “Origin Of Sorrow”. Thankfully, it is much powerful than the 2011 songs and I think the songwriting is more mature or integrated. But screw me and tell us, now that fresh food is off the oven, did you manage to embrace your old fans and even more, approach a wider audience with this album? What was the overall response? Michael: The overall response has been 100% positive. And of course the internet has made it possible reach fans all across Europe and America. I’ll be doing a lot of mailouts soon so I’m hoping for some more positive publicity in the near future. Rhett: Yes very positive so far, very grateful for that. We spent a bit more time writing the new material. The 2 songs from 2011 were a song we had each, I’d written speak the truth probably 10 years previously, so when we sat down to write for the album, it was a fresh start, but we definitely knew where we wanted to take it. What is the subject matter, lyrics-wise, in “Origin Of Sorrow”? There’s diversity for sure, but could you elaborate please? What’s the book that inspired the long epic “March of the War Elephants” about for instance? Michael: We covered a lot of diverse subjects lyrically ranging from totalitarian states, space exploration, Vikings, exploitation of the poor. You name it, we’ll write a song about it! “War Elephants” was the name of the book that we took the quotes from for the song “March of the War Elephants”. The music for that one is a bit of a departure from our metal roots but it’s still heavy sort of like the soundtrack to Game of Thrones. Australian entertainer Kamahl did a great job narrating the story. I think he’s known somewhat in Europe. He had a number 1 hit in Holland a few decades ago. Rhett: I think it was a combination of Iain Banks and Peter Hamilton, two incredible sci-fi writers that inspired “Wings of Steel”. But we try to mix it up. Is your new CD a limited run as well? How many copies did you press and is there a specific reason why you went once more on your own and not trying to shop your music to a label? Michael: Doing it yourself is the only way to go for us at this stage. There’s not a lot of money in music these days so if we waited for someone else to pay for it then it wouldn’t have been made. It’s a limited print at the moment but we’ll see how it sells. It is common to assume in Heavy Metal bands that activity usually means gigs. What is the band’s standing against this notion, are there gigs at hand? Michael: As I’ve noted there is not a lot of money in music and although money is no way my motivation, it costs a lot of money to run a band, I’d rather spend the money on quality recordings. But never say never! Are there changes in your musical tastes throughout the years, that tangled in in the songwriting procedure of the new CD? I can hear a lot of classic Metal, as well as RAINBOW in it. Michael: Well I was into heavy music before there was METALLICA and even MAIDEN for that matter so I will always have influences from 70s heavy bands. We don’t put any limitations on our songs when it comes to style. They’ll always be heavy but we will never be boxed into playing one genre. Rhett: I listened to RAINBOW growing up, also UFO and a lot of NWOBHM, but it’s the bands that have appeared in the last 15 years or so that have got me excited. So really it was about staying true to my musical roots while still having new influences as well. Could you tell us a few things about the Aussie scene of the past and compare it with the present situation? Despite being secluded and separated from the rest of the world back in the ‘80s, Australia didn’t omit to offer some magnificent acts, cited in GODSPEED, MORTAL SIN, NOTHING SACRED, BENGAL TIGERS, FATAL ARRAY, BLACK ALICE, the again active TAIPAN, I could mention dozens here... Michael: There were lots of great bands in the old days but Australia is so far away from Europe and North America it was so difficult to get noticed. Now with the internet bands can connect with fans in all corners of the globe. Hopefully they will also get to hear some of the old bands too. The internet has changed everything! Rhett: I think it’s much healthier now, bigger population means more diversity. I mean, Heavy Metal will probably always be an underground type thing, but in the 80’s you were definitely more of an “outcast”. Are there any imminent (or not) plans in the works for ENTICER? Should we expect anything in the future? Michael: Rhett and I have already started writing the next album and next week we will start doing a video for “Wings of Steel”. We promise

the next album will not take as long. Rhett: After a short break after the last album, back in full swing now on the writing side of things. Hopefully it will be bigger and better, some promising stuff so far. Thanks for partaking guys, congratulations for a very nice album you offered, I hope the best for the band. Share your last thoughts and feel free to let us know how we can get in touch with you and your music! Michael: Thanks Thanos for your continued support. We will definitely give you a thank you on the next album! You can get our music on ebay, itunes, CD Baby or just contact us on [email protected] . Thanks again mate! Rhett: Thanks Thanos, can’t say it enough, not just for us but the whole scene, Hail! www.facebook.com/pages/Enticer/172668496118274?fref=ts Thanos Stafylarakis

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It is with great pleasure that I conduct this interview, not only because the Italian Heavy Metallers DARKING are a fine new band recently with a second CD under their belt, but because guitar player, Agostino Carpo, former member in the first incarnation of the glorious DOMINE in their demo days is also a great person to chat with! I urge you to check both of their albums as we speak and I hope Agostino’s testimony will act as a motive for such a deed! All hail the mighty Italian scene, mother of delicate obscurity!

Welcome DARKING and Agostino to our pages! Despite our love for Heavy Metal from our neighboring Italy, we didn’t have the chance to have as our guests many Italian bands; tell us, how do you feel now that you are back with a new album after five years? It’s a pleasure! Thanks to all of you for the opportunity to present DARKING the band and our new CD titled “Steal The Fire” (out from the label “Jolly Roger Records” at the end of this month). A second album gives a good feeling! We worked very hard about compositions and arrangements and we are very satisfied with the quality of the recording too: the first CD (“Sons of Steel”), released in 2010 was recorded to make a DEMO and then has become a real CD ... of which we are very satisfied! This work is born to be a CD and to promote the band at its best and we believe that the time we spent about the new CD has also given us a lot of musical maturity. What was the reason you took so long after “Sons Of Steel”, until “Steal The Fire” was released? Five years may seem a lot but the CD would have come out in May 2014 and we have had some problems with the old label... and we are not professional musicians. The time is always short: sometimes the band needs to prepare some songs for a live date or also happened to study and record a new COVER to take part in a tribute record. For example we have a song in the tribute to STRANA OFFICINA with the track “The Ritual “: in this song we have the main solo played by the legendary first VIRGIN STEELE guitarist Jack Starr! We have also played a cover for another international tribute, it will be a surprise and I do not say anything now but concerns a group much loved by everyone. It is most likely unknown that even though DARKING is a relatively new band in the scene, you were a part of Italian metal history, partaking in 3 of the most legendary demos your country ever produced. These demos you have to know, are adored by a good share of (Greek?) DOMINE fans and reckoned as the

band’s classiest releases! What lead to your departure from the band and what have you done between DOMINE and DARKING? I played ten years with DOMINE (1983-1993) and we formed DARKING about ten years ago. In the middle of these two beautiful experiences I had to finish the university and start my professional career of Architect: simply do not have time for music ... but as soon as my business has left me a bit of space I started playing again and now DARKING come out with the second CD. With my friends DOMINE, at one point, arrived a time of change in our lives that we were not longer allowed to live in the same city and play together, but we are still very good friends. And we have a big surprise for the Greek friends who love DOMINE (DEMO period): in our new CD “Steal the Fire” there is a COVER (“Stormbringer”) taken directly from the second DOMINE demo (“Eternal Champion”) in which I played. We wanted to give a tribute to the band DOMINE, to that fantastic song, and in the memory of the old beautiful days: our friend Enrico Paoli (DOMINE guitarist and composer) is present in the song to plays his original solos! The arrangement of the song is taken from the DEMO. I can’t recall seeing any of the rest of the DARKING crew in other bands, so could you please shed some light on their musical background? How did you come to the decision to form a band playing traditional Heavy Metal in the first place? Leonardo Freschi (drums), Mirko Miliani (vocals) and Matteo Lupi (bass), all come from local musical reality and have had other bands that performed mainly COVER: they are all younger than me (bassist has almost half of my years). Leonardo for example loves Hard Rock, Prog, BLACK SABBATH like me... even if he tends more towards Doom in general, Mirko loves IRON MAIDEN and Matteo starts from Thrash experiences ... my experience and my love for Power Epic Metal eighties oriented brought everybody in one project of “traditional” Heavy Metal in which, however, everyone brings their own vision of music. Your great debut, “Sons of Steel” was released by My Graveyard Productions. Why did you jump to Jolly Roger Records for your sophomore? Your current label has helped a lot both new and older local acts bring their music out to the metal world, do you think this exclusive engagement with Italian acts is something that could benefit DARKING so to speak? We thank the label “MY Graveyard” for publishing our first CD “Son of Steel” in 2010: this is a good record not too much push by the label, in our opinion. So at the end of the recording of “Steal the Fire” at the beginning of 2014 we noticed some problems and difficulties in the programs of “MY Graveyard”, so we decided to look for a new label that would guarantee a fast exit and a good media support. We found immediately a good feeling with Antonio Keller of “Jolly Roger Records” who was enthusiastic about the quality of the new songs and he proposed to create a new cover and to release CD and LP format (in two vinyl color!). Finally January 31 will be released “STEAL THE FIRE” at “ACCIAIO ITALIANO FESTIVAL” in Modena. There we will open the concert for some important Bands of the Italian scene. We really believe in this new label and we believe also that Antonio Keller is doing a great job for same historical Italian metal band and for the quality of the metal bands he has in his label. What I liked with DARKING is that while we don’t hear that obscurity in the sound that was present in many 80’s Italian bands, while some of your influences can be distinguished, you have your own sound in the saturated traditional Heavy Metal style, which is a bet to be gained. Where would you cite the bands that inspire you to pen some tunes? It ‘a good thing to have a sound that sets you apart from other bands even if the Masters of the seventies and eighties in Hard Rock and Metal have certainly influenced us: these influences, however, had to be lived with personality and that’s what we try to do in our musical experience. The new CD is Power and Epic but the songs are more mature and, in our opinion, are also more articulate and expressive: and the good recording enhances the characteristics of the work on all the instruments. It should however be signaled the exceptional performance by Mirko: his power and the ability to sing both on the low notes than on high ones is one of the little secrets of the DARKING’s songs. Our bands of reference?: Too many! I avoid a long lists and I quote one for all ... BLACK SABBATH who can say not to be influenced by? I think the more I listen to “Steal The Fire”, the more I like it and overall I grade it higher than your debut and in my opinion it seems as if you chose a somewhat more epic direction compared to “Sons Of Steel”! Are you happy yourselves with the final outcome, now that your initial enthusiasm has calmed? What would the differences be between the two albums? The second album is simply a continuation of the work done on the first one: we never stopped composing but, certainly, we believe and we hope to do better and better, to improve the instrumental technique, the harmony in the band and our experience live. If “Steal the Fire” is more epic is just a natural evolution of our sound, a feature of the period in which it was written, there is nothing planned: the band continues to write music that comes from a METAL alchemy of the members in a very natural way. We are very happy about the result and we also thank our recording engineer Andrea Ramacciotti for his work. The lyrical content is more or less the same in both albums; a combination of Mythology, history and epic themes. Can you speak about the lyrics in your latest offering? The texts come from the songs when the songs are almost finished: it is the atmosphere of the music that creates the theme and title that, for me, must also play well in the song ... very simple. With Epic Power music and style our work comes naturally on mythology, on science fiction and so on. The song “Steal the Fire” speaks about the myth of Prometheus, as “ICARUS” speaks about the myth of the labyrinth and

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escape from that; in “Killing Machines” we speak about a prisoner turned into a gladiator inspired by the “Conan” by Howard. “I’m Legend” is about “the last man on earth”, a place where lived only vampires, as in the book by Richard Matheson; “The Storyteller” is a hypothetical tale of wizards and dragons narrated by someone who wants to transport us to a world of fantasy. “Eldorado” describes the destruction of the Native American people when the European soldiers were seeking the golden city and “Circle of Life” describes the succession of generations that find all the old problems in every life never solved: This piece is dedicated to children born in “Darking family” in the meantime: Alex, Geneva (by Mirco) and Jacopo (By Leo) ... the “pump” that is the end of the piece is the first recording of the heart of one of them when he was still in the womb. About “Stormbringer” I think it’s well known! The last track in “Steal the Fire” is mentioned as a bonus track; will there be a specific version of the album where this track will be exclusive for instance? What is the reason you name it as such? “Circle of Life” a Power fast song, initially had another location in the CD, for reasons of length and for choices of the label did not find place in the vinyl and then we chose to put it as bonus track in the CD. There’s also a surprise included in the album, as mentioned previously, you decided to include a cover of one of DOMINE’s classics, the mighty “Stormbringer”. Was there a specific reason for this choice? Was it you who wrote the tune for example? Was it hard to convince Enrico Paoli to participate in this re-recording of the song? I anticipated this response and now I complete. This song was written by Enrico Paoli , arranged by DOMINE and mastered in “Eternal Champion” DEMO. We wanted to put in “Steal the Fire” this beautiful song with the arrangement of the DEMO and the same guitar solos and melodic vocal line, in memory of the old times and to remember these beautiful years and our friendship with DOMINE members. It ‘was a real pleasure to invite his friend Enrico Paoli to play the song with us and he (great musician and friend) has agreed to play his solos. In my opinion, this version of the song, really gained in quality of mastering and execution: It is just a little faster than the original, but we realized it only after we record and we liked it. Again the work of Mirko at the voice deserves a special mention. How is DARKING treated by local and world media so far? Have you been invited to perform outside Italy? The situation of Metal music in Italy is not good especially for Italian bands offering their own original songs like DARKING: there are few opportunities to be known and propose our musical work. This condition does not let us grow as a band and as musicians so it is difficult to arrive at good goals: we have never played abroad but we would love to. We expect some invitation! Please... So what do you intend to do as an act of promoting your new baby? Are there any future plans by the way that you could reveal? “Steal the Fire” will be released on Jan. 31 in Modena and we will play to ACCIAIO ITALIANO Festival: the CD will start turning between fan and journalists. Then we will try to find other gigs in Italy to promote the work. We know it will be very difficult, but we are counting we are still a band on the second CD, on the support of the label and on the quality of the product. For other promotional activities will be seen later ... it would be great to play abroad: maybe in Greece! Thank you for your time Agostino, congratulations for another beautiful album and good luck with the tough task to convince fans! Last lines are yours! Thank you for your great work; thanks for the compliments and thanks for your time: we hope you will like the new work! And we hope that the sooner we can we will come to play live in Greece, one of the few places in the world where Metal is a music followed and respected! Thanks and greetings from DARKING: Agostino, Leo, Mirko e Matteo... CIAO! www.facebook.com/pages/Darking/112713178762531 Thanos Stafylarakis

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Avid readers of this publication may remember my raving review for ASSEMBLY AT DUSK’s first demo in our last issue. Having released a second and equally strong demo just shortly afterwards and both of them now being released on vinyl via Unborn Productions, we felt it was a perfect time to talk to the epic heavy metal hopefuls about past, present and future. Despite the recently announced departure of vocalist Jeffrey Schaefer, remaining founding member Brian Pauze seemed more than determined to continue (a news we are of course glad to hear!) and excited to fill us in on the story so far and future plans.

Brian, as ASSEMBLY AT DUSK is a rather new band would you care to give us a brief overview of the band‘s history and how you guys ended up playing with each other? Were any of you involved in other musical endeavours before ASSEMBLY AT DUSK? I know that you and Jeffrey were both part of the melodic death metal combo THE PATHOS OF CLYTAEMNESTRA, what did make you two switch towards the more traditional side of the metal genre?  The PATHOS… was a project Jeff had originally started as a solo thing, with him recording everything on his computer, so the basic musical template was set with that band before I came to it. I happen to enjoy that type of metal a great deal so it worked out, but with ASSEMBLY AT DUSK we came to it with no set idea of what we wanted to do stylistically. Jeff is a talented singer, so we wanted to take advantage of that and music-wise we didn’t want to be constrained by any specific genre limitations aside from being a metal band. As far as other projects, both Ryan and I have been in a hardcore punk band called IRON HAND for many years and continue to do that. We came across Jordan by putting the word out on the internet looking for a drummer after recording the first demo, and lucked out finding him as we all have mutual friends and acquaintances. Once Jeff decided to move to doing strictly vocals, Jordan’s friend Mike stepped in to play bass and it was a great fit. Unfortunately you recently announced Jeffrey’s departure from the band. Could you elaborate a bit on the reasons for this decision? As I understand you are still involved in other projects with him so I doubt there has been any bad blood between the both of you. We are not involved in any other projects together, though we have been in other bands together in the past. I think he just had different ideas about „the big picture“ of the band, and when he realized his vision didn‘t line up with the rest of us he lost interest. I wouldn‘t say there is bad blood, but the whole thing definitely left a bad taste in our mouths.  Okay, then let us leave the unpleasant things aside and talk a bit more about the band. ASSEMBLY AT DUSK is an interesting name and was actually the thing that initially drew my attention and the reason I clicked on your bandcamp page in early 2013. I think it suits your sound very well, but how did you come up with it and what does it mean to you? I think we came up with it as an amalgamation of various ideas we had all thrown out, and it was the first one that we all knew immediately suited the band. I think the name is very tied to the music we are trying to create, which has a certain atmospheric vibe. We didn’t want a name that hit you over the head saying “this is a metal band!” but still had a somewhat sinister element to it. With a name and a course set out for the band, how can we imagine the songwriting process for ASSEMBLY AT DUSK? Are you guys jamming together in order to flesh out the songs or are you mainly making use of the many possibilities offered to musicians nowadays by the digital world in terms of exchanging sound files via the internet etc.? The songwriting process is mainly me bringing in riffs and we just kind of jam on them at practice, tweaking things and arranging them until we have the basic framework down. Occasionally I will record things on my phone and send them around just to get opinions, but that is pretty infrequent. Once we have everything down pretty tight, we would make a basic practice recording to work vocals around. In 2013 you released two 3-track-demos, both of them are still available as “pay what you like“ on your bandcamp page. How was the resonance

from fans and press? Do you have any idea how many people actually downloaded the demos so far? The thing that surprised me the most was the wide range of places interest has come from. We have never been particularly good at self promotion, so it was interesting to see how word spread relatively far. A few blogs posted links to the demos and some people uploaded the tracks to youtube and we started getting demo requests from places like Norway, Greece, India and Brazil. I think outside of the United States, people are much more open to a more old school metal sound. Sometimes it seems like here people are just concerned with how “extreme” you can be. As far as downloads, I am not totally sure. I think it is sitting somewhere around 600. I am just happy people are finding us and discovering they like us on their own without it being shoved in their faces. As both demos were released during a rather short period of time, in what aspects do you think they differ from each other? With the first demo we were still feeling things out, and didn‘t have a complete lineup so there were less people to bounce ideas off of. I come up with most of the riffs, but a big part of actually creating the songs comes from everyone adding their own little things to what was brought in. I think the second demo is a little more stylistically cohesive, but not a huge departure. We also put more time in to the second demo, since the intention of the first one was just to try to have something to send people to fill out the lineup. The recently released vinyl compilation of both of the demos was done by Unborn Productions. How did this collaboration come to be? I am not totally sure how Jonas originally found us, but he first wanted to order some demo tapes to stock in his (fantastic) distro. He then decided it was worth having that music put on vinyl. I will be forever honored that he decided to do that for us. With Unborn Productions getting involved how much say did you have in the release itself or did you just send the sound files and the artwork and that was it? We knew what we wanted for the art, which was the same art we used for the tape version, so it was an easy process of just sending him the recordings and then art and he took care of everything else. To us it was very simple, but for him probably not so much so! I must admit, that I was a bit disappointed about the fact, that the vinyl release did not include a lyrics sheet since I sense you guys have indeed something worthwhile to say that would be worth a closer read. As the cheap way out was already taken with the LP‘s inlay which contains the production information (FYI: the LP features a simple copied DINA4 sheet), could the other side have not been used for printing the lyrics as well? That was a decision made by Jonas at Unborn. I suppose the lyrics could have been included, but I have no experience with what goes in to making a more elaborate insert for vinyl. I was more than happy he was willing to put the demos out on vinyl, so we are in no position to take issue! Speaking of lyrics, what are the kind of topics you guys tend to tackle in your songs? Is there an overlying concept or theme with ASSEMBLY AT DUSK? Jeff deals mainly with the themes of isolation and disappointment with the world with his lyrics. This is sort of built around creating a mythical post-apocalyptic world and then using that to draw analogies to the world we actually exist in. Now that Jeff has decided to part ways with the band, I don’t know that we will stick with that exact pretense for lyrical content, but I would imagine the themes will stay the same. It is hard not to feel like the world we live in is doing

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everything it can to destroy itself, and that will be reflect in the lyrical content. The LP also features a bonus track, namely „Orphans Of The Light“, which seems to be from a separate recording session. Was this the only song you tracked or did you record more? When Jonas approached us about doing the vinyl version of the demos, he asked if we had any material that could be exclusive to that version. Since we recorded everything ourselves at my home studio, it was easy enough to record a song we had been working on since we recorded the demos.  Unfortunately that was the only track we recorded at that time. Coming to speak of the music, you guys - at least to my ears - tend to build a very elevated atmosphere on a foundation of classic heavy metal paired with influences from epic to doom metal. What would you name as your main influences or do you see ASSEMBLY AT DUSK as a completely unique beast of its own? I suppose every band would like to think of themselves as a totally unique beast! Realistically though, that is rarely the case.  Vocally, I know Jeff’s big influences were CANDLEMASS and BLACK SABBATH. I think musically those are two big ones for me as well, with maybe some PENTAGRAM, ENTOMBED and IMMORTAL thrown in. My favorite ASSEMBLY AT DUSK song up until now is „Felhaven“ which ends with an unexpected (but great) faster part that resembles some melodic black metal influences. Are we going to see more of these influences in ASSEMBLY AT DUSK‘s music further on down the road or was this a one-off thing? I would imagine those influences will always find their way in to our music here and there, as I enjoy black metal quite a bit. Though I don’t know if we will be so on the nose about it in the future. While I like that part, it always felt a little bit too much like “and now the black metal part of the song!” Talking about „Felhaven“, does the title in any kind of way refer to your hometown New Haven in Conneticut? I don’t think it does. I believe Jeff used it more as a representation of Hartford, where he was living at the time, which is pretty close to post apocalyptic itself. It does have a good lyrical quality to it though. What is the underground metal scene currently like in New Haven and Conneticut in general? Are there chances to gig for a band like ASSEMBLY AT DUSK with a decent turnout? For better or worse, we are not very involved in the local scene in Connecticut. I think it is the nature of most people in the band to keep to themselves and do their own thing, so we rarely get out to schmooze and promote ourselves. Consequently, I couldn’t really say what the state of the scene is here. We have gig offers every now and then and we do enjoy playing out when the right opportunity arises. Obviously as we are temporarily without a singer, we aren’t playing live but we look forward to changing that soon. Having just released some music on black wax yourself, what do you think about the current comeback of the LP? Do you think it‘s just a fad that will fade because people are at the moment just rediscovering all things retro simply for the sake of them being retro and therefore fashionable and stylish, or is vinyl truly here to stay?  I love vinyl as a format, and it‘s pretty much what I listen to when I am at home. I think I like it for all the typical reasons people say they do, the sound, the large form artwork etc. In a lot of circles it is not a format that ever really went away. That being said, I do think there is a trend about it now in terms of major labels and bigger artists putting our vinyl again. These releases tend to be way overpriced and not something I would be interested in buying anyway. To me, vinyl that comes with a digital version is the ideal distribution format.     What does the future hold in store for ASSEMBLY AT DUSK? Can we expect a proper full-length album next? What does Jeffrey’s departure mean for future endeavours? I know you are determined to find a new singer, any news you can share with us yet? No news on the singer front, but we are hoping to keep vocals duties in house if possible before reaching out to people we don’t know. We have a good deal of material ready, and had offers to put out a full length prior to Jeff leaving, so I would imagine that is in store for us somewhere down the road. Once again thanks a lot for taking the time and making the effort to answer my questions. The last words are yours... Thank you for the interview, we are honored!  www.facebook.com/AssemblyAtDusk Daniel Schuldt

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Another band that has been flying under the radar of underground maniacs despite having two full length CD’s so far. Indiana-based duo is off the beaten path of today’s Metal. Their music is harsh, raw, some would say under-produced. But it has a charm that I guess will be visible to many should the give the band the time they deserve. Add to this an original sound and approach and you have a band fitting to be interviewed in out humble fanzine. Communication problems with Tim Hall (guitars, bass) didn’t “allow” for this feature to be more extensive, but even this way, I hope you like and discover a new, worthy band! Hello and congratulations for both CD’s you released in the last couple of years, “The Winter of Evermore” and “Creation/Damnation”. Shall we start off by you giving us some more info about the band? When and where was CITADEL BESIEGED? Were you guys the founding members? CITADEL BESIEGED was formed by Tim Hall and Adrian Jeffreys in 2010. We are the only permanent members. Adrian does all the vocals and drums and I do all guitar work on albums. Dave Hale Jr. helped with the bass on both music videos. Jack Hillenbrand and Joe Meleski were drummers on the videos. In the Metal Archives website it is mentioned that you are the evolution of an older act, DARKHAVEN, so if you could shed some light here? Did you have any releases with them? We started off together in 1984 under the name SANCTUARY. Before we could secure that name somebody took that name. Was pissed but after hearing “Into the Mirror Black” by them we got over it. So we became DARKHAVEN in 1985.

each CD and have distributed nearly half of these. We have had some good media reviews in blogs and webzines like Metal Temple, Stereo Sun, Lords of Metal, Global Metal Apocalypse and Kick Acts. “Creation/Damnation” (a lyric from “Beyond these Citadel Walls” from the debut CD; coincidence?) was released in 2012, once again as a private release and almost passing unnoticed from the underground metal community, as I have yet to encounter many reviews of your releases, so this means you either don’t care to promote your band a lot, or that people don’t care about your music. Which assumption is closer to the truth here? We do care deeply about our music but with a limited budget we haven’t been able to do much as for as promotion goes. We monitor free download sites and allow them because of our limited budget restricts our advertising. We have been downloaded quite a bit so I guess there is interest in our music especially in Southeast Asia, Europe and South America. Were sales of the “Creation/Damnation” CD better than the debut’s? We had about the same amount of sales for these two CD’s, about half of the 1000 pressing as mentioned above. Both releases are done by you. Wasn’t there interest from labels, or maybe there was but wasn’t something that you felt comfortable with? Will you continue this way? We submitted to all major labels and had no replies. This was suggested by a Virgin A&R on Reverbnation. We started Gothic Records in 1987 to release the DARKHAVEN album which was never released. Since we have first use of Gothic Records we used this label to get worldwide distribution. We will continue this way but will submit again to the majors and major independents. One complaint someone would have is the very basic packaging, I mean it wouldn’t be so bad to have the lyrics or maybe some extra info about the songs in the booklets. Was this a deliberate choice? Don’t you think that a better looking product would help the band more? Did

Recorded our debut album – “Prelude to Haven” in 1987, which unfortunately was never released due to constant in fighting and the band members went their separate ways. Randy Bienhaus was the drummer and Val Shaffer was the Bass player on “Prelude to Haven” album. We got back in touch in 2010 and decided to give things another try. CITADEL BESIEGED was born out of the ashes of DARKHAVEN. At the time there was also a Texan band called DARK HAVEN. Did you perform live during the DARKHAVEN days? Were the songs you had written “shelved” or sent to radio stations and fanzines at the time? We broke up before we had a chance to play out. We did get some local play time from colleges, high schools and local stations. We didn’t make it in any fanzines or magazines. You come from Indiana, a state with almost zero Metal bands, at least those that may be a little more known to an underground maniac! We have (or maybe had?) SKULLVIEW and the band Dean now has, STONE MAGNUM, but I only know of BACKLASH that did an LP back in the 80s and the more melodic ANGEL X with a mini-CD in 1992… Are things so bad for Metal there? Yes things are really bad here. ICED EARTH and CRIMSON ARMADA are the only two melodic bands that Adrian has heard of coming from Indiana. It seems that everybody is on the current band wagon of death metal and copy bands. There are no places to play our style of music around the area. I guess because we have a lot of melody in our music we are looked down upon as being weak. The first CITADEL BESIEGED CD, titled “The Winter of Evermore” was released in 2011. Is this material you had written in the past and properly recorded, or songs written before the CD release? Yes, there were a lot of riffs left over from the DARKHAVEN days and in between. We also did a lot of rearranging old with brand new parts to complete these songs. Did you play gigs after the CD release? In your facebook page there are live pictures, so this means there is a line-up for performing live to aid you two, right? Is there a reason why they don’t join the band? Maybe you want to keep it this way, a two-man operation with a few selected shows here and there when given the opportunity? Those “live” pictures were actually outtakes from the video for “Fear of the Mountain People”. Dave Hale Jr. performed Bass and Joe Meleski performed the drums. Dave is a singer who we would love to learn and play the bass live and Joe is a great drummer and great person but he is busy with another band. We would love to do live shows but again there is no one to play live with around here. No one has shown interest in playing with us. The older musicians who would play live are simply out of shape and the younger guys are into the latest trend Are you satisfied with the feedback from fans and media alike? How many copies have you pressed and distributed? We have pretty good fan feedback. We have a lot of great comments at CITADEL BESIEGED radio at Jango.com which is very similar to Pandora. We have 1938 fans there. We also have good feedback at Reverbnation. We have pressed 1000 copies of

you get some negative feedback from this? This was due to financial considerations. We would love to do a lot of things more professionally but can’t due to finances. As there are no lyrics in the CD’s, could you tell us a few things? I guess judging from titles like “March of the Black Death”, “Fear of the Mountain people”, “Black clouds over Stonehaven” and “March of the Witchfinder” f.e. combined with the dark tone your music has, one knows what to expect… Yes they should expect true gothic metal that we have been doing since DARKHAVEN. The first five songs on “The Winter of Evermore” are the epic portion of the CD and the first seven songs on “Creation/Damnation” are the epic portions of that CD. I have listened closely to both CD’s and so far I can’t identify you with a specific band, as your branch of Metal is quite unique (aided by the sound/production). Of course some ideas and parts here and there may ring a bell, but the final result is quite original to my ears. What are some of the bands that have influenced you? How would you describe your style if necessary? We try to be totally original but we do have our influences: Tim is influenced by DIO, OZZY, BLACK SABBATH. Adrian’s influences include: FATES WARNING, QUEENSRYCHE and MERCYFUL FATE. Maybe this special, raw and harsh sound you have keeps some people away? It’s not something that you will love from the first spin, it happened with me as well; as it takes some time to appreciate the band… No, we get that too. Some of our favorite albums have had to grow on us as well. We believe the songwriting is there but our closet bedroom studio can only sound so good. We are doing a new single in a professional studio this time and maybe we can get better results. Do you follow the current Metal scene? What’s your opinion/view on it? What are some of the albums you have enjoyed in the past month or so? Southeast Asia, Europe and South America are still into metal but not so much here in the states. Rap, solo artists, cover bands and cookie monster vocals are big here. PAGAN’S MIND, VISION DIVINE and THY MAJESTIE are what Adrian has been listening to lately. I shut myself out from other music when I am writing. On the CD’s you have a “Gothic” logo, is there a special reason? Maybe you want to emphasize the dark and gothic elements/atmosphere in your music or is it just your label’s name, Gothic Records (as there is no label evidence anywhere else on the CD)? That’s our own label’s name/// Any future plans you can share with us? Is a new, 3rd full length in the works? Working on our new single called “Barnabas Collins” which will be on our upcoming EP. Thank you on behalf of the Steel for an Age team. www.facebook.com/pages/Citadelbesieged/137510439658345 Kostas Kailiazis

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It was in May when our Slovenian friend, Kristjan Marjanchich (see you soon in UTH!), mentioned this band in one of his mails! I visited their bandcamp page and was BLOWN AWAY by their powerful Heavy Metal (and immediately ordered their demo-CD, more in the reviews section). How they can still be without an official release is beyond me, now only taking into consideration their actual songs, but also the very professional sound and approach they have. It may be too early with only three songs, but I think UNDERGROUND are not another typical band... Time will tell! 

Hello and welcome to Steel for an Age. Congratulations for the demo you released in 2014. When was the band formed? Were any of you involved in other bands prior to Underground? Hello! Thank you very much, we are very happy, what came out! The band has been formed in February of 2013. We have been in few bands before, yes, but now UNDERGROUND is our main band ;) Really, how did you come up with this name? We came up with lots of names and then UNDERGROUND came out and we all agreed. One of the main characteristics of the band are the powerful vocals of Mario. What are some of the singers that have influenced him. At times he sounds like a better Kai Hansen! Oh yeah, that screaming motherf*cker?? His influences were most of all King Diamond, Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio. Your music as well seems quite a bit influenced from German Metal bands. What in your opinion are the main influences you have, both as personalities and as a band? Our main influences were IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST… so NWOBHM mostly, this was our goal. Since there are no lyrics in your demo-CD, tell us a few things about them. Our lyrics are mostly influenced by serial killers, violence most of all, because we are all pretty sick and therefore the lyrics are gruesome ;) You have started with a three-song demo available on bandcamp, something that hundreds of bands do nowadays. On one hand it’s good; you have a known media to make your band know, but on the other hand, people seem to pay so little attention to bands nowadays if they are not accompanied by some sort of hype or gimmick. How do you view this? We believe that bandcamp is one of the greatest opportunities for newcomer bands, to get known and maybe make some money via digital release or selling merchandise, practically, you have your own webpage for free! Of course, this is not the only thing to do, to become more known. How do you see the current classic Metal scene? Have we reached a peak where soon all this ocean of bands/labels and releases will result to a collapse that will leave the scene the way it was 15-20 years ago? Band that have a long road behind them like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH should leave the scene and give an opportunity to young bands. No we don’t think so. It doesn’t matter if the labels will be successful or not and we should look after the energy in bands songs and releases. The scene is never the same; we can’t go back in time. There are few bands from Slovenia that have managed to make a name for themselves outside your country, even in underground circles. What would be the reasons? Strong connections and a big ass, haha. Actually the bands must put a lot of effort in their work. Please recommend us some bands from your country that people into classic (and not only) Metal should check! If possible, tell us a few things about each band. METALSTEEL, KELLER, ERUPTION, SARCASM, WITHIN DESTRUCTION, GMB, CHICKSY DICKS. METALSTEEL is a heavy metal band, formed around 2000 I think and they play like IRON MAIDEN, WASP, BLACK SABBATH (Dio era), etc. SARCASM is a well known thrash metal band from the 80s and they had a lot of influence on younger Slovenian thrash bands. Their best record is a speed/

thrash masterpiece, named “Crematory”, you should check it out. As we are talking about thrash metal, you should also check thrash maniacs ERUPTION, who are mostly influenced by Bay Area thrash scene and of course a band named KELLER who plays teutonic thrash metal (SODOM< KREATOR, CORONER, DESTRUCTION). CHICKSY DICKS is a band, who plays a mixture of metal subgenres, for example they combine thrash metal with bands like FAITH NO MORE and they also are into PANTERA’s music. GMB and WITHIN DESTRUCTION mostly play death metal. In fact, WITHIN DESTRUCTION also mix a lot of deathcore with death metal. GMB sounds like OBITUARY, which is really good. TOMCAT plays pretty good dirty hard rock, so you can imagine what kind of bands are they into. Do UNDERGROUND play live often? How are things concerning venues to perform, bands that you play with? Have you managed to open for bigger bands so far? Now we were a bit short with gigs, because it was summer, and usually here in summer, the clubs are closed, so new season starts in September. You have to contact the club and maybe you can get an invitation from the bigger group to be an opening act… Actually, now we announced a mini tour to Belgium in February, we are going to play on one-day festival Metal ‘till midnight in Kortrijk(club JC Transit) along with ALPHA TIGER, HORACLE, ENCHANTRESS.. the headliner will be the well-known STEELWING from Sweden, we are very excited that we’re going to share the stage with them. Venues are Metelkova, Mostovna, Orto bar, Pekana maribor, Cvetlicarna... I guess you must have more songs written. Could you please mention some titles? Yes we do. Other songs are “House of the Devil”, “Mouth of Madness” and “Evil invocation”. We are currently working on new material, so there will be more songs of course. It may be a little early to ask, but what is the feedback so far for your first demo? Did you send copies to labels that might be interested in you? The copies were not sent to labels yet, but the feedback is awesome. People accepted us really well, even in Canada, Norway and Brazil they’re amazed by our songs. What are your future plans? Should we look forward to a more professional release in the near future? Maybe a 7” or mini-CD until you build up enough interest for a full length? Our future plans are, of course to make a full length CD, a lot of gigs, meeting new people and yeah obviously getting drunk, high and maybe burn some stages hahha! Metal up your ass! Until more music from your band hits our stereos, send a message to our readers. From our part we wish you luck for the future! Guys, keep listening to heavy metal, and don’t fall into these modern crap, that is playing these days on the radio, keep going on the concerts to support your local scene(especially young and unknown bands). Keep it brutal! http://undergroundofficial.bandcamp.com/releases Kostas Kailiazis

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RANGER seems to be at the top of this whole new speed/ thrash wave. At least to my ears they are, but with just demos and an EP under their belts there is room for ‘questioning’. Fear not, the band will have their debut released in spring; my expectations are high and I think they will solidify their position as the undisputed leaders of this ‘scene’. Drummer of the band, Miko informed us of the latest news from their camp. Congratulations for the releases you have so far! The band is currently at the studio preparing a new aural assault, this time in the form of a full-length album! When should we expect it? Will it be brand new songs or will you revisit demo ones as well? Any funny/ weird incidents? Thanks! It’s going to be mostly brand new stuff, only 1 old song. We have played some of the new songs live this summer. The new album will be out this spring on Spinefarm records. You should expect no less than an overdose of guaranteed skull splitting metal! We had quite a few problems at the studio… 2 amplifiers broke down and the equipment didn’t always work. That added quite a lot of stress to the recordings but the album turned out great! We have recorded our previous stuff at Black Floyd’s analog lab in Hämeenkyrö, Finland but now we decided to record it in a studio in our hometown Helsinki. It’s recorded and mixed on tape by the same guys who did “Knights of Darkness” and “Shock Skull” so still no “modern” production! Quite typical and boring, but lets get this over with. Can you give us a short bio of the band? The original name was TURBIN, which would be the Finnish for turbine, right? Or should I risk my “journalistic credibility” (!!!) and risk ask if it was inspired by the first ANTHRAX LP singer? We started back in 2008 and we had to come up with a name fast to play a gig. Somebody came up with the name TURBIN (inspired by the first Anthrax LP indeed!) and we played that one show with that name. Soon after that we changed our name to Ranger and released the first demo ‘Enter the Zone’. The more recent release of the band is the “Skull splitting Metal” compilation CD, including ALL songs you have recorded while the band has been active, plus an unreleased track. Before that, you did a 7” single, “Shock Skull”. Tell us a few things about it… We recorded the 7” in two days in January. It was recorded at Black Floyd’s analog lab in Hameenkyro, Finland, the same studio where we recorded the “Knights of Darkness” mini-LP. We had been playing “Shock Skull” live so it was in good shape. “Omen of Doom” was written just a couple of days before the studio dates but it turned out great! We’re happy with the 7” and I think the songs are a good match. In September 2013, you released the “Knights of Darkness” miniLP, a crushing 5-song affair that puts to shame almost EVERY new band that tries to play this new trend, power/speed Metal. First of all, would you agree that this has become a trend nowadays? There are indeed many speed metal bands out there at the moment but I believe the trendiest thing to play is occult rock! On the EP you have re-recorded two songs from the “Combat Metal” demo and three new ones. Did you feel that the older ones were not representative of the current status of the band, or you wanted so badly to record and release the latest songs you had written? We felt that “Supreme Evil” and “Touch of Death” were the strongest demo tracks and they deserved to be recorded in a proper studio. What has been the feedback for the EP from fans and press? Did this release made the name of the band more known than before? I guess it sold quite well, since there was another pressing after the initial sold out, right?

The feedback has been really good! At least the Finnish music media seemed to really enjoy it. It has sold well indeed; the third pressing is out already. After the release we had a lot more gigs and they were bigger shows too. Before that, chaos, sorry I meant to say LOTS of tape releases... First off there was “Enter the Zone” in 2009, followed by “Metal Gear in 2012” and “Combat Metal in 2013”. Tell us a few things about the songs included and the state of the band during every release... In 2009 when we recorded “Enter the Zone” we were a 5-piece band. It was me and Jaakko on guitars, Dimi on vocals, Jokebi on bass and Ville on drums. The demo had intro and two songs on it. We have used some riffs from those songs on our newer stuff but we don’t play them live anymore. “Metal Gear” was recorded when we were a trio. Dimi took over bass duties after Jokebi left the band and I changed from guitar to drums after Villes departure. The songs on this demo must be the fastest we have recorded to date! It was recorded at our rehearsal place with a Tascam 4-track machine. Shortly after the release of “Metal Gear”, our old friend Verneri joined the band and now we had two guitars again! We recorded the “Combat Metal” tape at our rehearsal place. “Touch of Death” is the oldest song we play live regularly. I wrote it when I was on guitar! Was it a deliberate choice to only have released your music so far in “old-school” formats (tapes and vinyl?). First of all, don’t you think that it’s some sort of trend nowadays, but most importantly isn’t it a drawback since there people that only buy CD’s and they don’t have the chance to buy your music? Also, most of the times I get fed up with the price demo tapes cost (even before shipping costs sometimes) which takes away from the purpose of it; to Demonstrate the band in a fast and cheap way. At least this is how it used to be; nowadays to me it seems like a “cult-meter” to show around in the scene for most bands. Tapes are the cheapest and easiest way to release a demo! Especially if the master is on a cassette. We all think that vinyl is the best way to listen to music. We know that there are people who don’t have a record player and this is why Ektro is putting out the compilation CD that includes everything from “Enter the zone” to “Shock Skull”. It’s also a chance to get the demos in case somebody missed the tapes. I don’t get it when bands release a demo tape that’s strictly limited to something like 50 copies. I lost count after we had made 500 copies of “Combat Metal” tape. When we ran out of copies we had new ones dubbed right away. Our new album will be out on vinyl, tape and CD. How is a RANGER song written? Is it mostly built around someone’s ideas with everyone else’s bits, or do you fuse your ideas while playing? I have written most of our songs. Sometimes the song just comes to your head at home and sometimes we just jam and write a new tune at rehearsals. We never run out of ideas! Usually the songs form pretty quickly. You recently performed in Keep it True (April 2014) and Muskelrock (May 2014) Festivals, what was the experience like? Did you have the chance to be there before as fans of the music, or was it your first? What were some of the bands you enjoyed on those events? Were those the only shows outside Finland? The band seems to be gigging all the time, so please let us know how many shows you have done so far and some of the bigger acts you have shared the stage with. Apart from the bigger festivals, have you had the chance to open for bigger local or international acts in Finland? Keep it True and Muskelrock were great!! I had visited both festivals before and •16•

it was amazing to finally play there! JAG PANZER and FLOTSAM & JETSAM were my favorites at KIT. Uli Jon Roth was amazing at Muskelrock! I saw NIGHT DEMON at both festivals, they’re brilliant every time! We played Live Evil last year and we’re going to play there again this year. One of the highlights this year was opening for SATAN in Helsinki! How important do you feel performing live for a Heavy Metal band is? Is there a balance between making scarce but great performances and playing all the time, everywhere you can? Or you don’t care about this at all? Describe us a typical RANGER show. Do you play any covers or is it only original material? Maybe you were doing more during the earlier stages? I believe playing live is crucial! We will play anywhere if the deal makes any sense. We are going to kick ass wherever we play! A typical RANGER show in Helsinki means 45 minutes of banging heads, broken teeth and blood upon the stage! We used to play covers before we had enough own songs to fill a set. There are MANY bands that do music similar to yours (or if you prefer with the same influences) nowadays. First of all, how do you see RANGER in this “scene” and what are some of the characteristics that would force a metalhead to pick you over other bands? Do you feel that after those few releases you have so far, there is what someone would call a growing “RANGER sound”? I personally feel this way; this is why I am very anxious to listen to a full length by you guys! Speed metal bands nowadays seem to choose between twin guitar stuff or the fast, thrashier stuff. I try to write the ultimate skull splitting metal song everytime! Aggressive bonecrushing metal and traditional metal with twin guitar leads are both big parts of the Ranger sound. Do you follow the underground metal scene? Do you think that in a sense all bands should do it, given special circumstances, time etc? Do you distinguish any bands that dominate your listening sessions? Of course! I’m always looking for kick-ass new bands. Metal should be made by metal maniacs for metal maniacs! You are a band “born” in the digital age. How do you see this thing and the effect it has on our music? On one hand information access (in our case old/ new recordings, info etc) is very easy and fast, but on the other hand doesn’t it away take from the experience of dedicating more time to albums and bands? And as a result, limited attention to bands and then we move to the next thing, sort of never giving some bands with potential the attention they need. There are definitely positive and negative sides to it. I think it’s crazy that you can buy only one track off an album! Of course it’s good that you can find and buy vinyl too. How are things in Finland when it comes to classic Metal? There have been a few bands that have become more known the last few years, how do you see it? There are a lot of real metal fans here and the shows are usually crowded. Records are also easy to find. We do have some good bands here like SPEEDTRAP and LORD FIST but I think there should be more! What are the next plans for the band? 2015 will be a busy year for us. We’re currently booking a tour and we’re already writing new songs. Our plan is to work hard and thrash even harder! Thanks for the time! We are looking forward to the RANGER debut. Until then, this is your space... Thanks! Metal rules!!! http://rangerheavymetal.bandcamp.com Photos by Emma Grönqvist Kostas Kailiazis •17•

“Devil Seed” is out and it was well worth the wait as it’s another WOLF album, which ‘Devil Seed’ is the 7’ in my book means GREAT classic Metal. I have heard people complaining that it’s studio album for one more modern than the previous ones, but to me that’s not the case (I will mention of the best bands that below my “complaint”). Tell us a few things about the recordings etc of the new album. have appeared in the Metal This time we recorded in several studios, which we never done before. The drums was recorded in the biggest studio of Fascination Street, the vocals recorded in Jens Bogren’s mixing studio, guitar and scene in the last 15-20 years, bass and other stuff were recorded in my studio, Viper Studio and Simon’s studio, SolnaSound Recording. Swedes WOLF! It may sound The reason for this was to get the best sound possible out of our budget as well as freedom to record like an exaggeration, but please, during a longer period of time. Jens Bogren worked from his mixing studio all the time and we had contact forget about the latest spandex/retro/ with him during the whole recording process. He produced my vocals there as well. whatever sensation and the hype/ To my ears the new album is a really solid release that ranks among the best albums I heard/ bought this year. I would expect maybe a small change in approach and songwriting since promotion surrounding it and focus on “Devil Seed” follows the same (successful and highly enjoyable) recipe of the post “Evil Star” the music. Having a steady delivery of albums. The album has been released late August and the band has toured since in support of albums ranging from very good (with it…What were the countries and the reactions from fans to the new songs? We have toured in UK, Germany and Sweden so far, but we are soon going out for a European tour as that my least favorite being ‘Ravenous’) to ends with a UK tour. The reactions are always great when we play live. We’re not a studio band; we are a simply perfect HM Classics like ‘The live band and have always been. As much as I like working on songs and studio recordings, the energy is black Flame’, it was about time they best captured live. “Shark Attack” is probably the song among the new material that people really enjoy were featured in our publication. An singing along to. It’s simple (for a WOLF song) and catchy and has a chorus metal fans can scream along to no matter what level of alcohol that’s in their blood at the moment. extra reason? Underground fans tend to shun them. I am clueless as to why, Another album on Century Media; this means you are satisfied with them, right? There must be room for improvement though, so are there any things that you would want them to do? maybe they are on a bigger label than We are satisfied with them, yes. They believe in us and they do a great job or us. Of course, a band the run of the mill copycats out there? always wants more from the label. More tour support, more advertisement and so on. But we understand they have a budget to work within as well as we do. Either way, Metal FANS and not blind Really, do you have any idea of the albums sales so far? I for one am curious to see how much followers of trends MUST check this an established band with a big independent label supporting them sells nowadays when the band. The following interview was market side of the industry seems to be low, or at least “spread” among more players, bands done with guitarist/singer Niklas and labels… I stopped asking about sales long time ago. How much albums you sell nowadays doesn’t mean the same Stalvind..Enjoy!!! as ten or twenty years ago. From what I understand we have sold around 10.000 of the Century Media album, and I think we sold about the same amount of the previous albums too. How about we go back in 1995 when Niklas and Mikael formed WOLF. After some lineup changes the band recorded two demos that I haven’t had the chance to listen to and I don’t have any more info… On Metal Archives they are stated as Demo I-1995 (Devil Eyes/ Damnation) and Demo II-1996 (The hills have eyes/Hell is for Children). BUT on a “Black Wings” interview there is a mention of ONE demo (and not the ones mentioned above) with early versions of “In the shadow of Steel”, “Electric Raga” and “The Voyage” plus some others (they weren’t named but didn’t make it in the debut). Please shed some light here… We did three demos under the name of WOLVERINE. I have the demos in a box at home and they will stay in that box. When drummer Daniel ”Dale” Bergkvist joined us, Mikael and I had a clear vision of what we wanted to do. I had written”Electric Raga” and”In the Shadow of Steel” (Mikael kind of co-wrote “In the Shadow of Steel”, but really I had all the parts of the song but he had the title which we used) and when those songs were written we recorded them with our original drummer, the next drummer and finally with Daniel. When Daniel joined we changed the name from WOLVERINE to WOLF and with that demo (an old handwritten cassette with our phone number on) we landed the first record deal. In the summer of 1999, the first 7”single of WOLF is released (with “Demon” and “The Howling”) on a small label, Beast Records, who also issued another 7” later that year with two songs off the first demo (“Electric Raga” and “In the shadow of Steel”). How do you view these early recordings? Maybe I should say this but - it was all a lie! Daniel, who did our website, thought it looked good to have a couple of more albums in the discography so he made it up and we had a laugh. Most of our bio was also false, but more entertaining than the boring truth. I guess we were professionals even back then. No Fashion Records signed the band in 1999, but it wasn’t until mid-2000 that the s/t debut •18•

hit the record stores. Why was there such a big delay, given the fact that the material was recorded since September 1999? No Fashion was bought by the bigger label, MNW and there was lots going on there. And I don’t think we had all the songs written for the album, so we spent some time writing songs too. I am sure you must be bored hearing this, but the debut cover is a total cult one. Do you regret choosing Hans Arnold, a much known Swedish artist? Do you think that in a way it took away from the thing people should focus? And I mean the music, which despite the VERY obvious IRON MAIDEN elements was a breath of fresh air at the time. We regret nothing. As you say, the cover is total cult. It showed how different we were to ALL other bands at that time. Most people hated the cover, but some people LOVED it and we got lots of attention for it. 14 years later I’m still answering questions about it which proves how big of an impact it had. I did an entire interview once about that cover. Look back at the other badly photo-shopped covers at that time and compare. We didn’t want that photo-shopped shit that everybody else was putting out. We wanted something unique and cool like Derek Riggs covers for IRON MAIDEN. And about the music - yes the IRON MAIDEN influences on the first album is obvious. We never tried to hide our influences like some bands do. We took a lot of shit for that, but we didn’t care. Career wise it wasn’t the smart move maybe as we got branded like an ”IRON MAIDEN band” even if we made an album that sounded more like MERCYFUL FATE and JUDAS PRIEST, but we did what we wanted to do and we kept that spirit up to this day. A mini-CD was released, “Moonlight” with a video of the songs plus a couple of demo/edit versions. Was this your idea or the label’s? The label’s idea, I think. I don’t remember exactly. There are probably WOLF fans out there who know more about some aspects of the band than I do. I live in the moment and don’t dwell in the past. “Black Wings” took another two years to be released (January 2002 to be precise), but as you have mentioned at the time, the small delay only benefited the band, right? Did you feel at the time that the band’s efforts were getting more recognition? Was it a natural or deliberate choice to distance yourselves from the IRON MAIDEN sound of the debut and go for a harder PRIEST-like riffing coupled with MERCYFUL FATE elements? Seeing this album now, do you feel justified? When we wrote the first album, we listened a lot to the ”Powerslave” era of IRON MAIDEN. When we wrote ”Black Wings” we listened a lot to the ”Killers” era of IRON MAIDEN and you can clearly hear that. As you say there are also lots of JUDAS PRIEST and MERCYFUL FATE elements too, but it was never a ”choice” or strategic career move to do that. As we did on the first album, the second album and every other WOLF album: we just wrote the music WE liked and WE felt exciting. I can’t tell you how many questions like this I get still and I really don’t get why it is so hard to grasp that we just write what we feel like. If you sit down and try and calculate what fans expect, what people want, what will sell lots of records, what will be the next ”cool” thing in metal - then you might get lucky but more likely, you will release an album with utter shit and it will never stand the test of time. Be true to your heart; be true to your music. Peter Tägtgren took over the producing chores, whereas he only engineered the debut, with you producing. Any particular reasons? We had a very clear vision of how we wanted stuff and the songs were written. Almost every idea about the production came from us. I was also very stubborn and had my ideas and didn’t listen so much to the producers at the time. But really - the first album was produced by Peter but we thought that the”producer” of an album should more than a sound engineer. So in short, it means nothing, haha. “Night Stalker” was released as a 7” from long defunct Rage of Achilles with a SLAYER cover (“Die by the Sword”) on the B-side. What were the reasons for this 7”? I guess a comment on the cover is needed! We just thought”Die by the Sword” is a cool song and it is. The album cover features Mikael Goning’s crotch with his beloved knife, which he always had on tour out in the car (probably to piss us off). It was of course a spoof of the first MOTLEY CRUE album. Very cool I must say. It wasn’t until 2004 that the third WOLF LP was released, “Evil Star”, this time for Massacre Records. Does this mean you were not satisfied with No Fashion, or maybe it was time to move to a bigger and more capable label? Seeing that you changed after this, maybe they weren’t such a good choice after all? We weren’t happy with MNW, the owner of No Fashion. They weren’t a metal label and they didn’t understand Metal and they didn’t do proper marketing for us. For a long time we asked them to let us go and when we could say - look, we asked you to let us go and now it has been two years and you have done nothing for us - they let us go. Massacre wasn’t much better. Actually MNW released “Evil Star” in Sweden and licensed it out to Massacre for the rest of the world. Well, something like this. I’m not so sure about all those things, as I tend to forget and I don’t dwell in the past, as I said earlier. Any specific reason why the cover wasn’t done by Thomas Holm that did the “Black Wings” one and also the post “Evil Star” covers? Don’t remember why Thomas Holm didn’t do it. My guess is he couldn’t do it at that time and the next cool thing would be to have a more JUDAS PRIEST/ACCEPT kind of cover with a photo. So the cover is an old leather jacket with the WOLF logo airbrushed on the back. There’s a fan in UK that owns it now. We gave it away a couple of years ago. I also remember the bass player’s cat did piss on it once. The vinyl version was released from small German label, Immortal Vinyl. Was this something you worked upon, or Massacre Records? There are 3 bonus songs there, despite all being covers! For all that haven’t yet understood WOLF is a vinyl-friendly band, so allow me to ask how you see the current revival where almost every new album gets a vinyl issue, but also old, rare and common LP’s are being reprinted by the hundreds. Is vinyl back as a listening medium or just as trend? We always loved vinyls and when CD’s and digital recording first came, they sounded shit so we kept on listening to vinyls. I think vinyl is more fun to collect and it’s obvious it’s cooler than a CD. Vinyls are here to stay, but I think it will always be a limited edition. There’s not a big market for it. Vinyl is expensive to make also, so there is no profit in it. A CD-single was released for the “Wolf’s Blood” song from No Fashion Records. What was the purpose and why wasn’t it issued from Massacre? Was it a promotional item? I don’t remember. But MNW that owned No Fashion paid for the video, the album recording and everything. Yes, the single was a promotional item I think. Maybe some stores sold them. There are probably some hard core fans that know more about this than I do. The 4th album of the band, “The Black Flame” was released in early 2006. Tell us a few things about it, how the recording process was and why did you recruited Fredrik Nordstrom as a producer. Also please comment about the departure of original drummer, Daniel Bergkvist in 2005… The original plan was to record with Peter Tägtgren but people in the band wanted a new approach for the production and drew my attention to Fredrik Nordström. It was a great recording and a fresh new start in the studio. Fredrik is a great producer and one of the things I liked about recording with him was that he had an assistant that could do the tracking when he had to do the business. But the mixing of the album was done entirely by Fredrik who did his best to give us what we wanted and at the same time give the album that ”Fredman” sound. Daniel left the band because he had become a father and he had also his own business running, so he felt he couldn’t devote much time for WOLF and chose to step aside. He didn’t want to slow us down or stand in the way for WOLF. Mikael had also begun to think in those terms but he felt that he wanted to do at least one other album with us and “The Black Flame” became his last. Both of them told me they felt that they had achieved what they wanted with the band and in retrospect I can clearly see they had no intention of becoming full time musicians, which has always been my goal. Allow me to talk a bit more about “Black Flame”, which I consider a milestone for 00s Metal and not only, as the sheer brilliance found on this LP is difficult to match (and unfortunately you didn’t manage to do it in any of the following records, at least to this extent). What resulted in this non-stop metallic mayhem? And I won’t accept an answer like “it just happened”, haha. Did you have a bet that you wanted BADLY to win? •19•

Ok, let me answer this clearly once and for all. The reason the songs are more solid is that A. I had developed as a singer during my work as Hannas, in the musical Jesus Christ Super Star. B. The songs are not only guitar driven but also driven by the vocals, like”normal” music often is. C. Since the original drummer left I had more freedom to actually sit down and write SONGS. Not just coming up with riffs that we jammed along to in rehearsals and then built songs together, and afterwards I did the vocals. Now, the songs were written with the vocals all at once and I had the freedom to be the main songwriter. And I didn’t have someone who stopped my ideas all the time. At least that is how I felt from my point of view. Last but not least. It is YOUR personal opinion that “The Black Flame” is our best album ever and that we never have topped that. In Sweden, most people consider “Black Wings” and “Evil Star” our best albums ever. A lot of people around the world say that “Ravenous” is our best album by far and were pleased that we released such an album after “The Black Flame”. Believe it or not - there are actually people that think that “Legions of Bastards” is our best, at least they did when it came out. Personally, I can’t listen to that album because it was written and recorded during a very difficult time for me and when I hear it all I hear is that I clearly wasn’t in a good place. But other people say the vocals are great and there are great songs. When you discover a band and get that awesome feeling, it’s usually with one specific album and it’s very, very hard for a band to top that album for you. It’s the same for me when I hear IRON MAIDEN or W.A.S.P. In Sweden we have been around for a long time we haven’t been new, extremely cool and exciting for the Swedish audience for 10 years. Swedes remember when we came out in early 2000 and it was very different to all other bands. After three albums of doing the same thing, it wasn’t exciting or new anymore and other new bands came doing their thing. With “The Black Flame”, many more people around the world discovered us for the first time and to them we were new and fresh and “The Black Flame” was the WOLF album they discovered. The same happened with “Ravenous”, where we reached out to even

more people. So in short; it is your personal opinion affected by lots of factors. I get tired of hearing this and I’ve heard it with all WOFL albums believe it or not. My personal opinion is that “The Black Flame” was a big leap forward on the songwriting and we continued that on “Ravenous”, which is equally good of an album (maybe has more ”hit” songs on it even). On “Legions…” we did the best we could under the circumstances, but I would never say it’s a bad album, since many people have it as their favorite. I am baffled about the lack of understanding of all these things that reviewers write all the time. They think they have the right answer about what album with what band is good and what is not. They seem to have no understanding what so ever that a lot of factors are affecting them. An album might come out in the”wrong” time and 15 years later it can become a hit because times are changing. People are changing (hopefully) and some albums might mean a lot to them during a specific time in their life and no other album with the same band can ever give them that feeling again. Sometimes I think, or actually rather often, reviewers and journalists understand very little of the music. Sometimes the musicians themselves (myself included) don’t understand shit because we are in our own little music world and hear things very differently. I think that “Devil Seed” is by FAR the best album we have ever made. I am very, very happy with how it turned out. But if I had heard it when I was 25 and we were working on “Black Wings”, I would probably not have agreed because I am not the same person now as I was back then. OK, that was a long rant, ha ha. It’s just that I get these questions all the time and after I’ve read hundreds of reviews since the first album I have a lot of thoughts around this topic. I have the sense that commercially and critically both “Evil Star” and “Ravenous” overshadowed this album no? I think “Evil Star”, “The Black Flame” and “Ravenous” sold about the same, which means we got a little more successful with each new album since sales were on a steady decline in those years, for all artists. Critically, everybody has a different favorite WOLF album and in different countries they seem to like one specific album more. I take that as a sign that all albums are different and all albums are up to our standard. Well, maybe the first album doesn’t have as many people saying it’s our best as the following albums. In 2007 an important line-up change took place, as founding member Mikael Goding left the band. What were the reasons? Would you

consider it a “loss” for the band? I can’t speak for him, but he told me that it wasn’t that fun anymore. The thing he liked the most was the rehearsals and as we lived far apart then, we couldn’t rehearse as often as we wanted. He was never a studio musician, but he loved performing live - that was his thing, and when he found he didn’t enjoy the live shows as much anymore he felt it was time to leave. Sure it was a loss for the band, but at the same time a chance for us to step up and get some new blood in. I never had one single minute of hard feeling against him for leaving. I think the time was right for it and we had done what we could together in the band. The thing I liked most with him was his ability to come up with these awesome riffs. I think part of it was that he was such a “bad” musician (sorry Mikael!) and he didn’t think like the typical musician. I was the opposite and we really took benefit of each other. He had this feeling about music and songwriting that a lot of “good” musicians lack. Also, he started a family at that time and he had struggled for many years to combine WOLF with his job as a school teacher. “Ravenous” is an album that I still haven’t appreciated it as much as other people I know and consider it an album below your abilities. Would you agree? Roy Z took over producing, a breath of fresh air or what? “Ravenous” is THE album for many fans and it was much loved and made us nominated for a Swedish Grammy Award. Not a small thing for an old school metal band, as it seems impossible to get nominated unless you have been on TV in a stupid reality show or sold lots of album to ”normal” people, not just metal heads. So, I don’t agree with you. ”Ravenous” and “The Black Flame” are just different to each other and I can’t pick one I like more. Roy Z had contacted us via Myspace and he asked us what our plans were and told us he would love to work with us. He had discovered us with “Evil Star”, which he considered to be THE WOLF album. He was on his way to a Robin Trower concert when his friend played “Evil Star” in the car. Roy couldn’t get out of the car. He missed the beginning of the Trower show because he just had to stay in the car and listen to the entire album. Ever since that moment he wanted to work with us. Working with Roy was awesome. He and I really clicked and I learned so much from him during that experience. We are still friends and write now and then, but we haven’t met since. He is just an awesome guy and a very competent musician. I would love to work with him again in one way or another. I would love to just have a beer with him again too. He is one of the friendliest and coolest dudes you could ever hope to meet. On the s/t track, Hank Shermann plays the solo, you must have been thrilled having him on a WOLF album, how did this happen? I think someone emailed Hank and just asked him. He said he’d do it and record it at home. Sure, we were thrilled! It was Hank Shermann from MERCYFUL FATE! I mean, “Don’t break the Oath” is one of the best metal albums ever made in the history of mankind and he took part of it. I called him up later and thanked him personally. “Legions of Bastards” was a MUCH stronger album, less intricate than its predecessors, more aggressive one would say, was this planned or just happened, maybe you were influenced from other factors as well… Ha ha, “Legions of Bastards” is my least favorite album, probably because I was going through hell at that point in time and the whole album was just a struggle. For the first time in my life I didn’t enjoy recording an album. I’m glad you like that album, because in Sweden most people thought it wasn’t as good as “Ravenous” and “The Black Flame”. It was a struggle to make it and the band wasn’t in a good place either. That’s why I’m extra happy you like it so much and think it’s better than “Ravenous”. All I can say is, we did our best with what we had and with the time we had to do it. That album was really the beginning of the end for my old life speaking personally. A year later I collapsed and lost my health. It was a horrible time for me. After the album was recorded I was almost burned out. Still I really enjoy the songs we play live from that album. “Skull Crusher” is about burning yourself out but keep fighting, and that’s exactly what happened to me one year after it was recorded. So I’m extra happy whenever I hear someone telling me that “Legions of Bastards” is something special. What I really liked is that you included a CD in the vinyl version (same with “Ravenous”), which included bonus songs that were available in special CD versions so far. Will you continue to do so, at least for the bonus songs, because it makes no sense buying the vinyl and listening to the CD, or no? Many collectors of LP’s don’t want to play them until they ware out, so they have the option to play the CD. This was the record label’s idea and I think it’s brilliant. Some just want to collect the LP or hang it on the wall. (e.note: What’s the reason for this? LP’s are made to be PLAYED, not being kept as trophies…) Despite many (great) records and a career span of 15 years I have the impression that WOLF are not a band that is talked about in underground metal circles. Do you get this feeling yourselves? Is it the fact that you have been on a bigger label than what is “expected”? I really don’t know about this as I don’t follow the metal scene so close. I just care about the music and I really don’t give a shit if it’s an unknown underground band or a well known band with a successful career that I’m listening to. I get the feeling that the new generation of old school ”true” bands don’t talk about WOLF so much. That’s OK. We have never set out to be that ultra cool band that only the right people have heard of. We want to reach as many people as possible with our music. But sometimes we are said to have paved the wave for a new generation of bands that realized they could actually play this kind of music. We are proud of that and it feels very good to hear things like that from bands and press. But back to the question: We play the music we want to play, and we rather do it for a great deal of people and actually try and make a living out of it, than be a true underground band because it is so cool and ”true”. Wouldn’t you? (e.note: Of course) You are a band that since the 2nd album started to incorporate MERCYFUL FATE elements in your songwriting, WAY before it has become the trend it is nowadays. First of all seeing (ok, hearing…) that you have understood what made MERCYFUL FATE an amazing band and use this to your advantage and with the WOLF mark all over the material, how do you see a big percentage of new bands that just “monkey around”, stealing riffs and lyric ideas PROVING they haven’t understood that MF was NOT just a HM band with satanic lyrics and non-stop guitars. Please, be as cruel as you deserve to be! Well, I don’t want to discredit any other bands, but you are certainly right about MERCYFUL FATE’s impact on WOLF. For me, MERCYFUL FATE have a totally unique way of blending ”happy” with ”evil” that not many bands can do. They are just trying to do the”evil” thing. And they are afraid to mix it with the”happy”. But it’s that element which makes the evil more evil. If you add some beauty to the darkness, the darkness will appear even darker. But so many bands don’t understand this and they are afraid to do it. I met Michael Denner and Hank Shermann and talked to them and I asked them how the hell they managed to do this. Hank Shermann pounded his chest with his fist and said:”Just go by heart. Go by heart.” This has stuck with me ever since. That’s exactly how I feel about songwriting too, and I often think about that moment when he told me so. Really, what would be the bands that play(ed) an important role in WOLF’s music? Please surprise me and DON’T mention IRON MAIDEN and MERCYFUL FATE! THE VENTURES and THE SHADOWS; these are the bands I grew up listening to and were my dad’s instrumental guitar rock records, which I still listen to and absolutely love. The other members, past and current, as well as our fans, don’t know how much this kind of surf rock has had an impact on WOLF’s songwriting. These records made me obsessed with the sound of the electric guitar. Hank B. Marvin from THE SHADOWS was my first guitar hero and I used to play air guitar to all their old records when I was a kid. A lot of my sense for melodies and harmonies came from these bands. Until I discovered heavy metal, surf rock like this was the only thing I listened to. I didn’t like the pop music my friends were listening to and they thought I was weird as I was listening to music with no vocals. What about your lyrics? What would you say are the themes that get your attention and force you to write them? Do you think that Heavy Metal bands should have a naivety in their lyrics, or be more socially-oriented, especially in those grim times? The WOLF lyrics have always been kind of nocturnal and mystical. It just suits the music. But on the other hand, I really HATE singing bullshit lyrics with just empty words, no matter how cool they sound. •20•

Nowadays I only write from my life. I write about things I am dealing with in life. Things in the news that gets my attention and get my mind going. Writing lyrics and also music is a kind of therapy for me. This way of writing really took off after I had a role in a big production of Jesus Christ Superstar, the musical. Mixing theater and singing just made me the singer I am today. After that I never wanted to sing any meaningless lyrics ever again. But I never tell the listener what they should think or what the lyrics really is about. It’s up to the listener to have their own meaning of the songs and I love it when I hear from other people about their take on the lyrics. Sure, WOLF lyrics can be viewed as just any ”metal” lyrics that just sounds cool and fits the music - and that’s the point - it’s up to the listener. For me, however, all my words have a meaning. I don’t care about what other bands write about. But if you write from the heart and about the things you truly care about it will be real for the audience. They will feel it. If you have a political agenda - write such lyrics. If you are all about rock’n’roll and beers - write such songs. If you have nothing at all to say - shut the fuck up. I rather listen to a Christian singer who really means what he or she sings, than some fake dude trying to be evil, intellectual, or whatever. Believe in what you sing and sing what you believe in. In the last album, “Dark Passenger” is obviously influenced by the TV series Dexter, a show I liked a lot myself… What’s your opinion about it now that it’s over? What was your favorite season? I would say the 4th… Are you a “series” maniac? Me and my wife are actually watching the whole series again on DVD. I think I like the first season best and perhaps the last too. I’m not really a series maniac, but the way our life is right now, we’re having a hard time watching a whole movie without either of us falling asleep. So it’s great when we can lay our hands on a new series on DVD. We don’t have any TV channels, so I guess the series is our way to relax in front of the TV when the kids are asleep. You have covered many songs from a variety of bands. Instead of writing them down, would you mind telling us which are plus a few comments for each song and/or band? I’ll just write about my personal favorites, OK? “Die by the Sword” - our tribute to SLAYER, which is on the backside of the “Nightstalker” single; I think it’s very cool. We just thought we do a WOLF version of this awesome song. So instead of trying to sound like SLAYER (what’s the point) we sound like us and I took some liberty with the vocal melodies to make it suit my voice. SLAYER is influenced by Judas Priest obviously and we thought, what if JUDAS PRIEST wrote this song, what would it sound like? “Don’t Fear the Reaper” - Probably our best cover of all times. It’s a magical song from BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and we let it end the “Evil Star” album. I think it sums up the lyrical themes of “Evil Star” very beautifully in one song and gives the album a deeper dimension. I have heard many people say that this is their favorite version of this song and that tells a lot, because the original is amazing. “A dangerous Meeting” - An amazing song by MERCYFUL FATE; I can’t believe that we really pulled it off. I heard that King Diamond liked our version, but I don’t know if that’s true. I hope it is. “Don’t break the Oath” is one of the very best albums in the history of mankind so we are happy that this tribute turned out right. If fits great on the “Black Wings” album. “Rocka Rolla” - this is one of the bonus tracks from the current album, “Devil Seed”. It was the bass player Anders’ idea. He didn’t know that we actually had this song in our live set a long time ago. It’s a very cool, very old school song from the first JUDAS PRIEST record. “Missing in Action” - by the band Q5; I had never heard this song or band before but it was suggested when we needed bonus tracks for the limited edition of the “Devil Seed” album. We recorded this one and “Rocka Rolla” extremely fast in our own studios Viper Studio (my studio) and SolnaSound Studio (Simon Johansson’s studio) and had Mike Wead (King Diamond, MERCYFUL FATE) mix and master it. It was very difficult to sing this one and I had a bad cold, but the years of experience as a singer came in handy and I managed to record and produce the vocals all by myself while my mom and dad took care of my children. The next day I could hardly speak, I had given everything I got. It’s a cool song and I really like it. Do you follow the current Metal scene? Any bands you think stand out? Really, being a sort of veteran, how do you see the current explosion that the classic Metal sound has been enjoying? Is it a trend or an honest return to the roots of this music? I don’t follow the metal scene. I don’t read metal magazines and I don’t go out much actively looking for new bands. I am working all the time and I also have a family with small kids. I am writing music and actively playing so there isn’t much time left for the metal scene. And I don’t care about what different media and journalists think of certain bands or trends. However, sometimes I do discover new bands and favorite records and that’s a great feeling. A band I really like is the Swedish act RAM. I get such a great vibe from them. If you are looking for a true metal band you should check them out. I like that there’s been an explosion of old school classic metal bands. It’s good music and it deserves a scene. But I think in the whole metal world it is just one of the many branches in metal. Metal is a wide concept now with many sub genres. It is cool that the”original” genre also is alive and kicking these days. But we don’t try to ride this wave. We were among the ones that started it but we don’t feel limited to it. Whenever there’s a new trend many bands come and when the trend is over only a few bands are left and these are the ones that had something original and had a high level of quality and dedication. If we exclude the debut and “Evil Star”, the other 4 albums you have released include stunning covers painted by Thomas Holm, the man known for the first two (and not only) MERCYFUL FATE covers… Since you must be beyond the point of awe after all these years, how is working with him? Is he a fan of your music as well? And a tricky question; would you trade losing him as a cover artist, provided that he would paint the new MERCYFUL FATE record with the original line-up? And a not so known fact… You actually paint yourself and from the few ones I have seen with quite good results… Have you ever considered doing a WOLF cover or maybe a t-shirt design? There’s already a T-shirt design by me. It’s the scorpion used in the cover, which I did because Thomas Holm asked me to. It was Century Media who wanted to print it and we said go for it! I haven’t considered doing a WOLF cover art. But if I do something that would work for Wolf and the other members and record company liked it I would off course do it. As for the trick question: No! As long as it feels right to have his work as a WOLF cover and as long as he wants to paint them we will never trade away this awesome man. I don’t know how much of a WOLF fan he is and how much metal he is listening to, but he told me that he sees metal as images and that’s how he paints. And we feel he paints our music. And he likes to work with us as well. This time he asked me to work together with him on illustrations in the booklet, which for me is a great honor. I remember as a kid I was trying to copy his work. Inside the “Conspiracy” album by King Diamond there is an ink drawing inside the sleeve by Holm and I studied it so much. So having him give me feedback on my own drawings and be asked by him to join him in his work is huge for me. I drew a lot as a kid and took it up again this year after 20 years. So this means a lot to me to be able to work with a guy like this and speaking with him about his take on art related issues. Ever since the band got a more personal sound (I would say this started in “Black Wings”, then on “Evil Star” and peaked on the absolute brilliant “Black Flame”), what would you say are the elements that distinguish each album? I agree. The first album was very influenced of the “Powerslave” era of IRON MAIDEN. “Black Wings” was far more aggressive and furious and had more DiAnnno era IRON MAIDEN influences as well as a lot of JUDAS PRIEST influences. I also think that our own WOLF sound was beginning to take shape here. On the “Evil Star” album the MERCYFUL FATE influences are obvious and the WOLF sound even more crystallized. “Evil Star” is not my favorite album, but I feel that the highlights of the album are truly great and we really began sounding more like WOLF than our influences. “The Black Flame” is to me a dear album. That’s when I really stepped forward as the band’s main song writer and that’s when we switched from writing mostly at rehearsals and then having me adding the vocals, to a more traditional songwriting approach with me (alone or together with co-writers) writing the whole song at once and having the vocals in mind from the start. The song writing on this album and forward is not only based on the guitar riffing and playing but equally based on the vocals. I wrote a lot of music with former bass player Mikael Goding on this album. He wasn’t the best musician ever and not the best songwriter either but he really had a talent for coming up with cool riffs and together with my talent of putting songs together we wrote a lot of cool stuff. There is actually one song that was put together by the other guys when they rehearsed without me (I was doing the Jesus Christ Superstar musical at the time) and that is “The Dead”. They took one of •21•

my riffs (the chorus) and put it in a totally different context in a new song and when I heard it I thought it was so cool! “The Black Flame” is also the album when we started focusing more on the choruses. A lot of bands have a great riff and a great chorus and the rest of the song is just filling in with some uninteresting parts. And it works actually. But we had always worked hard on the verses and the bridges and all the guitar parts to make them interesting as well. And if you do that you risk losing the chorus in the song. But now we tried to keep the interesting melodies in verses and other parts and still make the chorus stand out. A challenge indeed. What are the countries that WOLF enjoys the biggest acceptance, be it in sales, or concerts? Any reasons behind this? UK, Germany, Sweden, Finland is the countries we feel that we have reached out most to. We also have a lot of fans in the US even if this kind of music is very underground. Many people in the US have never heard of such a thing as “heavy metal”. When we travel there people think we are a country band. It must be the beards and the long hair, haha. There are some new territories opening up for us and that’s Greece, Australia and India. We have been to India once when we headlined a huge festival and that was a mind blowing experience. India is really opening up for metal and the metal scene over there is growing intensely. We haven’t been to Greece yet and any help to put us together with the right people to take WOLF to Greece is much appreciated. You have toured and shared the stage with many bands all those years. I guess some of them will be more memorable (good or bad) than others. If you want omit the bad-mouthing, but please do share some great experiences with us! The first proper tour we did back in 2002 (I think) was with SAXON, another band that has influenced WOLF. There are so many great memories from that tour. We were young and totally nuts, burning with enthusiasm and we felt that Biff and the guys really liked having us around because of that, despite being a pain in the ass sometimes because of the intense partying. ACCEPT is a band we have toured with in more recent years and they have also had a huge

impact on WOLF. I remember seeing their whole live set the first night and it just came to me how much their classic albums in the 80s have influenced us. Touring with W.A.S.P. was an interesting experience. Blackie is... a, how can I put it, special guy, if you know what I mean. Not very social, to say the least. Anyway, he was an old childhood hero of mine and I managed to get a chat with him. Speaking of special guys, I have also met Paul DiAnno when we supported him years ago. I really LOVE his vocals on the first two IRON MAIDEN records and it was nice to have a chat with him when he was in his best mood. We also shared stage with David Coverdale once. I have met many of my childhood heroes and they are usually just hard working musicians like us (I’m not including my childhood hero Blackie here) if you meet them in private. But David Coverdale was really a rock star. He was extremely polite and very nice, but it was like he was putting on the rock star act (not in a bad way) to protect his privacy. However, in the dressing rooms there were TV monitors to show what was happening on stage. But something must have gone wrong because in our dressing room, our TV monitor showed Mr. Coverdale’s dressing room. Very funny. I fetched him and showed him that and it was just hilarious. ”If his wife sees this!” and other great comments. ”You guys can watch, I don’t mind”. Not long ago Doug Blair of WASP contacted us and wanted to do a song with us live, because we played at the same festival. We thought it was a great idea, and WASP being one of my favorite bands from my younger days I was happy to do it. The show turned out so great that it was the highlight of the festival for me. He did the song “Venom” with us and he and Simon had lots of twin solos going on while I became the front man, jumping out to the audience. Also we hang with each other the whole festival and became friends. He is an awesome dude and very inspiring to be around both as a guitarist and as a human being. My best moment ever when it comes to meeting old heroes was on the last tour when none other than Steve Harris showed up and watched the whole WOLF set in Glasgow. There are a lot of musicians that have influenced me over the years but if I have to pick the one that meant most to me it is definitively Steve Harris. As a songwriter, band leader and bass player. My life changing moment was when I first heard “The Number of the Beast” in the school yard in1986 and from that moment I knew what I wanted in life. And listening to the early WOLF stuff it’s no secret that our music was heavily influenced by IRON MAIDEN. I kind of knew that he was about to show up at that gig because his son played in the opening act THE RAVEN AGE. I saw him at the soundcheck and this is the first time I’ve become really nervous about seeing an old hero of mine. I approached him and told him straight up that I was mainly because of him that I was doing what I do and that no other musician has meant as much for my own music as he has. He was very nice, a perfect gentleman and it meant so much for me to finally meet him, shake his hand and thank him for all the inspiration. He watched the whole gig and right after I took a selfie with him, minutes after the show. Very cool guy. He told me he enjoyed the set very much. We talked some more and after he left he turned to me and looked me straight in the eye and told me ”Good luck with your band!”. It felt like destiny you know. Like all the struggles and hard work had lead up to that moment. It was very emotional for me. The feeling like a perfect circle when everything falls into place. And I could see on his look that he knew my dedication and how much this music means to me. The last words are yours. End this rather lengthy interview any way you like. See you in Athens in March. Can’t wait until then!!! Thanks for taking the time and promoting WOLF! We are a hard working band and we need all the help we can get, because we don’t play stuff that’s heard much of in the radio. Also on behalf of the whole band I want to thank all greek fans out there! We would be nothing without you and we are so looing forward to seeing you in Greece. Our guitarist Simon Johansson has been in Greece with his other band, MEMORY GARDEN and he says Greek fans are absolutely amazing. http://wolf.nu Kostas Kailiazis

Somewhere in 2013, a band with few connections to the so called Underground and social media concerning rare and expensive records appeared and made no impact at all to the fans that claim superiority over those attached to the mainstream. VERSCYTHE is one of many examples of bands that do not invoke this or that cult 80s band as the originator of all things metal but chose to pave their own, hard way to perpetrate their contribution to heavy music, heard in the tunes of their excellent Power Metal debut ‘A Time Will Come’. The idea behind this mag is to make room for those who can actually offer to the cause, so we had the best reason to ask Jack St. Pierre to share some of his time with us and have a word about VERSCYTHE! Welcome to our pages guys. I’d like to congratulate you on the masterpiece you released, “A Time Will Come”. It was literally stuck in my CD player for days, but to be honest, it was only by chance that I got to know about the band’s existence. So please, tell us how and when did the VERSCYTHE idea came into fruition? VERSCYTHE came to be after our long time band KREAGEN had been laid to rest in 2010. After about 10 years and many...many line-up changes KREAGEN had run its course. The last line-up was strong, but not all members were eager to continue. So the band folded up. Instead of beating a dead horse, we wanted to start fresh. Found a second guitar player who clicked and VERSCYTHE was born. Could you elaborate a little bit on the band members’ past? Apart from KREAGEN, were you involved in other projects also prior to VERSCYTHE? Could we say that VERSCYTHE is the natural evolution of KREAGEN style wise? Justin St.pierre (vocals) and Jack St.pierre (bass) are brothers and original members of KREAGEN. Chris Reed (guitar) prior to VERSCYTHE, he fronted and played guitar in his own band REFLECTIONS OF MORALITY. When RoM broke up he joined KREAGEN. Kevin Camille (drums) has been playing for many years in such bands as EMMISION. ROSWELL, BEFORE I BREAK , VOICES FORMING WEAPON and more well known BEYOND THE EMBRACE. Touring with such bands as OPETH, HELLOWEEN and ICED EARTH, Kevin is our seasoned vet. He had also joined KREAGEN for its last year. Jeff Rull (guitar) is a former WARGASM guitarist. VERSCYTHE definitely evolved from KREAGEN’s style. We took the root of KREAGEN and gave it an energy boost!  What I found weird was you citing the band as a “Thrash Metal” act when such description could be misleading to someone’s first approach with VERSCYTHE; personally I hear classic 90’s US Power Metal of the best kind with just a tiny bit of a Euro Metal touch. What would an accurate description of your music be and is there a specific style you desire to follow and serve? Not quite sure what the best description of the bands style would be. There are so many sub genres of metal now, it gets hard to categorize.  With every review we have, we get compared to so many different bands and styles. The style we get the most is US Power Metal though. Each band member has such a wide variety of musical influence that pieces of that are scattered through what you hear in VERSCYTHE.  Being formed for just a short period of time, you went straight for the full length, so in 2013 your debut “A Time Will Come” was released. As you told me, there was no demo recorded before that; how did the decision to directly release an album come about? Did you work on establishing a strong fan base locally before that? I mean, most of the bands try to test the waters or create and contrive a fuss around their band’s name, to secure at least some attendance, which makes it weird to have such a good band escape my friends’ and my radars, considering we are trying to listen to as much new stuff as possible while doing this fanzine... “A time will come” was released as a full length instead of a demo because we had three years of playing these songs out to test the waters. We had a good fan reaction to the material, so we went for it. A friend of the band, Ron Poitras recorded us in his studio. We had no producer though. The way the songs where written is how they were recorded. The band along with •22•

Ron mixed the album. Why did you decide to press it on a pro-printed CD-R instead of a silver pressed CD? There is an adequate amount of fans that are willing to support bands by buying physical copies but they deny buying CD-R’s, since they are short-lived. The decision to use a CD-r over silver pressing was because of price. Doing this all on our own, every penny counts and there was a large price increase between the two. Getting our music out there was our first priority. For our first run we had 300 copies made to see how much attention it would grab. As of right now we have 10 left, and I will be placing another short run ASAP. The album has slowly and steadily gained popularity over the course of the year, especially in other countries. We now have our music in Greece, Germany, Spain, Norway, Italy and Japan and the list continues to grow. Not too bad for a couple of rockers from a small city in Massachusetts. I’ve seen several videos of the band playing live, so I guess you are active in that department. Are your gigs restricted to a local basis, have you toured to other states within the US? What has the response to the album been so far, judging also from fan reactions in your gigs, fan mail or press reviews? Did you use other ways of promoting your work, now that a year has passed from the initial release of “A Time Will Come”? VERSCYTHE has actively been playing out on a local basis. We have ventured out to surrounding states, but for the most part stayed along the coast. The fan reaction has been great so far. Around here, bands with VERSCYTHE’s style are not common, so when we hit the stage people tend to notice. It’s old school sounding so fans relate to it no matter what music they are into. The thing is getting people out to shows. It is rare you play a club that is packed with music fans. It’s usually the bands and the small crew they brought, who leave immediately after they are done playing. The live music scene is in rough shape here, but you never know what each show brings or who is watching. Besides playing shows to get the band noticed, we use quite possibly the most important tool of all, the internet! There is limitless ways to get your name out there on the web. We have Facebook, Reverb nation, myspace and Bandcamp to name a few. We also have our music on all major download sites like iTunes and Amazon. If it wasn’t for the internet, we probably wouldn’t be talking right now! We have also had many awesome reviews through different web pages, bloggers, webzines and independent reviewers. It seems inexplicable to me, such a quality work should attract a lot of label interest, especially from European and some US underground labels specializing in this field. Did you care to find a label and properly release your impressive album? The band has been approached by several underground labels in US and from other countries, but we turned them down. What they were offering was pretty much what we are doing right now, except with them we would have a contract. We are not opposed to being on a label, but it would have to be the right deal for us. We feel we can do the same thing the indie labels are doing, granted they probably have a larger distribution list and more contacts, but I feel we are doing just fine for now. Coming back to the content of the album, it consists of 10 tunes deep rooted in the glorious underground scene of the early 90’s, when Heavy Metal had the most difficult time fighting against extinction. This was the time that the bands around actually tried to create quality music with all trend followers staying away and that was achieved to a great extent in the US region when the scene was overlooked by fans and labels. Today we see numerous bands popping up but not really offering anything special, as if they’re trying to emulate or, even worse, repeat the triumph of a past legend. What made you avoid this trap? Was there an optimum goal when writing music for that matter? With that I don’t believe we tried to write anything in particular, when the five of us got together some of us had stuff written but when we played together the music you hear on the first album was the result. What we were coming up with made us happy and that›s what was most important to us. People can›t get behind what you do when you›re not behind it yourself. We have been very fortunate that a lot of people have enjoyed it as much as we do. What do the lyrics talk about? Are there any particular subjects you get inspired from? Could you name some of your major influences that were involved one way or the other in the composing process of “A Time Will Come”? Which are your favorite bands for instance? It was mentioned in your bio you had IRON MAIDEN and PINK FLOYD as your influences, but the range of names dropped in between these two bands is chaotic! With the lyrics, they are mostly inspired by stories in Justin’s head and some are from Jeff’s experiences. Influence wise we all love everything. With us if it’s good music it doesn’t matter what kind it is. That’s why we always leave a broad space between influences. There are far too many bands and artists that have influenced us to list. We don’t set out to sound like anything but our love for music can definitely be heard in our songs. People say to us that we sound like this band or

that and we love hearing all the different bands people think we sound like, it means people are actually listening and trying to get something out of it. That’s amazing to us! Moving on to the local scene in Massachusetts, are there any serious Heavy Metal acts worth of praise or attention? Is there activity so to speak, that might seem hopeful for the scene’s expansion? Do local bands get enough support from the fans there (or you face the depreciation effect met almost in every place in the world when it comes to support local bands)? As far as the local scene goes there are some cool bands in the New England area that we have played with that are cool. Bands like FOREVERS FALLEN GRACE, SEVEN SPIRES and THUNDERFORGE are cool bands that are worth checking out. However the local scene is very up and down. People do not seem to wanna go out as much as they once did to see local bands play. We have been very fortunate to have good crowds at our shows, but some are not as lucky. Getting shows can be a real pain in the ass because a lot of “promoters” try to make every show a pay to play show. That’s not always a bad thing, but combined with people not coming out like they used to it can put people in bad situations. We are not sure how it is in other parts of the United States or other countries but we wish that people would be excited again to go check out and support up and coming local and touring acts. Maybe it’s too early, but my egoistic self cares to know if you have new material prepared for an upcoming release! We are in the middle of writing our next album. We have about 6 songs written so far and are hopefully going to be heading back in the studio in early 2015 we hope that people enjoy our new material as much as the first album. Are you familiar with what’s going on in the underground scene nowadays, both in the US or in Europe? Have you noticed some new acts that stand out in your opinion? We are not too familiar with everything going on in the US and other places. We have really just been trying to keep our attention on our own music right now because we wanna make our second effort as good or better then the first. When we are done with everything we will start getting back into what’s happening in the underground scene. I know the Germans dig your style as much as Greek fans do, but since several big underground festivals are held in Germany, have you ever been proposed to travel overseas for a gig? Unfortunately we have never been approached to do any shows or festivals overseas, but It would be a dream come true to travel overseas and play some festivals or just tour and if the right opportunity came around we would do it in a heartbeat.  That’s all for now guys, thanks for committing, last lines are all yours! I hope we will hear very soon from you again! Thank you for wanting to take the time to talk to us. You can get our album “A time will come” on Amazon, iTunes, Bandcamp or just about anywhere else you can download an album. Or just hit us up on Facebook and buy it from us directly. Stay tuned for our next album coming out mid 2015!! Thank You! http://verscythe.bandcamp.com Thanos Stafylarakis

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REVIEWS Is anyone even reading this part? We kept the same approach in this new effort, we just minimized the reissue reviews even more. We are fans of well done reissues ourselves, we just feel that new bands lack the promotion and attention they deserve simply because they don’t have the “stamp of approval” of the decade that was so important to Metal. And really, what’s the reason to read for the hundredth time a review to a release presented so many times in the past? We would like to thank again all bands and labels that bothered to even mail us concerning their new releases. Some haven’t been reviewed due to time restrictions, some others due to their nature (death/black stuff that we don’t listen to and it would be unfair to present them here). You think most reviews are positive and not critical enough? Point taken, but keep in mind that we buy the majority of these releases according to our personal taste, so… We kept the “categories” we had last issue, hope this works well.

albums in a short period. To sum up, I can only state my personal apathy to their music, as I respect this is exactly what they want to do as a band (judging from their perseverance to this way of expressing in other relative releases), thus it’s better if you listen and judge on your own. www.reverbnation.com/ancientempire

Thanos Stafylarakis

NEW ALBUMS EP’s ACCU§ER “Diabolic” CD (Germany, Red Shift/Private, 2013) Looking back ACCU§ER tried to go many places in the past 30 years - and they never really got anywhere. The band started off as a second-tier thrash/speed-combo then transformed into one of the countless Metallica-clones (striking a rather unnoticed semi-touchdown with “Repent” though) until finally drowning in the mud of the groove-thrash-trend at the beginning of the 90s. Failing to achieve any real success in any of the above-mentioned sectors the band threw in the towel after 1995’s swan song “Taken by the Throat” which by many is seen as the absolute lowpoint of their career but still holds a special place in my heart for some odd reason. But since old habits seem to die hard the band 15 years later (and in the wake of the big thrash revival of course) decided that they were not yet finished. “Diabolic” marks album number 3 after the reunion and I must admit it has been a slow but steady quality increase with each consecutive record, making the album at hand their strongest post-reunion effort yet. ACCU§ER in 2013 play an aggressive and energetic mix somewhere between post-reunion ONSLAUGHT and “Arise”era SEPULTURA with some hints of SLAYER thrown in for good measure. The sound may be considered modern but never to a point where it becomes detrimental to the presented material and is pretty much comparable to the meaty punch of the last ONSLAUGHT albums. Later ONSLAUGHT is probably also the comparison that comes to mind most often while listening to “Diabolical” but ACCU§ER still need to tighten their songwriting and trim some fat in order to reach the neckwrecking effectiveness of the British thrash commando. Especially in the latter half the album gets slightly tiresome in its never-changing pace. Still: If the band manages to make another leap or two forward like this with the next album, ACCU§ER might finally make it from the dirty backstreets of second-tier thrash into the limelight and I sincerely hope that their persistence will pay off in the end. You can help making it happen by checking this pretty solid (but not overwhelming) piece of thrash out. www.accuser.de

Daniel Schuldt

ACERUS “The unreachable Salvation” CD (USA, Lux Inframundis, 2013) Newcomer from Illinois without prior recordings, either in demo or CD format (at least to my knowledge). The band has been mentioned in connection with ICED EARTH, but

they share more common points with the band that did “Something wicked this way comes” and not “Night of the Stormrider”; in fact they sound more similar to two other US acts that brought to mind the Florida (ex) masters, CRESENT and WINTERFELL (and both seem to be inactive/split-up). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since the songwriting of ACERUS is quite interesting, despite being held back by the fitting at a first listen, but quite flat and typical after a while vocals. 8 songs with a total duration of 40 minutes is what their debut contains, so the songwriting remains focused, something many bands forget and exploit the CD-format duration. Some 90s European (read more melodic) touches in the guitars give an extra flavor to the CD, which has a very nice production and packaging as well. I would distinguish “Shelter the faithless Ones”, “Mystic Time” and “Your last day…” as the standout tracks. I enjoyed every listening session I had, but in my opinion they lack the ability to come up with more than just good and enjoyable songs, which is what is asked from bands in an oversaturated scene. Due to the label’s policy of printing limited edition CD’s (300 copies; same as with the QUESTION OF MADNESS CD some years back), I think it may be hard for those wanting to get a copy, but looking around never hurt anybody. If you ask my opinion it’s a move that doesn’t help anyone, but it’s neither my money invested, nor my music presented… http://uxinframundisproductions. bandcamp.com/album/the-unreachablesalvation

Kostas Kailiazis

ALPHA TIGER “Lady Liberty” MLP (Germany, High Roller, 2014) The German squad strikes again, this time with a 12” single as a harbinger to their 3rd full length, which is about to be released. Three songs are on offer here, the previously known “Men Or Machines” from their debut in an extended 8 and a half minute version, the powerful same titled as an appetizer for their upcoming “iDentity” album and another unreleased, under the name “Child In The Haze”. There is nothing new in ALPHA TIGER’s music, since I like the band, I have nothing to say against their music, not even this time. “Lady Liberty” is a fast, rousing song and I very much appreciate the allegory found in the title-cover art connection, where the definition of community policing is depicted. Seriously, people should act against excessive force and violence abused by state and parastate and since people are too stupid (I am not a TV journalist, I can boldly point out people’s stupidity) to realize that they

can’t select someone to work for their own benefit in this society, and artistic influence with its immediacy could be a considerably effective way to spread a message. It is amazing how they could overcome the average metalhead’s (don’t forget we are through a trend phase, so lots of people in the game) passive stance against social issues. “Child in the Haze” is another typical killer ALPHA TIGER tune, whiny at times but the way they do it, I have nothing to denounce. I just hope this song remains exclusive for this release, otherwise I see no point in releasing this single. My only objection would be the production job in this MLP, rendering it rather weak for the songs’ potential. So I’ll stick to this very nice sample before they return with their complete work. www.alphatiger.de

Thanos Stafylarakis ANCIENT EMPIRE “When Empires Fall” CD (USA, Stormspell, 2014) Anyone closely following the barrage of new releases coming out the last few years and especially those Stormspell Records have stamped with their moniker, are definitely familiar with the mastermind behind the ANCIENT EMPIRE venture. You have one more guess, in case you thought this is one more album of the Swedish freak that has flooded the market with his artistic paroxysm (even though I like most of his work). This is the newest band Joe Liszt (ROCKA ROLLAS, HELLHOUND, SHADOWKILLER etc) formed and it’s actually his own baby, except for the assistance offered by drummer Steve Pelletier (RELLIK, HELLHOUND, RAPID FIRE etc) and Rich Pelletier(HELLHOUND, RAPID FIRE etc). I can’t say I am a big fan of Joe’s voice whatsoever, when it comes to traditional metal style such as this one here or Power Metal style (SHADOWKILLER) I prefer a singer with wider range, expressiveness and variety in his tone and singing, which is something I can’t find in Joe’s vocals. And to be honest this is too important for me, so much that music alone is not enough to compensate, but still that’s not the case here either. Overall the album is listenable but there’s nothing standing out and nothing is translated into memorable experience in the very end, so that you can say it can occupy your stereo again in future times to come. If you liked SHADOWKILLER, you’ll probably like this one as well, as they have lots in common; AE is more straight-forward in structure, bedewed with melodic riffs and a sound that I have to admit is not reminiscent of anything else, but these attributes are not enough to satisfy my personal whim as a listener of hundreds of

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ANCILOTTI “The Chain goes On” CD/LP (Italy, Pure Steel/Jolly Roger, 2014) If the name sounds familiar, congratulations, you are one of the few (I think) that have a soft spot for Italian Metal masters, STRANA OFFICINA. Daniele “Bud” Ancilotti is the singer of this underrated act and this is a family a ffair as well since his brother Sandro handles the bass guitars and his son, Brian is the drummer. The 4th member is Luciano Toscani that was part of the reformed WYVERN for a couple of years. The music of the band is as classic Metal as it can get. Of course Bud’s singing will inevitably remind you of his other band, but the music here is more straight-forward, imagine TANK coupled with SAXON and some OZZY here and there. Very enjoyable, it wouldn’t a high buying priority for me, but if you can’t live with a frequent dosage of the above mentioned bands, “The chain goes on” is a great addition to your collections. www.ancillottiband.com

Kostas Kailiazis

ARKHAM WITCH “Hammerstorm” Mini-CD (United Kingdom, Private, 2013) About a year has passed since ARKHAM WITCH dropped their second full-length album and here they are again with a 4-track EP built around the 11 minutes long title-track and supplemented by two additional songs as well as a solid cover of THOR’s legendary “Thunder on the Tundra”. “Hammerstorm” kicks off the EP with some RUNNING WILD-like guitar harmonies just to surprise the listener by turning into the sluggish and drawn out doom-epic it is just a few moments later. The other two tunes are straighter tracks brewed by the usual ARKHAM WITCH recipe of NWOBHM meets hardrock meets doom and topped with some tongue in cheek lyrics about posers and heavy

metal. With the band keeping the very basic and stripped down approach that clearly distinguishes ARKHAM WITCH from the more refined approach its members had taken with THE LAMP OF THOTH I couldn’t help but feel that the group has been slackening the reins a bit too much and taking their laissez-faire-approach (which on the other hand is undoubtedly one of their biggest strengths) just a tad too far this time, by failing to give the songs the final ARKHAM magic they deserve. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a very enjoyable and first and foremost honest heavy metal record, but ARKHAM WITCH run the risk of becoming redundant and lose a bit of the smart and witty touch that made their last two albums stand out so much. If this was meant as an appetizer for an upcoming album it did not really get my stomach growling and lusting for more if I am honest. Yet at the given price point and as a b-side collection this is a nice snack in between that can certainly be recommended to fans of the band. http://arkhamwitch.bandcamp.com Daniel Schuldt

ARTIZAN “Ancestral Energy” CD (USA, Pure Steel, 2013) Ever since its’ fusion with Karthago Records in the last months of 2010, Pure Steel’s release strategy has actually been more about quantity than quality. Nevertheless on some rare occasions the label still manages to dig up some unique and worthwhile bands and records (which then unfortunately tend to get lost within the sea of mediocrity that the label keeps spewing forth). ARTIZAN’s 2011-debut “Curse of the Artizan” was such a case and it managed to cause quite a respectable stir with US-power/ prog fans in underground circles. Now the band is back with its sophomore effort and it is every bit as strong as its predecessor, continuing its established brand of power metal with progressive influences and a heightened sense for enticing melodies. Thomas A. Braden’s soothing voice soars above the wellwritten music with rare elegance and truly manages to lure the listener into the song’s stories and the meaningful lyrics and his undeniably astonishing presence even rivals that of some of the genre’s big names. While Braden may be the trademark immediately present on first listen, a large chunk of ARTIZAN’s unique sound is based on a second pillar, which is the fantastic drumming of main songwriter and bandleader Ty Tammeus whose playful and dynamic performance is a sheer joy to listen to. And even if these two may be running the show all other band members are more than capable as well and prove that excellent musicianship can indeed exist without any ego-driven wankery or over-exposed instrumental passages and can instead truly work for the songs and not against them.

Despite the omnipresent melodic focus and the polished sound the songs never appear cheesy or pretentious, instead all tracks offer a lot of finesse, managing to stay accessible and yet demanding at the same time. If you are not convinced by now let yourself get sucked in by the emotional journey that is “Deep Ocean Dreams” or the closing epic “Ancestral Energy” featuring the mighty pipes of Matt Barlow as I hope they may prove my point to you. ARTIZAN are a rare species we hardly get to see nowadays as they possess an unmistakenable identity of their own combined with the gift of crafting excellent song material and that is exactly the reason why this band deserves your immediate attention.

is not ready to settle down just yet and returns with a new project, this time teaming up with Marcus Jidell (ex-EVERGREY) as well as so far (at least in metal circles) unknown vocalist Jennie-Ann Smith. Of course not straying too far from his beaten path, AVATARIUM offers an interesting mixture of 60s/70s psychedelic rock and typical Edling-doom with Smith‘s fragile yet confidently feminine voice taking the starring role. Throughout the record she especially shines in the more mellow parts of the songs while enchanting the listener with beautifully woven melodies that won‘t leave your mind for days as it can be heard on „Pandora‘s Egg“ or „Moonhorse“. On the other hand Smith occasionally struggles a bit to retain the upper hand and the same level of engaging presence once the wall of doom guitars starts rolling in, sometimes burying her aura beneath their massive force. Also the band unfortunately all too often decides to hang on to a strict and foreseeable formula of acoustic and mellow verses just to go all out crushing doom in the chorus or middle-parts. This leads to the songs feeling slightly repetitive as well as partially fragmented and glued together at their seams. In fact the band is at its best when Edling & Co. manage to forget about a harsh diversion and just let both sides of their spectrum naturally flow together like on the wonderful „Boneflower“ or the album closer „Lady In The Lamp“ which builds up to a fantastic climax. If the band can become less predictable and improve further in terms of bringing their doubtlessly existing strengths together in a more harmonious and flowing way, I can indeed see this project going places in the future. As of now the record has to take a backseat when compared to a huge part of the material Edling has managed to produce with CANDLEMASS, KRUX or also ABSTRAKT ALGEBRA in the past. Nevertheless the album can still be recommended to all Edling-fans out there, especially when you are able to grab it for small money in a Nuclear Blast sale.

www.artizanmetal.com

Daniel Schuldt

ASSEMBLY AT DUSK “Assembly at Dusk” LP (USA, Unborn, 2014) Some of our dear readers may indeed recall my raving review of ASSEMBLY AT DUSK’s first demo in our last issue and my wish that they would be picked up by a decent underground label soon. Well, an issue later the band has not only released an equally strong second demo in the summer of 2013 but also managed to score a deal with Unborn Productions for a vinyl release of both demos plus an exclusive bonus track entitled “Orphans of the Light” limited to 300 handnumbered copies. The new song unfortunately disappoints though, as it indeed does bear some glimpses of ASSEMBLY’s strong songwriting craft but the chorus seems like a weirdly cut-off version of the one used on “Before This City is Aflame” and the abrupt ending further adds to the feeling that we might be facing a bit of a rushed and unfinished song that, at least in my humble opinion, definitely had more potential in it. Nevertheless friends of the arcane arts should consider this a must-buy anyway as they get two of 2013’s strongest demos and at least 6 tracks of archaic heavy metal with melancholic and epic undertones that should appeal to fans of DAWNBRINGER and SOLSTICE alike.

www.avatariumofficial.se

Daniel Schuldt

http://assemblyatdusk.bandcamp.com

Daniel Schuldt

AVALON STEEL “Ascension” Mini-CD (USA, Private, 2014) Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina AVALON STEEL debut with this 3-track offering of mostly mid-tempo power metal with some epic touches. Mostly at home in the lower registers vocalist Tommy Parnelle manages to deliver a pretty impressive performance with some catchy vocal lines and choruses. Unfortunately the rhythm section is rather stale and fails to inject a bit of much needed stimulus into the band which eventually leads to three track of almost similar tempo and stomping marching tone. Hence overall the EP feels a bit repetitive and could have definitely use some changes in pace and build-up, but there is some mentionable potential here if they can work on these aspects, making this a band to keep an eye on for the future. http://avalonsteel.bandcamp.com Daniel Schuldt AVATARIUM „Avatarium“ CD (Sweden, Nuclear Blast, 2013) With CANDLEMASS being (at least for now) history, workaholic Leif Edling

AXE BATTLER “Axe Battler” CD/LP (Chile, Evil Confrontation/Heavy Forces, 2014) AXE BATTLER was interviewed in our 2nd issue back in 2012 after their very good debut EP, “The wrath of my Steel”. I was anticipating their debut LP, sure, but I will have to be honest and say that I wasn’t ready for such a solid record as the one this Chilean act presented us. There are traces of the previous effort to be heard, but to my ears the music now brings many similarities to OMEN (especially the guitars) and has a powerful character evident through every song. Epic Heavy/Power Metal bearing similarities to HOLY MARTYR f.e. but they don’t sound like them, just to get an idea. We also find two songs from the EP rerecorded, which along with the other 8 songs offered make up a great Heavy Metal album that should be heard by more people. AXE BATTLER maybe lack the promotion, but their music makes up for this. Don’t bypass this band and this album, you’ll regret it! www.facebook.com/axebattlerband

Kostas Kailiazis

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AXE CRAZY “Angry Machines” Mini-CD (Poland, Private, 2014) The band name of the Polish armada may rouse your appetite stimulators for some good old-school NWOBHM relevant to the legendary JAGUAR, but unfortunately from the previous possible description I would dispense everything but the “old-school” part... There are discreet hints of the NWOBHM days of course, but besides some decent ideas, none of the four songs could keep me there while playing the disc. I believe the problem is centered in the songwriting department, since there’s little to be remembered later, despite their simplistic approach. It feels as if it was done too fast, without accusing them for a novice instrumental performance. Average stuff overall that should give more time in penning memorable songs next time, a chorus, a verse, or even a solo. “Sabretooth Tiger” comes pretty cool though. www.facebook.com/axecrazyband

Thanos Stafylarakis

AXECUTER “Metal Is Invincible” CD/LP (Inferno/Anger of Metal, 2013, Brazil) Soon after a demo and a 7” single, the Brazilian trio came of age to record and release their debut full length. Even though the Brazilian scene abounds in new bands, most of them move to the extreme branches of the heavy sound, a notion noticeable even in bands of the pure Heavy Metal direction that embody a lot of Speed elements. So do AXECUTER here, what I opine as the S. American METALUCIFER, not so much in the musical direction both bands represent, as the Brazilian outfit is harsher and without the NWOBHM elements the Japanese armada takes hold of, but more in the overall outlook and image they showcase, as putting them on the same table looks like a Heavy Metal cliché competition. To pinpoint the recorded content of this album, expect speedy Heavy Metal songs in their majority recorded in a melody-proof studio, aggressive vocals and standard song structures, getting the message straight and leaving no room for doubting their intentions; raze, maim, incinerate (Heavy Metal) non believers everywhere! Good stuff, potent for what it is, a typical delivery of steel that will never break any ground, aimed to be played loud and help you recover from a possible disorientation in your quest for other music fields. The album closes with a good cover of MANILLA ROAD’s “Heavy Metal to the World”, featuring Mark Shelton, a song that could well describe the songwriting style of the band and fits them like a glove. www.facebook.com/axecuter

Thanos Stafylarakis

AXECUTOR “Aggressive Extermination” m-CD (Bulgaria, Stormspell, 2014) Old school Thrash Metal is the game for the Bulgarian ragers and as very well their label claims, they deliver rabid Thrash/Death predominantly based on the old German (and neighboring) masters of the genre anno ‘85-’87. Don’t expect anything you haven’t heard before, I don’t think they try to create their own kind of music, but whatever they do is handed with admirable fidelity to the style’s main attributes. Short, fast, evil, enjoyable effort over all without promising grandiosity or distinguishing themselves, when you listen to it you’ll

like it, while if not, you’ve probably heard an equivalent substitute instead some other time. A cover of “Black Rock ‘N’ Roll” by the already cult MIDNIGHT is offered amongst their originals, if that matters. www.facebook.com/axecutor.official

Thanos Stafylarakis

BATTLEROAR “Blood of Legends” CD/2LP (Greece, Cruz del Sur, 2014) It’s been a while… The last album of the band was the amazing “To death and beyond…” (2008); their finest moment and a real Metal classic in my opinion, so the wait was even bigger. Quite a few things happened in the meantime after two fifths of the band left (and formed DEXTER WARD). Many singers came and went, until Gerrit Mutz (SACRED STEEL/ DAWN OF WINTER) was announced as the band’s permanent singer over a year ago. So, after proving live that they are still a band capable of great things, it remained to also prove it on a new album. The way I see it, they did it, but not to the extent that their experience, name and absence for the last couple of years would make one believe. There are two drawbacks that hold me back from fully appreciating and praising this album. First is the “upgraded” role the violin has, taking away some of the power the songs have, instead of maintaining its’ role, enhancing the music. The other is the vocals. I consider Gerrit a GREAT singer, but listening to him on this LP, I come to the conclusion that he is not so capable of delivering the epic/ dramatic element so well, or at least as Marco did. He is amazing in the power metal attack of SACRED STEEL and mourning DAWN OF WINTER style, but not so suitable for BATTLEROAR. Enough with my complaints. “Blood of Legends” is a very good Epic Metal record, which is already a great compliment in my book, since the term has been degraded to CGI covers and naïve lyrics ever since the resurgence of the genre over a decade ago and there are few bands that really do this style with conviction and successfully nowadays. BATTLEROAR is one of the few, and amazing songs like the CLASSIC “Valkyries above us”, “Poisoned Well”, “Immortal Chariot”, “Blood of Legends” (I can not help it and imagine Marco singing here!) and “The swords are drawn” prove it. If you liked the previous releases of the band, you will love this one, if this is the first time you hear the name, then buy “Blood of Legends” and work your way back to the band’s discography, you won’t regret it, I am sure! www.battleroar.com

Kostas Kailiazis

BEDEMON “Symphony of Shadows” CD (USA, Svart, 2012) BEDEMON originally happened to be the brainchild of no one else but

now deceased guitarist Randy Palmer (R.I.P.) before he joined the ranks of PENTAGRAM in 1974. The main part of the band’s early recordings dating back to the period from 1971-74 has already been released in 2005 as the “Child of Darkness” compilation on Black Widow Records. Whilst this material only consisted of rehearsal sessions recorded with the help of his soon-to-be band mates Bobby Liebling and Geof O’ Keefe as well as friend Mike Matthews, Randy Palmer decided in 2002 that it was time to hit a studio in order to record some so far unreleased BEDEMON material in a professional way - unfortunately without Bobby Liebling as Randy feared he would quickly fall victim to hard drugs anew if he ever worked with him again. Enter Craig Junghandel and his interesting set of pipes who delivers a pretty versatile performance and even manages to almost sound a bit like Devon Graves on “Son Of Darkness” while showing some Messiah-influences on “Saviour” at the same time. Meanwhile the songs are dominated by simple, but heavy as hell chord progressions courtesy of Palmer, making BEDEMON sound like a somewhat doomier and more sinister version of early PENTAGRAM. The record may not be flawless in all aspects from songwriting to performance but this is part of its charm. It is vintage, partly jammy, raw, unfiltered, bluesy and severely heavy doom by inspired musicians that possesses its own gloomy and obscure tone crawling out of the speakers and speaking to the dark corners of the mind where one does not dare to look. Aficionados of the olde will surely worship the eerie darkness conjured by songs like “Godless”, “Lord Of Desolation” or “D.E.D.”. Hence if you are a fan of the earlier BEDEMOM material or care for vintage doom and heavy rock in general, you should without a doubt enjoy this album. www.bedemon.com

Daniel Schuldt

I realized what they were all about (and obviously what I was missing)! Seriously, the band is not a pinch of fresh air in the scene but the drooling is inevitable by the time the first riffs invade your domicile. Even though I am a bit put off by the persistent evil to the bone attitude newer and allegedly 80’s influenced Heavy Metal bands insist to pursue, their OZ/ MAIDEN/SABBATH musical ethics couldn’t leave me untouched. Great soloing, absolutely top riff changes and bridges, the quintessence of a Heavy Metal song in full form! Then, as you turn to Side B, there is a noticeable difference in the style, yet still pure Heavy Metal, but raw, rough with harsh vocals that reminded me little of the band described right above and can only be explicable as soon as you realize that this was actually their 2nd demo from 2010 included in the album, when their approach was rather fickle, so you get the idea...I enjoyed the first side a lot, flip side is good too but not on par with the opening one, so I take it as a new attempt that needs another release to convince me and sturdily appreciate them.

other countries…). I never fail to have a great time listening to their debut, but I rarely choose to do so… For those unfamiliar with the band, they hail from Japan and so far they have released a self titled debut in 2007 (reissued a couple of years ago on CD/LP) and their music is a very nice and inspired mix of UFO, SCORPIONS, HEAVY LOAD (less) and the first wave of NWOBHM bands. This translates to amazing guitars and catchy tunes. If this sounds intriguing, then this is a band you will love! Compared to the debut though, the music and guitars may sound heavier (it’s also due to the production), but the final result lacks the quite catchy rhythms and hooks its’ predecessor had (they are not absent of course!). Given the chance, I hope more labels will see the potential some “exotic” bands have, but most importantly fans will realize that HM music isn’t only played in the “known” countries and Japan in particular has a HUGE tradition in Hard Rock/Metal music which resulted in great and original sounding bands throughout our music’s history that unfortunately still remain unknown.

Thanos Stafylarakis

Kostas Kailiazis

https://soundcloud.com/jon-distro/sets/ black-magic

BLADE KILLER “Blade Killer” Mini-CD (USA, Stormspell, 2014) Another newcomer, so let’s see what this US quintet is about. NWOBHMinspired Metal with a heavier and faster approach bringing to mind… well, do you need names (old and new) now? There are so many bands doing this nowadays, that it has become tiring for me. I will give them that one will have a good time listening to their 4 short songs, since they are quite nice with good melodies. I bought this for cheap from Stormspell Records, so I would suggest you do the same, if the whole NWOBHM-revival thing is something you don’t fancy much. Otherwise, chances are you have already checked the band. A full length will be more indicative of the band’s abilities. Until then, this is just another ok CD… Kostas Kailiazis www.facebook.com/bladekillerheavymetal

Ps. There is also a vinyl issue by Underground Power Records

BLACK MAGIC “Wizard’s Spell” LP/CD (Norway. High Roller, 2013) What a contradictory kind of release is BLACK MAGIC’s debut album really, opening a dispute with their own self! This was my first thought right after I played the entire album. Side A shows their competence in penning killer remarkable 80’s Heavy Metal as the not immensely NWOBHM affected Scandinavian heroes of the Olde, while by the time I shifted to Side B, I felt I was listening to a kinda different band. Anyway, things have been sorted out after a tiny research and everything is partially explained. First off, the cover art and the layout, which reminded me the style of art used in THE BLACK covers and the likes, would hardly attract my interest to listen to the band, as it was not until a friend pointed them out to me that

BLAZE “The Rock Dinosaur EP” Mini-CD/12”EP (Japan, High Roller, 2014) It certainly took a while, but it wasn’t until High Roller reissued BLAZE’s debut from 2007 that more people got to know the band. And a very nice move indeed since this interest is the reason we managed to see the band in Up the Hammers Festival in March of 2014 in a GREAT performance. First of all, let me explain myself and state that I don’t rank BLAZE as high as many of my compatriots do (I don’t know how “successful” they are in

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http://homepage2.nifty.com/6360-098/ top.html

BLITZKRIEG “Back From Hell” CD (UK, Metal Nation, 2013) With Brian Ross also involved in SATAN’s exceptional comeback record earlier this year I was looking forward to hearing what his main act BLITZKRIEG would be able to bring to the table in order to keep up with the homemade competition. Unfortunately the outcome is just as disappointing as the band’s last efforts. The record feels immensely tired and lacks all of the vigour and drive that made SATAN’s “ “ “ “Life Sentence” such a pleasure to listen to. The guitar-and rhythm-work is just slightly above average with the blunt and repetitive riffs constantly losing themselves in a stomping mid-tempo grind. The occasional up-tempo-passages all seem blatantly simple, constructed and are plagued by a complete lack of dynamics, especially with the drum performance feeling horribly stale. Brian Ross himself (who already was the weakest link on the SATAN record in my opinion) is not better off either as he sounds weary and dull as well as alarmingly shaky on some more stretched out notes. With a few notable exceptions (e.g. “ “ “ “One Last Time”) he hardly manages to pump out any noteworthy melody lines or hooks that truly stick or have not been recycled from his own portfolio. All these flaws are not being helped by the fact, that the record is simply too long with its 13 tracks clocking in well over 60 minutes, making it quite a challenge to sit through it in one go without feeling slightly sleepy. Weeding out some of the inferior and flat-out boring compositions like “ “ “ “Buried Alive”, Back To The Village” or the simply awful duet “ “ “ “Complicated Issue” might have mildly improved the record, but even the strongest material on the album does rarely rise above the level of mediocrity, never touching any of the ground the band had treaded on in former years. So ladies and gentlemen, as much as I would like to tell you something different, this is only for the hardcore BLITZKRIEG-fanboys out there, the rest should either stick with

the new SATAN or turn their attention to one of the many other fantastic albums released in 2013/2014 while sitting this one out. www.blitzed-alive.com

Daniel Schuldt

BORN OF FIRE “Dead Winter Sun” CD (USA, 2014, Pure Steel) Acting privy at the setting of the 20th century, mainly because of an unprecedented ignorance of the media and the majority of the fans at the time, one of the very good and very few bands that could actually be separated from what the industry was turning the audience to, was doomed to dissolve after a short period that sprang eminence and cast themselves back into oblivion. Their “Anthology” CD obviously jolted the fans and regenerated interest about BORN OF FIRE, who came back with an inspired album without hearing the band going off the grid from what we were used to by them at all! With Jim Davis finding a suitable replacement into Gordon Tittsworth’s voice, BOF take on the matter from where “Transformation” CD had ceased, slightly modernize their sound and conjure their gloomy QUEENSRYCHE vision of how to create potent Dark Power Metal. The induced atmosphere fits their style and I believe it was their trademark in the past as well, what made them distinguish themselves in the scene, along with their powerful chugging riffs, interesting lyrics and the formidable songwriting that would keep the listener eager. This is one of the briefest comebacks but certainly justifiable and appropriate. www.facebook.com/pages/Born-ofFire/498173826897778

Thanos Stafylarakis

BREITENHOLD “Secret Worlds” CD (Sweden, Stormspell, 2014) Now that the word “prolific” is given a new meaning, the inspiration volcano from Sweden named Cederick thought it’s a good idea to start a new band for the hundredth time. It’s no use enumerating the number of releases under his belt within a very short period and despite my belief that this will not have a happy ending unless he can manage a spiritus finis, I have never been disappointed by one of his offerings in this style so far. On the contrary, I am glad I have to review an album I actually enjoyed a lot. It seems Ced has a hard time abolishing his passion for RUNNING WILD but this time, homage is paid to another Teutonic legend, SCANNER, STORMWARRIOR and the likes! Yes, “Secret Worlds” is an album you could place next to SCANNER or MANIA albums and Ced has profoundly contemplated on this style of music composing, from penning the melodies to the charming flaws German singers used to have at the time and the characteristic chorals, everything is very well examined and successfully conveyed to the music. For the apprehensive ones, there’s no sign of repetition yet, as BREITENHOLD is not immediately connoted with BLAZON STONE or ROCKA ROLLAS and of all those trying to offer a similar type of music, I think this one is one of the most accurate and genuine! All that’s left to see - and only time can shamelessly tell - is if these bands that are not his primary are one-off ventures. Thanos Stafylarakis

CAULDRON BORN “Sword and Sorcery Heavy Metal” Mini-CD (USA, Iron on Iron, 2014) I was anxiously waiting for this ever since it was mentioned to me around the time their debut was getting a vinyl issue from Iron on Iron in 2010/2011. This CD includes 7 songs with a running time of almost 50 minutes and features a great cover by the “regular” CAULDRON BORN artist, Lionel Baker II (who has also painted the first GRIFFIN cover, something not many have noticed). “Crom, count the Dead” is the first new song and is a good fast-paced tune, though a bit repetitive and more simple than the band’s previous material. One thing you notice immediately are the weak vocals; I don’t know if it was a deliberate choice or the only one the band (Howie) had, but it doesn’t work. “The temple of abomination” is a little more in line with earlier CB material (but still plain compared to the previous efforts) and my best of the two new songs here. “Singing Swords” by Swedish Heroes HEAVY LOAD is covered next and to tell you the truth, I don’t understand why. Music-wise it’s ok, no one doubted the technical abilities of the band, but it lacks SO much in what made the original (and the band) a legendary cut. This is passion, passion and passion!!! The next 4 songs are the ones that were included in the band’s first demo from 1994, “Swords, Sorcery and Science”, an amazing release in my opinion. But aren’t those included in the “God of Metal” CD (which also includes Howie’s personal demo from 1993) available in CD and for a low/ normal price? Yes they are, so what’s the reason this is a full length CD and not a 12”EP (this would be the ideal format for it…) or Mini-CD? I guess the answer is easy, but isn’t a nice one… I would suggest looking for the past releases of the band, as their technical Epic Metal material will be a pleasant surprise to US Metal fans that are unaware of them. Until then, this appetizer is ok, but it makes me a little skeptical for the new full length album. If this wasn’t under the CAULDRON BORN name, I don’t think I would pay more attention. It has almost nothing to make it stand out from the mass of new HM releases, which it’s a shame considering how the exact opposite was happening when the band was active years ago… The CD “helps” someone to reach to this conclusion when he listens to the demo songs… www.facebook.com/pages/CauldronBorn/162849107066674

Kostas Kailiazis

CELTIC LEGACY “The Lie of the Land” CD (Ireland, Eternal Legacy, 2014) After dissolving and regrouping for several times, CELTIC LEGACY have returned with their brand new limited CD output. The band made quite an

impact in the underground circles back in the 90s when they first showed up and obviously still have what it takes to regenerate a certain buzz. Their restricted popularity excluded, they have nothing else in common with the underground, given the tendency to create a genre or style under the “underground” moniker. “The Lie of the Land” sounds as professional as a self-financed effort with constrained budget can sound. Dave Morrissey and Cieran Ennis, aka CELTIC LEGACY, released a fine and highly respectable Heavy Metal album, within the norms of classic Heavy Metal songwriting and structure, in the likes of DIO, RAINBOW and MAIDEN, enhanced with - what else would we expect and demand from an Irish band with such a name - Celtic melodies. The alum’s worth of 58 minutes of well crafted music with a fine production job and significantly well taken care of booklet, nice layout and homage to the late Gary Moore in the sounds of “Emerald Eye” along with spreading the good word in the social/environmental issues described in their lyrics. There’s a nice atmosphere emerging, gloomy at times but I guess this is a common feature in many Irish bands and a major characteristic of the band’s style, as it’s lacking power on purpose, using melody over it, while it’s not short of heaviness at all . I would urge people who don’t only care about how terribly 80s music sounds to motivate themselves and buy the album, as due to financial problems and according to the band, there will be no more than the 250 copies initially printed of the album. Welcome back by the way! www.celtic-legacy.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

CHASTAIN „Surrender to no One“ CD (USA, Leviathan, 2013) While other reunions manage to cause quite a stir in our circles, the return of original vocalist Leather Leone into the ranks of CHASTAIN has seemingly been flying under the radar of press and fans alike during the course of the last few months. Freshly reunited with the best female vocalist in metal after more than twenty years, the band has almost secretly recorded a new album which is now being released to the public on David T. Chastain‘s private label Leviathan Records. I myself have been hoping for CHASTAIN‘s resurrection since forever, so I must admit my expectations have been pretty high after the rather dull releases CHASTAIN presented us with over the last two decades. And to cut straight to the point: „Surrender To No One“ is indeed a step in the right direction and a return to the more traditional metal approach the band used to follow in their early years, yet the darker and groovier sound of the Kate French-era still remains underneath it and rears its ugly head time and time again in form of some chugging groove-riff here and there. The real problem though is the fact that the songs overall lack quite a bit of the vigour and the uplifting spirit of earlier CHASTAIN material, making them far less compelling. While it is great to hear Leather‘s voice again and realizing that she doesn‘t seem to have lost any of her great vocal abilities with advancing age, the songs just don‘t cut to the point as they did in the heydays of the band. The album plays along in the background without arousing any greater interest or even presenting standout moments/songs.

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The monotonous production job does its fair share as well in adding to the indifference, showcasing all the flaws of modern production values: clinical and triggered drums that sound like plastic accompanied by inaudible bass work and all run into the ground by a completely brickwalled mastering that kills even the last bit of remaining dynamics in favour of compression and loudness. I truly wonder how any producer or engineer who has not done a double-Van-Gogh can seriously think this sounds anywhere near to the term „great“ or even just „listenable“.  When will you finally stop tormenting us with this lifeless modern studio junk? Anyway. In order to get the musical facts straight: If CHASTAIN can tighten their songwriting again and return to writing more compact and exciting material while dropping the remaining modern elements and get a decent producer they are on a good path that might actually lead them back to regaining some of their former glory. Right now this record offers just a mere glimpse of what might be and can only be recommended halfheartedly to those that really adore Leather‘s voice and cannot wait to hear her sing again. Nevertheless, I will not give up hope and keep my fingers crossed for CHASTAIN‘s future endeavours and try to quickly forget about this one (which is not too hard to be honest). www.davidtchastain.com

Daniel Schuldt

CLOVEN ALTAR „Cloven Altar“ Mini-CD (USA, Stormspell, 2014) The fact that CLOVEN ALTAR‘s sole member Dustin Umberger used to front a straight-edge vegan metalcore band just a few years back may cause some raised eyebrows in our circles as well as some eligible skepticism whether we have someone here, who is simply jumping the next band wagon by all over sudden forming a classic metal band in 2014. Because hey, let‘s face it: Traditional heavy metal has become a massive trend nowadays as every ass and his dog come out of the woodwork with a 2- or 3-track EP including occult cover art and vintage sounding production, trying their best to sound somewhat authentic while inspiration as well as seriousness. The fact that labels currently sign every only slightly talented traditional metal band under the sun does not help the situation either, I was just not aware that Stormspell was riding that bus as well but their recent strain of releases actually makes me wonder if their dedication to quality instead of quantity still remains true to its fullest. Anyway, let‘s have a quick a look at what is being presented here: 3-track EP (check!), occult cover artwork (check!)....you see where I am getting at, don‘t you? And while the band name may have you thinking about two legendary british bands (namely CLOVEN HOOF and PAGAN ALTAR) there is indeed a slightly british tone to CLOVEN ALTAR‘s sound, which not only resembles the HOOF, but leans more towards later DARK FOREST material (due to the slightly folky influences), yet without being able to touch any of the ground these bands walk upon. In fact the material presented here is pretty simple in all aspects from riffs to melodies and while it may be basically solid and listenable, it is a rather shallow and unspectacular ride. Considering the fact, that no one else but Swedish

multi-instrumentalist and conveyorbelt-songwriter Ced was brought in, to not only play all instruments on the record, but to also help with the final song arrangements, it should come as no surprise that what we have here is another pretty standardized easy-listening heavy metal EP that clearly bears Ced‘s handwriting (which unfortunately barely makes it original but rather redundant by now if you are familiar with Ced‘s other projects). I am not saying that CLOVEN ALTAR‘s debut EP (or Ced‘s other project releases for that matter, which are definitely of higher quality than this release) is necessarily a bad record, but it does not touch me at all as it feels pretty far way from the original arcane art that I consider heavy metal to derive from and I highly doubt it will prove its relevance by standing the test of time. In fact I boldly place a bet right here that EP and band will have been forgotten in a decade‘s time. The question we really gotta ask ourselves at this point is whether we need all these quickly constructed homerecording releases from mayflies like CLOVEN ALTAR being pushed into the already overflooded market. I for myself could gladly live without it, but at the end of the day it is a buyer‘s market out there, so you get to have a say in this as well.

http://clovenaltar666.bandcamp. com

Daniel Schuldt

CRIMSON REIGN “The Calling” CD (USA, Slaverider, 2013) Salvation will come from the underground, I mean the real underground, not the kind of claims I hear from retro bands that suddenly elevated a movement to a musical style or genre! Very nice first appearance by the Phoenix outfit, which starts out a bit weaker than what’s about to follow, in a way that the coming of the storm is not predicted. The band grants us a kind of Power Metal US bands can only display, diverse, subtle, contemporary and “sophisticated”, in a way that no direct comparison can be invoked, as taught by MAIDEN, QUEENSRYCHE, SAVATAGE or later ICED EARTH. It seems to be the work of guitarist Titus Medina, composing credits have been ascribed to others in some songs nevertheless. This said, don’t be disheartened, expecting another shredding fest, the cool guitarwork is restricted to serve the songs’ purpose and that only, while the strong vocal delivery of Donovan Bosworth should not be overlooked, as it’s one of the attributes that make the album stand out with his full, masculine voice that can balance skillfully in the mid-low ranges, whereas he avoids screaming on purpose. The mid-tempo pace is not enough to distract you from its listening session and talent is abundant in a tremendous number called “Zaccero” for instance and

to be exact, the second half of the album thrives of it. I am sure that they won’t face the appropriate treatment from fans and this could affect their standing in time because they are not too much of this or too much of that and too much of resembling some other old dudes. Then again, they might be distant from these malady permeated circles so that they can retain their viability. Buy and support. http://crimsonreign.net

Thanos Stafylarakis

CROSSWIND “Vicious Dominion” CD (Greece, No Remorse, 2014) Finally some good news! A band whose album I’d been expecting for long and it indeed took them long as we speak. Their demos were too classy to have them unsigned and officially inert, but now their debut album is here and ready to conquer! The mastermind behind the band, Kyriakos Vasdokas, gave up singing and bestowed the demanding task to SARISSA/HORIZON’S END singer Vasilis Topalides and since both are gifted with charismatic skills, we can agree that no damage has been done, on the contrary, I am sure this can only benefit the band when playing live. So even though there was a lot of material usable for a dignified album in their excellent demos, luckily they chose to use just one song off there, meaning we have another 8 new ones to listen to! “Vicious Dominion” is pretty much the same style as we got acquainted with CROSSWIND, professionally played Euro Power Metal, with great hooks and riffs, something like LOST HORIZON with melody attached. The band performs exceptionally well, so much that despite the augmented quality of Greek bands the recent years, they still sound out of place compared to most of their country mates. The entire album is balanced in quality, no ups and downs really, with Topalides being a standout throughout his given task and rationally elevating the result to stellar levels. If there’s something that didn’t sound right to these ears, that would be the use of background keys, which at times are occupying more space in a song (reminded me of Age of Empires background music!!), mainly because it comes too loud in the forefront, a problem which becomes especially audible on “Lords Of Deceit”. Apparently they were used to enhance the beset atmosphere but I reckon this idea was rather unsuccessful. Of course that’s the weakest argument to evade buying this album, as it’s barely noticeable when these 9 thunders strike into your room. One plea only, don’t take that long for the next album! http://crosswind.gr

Thanos Stafylarakis

CULT OF THE FOX “Angelsbane” CD (Sweden, Rock It Up, 2013) When spinning the disc for the first time and hearing the opening titletrack with its high-pitched vocal parts I was afraid that CULT OF THE FOX might have taken the fall and jumped the bandwagon of the countless faceless MERCYFUL FATE worshippers instead of the blue collar heavy metal approach they had established with their debut two years earlier. Thankfully the little excursion into higher ranges remains an exception and singer Magnus Hultmann soon returns to his mostly hoarse tenor for the rest of the record, placing him somewhere between a cleaner Chris Boltendahl and Jens Börner of LONEWOLF. Just like with the aforementioned Frenchmen teutonic influences are quite present in the CULT’s sound but we of course also get the good old MAIDEN gallop or some mid-tempo ICED EARTH here and there as well. And this already leads us to my main concern: CULT OF THE FOX hardly bring anything new to the table and are at the same time unable to compensate this fact with a particularly energetic performance or youthful drive which for me makes “Angelsbane” quite a letdown when compared with their enjoyable debut. In fact the band fails to excite in all departments from riffs to vocal melodies and often feels as if they are playing with their batteries only half-charged or holding back for a climax the songs unfortunately never reach. In sum “Angelsbane” is a solid but rather exchangeable heavy metal record that turns out to be disappointingly dry in some parts. Yet the album occasionally manages to evoke a certain charm in the same vein that ZENO MORF or earlier LONEWOLF may do (e.g. “Ready For Eternity”, “My Wrath Unleashed”) but unfortunately without ever reaching their level of catchiness or power. Nevertheless fans of the aforementioned bands will probably not totally regret buying this, just don’t expect it to turn your entire world upside down. In general you are much better off with the band’s previous effort though. www.cultofthefox.com

Daniel Schuldt

THE DAGGER “The Dagger“ CD (Sweden, Century Media, 2014) Another Swedish band, another retort. This time none other than Fred Estby - most likely inspired by producing BLACK TRIP‘s debut album - gathered some other members of the Swedish death metal elite hailing from such legendary acts like DISMEMBER, GRAVE and CARNAGE to try their hands on something retro together. The result is a potpourri of everything that was big in the heavy rock scene from 1970 to 1985. „Skygazer“ is a hammond-driven RAINBOW-homage (well, who would have thought so?) with additional nods towards URIAH HEEP, while „Electric Dawn“ picks up on early JUDAS PRIEST and SAXON. You get BLUE ÖYSTER CULT guitar-harmonies in „1978“ and a mediocre DIO interpretation on „Dogs of Warning“. In fact the whole album feels like a dusty pawn shop of borrowed riffs and melody lines that unfortunately do not trigger any warm and fuzzy nostalgia but the worn out feeling of having heard it all somewhere before - and better for that matter. Truth be told: throughout the

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sum of all their citations THE DAGGER fail to establish an own identity and to arouse any further interest within the listener that would take them beyond the point of being more than just nice background music. Hence THE DAGGER‘s debut will hardly annoy you, therefore it is too well executed from head to toe, but neither will it truly excite you as it is hard to feel anything but complacency about most of the compositions presented here. Yes, they may have the sound and the look of a glorious bygone era but their blueprint-like studio-effort lacks the spirit and the energy that the artists THE DAGGER like to lean on so heavily were exploding with back in the days. Ergo this record is just another case, where seasoned musicians, despite all their experience and musical abilities, fail to create something unique and noteworthy that will stand the test of time and therefore simply becomes more or less neglectable. www.facebook.com/daggerofficial

Daniel Schuldt

DARK HOUND “Dark Hound“ CD (USA, Private, 2014) Hailing from America’s country capital Nashville, DARK HOUND’s self-titled debut after five years of prior existence fortunately offers no greasy truck stop background music and instead finds its place somewhere between darker USpower metal not unlike later DIVISION material and the more modern power/prog-approach of bands such as FUTURES END, CORE DEVICE or ETHEREAL ARCHITECT. Yet the fourpiece is not shy of looking beyond genre boundaries by incorporating a blast-beat here (“One Deadly Blow”) or some MAIDEN-like harmony leads there (“The Indifference Of Good Men”). Overall the album comes across as a pretty diversified effort with lots of interesting riffs, rhythm patterns and good melody lines while achieving pretty much the right mix of virtuosity and memorable song structures bands often lack when injecting progressive influences into their traditional metal foundation. Helped by a clear and balanced production job DARK HOUND’s debut is a noteworthy record from a young but already confident-sounding band. Definitely worth checking out for fans of the aforementioned combos or traditionalists with an open ear for slightly modern but keyboard-free progressive metal. www.dark-hound.com

Daniel Schuldt

DARKEST ERA “Severance” CD/LP (Ireland, Cruz del Sur, 2014) The first full-length of this Irish band, “Last caress of Light” was released in 2011 and I still consider it a very good album. I guess their former label and a percentage of fans didn’t share my opinion and it didn’t do so well, both as acceptance and as sales

are concerned. Enrico from Cruz del Sur (who seems to have amassed an impressive roster on his label) took it upon him to release their second full length. If you like Epic Doom Metal with a melancholic atmosphere similar to what bands like PRIMORDIAL, OLD SEASON or MAEL MORDHA are doing, then DARKEST ERA are another band to check, if you already haven’t done so. I know it’s the easy route to throw these names around and in a way it’s accurate (in the feelings and mood transmitted throughout the LP), but in the music department I think that DARKEST ERA has enhanced their music to a point where the final result sounds very unique and original within the “boundaries” of the genre. Check songs like “The serpent and the Shadow”, “Trapped in the Hourglass” or “Blood, sand and stone” and I think you’ll get the point. I really liked the new album, as it shows a band willing to enhance their sound and explore new areas, something needed in a scene that tends to be very stale the last couple of years. A great album (one of my top-5), in a year that was quite disappointing concerning great Metal releases that can/will stand the test of time. For me, “Severance” is one of them. Well done!!! http://darkestera.net

Kostas Kailiazis

DARKING “Steal the Fire” CD/LP (Italy, Jolly Roger, 2015) The Italians are back with their second full-length, 5 years after the well done “Sons Of Steel” was unleashed and their comeback is not less pleasant than the debut! The band that includes the original DOMINE guitarist within its ranks showcases a remarkable interpretation of traditional Heavy Metal with an epic overtone an lyrical relation to historical and mythological subjects and despite an Italian accent in Marco Miliani’s singing, an accent we all secretly seek in Italian bands, his vocals are technically fine and most importantly, expressive enough to satisfy the average fan of the style! Their Heavy Metal perception includes pompous mid tempo arrangements or fast/melodic riff combos in their straight-forward tunes and a cover of DOMINE’s classic, “Stormbringer”, which was originally recorded when Agostino Carpo was a part of the band, with Enrico Paoli as a guest feature! What I liked in this band is that in both albums, they didn’t try to emulate any old-school band or behavior, mainly because Carpo is around for quite some time in the scene and didn’t just acquire his Heavy Metal induction from youtube and the torrents around. But the most adorable part of this music is seeing bands with experienced members adjusting quickly, actually offering to the scene and evolving through and through album by album! I find no reason not to support their effort, when the music first

and foremost is above and beyond satisfactory.

towards it. Now, the final result is onedimensional and boring…

www.facebook.com/pages/ Darking/112713178762531

http://dreadsovereign.bandcamp. com

Kostas Kailiazis

Thanos Stafylarakis

DEEP MACHINE “Rise Of the Machine” CD/LP (UK, High Roller, 2014) I am always skeptical when I see bands of the early 80s coming back after a loooong silence. If I don’t know the members’ background during their inactivity, whether they are in touch with what’s happening in the scene, how can I expect them to deliver the goods after many many years, when everything has gradually transformed? This gets even worse, since the case when a practically unknown band with only demo recordings in their inventory come back is not scarce at all recently. Thankfully, despite DEEP MACHINE belong to the latter, I couldn’t say their debut after 34 years of existence is material to be treated with contempt! The semiotics in the allegorical title “Rise of the Machine” signal a possible perseverance in pursuing what they couldn’t in their youth; that is to rock the hell out, pressure for livelihood excluded! Major part of the songs are old ones, from their demo era, however replayed and properly recorded in 2012, which means they used current sources of technology for their purpose, coupled with a few new tunes in accordance to the band’s orientation. I would expect them to lose that feeling but hell no, this album is pretty strong with very good vocals and classy guitars. This is in fact NWOBHM with a modern production added. They seem to be determined to keep the band going, so I am willing to stay close and watch their every move from my part! Well done.

ELVENSTORM “Blood leads to Glory” CD (France, Inferno, 2014) This is the second album for the French quartet after the very good “Of rage and War” (2011). If you have heard them, there is NO surprise here, otherwise prepare to listen a GREAT and highly enjoyable RUNNING WILD/LONEWOLF mix with female vocals (an interesting addition). I didn’t add LONEWOLF because of the participation of Félix Börner (drummer for LONEWOLF in the past brother of Jens; leader of the band), but because they also have some elements of their compatriots and not only Rolf’s music in their material. I would suggest the following songs for someone to have a first acquaintance with the band: “Reign in Glory”, “Black Hordes”, “Sirens of Death” and “Mistress of Hell” (with Marta from CRYSTAL VIPER participating). Note that the last song is a cover version of “Into the Fire” by US Speed Metal masters SAVAGE GRACE. There is passion and dedication here, lots of it! I enjoyed the CD every time I heard it. No, it doesn’t have a place next to old (even new) classics, but once in a while, we all want to entertain ourselves and ELVENSTORM succeed in this. The way I see (and hear) things WAY better than the vast majority of current bands out there, so congratulations!!! Latest news is that the band will release a 4-track Mini-CD later in 2015. www.elvenstorm.com

Kostas Kailiazis Ps. Under Siege Records will take care of the vinyl edition (as it happened with the debut), scheduled for release at a later date…

www.facebook.com/deepmachineuk

Thanos Stafylarakis

DREAD SOVEREIGN “All Hell’s Martyrs” CD/2LP (Ireland, Van, 2014) Those of you that have read the review for the debut 12” of the band in the previous issue, already have guessed my opinion about this one. For those that haven’t, here we go again. This is the project of two PRIMORDIAL members (Alan on vocals and Simon on drums) and the style is classic doom Metal that brings to mind DAWN OF WINTER, at least to my ears. I am not the biggest doom fan of the world, but I have heard quite a few bands/ releases through the years and I don’t think I will like this one more after the three times I have already listened to it. Quite professional effort, with a great sound and vocals (of course), but the songs don’t satisfy me. Not wanting to be unfair, there are some good ones here, with the closing cut being my favorite. Omitting the 12” songs would make for a 45 minute record and then maybe I would be more positive

seriously save you from spending time researching about their past, had you been unfamiliar with EVIL INVADERS so far! Paul Baloff styled vocals in a squeaky mood and impressive stretched and adhering melodies is their point of reference along with some gut-busting riffs, this album is coherent and sounds so damn good, that I feel I need to sigh with remorse for not ranting too much about it, as it was sent to us at the time this rag was coming to completion. The guys deserve it big time, seeing them play live made me think they can pull what they represent off and I’m glad we can hear an album with a touch of personality, not particularly innovative or radical, but their own interpretation of their influences. As a big proponent of originality in music, I can surely say that there’s a lot of it in “Pulses Of Pleasure” and if they evade the industry’s traps, they will continue to submit us to their authoritative pounding meant for endless unrestrained headbanging. We shouldn’t omit giving our thumbs up for a mighty showstopper cover art and of course a very nice suitable sound they obtained for this album! Support! www.facebook.com/evilinvaders

Thanos Stafylarakis

FALLEN ORDER “The Age of Kings” m-CD (New Zealand, Private/Stormspell, 2014) Even though the band is claimed to be active for the last 10 years, it was only at the dawning of this year that I heard about them, when they independently released their debut EP. Soon thereafter a deal was inked and the same EP was widely distributed (and repressed of course) by none other than Stormspell Records, so there’s the chance for the most secluded metal buyer to hear the news. The Wellington outfit performs a solid and unforgettable kind of Heavy Metal of the JUDAS PRIEST/IRON MAIDEN and ICED EARTH kind of smithery with baritone Hammish Murray handling the vocal tasks. Within the 30 minutes of this 5 song EP I couldn’t define exactly their songwriting intentions, there’s a variety range which includes, gallops, no-holds-barred Power Metal, long epics, even more simple and accessible tunes, well balanced and perfectly delivered for the metallic ear to relish! If you like the style of well-played, direct, partially bombastic, bridge-tinged Heavy Metal, this is hands down for you. Mind you, ensure your restraints when the opener “Stand Together” breaks out, killer addictive tracks like this could only make me ask for more and more and more! Soon to hear some new recordings that is! Bravo! http://fallenorderband.bandcamp. com

Thanos Stafylarakis

EVIL INVADERS “Pulses of Pleasure” CD/LP (Belgium, Napalm. 2015) A while after their fantastic EP two years ago and after inking the deal with a label bringing figures beyond what we are used to by labels carrying a title as “independent”, the Belgian lunatics decided to once again shake our brains with bolts of ultra torturous Speed Metal the Teutonic way! Knowing this is not an 80s band will

•29•

FIRE STRIKE “Lion and Tiger” Mini-CD (Private, Brazil, 2013) Watching the Brazilian scene grow bigger over time, I tend to fathom that everything surrounding the music per se and integrates a “scene” bears similarities with the Greek happenings. FIRE STRIKE have not much to do with this aphorism, other than their Brazilian origin. However, they are a relatively new band hosting a female singer and devoting their musical output to the 80s scene, as expected. So there are no surprises overall in their debut EP as we speak, but I can stoutly say the album grew in me over time. Opening with the weaker “Night Fever”, they direct you towards what you think is their ability limits but the ace in the hole is manifested later on with the follow-up songs! The music is well elaborated with nice leads and guitar solos swapping but I can also impute to Aline Nunes’ singing that it’s both the chief asset and a problem at the same time! She literally has a devastating Heavy Metal voice with tremendous skill and aggressiveness when necessary, conjuring Doro and Ann Boleyn in their glory days, but I feel she’s stretching her voice a lot, so much that at times it sounds overwhelming, keeping the range high throughout the entire EP. Another problem, one that probably supports the aforementioned one, has to do with the lack of texting decent lyrics. It looks like there is a specific formula with few syllables in each line, so she sounds as if she is stretching vowels all the time. These aside, this EP thrives of sharp-witted and perky ideas and time after time I play the disc I find it more pleasant. A good release for this new and inexperienced band from the best football country in the world, I hope Heavy Metal bands can carry the weight of delegating Brazil’s fame now that the well-paid sportsmen have been deposed.

to support the length of several songs, even though I couldn’t say they last too long, ranging from four to six minutes, but they can literally end up boring and dull. The song “Holy Diver” is apparently a tribute to RJ Dio, unsuccessfully penned in my opinion, as the collation of songtitles he had sung make no sense at all. I don’t want to be harsh against them really, however the good moments are very few that can’t justify a purchase, when the competition is as strong as it is in the current scene. Sorry, maybe next time. www.frozen-sword.com/fsnew

Thanos Stafylarakis

GENTRY LORD “Signals From The Mystiverse“ Mini-CD (Finland, Stormspell Records, 2014) GENTRY LORD is a one-man-project by Jori von Meriläinen who some of our readers may remember from fronting the short-lived RUNNING WILD soundalikes CAST IRON who called it quits just after releasing one neglectable EP in 2008. Parting

ways with the attempt to plunder Rock‘n‘Rolf‘s frigate for musical treasures, wenches and rum, GENTRY LORD‘s approach is vastly different from Meriläinen‘s past endeavours. „Signals From The Mystiverse“ basically sounds a lot like KING DIAMOND and CRADLE OF FILTH tripping out on shrooms while watching 70s Sci-Fitrash - and trust me, the trip is not a good one, especially not for the listener. Everything here seems to pull off into different directions while hardly ever coming back together to form some kind of a reasonable song structure. Add to that Meriläinen‘s thin vocal performance that honestly is pretty close to a smurf on helium constantly being kicked in the nut sack and you pretty much get the picture of the musical disaster we are facing here. Now one could of course argue, that the record could still find a place in my collection next to other laughable and ridiculously bad records such as NITRO‘s legendary „O.F.R.“ that I tend to keep for sole amusement, but the EP just remains an incredibly annoying piece of musical fallout no matter how

www.firestrike.com.br

Thanos Stafylarakis

FROZEN SWORD “Defenders of Metal” CD (Switzerland, Private, 2013) The debut album of the Swiss band independently released makes me quite confident that there will be no label interest anytime soon, unless major improvements occur in the future! I have not heard their demo that predated this album, but I could swear they are a young band that desperately wanted to release an album and came down to this result, considering that their demo was recorded 4 years before the CD in question. I can’t think how they would sound in their demo, but the album reviewed here sounds at least amateurish to these ears; barbaric Heavy Metal being rough around the edges and an instrument performance of novice level unfortunately. The songwriting is sometimes too simple •30•

many beers you manage to get into your head before listening to it. Yet there will of course still be some wise guys trying to declare this piece of junk „cult“, „daring“ or „artistic“, but let me break it to you one last time: This is neither progressive nor avantgarde nor anything, this is simply a terrible record. Period. Now get your tin foil hats and avoid these signals at all costs. http://gentrylord.bandcamp.com

Daniel Schuldt

GRAND MAGUS “Triumph and Power” CD/LP (Sweden, Nuclear Blast, 2014) Seriously guys? This is it? The album that‘s been cashing in one top soundcheck position after the other in the big metal magazines over the last few weeks? I don‘t even wanna think about what it means for the state of the metal scene that such a lame excuse for a heavy metal album is generating such a hype among fans and metal media alike. Fact is GRAND MAGUS were already showing signs of fatigue with their last output „The Hunt“ but „Triumph Of Power“ is

quite a few more steps down on the downward spiral that has taken a hold of the band ever since „Iron Will“. Everything, and I seriously mean EVERYTHING, about this album feels weary and worn-out. It is the flabby upper arm of an 8-year-old showing off in front of the mirror counting his pubic hair not the testosterone-driven muscle I expect from an epic heavy metal record. There is no drive, no passion, no power. It is just a bunch of emotionless and almost annoyingly simple songs that are so blatantly glued together that it makes your average punk band look like WATCHTOWER. Tracks such as „Fight“ (what a dumbass chorus!) or „Dominator“ (now that‘s an even dumber chorus for you and that middle-part - don‘t even get me started!) would be something I would expect from a high school band but not from such seasoned musicians as GRAND MAGUS. Obviously the band has caught the MANOWAR-virus where musical ability as well as songwriting skills decline parallel to the length of the career. GRAND MAGUS grind their songwriting-formula of simple singsong melodies, even simpler riffs, squeaky and expressionless solos mercilessly over the course of the album‘s 42 minutes duration so that you basically have already heard everything that is still to come after you managed to get past the 10 minute-mark. Where its predecessor at least offered some decent variety in tempo and dynamics, „Triumph And Power“ seems to be a single mediocre upper mid-tempo song stuck on repeat. Now you can cry and bitch all you want, but this is plastic and I will keep on calling it out as long as I am around. In my eyes (and to my ears) this is only big because Nuclear Blast is pumping tons of money into marketing it to a mindlessly willing crowd of consumerist metalheads that can hardly think for themselves between buying tickets for Wacken and the new wooden box tour edition of an album they already own. Sorry, but I had to get that rant of my chest. Now back to something more worthwhile. www.grandmagus.com

Daniel Schuldt

GROSS REALITY “Overthrow” CD (USA, Tribunal, 2014) First attempt in the Thrash Metal scene for this new Californian band, an attempt I’d rather distance myself from recommending or preventing from buying. The main reason for this is that I feel they play a kind of Thrash Metal meant to mingle them with the big boys that still go on from the initiation of the genre in the USA. As I’ve said several times, I am really picky with my Thrash Metal today and what is of serious importance as a personal liking factor is the production job and overall sound and GROSS REALITY failed to stir me in both aspects. Nothing wrong here, just their approach is too modern for my taste and the drum sound too plastic. Songwriting wise I find them rather unspectacular for that matter and sometimes the vocals sound unfitted to this TESTAMENT styled Thrash, at times I could even call it accessible Thrash so to speak. There’s nothing wrong with the band’s prowess, on the contrary they seem to be proficient enough and their professionalism is not questioned at all, it’s just that I like Thrash Metal the way it was in the beginning, raw, fast and violent.

So you’d better listen and decide, as “Overthrow” is nothing short of good ideas!

necessary. I could shamelessly say this album is enjoyable enough, the modern elements aren’t repelling and for the sake of history, band members are quite experienced to say the least, with participations in acts such as MIDAS TOUCH, DARK FUNERAL or WUTHERING HEIGHTS to name a few. I am not sure about the current status of the band and whether they are working on something new or not, that’s something you have to find out on your own.

www.reverbnation.com/grossreality

Thanos Stafylarakis

HERETIC “A Time of Crisis” CD (USA, Metal on Metal, 2012) Over the last decade it seems to have become impossible for an 80s metal band to be buried for good and so there inevitably had to come a day when also HERETIC would shovel the earth from their grave, kick over their tombstone and return to the world of metal. Best known for passing singer Mike Howe on to METAL CHURCH while at the same time picking up legendary David Wayne (R.I.P.) and reforming under the REVEREND moniker the group had lain dormant for more than 20 years now until resurrected by bandleader Brian Korban in 2011. Past aside the 21st century HERETIC have a lot more in common with the recent releases of their labelmates MELIAH RAGE than with their own original material from the 80s or even that released as REVEREND. Unfortunately they lack MELIAH RAGE’s at least partially still intact sense for strong melodies. Having said this “A Time Of Crisis” suffers mainly from the one-dimensional vocals by returning singer Julian Mendez who is pretty far away from his solid performance on the band’s debut-EP “Torture Knows No Boundaries” and neither has Mike Howe’s charisma nor David Wayne’s power. He simply relies on a hoarse bellow to which he is trying hard to add some melody and it quickly becomes obvious though, that his range is very limited and he sounds rather thin on some of the longer notes. Add to that the uninspired songwriting full of standardized riffs lost in more or less constant mid-tempo chug (the only relief from the constant drag is the unnecessary re-recording of the band’s self-titled anthem “Heretic”) and you have a pretty generic modern power/thrash record that passes you by without any memorable moments. Sadly, this is just another tale of a corpse that should not have been exhumed just to shame its legacy. Better spend your money elsewhere. www.hereticusa.com

Daniel Schuldt

HIDDEN, THE “Fearful Symmetry” CD (Sweden, Tribunal, 2014) Here we have a new Swedish band that came together back in the late 90’s and only released their first album recently! Surprisingly how, they won’t offer the typical NWOBHM-ish style again but what we are dealing with is Speed/Thrash with a modern edge but with so much influence from the 80’s dragged in! Namely, I could mention bands like AGENT STEEL, TOXIC or SLAYER, which are the first that come to the listeners mind while playing this album, but as said previously, all is showcased in an obviously modern fashion, which of course is not too modern to ruin the overall result. I should also mention their close encounter with “the unknown” or unexplained as a subject matter in the lyrics, as an excuse for the absence of an old school approach, but then again why should everything be played in an old school way? Their music is a technical blend of speedy crunchy riffs with melodies coming in every so often and vocals surfing both over high and low ranges, even rough whenever

overly complex, no, I’ll give them that, but it sounds quite messy and “disconnected” at times. At least to my ears, maybe people more used and into this style can appreciate it. I have to say that the growling vocals don’t help as well. This is just my opinion; I am not so much into this music, so listen and judge for yourselves www.hourswill.com

Kostas Kailiazis

www.facebook.com/ thehiddenthrash/info

Thanos Stafylarakis

HIPERION “Hiperion Rise” CD (Portugal, Non Nobis, 2013) Young Heavy Metal band from the rising scene of Portugal, a scene with not as many new comers as Sweden for instance, but for sure some very hopeful ones, that I will personally add them in my “to keep an eye on in the future” list. I can’t say HIPERION qualify my standards for the aforementioned list, I am curious to hear how they will evolve, now that they are preparing for their sophomore as I am informed. “Hiperion Rise” is not a bad album, but I feel there is still room for improving. I am blowing hot and cold with several songs, as while there are some nice parts in them, some other a bit amateurish appear, so I think experience and hard work can do wonders in their case. I could also do without this kind of singing, he is stretching his voice too much in fields he shouldn’t obviously explore. The songs however are catchy, with memorable hooks and melodies, mainly influenced by HELLOWEEN and the European school in general, but they should try to avoid fillers or insist on more integrated songwriting next time, as in an eight song album and in the style they chose to play, fillers or filling in a song to expand it are not really welcome. But as I said, they are a new band and talent is there, so I hope they can prove me right soon with their 2nd CD. Nice start! www.facebook.com/hiperion.metal

Thanos Stafylarakis

HOURSWILL “Inevitable” CD (Portugal, Ethereal Sounds, 2014) HOURSWILL is a new band from Portugal, this time into progressive metal; at least how it’s conceived by the majority of metal fans. Because for me progressive metal is a term applied to bands totally unrelated between them with the main criterion being uniqueness and attitude towards music. “Inevitable” is their debut after two demos and it’s my first encounter with their music. Their bio mentions lots of different influences from a wide variety of genres and it’s correct up to a point, but also a “curse” since I have heard this CD three times and remember very few things. It’s not •31•

HUNDRED “The Forest Kingdom (Part I)” Mini-CD (England, Iron on Iron, 2014) New English act, whose young members have no previous experience in bands, at least that I know of. Is this bad? Of course not, if the result is so good. Initially printed on CD-r (and sold for a high price in my opinion), Iron on Iron took it upon them (great move!) to officially release it as a sliver-pressed CD. I could do with a bigger booklet and lyrics (and probably the songs of their first digital demo) but I guess it wasn’t in their hands. HUNDRED don’t surprise and follow on the footsteps of fellow countrymen IRON MAIDEN (they have even incorporated three guitars!), while at the same time having very interesting rhythms and changes to differentiate them. The band is a delight to see live (it helps knowing the songs though!), be sure to see them if you can. I guess the next step will be a full length and I am very anxious to listen to it. http://hundredmetal.bandcamp.com

Kostas Kailiazis

ICED EARTH “The plagues of Babylon” (USA, Century Media, 2014) Maybe there is no need for such a review in our publication, but after quite some time that I had given up on the band, I decided to listen more closely to an album of theirs, instead of songs here and there. It offered me nothing, which I somehow anticipated… The interview last issue was a token of our love and appreciation for the early LP’s of the band and they sure have our respect for going strong after all these years. The new album includes 11 songs (plus an outro), with a duration of an hour. The usual riffing and aggressive songwriting is present, of course NOT in the way it was in the past, but you can definitely understand this is an ICED EARTH album. New singer (he has been in the band since the previous album) seems to have lots of abilities, but the Barlow-ish vocal lines he goes for don’t help. Even though the music seems to be penned the way I would like to listen to from the band, after a while it becomes boring for me. I don’t know who I should feel bad for; the band (Jon Schaffer to be exact) for repeating themselves in such a way and coming up with a product that is average at best, or the thousands of people that still support

some bands. Maybe none of them, we still live in a free world last time I checked, so no more words from me…. www.icedearth.com

Kostas Kailiazis

not be totally leftfield, it is pretty much different from what we have heard so far (and what purists may count as doom metal). Imagine SUBROSA minus the sludge and the fiddle or think CASTLE slowed to a crawl meeting JEX THOTH. But where especially the latter has the tendency to literally break songs by losing themselves in fuzzy jam-parts, IDES OF GEMINI operate more song-orientated, creating wide and dreamy landscapes of longing instead that bear a surprisingly calming warmth within them despite their gloomy and darkened alignment. The band’s ethereal sound is a wonderful interplay of minimalism and melody, a mesmerizing sermon for the explorers of the midnight realms willing to plunge into the darkness and find comfort in its siren’s call. Songs like the brooding “The Chalice & The Blade” the trancelike rhythm of “May 22nd, 1453” or the giant vocal cathedrals of “Fememorde” easily draw the listener into a parallel world that is best explored with a great bottle of red and the lights reduced to a minimum. Those that scream trendy female fronted occult rock right away and stomp their feet angrily like little children do not know what they are missing out upon. The rest of you lot should give this small gem a try.

ICHABOD KRANE “Ichabod Krane” CD (USA, Pure Steel, 2014) Featuring members of such illustrious American metal acts like ADVOCATE, HALLOWEEN and SLEEPY HOLLOW, ICHABOD KRANE’s debut album certainly looks promising on paper and may indeed attract US-power metal aficionados like moths to a flame. But as we all know, not all that glitters is gold and this does very much apply to this record as well which unfortunately is just another entry into the ever growing list of blatantly mediocre and underproduced USPower Metal releases churned out by Pure Steel Records. But let’s start at the beginning: The first thing that will probably arrest the listener’s attention is the powerful pipework by WÜLFHOOK-singer Jeff Schlinz who bears quite some similarity with James Rivera circa DISTANT THUNDERera. But while his voice may impress during the first two songs, his melody lines soon become more and more redundant, as he is simply changing back and forth between a rather pressed rougher baritone and pointless single-note screams. I remember James Rivera saying once: “I have a very monotonous voice with one very high note, but I make the best out of it,” which in most parts holds true for James’ case, unfortunately it does not for Jeff Schlinz. The stump riffs and the repetitive songwriting do not come to his rescue either and while there are indeed some fine solos to be found throughout the record it cannot change the overall impression of flat out boredom induced by the lame songs. By the time the album reaches its lowpoint with the foreseeable ballad “Nothing Without You” my brain has already flicked the off-switch on my attention span. To make things even worse the production is flat and muddy, suffering heavily from clipping and unnecessary distortion in some parts (the middle part of “Unwanted” or the beginning of “Final Warning” are prime examples of that) making me wonder who fell asleep at the mastering desk here instead of doing his job. Seriously, who in their right mind could have let this one slip out of the studio? If you don’t know how to work with compression just leave your bloody hands off it and spare us the pain. Anyway, given the potential of the individuals involved in ICHABOD, this is quite a huge disappointment for US-metal fans.

(VICTOR GRIFFIN’S) IN-GRAVED “In-Graved” CD (USA, Svart, 2013) Victor Griffin is a household name within doom circles having played a substantial part in the careers of such legendary acts as PENTAGRAM, DEATH ROW and PLACE OF SKULLS. A firm believer in christianity, Griffin had always been one of those rare examples who was able to speak his beliefs through his music without sounding missionary or preachy. His latest endeavour under a new moniker is once again no different and while there is hardly any direct mention of god on it, the album is often just oozing with positivity which probably can be considered an oddity for a doom record but works well in the blues-driven doom rock environment full of heavy grooves and tasty licks that Griffin has built around it. Even if “In-Graved” may not reach the level of some of Griffin’s former bands’ most iconic releases, songs such as the straight-up doom rocker “Late For An Early Grave”, the melancholic hymn “Love Song For The Dying” or the life-assuring album-closer “Never Surrender” are well worth the price of admission alone and prove that Victor Griffin undoubtedly still got it. Fans of vintage doom and heavy rock as well as Griffin’s work in general should not be missing out on this.

Daniel Schuldt IDES OF GEMINI “Old World New Wave” CD/LP (USA, Neurot Recordings, 2014) Passing through the last five years it has become more and more obvious that especially the heavy and thrash metal scenes have become highly oversaturated and more or less grinded to a complete standstill where most of the new and old bands alike turn in constant circles like their left foot has been nailed to the floor, failing to innovate or at least really reignite the fire of the old days. Yet it is the doom metal genre that time and time again manages to surprise me and bring forth something worthwhile and enticing. IDES OF GEMINI is one of these rare cases and while the trio’s sound may

Daniel Schuldt IRON COMMAND “Play It Loud” (Colombia, Private, 2014) From the resurged South American scene comes this outfit from Medellin, Colombia, comprised by 3/5 females! Their limited pressed debut of Speed/ Heavy Metal offers no novelty of course, but shouldn’t be categorized as uninteresting either; there are ups and downs within the total of 33 minutes you will consume listening to it, but as they speed up they can offer some cool moments, heard in the sounds of “Iron Command”, “Sentence” or “The Years Of Decay”. No surprises here, classic influences and audible parallelism with country mates REVENGE, Finnish SPEEDTRAP

www.ichabodkrane.com

www.idesofgemini.com

Daniel Schuldt

www.facebook.com/INGRAVEDoffical

or even Greece’s CONVIXION in their “rocking” moments would be rational but they never come on par with the aforementioned gurus of the style! I am reserved for a more potent successor next time. www.facebook.com/ ironcommandheavy

Thanos Stafylarakis

JOHNNY TOUCH “Inner city Wolves” CD (Australia, Shadow Kingdom, 2014) Having liked both songs included in past split singles (both reviewed in issue 3) I was looking forward to a full length album by this Aussie combo. Hearing the first couple of songs, I wasn’t so excited and delayed it until sometime back when preparing a round of reviews for this issue. I am so happy I did give this CD a spin. And a spin after the first and so on… This is a very nice CD, full of non-stop guitars and catchy compositions. There are some moments of lower quality, but the overall impression I was left with is more than satisfactory. Definitely a band to watch for, don’t let the name fool you. Tracks to check: “The Metal Embrace”, “Lady Stutter” and “Dishonorable Discharge” www.johnnytouch.com/jt

Kostas Kailiazis

LEATHER SYNN “Leather Synn” EP (Portugal, Blood & Iron/Non Nobis, 2013) Another first appearance for a Portuguese Heavy Metal act consisting of (in)famous dudes within the local scene, RAVENSIRE’s guitar player Ze Rockhard, Non Nobis and Blood & Iron owners being some of them. This cool recording despite the Glam oriented cover picture offers plain and simple Heavy metal the way PRIEST showed people how to do it (I wish I could hear MAIDEN in them just to get into Ze’s nerves though) and is sung in English, apart from one track sung in their mother tongue! I traced more than a few good ideas in the great chorus of “Synn Is Inn”, a nice fist-held-high part in “Time To Fight”, every song has something remarkable in fact, I should avoid mentioning each part namely, but still there’s something missing at the same time, which I think I located it in the too standard 80s Heavy Metal songwriting. Other than that, the EP is enjoyable, nothing groundbreaking, so if this is just a gathering of friends having fun or a band with orientation and vision will be proven in future action.

LICK THE BLADE “The Sun and the Time” CD (USA, Auburn, 2013) Until this very day you can count on Cleveland’s Auburn Records and Bill Peters to constantly release some quality heavy metal - even if it may not always shake the world in its foundations. LICK THE BLADE’s second full-length after 2009’s solid “Graveyard Of Empires” is no exception and has the band refining their sound which could best be described as a slightly more mellow version of labelmates WRETCH with a huge injection of IRON MAIDEN twin guitars. With well-written lyrics mainly based on historical subjects and a powerful performance by singer Mike Kurtz the band carries on one of their strong points from album number one but has improved significantly on the songwriting front, making the 10 album tracks sound more convincing and memorable than the ones on its predecessor. The big downside of the record though is undoubtedly the production job. The sound, though thankfully offering a present bass in the mix, is overall flat and muted as if listened to with a paper bag pulled over your head. Above the distant sound-mash however hovers the voice of singer Ted Anderson which is (compared to the rest) too loud in the mix and manages to drown out the music almost completely in certain chorus parts. A shame as this album offers some rock solid heavy metal resembling US and British influences in equal parts and which should definitely appeal to fans of IRON MAIDEN, WRETCH, RAVAGE or RIVAL but is slightly hindered by its weak production and the lack of dynamics and punch it brings with it. If you manage to overlook this particular flaw though, the album holds some very nice tunes like “The Grand Inquisitor”, “Guns, Germs And Steel” or “Ashes Of The Phoenix” that definitely deserve a bigger crowd. Make sure you check these guys out if you haven’t already done so. www.licktheblade.com

Daniel Schuldt

http://nonnobisproductions. bandcamp.com/album/nnp-005vnlleather-synn-12-ep

Thanos Stafylarakis

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LONEWOLF “The Cult of Steel” CD (France, Massacre, 2014) Here’s the new (7th) studio album of the French Warriors. I may have been too harsh or too soft (depending on one’s perspective) on their previous

two albums that they did for Napalm Records (listening them again it may have been the latter), but this one is a real treat for anyone into fast-paced, RUNNING WILD influenced Heavy Metal! In my opinion this is their best release after their debut (very difficult to top this) and “Dark Crusade” and almost every song in this 50 minute scorcher are a testament to it! Some will complain about originality, but if you listen closely, this is NOT a RUNNING WILD rip-off, the band has been fans for decades and adores the German ex-legend, no doubt, but they manage to write music influenced by them while still having their personal touch. I don’t think many bands can be proud of such a feat, no? Their consistency and stubbornness is what has gets me every time I listen to new material from them, this is the kind of bands we need, how long will it be until you realize it? METAL fans, people that live and breathe for this music and not the circus surrounding it. After a few mishaps, mr. Jens Börner is back on board after Rolf willingly abandoned ship years ago. Another 2014 highlight, well done! www.facebook.com/lonewolfdivision

Kostas Kailiazis

MAEL MÓRDHA “Damned when Dead” CD (Ireland, Candlelight, 2013) It’s been 6 years ago and more specifically in the last issue of On the March fanzine that I first read about this band. At the time I bypassed them partly because of being more into digging old bands, partly because I thought “This is another open-minded choice of George, so they must be another folk-epic-black-metal band”. I was SO wrong!!! Shortly before they played with PRIMORDIAL last autumn I heard a few songs from this album, but being bombarded with music at the time, another chance passed me. Luckily for me, their AMAZING show made me listen to them more carefully and I have to admit that I found another great band to listen to! It will be very easy to write down the name PRIMORDIAL and get over with the review, but this will be degrading for both bands. MAEL MÓRDHA have a more classic Metal background, something evident in their sound and approach as well as their song structures and guitars overall. I challenge anyone reading these lines to listen to “Dawning of the Grey” and if he is not hooked, then sorry, he must re-evaluate what EPIC Metal is about. “Damned when Dead” is a MUST-have for everyone into this music, a Metal form that has been degraded so much the last decade to naïve lyrics about shining armors, or long, boring pieces of music where you were hearing more effects than guitars with CGI covers. Fortunately bands like this one remind us what made us love this music in the first place. www.mael-mordha.com

Kostas Kailiazis

here accompanied by excellent guitar work and the unique (and great) vocals; certainly an improvement from the previous LP (not that it was bad). I will risk become boring and say again that I miss the sound and approach of the first two LP’s. More in line with the “mainstream” sound of Classic Metal of the last years, but it really destroys 99% of them, so the verdict is a 2014 highlight! www.metalinquisitor.de

Kostas Kailiazis

MAUSOLEUM GATE “Mausoleum Gate” CD/LP (Finland, Cruz del Sur, 2014) After an ok demo and a better 7”single, I was anxious to listen to the band’s debut, which was another surprise for me. Those that have heard their single will notice the band expanding and enhancing the 70s elements they had in their sound. As for the rest, imagine a pure HM band with 70s atmosphere and touches, but with the Metal element being dominant throughout the LP. 6 songs can be found here and I recommend closing cuts of sides A and B, “Lost beyond the Sun” and “Mausoleum Gate” (love these MAIDEN vocal lines towards the ending) so you can understand what we’re dealing with. The other (shorter) songs are not inferior, for me they’re equally great in a very good LP, it’s just that I feel those two stand out and can give you a better idea of MAUSOLEUM GATE. There is atmosphere and personality aplenty here, do yourselves a favor and listen to one of the best albums for 2014! This has nothing to do with retro-70s revival acts, be warned! www.facebook.com/MausoleumGate

Kostas Kailiazis

MEDIEVAL STEEL “Dark Castle” LP/CD (USA, Empire/Private, 2013) If anyone would tell me 5 years ago that the outfit from Memphis would return with a full length after a 30 year slumber I would honestly smile with contempt. Now if he insisted they could come back with an album as good as the one reviewed here, that is where I’d stop talking to him! I am not one of those guys that can rant endlessly about how divine their 1984 EP is, simply because I believe it’s simply good; I am more like a fan of their later material recorded as a demo in 1989, unlike most of their fans I guess... but this was way beyond my expectation so to speak! Bobby Franklin and the recently late Chuck Jones are the only original members and their long delayed return is breathtaking; the songs featured are not previously known as older recordings, Bobby’s voice is almost intact as far as his tone goes, however I don’t expect him to reach as high as he did in the last chorus of their self-titled tune of course. The album is really enjoyable, never becoming tedious and even though there are some fillers and some recurring memories of past tunes throughout its play, I could ungrudgingly listen to all eleven cuts with pleasure. It’s not the epic masterpiece some might wish for, maybe you won’t find an anthemic equal to “Medieval Steeeeeel”, however there’s a nice balance in quality that keeps your interest aroused. http://www.reverbnation.com/ medievalsteel

Thanos Stafylarakis

MENACE “Cosmic Conspiracy” CD (Greece, Eat Metal, 2014) The Cretan Thrashers were persistently asked to release their expected full-length after a highly acclaimed demo recorded a year ago, so they did and there’s no way anyone was let down upon spinning it! The demo showcased potential in the band’s songwriting but materializing the signs of ability to rabid devastating Thrash Metal is another story, a story the dudes here seem to suck and excel at as a consequence. With RAZOR as their guides, they are bound to trespass your idleness and had you been overlooking the genre, you can’t escape the grasp of the insane riffs and the furious vocals of “Social Control”, “Confessor”, “Full Throttle”, “Blacklist”, “Menace” and so on! I wish the album lasted more than a mere 38 minutes, which even though it seems the right duration for a Thrash album, it flows too well to accept it ended so soon. I am also glad the sound came better than their demo’s, it would have been unfair for such killer songs in any other case. This album is a fine chance to turn a sworn traditional metalhead into a raging thrasher without the guilt of being one. Seriously, you shouldn’t miss this one as it’s one of the very good, not saturated type of Thrash albums that you profusely find in the market, despite the standard instrumental performance. The guys have the Thrash knowhow and do what they have to do as they should. Thank you! www.facebook.com/pages/ Menace-old-school-thrash-metalHELLAS/198149576916144

Thanos Stafylarakis

MIDRYASI “Black, Blue & Violet” CD (Italy, My Graveyard, 2013) Having been in the game for more than a decade and this being their third outing already, I must admit that I had never heard of Italy’s MIDRYASI before the release on discussion here. A shame, as “Black, Blue & Violet” is a refreshing no holds-barred approach to doom metal. Dark and brooding in their main tone, MIDRYASI sometimes remind me of NOMAD SON but on a bizarre psychedelic trip, as they incorporate everything from prog to acid rock or from KING CRIMSON to HAWKIND into their sound, even touching punkish territory with “The Nuclear Dog” while always clearly maintaining their classic doom metal roots in form of PENTAGRAM and BLACK SABBATH as a solid foundation underneath this diversity. The album is drenched in a constant feel of lunacy and lurking chaos preying on the listener’s mind, continuously creating interesting moments of musical tension that can indeed be demanding when MIDRYASI take another unexpected and odd turn into their twisted world of sound which is brought to life perfectly by the album’s great organic and powerful recording, that will have you feeling like the band is jamming out right in front of you. Howling organs, spacey synths, hand clap snares and voice samples - MIDRYASI are a multi-faceted beast with no fear of reaching out into many directions and have the rare ability to make it all work together and sound coherent at all times. This is greatly helped by the fact, that the band never forgets solid song structures while tripping in so many directions so that the tunes MIDRYASI come up with always remain memorable and surprisingly catchy despite all the things going on. As you may have already guessed, “Black, Blue & Violet” is probably not for everyone but doom metal fans that are not afraid to look beyond the genre’s boundaries and who also adore the great works of 60s and 70s heavier psychedelic and prog bands should find this to be a real treat and worthy addition to their collection. www.facebook.com/midryasi

Daniel Schuldt

METAL INQUISITOR “Ultima ratio Regis” CD/LP (Germany, Massacre, 2014) I wasn’t so “hot” for the last album of the Germans, “Unconditional Absolution” and when I first heard a song off the new (4th) studio LP I was skeptical… If you know the band from the first two releases, you must be aware that this is different. In my opinion the NWOBHM influences the band always had are more evident here. This said don’t consider this another album of the “genre”. METAL INQUISITOR know what they’re doing and they’re doing it GOOD. Mid-tempo, fast songs, there is enough variety

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MORTICIAN “Shout for Heavy Metal” CD (Austria, Pure Underground, 2014) This is the second full length of the Austrian classic Metallers after “Mortician” in 2011, which I had bypassed since one-two songs I had heard at the time didn’t excite me as much as their early material. Judging by the new CD, it wasn’t a bad choice. There are 9 songs included with a total duration of 42 minutes and apart from some (very few) good moments here and there, the final result is so generic and boring that I wonder how many people will like this one. Add to this the one-dimensional and aggressive

sounding vocals, the (mostly) midtempo songs and you get an idea. Sure, this is Heavy Metal music (with a quite modern approach), but is it enough? This is stuff you have heard so many times in a much better way; both in terms of inspiration and musicianship with some songs being simply bad (like “Inner Self”). My suggestion would be to avoid, but it’s up to you... www.mortician.at

Kostas Kailiazis

performance often resembles an eunuch version of BULLET’s Matt Hofer. Especially when the guy is going for the higher registers (which he does quite frequently) his voice becomes a hardly bearable screech, a situation that is not being helped by his inability to hold a longer note (just listen to “Taking You Down”). You can clearly hear how uncomfortable he is in these ranges yet he forces himself to go there time and time again - to the distress of the listener and probably his vocal chords as well. So while NIGHT’s first offering may basically be a solid yet uninspired effort and not come across as pretentious as their countrymates THE DAGGER’s debut, it struggles with some substantial songwriting and performance flaws that are hard to overlook during the full playtime. Given the amount of strong releases the classic metal scene is blessed with at the moment this is more or less neglectable. www.heavymetalinthenight.com

Daniel Schuldt

MOSH-PIT JUSTICE “Justice is Served” CD (Bulgaria, Stormspell, 2014) The band from Burgas is a totally new find for me and what an impressive one! With their second full-length (one EP pre-dated both albums) the band makes it clear they are here to make some heads roll! Ushering a wide range of influences, they configure their sound in a raging Power/Thrash amalgam meant to break your necks. A FORBIDDEN, KING DIAMOND, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, TESTAMENT, HEATHEN, early ANNIHILATOR combo translates in 8 kick-ass tunes with a solid production job and rough vocal delivery. Fantastic riffs, technical yet not extravagant approach with the necessary pace changing is the structure of the band’s music, which does not harass the listener at any point and the appropriate lyrical engagement. If I needed to change a thing, apart from the drum sound, that would be maybe a more suitable vocal offering; I like his way of singing (despite some accent problems) but even though I’d keep his aggressive tone, I’d rather he would practice his high notes more in order to give the songs a boost to the skies and shine! Definitely recommended to those who have missed a rabid sense of Power Metal and to all thrashers! http://mosh-pitjustice.bandcamp. com

NIGROMANTE “Black Magic Night” CD (Spain, Shadow Kingdom Records, 2014) Shadow Kingdom’s newest addition to its roster may hail from Spain but when compared to most of their countrymates NIGROMANTE take a much rougher approach to their classic heavy metal style. In fact if you can imagine IRONSWORD playing NWOBHM dribbled with some hardrock influences, than you pretty much get the picture of what NIGROMANTE are all about. Its raw and in your face traditional metal with some pretty good guitar melodies and catchy choruses, so you will find yourself singing along to fist-raisers like “Satan Death Squad”, “Heavy Metal Age” or “In Nomine Pater” in no time. Kinda like the last WITCHGRAVE record, “Black Magic Night” adds some dirt to the NWOBHM-sound alongside some sprinkles of own flavour but it is hardly re-inventing the wheel (not that there is always a need to do so!). Thankfully NIGROMANTE are smart enough to end the experience at a play time of roughly 32 minutes, way before things could get anywhere close to tiresome or repetitive and therefore leave the listener with a satisfied smile on his lips. Simple but very enjoyable! www.nigromante.es

Daniel Schuldt

Thanos Stafylarakis

NIGHT “Night” CD (Sweden, Gaphals, 2013) I admit it, I am insanely tired by now: Swedish retro-wave oldschool metal the gazillionth. As you may have guessed NIGHT blend the usual suspects from UFO to IRON MAIDEN into a foreseeable mix of hardrock and heavy metal. And while NIGHT’s debut album after two widely well-received 7” singles starts out rather promising with the anthemic “Fire And Steel” and the single-track “Gunpowder Treason” (by far the record’s two strongest songs) the rest of the material turns out to be rather redundant and it quickly shows that NIGHT lack the inspiration and the vigour that actually allow a band like BLACK TRIP to make a warmed-up meal from yesterday taste exciting again. The most obvious weakness though is the vocal work of singer Burning Fire (now unfortunately also of SCREAMER) whose shrieky

NOBLE BEAST “Noble Beast” CD (USA, Private, 2014) I have to admit that I am a sucker for the first two FALCONER albums. Unfortunately the Swedes were never fully able to churn out anything close to their initial duo again, even after reuniting with original singer Matthias Blad again later on down the road. Instead it is US-newcomers NOBLE BEAST who seem to be willing to pick up the pieces and fill the gap

that FALCONER left after “Chapters From A Vale Forlorn” (just listen to the opening riff of “The Dragon Reborn” or the vocal lines on “Master Of Depravity” to hear what I am talking about) and furthermore infuse their sound with hints of mid-90s BLIND GUARDIAN, “Glory To The Brave”-era HAMMERFALL (yes, before they became the uninspired mess they are now) and some ballsy US-Power Metal. Fortunately, despite the leanings towards the melodic side of the genre, the guitars are always meaty and pack quite a punch, never being buried behind overly-dominant keys or the likes. NOBLE BEAST successfully manage to extract all of the positive aspects of the melodic power metal genre with their strong sense for catchy but never cheesy melodies (in fact the strongest I have heard in the genre since SOLAR FRAGMENT’s debut a few years back) while avoiding all of the style’s notorious pitfalls like 100man choirs or kindergarten melodies and keeping their balls in place. Instead we get highly versatile and driving guitar work that relentlessly pushes the songs forward while singer Rob Jalonen delivers a truly epic performance, mainly in the lower baritone registers, pumping out memorable vocal parts by the dozens. Even though the album clocks in over 63 minutes (which I usually consider way too long and reeking of fillers), there is hardly a single boring second to be found here which is pretty impressive, especially for the debut of such a young band. Well-produced (except for the artificial drum sound) this is a vigorous, fresh and simply highly enjoyable record with BIG sticky melodies, hooks for days and a lot of energy that fans of the aforementioned bands should not miss out on. Highly recommended and destined to be a future genre classic! http://noblebeastofman.bandcamp. com

Daniel Schuldt

NOMAD SON “The Darkening” CD (Malta, Metal on Metal, 2013) Dark, sinister and epic would probably be the three adjectives that best describe NOMAD SON’s latest album “The Darkening” which again takes us a few steps deeper into the dark of the vault the band had opened with their debut “First Light” in 2008 and explored even further with 2010’s follow-up “The Eternal Return”. Drenched in hammondorgan and filled with massive amounts of weighty doom riffs the band’s third outing feels like a dramatic overture to an oncoming storm, a pitch-black cloud that swallows the sky on a sunny day bringing death and despair in its wake. Be it the crushing slowmotion masterpiece that is “The Devil’s Banquet”, the massive groove of “Only The Scars” or the sinister darkness of “Caligula”, NOMAD SON are firing on all cylinders varying tempo and mood with ease, delivering an album that in its intensity and dense atmosphere is nearly unrivaled by any doom band out there at the moment. Above it all though thrones singer Jordan Cutajar who commands this saturnine musical carnival like a manic preacher with an absolutely eccentric performance ranging from sheer despair to raging aggression and utter madness while spewing forth words of great eloquence once more courtesy of the extraordinary talented lyricist and bassist Albert Bell also of Maltese doom legends FORSAKEN. Just as strong as its already phenomenal predecessor “The Darkening” just proves again that NOMAD SON are on

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a roll and truly a force to be reckoned with in the present-day doom scene. The band is a completely unique entity whose inimitable sound can easily be distinguished from the flood of mediocre copycats that strut the scene’s catwalk nowadays and this alone should be reason enough for you to drop this zine and get in touch with your local dealer to obtain a copy at once. If not, let me assure you again that this record absolutely rules and easily blows 99% of its competitors out of the water. Definitely a personal top 5 record of 2013 for me. www.facebook.com/nomadsonmt

Daniel Schuldt

ONSLAUGHT “VI” CD (UK, AFM, 2013) A hammer blow to the face, a battering ram to the crotch or simply the album that EXODUS have been trying to make ever since their 2003-reunion would all be descriptions that work very well for any of the post-reunion ONSLAUGHT albums and their latest effort simply entitled „VI“ is absolutely no exception to this rule. In fact it even manages to turn the knob up to 11. This is powerful, relentless and highly aggressive thrash metal that takes no prisoners and will leave every poser with a broken spine in the pit. Make no mistake about it: the effectiveness of the album‘s devastating brutality lies in its simplicity. There is no super-fancy guitar-wankery or hyperspeed drum-work - just a big bunch of honest and straight up thrash riffs that cut right through the crap and get straight to the point which is making your head bang and getting the moshpit going while Sy Keeler‘s hate-filled vocals deliver the icing on the cake. His performance is a truly concinving one and, as angered as it may be, always retains a fine underlying catchiness greatly adding to the memorability of the songs. If the guy screams „Killing is my aim in life!“ I fully believe him and can picture the man jumping right out of my speakers grab me by the throat to tear my heart out of my chest and ferociously chew on its remains with a sadistic grin on his blood-smeared face while the band delivers the final blow with another neck-wrecking thrasher. Of course this is no longer the rowdy and punkish ONSLAUGHT we know from „Power From Hell“ nor the melodic and controlled direction we had seen the band take on „In Search Of Sanity“ (even though a re-recorded version of „Shellshock“ is included as a bonus track). ONSLAUGHT 2014 is a different entity of its own, more contemporary but still very much worth checking out as the very essence of the band is still intact after all these years. To make a long story short: If you want to hear some oldschool-guys tearing shit up and easily put 99% of the selfproclaimed New Wave of Thrash Metal back in their place while teaching them a true lesson in violence then this one is for you. Now thrash!! www.onslaughtuk.com

Daniel Schuldt

ORCHID “The Mouths of Madness“ CD/LP (USA, Nuclear Blast, 2013) You can cry and bitch all you want but I am sticking to my guns, saying that the whole 70s retro trend is the best thing that has happened to the metal scene in a long, long time. It is a breath of fresh air for a scene who seemed to have forgotten all about audible bass lines, real drums and most significantly a good portion of dirt in its sound for nearly two decades now. The fuzz is back and I am glad it is. Time for Mr. Sneap to pack his bags and go play with HELL instead. But let‘s talk about ORCHID: Having already caught my attention with their 2009 EP „Through The Devil‘s Doorway“ ORCHID has been one of the more interesting and promising bands of the whole movement for me. Deeply rooted in the early Ozzy-era of Black Sabbath some people may complain that they are just playing different versions of „Symptom Of The Universe“ (given the fact that this one of the greatest songs of all times they could in fact do much worse, for example reincarnating „I Was Made For Loving You“ over and over again) which may be a bit drastic, but the similarities to some classic SABBATH tunes in ORCHID‘s material can surely not be denied. While this may already have been the true on former releases, the situation has worsened with their current full-length album as you can almost pair every single song to a piece from Birmingham‘s finest albums first four albums. Nonetheless it is very hard to deny the extremely high quality level of the material presented here by the band: The musicianship is top-notch and the atmosphere and sound are authentic, warm and organic, making the record believably sound and feel like a long lost SABBATH record from the 70s. But while the songwriting is simply spot-on on tunes like the title-track, „Silent One“ or the brilliant „Loving Hand Of God“, the formula used tends to feel slightly redundant by the time that  „Nomad“ or „Leaving It All Behind“ roll along. In comparison the album lacks some serious breakouts from the safe zone as they were still present on „Capricorn“ (just think „Albatross“) in order to shake things up noticeably. Nevertheless if you were not truly satisfied with what SABBATH recently delivered with „13“ this might just be what you are looking for. I for myself, while thoroughly enjoying the album in parts, will hope for a slightly more varied, consistent and overall more individual result again on the follow-up. www.orchidsf.com

Daniel Schuldt

OUTCAST “Outcast” Mini-CD (Australia, Heavy Chains, 2014) A real surprise coming from Australia! OUTCAST is a classic Metal band with a sound that hasn’t been heard

for a while. If you can imagine a mix of late 80s UK bands (mostly) like SHOCKSPLIT, SLANDER, CLOVEN HOOF and the mid-80s sound of Dutch and Belgian bands, then this is OUTCAST. I loved all 4 songs here, this is a very nice release recommended for all classic Metal fans. A more expanded booklet would make more sense though.

https://outcastheavymetal. wordpress.com

Kostas Kailiazis

PORTRAIT “Crossroads” CD/LP (Sweden, Metal Blade, 2014) I am getting confused with these Swedes… I mean, their debut was into a MERCYFUL FATE/IRON MAIDEN vein, the 2011 follow-up was totally into the KING DIAMOND style (sometimes VERY close!), while this new LP is a mix of both? This is the conclusion I have reached after MANY spins. PORTRAIT managed to impress me once more and they delivered a fantastic record worthy of the “name” they have achieved for themselves and indicative of what mastering your influences and not monkey-ing around means. Highlights are “In Time” (what a chorus!!!), “Our roads must never cross” (totally MF opening guitars) and “Lily”, but they are just the standout tracks in a killer record that you must lay your hands on, if you like REAL Heavy Metal. The vocal still remain a drawback for the band in my personal opinion, but I am used to them and this is what you should also do. Well done, looking forward to their gig in Greece late February. www.portraitmetal.com

Kostas Kailiazis

PRIMORDIAL “Where greater Men have fallen” CD/2LP (Ireland, Metal Blade, 2014) This was the most anticipated album of 2014 for me. Through the last couple of years, this Irish band has evolved to a favorite of mine, as they combine many of the elements that the vast majority of the current metal acts lack: passion, great songs and thought-provoking lyrics. I had heard the two songs Metal Blade uploaded prior to the album’s release (the titletrack and “Come the Flood”) and I wasn’t so excited (now I like them more)… Now that I have heard the album more closely and many times, I am quite sure of the opinion I have. Not being too familiar with their pre“Gathering…” material (meaning I haven’t listened to them as closely as I would like to…), this is their least good album and especially when it comes after the amazing “Redemption at the puritan’s hand”. To my ears the “recipe” the band had in the previous albums is not working here and Alan’s (outstanding) vocal delivery alone can’t change drastically the final result. I don’t know if this has to do with the songwriting, or the style itself has

worn out. I fear for the latter, but I will have to wait for the next record. Of the 8 songs included, three of them, “The seed of Tyrants”, “Ghosts of the charnel house” and “The alchemist’s head” are very boring that I doubt if I will ever listen to them… This leaves us with 5 songs that are very good, but this isn’t what I expected. Only the closing cut distinguishes for me, as it’s a brilliant song, well done! If you have heard the band before, there is no change in the style and direction they follow and you know what to expect. Those unfamiliar (something I highly doubt, since the band is one of the “hot” names for a couple of years now) imagine how ANATHEMA’s “Silent Enigma” would sound if it had more CANDLEMASS and BATHORY (mainly) influences, a few black metal moments and an epic, melancholic tone. This is the disappointment of the year for me, but on the other hand this is said having in mind how much I like the band and the potential they have. I hope they will deliver an album that I will enjoy more with their next effort. Until then, listen and judge, but their previous releases are the place to start if you’re not familiar with the band. www.primordialweb.com

Kostas Kailiazis

PROJECT: TERROR “Conquistadors” CD (USA, Pure Steel, 2014) Thanks to a friend, I was suggested to listen to this album and after overcoming my hesitation due to the band name, I decided to play the disc. Knowing he is fully aware of my taste, I played it and to my pleasure, never regretted doing so! Fantastic explosive and masculine Power Metal the way dudes from the US can only grant. Massive, bombastic, energetic riffs, searing solos and tight powerhouse rhythm section tied in with Ronnie Stixx’s imposing vocal delivery, a couple of more melodic tunes can be also heard, but I’m sure the reason is just to help your neck recover till you start headbanging again with the next one! Not a bad moment to be mentioned, they can perfectly balance their style between JUDAS PRIEST and “Welcome To The Ball” mixed with “Digital Dictator” era VICIOUS RUMORS, with a little bit of VILLAIN or ATTACKER maybe. Albums like this are a shaft of light in the Erebus of repetition and lack of inspiration the scene is going through, as they offer substantial music and well, can tell the difference between an influence and a copycat, simply put! Salvation will come from the US. www.reverbnation.com/ projectterrormetal7

Thanos Stafylarakis

PROWLER “The New Blood” Mini-CD (USA, Slaney Records, 2013) Having just released their excellent debut album „After You“ in early 2013, PROWLER strike again in the very same year delivering a brand new EP starring another four Thrash Metal tracks heavily influenced by classic 80s horror flicks. This time around fan favourites „Children of the Corn“, „The Texas Chainsaw Massacre“, „The Shining“ and „Pumpkinhead“ get the PROWLER-treatment. Musically nothing has changed either, as early METALLICA and ANNIHILATOR can still be seen as the main reference points and vocalist/bassist Patrick Best‘s voice continues to bear a striking similarity to a young James Hetfield,

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so basically everything already put into words in the last issue‘s album review can be applied to „The New Blood“ as well. Nevertheless I can‘t help but feel that the songs on this EP come across slightly less catchy as the ones on the debut (which was in fact just a compilation of a few smaller demo releases) and the incorporation of samples and soundtrack elements seemed a little more convenient and thought-out on the predecessor, but to be honest this is complaining on a very high level. This is again a highly recommended effort from the American three-piece, especially for the horror-affectionate thrashers out there and everyone else that already enjoyed „After You“. Make sure you check these guys out as they truly are one of the most promising bands in the big bowl of mediocrity that is nowadays thrash scene. http://prowlerhorror.bandcamp.com

Daniel Schuldt

REBELLION “Arminius: Furor Teutonicus” CD (Germany, Massacre, 2012) Underrated is probably the first thing that springs to my mind when talking about REBELLION. Being born as the vehicle for Tomi Göttlich’s and Uwe Lulis’ musical endeavours after their departure from GRAVE DIGGER in 1997 respectively 2000, REBELLION can proudly look back at a respectable track record of five very good albums adding a sixth to their portfolio with the one under examination here. Having dealt with a large concept about vikings and norse mythology over the course of the last three albums, the band this time turns its focus closer to home by tackling the topic of the Teutoburg battle where the Germanic tribes managed to surprise and annihilate Rome’s entire ninth legion. Starting off on a more epic and solemn note with “Rest in Peace” covering Arminius’ death later in life, the bands kicks into gear with the following  straight-up headbangers “Ala Germanica” and “Prince of the Cheruscer” that will surely lead to some instantly raised fists among fans of teutonic steel. With the stomping “Breeding Hate” or the melodic “Dusk Awaiting Dawn” the band further shows off its versatility and the many facets of vocalist Michael Seifert (also XIRON, BLACK DESTINY) who remains the biggest ace up REBELLION’s sleeve and once again proves why he is clearly one of Germany’s strongest singers at the moment. His immense presence and the testosterone-fueled power he packs into each and every line he delivers never ceases to amaze me and once the victory hymn in form of “Vae Victis” rolls around it has become more than obvious that “Arminius: Furor Teutonicus” easily crushes every single GRAVE DIGGER record of the last decade and pisses all over the washed out and overbloated sound they have developed since Lulis’ departure. “Arminius: Furor Teutonicus” is contemporary and uncompromised teutonic steel in its strongest form. No keys, no RHAPSODY-choirs, just a tight band with a kick-ass vocalist delivering hymn after hymn. Seriously, what more can you ask for? www.rebellion-metal.de

Daniel Schuldt

REVENGE “Soldiers under Satan’s Command” Mini-CD (Colombia, Rata Mutante, 2013) The Colombian ragers turn out to be some of the most consistent dudes in quality and frequency measures coming from South America and certainly some of the best I’ve heard! This short shot is well worth buying before they release their next album! This time they underwent a different mixing procedure than their predecessor “Vendetta” for this recording but the tunes are as sharp and lethal as always! If you question yourselves about the high-pitched vocals that characterized the band in the past, they have been completely supplanted from the previous album already. I am confident with these guys and I know it’s well spent money buying their albums. Fans of killer riffs, pure metallic solos, jolting Speed/ Thrash and hard pounding you should not miss Colombian REVENGE! www.revengespeedmetal.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

RIDER “Streets of Nowhere” Mini-CD (Brazil, Private, 2013) Another band hailing from South America, this time from Brazil, a country I have associated with more extreme Metal styles. RIDER is a quintet from Sao Paulo and their music is nothing but original, for them time must have stopped sometime in 1984-1985 in England. This is not a bad thing in itself, if it’s accompanied by good music. And RIDER certainly knows how to pen good tunes. 4 songs lasting 20 minutes show a band with abilities and potential for better things. A very pleasant surprise for me, I am already looking forward to more songs and a full length which will be more indicative. www.facebook.com/Ridermetalband

Kostas Kailiazis

RIOT “Unleash the Fire” CD/2LP (USA, SPV, 2014) Seeing this album hailed as an instant classic and one of the best albums (if not the best) for 2014, I was VERY anxious to see if it would live up to the hype that was built up before its’ release. And as with almost every other similar “case”, it didn’t. Most of the songs are based on the “recipe” RIOT had in the early 80s and not on the “Thundersteel”, “The privilege…” and “Immortal Soul” albums, which is strange considering the line-up that is behind this one… Fine by me, as this is the period I like the most from the band. What about the songs though? To my ears the final result comes as way too simplistic (not plain and catchy, simplistic), while there is a happiness surrounding the album that I would never expect from the band. Just listen to the pre-chorus to “Kill to survive”; doesn’t it sound like a leftover from an old RHAPSODY album?

No, I haven’t grown up and want to hear iron-clad-leather-whatever-metal ONLY, but I haven’t come to know the band as to the one I am listening while listening to this CD. This is a nice and enjoyable album (given the musicians involved, it would be an achievement is it wasn’t), but I don’t think it will stand the test of time… After quite a few spins there are few songs that I would like to listen to some other time. The band had every right to call this album a RIOT album after “Immortal Soul” and the gigs they played in Mark’s memory, but from now on, they must either take up a new name, or just call it quits. One can simply look at the albums they played throughout RIOT’s entire career to understand it… Just my opinion though…

some noise around their name ever since the release of their debut miniCD in 2013 and it was fully justified as they have chosen to play a VERY demanding style and they have pulled it off. Seeing them live many times I was very anxious how their more complex new material would be on an album. “Illusions in infinite Void” answered everything. Imagine ANNIHILATOR (a Metal pioneer that deserves more credit from the Metal world) and the more technical US bands of the late 80s with amazing guitars (in all honesty the best overall I have heard in a Metal record since MANY years), accompanied by out of the earth vocals and this is SACRAL RAGE. This was the easy way, because listening to the band you will find yourself listening to so many different things, so many different influences but blended in a brilliant way that screams personality. EVERY song on offer is a testament to this, trust me, you will be shocked hearing this LP! EVERYTHING sounds so fucking perfect here, it’s hard to believe. Congratulations!

www.areyoureadytoriot.com

Kostas Kailiazis

ROCKA ROLLAS “The Road to Destruction” CD (Sweden, Stormspell, 2014) One down, ten more to go! If Ced could muster musicians to form a proper band for one of his (most productive) projects, then anything is possible. In fact, as far as I am concerned, this was the missing link to start taking his band more seriously; not that I didn’t like his material in the previous albums, but prioritizing his hyperactivity is crucial, plus they started performing live. With this new output ROCKA ROLLAS continue their series of very nice albums and I hope the next one (which I’m guessing will not be far away) will have real drums recorded. Nevertheless, he does a good job and the sound never bothers me so much to bad mouth the result. Another change would appear in the vocals department, where Ced is taking charge instead of Joe Liszt, whose voice escorted past recordings, making it even more adjacent to the Teutonic school of the early 90s, as if the music alone didn’t help enough. Every time there’s something new ushered in Ced’s mind and that’s what he does to keep the flame of interest burning, this time, along with his high-pitched voice and the chorals, we witness the marriage of Euro Power Metal with the late 80s German Speed teachings. I feel though that this will lead to further association with BREITENHOLD, with both bands moving within similar fields of activity. All in all, I believe this is ROCKA ROLLAS’ best work to this point, outmatching all previous outputs. There’s also a nice cover on MAGNUM’s “Kingdom Of Madness” accelerating as much as needed to make it last just above 2,5 minutes. www.facebook.com/rockarollasmetal

Thanos Stafylarakis

SACRAL RAGE “Illusions in infinite Void” CD/LP (Greece, Cruz del Sur/Underground Power, 2015) This Athenian quartet has created

http://sacralrage.bandcamp.com

Kostas Kailiazis

SACRED OATH “Fallen” CD (USA, Angel Thorne, 2013) Having missed what would follow their comeback album “Darkness Visible”, I was expecting to hear something equivalent to the fantastic aforementioned output; an album if not better than their classic “A Crystal Vision” from ‘87 that made underground USPM fans cry like babies from the incredible creativity heard in it, at least culpable of construing signs of inspiration tanks removed from ice and rejuvenated! Despite of the production job that made some flinch, eluding the greatness of such a work was a matter of conscious bias. These said, I for once was expectant of something as good as “Darkness Visible” with “Fallen”, but unfortunately I can’t say the case is this. There are lots of dull moments, mainly provoked by the heightened modernity of the sound and the few fillers within the 50 minutes elapsing. On the other hand, you can’t say inspiration and the acknowledged talent have turned their backs on them, as they obviously can still pen cool mid-tempo tunes that are nothing close to slender. The dark atmosphere besetting the vast expanse of this work generates enough interest to give the album the several chances it deserves to grow and although buying it is not a total waste of money, I doubt I will remember to give it some playback time after a while in its entirety. Highlight songs as “Dream Death” and “Death Knell” deserve a special mention though, stating blatantly that we are not done with SACRED OATH yet! http://sacredoath.net

Thanos Stafylarakis •36•

SALEM „Forgotten Dreams“ CD/LP (UK, Pure Rock, 2013) Exactly 30 years after their last demo and fading into obscurity for decades, resurrected NWOBHM-veterans SALEM release their first ever fulllength album onto the metal world. Already having tested the waters in the three years prior with two selfreleased EPs, a compilation album on High Roller and an acclaimed performance at 2013‘s Brofest, the band presents a very well-written and filed effort that is buzzing with energy. Walking the borderline between their obvious NWOBHM-roots, 80s hardrock and some classy AOR influences the band more than once resembles a metalized and British version of Billy Greer‘s SEVENTH KEY (just listen to the title track or „This Heart Is Mine“). Including all new songs from the EPs except for „Retribution“ and adding seven more to that list, the album is indeed value for money even for those that already own the private releases. Especially when considering that apart from the predictable half-ballad „The Best Is Yet To Come“ there is not a single bad song on the 12-tracker given you like the above mentioned mixture. From the oriental guitar harmonies in „High Stakes“ to the heavy grooves of „Aftershock“ the band shows some excellent songwriting skills, great leadwork and a strong sense for big melodies. Just like last year‘s TYGERS OF PAN TANG album the record has an infectious positive energy that is clearly courtesy of some old lads that are simply (and audibly) having a bloody good time playing together again and while at it managed to put some great hard rocking tracks on wax. No airs and graces, no bullshit. Very enjoyable gentlemen, hats off to you! www.salemband.co.uk

Daniel Schuldt

SATAN’S HOST “Pre-Dating God Parts 1 & 2” 2CD (USA, Moribund, 2015) I am truly amazed by how competent a composer Patrick Evil proved to be. Fans probably appreciate the gist of this band mainly because the brutal impiety of “Metal from Hell” for the time it was cast upon the unaware masses, but after their back to their roots affiliated style, there’s nothing less than top notch material all that SATAN’S HOST did offer! Now they are here again with not one, but two albums full of the blasphemous ferocity of ingeniously sprang music concocted by unholy powers. The news of these double assault had me incredulously expectant, since their albums after Leviathan Thysiren’s return were out within a short time frame, but every shadow of my doubt got swept away in an instant. You can hear literally everything in these ultra-integrated albums, from traditional Heavy Metal to Doom or Death Metal and stretching it even

further, Black Metal, without bothering any rivethead that can’t combine various genres apart from a few, as I am for that matter. The barrage of riffs fires like there’s no tomorrow and seriously, some of them are beyond your mortal entity. Leviathan’s vocals are once again stunning, so much that after his top performance in the first TITAN FORCE album, I could dare put this one if not next, at least at one of his most prominent deliveries without being beset with remorse. There are parts especially in Part 1 that will make you weep at the sound of the divine melodies-expression-riffing combo, while Part 2 experiments with some privy brutal lines as a part of his (I am guessing as I don’t have the lyrics yet in this promo pack) role playing. The band excelled everything and the instrumental prowess of the entire act needs a separate mention, this new output is a musical stride in an alternative, future multi-genre world. I decided to review both albums in one take despite the fact that they will be out as 2 ventures (simultaneously though), not just because this is how the promo kit I was emailed was sent, but because both sessions were recorded close by time wise, so this could have been a long album released as one in other circumstances. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s also a redundant cover on one of the most broadcasted underground superhit songs, GRIM REAPER’s “See You in Hell” that I bothered listening to just once, I guess it is pretty good. Necessary purchase in my opinion that you won’t regret and will never be relegated to public reproach. www.satanshost.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

SATAN’S WRATH “Aeons of Satan’s Reign” CD (Greece, Metal Blade, 2013) Considering the small hype that has recently been making the rounds about this combo from Hellas I was expecting something more than the luke-warm blackened thrash metal I got and which was nearly entirely stripped of aggression and believable attitude. The in my eyes two most vital aspects to this genre. From the first minute on the band tries so hard to sound occult and evil and truth be told - fails miserably at it, making them end up feeling like a washed-up version of BEWITCHED or NIFELHEIM on half the necessary speed. Even when finally slightly increasing the tempo with “All Of Us Witches”  instead of plodding around at constant mid-tempo-bore the band sounds immensely tired and toothless. Especially vocalist Tas Danazoglou (who some of you doomsters may remember from swinging the drum sticks in EIGHT HANDS OF KALI and GREAT COVEN) often seems as involved in what he is doing as a depressed American housewife on a month’s dose of Prozac. His performance seriously lacks energy and the grimness needed in order to make this sort of music halfway working. Not even mentioning his phrasing, which in some parts is just downright terrible (e.g. “Satan’ Blood, Lucifer’s Fire”), as he has a hard time squeezing the words into the bars. To be honest and to make this quick: Throughout the whole record I was unable to shake the constant feeling of witnessing some artificial clown parade performing POSSESSED leftover material instead of a serious band. Trying hard to ride the waves of

the by now rather boring occult trend I hope SATAN’S WRATH fade into obscurity as fast as they managed to sneak into the limelight.

more IRON MAIDEN influences than before, but at the same time SAVAGE WIZDOM sounds original and fresh. Mr. Steve Montoya, Sr. on vocals really shines throughout the CD and earns a place at the elite of current Metal singers (and not only!). The remaining members don’t stay behind, on the contrary. The guitar duo is another distinguishing feature here. To wrap it up, this is an amazing and professional release from a band that unfortunately hasn’t gained the attention of more people. Yes, we have mentioned this many times, but LISTEN to this band and NOT the hype that surrounds most of today’s “heroes”.

www.facebook. com/666SATANSWRATH666

Daniel Schuldt

SAVAGE MASTER “Mask of the Devil” CD/LP (USA, Skol/Van, 2014) Before even a single studio/demo track was released for people to hear, SAVAGE MASTER was hailed as one of the best newcomer bands… I admit that I may have been very skeptical at first, even hostile towards them, but when the album was released, I decided to give it a try. The first thing that you notice is the sound, which sound pretentious and fake to my ears. Yes, this is the kind of sound CIRITH UNGOL had 30+ years ago, but what is the need to play like this? Some kind of tribute, or a way to stand out and gain points in a “cult-o-meter”? (My guess would be the second). The (female) vocals are limited in range and abilities, but Stacey pulls it off very nice with her vocal lines. So, what’s left to comment on, are the actual songs and music. And none of the 8 (mostly short) songs made me return to them. I would gladly see them on stage or listen to a song or two somewhere, but that’s it. What really bothers me is the praise this Kentucky quintet has been getting. I don’t know if it’s because of their image or the fact that they try really hard to sound like CIRITH UNGOL, a band neglected for more years than what underground maniacs of today dare to admit, or that people need to support what’s “in” and approved by the people that know (with or without quotation marks) and not what their ears and hearts tell them to. This album is not bad (I would rate it as average), there have been way worse bands and released polluting our ears the last years for sure, so listen and make your choice. www.facebook.com/ savagemaster666

Kostas Kailiazis

www.facebook.com/savagewizdom

Kostas Kailiazis Ps. Blaze Bayley participates on “Let it Go”.

not familiar with their first 2 albums to be honest but their previous had quite an impact on me. In the current album, they didn’t follow the beaten track of their precedent success, the core of their perspective was not altered whatsoever. They shortened the album’s length down to 20’ less than what they offered in the 60’ predecessor, they focused mainly in crafting Power Metal songs and kept the epic subject matter intact, bringing out a well done album of 9 speedy tunes of mandatory US Power Metal, mingling MANOWAR with DOMINE in a remarkable way. I especially liked the solo parts and the transition to them, the band seems to have the knowhow of the sine qua non on how to US-Metal appropriately. Jason Conde-Houston’s voice is a distinctive element to their music but of acquired taste with a particular tone, which I personally accept and find fitting to their fast approach to music. A couple of fillers can’t ruin the overall result either, they are only inferior to the greatest tunes in this album, albeit you wouldn’t skip them while playing them. Very good pick for Sword & Chains’ Records as a first CD release! http://trueskelator.bandcamp.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

SHADOWBANE “Facing the Fallout” CD (Germany, Pure Steel, 2014) Being around for a relatively long time, SHADOWBANE only recently managed to fulfill the task of a full-length and signing with a label, which is quite strange as they have not much short of other bands the Metal mags feature in their pages. The mix of US Power with the Teutonic sound on offer here conjures ANGEL DUST’s return with their “Border Of Reality” CD with the melodic elements lessened, the massive (modern) production job, the instrumental prowess can all fit in the repertoire of someone who liked or grew up listening to bands promoted by wide circulation mags in the late 90s. There is a lot of originality in the songwriting and even though it is not an album that will accompany me forever in my everlasting journey to discover the Heavy Metal truth, it is enjoyable enough to propose to those tolerating contemporary sounds. But heck, I can kill myself trying to figure out which band presented the same riff with “Tear down the Walls” and how good a tune is “Shadow Of Grief”! www.shadowbanemetal.de Thanos Stafylarakis

SAVAGE WIZDOM “A new beginning” CD (USA, Private, 2014) Another band we like a lot here at Steel for an Age is back with a new CD and guess what? It’s a real ripper! SAVAGE WIZDOM proves that their debut was not just an “accident” and that they are a force to be reckoned with in today’s scene. This is not another fast-paced, monotonous affair to be consumed like a bottle of beer as it’s the sadly the case with what most people call Heavy Metal nowadays. The band takes their music seriously (and their fans/people that will spent their money on the CD) and this is evident in ALL 62 minutes “A new beginning” lasts, despite a few inferior moments here and there. I listen •37•

SKELATOR “King of Fear” CD (USA, Swords & Chains, 2014) Consistency pays back and it shows in the fourth album of the US armada. Their previous album “Agents of Power” was well received by reviewers and the echoes of that consent reflected in “King Of Fear” as expected. I am

SKEPTOR „United we Stand... Together we Fall“ CD (USA, Private/Stormspell, 2014) It is the year 2014 and metal‘s treasure chest has been plundered over and over again by now. We had dozens and dozens of bands that try hard to sound like their favourite band from the past and revive their very spirit from the glorious days gone by. All with varying success of course. By now we have seen all of metal subgenres - even those many thought should have better stayed dead forever - have their renaissance, yet there is one blind spot on the map of metal that has rarely been touched for decades since its short lived heydays at the end of the 80s: technical thrash/speed metal. And I am talking about the real deal - the good stuff! I am speaking of breakinfused thrashing madness, rhythm changes by the dozen and highpitched vocals that would melt your face right off. I am thinking about acts like TOXIK or WATCHTOWER and I am of obviously thinking about the mighty REALM. Now if the sole mentioning of these names already got the juices flowing in your panties then you got quite some acoustic pleasuring coming your way in form of SKEPTOR‘s debut album as it has in fact just got it all: From insane breaks to ear-splitting screams and lyrics filled with political and social criticism. It‘s all there, just as if it the genre had never really faded into obscurity. The best thing about it though is the fact that band never sounds like a mere copycat or a lame tribute act to a bygone era or act. Instead “United We Stand…” is full of energy and true enthusiasm. I will not waste any more words here as there truly is nothing more to say besides if you are into some serious tech thrash/ speed you need to buy this record right away. It will make you forget about all the wet dreams you have been having about „Mathematics“...at least for a while that is. www.facebook.com/pages/ Skeptor/222677677742874

Daniel Schuldt

SKULL FIST “Chasing The Dream” CD (Canada, NoiseArt, 2014) Second full-length for the Canadians and the band picks off right where they left us with their first album „Head Öf The Pack“. Highly energetic, mostly up-tempo heavy metal bordering on speed with high-pitched vocals and shredding solos. So far, so good. And while the first half of the record with songs like „Hour To Live“ or the title track seems to live up pretty closely to the band‘s by now wellbuilt reputation of strong melodies combined with a full speed ahead attitude, the second half clearly falls off and it becomes obvious that SKULL FIST‘s songwriting formula is rather limited and seems to run out of steam with advanced playing time as tunes like „You‘re Gonna Pay“ or „Mean Street Rider“ miss that final touch of magic and inspiration to elevate them above the level of just being decent pastimes. Considering that in the end „Sign Of The Warrior“ turns out to be the strongest track on the album (and it being a re-recorded tune from SKULL FIST‘s debut EP), it becomes quite clear that the band may still not have lost their touch completely, but is not up to par with what they delivered when the first line-up was still tearing things up together. Fact is, SKULL FIST need to watch out not run out of ideas and breath. In the end youthful energy alone is not everything. So far I can still half-heartedly recommend „Chasing The Dream“ to anyone who liked the previous releases, yet it cannot be denied that it is by far the band‘s weakest output to this day. Oh, and lose those autotune vocals please. Those suck big time. If you are not able to pull off your falsettos or other over the top vocal acrobatics go get a fucking vocal coach instead of trying to take the listener for a ride with lame-ass and fake studio magic. That‘s just pathetic. www.facebook.com/skullfisted

Daniel Schuldt

SLOUGH FEG “Digital Resistance” CD/LP (USA, Metal Blade, 2014) It will remain a mystery why it took so much time for the Metal world to appreciate this band. And I am referring to EVERYONE involved, media, fans and labels alike. Their consistency is something spectacular. “Digital Resistance” is their 9th studio album in over 20 years of life. Personally speaking, it’s been a while since I enjoyed a record by them so much, but you can’t go wrong with any of the songs included here and most notably “Habeas Corpsus” (a really sick and dark tune with an unbelievable rhythm), “Magic Hooligan”, “Curriculum Vitae” and “Warrior’s Dusk” (a nod to the past…). SLOUGH FEG are so unique and have proven with many records that they are a BIG band, so don’t expect me to

compare me with someone else, they have earned this I believe. In case you have bypassed this band, or prefer to stick to their earlier material, “Digital Resistance” is a great recommendation. This is a CLASSIC Metal LP, period. Those that may oppose this based on the release date, too bad for them in my opinion. The Metal world will keep spinning.

FEW bands that manage to arouse me when it comes to this sub-genre. On the other hand, from the first songs you listen that these Germans know how to play and they really love what they’re doing, at least this is what I am getting every time I hear this CD. Mostly fastpaced songs, typical for the style vocals (but very convincing to my ears), this is a band to watch out for if you and your friends can never go to a party without the thrashier EXCITER, TANK, MOTORHEAD and the occasional IRON MAIDEN pieces of wax

www.sloughfeg.com

Kostas Kailiazis

SORROWS PATH “Doom Philosophy” CD (Greece, Iron Shield, 2014) SORROWS PATH’s 2010 debut album sounded more or less like a mix of material that superior doomsters like HEATHENDOM or MEMORY GARDEN had left on the cutting room floor puzzled together to form something that never managed to sound consistent or rousing and was further weakened by an overambitious but flat vocal performance and embarrassingly pretentious lyrics about prostitutes and S&M. For the sum of its parts it was an overdone, effect-laden modern doom record that failed to spark any greater interest in me. In fact I found it to be quite exhausting to listen to. This year’s follow-up “Doom Philosophy” sees the band take another shot at doom metal glory with new material and a new record deal under their belt. The first thing that hits you right off the bat is the fact that the record’s production is extremely dull with the vocals being too far up front in the mix, putting an unwelcome emphasis on Angelos Ioannidis flat, shaky and partially askew vocal performance while the rest of the music seems to drown in a pool of sub-bass mud. Songwritingwise the band has managed to tighten some screws though, making the songs in general sound more coherent and the diverse elements making their appearance in the 11 tracks feel less out of place. With better integration of the various musical elements, song structures do appear much more memorable and appealing than on the debut. Nevertheless there are again some downright terrible moments on the record like the embarrassing attempt at a Pete Steele imitation on “Everything Can Change” or the unintentionally comically howling on “Dance With The Dead” which sometimes makes it hard to take the band and their material seriously. When compared to the large amount of amazing doom records we have seen over the last couple of years SORROWS PATH, even though improving significantly, again fail to achieve major league access. www.sorrowspath.net

Daniel Schuldt

http://speedbreaker.bandcamp.com

SPACE EATER “Passing Through the Fire to Molech” CD (Serbia, Pure Steel, 2014) Serbia’s SPACE EATER were in my opinion the best band to emerge from Eastern Europe within the last decade, yet the change at the singer position after their second album left me worried about their future. I was particularly fond of vocalist Boško ‘’RNA’’ Radišić’s (R.I.P.) charismatic voice and the teaser tracks presented as a bonus on the Stormspell release of their last record introducing thenguitarist Luka “Tower” Matković as the new singer could not quite live up to the regular album tracks and therefore failed to generate any excitement in me for things to come. To be honest, I found it highly likely to see another band with loads of potential vanishing into irrelevance a few years down the line due to losing one of their significant trademarks and failing to replace them properly (see also VOLTURE). Oh boy, was I wrong. With “Passing Through...” SPACE EATER continue just where they left off with their last album: A barrage of fast, precise and razor-sharp riffs, blistering solo work, drums pounding at break-neck speed and breaks that will twist your mind. It is thrash and it is speed, it is snappy and it is driving and it doesn’t let up for a single second of the 42 minutes it last. The album is buzzing with inspiration in every minute and filled with incredibly versatile and on point songwriting. Matković operates with a more hoarse and dryer tone than his predecessor but comes across much more varied and confident than he presented himself the first time around. In fact he proves to be an immense asset to the band’s sound in the end as he is enhancing the relentless musical onslaught by offering the listener something to hold on to, always striking the perfect balance between melody and aggression creating many memorable moments. For Fans of early HEATHEN, OVERKILL but also of bands like UK’s DECEPTOR as well as thrash and speed maniacs in general, this record should be a revelation and a source of sheer endless joy. Fresh, inspired and rousing this is definitely material for a top ten position in my 2014 top list. www.facebook.com/SpaceEater

Daniel Schuldt

SPEEDBREAKER “Built for Speed” CD/LP (Germany, Dying Victims/Destruktion, 2014) Take a look at the cover, band name and album title. Yes, you guessed right, another 80s influenced Heavy/ Speed band. So, the question is: will I listen to anything different from the host of bands that play this style nowadays? Maybe I am not the most suitable to answer since I find VERY •38•

Kostas Kailiazis

STORMRIDER “The Path to Salvation” CD (Germany, Pure Steel, 2012) If you believe that ICED EARTH have seriously lost their balls and dwell in a pool of their own mediocrity these days, then STORMRIDER always offered a welcome antidote by resembling especially the earlier sound of Jon Schaffer’s band while spicing things up with some IRON MAIDEN influences and a touch of straight-up teutonic power metal ala PARAGON. Album number three sees the band take on a concept based on Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno” stretched over ten songs and while the new compositions may not immediately sound as accessible as some of the band’s old smashers like “Blood Will Follow Blood” or “Let Metal Reign”, they instead have a tendency to grow with repeated listen and show a band that has really matured with each consecutive release to a more complex, versatile and sophisticated songwriting. The songs are packed with great riffing, countless licks, fine melodies, enthralling lead work, varied rhythm patterns and a shitload of little details that will only reveal themselves to those willing to invest some consecutive spins into the record in order to really see it shine and prove wrong all those who just try to stuff STORMRIDER into a corner with the hordes of simplistic teutonic power metal bands. I understand that vocalist Stefan Hebes with his low baritone voice comparable to Matt Barlow mixed with the theatrical dramatization of a Bruce Dickinson may for many still be a loveit-or-hate-it thing about the band, I for myself though will always take a truly individual and accentuated voice like Hebes’ over another squeaking Mickey Mouse clone everyday. The man does an excellent job in lending the song the dark and dramatic tenor they need in order to do the topic justice and bring the story to life. Powerful, voluminous and blessed with great presence he is the icing on the cake of what is overall STORMRIDER’s strongest offering so far, but which will require a few more repeated listen to truly open up to the listener. Highly recommended! www.stormrider-metal.de

Daniel Schuldt

SUNLESS SKY “Firebreather” CD (USA, Pure Steel, 2014) From the holy metallic land of Ohio comes this newfound act hailing with their debut album to seal their admission in the Power Metal scene, however this is not a band of inexperienced juvenile musicians! All the members appearing in this release have been in several acts I admit I am unfamiliar with, apart from vocalist Juan Ricardo, whom many of you have heard in numerous local configurations, namely RITUAL, DARK ARENA, ATTAXE, RITUAL OF TORMENT to name a few! SUNLESS SKY is no continuation

of any of the aforementioned acts nevertheless; their perspective is contemporary, quite modern I’d say, heavy and mid-tempo with melody being present but not defining their style. Of course, the horrible artwork should not attest the quality of the music of the album; although there is not much to be denounced, the 14 tracks nearing an hour are too many to start with, making the inclusion of lesser tracks inevitable. Also, the songwriting is pretty much predictable, which leaves no space for surprises or unexpected parts to sound. There are enough tunes to complete a work worthy of appreciation, had some been left out, the more isn’t always the better anyway. On the other hand, I can’t overlook the competent musicianship and the songwriting efficiency in the quality tunes such as “Fear”, “ Solitude” or “Grind You Down”. A cover of GOLDEN EARRING’s “Candy’s Gone Bad” for instance could be omitted and instantly improve the situation. To sum up, the album comes about pretty good, I was not bored every time I played it, the tough question lies in the timelessness and future impact of the album, as is the case with many recent releases. Then again, all praise to them that they started a new band indeed and do their own thing in the first place, instead of doing what a past legend did and survive as a parasite.

TORMENTER “Phantom Time” Mini-CD (USA, EBM, 2013) This is the second recording of this thrashing Californian quintet and guess what! They didn’t try to reproduce what was once revolutionary, but they do their own thing to a certain extent. Of course, there’s nothing off the wall or extremely radical in their Thrash delivery, but in the underground field I am currently associated with, discovering personality is like hunting truffle without a dog! 5 songs of modern edged Thrash, crunchy at most and melodic at times, with the addition of METALLICA’s “Motorbreath” as a cover at the end of this EP, serve the purpose well enough and even though I am not a fan of their notion of how this style should sound like, I can’t say it’s bad; well done playing, powerful production and decent songwriting are all present, it’s just that I am a weirdo with Thrash bands today. Those who can’t take anything other than 80’s bands may need to listen first, those who don’t care a lot about regression can go for it. http://tormenter.bandcamp.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

www.facebook.com/SunlessSky

Thanos Stafylarakis

TOLEDO STEEL “Toledo Steel” Mini-CD (United Kingdom, Private, 2013) The new wave of NWOBHM on speed (or NWONWOBHMOSif you like) continues not only on Europe’s mainland and the Americas, but also rages on in heavy metal’s birthplace. Newest participant in the field is TOLEDO STEEL, formed in 2011 by five young lads from Southampton and now debuting with this privately released 3-track EP.  As you may have guessed already TOLEDO STEEL play brisk and strongly NWOBHMinfluenced heavy metal somewhere along the lines of the usual suspects like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN or SAXON but performed with the vigour of more recent bands like SKULL FIST. The songs offer some nice guitar work with very smooth legato, precise double leads and memorable vocal lines by singer Rich Rutter who shows quite an impressive range throughout the course of the EP. All wrapped in a warm and organic oldschool sound this EP, while surely bringing nothing particularly new to the table, successfully manages to give you that cozy and enticing feeling of the good old days when heavy metal was youthful and the bands and fans were hungry still. A task not many new bands manage to live up to and so it is due to their energetic and convincing performance that TOLEDO STEEL come out at the better end of what has become an overcrowded niche with little to no fresh impulses reeking of stagnancy. As of now this EP is a very solid start for the band but TOLEDO STEEL have yet to prove their longterm relevancy and song crafting skills on a full-length’s duration. Definitely a band to watch. www.reverbnation.com/toledosteel

Daniel Schuldt

TRIAL “Vessel” CD/LP (Sweden, High Roller, 2015) TRIAL has been a favorite of mine ever since hearing their debut in 2011. In a way I was disappointed from their show in Up the Hammers last year, but “Vessel”, their second full length erased this memory with ease. This album is amazing, what a way to start 2015! Their style hasn’t changed much, but this time I am hearing less US Metal influences and a more intense MERCYFUL FATE touch, almost twisted and deformed, even incorporating black metal elements and moods in many parts. And no, black metal doesn’t automatically mean blastbeats and growling vocals, so (luckily) don’t expect to hear them on this LP. Those that will accuse the band of following the wagon of MF/KD “worship” should be very cautious because TRIAL manages to present a highly original and unique record, a record only big bands can deliver. Steady and carefully they have evolved into a Metal Beast, listen to ANY song off “Vessel” and hear for yourselves. Be in search for the 7” that preceded the full length (reviewed elsewhere) for an exclusive tune. www.facebook.com/TrialHeavyMetal

Kostas Kailiazis

V/A “Condenados al Olvido” 2CD (Spain, 80s Records/Iberia Metalica, 2014) I have a soft spot for compilations with demo and unreleased songs and it’s something that is missing from the current scene. So I am very “vulnerable” when it comes to new ones, as was the case with this “Condenados al Olvido”. I checked the promo video the label had online with very short samples and decided to give it a try. And I am happy I did. Those that will do the same will find songs from the following bands: DYSSIT (1990, 4tx), WAYOUT (1989, 3tx), ESTRELLA NEGRA (1990, 3tx), MAD CROWD (1990, 4tx), BLACK SWAN (1989, 3tx), KEOPS (1990, 4tx), XADA (1989, 4tx), PIRULETA DE HORMIGON (1984, 3tx). ARIADNE (1989, re-recorded in 2013, 2tx) and ATHOR (1989, re-recorded in 2013, 2tx), 10 bands and 32 songs in total! I will admit I didn’t expect the very good level of the bands in this compilation, given the big number of average records coming from Spain in the 80s. And yet, you will find some great demos and even the bands you will not like as much have a certain quality… I would LOVE to be able to read the detailed booklet, but since the possibility of me starting Spanish lessons is minimal, an English one would make more sense. ESSENTIAL for 80s Metal Maniacs (most bands play Heavy/Power Metal), congratulations for such a killer CD set! [email protected] [email protected]

Kostas Kailiazis

VERSCYTHE “A Time Will Come” CD (Private, 2013, USA) It is an undeniable fact that the 80’s gave us some unforgettable and unrepeatable moments, music that it will be really hard to find a match to compare with, let alone surpass it! The Heavy Metal scene has reached new levels of acceptance, bringing it to a significant size on par with its past glory. It makes sense seeing newer bands attempt to emulate their heroes’ miraculous deeds, this is not what we often encounter whatsoever; a closer look to the majority of the underground bands and you will realize their desire to actually emulate the product of 80’s bands per se, not their goal as we would expect, resulting

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in the trite rehashing of music heard before. I had once concluded in the notion that a band whose members have a wide variety and knowhow of the Underground, their fruit will be ripe and savory. That of course, before the flourishing of the scene with uninspired opportunists that wanted to (re)produce music in a fast food fashion. New Bredford’s VERSCYTHE are not the guys that have listened to every obscure band from youtube, they are not the band that know every 80’s demo recorded but not the ultimate classics and it shows! Out of the ashes of KREAGEN, St Pierre brothers formed this outfit and managed to record some ultra-potent original Power Metal music, an album to brag about draining every letter of the word to surmount their humility! One of the best albums I’ve heard for some years now from a newcoming act, there’s not a single flaw in their debut CD-R , which by chance you forget to stop once you push “Play” in your stereo. Exquisite songwriting, songs with mind-embossing melodies, successful vocal lines, mind-blowing riffs, powerful bass and drumming, these rookies know how to US-metal damn well. They tried and managed the simplest thing, to deliver some original music from the heart that any wannabe just can’t do. My only concern is that they have already set the bar too high and I expect them to overcome the impediment of a killer album. I would definitely call this album of the year, if I was allowed by the nonessential restrictions set by the release date. Just do yourselves the favor of facing their music and you’ll never regret it. I just hope we had more bands with this work ethic... http://verscythe.bandcamp.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

VOLTURE “On the Edge” LP (USA, High Roller, 2013) After their first appearance with their “Shocking its Prey” EP back in 2011 and a single a while later, the Virginia act unleashes a full length recording, leaving behind their previous and now dissolved label Heavy Artillery, as well as their vocalist Brent Hubbard, who got substituted by Jack Bauer. However, this not being enough of a change for the band, they moved to the subtle addition of a second guitarist, heard in the chords of Dave Boyd of TWISTED TOWER DIRE fame! As I hear the album, I could only conclude that this is quite an improvement compared to their debut EP; it is no secret that the initial vocalist had a better skill in his singing, but his voice was so common that made his participation actually unnoticed, holding back in turn a band whose songwriting is the typical old school Heavy Metal recipe, based on guitars and vocals! You need dynamics in that case and these dynamics are found in Bauer’s unprocessed, naive approach, which even with the flaws (even reminding Brian Thomas of HALLOWEEN in “Deep Dweller”), you can tell it suits the band’s ENFORCER and SKULLFIST like energetic delivery much better. There are some really uprising riffs in here, cool choruses and vocal melodies that render the album more memorable than the debut for sure and you with your brows up with an expression of approval! NWOBHM is all over their songwriting, but delivered the US way, I’m thinking they should be a great live band with several crowd favorites and sing along parts to become one with

the audience and that’s probably what they want to do; in that sense I can say they succeeded to some extent, when you want to play some good music while you’re at home is another story though and your choice wouldn’t be VOLTURE for that! http://volture.us

Thanos Stafylarakis

WAR DANCE “Wrath for the Ages” CD (Greece, Eat Metal, 2015) After some delay that I believe hurt the band, as the demo-CD was out in late 2011, in the meantime the band performed with WARLORD on their first Greek concerts and something should be heard earlier from them. I don’t know the reasons for this, maybe they felt like this was the time, which I respect since I am not the one composing and recording. But I am someone that really liked what he heard in this demo and finds that this debut CD doesn’t live up to the expectations they built. The main drawback is the vocal delivery. Sure, there is an intense Eric Adams flavor, but is this enough? Not in my

opinion and the fact that there are almost NO interesting vocal lines here is something you notice very soon in the CD. This is something that should concern the band. The music on the other hand, has a very interesting and unique approach with Greek traditional rhythms (bringing to mind SARISSA, no coincidence “Marathon” is covered), aided by the great drummer that has some amazing ideas throughout the CD. WARLORD and MANOWAR fans will be more than interested to check them out. I feel that they should add a little more variety in the songwriting as well, since the CD doesn’t flow as easily, despite its’ duration (45 mins). All in all, this is a very good Epic Metal CD from a band that has character and class, no one can deny this. The vocals really keep this lower than what the actual music should put “Wrath of the Ages” though. www.facebook.com/WarDance.Metal

Kostas Kailiazis

WARBRINGER “IV: Empires Collapse” CD (USA, Century Media, 2013) The thrash revival of recent years has brought forth quite an impressive amount of young bands that try hard to revive the spirit of former days but who, for many reasons, remain mostly faceless in their generic and uninspired approach towards the genre. WARBRINGER’s debut album “War without End” was one of the early releases of the reborn thrash movement, but fell short of being much more than a decent pastime. Yet their sophomore effort “Waking Into Nightmares” already showed signs of

the band’s willingness to experiment and push beyond the genre’s selfimposed boundaries but it was not until their fourth and latest release at hand “IV: Empires Collapse” that the band finally managed to break the chains of genre conventions that seemingly held it back and evolve to a real beast of its own. “IV: Empires Collapse” sees WARBRINGER retain the thrash metal core of their music while focusing on their strengths and opening up their sound towards multiple influences gathered from other genres ranging from hardcore punk (“Iron City”) to black metal (“Horizon”) or even doom (“Leviathan”). Thereby the band sounds almost relieved and seems to audibly enjoy their new found freedom, showcasing a much leaner and stripped down approach also present in the album’s much more organic sounding recording. If you can imagine a straighter version of DECEPTOR (UK) with a broader range of influences you pretty much get the picture of what WARBRINGER in 2013 are all about. Purists may give a shrug and shun the band for its open-mindedness but I for myself must say that I embrace this individual and extremely well-written effort as a ray of light in the ever-repetitive sea of mediocrity that has become today’s thrash scene. www.warbringermusic.com

Daniel Schuldt

WITCHFYRE “Legends, rites and Witchcraft” Mini-CD (Spain, Infernö, 2014) A new Spanish band I knew nothing

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about until recently. They have a 7”single (released in 2013) with both songs included here (I guess one is a new recording and the other as it was included in the 7”). Nothing out of the ordinary, another NWOBHM-“revival” act, like so many around. Vocals are below average and ruin any good (very few actually) moments that are to be found. Listen and act accordingly… http://witchfyre.bandcamp.com

Kostas Kailiazis

WOLF “Devil Seed” CD/LP (Sweden, Century Media, 2014) The Swedes are back thankfully and I am glad I can review an all original band, despite their obvious influences, that have the privilege to bear the title of one of the most important bands for the survival of the traditional Heavy Metal sound! Consistent to their series of quality releases, their new album is no different style-wise to what they always played and not short of any eminence than their previous fulllengths. Of course, they are not all of the same level, however I somewhat know for sure that I can’t expect

anything less from WOLF than an at least very good album. One thing I can forthrightly say about their music is that they have their trademark sound. Albeit it’s not common for them to add a lot of diversity in their music and all of their previous works almost sound as if they were written from a session not far one from the other, they have the ability to never sound tedious or repetitive, which in my mind means awareness of potent commercial hookladen music, guaranteed to etch the melodies deep into your brain. I mean, you can’t just listen with apathy tunes like “Back From The Grave”, “Dark Passenger”, “Frozen”, “Surgeons Of Lobotomy”, I could mention the entire album to be honest. Seeing a band with several releases being coherent and consistent, without loading their albums with fillers is important and to me that’s a qualitative indicator. As usual, you will hear slow dark tunes, powerful dynamites as well as melodic Heavy Metal anthems, all narrating a horror experience that you might have to face some day! The only thing that has changed over the years is the production job in their works, which to them apparently means improvement, but I can only translate it as “modernizing”, not to a pesky extent whatsoever. IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MERCYFUL FATE all aligned to lecture their apprentices, who as every aspiring successor should do, they try their best to achieve equal greatness in the Pantheon of Heavy Metal history; in WOLF’s case, with one more album like “The Black Flame” they’ll be very close to that point and whereas the album in question is not their current one, this consistency in handing down good music they showcase in frequent intervals can only mean that they might not be far from there. If you have a turntable go buy the vinyl version of the album, which includes a CD with 2 bonus cover tracks, a nice J.PRIEST’s cover of “Rocka Rolla” and a weaker one in my opinion of Q5’s “Missing In Action”. Keep on howling loud! http://wolf.nu

Thanos Stafylarakis

SINGLES DRAGON’S KISS “Somewhere Up in the Mountains” 7” (Portugal, Non Nobis, 2013) DRAGON’S KISS is the project of Hugo C and Adam Neal of DAWNRIDER and THE HOOKERS/SAVAGE MASTER respectively, bands I’m fully unaware of their music to be honest (except for S.MASTER), but after a small research I could understand they have nothing in common with the music reviewed here. DRAGON’S KISS is a Heavy metal band with quite original sound, as I can tell from this single, but this said with hesitation since their full length should be out by now and there’s only one of their originals included in the single, the title track being a cover of the well-known MARQUIS DE SADE tune! The said cover got me questioned at first, I didn’t think it would appeal to me but somehow I find it well done, heavier than the original of course, missing in atmosphere but they gave it another perspective in that aspect, with cool guitar parts all over the second half of the song. This is the first time I realized also how silly and naive the lyrics are in that tune, always regarding it as an epic one, oh well... Side B and “Your Time Will Come” is

an enjoyable mid-paced track, heavy and catchy with nice guitar solos again; I would grade this single as well above average but not sure if this is the type of release that the average buyer would give several plays long after its purchase. And the problem is that this is only a single with actually one song, making it impossible for me to envisage whether I should be alert for future releases. The single is limited to 300 copies.

www.facebook.com/ dragonskissband

Thanos Stafylarakis

GUERRERA “Guerrera of Metal” 7” (Greece, Anger of Metal, 2013) This alleged Argentina act consists of 3 Greeks (2 of them heard previously in METALMORFOSIS) and the female voice of Romi Guerrera, so go figure the band’s origin yourselves. Debut appearance with a 3 track single of almost 8 minutes of pretty good Speed/Heavy Metal that could actually be a lot better had the vocals been less disheveled, but they have their charm as well I guess. The music brings instantly in mind METALMORFOSIS, especially of their debut 12” era, since credited as the songwriter is their mastermind Nick Banger and if you can stand mediocre vocals with a keen accent and dig traditional old school Heavy Metal, then you’ll most likely dig GUERRERA’s output too. All 3 songs lasting below three minutes are short enough to be memorable, simple structured and merry, without disorientating you so that you lose your interest. Only 500 copies were pressed but listen before adding it to your cart.

first official release after a demo in 2010 and they hope to move on to a full-length soon (which will probably come as they signed with Inferno Records if I am not mistaken). I liked both tracks featured in this pre-taste recording quite a lot; they are not another one-of-the-same typical copy/ pasting metal bands, notwithstanding their imperfections, their energetic Heavy Metal modus operandi can be very well hailed by the fresh batch of fans that champion the style; at least the band in review apparently stays in touch with a major factor for a remarkable effort which is called “songwriting”. Don’t expect reinventing the wheel or off-the-wall compositions here; an adequate amount of the likes of the NWOBHM movement can be heard in the speedy “Lady In Black”, while my favorite “Snakebite” on the B-side is the song to open some doors for them, being slightly commercial, the way 80s bands used to when they wanted to broaden their audience instead of just attracting a few chicks, as it was common back in the day. Nice guitar solos here and there and decent female vocals by lead singer Fatima Natthammer complete a promising picture that deserves some attention in the future to come. Let’s see... https://soundcloud.com/mandrgora-heavy-metal

Thanos Stafylarakis

www.reverbnation.com/GUERRERA

Thanos Stafylarakis

LEATHER SYNN “Honour and Freedom” 7” (Portugal, Non Nobis, 2014) After a few line-up changes, the band is back with a really neat single, featuring a new number and a cover on a legendary Portuguese song! What is of my interest is their own original, a tune that clearly shows improvement from their first installment. Their style is enhanced with melody, still in the JUDAS PRIEST norms they demonstrated in their debut EP, summing in a catchy tune with a bridge that it’s quite hard to forget. However, if you expect high screams you will be disappointed, as the baritone vocals are practically a distinguishing attribute LEATHER SYNN possess! On the other side you can hear the band’s version of ALKATEYA’s “Face To Face”, a titanic song written by my favorite 80s Portuguese band, so I might be a little bit strict saying that it sounds weird, just because it is not my beloved ALKATEYA version. Bands are not being tested on how good they can perform covering other songs nevertheless, so I suppose they didn’t fail the exam with their own original. I need to hear a full-length now to secure my opinion.

RANGER “Shock Skull” 7” (Finland, Ektro, 2014) The Finnish Speed violators strike back only a short while after their debut EP shocked metalheads worldwide and another, as the title implies, shock will find you out! Two brand new songs, “Shock Skull” and “Omen Of Doom” are the objects in discussion here and you shouldn’t expect anything the least speedy, intense and power infusing than the offered material on their EP “Knights Of Darkness”. The 80’s are everywhere in their music, thanking early WHIPLASH for their contribution in the Thrash Metal scene, alongside filings of the hideous OUTBREAK at times and IRON MAIDEN for a good melodic measure. Both songs reap, slash, slay and thrash, so vinyl supporters should get it while the rest should buy a turntable first and then get it.

http://rangerheavymetal.bandcamp. com

Thanos Stafylarakis

www.nonnobisprod.com/leathersynn#!__leather-synn

Thanos Stafylarakis

MANDRAGORA “First Attack” 7” (Peru, Inkas Noize, 2014) Heavy Metal South America, a whole new chapter in the world scene that is a rather neophyte being in the retro frenzy we face the recent years and has alerted for getting pandemic outspread throughout the Southern part of the continent! MANDRAGORA’s “First Attack” refers apparently to their •41•

RIDER “Inquisition” CD-single (Brazil, Obskure Chaos, 2014) The newest release of this Brazilian band is not a full length CD as I had expected to, but a two-track CDsingle, which may be a teaser for their upcoming debut? Hope so… Nothing has changed much here, same approach as the “Streets of Nowhere” Mini-CD with a few more obvious IRON MAIDEN ideas and parts. Refer to the Mini-CD review for more, this is a band to watch for and personally speaking far above the norm of equally sounding bands. Well done! www.facebook.com/Ridermetalband

Kostas Kailiazis

STAINLESZ “Ruller of the Sword” 7” (Cyprus, 616 Records, 2014) Another young band from Cyprus in their Speed Metal outfit with their first vinyl appearance is out and ready to raze anything on sight! Two songs of Helstar-ic mentality ascend from the grooves made exclusively for headbanging purposes, as if they have concurred with your nearest orthopedist. Torrential riffs with constant pounding and high screams, this would appeal to any US Metal fan! Direct, in your face and to the point, these songs are meant to be played live, making it clear at the same time that they have no intention to make friends with your parents. Pure and clear sound render this single applicable to these ears so I am eagerly waiting for another one of their offerings, hopefully in the near future to come. Get it before they run out of all 300 copies they pressed. Very nice entree lads. www.facebook.com/STAINLESZ

Thanos Stafylarakis

TERMINAL “Heavy Metal Lokomotiva” 7” (Sweden, Electric Assault, 2014) “This project is a tribute to the heavy metal of the eighties from the European communist block”… This is how the band (no info here, apart from the fact that this is another project by Tobias Lindqvist of ENFORCER etc fame) describes this effort. And they are quite accurate, aided by the Slovenian (!!!) lyrics, both songs are amazing with the fast-paced “Heavy Metal Lokomotiva” being the ideal A-side track. Things change on the B-side, “Slovo”, with its’ melancholic

rhythm and full of nostalgia vocal lines finally won my preference after a few spins. The layout is plain (I guess on purpose) and this limited to 500 copies single is already sold out by the label, so take a chance online or on a distro. The initial form was on tape, but this is sold out as well. I would like to hear more from TERMINAL, that’s certain, well done Tobias! http://ljudkassett.bandcamp.com/ album/heavy-metal-lokomotiva

Kostas Kailiazis

TRIAL “Where Man Becomes All” 7” (Sweden, High Roller, 2014) The reason this single is being reviewed is that pre-dating their second album “Vessel”, apart from the same-titled tune that will also appear in their sophomore, another exclusive song was penned to be used as the B-side, the brilliant “Introspection”! I deem TRIAL are the best Swedish act today, plain and simple. Their stunning debut spin after spin reached enormous levels of musical value for the scribe, overshadowing not only bands of a similar style but most of the new acts all over the world! Obtaining a dark atmosphere with musicality and eluding the commonplace pitfalls is a remarkable achievement to say the least and seeing them progress and evolve release after release meant quintessence of the contemporary sound. “Where Man Becomes All” continues from where their previous single stopped, fast with an intricate structure, distraught coherence and several breaks; it is a fact that the band has evolved to stellar levels and I crave to hear how the new album will sound. Their exclusive tune however is a sublime piece of artistry! Kicking off with a powerful introductory riff, restrains tempo and a superb vocal melody is heard, narrating a macabre esoteric story; it’s scarce to see a band overthrow the instigators, while coming just after the initiation of a current! TRIAL is undisputedly there, I hope for long and consistent to the great art they profusely produce. www.facebook.com/TrialHeavyMetal

Thanos Stafylarakis

V/A - SCALARE/ELDORADO “Caught By an Evil Spell/ City of Gold” 7” (Germany/?, Heavy Chains, 2014) The year is 2007 and 3 guys, formerly having a Black Metal band called WHITCHSLAUGHTER, record a demo (which I haven’t heard), which is released right the next year. In 2010 the band manages to find a label and release their “The Wine of Satan” single, which is a funny attempt to play Heavy Metal with occult and evil lyrics, roughly delivered, sounding unrehearsed and pretentiousness abundant, where a ROCK GODDESS cover had turned to a disaster! 4 years later, the band achieves to record the song in review here; admittedly this

sounds better than their previous efforts, an easy task you might say, still full of NWOBHM elements all around and quite clumsy again, this seems to be a “let’s try to sound as old as possible” attempt, with the songwriting being kept on the background, as a secondary obligation. Everyone is free to play whatever music they want of course, this is why I won’t question myself with rhetorical speculation such as “why do such bands exist”, but this makes me wonder about the audience’s perception, when they belligerently lust the antiquity. ELDORADO is probably a new band, the origin of which is a total mystery to me and I believe this is all they have recorded up till now. This tune saves the day actually, with its obscure MAIDEN-esque grasp, cool melodies and a dark old school vibe prominent, it’s that intimate kind of Heavy Metal that you nevertheless are never bored to listen to again! Nothing outstanding in their music, it’s just the inexplicable parallelism with the bonds that tie you with your 80s beloved hearings, abut to the primary source of Heavy Metal inspiration. Listen and support responsibly.

https://heavychainsrecords. bandcamp.com/album/scalareeldorado-7-ep

Thanos Stafylarakis

DEMOS

AGRIMM DOOMHAMMER “The day thy fall is the night we Doom” Demo-CD (Germany, Private, 2014) German newcomer, this is their first release and I guess will be sold out by now, as it was released in a mere 100 copies just to test the waters. I have a hard time categorizing this quintet. At times they bring to mind early TROUBLE (“By the sacred radiance of the Sun”), but they are mostly into fast-paced, yet quite heavy songs which sound quite familiar, yet at the same time quite original as well… The production takes away a lot from the final result, but since this is a demo, it’s justified in a way. I have to say that I found the vocals the flaw of this demo. I can’t say they’re average, in my opinion they’re bad especially when they try to hit higher notes. They are saved by the convincing delivery and interesting ideas. Check the band at the link below, this is definitely a band I will watch for and I really hope that next time the vocal problem will be fixed.

BLACK TOWER “Demo 2013“ Digital (Canada, Private, 2013) Hailing from Ottawa, Canada this three-piece plays a great unpolished interpretation of classic Heavy Metal that sounds pretty much like a roughed-up blend of DARK FOREST, NATUR and GOAT HORN while adding some rowdy but very melodic punkish vibes here and there that tell of the members‘ origins from three different local punk acts. While the demo may not offer a real standout-track the songwriting is overall very good with strong melodies, great hooks and a rousing drive. Highly recommended for all fans of the aforementioned bands and everyone else as well, as the demo is currently up for grabs at no charge on Bandcamp. http://blacktower.bandcamp.com

Daniel Schuldt

http://agrimmdoomhammer. bandcamp.com/releases

Kostas Kailiazis

WALPYRGUS “Walpyrgus” 7”/CD (USA, No Remorse, 2014) Newcomer from the States, but a closer look to their resume will reveal that this bunch is not another new kid in the metal ‘hood. Having played tons of bands, most notable with OCTOBER 31, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT and TWISTED TOWER DIRE, they are what someone would call (and with a good reason) veterans of the scene. So, with this said, expectations are higher as well. Initially released on tape (with a song not to be found in the “official” release, “Doomed by the living Dead” originally performed by Danish masters MERCYFUL FATE), you will find three songs here that really didn’t arouse my enthusiasm. Well-written and performed (it would be strange if it wasn’t that way), but they lack that little extra to grab you and make you listen to them again and again in anticipation of a full-length. Some more happy/cheesy melodies don’t help either. Take a listen; I am sure this band will attract many people… I just couldn’t identify myself with their songs and attitude. My stand-out track would be “We are the Wolves”. I need to mention the great work done in the No Remorse edition, a 7”single in a gatefold sleeve plus a CD with all three songs.

BAT „Primitive Age“ Tape (USA, Tankcrimes Records, 2013) BAT is the latest side-project of MUNICIPAL WASTE bass-player Ryan Waste. This time teaming up with none other than former D.R.I. drummer Felix Griffin and bringing in guitarist Nick Poulos from VOLTURE (Ryan‘s third actual project arisen from the ashes of the mighty IMMORTAL AVENGER) to complete the line-up, the 5-track DEMO TAPE at hand showcases a raw and filthy mix of heavy metal, primitive speed, punk and hardcore that may have some people screaming MIDNIGHT right away, but when listened to more carefully BAT not only incorporate slightly more melody in their fretwork they actually also go a bit further in their broad range of noticeable influences than Cleveland‘s filthiest do. The obvious VENOMworship of course finds its place in BAT‘s sound (just listen to „Rule Of The Beast“) but it sits right next to numerous, but slightly less obvious, hardcore and punk influences from vintage D.R.I. to CRO-MAGS and the melange undoubtedly works like a charm, making BAT a primitive metal powerhouse that is highly enjoyable especially when played on maximum volume. If you like your metal rough, raw and old school make sure you pick this one up.

http://walpyrgus.com

Kostas Kailiazis

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http://bewareofthebat.bandcamp. com

Daniel Schuldt

CHALICE “Raise Your Chalice” Demo-CD-r (USA, Private, 2014) What a relief, a young band forms with vision, originality, personality in the forefront of what we call “the package” to confront the challenging task of surviving in the scene, a goal desired by everyone, not in the sense of making it big but more as the pleasure of approval of one’s work. The Vermont quartet with the unique voice of lady Hagthorn asserts that they deliver Heavy Metal, I would just add Epic Heavy Metal with Medieval overtones and honestly, they do a fine job! Hagthorn’s performance is uncanny, off the beaten track, which is crucial to designate the haul lines between the band and the hundreds of female fronted acts that had erupted lately. The diversity showcased in this demo does not allow to specify their exact style yet, as among the worldly upright material you will find a newly arranged traditional tune, conveyed in the medieval perspective of “Gaudete”, whilst an 11 minute epic follows in the sounds of “Merlin’s Lament”, made to take you into an adventurous journey to castles and dragon caverns. The concluding tune can very well be proclaimed as a live favorite, with a sing-along chorus good enough to motivate the laziest gig bums to stand on their feet and join the crusade! Wisely enough, their token of inspiration was given

a rough, primitive essence which is consorting with all that is heralded by the bandname and cover art. Thumbs up for taking care of the packaging as well, that despite the DYI approach it transpired appealing and witty; mind you, the demo will soon be released in tape and 10” formats, but I’d rather see them work and release new material in the interim.

http://raiseyourchalice.bandcamp. com/album/chalice-ep

Thanos Stafylarakis

CRYPT SERMON “Demo MMXIII” tape (USA, Dark Descent, 2013) What can I say about this phenomenal demo really! All of a sudden, you come across some band’s site offering their music for free and selling their now sold out - tape there and before you even realize it you find yourself dazed, thankful for detecting a beam of a redemptory light! The US group consists of members of several other bands not associated with the Power Doom Metal style I tend to name acts in the likes of CANDLEMASS or SOLITUDE AEUTURNUS, exactly what CRYPT SERMON espouse in their preaching. All three songs range within reasonable time frames for the untrained Doom listener, which is good for me as I am a fan of this kind of approach in the style, hence I believe this fact combined with the high class songwriting should not intimidate anyone not too keen of what is described as their musical direction. The most astonishing though is the band’s talent in penning extraordinary solo sections, so much that you could swear it was Perez turning back a huge favor! Trust me, these already perfect songs are elevated to stellar levels due to the guitarwork presented here. I had insignificant complaints by very few friends about the vocals which I found unsuccessful as comments, since a vocalist like Lowe that everyone expects to hear in such an offering would only hurt C.SERMON, as they would have to suffer with the accusation of a substitute of the Texan legends, a charge absolutely unsuitable for these guys. I find the vocals as one of the strongest assets CS showcase, as they are both expressive and distinctive. Soon the new album will be out and from the few samples they’ve shared in public there are slight differences audible from this demo, an expected turn of events as we speak. I will relish on their sermon till the next one, you do the same and delve into the realms of Epic Doom. http://cryptsermon.bandcamp.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

DEMON BITCH “Death is Hanging...” tape (USA, Dying Victims, 2014) Fast forward, due to lack of time making it to the deadline before I am sacked, this is the second attempt by the Michigan act climbing up the ladder of exalted artistic echelons, which reminds me of the already too long absence of my beloved and supreme BORROWED TIME. DEMON BITCH come back with four brand new tunes of satanic Heavy Metal artistry, continuing in the same vein as their debut tape, only improved and integrated in the songwriting. Similar sound and production, similarly distraught vocal melodies and fantastic guitar solos, create an atmosphere worth praising that will make this piece of work distinguish eventually. They use a wide spectrum of influences, even going into Black Metal territories at times musically and it is exceptionally surprising how this fact won’t put you off! Brilliant work that will stick in your stereo and it is about time for someone to care and properly release their recordings, past and especially future, on a more accessible format, for more people need to hear this! www.facebook.com/demonbitch

Thanos Stafylarakis

MAJESTY IN RUIN “All Light Shall Fade” Demo-CD (USA, Private, 2014) MAJESTY IN RUIN is new band in the overwhelmed Doom Metal scene featuring John Gaffney of SINISTER REALM fame, united with Rich McCoy to handle the demanding task of a competitive vocal delivery. Their first demo release limited to a mere 100 copies flaunts 3 tracks running in a total of almost 23 minutes, which is pretty acceptable for a Doom band by the die-hard fans of the genre and at the same time absolutely bearable for all of us that think some of the style’s greatest could do with a little shorter songs! The opening “Mother of Desire” is a straight forward answer to what kind of Doom they deliver, that is the way masters of the style paved, the SOLITUDE AETURNUS way! There’s a fair amount of CANDLEMASS appreciation also, as any sane Metal fan should possess and blatantly express, but their approach resembles more to the Texan giants. Massive rhythm section and killer solo parts, poetic lyrics and an anthem found under the name “Remembrance”, a lament that can devastate you with all the pain and suffering infused so

effectively, I’d even take the risk to elevate it to the grandiose caliber of a “Mirror Of Sorrow”! Production job is finely adjusted to the band’s vision and McCoy’s voice is over the top, boosting the overall outcome directly to the elite, making me wonder if this is really a demo with all this professionalism showcased here! I haven’t seen the band active enough though, so I hope we’ll see more from MIR soon, it would be a pity if we didn’t! http://majestyinruin.bandcamp.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

SENSE OF FEAR “Sense of Fear” demo-CD (Greece, Private, 2013) This is a band from Thessaloniki, which I knew nothing about, until they played in Athens quite some time ago (maybe late 2013?) and afterwards bought their demo CD. They play a modern Power Metal hybrid (midpaced) with a quite aggressive tone in the vocals. This is classic HM though, don’t expect pseudo-aggressive stuff here, just updated sound and approach. Thing is, the songs are not as inspired as I would like them to be in order to make myself playing them over and over… Apart from their three original songs, there is also a cover to “When the night falls” from the ICED EARTH debut, a band they have been influenced from since there are some parts here reminiscent of the once amazing US act. But the cover itself lacks the power and aggression the original had. To sum it up, an ok demo, a next one will be more indicative of the band’s potential… Until then, this is the way to contact them: www.reverbnation.com/senseoffear

Kostas Kailiazis

RABID BITCH OF THE NORTH “Defending Two Castles” tape (N. Ireland, Sarlacc, 2014) Contrary to the axiomatic credence that new 80s sounding bands from Great Britain emulate the style NWOBHM bands used to play, the trio from Northern Ireland (exactly as TERMINUS did) decided to embrace a personal sound far from the trends, so far that they actually secluded themselves from a larger audience. Their second official release comes in a limited edition of 100 tapes (first batch is already sold out so there’s another limited number pressed) and includes 3 tracks of, as the band name implies, live-in-studio recorded rabid Heavy Metal! And when you read rabid, this is RABID, sharp, rough, galloping, cut-throat riffs with quirky vocals and drums hammering you on the wall! They kinda reminded me of the mighty RAVEN on their furious moments. According to the band, this time with “Defending Two Castles” they accomplished a production result more suitable to their demands compared to their previous EP, “Outta The Kennel”, but I personally can’t find something serious to say against the predecessor, even though I prefer the sound of this one featured here! If I had to report something, I’d speculate I could do better with one more guitar recorded, but that’s wild guessing until I hear the actual outcome. Listen to this thing carefully, overtake your political correctness on how a singer should sound (I am sure everyone has his share of weird sounding dudes in your repertoire), Joe MCDonnell is one reason the band stands out, after the straight forward frantic delivery of steel! You must be insane to overlook highlight songs such as the same title tune. Why aren’t you recording an album for bitch’s sake? Heavy Metal for the few, as in the good old days, as always! http://rabidbitchofthenorth. bandcamp.com

Thanos Stafylarakis

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STARBORN “Born by the Wind” tape/digital (UK, Sword and Chains, 2014) Debut release for this UK act and you will be surprised by their sound… Their label suggests them for fans LOST HORIZON, BLIND GUARDIAN and FALCONER. They are not off, on the contrary. If you have missed this sound (which gave us some amazing albums!), STARBORN are a band to watch for. There are two drawbacks that you should have in mind. The vocals are average to good; a really great singer would take the songs one step further for sure. I don’t know if the band aimed for this particular sound (maybe they tried to sound as “live” and raw as possible?) but for me a clearer sound would work better. I focused on these because I really enjoyed this demo and would expect new material from them. I guess that the demo version (limited to 50 copies) must be sold out by now, but do yourselves a favor, visit the band’s page and take a listen. Chances are you will not regret it! http://starbornpower.bandcamp. com/releases

Kostas Kailiazis

convincing all the time. Still, this is a very interesting release from a promising band that all metalheads enjoying raw heavy metal spiced up with some extras should lend an ear to. www.facebook.com/TriforiumDawn

Daniel Schuldt

SUMERLANDS “Demo 2014” digital release (USA, Private, 2014) Project band consisting of Phil Swanson (google up the countless bands he has been a part of), Justin DeTore (bass on MAGIC CIRCLE, drummer on these songs), Arthur Rizk (guitars, handles drum chores on ETERNAL CHAMPION) and a second guitar player, John Powers for whom I couldn’t find any info. There are three songs available and they show a very promising act, especially in the first two songs, “The Guardian” and “Blind”. Expect some sort of Epic Doom Metal with excellent vocals, TROUBLE layers and HEAVY guitars. This was supposed to be released by Jason Tarpey’s Cyclopean Records, but still no sign of it. In my opinion the band charges too much (7$) for the digital download of the songs, efforts as this should be free of charge until a physical copy appears for sale. Check them out though, another great newcomer from the States!

UNDERGROUND “DEMO 2014” CD-r (Slovenia, Private, 2014) Another surprise for 2014! Out of nowhere, this Slovenian quintet delivers a fantastic three-track demo leaving me craving for a full length SOON! This is what CLASSIC Heavy Metal is about people. Bands, labels and fans alike have many things to learn by spending 13 minutes of their precious time. “Burn in Fire”, “Texas chainsaw Massacre” and “Horrors of the Past” (my fav!) are songs I have listened to MANY times ever since I got hold of this demo. With vocals bringing to mind the best deliveries of Kai Hansen, while the guitars rip all the way through, there is not a dull moment here and despite the short length, there is enough variety and attitude to make me hope for the best result possible. The production is another plus, you really can’t tell this is a demo. There is a drawback and this is the poor packaging of the demo (just a CD-r on a sleeve), but let’s be serious, this demo kicks so much ass, i almost forget it!

http://undergroundofficial. bandcamp.com/releases

Kostas Kailiazis

REISSUES

http://sumerlands.bandcamp.com/ releases

Kostas Kailiazis

TRIFORIUM DAWN “Morningside” Demo-CD (USA, Private, 2013) When doing reviews we are often eager to stuff bands, for good or for worse, into musical drawers and make fitting comparisons to other bands in order to give the reader an idea of what he or she is to expect from a record. Yet in some cases a record or a band defies all comparisons and when talking about TRIFORIUM DAWN’s it would be much easier to name the metal subgenres that they are NOT drawing any inspiration from instead of doing it the other way round. While the band’s core sound is clearly rooted in the more obscure vein of classic heavy metal it is thrown into a blender with loads of thrash, raw oldschool death, crushing doom, unexpected breaks and tempo changes as well as the occasional black metal tremolo riffing or blast beat which find their way into the songs. This often slightly chaotic mélange channeled through an archaic sound works impressively well at some points (“Morningside”, “Let Salem Burn In Hell”) and sometimes feels a bit awkward (“Gimp Canetapper”), making this Mini-CD a bit of a mixed bag. There are some great ideas on display here and I would strongly encourage the band to continue on their path of combining so many influences to create something interesting of their own, yet they still have some work to do in terms of making it all sound coherent and

BASTILLE “Electric Animation” CD (USA, No Remorse. 2013) BASTILLE was an unsigned band hailing from the American goldmines of San Diego, CA, that came just a little too late in attracting label interest. This compilation CD includes their first demo by 1989, as well as their tape LP “Electric Animation” from 1991, plus a live bonus track, making it to a total of 15 songs. Their style is what would be roughly described as a QUEENSRYCHE influenced band, vaguely and in a generalizing manner, but in my opinion BASTILLE is a lot more than that, as lots of the bands unfairly described as such. The first demo is pretty good, without standing out, offering 3 good songs but nothing sine qua non. The culmination of their artistic inspiration comes in 1991, with a concept (as far as I could understand) album in a style similar to a melodic “Operation Mindcrime”, but without the pop production the ‘RYCHE decided to give to their output, severely weakening the guitars. Roger First is something you need to listen to, as with his spectacular performance boosts the album to stellar levels. He is the reason for every melody heard in the album, he is to blame for some exquisite

vocal lines and most of all, he uses a technique you scarcely hear in Heavy Metal by Western singers, influenced by Eastern amané and automatically distinguishing himself from another Tate copycat. Beautiful CD overall that if I am not wrong, was only pressed on a mere 500 copies, so if you got to know about this release by this mag, you can impute accountability to us for taking too long for the 4th issue! Thanos Stafylarakis BELLICOSE “Love on Ice” CD (USA, Arkeyn Steel, 2014) Band name, album title, and cover art all act as subterfuge and contradict with their Texas origin, but don’t be harsh on them by just listening to the opening song also. Pushing play on your stereo will surely rise worries whether you just bought a Glam album but that’s all you can blame BELLICOSE for, one Glam song. What follows afterwards of course could not be a metallic powerstorm, but still their potent melodic Heavy Metal is classy enough to put them into the Texas metal lobby. Yes, it’s melodic Heavy Metal, since the use of the word “melodic” as a genre defining tag is apparently wrong and as a matter of referentiality, which older ones ignored, it is of high importance to be precise and simply separate genre from tone; please use it as an adjective. This reissue contains their only private release “Love On Ice” from 1989, as well as 7 more bonus tracks, in detail their first demo from 1984 and a couple of other tracks off different recording sessions. BELLICOSE’s sound is characterized by the strong vocal delivery of Joey Darcangelo combined with MAIDEN/’RYCHE guitar rhythms which conclude in prominent songwriting for the US Metal fan, even in their early days they showed good potential which later on evolved to the band’s final approach, quite accessible but never cheesy, that would end up in their only release. The guitar duo unfolds skillful parts and overall I can safely say fans of the style will be pleasantly surprised, despite all the aforementioned ominous factors. At least for me, I discovered another band never to regret buying. Thanos Stafylarakis

BLIND ASSASSIN “Put to the Sword” CD/DVD (USA, Cult Metal, 2014) This is a release I never expected to see. The BLIND ASSASSIN demo was one of the first I happened to listen to when entering more underground paths. All three songs of the original demo (1986) rule and their Epic Metal sounds so great after all these years. Wait until you listen to the bonus songs though! 5 rehearsal songs with a raw sound (did you expect anything else?) but very good compared to the quality of songs that have been added to similar anthology efforts in the past. 2 live songs are included as well, a

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total of 7 unreleased songs, which sound so mighty, I only dare to think how they would sound with a proper recording. Congratulations to the Cult Metal team for such a release, amazing stuff, hard to be called an Epic Metal fan and not having this gem in your collection. There is also a bonus DVD with LOTS of songs, but unfortunately I can’t comment on it, as I didn’t have the time to see it yet Kostas Kailiazis

DEAF DEALER “Journey into Fear” CD/LP (Canada, Cult Metal Classics, 2014) Cult Metal Classics records made a decisive comeback in the business and simply released the best album in Heavy Metal music of all times, the best and most adventurous to release due to copyright obstacles. Yes, in a few words, this is what DEAF DEALER’s unreleased and up to this date supposed a never to be released album is, plain and simple. Integrated Power Metal with every single player being in an artistic frenzy and the distraught bass guitar lines setting new standards in the steady and mundane theory of guitars/vocals way of doing Heavy Metal things. This is the one and only truth Nietzsche was after, the above statement! If you disagree, your stereo will burn down to ashes. Then again, I’m sure you consider “Journey Into Fear” as the best Power Metal album at least. This is the perfect gift you can do to yourselves and the record to turn your wife into a metalhead (and grow your collection)! The album with no imperfect moments, the album I’ve listened to more than anything else! The best album of all times, nice and easy. Now I need to practice my air bass guitar playing. Thanos Stafylarakis HAMMERON Wired For Sound” CD/LP (USA, No Remorse, 2014) One of Chicago’s premier underground acts returns after a long silence with their second album! Well, not exactly a return, as they seem they’ve gotten away with it unlike almost any other 80s band. HAMMERON are not once again active, but “Wired for Sound” is an unearthed album from the vaults of the band’s archives. Actually, I believe it is not even an unreleased album, as word of mouth claims, but probably a large part of what it was destined to be their sophomore, plus a second demo; the difference of the production job from a point on, on my vinyl is pretty clear, whereas you can tell there’s a slight difference in their musical orientation as well. The band got apparently famous more from the insane rarity of their debut rather than the music per se, which is utterly unfair if you ask me; they had everything to make it quite big at the time, even if their debut “Nothin’ To Do But Rock” (re-released by No Remorse also) is not one of my all time US favorites! In this album you can tell the band was obviously a

step above the average band of the time, with professional performance and accessible songwriting. The first 6 songs of “Wired For Sound” start just from where the debut had landed, with a slightly heavier approach as far as songwriting goes, while they stepped up on heaviness on the remaining 3 songs of the next recording session, even using some Bay Area elements, staying away from the Thrash regions though. Fans of US Power Metal should think no more about the album’s quality, as I could trace songs that surpass every other included in “NTDBR”; Troch’s voice is class A, guitars are screaming helplessly and the pounding goes on, imagine a little worse “Journey Into Fear” DEAF DEALER (of course not quite as good as the best album of all times) and VICIOUS RUMORS! Unfortunately the last 3 songs are holding back the overall outcome, not allowing it to step over their debut. What bothers my mind though is how the hell did they decide to go to harder territories at the dawn of the 80s when everybody was softening their sound, taking in mind their already commercial past and how the hell did they miss the success wagon when they delivered everything the industry wanted from a metal band, while they did the job so effectively? Well, rhetorical questions that answering them won’t change history a tiny bit, just get both albums now that they are on reach and blast it! USA for the win! Thanos Stafylarakis

MANDRAKE “Breaking Out” LP/CD (Denmark, High Roller, 2014) My first thought at the moment I am playing this record is that yes, reissues are sometimes mandatory! In this case, MANDRAKE is a band almost nobody knew about and actually this name aroused interest after a WITCHCROSS interview got published at Snakepit mag a couple of issues ago. The relation between the two bands is that mainman of MANDRAKE is Ole Hamilton Poulsen who after breaking up his brainchild, joined what was later to become one of Denmark’s finest! This release is Ole’s legacy before WITCHCROSS, which includes a 7” single (which was a demo under the name ZYNDACYCLE before they switched it to MANDRAKE) and another 9 tracks on the LP, all of them being MANDRAKE recordings, dating from 1979-1982, when they disbanded. The dates should not intimidate anyone, as what you’re going to hear is topnotch early Heavy Metal the way it was displayed in WITCHCROSS recordings and the dominant influence deriving

from the instigators of the NWOBHM movement. The two bands have lots in common, apart from two songs that Ole carried with him for the “Fit For Fight” album (“We Will Be Strong” was renamed to “Rocking The Night Away” and the masterpiece “Alien Savage”, which surprisingly, other than the production job and the performance due to the line-up change, the song was equally heavy!!!), there are several riffs that you hear in both bands, as well as another one that you could guess that a Danish dude with an involvement in the scene as a teenager could have liked and borrowed, a certain Lars Ulrich namely, for their “Jump In The Fire” number. Overall the recording is above average standards and the sound decent, given that we are talking about a very early 80s demo, but this is minimal when the composition quality is so high! I’m glad we have the chance to listen to this gem; this could have easily pass unnoticed and lost through the ages, as it was up till now! Relic lovers grab it responsibly. Thanos Stafylarakis REBELLION “Unreleased Sessions” CD (USA, Cult Metal Classics, 2014) Cult Metal Classics is back with a vengeance and their barrage of serious reissues that would bring them back in the game continues with the resultant of REBELLION’s debut cassette LP on CD for the first time. It was mandatory for this line-up of the band to see their material officially pressed on a functional format and US Metal fans have the chance to

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listen to a glorious moment in Metal history! If you liked the debut, which you should if you consider yourself sane, their “Unreleased Sessions” will finish you off! The songs featured here come about a bit more mellow than those in “And The Battle Begins...” but if that counts as drawback, that’s the only one you could find in here. Literally, the band evolved so much in the songwriting department and not only this, Ed Snow’s vocals are stellar, rendering yourself riveted as you listen to his passionate performance. Only one song off their debut is rerecorded and there’s no comparison sound wise, as this time they obtained both a proper production job and synchronized arrangements. Excellent job overall, there’s nothing to complain about, with songs as “Hear Their Cry”, “Father”, “Enter The Silence”. “Solutions” would make our lives better. Thanos Stafylarakis SAVAGE CHOIR “Winter of Probator” CD (USA, Tribunal/Divebomb, 2014) To be honest, I was about to write a completely different review than the one that follows, but there are some facts that justify my change of heart. “Winter of Probator” is a concept scifi album about a man from another planet coming to Earth wanting to share knowledge that would solve famine problems once and for all under certain circumstances, which were not eventually accepted by greedy inhabitants of our withering planet. The story is immensely interesting and reflective of plausibility but I shouldn’t elaborate more on

that sector. Musically, their style is suitable for a sci-fi adjacent band, that is showcasing prominent playing all around, modern production job, insane Alan Tecchio style vocals constantly singing in high ranges, odd-time structures, jazzy Thrash Metal riffs as an upshot of a 17 year old guitarist’s vision (at the time he joined the band) and an album of certain complexity, enough to render it not memorable in the end. Fans of WATCHTOWER, TOXIK or even MEKONG DELTA would find all the aforementioned attributes alluring and will surely dig the SAVAGE CHOIR stuff. Now what was the reason I changed my mind? Simply ‘cause what I thought it was a new release by another bunch of sci-fi lunatics that wanted to Thrash out proved to be a 1988 unreleased album by an act formed by Steve Ferrigno, aka Steve Michaels of DEATH MASK fame (yes sir, the one with “Split The Atom” under their belts). “Winter of Probator”, the way it was offered in this release, it was NOT re-recorded. The rest are up to the reader to figure out! The only thing that’s certain is this album is by no means dated! Thanos Stafylarakis

STRATEGE “Stratege” LP (France, Memoire Neuve, 2014) Time for one more undiscovered gem to be brought to light and these words couldn’t be combined better with the French origin of the band, the country which has indubitably offered some undisputed gems in the Heavy Metal genre. STRATEGE is nothing less than that, a band that never surpassed the demo stage, but by the first spin of the record you realize that they were made for much bigger things. Totally unknown till recently, they are indeed one of the best French bands that never released anything and if this album would have been out in their heyday, this would have been up there next to SORTILEGE and VOODOO CHILD I believe. Tremendous songwriting, all the ingredients French metal had been known for are aplenty in an adequate balance; digestible songs, catchy yet fantastic choruses, unbridled soloing at the right place in the right quantity, capturing melodies and riffing, epic grandiosity and most of all, a bewitching singer that boosts the already unbeatable songwriting to another level! Both of the band’s demos are featured in this limited vinyl release (8 songs sung in the French language), the 3rd Heavy Metal installment Memoire Neuve puts out, after TNT and the mighty TENEBRES. It’s a pity STRATEGE never went any further, even in the underground circles they remained obscure, but this utterly professional band should definitely be acknowledged and I should be held accountable for my short-sightedness. TOI? Thanos Stafylarakis

SUPERSTITION “Anthology (1987-1990) CD (USA, Stormspell, 2014) From the glorious Chicago scene I proudly present you SUPERSTITION, a band whose name, cover art and Melodic Heavy/Power Metal moniker could degrade what’s been recorded in this disc. I had never heard about the band before and it’s really strange, as this is US Metal par excellence and should have been quite popular at least. Principally, the compilation CD includes all the music created by 2 bands connected one with the other, SUPERSTITION and another local act where 3 out of 5 members share reminisce and experience, LABYRINTH, the latter being a flick heavier than the former. With direct references to QUEENSRYCHE and FATES WARNING and discreetly consorting with the likes of very early DREAM THEATER (MAJESTY maybe?), KINGSBANE or MANTA RAY, this should leave none indifferent if you like your metal classy and delicate. Other than the self explanatory eminence of both vocalists, Danny McCartney (SUPERSTITION) being suave and stylish while Darrel Lorenz (LABYRINTH) bestowing a cultivated roughness, I can express my awe at the penning of the solos especially in the SUPERSTITION demo, that are a class of their own inspiration wise. A true gem, either in the rough form of LABYRINTH’s recording or in the polished accessible form of SUPERSTITION, this CD is a worthy asset in every music fan’s regime and exemplifies succinctly the preeminence and graveness of the majority of the musicians there, as well as the affluent talent. Thanos Stafylarakis

album starts with an in-your-face storm that imposes you to “Surrender” and the intentions are clearly shown. Not much melody in these tunes and I don’t believe they cared about it at all, they sound as if they focused on writing direct crunchy material aiming at their live transmissibility that would force a crowd to tear a venue to pieces; they sound good at it no doubt! So if you do not seek unmatched instrumental expertise or songwriting complexity, but repeated straight forward Heavy Metal punches, you should check out this enjoyable effort that came about a bit later than scheduled. www.facebook.com/pages/VictimHeavy-Metal/144628248970884

Thanos Stafylarakis

ZONE ZERO “The lost Legacy” 2CD (Sweden, Shadow Kingdom, 2014) After a big delay, a VERY important reissue sees the light of day. Despite only having a 7” single back in 1982

VICTIM “By the Neck” CD (USA, Stormspell, 2014) VICTIM is the band better known to collectors for their two private LPs they released in 1983 (“Power Hungry”) and in 1985 (“DMN”) and drowning back into the depths of nothingness ever after, leaving little to remember them by, as despite the dynamic Heavy Metal heard in their recordings, they never managed to achieve a cult status (well, their albums never reached insane prices in dealers’ lists, the main cult-creating reason today). This release is their never released 1984 album, which includes 5 unique songs and 4 that were previously used in their albums, infusing short but powerful Heavy Metal mainly influenced by JUDAS PRIEST of the 80s! In fact, they state that they were taken for PRIEST when their tune “Victim” got airplay in the local radio stations, but that would be a figment of the most vivid imagination, given that Halford’s voice could outmatch anyone at the time, but it’s true that their style bears significant similarities with PRIEST in their simplicity. Actually, VICITM offer a severely more dynamic and heavier delivery. The •46•

and a few demo tracks circulating, in my opinion ZONE ZERO was one of the best bands to emerge from the huge Swedish scene of the early 80s. If this sounded like an exaggeration with only those few songs to showcase, this 2CD package with 21 songs (one is included in two versions) is a proof of what this band could achieve had they recorded and released a full length back then. The majority of songs comes from 1981 to 1983 (demo, live and rehearsal ones) with a 4-track sessions from the 2004-2008 and I will not mention any specific ones despite some being better than others. If you like early European Metal and bands like HEAVY LOAD and GOTHAM CITY, then add another name NEXT to them. ESSENTIAL! www.facebook.com/zonezeroswe

Kostas Kailiazis

It was just a few years ago that someone referred to a new band named SHADOWS SANCTUARY that played the old 90s style of US Power Metal with vocals of the Tate school and some killer songs in their demo. Soon after its release, the band dissolved and an immensely hopeful sign of enlightenment died that day. Later on I saw Shawn ‘Bushy’ Boucher active again, having joined forces with Jack ‘Lynx’ Lincourt in the shape of SHADOWLYNX, another Power Metal band sharing the same style mentioned above and affluent passion to stand out in the USA and overseas. Let’s hear Jack, using the helping hand of Shawn, disclose some of the band’s visions and goals to get there before they dash with their first demo. The least we can wish is good luck and a quick involvement in the scene, they are needed! Hail guys, welcome to our pages! SHADOWLYNX is a new band that rose out of the ashes of SHADOW’S SANCTUARY. The demo you released in 2010 was great but since I don’t know how much it was promoted, I can speculate the reviews were rave. Why did you call it quits and how did you move on to the formation of your latest venture, SHADOWLYNX? {Jack} SHADOWLYNX was brainstorm collaboration between Shawn and Jack in early 2012. We both wanted to work with each other for some time, but the timing was never right with us being in our own separate bands. We decided to do a recording project together when Shawn would supply vocal harmonies and lyrics and Jack would provide all of the music (guitars, bass, drums, keys, backing vocals, additional lyrics). After a few songs were composed, we felt that the music was very strong and we should share these compilations with others. For the first time we were both available (not in another band) and decided to form a full band so we could play these songs live. Thus, the birth of SHADOWLYNX. Give us please some information about the background of the SHADOWLYNX team. Where did each band member play before joining in? Jack “Lynx” Lincourt started out as a teenage song writer and composer. He was the lead vocalist to the bands LYNX and POETS & MADMEN, while learning to play the instruments that formed the music around his lyrics and harmonies. In 2007, Jack joined the IRON MAIDEN tribute band BEAST OVER BOSTON and has played both guitar roles in that band. Jack has recorded over 200 original songs over the years and was overjoyed when hooking up with Shawn Bucher in 2012 as he finally found the voice to go with his musical compositions. Shawn “Bushy” Boucher Formed FROM THE SHADOWS, an original LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, RUSH, influenced Heavy Metal band, written & helped choreograph   over two albums worth of original songs, it’s a rare fact, that ,we threw in, a few covers, of all those legendary influences, into our live song set list. As time slipped by FTS band members, goals & dreams began to change”. No one was on the same page anymore “Shawn And Jim Clute(Original FTS Drummer) were the only original members, left after about four to five years. We went through a number of guitarist & bassists. Shawn & Jim, decided to give it one more shot. Change the name, Shawn insisted it was practical to hold on to our symbolic call sign “Shadow”. After a careful search through the internet ,SHADOW’S SANCTUARY was copy written, So the birth of SHADOW’S SANCTUARY, brought our blend of classic metal & with a number of new guitar influences, we tapped into Power Metal. After a large number of live performances & a professional recording studio experience, it was time for to call it quits. Shawn was out of the band scene for about two years, then did a favor for a friend who asked to help him, form a band to play live. So he did. Recruited Mike Harris for bass, played a few shows, nothing serious. Shawn, then recruited new friend & striving bass player Mike. When  Shawn & Jack’s SHADOWLYNX project was ready to be a band. What are your main influences as a band? SHADOWLYNX have adopted a sound and style that is overlooked nowadays and set aside for the new retro bullshit and I particularly like, bringing in mind the glorious 90’s US bands that struggled to keep the Heavy Metal flame alive, falling upon deaf ears! Is there a specific vision style-wise that you wish the band to accomplish sooner or later? Our influences range greatly. Musically we are heavily influenced by the Power Metal scene, with bands such as HAMMERFALL, QUEENSRYCHE, VICIOUS RUMORS, and HELLOWEEN, but also have a true love for great vocalists and well constructed harmonies of artists such as JOURNEY and Elvis. Of course, metal is the core the band and there are strong influences from PANTERA, METALLICA, and METAL CHURCH.   So SHADOWLYNX have been around for quite a while; along with some tunes from your previous bands that you carried, have you already written some new ones? At which stage is the band at the moment as far as productivity goes? SHADOWLYNX is constantly writing and creating new songs. Between Shawn & Jack, we have an extensive library of songs to use from our past that have never seen the stage or a recording studio, but it is important to the band that we continue writing brand new music where each member of SHADOWLYNX has the opportunity to put their stamp in on the writing process. As for as productivity, we are never satisfied, so we continue to perfect the songs we have, while working to create new music. We are studio ready and stage ready.

Do you intend to record and release a demo of some songs? What will be the purpose of this demo, do you just want to hear how you sound on studio or will this also be the decoy to attract label interest. Are you in talks with any label by the way? We are very interested in recording a demo and have had discussions with several studios. Once we find the right fit for the band, including a producer that will push us to be our best, while capturing the live sound we produce, we will move forward. Our goal is to use this demo to promote the band and attract label interest. We have been approached by a number of local and national labels, but we do not feel ready to accept any offers at the current time. Have you performed a lot live, locally or nationally? What are the reactions of the audience while listening to a new band that is not playing the modern crap the fad orders? We have played some local shows, including a local Metal Festival and an upcoming Metal Fest, and have had great reaction to our music and stage performance. We gear our shows to play for metal crowds, so we have been successful. We have been successful with our combination of progressive sound, Shawn’s soaring vocals, and sing-along gang vocal chorus’ and the crowds have reacted well and vocally as they sang along to songs they heard for the first time those nights. It’s been quite exciting What is the scene like in New England? Are there bands sharing the same style as SHADOWLYNX to generate an interest and a core of fans to help the scene perpetuate? Is there a future for bands like yours, as I guess it’s not that easy to book a venue for a live show! The metal scene in New England is not what it used to be, but it is still alive. We haven’t had much trouble booking shows, but it is always a struggle to find a combination of a good venue and good local metal support to play shows with. There are times where you find the right combination of bands, along with their fans, and the right venue that can support a good metal sound and stage area, and when that happens, a magical night occurs. There will always be metal in the New England future. Are you working on a full length with the band? Is there enough material to fulfill the needs of an integrated album? Share your future plans with us, if any! Between Shawn and Jack alone, SHADOWLYNX has enough material to record 10+ albums. As for songs in our current live catalogue, we have enough songs to record 1 strong album, while working on new material and incorporating former songs from our previous libraries into the band’s repertoire. I understand it might be too early for that, since you decided to go for a demo initially, but is there anything planned about the album that you can share with us? I am sure there will be a vision for example, regarding whether it will be a concept album or not, the style the band will present, maybe something to surprise the fans or even the cover art, is any of these discussed or imagined for that matter?   We plan to make some initial recordings of our music where we can capture the true essence of our sounds and structure of our songs. Each of our songs are very different, but all capture the heart and soul of this band. We don’t follow any singular formula and we only aim to touch our audience/listeners with our passion for creating music. The initial recordings we make will not be studio professional, but will hopefully capture our live sound and display the power and soul that we intended to deliver with each note.  Bushy is a gifted artist who will handle our cover art for any/all demos and full albums. There is an incredible trademark drawing the band uses, depicting several figures that are special to the band. Can you elaborate and reveal to the readers some hints concerning that drawing? This drawing, as well as the band logo, was a concept created by Bushy. Each figure in the drawing depicts an important symbol from each member of the band. Is there a specific subject matter SHADOWLYNX undertake in their lyrics? What are the issues that would usually inspire you to write a few lines? How do you work on this section of the song by the way? Do you write music on the lyrics or the other way around? The lyrics in our songs come from life experience and life goals. Some stem from poems written about everlasting bonds. Others outline how we interpret the metal scene and the Destiny of our peers. The songs have been built in different ways. Most songs have had lyrics and concept created by Bushy, who hands off a melody and some lyrics to Jack, who then creates all of the music for the song (all instruments). That interpretation is shared with the band and we build a SHADOWLYNX song from there. Other songs have been built from a simple jam session in rehearsal that turned into a kick-ass song. It is true that being underground in the US makes it a pain in the ass to get some recognition and you need to struggle quite a lot to get the coveted attendance; what are some plans you are thinking to implement so that you get national and international acknowledgement? Europe would be a really fertile ground for bands of your style to flourish, maybe not that much to make a living out of it, but definitely a kick to have you recording and performing for a prolonged period. In the US, there are a lot of metal bands, as well as clubs to play, but the scene has changed so dramatically over the years that the only people still attending local shows to support the scene tend to be loyal friends or the bands, and other musicians. Only the metal big wigs (Platinum selling long standing acts) fill up the clubs in the US, but that doesn’t mean that the people that attend shows are not passionate. The metal fans are still loyal, loud, and insane in the US. There just is not a big enough scene to spread the madness as far and thick as it was 20+ years ago.  Thanks for taking the time and partaking in our mag! Last words are yours! Thank you for giving us the time and attention in your most excellent metal mag! We appreciate everyone in the metal scene, and we thank you for helping to promote SHADOWLYNX! www.reverbnation.com/SHADOWLYNX Thanos Stafylarakis

 

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GENOCIDE and HENDRICKSON are two obscure names/ albums when it comes to 80s US Metal. Despite the time span between them (1982 and 1987), they are both the brainchild of guitarist Gary Hendrickson, who returned in late 2014 with a private CD under his name... A great guy and dedicated musician, Gary’s story is one of the most interesting we have presented in our pages. Be sure to check out his old releases and give ‘Signs of Life’ a chance. Hello Gary and welcome to Steel for an Age #4… It’s been so many years that anyone heard from you, that it only makes sense to ask what have you been up to after the “Maestro” LP and how did you decide to return with a brand new CD? Thank you for this opportunity; your fanzine is fantastic and I’m honored to be a small part of it! It’s great to still be rocking after all these years. I’ve had a pretty cool life, but like everyone else, ups and downs. After supporting the “Maestro” album release, HENDRICKSON was together until 1991, then I just decided to disappear. The grunge scene from Seattle and the pop-indie scene was killing rock music, not just metal. Along with alcohol and drugs, this was the perfect storm… I just pretty much gave up on life itself. In 1998 I was given the gift of a second chance at life and at 37, clean and sober, started to rebuild. I worked in Alaska for many years, and then lived in Seattle. I was traveling to Europe, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean, hiring university students to work in Alaska. I traveled 200 days a year and made a shitload of wonderful friends! In 2009 I moved to Florida and spent a year working with my daughter Amy Hendrickson’s band touring the east coast of the USA, Then came back to California in 2011 where I still am today. I spent 20 years not thinking of music, or even owning a guitar. I finally had the financial means to slowly put together a recording studio. I rented an old office building and converted it into Hendricksonyx Studios which is where I live and record; Very handy having the studio so close to my bed! I bought some guitars and started “noodling” around…testing the waters. The new CD is called “Signs of Life”. Tell us a few things about it. Last year I had quite a few tunes recorded, and they were sounding really good. It took about a year to develop a decent work flow with the Superior Drummer software and the DAW set up. So I started sending rough tracks to friends and family and the response was really powerful; everyone was wondering if I was going to release a new record. So I decided to go in that direction. In May of this year I had a heart attack and ended up in the hospital; the doctor put in two cardiac stents, so now I can proudly claim to have a Metal Heart!!! I remember seeing the EKG monitors and my life signs beeping away. The album title “Signs of Life” came from that, and is appropriate. Every track on the record represents an important part of my life and it all came together from there. Are any of the songs older ones that were rearranged for this release? Tell us a few things about the recordings. Yes, three of the tracks were re-worked GENOCIDE/HENDRICKSON tunes: “High

Anxiety”, “The X” and “Useful Idiot”. “High Anxiety” deals with my battle with panic/anxiety disorders, which really seemed to rule my life at the time. This has the energy and drive of that Era and I’m very happy with it! “The X| is a love song (not), dedicated to everyone’s ex-wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend... I will let you fill in the gaps. “Useful Idiot” goes way back to the GENOCIDE days but was originally called “Rhonda”; a song about a Catholic nymphomaniac. I was not comfortable with the lyrics at this point in my life, and chose to write new lyrics expressing my complete distain with our narcissistic dictator President, and the clueless automatons that support him; The American left. “The Hydra” was written by my daughter Amy Hendrickson, and is actually a 4 minute acoustic song. I always loved this tune, so Amy was good enough to allow me to create a 10 minute metal opus, and did a fantastic job doing the vocals. Very heavy, colorful track. “Time takes Time” is a look at my daily recovery from alcoholism, and was a personal musical challenge. I wanted to see if I could write a song that was under five minutes, no electric guitar, no guitar solo and fades out at the end. I think I succeeded, and the video turned out very well also. “Wishing you were Here” was a 70s love song by the un-metal band CHICAGO. I always thought it would be a great heavy song, and I wanted to honor Terry Kath in some small way. Very happy I was able to do it. “The Seven Rays” of course is by Todd Rundgren’s “Utopia” and was floating around in my head since I heard it in 1975. A great musical challenge, I took pleasure in attempting to recreate the song in total. The entire record comes in at about 50 minutes, and I am very proud of it. After 27 years I had a lot of trepidation, but happy I can still produce at 53! Although it may be too early to tell (as the CD was released late 2014), what are the reactions? It’s really early to comment on sales, especially with friends and family buying it. I expect sales to be very small. I am very realistic about the music business, and sales are difficult; especially physical CD sales. That is my wish… to sell physical copies. The sound quality of MP3 is terrible and FLAC is a step in the right direction, so the actual CD represents the music best. Of course, vinyl is back and that is wonderful! It sounds phony, but sales are not the reason I do this; if it was I would be crazy. It is a personal challenge and expression because I love it and it is a part of me I’m sharing. If you’re trying to get rich in music in 2014, you might want to reconsider your career path! I am very excited about the play that “Signs of Life” is getting on Spotify, Slacker, Rhapsody, and Yandex. This to me is what it’s about; having people hear the music. This was impossible 20 years ago. What were some of the first bands that initiated you to rock music? My first influences were imbedded by my 3 older brothers. Brian was listening to JETHRO TULL, SANTANA, Bowie and BLACK SABBATH. David introduced me to THE BEATLES, WINGS, BREAD, CHICAGO and Elton John. Dale gave me Frank Zappa, THE DOORS, CREAM, Jean Luc Ponty, LED ZEPPELIN, Robin Trower and FOCUS. One night I heard DEEP PURPLE’s “Highway Star” blasting out of a friend’s room…I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! DEEP PURPLE was the first band that truly inspired me as a guitarist. Ritchie Blackmore was doing things that no one else had done, and with Ian Gillian’s vocals giving us the first real “metal” voice, I was smitten. The mid-seventies brought an explosion of rock music! I was enthralled with Hard Rock and Progressive Rock. Trying to improve my guitar chops, I destroyed countless vinyl records in an effort to learn my favorite riffs. This is how we had to learn guitar back then; no videos, or Star Licks DVD’s. Just scratching that LP to death. I never took a lesson in my life, which is why I have such an odd fingering style. When did you decide to form a band and play your music instead of just listening or even playing cover tunes? 1975 was the first year. My first bands were performing at local schools, church functions, and on my neighbor’s porches or in their back yards. Ritchie Blackmore, Terry Kath, Jan Akkerman, John McLaughlin, Robert Fripp, David Gilmour and Steve Howe were my guitar heroes at that time, and I was obsessed with their individual styles. On July 18, 1975, my life changed forever when I saw YES and Todd Rungren’s Utopia live. YES was supporting their “Relayer” album and it was my introduction to the “Huge Stage Production.” They had lasers, and the giant Roger Dean Crab-things floating around on stage and the fog and lights; I was hypnotized! But the real impact was UTOPIA’s third song in their set which was “The Seven Rays”. This song would be the impetus of my musical future, and would be in my brain for the next 40 years, until I was able to record it for “Signs of Life”. Again, everything changed in 1979 when the first VAN HALEN record was released, and it lit a fire under me, and most guitarists. The approach to guitar playing changed overnight, and the guitar world exploded. Along with VAN HALEN, I was obsessed with bands such as KANSAS, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, KISS, TED NUGENT and RUSH, along with the guitar playing of Neil Giraldo, Roger Fisher, Gary Moore, and Brian May. Was this act GENOCIDE? How did you come up with the name? My bands had various names at that time, and we were playing the bar circuit which meant anywhere from Salt Lake City to Long Beach California. We were opening for touring acts, and I was writing original material but we were playing mostly covers. Most of these groups were three-piece which was rare. I was writing furiously striving for the perfect blend of the progressive rock I loved, and the hard-edged rock that would become heavy metal. SAVOY BROWN’s road manager told me one night to get off my ass and start playing my own songs, or I’d end up in the bars forever. I took that to heart. I finally grew tired of the stupid band names we were using, and the direction we were going musically. I was really into PRIEST and MAIDEN at the time, and no one else in that area was playing heavy rock, so I knew this was the direction for me. In 1980, the band members met after rehearsal. I remember that I had 3 bottles of Chivas Regal and said “we are not leaving this room until we have a new band name, and finish these 3 bottles”. I was listening to “Unleashed in the East” by JUDAS PRIEST at that time and suggested the name GENOCIDE because it sounded so heavy and bad ass. The band loved it, so GENOCIDE officially became our name. A lot of people thought that there was some underlying, insidious political statement being made; that was all bullshit. The name just sounded really cool.

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“Too Long” was released in 1982 from your own label. If I am not mistaken you relocated from Utah to New York to record the album, but also to try and see what you would do there as an aspiring new band, right? We never officially relocated to New York. Our home base was always Salt Lake bands did was record a demo to pass around. If you had the means, some would actually go to Los Angeles to do this, but most recorded in their basement. I was thinking, “I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. How can I be different?” I didn’t want some candy-ass cassette tape. I wanted to do a real album! So I convinced the band members at that time (Ritchie James was now our keyboard player along with Bill Clark on bass, and Bob Sutton on drums) to beg borrow or steal money to make this happen, and we did! But also where do we go? Everybody went to L.A.; I said fuck L.A., we’re going to New York where the real bad-asses are. L.A. at this time was all punk and disco, though VAN HALEN finally did break out that year. I did research on the recording scene in New York, and made a deal with a studio that was owned by FOGHAT’s guitar player. We raised the cash, and in January 1982 went to New York. When we arrived, we went to the studio and found a sheriff’s notice on the door saying the property was closed or condemned; something like that. We were crushed, and I remember some serious discussion in the car about taking the $6,000 we had raised and buying a shitload of cocaine and beer… Just party until we ran out of money! Luckily, I had a backup studio and we contacted them. This was Fred Guarino at Tiki Studios, and he took us in and tailored the record that is still great to listen to today. Fred is a pro and was a Godsend, and I worked with him again last September when we mixed and mastered “Signs of Life” at Tiki Studio’s in New York. So the four of us lived in a motel with a frozen toilet, and recorded GENOCIDE’s “Too Long” in about a week. After we ran out of cash we went back to Salt Lake. I did name the label Genocide Records and still use that moniker today. How did you see the New York scene at the time, despite the short time you spent there? Definitely one of the strongest scenes in the States with bands like TWISTED SISTER, OVERKILL, ANTHRAX, MANOWAR, THE RODS, VIRGIN STEELE and RIOT being the most known over many more upcoming acts. First of all, how do you see the mentioned acts? What were some of the ones you distinguished while being there? We had to borrow a lot of gear to record the album, so Fred hooked us up with his friends in the scene and they helped us out. These guys took us around to experience the New York scene and it was overwhelming! Your right when you say the strongest scene; disco and punk were was starting to fade, and the rock scene was exploding. New York was hard and raw, whereas L.A. was polished and slick. The big acts at the time were TWISTED SISTER still unsigned, ZEBRA, ELIXIR, MAZARIN and the GOOD RATS. RIOT came a little later on I believe, but we had the chance to open for them years later. OVERKILL was across the river in New Jersey and I would have killed to see them. They are one of my favorites today! MANOWAR was always in a league of their own; still are. We played a set with MAZARIN in a club on Long Island which was a trip; 4 Salt Lake white boys getting up on stage with some heavy-hitters was a great experience. How many copies did you print of this LP and where did most interest come from? Did you send any copies to record labels? I suppose yes, so I would be curious to hear what their replies were. We pressed 1000 copies of the LP and actually sold quite a few. We put them in the stores, and nobody knew we were a local band! It really shocked the status quo. The musicians were pissed! You can’t do that! It must be a 4 song demo cassette recorded in a basement! No Fair! (Two other local bands released vinyl records a year later). We sent records and tapes everywhere. Record labels would not accept vinyl, so we sent cassettes to them and never heard a word. So we shipped them all over the west coast, and it really helped to build the following that we needed to get work. There were a few reviews, and independent radio play. The theme seemed to be “music ahead of its time”, but some of the individual performances were criticized. I was often criticized because, GENOCIDE was…me. Guitar, vocals, wrote and arranged all of the songs. Why did I bother with using a band name when it seemed to be all: Gary Hendrickson? This would be a big part of the “Maestro” release years later. Did you feel that the musical style of the “Too Long” LP was getting dated at a time when everyone was pushing for a heavier and faster approach? No, it seemed to be the opposite. It seemed that RUSH and KANSAS were about the heaviest “Prog-rock” around, which isn’t very heavy. (I will not mention STYX). I wanted to combine the Prog and metal elements together, much like a heavier DEEP PURPLE. I remember hearing DREAM THEATER for the first time in the 90s and thought “damn, they sound like GENOCIDE would have if we had kept going.” Plenty of Progressive bands but Progressive metal did not exist and all of the clubs wanted STYX, JOURNEY, ZZ TOP, and maybe some KISS… very lame. I was very proud of that record and what we accomplished. It seemed to be loved or hated, but is still a hyper collectible to this day. Yes, you’re correct in this part, I was thinking of a “comparison” between your LP and the then rising Heavy/ Power Metal scene with METALLICA, ACCEPT, IRON MAIDEN etc. Bands that were getting harder and heavier… It is very strange to think about, but in 1982 there was no internet, no iTunes, no Facebook. We had Circus, Hit Parader, and Creem magazines, and bought records at the record store. Most of the bands that broke in the early eighties like METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and so forth were still unknown to us. It was all word of mouth. We were lucky in that the major tours would cycle through Salt Lake, so we could see these bands, but it was still very underground for metal. TWISTED SISTER and QUIET RIOT broke the rules that year by having “We’re not gonna take it” and “Metal Health” played on am radio which was a big deal. Salt Lake was generally 2 years behind the rest of the country; it still is…

Why there was never a 2nd album from the band? Many feel that “Maestro” was GENOCIDE’s second album, and in a way it was. “Too Long” was officially released in the summer of 1982. It seemed that the band at that time was cursed. After getting back from New York, all of our gear was stolen from our rehearsal loft, and I was having a “Spinal Tap” issue with our bass players. We lost two bass players to vehicle accidents, and Bill Clark disappeared a few years after the release. I just could not seem to hold onto bass players. A stripped down version of GENOCIDE was very successful from 1984 to about 1986 as a full-fledged metal trio. This was a very fun time; we were very aggressive, loud, and sported the leather, spandex, and chains of our heroes. We did a video for “Sunday in Utah” on a skyscraper helipad in downtown Salk Lake for MTV’s Basement Tapes, but never released it because it was so terrible! You can see this video on my YouTube channel. We played originals (that ended up on the HENDRICKSON record), and a nice selection of obscure SAXON, SCORPIONS, LOUDNESS, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and KROKUS covers. Bob Sutton is a true road warrior and stayed with me through all of this. He is an incredible guy, and a drummer that has balls as big a church bells. We just could not seem to sustain this without going in a slightly different direction. GENOCIDE officially was disbanded in 1987 when I took a break, and started thinking about different options. It took 5 years for the release of “Maestro”, this time under your name you with and Bob Sutton the only two members. First of all, why did you relocate to Utah? Was it frustration and disappointment from the NY scene, or something completely different? And why didn’t you continue with the previous band name? GENOCIDE turned out to be a liability in the end. Hair/glam Metal was taking over and our leather and stud approach was pretty much old news. HENDRICKSON basically was a solo record, but had the same energy and hard/fast riffs we were known for. Spandex was traded in for denim and tee shirts. I was having a very difficult time personally. In 1986 I was diagnosed with an acute panic/ anxiety disorder. The problem was, in 1986 no one knew anything about them, so the doctors doped me up with every anti-depressant, benzodiazepine, and MAO inhibitor on the planet. I was a complete mess, and alcohol & cocaine just made it worse. I felt like I was dying, and I was. Reading the liner notes in the album is very depressing to me, to relive that sadness and negativity. But it made for heavy music! The style of this LP was more in line with the current Metal scene and included heavier and faster numbers with great sounding guitars. Was it a choice you made

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before writing songs for “Maestro” or did it come naturally? What about the lyrics; what were some of the themes that you saw fit to put next to your songs? This was the natural progression from the three piece GENOCIDE trio Era. It was a lot more aggressive and powerful. The songs and lyrics mostly were from that time; frustration, anger, and disillusionment with life in general. As with the GENOCIDE record, my lyrics were usually centered on my life experiences, my adolescence, and my childhood. Anyone that grows up in a Mormon family in Utah knows that all we thought about was sex, sex, and more sex. Anything that was forbidden became fodder for a song. “Sunday in Utah” displays this perfectly. “Babette” is a true story about an inflatable sex-doll that one of the road crew caught when David Lee Roth kicked her off the stage at a show in Boise. We patched her up with bicycle patches and took her everywhere. She was our “Ed the Head”! We even tried filling her with helium to float above the drum riser. (This did not work). “Counting on a Fantasy” was also about sex. “The Red is dead” lyrics were written after the Korean Flight was shot down by the Soviets in 1983; it really pissed me off. “Phantoms in The Air” was about losing my two children to divorce who were 3 and 4 at the time, “Don’t Ask Me to Dance” was written for all of the musicians who bust their balls to write music, and perform it giving 100% energy, and some moron on the dance floor is upset because they can’t dance to it! “When Worlds Collide”, “Human on the Run” and “Bent on Self Destruction” were my Epitaph in a way. I was really convinced that I was not going to live much longer; the anxiety/panic attacks and drug and alcohol use were taking their toll. I am glad that did not happen! “Maestro” was another private pressing (1000 copies if the info I have is correct) for you. Does this mean no labels were interested, or maybe you decided to do it on your own to retain as much control as possible? Mostly it was my impatience with the way things were “supposed” to be done. I wanted to play, and get a following, but also express myself in the studio. If you are going to take the time and money to record, why not do it for real? Also you mention control, and yes that’s a big part. Courting record companies is a full time job, and usually a big compromise happens. I just did not wait for the dream, I made the dream. Did you have a distribution company pick up the LP (as many independent bands had managed to do back n the day), or was it just you and a small circle of friends that did the work? It was just us. Finding distribution in the 1980s was just as difficult as getting signed to a label. They would distribute if you had radio play, but you couldn’t get radio play without distribution. Catch-22. So we did all of it through mailing, or giving to friends that would travel, and we would go to the record stores and do a consignment deal. We just wanted it out there. As there is little info on the band after the LP release, please let us know how the following years went for you and the band. Yes, very little information. With the age of the internet, more and more information has come out. I really did not get involved with the internet until 2002, and even then I could find little information about GENOCIDE and HENDRICKSON. The Encyclopedia Metallum and other collector sites have been all over it though. Recently, I have been releasing old videos from the HENDRICKSON Era, and the GENOCIDE video fiasco. There are new videos as well. My website is getting larger every day with information so I hope to keep that current.

Both records you have released are wanted from both fans and collectors. How and when did you become aware of the interest in your music? How did it feel to have people interested in what was just a box or two in your basement? It was incredible! I was first contacted by an American company in the mid 90s, about getting ahold of the GENOCIDE record. I could not believe that this was happening. Then requests from Greece, Germany, and Italy came asking about both of the albums and I did what I could to get these records to them. It was not until probably 2000 that I started seeing the online vinyl places selling these records for a crazy amount of money. I am contacted at least once a month for vinyl, or information about the records. Sweden lately has been all over it, and Russia has a few buyers as well. It is an amazing feeling, and I’m very grateful for all those that love the music. There is bootlegging going on obviously, but in my position that’s very positive; people are listening! There is also a CD version for both albums you did, from Retrospect Records. How was the deal between you made and are you satisfied with the final result? This is an awkward question; I hate to talk shit and they are very nice guys. The relationship with this company can be summed up in one word: strange. They contacted me in 2008 about releasing both records and I agreed. I knew full well that companies like this play on your ego and re-kindle your thoughts of Glory Days, and it worked. But I felt good about it at the time, and had nothing to lose. I wanted all of my proceeds to go to the Make a Wish Foundation which is a great charity that helps terminally ill children receive a wish. I was taken back when I saw that the CD cover of “Maestro” was changed, and every time I asked for a sales update I was avoided. Eventually, they just fell off the radar and I stopped asking. I am disappointed that the charity funds have not been dispersed, but other than that I don’t really care. Understanding that this is just a passion for you, but on the other hand you take this seriously from all aspects that concern your music (recording, packaging, promotion…), what are your future plans? My goal is to re-mix and re-master both early records by 2016 and re-release on vinyl, and CD. The master tapes need to be “baked” and transferred to a digital format, then I will return to Tiki in New York and have them mixed and mastered. I have begun drum tracks on a new record just a few days ago, and am very excited once again to dive into new material, and recreate some of the old GENOCIDE catalog. Also I have been doing video experimentation and hope to release a few videos for “Signs of Life”; I have 2 promotional videos already, but would like to do something real. And finally, at some point I would love to do the new material live; possibly resurrecting GENOCIDE…who knows? The sky is the limit! Gary thanks for everything! Close this extensive and detailed feature any way you like! Greetings from Greece! Thank you again for this great opportunity! I am humbled by the passion in which collectors and metal fans around the world have shown in regard to my music and records. If it was not for you, and fanzines like yours, this would have all disappeared decades ago. METAL! \m/ http://hendricksonyx.com Kostas Kailiazis

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MINDCAGE has been around for many years. In fact, their debut CD, “Encapsulation” was released in 1997, while its’ follow up, “Our own Devices” in 2013… Some may say that they are another band that makes a come-back to jump on the wagon with hopes of getting some of the fans’ and media attention. Well, this is definitely NOT the case. There are two ways to realize it. One is laid out in the following pages with the words of Dietrick Hardwick, guitarist and mastermind of the band. The other is to buy/listen to their albums and especially “Our own Devices”, the ambitious first part of a trilogy that will be completed in the band’s following works. Welcome to the new installment of Steel for an Age. Since MINDCAGE is a relatively unknown band, could you please give is a short bio to begin with and the main line-up changed that have occurred in the 17 (!!!) years since you first appeared in the Metal scene? I joined a group of musicians that went to California to “make it big” in 1986; I forget the name… we changed it many times. But I became the only guitarist in time and main songwriter. In a way, as a single guitarist coming out of a two guitar band... I was forced to find a unique approach to playing both parts in the earlier material. So, that way of thinking in terms of two complex chord voicing and contrary motion, odd intervallic passing tones, etc. cemented my current odd approach to composing on one guitar. The other guys came and went and it was always me regrouping and always me composing all music after 1988 or so. In songwriting, I have to make the bookends of an arrangement and carefully discover the journey in between. I took music very seriously always, whereas others seem to see it as more of a form of recreation. That was frustrating, because it was my medium for artistic expression. I grew up with artists and musicians in my family and the guitar just happened to be my paint brush, or pen. There was one drummer and one bass player who really helped define the sound and style of what became MINDCAGE and were the best chemistry, we kind of found that sound together and so even though they have come in and out of the band, I still credit bassist Brian Howell and drummer Craig Nudo as helping me to create what I now am the vanguard of; the signature sound of MINDCAGE. Was MINDCAGE the name of the band from the beginning? How did you choose it? Is there a meaning behind it? I had changed the name simply because I had been through several record deal offers under earlier names, all of my choosing, and always someone left or there was another problem or argument over a name. And the reason was also because the name always appeared in my life since I read a book as a teenager with the title and it symbolized the idea that we feel trapped or oppressed… but maybe the cage is unlocked.. we just have to open the door to feel the air of freedom in our lungs. This is what I write about, the human condition and its struggles. So the name suits the music, too! So, I made MINDCAGE for that reason. Your first release was the 1997 demo tape; was this recorded to “test” the waters in a studio for yourselves and maybe shop around (what was the feedback if you sent it around)? Was this commercially available and if yes, how many copies did you print and sell? I produced many recordings since I was young. Some were very good. But I was not happy with the outcome of it, usually it was either unfinished or the vocals were not working, it would be embarrassing. Ego can get in the way, we had no third party producer or so to tell anyone their part did not work well. Also, it was harder back then, and some band members really felt performing live was more important. Or to keep writing more songs so we were not bored. I felt we needed

to stop, and get something transfixed we could be proud of. I think in 1995, I trademarked the name MINDCAGE and decided no matter what, we had to have an independent release that was the best it could be, and get it out there. So, this is demo for “Encapsulation” you are referring to. It was only a demo to shop to labels at that time because, again, it was not quite finished. Three years later, in 2000 you release on your own the “Encapsulation” CD, including both songs from the tape. Are those recordings the same and added as bonus songs in addition to the ones you had written/recorded at the time, or entirely new recordings? “Encapsulation” was written very quickly… all from new ideas and not looking back at anything. I just wanted a fresh start for MINDCAGE. But, as I touched on, it was not quite complete from our recording sessions and we ran out of money. A couple of years later I became rather fluent in digital audio recording and editing on a basic level and was able to properly finish up songs like “Outrage” and a few others. It was just the icing on the cake things and a few edits but back in the late 90s we were playing with digital tape formats and just getting familiar with accessible computer based solutions. Rising Sun picked it up in Germany as a distributor, and actually they were very excited and pushed it all over Europe. It was, to our surprise, very well received. I was grateful to them, and glad I pushed to get this done. I was then positive it was necessary to do whatever you must as an independent artist to get your music realized and out there to the world. The band made a comeback 13 (yes, thirteen!!!) years after with “Our own Devices”. I think that the first question is obvious. Why the HUGE time span between those two releases? Did the band break up or was put on hold? In my quest to get music done independently, I had developed some skills which lead to a career in Digital Media Technology. It was an awesome experience, but it was no longer a day job type of situation. It was a very demanding and fast moving career and incredible opportunity. It did become the main focus of my life for many years and it simply was very difficult to find time to be active with a band and record. At the same time, in the US, it had become pointless to me to play live venues around the Bay Area to the same fans and friends. It was frustrating, because I also worked directly with the major record labels with my career and I realized how extremely unlikely particularly in that time period it would be to get signed by a major label. So, the emerging indie market was the only option and it had to be done when there was time to be creative. Unfortunately, it took a decade or more of putting my music secondary to everything before I became very sick about it. I literally had a break-down in my life, where my spirit had reached its lowest point and I had become defeated by alcohol and depression. It was that low point which was the touchstone to realizing music is a very spiritual and powerful thing for the soul… especially for people who must express themselves creatively. It could not be denied or secondary, and it was actually essential for me to live, thrive, and be healthy. So, I emerged out of years of futility into some light and began doing rather than just dreaming. “Our own devices” is released by Kinematic Music, what I understand is a band-owned label/company. Congratulations for the AMAZING work that you have put through in all aspects. Did you try to shop the album to any independent labels before? If yes, were the reactions negative or maybe the conditions weren’t to your liking?

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Kinematic Music was actually not a band owned label at all. We simply had made a Kickstarter campaign to finish our record and were approached by a company called Kinematic Entertainment which is primarily interested in making movies and comic-con events. They liked our concept and were metal fans, but they did not have an established music label. So, I think they viewed us as a creative property that could be developed and our concept could carry over to the graphic novel, screenplay, and other opportunities they loved to do. Unfortunately, if you do not have a very experienced and established position in the music industry today it is very difficult. Ultimately, they supported us very well and produced our video, allowed us to headline their inaugural comic-con event as our debut and did a lot of great things. But were unable to do what is most necessary, which is to get us into a real physical distribution chain and with the right promoters for touring, etc... They were very good to us, but it takes very strong connections, management, and PR to get everything going. They decided that the music industry was not where they wanted to be, and if you look at the state of it, it is perfectly understandable. The industry is still tied to antiquated and archaic business models, and it is suicide for most business professionals without the right inroads and established alliances to try to start up today. It’s been over a year since the CD has been released, so how have the reactions (and sales) been? Both from the press and fans? Did you see that the long break you took “hurt” the band in a sense? The break was fine. The name MINDCAGE is well known, if not from the band then from my participation in the metal community with Perpetual Motion and helping other bands from outside the US become known here. I believe helping others is most important then if and when I can do what I love, I hope the music touches others too. I am not too concerned about the outcome, but sure I hope for success and am dedicated to achieving at least a workable professional career so I can keep creating music. I believe you have to do the work, pay the dues, and incredible willingness to endure the hard road of music. It is amazing to me that bands have success in today’s economy, they work very hard. I am ready to do whatever it takes. These other bands like PAIN OF SALVATION and PRIMAL FEAR and so many who work so hard and do not compromise, they are my heroes to show me it can be done. You cannot buy your way into it or do anything other than work hard and follow your heart and intuition. At least, for true artists who have something that may not agree with the current trend or flavor of the month. We are happy that Michael Wagener was able to make our music more accessible to mainstream with just some refining of our sound. We still retain our sound, it is even more concentrated and potent… so I have learned less is more and we do not play prog for prog’s sake… we want to create art. “Our own devices” is a concept dealing with a dystopic society… A quite interesting subject, so what’s your opinion on the following books that each to its’ own became the cornerstone for this kind of fiction? “1984” by George Orwell, “Brave new World” by Aldus Huxley and the less known “We” by Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin (written in 1927!!!)? Where did you draw inspiration from? Really, do you think that there are twists in this “theme” that haven’t been yet written? It just came out very quickly; I never thought I would write a story or a fiction of any kind. I always thought it would be real subject matter about the human condition, like “Encapsulation”. But I was attracted to the prophetic vision of H.G. Wells and the olde world visceral technology of Tesla and Jules Verne from my youth. I often described the MINDCAGE sound as something like one of these cantankerous contraptions with whirring gears and both patina and rust and gleaming metal. Like in the Myst games from way back. I also wrote all lyrics for my music but I wanted to work on material I had not written lyrics for and trust in my new singer Jeff. So, I had already started thinking of the story around my journey and translating it to fiction. And I thought, it would be interesting for the character to be a woman because, I think women are very powerful and still in society often treated as second class citizens in some cultures. I found out I had a personal connection through my love for Sci Fi to a writer who had, as a kind of tongue in cheek pun, coined the word Steampunk in answer to a journalist… to describe his modern book Infernal Devices. It was just a momentary thing he said in response, thinking about William Gibson’s Cyberpunk genre. Re-imagining the world with Victorian ideals having evolved on alternate power such as steam. Then it hit me, there was a name for what we sound like, what my story was… and so, I thought... well… then maybe this album is Steam-Prog. I, too, am tired of Goth clichés of vampires and the whole mystical dragons and demons stuff. This was new. I sent my ideas about each song from start to finish by text, along with adjectives, lyrics, story, etc. and Jeff would send me back a demo with lyric. We would adjust it and go... there it is! We are making something new, and brilliantly flying along on pure faith. We were in the zone, it all happened very fast. We finished the demo and two months later we were in Nashville with Kinematic at Michael Wagener’s studio.

In 2012, a Maryland based act, BURNING SHADOWS (we have interviewed them in our previous issue) released a similar concept CD based on “Gather, Darkness!” by Fritz Leiber. Do you know this release and band? I am sure you will like them! No, I do not! But I will certainly check them out!! World-class producer Michael Wagener (METALLICA, OZZY, DOKKEN, MEGADETH among others…) is responsible for the final mix. I will not even ask if the final result satisfies you, so how did you decide to work with him? How was working with him? A great learning experience? As I mentioned, I knew Michael from years earlier. And of course, I was a huge fan and it had to be put aside not to bug him with all the questions about his work and ACCEPT, etc... But he was always a very down to earth, very gentle person to talk with. And you wanted to be around him because he exuded that energy of the metal kid inside and at the same time he had incredibly high standards he held everything to. Very detailed but effortless, and it inspired me just to be in his presence. It made me want to aspire to that ideal which was exceptional and meticulous about the work and care in all things… down to even the quality of life things like… one of our favorite shared passions… good sushi. The demos of the music we brought in were recorded well in many aspects but particularly, the drums were recorded with a room sound and lots of mic bleed. So, Michael did have some challenges. But he is simply brilliant and if I told you how much work he does just to make one minor detail, much less fix a whole messy drum mix, I would have to kill you. Or he would kill me for divulging trade secrets. But he basically re-recorded room sounds and glued it all together using his instincts and any anomalies in our demo were handled. We actually had 75% of very workable tracking so, we finished the album by recording some more guitars and solos, and all vocals… and Michael mixed it. It is a dream come true to work with him. Now, we have just done two songs which he recorded from the ground up and produced completely. It is an extension of “Our Own Devices” for a Special Edition. I have written the story as a trilogy, so we do hope to record more with Michael. Whether it is more of this saga or something totally different, he is the MAN. He gets what you are going for and just makes it look easy taking it to unexpected and higher levels. Without wanting to enter “gossip fields”, the combination of the mixing credits, the promotion that the band has and the overall professionalism surrounding the band, make me think that you are either millionaires or simply believe a lot in your band. I admire this, but don’t you think that almost all new bands have a huge disadvantage before even entering the “arena”, this being the state of the scene nowadays, with thousands of new bands, tons of old acts reuniting and the labels (even most of the smaller ones) cashing in any trend they can? (well, this has always been their job, no blame here). If you think about it, don’t you think that despite your efforts, making the next step may be in vain? Well, you are right. There is a glut of bands and it seems unwise to throw money into these things. We had certain advantages. Kinematic certainly supported us, and having some history with Michael Wagener is a great thing. Ultimately, you cannot buy your way into the hearts and minds of the fans. If you have a big, experienced label with a long term roadmap then you have a real advantage. But we have never had that. In light of the last record, and the debut… there is some more notability but maybe it does not amount to much unless you can go out and stay active and be in front of fans, sweat and bleed, and play your hearts out. It shows me that unless you have some great gimmick or luck, it just takes what it takes. So, in that case, we will keep making noise every chance we can and keep playing every chance we can. It reminds me of FATES WARNING; they had so many albums out. Some were very poorly produced, but the music transcended that and they remained true. They still have not realized the success they deserve. Why is that? Who knows the answer? KINGS X is another band. There are probably thousands of great bands we will never hear anything from. So, we do what we whatever we can and stay true to ourselves, and we are grateful if we have anyone who appreciates what we achieve, and support us! One thing that someone quickly notices in MINDCAGE are the great vocals of Jeff Hignite. Would you agree that he shares quite a few common points with the late Michael Grant? (CRESCENT SHIELD, ONWARD among many others…) A friend here in my town kept telling me about Jeff. And he shares many area friends and it is a small metal scene here but always he talked about gear and guitars. We talked on the phone many times about meeting up but I was so busy working on music and I did not want to spend money or be excited about guitars or gear. He sent me some songs and I listened and I thought, yes, it is good… it sounds different than my style which is very purist. It sounded quite processed like a Rockman or so… even the vocals. But the vocals had this quality I had to finally ask Jeff. I said, man… you are a great player and the songs are cool demos, we should jam and maybe do something with twin guitars for fun sometime… but who is your vocalist. He said “Ahh. That’s me. I do what I can, man.” And my jaw dropped. Because he did not seem to think of himself as a vocal force or I totally missed that aspect. I freaked out, because I immediately knew he had a special gift in there… potential… but he had to be willing to have help with it. And he was a very humble, nice guy… and it turns out… brilliant closet guy who simply was as frustrated by the idea of hopelessness in the scene and maybe lacked some confidence or something. When we met it just all evaporated into the aether… we both knew we were on the same page and wanted to write epic music. He has his ideas of how to create and I have mine so there is some creative tension but we struggle with it and great things happen, and that’s the magic. For me, he is the voice I have always searched for, for my music. And I think it will be great to write together specifically to his voice. The potential is enormous for what we can do, but as always… you have to leave it to faith and chance. I do not analyze or contrive or pre cog (excuse the pun, lol..) songwriting. Whatever will be, will be. The promo sheet states MINDCAGE as a progressive Metal band. I am not into labeling every band there is, but you have to admit that it helps some times. In your case I would say that is not so accurate and doesn’t help the band either, since progressive Metal is SO distorted a term for many years now (ever since almost every band decided to copy “Images and Words” and the band that recorded it lost track and never managed to record something even similar to the first two LP’s), that when a progressive metal fan listens to the band will be “disappointed” since your musicianship is not of the “show-off” kind and on the other hand a more “neanderthal” metaller (like us) may not even give the band a chance based on the “progressive” metal tag… Your opinion? My opinion on that is, as a fan of clever music like RUSH and even ACCEPT… more in the realm of tasteful and quirky hooks and riffs, it is always there. I think, whatever I write even the simplest thing will have something quirky. I don’t really set out to write progressive metal. As a musician, of course I am dazzled by the brilliance of prog and admire bands like CIRCUS MAXIMUS and FATES

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WARNING who can do so much with it. I think we are closer to FATES WARNING or QUEENSRYCHE where we just want to embellish our songs. I also studied with some great players who happened to live in my area in California and were neighbors or friends. It was Shrapnel country so Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Steve Smyth, Doug Doppler, Satriani, Tony MacAlpine, Michael Lee Firkins… all these guys were in this small community and I really hit it off with Marty Friedman and spent a lot of time sitting with him on his couch just talking and playing unplugged, I have to say out of anyone he is the guy who took my brain which was stuck in the church modes and boxes and patterns and theory and showed me there are absolutely no limits or rules. No boxes. You can master the rules if you like and then throw out the book. So, when I write or compose… I follow that idea and try to subliminally or through intuition find which ideas “marry” together. It has resulted in a lot of non-formulaic songs and the bass and drummer going crazy because I don’t count it, I feel my way through. But then of course… I ultimately end up having to figure out the time signature. Also, I believe the melodies and lyrics from the vocals are integral to a piece. So I usually wrote around that or with that in mind... the music conveys the idea presented in the lyrics and feel of the melodies. It is crucial. I cannot throw odd bits and bobs around a room at random and be happy; though there is a time and place for that and we will probably try more of that spontaneous chemistry ... there are NO RULES! As for the progressive niche, I think already we don’t satisfy prog purists… we are kind of homeless in terms of genre but thankfully people hear familiar things from our early influences and we have been called Classic Metal with a prog twist, which to me is quite an honor. I don’t really care about this. I called it Steam Prog, kind of tongue in cheek… we may do something completely different next. I think we will always sound like MINDCAGE whatever we do. And because the music tends to get the singer out of a droning key and impose some scales and drama... of course, we get the comparisons to the few bands which play this kind of off-kilter metal like QUEENSRYCHE and FATES WARNING… no matter what singer and how far he is from Geoff Tate I have always heard we sound like QUEENSRYCHE. I love those bands, but honestly I was doing far more progressive stuff when I was 18 long before I heard them and then it was RUSH and IRON MAIDEN. So, people have to draw a comparison. I do the same thing. It just is a pet peeve to know it’s not my first rodeo and I am approaching 50! Sorry, I had to rant a little, hehe… The band hails from Florida, a state that was very important for the US Metal scene throughout the years. How are things there nowadays? Any bands that share the spirit and passion with you that you would like to recommend to us? Do classic Metal bands get the chance to perform in club shows in a frequent basis? Has MINDCAGE shared the stage with any bigger, local or international acts? Decades ago, in earlier incarnations we played with bands like QUIOT RIOT, VICIOUS RUMORS, SAIGON KICK, FATES WARNING, SAVATAGE, even KIX. We were always told great things and we were a marquee act destined for greatness bla bla bla… but we were playing in venues where you have to pay to even play. And we were drunk or high, at least after the show and no idea about being professional. But I always took the music very seriously, it was not a party or to “get chicks”... it was my life’s work and passion, like breathing… I had to compose. Not all others I worked with felt that way, and it was more disposable I suppose for them. Those were great times, I have all the videos. We were on fire, but I cringe when I see it. I want all those videos burned, haha… The hiatus really hit the reset button and I am ready to start paying my real dues with a clear head and good and healthy people around me. In the MINDCAGE incarnation, we played with EVENT and FATES WARNING. That is it thus far. We are starting from square one after a long hiatus. USA had a huge scene back in the 80s, but everything almost stopped in the early 90s and the scene seems to not have recovered yet. Your thoughts and how could it get bigger and better, in a similar way to how it was? There are dedicated fans and supporters of classic Metal, but they seem to be rather scattered across the states… It was very discouraging but maybe meant to be, the industry and the US hair metal and everything with MTV had been drained of all merit. It was just a free for all, to hammer out silly sexual innuendo songs and poof your hair and go do stuff that was not even near on par of cock rock or glitter from the 70s. KISS already stomped on the bands coming out in the late 90s and the real and true talent in metal was pushed into obscurity. So, no big surprise. But this was before the advent of the public use of personal computers and internet. Maybe there was a bulletin board in DOS land or so... but the internet opened things up. If you recall those days, there was a lot of division amongst hard rock and metal fans. You either were a Thrash, Speed, Heavy Metal, LA Glam, or GUNS ‘N’ ROSES person. I played in a cover band just for fun called DR. SAWBONZ in the mid-90s. It was so discouraging to look at the market and touring bands and radio play … but we all got to pick 5 or so songs in this cover band and it was everything that we all thought was dead. AC/DC to THIN LIZZY, to early DEF LEPPARD and JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, the offbeat stuff like FASTWAY and my faves like UFO and RAINBOW; a real muddle. People went apeshit… they came out in droves. All the while everyone was moping about thinking their music was dead but you see, we were more alike than we were different. That set me on an online mission to build a community and take back our damn music from the garage band lo-fi

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reaction to the over-produced LA crap at the last days of metal. The industry had set its sights on Seattle as new mining turf and though college alternative, zeppelin-esque, Neal Young fans, and the very interesting stoner metal of ALICE IN CHAINS had absolutely nothing in common but we were told… hey… that is GRUNGE… and it is the new sheriff in town. It was bullshit, contrived big industry stuff. So, Perpetual Motion was born. I titled it with a progressive sounding name… and subtitles “A Gathering Place for Fans or Powerful, Progressive, and Intelligent Music.” Who knew… people came. People who loved Prog, who loved the new moniker for true metal spearheaded by HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY… Power… and just ... maybe not intelligent, but not completely inane hokey BS. Somewhat intelligently conceived music. Not saying PM or my vision started anything… it had really very little to do with me, someone else was gonna do it. In fact, they already were but, you see, I cut the trolls out and kept it on topic on the passion of music. They called me the Chainsaw, but a small group of bands and fans around the world started there and I have no doubt it had a very prominent role... these fans and bands connecting… in bringing the voice back to the people. The fans actually sponsored and paid to have these great European bands like EVERGREY and PAIN OF SALVATION, as well as our own SYMPHONY X who could hardly gig in their own country… those people through their love of music started something. Today, we see kids with their parents at RUSH and IRON MAIDEN and even the new bands from the past two decades. To sum it up, Metal to me is the Classical music of our time. It has the power of the symphony and the opera and drama and spirit of the great classic works and the ass-kicking abandon of Rock and Roll, and rebellious thing… all in one package. It encompasses things we all relate to, and I certainly didn’t watch Lawrence Welk with my parents… maybe Hee Haw… but kids today who are in their early teens know more words to IRON MAIDEN songs than me. That is a helluva statement. We are living in a great time for Music, and Giants have walked the earth again. I hope it will carry on and has not peaked! It is a very large canvas. Do you try and transfer the atmosphere of the concept on stage when performing live (You seem to dress like this in the CD promo shoot)? Please describe us a MINDCAGE show. Do you play live often? Have you “formed” a core of people that follow the band gig after gig? What about newer fans? The video concept was kind of like we were doing a pirate radio transmission as characters in the story. We do not do this on stage, it would feel ridiculous! We go and play for the fans, and we do not try to be too theatrical. I think, if the band were bigger and we had some huge budget and fanbase who really wanted the experience of the concept of record and were begging for it then we would look at how we could do justice to that without it being hokey. It would be great to create the environment of the dark to light curve of the album, with set and wardrobe changes. It would really have to be successful and done properly. I think TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA can do things like that, and it is awesome! We are not on that playing field… yet! I recently read and by the time the interview sees print will be a reality that you plan on releasing a special edition of “Our own devices”. What are the reasons and differences? Don’t you think that in a way it’s a unfair for the people that bought the initial CD version? I do not think it is too unfair, as the first edition was truly a concept album in the old school sense where it had a very important beginning and end. The new songs and art are meant only to be an extension of the complete Pt. I work for the fans that really want to get deeper into the whole concept. The second, special edition is a digital release with two bonus tracks entirely produced by Michael Wagener from the ground up, which is definitely added value. So, the songs are basically a sequel to the next chapter in the story. What are your future plans? Should we expect a new release soon? Are songs being written/recorded yet? I am writing and producing some other amazing projects, and focusing on building up my studio and label from a business perspective in order to be able to do what I love to do more effectively and without being limited. From AetherWax Music, the next MINDCACE album entitled “Charting the Unseen” in late summer 2015. This is Pt. II in the Earthchime Trilogy. The album is already almost complete in preproduction and is on hold, while I work on another great project of completely different music. It is with singer Chris Salinas (POWER OF OMENS, ZERO HOUR and MINDCRIME), and the band is called SILENT SENTIENT. So, I will be very busy and I hope sincerely that we can make it out on the road with MINDCAGE and SILENT SENTIENT. It is our dearest dream to tour, and we know that Greece is a special place filled with love of metal and prog fans. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope to see you! Thanks for your time; we wish you the best for MINDCAGE and we’re looking forward to the new CD. The last words are yours… Thank you so much for asking very frank questions, and allowing me the time to answer them in the same context, I absolutely loved this interview and to speak from the heart to you and the fans about our journey and plans. Hope to see you! Cheers! http://mindcageofficial.com Kostas Kailiazis

It wasn’t until the last couple of years that another US Metal gem of the late 80s/early 90s was unearthed and was made available on various downloading sites and blogspots. There is a good and bad side to this phenomenon, but for the time being let’s focus to the subject in hand; one of these recordings was the 1991 “… and the Battle begins” MC, by USA/MA band REBELLION. In late 2014 their cassetteLP, their demo, as well as unreleased recordings have been reissued in two great looking CD’s from Cult Metal Classics. I had a great time talking with Chris st. Pierre (keyboards), hope you find the following interview interesting as well. Let the Battle begin!

Hello and welcome to the new volume of Steel for an Age. Recently, your 1991 cassette-LP (“… and the Battle begins”) has been reissued, accompanied with another CD release including the “Does anybody care” EP and the 1991-1993 recordings sessions as bonus, both releases out from Cult Metal Classics. How did this deal come through? Manos Koufakis from Sonic Age Records/Cult Metal Classics discovered my email regarding correspondence about REBELLION and asked me if I would be interested in a re-release of the REBELLION EP “Does anybody care” and the “And The Battle Begins..” LP, as well as the 1993 unreleased sessions and the short lived 2000 reunion, from which the “Dream Again” EP was born from… We have provided Sonic Age with the D.A.T. of our cassette-LP, so that the audio result is the best possible I could provide them with. Are other members involved/interested in this? Rarely are we in contact with each other, for the most part they’ve moved on to other ventures other than music, I do speak with my former bass player and lead guitarist on occasion… No one is opposed to my authority to do a reissue, but sadly they are not interested in participating…. Did you have offers from other labels? Yes, we have, and most offers have been reasonable, and one label that I will leave nameless decided enough material wasn’t available to them for a rerelease. They were looking for a full band participation which as I stated before wouldn’t be possible at this point. Let’s go many years back, when the band started off. How did you come together, what were the founding members and what was some of the early line-up changes (if any) until the recording of “Does anybody care?” demo? The original forming of REBELLION was in a basement in Westport, MA around March 1989 and the members at that inception were Mike (TACO) Moriera (drums), Mike Doyle (rhythm guitar), Guy Walkden (lead guitar) and myself, Chris St. Pierre (keyboards and synths and vocals). Later on Guy Walkden left the band by his own decision prior to the “Does Anybody Care” EP we recruited Greg Andree on 5 string fret-less bass, his brother Eric on lead guitars replacing Guy and the lineup that recorded the first two REBELLION releases was completed with Ed Snow on vocals, also the 93 session with this afore mentioned line up… How was the name REBELLION chosen? Was it your first choice? I already had the name in my mind and it was the first and final choice; I was influenced by

a song from QUEENSRYCHE from the “Rage for Order” LP called “Chemical Youth” and when I heard the chorus (We are Rebellion) I knew I had the name and it remained until the end….. What were your influences, both as individuals and as a collective force? KISS, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, QUEENSRYCHE, MOTLEY CRUE,DOKKEN,DIO, well most of the 80s greats. Especially the Progressive metal scene, I just loved the dynamic changes in music as opposed to just a straight forward rock tune, we all for the most part loved all the same music, more greats like HELLOWEEN,GAMMA RAY, MANOWAR; well I’m sure you get the idea….. Was the Christian message delivered through the lyrics a deliberate choice, or to put it better, was REBELLION a vessel for your ideas or it just felt easier to sing for what you believe(d) in? Even that way, REBELLION’s lyrics shared very few common points with the ones, bands like STRYPER or BARREN CROSS for example had. The Christian aspect was the fans and the industry interpretation, we have tunes that support that regard and I don’t have a problem with it, we also have dark songs as well, in the later years we focused on more positive messages and a more progressive style… Well we are not very much like the bands you mention, but don’t have anything negative to say about their style or message…… As I understand it, Ed Snow’s departure was related to this, so if you could please give us some more info… Ed Snow was always out spoken about his beliefs. None of us had a problem with that; He would sing “Die by the Sword”, “Demons of Darkness”, “Fallen Angel” and also vocally shined on a song such as “Enter the Silence”, a song undoubtedly of faith and hope, which can be interpreted in different ways depending on one’s personal interpretations. Ed did meet a person at his day job that changed his belief in metal and to this day I still don’t understand how he made a quick decision to leave when we all worked so hard to create a following and bring a positive experience to the fans, and our fans were the loudest, most faithful a band could ask for; THANK YOU!!!!! What was the feedback from your first tape, “Does anybody care”? Was it available for sale and if yes, how many copies did you manufacture and sold? Did you send copies to any labels at the time? We initially printed 500 and they sold out in a week. The response was great for the time and taking into consideration the financial restraints in its’ creation… In less than a month we had moved 700 or 800 if I remember correctly. At that point we decided not to manufacture anymore. Right now, I think differently, but back then our priority was creating more originals and concentrating on our live shows, since this is where we were at our best and both we and the fans loved it… As for sending copies to labels, no we didn’t send any, as I, as well as other band members thought that we can do better and wanted to focus on the live shows and creating more originals for future studio ventures. Did you play locally or even in other states at the time to promote its’ music? If yes, can you name some bands and what were the gigs like? Yes, we performed locally and also in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. We performed with some great bands like HAMMERSMYTH, MATHIAS STEELE, XCALIBUR, EMISSARY, SANITARIUM ANGEL and TOUCH, to name just a few. Some clubs we played in, were the famous JRs Fastlane in Providence R.I., Gallery 2, Campus club, Club Baby Head, Confetti’s, also in Providence, The Channel in Boston, MA, Kennedy Park, Club Kurfew, Westport Fair, The Car Palace Witch which ultimately became our home base, so many to list Derringers, Brockton Mass, El n’ G in Connecticut, Faces, Full Moon Saloon etc. Just about everywhere; Escape club in Salisbury, MA, with Nadir D’Priest of the band LONDON from LA. All for the most part were great experiences and we respect all the great bands we jammed with, whether we were opining or headlining. In 1991 you release your ultimate masterpiece and at the same time an amazinf US Power Metal release, the “And the Battle begins…” tape. Tell us a few things about the recordings. The result is heavier and there is a huge improvement in all aspects in this newer recording. It was recorded at Black n’ Blue Studio in New Bedford, MA, engineered and co-produced by Joe Reilly. “And the Battle begins…” main tracks were recorded in 5 days. We did get heavier and more progressive as we evolved into the Metal onslaught that the fans still enjoy to this day and we are grateful for them, we had a collective magic that was rare and our music was continuing to evolve with unanimous agreement on the path we chose, we were like brothers, including our road crew, whom which we are proud of and couldn’t have done the live shows without them, they were very dedicated!!! This was only available as a cassette, so I guess no interest came from labels, right? Was there an option for a CD (most common choice in those days) pressing or was it a budget reason? At that time we were still writing even more new material with our longest standing line-up, Ed, Eric, Chris, Mike, Greg and Taco and as always concentrating on our live shows. At that point we were still not soliciting companies at that point. A CD wasn’t an option again due to budget constraints. Again I think different about this today, I’m older and wiser and am sure if it was now, undoubtedly would have found away to finance more studio time to bring the best product possible. Even if we could have found the means to finance a CD release, I think it turned out as good as it could be, all things considered. “And the Battle begins…” was once more released on Unrecords. Was this your label or maybe a local small label that helped in the printing and distribution? Really, how many copies did you print and sell of this tape? UNrecords and Black n’ Blue studio are one in the same and both owned and operated by Joe Reilly. Manufacturing went to a graphics company in New

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Bedford, MA, called alpha Graphics for the cassette inserts and the audio went to another company for duplication. I’d have to ask Joe Reilly with regard to the numbers printed, as the company subcontracted for the duplications will know better, since we are not precisely sure. My guess would be a few thousand. Again we were still evolving and honing our metal machine and our emphasis was still on the live shows, writing new material. And our fans… Do you think that had this material reached the hands of small or even bigger labels a few years back, it would make a difference? I mean, in 1991 there was almost NO interest in Classic Metal bands as it was either the very extreme stuff and the alternative scene that had the labels’ interest. Yes, if a label executive saw one of our live shows, plus the response from the crowds, were undeniable… In those days we called it the Seattle invasion; that’s all mainstream record companies seemed to be interested in the early 90s…I booked a show at CBGB’s in New York City and Dave Kaplan an A&R representative from CBS Records was interested and was going to make an appearance at that show, sadly our Lead vocalist Ed Snow by his own choosing left the band a week before that show, and I whole heartedly believe a negotiation would have took place subsequent to that show, and deals would have been offered, in those days timing was everything, sadly the show didn’t take place as a result of auditions to find a vocalist comparable to Ed Snow was a monumental task, and didn’t come to fruition….. What were your next steps after the 1991 tape? Did you play more frequently as a result of a stronger, better recorded and distributed release? That was what we always did; rock on and book shows; we loved it, our following grew also as did we musically, we were relentless in booking shows and also continuing creating more originals… Really, how was the rock/metal scene in your area? Any other bands worth mentioning? The amazing HAMMERSMYTH released another killer demo around the same time (“In a dark Dream”), were you familiar with the band? Definitely, as HAMMERSMYTH kicked ass and it was a pleasure to do a show with them at club Club Confetti’s in providence R.I., also with the incredible MATHIAS STEELE on several occasions, an amazing 3-man band. Also SIRATH was another great band, sadly we didn’t do a show with them, but I have great respect for them and Ray Boucher lead vocals and lead guitar, WE didn’t get hit with the Seattle grunge wave in southern New England as severe as the west coast, and in my opinion the demise of the metal industry was in decline as the record companies just starting signing everyone out west in those days, east coast metal was alive and well and there were so many more, but that was a long time ago and at my age I don’t remember everything, so my apologies if I forgot unintentionally some great bands we did shows with….. Massachusetts didn’t have a huge scene back in the 80s, or at least this is what the bands that got their material on vinyl at the time says. What’s your opinion about STEEL ASSASSIN, DRUID, MASS, SPECTRAL INCURSION, TYRUS? Any other bands that made some impact in the 80s? I’d have to look further into those bands you mentioned, but the 80s underground local metal scene in southern Massachusetts was very much alive and well, you can trust me on that one!!! There was a show at least every month from national artist in southern New England, and shows always sold out, great times back then….. Is the “Unreleased recordings 1991-1993” that is “floating” around an official release of the time, or maybe a compilation put together afterwards? Tell us a few things about the songs. The 1993 sessions are my favorite and are available as the “Unreleased Sessions” CD now. We pulled out all the stops in the recording of those sessions; the first 2 songs “Cycle of Life” and “Enter the Silence” were recorded at Fat Trax in Pawtucket, RI, and engineered by Tony Ricci, a graduate from Berklee college of music in Boston and the other 4 were recorded at Triad Recording Complex, formally GPG international in Warwick, RI, a 24track state of the art studio, also operated and owned by Tony Ricci… those sessions were not formally released as the band became dismantled and we thought an official release wasn’t realistic at that time, however copies of the demo was wide spread and shared through our fan base. The original recording date is 1992 and 1993… What led to the band disbanding (or was it just a long hiatus)? When did this happen? Did any of the other members continue playing music (not necessarily Metal) in other projects? What about you? We let REBELLION die early in the winter of 1994. I’m going to leave it at that for now, the way I see it anything is possible. Eric does an acoustic show frequently at Mickey Doyle’s sports pub in Fall River Mass, local sports pub owned and operated by my former rhythm guitarist Mike Doyle and our drummer Mike Moriera, occasionally accompanied by our drummer Taco. As for myself, I still create music every day in my personal Enclave, as it’s in my blood; I just cannot stop creating. It’s who I am. With regard to live performances in the future; again

anything is possible….. Surprisingly enough, there is a 2001 CD release mentioned, “Dream Again”, a 5 song affair. What’s the lineup on this release and what’s the reason for the different approach in the music? Was this a one-off release, maybe to properly record some earlier songs for old times’ sake, or what? Why weren’t you a part of the line-up? Bad blood between you and the other guys at the time? And how come Guy Walkden was back in the band as he wasn’t part of the previous two releases? “Dream Again” for the most part was Eric Andree’s creation and I think he did a great job and it was a short-lived reunion. The line-up on this recording is Eric Andree (lead guitar, vocals and keyboards), Mike Doyle (he handled the bass chores here), Guy Walkden (lead guitar) and Mike Moriera (drums). It was a limited release and very sought after CD, and it is a little different from REBELLION’s other recordings as it is only a small portion of the collective magic REBELLION created previously. Guy Walkden was recruited to fill in Lead guitars so Eric could focus on lead vocals and keyboards I guess this is the reason that these recordings were not a part of the current REBELLION legacy reissue, right? At this time Eric didn’t seem interested in a reissue of the “Dream Again” CD, the original release is very sought after and the lineup at that time did a great job, I was unavailable at that time due to personal issues I was dealing with… Another decade pass and no signs of the band. Does this mean the 2000 reunion (if there was one), wasn’t successful, or at least the way you expected it to be? It was more of a jump on stage, play a few venues, more of a cover band and sadly it seemed the magic wasn’t there. I do enjoy “Dream Again” though, as it shows the diversity of my old partner in crime Eric Andree, the “Dream Again” CD and live shows were successful as to be expected, and once again REBELLION disbanded, as I always think positive with regard to the future, anything is possible regarding another reunion in the future…. Have you kept in touch with the rock/metal scene? Any new bands that you like and follow or some of the heroes of your youth that you occasionally catch up? I’m planning on attending the Monsters of Rock cruise in April 2015 to enjoy some great music and old memories. If it wasn’t for the internet, most probably the band’s name would remain even more obscure and this interview wouldn’t take place, a REBELLION CD wouldn’t see the light of day and so on. How do you see this? Do you think that it would help the band(s) more if it was available then, or the “selection” that the then fan base, labels, magazines, etc (in a word: the SCENE) did was for the most part what was “meant to be”? The advent of the internet is a powerful force for music and I am grateful for the response when REBELLION’s music reached far and wide, most likely and realistically these re-issues might not have seen the light of day, but the dedication of companies such as Sonic age records/Cult Metal Classics, my Gratitude to Manos is well deserved, and also to Steel for an Age Fanzine and you Kostas, my gratitude for keeping this alive, the fans around the world are grateful…. Now that the music will reach some more people (well, not thousands, but…), is there a chance for the band to get back together for a show or two locally and maybe revisit old material and even pen new songs if enough interest is shown? It’s unlikely for a full blown REBELLION get together, as it would have to be the “And the Battle begins…” line-up to consider it, but as I continue to state anything is possible. I have been contacted by several vocalists comparable to Ed Snow for auditions and am considering the venture possibly in the summer of 2015….. Thanks for the chance you gave us and for the music you created Chris. The last words are yours, end this feature any way you like… I would like to thank you Kostas Kailiazis and Steel for an Age Fanzine for a great in depth interview, also Manos Koufakis and Sonic Age Records/Cult metal Classics for keeping this music alive, and most importantly, the fans around the world, my thanks and Gratitude to you all….. PEACE!!!!! Kostas Kailiazis

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Among the hundreds of NWOBHM bands that I have heard, few can compare to Yorkshire’s incredible MENDES PREY. A handful of songs were released over the years, and the band always managed to perfectly meld a clean, classy sound with great hooks, catchy melodies, and just enough metal punch to satisfy. Those interested in hearing MENDES PREY and/or seeing them during their prime can check out some great live footage posted on Youtube by vocalist John ‘Jih’ Seymour. The footage was shot by the BBC during a concert at Leeds University in 1983 and showcases the band performing three of their best numbers (“Red Alert”, “On to the Borderline”, and “Running For you”). Several years ago I contacted Jih and conducted an interview with him, but the project was then put on hold. In December 2014 Jih got back in touch to tell me about the band’s upcoming anthology release. This announcement got us talking again, so Jih and I completed and updated the interview that you are about to read. In it, Jih takes us back through the history of one of the NWOBHM’s finest.

How did the members of MENDES PREY come together? MENDES PREY formed in the late 70s as a covers band and did a handful of local gigs. After several line-up changes in as many months, the band finally settled in to serious rehearsals in 1980 at Castleford Trades and the Labour Club with the following members: Phil Lawn (Guitar), Steve Holt (Guitar), Tony Boulton (Bass), Martin Brough (Drums) and myself, Jih Seymour on vocals. We were all from the same area in Yorkshire and had all played in different bands. It has been reported that, like many NWOBHM bands, MENDES PREY played a lot of cover songs in your early days; what songs did you cover, and what bands inspired you musically? I guess we were all individually inspired by many different bands. I personally listened to a wide range of music from Bob Dylan to PINK FLOYD and BE-BOP DELUXE to LYNYRD SKYNYRD. As a band we were influenced by bands like THIN LIZZY, UFO, WISHBONE ASH and SCORPIONS to name a few. In the early days along with our own originals we covered “Don’t believe a word” and “EMERALD” (THIN LIZZY), “Lights out” (UFO), “Bad Motor Scooter” (MONTROSE), “Helpless” (WISHBONE ASH), “Spirit of Radio” (RUSH), “Radar Love” (GOLDEN EARRING), “Let there be Rock” (AC/DC) and “Fool for your Lovin’”(WHITESNAKE). The band’s first demo was recorded in 1981, but only one song (“What the Hell’s Going On?”) would later be re-recorded for a vinyl release. Were the other demo songs, such as “Take Me ‘Cross the Water” and “Drifting”, similar to the classic MENDES PREY sound, or were you still forging the band’s identity at this point? Our first demo, recorded in Jan 1981 at Woodlands Studio with Neil Ferguson as Engineer, contained 5 songs, “Lone Survivor”, “Take Me ‘Cross the Water”, “Drifting”, “Losin’ Man” and “Don’t Shine” (“What the Hells Going On?” was recorded later). I thought it was a very strong demo. HM disc jocks The Bailey Brothers put “Drifting” at number 1 in their Sounds Heavy Metal Chart in June 1981 and “Take Me ‘Cross the Water” at number 9. Geoff Barton gave the demo a favourable review in one of the earliest editions of Kerrang. I think we had already forged our identity at this point and knew which direction we were going in. I always described our music as Melodic Rock rather than HM. There were plans to record a four track EP in 1982; what songs were to be included? We were actually planning to put 4 of the songs from the first demo out as an EP and call it “Songs of Prey’s”. It would have definitely contained the ballad “Drifting” and the more chunky “Take Me ‘Cross the Water”. The other two were never decided upon as unfortunately the EP didn’t happen. We opted for a single instead. Shame about that! The now classic “On To the Borderline” single was released in late ’82/ early ‘83; what do you remember about the recording process? How many copies were pressed, and how were they distributed?

We found someone who was prepared to fund our first single. We chose “On to the Borderline” as it was short and probably more radio friendly than a lot of our other songs. We recorded it at Fairview Studios in Hull (DEFLEPPARD recorded some early work there) and decided to give John Spence the gig as Producer/Engineer as we had worked with him before. Normally we produced /mixed recordings ourselves. We generally recorded the whole band together and once the drums were right we would go back in and spend time getting guitar sounds and then replace guitar tracks and finally put on the vocals. We only recorded the one track at Fairview as we already had the B-side, “Running for you”, recorded from a previous session at Woodlands Studio, Normanton. The tapes were sent to London to be mastered and then a test vinyl pressing was sent for us to hear. We liked it and initially 1000 copies were pressed. We sold them at gigs and also used a company called Bullet for wider distribution. In those days you actually sold the singles to the distribution company, for a price less than cost, and they sold them at retail value!! The first pressings sold out fairly quickly and we ordered another 2000 making a total of 3000 copies out in the market. You also contributed “What the Hell’s Going On?” to the “Heavy Metal Heroes Volume 2” compilation album around this time. There was talk of recording a single for the Heavy Metal Records label; why did that not work out, and how did the Levis deal materialize? Funnily enough the track almost didn’t make the album! I had missed the deadline given to sign the contract. Paul Birch from HM Records sent me a letter withdrawing the offer as he couldn’t wait any longer. I rang him and said it had been posted the previous day so he withdrew his letter and we appeared on the album. We were never offered a single release with Heavy Metal Records. We would have done one for them if only they had asked! We never received any royalties from them either! The funny thing is the Levi’s sponsorship came from the same song. Mike Alexander, a Rock DJ with Radio Aire in Leeds, was dubbing the tape for airplay on his show when an advertising Manager heard it and asked us if they could use it for a Radio ad for Levi’s jeans. We had a meeting with Levi’s and that’s how it started. At least we had clothes to wear that year! Many NWOBHM fans wonder what the live scene was like at the time with so many talented young bands playing in the UK. Mendes Prey played live extensively in 1982-1983; what were your shows like? Did you draw big crowds? What are some of your best and worst memories from playing live? Did bands typically support one another and attend every local gig? Was there a lot of competition among bands to secure live shows, or were there plenty of venues to play at? In every town or city there were lots of small pubs and clubs offering live music. We got to see many of the bands that were getting mentioned in the music press even in Yorkshire. Bands like WHITE SPIRIT and AXIS were my favourites. We would hire the best sound and lighting rigs we could afford. Our stage backdrop was a huge eagle and guitar, which used to look stunning. None of the venues ever paid the bands much. In fact most would be door takes. If you didn’t pull many people you didn’t get paid much. I think our smallest crowd was around 20 and our largest around 1000! It was a great scene at the time. We got to know many of the other bands; some were really friendly; others were wankers! What songs were typically included in MENDES PREY’s set list during this period? “Lone Survivor”, “Take Me ‘Cross the Water”, “Losin’ Man”, “Drifting”, “Don’t Shine”, “What the Hell’s Going On?”, “On to the Borderline”, “Runnin’ for You”, “Take it or Leave it (white man)”, “Flight to Moscow”, “Red Alert” and “Cry for the World”. You had a keyboardist in the band for a brief stint in 1985; were any live shows done or was any material recorded during this time? Yes Steve Allan rehearsed with us for several months and we recorded around 12 songs with him if my memory serves me right. Unfortunately none have been released to date but we still have the tapes! I don’t think we ever did any live gigs with Steve. He went on to tour with Chris De Burgh! He did contact me recently though which was nice. It’s always god to hear from old band members. 1984-1985 was reportedly a quieter time in the MENDES PREY camp; was this intentional? Did you need a break, have other commitments, etc? During this period I seriously started to learn the skills of Engineering and Producing thanks to Neil Ferguson who owned Woodlands studio. I spent many hours every week working with other bands. MENDES PREY were still writing

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and rehearsing and doing the occasional gig. We ended up writing another 20 or so songs. We were rethinking our direction at this point and the pressure was on for us to be more commercial. We were still a guitar-based band and didn’t want to change that at all. Bassist Tony Boulton is quoted (in Malc Macmillan’s “The NWOBHM Encyclopedia”) as stating that some labels showed interest in the band around this time; which ones? Any thoughts on why an album deal never materialized? A couple of small independent labels did offer us an album deal. I can’t even remember their names after all these years, believe it or not! I do remember we turned them down because we wanted the financial support of a Major label. On reflection we probably should have taken them up on the offer as the big deal never materialized! In 1985 two MENDES PREY songs were included on the “Parkside Steelworks” compilation, featuring bands that worked at Parkside Studio in Leeds. The compilation turned out to be a very limited release; was it originally meant to be such, or were there plans for a wider distribution? Were you familiar with any of the other bands that appeared on the album? We were asked to contribute to the album by Mike Opl who ran Parkside rehearsal studios in Leeds. I agreed on the condition that we opened and closed the album. I must admit I don’t think we knew any of the other bands very well. I remember being disappointed that our songs didn’t sound as good as the master tapes we had given them to use. For some reason they had run the tapes through some EQ unit and stuffed the sound! I am not sure how many copies were pressed or how it was distributed….it still appears on ebay now and then! Around this time (1985-1986) MENDES PREY’s management reportedly steered you in a more mainstream direction, culminating in the release of the “Wonderland” single. What was the band’s reaction to this new direction? The band had got to know Stuart Coxhead from Bullet Promotions in London. He had a fair amount of weight in the industry. He thought we had lots going in our favour as a band but didn’t think we had the single needed to launch an album. He came up with the idea of us recording “Wonderland”. To be honest we were at a low point and desperately needed someone to put their heart and soul into believing in the band. We all listened to the tape and thought it sounded a bit like Springsteen. We weren’t sure that it was “the” song but thought we had nothing to lose at that point!! The single is more commercial-friendly, which is the direction many NWOBHM bands were going in at the time. Do you think it was a mistake to change the band’s direction? If so, do you think the band could have successfully carried on with their archetypical NWOBHM style given that the movement seemed to have run out of steam by this time? Realistically we were changing a little each year, musically. We knew that to survive we had to have some sort of commercial success. We couldn’t survive on live shows. It would have been nice to think that we could have continued making music without thinking of impressing A&R guys at major labels. The reality was we needed a deal with an advance to continue and we didn’t get it. Last question about the single: why was “Wonderland” chosen for inclusion? It’s a good song, but why cover a DEMON song and make it

the A-side of the single? I ask myself the same question occasionally. I was never a DEMON fan. As I said it was chosen for us and it was agreed to be released on Wag Records. Afterwards we too thought some of our songs were better. In a local magazine review the reviewer thought the B side “Can You believe it?” was a better song. I wanted our song “Listen” to be the single but it wasn’t. You helped produce SHERWOOD’s “Riding the Rainbow” EP around this time (1986). Was that before or after MENDES PREY disbanded? Was this a one-time thing, or did you produce other bands as well? I spent the last two years of my time in England working at Woodlands Studio with Neil Ferguson. I was engineering and producing many bands including THE ROSE OF AVALANCHE, GHOSTDANCE, ENGLISH DOGS and many more. I even worked as 2nd Engineer on CHUMBAWAMBA’s first album. I was still with MENDES PREY during this period and we spent many hours rehearsing in the studio. We have at least 20 songs that no one has heard! I must try and get them on to our website one day! Have you kept in touch with the other members over the years? If so, what is everyone up to these days? Yes we have always stayed in touch and are still good friends although I have lost touch with our drummer and can’t seem to find him! Martin Brough or anyone who knows him …Get in Touch! There are lots of great MENDES PREY songs, such as “Lone Survivor” and “Take it or Leave it”, that have never been officially released. Are there any definite plans to reissue any MENDES PREY material? Are there any archival recordings (live shows, unreleased demos, rehearsal sessions, etc) that could be included on such a release? There’s been a steady stream of NWOBHM band anthologies released in recent years, so the fan and label interest is probably there. MENDES PREY have signed a one album deal with Athens based No Remorse Records! After considering dozens of offers from around the world over the past five years the band has finally decided to go with No Remorse Records because of their passion for the genre. An album containing all the classic MENDES PREY songs will be released early next year on vinyl and CD. The album will be called “The Never Ending Road”. All band members would like to finally convey their sincere thanks to all the companies and individuals who have shown interest in releasing MENDES PREY songs and want to express their delight in the forthcoming release. Is there anything you would like to add in closing? We had six great years together. We didn’t make any money but we had the best experiences you could wish for! Playing the original Marquee club in London was very special. Everyone from David Bowie to ZZ TOP had been in the same dressing room which was covered in graffiti…amazing!! One night we spent hours in a private Motel bar with THIN LIZZY as the snow fell heavily outside. You can’t buy those memories! We met so many people up and down the country that would always come to our shows when we were playing nearby. It was hard work but bloody worthwhile! Thanks to all who are, or have been, into our songs. Cheers. www.mendesprey.com Alan Coulson

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Out on

Official reissue of the 1988 US Metal classic for the first time on vinyl, remastered, limited to 500 copies with lyrics, photos and 4-page insert with interview. (Co-released with Steel Legacy Records)

Limited to 330 copies 7” single with a new song from Greek Epic Metal band and a DIO cover on the B-side. (Co-released with Steel Legacy Records)

(March 2011)

(April 2012)

Almost 30 years after its’ original issue (1986), the remaining copies (500) of the original (sleeveless) vinyl were “reissued” in full co-operation with the band in two editions: White cover version (lim. 400) Black cover version (lim. 100 & original pin) Both come with a (silver pressed) CD including a live gig the band did in 1986 with 9 songs (professionally remastered), “Tell me a lie”, a leftover from their only recording session in 1986, 8-page booklet with rare photos, liner notes and the band’s biography and multimedia part with the aforementioned gig in video format.

(February 2014)

(March 2015)

Distribution list available on request ([email protected] )