Metal Moment – Frozen in Time #3 (Metallica 30th Anniversary)
Pic Mathias Nielsen
Typically the “Frozen in Time” series covers old school photos and rare memorabilia, however I thought I would highlight a recent event that took place at the Fillmore in San Francisco. In case you haven’t heard, METALLICA played four special 30th Anniversary shows with a stellar line up of guest musicians. Most notably were original guitarist Lloyd Grant (who was the guitarist on the Metal Massacre compilation), original bassist Ron McGovney (Hetfield’s childhood friend and roomie) and even guitarist Hugh Tanner who had never been on stage together.
Lloyd has never played live with the band, Ron (who was replaced by Cliff B.) hadn’t played with them for 29 years and Hugh was the peep who actually introduced James to Lars.
Jason Newsted was also invited [and showed up] to scream lead vox and thrash the bass on “Whiplash” and others. The main man himself — Dave Mustaine tore the place apart and hopefully buried the hatchet once and for all with the band.
And get this, the above icons (if that weren’t cool enough already) were not the only ones who participated. Here’s a run down of the other guests:
- Bob Rock (of course he had to be invited, and played bass on some St.Anger era music)
- Ozzy
- Geezer Butler
- Mark Osegueda (Death Angel)
- Soul Rebels
- Kid Rock (whatever)
- Lou Reed (shoe in)
- Rob Halford
- John Bush (now you know what it would’ve sounded like)
- Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains)
- Danzig
- Jim Martin (Faith No More)
- Pepper Keenan (Down and Corrosion of Conformity)
- Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- Animal (Anti-Nowhere League)
*Sorry if I missed anybody, I am sure there were many others.
Robert Trujillo was probably the luckiest one of all. Can you imagine being in his shoes and getting to share the stage and jam with those legends?!
I am glad that METALLICA finally removed their head out of the sand and did something worthy for a change. Most of what they did at these shows was amazing! For example they played 77 different songs in the four set lists/nights.
Finally, they acknowledged their roots, their friends, and some their idols. It was reported that Lääz Rockit and Armored Saint were the opening bands even! Talk about a kick-ass “blast from the past.”
The only one missing was the late Cliff Burton, however there was a huge pic of Cliff on the screen at various times throughout the week when some of his friends reminisced and shared stories —I thought it was grand that the band finally played “To Live is To Die” and “Orion.”
Thank you Metallica for this truly amazing retrospective showcase.
Click on any image to view the slide show. Use arrows to navigate
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- Performing the classic “Jump in the Fire”
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- Kirk and James welcome Ron McGovney (org. bassist) onstage
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- Who would’ve thought these two would be onstage together?
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- Osegueda & Newstead rocks “Seek & Destroy”
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- Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) and Jason Newsted
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- Lloyd showing Kirk “how it’s done.”
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- Super rare occurrance for them to be together
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- James with Lloyd Grant!
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- Lars is barely keeping up (sic)
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- Fun and smiles all around!
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- At the climax of the four night live event
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- James double checkin’ those blistering leads!
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- james and dave action shot
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- This is one happy camper! Hugh gets onstage…
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- pre-METALLICA guitarist Hugh Tanner with James
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- Never happened before – prob. never will again!
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- Gettin’ down to some THRASH biz!
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- Reunited and it feels so good…
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- Look at that sh** eating grin
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- James is loving the riffage ala’ Dave!
*All stills created from Mathias Nielsen’s You Tube footage.
David T. Chastain [Unreleased Interview 87']
*from the 80's collection of Demolish
Readers of Demolish know that I often mention how many great bands and or talented musicians who are from the Midwest and are insanely under rated or somehow managed to fly below the mainstream radar. David T. Chastain is no exception.
As a matter of fact, he may be the defacto reigning “king” of underground Metal guitar. Why underground? By choice! You see Dave decided to take things in his own hands and started Leviathan Records (his own indie record label based in Cincinnati) early on in his rather prolific career. In addition to creating + playing some of the best riffs in Metal, he also produces, writes and promotes the material!
I totally respect Dave for doing his own thing and for staying independent. This choice has given him [and the other bands on his roster] the freedom to create as they wish without any major label pressure. It seems he has always valued producing the music he wants over commercial success. Hats off…
My first taste of his guitar virtuosity was on the excellent début studio album called “Mystery of Illusion” released a couple of years ago on Shrapnel Records (Dave can easily hang with any of the other well-known “shredders” on that label —ed).
Although I was very aware of another Midwestern Metal project of his called C.J.S.S. The name “CJSS” comes from the [last] names of the band members: Chastain, Jinkens, Sharp, and Skimmerhorn respectively.
Having seen this band several times live in his hometown, I can certainly vouch for their kick-ass concerts and energetic performances. I would say between his two projects, he practically wrote the book on straight up American “Power” Metal. No gimmicks, no lipstick, no silly stage props, just straight up/well-crafted Metal songs delivered with impeccable musicianship by all members. These gents are the real-deal.
Welcome to the Midwest!
Join us as Demolish Mag. catches up with David as he is set to release his new instrumental project and candidly provides us with this simple, but intimate glimpse of his life.
You are based in Cincinnati, Ohio—is that where you are originally from? Can you tell us when you started playing guitar and or how long have you been playing?
I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia but I live in Cincinnati now. I’ve been playing for about 17 years now.
Did you ever have a “teacher” or take guitar lessons perhaps?
I am totally self-taught.
Some folks have music “in their blood” and were surrounded by music at an early age, did you come from a musical family?
My sister played piano a little, but it’s pretty much a non-musical family otherwise.
What made you want to pick up the guitar and start playing?
I was just drawn to the music and my friends had already started, so it was just the natural thing to do.
When did you play out for the first time, what was that like?
I had only been playing for about a week and we were playing all original material…we were pretty terrible. The place we played told us to quit playing and they would pay us!
Is there any particular musician or guitarist that has influenced your playing or style?
I’ve always enjoyed the guitar playing of Alan Holdsworth.
Who are some current guitar players that you admire?
Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, Tony MacAlpine, Yngwie Malmsteen.
You have two different bands: C.J.S.S. and CHASTAIN, how in the world do you find the time to balance these projects?
Presently, most of my time is playing on the CHASTAIN project. In the past two years I spent most of my time on C.J.S.S. I go with whatever project has put out the latest LP.
What do you like to do in your “spare time”. Do you have any hobbies or anything you like to do? Tell us a bit about your personal life [outside of music] please?
Presently I am single with no time really for even a full-time girlfriend. I am really interested in sports and the daily happenings around the world. I like chess when I get the chance.
It seems many guitar players also play other instruments, do you play anything besides guitar and or have you ever tried?
I also play bass fairly well. I play keyboards and the flute adequately.
Being a “shredder” – do your hands/fingers ever get sore from playing so much?
The only time is when I play bass for long periods of time— such as recording.
When creating your music, how do you go about it as far as the song writing and or approach? Also do you write the music or lyrics first and how does your “mood” affect the writing process if at all?
The music always comes first. After that is created, I “feel” the mood of the song and try to create lyrics that match the mood of the music.
Do you write down your scores or guitar tablature?
No. I record them as I write.
You’re all over the fret board in your songs, is it ever a challenge to come up with new songs/riffs or even solos that you haven’t already played before and how do you avoid playing certain leads more than once since your compositions are so intricate and or “complex”?
It is not that hard to come up with new songs but it is a little more difficult to keep coming up with new solos that are totally fresh! There is no way to not repeat yourself to some degree. There are only so many notes and so many combinations. You just have to watch it as close as possible.
Many guitar players seem to rely on speed and not creativity [which make’s their solos sound very repetitive to me], your style has a lot of feel to it as opposed to just quickness, is speed important and how would you describe your style of playing?
I think feel is very important. I think that I have shown that I can play as fast as anyone but I think I add a little more depth than most. I played some blues when I started off and I think that comes thru with my string bends. I really enjoy a lot of different styles of music and I think that comes thru in my sound.
You have just released your latest solo LP, which is an instrumental album entitled “Instrumental Variations”. Can you tell us about this release and was this something you’ve always wanted to do?
No, originally, this was to be my first release with Mike Varney [Shrapnel Records] about four years ago, but we did “Mystery of Illusion” (85’) instead.
Two of these songs were actually supposed to be on that LP.
You played [and even produced] everything—except the drums tracks, which were handled by Ken Mary correct? Tell us about how you selected Ken for the job.
I think Ken is one of the top drummers in the world! We get along well and we work very well together. We also think along the same lines about most things.
It must be a real challenge to create and all-instrumental LP, are there any specific scales or notes that you like to use for creating certain moods?
Yes, all scales create their own “moods”. Most of my stuff is based around the minor scales (and all their variations), which create a “mystical” sound.
Which do you prefer—creating instrumental projects and or albums that feature vocals?
I enjoy both equally and hope to continue to do both in the future.
Your next release will be from your band C.J.S.S. correct? Can you please tell us more about this LP and how is this release going to be different from earlier C.J.S.S. material?
Actually, we are preparing a new CHASTAIN LP.
C.J.S.S. is “on hold”. The new CHASTAIN will be more vocally oriented. I think Leather is the greatest and I want to showcase her a little more. Also with the release of the instrumental album I don’t feel I have to prove myself with a lot of guitar solos. The LP will still be very heavy but just a bit more Leather and a little less me.
Leather and Dave
Do you have plans of touring to support this album?
The CHASTAIN band toured the U.S. over the summer and fall. We will probably do the same next year.
I’ve heard [or read] that you do not like to tour and prefer to stay at home and work in your own studio…
I enjoy playing but I prefer recording because you can usually get a perfect performance on tape. I don’t like travelling in a tour bus all day long when I could be home practicing and writing. I do enjoy the actual playing but not all the torture that goes with it.
Maybe by playing more live gigs or touring abroad you might be able to broaden your fan base. I am sure there are many fans that might get to see you live who would then pick up the album from that experience or vice versa.
Yes it definitely helps sell records. I try to find a middle ground.
You have a local (Ohio) following, I wonder why you haven’t been snapped up by any larger record labels yet? Obviously you have the talent and with each new release, your audience grows that much more—does that bother you in any way?
I am talking to major labels all the time. I just haven’t seen a deal I can’t refuse. I am doing very well on independents and am doing better than a lot of people on majors.
Plus I have the total freedom to do what I want.
Is it true that you hold the attendance record at Bogart’s (Cincinnati) night club? That must feel good as there are some pretty big bands that also play there.
Yes – we have the top five crowds at Bogart’s. We play there once a month and this has been going on for three years and we still draw very big crowds! It makes us very happy plus we make very good money when we play there, which helps support our other dates.
*check out that live rig!
C.J.S.S. at Bogart’s
Describe a typical live show for someone who has never attended such and do you ever get stage fright before you go on?
I never get stage fright.
We just put on a very high energy show where the music is the most important thing.
What goes through your mind right before you hit the stage?
I just make sure that my road crew has all of my equipment set the way it is supposed to go.
Being the only guitarist in the band, does it ever prove difficult to be able to play the songs live just as they were recorded in the studio, or is that a non-issue for you?
Certain songs can’t be done live the same way as in the studio. I think the live songs have much greater energy. I think solos are usually better on record (at least to me).
Tell us about one of your best-ever shows?
I don’t really have a favorite show. Most Bogart’s shows are enjoyable.
You are considered somewhat of a “guitar hero” overseas, are there any plans to tour there and promote your music?
No, not at present.
David Chastain (Pic Chris Metz)©
Your records are released via Roadrunner Records, hopefully they are behind your projects with regards to promo/press?
Yes, both Roadrunner and Black Dragon are very good.
What’s the main difference between C.J.S.S. and CHASTAIN albums? Is it ever frustrating being a full-time member/founder with two bands?
CHASTAIN is heavier and more mystical sounding, where C.J.S.S is a little more aggressive and commercial. It does get confusing for some people.
How would you decide what route to take if one of the bands were signed by a major label, would you stop one of the acts possibly?
I could live with either CHASTAIN or C.J.S.S. and an instrumental project.
What are some of your favorite songs or compositions?
That is a very difficult question. I like different songs for different reasons. I can’t really give an answer to that question.
What project of yours has been the most successful in terms of sales?
The new instrumental album is the most successful. Every record outsells the previous LP, which is good news.
There was song on your 85’ demo called “The More I Get” that did not make it on any albums. That was a personal favorite, will that ever resurface one day…hopefully?
I think that song is too commercial. I know one record company who love’s that song though. Also Fred Coury [drummer] of Cinderella loves the song.
What’s your definition of a “good” song? What does it need?
Musicality.
Since you produce your own music, would you ever like to produce any other bands or projects in the future? Can you tell us about your progression as a guitarist since your release of “Mystery of Illusion”?
Yes, in 1988 I hope to introduce some other acts.
I think I am a better player now. I can do many more things with the guitar .
Have you ever thought about making a video for a song—if so, in what way would you like to represent the band for fans to be able to understand what your all about?
Basically a live video.
A “real” video is very expensive to make. C.J.S.S. did a very good live video that was supposed to be for sale but it got tied up in litigation.
I’ve been to several of your shows recently and noticed you were playing some B.C. Rich guitars live, do you endorse their products? If so, how are they customized for you or do you play them stock? What other guitars do you play?
I did until recently. I have gone back to my Kramer. I just play that guitar better than any guitar. My B.C. Rich’s were customized to some degree.
Is there any type of advice you could give to younger musicians who are just starting out?
- Learn music theory
- don’t copy anyone else
- Try to create your own songs
For the many guitarists reading [and aspiring guitarists], would you care to divulge info about your pickups, the strings you use and what tremolo system you prefer? What about other gear, such as amps, effects etc.?
- I use DiMarzio pickups and strings.
- I use a Floyd Rose tremolo.
- I also use Marshall cabinets,
- Lab Series amps and many other devices.
Do you use the same equipment in the studio to record with? What about guitar synthesizers, do you think they will ever appear on your future recordings?
Pretty much.
I don’t think so. I play real synths when I have to.
What are your future goals and or what do you see yourself doing in five years?
Only instrumental LP’s and being more involved with the business and production side of the music business. I still will be playing forever!
Thank you for allowing us to interview you – we really appreciate your time. Is there anything else you would like to add or say to the Demolish readers before we go?
Please spread the word on CHASTAIN!!
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David T. Chastain In a Nutshell
*David T. Chastain is a man of little words no doubt. I wanted to bring it to your attention that this was not a live recorded interview. Dave was cool enough to answer these questions via a typewriter! So that is why his answers were very “to the point”.
Demolish fanboy w/Dave (behind Bogart's)
This also shows the integrity of the man. Not very many musicians of his caliber would even speak to an unknown editor at an unknown Metal ‘zine, much less [manually] type answers to over fifty questions!
He has released about 50 recordings under multiple names, including:
David T. Chastain
CJSS
Georgia Blues Dawgs
The Cincinnati Improvisational Group
SPIKE
Zanister
Ruud Cooty and Southern Gentlemen
Chastain
(accompanied by female vocalist Leather Leone)
In more recent years, David has worked as a record producer at his own company, Leviathan Records. His label specializes in discovering and promoting new talents, specializing in guitarists and bands. He also runs Diginet Music, a company specializing in rare, unreleased or out-of-print music.
INTRINSIC- Intrinsic (Vinyl Analysis)
Intrinsic -Intrinsic
(No Wimp/Important)
1. Ahead Of The Game
2. Hit The Streets
3. Compo
4. RIP
5. Possessor
6. No Return
7. Leaving Insane
8. Wasted Life
This is hard-hitting Power/Speed metal, with a definite musical direction that exudes both intelligence and imagination. Deriving a sound that comes from a diverse collection of influences, INTRINSIC’s fate seems well in hand.
Let by the double axe attack of Mike Mellinger and Ron Crawford, the band roars through an accumulation of metal rage. “Possessor” drills the cranium with unrelenting force and laborious guitar work highlights this heavy weight.
*from the collection of Demolish Magazine.
The acoustic intro of “No Return” signals the furious guitar action that follows — Mellinger and Crawford’s guitar workouts are awesome [with subtle hints of Iron Maiden and Attacker present].
Other songs such as “Rip”, “Ahead of the Game”, “Hit the Streets”, and “Wasted Life” show the band’s spellbinding combativeness and is what makes this LP such a necessity! ~Mike Cervantes
*At the time of this review [1988] the band was looking for a suitable replacement for lead vocal duties. Vocalist Garrett Graupner had departed from the band and ex-Metal Church vocalist David Wayne (R.I.P) also departed.
UPDATE:
Looks like the folks @ Retrospect Records reissued this rare LP on CD. *Click here for more info and some audio samples. From Retrospect:
“Finally, after 20 years, for the first time on CD, this is the classic début release by cult U.S. Power Metallers: INTRINSIC. Featuring powerful songs and a killer dual axe attack, Intrinsic combined the sound of NWOBHM with early 80′s American Metal and the results are an album that every fan of 80′s Metal will find themselves head banging to.”
Metal Moment – Frozen in Time Series #1 [80's Metal]
Up next in our new section called “Frozen in Time”, we are proud to bring you some ultra-rare 80′s Metal pic’s from rock photographer Bill Hale (ex- Metal Rendezvous International). Bill is best known for his kick-ass Metallica photo book called The Club Dayz [ECW Press], which we’ve featured extensively here at Demolish HQ.
If you haven’t got your paws on this one and you consider yourself a Metallica fan, then by all means redeem yourself asap and give it a peep. It shows Metallica in their early Bay Area club dayz, and I mean early!
I should also take this time to mention that Bill will have a new photog book on Megadeth out soon entitled: Another Time, A Different Place [MTV Books]“. Best of luck to Bill on the new book and hats off for taking the time to catalog some of the earliest American Metal history. If if wasn’t for folks such as Bill – you would have nothing but a drunken, hazy memory of these bands hangin’ around in those cobwebs.
Early 80′s backstage SLAYER moment
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Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost) @ Keystone 1986 P.Alto, CA.
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A very young Death Angel!
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Running Wild (Germany) Keystone performance in Cali’
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Paul Gilbert (Racer X) 1986 shredding live @ The Stone!
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Heavy MTL Festival – Canada 2011 [Review]
By Jon Asher
While Heavy MTL fest. happened several few weeks ago, the ear-piercing/ ringing of guitars, the battering of drums and anthemic chants from fans are still resonating in my head!
Unfortunately, I was only able to attend [day two] Sunday part of the weekend fest that took place last July 23 – 24th in Canada. Thankfully, my good friend and rock goddess Brandy Rose—the savior of the day, was there to hook me up to experience the fest and check off a few bands from my “bucket list.”
I arrived at around 3pm, enough time to catch Annihilator, which was a great band to kick off my day with. I’m a fan of Annihilator, but not an uber-fan. They played an energetic and crowd engaging set and when they played “King of The Kill” the place went nuts! I stuck around and watched them for a bit but one of my buddies is in a band called Slaves On Dope, who were playing the Budweiser stage at the same time [in replacement of The Sword due to border issues]. I was super stoked to see their set as I missed them the Saturday before unfortunately.
Jason Rockman of SOD [Slaves On Dope] is one hell of a front man and I truly enjoyed his stage presence/attitude of: “fu** you, I’m going to do what I want and let’s all have a good time,” which was clearly evident by the crowd’s reaction and the sick moshing that was going on. The highlight of their set was when they finished with their track “Pushing Me”. They had Drew—the vocalist of local Montreal metallers Averys Descent and Matt Bailie vocalist of The Catalyst [who were also playing HVY MTL that day], join up on stage to bring a triple vocal threat! The crowd went nuts…and when all three of them told the crowd to “separate and get ready for a wall of death”—I ran for cover, as this was one long f***in’ wall of death and the bodies were flying!
Pic by Barbara Pavone
After that “near-death experience”, I decided to chill out until the Anthrax set, which I have to say, was awesome to watch, but a bit disappointing. I think I hyped myself a bit too much for it. Vocalist, Joey Belladonna personally looked like a space cadet on stage and I even caught glimpses of the band trying to get him to chill-out a few times and let him know the songs were done.
The band that I wanted to see the most [and check off my bucket list], was Motörhead! I was so looking forward to seeing them live. I have a few of their albums and I watched the recent Lemmy documentary. I told myself I had to see this influential band before it’s too late.
They say Lemmy is a god, and holy fu** does he live up to this status right from the get go. When Lemmy walked up to the microphone and said: “We’re Motörhead, and we play fu**in’ rock n roll!”…from that moment on—it was nonstop [heavy] head-banging hour. I would love to be able to tell ya’ their exact set list, but things got a bit “hazy” with the high heat and booze! One major high light of their set though, was drummer Mikkey Dee’s ten minute solo. Just incredible!
Pic by Barbara Pavone
After Motorhead’s set, I just wanted to leave the fest—I was good for the rest of the night! But I stuck around as I was kind of curious to see the headliners KISS perform.
I do like some of their tracks, but I’m not that crazy for them. I would like to thank them for giving us 2 hours of comedy and pure “cheesiness.” Obviously it’s time for these old timers to retire perhaps.
Paul Stanley cannot sing anymore and went “off-key” several times and the rest of the band was just boring to watch. I kind of understand now why they have so many pyrotechnics going off around them during the show.
Pic by Barbara Pavone
At the end of the day, I would say that this year’s Heavy MTL 2011 festival was an awesome time, but not my personal favorite. I still think the first one—back in 2008, was the best. One complaint I have about Heavy MTL 2011 is that their usage of three stages was just dumb and greedy. Why pit fans against one other and have bands they want to see playing at the same time(s)? Two stages were fine, but three is just overboard!
LINEUP
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Saturday, Jul 23
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Sunday, Jul 24
Jon Asher is a music publicist at Asher Media Relations in the Montreal, Canada Area. Jon is known for being a regular fixture on the Montreal music scene and founded AMR in September 2007 to aid Indie artists in celebrating their music to the world.
Coming from a musician’s life himself and being a McGill graduate in public relations, Jon had his epiphany. That he would help out the struggling artists and help them gain the attention they need to support their music. Asher’s previous endeavours have included former operator of F.A.M.E (Freedom Artist Management & Entertainment), working at CJAD 800AM as an intern in the promotions department, media relations co-ordinator for the TNC Theatre & recently guest lecturing at McGill University on Music Publicity for the public relations program.
Metal Moment: Frozen in Time #2 [ARTILLERY + METALLICA]
Worth noting: this is the same Danish studio where METALLICA recorded their legendary “Ride the Lightening” and “Master of Puppets” albums. Flemming produced both of those as well.
Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark is a recording studio originally built by Danish engineers Freddy Hansson, Stig Kreutzfeldt, and Flemming Rasmussen in February 1976.
Orig. Metallica recording notes...Frozen in Time since 85'!
*click to enlarge
Here is a cool slideshow gallery from the original hand-written notes from the ”Master of Puppets” session.
Recording started 03 September 1985.
Personally I think some of the riffage on ARTILLERY‘s “Terror Squad” LP from 86′/87′ was just as good as what was on “Ride the Lightning”. They also had a rather unique crunchy guitar “tone” for the time! Their overall sound was much more akin’ to Metal Church in my opinion though.
Official Sweet Silence Studios Website
*We hope you’ve enjoyed this Metal Moment….Frozen in Time series post from 1985!
Brad Moore: Is TASTE the Enemy of Art?
Welcome to the House of the Drawing Master.
What “master” is that you say? The illustrator and cult artist known as Brad Moore. Brad is an artist who cannot be labeled as belonging to any one genre or category. Equal parts painter, illustrator, video artist and comic creator! For a lot of folks, Brad is perhaps best known for his [over two dozen] CD cover paintings for Death/Metal bands.
He is also responsible for reviving the legendary underground comic, Skull for Last Gasp, and has worked alongside such industry legends as Steve Bissette, Tim Vigil, and Everette Hartsoe. No less a cartooning legend than S. Clay Wilson, [who] has called him “a visionary.” Rounding out commissions for TV commercial storyboards, designs for film, and comic art for Legacy of Death, and Wombs and Tombs, Brad continues to work in his studio at the Southernmost tip of the state of Illinois.
Please join us as Kinger unravels the inner workings of Brad’s creativity and sheds some new light on this under ground legend via this very rare/exclusive interview.
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How would you define “art”?
Art is the manifestation, or better still, the externalization of the internal experience (as it filters through the central nervous system) of a super conscious individual. Art can be a theater that takes place in the twilight arena of the mind, part metaphysics, and part reactionary impulse. It’s a decoding of symbols, readable like a well structured sentence, and shared among those who speak that language.
I used to love the quote “Taste is the Enemy of Art” (I cannot remember where that came from), would you agree with this quote?
I believe the quote is from Salvador Dali, and it was something akin to good taste having nothing to do with good art. I’ll have to look that one back up. There’s a great line in the movie “Frida” (about Spanish surrealist painter Frida Kahlo) where Diego Rivera is arguing with another artist (David Alfaro Siqueiros) about how he can’t help it if his patrons have good taste. Siqueiros counters with a line stating the rich pay someone to have good taste for them!! He also implies that it’s all politically motivated, with aesthetic choices taking second place.
Metal art is considered illustration on the level of Dungeons and Dragons art, paperback book covers and the like. The amorphous mass known as “they” have decided that these forms of expression are in bad taste. It’s only because they don’t speak the language, and there’s no political value in skulls and graveyard zombies.
What’s your favorite album cover/artwork?
My hands-down favorite piece is the painting that was chosen by Sixty Watt Shaman, for their album, “Seed of Decades”. The painting was titled “Truncation of the Zodiac”, and it details the three ages of one woman, seeing her life all at once, as we, the viewer, see the universe being infested with insects. That painting is one of my personal triumphs, and most realized efforts, both in technical achievement, and symbolic content. Luckily, it was published by Spitfire Records, so it got a lot of exposure. That’s one painting I really wanted to share!!
Truncation of the Zodiac
Most recently, I completed the artwork for the first and second recordings for Argus (“s/t”, and “Boldly Stride the Doomed”). Those two covers are making an interesting stir, there was even a contest for viewers to create their own back story and mythology connecting the two paintings. The Argus covers have both been extremely satisfying to create.
I also like the cover art I painted for Divine Empire, “Doomed to Inherit”. The title is actually the title I gave to the painting, and the band adopted that title for the recording mainly because, as a co-incidence, the original title for the CD was “Predatory Inheritance”. That cover painting has an interesting visual illusion in it, where various hands and fingers create an imagined visage of a skull.
Who do you think is underrated as an artist?
I really like the work of Arik Roper. I think he could have a bigger audience.
What music are you listening to these days?
I’m really into the east coast Doom scene, so I’m listening to:
- Earthride
- Shrine Builder
- Place of Skulls
- Solace
- [I love] Electric Wizard
- Orange Goblin
- [and old] Cathedral
In Death Metal, I’ve got back into all my old school tapes like:
- Death Angel
- Obituary
- Napalm Death
- Sepultura
- Autopsy
Industrial stuff like:
- Pitch Shifter
- Nausea
- Treponem Pal
But my preferences will always be “gore metal”, like:
- Necrophagia
- Ravenous
- FleshGrind
- Carcass
- Cancer
- Necrotomy
*the list is endless…
What do you think of the “resurgence” [for lack of a better word], of all the 80′s Metal bands? It seems that everyone is coming out of-the-wood-works to release new music and tours etc.?
I’m all about music with vision, skill, and creativity, and a lot of those qualities were found in the music of that era, so I say go for it!!!
I read that your art was exhibited at the GIGER Museum, that’s quite an accomplishment, tell us about that and how that came about?
My work is managed in European countries by The Society for Art of the Imagination, and they contacted H.R. Giger about him curating an international exhibit of surrealistic work, with participants from every continent, once accepted, to be represented. Only two American artists were chosen, and I was one of the two. I’m still amazed by that.
The submissions went through three judging panels, for elimination, before Giger chose the last pieces. I bit my nails through it all, and was amazed that ONE painting( of the dozen I submitted)made the cut. A watercolor, titled “Dwellers in the Horoscope” was chosen for the show, and that piece stayed in Europe for the best part of a year. The exhibit was held in a centuries old castle, in Gruyères, Switzerland, and I’m looking forward to going back, I had an incredible time!!
What’s the scoop on The Society for Art of Imagination? There’s some killer art on their site!
The Society for Art of the Imagination deals exclusively with artists of the surreal and fantastic, and they handle most of my affairs in Europe. They get my artwork into exhibits in London, Switzerland, etc., and protect my interests when I can’t be there. Look up the website, it’s amazing.
You’re considered a legendary “underground artist” by many – what are you more well-known for: being an illustrator for so many Metal bands and or for underground comics perhaps?
It’s odd, but the comix readers don’t always know me for the metal art, but the metal fans all read the gore and horror comix that feature a lot of us “gore” artists, although I’m not strictly a gore-only artist, I never have been. In the 80′s, lots of the thrash and death bands read comic books on the bus and van tours, and I got hired by a bunch of those groups simply because they liked the work they saw in the comix.
Morpheus Descends hired me to do their cover for “Ritual of Infinity” because they had seen my work in Cadaver (a gore/horror comic published by Fathom Press) and there was an ad for that CD on the back cover of the second issue. Cannibal Corpse chose Vince Locke to be their cover painter because of his work in Dead World, so it’s something of a tradition, I suppose. But it’s hard to say which is better known, those worlds all inter-mingle, each shares energy with the other.
I’ll admit, I’m not super familiar with your entire body of work, but I know you’ve achieved some notoriety as a comic book artist while in college. Tell us about that please and where did you attend college.
I went to Southern Illinois University, and actually taught a comic book class there, years later. I was published just before my last year was completed, and I illustrated a Star Trek Convention catalog. The man who created those conventions – Adam Malin, put my work on Michigan Avenue [in Chicago]…my first professional show.
I drew several pages in the notorious comic book, Jeffery Dahmer, Portrait of a Serial Killer, as full-page pin ups. They supplied me with crime scene photos, and his whole, printed confession, to use as inspiration. Bone Yard press didn’t have permission to print actual photos, so I drew them as if they were collages, in black and white. When the publisher was on tour about the controversy about the book, we stayed in the same hotel as Oprah, and had a wild time at conventions that year.
“I will never live long enough to fully realize all the imagery that breeds within my mind.” ~BRAD MOORE
Was this output [as a comic book artist] what enabled you to move into album cover work, T-shirts and or posters?
Yes, as I stated, the musicians were all reading the independent comic books that were coming out at the time. Those books were all very extreme, and offered what the mainstream press couldn’t provide, and metal people want the extreme!! Glad to be of service.
At what point were you able to create a living solely from your creative skills?
Late 80′s or so, it was a gradual process.
It seems as though you have created a huge body of work using various media (i.e. video, film, performance, music + comic strip work). Are there any other methods or mediums that you would like to explore?
I did work on the design and execution of a wall mural, created entirely out of tiles. It was created for a city hall building, and it gave me a great idea for covering and filling space with forms that I immediately started experimenting with (on paper). I came up with a way to lay out wild designs, patterns, that would appear to utilize a great deal of mathematics, but instead, are based upon paper models that help in creating a repeating pattern that appears to go in all directions.
I am fascinated with the pioneering work by Roger Penrose, who worked out a way to fill any space with only two repeating shapes, and that includes corners, rounded areas, and the like. I have copywrited plans that I have repeatedly pitched to record execs, and publishers of all kinds, that would entail multiple points of perspective, light reactive paints and dyes, CD covers that can fold into geometric domes…etc, but so far, no company wants to go to the edge with me.
My current projects include finishing Issue #2 of Sad Iron Meat, a unique, surreal comic book anthology with gore, horror, humor, and style at a maximum. I’m also illustrating two paperback novels, the first is titled “Golddigger”, and it is BLACK humor/sex and lust tales, the other is “Under the Boardwalk – The Horrifying Truth of Makanda”, a pulp-style book that allows me to pick certain areas of the text to break down and morph into comic book style. Also [using] panel to panel illustration (at various junctures), and then returning to the novel format – only to have it happen several more times. It’s something I don’t think has been done in this way before.
I also have a few exhibits coming up in Missouri and Chicago this summer, and I’m working on new paintings as we speak. If you are interested in the Makanda book project, or issue one or two of Sad Iron Meat, look up the Annihilation Press website, and find out more.
Brad Moore – Seer and Seeker
*Art is a language older than literature, cinema, jazz, or ballet. It is a theater that takes place at a spotlit corner in the twilight horizon of the skull. Art, as I have seen and felt it, reflects existence and spirit, as those things themselves are filtered through the central nervous system.
Man began painting on the walls of his cave with the mud on his fingers and the blood of his dinner. I began drawing on brown paper bags from the grocer, with which the dinner was wrapped. Purple crayon was the gateway to the inner world, and I floated above many an entombed continent on that world, landing thus far, on only a few.
After fighting my way through art college and eating modernism three times a day, I found myself illustrating comic books and magazines for a living. This led to my two credos in philosophy; “The media is the gallery of the present”, and, “I’d rather not be a two-headed creature” (a statement about being an illustrator vs a fine artist, let’s forge a fusion!!) To date, my work has been published world-wide up to 300 times, and I have taught/lectured nationwide. My work has always been, and remains today, about the inner life being presented to the outer world. I am from a small, country town, where self-expression and introspection were seen as crimes against nature.
Art, in all it’s forms and media, became and remains the Promethean centerpiece of my existence.
*Bio from A.O.I. website.
Link-Love
CELLOUT – Superstar Prototype (CD)
Review by Kinger
I would like to start this review by sending out my sincere apologies to the band for such a delayed write-up. I received this CD quite some time ago (gee, was this really sent out last January! -ed). I guess an explanation of some sort is in order.
I think everyone knows by now that we are predominantly an 80′s online Metal Mag. But due to the overwhelming support and feedback we’ve received to date, we decided to start covering new Metal under the DEMOLISH A.D. moniker. Well, little did I know that the flood-gates would break wide open and would be instantly bombarded with so much new material that it would make yer’ head spin! Hey – I ain’t complaining here but let it be known that there is a LARGE-ASS queue at the moment. As a matter-of-fact, the “clearing” of said queue is starting right here and now with a kick-ass Swedish band called CELLOUT.
I must confess that when I received their e-mail that I wasn’t that thrilled by the band name and CD title. I know, I know – don’t judge the music from the name and or cover alone. But it just seemed to me that the name would be anti-climactic and might even go against the band in some way for some reason. Not sure why…just being honest here.
Once I got over the name, I gave the guys from their label the green light to send over a promo package [thanks Michael Phelan!], which I promptly received. I am glad some things have changed regarding reviews and modern-day postal service. I know it used to take a month [or more] to get stuff from overseas back in the day.
So this is what happens when a “metal” guy [Percy Mejhagen] who counts Sepultura, Machine Head, Korn and Pantera among his early favorites) gets together with a melodic rock fan + guitarist [Robert Monegrim] to jam?
Upon first listen I wasn’t disappointed at all. It was well-produced and had plenty of hooks and melodic grooves and genuine heaviness! The radio-friendly “Dark Days” was extremely catchy and I found that after multiple spins in the car that I began to reach for this CD (even though I probably had at least 100 more choices sitting right beside it) and this was the 1st track I cued. And let me just state that this is typically NOT what I listen to at all and or how I listen to music, but somehow CELLOUT was able to change my listening habits and break the chain.
Evidently this album has been a long time coming with early demos dating back to early 2000′s and I can imagine for some, that this is just going to be considered a “throwback” from almost a decade ago. Big mistake! Their music is not ground-breaking of course as there are many bands before them treading these same waters, but they just do what they do – and really well I might add. No one can fault them for that. I seriously doubt that they sat down to emulate anyone on purpose although they do sometimes wear their influences proudly on their sleeve(s).
Pic by Tage Rönnqvist
“Personally, I’m a sucker for melodies – The sweeter the better, but with a dirty twist to them.” —Percy Mejhagen
So what genre(s) or style came to mind while jamming to this?
A more melodic PANTERA perhaps. Haters might even call it a “nu-Metal” type recording but this is not really totally “nu Metal (God – I hate that term anyway – ed)” The material is highly commercial yes but the arrangements are not wimpy at all. Some have even went as far as comparing them to NICKELBACK. I am not so sure about that one. It would have to be a much HEAVIER version of the Kroeger bros!
The album, which was actually released last year on Nuerra Records was mixed by veteran producer Ulrich Wild (Seething, Pantera, Deftones, Static-X to name a few), and very heavy and notably detailed throughout. Mr. Wild has been around for a while kids as he was nominated for a Grammy for best engineered non-classical album waaaaay back in 1995 for his work with WHITE ZOMBIE. I am not sure how large the budget was for this project but their sound is certainly “BIG”.
Without going into too many details there were a few moments on a couple of songs where the singer and or band did not quite “pull it off” and these sections could have been left off the CD entirely. Nothing too outrageous or anything, just some average-sounding riffs or lyrics and or uninspired performance aspects. That’s just my personal preference and I am sure there will be someone out there (maybe a chic -ed) who will recall these parts or songs as their personal favorites. It could be that these aren’t really that bad but since the other songs are so much more catchy and or anthem-like that these pale in comparison.
Peep the following video/song for the song “As I Fall”, which kinda’ resembles some older KORN material and then goes into a more melodic structure.
I must also recommend that you give a special listen to this CD with headphones on as you will hear all sorts of ambient noise, cool samples in the background/sound scape, synths, killer background vox shouts and other misc. audio “whatnots” throughout. I dig the electronica elements and I wish they were a bit louder in the mix.
All-in-all this a really solid and promising first effort with excellent musicianship. If you are a fan of this style of Metal in general – then you will love this. I would sure like to hear more from this band in the future. I think as they write more material they will come into their own sound if-you-will. Highly recommended!
CELLOUT
Percy Mejhagen (Vocals/Guitar)
Robert Monegrim (Guitar)
Anders Sevebo (Bass)
Martin Karlsson (Drums)
“Superstar Prototype”
Tracklist
01. Dark Days
02. All My Demons Inside
03. The Gift
04. Flooded
05. Set Things Straight
06. Blow
07. Breathe
08. As I Fall
09. Fake
10. In My Arms
11. The Tragedy In You
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LINKAGE
http://www.facebook.com/CellOutband
http://www.myspace.com/cellout
I.N.C. (Indestructible Noise Command): Thrash Forward With The Visitor
(Indestructible Noise Command)
Band Lineup
Dennis Gergely Bass / Vocals
Tony Fabrizi Guitars
Erik Barath Guitars
Gary Duguay Drums
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Although home to Liege Lord, Obsession & Fates Warning, Connecticut was never known to be home base for that many Metal bands — let alone Thrash Metal. Well, that’s about to change — watch out New York or New Jersey, there’s a deserving young thrash outfit lurking in your shadows and their “command” is Indestructible (pun-intended)!
Please join us as Curt King has a chat with guitarist Erik Barath about all things Thrash and a song about aliens attempting to take over [and destroy] the human race while few rebels come back and kick their ass and save the earth!
DEMOLISH: To start off, can you please give us a brief history of the band.
ERIK BARATH: It started out as me and Dennis Gergely (Vocalist/Bassist) way back in grammar school. We just kinda’ started screwing around ya’ know. We rented some equipment and stuff and started out as a joke! We just jammed out and it started sounding pretty decent, so we played for a couple of years while having numerous drummers come and go. Then we finally found Gary Duguay (Drums) and the three of us sounded pretty cool like that. We had a bunch of singers but they weren’t what we wanted so we asked Dennis if he wanted to sing. He was like : “eh!”, and so he sang a couple of tunes and he sounded like sh** [laughs]! We thought if he really practiced that he would sound pretty decent after a while. He shaped up and he sounded pretty good after all.
We wanted a thicker [real HEAVY] “crunchier” sound, so we got another guitar player in Tony. He completed the band and we’ve been I.N.C — the way we are now, for about four years now. However, we’re looking for a new drummer because we are parting ways with Gary. He’s gonna’ stay until we find a replacement. He’s just not into it anymore and wants to go back to school.
You released your début LP entitled “Razorback” on Giant Records last year [Recorded and mixed at Audio West, West Haven, CT.], while not ground-breaking it certainly includes some fine moments and shows much promise — congrats. Has it done what you expected and what are some of the trials of being a newcomer on the East Coast scene?
ERIK: A lot of stores re-ordered, but the unfortunate thing with a new band like us, is the record stores are kinda’ conservative and they’ll only buy 1-2 copies at a time. They will put it out there and someone will pick it up and say: “this looks interesting” and buy it…then they will order more.
We’ve been doing surprisingly well for the position we’re in [i.e. a “new” band]. Everything was kinda’ slow at first. We could have done better but we didn’t tour.
*Not one of my fav. covers, but hey —don't judge a thrash LP by its cover!
The new material should be on it’s way by now, I received an advanced copy a while ago and was really impressed. The sound is more powerful and slightly heavier and or more “catchy” if-you-will. I guess I would say it’s all-around tighter in all departments.
ERIK: We’ve just released our new LP called “The Visitor” (Giant Records) and it came out really incredible. It blows away “Razorback”! We’ve made a video for the song “Hypo-Dermic Coastline” as well. We got a manager and we’ve also got a booking agency that’s gonna’ set us out on the road. So, I think things will really pick up and this new record is going to do really well.
I am sure you’ve been busy promoting the new material. Has the label locked you in a room yet with unlimited interviews/press scheduled [laughs]?
ERIK: Yes, we’ve done a lot of press lately. I’ve done tons of interviews, plus we were in Kerrang!, Creem and lots of other cool magazines such as Demolish.
What’s your overall impression with the label thus far? They are not really known for indie Metal bands per say are they?
ERIK: As far as promo, I think they are doing as good as any other independent label. They are a fairly new label but they definitely have the right people working for them. The thing with Giant is that we’re the first band that’s not hardcore. It’s kind of like Megaforce starting out with Metallica. All they did was push them because that was the only band they had. We’re the only band that Giant has like us, so we knew they were going to push us if we signed to them because they have no other bands to really worry about except us. If we didn’t sell, they were gonna’ go on. It’s sorta’ like we’re the label — and the label is us!
For those who haven’t heard the new album yet, it kicks ass! It’s certainly a step up in the performance and sound quality aspects. I’ll let you fill in the finer details here Erik — hit it…
ERIK: First of all, the sound is nothing less than incredible! We did it at Pyramid Studios and Rob “Wacko” Hunter produced and engineered it with us. The sound is very, very HEAVY with a big drum sound; the sound is very good.
How does it differ from your début from last year?
ERIK: It’s more technical and original than “Razorback” that’s for sure. Some people said: “you sound like Metallica”, well, this new stuff sounds a lot different from Metallica. It’s very much us. Dennis’ voice is a lot higher now, so he doesn’t sound like a “growler” anymore.
What about the subject matter for the lyrics this time?
ERIK: The songs are more realistic in our lyrics. It’s more about life, things that piss us off, things to laugh at and a couple of science fiction songs! Most of them are just down-to-earth lyrics. The songs aren’t as long now, plus this time the album, cassette and CD will actually be released at the same time.
I understand you pretty much write most of the lyrics and music yourself. Do you get much input from the other band members?
ERIK: Everyone else in the band has problems writing. Dennis writes lyrics but his rhythms are really hardcore. That’s cool, but we’re not hardcore. Everyone in the band has tried writing but it’s just something you’ve got to get the hang of. I’ve got a certain style and we like it a lot, so we want to keep it the way we’re going.
I wrote all the music on “The Visitor” and Dennis wrote a bit more of the lyrics than I did. He wrote like 60% and I wrote 40%. I like to write about things that are happening in life. Like, I’ll read the newspaper and pick the real sh**ty things and express my feelings about it; a couple of my songs are like that. I grew up with horror movies so I probably write about bad things. I just write about things that pop into my head — things that really happen and not fairy tales.
What’s the story behind the new album title – “The Visitor”?
ERIK: That’s one of the science fiction songs. Dennis wrote that one and it’s about aliens taking over and destroying the human race and a few rebels come back and kick their ass and save the earth!
You guys definitely have somewhat of your own thing going on and I would say that you have a style + sound that mixes high-energy riffs with lots of timing changes, which are complimented by slower, unique grinding riffs that could be influenced a bit by bands such as Megadeth, Metallica and more so Anthrax [mosh parts].
What would your description of I.N.C’s music be?
ERIK: I think that’s cool. Everybody’s got so many different opinions – it’s weird. We’re a mix of everything and it reflects on the music we listen too. You basically named a couple of our favorite groups! We also like Exodus and Slayer but we don’t rip them off…I don’t think; but we are influenced by them. I like hardcore music and I like skank and mosh parts too — I think they are cool. I think it’s really heavy when you slow the beat down.
We like to mix the speeds up. Like, we will start playing fast and all-of-a-sudden slow it down. If we’re playing live, all the skinheads would think “ah — this is pretty cool” and they’ll be into it [laughs].
There seems to be some cross-pollenization going on between the hardcore and [thrash/speed] Metal scenes these days. I detect that feel/style in some of your songs — how important is that to you and or is that a conscious decision to merge these styles?
ERIK: Some of us are into hardcore, so we try to get a bit of hardcore influence in it. It also appeals to more people if you mix it up. It get’s boring if you have an album that’s all fast. We’re going our own way. I think our vocalist sounds different to any of Thrash vocalists’. I’m not saying he’s totally original, but you listen to his voice and there are not that many people who sound like that.
You mentioned that you will be touring soon, who are some of the bands that you’ve already played shows with and what are your live shows like? You seem to have fun while onstage VS just standing there like statues.
ERIK: We’ve played with: Exodus, Flotsam & Jetsam, Nuclear Assault, Liege Lord, Post Mortem and Hades. We did shows here and there. We basically played within 500 miles of home — we didn’t go out that far, but we had fun!
Our live show is different and a lot of fun. A lot of Metal bands get up there and look cool but we jump up there in our jeans and thrash a lot. We run around and try to get the crowd really into it. We do moshing onstage and we even had silly string that we sprayed into the crowd. It’s really something you gotta’ see.
I’ll be playing my guitar and Dennis will come up behind me and smash into me and fu** the whole song up [laughing]! We do care, but you also have to have fun. I think people will enjoy our shows. People really get into it if they stage dive and stuff.
Speaking of mosh pits and stage diving — this is a sore topic for some venues or bands these days. Do you mind stage-diving and has anyone gotten hurt at any of your shows?
ERIK: We like the stage diving as long as they know what they are doing and no one gets hurt. No one has got hurt yet. As long as the fans get on stage and jump right off it’s cool. But when they start steppin’ on wires and going all over the stage — it’s bullsh**!
I envision you guys carrying the Thrash torch and blazing the path along with the bands in the “Second Wave of Thrash”. I’d like to wish you the best of luck with everything and I hope to see you on the road. Thanks again for the interview and do you have any last comment(s) you would like to add before we wrap this up?
ERIK: Yeah, to everybody reading this, if you’re not sure what we’re about — basically we’re a Thrash band. If you’re into: Testament, Metallica, Exodus, Anthrax etc. then you’ll probably get into us. So please give us a shot and buy the album!
Agreed and well put – support the Metal underground folks and go out and get their music. ~Curt King
*In order to transport you directly back to the 80′s we will continue to keep the language in the posts “present tense” and left as-is [even though this is 2011].
This interview has never been published and was conducted for the first issue of Demolish in 1988. We hope you enjoyed yet another rare piece of Metal history plucked from our Vaults.
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2011 UPDATE
http://www.myspace.com/incmetal
Now based in New York City, the band is writing and recording a new album (to be mixed by Fredrik Nordström), via the U.K.-based label Rising Records.
INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND:
Erik Barath – Guitar
Tony Fabrizi – Guitar
Dennis Gergely – Vocals
Dennis Leeflang – Drums
Samuel J. Roon- Bass
COLOSSUS – Stockholm Sludge
by Kinger
Niklas Eriksson - Vocal & Guitar | Thomas Norstedt – Drums | David Axman - Bass
Self-described as a “progressive sludge trio”, COLOSSUS have got some decent airplay and recognition in Swedish radio as of late.
The band was also chosen as one of 6 finalist bands to play at the Wacken Metal Battle.
According to the band, they are in the process of releasing their début EP entitled “Spiritual Myiasis”. The first three (EP) tracks are streaming in high-quality mp3 [through Soundcloud player below].
*Names that are commonly mentioned in relation to Colossus are Mastodon, Neurosis, Kyuss and Tool to name a few (in case you need something to align your “influence meter” while listening).
Enjoy the other free downloads as well.
*It’s good to finally see some Metal bands who are down with the Cloud!
Get in touch with this promising trio as their fan base is growing and they’re eager to expand their territory.
Band Links:
http://www.colossus.se
http://www.myspace.com/colossusstockholm
http://www.facebook.com/colossusstockholm
Vintage 80′s HELLOWEEN promo [West Germany]
WARNING: “Everybody who will be writing HELLOWEEN with an “A” or tries to distribute pamphlets with an “A”, will be turned into a pumpkin”! You’ve been forewarned folks…
Original promo cover shot - Metal "pumpkin head"
You gotta’ love the 80′s Metal bands —especially from Europe and beyond. What they lacked in mastery of the English language or lay out skills, they made up for with a strong D.I.Y. work ethic and kick-ass music. This post is case in point. It seems it was the norm for German bands (West Germany in this case) to create and produce their own press kits and or makeshift mini-’zines about their band or music. I liked this idea and it was quite entertaining to read sometimes.
Some of these “pamphlets” as they call them, were like mini newsletters and contained tour news, band photos, and other misc. odds n’ ends. I have one from WARLOCK here that even had adverts from Reebok shoes (ha – must have been the choice of German Metalheads back in the day!).
This particular newsletter/pamphlet was to promote the new (at the time) self-titled début HELLOWEEN (EP), as their excellent full-length “Walls of Jericho” LP wasn’t even recorded yet until later that year [1985].
HELLOWEEN - Back page promo pic
Click to enlarge
*Within this newsletter, you could buy band T-shirts, badges, stickers, autographed photos, and even a poster —all in black & white, simply by using the order form. You could even order their entire recorded output direct on vinyl from them too via this pamphlet.
Being that it was coming from West Germany, I am sure it could have easily taken a month or two to receive back when! No kiddin’ folks, you had to have a bit of patience to be a true Metalhead in the 80′s. I guess that just made you appreciate the music even more when you finally received your package via “snail mail” (they don’t call it that for nuthin’!).
I will re-type the promo text as-is for posterity (not to make of/with):
HELLOWEEN is a four-piece German Power Metal band from Hamburg, with the average age of 21. The origin of the band goes back to 1978 under the name of GENTRY consisting of Kai Hansen (g,voc), Peter Sielck (g,voc) and various often changed drummers and bassmen, with a program including conversion sof Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath as well as own songs, which already expressed the general musical tendency. In June ’78 they won the first award on a festival: The CAN Cup.
In 1980 they renamed themselves in SECOND HELL. Shortly after they took in new and steady members with Markus Grosskopf (bass) and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums). From now on the fou developed a Judas Priest/Iron Maiden-like style. The tracks “Murderer” and “Victim of Fate” composed during that time still fit in to todays HELLOWEEN-concept. Kai and Peter alternatively performed soli because they didn’t care about the typical rhythm lead guitar classification.
In 1982 the name was changed again to IRON FIST and several performances at rock-festivals were joined in by them. Internal group difficulties caused Peter’s departure and led to automatical pause.
After some time lead guitarist Michael Weikath offered Kai to enter his group POWERFOOL. They showed that two extraordinary guitarists matched most well together in their musical feeling yet they more tended to keep to the Heavy Metal-style rather than POWERFOOL‘s Hard Rock. This resulted in POWERFOOL to be resolved and IRON FIST reborn with the membership of Michael, so that from now on the finally line up consists of as follows:
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Original band logo!
This is the real deal, not the fancy colorized modern version…
Within short a new concept revealed, expressed by tracks like “Oernst of Life” (out of the former POWERFOOL -repertoire) and “Metal Invaders” both recorded on the “Death Metal” compilation issued May ’84 by Noise Records, Berlin. Prior to this the group changed their named to HELLOWEEN.
Resonance to these tracks was so overwhelming that HELLOWEEN had a feedback of fan letters from all parts of the world, Sweden, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Italy, UK, Canada and on top of that USA besides of course Germany. Especially “Metal Invaders” was emphasised as a highlight and is meanwhile regarded as to be a classic. Following were gigs in Hamburg-scene places Knust, Sounds and Logo (last one with GRAVE DIGGER), two with MANIA at the Leine Domicil in Hannover at FZB in Schneverdingen. Furthermore a Germany-tour is provided in autumn ’85.
As Noise Records registrated exceptionally positive resonance and believes in the abilities and future of 
HELLOWEEN late ’84 a contract for further productions was concluded. Studio-work began in Jan/Feb ’85 with the 5-track mini LP enclosing “Starlight”, “Murderer”, “Warrior”, “Victim of Fate” and “Cry for Freedom” issued in April ’85. In March ’85 the track “Murderer” was remixed for the Metal Attack Vol.I compilation issued April ’85 with Noise bands exceptionally presented by the German magazine Metal Hammer in collaboration with Noise Records.
There are no studio demos. Only some exercise tapes exist, are, however, not available.
HELLOWEEN‘s stylistic marks are complicated twin-vocal guitar riffs, hymniclike powering sung parts, hunted by aggressive metallic tone sequences which are expressed by Kai and Michael with rasant solo duels and a variety of thundering bass bangs by Markus and violet steamhammer-like drums of Ingo.
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*If you enjoyed reading this post or viewing the rare Metal memorabilia from the 80′s, then please spread the word via true 80′s underground style by forwarding this to any family or friends who may like to read it [27 years later]. You can also sign up to receive post updates via email. Just visit the right hand corner and enter your email. MUYA.
GENITORTURERS: North American Tour 2011
Now this is something I did not expect to see. I accidentally ran into the website for their distro company this morning and was quite surprised to see this. I guess every band is coming out of the wood work and releasing material and touring. Not to sound negative – I think that’s great, but I am just wondering how many peeps out there were anxiously awaiting their “return”…as the site claimed.
I know this infamous band has released some decent material over the years, but I would suspect it’s their live “show” that is the main attraction here —especially since that includes the very fine and bizarrely interesting front woman GEN.
Originating in Orlando, Florida, the band was founded by lead singer Gen while attending pre-med. school. The Genitorturers made their début and progressed in the early 90′s Florida “hardcore” music scene, with other contemporary bands such as Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids (who would also become a success in later years).
According to the band’s official biography, “What emerged would be a band that would go beyond shaking up the house that ‘Mickey’ built and extend to paving the way and breaking ground for performance based music artists thereafter worldwide”. I tend to agree, to some extent.
I know it’s probably been reported to death, but Mr. David Alexander Vincent (aka’ Evil D), who of course is best known as vocalist/bassist for Morbid Angel, is married to GEN and contributes as the bassist for Genitorturers. David also contributed guitar, vocals, keys and programming on the last CD Blackheart Revolution [which is their third full length release]. The new live line up will include new drummer Sean Davidson as well as the addition of guitarist Eric Griffin formerly of Wednesday 13/ Murderdolls & Filip Abbey formerly of Psyclon 9.
“We wanted to make a big rock record …we wanted something that shakes the walls, grabs you by the balls, and scares you a bit in the process!” - GEN
pic Dan Santoni
Someone recently told me that Demolish was officially “blacklisted” on their local public library computers and was blocked from unsuspecting kiddos viewing our material! I thought that was quite funny as I think our online magazine is pretty damn tame compared to what is out there these days. I guess the “stigma of Metal” or anything with true shock value still pervades most authorities and some public educational “systems’ mindsets —even in 2011.
Since we are already (un)officially banned in some parts of the world, I suspect creating a post about the Genitorturers is just going to further solidify their anti-Demolish position and the small town U.S.A. peeps who do not own a computer will not get to see these beautiful photos! What a shame.
I’ve been waiting to post my coveted black n’ white glossies that I received for review back in the day. That press kit sure made an impression when originally viewed for the first time. I mean, who would you rather look at, Ann Boleyn (Hellion), Betsy (Bitch) or GEN?! Doro was a looker but everything was pretty much “P.G.” compared to these fine shots [see below].
Fast-forward to 2011 and Gen & Co. appears to still have all their leather and misc. paraphernalia in order as the their latest North American tour dates are confirmed below! Genitorturers have also announced that Hanzel und Gretyl will be the support band.
Sexxy babes, hugs & plenty of schnitzel smackin’ fun are heading your way, so don your big boots and grab your advance tic’s now!
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“Sexxx U 2 Death” North American Tour
GENITORTURERS
+ special guests Hanzel und Gretyl
Feb 20 San Antonio, TX @ Korova
Feb 21 Dallas, TX @ Trees
Feb 22 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Feb 23 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
Feb 24 Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
Feb 25 San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
Feb 26 Hollywood, CA@ Bar Sinister
Feb 27 Oakland, CA@ Oakland Metro Operahouse
March 1 Portland, OR @ Dante’s
March 2 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
March 3 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
March 4 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
March 5 Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club
March 6 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
March 9 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
March 10 Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
March 11 Toronto, ON @ The Courthouse
March 12 Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall
March 13 Albany, NY @ Bogie’s
March 14 Brooklyn, NY@ Club Europa
March 15 Allentown,PA@ Crocodile Rock
March 18 Atlanta GA @ Masquerade
March 19 Orlando, FL @ Firestone Live
Pic G.Holz
Gen nineteen years ago!
Pic G.Holz
*This is for all the librarians out there!
Stay Connected:
http://www.myspace.com/genitorturers
http://www.twitter.com/genitorturers
LEMMY – The Ace of Blues [slow the pace]
Love this commercial video spot for Kroneberg 1664 beer…Enjoy!
*In case your living under a rock, Motörhead has a new album out [The World is Yours] with several live shows planned. See you there!
The Wörld is Yours – 2011
Pic by Chris Metz
| DATE | LOCATION | VENUE | TICKETS | SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/15/2011 | Minneapolis MN | 1st Ave | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/16/2011 | Milwaukee WI | Rave Ballroom | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/17/2011 | Kansas City MO | Midland Theatre | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/19/2011 | Chicago IL | The Congress Theatre | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/20/2011 | St Louis MO | Pops | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/22/2011 | Grand Rapids MI | Orbit | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/23/2011 | Detroit MI | Royal Oaks | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/25/2011 | Kitchener ONT | Elements | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/26/2011 | Toronto ONT | Koolhouse | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 02/28/2011 | New York NY | Best Buy | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/01/2011 | Boston MA | House of Blues (Avalon) | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/03/2011 | Sayerville NJ | Starland Ballroom | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/04/2011 | Atlantic City NJ | House of Blues | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/05/2011 | Charlotte NC. | Fillmore Charlotte | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/08/2011 | Austin TX | Stubb’s | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/10/2011 | Tempe AZ | Marquee Theatre | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
| 03/11/2011 | Los Angeles CA | Nokia LA Live | Get Tickets | Clutch – Valient Thorr |
The official MOTORHEAD website
70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise Pics [TESTAMENT]
The maiden voyage
What a way to kick off 2011 in METAL style!
If I were to say to you man, I would love to go on a cruise ship for several days and hear nothing but Heavy Metal bands play you would’ve thought I was crazy right? Well, that was before January 24th of this year.
This is definitely in the running for one of the most unusual “Metal Festivals” ever. I mean, what can you compare it to?
It seems as though it was a raging success despite all the naysayers and some early reports from bloggers that were saying that this event was a scam! I read several posts from supposed “hipsters” who thought it was cool to make fun of the idea, talk down about it and generally trash talk throughout 2010. Not quite sure who those peeps were [you know who you are], but I suppose if you are desperate enough then some people will post about anything to try to get some exposure in the blogosphere. It’s funny now that the event proved to be a success, most of the naysayers are retracting their comments and jumping on the bandwagon. Priceless.
As far as we know, this was the only Metal Fest. to be held on a cruise ship —that’s right folks, I said cruise ship, which set sail from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on January 24 and returned four days later. Hopefully there will be another in 2012 as I know a lot of peeps out there took a snooze on this first round.
I love their tagline:
“The World’s Biggest Floating Heavy Metal Festival”
Although the ship departed from Florida (U.S.A.) it was indeed an international Metal event as fans flew in from all over the world to attend. *I surely hope that some U.S. promoters will get wind of this killer event and see that the [virtual] “stigma” that seems to still be associated with Metal events here in the states is exaggerated and pointless. Wake the fu** up, it’s time for us to start organizing more similar events just like our European brethren manage to do successfully each year.
Who is that stranded band member?
Another cool thing about this event was that the normal boundaries between bands and fans was non-existent. Heavy Metal fans were able to wine + dine and mingle in the same areas and basically hang out together all over the ship! I am sure there will be some amazing pic’s floating around as it was quite easy to get front + center and or score some quality face time with your favorite bands. So this was a dream come true for the some 2,000 Metal fans who attended.
4-days – 40 bands!
- AGENT STEEL
- AMON AMARTH
- BLACKGUARD
- BLIND GUARDIAN
- CIRCLE II CIRCLE
- CRIPPER
- DARK TRANQUILLITY
- DEATH ANGEL
- DUSKMACHINE
- ENSIFERUM
- EPICA
- EXODUS
- FEAR FACTORY
- FINNTROLL
- FORBIDDEN
- GAMMA RAY
- ICED EARTH
- KORPIKLAANI
- MARDUK
- MOONSPELL
- NEVERMORE
- OBITUARY
- RAGE
- RAVEN
- ULI JON ROTH
- SABATON
- SANCTUARY
- SAXON
- SODOM
- SONATA ARCTICA
- SWASHBUCKLE
- TESTAMENT
- THE ABSENCE
- TROUBLE
- TWILIGHT OF THE GODS
- TÝR
- UNLEASHED
- VOIVOD
- WITCHBURNER
That’s an impressive list of bands there.
Kudos to Andy Piller (who’s actually from Canada) for coming up with this idea and for having the balls to go out on a [major] limb and make it all happen. I am sure there were some incredible risks involved to take on such an event.
Lenny Rutledge - Pic Andrei Tokarev
I am keeping my fingers crossed that there were pro film crews aboard who documented this monumental happening. So far, I’ve seen some great photos being posted, but no high quality video footage [not-to-mention audio] of the shows.
An all-access DVD would be wildly popular for most of us who were not able to attend. I’m sure there is more than enough crazy footage to fill up a 2nd DVD with “extras”! I’ve seen my fair share of “hotties” that were running around in bikinis as well.
I was really happy to see that SANCTUARY pulled it together and played a “reunion” show. I’ve been anxiously awaiting their return. They were a very talented band who did not get their due in the 80′s IMO. We will be posting a special photo slide show gallery from them in a separate post.
It was great to see some other legendary old dog favorites of mine represented, from VOI VOD to SAXON and even ULI JON ROTH.
It was a rare feat to see German bands such as SODOM and RAGE on these shores as well. And AGENT STEEL back together playing live in 2011? Who would’ve thought.
Extra respect goes out to heavyweights: DEATH ANGEL, TROUBLE, FORBIDDEN, EXODUS and last but not least TESTAMENT, for their continued lifetime Metal legacy. The band was to play two very unique shows while on board. At the first show they proved their “Thrash legacy” by playing The Legacy album in its entirety; at the second show they performed The New Order album in full!
Many folks told me I would “grow out” of Thrash Metal or Metal in general, but at 43 I still enjoy each and every one of these bands as much as the first time I heard them.
Thrash or Power Metal riffs will never die or fade away —at least not in my head!
Enough of my rambling, enjoy the excellent TESTAMENT photo slide show from the cruise! - Kinger \m/
*Special thanks to Andrei Tokarev for the amazing pics (that’s him in the last fan photo) .
If this post got your Metal horns up, then please re-Tweet this below or spread among like-minded Metalheads.
Kinger interviews J.Bennett (Decibel Magazine)
Guinness + Metal Rocks!
As we move into 2011 and settle back into our old habits [yes, we know most of your "new years resolutions" have probably failed miserably by now unfortunately] and so we begin our normal routines yet again. However, what we have lined up for you is far from routine. We are still posting mega-rare 80′s Metal articles and interviews from the Demolish vaults, however, after much encouragement + support we have decided to resurrect the ‘zine and cover some current material as well. The latest propaganda will reside in the aptly titled DEMOLISH A.D. section.
To kick off the premiere article for this freshly minted department we are happy to bring you a kick-ass exclusive interview with none other than the ubiquitous music journalist and musician J.Bennett. We had hoped to bust this out last August, but father time pushed the fast-forward button on us and somehow five months have miraculously rolled past! With that being said, here’s to 2011.
Before we get out of the gates with this one, I must admit that I am not an avid reader of DECIBEL Magazine. As a matter of fact, up until a couple of years ago, I had only nonchalantly skimmed through a few issues while visiting a [Metalhead] buddies house around two years ago. After gulping several Guinness [while listening to Artillery's "When Death Comes" for the better part of an hour], I noticed his stack of magazines close by and decided to see what the latest crop of Metal rags were all about.
Upon closer inspection, I realized how much of a short attention span peeps must have these days as the reviews seemed to be very short and contained mini-blasts of info and or just a quickie summary about the band. After reading a few more items, I must admit that I still had no idea what some of the bands actually sounded like! Moving forward, I was steadily bombarded with many descriptive genre tags and even more sub genre labels. For some reason, the voice in my head told me that since Metal’s seemingly great comeback was so strong, I assumed the scene and or “industry” if-you-will must have solidified somehow and or became a cohesive powerhouse. Not so…
What I realized was that contrary to popular belief, “Metal” really never went anywhere, it had simply morphed and splintered off into countless sub genres of what Decibel Mag. was calling “extreme” music -yikes, yet another “genre”? Maybe this was the GRAND “Metal” label of all and every other form of “Metal music” now resides under that expanding umbrella —or at least within the last decade [or to be more precise, it was 7 years ago, when Decibel published their first issue]. In any case, kudos to all @ Decibel for putting out such a quality publication for the Metal fans. It’s about time an American company tries to take on the many European Metal counterparts!
What immediately got my attention was the first-rate print job and excellent illustrations of artist Bruno Guerreiro. This dude’s got skillz! After Bruno’s art caught my eye, I started to hone in on the actual article(s) themselves —it seems like the ones that resonated with me the most were usually written by the one named J. Bennett. BTW if you are wondering —his name isn’t Jay. “J” is actually short for something else. It turns out that “J” is one of their main contributors (certainly among their best writers IMO) and we are always down to support and promote such peeps who are doing something positive in the Metal community.
Mr. Bennett is certainly a busy-beaver as he contributes to Revolver, Alternative Press (mostly movie reviews/stuff there), MySpace.com, Thrasher and most notably Decibel. However J is normally on the other side of the table, meaning, he is usually the one asking the questions, doing band interviews or writing the reviews!
Please join us as we pick his brain about all things Metal, his life and anything else that we can think of that you might not know about him already.
KINGER: How in the world do you find the time to write for Revolver, Decibel, Thrasher and Self-Titled mag.?
J.BENNETT: Excellent question. I usually find it under rocks or buried in haystacks in remote foreign lands, which is a time-consuming process in and of itself. Which then requires me to find even more time. It’s a vicious circle. Seriously, though? Amphetamines.
J. Bennett - pic Sera Timms
K: Which of these outlets do you enjoy contributing to the most and what is the common thread among these choices [if any] and how did you narrow your choices to these four publications?
J: I suspect I’ll get fired by at least three or four magazines if I answer the first part of this question honestly, so I’m gonna go with Field & Stream. Mostly because they never hassle me about all the nonexistent deadlines they never give me. The common thread among the others is that they all probably wish they’d hired someone else. For some reason, I didn’t narrow it down to four, though. I also contribute to Alternative Press and Terrorizer. They also probably wish they’d made a better choice!
K: How did you get started writing about Metal?
J: I was young and didn’t know any better. Some teenagers experiment with drugs or alcohol; I experimented with drugs and alcohol and writing about heavy metal. My first assignment – unpaid, of course – was for a local Boston rock rag called The Noise. I think it’s actually still around. I reviewed a live show at the Middle East Club in Cambridge. I think the lineup was Big Wig (a rock band with a rapper), Cast Iron Hike (featuring future members of ISIS and Doomriders) and Orange 9mm. Then again, it could have been something else entirely.
K: I hear that you have some ‘zine publishing experience —back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, tell us about your old ‘zine Hexbender.
J: I published four issues between 1998 and early 1999 – a thousand copies each, I think. My brother from another mother, Keith Bennett, was my right-hand man and the house expert on all things extreme (he currently plays in the totally righteous PanzerBastard). We actually managed to land some respectable interview subjects even though we didn’t really know what we were doing: Queens Of The Stone Age on their first tour, Emperor, Arch Enemy (Johan Liiva era), Clearlight (Jimmy Bower from Eyehategod’s short-lived side project), John Garcia (pre-Unida), In Flames when they were still good, etc.
My friend Ironlung (of Scissorfight fame) wrote a column for every issue entitled “Ironlung’s Wild America.” One was about Bigfoot smoking weed. My favorite line claimed that Sasquatch liked to “get higher than Bill Walton and Robert Parish at Reggae Sunsplash.”
K: I found out about your writing mainly from the excellent Precious Metal book (also via some reg. Decibel issues). It appears that you wrote more than half of the pieces in that book, tell us how that came about and what bands you covered? Have you ever thought of writing your own book?
J: Precious Metal was the brainchild of Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian. It’s sort of a greatest hits compilation of the “Hall Of Fame” features that run in every issue of the mag. For each “Hall Of Fame” piece, someone at the magazine interviews all the members of a band that recorded an album we consider to be a classic.
The finished book includes 25 “Hall Of Fame” features, 14 of which were written by me – including Slayer’s Reign In Blood, Celtic Frost’s Morbid Tales, Kyuss’ Sky Valley, Sleep’s Jerusalem, Morbid Angel’s Altars Of Madness, Emperor’s In The Nightside Eclipse, At The Gates’ Slaughter Of The Soul and others.
As for the second part of the question, I’ve given a lot of thought to writing a book of my own. But I don’t wanna jinx it by running my mouth too much. I will say this, though: When and if it happens, it will not be music-related in any way.
K: I’ve noticed that your Decibel columns are posted on your Cry Now, Cry Later blog. Please tell us about this blog and what is the target audience?
J: The Cry Now, Cry Later blog is really just an archive for my Decibel columns of the same name. I usually post them after each new issue comes off the stands, but I think I’ve fallen behind by a month or two. The only thing I can really tell you about the target audience is that it’s apparently very, very small. I just checked, and I have a grand total of 15 followers. Obviously, I’ve hit the big time with this thing.
K: You mentioned that you are also working for Alternative Press online doing [primarily] movie reviews —how do you like doing that compared to the Metal material?
J: Writing about movies (after writing about metal most of the week) is like jumping naked into Boston Harbor in January after jogging barefoot across a mile of hot coals. It stings a lot and you’ll probably get an infection from all the sewage, but your pores will be less clogged in the long run.
“My review of Piranha 3D has already been called “the most pretentious movie review I’ve ever read” by some kid from Michigan with a sideways haircut.” – J. Bennett
K: Are you able to make a living from your writing or do you still have a day job perhaps? Walk us through a typical day for you!
J: Writing has paid my bills —barely, for the last 11 years. Mercifully, I’ve been able to avoid the miserable slave pit that passes for our country’s once-thriving service economy for at least that long. We’ll see how much longer it lasts. A typical day usually involves at least one interview, endless hours of soul-murdering transcription, and the occasional stab at stringing together some gibberish for my editors to publish somewhere. Rinse (drown sorrows in alcohol), wash (edit, spell-check), repeat.
K: Tell us the 411 about your music project, IDES OF GEMINI. What is your role in the band and/or what instrument(s) do you play?
J: Ides Of Gemini essentially started in December of 2009, when I pieced together some songs on the guitar in 
hopes of conning my girlfriend, Sera Timms, into writing some lyrics and singing (she sings and plays bass in a fantastic band called Black Math Horseman). She totally fell for it, so then I suckered her into starting a band with me. Two months ago, we released our debut EP, The Disruption Writ.
K: What genres of Metal and or other musical styles [ in general] do you prefer to listen too?
J: I enjoy most genres of music, with the possible exception of techno, but I tend to gravitate most toward various forms of Metal, rock, pop and soul. I have a huge soft spot for ’70s and ’80s music – everything from early glam like T. Rex, Slade and Bowie to cock rock, pop and new-wave. On the other ends of the spectrum, I love Ravi Shankar, Boards Of Canada, Gladys Knight and Thai pop from the ’60s and ’70s.
K: What’s your Top 5 Metal releases?
J: I’m not sure I could narrow it down to just five, but my top handful would absolutely include:
- Diamond Head’s Lightning To The Nations
- Metallica’s …And Justice For All
- Black Sabbath’s Vol. 4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
- Judas Priest’s British Steel
- Danzig’s self-titled
- Celtic Frost’s Morbid Tales
- Slayer’s Seasons In The Abyss
- Kyuss’ Sky Valley (if that could be considered Metal)
- Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades
- Burzum’s Filosofem
- Immortal’s At The Heart Of Winter
- Darkthrone’s Transilvanian Hunger
- Life Of Agony’s River Runs Red
- Only Living Witness’ Prone Mortal Form
Art ©Bruno Guerreiro -Decibel
K: Since you listed METALLICA near the top —Metallica or Megadeth?
J: Metallica. Their first five albums are varying degrees of unstoppable. Much to the chagrin of almost every metal fan I know, my favorite is …And Justice For All… I’m also not one of those people who think the Black Album is crap. But in defense of Dave Mustaine, I will say that Megadeth’s “Holy Wars… Punishment Due,” “Hangar 18,” and “Peace Sells” are three of the greatest metal songs ever written (“Angry Again,” from the Last Action Hero soundtrack, is also a personal favorite.) And I’ve been listening to Countdown To Extinction regularly since the day it came out in ’92.
K: Did “grunge” kill Metal (I love his answer to this one —I totally agree)?
J: That’s just the excuse that the cock rock bands used to explain why no one gave a shit about power ballads anymore. In reality, most of those bands had already started sucking hard before Cobain pulled the rug out from under them.
K: What are some of your favorite Rock/Metal concerts that you’ve attended over the years?
J: Almost every Scissorfight show I’ve seen has been monumental. Very few bands brought it like those cats did. I also had a semi-religious experience at the Only Living Witness reunion show at the Middle East Club in Cambridge, MA, a couple of years back. And this past summer, I had the privilege of seeing Isis’ final show up in Montreal, which was as triumphant as it was a bummer. Oh, and Queens Of The Stone Age at the Wiltern in L.A. in December of 2005. Amazing show, plus they brought out John Garcia at the end to sing a few Kyuss jams. And I would be amiss if I didn’t mention Oxbow. They’re one of the greatest live bands out there.
As far as bigger shows, seeing Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Faith No More at Sullivan Stadium in 1992 was a definite highlight. Slayer on their Undisputed Attitude Tour was another gem. My attorney and I saw that one at the now-defunct Axis club in Boston in ’96. I’ve never seen so many fights in one place in my life. Unsane opened, and I remember Chris Spencer saying, “I swear we only have one more song before Slayer comes on.” The place went batshit!
K: Do you still buy CD’s and or any vinyl and what is your take on MP3′s and or the availability for online music in general?
J: I’m a shameless vinyl junkie. I buy way too much of it way too often. But records obviously aren’t very portable, so for music on the go I prefer mp3′s to CDs. There’s no question about it—the easy availability and portability of mp3′s killed the compact disc. I’m actually in the process of unloading my CD collection as we *speak*. But I’ll be buying vinyl as long as it’s around.
"Ready for the Kill" (pic Sera Timms)
K: I liken the current explosion of online blogs to the fanzines of the 80′s. What’s your take on this and is this “explosion” responsible for the closing of several print magazines of late? What is the ultimate fate for the remaining [music] print magazines?
J: Clearly, a direct connection could be made between the blog blowout and the decline of print mags. And yeah, most of the music blogs I’ve seen certainly seem to have been created in the same spirit of the fanzines of the ’80s and ’90s. In most cases, the writing seems to be of the same quality as that of the old ’zines—which is to say: occasionally spirited but generally fucking terrible. But there are of course exceptions. As for the fate of the music mags still in print? If I had a crystal ball, I would gaze into it longingly and tell you the answer, my friend. I’ll say one thing, though: For the most part, the steady elimination of print mags has been a truly Darwinian process. The wheat has been separated from the chaff. There are exceptions to this, too, but few that I can think of.
K: There are several different delivery methods and or styles for blogs and or magazines these days. It seems that some places like to make a zillion posts that are super short…almost like “text messages” or short PR blasts and then others like to deliver longer interviews and or reviews. I guess it boils down to the age-old debate = Quality VS Quantity?
J: If you ask me—and I’m pretty sure you just did—quality trumps quantity every time. I’ve read 75-word blurbs that are more compelling than full-length novels. It all depends on who’s doing the writing and how much of a shit they happen to give on that particular day.
K: I am not a video game junkie, but I tend to think with the popularity of Guitar Hero and Rock Band type games, that it helped re-kindle some interest in all things Metal + Hard Rock. Do you think we will be seeing a noticeable “bump” one day [in the future] when all these kids grow up and start forming bands? If so, has this already began?
J: Your scenario certainly does not sound like crazy talk, but I’ve never played any of these games or even seen them being played by anyone else, so I’m in no position to answer this one.
Pic by J.Bennett
K: To some, Metal has definitely made a “come back” of sorts…would you agree? I mean for the last five years you are definitely seeing more of the classic 80′s bands putting out material —some fans + reviewers say their best material in ages even. For example: Testament, Overkill and Accept have all put out decent product lately.
J: I’m gonna be an asshole here and say that I don’t think any of those bands have put out some of their best material even sort of recently. I will say that the new albums from Burzum (Belus) and Atheist (Jupiter) were about a million times better than I expected them to be. I also thought Obituary’s comeback album, Frozen In Time, was highly satisfying.
K: What was the coolest writing gig you’ve ever had and why?
J: I’m gonna have to plead the Fifth on this one to protect the guilty. But I’ve got the scars and the memories to prove that it happened. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world—not all of it, but a decent chunk—in the name of “journalism,” and I’ve met many a character along the way. But some things are best kept to oneself.
K: What do you think makes a good writer?
J: He or she does not bore you to death. If a writer can make you laugh, cry, or simply turn the page with anticipation, he or she is doing something right.
K: Who are some other writers in the industry that you respect? What are some of the blogs that you follow (other than Demolish of course)?
J: I’m not gonna name any specific writers here because I feel like I’ll forget someone and feel shitty about it later. But blog-wise, I follow:
- The Cosmic Hearse
- Mike Hill’s Everything Went Black blog
- Fenriz’s “Band Of The Week” blog (on the Darkthrone MySpace page)
- Joe Carducci’s The New Vulgate
- BibliOdyssey
- Cosmo Lee’s Invisible Oranges
- Aaron Turner’s Feral Pig blog
- R. Loren’s You Texas
- Dark Star blog
- Sera Wolf Blogspot
- On The List
K: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Is there anything you would like to add?
J: Thank you very much for the interview and support, Curt. I appreciate you taking the time to quiz me.
Linkage:
Decibel is America’s only monthly extreme music magazine.
Revolver is a bi-monthly hard rock and heavy metal magazine.
Cry Now, Cry Later Blog: text: J. Bennett, illustrations: Bruno Guerreiro
Alternative Press Magazine: If you’re a “hip” young adult, this is the magazine for you.
Ides Of Gemini – the disruption writ. The debut EP released 14 November 2010
Self-Titled is your new favorite music magazine.
Terrorizer is an extreme music magazine from the UK.
*Special thanks to Bruno Guerreiro for permission to use his illustrations. Also thanks to Larry [from the Metal Odyssey Blog for sending me several of his older issues of Decibel to soak up).
Metallica or Megadeth?
Metallica. Their first five albums are varying degrees of unstoppable. Much to the chagrin of almost every metal fan I know, my favorite is …And Justice For All… I’m also not one of those people who think the Black Album is crap. But in defense of Dave Mustaine, I will say that Megadeth’s “Holy Wars… Punishment Due,” “Hangar 18,” and “Peace Sells” are three of the greatest metal songs ever written. (“Angry Again,” from the Last Action Hero soundtrack, is also a personal favorite.) And I’ve been listening to Countdown To Extinction regularly since the day it came out in ’92.
New OVERDRIVE album “Angelmaker” in 2011
*Artwork: Monowasp
Yes folks the classic Swedish metal band of the 80′s is back with a vengeance! The new OVERDRIVE album is recorded and finished and will be released this month.
After 2008’s self explanatory “Let The Metal Do The Talking”, Swedish [melodic Metal exponents] OVERDRIVE deliver the most pulsating album of their career with the pedal to the metal bombast of “Angelmaker”.
This new album sees the band pummel the listener with their heaviest release yet. All 12 tracks will make any self-respecting Metal fan throw the “horns” in appreciation.
MUSICIANS: Per “PerilOz” Karlsson: Vocals, acoustic guitars Janne Stark: Guitars, bass Kjell Jacobsson: Guitars Kenth Ericsson: Bass Kenta Svensson: Drums
TRACK LISTING
01. Signs All Over
02. In Gut We Trust
03. Angelmaker
04. I Know There’s Something Going On
05. Under The Influence
06. On With The Action
07. See The Light
08. To Grow
09. Mother Earth
10. It’s A Thriller
11. Cold Blood Chaser
12. The Wavebreaker
Given their pedigree and reputation it’s no surprise to hear OVERDRIVE enter the third decade of their career hitting new heights with “Angelmaker” —a slice of traditional Metal as good as you will hear in 2011!
N-Joy!
OFFICIAL WEB LINKS www.overdrive.se
www.myspace.com/overdrivesweden
www.facebook.com/OverdriveMetal
The History
Old School Metal Review: DEATH – Leprosy (1988)
by Curt “Crusher” King
Man, I’ll tell ya’, I sure didn’t expect this band to quit playing hardcore Speed/Thrash Metal and wimp out, but I have the evidence right in my hands! I mean, they are one of the “Gods” of Death Metal for sure, but this stuff is completely shocking!
Well now, does that REALLY sound like a thing that a band called DEATH would do? You don’t think that I would stretch the truth a little do ya’? Ha – not I said the liar!
OK, DEATH fans, wipe that disgusted look off your face because everything I just said is true, except for the fact that they “wimped-out” (besides, you’ve probably already heard this by now as I created this when I received their advance tape -ed). Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a heart attack folks but I did want to make you a bit angry so that you could prepare yourself for this devastating slab of gore! It doesn’t really matter how much anger you can muster up while listening though because DEATH will out-do you with intensity every time.
Track Listing:
1. “Leprosy” 6:19
2. “Born Dead” 3:25
3. “Forgotten Past” 4:33
4. “Left to Die” 4:35
5. “Pull the Plug” 4:25
6. “Open Casket” 4:53
7. “Primitive Ways” 4:20
8. “Choke on It”
All eight songs are pretty much in the same mold as their last album Scream Bloody Gore (1987), meaning, they still sing about death, play deadly songs and do it in the most disgusting [to some] way possible! Every track on this album will terrorize you —but in a good way of course.
People who hate this relatively “new” style of extreme/speed Metal will probably continue to turn their nose up at it, while this will easily [and instantly I might add] satisfy all worldwide Metal fans who are into REAL savage Metal!
This new album [and my opening statements] should scare you too…
Lineup + Info
Chuck Schuldiner – Guitar, Bass and Vocals
Rick Rozz – Guitar
Bill Andrews – Drums
* Terry Butler – (did not play BASS on the album, but was credited for it)
Recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida, USA
Produced by Dan Johnson
Engineered by Scott Burns
Mastered by Michael Fuller at Fullersound, Miami, Florida, USA
Edward Repka – Artwork
Update
Many [myself included] consider this one of the most important DEATH Metal albums ever released. It’s definitely in the top ten. Back when kiddos, you did not have a band such as this on every street corner or parents basement recording such brutal, yet accomplished Metal compositions! Kudos to Chuck (who died of brain cancer in 2001) for putting this style of music on the map and inspiring countless bands for the last several decades. A true unsung hero in the music world. He was very humble and always down-played his part in the Metal history books by stating:
“I don’t think I should take the credits for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band.”
- Chuck Schuldiner
R.I.P.
May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001
Guitar Master Class Contest
by Kinger
It’s Christmas time, so we’re bringing you a special post and a unique opportunity for all of you “axe-masters”, or “shredder wanna’-bees” out there in Metal land.
Demolish Magazine has teamed up with Guitar Master Class [a Swedish-based online instructional website and community] for a special holiday contest giveaway. That’s right, I said GIVEAWAY folks. Everyone knows the economy is in the dumps and funds are tight this year, so this will be perfect timing for some of you. So what’s the catch? No catch, it’s fist come, first serve.
GMC is a video lesson archive & online community. They feature tons of helpful videos, instructors, lesson and a forum for chatting with teachers and students 24/7. They also have recording collaborations where you can attend video chats + content for bass, drums, singing, piano etc. All genres and styles are covered – Rock, metal, shred, blues, jazz, country & acoustic, funk…They want you to have some fun while learning!
There are 5 full six month GMC memberships [valued @ $150 ea.] for our loyal readers! Just send us your name and email address and a short description of why you want to be the next Jimi Hendrix or Jeff Beck. That’s it. I will send the 5 lucky contest winners and they will setup your GMC accounts. When does this start? Well, if you are in fact reading this -then that means the contest has already started. Don’t put it off, NOW is the time to dust off that axe in the corner or time to plug-in that shiny new guitar your folks just bought you perhaps. So get rocking NOW!
Contest Winners will get instant access to:
-14415 videos, 2404 lessons and 41 instructors.
-Register at GMC forum – join a virtual band, chat with any instructor etc
-Backing tracks at different speeds & jam loop with every lesson
-Daily updates (average of ~10 new videos per day)
-EXTRAS: Gear-, singing-, recording-, bass-, piano- and drum lessons. GMC Theory Grimoire eBook !!!
About Guitar Master Class
Guitar Master Class is a special place where you can improve your musical skills and meet people with the same interests. The main focus is on having fun while learning because we believe that your learning curve is most effective if you have fun at the same time. Guitar Master Class also strives to inspire students to find your own unique style. To help you become a great guitarist, we have collected a crew of skilled guitar instructors from all around the world, and they are around the site 24 – 7 to answer questions and give you feedback and support while practicing.
Guitar Master Class, often called GMC, was founded March 12th 2006 by Kristofer Dahl – a professional guitarist and instructor resident in Stockholm, Sweden. GMC is run by the Swedish company Rock My Web AB, owned by Kristofer Dahl and Maria Gasch. From the beginning, the Guitar Master Class website has been developed in close coöperation with Henrik Skotth Konsult AB.
GMC grew steadily in a short period, and today thousands of daily visitors and members take part of video lessons and the friendly GMC community. One of the first lessons ever was “Curious Coincidence“.
5 Questions with GMC founder: Kristofer Dahl
What is your date of birth?
“September 12th, 1981″
Location:
“Stockholm, Sweden” states Kristofer.
How long have you been playing guitar?
“Since 1998. I picked up the guitar at the age of 10 and I started practicing seriously at the age of 18. I took regular lessons during one year learning theory with Therion guitarist Kristian Niemann. Before deciding to professionally go for a music career I studied matheology, informatics, environmental care, political science and even sport fishing”.
Could you tell us a bit about your playing and some of your influences please.
“I am fascinated by Marty Friedman’s phrasing, vibrato and unusual note choice. I love Steve Morse’s musical approach to speed picking. Allan Holdsworth’s playing is from another planet and every aspect of his music is totally unique (to me!). Eric Johnson’s approach to perfectionism and tone is something I believe everyone can learn from. Yngwie was the guitarist who opened up my eyes to what was possible on the guitar, he also has a vibrato worth checking out”!
What is the most important thing for the students at GMC?
“I believe the most important thing is how you approach learning, practicing and your own potential as a musician. Hopefully I manage to get this through in my lessons and forum participation. GMC has changed my life through the response I have received from students and instructors here – I hope the same will happen to you!”
Good luck to everyone with the contest and Merry Christmas (early)…special thanks to all @ GMC for their generosity and for providing such a great online community and a “kick-ass” instructional palace!
Links : Metal guitar lessons ; Rock guitar lessons ; Guitar Master Class
*Please take a moment to forward, Tweet or email this post to anyone who might be interested in this contest!
Mosh Potatoes Cited in Chicago Reader
Our readers will know that I am not fond of press releases and or reporting on the same ole’ crap that you can see on hundreds of other Metal blogs or syndicated news services, but today I felt compelled to pass along some interesting info that appeared in my in-box today….mostly ’cause it featured some noteworthy Metal “name-drops” from my hometown – CHICAGO, but I’ll admit the book intrigued me as well!
Mosh Potatoes (Simon & Schuster) is a book that features 147 recipes from legendary icons like LEMMY, ZAKK WYLDE and LITA FORD to the thrash titans of PANTERA, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL and ANTHRAX to the hair metal bands of GUNS & ROSES, DOKKEN, LA GUNS, STEEL PANTHER, TWISTED SISTER to the mayhem of metal including MUDVAYNE, LAMB OF GOD, SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED and DEVILDRIVER to death metal pioneers of NAPALM DEATH, OBITUARY and DEATH and the book wouldn’t be complete without the future of the new school like MUNICIPAL WASTE, SKELETONWITCH, HOWL, EVILE and MOTH EATER.
OK sounds pretty cool – so on to the Chicago info!
Mosh Potatoes – CBS News Interview
Music Industry veteran and musician Steve “Buckshot” Seabury author of “Mosh Potatoes – Recipes, Anecdotes & Mayhem From The Heavyweights Of Heavy Metal” was interviewed on CBS News Program about their “The Best Of” segment. Seabury was asked what he thought was the ultimate Metal restaurants and bars in NYC, Chicago and Los Angeles. “Who doesn’t love Metal and good food? These are the places I love to hang at when I am on the road or just going to grab some grub with my friends” states Seabury about his decisions.
*You can find one of his Best Of picks at the links listed below [yes, minus the NYC & Los Angeles links of course].
Best Metal Bars and Eats in Chicago
Pic ©Paul John Higgins/Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader noted for its literary style of journalism, is acclaimed for their critic’s choices and recommendations in film, music, art and dining has named Mosh Potatoes in their top 10 cookbooks of 2010 in their year-end Food & Drink Column.
©2010 Kuma's Corner
Kuma’s Corner
2900 W. Belmont Ave.
Chicago, IL (773) 604-8769
Kuma’s to me is METAL!!!! When you walk into the place you think you have died and gone to Heavy Metal Heaven. The smell of the grill, the music blasting, and range of beers makes this spot one of the greatest places to eat.
They have 22 kick-ass burgers all named after some of the greatest metal bands ever to jam on stage. When you sit down to eat you feel you are going to your very first metal concert. It’s that good. I recommend the Judas Priest and Neurosis Burgers. They will give your taste buds whiplash! Oh yeah. Did I mention they have Mac & Cheese too? Well they do, and it ROCKS!
For more information on the METAL cook book:
Steve Seabury has an extensive history in the music industry from performing, working at various record and marketing companies. He began his career at Mayhem Records, where he helped launch such acts as Cradle of Filth and Nothingface into stardom. At Spitfire Records/Eagle Rock Entertainment, Steve was the National Sales Director and A&R and had the opportunity to work with rock legends Testament, Zakk Wylde, Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, and new developmental acts like Dog Fashion Disco and Sixty Watt Shaman.
At Concrete Marketing, Steve orchestrated and initiated several marketing campaigns for many platinum artists, including Metallica, Velvet Revolver, Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Breaking Benjamin, Damageplan, Judas Priest, and many more.
He has taken his experience and recently formed two new companies: Barley & Hops Management and a new Record Company called Giddy Up! Records that is distributed through Sony/Red. You can also see him thrashing like a maniac with his new metal band, Moth Eater. Steve lives in Queens (home of the New York Mets) with his wife Lisa. This is his first book.
Earache Records to open first ever retail shop!
The time has come – Earache is proud to be opening its first ever retail shop (Friday, December 10th)
The pop-up Christmas shop opens tomorrow ( in the West End Arcade in Nottingham, England and will be open from 10:00am until 6:00pm each day until the end of Tuesday, 14th December.
Earache will be selling a killer range of metal goodies, perfect to buy for that special someone (or yourself!) for Christmas. The great selection includes metal CDs, LPs, t-shirts, merch and rarities. As a special offer for visitors to the shop, there will also be an ultra-rare Enforcer/Volture 7″ split vinyl on sale. This collector’s item is ONLY available in the Earache shop and is strictly limited to just 200 numbered copies! If you want one of these must-have vinyls, get down to the shop early and grab a copy while you can!
Have yourself a Heavy METAL Christmas!
On Saturday, 11th December, Swedish heavy metallers Enforcer themselves will be visiting the Earache shop to meet fans and take part in a signing session. Make sure you head down at 5:00pm to meet them!
The very same Saturday night, Earache is also hosting a FREE Christmas party at Doghouse Studios in Nottingham, and you’re invited!
- Entry to the Earache Xmas Party is completely free and it’s open to everyone of all ages (ID required for bar wristband), so bring all of your friends and celebrate in style at the most extreme Christmas party around!
- The party will feature live performances from Earache’s very own Enforcer and Savage Messiah, along with special guests Annotations Of An Autopsy and Cerebral Bore. There will also be guest DJ’s, guest comperes Jason Rouse and Bob Slayer, plus live entertainment from The Sirens!
Tickets for the party are going FAST, so to make sure you get in on the night, you need to reserve your places now! Get your free tickets while they last at http://www.earache.com/party2010
You can also stay up-to-date with news and chat to fellow party-goers on the official Facebook event page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155241241186486
Only Death Is Real
by Curt King
Let me just start off by saying: wow, what a great title that is!
Yes, of course for those of you in the know, that is indeed the title of a very cool retrospective book on all things Tom Gabriel Fischer (aka’ Tom G. Warrior as he is known in the Metal world). Only Death is Real is an illustrated history of Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost circa’ 1981-1985. This book covers pretty much everything you always wanted to know about this innovative Swiss group.
Being a [hardcover] coffee table book, you can expect a lot of rare photos and interesting tidbits. But I think this book is more than just a decorative book. “It is a book for anyone who has dedicated his or her life to Metal and who still perceives the element of rebellion in this form of music,” Fischer said. “It is a book that provides a rare, lavish and very candid glimpse at part of the birth of modern Extreme Metal. “It’s a book for anyone who can relate to being a true outcast and finding his or her path through the friendship and intensity that metal has always been able to provide.”
I don’t want to leave out two other key members. Bassist Martin Eric Ain, who helped Fischer put the book together along with contributions from drummer Bruce Day.
The book, which was released last year [2009] also features an extensive appendix that includes some unique Celtic Frost and Hellhammer items, including old demo covers, logo ideas other misc. design concepts etc. There are lots of interesting items to feast your eyes on! In a nutshell, it’s a great book.
But this post is not specifically about the band(s) or even the book itself. It’s about a page in the book and it’s contents —a page in time if you will. Let us focus on the following excerpt.
From page 109 of Only Death Is Real. *click to enlarge
Notice that Whiplash was one of the few fanzines worldwide who received the very first Hellhammer demos —only two of which made it to these shores! I would like to personally thank Brian Lew (and Sam Kress R.I.P.) for not only being the inspiration for 50% of this article but also for creating and putting out the Whiplash zine’ back in the 80′s and for the detailed documentation that Brian has done for the 80′s Metal scene for so many years.
Brian is also responsible for the Xeroxed fanzine called ümlaut, which was a Bay Area zine’ that was launched in the early 90′s and covered everyone from Metallica to Sonic Youth. I take great pride in my Vault of treasured Metal items, but hats off to Brian and all things ümlaut, as they are one of the very few blogs out there in Metal land who are able to “one-up” Demolish on a regular basis!
I especially like the full circle retrospectives such as the recent Procreation of the Wicked post, where he writes about a recent Triptykon show in Cali and get’s to finally meet Mr. Tom G Warrior in the flesh after all these years. Check out the excerpt below.
Brian: “Do you remember the ‘zine Whiplash?”
Tom G. Warrior: “Of course I do…”
B: “That was my ‘zine..”
T: “Are you Brian?”
“Did you hear that? That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor. To say that I was left speechless by that conversation would be a complete understatement… The Rock Godz work in mysterious ways, man.” – Brian Lew
For those who were actually paying attention to what I wrote above, you will recall that I stated Brian’s article was responsible for 50% of the inspiration for this piece. So what about the other half? Please go back and re-read the excerpt above from page 109 of Only Death Is Real…
…welcome back.
Ah, I see you peeped the first name on the list —Alex Gernandt, who I happen to be corresponding with as of late for a special retrospective article on him. So the timing of this post from Brian struck me as odd or perhaps a case of “perfect timing” and or some sort of strange [nostalgic/cosmic] synchronicity perhaps!
Either way, Alex, who was a founder of the German fanzine Shock Power was also among the very few to receive an original Hellhammer demo and package. Alex had casually mentioned the encounter with all things Hellhammer + the Frost a while back via email correspondence but it did not really “sink in” until I read the book with my own [four] eyes!
Pic Martin Kyburz
Tom G (Grave Hill bunker) Switzerland 1984
It always amazes me how I can seem to remember every riff on every Metal or Thrash album that I own. Or the fact that so many people carry around other such precious Metal knowledge and history and are also able to retrieve said knowledge at the drop of the hat. Tom “G” must be one of those cats as well says Alex: “Yeah, I got the big book –Only Death is Real and I am amazed at how good Tom Warrior’s memory is. I think it’s great he told his story as it really happened.”
Times were much different back when. There wasn’t a band on every corner playing Thrash (or simply “Speed Metal” as it was once called), let alone Black Metal. As a matter of fact “Death Metal” wasn’t even coined yet! But there you had Hellhammer, a band whose humble beginnings would arguably become the blueprint for Black/Death some years later.
I asked Alex if he could take us back to that time and give us a little nugget. “Sure, at that time, mid 1983, we were always looking for the heaviest bands around —like Tank, Raven and Venom for example. Metallica was about to come out, and then there was this Hellhammer demo.”
Alex G. circa 1985
“One day, I got a call from a Berlin rock label by the name of Noise/Modern music. The guy asked me what the heaviest unsigned band was. I told him: “Hellhammer from Switzerland” and gave him a contact. This led to the first ever record deal for Hellhammer… I was 17 then” states Alex. Wow, how would you like to be the one who gets to carry that Metal memory around for your entire life!
For all the folks who can relate or would like to have their own copy of this amazing book [with amazing photos and stories] from the one and only Tom G. Warrior -a true Metal legend if there ever was one, go here now!
*Thanks again to Brian for the inspiration and to Alex for sharing his valuable time and memories! Stay tuned readers, as [with a bit of luck] we might have more special in-depth articles posted about these two gentleman in the future!
Until then, remember…
Tom G. 2010 - Pic Sean (Metal Files)
-
Other Links of Interest
Noise Creep Article with Brian
The Record Vault (San Francisco) Facebook
The METAL FILES Triptykon Review
Ten Minutes with Tom G. Warrior
It’s not Heaven nor Hell – It’s SANCTUARY
Interview with Lenny Rutledge from 1987
by Curt King
It’s not Heaven nor Hell…it’s SANCTUARY!
How many ways are there for an unknown band to get “discovered” or signed for a record deal? I am sure you’ve heard all the success stories and every imaginable way possible for a band to land that ever-so-lucrative record deal/contract! Think again.
For this melodic Power Metal band from Pacific Northwest it [i.e. getting discovered] was definitely not “business as usual” and I applaud them for being so creative and “pro-active” (or at least ballsy). So who are these creative D.I.Y types? One Warrel Dane (vocals), Lenny Rutledge (guitar), Sean Blosl (guitar), Jim Sheppard (bass) and Dave Budbill (drums).
Pic ©Bartolomy
Please join us as Demolish founder/editor Curt King chats with guitarist Lenny Rutledge and uncovers this unique band and brings their very interesting story to light.
CURT: Let’s go all the way back to the beginning, please tell us how SANCTUARY got started?
LENNY: The conception of the band started with my cousin and I —the guitar players in the band. Basically, we started playing guitar on the same day! You see, we kinda’ walked into a record store one day and we saw this $100 bill laying on the floor, which was kinda’ a trip, so we picked it up and ran out of the store as fast as we could and ran to the nearest guitar store and bought a guitar. And that’s how we started out playing guitar!
After we started getting proficient at playing, we went our separate ways. He went to another band and I joined another band. Later on, after we had played for about four or five years, we got back together and started a band called SANCTUARY. It took us a while to get all the assorted members though. We went through a lot of drummers and bass players because we were the only two members of the band that “stuck with it”. Basically we had to “steal” people from bands that were doing good because we couldn’t find anybody that would really stick with it. We stole our drummer from another band! They weren’t really doing that good but the drummer was doin’ really good —so we got him to join our band because we we’re doing well at the time.
For the singer, we just recorded a demo tape. One night we wrote this song called “Wally’s Song”. We had not really met the guy before we had heard of him. We had heard that he was into the kind of mystic, deep, dark-sounding type of songs. Then we wrote that song and the feeling we got from it was like: “f**k, this guy’s gonna’ love this song!” We had that positive attitude about it and when he heard it, that’s why he joined the band. So it was like the total feeling of that and him hearing the song and actually liking it (just like we thought he would). It just hit us off, we all hit-off really good from then on.
Pic ©Bartolomy
Was he in another band at the time?
LENNY: He had just quit a band from Seattle, so we just snagged him and that’s how he joined the band. From there it took like two years to get all the musicians that we wanted. We didn’t want to go with your basic type singer…we knew exactly what we wanted. We didn’t go and play all the bars or anything with just any ole’ singer would fit in —we just waited until we got exactly what we wanted!
Did you record your demo while you were in the process of completing the line-up or did you just start rehearsing and writing material from the get-go?
LENNY: Right, we were writing songs and we we’re playing some covers and stuff. When we finally got our singer, we stopped playing covers and wrote all originals. Then we went in and recorded a demo and got it played on a radio station out here at KCMU. We were number one or number two for a year straight!
With that same demo tape, you were recently signed to Epic Records and are about to release your début album entitled “Refuge Denied”. Tell us how that deal came about.
LENNY: That took place when KING DIAMOND and MEGADETH played a concert here. We had the demo recorded and we were doing OK, but we had only played out once! I went to the show with a friend and two girls. The two girls found out what hotel MEGADETH was staying in, so I talked them into going.
No way, so what happened then?
LENNY: So, what we did was: when we found out what room they were in, I just kinda’ pushed the door open and pushed these two girls in! I figured if Dave Mustaine see’s them then he’s gonna’ let us all in [laughs]. Sure enough, he saw them and the place was like “yeah, let’s party!” So we walk in there and I sat right down next to Dave. He shared his bottle of “Cavasia” (i.e. Courvoisier perhaps – ed) and we talked for a while. Next, we talked him out to our car and we put in our demo tape and he loved it! Then he just decided he wanted to produce us!
He flew us to L.A. And we talked to a few labels and stuff. We did a couple of shows with MEGADETH and then we recorded the album. His manager, Keith Rawls paid for everything. Now he’s our manager also (funny how that works huh! – ed).
Dave produced the album and we kinda’ share a bit of the production credit with him. After we got it all finished, then Keith shopped it around to all the [record] labels. We tried smaller labels at first and a lot of them were really interested, then a lot of the big labels were interested. One label is even flew us down to L.A. For a private showcase but nothing really happened with that. It was like thirty people standing around checkin’ us out —it was like the scariest time we’ve ever played!
I can imagine. That would be tough. So how did you play?
LENNY: We did really good, but they supposedly had some kind of “signing freeze”…something weird was going on. Then, Epic Records calls us up the next day and says: “sh**, we’ll sign you right now!”
Pic ©Bartolomy
*Rockin’ onstage in Holland 1988!
Wow, most bands do not get a record deal early on in their career (let alone a major label deal) and help from a popular character like Dave Mustaine, do you feel “lucky” in any way?
LENNY: Yeah, we definitely feel lucky! We made the right contact and it was definitely a LOT of luck, but [I mean] it was a combination of not just luck. Epic didn’t listen to the tape and say: “Dave Mustaine produced it, it’s gonna’ sell a million albums.” They listened to it and said that it’s got Dave Mustaine’s name on it (also our engineer was the same guy who engineered both the METAL CHURCH albums) and not only that —the music’s good! They listened to the music and they liked the music. Nobody’s gonna’ sign you unless you have good music! If you have good contacts and good music, then your obviously gonna’ “make it” easier. I’m sure some people can go by their contacts alone and go somewhere, but our musics’ good too!
Tell us about the recording of the album and how was it different from your previous efforts?
LENNY: We recorded it at Steve Lawson’s studio in Seattle. It took a little less than a month to record it. We were in a hurry so it went really fast. The demo was totally different. We started it over and did it from scratch. We went through it really fast because Dave was getting ready to go on tour and he only had like a month to do it, so we had to do it right then and there. We mixed it there and after we got signed to Epic, they re-mixed it —so it does sound a little better than it did in just that month.
“There were only two good places to play at and SLAYER shut both of them down! They were just too wild.” – Lenny Rutledge
Some people insist that Mr. Mustaine is a very arrogant person, what was it like working with Dave and in the studio?
LENNY: It was great! We had a lot of wild partying times…it wasn’t just sit there and play —we’d sit there and PARTY [ha ha]! It was interesting as we always kept it interesting and we were always on our toes. He also taught us a few drinking games!
You have some very eerie song titles, do you ever take, say, a “mystical” approach when writing song lyrics? Give us some of the titles and or what they are about please.
LENNY: Well, a lot of it is like, let’s say “Veil of Disguise” for example —it’s like a vampire story. “Ascension to Destiny” is more like if aliens we’re taking over the Earth. “Battle Angels” is kinda’ like an “armageddon” type thing. Wally writes a lot of lyrics about armageddon. “Termination Force” is again, like armageddon! “Die for My Sins” is like the saints that sin on Saturday and ask everybody to repent and die for their sins on Sunday in the church! “Soldiers of Steel” is about a movie called The Keep. Our lyrical approach is very serious, it’s not like ANTHRAX or anything like that. Nothing against them, but we are very serious. We also do a cover of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE’S “White Rabbit”, only now it’s heavier and it’s real “crunchy” and “grinding”. Dave also plays the guitar solo on that one. The last song is called “Sanctuary”, and that’s a song about when you die and when you go to the other side. Wally describes it as a place in between Heaven and Hell. It’s not Hell, it’s not Heaven…it’s SANCTUARY —maybe like a purgatory.
Pic ©Bartolomy
Is that what your band name represents?
LENNY: Yeah, kinda’, in a way. The whole thing is mystical and scary. Not Heaven or Hell, just kind of different and beyond. Our music is tough to describe. It’s tough and grinding and it’s got both melody and speed in it. We’ve also got the slow parts and the speedier, crunchy parts, but speed isn’t that important to us. We like both. We’re not too prone to having “speedy” songs all the way through. We only have a few like that. We like the best of both worlds. Let’s say, like KING DIAMOND meets METALLICA.
I’ve got a lot of feedback from bands in the Pacific Northwest stating there aren’t too many places to play —is that true? You also mentioned that the radio station, KCMU, was giving you some healthy airplay. Isn’t that the station that has those wild “Brain-Pain” parties? If so, please tell us about them…
LENNY: Yes, well those parties are every Sunday night. I usually don’t go to them that much. Our vocalist [Warrel] and bass player [Jim] goes to them all the time. I’ve been to a couple and about thirty people get together and drink some Old English forty-ouncers’! It’s a lot of Thrash Metal and other stuff, but it’s all high-energy Metal —it’s a cool show. They still play us a lot too. The guy who does the show [Jeff Gilbert pic above -ed] really pushes us hard and has been really good to us.
As far as the scene here goes, it is definitely suffering since there is no place to play! There were only two good places to play at and SLAYER shut both of them down! They were just too wild.
Huh? What happened?!
LENNY: They got the crowd going and they ended up tearin’ the place up!
So there you have it folks. What an amazing story on how they were “discovered”. Best of luck to the band. I think they could rightly make their mark on the Metal world. If you enjoy your Metal with lots of power + finesse then give them a shot. Warrel’s vocals soar, the riffs are catchy and melodic and there is enough grinding and or “crunch-factor” to satisfy your Thrash urges. What more could you ask for?
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BAND UPDATE
*We hope you enjoyed that relic from the 80′s. This is a partial interview as the original tape is now M.I.A. So let’s just call this a “part one” until the original C-90 is un-earthed and transcribed fully!
Refuge Denied (1987)
Track listing
- All tracks written by Lenny Rutledge and Warrel Dane, unless stated
- “Battle Angels” (Sean Blosl, Dane) – 4:30
- “Termination Force” (Rutledge, Dane, Jim Sheppard) – 3:49
- “Die for My Sins” – 3:37
- “Soldiers of Steel” – 5:24
- “Sanctuary” – 3:54
- “White Rabbit” (Grace Slick) (Jefferson Airplane cover) – 3:07
- “Ascension to Destiny” – 4:52
- “The Third War” – 3:47
- “Veil of Disguise” – 5:43
Cover art by Ed Repka
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Into the Mirror Black (1990)
Track listing
- “Future Tense” — 5:08
- “Taste Revenge” — 5:00
- “Long Since Dark” — 5:04
- “Epitaph” — 6:02
- “Eden Lies Obscured” — 5:21
- “The Mirror Black” — 5:07
- “Seasons of Destruction” — 4:51
- “One More Murder” — 4:21
- “Communion” — 5:37
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Into the Mirror Live (1991)
Track listing
- “Future Tense” – Studio Version
- “Long Since Dark” – Live
- “Battle Angels” – Live
- “One More Murder” – Live
- “White Rabbit” – Live
- “Taste Revenge” – Live
*sorry, you will have to click & watch on You Tube as the embedding is off!
*Into The Mirror live is live promotional EP of the band recorded on May 12, 1990 at The Country Club in Reseda, CA, during their “Into The Mirror Black” tour. Approximately 1000 CD copies of this were made and less than 500 were ever distributed to radio stations and record stores. Because of contractual problems with Epic Records, the full version was never released for public consumption. Warrel Dane has stated on several occasions that he has the master tapes and copyrights of the full show and intended to have it finally released.
*according to Wiki
*After their début LP was released, they toured alongside Megadeth and the German band Warlock.
After the tour, they entered the studio to record their second and final studio album, Into the Mirror Black in 90′. The above video clip for the song Future Tense was made and it received some air play on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. During the tour for Into the Mirror Black guitarist Sean Blosl left the band and was replaced by Jeff Loomis.
Shortly after, the word on the street is that continued pressure [from Epic Records] to fit in with the flourishing Seattle grunge scene caused disagreements between band members (about the band’s musical direction). So in 91′ Sanctuary officially disbanded.
Refuge Denied and Into the Mirror Black were re-released as a double CD set by IronBird Records on February 22, 2010.
Post-breakup
- After disbanding, Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard and Jeff Loomis formed the band Nevermore in 91′.
- Dave Budbill lives in Florida, and is now the drummer for Alive Inside.
- Sean Blosl is creating music and film independently through Golden Flower Media.
- Lenny Rutledge became a musical producer, and has his own studio. Additionally, he helped Nevermore on the demo sessions of their 1999 album Dreaming Neon Black.
2010 Reunion
Warrel Dane announced in May, 2010, that Sanctuary will reunite to record a new album. Warrel confirmed on Nevermore’s official forum that he can still hit the high notes he did in Sanctuary’s early days. However, he did not say whether he’d be implementing them into the new album. Sean Blosl is currently working on a film called “Into The Heart Of Shiva” and won’t be taking part in the reunion.
Recently announced that their only US appearance in 2011 will be at ProgPower USA held annually in Atlanta. They will be headlining on Friday night. The dates have yet to be announced. The band will also be playing on the 70,000 tons of Metal festival [which will take place on a cruise ship!] in January of 2011
Did Obama channel Jimi Hendrix?
- AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
I know this is a little over a month old, but I do not follow politics too much and when I stumbled across this one, I just had to chime in and pass it along. Why? Well, because I thinks it’s pretty ridiculous and cool at the same time! To put this into perspective I think James Marshall Hendrix (aka’ Jimi Hendrix) was the greatest guitarist [and one of the best song writers] to ever walk this earth. So when some hecklers tried to say Obama used some of Jimi’s song lyrics in a speech – like that would be a BAD thing anyway, and tried to condemn him for it —this just killed me!
Has President Obama been listening to a lot of Jimi Hendrix lately? With just under two months to go before Election Day, Obama kicked off the fall campaign season Monday with an aggressive speech targeting Republicans. But it was an off-script moment in the speech that’s attracted the most attention, as Obama accused his GOP critics of talking about him “like a dog.”
“Some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time —and they’re not always happy with me —they talk about me like a dog. That’s not in my prepared remarks, but it’s true,” Obama said during a speech at Wisconsin’s Laborfest on Monday.
Though Obama didn’t acknowledge it, the line was a exact quote from “Stone Free” the first song Hendrix wrote after moving to England in 1966. “They talk about me like a dog,” the song says. “Talkin’ about the clothes I wear. But they don’t realize they’re the ones who’s square.”
Enough politics – time to jam!
It’s unclear if Obama consciously or unconsciously cited the lyric. A White House Spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. But regardless of its source, Obama’s off-script message syncs with his overall frustration with Republicans, whom he has lambasted repeatedly as the “party of no.”
With polls showing Democrats still trailing badly as the midterm campaign enters its post-Labor Day upsurge, Obama stepped up that attack line Monday. In his remarks, he suggested that the GOP will always block bipartisanship, no matter the situation. “If I said the sky was blue, they’d say no,” he vented. “If I said fish live in the sea, they’d say no. They just think it’s better to score political points before an election than to solve problems.”
*Article excerpt from Yahoo News Blog.
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Stone Free Lyrics
If I stay too long people try to pull me down
They talk about me like a dog
Talkin’ about the clothes I wear
But they don’t realise they’re the ones who’s square
Yeah!
And that’s why
You can’t hold me down
I don’t want to be tied down I gotta move
Hey
I said
Stone free do what I please
Stone free to ride the breeze
Stone free, baby I can’t stay
I got to got to got to get away
Yeah
Listen here baby
A woman here a woman there try to keep me in a plastic cage
But they don’t realise it’s so easy to break
Yeah but a sometimes I get a ha
Feel my heart kind a gettin’ hot
That’s when I got to move before I get caught
So dig this
And the is why, listen to me baby, you can’t hold me down
I don’t want to be tied down
I gotta move on
I said
Stone free do what I please
Stone free to ride the breeze
Stone free I can’t stay
Got to got to got to get away
Yeah
Tear me loose baby
Hey
Yeah!
I said
Stone free to ride on the breeze
Stone free do what I please
Stone free I can’t stay
Stone free I got to I got to get away
Hey
Stone free go on down the highway
Stone free don’t try to hold me back baby
Stone free stone free
Stone free got to baby
Stone free got get on
KISS – 8 Tracks located in Vaults!
I finally found them.
Some of the last known remaining artifacts of my aging (that’s surely an understatement -ed) thirty-four year old 8-track tape collection. My-o-my, how I loved them so. It’s been a great few weeks over at the Demolish HQ. First the mighty “Vault-Diggers” unearthed those super-rare Metal Chu-Bops and now five working KISS 8-tracks!
I still remember it like it was yesterday!
Enter 1976…I was such an [innocent] wee lad. I think that would make me right around nine years old and still in elementary school—fourth grade to be exact. I am not sure what you were listening to in elementary school but I don’t remember seeing any KISS t-shirts or other hard rock bands around my school in the fourth grade. Perhaps most were still learning their nursery rhymes and or reading their Dr. Seuss books!
I didn’t know it at the time, but looking back, man, was Gene Simmons a marketing genius or what! To be able to reach out to grade school kids and turn them onto Hard Rock and perhaps a dose of early Heavy Metal even! Whether we take our hats off or raise the [Metal] horns up—that was no small feat for the time. But then again, I guess that is in fact exactly how and why this was able to happen as the times were a lot different back in the 70′s now weren’t they?
*click any 8-track pic’s to enlarge
Enter specimen number one: KISS – Rock And Roll Over (CAF 87037) released Nov. 11th, 1976. Naturally most fans—myself included, will recall falling in love with “Calling Dr. Love” first. But “Makin’ Love” and “I Want You” had some decent riffage as well. I thought the cover art was pretty cool too. Check out where I marked out the previous owners name at the top and then added mine at the bottom left.
Enter specimen number two: KISS – Dressed to Kill (CAF 87016) released March 19th, 1975. I still love this KISS cover photo. As a matter of fact, I loved these 8-tracks so much that you will notice that I “autographed” every one of them. Ha ha, I guess I was trying to mark my territory. Either way, you gotta’ dig that funny looking signature. It was also in cursive and not printed, which I think was the standard up to that point in grade school? Maybe not…there are lots of cob-webs up there blocking out that content in my life.
“Rock Bottom” was it for me. I played the heck out of that track, and that brings up an interesting point. For those of you who were not even born yet (or perhaps never even held an official 8-track in your hands), let me break it down for ya’.
There were four “tracks” included on each tape cartridge and each track usually contained one to three songs—depending on how long they were of course. This meant when your favorite song(s) were over, then you had a couple of options:
- You could continue listening (blah, that might suck big time if the next song was a “dud”), or…
- You could switch the tape to another channel. Hopefully by landing on channel two, that awarded your little ears with something that brought a smile to your face and or made your foot tap or stomp! If not, well, it was time to push switch [on the stereo] again.
At this point, we’re landing on track/channel three. Let’s see, wait I was right in the middle of jamming on “Rock Bottom”, what’s going on here? Insert a loud “chick-chick” sound here, as the tape automatically switched and moved to the next channel and then suddenly here comes my “Rock Bottom” track slowly fading back in. Yup folks, love it or leave it, an 8-track tape could indeed interrupt a song and continue playing it on another channel! I guess it all depended on how they formatted the recordings but it did not seem like they put too much thought into it with regards to last song and channel placement.
Enter specimen number three: KISS – Hotter than Hell CAF 87006) released on October 22nd, 1974. This was their second release and some say this tape was a bit “darker” due to some of the lyrical content. To me it shows the band starting to get away from the “live + raw” feel of their début as it features many more over dubs in the studio.
Personal favorites include the title track “Hotter than Hell”, “Parasite” and “Watching You”. Something I noticed that was typed on the back of the tape stated: (due to programming, there is :39 of silence between Program 4 and 1). This cracks me up! Although :39 back then was nothing compared to today’s “A.D.D” time frame, it still sucked a bit having to *wait for the jams to start-up again.
Enter specimen number four: KISS - Kiss (CAF 8001). This was indeed their début, which was released Feb. 18th,
1974. I have to admit there are some excellent songs on here—many of which later became live “classics” but their performances on their début are somewhat sterile and or the production was lacking throughout IMO.
The album opener “Strutter”, the cool riffage [with party song tinges] of “Cold Gin” and the wildly popular “Firehouse” were the standouts. But my personal favorite on this release was always oddly enough—the very last track, “Black Diamond”. Those power chords and early Metal style riffs from Ace was just what the Dr. ordered for me!
Fun fact: The music on these 8-tracks were indeed STEREO!
Last but definitely not least, enter specimen number five: KISS – Destroyer (NBLP 87025) released in 1976 on March 15. Clocking in at just 34:27, this is one of my favorite KISS releases ever. When it was released in early 76′ it surely rocked my nine-year old world!
First off—the album cover artwork and drawing was killer! Very futuristic, mythical and or majestic in some oddball way. Not sure if these are the correct words to describe, but it evoked something in me, something that might be indescribable.
A fancy white 8-track!
Enter producer Bob Ezrin on this one. The songs are well-crafted and super catchy as well. Pop-ish songs that you could hum over and over and it included the (in)famous ballad “Beth”. There is not a bad track in the bunch on this release and boy did that super-sized poster of said artwork look great on my wall.
I know some of the lifelong KISS fans (or the card-carrying KISS ARMY members at least) might be in “hog heaven” with the goings on today at Demolish Mag. online, but to “put on the brakes” with this super-sized post, I will add in the “fairy tale” ending now and call it a day.
How did a nine-year old manage to get these super cool 8-tracks?
I am not sure how or why, but one day out of the blue, my mom (who generally hated all things KISS) was at a local ceramic arts and crafts’ type place and the owners son (who was a teenager) needed some money and so he was trying to sell pretty much the only thing he had managed to collect—these 8-track tapes. So with a major streak of luck, not-to-mention the stars and moon lining up in a perfect [Heavy Metal] way, she bought them…ALL of them and gave them to me for a birthday present later on that evening!” He also included some nifty 8-track tape holders and about 15 tapes (from Foghat, to E.LO., to Cheap Trick etc.) Yes I was on cloud nine for the longest and I would have to say this was one of the best presents ever in my child hood days!
Rock on…Kinger
Kinger (ex-SLEEPY TRIP, KURU-AMA drummer), Demolish Mag. Editor/Owner/Publisher etc.
