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Terror
 

TERROR is a hardcore punk band from Los Angeles, California. Their second album ‘One with the Underdogs’ sold over 40,000 copies, but TERROR is so much more than 5 individuals making music. It is an energy, a force, a refuge and a voice for all the lost and unheard. This is an attempt to put to words that force expressing the band’s dreams, visions and hopes through the underground music medium of hardcore. This is the story of TERROR, the now legendary team of vets tirelessly sharing their ambitions live on stage over 300 times a year since they started out in 2000. The band has no boundaries when playing a show. Performing a festival to thousands one day and following it up with a show in a squat the other is not an uncommon occurrence for this group. They simply want to perform for whoever is willing to listen.

TERROR’s latest album, ‘Keepers Of The Faith’ is a worldwide call to the community, an attempt to hear back from the faithful on the front lines. A gathering of allies, both diehards and new bloods. 13 new tracks produced by Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory (who’s also produced H2O) at Buzzbomb Studio in Orange County, CA and engineered by Paul Minor (Death By Stereo) and mixed by Matt Hyde (Slayer and Hatebreed), ‘Keepers Of The Faith’ will be out August 30th through Century Media Records.

In order to find out some details about Terror’s lates album ‚Keepers Of The Faith’ we tracked down frontman Scott Vogel (vocals), who’s currently on the road with the band in South America in support of their latest effort. Here you can read what he had to say. 

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Witchery
 

Patience is a virtue, especially for fans of the Swedish band WITCHERY. This band’s previous album ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’ was released back in 2006 and so it took the band approximately four years to complete their new album ‘Witchkrieg’. The new opus was released through Century Media Records and has been available in the stores since June 21.

In April 2010, accomplished black metal singer Legion (Erik Hagsted, ex-Marduk, ex-Devian) joined the band to replace Toxine who was forced to drop out because of schedule issues. According to the press release, this split happened by mutual agreement. The new album entitled ‘Witchkrieg’ (an obvious pun on Blitzkrieg) was released recently. A number of guest musicians such as Kerry King, Hank Shermann and Andy LaRocque are featured on the new record.

It appears there is much to talk about and so we tracked down Jensen (Guitars), who is currently on tour with The Haunted somewhere in Europe, to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Grave
 

The Swedish Deathmetal icons GRAVE started out in 1986 under the name Corpse and changed it to Grave in 1988. Their debut full-length album ‘Into the Grave’ was released in 1991 and it became a death metal classic over the years. In 1992, the band released their second album ‘You'll Never See...’, which was a continuation of the style which they played on their debut. ‘Soulless’  - their third album, released in 1994 - showed a somewhat different style, blending more experimental and industrial tones into the death metal sound of their previous album.

The sound on GRAVE’s recent release, entitled ‘‘Burial Ground’, did not come as a surprise. The fans know what to expect: classic, old school death metal.    

If you ask me, it is no coincidence that Entombed, Dismember and GRAVE have all recently released killer records. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the golden days of the nineties have returned, but old school Swedish Death Metal is definitely not dead! Although the new Grave record does not win first prize for originality, this album sounds great!

It appears there is much to talk about, so we tracked down drummer Ronnie Bergerståhl to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Enemy Of The Sun
 

ENEMY OF THE SUN, the German band featuring guitarist Waldemar Sorychta — former member of GRIP INC./DESPAIR and producer for such bands as LACUNA COIL and MOONSPELL — will release its second album, ‘Caedium’, in Europe on May 28 via Massacre Records. The band was founded in 2006 and named after the 1993 Neurosis album of the same name. At the beginning of 2007 the band recorded a demo which was voted “Demo of the Month” by Rock Hard and Metal Hammer. The Enemy of the Sun debut album Shadows (2007), which was produced by Waldemar Sorychta was proclaimed "Album of the Month" by Rock Hard.

In order to get to know this band a little better, we tracked down Jules Näveri (Vocals) to answer some of our questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com.

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Demonica

2010 allows us to welcome another excellent band: the Danish/American outfit DEMONICA. This time it’s Hank Shermann who has decided to give the thrash genre a go. Shermann spared no effort in his search for the perfect line up and he succeeded in bringing together guitarist Craig Locicero (Forbidden), drummer Mark Hernandez (Forbidden), fellow countryman and vocalist Klaus ‘Hyr’ Hansen and bass player Marc Grabowski (Corruption). Due to the distances between their homes (Kopenhagen, Denver and San Francisco), each instrument was recorded separately. Dave Otero (Cephalic Carnage, Martriden, Cobalt) was appointed to take care of the mixing duties.

The result of the above is the opus entitled ‘Demonstrous’, an album packed with the type of modern thrash we all love and breathtaking guitarparts. Demonica definitely got a head start with their first release. It has a good sound going on and the tracks are solid. Hansen’s voice fits the music perfectly and the other bandmembers have this thing nailed, too.

In order to get to know this band a little better, we tracked down Klaus Hyr (vocals) to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Angelus Apatrida

ANGELUS APATRIDA is one of the most promising and threatening metal bands from Spain. This young commando was born in the Spanish town of Albacete in the year 2000. This band perfectly combines both the aggression and the melodic edge of classic 80’s Thrash Metal with a breathtaking modern southern fury which results in an impressive blend of rage, attitude and a high level of technical skills.

ANGELUS APATRIDA’s debut album ‘Clockwork’ is set to be released in Europe on June 21 through Century Media Records. ‘Clockwork’ is in fact the band’s third album after two independent national releases. The album was produced by Daniel Cardoso at Ultrasound Studios in Braga, Portugal, early 2010 and the cover artwork of the album comes courtesy of Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, God Forbid, Krisiun). In its limited first edition pressing, ‘Clockwork’ will come packaged in an O-Card and it will include an intense cover version of Iron Maiden’s “Be Quick Or Be Dead” as an exclusive bonus-track.

In order to get to know this band a little better we tracked down Guillermo Izquierdo (Vocals / Guitar) to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com.

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Stigma

Italy’s horror inspired extreme metal act STIGMA strikes again with its sophomore release ‘Concerto For The Undead’. Fusing staccato, spastic, guitar riffs with uncompromising breakdowns and lyrical themes deriving from the cult comic series Tales From The Crypt, ‘Concerto For The Undead’  places the Italian quartet in a league of its own. Founded in 2000 by frontman Stefano “Vlad” Ghersi and guitarist Morgan Ferrua, STIGMA began its conquest of the Italian metal scene immediately, releasing two critically acclaimed EPs. After signing with USA-based record label Pivotal Rockordings, STIGMA recorded its debut effort ‘When Midnight Strikes!’ in December 2007.

 
STIGMA’s mission to supersede its breakthrough debut album and unleash another tasty lesson in horror yields ‘Concerto For The Undead’, the band’s sophomore effort to be released worldwide through Pivotal Rockordings in April 2010. Recorded at Fear Studio and produced by Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Jona Weinhofen and mixed and mastered by Scott Akins (Behemoth, Cradle Of Filth, Sylosis) in December 2009, ‘Concerto For The Undead’ presents listeners with a ferocious barrage of uncompromising, vertiginous riffing from beyond the grave complemented by infectious gang shout choruses, relentless blast driven drumming, and relentless, thundering bass lines.
 

After reviewing the new album we were also given the opportunity to ask frontman Stefano "Vlad" Ghersi (Vocals), all about STIGMA’s latest effort. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Kiuas

The Finnish band Kiuas has become an established name in their home country, with one of their records in the top ten album ranking. Their music contains influences from power metal, folk metal, different styles of extreme metal and even some influences from progressive metal can be heard in certain songs. The band has had a steady line-up ever since they formed and just recently their fourth album which is entitled ‘Lustdriven’ was released. 

The album was produced by Janne Joutsenniemi, who previously worked with the band on the pre-production of their last album, ‘The New Dark Age’. Mikko Karmila mixed the CD at Finnvox studios while the mastering duties were handled by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers. Kiuas is still relatively new to the Dutch public and so we talked to Mikko Salovaara (guitars) in order to get to know the band a little better and to find out more about their new album. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Emergency Gate

For the German band EMERGENCY GATE, 2009 must have been a busy year. After releasing the album ‘Rewake’ at the beginning of 2009, they completed another record on April 30 of 2010. The new album is entitled ‘The Nemesis Construct’ and will be released by Twilight Zone Records. So in order to get to know this band a little better we tracked down Udo Simon (guitar) and Daniel Schmidle (Keyboards, Synths ) to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com.





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Battalion

Hailing from the pastoral environment of Switzerland, BATTALION comes in riding the wave of new-thrash that’s been plaguing the metal world for some years now. The band is quite young, their sound is old school thrash metal at its best according to the promo. The same promo describes the sound on their debut album ‘Underdogs’ as “uncompromising, aggressive and straight-forward thrash metal as it was the 80s”. This young Swiss band aims to create a sound up the ally of bands such as Kreator, Slayer, Coroner, (old) Metallica and Destruction.

After reviewing BATTALION’s debut album ‘Underdogs’ we were also given the opportunity to talk with Silvan Etzensperger (Vocals, Guitars), here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Metsatöll

METSATÖLL is an Estonian folk metal band. The name "Metsatöll" is an ancient Estonian euphemism for wolf, which is reflected in the harshness of their lyrics. Much of their material, featuring flutes and other traditional instruments, is based on the wars for independence of the 13th and 14th centuries. The band started playing in 1998 as a three-piece (Markus – vocals and guitar, Factor – drums, Andrus – bass), playing epic heavy metal with subtle influences from ancient Estonian folklore. Their debut album called ‘Terast Mis Hangund Me Hinge’ (Steel Frozen In Our Souls) was released at that time.

Metsatöll released their second album, called ‘Hiiekoda’ (My Home, My Sacred Grove) in late 2004, which was critically acclaimed by both metal and non-metal fans from all over Estonia. It is a heavy metal album strongly combined with old Estonian traditional instruments. In 2005, Metsatöll released a remake of their album ‘Terast Mis Hangund Me Hinge’ which they called ‘Terast Mis Hangunud Me Hinge 10218’ . The number stands for the world's age according to Estonian chronology. On the remake the folk music element is more prominent and the album has a much more professional sound in general.

In 2009, Metsatöll signed with the Finnish record label Spinefarm Records and they recently released their new album which is entitled "Äio". In order to get to know the band a little better, we recently talked to Markus (Vocals, Guitar), Raivo (Bass, Vocals) and Lauri (Vocals, Guitar, Flutes, Torupill). Here you can read what they had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Kalmah

KALMAH is a melodic death metal band from Oulu, Finland formed in 1998. Within less than a year after the band’s formation, Kalmah signed with Spinefarm Records. The word "kalmah" is Karelian and could be translated as "to the grave" or "to the death." In 1991, Pekka Kokko and Petri Sankala founded the metal band Ancestor. After Ancestor had recorded two demos, Antti Kokko joined the band as thelead guitarist. In 1998, after five demos, Ancestor disbanded. Later in the same year, Kalmah was formed. The new band consisted of Pekka Kokko performing vocals and guitar, Antti Kokko on lead guitar, Pasi Hiltula on keyboards, Altti Veteläinen on bass, and Petri Sankala on drums.

Kalmah's sixth studio album was released on March 2 in Europe. The recording and mixing process took place from May to August at Tico-Tico Studios in Finland, and mastering for the disc took place at the Cutting Room in Sweden. The thing that immediately sets ‘12 Gauge’ apart from ‘For the Revolution’ is the speed. ‘12 Gauge’ is the fastest album Kalmah has ever written, maintaining a consistent, driving pace from start to finish. This album also displays a great deal of technical prowess from lead guitarist Antti Kokko and keyboardist Marco Sneck. Their solos are faster, longer, and more intricate than ever before. They also trade off from one to the other more often than on previous albums. The rapid pace of the switches makes the solos even more interesting for listeners, as the alternating instrument patterns help each song to sound unique.

After reviewing the new album we were also given the opportunity to ask Pekka Kokko (Vocals, Guitars) all about Kalmah’s latest effort. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Sound Of Cancer

We recently conducted an interview with guitarist and songwriter ALEXX CALISE, who combines hard rock, electronica and urban-edged pop with crunchy guitars, angsty lyrics. But she has another project coming up.. Alexx Calise and Dennis Morehouse found they'd stumbled upon an amazing formula and so they formed SOUND OF CANCER, a new music project that combines Calise's love of rock, blues and jazz with Morehouse's penchant for all things dark and disturbing. Sound Of Cancer (named after the band's zodiac signs) will take you on a genre-defying epic journey, incorporating hauntingly beautiful melodies with heavy distortion, ominous sounds, and intricate choral harmonies.

With their debut album on the horizon, Calise and Morehouse will be spreading their "cancer" to the masses in a couple of weeks. After having done an interview with Alexx Calise we were curious about her other project. So, here you can read what she had to say about Sound of Cancer.

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Abadden

The English thrashmetal band ABADDEN is the latest member of the Rising Records flock, this young band recently managed to win the annual Metal Hammer band competition. The first prize was studio time with the renowned producer Mark Daghorn (Cradle of Filth / Orange Goblin) and a mastering session by Daniel Abel (Sworn Amongst /  Sarah Jezabel Diva). ABADDEN managed to nail a deal with Rising Records and they recently released their debut album ‘Sentenced To Death’ through the English label. Just like every newcomer, ABADDEN is portrayed as the next best thing from the UK in the promo flyer but I must say, this band delivers solid old-school thrash along the lines of the older works of bands such as Kreator, Destruction, Exodus, Anthrax and Testament.

In order to get to know this band a little better we tracked down drummer James Bell to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

 
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Alexx Calise

Delivering a sound that is both fresh and uniquely her own, guitarist and songwriter ALEXX CALISE combines hard rock, electronica, and urban-edged pop with crunchy guitars, angsty lyrics, and an instantly identifiable vocal that is hauntingly beautiful and completely raw all at once.

Now living in Los Angeles, California and continuing along the same path, she has appeared in several national TV commercials, shows and special programs (including the Discovery Channel documentary, "The Science of Sex Appeal"), and she has been featured in Blender magazine, Guitar World, and the how-to/method book, "How to Succeed as a Female Musician" alongside such notable musicians as Lisa Loeb and The Donnas. Her music is in heavy rotation on MTV/VH1 Networks, and on thousands of radio stations internationally. Most recently, Alexx's song, "Morning Pill" was used in a One Tree Hill promo, she appeared as the lead guitarist for a Disney Imagineering DVD about soundwaves,  and she was featured on Boston's #1 Hit Station, Kiss 108 FM as a "hot up-and-coming indie artist."

Recently, Calise recorded the follow-up to her 2007 critically-acclaimed debut album, ‘Morning Pill’, as well as her debut album with other music project, Sound of Cancer (with accomplished drummer/songwriter, Dennis Morehouse). Both albums will be released simultaneously in March 2010.

Recently we got in touch with Alexx and it seems there is much to talk about and so we send ALEXX CALISE some questions, here you can read what she had to say to the readers of Metal-experience.

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Airbourne

Inspired by the likes of Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Angel City, Rose Tattoo, AC/DC and Motörhead, AIRBOURNE have been waving the rock and roll flag for Australia since 2003, winning fans and awards in the process. They hail from Warrnambool, a small drinking town on the southwestern coast of Victoria, and they've steadily gained an immense following among fans of infectious, high-energy, whiskey-soaked, whiplash-inducing working man's rock.

There's something about the kind of potent rock and roll fury that AIRBOURNE cranks out, all cylinders firing, that makes you want to chug a beer straight down your throat and punch the air as though it'd touched your wife inappropriately. It sounds crude, we admit.

AIRBOURNE traveled to the Windy City to record "No Guts. No Glory." with producer Johnny K, live and straight to analog tape. Like their debut album "Runnin' Wild", "No Guts. No Glory." continues that good time vibe.  The album is a virtual rock and roll buffet, boasting tracks like "No Way But The Hard Way" and "Blonde, Bad, and Beautiful". When the band lived together for three years on welfare in a Melbourne suburb, surviving on a steady diet of booze and barbecue, things were tough and the band nearly burned their home to the ground - literally.

Furthermore, AIRBOURNE will be touring the most part of 2010 in support of ‘No Guts. No Glory.’. Prior to all this, the O’Keeffe brothers visited Amsterdam in January to answer some questions for the European press. Of course metal-experience.com was there, too and here you can read what Joel O'Keeffe (Lead vocals, Lead guitar) had to say to us.

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Avatar

AVATAR is a melodic death metal band from Sweden, it was founded in 2001. Their first EP ‘4 Reasons to Die’ was released in 2004 and in 2006 they released their debut album ‘Thoughts of No Tomorrow’ at the young age of eighteen. Their second album ‘Schlacht’ was released in 2007 and their big break came in the same year that Avatar was picked by In Flames to support them on their sold-out Scandinavian tour.

Within a couple of weeks the band will release their third and self-titled album. They have developed a new, more mature and melodic sound on this album which was mixed by Tobias Lindell (Europe). Avatar recently toured Europe with Hardcore Superstar, more European tours are planned for the winter and spring of 2010.

It appears there is much to talk about, so we tracked down Johannes Eckerström (Vocals) to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Dark Tranquillity

DARK TRANQUILLITY is a melodic death metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1989 by Mikael Stanne & Niklas Sundin who looked at their influences and decided to form their own thrash metal band with the name Septic Broiler. In 1990 the band recorded a demo cassette tape entitled ‘Enfeebled Earth’ after which they changed their name to Dark Tranquillity and devoted themselves to a new musical style. Dark Tranquillity is one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene and one of the pioneers of the melodic death metal genre, along with In Flames and At the Gates.

In October 2009 Dark Tranquillity finished work on their 9th studio album, ‘We Are the Void’, scheduled for release on March 1st, 2010 in Europe. ‘We Are The Void’ picks up where its predecessor left off and guarantees melodic death metal hits from start to finish that find an irresistible balance between untamed rage, progressive-tinged parts, captivating choruses and thought-provoking lyrics. Never afraid of taking chances and experimenting with refreshing new elements, the sextet succeeds to surprise the listener once again! Just take the black metal vibe on songs like the devastating opener “Shadow In Our Blood” or the almost apocalyptic “Arkhangelsk” or the gloomy gothic-touch of the epic closing track “Iridium”. Recorded in the homelike atmosphere of the band’s own Rogue Music studio, ‘We Are The Void’ was created in a relaxed and comfortable setting and according to the old “never change a winning team” formula once again mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio, Denmark.

It appears that there is much to talk about and so we tracked down Niklas Sundin (guitar), who’s currently on the road with the band in the U.S.A. in support of their latest effort. Here you can rread what he had to say.  

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Swallow The Sun

SWALLOW THE SUN was formed in early 2000 by Juha Raivio and pretty soon Pasi Pasanen came along (both had played in Plutonium Orange) and joined him. In 2001 Markus Jämsen, whom Raivio and Pasanen already knew from their earlier bands, joined them as a second guitarist, and Mikko Kotamäki from Funeris Nocturnum became their singer. Finally Aleksi Munter (keyboards) and Matti Honkonen (bass), also of Funeris Nocturnum, joined the band. In the spring of 2002 they started arranging songs for their demo which was recorded in January 2003 at Sam's Workshop with Sami Kokko.

In May 2009 Swallow the Sun announced that Kai Hahto of Wintersun would be joining their ranks in order to fill the void left by former drummer Pasi Pasanen.

Swallow The Sun’s latest effort ‘New Moon", which was recently released, entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 10. The CD, which was released via Spinefarm Records, was recorded at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with such acts as Katatonia, Opeth, Paradise Lost and Amon Amarth.

It appears there is much to talk about, so we tracked down Juha Raivio (Guitars) to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Heathen

HEATHEN is a North American thrash metal band originating from the Bay Area California. The band was formed in 1984 by two friends, guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco (formerly of Metal Church). Their early style largely combined the aggression of thrash metal with the sophistication and melodic vocal style of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.

Heathen's debut album ‘Breaking the Silence’ was released in 1987. The album quickly became a thrash classic. In 1992 Heathen released their second album which was entitled ‘Victim's of Deception’. Just one year after the release of this album, the band split up.

The long awaited album is entitled ‘Evolution Of Chaos’ and is set to be released in January 2010 through Hollands Mascot Records.

It appears that Heathen fans will get more than they bargained for as ‘Evolution Of Chaos’ is expected to have a good shot at becoming metal album of the year 2010 by those who have had a chance to listen to the studio mixes. The band can't wait to bring ‘Evolution Of Chaos’ to the fans and they look forward to seeing everyone on tour in support of the new album and so we tracked down singer David White (aka David Godfrey) to answer our questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Leaves’ Eyes

Every song on Njord has an own identity, straight from the heart.

Back in 2004 when I met Liv Kristine for the first time, I couldn’t foresee that some years later LEAVES’EYES would bring their sound so much to perfection, like on their third album ‘Njord.’ In compare with their debut ‘Lovelorn’ (2003) the dreamy atmosphere is now grown in a bombastic and intense journey. The band worked for the first time with a real Choir. In November the ‘Beauty & The Beast’ tour begins to promote their new album live.

When Liv Kristine calls, she just received good news: her ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat specialist – SD) told her that she still has a perfect hearing. Many musicians have the risk that over the years they get problems, she was worried, but luckily there is nothing wrong. It is like an old friend on the other side of the line, and with much laughing and enthusiasm we share some new developments.

Frankly the front woman shares her thought about interviews: “It is difficult to answer email interviews. I have to be creative with typing my answers on the same questions.  I try to give different answers, to make it a bit personal. “ 

 
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Website : Fu Manchu

Southern California's heavy fuzz rock legends FU MANCHU were originally formed in 1985 as a Black Flag-influenced hardcore punk band called Virulence. The band has since become one of hard rock’s most celebrated names. The band released its first single “Kept Between Trees” in 1990 and in the years following, helped give rise to a celebrated style of heavy music tagged “stoner rock” alongside peers such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Sleep. Since its inception, the quartet has built itself a fanatical army of loyal enthusiasts all drawn to the group’s ridiculously catchy, unpretentious music, guitar-driven sound and carefree lyrics centred on "old muscle cars, choppers, vans, skateboarding and science fiction”.

The electrifying group dropped their new album ‘Signs of Infinite Power’  on October 16, 2009 via Century Media Records. If life is a highway, FU MANCHU is its soundtrack. While FU MANCHU’s music has been alternately described as stoner rock, surf-punk and desert rock, the truth is that it’s all of the above. Over the last dozen years, the Southern California quartet has perfected the art of the riff, mastered the depth of the groove and sharpened the edge of the hook.

The new album was recorded at Maple Studios in Santa Ana, California by the band and producer Sergio Chavez (Motörhead, Helmet) and mixed by Andrew Alekel (Foo Fighters, Danzig).

It appears there is plenty to talk about and guitarist Bob Balch was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Leverage

LEVERAGE came out of nowhere in 2006, causing a stir with the release of its debut album, ‘Tides’. The group's blend of modern metal sound and old-school, melody-based songwriting earned rave reviews from the media and created a fan base both in Finland and throughout the rock community in many countries.

LEVERAGE’s third full-length album, ‘Circus Colossus’, which entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 27 was released on November 4 via Spinefarm Records. And so we tracked down guitarist Tuomas Heikkinen to ask him some questions about LEVERAGE’s latest effort.

 
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For Selena and Sin

FOR SELENA AND SIN, founded in 2004, is with no doubt one of the future major names in the scene of female fronted metal bands. Performing a unique mix of metal, rock and pop, FOR SELENA AND SIN have found their own distinctive sound right from the beginning. With their first demo (‘Draining’, 2005) the band showed such potential that it wasn’t a great surprise when a record deal with the Dutch label Mascot Records was signed.

In 2007 FOR SELENA AND SIN recorded their debut album ‘Overdosed on You’ in Studio Watercastle with producer Arttu Sarvanne. The album was highly praised by media in Finland and abroad.
 

In 2009 FOR SELENA AND SIN head to Studio Underground in Västerås, Sweden, to record their second album ‘Primrose Path’. The collaboration with producer Pelle Saether brought out the more energetic and diverse side of FOR SELENA AND SIN. The new masterpiece features 12 catchy songs, including the Kylie Minoque cover song “Confide in Me”. A music video was shot for the first single, “Psycho Lover”!

It appears there is much to talk about, here you can read what guitarist Pasi Kolari had to say about the new album.

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Website : Redemption

REDEMPTION is one of the leading progressive metal bands in the world today, a fact which is further solidified with the release of their much anticipated fourth full-length release, ´Snowfall On Judgment Day´, which came out recently via Inside Out Music. The CD follows up 2005's breakthrough release ‘The Fullness of Time’, the band's first with Fates Warning frontman Ray Alder, which generated tremendous critical and popular acclaim.

Throughout spring 2009 the band finalized ´Snowfall On Judgment Day´, which was mixed by the well-known producer Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Jorn Lande, Circus Maximus). The album was mixed and mastered by Tommy Newton, who produced the group's last two CDs, at Area 51 Studios in Celle, Germany. The artwork was once again created by Travis Smith. ´Snowfall On Judgment Day´ features a more mature songwriting than ever before and shows the band taking several steps beyond the quality of their previous output, and standing out from the rest of the crowd in the progressive metal scene with their unique brand of heavy, melodic and emotionally powerful music. The legendary James Labrie (Dream Theater) also performs a duet guest vocal spot on the song “Another Day Dies.”

On top of that, guitarist / songwriter Nicolas van Dyk has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which he describes as "a particularly bad form of blood cancer which is generally considered incurable and which has a five-year survival rate of 34%."

Nicolas' lengthy online post regarding his condition and prognosis can be found at this location.

It appears there is much to talk about and so we tracked down guitarist / keyboardist / songwriter Nicolas van Dyk to ask him some questions. Here you can read what he had to say.

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August Burns Red

AUGUST BURNS RED was formed in Lancaster, PA, in 2003, and took its name from a local news story in which a troubled teenage girl set fire to a pet dog belonging to her former boyfriend. Featuring vocalist Jon Hershey, guitarists J.B. Brubaker and Brent Rambler, bassist Jordan Tuscan, and drummer Matt Greiner, the group recorded their first demo in 2004, when some of the members were still in high school. Later that year, a local independent label, CI Records, released the group's first EP, ´Looks Fragile After All´. Steady touring and positive response to the EP led to the group being signed to noted Christian metal label Solid State Records, who released August Burns Red's first full-length album, ´Thrill Seeker´, in the fall of 2005.

The long-awaited third full-length album by August Burns Red, ´Constellations´, has debuted at an impressive No. 24 on The Billboard 200 in the US and was released some months ago in Europe too.

It seems there is plenty to talk about and drummer Matt Greiner was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Black Pyramid

BLACK PYRAMID is a three-piece from Massachusetts with a stoner doom sound reminiscent of the band Sleep. The band was formed in 2007 and they released one EP which contained only two songs. Their debut album which is entitled ‘Black Pyramid’ was released in July via MeteorCity Records. The sound on ‘Black Pyramid’ can be compared with bands such as Sleep, Goatsnake and High on Fire but one can also hear elements along the lines of bands such as Mastodon, The Obsessed, Pentagram and Black Sabbath.

The band was willing to answer some questions and here you can read what they had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Leeches Of Lore

LEECHES OF LORE originated at the end of 2007 in New Mexico. In 2008 the band released a six-song EP and their debut album was recently released by MeteorCity Records. One thing no one can accuse the self-titled debut by the New Mexico duo of being is boring. Drummer / vocalist Andy Lutz and guitarist / bassist / vocalist Steve Hammond (they also occasionally employ Noah Wolters for keys and extra vocals) run through eleven tracks of madcap metal with little regard for genre or societal norms, and more over, they pull it off without sounding like caricatures of themselves. Their self-titled effort blends garage rock, stoner rock, country & western music, thrashy speed metal, psychedelia, surf rock, flamenco and more in an oddball but entertaining mixture.

So it appears there is much to talk about and Steve Hammond (guitar / vocals) was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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New Keepers Of The Water Towers

The Swedish formation NEW KEEPERS OF THE WATER TOWER have recently landed a deal with the American label MeteorCity Records. At present, they are the main label for stonerrock and doom metal bands and anything that lies between these genres such as bands like The Atomic Bitchwax, Hermano, Spirit Caravan and Nebula. And so it is no great surprise that New Keepers Of The Water Tower play straight forward stonerrock with rock, doom and even blues influences. Their debut album, however, is not entirely new. The material on this album has been previously released on two EP’s. The first part of the album tells of the ‘Chronicles Of Iceman’ (2008), the second part reveals ‘The Chronicles Of The Massive Boar’ (2007). A remarkable detail is the fact that three vocalists are featured on the album, each of which handling a different type of vocals: clean, rock and grunts.

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Website : Borknagar

BORKNAGAR is a progressive black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines folk metal and black metal with progressive and melodic elements. BORKNAGAR 's lyrics often deal with philosophy, paganism, nature, and the cosmos.

BORKNAGAR has released seven albums to date. Their self-titled debut album features lyrics solely in Norwegian; all subsequent albums have featured lyrics written in English exclusively (however, ‘The Olden Domain’ featured an instrumental track titled in Norwegian). Aside from Brun's lyrical contributions, the band has featured lyrics by other members as well: ICS Vortex from Arcturus and Dimmu Borgir, drummer Asgeir Mickelson, keyboardist Lars Nedland and more recently by current singer Vintersorg from Otyg and his eponymous band. Bassist Jan Erik Tiwaz aka Tyr wrote the song “The view of Everlast”.  
 

In late December 2007, the band signed a three-album deal with the Norwegian label Indie Recordings. In March 2008, Øystein announced that Erik Tiwaz and Jens Ryland had once again become official members of the band, and that the band were aiming for a January 2009 release. In May 2008, Øystein released another statement announcing Asgeir's departure as the band's drummer, due to "evolving differences in musical ideas and visions”, later that year drummer David Kinkade joined the band. 

In 2009 BORKNAGAR has completed work on its new album, ‘Universal’, for an early 2010 release via Indie Recordings. The CD was recorded and mixed at Toproom Studio in Lunner, Norway, with the band members themselves handling the production duties.

It appears there is much to talk about and so we tracked down Jens Fredrik Ryland (guitar) to ask him some questions, here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-experience.

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Satyricon

One of the élite scene leaders in Norwegian Black Metal bands, SATYRICON was formed in 1990 by Czral (Carl-Michael Eide) and Wargod. Haavard (Ulver) soon joined them. Satyr took over lead vocals in 1991. SATYRICON's current drummer, Frost, who joined the band in 1992. The band's first album ‘Dark Medieval Times’ showed off the fascination SATYRICON had with the Middle Ages and featured raw black metal blastbeats produced by Frost, mixed with acoustic guitar and flute. On their next album, ‘The Shadowthrone’, this medieval spirit was continued. Satyricon’s third album, ‘Nemesis Divina’, contains Norwegian black metal influenced by medieval metal and was released in 1996. ‘Rebel Extravaganza’, SATYRICON’s fourth album, was released in 1999. It contained more industrial metal influences than the previous albums. SATYRICON’s fourh release ‘Volcano’ resulted in a total of 4 Awards for ‘Volcano’ being, the Norwegian Grammy for "Best Metal Album", an Alarm award for "Fuel For Hatred" in the category for "Song of the Year", as well as The Alarm Award for "Metal Album of the Year" and The Oslo awards for "Best Overall Album". In 2006, SATYRICON released ‘Now, Diabolical’. The album was somewhat controversial among black metal fans due to its somewhat “radio friendly” take on black metal. ‘The Age of Nero’, SATYRICON’s latest effort was released November, 2008

So when drummer Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad was available at this year's Fortarock festival, which was held July 11 in Nijmegen, Holland we took our chance to ask him some question. So, here you can read what he has to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com.

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Illdisposed

ILLDISPOSED is a deathmetal band from Aarhus, Denmark that was formed in 1991. As of 2008, the band consists of vocalist Bo Summer, guitarists Jakob "Batten" Hansen and Franz Hellboss, bassist Jonas "Kloge" Mikkelsen and drummer Thomas "Muskelbux" Jensen.

Since the beginning of the 90’s ILLDISPOSED have been one of the top bands of the Nordic death metal scene and have released 10 albums. Without denying their death metal roots, their brand new offering ´To Those Who Walk Behind Us´ will meet all expectations. ILLDISPOSED have developed their own form of death metal with groovy rhythms, melodic but hard hitting riffs, a massive wall of sound with an aggressive vocal in focus. ‘To Those Who Walk Behind Us’ is a dedication to all the fans who have been following the band throughout the years. The music takes you back to the mid-nineties with a present day view. It is raw, melodious and groovy.

ILLDISPOSED´s latest effort ‘To Those Who Walk Behind Us’ was released August 28, 2009 via Massacre Records. The album was recorded at AB Studio in Aarhus, Denmark and was mixed at Fredman Studio in Sweden with Fredrik Nordström. 11 tracks will appear on the new ILLDISPOSED album (out of a total of 16 that were completed during the songwriting sessions), which will be available as a jewel case CD, limited digipack with bonus material and strictly limited box set with exclusive t-shirt. The band says, "We guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

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3 Inches Of Blood

3 INCHES OF BLOOD is a Canadian heavy metal band from in Vancouver, British Columbia, which was formed in 1999.The band was highly influenced by the bands involved with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their sound is also very thrash-influenced and contains major elements (namely vocals) of early death metal and black metal bands.

The world is eagerly awaiting the triumphant return of one of the biggest defenders of traditional heavy metal, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, and the anticipation continues to build to epic proportions. The stunning new album, ‘Here Waits Thy Doom’, was tracked in Seattle’s Sound House Recordings with renowned producer Jack Endino (High On Fire) and is soon to be hailed as the gospel of all things heavy.

It seems there is much to talk about and so we tracked down guitar player Shane Clark to ask him some questions, here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-experience.

 
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Website : Devine Heresy

DIVINE HERESY is an American metal band that was formed by the founder of Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares. Although the band's origins trace back to 2002, DIVINE HERESY was officially formed in 2006. The band currently consists of guitarist Cazares, former Vital Remains drummer and current World Under Blood drummer Tim Yeung, former Nile bassist Joe Payne and vocalist Travis Neal. Tommy "Vext" Cummings was fired from Divine Heresy following an onstage altercation in April, 2008. After holding Auditions for a new frontman for the band, it was announced in August 2008 that The Bereaved vocalist Travis Neal was to fill the position. The band's debut album ‘Bleed the Fifth’ was released in August 2007 and received generally positive reviews.

DIVINE HERESY's follow-up to 2007's ‘Bleed the Fifth’ will be the group's first release with new vocalist Travis Neal, formerly of Pushed and currently with Swedish band The Bereaved. The new album entitled ‘Bringer of Plagues’ was released recently. Dino co-produced the album with the acclaimed producing team Dirty Icon (Logan Mader and Lucas Banker).

It appears there is much to talk about and vocalist Travis Neal was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

 
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Website : Tenet

TENET is a new band project initiated by Jed Siman (Strapping Young Lad, Zimmer’s Hole), who gathered around him a host of musicians: Byron Stroud (Strapping young Lad, Fear Factory), Glen Alvelais (Forbidden, Testament, LD/50), Steve Zetro Souza (Legacy, Exodus, Dublin Death Patrol) and the one and only Gene Hoglan (Death, Testament, Dark Angel, Strapping Young Lad), so 60% of the band consists of former Strapping Young Lad members. As you would expect, the musical style of this band resembles that of bands such as Exodus, Dark Angel and Testament. The production duties are taken care of by veterans Vincent Wojno and Andy Sneap who have both worked with bands like Machine Head, Kreator, Opeth and Death in the past. No further introduction needed, I presume.
 

That all said, even if TENET might seem like a brand-new name to the scene, the fact that the band’s line-up involves some of the most respected players within the Thrash and extreme Metal scene will easily explain the immense quality to be found on the deeply personal-themed debut album ‘Sovereign’. If you like your METAL heavy and with a good dose of the “old school”, then you have found your home on ‘Sovereign’.

It seems there is much to talk about and we tracked down founder of the band Jed Simon to ask him some questions, here you can read what he had to say to us.

 
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Website : Arkaea

ARKAEA is an industrial groove metal band that was formed in 2008 by Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory)  and Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory) who had recorded a demo for a new band. They sent the demo to Threat Signal vocalist Jon Howard who laid down some vocals and ARKAEA was born. As for a Bass player they were trying to obtain Sam Rivers who was all for it but decided to back down due to location. Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne then offered his services for the album but it was felt it would be too difficult for another bassist to replicate his unique basslines live as he could not tour due to Mudvayne commitments. After a while looking for the perfect bassist, another Threat Signal member, Pat Kavanagh, was finally chosen.

Their debut entitled ‘Years in the Darkness’ will be released soon. The album was produced by Christian Olde Wolbers and ARKAEA, mixed by legendary producer Terry Date (Deftones, Slipknot, White Zombie, Soundgarden, Pantera) and mastered by Ted Jensen of Sterling Sound, who also mastered Fear Factory’ s gold album ‘Obsolete’ resulting in a modern metal opus too good to be ignored.

It seems there is plenty to talk about and drummer Raymond Herrera was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

 
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Website : Fractal Gates

In 2005 Stéphane Peudupin and Sebastien Pierre (both of French doom act Inborn Suffering) decided to create a band that emphasized more on rock, Scandinavian metal and catchy tunes. And so “Mislead” was born. The band had been active for two years when it was disbanded. In August 2007 Stéphane Peudupin and Sébastien Pierre decided to create a new band built on the ashes of “Mislead”. After some line-up changes, FRACTAL GATES found a solid formation with Antoine Verdier on bass guitar, Arnaud Hoarau on rhythmic guitar, Vivien Dumont on drums, Sebastien Pierre on vocals and Stéphane Peudupin on lead guitars.  

This marks the birth of FRACTAL GATES, a band that brings us Metal and Dark Rock with grooved catchy tunes and screams. The band emphasizes mainly on extra terrestrial life forms, ancient civilizations, planets, esoterism, science fiction etc .. Energy could be what describes Fractal Gates’s music best. The band released a 4-track demo CD at the end of 2007, this received surprisingly good response over the world which greatly motivated them to compose more songs. FRACTAL GATES was greatly inspired during the composition process and in four months’ time they had all the material ready for a full length CD.

In August 2008, the band entered the Hybreed studio and recorded and mixed the songs with Andrew Guillotin. They were very satisfied with the result and they decided to master the works at Jacob Hansen’s studio. The result is 49 minutes of explosive energetic metal on the debut album entitled “Altered State of Consciousness” which was released June 2009 through Rusty Cage Records.

It seems there is much to talk about and so we tracked down Sébastien Pierre (vocals / keyboards) to give us some answers for the following questions.

 
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Website : Warbringer

With the release of 2008's ‘War Without End’, WARBRINGER established themselves as one the most ferocious young thrash bands on the planet. With the chainsaw guitar riffs of John Laux and Adam Carroll accompanied by the evil screams of John Kevill, the band pillaged cities worldwide and established a rabid hardcore fan base after months and months of touring. WARBRINGER is ready for 2009 with the release of ‘Waking Into Nightmares’ and they have already begun a massive touring campaign to scorch the rest of the globe.

On ‘Waking into Nightmares’, WARBRINGER was able to collaborate with true guitar hero and metal legend Gary Holt (Exodus), who produced the newest offering at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, CA. The record was mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren (Suffocation, All Shall Perish) with cover artwork completed by the extraordinary surrealistic Dan Seagrave (Morbid Angel, Entombed, Malevolent Creation). While still new to the band, both Bennett and Ritter play a huge part in the band's redefined sound delivering a massive bass tone and very ambitious and unexpected drum work, combined with the band's already lethal riff work WARBRINGER has reached a new level of complexity and brutality; leaving metal heads with even more reason to check out WARBRINGER's punishing live show. With over 200 US shows already planned, and a European tour in the works chances are you will be seeing much more of these thrashers soon, so prepare for TOTAL WAR!

WARBRINGER released their much anticipated sophomore album ‘Waking Into Nightmares’ on May 25, 2009 via Century Media Records. So there was much to talk about, here can you read what John Kevill (vocals) had to say about WARBRINGER’s latest effort.

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Website : Alexisonfire

ALEXISONFIRE (pronounced as "Alexis On Fire") is a five-piece post-hardcore band that was formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consists of George Pettit (vocals), Dallas Green (guitar, vocals), Wade MacNeil (guitar, vocals), Chris Steele (bass), and Jordan Hastings (drums).

The band describes their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight" (a reference to their song "A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles", which was also the inspiration for their album cover art). When the band came out of the underground like an "utterly captivating car-accident-in-progress" in late 2001, it was enough to impress critics and attain a gold certification for their self-titled debut album.

Aside from that, the band has released two more very successful albums: ‘Watch Out!’ in 2004, and ‘Crisis’ in 2006, both which have achieved platinum certification in Canada. Alexisonfire began recording ‘Old Crows, Young Cardinals’ (with a slightly altered title) on February 1, 2009 and by March 1, 2009 the recording process was near completion; Only leads, overdubs, and vocals were left before mixing and mastering.

ALEXISONFIRE’s new album will be out on june 19^th, therefore we handed over some questions to the band and here you can read what they had to say about their latest release.

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Website : Sarke

SARKE might sound like a new name, in fact it is, but this grim story has more pages than one might think at first. Formed in 2008 by its namesake Sarke, who has spread his angry art through Khold, Tulus, Old Man's Child and Sensa Anima, SARKE is a mesmerizing journey through dark and soothing sound scapes, inspired by legends like Mayhem, Slayer, Darkthrone, Celtic Frost, Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Death, Motorhead and Kreator.

For this musical quest, Sarke wanted to create music that has inspired him since he got into the extreme metal scene, and thus Nocturno Culto from the mighty Darkthrone was brought on board, making the core of the project complete. All music and lyrics were written by Sarke, but adding Nocturno Culto’s (Darktrone) legendary voice to these songs, has without a doubt added another dimension to the grimness.

SARKE’s debut album ‘Vorunah’ was recorded in November, and even though the album was recorded in old-fashioned 70's style to get the true vibe of the music, the sound is brutal, fresh and up to date.

We had the chance to ask vocalist Nocturno Culto some questions and here you can read what he had to say.

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Trigger The Bloodshed

Formed at the end of the year 2006 by Rob Purnell and Martyn Evans, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED have been creating some of the most extreme music in death metal, fusing new with old school. Trigger The Bloodshed’s blistering blast-filled death metal is a devastating assault earning them the title of ‘UK's heaviest band’.

After their debut Trigger The Bloodshed came back with a vengeance on their sophomore album, ‘The Great Depression’. This time around, the band has a new vocalist and bassist in its ranks, and a shift in sound from grind/deathcore to technical death metal á la Suffocation and Nile. The United Kingdom quintet tears a hole through the listener’s skull with sheer, violent brutality.

‘The Great Depression’ is a step forward in almost every aspect. Only a year has passed since ‘Purgation’, but ‘The Great Depression’ shows a marked improvement in the band’s musicianship and songwriting. Everything seems to be finally clicking with the band, a hopeful sign that their magnum opus might be on the horizon.

So it seems there is much to talk about and guitarist Martyn Evans was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Warpath

WARPATH is a UK based thrashband which was formed in 2003, the band's debut album ‘Damnation’ was released worldwide in May 2008. The self-released album was recorded in Kevin Tally’s (Daath) studio and it was produced by Orlando Villasenor. James Murphy (Testament, Death, Obituary) took care of the mixing process. At present, ‘Damnation’ has received positive reviews from all of the major magazines on the map.

So it seems there is much to talk about, Richard Goss (Rhythm guitar / vocals) & Pete Hawthorne (Lead guitar) where available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Devin Townsend

DEVIN TOWNSEND is a Canadian musician and record producer best known as the co-founder, vocalist and guitarist in extreme metal outfit Strapping Young Lad.

Townsend's trademark production style, featuring a heavily multi tracked wall of sound, has been compared to the styles of Phil Spector and Frank Zappa. His versatile vocal delivery ranges from screaming to singing, and his songwriting is similarly diverse in nature. Townsend's musical style is rooted in metal, and his albums are written to express different aspects of his personality.

Strapping Young Lad's five-album contract was fulfilled with the 2006 release of ‘The New Black’, leaving the band on indefinite hiatus. Townsend has since spent more of his time producing albums for other groups, and continues to write and release self-produced albums from his home studio. Townsend is currently working on a four-album series called the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, with each album being written in a different style. The first entry in the series, ‘Ki’, is due to be released next week.

So there was much to talk about and DEVIN was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Oliver Weers

Oliver Weers is the “newest” Danish hard rock name. He had been around for quite a few years as a producer before his breakthrough on the Danish television-Show “X-Factor”. Since the Danish release of his debut album, ‘Get Ready’ in September 2008, OLIVER WEERS and his band have managed to establish themselves as one of Denmark's finest hard rock acts.

On May 1 the album was released in the rest of Europe through Target Records. Mister Weers has managed to add a number of impressive names to the list of guest musicians on this new record. Tommy Aldridge (o.a. Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Vinnie Moore, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Motörhead, Ted Nugent) can be heard on drums and Marco Mendoza (o.a. Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake) takes care of the bass duties. All the more reason for us to get a little better acquainted with Oliver Weers!

Here you can read what Oliver had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com:

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Disbelief

DISBELIEF is a metal band from Hesse, Germany. Their music is rooted in death metal, but has an unusually melancholic tone. The band was formed in 1990, but did not become one solid line-up for several years. They began with Karsten Jäger, Oliver Lenz, and drummer Markus Gnap, with guitarist/bassist Denis Musiol joining later. DISBELIEF released their self-titled debut album in 1997.

Chapter 8 in the history of DISBELIEF is opened  ‘Protected Hell’ (out now) is the title of their new album. DISBELIEF still do not create easy listening music but they manage to write catchy songs in their own style, devastation on the one hand, deep empathy on the other - a tornado of emotions!!! Once again, Michael Mainx was hired to produce the album (he also the ‘Navigator’ album in 2007). The sound of this record is aggressive and heavy but it also spreads the typical DISBELIEF - atmosphere which is necessary to transport the intensity of the songs!! To finalize it all, Tue Madsen did the mastering at the Antfarm studio.

Apparently there is much to talk about and so we had a little chat with Bass player Jochen "Joe" Trunk, here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com:

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Old Man's Child

Norwegian melodic black metal masters OLD MAN’S CHILD, led by guitarist / vocalist Galder (Dimmu Borgir), are about to return to the spotlight with the release of their new album ‘Slaves Of The World’. The band was founded in 1993. OLD MAN’S CHILD’s roots go as far back as 1989; when members Galder, Jardar and Tjodalv were in a death/thrash band called "Requiem". OLD MAN’S CHILD is the brainchild of Galder, formerly known as Grusom, whose birth name is Thomas Rune Andersen. Other members have come and gone, but Galder remains the driving force behind the band. "Old Man's Child" stands for "Son of the Devil", or "Child of Satan", by "Old Man" referring to the Devil.

The new opus, ‘Slaves Of The World’ was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg / Sweden with acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström (Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, In Flames, etc.), who had previously worked successfully with the band on their ‘In Defiance Of Existence’ (2003) and ‘Vermin’ (2005) albums. For drum duties and sticking to the tradition of bringing in a new exceptional player for each new album, OLD MAN’S CHILD mastermind Galder decided to enlist Peter Wildoer (Darkane, ex-Arch Enemy, Pestilence) this time around, guaranteeing a mercilessly blasting, yet technically high skilled musical punch from start to finish!

It appears there is much to talk about so we had a chat with mainman Galder. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com
 
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Website : Dååth

DAATH, often typeset as DÅÅTH (formerly known as Dirtnap or Dirt Nap) is a metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their music incorporates styles such as thrash metal, death metal, industrial metal, and progressive metal. Their work is heavily influenced by Da'at and Kabbalah. Dååth, however, does not identify a direct religious affiliation in its music.

DÅÅTH was formed by Eyal Levi and Mike Kameron, who had been playing in bands since they were in middle school. DÅÅTH's first album ‘Futility’, was self-released in 2004. Their Roadrunner Records debut, ‘The Hinderers’, was released in 2007. In October 2007, singer Sean Farber left the band. A few months later, Sean Z was named the new singer.

The Band's new album ‘The Consealers’ was released last April by Century Media Records (via a partnership with Roadrunner Records). This is the first album with their new singer Sean Z. The guitar parts a more influential on this ‘The Concealers’ was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (Trivium, All That Remains, Devildriver).

It seems there is much to talk about, Metal-Experience had the chance to talk to the band who are currently on tour in the US in support of their latest effort. 

 
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Website : Drone

The German band DRONE have recently completed their second album which is entitled ‘Juggernaut’. The album is the predecessor of Drone’s 2007 debut entitled ‘Head-on Collision’. ‘Juggernaut’ will be released through Wacken Records and will be available in stores from March 30. Drone was formed in 2005 and in that very year they won the prestigious Metal Battle at the Wacken Open Air festival, which landed them a record deal. The second album was recorded in the Hansen Studio in Denmark and if you ask me, the result is an album to be reckoned with.

Like their debut album, ‘Juggernaut’ consists mainly of modern thrash tracks which remind one of bands such as Machine Head and Fear Factory. According to the Drone members, the names Testament, Mastodon and Pantera can be added to this list.

It appears there is much to talk about and Moritz "Mutz" Hempel (Vocals, Guitar) was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com.

 
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Website : Criminal

Formed in the early 90s in Santiago de Chile by ex-Pentagram mastermind Anton Reisenegger and guitar virtuoso Rodrigo Contreras, CRIMINAL were combining elements of thrash, hardcore and death metal long before the term “metalcore” was even thought of. The band enjoyed a meteoric rise to the forefront of the thriving South American metal scene, including five-digit album sales, shows with the likes of Kreator, Sepultura and Slayer. With their albums being released in South and North America, Europe and Japan, the future looked bright for CRIMINAL, but the band was faced with severe personal and business problems around the turn of the decade. Reisenegger and Contreras then decided to relocate to the UK, regrouping in a half-Chilean, half-British line-up. CRIMINAL's latest studio offering, ‘Sicario’, was hailed by the press as one of the finest thrash metal releases of 2005. At the same time, the band's status in their home country remains unbroken. Freshly signed to Germany's Massacre Records, CRIMINAL released their latest album ‘White Hell’ on February 27th, 2009.
 

So it seems there is much to talk about and Anton Reisenegger  (Vocals, Guitar) was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Derek Sherinian

DEREK SHERINIAN is an American ‎rock and jazz fusion keyboardist based in Los Angeles, California. After studying at the Berklee College of Music, Sherinian became a keyboardist and sideman for a number of artists, including Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kiss and Zakk Wylde. He has also played keyboards for Dream Theater and Platypus, and is the co-founder of the band Planet X. His solo albums feature several prominent artists, including Slash, Allan Holdsworth, John Sykes, and Jerry Goodman.

Sherinian has been called the "King of the Keys" and the "Caligula of keyboards" due to his performing style. His influences include Elton John, Keith Emerson, Jan Hammer, and a variety of guitarists. Sherinian endorses various equipment, including Korg and Clavia keyboards. He is of Greek-Armenian descent and has a special interest in Armenian history.

Since 1999, Sherinian has recorded several solo albums, featuring performances by numerous well-known musicians. Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Tony Franklin (The Firm, Whitesnake), Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne), Virgil Donati and Rusty Cooley (Outworld) are among the guest musicians who appear on Derek Sherinian's latest solo album, entitled "Molecular Heinosity".

It appears there is much to talk about so we had a chat with DEREK SHERINIAN. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Wizard

WIZARD is a German power metal band that was formed in 1989 by drummer Sören van Heek. The band is often referred to as "Germany's answer to Manowar" with lyrics that often narrate battles, metal, war, steel and such subjects (with the exception of the album ‘Odin’, which is a concept album about Norse mythology). Wizard does play a lot faster than Manowar though, and they have a high-pitched vocalist among their ranks.

After longtime guitarist Michael Maass quit the band in 2003 due to health problems, the band recorded two albums with guitarist Dano Boland: ‘Magic Circle’ (2005) and ‘Goochan’ (2007). After a three year hiatus, Michael Maass returned to Wizard to record a new album and it was decided to keep Dano boland in the band too. The new Wizard album is their eight opus and is entitled ‘Thor’. The album was released on January 30 through Massacre Records.

It appears there is plenty to talk about and drummer Sören van Heek (Snoppi) was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Lion's Share

2009 will see Swedish melodic metal masters LION'S SHARE release their new album, “Dark Hours”. A natural follow-up to 2007's ‘Emotional Coma’, the band builds on their trademark style they have developed. Crushing guitar work, top flight musicianship combined with melodic vocals and a knack for building songs that consume the listener makes this one of 2009's most anticipated. The line-up of the band features singer Patrik Johansson and bassist Sampo Axelsson alongside founding member Lars Chriss (guitar).

LION'S SHARE will release their new album, ‘Dark Hours’, on March 25 via Blistering Records. As with their previous release, ‘Dark Hours’ also features some splendid guest players, including guitarist Michael Romeo (Symphony X) and drummer Conny Pettersson (Anata). The new album was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Symphony X, Paradise Lost, Amon Amarth) at Fascination Street.

So it seems there is much to talk about and guitarist Lars Chriss was available to answer some questions for us. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : God Forbid

GOD FORBID is an American heavy metal band that was formed in 1996 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. They haven’t had a single line-up change since the band was founded. Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as Gwar, Nile and Cradle of Filth, their first full album ‘Reject the Sickness’ was released by 9 Volt Records in 1999. This album received heavy rotation in the New York City area and the band was subsequently signed to Century Media Records.

The apocalyptic and grandiose musical landscape of the new GOD FORBID album proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this New Jersey based group have paved a new path out from the stagnant US metal scene and the future looks to be a very bright one. Their stunning new effort, ‘Earthsblood’, blends together a perfect amount of brutality, melodies and utter catchiness against a wall of sonic excess and pummelling groove-laden riffs. ‘Earthsblood’ was produced by Eric Rachel (Atreyu) with Christian Olde Wolbers (Fear Factory, Threat Signal) handling all vocal tracking. The mixing was done by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Soilwork, Amon Amarth).

So it seems there is much to talk about and lead guitarist Doc Coyle was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Wolf

WOLF is a heavy metal band from Örebro, Sweden and was formed in 1995 and to this day, the band has had only one goal: to make kick-ass, honest, grab-you-in-the-nuts heavy metal! After releasing their debut album, “Wolf” back in 2000, the band toured relentlessly and destroyed the major festivals, gaining them more and more followers and success.
 

Now WOLF is ready to make metal history once again by recording the new album “Ravenous” with highly acclaimed producer Roy Z. Roy is known for his work with Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson, Helloween, Halford, Malmsteen and many more. The band immediately knew that he was the man for the job. Having Hank Shermann (Force of Evil, Mercyful Fate) and Marc Boals (ex-Malmsteen) make guest appearances on the album really adds to the flavour of what is a delicious buffet filled with true heavy metal carnage.

So it seems there is much to talk about and guitarist Johannes "Axe" Axeman was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

 
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Website : Kreator

KREATOR has been one of the most influential European thrash bands. Since their beginning in the early ‘80s as Tyrant to Tormentor and finally KREATOR, the German band has become one of the longest running and popular thrash acts. In 2009 they are still going strong, and their latest CD is ‘Hordes Of Chaos’.
 
‘Hordes of Chaos’ was recorded at Berlin's Tritonus studios under the direction of producer Moses Schneider. Schneider is renowned for his fresh and exceptionally dynamic working methods with bands and artists such as Tocotronic and Beatsteaks. The album was mixed in London by Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Bullet for my Valentine, Cradle of Filth). The result is exactly what one would expect from KREATOR in terms of its energy and stylistic direction. ‘Hordes of Chaos’ brilliantly conveys the same intense energy that KREATOR is known for in their live stage shows.
 
A couple of hours before the show in Amsterdam vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza gives us the lowdown on the band’s 12th studio album. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com
 
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Website : Vreid

VREID is a black metal band that came into being after Windir broke up, following the death of lead singer and founder Valfar. The band was formed in 2004 by three former Windir members and a new guitarist; Ese. Ese had been a close friend of the Vreid members for years, and he was co-engineer on Windir's ‘Likferd’ album. Translated from Norwegian into English, Vreid's name means "Wrath".
 

Hváll started writing their 4th album during the autumn of 2007. The pre-prods were done during the winter and on the Norwegian liberation day, May the 8th, they started the recordings of their new album ‘Milorg’. The band sounds a lot more mature and atmospheric, yet more raw and powerful on this album. VREID have continued their history based lyrics, this album was named after the WW2 Norwegian resistance group MILORG ( MILitary ORGanization) and is a tribute to their work.
 

Jarle "Hváll" Kvåle (bass) of VREID was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

 
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Website : Napalm Death

27 years of grindcore ultra-violence, 27 years of being one of the hardest working, hardest touring bands on this miserable planet, NAPALM DEATH’s conviction, energy and belief in spontaneous, outspoken yet extreme music is far from being watered down. “Time Waits For No Slave”, the band’s 13th studio album (excluding the cover album “Leaders Not Followers Pt.2”) marks no exception – as long as this is a world gone wrong, NAPALM DEATH will be utilizing their artistic arsenal to attack those in charge, no matter if their fanaticism stems from a political, religious or simply greedy motivation.

Once again, NAPALM DEATH’s concerns are realised through intense, devastatingly brutal songs that venture into groovier, neckbreaking mid-tempo passages to allow the listener to take a breath before vicious blast beats pummel you out of existence. "Time Waits For No Slave" will be released via Century Media Records on January 23.

After having had a chat during NAPALM DEATH’s tour through Europe last year in Tilburg, we tracked down Shane Embury to ask him all about NAPALM DEATH’s latest release, here you can read what he had to say about ‘Time Waits For No Slave’.

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Website : Wardruna

WARDRUNA, the project led by former GORGOROTH drummer Kvitrafn (who also played with SIGFADER, JOTUNSPOR and DEAD TO THIS WORLD), will release its debut album, "Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga", on January 19, 2009 via Indie Recordings. The idea of WARDRUNA began to take shape in 2002 as a project where founder and main man Einar Kvitrafn Selvik could work with a musical expression and instrumentation very different from what his involvements in various metal bands would allow. Naturally, it also became a place where his passion for and practice of Norse paganism and runes could be combined with music.

The upcoming album entitled ‘Gap Var Ginnunga’ will be the first in the planned Runaljod trilogy that will interpret the runes of the elder futhark. The subsequent albums will be entitled ‘Yggdrasill’ and ‘Ragnarok’. Each album will feature eight runes, but not in accordance with the order of the three aettirs (families), which is most commonly used.

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Website : Devian

After the much-lauded debut album “Ninewinged Serpent” in 2007 and a triumphant 7 week long European tour with Polish death metal overlords Vader, Sweden’s blackened death/thrash commando DEVIAN mercilessly return with a second attack: The furious new album “God To The Illfated”. Featuring former Marduk members Legion (vocals) and Emil Dragutinovic (drums), DEVIAN anno 2008 offer an increasingly dynamic, vicious and aggressive sound that captivates the listener with massive, thrashing riffs and a heartfelt old school spirit.

After having had a chat during DEVIAN’s 7 week tour through Europe last May, we tracked down LEGION once again to ask him all about Devian’s latest release, here you can read what he had to say about ‘God To The Illfated’

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Website : Marshall Law

MARSHALL LAW is a heavy metal band from Birmingham, England. The group formed in 1988. Regarded by many as one of the finest exponents of the Power Metal genre the UK has to offer, MARSHALL LAW have enjoyed a seven album career spanning nearly two decades. Their debut album ‘Marshall Law’ has been widely described as a cult classic.

The new album ‘Razorhead’ is the result of three years writing and recording and it is a dark and intense journey that undoubtedly contains the band’s best material to date. We had the opportunity to ask the band a couple of questions, here you can read what Dave Martin (Guitar) has to say about their latest release.

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Website : Holy Moses

The roots of HOLY MOSES go all the way back to 1980! Ramon Bruessler and Jochen Fuenders founded the band. The band got the kick start they needed in 1981 when Sabina and Andy Classen joined. Sabina's jackhammer voice, along with Andy's heavy riffs set the metal world on its ear. Over the next four years the band released three demos. Eventually the tapes found their way to Ralph Hubert's office from Aaarrg! records who put the band on the Metallic Bunnys sampler in early 1986.

‘Agony of Death’, the new HOLY MOSES album, was released on September 29 in Europe via Wacken Records/SPV. The CD was recorded at the Blue Castle Studio near Hamburg with producer/guitar player Michael Hankel. Members of Destruction, Obituary and Axel Rudi Pell are among the guest musicians who appear on the album.

It seemed there is much to talk about so we had a conversation with front woman Sabina Classen (vocals). Here you can read what she had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Unitopia

UNITOPIA is a musical adventure comprising the vocal and song writing skills of Mark Trueack, the production, song writing, keyboard & vocal skills of Sean Timms, the guitar & vocal prowess of Matt Williams, the bass and vocal talents of Shireen Khemlani, the combined drum/percussion batteries of Monty Ruggiero and Tim Irrgang and the remarkable multi-instrumentalism of Mike Stewart.  Based in Adelaide, South Australia they released their debut CD 'More Than a Dream' in 2005 to critical acclaim. The independently released album is a unique mélange of Progressive Rock, Classical & World Music, able to keep the listener enthralled & challenged by the scope of the material, lyrically, musically & emotionally.
 

With great commitment, the band returned to work. ‘The Garden’ was written, demoed, recorded, mixed and mastered in three years. ‘The Garden’ was recently released through InsideOut Music in Europe, and so we did an interview with Sean Timms, here you can read what he had to say.
 
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Website : Thyrfing

On March 13, 2007, THYRFING posted a message on the official Thyrfing-site declaring that Thomas Väänänen (vocals) and Henrik Svegsjö (guitars) had decided to leave the band due to lack of motivation. Instead of Thomas, founder and ex-vocalist of Naglfar, Jens Rydén, will now be handling the vocals. The band has also decided to continue with one guitarist for now.

In summer 2008, THYRFINGannounced that they were back in the studio. The album, entitled ‘Hels Vite’ was co-produced by Thyrfing and Jörgen Svensson of Tyroon Production. The recordings and mixing took place between April and June and the album will be released through Regain Records in October.

It appears there is much to talk about and Patrik Lindgren (guitars) was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Unsun

Originally formed under the moniker Unseen, the dynamic four piece around Polish guitar maestro Mauser (formely guitar player of Poland’s renowned metal band Vader) finally decided that something incorporating day and night, light and darkness would suit them best. A label for their music which is melancholic and a little dark at times, yet catchy at the same time. Something that would put a name to the bitter-sweet twist of Aya’s highly melodic vocals topping the driving force of the underlying guitar riffs. This unique mix easily makes UNSUN’s debut album “The End Of Life” one of the most promising releases of the year.

Apparently there is much to talk about and therefore we had a little chat with Aya and Mauser, here you can read what they had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Axel Rudi Pell

AXEL RUDI PELL is a German guitaist, specialised in melodic heavy metal. He started off with the band Steeler (1984-1988) which he left in order to start his solo career in 1989 with the eponymous band Axel Rudi Pell. During this time he has played with such drummers as Jörg Michael, Mike Terrana and singers such as Jeff Scott Soto and Rob Rock. He plays classic, traditional melodic heavy metal, predictably heavy but less flashy than Yngwie Malmsteen, with an emphasis on softer ballads, hence three separate ballad compilations over the years.

AXEL RUDI PELL recently released his eighteenth offering, ‘Tales Of The Crown’, in Europe via SPV Records. According to a press release, ‘Tales Of The Crown’ is a "haunting" studio album featuring ten brand-new compositions. "Our fans will get just the kind of songs they have come to know and expect from me and my band," says Pell, adding, "plus a few little innovations." Axel Rudi Pell is referring to the contemporary touch which some of his latest tracks feature, mainly in terms of rhythm. "But don't worry, these modern approaches are only gradual and don't affect the typical flair of my songs."

With this new release out, we had a little chat with mainman AXEL RUDI PELL, here we go!

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Website : It Bites

IT BITES is a progressive rock and pop fusion band formed in Egremont, Cumbria, England. The band's initial rise to fame was on the back of the unusual and catchy 1986 single "Calling All The Heroes", which gained them a Top 6 UK chart hit and an unwelcome reputation as a novelty act - something the band was to dispel via their instrumental virtuosity, their reputation as an excellent live act and a measure of sheer determination.

Rarely fashionable yet forever popular with their audience, the band effectively became one of Britain's top underground rock acts during the late 1980s. Initially fronted by the charismatic and wayward Francis Dunnery, the band imploded during 1990

IT BITES opted to reform with Beck and Dalton's Kino bandmate John Mitchell replacing Dunnery as lead singer and guitarist. The new IT BITES made their live debut for a well-received tour in winter 2006 (which also spawned a live album ‘When The Lights Go Down’). The band began to write material for a new album during 2006 and 2007. The new album was completed in May 2008, with a full release to follow on Inside Out Music in October 2008.
 
With a new album out entitled ‘The Tall Ships’ we had a little chat with Bob Dalton (Drums), so here we go!

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Website : Lord Belial

Sweden’s LORD BELIAL strike again, this time with their new album ‘The Black Curse’. Following their full-length last year, ‘Revelation – The 7th Seal’, the band’s new offering submits more melodic black metal blasphemy and unhinged hatred.

LORD BELIAL is a Swedish black metal band that has incorporated traits of death metal and doom metal at times. The band formed in 1992 and released their debut album ‘Kiss The Goat’ in 1994. This debut album was well-acclaimed by fans and press due to its originality and the intriguing combination of melody and aggressiveness and placing them among the pioneers of Swedish black metal.

‘The Black Curse’ is by far their best recording achieved so far, and it truly shows Lord Belial's potential as one of Sweden's leading and most unique Black Metal acts, therefore we tracked down Thomas Backelin (Guitars, Vocals) to ask him some questions, this is what he had to say…

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Website : Tribe After Tribe

Continuing the work they began in South Africa more than two decades ago, TRIBE AFTER TRIBE fuses unique world rock elements with ringleader Robbi Robb's incisive, intelligent lyrical dreamscapes, exposing the evil forces of Apartheid and its ideological brethren .. forces that remain with us today, perhaps more so than ever before. The message in the music is not, however, a political one, but rather a simple signpost pointing to the common ground of the human heart which we all share; a place where all gunfire is, in essence, 'friendly fire'.

In the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction comes the new album from renowned rockers TRIBE AFTER TRIBE: ‘MOAB’, a vital and important piece of music that is truly a new testament for the troubled times of the 21st Century.

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Website :  In This Moment

IN THIS MOMENT is an American metalcore band formed in 2005 after singer Maria Brink and guitarist Chris Howorth met through common friends. The two immediately realized that they had something special with one another and they began writing songs together. Soon thereafter they enlisted the help of Los Angeles drummer Jeff Fabb.
 

The band released their second album entitled ‘The Dream’ in September 2008. This album features somewhat of a departure from their 'Metal-core' sound on the first album (with 'The Great Divide' being the only song really featuring Maria's signature screams). ‘The Dream’ centers heavily on Maria's clean vocals, integration of piano, strong hooks, and solid songwriting.

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Website :  Evergrey

EVERGREY is a progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden and was founded in 1996. The band released their debut album ‘The Dark Discovery’ in 1998 and since then EVERGREY have brought out six studio albums and one live cut. All of them made the top 20 in their native Sweden and the last two made the top 10. On top of that, their DVD was number 1 for four weeks and nominated for a Grammy in Sweden. The band has toured around the globe several times, together with In Flames, Nevermore, Throwdown, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom and Iced Earth, among others.
 

On May 08, 2008, EVERGREY announced that they had signed a deal with Steamhammer/SPV. This deal includes the release of their new album and the entire back catalogue. It also was announced that the new album, ‘Torn’, will be released early in September. As the deal includes the band’s entire back catalog, there is a possibility of re-releases of previous Evergrey albums with the inclusion of added bonus material.

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Website :  Iskald

Hailing from Bodø in the northern part of Norway, ISKALD is about to release their second full-length album, ‘Revelations of Reckoning Day’, through Indie Recordings this fall."Iskald represents ice cold and crystal clear black metal from the land of the midnight sun. and with this surprisingly mature album they shine like aurora borealis on the northern black metal hemnisphere. Fueled by the devotion to Norse mythology and the inspiration of arctic surroundings, founding members Simon Larsen and Aage Krekling, started up their black metal project, ISKALD in early 2005. After a demo, the first EP ‘Northern Twilight’ was completed by the end of the year.
 

This fall ISKALD returns with a new diabolical masterpiece. The album was recorded in Berlin, July 2008, produced by Stamos Koiousis and Vangelis Labrakis (Mencea/Stonegard). With ‘Revelations of Reckoning Day’ ISKALD will mark the start of a new era, bringing their listeners further down into the abyss. A new edge and momentum has found its way into the band. ISKALD sounds blacker than ever before. September 29th is the Day of Reckoning!

So there is much to talk about, and here you can read what Aage Krekling has to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Into Eternity

INTO ETERNITY was formed in 1997 by founding members Tim Roth, Scott Krall and Jim Austin and later released an eponymous, independent album in 1999. The band signed to Century Media Records a year later and then re-released their debut album. In 2001, the band returned with their second album ‘Dead or Dreaming’, an album which saw a more pronounced integration of progressive and death metal. The trend continued on 2004's ‘Buried in Oblivion’ and even further on 2006's ‘The Scattering of Ashes’. Their new (concept-) album entitled ‘The Incurable Tragedy’ was released in Europe on August 25.

INTO ETERNITY's first concept album, ‘The Incurable Tragedy’, also marked their first recording effort with new members Justin Bender (guitars) and Steve Bolognese (drums). This offering was inspired by the deaths of Roth's two best friends, brothers who succumbed to cancer within two months of one another. To make matters worse, when the band began demoing new material shortly after the completion of the Scattering tour -- a star-making year of shows that saw the band perform alongside such internationally renowned acts as Dream Theater, Lamb of God, Megadeth, Opeth, Arch Enemy, The Haunted and Dark Tranquillity -- Roth's father was diagnosed with cancer as well. Showing no mercy, the disease claimed his life last year, just 10 days before Christmas.
 

So there is much to talk about and guitarist Justin Bender was willing to answer our questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : The Haunted

Swedish Metal innovators THE HAUNTED have been on the forefront of the global modern extreme metal-scene since the very beginning of their illustrious run around 1996, when core members of the seminal act At The Gates decided to start out a new and more Thrash Metal oriented shape than before.
 

Having spent countless intense roadtrips all over the world in these last very active years THE HAUNTED have often shown that their Metal shines at best when presented live and raw. Consequently, it was bravely decided for 2008’s ‘Versus’ album to return to the basics and let the powergroove do the talking: Once again produced with Tue Madsen (who has worked on ‘rEVOLVEr’ and ‘The Dead Eye’ too) at PUK, Antfam and IF Studio, ‘Versus’ features “No click tracks, no triggers, no faking it” and develops a fascinating level of dynamics and heaviness from its basic live-recording procedure.
 

So there was much to talk about and drummer Per Möller Jensen was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website : Enslaved

ENSLAVED is about to unleash their new album 'Vertebrae' on us. As a special promotional action, the record label gave away promotion t-shirts especially designed for the listening session at the Wacken festival. We also got a chance to interview the band. So after being tucked away in a nice and comfortable camper, we started the interview with Ivar, guitarist and main composer of the band.

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Website : Stonegard

STONEGARD is a heavy metal band from Oslo, Norway. They have two official releases in the form of full length albums, ‘Arrows’ and ‘From Dusk Till Doom’. When the band released their first album ‘Arrows’, they received excellent reviews from national newspapers television and radio in Norway.  ‘Arrows’ became a success selling more than 7000 copies in Scandinavia alone.

Their second album ‘From Dusk Till Doom’ has so far reached 5000 sold albums in Scandinavia and for the European release they have upgraded the album with a new mix, re-recorded guitars and bass and brought in no other than Ted Jensen (Slipknot/ Machine Head) for the mastering. Produced and recorded by Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames/Meshuggah).

So there is much to talk about, drummer Erlend Gjerde was available at the Wacken Open Air festival to answer our questions. Here you can read what he has to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website :Ephrat

Israeli progressive rock/metal band EPHRAT will release its debut album, "No One's Words", on August 25 via Inside Out Music. Mastermind, guitarist, flutist, keyboardist and sole composer of the quartet is Omer Ephrat. Alongside Omer, the band consists of Gili Rosenberg, vocalist Lior Seker and drummer Tomer Z, whom experts of the genre know from his collaboration with Blackfield. Then there are two high-carat guests who add additional specks of colour to this diverse album. The most renowned of them is Daniel Gildenlöw, boss and chief visionary of Swedish elite prog rock act Pain Of Salvation, who recorded the lead vocals of the almost 10-minute "The Sum Of Damage Done".

So let’s welcome a new and extremely promising progressive rock act from Israel whose songs stand for a successful balancing act between traditional elements and the future of the genre. Ephrat delivers a colourful mix of European influences and the atmospheric tone sequences of the Middle East - the benchmark data of a new group could hardly be more promising.

So there is much to talk about, here you can read what mastermind Omer Ephrat  has to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

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Website :COG

COG is an Australian progressive rock band which was formed in 1998. Flynn Gower and Lucius Borich (son of renowned Australian blues guitarist Kevin Borich) were friends at their Bondi high school in the 1980s. As their school careers finished, Borich formed the band Juice while Flynn formed the 5 piece metal band The Hanging Tree. In 1995, after the release of Juice's debut album, Borich left the band and joined The Hanging Tree. Shortly after the release of their debut, Borich left the band and the country, travelling to the United States. Flynn wanted to form a band and contacted Lucius, eventually resulting in the formation of COG.
 

During the later months of 2004, COG recorded their debut album, ‘The New Normal’, in the small logging town of Weed, California with producer Sylvia Massy (System of a Down, Tool). In support of the album, the band headlined a full Australian tour. COG began to record and write tracks for their second album in 2007, entitled ‘Sharing Space’, at Weed, California, once again with Massy producing. They took a break from recording in June, bouncing back for a number of shows.

‘Sharing Space’ was released recently through Superball Music in Europe, and we recently did an interview with Luke Gower, here you can read what he had to say.

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Website : Iced Earth

ICED EARTH is an American heavy metal band that combine influences from thrash metal, power metal, progressive metal, opera, speed metal and NWOBHM. Iced Earth has been known to have a volatile and oft changing line-up, founding member, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist Jon Schaffer being the only original member who has remained, handling nearly all of the songwriting and leading the band.

The new album "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)" continues where ICED EARTH's 2007 release, "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Part I)" left off. "The Crucible of Man" features the return of frontman Matt Barlow who was mainman / guitarist Jon Schaffer's original voice of choice to introduce the "Something Wicked" saga back in 1998 as a trio of songs which concluded their album, "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

So there is much to talk about and therefore Metal-Experience went to Amsterdam to set up an interview with Iced Earth mastermind Jon Schaffer. Here you can read what he had to say.  

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Website : Dragonforce

Every year there are albums eagerly anticipated, be it from hot young names, established legends or – and this is usually the most exciting of all the categories – those bands you know are on the verge of greatness. As DRAGONFORCE, the multi-national talent based in London – prepare to release their fourth album.

‘Ultra Beatdown’ is the album to take DRAGONFORCE to a new height. It’s not merely the culmination of a decade crafting and finessing a sound that has made them instantly recognizable across the world.

To promote their new effort Sam and Herman visited Amsterdam to give us some answers about their new album, here you can read what they had to say.

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Website : Krisiun

KRISIUN was formed in 1990 by three brothers, vocalist / bassist Alex Carmargo, guitarist Moyses Kolesne and drummer Max Kolesne. The band is heavily influenced by the debut albums of Sodom, Kreator, Morbid Angel and Slayer. Their violent lyrics and very fast musical tempo makes them one of the most eminent "extreme death metal" bands in the world today. In 1994 the band released the ’Unmerciful Order’ EP. With this release KRISIUN established the band as a cult act, and that status was further confirmed by the release of their debut album  ‘Black Force Domain’ in 1995. The following albums continued to improve their brutal and uncompromising approach to death metal.  
 

The new album ‘Southern Storm’ has recently been released, and so Metal-experience had a chat with drummer Max Kolesne. Here you can read what he had to say. 

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Website : Tracedawn

For some time now the Finnish music scene has been dominated by the dark wave of heavy metal. The official albums and singles charts are topped with metal releases, so it was just a matter of time until this would affect the up-rising generation; Tracedawn is living proof of heavy metal influence on the youth. The average age of the group is below average but yet the roots of their technical and melodic death metal lead back to a decade before they were even born.

Tracedawn's debut album will be released August 22, so there is much to talk about and therefore Metal-Experience tracked down some band members to set up an interview. Here you can read what they had to say.  

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Website : Fear My Thoughts

FEAR MY THOUGHTS is a melodic death metal band from Rheinfelden Germany, founded in 1997. It was meant to be a funproject by some people who used to hang around with each other and listened to Slayer, Integrity, Negative Approach and Dismember but it resulted in a more serious approach when people seemed to dig the band's musical output.

Music’s history always profited from acts not submitting to conventions, traditions, and stereotyped thinking and only accepting their own inventiveness and ideas as the boundaries of their art . FEAR MY THOUGHTS has both the guts and the conviction it takes to live out this attitude and “Isolation” consists of ten statements in favour of progress and unconstrained musicianship.

So, just before the release of ‘Isolation’ we mailed Patrick Hagman (Guitar) some questions,  here you can read what he had to say:

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Website : 36 Crazyfists

36 Crazyfists is a four-piece metalcore band originating from Anchorage, Alaska. The band's name comes from a Jackie Chan movie, The 36 Crazy Fists. The band's original line-up consisted of vocalist Brock Lindow, guitarist Ryan Brownell, bassist JD Stuart and drummer Thomas Noonan. 36 Crazyfists independently released two EPs and one LP before being signed.

Vocalist Brock Lindow announced that a new record would be released in March 2008 on Ferret Music entitled ‘The Tide And Its Takers’. This date has been pushed back, and the album was was released on May 27, 2008.

After the release of 'The Tide And Its Takers’ we talked with Brock Lindow (Vocals) about 36 Crazyfists' latest effort. 

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Website : Cryptopsy

The much anticipated new CRYPTOPSYalbum, “The Unspoken King”, is the first to see the light of day featuring their new vocalist Matt McGachy and keyboardist Maggie Durand. Matt joined the band 2007 and replaces fan favorite Lord Worm The songs feature both clean and death metal vocals — a first for the band — and we find the band switching musical extremes on a dime from introspective to grind, something that did not go over well on a number of metal message boards, chat groups and forums.

So there is much to talk about and a couple of hours before the show in Tilburg at the Neurotic Death fest where we have the chance to talk to drummer Flo. Halfway through the interview, bassist Eric joins in the conversation. 

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Website : Terror

TERROR, (formed in 2000) is a hardcore punk, crossover thrash and metalcore band from Los Angeles, California. Ignoring current musical trends, the L.A. based band has stuck to its guns playing aggressive, no frills, breakneck hardcore like The Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front before them. Ragged metal-tinged guitars, rapid fire drum lines, slithering bass lines and trademark double-fisted vocal attacks are trademarks of their sound.

We catch Martin Stewart (Guitars) at the end of the TERROREuropean tour and he's willing to answer some of our questions.

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Website : Keep Of Kalessin

The new Keep Of Kalessin album is entitled ‘Kolossus’ (which came out June 9th) and is anticipated to have a huge impact on the whole metal scene. Recorded in the band's own studio in Trondheim, ‘Kolossus’ is a natural descendant of ‘Armada’, and perfectly reflects the unique musical craftsmanship and the undisputable power of the band. All songs featured on the album are recorded without any clipping or copy/paste technique and all instruments are done in real time. The base of the music has still clear references to black metal, but the band also includes other influences like death metal and thrash metal, making their style fresh and truly unique.

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Website : Unleashed

The legendary Swedish death metallers UNLEASHED are about to release their 9th album, entitled "Hammer Battalion". Unleashed was founded in 1989 by vocalist/bassist Johnny Hedlund after his former band, Nihilist, ceased to exist. In 1991, the band released their debut studio album ‘Where No Life Dwells’.

The new album was recorded in Sweden and produced by the band's guitarist Fredrik Folkare. "Hammer Battalion" will continue in the same victorious spirit as the previous album 'Midvinterblot'. The new album takes a battle-hardened axe to the misguided concepts of self-subjugation, transparent corruption and unneeded suffering in the name of religious figureheads and provides a perfect link between the ancient struggles of their Nordic forefathers and the ills of our modern society.

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Website : Moonspell

The new Moonspell opus ‘Night Eternal’ was released in Europe last week (May 19) and will be issued in the U.S. on June 10 via SPV/Steamhammer. The follow-up to 2006's "Memorial" was recorded at Antfarm studios in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen. ‘Night Eternal’ will continue the sound of ‘Memorial’ with catchy melodies and great riffs. Former The Gathering and current Agua De Annique vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen makes a guest appearance in the song "Scorpion Flower", on which she sings a duet with Moonspell frontman Fernando Ribeiro.

So there's plenty to talk about, and recently Martina conducted an interview with Moonspell drummer Miguel "Mike" Gaspar, so here you can read what he had to say.

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Website : Devian

Originally formed under the short-lived name of Elizium and then switching names for a more striking impact upon signing a worldwide deal with Century Media Records, Sweden's newest metal threat DEVIAN is the brainchild of former Marduk members Legion (Vocals, ex Ophthalamia) and Emil Dragutinovic (Drums, also in The Legion) after their departure from the Black Metal commando in their strife to come up with a new breed of wretched Scandinavian Metal. Together with guitarists Joinus and Tomas Nilsson, DEVIAN form an unstoppable organic extreme Metal machine driven by a raving hunger and deadset determination.

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Website : Demiurg

Demiurg is the spawn of Paganizer/Ribspreader mainman Rogga Johansson. The band was conceived early 2006 and was initially meant to be another outlet of primitive death metal, the concept however evolved into something way more unique and exciting.

From the start of this project the legendary musician and producer Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity/Nightingale) was enrolled to produce the debut album as well as play the drums, which he did. However as Demiurg´s sound evolved the need for a truly great drummer arose and thus Ed Warby of Gorefest, Hail Of Bullets stepped in.

Ed is arguably one of the very best death metal drummers in the world, and in Demiurg he displays exactly why this statement is true. With Ed firmly placed on the drum stool Dan Swanö could concentrate on what he does best besides achieving a monstrous sound; playing guitars and arranging keyboards. To top off the mix of musicians and add the last drop of magic to the band one of the best vocalists in the Swedish metal scene was enlisted. Pär Johansson of Satariel Fame will handle all clean vocal parts, as well as some of the higher growling in Demiurg

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Website : The EssenEss Project

Steve Smyth became widely known after joining the metalband Nevermore, among others. Steve's career started back in 1996 when he joined the Bay Area powermetal band Vicious Rumors. Steve stayed with V.R. until 1999 and participated on the albums 'Something Burning' and 'Cyberchrist'. Steve then moved on to play with Testament as a tour guitarist and he worked with Eric Peterson on his black metal project Dragonlord. Steve contributed on both the Dragonlord albums 'Rapture' (2001) and 'Black Wings of Destiny' (2005).

In the past years Steve has been working on and off on this first solo album which was released on November 5 2007 via Two Louder Music. This effort was named 'The EssenEss Project', it is a collaboration between guitarist Steve Smyth, bass player Steve Hoffman and drummer Atma Anur (Cacophony, Jason Becker, Greg Howe, Ritchie Kotzen, Tony MacAlpine). To start with, I can tell you this: this instrumental album is a seventy-minute journey by three extremely talented musicians. Their sound can be described as a mix of rock, jazz, fusion and metal, but above all this it is progressive and laden with experimental breaks, blending all elements into a solid opus.

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Website : Mercenary

Mercenary is a six-piece metal band from Denmark that combines both power metal and melodic death metal genres, and in their earlier work thrash metal; however, they are simply "tagged" as a melodic death metal band by many. Mercenary was formed in Aalborg, Denmark, in 1991. After the release of two demos, Domicile (1993) and Gummizild (1994), they were able to sign with Black Day Records, and released a four-song EP, ‘Supremacy’ (1996). In 1997, they were signed to the Danish label Serious Entertainment, and a year later they released their full-length debut, ‘First Breath’.

Mercenary’s latest effort ‘Architect Of Lies’ came out on March 21, 2008 and to promote the new release the band recently toured Europe together with headliner Death Angel, so plenty questions for guitarist Jacob Molbjerg to answer.

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Website : Exciter

In 1978 the band Hell Razor was formed in Ottawa ON,Canada. At that time the band consisted of John Ricci (guitars), Dan Beehler (drums) and Allan James Johnson (bass). In 1980 they changed their name to Exciter and recorded a demo which they then sent to Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records. Varney included one song from it, "World War III", on the compilation album US Metal Volume II in 1982. Shortly after that Exciter were signed to Shrapnel Records. In 1983 they released their debut album, ‘Heavy Metal Maniac’.

Now, 25 years later the band recently released their latest album 'Thrash Speed Burn’ through Massacre records, so we have plenty of questions for John Ricci, the only original member left in the band!!!

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Website : Deranged

Deranged, one of the few Swedish death metal bands that came out during the early nineties that have always done their own kind of no remorse showing, intense and truly brutal death metal. No matter what other bands around was and is doing, you can be sure that Deranged will always deliver the most brutal and violent death metal man can create! Deranged has been around since 1991 has now received an almost "cult" alike status among the worldwide death metal scene as being one of the most, if not the most brutal and intense death metal bands man has ever experienced. The kind of band that might destroy themselves but they’ll never sell out!

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Website : Don Airey

On February 25, Airey steps into the spotlight’s full glare as his second solo album, ‘A Light In The Sky’, is released via Mascot Records. Twenty years have slipped by since ‘K2: Tales Of Triumph And Tragedy’.  For ‘A Light In The Sky’, Airey has gathered together two separate rhythm sections – the aforementioned Laurence Cottle teaming up on the more complex tracks with groovemeister Darrin Mooney, drummer of both Primal Scream and Gary Moore’s band  – while Chris Childs (bass) and Gary ‘Harry’ James (drums) from British rockers Thunder proceed to stampede over all the rest. Thunder’s Danny Bowes also drops by to impressively belt out the lyrics of ‘Love You Too Much’. The other vocal tracks (‘Shooting Star’, ‘Endless Night’ and ‘A Light in the Sky’) are handled by Carl Sentance, who began his career with the band Persian Risk alongside Phil Campbell of Motörhead, before joining the solo band of Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler. To most people, Sentance was last seen fronting Krokus.

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Website : Sworn Enemy

SWORN ENEMY is a crossover metalcore band from New York City, formed in 1997 as Mindset, a product of the extremely expansive and influential New York Hardcore scene. Since its inception the band has centered around vocalist Sal Lococo and guitarist Lorenzo Antonucci. The band played shows anywhere they could, making an incredible name for themselves in a very short time. In 2001 the band released their debut album ‘Negative Outlook’ on Jamey Jasta's Stillborn Records. The record was a brutal mix of old school hardcore punk and new school breakdowns and attitude, and it quickly gained the band attention in the entire hardcore scene. In 2003 the band released ‘As Real As It Gets’, it was clear that the band was expanding their style as the CD featured a large thrash metal influence, as well as abrasive, near-black metal styled vocals on Sal's part. The new style and worldwide distribution led a large number of heavy metal fans to Sworn Enemy, as did tours with bands such as Anthrax.

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Website : Heaven Shall Burn

“Iconoclast (Part1: The Final Resistance)” was recorded and produced at the Rape Of Harmonies Studios in 2007 by guitarists Maik Weichert and Alexander Dietz while being co-produced by Patrick W. Engel and Ralf Müller. Heaven Shall Burn then went back to Tue Madsen to have “Iconoclast” mixed and mastered. As with their previous records Heaven Shall Burn are not solely about intense and heavy music, but they are lyrically exposing a dedicated, socially aware and politically committed attitude.

With a story about the “Iconoclast’s” and a new record under their belt, HEAVEN SHALL BURN will strike hard in 2008. Therefore we had a little chat with drummer Matthias Voigt, so here we go.

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Website : The Agony Scene

THE AGONY SCENE is a Metalcore band from Tulsa, Oklahoma USA, whose musical style is a combination of thrash metal and hardcore. The band has released three albums, one on Solid State Records, one on Roadrunner Records, and one on Century Media Records. Delving ever deeper into the loathsome and hellish world of singer Mike Williams’ mind, The Agony Scene is firing on all cylinders on its inspired and lovingly titled Century Media debut, ‘Get Damned’ , produced by Andreas Magnusson (Black Dahlia Murder, Scarlet) and set for a January 21 release date. If you missed out on the first two albums, you’ll want to hear this third, most mature and diverse offering from Tulsa, Oklahoma’s finest purveyors of corrosive hardcore.

 
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Website : Nifelheim

NIFELHEIM was formed in 1990 by Tyrant ("bestial holocaust bass/guitar"), Demon ("pounding disaster drums") and Hellbutcher ("death vomit vocals"). Soon they were also joined by guitarist Morbid Slaughter and hellish orgies of drunken debauchery and deviant behaviour sometimes were interrupted with rehearsals.

And now finally the fourth studio album is finished, the new album ‘Envoy Of Lucifer’ is not polluted by any modern influences from the awful 1990s or shitty present decade, and once again even darker and more aggressive than ever before!!

 
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Website : Mystic Prophecy

With their debut album “Vengeance” MYSTIC PROPHECY seemed to fill in a gap within the scene, receiving great reviews all over the globe. Especially vocalist R.D. Liapakis (Valleys’s Eve) makes them being something special, his both rough and melodic voice gives their music a very special feeling. With the addition of star-guitar player Gus G. (Dream Evil), the band found the right member to take their music to another level. The basis for all this is done by the swedish drummer Dennis Ekdahl (Raise Hell) and former Stormwitch bass player Martin Albrecht. Clearly influenced by such old-school bands as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Queensrÿche, Mystic Prophecy will delight metal fans looking for a link back to '80s metal.

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Website : For Selena And Sin

The story of For Selena and Sin begins in 2004. Two gentlemen, Pasi and Teemu, had the idea to create more calm, more emotional, more pop/rock influenced music than what they'd ever done before. Now it was time to make it happen and For Selena and Sin was born.

The band was excited to release their first album and started working on new songs. In the process singer Sini left the band and Annika, with a talented beautiful voice, stepped in with enthusiasm. In the Autumn of 2006 the band entered Studio Watercastle to record the debut album entitled Overdosed On You. It took almost half a year of determination to finish the 10 songs. Despite all the ups and down during the recordings, the band finally achieved what they had in mind: a killer debut album.

The future of For Selena and Sin seems bright, though full of desperation that's an inspiration to make music, music that will find a way to your heart with emotion and honesty. FSAS is ready and willing to offer you Overdosed On You...

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Website : Saxon

Saxon was one of the early leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, along with Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. The band was formed in Barnsley in 1977 by vocalist Biff Byford, guitarists Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, bassist Steve Dawson, and drummer Pete Gill. Originally calling themselves Son of a Bitch, they soon decided to find a more subtle name, settling on Saxon. Like many young metal bands of the day, Saxon found it difficult to land a record deal in post-punk England, but eventually signed with French-based Carrere Records. Though Saxon's 1979 self-titled debut album was marred by a lightweight production job, the band built a strong following touring Britain as support group to Motörhead and Nazareth. The band capitalized on this exposure with their sophomore effort the following year. Wheels of Steel featured a much heavier, metallic sound which finally did their songs justice. The album was immediately heralded as a NWOBHM classic by fans and critics alike and the band was apparently on their way.

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Website : Darkthrone

In 1986, Norwegians Gylve Nagell, Ted Skjellum, Ivar Enger, and Dag Nilsen formed the band Black Death. Just prior to their first release, Soulside Journey, the band changed its name to Darkthrone. With guidance from their friend Euronymus, of the famed Mayhem, Darkthrone decided it was time for a new, darker image. Like their black metal cohorts they covered their faces in corpse paint and changed their names to represent the evilness of their music. Nagell became Fenriz, Skjellum became Nocturno Culto, and Enger adopted the name Zephyrous. Nilsen left the band but not until after recording the bass parts for their third album, ‘Ablaze In The Northern Sky’. ‘Ablaze’ established Darkthrone as a genre originator along with other Scandinavian black metal bands such as Mayhem, Emperor, and Satyricon.

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Website : Tokyo Dragons

Tokyo Dragons are a London-based hard rock band. They have achieved success in the UK and worldwide after having released a successful album and touring with bands such as Nashville Pussy, Status Quo, Do Me Bad Things and Winnebago Deal.

They appeared on Breaking Point, an MTV2 program (sponsored by Island Records in which ten bands were documented going through the process of being spotted, courted and then signed to a recording contract. The Tokyo Dragons were signed and recorded Give Me The Fear at Rockfield Studios for Island Records in June 2004.

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Website : Avatar

Avatar, Sweden’s new metal export are now up to date with their second album ”Schlacht” that came out in Europe on October 24th. ”Schlacht” is recorded at Gain Studio, Gothenburg, Sweden and produced by Markus Tagaris. The debut album ”Thoughts of no tomorrow” was released in Europe 2006 and reached top 3 on the metal album charts in Sweden.
 
The band made two European tours in 2006 and supported bands like Stone Sour, Hardcore Superstar and Evergrey to name a few. The big break came when Avatar was picked by In Flames to support them on their sold out Scandinavian tour in 2007.

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Website : Endstille

Endstille is a black metal band from Germany. It was founded in 2000 by L Wachtfels (guitar), Mayhemic Destructor (drums), Iblis (vocals) and Cruor (bass) in Kiel. L. Wachtfels and Mayhemic Destructor had previously played in the band Tauthr, while Iblis and Cruor came from the band Octoria. They describe their music as “ugliest aggressive black metal with the fire-speed of a MG42 and the power of heavy ship-artillery”. The lyrics refer, to a large extent, to personal experiences and opinions of the band members. In its self-manifestation, the group refers to well-known German weapons from the time of World War II. This, in addition to the band's lyrics, is for many critics an indication of a right-wing extremist affinity within the band. Endstille clearly dissociates itself from such labels, explains to have no sympathies for right-wing ideas and says black metal "is in its principle unpolitical".

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Website : Helloween

German melodic metallers HELLOWEEN were busy working on their twelfth studio album until the end of August, and are now ready to release more details about the CD. Entitled "Gambling With The Devil", the regular album consists of eleven songs (plus an intro, spoken by SAXON's Biff Byford). For their many faithful fans, there will also be a limited first edition (40,000 units in a digipak with an embossed and stamped slipcase to be released in Europe, and 10,000 units in a jewel case in the U.S.) with a bonus CD featuring two extra tracks, the video for the first single "As Long As I Fall", and a "making-of" of the video, including interview sequences. As a special highlight, the first edition includes a scratch ticket with an exciting puzzle, as described in detail on the HELLOWEEN homepage.

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Website : Will Haven

In 1995, Will Haven, named after a fictional, self-created character, formed and released a six-track demo. The band was formed from members of Sock, a band that was formed with Shaun Lopez of Far. Will Haven's debut self-titled, seven-track EP was released in 1996, to positive reviews. 1997 saw the release of full-length ‘El Diablo’ bringing them increasing attention and a growing fanbase. In 1999, they released ‘WHVN’, arguably their heaviest album to date. In 2001, the band released the critically-acclaimed album ‘Carpe Diem’, which saw a world-tour promotion, headlining shows in the US, UK, and Japan, and playing the Vans Warped Tour in Australia.

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Website : Overkill

Since forming in 1980, OVERKILL has put out over 20 albums. Despite various lineup changes, the band has never gone on hiatus and has continued to stay true to the metal genre it helped create. With Megaforce Records and their management company led by Jonny and Marsha Zazula, who were responsible for the early careers of such bands as Metallica, Anthrax and Ministry, among many others. Overkill released three albums on Megaforce Records before making the jump to Atlantic Records where a string of critically lauded albums, including 1991's quintessential "Horroscope", solidified Overkill as one of the best metal bands of all time. In the past few years, the band has released such gems as ‘Killbox 13’ (2003) and ‘ReliXIV’ (2005).

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Website : Ankla

ANKLA was formed in 2001 by former Puya guitarist Ramón Ortiz, in his desire to break away from his previous band's nu metal style. The band independently released a self titled 7-track EP in 2002, produced by Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga. In April, 2006, the band announced that they had signed with Bieler Bros. Records. Their debut album ‘Steep Trails’ was produced by renowned producer Bob Marlette, and was released on July 25, 2006 in the USA.

On August 19, 2006, bassist Edgar Gonzalez suffered a seizure during a concert at Mokena, Illinois. The band later parted ways with Gonzalez due to his health concerns. In December, 2006, Ortíz announced that J.P. Soars would take over bass duties full time.
 
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Website : Mustasch

Mustasch´s latest accomplishment `Latest Version Of The Truth´ is packed with energetic rock ´n roll, stoner rock and 70´s heavy metal along the lines of bands such as Black Sabbath, Danzig and My Sister´s Machine. Singer Ralf Gyllenhammar´s adds extra flavour to the Mustasch sound with his Ian Astbury-like voice (The Cult).

Armed with this new album (which has been available through Regain Records since May 21), Mustasch is ready for an international break-through. 'Latest Version Of The Truth´ was recorded with Tobias Lindell at Bohus Sound Studios and mastered by the impeccable Vlado Meller (Audioslave, Metallica, Slayer) at Sony Music Studios, New York.

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Website : Kamelot

On March 21st, Kamelot announced on its official website the release dates for ‘Ghost Opera’, their upcoming album, through SPV / Steamhammer Records. The dates are set for June 4th in Europe. ‘Ghost Opera’ was recorded and mixed at Gate Studios and Pathway Studios in Wolfsburg with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro.

Recently we were called by Roy Khan, so with a new album coming out in a couple of weeks we had a lot of questions for him, so here you read what he had to tell us.

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Website : Mastery

MASTERY’s debut album, ‘Lethal Legacy’, was recently released through Sanctuary Records in Europe and the album has been receiving major buzz within the metal community with praise from Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles and Metal Maniacs who said, “While Lethal Legacy pays homage to the classic bay-area thrash of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s with bands like Testament, Forbidden, Vio-lence and Metallica, it doesn’t sound as if the band are pinning for the glory days.”


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Website : McQueen

McQueen are a four piece Brighton based, all female rock group and signed a worldwide deal with Demolition Records to release their debut album, ‘Break The Silence’. This album was recorded in sections in between a healthy touring schedule that has spanned the last two and a half years. The album features a number of tracks mixed by Queen Of The Stone Age/Tool producer Joe Barressi, who took time out to mix McQueen tracks in between other duties.


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Website : Napalm Death

No Mercy 2007 is the peacefully setting, where we get the chance to interview the grindcore master Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway from Napalm Death himself. After waiting anxiously for half an hour we're taken down to the dressing room, where we disturb Barney while he was talking to a girl. Clearly not expecting us, he apologies to the girl but says that he really has to do the interview. So we settle down on the little chairs and have a little chat.

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Website : Thought Chamber

On their debut release ‘Angular Perceptions’, American newcomers Thought Chamber have crafted a technically brilliant progressive metal album which will excite fans of the genre. Listeners will recognize the familiar vocals of Enchant front man Ted Leonard fronting the band. In a world where it’s hard to find anything original, in which nothing and nobody is really innovative, newcomers Thought Chamber manage to draw attention right from the start with their debut album “Angular Perceptions”. Their intelligent brand of progressive metal is highly complex while showing great variation. At the same time, it sounds like a coherent collection of songs.

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Website : Satyricon

At the turn of the year 1991/92 black metal still seems to be unknown and non-existant to most people in Norway. Meanwhile, Norwegian underground activity is extensive. One of the very active and ambitious bands bears the name Satyricon. In 1993 they released their first album, ‘Dark Medieval Times’; and starting a black metal sub-genre dubbed "medieval metal." The album showed off the fascination Satyricon had with the Middle Ages, along with the raw black metal with blastbeats produced by Frost mixed with acoustic guitar and flute. On the next album ‘The Shadowthrone’ this medieval spirit was preserved.

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Website : Gorefest

In the summer of 2004 negotiations to re-release the entire Gorefest back catalogue resulted in the band reforming. And so after a 6 year hiatus Gorefest is back in its original mark II line-up. The band appeared at selected festivals such as Dynamo Open Air, Wacken Open Air and Graspop, after which they entered the studio to record ‘La Muerte’ in October 2005. With ‘La Muerte’ Gorefest returns to their roots and the musical direction on this album is similar to ‘False’. They produced the album all by themselves and the mixing is done by Tue Madsen from the Antfarm Studios.

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Website : Messiah's Kiss

The international power metal quartet Messiah´s Kiss is back with their 3rd release ‘Dragonheart’. The title of the album represents the soul and the style for just that - straight up, uncompromising and full power for the faithful - traditional Heavy Metal of the finest quality!

"We do what we can do best: Heavy Metal in its purest form, without any other discolorations - and ignore the ´clone attempts´ like some other musical experimentalists. That is absolutely not our style! We wouldn´t want to mix whiskey with tomato juice! We remain faithful to our roots!

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Website : Helloween

Late 2006 Helloween filmed and recorded shows in Bulgaria , Tokyo and São Paulo for their forthcoming DVD. ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006 - Live On 3 Continents’ This will be accompanied by a new live album; the second to feature Andi Deris as frontman. The album bears the title ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys - The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006 - Live In São Paulo’. These new releases are scheduled for release on February 23^rd 2007.

Recently I had the chance to ask singer Andi Deris some questions about Helloween’s new live album, so here we go!!!

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Website : Rose Tattoo

Aussie hard rock combo Rose Tattoo was formed in Sydney in 1976 by ex-Buffalo guitarist Peter Wells; with the additions of former Buster Brown vocalist Angry Anderson, guitarist Mick Cocks, bassist Ian Rilen and drummer Dallas "Digger" Royal, the group made their public bow on New Year's Eve at the local club Chequers, which several years earlier launched the career of AC/DC. In 1978 the group signed to Albert Productions; their debut single "Bad Boy for Love" was written by Rilen, who left the lineup prior to the record's release. Anderson's onetime Buster Brown bassist Geordie Leech was recruited for Rose Tattoo's self-titled debut LP; after nearly three years of relentless touring, they issued the follow-up, ‘Assault And Battery’, in 1981.

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Website : Harum Scarum

On January 12 Canadian melorockers Harem Scarem released their new album which has been available for purchase in Japan since november 22. The band’s eleventh studio album is entitled ‘Human Nature’ and it is safe to say that this album has a significantly more melodic sound than its predecessor ‘Overload’. Through the years Harem Scarem has proven itself more than once in the AOR scene with classic albums such as ‘Mood Swings’ (1993) with its solid, melodic rock sound, varying melodies and strong riffs, followed by ‘Voice Of Reason’ (1995). The following albums were characterized by a melodic hard rock sound, even leaning towards modern pop and rock bands.

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Website: Cronian

How did you launch into writing the material for 'Terra'? Where did the inspiration/ideas come from?

To actually write the songs didn't really take too much time. We used most of the years since "the start" to mentally prepare the whole thing. We kind of knew what musical elements we wanted to bring forth in the music, but to find the formula of balancing everything was the big challenge for us. Inspirations- everything and nothing I guess.........  I don't really have a clue, I just make my music.

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Website : Fireball Ministry

In 2005, the group entered Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 West, with Mike Terry (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Halford) engineering and again with Raskulinecz producing. The resulting “Their Rock Is Not Our Rock” showcases the definitive FIREBALL MINISTRY sound: sneering riffs, driving rhythms, hooky harmonies, catchy choruses and a classic-rock sensibility. After this release the band has toured the USA like crazy the past months with bands like Nevermore, Opeth, CKY, H.I.M. and Skindred.

Some weeks ago I had the chance to ask guitarist and founding member Emily J. Burton from Fireball Ministry to ask her some questions, her is what she had to say.

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Website: Maroon

In late October 2005 they finally took off to Denmark to record the new album with Jacob Hansen in his Hansen Studios (Mercenary, Fear My Thoughts). During the recording process their label mates Mercenary popped in to add some back-up vocals and keyboards while some of Roger Miret’s (Agnostic Front) unique shouting was captured spontaneously during the Persistance Tour. While the band was busy on the road, Paul A. Romano (Mastodon, Trivium) was taking care of the record's visual aspects to assure it had the right impact. No matter how much they gravitated towards some of the heaviest material of their still-young career, MAROON still kept their political awareness and involvement in an outspoken lifestyle - “This is the fight for the voiceless minority…” (24 HourHate). Welcome Annihilation… 

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Website:
Backyard Babies

How did you launch into writing the album?

Dregen: “We have a problem with writing songs on the road, there’s a hundred other things that are more fun to do after the show than writing songs! But on the other hand, we collect a lot of ideas for songs, the whole inspiration for most of our songs comes from stuff that happens on the road. We went home in September and we didn’t have many songs but we had already booked the studio time from January 2^nd onwards. Sometimes it’s good because if you have too much time to write an album you end up over-analyzing stuff, we just went with gut-feeling.”

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Website: Sick Of It All

It took you guys some years until this new album was released, why did we have to wait for so long?

We could have put it out at the end of 2005 but we wanted to take our time. And we’re celebrating our 20^th anniversary this year so we thought that would be perfect timing. It gave us a lot more time to write and we made a demo. Danny from Biohazard let us use his studio for free so we had the time to really get everything just right, after the songs were recorded we took a couple of weeks to let them sink in and then we went back to do make the final changes.

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Website: DragonForce

Many things have been written about Dragonforce but can you tell us a little about the history of the band?

Herman: “Nothing exciting really, we played together for the first time in September 1999, me and Sam and ZP have been in the band since then.” Sam: “We met up in London and knew each other from another band we were looking for someone that could sing normally, and we found ZP through an advertisement. He played in a black metal band before that. Zippy was the only one that we could find so we had to keep him haha! He was alright anyway so it worked out quite good in the end. And then obviously it’s easy to find a bass player, and that’s it really.”

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Website: Evergrey

Recently Henrik Danhage guitar player of the Swedish band Evergrey visited Amsterdam to answer us some questions about there new release ‘Monday Morning Apocalypse’. The new album was recorded with producers Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann, who already worked with bands like Rammstein, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. Furthermore it’s already two years ago that the previous album ‘The Inner Circle’ cam out, so there we already have some questions ready.

It took you guys two years for the new album. How did you launch into writing the material for ‘Monday Morning Apocalypse’ after ‘The Inner Circle,’ did ideas come easily so that you just had to write them down or was it more of a careful composing thing?
The thing is that the DVD and live album swallowed a lot of time, we spent 6 to 8 weeks writing the songs, then we went into the studio for 6 weeks and then the album got mixed in 20 days. It was kind of quick for us; the last one took 6 months.

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Website: Witchery

WITCHERY’s spell was cast upon our earthly existence when four members splintered off Satanic Slaughter in 1997: Jensen (later with The Haunted), Richard Corpse, Toxine and Mique. Before recording their debut-album ‘Restless And Dead’, Jensen met Sharlee D'Angelo (Arch Enemy, Mercyful Fate) and got him on board for the unholy alliance.

I think this question has been asked a million times already but, why did we have to wait almost 5 years for this new album?

The reason to the delay is mainly that both our labels Necropolis and MFN disappeared in the last few years. We recorded this new album in august 2004, but it took until now to get a contract sorted, work out the release date etc etc. But I can promise you there will be no more waits like that again for Witchery.

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Website: Naglfar

The band is currently on tour in Europe with headliner Dark Funeral to promote their latest effort ’Pariah’. Just after the band played their show in the small hall of 013, in Tilburg we had the change to have a little chat with the whole band in their dressing room.

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Website: Perzonal War
 

On a special press day in the Bosuil in Weert we are given the opportunity to chat with Perzonal War about their new album ‘When Times Turn Red’. We talk with vocalist “Metti” Zimmer and drummer Martin Buchwalder who has also produced the new album.

First of all, can you give us a brief history of the band?
Sure, we started the band in 1996 and up till now we have recorded five albums, ‘The Inside’ in 1998; ‘New Time Chaos’ in 2000 and ‘Different but the same in 2002. The first two albums were released via our previous label and due to contractual obligations among other things we had to change our name from Personal War to Perzonal War.

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Website: Dark Fortress
 

Recently Century Media signed the German Black Metal band Dark Fortress and soon after that they released the fourth album from the band called ‘Séance’. Now “Séance” is the next step to establish Dark Fortress not only as one of Germany’s most hopeful black metal acts, but as one that does not have to fear the international competition. Evolving around the conceptual idea of the direct contrast between the here and now and the hereafter, the fragility of human existence with its most striking weaknesses - ignorance, arrogance and false illusions is confronted with the crass finality of death. The fact that ‘Séance’ is a diversified, frighteningly extreme and highly creative effort, that should not be ignored. So when we were asked to do an interview with guitarist V. Santura we didn’t hesitate for a minute and ask him some questions.

Website: Trail Of Tears

On January 22, 2006, we find ourselves in the Melkweg in Amsterdam to attend the Music Against Cancer festival. A musical benefit put together by Eric Gijsen-Muziekprodukties in order to raise funds for the Dutch Cancer Foundation (KWF). All the bands on the bill are donating a show today, the Norwegian band Trail Of Tears will headline the festival. Tonight will be the final show of a four-day tour of the Netherlands. Prior to the show we are given the opportunity to interview the obviously fatigued singer Ronny Thorsen.