tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47372982275413803832024-03-18T13:01:52.863-07:00Asphyxium ZineDave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.comBlogger2998125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-42499514121160533382024-03-14T21:58:00.000-07:002024-03-14T21:58:42.002-07:00A tribute to M Teresa Clayton<div style="text-align: justify;">Known for her evocative poetry, imaginative fiction, and insightful reviews, Teresa Clayton was long an inspirational member of the literary community. In addition to her contributions to Asphyxium Zine since 2015, Clayton penned a collection of hauntingly beautiful written works including Judith, Mystic Verses, The Umbral Garden, Storyteller, and My Name Is Metaphor. Tragically, she recently lost her battle with brain cancer, leaving behind a legacy of creativity and passion. In honor of her memory, a selection of Clayton's poignant poems from her Facebook groups have been posted at the webzine, shared with permission a few months ago. These verses, others at the webzine and those in her Facebook communities invite you to explore her unique perspective on life, love, and loss. For those who wish to offer condolences, Clayton's profile remains a place of remembrance and reflection. Clayton’s 2015 and 2016 interviews for Asphyxium provide more insight into her artistic journey and literary influences. As you take a moment to immerse yourself, explore the intricate, vivid imagery woven through her poetry, and connect with a truly remarkable writer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">M Teresa Clayton: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The.Mystress.Clayton" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/The.Mystress.Clayton</a></span></div>
M Teresa Clayton Official: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/M.Teresa.Clayton.Official" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/M.Teresa.Clayton.Official</a><br />
M Teresa Clayton Official: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/749177879163371" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/749177879163371</a><br />
M. Teresa Clayton's Collaboration Group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/159584241176098" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/groups/159584241176098</a><br />
Mystic Verses: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mysticverses.thebook" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/mysticverses.thebook</a><br />
A Mindful Death: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/M.Teresa.Clayton" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/M.Teresa.Clayton</a><br /><br />
Interview from 2015: <a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2015/10/poet-interview-m-teresa-clayton.html" target="_blank">https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2015/10/poet-interview-m-teresa-clayton.html</a><br />
Interview from 2016: <a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2016/02/author-interview-m-teresa-clayton.html" target="_blank">https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2016/02/author-interview-m-teresa-clayton.html</a><br />
Poems written by Clayton: <a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/search/label/POEMS" target="_blank">https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/search/label/POEMS</a><br />
Fiction written by Clayton <a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/search/label/FICTION" target="_blank">https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/search/label/FICTION</a><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DdwMwf1MFRY7efS01comRFPNG-M5FUR5nxfQZNf1PLXxloZWbUC2m1z_7ECFgU5N8Gd1bzn12pouwuA_upL_Sw0vq9m337wPkB2BXW_DBBHq3XA8W_VO3rV0RiioMFOUodpQIu_UJ7Q9ATGp7sgFCYeYVbgITscVjH8edJB97AzdeI1XA1_TGPbLCoi4/s850/Untitled5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="850" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DdwMwf1MFRY7efS01comRFPNG-M5FUR5nxfQZNf1PLXxloZWbUC2m1z_7ECFgU5N8Gd1bzn12pouwuA_upL_Sw0vq9m337wPkB2BXW_DBBHq3XA8W_VO3rV0RiioMFOUodpQIu_UJ7Q9ATGp7sgFCYeYVbgITscVjH8edJB97AzdeI1XA1_TGPbLCoi4/w400-h203/Untitled5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-74505339195426408812024-03-10T18:42:00.000-07:002024-03-15T12:46:49.364-07:00Interview with Lock Down by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsPQot34VPmw5SIfA2aQc7gL3f4dfA6OZR2Ec0n0fsDeL271tBdh3IwTUy84_AF91-yT_jQXUBjOFc-AL1Q8SPl9nj8Rb6dD5KNrm477xyvbpXyThdLTAOxF1Yav-Z6oyLnYrT7AyqTMkaLSE3Oeo1nIekPHpmN8IRUir7UIgcATVcpfUxKoTQ_V9T0Ue/s1292/jl2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1292" data-original-width="798" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsPQot34VPmw5SIfA2aQc7gL3f4dfA6OZR2Ec0n0fsDeL271tBdh3IwTUy84_AF91-yT_jQXUBjOFc-AL1Q8SPl9nj8Rb6dD5KNrm477xyvbpXyThdLTAOxF1Yav-Z6oyLnYrT7AyqTMkaLSE3Oeo1nIekPHpmN8IRUir7UIgcATVcpfUxKoTQ_V9T0Ue/s320/jl2.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeff Lombardi</td></tr></tbody></table>Interview with Jeff Lombardi of Lock Down by Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How did you achieve the underlying heaviness of your full-length “Step Over The Bodies”?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The process was pretty organic. The guitar tones represented what we gravitated to. Justin and I are huge fans of crunch masters such as Dimebag Darrell Abbott, so I think that’s the baseline of where we start. Of course, there are a lot of other variables that make up your sound. I think most guitar players are like Eddie Van Halen, where you’re never satisfied always chasing a tone. I’m already envisioning on the next recording to use lighter gauge strings to brighten up the sound and add a little bit more warm mids. The drums have nice power behind them. It’s a combination between performance, equipment (DW drums), and it didn’t hurt having the king of the Brooklyn beats Danny Schuler of Biohazard mixing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In the bass tracks, there are hints of industrial music, giving the album a menacing quality. Do you think this was a conscious decision or did it just happen that way? In what ways does the sound you achieved on the album reflect the attitude of the band?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was no conscious decision with the writing direction. I think our style draws from all genres of aggressive music. Some more obvious than others. I can tell you that Hatebreed’s “Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire” was the reason I moved back to New York from California to start a new band with Eric. We’re long time friends going back 35 years. We also played in Bile together during the “Suck Pump” era. I left Bile and was on hiatus for a few years living in San Diego. Then I heard “Last Breath” from Hatebreed and it was a game changer. That inspired me to start writing again. I wrote most of the album over a two month period. Then we connected with Justin who wrote “Won’t See Me Comin” and “Eternal”, plus we collaborated on “Blind Rage”. It all came together very quickly, and flowed naturally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can try to calculate and arrange riffs to make them fit… sometimes it works, but the best songs are the spontaneous ones. I wrote the title track “Step Over The Bodies” in ten minutes the day before we went to the studio to record. The next day, Roi wrote the lyrics on the spot and recorded the vocals without every hearing the song before, and nailed it on the first take. It’s my favorite song on the album and came together last minute.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Outside of the band we’re all relaxed funny guys, but the sound reflects our intensity and raw energy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Why did you part ways with Bile, and how did you spend your time while on hiatus in San Diego?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chris Liggio and I played in Napalm together and after we disbanded he approached me to join an industrial band he was starting, and although he was the driving force and primary song writer, it still felt like a band where everyone contributed with their roles. Three years later it was no longer fun and felt like a dictatorship. If you’re not playing with people to be hired hands, you shouldn’t treat them like they work for you. It just wasn’t fun anymore, so it was time to move on. The first few years were amazing, so no regrets.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After that, I stepped away from music for a few years. I was focusing on a career that generated income for independence. I never wanted to be in a position again where I had to depend on people for my next meal or place to sleep. There were plenty of days where the record label did not send a per diem, or if they did, it never reached my pocket. I’m also a diehard handball player, and spent most of my free time playing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Napalm is going far back. At least two full-length albums were released by that band between 1989 and 1990. Were they disbanded afterward or what's the story with them?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Napalm was my first band right out of high school. We were a thrash metal band right around the time of the second wave of the genre. Napalm was signed to Steamhammer SPV records. After a couple of albums and European tours, we disbanded for various reasons, such as differences in musical direction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did the decline in popularity of thrash contribute to the musical differences within Napalm? How did the decline of thrash affected the local metal scene?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk0NxPzJ6fgtXIgyNLScNywdR7NbL1hiRfSyI80bmx9FuvLyHidVozefMqFfAn5H2yt4ciu3SIIdj_5aRAlfwQ4GaUQCrx_IYKGc00wIqJrH5oVYaD0_CkG2qSPavPWa-LLcuzy5nAP1TXlfV1UFIH5waHp9lVWOusstMdcs-D-dJYFjKSk4lyq7Ak9ua/s1284/er2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1284" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk0NxPzJ6fgtXIgyNLScNywdR7NbL1hiRfSyI80bmx9FuvLyHidVozefMqFfAn5H2yt4ciu3SIIdj_5aRAlfwQ4GaUQCrx_IYKGc00wIqJrH5oVYaD0_CkG2qSPavPWa-LLcuzy5nAP1TXlfV1UFIH5waHp9lVWOusstMdcs-D-dJYFjKSk4lyq7Ak9ua/s320/er2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric Roi</td></tr></tbody></table>I don’t think it was the decline of the genre, because during this time it was still near its peak. There was an oversaturation of thrash bands, and we overdid things trying to stand out and differentiate ourselves from all the bands forming left and right. The first album came very naturally, and was received very well by everyone, including the critics. We received favorable reviews from Kerrang, Metal Forces and Metal Hammer magazines. The U.S. branch of the label that signed us was shut down, and we only had the parent German label to work with. Unfortunately the band was in limbo for about a year until they gave us the opportunity to record the second album. So we had a year sitting around overthinking and experimenting outside styles, such as funk, which I think our attempt failed. The third album we wrote, was back to our roots and was much heavier, and we had gotten better as musicians. Unfortunately we lost the confidence of the label and we were dropped, which led to the breakup. The local scene in New York we were a part of had begun to trend in the hard-core direction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Thrash metal made a comeback during the mid-to-late nineties. Did you discover new bands or regain interest in older bands during that period? What was your opinion of </b><b> “</b><b>retro-thrash</b><b>”</b><b>?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I didn’t listen to any new thrash bands in the 90s, but I did start listening to how metal evolved at that point. Really loved what Slipknot and Fear Factory were doing. There are some thrash bands that got better with time… Kreator is unmatched and just keep getting better. I still listen to all the classic 80s albums from Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Anthrax, and of course Metallica. I think all of them aged well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are the similarities and differences between writing and composing for Bile and writing and composing for Lock Down?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bile was a great outlet for live performances. This day is still the best thing I’ve ever been a part of from that aspect, it was a spectacular thing to behold, and to be a part of. From a songwriting perspective, it was a bit frustrating as most of the songs were written and recorded, and then presented to the band. I was only able to contribute to one song on “Suck Pump” which was “Get Out”. Lockdown was, conversely, the exact opposite. Although I am the primary songwriter, I demonstrated the songs and rehearsal, and everyone was able to put their own stamp on it. Going forward I would prefer to collaborate… I like being part of a team in every aspect.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you channel the energy you generated in Bile when performing with Lock Down? Or do you primarily draw inspiration from hardcore? What is the contribution of metal to your sound?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would say a little bit of both. There’s definitely a blueprint for hard-core performances that I’m sure is subliminally there and influences the energy. Visually, there is a lineage to Bile. We have continued with the vibe of wearing masks and face/head coverings during some of our shows. Plus, we are implementing a two or three vocalist attack similar to Bile. We like the diversity and contrast, as well as the performance intensity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Metal is definitely in our DNA. I was learning guitar during the height of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal as well as the first wave of Thrash.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are some of the topics discussed on “Step Over The Bodies”? Were there any developments that inspired you to write the lyrics for that album?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eric Roi is the primary creative lyrical force. Inspirations are across the board drawing from personal experiences as well as outside perspectives. For example, “Steadfast” is a close family who served in the armed forces for our country. The lyrics are inspired by his story. We are not trying to make a political statement with the song. Roi is simply describing the human experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Enlightenment” describes the growth of your soul. “Trail of Tears” is about the American Indian genocide, specifically the story of the Trail Of Tears so the song holds a lot of emotion. The track “Human Racist” is just hating on the negative side of some human instincts such as war, prejudice, and betrayal. The title track “Step Over the Bodies” is about overcoming obstacles in your way and the betterment of yourself by raising your own bar. “Hard to the Core” is the embodiment of hardcore as a movement. “Blind Rage” is a general vent for the angst of life interpreted by the listener. “Respect Collected” sometimes people give you respect and other times you must take it from them. “Duked” is about betrayal which unfortunately we all experience at some point. “Won’t See Me Comin” is a first-person perspective of a vigilante “Hatred” is our disgust of oppression in any form. It’s ugly and should never exist.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it difficult to express personal experiences through your lyrics? In general, are they written in such a way that listeners will be able to relate to them?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eric Roi is the main lyricist, and his thoughts just seem to be an endless flow. He sends me texts all the time of lyrics he’s writing and extremely brilliant. I’ve contributed to lyrics over the years, but it is much more of a difficult process for me, where I start out with a first draft and then make multiple edits. I really leave it up to Eric to handle, he’s a genius at his art. I think the only lyrics we ever intentionally wrote with the audience in mind was “Hard To The Core”. Everything else is just what is swimming in Eric’s head.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Generally, how have magazines and webzines responded to “Step Over the Bodies”? Are there any publications in particular that most understand the band's perspective?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So far the responses have been supportive and positive. To be honest I didn’t know how it would be received. When you’re a fairly new band, you’re kind of in a bubble where the only feedback you get it is the local fan base and friends. Regardless of any feedback good or bad, I learned the hard way a long time ago not to write for anyone but yourself. The best songs are the ones that just come naturally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Provide a brief description of the video you recently released for “Trail Of Tears”. Can you tell me who worked on it with the band and how do you express the lyrics through the imagery?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our friend and media director Pete Dolan created the video. We let him know the song is about the genocide of Native Americans. Eric Roi is American Indian and Filipino. So he wanted to tell a version of the story. Pete added some silent movie footage, which I thought was awesome. Reminds me of the Iron Maiden video “Run to the Hills”. So it has a certain darkness to the vibe.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What has been your experience with SelfMadeRecordsLLC since you signed with them, and what led you to hook up with them?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The label has done a great job of socializing our name. That was the primary objective… having the music be heard. Our business relationship started with an interest to be involved with a compilation that led to a larger idea to release our full length we already recorded.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does Lockdown have a good reputation among rock and metal fans outside of New York? Where in the US and other countries are you well received?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have a solid fan base in our area. We also support our Long Island hardcore community and other bands. It’s probably like a lot of scenes globally where everyone sticks together. Most of the Lock Down members have been in a lot of bands over the years and formed lifelong friendships some veteran groups. Eric played with “In Your Face” who were one of the earlier NYHC bands. So there’s a lot of ties there. Craig from Sick Of It All and Parris from the Cro-Mags have supported us through social media. That’s a huge honor for us to get the nod from legends in our scene.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How has hardcore managed to maintain its sense of individuality despite the pressure people are placed under to conform? Describe the core values of hardcore that have endured throughout the years. In general, has adhering to those values been easy or difficult?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hardcore has retained its integrity throughout the years, because it’s true to life and the core values it was built on. Hardcore to me is very honest and organic. So it’s easy to be ourselves, and not have to fit into any particular image or mold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>According to your description of your songs, some of them may be perceived negatively by people who don't understand hardcore. Is the genre responsible for positive changes in the world?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t think it’s any artist’s responsibility to change the world. It’s honorable if lyrics and messages spread positivity and open the listener’s mind to intake knowledge. But this is art… it doesn’t have to move mountains or serve a guiding light.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Are you currently writing material for another release, or planning to? In what direction do you see the band heading in the future, and what are you most interested in being recognized for?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have four songs completed for a release by the end of the year. We will continue to write and keep things fresh, but I doubt we’ll deviate too far from the sound we’ve established. One of the songs is titled “Vigilante”, which is the continued story of the song “You Won’t See Me Comin”. Another is “Street Fighter”, which is about a motorcyclist fighting to share the road with four wheel vehicles who put his life in danger. Eric rides, so he’s probably speaking from personal experience. Another song is “Life Sentence”, which is basically life can feel like a fight until the death. It can be a struggle for most of us. The fourth song is “Still In Business”. You could say Eric and I are affiliated with a group of local friends known as SIB. The lyrics are about all of our fallen brothers, who were part of this community. Thirty years ago it was referred to as a gang by New York news media, but it was really just a large group of friends because at that time there was a lot of crews and clicks. Sometimes there was violence when one group passed another group. But I would’ve never referred to it as a gang. We didn’t wear colors, nobody was jumped in, and it was not organized in traditional manner. It was about strength and numbers and protecting each other. Musically, the songs still have a Lock Down vibe, maybe slightly more metal riffs. I’m looking forward to collaborating the guys and seeing what’s next on the horizon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550936927296" target="_blank">Lock Down at Facebook</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfmaderecordsllc-business.com/lockdown" target="_blank">Lock Down at Self Made Records LLC</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://lockdown1995.bandcamp.com/album/step-over-the-bodies" target="_blank">"Step Over The Bodies" at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2024/02/full-length-review-lockdown-step-over.html" target="_blank">Review of "Step Over The Bodies" by Dave Wolff</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-73900014515185790792024-03-04T11:16:00.000-08:002024-03-04T11:16:08.420-08:00Fiction: "Some Days" by Devin J. Meaney<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mOs3HUi3MJ55M8ne7VjD2zCCeYreFrUBdM7UK9vdrzVeKxZ76tzl94VCMb1ISrcrc1WJ-Prj-TXOAzxuqNPqWJ1ITopPVh1AYwLmjGgkM39aB_siM0TPtQ7Sj4ob6aARfjLGUBIlqpMJ5RfYPQHHywdWPY3bc-NWmKsyUMDnlKuwRy8PVaYJIBJHjvUY/s1280/403403986_351091577612518_4230801510525654122_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mOs3HUi3MJ55M8ne7VjD2zCCeYreFrUBdM7UK9vdrzVeKxZ76tzl94VCMb1ISrcrc1WJ-Prj-TXOAzxuqNPqWJ1ITopPVh1AYwLmjGgkM39aB_siM0TPtQ7Sj4ob6aARfjLGUBIlqpMJ5RfYPQHHywdWPY3bc-NWmKsyUMDnlKuwRy8PVaYJIBJHjvUY/w400-h266/403403986_351091577612518_4230801510525654122_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><b>Some Days<br />
Fiction by Devin J. Meaney</b><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Some days the weight of the world is absolutely crushing. I wake up, try to put my feet on the floor, and then I hobble downstairs for a smoothie and some toast. Some days are good, some days are ok, but others I fall into the abyss, sunlight destroyed; the rain from above not literal but visibly there. Some days I walk within a blackened haze, the lights flickering and weak and the sound of my own voice within my head as deafening as the silence that often surrounds me. Some days are good, some days are ok, but some days could definitely be better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I open a new box of Nicorette and pour myself a coffee and realize I’m just a bi-polar man with multiple addictions. At that point the deafening silence is reduced to clarity, I put on my shoes to go for a walk; then I make the move from black to grey—I step into the light—and I thank the world for Nicorette and coffee.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thank you, Nicorette and coffee,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sincerely—a bi-polar man multiple addictions.</div></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-31406352018489941692024-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:002024-03-01T12:36:34.062-08:00Interview with Royal Orphan by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRrg06Kwn13GUQ9FcKw0th-qgRc83UxTTPpBNFibJ-5smikanrtpNyAw3TiL1vApfLtFG0u9pK0-ZD5w6OljvfgcozDJiaJezxBZmrciumWeG4xLZ9c9ShCQbmzih3RVocL2lpyfGgxEKQZZ2060neZ4rDKnpTS_BDUoqPOGi-gaC6CAVFowF9HfeB_h5/s828/ro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="828" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRrg06Kwn13GUQ9FcKw0th-qgRc83UxTTPpBNFibJ-5smikanrtpNyAw3TiL1vApfLtFG0u9pK0-ZD5w6OljvfgcozDJiaJezxBZmrciumWeG4xLZ9c9ShCQbmzih3RVocL2lpyfGgxEKQZZ2060neZ4rDKnpTS_BDUoqPOGi-gaC6CAVFowF9HfeB_h5/w400-h210/ro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Interview with Brendan Kelly of Royal Orphan</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Your collaboration with Joey Mignanelli, the drummer and other founding member of Royal Orphan, dates back to the late 1980s. During that time, you have witnessed many changes in mainstream and underground music. How did Royal Orphan emerge from your collaboration, and how does working together to this day feel to you?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;">Royal Orphan is a natural culmination of everything Joey and I have done since we first met in high school. We actually both studied music in college with theory and composition so that combined with the influences of everything we grew up listening to results in what we sound like now. The hardest part is keeping it focused and cohesive so the music doesn’t have that “everything plus the kitchen sink” sound. We know musically what we’re capable of but we don’t feel the need to beat people over the head with our ability. Originality and innovation and quality songwriting is where the work comes in. To be truthful, I’m still re-using a lot of riffs and ideas way back from when I was in high school because of how well they held up all this time. A lot of those riffs used to grab people back when we were around, so why not roll them out now to a younger metal crowd? And nowadays I couldn’t be happier; we just can’t rehearse twice a week like we used to, nowadays it’s more like twice a month if we’re lucky. Scheduling around family life, kids, work and all that. So we make the best of the time we have to get things done. We still have the same inside jokes and all that and there’s a lot of history and memories. With Joey and Dan (Kelleher) there’s no one I’d rather work with. Three gears in a machine, that’s us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What bands were you listening to when you met, and how influential were they in shaping your musical style over time?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The legendary tale is that Joey and I met in music class in Catholic high school. Our teacher was a nun, and Joey brought in King Diamond’s “Them” cassette to play for the class. We immediately became friends! He told me he played drums, and that week I was at his house with my guitar. First song we played was Mercyful Fate’s “Come to the Sabbath” start to finish without a hitch. We just took it from there. So pretty much the same bands we grew up listening to: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Slayer, Megadeth and Testament and later on we discovered bands like Voivod, Annihilator and Forbidden. Those bands really set the bar high in terms of the musical proficiency as well as innovation and originality. They had all the chops and ability but they never forgot about songwriting too, particularly Voivod who are a huge influence on our writing even though we don’t sound much like them at all, I always loved Piggy’s riffs because they were so heavy but he didn’t sound like anyone else. So in that regard it was fortunate there players like him to look up to because his style changed and advanced over time but never lost focus of what he was all about.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was the inspiration behind the band's name? Does it have a specific meaning?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted to put together two words that described opposites but made sense together. The word “Royal” meaning dignified, distinguished and suggests nobility, the word “Orphan” meaning desolate, alone, vagabond. What I really want to do is create an actual character that I can use in song lyrics like a running conceptual thread.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where did you see old school thrash and power metal going in the mid 1990s, when grunge was becoming a trend and black and death metal were expanding their boundaries? In the middle of the decade, I remember the old school really making a comeback.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We were called Sanity in Ashes circa 1994-1997 and at that point with thrash/power metal you couldn’t give it away on a street corner. There were a few bands like us out there playing it at niche clubs and shows, bands like Gothic Knights and Zandelle. But everything back then was death metal and hardcore. I liked some of that stuff, I have friends in both scenes but I didn’t wanna go that way musically. I always had that hope of getting to Europe and pushing our stuff over there to a more receptive audience. As for grunge I thought it was just another fad. The first albums by those bands were great, I liked Soundgarden and the early Pearl Jam stuff but it just got ridiculous. Guys who could barely play their instruments singing every song about heroin and all out of tune. Just like any other subgenre the good bands had longevity and the more derivative bands fell by the wayside and were forgotten.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later in the 90s, on the metal side, there were bands like Hammerfall who I thought were pretty good but I already had all the good Helloween albums worth owning. I thought “yeah they have the right idea and their hearts in the right place, but if they were more original they could smack it out of the park.” The old school made a comeback for a lot of reasons. The Kiss reunion with the makeup set everyone off on a nostalgia trip, so I think that triggered a lot more reunions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What impact did those bands, with their originality and creativity, have on underground/extreme bands in the 90s and beyond? How would you account for their longevity?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Metal has its own trajectory built into it by its very nature. From the day Black Sabbath released their first album, millions of contenders to the throne were launched. The lyrics became more explicit, tempos got faster, guitars got flashier, vocals got more extreme either in the direction of Halford or Cronos, so the impact of bands like Voivod, Coroner, Mercyful Fate et al I would say had a profound impact on how death metal became more technical and black metal became more artsy/poetic if you will. It’s all a matter of what you want to take from it and which direction you want to pull. It’s funny you’re talking about longevity because Mercyful Fate just pulled off a tour bigger than they ever did in the 80s. I saw Exciter a few months back and they’re packing houses everywhere they go; maybe more than they did in the 80s. The longevity is attributed to JUST HOW FREAKIN AWESOME that material was back then. I think technology helps in a big way too. A younger audience with more disposable income has access to more music and they can check stuff out. I’d wager that because maybe this generation is more educated I guess?? Maybe a 25 year old in 2024 has a degree as opposed to the 25 year old hanging at L’Amour every night in 1986; they travel to festivals and they can spend more money on merch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you remember outlets such as Slipped Disc that were around in the old days? At a time when it was difficult to locate the bands you listened to, how important were stores like it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I remember Slipped Disc very very well. I grew up in Suffolk County so my place was Looney Tunes where I also worked for a while but Slipped Disc blew my mind the first time I went there. I think it was 1995 and I went there because they carried the Phil Lynott biography “The Rocker” when it first came out. I drove the hour from my house to go there to buy it. When I walked in and looked around I was dumbfounded. I think I dropped over 100 bucks in there. I bought the book, Thin Lizzy’s “Thunder and Lightning”, Saxon’s “Rock the Nations” and Blind Guardian’s “Imaginations from the Other Side” who I had never heard of before but I bought it just for the cover. I found Forbidden Distortion there and I had no idea they released anything after “Twisted into Form”. So I waited until next payday and grabbed that too. Entire discographies of Saxon, Raven, Savatage, Running Wild, Venom, stuff you couldn’t find anywhere.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those places were a lifeline; but they were kind of like that smoke signal that let you know there was still signs of life out there. Of course you had to pay import prices but who cared. When you see young kids on the internet bitching about shipping costs on vinyls and CDs I feel like saying, “dude you have no idea.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Has the internet effectively replaced vinyls or will there always be a need for them?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maybe commercially, but the experience of going to a record store and being in that environment and physically surrounded by music can NOT be replaced. I honestly believe there will always be a need for them because the purchasing of music should be a real, tangible experience. A real music connoisseur shops for music like they shop for produce; you check every apple for blemishes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The former owner of Slipped Disc continues to sell merch and do record shows in Long Island and elsewhere. Have you had a chance to attend a one of them?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I actually have not but I plan to. Joey goes all the time. He’s a real collector and a vinyl fiend. He gets it from his dad. His father used to take me and him to the record shows all the time at the VFW halls.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In your experience, what was it like to attend a record show at the VFW halls?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The few times I went it was just tables and tables of stuff. There wasn’t really much metal at the time, you really had to dig. I remember holding Venom's “From Hell to the Unknown” on double vinyl in my hands but not buying it, too scared ha ha ha. It was really a lot of older guys going nuts looking for an original Beatles' “Yesterday and Today Butcher Block” cover or another copy of Herb Alpert's “Tijuana Brass Whipped Cream” album. The genuine rarities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I remember Record World at the Roosevelt Field mall, the first outlet where I discovered import releases. Did you visit there back in the day?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not in Roosevelt Field but the Record World at TSS in West Babylon OH MAN what a place that was. Just talking about it I can’t believe the stuff they had; in the midst of a department store that also had a barber and a dentist and a food court It’s hard to imagine. They had imports, picture discs, the works.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In my observation many bands do “farewell tours” only to reunite thereafter. Generally, do you think they miss touring and give them the benefit of the doubt, or do you consider their reunion tours to be a series of cash grabs?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s hard to say with the farewell tours. A certain “#1 all-time favorite” band of mine who I won’t name has absolutely blown it. I know the original guys can’t stand each other. Maybe they get the itch because they know there’s an audience. They see kids one fourth their age wearing the shirts and singing the songs. I think in that sense they see relevance as a greater currency than cash because there isn’t much to be had out there. Bands are cancelling tours because touring costs so much.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What did you think of the “retro thrash” thing that began in the mid-90s with bands like Gehennah and Inferno? Some found it exciting and some believed those bands were faking it. Do you think it needed to happen in some ways, so the genre could come back?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I got a kick out of Gehennah; I had the “King of the Sidewalk” CD because of their Ill Literature interview I read. In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that four guys from Sweden who drink like that and wear Manowar and Venom shirts in 1995 have NO reason to fake anything. The thing is they were like another Hammerfall to me. They took the style of one or two influences and tried to make a whole other genre out of it, and maybe it somehow worked for them. Hammerfall is still in business but I just don’t see a band creating a body of work from it. At that particular point in time I ate it all up because I loved that stuff and in the States the alternative thing became so preposterous; songs about peaches and “mmmmm mmmm mmmmm mmmm mmmmmm” for a chorus. Ridiculous. But yes I do credit those bands, although derivative; they did what they had to do in order to start kicking doors down.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What explains your continued working relationship with Joey Mignanelli, and how did you first hook up with Dan Kelleher?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for working with Joey and Dan, they’re my “ride or die” as the kids say these days. Joey and I just click, we have that chemistry and we lock in, that whole premonition thing about what the other is going to do next. He’s not just a great drummer, he’s a very advanced musical mind. Dan too. I’ve known Dan literally since we were four years old each, we grew up in the same town and got into music at the same time. We all hold each other to a very high standard because we all know what the other is capable of.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the frequency of your opportunities to write and practice during the Covid pandemic? When you're able to work in person, how do you go about creating songs? Do you have a practice space where you regularly meet?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We did not practice at all during the initial pandemic, March through July of 2020. Not just because of the lockdown but because I work as an RN in an ICU of a hospital in Queens NY and we got absolutely pounded. I was working four to five days a week, twelve hour shifts. Not only that but I have three children and my wife and I were working with them on their virtual schoolwork, and my son has autism so he needed a lot of attention. But I have my studio in my basement so I was able to work on tons of material which we are now refining and preparing to record. I practiced my individual guitar chops a lot so I definitely used that time to my advantage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I usually write my version of what I have in mind for any given song with a pretty solid framework of where I’d like the song to go. I send a sound file to Joey and Dan and they give input. 90% of the time I show up with the “ingredients” if you will; riffs, chord sequences, lyrics, melodies; Joey and Dan come in and add arrangements. Sometimes they’ll rework an idea so it makes more sense, adds more suspense/intrigue or they’ll suggest changing the sequence of parts in a song so the song flows better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How much of a task is it to balance family life with playing in a band? Is your wife supportive of what you’re doing working with other musicians? The 2021 documentary “I’m Too Old For This Shit” featuring the band Siren touches on these ideas.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yeah it’s very difficult but it’s all in how you manage your time. It helps that I can send audio files of my ideas so everyone has an idea of the material walking in. Parenting in the modern age is a hundred times more involved than it’s ever been. I have two daughters in dance lessons and like I mentioned my son has autism so he requires a lot of attention. But you adapt, and the way I see it, I don’t have darts night or poker night with the guys; once or twice a month we get together in person and work on music for a solid four hours at a clip. And my wife is great; she’s very busy herself. Family is number one over everything.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it better for a band to have similar tastes in music and share that chemistry, or to have divergent tastes and work to make them fit together? Would it depend on how willing the band members are to work on a give-and-take basis?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We all grew up with the same core bands; Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Megadeth, etc. As time went on, I buried myself deeper into metal and 70s hard rock like UFO, Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult. Joe got into some death metal along the way and he’s a huge Misfits/Danzig fan. Dan is the prog rock aficionado; Rush, ELP, King Crimson. So in our case it works quite well; in our case it does work because we’re old enough that we’ve lived through and seen so many different phases of music, we pick and choose what we like from everything. I think there of course needs to be a common vision between the members for what direction they agree to go in. The last thing the local scene needs is another of what I call a “T-shirt band’, which is four or five dudes in their mid-twenties all wearing Slipknot shirts and guess who they wind up sounding like? It’s like “hey, congratulations guys, you sound exactly like a ripoff of your favorite band.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When surfing Youtube or other streaming sites, how many ripoff bands or t-shirt bands do you usually see?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh they’re out there. I really quantify them but let’s just say there’s always been bands who “play by the rules” and these days it seems like an infestation of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Many bands are known to incorporate classical, opera, folk music and tribal percussion into their material. Documentaries like Sam Dunn’s “Global Metal” introduce music fans to creative and inventive musicians. Is this something you would consider doing?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If a song called for it in terms of getting across the lyrics or the atmosphere then absolutely. Joey and I actually performed Bollywood songs on stage with Indian musicians; it was a short lived project where they fused an Americanized guitar and drums format with traditional Indian music and songs from Bollywood movies so that was interesting. If you really pick apart Royal Orphan’s music there’s a lot of different flavors in there, it’s just a matter of making it fit. I always loved bands like Orphaned Land from Israel, Amorphis and Waylander from Ireland who added their own traditional ethnic influences into their music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Sepultura was one of the first bands to incorporate tribal music before it became popular. When they started doing it, did you have a feeling it would eventually catch on?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I didn’t really follow Sepultura after “Chaos AD”. But at that time a lot of thrash bands were trying different things, trying to stay fresh and new without going the Metallica “Black Album” route. For them it worked, it was part of their national identity and it fit their music. I remember they had actual tribe members playing those parts. A new idea always has the potential to catch on depending on how well the originator pulls it off. Or if not, someone else tries to do it better I suppose.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What's your view about whether the “Black Album” by Metallica was good or bad for metal? What are the pros and cons?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was in senior year of high school when that album came out. We used to get asked to play for all the pep rallies and football games so we’d play “Enter Sandman” because everyone knew it. But as an album it really didn’t stick to me, and to be honest I’d say that around when “…And Justice for All” came out we all knew something wasn’t right. The production was very thin, lack of bass, and it sounded like only one guitar. The “Black Album” definitely had better production but the riffs were gone and the speed and power were gone. I guess the focus was on more radio friendly songs. My whole thing with Metallica is that whatever they do now, good for them. They’re the most successful of the genre I won’t smack talk them. I love the first three albums; they’re burned into my DNA and they were a key element in my development as a guitarist and musician. I’m just not into what they do anymore.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I myself have seen some Bollywood movies, which of them did the band borrow songs from?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t know the actual movies, but there was a composer by the name of RD Burman who also went by the name Puncham. I remember there was one song called “O Mere Dil Ke Chain” and a few others. This project was long before we started the Royal Orphan project, but in the future we may incorporate these elements. The rhythm and modal flavors I found intriguing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does Royal Orphan also look for new folk/traditional metal bands to listen to for inspiration, such as from Asia or New Zealand?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ve recently gotten into a band called Wytch Hazel, they’re getting really popular. They have English folk interludes and themes but overall it’s a heavy 70s influence like Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash with Christian lyrics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Regarding that running conceptual theme you mentioned, do you have any ideas for the character you’ve been considering creating? What sources of inspiration have you been seeking?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So at the moment we’re working on our first full length to follow up the EP from 2018. The opening track is tentatively titled “Nightrunner”. There’s a passage in the lyrics that says “once you were royally now just an orphan running wild” so it references the character and describes the situation the songs subject is in. On one hand you can say the song is about the collapse of civilization but it’s also how the modern person would react if they were subject to a real “Lord of the Flies” scenario. You suddenly wake up one day and all the constructs and systems you relied upon were gone. I mean let’s face it; the average grown adult today melts down when they lose their Wi-Fi signal. If per chance one day a disaster struck so profoundly that we lost electricity, clean running water and food we’d have a ‘kill or be killed’ situation. And for the record I’m not a doomsday prepper but in today’s world we’re highly dependent on very intricate systems that guide us in our lives. One day we may have to rely on basic survival if it fails.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is “Nightrunner” sort of a commentary on how people are over dependent on technology? Or is it related to laziness and complacency on the part of many people? How does this character you’re thinking of relate to it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is to a degree. This character once lived in the modern high tech world and is now thrust into an environment where they are expected to survive and hopefully thrive by a completely different set of rules. The idea of Royal Orphan as a character can be described as a rags to riches or someone transplanted across social classes. It can go both ways. I mean look at me as a person in real life and my own situation. I was living in a one room apartment and pretty much a non-entity until I kicked my own ass into gear and made something out of myself. I kicked alcohol and partying and got focused. But still, I displaced myself out of where I belong. An 80s head banger kid working as an ICU nurse or anywhere in healthcare? You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s America.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What were the ideas you lyricized for your 2018 EP? Were the lyrics inspired by any specific occurrences or were they about certain issues in general?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were indeed about individual topics and I can break them down song by song.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“In Requiem” is a metaphor for the death of the music industry as we know it. The second verse “she was our queen the muse” is the personification of music as we all loved it, and how it’s been turned into something faceless and weak.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Lost in Time” is about what I mentioned before, and it could be considered part of the character’s story. I went through a point in my life where I was complacent and maybe not doing the right thing and had a feeling of regret.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Citizens of Nowhereville” pretty much describes the town I grew up in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Lights Camera Nothing” was inspired by one time I was flicking through channels. I came across Dane Cook on HBO and I was dumbfounded by his audience. A huge basketball arena and he’s on a huge stage and he has no material. Just blabbering nonsense and the audience was eating it up. Hey good for him that he can capitalize on the severe lack of intelligence of a whole generation, but it’s just sad that this is what passes for entertainment. And it’s like that across music and everything as we all know. The last verse incorporates like a Britney Spears type of scenario placed in a sort of human sacrifice setting. Old Roman amphitheater style. Again, nothing against her, it’s just sad what happened to her and all the other ones to follow. It’s a business that makes a commodity out of people. The big makers and movers and shakers and check writers just have no fucking souls.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Could you describe the growth process your lyrics have undergone since you released your EP?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s really more of the same; my lyrics are all about the human experience, my own perspective of the world and the older you get you realize that we’re always going to live in a world where things happen and change. So as long as the world keeps changing I’ll have no shortage of things to write about. That’s all I know how to do. The satanic bands, the bands who sing about witches and warriors and dungeons and dragons and fantasy themes, they do what they do and let em enjoy it but it’s not for me. I can’t sing that stuff with any conviction and make people believe it. So the themes I’m dealing with now are all just about real stuff that people can relate to. Even if the verbiage I use makes it work in a metal song.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>It is more common nowadays to find bands pushing the boundaries of underground music?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Depends what you mean by underground; I think there are a handful of people out there who have the right idea. A long time ago music just hit an apex where there is literally no more innovation to be had. You can only reinvent the wheel to a point where you don’t have anything that functions like a wheel anymore. And particularly with heavy metal the fans can be finicky cats like Morris and his 9 Lives from the commercial. A lot of them have expectations to be met when they tune into a band or an album. You’re dealing with genre loyalists who expect a band to adhere to the bylaws of that genre so it’s a fine line to walk. I’m guilty of that myself. As a listener and a fan I know when a band gets too kooky or freaky with their sound I get turned off so as a writer and a musician I try to find the doors and windows where I can tweak things and be more expressive. But to answer your question I think if you look hard enough you can find some very interesting things. Unleash The Archers is a band doing insanely technical power metal like a completely over the top Symphony X but their songs are infectiously catchy; you could sing along in the car like any 80s pop song on the radio. Like I said if you’re inventive enough and you’re well versed in song composition like they are you can pull it off.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can entertainment retain a part of its soul with underground music still growing and evolving, and the industry growing on its own merits? How will Royal Orphan continue to grow?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think there are a few labels out there that have the right idea and they support their artists very well. But we all know, and we’ve seen it, that some of our metal heroes are phoning it in. Bands who were once considered underground are now half assing it, using backing tracks etc. But enough has been said about that. I think “soul” happens when someone puts something out there and the audience is receptive to it. When you hit those drums so hard they shake, when you belt that vocal note directly at the person in the back of the room, when you lay down that guitar solo like you’re at the gates of Heaven and Jimi and Eddie and Randy are watching you. As for how we’re going to grow in the future, I’m not sure how we’re going to practically last as an entity. But if I had control of the situation I’d like us to take a direction that resonates the old school spirit but not sounding like anyone else. Always pushing the envelope and trying to create something that no one else has done before.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>With social media giving bands more creative control, how do you expect Royal Orphan to make an impact aboveground?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t ever consider us breaking “aboveground.” That horse left the barn a long time ago. All three of us are married men pushing 50, there is no reason our personal demographic would ever be of any interest to the big tastemakers of the population of the American consumer. Right now all the power of the entertainment industry is in the hands of Taylor Swift and her legions of teenage girls with all of that disposable income. It’s pure economics; to quote Bill Hicks that is a lot of babysitting money to be shared around. She is literally the only thing happening “aboveground” right now. Any self contained rock band who plays their own instruments and writes their own songs whether you’re Green Day or Metallica or you’re a smaller band on our level serves only one purpose; we’re just there to piss everyone off. We just keep on showing up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Regardless of how long Royal Orphan remains active, what would you like people to remember about your career when looking back?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t consider what we do to be a “career” as much as it is an “endeavor.” I haven’t broke even from any of this and I don’t expect to. My main motivation for this is just to leave something behind one day; I think that’s what most musicians aspire to whether they admit to it or not. Your recorded legacy is forever; you, the musician are not. So if anyone looks back on what we did, I would really like people to think we did it our way, the best we could with 100% integrity. None of what we do is crowd funded, none of this is AI. Just pure grit, sweat, work ethic and a love for what we do. All our songs are painstakingly written, all our lyrics are about something, not just strung together generic “blood and guts and Satan.” We don’t have time for that; we focus on the composition of the songs and we take it seriously and we won’t waste a well written song on lyrics that we could have scratched out in junior high in five minutes. Every song is important to us and gets something across. But most of all we want people to enjoy it because otherwise what’s the point?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/royalorphanmetal" target="_blank">Royal Orphan at Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://royalorphan.bandcamp.com/album/6-song-debut-ep" target="_blank">Royal Orphan at Bandcamp</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@royalorphanmetal" target="_blank">Royal Orphan at Youtube</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0aaoWBqM3kl7BoZ5fDGBbk" target="_blank">Royal Orphan at Spotify</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/14456259" target="_blank">Royal Orphan at Deezer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/royalorphanmetal/" target="_blank">Royal Orphan at Instagram</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-48794745442901846522024-02-26T14:47:00.000-08:002024-02-28T18:30:25.677-08:00Interview with The D.O.O.D. by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflUc5hreK0TOpCWRVCi99t0te_Df_hvFieAHmwWHAgiBmVBDrSwolPY6ZSfRCUZa6sChxYt0Cr6CBYnjTm2DZu3WIkJQ_HSEze5nyYS9Bq_a234452Ywi6iLXb9ygxIQMNtWf3CGRuqQ6cHGmQ_xf2U9e7WO61kxovy1YlvgbOfCGoF1f776OFj36Zj41/s2048/DOOD.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="2048" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflUc5hreK0TOpCWRVCi99t0te_Df_hvFieAHmwWHAgiBmVBDrSwolPY6ZSfRCUZa6sChxYt0Cr6CBYnjTm2DZu3WIkJQ_HSEze5nyYS9Bq_a234452Ywi6iLXb9ygxIQMNtWf3CGRuqQ6cHGmQ_xf2U9e7WO61kxovy1YlvgbOfCGoF1f776OFj36Zj41/w400-h229/DOOD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Interview with Brian (Monkeyboy) of The Distinguished Order of Disobedience (The D.O.O.D.) by Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Recently you began streaming a new single and another single. Can you tell the readers how you expect the singles to live up to the reputation the band built since they formed in 2004?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Chaos for the Fly” is much longer than our usual material but it is also a bit heavier and there isn’t a moment in the song where it feels like a long song. “Subterfuge” which came out on Feb 14th is also a bit heavier than our last album but it just hits hard and fast. We tend to blend sub-genres in the heavy metal genre- and to be honest none of us keep up on the sub-genre thing- our fans are used to our albums having different feels to them. In the end they all sound like The D.O.O.D., but we have little desire to do the same thing twice. I think both of these songs will hold up strong against our previous material and we all feel very confident that we will make our fans happy and gain some new fans.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How does the band's name make you stand out, and what was the inspiration?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The name stands for The Distinguished Order Of Disobedience. It became The D.O.O.D. because that’s hard to spell that whole thing out when people are looking for us. The D.O.O.D. started to stick with people and many think it has something to do with “The Big Lebowski”, which it doesn’t. The Distinguished Order of Disobedience is a medal that was given in Belgium for winning a battle by disobeying a direct order- and also for refusing to help with the German war efforts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How does the band differentiate from other bands? Did you intend to develop an exclusive and diversified sound from the outset?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have always had a unique sound that is ours- it really is a blend of influences from the band members who all love metal- punk and rock and other genres, but all of us have different tastes and feels we like. So in the end when a song gets written, whether we all write it together or one person comes up with the original idea, everyone will add their take on it- and in the end it sounds just like us- a combination that wouldn’t happen with any other circumstances. We concentrate on writing songs the fans want to hear, but again they have to get through us as a band first and the writing isn’t over until it’s a song we would like to listen to. All of this is to say on an album there may be the feel of many different genres all blended together unlike a band who goes in trying to achieve a certain sound we achieve a certain sound just by not limiting ourselves to any one certain sound. I think from the beginning of the band the collaboration in the writing process has always been there so it lends itself to the end result which always sounds like us, and live we try and make our shows a little more animated and theatrical, because in the end we want our fans to have a great time at a show- they pay their hard earned money and we don’t ever want to disappoint.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Indicate the genres that the members of the band listen to most often, and explain how you usually combine them.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am not limited by genre- I listen to multiple genres from death metal to pop music- but I am a metal head at heart, and I love Industrial metal as well. Ray likes some of the more traditional metal to listen to on a regular basis, but he likes nu metal, progressive metal, and death metal as well. Rudy I believe, is a punk rocker at heart but he loves thrash and all kinds of metal as well as old school classic rock stuff- he’s a bit of an encyclopedia of music. Jonzey, I think is another one of us who will listen to just about anything that sounds good and is written well regardless of genre, I would say she leans a little more towards Nu Metal but she keeps an open mind and listens to a variety of different genres. Indy seems to really love anything progressive, death metal, Viking metal, neoclassical metal etc. In the end we combine these genres by writing together, Ray has a great sensibility as to classic and heavy riffage, Jonzey can spot a musical hook a mile away, Indy comes up with these complicated riffs that when combined with what ray does really goes a long way to forming our sound. I a lot of times use little tricks I’ve heard in say a blues or a pop song or some 1960’s groove rock when coming up with lyrics, hooks and melodies to guide as an aid, plus the industrial feel also show up in the music quite often on an album, anything to make it interesting and at least have parts of the song go maybe where you didn’t expect, all without alienating our fans or audience by being over the heads of the average listener.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>To date, how much material has been released by the band? How did you develop the sound you were looking for by experimenting with different feels on each release?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Including the album that first came out with a bit of a different lineup- we have put out five albums- “When Push Comes To Fight”, “Playtime In the Apocalypse”, “Beautiful Ride”, “Buttercup”, “Firefly”. Plus a reissue single of “Infected by Faith”, and a Cover of King Diamond’s “No Presents for Christmas”. That is excluding the new stuff “Chaos for the Fly” and “Subterfuge” which will be included on our sixth full length album that should be out in June which doesn’t have a name as of now. Each album usually starts with ideas for one or two songs and they always lead down a similar path for the album naturally- with “Firefly” we had a slightly more industrial feel to the songs and we had some help from producer Matt Laplant to really put out our most polished sounding effort. On that one we actually tried several different ideas for most of the songs- trying them played in different ways, and in the end it just turned out perfect. This new album is a call back to just heavy metal we grew up with mixed in with a modern sound, we are very excited to show it to the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does your objective of creating the sound you desire extend to independent mixing, mastering, and production of your material? Would you prefer to produce your own music or work with professionals and explain where your music is headed?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We usually will record all of the songs that will (potentially) be on the album. Then we will go through and see if there is any other instrumentation or production work that needs to be there. At that point we will go into a larger studio knowing what we want and how to get the desired results. This current album we have had the pleasure of having the legendary Jim Morris from Morrisound Studios behind the recording desk. The advantage of that is we get to pick his brain as far as anything else we may have missed that might help bring the music to life a bit more. We have worked with producers in the past, we worked with Matt Laplant (Sevendust, Nonpoint etc) on the “Firefly” album and he had a very different approach to the way the music was created and recorded. It was a wonderful experience and all of us love the way the album came out. I prefer to self-produce wherever possible, but even then we always appreciate some outside input, because when you become close to a project it becomes your baby, and your baby can do no wrong, but a good friend will tell you that it’s not cool that your baby is screaming in the grocery store unchecked if you get my meaning. I really do prefer having at the very least someone else doing the recording that doesn’t have the same biases as we do when it comes to our own music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How much did your experiences working with Jim Morris and Matt Laplant help the band with writing and composing from those times onward?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Working with Matt Laplant on our last album “Firefly” was a great experience for all of us, (hopefully for him as well) but I think it really taught us during the writing process to take a look at what was written and try to see alternatives that may work better or be a more impactful piece of the songs. He’s a meticulous guy, and it was really good to kind of pick things apart and put them back together again, it made the songs shine a bit more. We currently have done only two songs with Jim Morris at the board. We are not working with Matt this time around, and we have taken that focus from “Firefly” and really are scrutinizing the songs for this album. Jim is a guy who is amazing and seasoned and knows what he is doing, and while he may make a suggestion or two what we have really learned from working with him is to trust in our instincts and also what makes it easier for him to do his job to the best of his abilities. Jim is not producing this project, we are, but his years of working with others and experimenting and finding out what works or what has worked in past experiences, makes the task of coming up with the end result on our end a lot more comfortable and natural feeling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you intend your latest singles to differ from past material or did it happen naturally?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think there is always a natural progression towards having things change from what has already been done. I believe we all have the intention to just write a good song, no matter what but the inner feeling of not just following the formulaic writing styles we become comfortable with is always there. And hey if one song sounds like it belonged on say our “Buttercup” album that’s fine, but there is an unspoken natural progression to avoid becoming redundant.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In general, do you see bands taking underground metal in new directions, or are most of the bands you have heard doing the same thing?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bands that I encounter seem to usually try to go in a different direction or find some sort of new take on an old favorite style which is always good. There are always a handful of acts I run across that are incredibly talented and write great songs but they are not taking any risks or trying anything that sounds different from what is mainstream norm- if you can call any of it mainstream really. I usually chalk that up to two things, the first is they think if it works for (insert popular metal band) then we have a better chance of being heard, and the second is very simple- it’s what they like. Both are legitimate reasons although I personally believe if you are playing music you have to love what you do if you want to have a chance at getting anyone else to like it. I think the world works very differently these days and the way people find music isn’t as organic- there are algorithms that are telling you as a listener what you might like if you like this band or that- and a lot of time the new directions aren’t as easily found but rest assured, they will be. Personally just love to see people doing what they feel is creative.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you think it would be better to view those algorithms you described as suggestions and still rely on whether a band speaks to you personally?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I absolutely think so. I am sure that is what they were made for initially. But there is nothing like the excitement for a music lover to “find” a new band and really fall in love with the music- or what the lyrics have to say to you, or just the overall feel. There is certain magic to it, people used to go to record stores and look at album covers and see if they spoke to them, and sometimes they would buy things unheard based on that, or based on the one song. Sometimes that would go horribly awry but when it didn’t, it was this feeling that was beyond just finding a new piece of music, and it was like meeting a new friend… I will stop waxing nostalgic. Algorithms are cool and they certainly may turn people on to similar music and that is great. I just encourage people to step outside that box sometimes and go on treasure hunts. Talk to friends and see what they are into. Or even better go out to your local venue and see a show, whether it’s a big show or a little one, you can really find some awesome things being done that suit you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Describe the lyrics and subject matter of your singles, and how personal their meaning is.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’d like to think we try to approach some topics in a way that will help people to rethink a narrow-minded way of thinking. In “Chaos For the Fly”, the whole idea what’s normal for the spider is chaos for the fly plays a bit with a power shift, what happens when the fly becomes the spider and the spider becomes the fly. To me it’s a fun thought that kind of reminds me of when the hero wins the day, or when the person who has been terrorized in a horror movie turns the tables and almost becomes more horrible than the villain. Lyrically if we speak of government or organized religion or current topics, it is never from the standpoint of ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’. When we were young, the best music always encouraged us to question authority and not take anything simply on face value. It’s more the thought that whatever you believe, make sure, if it’s important to you, to question it. If the questions you ask cause problems, then something may just be wrong. With “Subterfuge”, to me it was obvious that we have all sorts of problems between the governments and the media and the things that go on beyond the public eye. It’s an encouragement to remind these very powerful and important outlets that without the people, they would have no purpose. The idea of true justice is something that comes up often in lyrics I write. Not being a political creature in the usual sense, I will never endorse any political party for any reason. The thought of people taking back power is very big for me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Other times we like to use lyrics to tell stories, some are personal narratives, and some are based on things that were seen or heard that spark a narrative for the songs. I am also personally a huge horror movie fan and more often than not there will be an element of horror, or some sort of dark twist that shows up on the albums. All of our songs are personal to each one of us in different ways, but they all have the care and time put into them that we all feel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the source of your incentive to question authority? In what ways have you developed your ideas through lyrics since the beginning?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My source for questioning authority definitely started from when I was a kid first learning about music. My mother taught me about Elvis Presley and I started looking at what he did. As of now you could definitely say it’s tame but at the time he was almost an outlaw. He heard stuff he liked and he did it, not really even knowing it was against the societal norms and bucked the systems of prejudice at the time. He was the most popular thing out there and people would put him down for his performance and he was just living his best life musically most of the time doing exactly what he felt. To me that was true freedom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I heard The Doors on the radio and fell in love with the idea of poetry and fire in the lyrical performance. Jim Morrison didn’t think he had any kind of voice so he just tried to express himself. All of this lead to punk rock where the whole idea was to question authority and societal norms. That to me was rock and roll, to look at the hypocrisy of the world around you and ask why. How is this helping anyone but yourselves? As I got older I understood more about how things work but I saw more and more people just going along with the program and not even wondering at all why. In my opinion, if you take everything at face value, especially those driven by people who stand to gain financially and with the promise of more power to them, you’ve given up. I hope I still have that need to question things when I’m 90.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it possible for music, particularly underground music, to change the world for the better?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think underground music and all music really has the power to get into people’s heads and that’s all it takes to spark a change in thinking. In the end it can change the world for the better, although it may be only planting seeds. Sometimes they grow into something beautiful that will add to the world for years to come, sometimes it just becomes a small flower that has a moment of beauty and gets run over with a lawn mower in spite of it. I think if underground music can do anything to change the world for the better it is inspiring. It doesn’t have to be through dissent or violence, it could be with dragons and love songs or songs about heartbreak. If someone out there loves it, it raises their spirits and allows them to feel more confident in what they do and how they do it. And to gather some other perspective on things is a bonus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it generally the case that more people are beginning to listen to the lyrics written by bands, getting past the stereotypes associated with underground music? Or are stereotypes still a hindrance?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think that people have always listened to lyrics, the problem is the interpretation, for me it’s half the fun to find out the interpretation of others of something that we wrote, but the way underground and metal music has been stereotyped in the past has solely been based on the way they are interpreted. I really believe that the world is in a much different place now for the stereotypes that used to be held, nowadays, the people with the weird closed-minded interpretations are working their way into the minority as mainstream America is well on its way to accepting a lot more in their entertainment. It’s no longer people in the government or the religious aspects of the world that are scaring people with the “scary hateful lyrics” that they never read into in the first place. I think most people hear something and like it enough to really listen to the music, they make the decision to support it and listen or just move on to something else that they do like or agree with. In a way the stereotypes were almost better because they drew more attention to the underground scene. Even negative press is still press.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do podcasts and other videos on social media help spread information that is not found on the news as much as they help unsigned bands gain exposure?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Honestly, we discuss videos of ideas floating around about the world around us these days a lot more than we discuss the news. I think a lot of thinking people don’t trust a lot of what the news is reporting to be true fair, non-biased and honest, which was the basis of journalism to begin with, but the landscape is cluttered when it comes to getting information on news or the state of the world today. Some of it is very helpful and some of it is even worse information than you would get with the news outlets or from your politicians. The trick is, and I think our younger generations are becoming more adept at, and if they aren’t, they need to, discerning between what’s real and what propaganda is written for an agenda. As far as helping entertainers (musicians, artists, what have you) it is invaluable for spreading the word. And for music listeners and appreciators, it is a great time, because they get to know the artists in a more personal way than ever, and it gets them closer to the experience.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is what’s happening in the news industry also happening in the entertainment industry as more people start their own channels where they review movies or make their own?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sure, when it comes down to brass tacks though it’s better in the entertainment industry than the news to have opinions floating around untethered. Entertainment is subjective and so to be able to put out what ever art or opinions of art and potentially have an audience is great and helps move the attention of others towards something new or different, as well as giving an outlet to creators who may not have had an outlet previously. With news it would be best to get facts and not opinions but that ship has sailed, now it’s a situation where we have to choose which opinions may be facts a lot of the time and it is not advantageous in my opinion to the community at large. The upside: we may get more information about things the powers that be may not want us to have. With entertainment there aren’t as many gatekeepers telling us what to put out content wise, although it takes the individual artist(s) learning more about marketing themselves and promotions to get your product seen or heard. At least people have a chance they would not have had prior to the internet uprising.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Regarding the two above questions, what is the extent of creative control independent labels and unsigned bands will have over their distribution and songwriting in the future, respectively?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the future technically they should have total control, realistically, they still have to follow the money at the end of the day unless we can come up with a better system of distribution than exists now. The problem here is that artists and creators and independent labels aren’t seeing the fruits of their labor. Everyone works hard at what they do and still it is only a small percentage of people who get paid and right now who that is depends on the people running the streaming services. There needs to be a better solution so that wat the people with talent can distribute their art and possibly get paid enough to keep creating, and as it stands now the circle of people seeing the end result of a paycheck is getting smaller. I have no solution for that, we make music and hopefully it gets to people and they like it as much as we do. The future can certainly be bright. And songwriting has way less gatekeepers stopping creative control, but distribution, although many kudos for the fact that you can widely distribute these days, is nothing when there is no longer product to buy. Most musicians don’t do this for the money, but all musicians run into the situation where we have to eat and support our families somehow, so the fact that services distributing music are getting paid and artists making music are not should change in the future. I hope that doesn’t come across as complaining. If I never make another dollar playing music I will still make and play music, but there are some issues there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is The D.O.O.D.'s plan for promoting constructive change on future releases?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First and foremost, we plan on making people feel some type of way. Love it or hate it you’re gonna remember it. If you don’t then we haven’t done our job. We really just want people to have a great time and live the best lives they can. Everybody deserves that. So, we want to entertain, and make people feel something, whether it has a deeper meaning or it’s a story written in song form. If there are any seeds to be planted, our plan will always continue to encourage people to think for themselves, don’t take what others say at face value, and also don’t automatically assume that they are lying either. Do research if something moves you or concerns you. Find out everything you can and formulate your own opinion. Most of all we like to spread the feeling of family, nobody makes it through life easily alone but together, no matter the problem or the odds, we stand a chance to live happy, and live with the strength that every one of us have.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is the message you mentioned what you most want the band to be remembered for? What impact do you most want the band to have? Is this in line with the level of musical originality you wish to achieve?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If we could be remembered for that it would be wonderful. The only impact I want is for people to enjoy themselves when they listen to our music. If they can relate to a concept, a lyric an idea, that’s wonderful. If they just like the way the drums go boom boom that’s enough of an impact, but as long as we are around we will give them something to listen to and make it as well as we can. As far as originality- we will continue to push in whatever direction that we feel, and hopefully our fans will continue to feel as pleased by it as we are.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://thedoodband.com/home" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. Official Website</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thedoodband/" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDoodband" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Youtube</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://thedoodthedistinguishedorderofdisobedience.bandcamp.com/track/subterfuge" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thedoodband" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Instagram</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://twitter.com/thedoodband" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Twitter</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6d6Ivd55eab2MUD3xEAWRi?si=b_-DtrcOSBmrp4p91fbQ8g" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Spotify</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-d-o-o-d/1492651110" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Apple Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://music.amazon.com/artists/B083GDZDY6?ref=dm_sh_7a60-fc0e-b81e-a31c-96afb" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Amazon Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/thedoodband" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Reverb Nation</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-2265905869462750952024-02-24T10:39:00.000-08:002024-02-24T10:39:15.137-08:00Flash Fiction: "Don’t Look!" by Devin J. Meaney<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi8v_dmbtiRMc4Abf6yQXi0jBIsgNxbB7y3QLCWevdDdMHEVWU0-s6B3mSAyJPIxu8IJMAR9zFuDVTkh3mmtbVe0ZVUi3zABdLWMoCYTQcRr2IfPB3pXDLheWH1ijKdhk2CJvKZ6J3TV3hYfQHWioGB4Y3uh7PAHi6bOyjJei_Upgfd89PbT-OdM3s5Nb/s1280/dm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1280" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAi8v_dmbtiRMc4Abf6yQXi0jBIsgNxbB7y3QLCWevdDdMHEVWU0-s6B3mSAyJPIxu8IJMAR9zFuDVTkh3mmtbVe0ZVUi3zABdLWMoCYTQcRr2IfPB3pXDLheWH1ijKdhk2CJvKZ6J3TV3hYfQHWioGB4Y3uh7PAHi6bOyjJei_Upgfd89PbT-OdM3s5Nb/s320/dm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Don’t Look!</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Flash fiction by Devin J. Meaney</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>(Based on sleep paralysis)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was laying in bed and my limbs and neck were as frozen as the icicles hanging from the gutter by my front porch. I wanted to close my eyes, but they too were entirely stuck; fixed upon the shadows, so distant, yet so close.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was surrounded by darkness and blackened smoke, Cheshire cat grins Lurking; dancing across my walls. Their glinting eyes like hellfire gems—pure chaos. At one point I did manage to close my eyes, but that only brought the evil grins closer still. Then came the crying from under my bed, like wailing pushing forth a dance of the damned. My eyes were open yet again. I sighed to myself amidst the blackness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Don’t look!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The crying continued, like a baby in pain. I knew it was not a baby though—it just wanted me to look. I sighed to myself amidst the blackness yet again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Don’t look!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then, in a rush, I was dragged from my bed by mighty invisible hands. I may as well have been a corpse, and as I was dragged to my floor I murmured and stuttered in agony. The sorrow filled cries did not cease, but I could not bring myself to look beneath the bed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As I thought my end was near I burst forward to alertness. I was awake now—and I made haste to turn on my reading lamp. The crying had stopped, but the message in my mind was all the same.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Don’t look!”</div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-26855180422482407922024-02-21T17:46:00.000-08:002024-02-21T17:52:22.092-08:00Full Length Review: Sundrifter "An Earlier Time" (Small Stone Records) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaBfFltTbRblbh4VtIzmJ31gJdbqN74KRuyl0stDpkscdHB1HQfzHAjahB1_HtLH3i211tlnBErdBksXVGEXlwZKiUhMFbs4dUNU8TzBO8jtpXI2mEqpDbLboGT5mOs2PuXmZZZusEPwEe_VVDMDqLVeOisJ7mpCnPlc3um9IHGttwbMonaC4FgK9Fabx/s1200/sd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaBfFltTbRblbh4VtIzmJ31gJdbqN74KRuyl0stDpkscdHB1HQfzHAjahB1_HtLH3i211tlnBErdBksXVGEXlwZKiUhMFbs4dUNU8TzBO8jtpXI2mEqpDbLboGT5mOs2PuXmZZZusEPwEe_VVDMDqLVeOisJ7mpCnPlc3um9IHGttwbMonaC4FgK9Fabx/w200-h200/sd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Band: Sundrifter</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Boston, Massachusetts</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: USA</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Desert rock</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Full length: An Earlier Time</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Digital, CD, vinyl</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: Small Stone Records</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: February 16, 2024</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the release of their third album "An Earlier Time", Sundrifter captures the feeling of reviving an ancient civilization that had some metaphysical connection to the stars that modern civilizations cannot comprehend.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The civilization that existed in the distant past was reduced to ashes by some unspoken apocalyptic event, but its essence remained, not quite forgotten by the descendants of the people who had lived there and preserved all it was over many centuries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Featuring psychedelic post rock, early grunge and doom metal, this coalescence of sounds unifies the tribal and spiritual attributes of the civilization, venerating its gods in a similar manner as tribal cultures on this world that preserve their history through chronicled accounts and spoken tales.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With each chord progression, bass note, drum hit, and incorporeal vocalz, the band seems to celebrate this not-quite-forgotten culture whose knowledge was passed on to our tribal societies. In the manner of many thrash, death, and black metal bands, Sundrifter extend their musicianship far beyond their influences and previous recordings, conjuring prodigious songwriting and expansive soundscapes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">People whose tastes are variegated between Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, Hum, Soundgarden, Radiohead and Alice In Chains should find a great deal to immerse themselves in from "An Earlier Time" as each song is like its own contained universe with such massive feelings it’s hard to believe they’re created by three musicians. In this sense they're comparable to Jimi Hendrix Experience and Rush.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Begin Again" is one of the tracks that most potently reflects a reawakening of something old and sacred as well as their galactic connection. It was released as an advance single, and vocalist/guitarist Craig Peura describes it as a representation of confronting one's failures and overcoming them. Bassist Paul Gaughran describes it as incorporating all the musical and non-musical influences that have contributed to "An Earlier Time" becoming a monumental representation of the direction on which Sundrifter intends to travel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With this album, Sundrifter reaches farther reaches in the cosmos than you’d expect, and you’re given a high so natural and genuine that it is not even necessary to ingest any psychoactive substances to alter your state of mind. <b>–Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Craig Peura: Vocals, guitar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Paul Gaughran: Bass</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Patrick Queenan: Drums</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Track list:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Limitless</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Space Exploration</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Nuclear Sacrifice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Prehistoric Liftoff</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Begin Again</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Want You Home</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Final Chance</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Last Transmission</div><br />
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<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://sundrifterband.com/" target="_blank">Sundrifter official site</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sundriftermusic" target="_blank">Sundrifter at Facebook</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://sundrifter.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Sundrifter at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@sundrifterband" target="_blank">Sundrifter at Youtube</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sundrifterbc/" target="_blank">Sundrifter at Instagram</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://smallstone.com/" target="_blank">Small Stone Records official site</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords" target="_blank">Small Stone Records at Facebook</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Small Stone Records at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SmallStoneRecords" target="_blank">Small Stone Records at Youtube</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/SSRecordings" target="_blank">Small Stone Records at Twitter</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/smallstonerecords/" target="_blank">Small Stone Records at Instagram</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-55651493502773979322024-02-20T14:23:00.000-08:002024-02-20T16:51:05.586-08:00Interview with Dr. Luna of Antania by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBhBtescmesP1PNlzSnGVEjLmmBvpYg9bRz3IJpWALHoMOnzXwi_9Pr78QanXt0ZKTQG1IfWL0StqrW_NMEFnhqC6Dy8Y-nzzDSS-4TyfPk3daP1co7mIgBnFhHvjEc_VjAUJbxpKTK5DhtXWc-n7iGXHsWCiLIHyYQuPnxpEhS4byI0XYu1vzgKqTcGa/s2048/a1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBhBtescmesP1PNlzSnGVEjLmmBvpYg9bRz3IJpWALHoMOnzXwi_9Pr78QanXt0ZKTQG1IfWL0StqrW_NMEFnhqC6Dy8Y-nzzDSS-4TyfPk3daP1co7mIgBnFhHvjEc_VjAUJbxpKTK5DhtXWc-n7iGXHsWCiLIHyYQuPnxpEhS4byI0XYu1vzgKqTcGa/w200-h150/a1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Interview with Dr. Luna of Antania by Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When Antania formed from the remnants of Luna 13, how did you come to name yourselves after the goddess Hecate and devise the Slayer comparison?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I (Dr Luna) have been an avid devotee of the Dark Goddess since my late teens. I started invoking her while living in India. So the name Antania, a title of hers, seemed fitting. Our first publicist, Selena Fragassi titled my work in bass music as “the bass music scene’s Slayer”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How did you become interested in invoking Hecate while you were in India, and what were the circumstances that led you to journey there in the first place?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I went to India directly after high school after being diagnosed with an enlarged heart. I heard about ayurveda and I believed it could help my health. I got invoked with Aghora's Kali worship and I felt so connected to it. I started going to India all the time and spent most of my time there practicing Ayurveda and worshiping Kali. Before my guru died, he asked me to westernize my Aghoric path so I shifted from Kali to Hecate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tell a little about New York's Temple of Hecate and how you got involved with them? What is the nature of your involvement with this group?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My day job is, I write books about the occult and have books out about Hecate. I have been working with dark paganism for years. I was initiated into the Temple of Hecate as a third degree high priest in 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How long did you study the occult before you were initiated as a third degree high priest?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have been heavily into the occult since high school. Music and the dark side of occult are my passion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How many books have you published about Hecate to date, and how much research did you undertake while writing them? In addition to Hecate, what other subjects have you published your books on? Is there a website where people can learn a little about them?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two books on Hecate. “Hecate: Death, Transition and Spiritual Mastery” and “Hecate II, The Awakening of Hydra”. “Hecate II” has a forward by Twin Peaks’ Sheryl Lee. I also have two books out about an ancient Astrology system used by Alexander the Great. Amazon is the best place to find them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How extensive was your research on Alexander the Great's ancient Astrology system while you were writing about it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Interesting to note that Indian professors seem to know a lot more about Hellenistic mysticism then the west. I was handed the book “The Javanataka” at in Indian library and translated the science of it out of sheer boredom, not knowing that had never been done before. My book “Asterian Astrology, The List System of Alexander the Great” has my translation in the front and the actual “Yavanajataka” in the back. Alexander the Great had a much bigger influence on the East then the West.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was the length of time it took you to translate “The Javanataka”? How extensive was your research in compiling and writing “Asterian Astrology”?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s would have been a real challenge if I don’t have the education that I had with Vedic Astrology. I was well versed in Vedic and that made the translation pretty smooth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you offer “Asterian Astrology” exclusively online or is it also available in print? Is it available for purchase online or in any local or major bookstores?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Asterian Astrology” is available in print via Tara Press. It’s in most book stores.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are some of the differences between the astrology represented in “Asterian Astrology” and contemporary astrology?</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFwvptX8x5q_Z81Cp4FdMcxn-XXhnlOHd-jEI_uUgCMGFZrMuCJGMd2SGLuzXkHIiwr7IVCHirpu_T9vykQFNoKvMIPakgFu-HSzuKkiEvkeYu-4yH6jWdI_G1wHJH3Dx69ChuUMtwxLjzxIxb6Szk4Jwmq-DlaWV59bN1I64a60eZ3Gcm1yvhIYU6iEK/s750/a2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="750" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFwvptX8x5q_Z81Cp4FdMcxn-XXhnlOHd-jEI_uUgCMGFZrMuCJGMd2SGLuzXkHIiwr7IVCHirpu_T9vykQFNoKvMIPakgFu-HSzuKkiEvkeYu-4yH6jWdI_G1wHJH3Dx69ChuUMtwxLjzxIxb6Szk4Jwmq-DlaWV59bN1I64a60eZ3Gcm1yvhIYU6iEK/w200-h133/a2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Contemporary or western astrology is a fluke. It’s 24 degrees off the constellations. The zodiac in the sky moves 1 degree every 72 years. Catholicism made observing the stars illegal 2000 years ago so the tropical astrology is stuck with alignments that no longer connect to the starts above. All ancients used Sidereal astrology.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>There has been an availability of “Asterian Astrology” since 2010. What has been the response to the publication since it was released?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The publishing industry won’t allow Sidereal to succeed because Tropical makes 56 million dollars a year. Yet Asterian astrology has a huge underground following and is the chosen system of innumerable celebrities in Hollywood.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Who in Hollywood, that you are aware of, has adapted Asterian astrology as an alternative to more widely known systems?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chelsea Handler, Rashida Jones, Drena Dinero, Meghan McCain, Regina Hall and Sheryl Lee are just a few. Several I cannot mention.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you have experience playing in bands before Antania? What genres did they cover and what was their level of activity locally? What point in your career did you realize you wanted to pursue a different path?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was in the band Kill The Gods in high school and had some moderate success in that band as a bass player. I fell ill at the age of eighteen, ended up leaving music and moving to India to repair my health. I started playing synthesizers while living in India and started creating the sound of Bass Metal at that time. I saw “The Prodigy” perform in London and came up with the idea to do a black metal version of them and that solidified what I do now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In what ways did you develop black/doom bass in order to stand out in the local/underground music industry? Could you tell the readers how Antania has grown since it was founded?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I knew from playing synthesizers that I could create one of the heaviest sounds out there. You have to see us live to feel how much power comes off this sound I created. Antania is one of the heaviest projects on Lucifer’s green earth. I love seeing faces when just two people walk on stage and Metalheads will be like “this can’t be that heavy because there are only two of them” and when the sound hits, mouths drop. Antania is a monster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In order to achieve the sound you desired, how much experimentation did you undertake? Did Luna 13 have any impact on your experimenting?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luna 13 is when I was able through trial and error create the sound of bass metal that I so desired. Almost as soon as I perfected it, Luna 13 was over. The final and most perfected vision was meant for Antania.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In order to achieve your desired sound, what equipment do you use? Was finding equipment that worked for you as important to your experimentation as trying out different sounds?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yes! I use plug-ins over massive and so forth. Plug-ins are how I create this sound. I also purposely use older equipment to generate my desired sound. I use a Yamaha drum machine to create drums and a microbrute to create bass lines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Tell the readers of how your collaboration with Erik Aircrag happened for your “Lividity” demo.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luna 13 opened for Hocico twice and I came to really like Erk. Not only do I love the band Hocico, they were awesome to tour with. Erk and I would hang out and talk about spirituality and consciousness. He’s a super cool person. I asked if I could work with his voice and he sent me his vocals for Angels and Demons and I created the song around it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Let us know how you came to work with Blackened Kali Mortem, and how well you work together when it comes to practicing, developing your sound, and thinking up ideas.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kali Mortem was Luna 13’s photographer yet had some history with singing. Right after Luna 13 ended, she stepped in and became the singer for Antania. I already had several songs already written, she just had to step in and lay down vocals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How long did it take Kali to adapt to your lyrics and sound? When she started working with you, how much singing experience did she have and how does that benefit your material?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She was a big fan of Luna 13 so she was well versed in the sound I created already. I am constantly writing music and lyrics so all she had to do was Create vocals around them. She adapted to playing live fast.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurp4BUA_j68pTo64fPTO2kBNI7OQYawr-0Oqka_-9xx5WD5owLa088n_VArk38JpYpH3XuGU-sMCv21vfuojaen-WJ8bLCLQXCHlROuEbqNQBZ6umY1oY-Fyai5RPHWrS5-5yYcFWsMCZDpgGiDkmb2Tzz3Yg1VAWnI0nmgWh6UYhusWTqTEiPxHtgF2l/s2016/a3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="2016" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurp4BUA_j68pTo64fPTO2kBNI7OQYawr-0Oqka_-9xx5WD5owLa088n_VArk38JpYpH3XuGU-sMCv21vfuojaen-WJ8bLCLQXCHlROuEbqNQBZ6umY1oY-Fyai5RPHWrS5-5yYcFWsMCZDpgGiDkmb2Tzz3Yg1VAWnI0nmgWh6UYhusWTqTEiPxHtgF2l/w200-h200/a3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Name the songs you have written and describe how the music and lyrics complement one another.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I write everything at the moment. Kali does create her own vocal approached and really concentrated on the live shows the most. I believe she will contribute a lot more in the future. Yet I am one of those musicians that is constantly wrong and creating evil music. Occult Spirituality and music are my only interests. Music takes the lead as I firmly believe sound is the highest power.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>With the signing of the digital distribution deal, how well known has The Triad Records helped the band become in Europe and elsewhere?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We love Triad and they helped us grow in Italy and surrounding countries. They got us in the main Italian magazines as well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How has your sponsorship from Kat Percussion helped the band make a name for themselves?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was as important as getting a record deal. I drop bass live and pound those industrial electronic drums. They saw me using all their stuff backwards live and decided to endorse me. It’s helped validate this type of bass metal I created.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In the past few years, at how many fests have you played and what has the response been like?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We headlined the Black Metal Mass in Oklahoma and played at the Mechanimus Festival in Seattle. We also just booked a huge festival in Portland, Oregon for 2025 this week. We have been well received everywhere. The sound and power of Antania is so unique it really blows people away. No video online can prepare you for how heavy our sound is live.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Since the start of your current tour in January, how have things been going for the band? In what parts of the world has the band appeared date, and where will you perform in the future?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We ended up having to cancel our Texas dates because we both got Covid opening for Trapt. We are getting ready to tour Europe for the first time. Here is our schedule at the moment. We have a west coast tour for July that we will be announcing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">03/16 Fitzgerald’s Bar-San Antonio, TX</div><div style="text-align: justify;">03/18 RockHouse-El Paso, TX</div><div style="text-align: justify;">04/30 Whisky Ago Go-Hollywood, CA</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Support Psyclon Nine</div><div style="text-align: justify;">05/18 Klub Pod Minoga-Poznań, Poland</div><div style="text-align: justify;">05/20 Backstage Club-Munich, Germany</div><div style="text-align: justify;">05/22 Kulttempel-Oberhausen, Germany</div><div style="text-align: justify;">05/24 O'Sullivan's--Paris, France</div><div style="text-align: justify;">05/26 Le Ferrailleur Nantes, France</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What role has Kali played in contributing to the sound of the band during those performances? What are some of the most interesting tour stories you have to share?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kali brings this very real black metal voice. It’s super original and contributes greatly to our sound. We were pulled over one time for driving with the car lit up with marijuana and let go by the police. This was in Ohio as well where their laws against marijuana are strict. We also played two venues where the song “In the Fire” leveled their sound system. We are pretty new so more stories are coming.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How has the response been to your new full-length album “The God Complex” since Triad released it last January? Has your video for the title track been successful in promoting it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOX6ECgAp0Rrbl6X2miFfyFWRQ4Q5d3gXrf56W4K72JPR6tNiOOO3s_vS2R_b6QMLoQRdtUDlugal1G-pyAvwoNreYdiq5mENbEpnp5aGwPzisrvXxVPoSXIBnH728YnFECchVlqqGgmMCmB-t37ROuaVs1XPj6cgy6e1tAKe2IqStrpovwx1KW4woZpH/s750/a4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="750" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOX6ECgAp0Rrbl6X2miFfyFWRQ4Q5d3gXrf56W4K72JPR6tNiOOO3s_vS2R_b6QMLoQRdtUDlugal1G-pyAvwoNreYdiq5mENbEpnp5aGwPzisrvXxVPoSXIBnH728YnFECchVlqqGgmMCmB-t37ROuaVs1XPj6cgy6e1tAKe2IqStrpovwx1KW4woZpH/w200-h144/a4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Yes. As a matter of fact we had a couple of managers interested in working with us because of it. We are making another video with Matt Zane.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In your experience, which songs recorded for “The God Complex” have shown the greatest rapport and potential for growth between you and Kali?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That’s the thing about being a duo, every song has a meaning. I think songs “August” which is the sixth song on the release, because Kali is born on August 6 and “D3D Solz” which has my favorite vocals on the release.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Are you planning to begin writing and composing new material as soon as possible? What are your plans for refining and developing your sound in the future?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am constantly creating bass lines in my head and probably already have four or five songs already written. Yet we will take our time and support this release probably for a couple years but could easily see putting out an EP early next year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://antaniaofficial.com/" target="_blank">Antania official site</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064174205505" target="_blank">Antania at Facebook</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@antaniaofficial" target="_blank">Antania at Youtube</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://antaniaofficial.bandcamp.com/album/lividity" target="_blank">Antania at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2023/12/full-length-review-antania-lividity.html" target="_blank">Review of "Lividity" (Moon Coil Media) by Dave Wolff</a><br /></b></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-7281387386155490902024-02-13T11:26:00.000-08:002024-02-13T11:26:11.935-08:00Full Length Review: Lockdown "Step Over The Bodies" (Selfmaderecords LLC) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6oHzXoNNWY1Rw_ZNket7nEj16v1EBXm8CgaVzj95W4rSgMa1ukxNoENX65zcnw4zCuJMcVDXos1aA1eEUkDi_rR8_8r7cnVWhd4Eg-68ror3BwXK8Z-DFUlMfzO482IF3khlzyh0_AXUXawDLcAhVOvBMuiqrK05PSdapBV9LqXDcdEY2dWFf9pACHaX/s1200/lockdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6oHzXoNNWY1Rw_ZNket7nEj16v1EBXm8CgaVzj95W4rSgMa1ukxNoENX65zcnw4zCuJMcVDXos1aA1eEUkDi_rR8_8r7cnVWhd4Eg-68ror3BwXK8Z-DFUlMfzO482IF3khlzyh0_AXUXawDLcAhVOvBMuiqrK05PSdapBV9LqXDcdEY2dWFf9pACHaX/w200-h200/lockdown.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Band: Lockdown</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Manhattan, New York</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: USA</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Hardcore</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Full length: Step Over The Bodies</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Digital album</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: Selfmaderecords LLC (distributed by Earache Records Digital Distribution)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: February 5, 2024</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">New York Hardcore has survived a great deal since it was founded in the early 1980s, and despite corporate greed and media spin in recent years, it is bigger than ever. That persistence of purpose on "Step over the Bodies" enables Lockdown to thrive and grow as it always has, with little to no assistance from the aboveground media.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"You say I'm simple, I say I'm pure" is a line from "Hard to the Core" that expresses the band's commitment to their roots and attitude. Their involvement with bands like Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Madball and Leeway, along with hiring former members of Bile, has led them to introduce industrial themes into their crossover of hardcore and metal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Underlying every track appearing on "Step Over The Bodies" is a low, insinuating rumble. By nature it characterizes the dingy subways, gravelly streets and collectively shared outrage of a generation that perceives having been discarded, and perceives unanswered questions that persist in their relevance. Some bands achieve this sound with keyboards and synthesizers; Lockdown do so with their bass sound and the essence of industrial music conveyed from Bile.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those undertones increase in intensity through the album, not overpowering from the outset but progressively grinding the listener by way of pertinacious energy, crunch, breakdowns and groove. Imagine Jamey Jasta and Hatebreed, but more incensed with reinforced heaviness, professionalism and conviction. The slightly mechanized production in the guitars adds the feel of a city increasingly cold and modern while the new buildings forget those on the bottom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Everything that is happening around the band seems to have bolstered their resolve to air their disillusionment and be heard. In some ways, "Step over the Bodies" resembles a dystopian concept album, except that the dystopia is real and you’re thrust directly into the lead character’s point of view. You witness society becoming a dystopia firsthand. If, on the other hand, people believe punk and hardcore are about being angry at the world in which the music is produced, there is much to be angry about. And a positive outcome can be achieved by channeling the anger. <b>–Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eric Roi: Vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jeff Lombardi: Guitar, vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Justin P. Flynn: Guitar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lorenzo Golia: Bass</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Robert Proimos: Drums</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Track list:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Step Over The Bodies</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Enlightenment</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Trail Of Tears</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Hard To The Core</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Hatred</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Human Racist</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Blind Rage</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Steadfast</div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Respect Collected</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. Duked</div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. Won't See Me Comin</div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. Eternal</div><div style="text-align: justify;">13. My Side</div><div style="text-align: justify;">14. Trail Of Tears (REMIX)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">15. Hard To The Core (REMIX)</div><br />
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Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-91183436617887286812024-02-06T11:04:00.000-08:002024-02-06T11:07:52.410-08:00Single Review: The D.O.O.D.: The Distinguished Order Of Disobedience "Subterfuge" (Selfmaderecords LLC) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrcXgbrEDvuNxU0h9UMa51_SIdteH8OcYwJhDNBbPmZ5dNkhicP6BX7jLEyrAikHwX_2RjAaTIhyphenhyphenoyN4Gjc9Z0zWK-H-BFCJNV7jrP98IAkS7y_93c632NNHQw1tpXtiKIuigHM9XE13v3lIFW1VjRgZhOSvGocaucRyuls1a2W6_isvXzZ2Zv5eqT2M3/s1200/dood.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrcXgbrEDvuNxU0h9UMa51_SIdteH8OcYwJhDNBbPmZ5dNkhicP6BX7jLEyrAikHwX_2RjAaTIhyphenhyphenoyN4Gjc9Z0zWK-H-BFCJNV7jrP98IAkS7y_93c632NNHQw1tpXtiKIuigHM9XE13v3lIFW1VjRgZhOSvGocaucRyuls1a2W6_isvXzZ2Zv5eqT2M3/w200-h200/dood.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Band: <a href="https://www.thedoodband.com/video" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. “The Distinguished Order Of Disobedience”</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Sarasota, Florida</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: USA</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Melodic death metal, groove metal</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Single: Subterfuge</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Digital track</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: Selfmaderecords LLC (distributed by Earache Records Digital Distribution)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: February 14, 2024</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Erik Leviathan recommended this new single from The D.O.O.D. for an upcoming Valentine's Day review, the day of its release. As I was just beginning my interview with this band, I went back and listened to most of their full-length albums to get a feel of them. I favor “Playtime in the Apocalypse” the most for its criticism of religious intolerance in general and the Westboro Baptist Church in particular.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is clear just from that album the band is not only feeling displeasure and ire toward this, but actively seek to inflame it through their song and lyric writing, encouraging listeners to join them in subvert people who adapt religion as a weapon, means of control or means of escalating hate. This subverting is not necessarily accomplished by violent acts, but by taking critical thinking to an extreme, as they do with their music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This frame of mind can be perceived in “Subterfuge”, the follow-up to the single released on January 10. In a wide range of styles, from grindcore and goregrind to death metal and melodic death metal to groove metal and funk metal, The D.O.O.D. lingers in a steady state of density, building energy to evoke ire in anyone who takes the time to read the lyrics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The song does not read as a diatribe against a single target, but rather as a statement against all forms of media and entertainment that encourage muteness and gratification without awareness, or lull people to accept the ways of the world without questioning it or speaking out. Not as a result of underdeveloped denial and reaction either, but rather as a result of experience, practical knowledge, and reason.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As the act of restarting your mind after removing it from the complacency that society seems to thrive on of late has become increasingly popular among bands, this is a band you may want to give a listen to. <b>–Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Brian Monkeyboy: Vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indiana: Guitar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Raymus: Guitar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jonzey: Bass</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dogbite: Drums</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDoodband/videos" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Youtube</a><br /><a href="https://thedoodthedistinguishedorderofdisobedience.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">The D.O.O.D. at Bandcamp</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-36158775407524118522024-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:002024-03-18T13:01:21.293-07:00Interview with David Uhrlaub A.k.a Dante DarkChilde of Hypnotic Subliminal Records by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuMesGdQ8Jz6_kKkyUldpuanher8G8xjeQUEE57Rf3AyQVDlBBXmFhMyVSfdJM4zTit1czajLINGQhO7spXJ9CDMdsXyp6hvPC7t_nwLKRaQaFvmHaUHuXKn3DbeC1VdFeGI8KR-GsyEx8YksLA9nSQkYkQwNwgUrfaLkXA4-yRkeUup5IfdKqKovzhf1/s640/du.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="640" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuMesGdQ8Jz6_kKkyUldpuanher8G8xjeQUEE57Rf3AyQVDlBBXmFhMyVSfdJM4zTit1czajLINGQhO7spXJ9CDMdsXyp6hvPC7t_nwLKRaQaFvmHaUHuXKn3DbeC1VdFeGI8KR-GsyEx8YksLA9nSQkYkQwNwgUrfaLkXA4-yRkeUup5IfdKqKovzhf1/w200-h198/du.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by R.J. Sloup<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Interview with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082563160193" target="_blank">David Uhrlaub</a> A.k.a Dante DarkChilde of Hypnotic Subliminal Records</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>You started Hypnotic Subliminal Records to reawaken your local goth scene and became a nonprofit label supporting about sixteen bands and giving them most of the live proceeds. Explain the label’s evolution?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I want to first give credit to its founder Sammy Devil aka Sammy D. He was the one who approached me to help him with this idea. He had noticed that the scene had died down and it was harder for the new goth bands or ones from the U.K. struggled to get hold and traction in the U.S.A. unless they had a label backing them, so he researched what it would take to make a label that didn't need to take the lion’s share from the bands, that we would promote, book, and have a gathered place to put them for others to find. Also how to have area directors that had connections to venues and other bands to open for those from the U.K. and those in the U.K. open for our American and Latin goth bands who we promote and book. I pitched the idea of expanding past just bands and D.J.s to artists, models, sideshow performers, burlesque and Cabaret groups. Sammy D already had our original sixteen bands gathered and our first area directors. He began the first tour for My Own Burial from Barcelona, Spain and brought them here. We never promised them what we couldn't deliver. We made sure they got all merchandise and 80% of the show. The area director kept 20% to some of our cost. We are not in it for the money, we are in it for the community. We are expanding into sideshow performers, models and artists that carry a gothic edge. We will promote their work and sites and book performances and festivals bringing all of the dark decadence of our world to the masses.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was the goth scene’s level of activity before it started to wane? Did the labels that take the majority of profits from bands play a role? Did other factors contribute to the problem such as lack of advertising or high admission prices?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">OK, so the Goth scene was a large community from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. It began its wane in, I would say, 2008. Don't get me wrong, there are still pockets and groups that are strong and out there, but instead of actual full blown goth clubs and gatherings there are some places that have a weekly or monthly goth night. Most of the time it seems that it is mostly DJs or can music playing on those nights, and often you don't see a lot of goth based bands local or otherwise playing in these venues. This seems to come from either the venues or the label charging exorbitant amounts either to the promoter or the booking agent to use their facility. That falls back onto the label due to the fact that it is the label that books and promotes, so it has to come out of the artist at 50%, up to 90% of what a band or entertainer makes. So only those that can pay get to play. Sadly that cuts the throat of great bands. Slowly they lose interest and fall to the wayside or end up only in their local scene. Sure you can put your music on streaming services but that does not provide the experience this generation craves. I do believe the high cost and take from the bands is what has caused a decline in the gothic subculture. As it is a music-based community it stagnated and needs new music and bands to help rejuvenate it. So I do believe the lack to properly promote and book and having to charge high admission prices has created a huge rift in keeping the gothic community alive and thriving. Alongside the elitist mentality that has formed within the community and the lack of wanting to evolve and grow makes it difficult for some of the younger generation goths to want to participate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How much research did Sammy D conduct while preparing to form the label? What resources were at your disposal to build it from the ground up?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sammy D, had done a lot of digging and research to see what was going to be needed, and he looked into how some of the groups in the U.K. got their scene to rejuvenate. That was by having people look for venues and bars that were struggling that we could utilize for new bands and places to create goth havens in. That would create a boost in their revenue and pull the goths out into one place to enjoy the scene as it should be in real life. Most of the goths are like bats, we are in some ways very social creatures and like to hang out in what I have begun to call colonies. We noticed these colonies tended to gather around bigger cities. Like in my area you will find pockets around Boise, Salt Lake City, Moscow, Lewiston, Portland, Seattle and many different areas in California. Then you have large areas with smaller pockets that tend to have a very clique-minded situation due to the fact that a lot of those areas are rural and spread at least two to four hours away from those larger colony areas. Often the cost of travel and ticket or cost of entry is not worth the drive, except for the larger label bands that are mainstream and well known. So with this knowledge in our hands we decided to see what we could do to bring new bands into the area and expand out to those smaller areas. This is why we like to create a tour with a U.K. based band instead of a singular show. The bigger areas help bring in larger crowds while the smaller areas provide more intimate venues to help move the bands into the larger colonies. What we like to do is an 80% plus all merchandise to the headliner, then 20% to the area director to help cover the cost of the venue and advertising they do for the band in their area, use our local music scene to bolster the shows and help our local bands with a little for their work. We like to keep our shows all-ages, unless otherwise specified, due to content or location (such as cabaret or adult-themed or a bar of course). What we had at our disposal to start was a simple website Sammy D created. He had already done the work for our first sixteen bands, then got the tour for My Own Burial going here. He reached out to me and tour area directors, and we got things rolling during this time. Sammy D for personal reasons handed the label over to me to take the helm and finish the My Own Burial tour. This was our first run at doing this, and it seems the label has gained some traction. Now I am planning to bring more into play over the next year to continue with Sammy D's legacy and continue to build and grow. And we did this on 150 dollars to start. I am planning to have a new website built by the beginning of March that will be under the name Hypnotic Subliminal Records and Nightside Entertainment, combining the music and entertainment aspects of the label.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For what reasons do you think goths gathered in big cities as well as rural areas? Where does the attraction lie in your view?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think goths began to gather in larger cities because that is where they were able to find their niche close to where events were going on and a higher chance of finding a group to belong with. As I said, goths are a social group that is heavily music-based, and it is also human nature to like to be close to like-minded individuals. The ones in the more rural areas, I have found, seem to be the ones that either stayed because they have a tight knit group there or because they have work or other reasons they choose to stay outside of the bigger cities but will go to larger events or concerts nearby. I think the attraction truly lies in a social and financial aspect in that situation. I have a home group here in Pocatello, Idaho, friends and other people that are out of state and some that are across the world. I am in Pocatello because of my normal job. As for refueling the Goth scene throughout the U.S., yes that does include creating new communities and helping find new venues in places like New York and New Jersey. In New York I hope to work with already established groups with in the area as it seems to have a pretty solid community same with New Jersey, Colorado and other bigger areas. What I seek to do in those areas is bring new talent and find new talent in the goth scene and give them a taste of new bands and entertainers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When you began signing and promoting bands, how long did it take to see results for your efforts?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the My Own Burial tour it seems that there are more asking for another tour and what other shows or events that we might provide. So now I am in the stage that I am looking for new bands, area directors and venues to add to aid in refueling the gothic scene in areas throughout the United States. What we are doing seems to be ringing in a new era to the scene and helping to bring the new and old to common ground.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Does refueling the scenes include building communities in other areas such as the Bible Belt?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">New bands and entertainers so that the community doesn't stagnate and continues to draw in to keep the communities fresh and break the gatekeeping within those communities. I plan to have the bands and entertainers stop in some of the smaller areas to create a movement again in those areas. And inspire the new generation to come out and get away from everything and make new groups and colonies that will help shape the next phase of the gothic world. As for the Bible Belt, I will still build there. If I can work around the religious aspects of Pocatello and southeast Idaho then I can take on the Bible Belt. Once you can bring in something like a local band they support, then bring in one of our bands and shows, it seems next thing you know people are talking and soon enough you see a goth in a church, then the church has bats in their belfries so to speak, and we end up with the pastor at a gothic ball. It is great when I see the ignorance of both groups melt away and both aspects appreciate each other.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the nature of the gatekeeping you mention having seen in some areas? What steps have you usually taken to lessen it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pretty much others saying you’re not a real goth or being nasty bullies to baby bats that are new to the subculture. So now I will take my moment on the proverbial soap box. To all the elitists out there, time to wake up and shut up. The gothic community is like the Visigoths, they helped fall the Western Roman Empire through art and free thinking. Wait, sound familiar like us? The gothic subculture fighting Rome, our music and fashion have influenced society’s music and fashion. We even inspired the emo scene subcultures. I really don't see why in some ways we hate our own children. We inspired some their music and their fashion. Even our own styles and tastes have spread from Victorian Goth to pastel goth. So in many ways we have success in what we have sought to do. We are found in every scene, we are found even in the corporate world, and even all of us are different in one fashion or another. You will find at least Paramore or Within Temptation, and on about every girl’s playlist you will find bands such as Type O Negative or one of our bands that happened to go mainstream on playlists… oh wait Marilyn Manson there you go right there. You find our fashion on runways all over the world and movies in theatres. So honestly gate keepers shut up, sit down, realize that we have done our job and help make sure our youth are not sucked into the trash of the community that seem to like to prey on the newbies. Introduce them to the seedier side of our community as in any other community, yes we have one. Do I like that fact? No. Can I do something about it? Yes, by working with the youngers and helping them navigate the scenes safely and leave that final choice to them. Usually I use a dose of education and snark to end a gatekeeper’s tirade.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Are there sufficient goth communities in Bible Belt states to form a larger community capable of maintaining contact with those in other states?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for the Bible Belt, there are already gothic groups and of course the Vampire community that thrive. The only problem I have really seen in that area is the fracture and lack of willingness to work together at times within those larger groups. So I figure I will work with these groups to see if I can give them something to get behind rather than fight over. I also know the political garbage that can happen in these areas. It can be a challenge to navigate but I do believe this can be done. Our scene seems to be taking what I have begun to call the reawakening with Wednesday and other gothic toned shows. We are slowly coming back from the Columbine High fiasco where our community was harshly scapegoated by the media. It will take some time to get the scene unified again. But with great shows in some of the venues and maybe some of getting together and opening a few venues of our own to propagate our subculture and create a pipeline again, I believe that unification can happen. As for examples, there are resources out there for advertising such as New Goth City website and soon the website where those people could easily put their clubs and venues and shows etc. It is just about leveraging these resources. I plan on doing so in the upcoming year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How much did media sensationalize the Columbine High incident to the point of prejudging the goth community who had nothing to do with it? How has goth positively influenced mainstream culture?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Columbine incident was massively sensationalized with the gothic scene in its prime. All it took was the fact that these kids listened to Marilyn Manson as did most of the teenagers back then, wore all black and wore trench coats they labeled them as goth. In doing so it caused a pandemic of judgement and prejudice of kids that followed or were a part of the goth scene to include their friends, parents and even churches to even further push these kids away. It caused law enforcement to start to profile goths and make it hard for us to gather together and hang out in larger groups, thus making it difficult for events and goth based clubs to remain open, especially in smaller rural areas. It pushed the U.K. scene further from America. Even with all of that, we were still able to influence music and fashion, now even becoming a trend. We are starting to see a gothic renaissance form, with the Munsters movie, Wednesday and other gothic icons reemerging into the spotlight. Also we see the goth influence in a lot of the newer bands in dress or in musical inspiration. So in many ways we have paved the way for so many other alternative lifestyles to form, such as emo and scene and smaller subgroups that could all fit under the goth umbrella.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Are there other goth icons who cast the lifestyle in a more favorable light, besides Christina Ricci, Ditta Von Teese, Fairuza Balk, and WWE wrestler Paige? How do you see this contributing to a better understanding of goth?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You will find Jennifer Ortega, the newest incarnation of Wednesday Addams, and of course the upcoming new Crow movie with Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven. These with the old ones such as Elvira and so many others have been well dug up by the new baby bats and we are starting to see an uprising not only in goth but in many other scenes the goth lifestyle had spearheaded. I see these individuals bringing an understanding of goth to the younger generation, and help the other alternative groups realize where their roots come from.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Who are some of the bands you have gotten in touch with lately, who are interested in working with you and being booked for performances?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bands I am working with for shows are My Own Burial, Trobar De Morte, The Vaticants, The Acid Bats, Hideous Monster and others I am in negotiation with. On the entertainment aspect we will be getting Dead City Side Show and others to come and help bolster events. So instead of just a concert you get a show.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What led you to the bands you’re working with, and how strongly would you recommend them to newer fans? What’s currently available on the New Goth City website.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was brought on to the label and Sammy D had me listen to the bands. I would recommend them to those coming into or already part of the gothic subculture. New Goth City was created by William Wells to help promote and tell people where shows are in the USA. it is a promotional tool for bands and events in the USA to help get information into the hands of fans of the subculture and help inform people of the groups out there working to make our scene just as strong as it was during the 1990s.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you tell the readers how well known you hope the label and website you are working with will become? In the future would you like to spearhead major music festivals and national broadcasts? Would you eventually want to involve gothic metal bands in your promotions?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope that our label and website becomes strong enough that not only pulls the goth but also the mainstream together and becomes a place respected for its shows and events, that we are the go-to name for events in the gothic community. Not only here in America but also the funnel for the U.K. goth scene to help influence the scenes of both areas. We do plan on spearheading major festivals and we are working now on our broadcasts for the Gothic scene. We want to include all gothic entertainment and bands within our label to help promote the scene as a whole, from the post-punk roots to the evolution of our music and fashion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>For your work and involvement in goth communities, how would you most like to be recognized and remembered?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Honestly how I want to be remembered is as a forerunner to keep our beautiful lifestyle alive, and someone that helped make the scene grow, helped bring it back to the frontlines and helped bring new bands to the scene.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.hypnoticsubliminalrecords.com/" target="_blank">https://www.hypnoticsubliminalrecords.com/</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2018/01/communityfest-organizer-interview-david.html" target="_blank">Interview with David Uhrlaub from January 2018</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-41195117819317659582024-02-04T15:27:00.000-08:002024-02-04T15:29:48.181-08:00Full Length Review: Archspire "Bleed the Future" (Season Of Mist) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJefUH-5Iw1Lw-UMY-X298XGSwsDfouopG7zUKhzsfnBU13760-_Oqm2sYw9AkOXY8OKaJXvkfwzxdKBwibwoq_2DBhCfJ0_x65Qc5D92WLrOr4j-RWzzasi6pPL6FbcxJWq5FbH9f_TPFwJGRqM1Qd57XpNoVZuDknjgYIJnqlXtOInXnE65FYjdYV7X/s1200/as.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJefUH-5Iw1Lw-UMY-X298XGSwsDfouopG7zUKhzsfnBU13760-_Oqm2sYw9AkOXY8OKaJXvkfwzxdKBwibwoq_2DBhCfJ0_x65Qc5D92WLrOr4j-RWzzasi6pPL6FbcxJWq5FbH9f_TPFwJGRqM1Qd57XpNoVZuDknjgYIJnqlXtOInXnE65FYjdYV7X/w200-h200/as.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Band: Archspire</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Vancouver, British Columbia</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: Canada</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Technical death metal</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Full length: Bleed the Future</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Digital, CD, vinyl, black vinyl, green marbled vinyl</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: <a href="https://seasonofmistrecords.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Season Of Mist</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: October 29, 2021</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What is the frequency with which the term “world's fastest band” has been used to describe a band? I’m unable to provide an answer but Archspire is one of the worthiest contenders for that title. "Bleed the Future" is sufficiently explosive to leave Cryptopsy and Cattle Decapitation at the starting line. With the release of "Scum", a band called Napalm Death revolutionized extreme music, after which an endless succession of bands continued to push things further in noticeable increments. This band has been recording professionally since 2010 and has worked overtime to push it further than any technical death metal band has up to now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The earliest material of Archspire, while seemingly fragmented and without direction, had the potential to become the sonic juggernaut it's on their way to becoming. Accelerated beyond human expectation, the percussion was accompanied by expert classically learned scales, mellifluous bass lines, and vocals as precise as they were ferocious. When resourceful songwriting and atmospheric passages surface recurrently without overstaying their welcome, what you have is likely to be the next pinnacle in death metal's evolution.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the years, Archspire has continued to preserve the musical foundations they have redesigned from album to album. Enhancing speed and mathematical precision, they enhanced every other aspect of their sound. Their classical elements grew more pronounced, paying more attention to the crunch and sweep picking added to the songwriting, their atmospheric sections became more complex, and their vocals adopted a meticulous cadence with as much in common with hip hop as with technical death metal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Bleed the Future” continues Archspire’s momentum, maximizing its proficiency to an unsparing, nearly overwhelming level. Whether it’s too excessive rests with how much of a proponent of technical DM one is. Until now, reactions have been not exactly been polarized but clearly mixed. In spite of this, this album is much lauded as the band stuck to their guns and intensified their vision even beyond their last album“Relentless Mutation” (2017), presenting everything in a more cohesive and less fragmented manner.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A tighter interaction between the band's technical presence and classical elements results in a more nuanced recording. In fact all the characteristics they’ve honed from the beginning operate as pieces of a completed puzzle depicting colossal scenery. Without doing anything other than perfecting what has already been established, Archspire naturally gravitates toward progressive death metal and ambient death metal. By maximizing what they have at their disposal, they've been able to successfully expand their borders.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Archspire is not only growing, they are blossoming into something magnificent and terrifying all at once. I vehemently recommend checking “Bleed the Future” out at least once. <b>–Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oliver Rae Aleron: Vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dean Lamb: Guitars</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tobi Morelli: Guitars</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jared Smith: Bass</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spencer Prewett: Drums</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Track list:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Drone Corpse Aviator</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Golden Mouth of Ruin</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Abandon the Linear</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Bleed the Future</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Drain of Incarnation</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Acrid Canon</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Reverie on the Onyx</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. A.U.M.</div><br />
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<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://archspire.bandcamp.com/music" target="_blank">Archspire at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Archspireband/" target="_blank">Archspire at Facebook</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/archspiremetal" target="_blank">Archspire at Youtube</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/Archspire" target="_blank">Archspire at Reverbnation</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://soundcloud.com/archspire-music" target="_blank">Archspire at Soundcloud</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7F9ZL4TJNr8AoU0UUQX8ih" target="_blank">Archspire at Spotify</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://tidal.com/browse/artist/4666965" target="_blank">Archspire at Tidal</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/416348" target="_blank">Archspire at Deezer</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/archspireband" target="_blank">Archspire at Twitter</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-16118359101492180722024-01-29T14:20:00.000-08:002024-01-31T15:59:19.709-08:00Interview with Kelvin Scott Frazier by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA_gfSQxZWfOl5PlTOB_p2R5cLV8m4ZP1WE7DVYqXJcgdfsKEtoKiaNaZzKm8sAK3PwT97pgDCl_kxOwaCPWxJYu7wXP4aRDYjLAS4PmtLW-2jD3i7zLsoWwWUZ8i97U_rIfj3iqaRFTcbi3XHGUExiS-wuS3qGINTKDClBztpBqNMsGvgoYYovnuwmhL/s1920/kelvinfrazier.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeA_gfSQxZWfOl5PlTOB_p2R5cLV8m4ZP1WE7DVYqXJcgdfsKEtoKiaNaZzKm8sAK3PwT97pgDCl_kxOwaCPWxJYu7wXP4aRDYjLAS4PmtLW-2jD3i7zLsoWwWUZ8i97U_rIfj3iqaRFTcbi3XHGUExiS-wuS3qGINTKDClBztpBqNMsGvgoYYovnuwmhL/w113-h200/kelvinfrazier.jpg" width="113" /></a></div>Interview with Kelvin Scott Frazier by Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>From what I heard, you were inspired to study vampirology, vampire folklore and the Vampyre Subculture after reading “Piercing the Darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today” by Katherine Ramsland. You were particularly fascinated by the interviews.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the age of ten, I read “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and read it again in 2012. I read the first three books of Anne Rice’s (RIP) “Vampire Chronicles”, “Interview With The Vampire”, “The Vampire Lestat” & “Queen of the Damned” as an adolescent along with the Novel version of “The Lost Boys” (I saw the Movie too). Most of my guilty pleasure films are about Vampires. Ironically, Rosemary Sahjaza saw my book review of “Piercing the Darkness” and decided to get me published. I am excited and nervous at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As for the Vampyre Subculture, I made some friends over the years (<a href="https://kheperu.org/" target="_blank">House Kheperu</a>) and they gave me a home along with people in the Left Hand Path.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What kind of occult/LHP organization is House Kheperu and how deeply involved are you with them? Does this group have origins in New York, or are they more widespread?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">House Kheperu is about “Finding your own truth”. I went to their seminars in the past for many years to explore who and what I am. I am NOT a member of House Kheperu. I consider myself a Ronin in the Occult Community.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am a Solitary, Lone Wolf, independent individual who respects other people’s freedom and organizations who does my own research and reading.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">House Kheperu comes from Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve NEVER been to New York, but Vampyre Subculture is Worldwide if you know where to look.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What would be the definitions of terms such as Ronin and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lone%20wolf" target="_blank">Lone Wolf</a>, if they can be defined?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Originally, a Ronin is a Samurai who has no master and chooses to walk alone. In the <a href="https://vampyreculturecenter.wordpress.com/vampyre-culture/vampyre-lexicon/vampyre-terminology/" target="_blank">Vampyre Subculture</a>, a Vampyre who doesn’t belong in any household, or any group in the <a href="https://vampyreculturecenter.wordpress.com/vampyre-culture/vampyre-lexicon/vampyre-terminology/" target="_blank">Vampyre Community</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you tell me the advantages and disadvantages of being a Ronin and/or a Lone Wolf?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The advantages I have is that I have real & true friends who stand by my side. The disadvantages is that I am alone because the Left Hand Path is a lonely path. However, if you have friends & allies, you are not lonely. As a Ronin and Lone Wolf, I choose to be alone to think and work alone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What about your review of “Piercing the Darkness” caught Rosemary Sahjaza’s attention? How long have you been corresponding with her?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2ZXgBYKCkynpfSNdgLcnpzvWa_J22ASYqrgddRood_zhozrnkFej_Gj6O_ibhTmSbZuhXOFfTWP3pCF5N55-_fYQlhVS9_LQwEiXwyQJF7DXb780JhJDZf-MrFXqc2qcu_NB2DPTCVYdzOcoHsK7f8hNqnAlj0RAv6Syvbch4WfQ4nng_VX_aWrdVVvX/s500/s-l960.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="291" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2ZXgBYKCkynpfSNdgLcnpzvWa_J22ASYqrgddRood_zhozrnkFej_Gj6O_ibhTmSbZuhXOFfTWP3pCF5N55-_fYQlhVS9_LQwEiXwyQJF7DXb780JhJDZf-MrFXqc2qcu_NB2DPTCVYdzOcoHsK7f8hNqnAlj0RAv6Syvbch4WfQ4nng_VX_aWrdVVvX/w116-h200/s-l960.webp" width="116" /></a></div>Rosemary Sahjaza told me she loved my review on “Piercing the Darkness” and she wanted me to get interviewed by an Alternative Magazine and it is my very first interview. It might have been three to four days or more. I am not sure. However, she is a sweetheart and a great friend.
What inspired you to read Bram Stoker's “Dracula” at such a young age? What images were evoked in your mind both times you perused it?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The images evoked in my mind as a kid were that I wanted to be Dracula in my own way because I considered him to be a Hero and Antihero to me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It hasn’t changed much that the Vampire was an Antihero to me even though I never knew what an Antihero was. I found Dracula fascinating as an Antihero more than a Villain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you describe what the term “Antihero” means to you? In your opinion, what makes Dracula an interesting antihero rather than villain?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To me, An <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero?wprov=sfti1#History" target="_blank">Antihero</a> is an individual or a character who lacks the ways of the traditional hero. The Antihero expands in all genres.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I find Dracula in some adaptations as a <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/byronic" target="_blank">Byronic Hero</a>. A Byronic Hero is mysterious, darkly inclined yet alluring, and sometimes moody.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As an antihero, he is an individual who does things the traditional hero doesn’t do, and does things on his terms, no matter how terrible the problem is.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In what ways did Anne Rice's novels speak to you, as well as to so many others, when they were first published?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lestat is a character I can understand because of his rebellious nature, and more. Also, I read “Morbius the Living Vampire” (Spider-Man), a Pseudo Vampire created by Science. It has been years since they were published, but I was an adolescent in the 1980s (I was born in 1972). I saw ”The Lost Boys” (1987) and read the novel version during that time. I was a huge fan because of the Punk style Vampires and the Soundtrack too. “Vamp” (Grace Jones) was hilarious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What interviews in “Piercing the Darkness” particularly inspired you to research vampires and Vampyre Subculture in greater detail?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t remember too much about the interviews, but the chapter “The Tao of the Vampire” spoke to me because I wanted to learn the ways of the Living Vampyre. From the TOV (Temple of the Vampire) and more. I desire to learn about the Living Vampyre from a Left Hand Path perspective.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you hear of Temple of the Vampire as a result of reading “The Tao of the Vampire”? In your opinion, what’s the most interesting thing about this group?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I read about Temple of the Vampire in a book called “The Vampire Book” by J. Gordon Melton when I was researching Vampyre Occult Movements. “The Tao of the Vampire” was the best thing that ever happened to me. The most interesting thing of this concept, some people can be Vampyres if they know to control their natures and their hunger. The ones who found themselves are the most beautiful and powerful individuals in their own right. Their knowledge and philosophies have made them more valuable on their own terms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you know if "The Vampire Book" is still available? When it comes to the history of Vampyre Occult Movements, how knowledgeable would you consider J. Gordon Melton?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do have a copy of the third edition of the “Vampire Book” and it might be on Amazon.com. He has done a lot of research to this book. I read a few articles in the encyclopedia that intrigues me and it is fascinating. I remember him on the documentary “Vampires: Thirst for the Truth (1996).” I might read it again and do a review on this book in the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When it comes to covering vampire culture and lifestyle without stereotyping or distortion, how thorough is “Vampires: Thirst for the Truth (1996)”?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was spectacular and specific even though it was 1996. I enjoyed the documentary then and I enjoy it in the present.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you discover the Left Hand Path around the same time as vampire lore and cinema? Where are the obvious connections?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I discovered Vampire Folklore & Cinema at the age of ten, yet I discovered Satanism in 1987-1988 when Geraldo Rivera (I loathe him) made a mock documentary called “Devil Worship: Exposing Satan’s Underground.” This made me explore the Left Hand Path much more. I got on the Left Hand Path in 1995 since I read Anton Szandor LaVey’s “The Satanic Bible”. I adopted other Philosophies to understand myself more (Satanism, Luciferianism & Sinisterism).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From my perspective, The Left Hand Path and Vampyre Subculture have some similarities, it depends on the individual. In my experience, I find Vampyrism and Left Hand Path are Dark Philosophies to a certain degree, yet Darkness DOES NOT EQUATE EVIL. In other words, it is up the individual’s ambitions if they want to combine Both philosophies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>If darkness is not equate evil, what is darkness to you as opposed to mainstream perceptions?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Darkness is a part of us, no matter anybody says because some people choose to deny it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From my perspective, Darkness is the other half of the balance factor (Yin/Yang). Darkness can’t exist without the Light, they are opposites to each other. Basically, Embracing the Darkness will help the individual find the beauty in the Night and much more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Mainstream rejects Darkness because of Society’s obsession to the Light. Monotheism had a strong hand to People from keeping them away from the Darkness mostly through fear, shame & guilt. Using the concept of Good vs. Evil, needing a Savior to keep Individuals away from the Darkness, which is Wrong on so many levels. I believe in “to each their own” and individuals have a right to know who & what they are as a human being or more. Denying the Darkness will not make the individual whole, but Embracing the Darkness will make you whole.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I recall Geraldo Rivera’s documentary about so-called devil worshiping cults. It was an obvious attempt to increase ratings. Can you recall other details about the “satanic panic” generated by this show and others at the time?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rivera and many others stereotyped Satanism based on what’s happening in the media, which are complete nonsense. They accuse us of Devil Worship, and other stuff I won’t repeat because it disgusts me. We don’t recruit others. This quote says it all:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Satanists are born, not made.” ~Anton Szandor LaVey</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has been years since I watched this special and I respect the Left Hand Path philosophers rather than the so called experts because the “Experts” lie through their teeth to discredit Satanism, but Satanism is NOT going away. NEVER.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Furthermore, the media sensationalized murderers like Richard Ramirez and Ricky Kasso, who were painted as "typical Satanists". Is this another method of discrediting Satanism?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They are NOT Satanists because Ramirez, Kasso and many others like them are Criminals. They are a disgrace to Satanism.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How would you explain the differences between Satanism, Luciferianism and Sinisterism?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Satanism is a religion and philosophy founded by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVeyan_Satanism" target="_blank">Anton Szandor LaVey</a> (1930-1997) that is based on the teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand etc., with the use of <a href="https://www.churchofsatan.com/" target="_blank">Satan</a> as an Archetype for the individual to express proudly from an Atheistic perspective. There is NO God, No Devil, etc., and Satanists are their own Gods.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferianism?wprov=sfti1#Common_beliefs" target="_blank">Luciferianism</a> is a religion that venerates Lucifer, but not in a Judeo-Christian sense because Lucifer is NOT the Devil. Lucifer is the Light Bringer that brings knowledge and true freedom to those who wanted it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some people think that Satan and Lucifer are the same being, but it is not. Mostly, through the propaganda of Monotheism, it has been going on for thousands of years. In <a href="https://luciferianapotheca.com/" target="_blank">Luciferianism</a>, Some are atheists because of the Archetype aspect and some are theists because some believe is a real anthropological being or a God.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://youtu.be/kUQb8begmKA?si=3AlBG6m568boyKIc" target="_blank">Sinisterism</a> is a concept created by Thomas LeRoy of <a href="http://www.thesectofthehornedgod.com/" target="_blank">The Sect of the Horned God</a>. Sinisterism is an Individual who walks the Left Hand Path on their own terms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><b>Can you provide additional information about Thomas LeRoy and The Sect of the Horned God; how long they’ve existed and their contributions to the occult world?</b></div><div>The Sect of the Horned God stared on November 1, 2011 as a Left Hand Path school of thought and knowledge. It is an educational system for the Left Hand Path that uses philosophy, mythology, psychology and occult research to teach and reach the goal of Self-Deification (Becoming our own God, Goddess, etc). http://www.thesectofthehornedgod.com/</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What was it about “The Satanic Bible” that appealed to you personally?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anton Szandor LaVey’s “The Satanic Bible” was the most influential book and helped me to understand Satanism and the basics of the Left Hand Path. I read it in 1995, and embraced the philosophy along with other Left Hand Path philosophies. It has been 29 years since I’ve been on the Left Hand Path and I am proud of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What writings by Anton LaVey have you read altogether?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The Satanic Bible” (1969), “The Satanic Witch” (1971), “The Satanic Rituals” (1972), “The Devil’s Notebook” (1992), “Satan Speaks” (1998).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love the books by Anton Szandor LaVey because it is self-help for Satanists and people starting out of the Left Hand Path.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Since you’ve read all of Anton LaVey’s writings, aside from “The Satanic Bible”, which one did you find to be the most informative and why?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The Devil’s Notebook”. The Reason why is that I enjoyed him telling his own truth in his own way. The topics range from Satanism and other subjects and doesn’t hold back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>My memory recalls that “The Devil's Notebook” covers a wide range of topics. Which of them struck you as the most personally relatable to you as a reader of left-hand path literature?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Chapters in “The Devil’s Notebook called “By Any Other Name”; p. 33-34 “Nonconformity: Satanism’s Greatest Weapon”; p. 63-65. “How To Be God (Or The Devil)”; p. 66-67.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Certain genres have been targeted as being responsible for the negativity in the world. Do you think people who single them out are misinformed or intentionally spreading false information?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Most of the Great Works of Music has been accused of being the works of the Devil because of the jealousy of Mainstream Religions and So-Called Authoritarian Figures. The Tritone is considered the Devil’s Chord, which is used by many Classical Artists to Modern Rock and Metal Musicians. The atmosphere of the music is seductive and scary, depending on the individual. In other words, The Devil makes the best music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The misinformed and the ignorant love to control the masses, but the individual finds their own way and judges for themselves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you have any favorite bands you've been listening to a lot lately? How do they relate to you?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">K.I.S.S., Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Coven, Queen, Vixen, Winger, Evanescence, Cradle of Filth, Fastway (“Trick or Treat” Soundtrack 1986), Billy Idol, Lita Ford, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Warlock (Doro Pesch), INXS, Bauhaus, Bon Jovi, The Runaways, Fields of the Nephilim, Dark Funeral, Infected Rain, Within Temptation, Inkkubus Sukkubus, The Go-Gos, Faun, Butcher Babies, Gorgoroth, Celtic Frost, Tiamat, Nox Arcana, Anton Szandor LaVey, etc.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My list is extensive and most of my choices are Darkly Inclined, Gothic with Some Dark Classical. I do relate to them because I saw them within me when I Embraced the Darkness since I was nine and I did not realize it. I see myself in the music mostly understanding what the artist went through to a certain degree. In other words, my path was growing since this music came into my life and I never looked back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>There was a recent episode of “satanic panic” in Jackson, Tennessee when locals attempted to prevent a local metal festival from taking place (<a href="https://metaldevastationradio.com/Metal-Devastation-Music-Fest" target="_blank">Tennessee Metal Devastation Music Fest 2023</a>). Nevertheless, the organizers of the festival fought back and prevailed. They spread the word on social media and appeared on television, and the festival went ahead as planned. Why do you think some people are still afraid of metal and other genres of music today?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">People are afraid of the unknown and the Devil makes the greatest music. They still accuse Metal and other music genres to be the work of the Devil. The Tritone or the Devil’s Note has been used for centuries since Classical music, Blues, Rock and Roll to Metal. Besides, the Devil will have his Due.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Give examples of songs of any genre that best utilized the Tritone, along with a brief description of the impact they had on you when you first heard them.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Primus’ “South Park” theme: I heard this theme so many times, but I never the tritone was in it until now. Great Theme.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The Simpsons”: I watched the Simpsons until I stopped watching Television for over ten years in 2011. Very catchy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The Munsters”: I find the soundtrack great, but Season 2 was better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The Twilight Zone”: The theme was sublime to me over the years, but it was eerie as well. I enjoyed it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People”: The Music was great and in your face.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The “Pink Panther” theme: Classical theme since my childhood throughout the years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”: The music was everything, and it was a rocking masterpiece.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”: His Mastery on the Guitar is legendary and powerful when he used the tritone in his music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you decide to become a vampire at a particular point, or does your research continue?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I never knew about the Vampyre Subculture until the early 1990s when “Vampire: The Masquerade” came out. However, I was fascinated with the terminology “Living Vampyre” when I was reading the Marvel Comic Series “Morbius: The Living Vampire” that was featured in Spider-Man in 1971. As an adolescent, I looked up the organization “Temple of the Vampire” but I never joined them; however, I kept researching Folkloric Vampires and the Vampire Subculture throughout the years. I read Michelle Belanger’s “<a href="https://a.co/d/dSNQ3jp" target="_blank">The Psychic Vampire Codex</a>” in the early 2000s, and I enjoyed it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a Vampyre, I prefer the terminology Living Vampyre because my studies are into the Left Hand Path philosophy and Sorcery. My research in the Vampire was since the age of nine, my Left Hand Path philosophies started in 1995, and it continues to the present into the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How helpful was “The Psychic Vampire Codex” to your studies?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It taught me about ethics, embracing who and what you are as a Vampyre, and honor yourself when it comes to your individual nature.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Are you familiar with The Satanic Temple or the documentary released in 2019 about them, “Hail Satan”? What do you think that they’re taking on fundamentalist Christian groups and the United States government?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I NEVER saw the documentary personally. The Satanic Temple is a different story all together. I am NOT a part of that group because my philosophy comes from Anton Szandor LaVey (ChurchofSatan.com) and it has been here longer than TST. If they wish to shake up the Religious Right, I don’t care. However, I wish they would do it differently.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br />Did “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sahjaza-Book-Secrets-Goddess-Rosemary/dp/1726831108" target="_blank">The Book of Secrets</a>” by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sahjazaofficialnews" target="_blank">Temple House Sahjaza</a> contribute to your understanding of vampire and Vampyre culture?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VO21gc3snB44_8m5HoyMhm5YxYoA_A8NDgsWPabp3__D_7_8MToynVil3c840_H7ONl5tA2ic-xyBib1ZI7hong2VNIlXWQgJzDzRMWz16GonU5IDATPWZDRWH6hgV2VoE-YL2lzK-nRQUXmquPrBJklX6TTVugj3WqedJcaAIDCREGM9r5ALKPqyll5/s1657/417293677_919350732775491_6077142475032020592_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1657" data-original-width="1290" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VO21gc3snB44_8m5HoyMhm5YxYoA_A8NDgsWPabp3__D_7_8MToynVil3c840_H7ONl5tA2ic-xyBib1ZI7hong2VNIlXWQgJzDzRMWz16GonU5IDATPWZDRWH6hgV2VoE-YL2lzK-nRQUXmquPrBJklX6TTVugj3WqedJcaAIDCREGM9r5ALKPqyll5/w156-h200/417293677_919350732775491_6077142475032020592_n.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>“The Book of Secrets” is a book I don’t have a copy of. However, House Sahjaza is unique in their own way, and their contributions are marvelous to describe. Vampire Folklore & Vampyre Subculture hold their own definitions and descriptions on what the Vampyre expresses about themselves and more.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>With your years of study of Vampyres and the Left Hand Path, do you believe you’ve gained enough knowledge to write your own book or series of books? Would you be interested in writing about vampire lore or vampire cinema?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wish. However, I still have a lot to learn before I write a book about my experiences. It is a maybe. The other topic is a maybe. The reason that everything I wanted to write has been done, and I want to be original with my writings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Would you like to contribute in any other ways to occult communities locally, nationally and internationally?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am not sure where to begin. I write book reviews on my Facebook page. I read, study, research and apply everything I learned to see what I can do.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-33601867951391631632024-01-28T13:20:00.000-08:002024-02-16T08:31:37.563-08:00Full Length Review: Die Entweihung "Hypnotic Dreams (Remastered Reissue 2023)" (Inverted Chalice Productions, Bál Records) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVZ-Eo4cXYpXn4xRct24ArQIikobqjQTflgwxdOinmBZUsz4PGQZlAszpSphQ85ZdteQsuBMg7FNNOQ5L31V5BKwD5ihK4t_8ELLgPEM3Vti_cm1tlz_mFSBmZF8byGIMw0u2knlH0u6vfa2P9zxvUs2lU3-lgjAKvCuLKztsI0FXQZ9Vjbot7IVRmyso/s1200/hd.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVZ-Eo4cXYpXn4xRct24ArQIikobqjQTflgwxdOinmBZUsz4PGQZlAszpSphQ85ZdteQsuBMg7FNNOQ5L31V5BKwD5ihK4t_8ELLgPEM3Vti_cm1tlz_mFSBmZF8byGIMw0u2knlH0u6vfa2P9zxvUs2lU3-lgjAKvCuLKztsI0FXQZ9Vjbot7IVRmyso/w200-h200/hd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Project: Die Entweihung</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Haifa</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: Israel</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Blackened heavy metal</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Full length: <a href="https://entweihung.bandcamp.com/album/hypnotic-dreams-remastered-reissue-2023" target="_blank">Hypnotic Dreams (Remastered Reissue 2023)</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Digital album, CD, cassette</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: Inverted Chalice Productions (USA) (CD release, limited to 300 copies), <a href="https://baalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hypnotic-dreams-israel" target="_blank">Bál Records (Hungary)</a> (cassette release, limited to 100 copies)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: November 18, 2022</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I noted in my review of <a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2023/07/full-length-review-die-entweihung.html" target="_blank">"Strict Regime Country"</a> last July that Denis Tereshenko has always composed music for Die Entweihung eclectically. From raw black metal with horror soundtrack overtones to experimental black/doom metal with elements of classic metal and progressive rock, Denis Tereshenko made slow but noticeable efforts to redefine his project and add more eccentricity to each of his recordings, resulting in a balance between accessibility and peculiarity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Moving from raw to prog to crossing over several genres with an anarcho punk attitude on "Strict Regime Country", he follows up by revisiting the meticulous process by which he grew as a musician and songwriter. By adding glossiness to its coarse musicianship, the remastering of "Hypnotic Dreams" refines the original’s obscene crass quality. It may have appeared that the variations in temperament and atmosphere were disjointed, but with this version it becomes more apparent that the variations were intentionally disjointed in order to convey the state of mind Tereshenko intended to impart.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The remastered "Hypnotic Dreams" maintains that balance between accessibility and peculiarity. Refined professionalism combined with an uncultivated, primitive sound reminiscent of early 90s black metal. The orchestration and arrangement of the different parts, as well as the rawness and atmosphere counterpointing each other, give the latter influence new perspectives without rehashing them or making them sound stale. In some ways, it’s similar to albums recorded by Abruptum in the 1990s; hour-long ambient compositions with inconstant vibrations and violent overtones conveying unpredictability.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For one example, the electronic ambient sounds of "Hypnotic Dream", set the mood for Tereshenko's depiction of a search through the labyrinth of his soul. For something lost or yet to be discovered? While the answer is uncertain, the search grows colder and darker as the vocals hint the speaker's soul is already dead. The song transitions from raw and unforgiving to cold and atmospheric to raw and hypnotically repetitive while the ending suggests he is actually inside another's perception of his soul.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The song "Closer To..." and the instrumental "...The Madness" may portray pessimistic disillusionment, while "In Astral Sleep" might give the impression that the album depicts an unhopeful journey toward the only reward left for someone who lived a bleak, fatalistic life (death). By outward appearances, this would appear true. Under the surface, however, it can be viewed as an aphotic journey of self-discovery to confront negative conditions like self-delusion, mistakes, regrets, and uncertainty about one's own identity. This can be considered a darker interpretation of Trent Reznor's work for Nine Inch Nails.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps it is because of this that the polished bite, constant mood changes, and underlying flares of life are so poignant here. It's said that if you don't acknowledge something negative, you can’t resolve it. A key album in this project’s evolution, it is one of the first that presents the songs as a narrative, where the arrangements are equally important to the lyrics. Again, I’d recommend listening to as much of this project's entire discography as possible in order to understand the entire picture. <b>–Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Denis Tereschenko: Vocals, all instruments</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Track list:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Hypnotic Dream</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Closer To...</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. ...The Madness</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. In Astral Sleep</div><br />
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<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://entweihung.jimdofree.com/" target="_blank">Die Entweihung official site</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/entweihung" target="_blank">Die Entweihung at Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://entweihung.bandcamp.com/album/strict-regime-country" target="_blank">Die Entweihung at Bandcamp</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/74chjEdXUCfQAH9q10XoBI" target="_blank">Die Entweihung at Spotify</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://vk.com/entweihung" target="_blank">Die Entweihung at Vkontakte</a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2023/07/full-length-review-die-entweihung.html" target="_blank">Review of "Strict Regime Country" (Witches Brew) by Dave Wolff</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2023/07/interview-with-denis-tereschenko-of-die.html" target="_blank">Interview with Denis Tereschenko by Dave Wolff</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-14231576565876334732024-01-23T16:37:00.000-08:002024-01-28T08:09:06.505-08:00Interview with Chuck W. Chapman by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAuZCuRw5-xYt10W3ia697KqEhuY7LHkWGkCYWqkG8uvGuuwnfuaLaQnGDwNQ3mMe88OKnnROhYUeTRNI7_X1NPVkK7NJ9EEhmMLnU_K5U3dWEvaXgtlkK4qDTxzI0UQfZCZxDYzstuZd2gZzsF-kDSdSW5iR8d9EAoSMmjRHPU4Kj5U73hW5X-yBcGsO/s1600/chuckchapman.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAuZCuRw5-xYt10W3ia697KqEhuY7LHkWGkCYWqkG8uvGuuwnfuaLaQnGDwNQ3mMe88OKnnROhYUeTRNI7_X1NPVkK7NJ9EEhmMLnU_K5U3dWEvaXgtlkK4qDTxzI0UQfZCZxDYzstuZd2gZzsF-kDSdSW5iR8d9EAoSMmjRHPU4Kj5U73hW5X-yBcGsO/s320/chuckchapman.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Interview with Chuck W. Chapman by Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are the members of your band, how long have you been working together, and what aspects of heavy rock do you draw from on stage and in your recordings?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chuck W. Chapman: Lead vocals and guitar, Clark Bender: lead guitar and background vocals, Todd Duncan: bass guitar and background vocals, Joseph Tanay: drums.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This project was started in 2020. Joe and I had played in a couple of different bands together from 2005-2014 or so and Todd and I had been trying to start something before the pandemic shut the world down. I released a “solo” EP during 2020 and it picked up some traction, so decided to put a real band together. Clark joined us mid 2023.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are all big Kiss fans and grew up in the 80’s, so the big rock shows of the 70s-80s really influenced us. I believe live music should be visual as well as audial. As far as recording, I like big and full sounding. That’s the hardest thing really, is to duplicate that live feel and energy on the recordings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When you first took up the guitar as an instrument, which guitarists influenced you the most? Did you study with professional musicians or instructors or are you completely self-taught?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m completely self-taught. I locked myself in my room for a couple of weeks with The Ramones “Subterranean Jungle” and Twisted Sister’s “Stay Hungry” albums and didn’t come out until I could play every song on both records. Pretty much everything I’ve done since then is a variation of those two records, lol. My favorite guitarists are Ace Frehley, Gary Moore and maybe CC Deville. Since I’m primarily a singer and just a rhythm guitarist, I’m a big fan of Paul Stanley and Robin Zander’s guitar work as well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Other than heavy rock music, are there other genres that inspire you when composing?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ll always have that punk influence as the first songs I learned to play were that genre. I also like the rawness, attitude, and the no frills style of punk music. My father was a big country music fan, so that was always in my house growing up. It probably had more effect on me than I realized or would like it to admit</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How much do your punk and country influences reveal themselves when you compose songs?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It varies song to song. The punk influence I think shows a lot more often. I primarily play power chords because I not only learned that way, but I like the heaviness and the energy that comes from them. It also allows me to be more energetic onstage. Live is where the punk influence really shows. The country comes across more in my slow ballads, although I’d say they’re more southern rock than country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When you started out, how long did it take you to find a full band, and what was your criteria for selecting musicians? Who were the musicians who influenced the other members of the band?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Originally, way back. I was just a singer. I picked up the guitar when I started writing songs because it was difficult to get my ideas across, so I learned to play myself primarily as a writing tool. Now, it’s become an extension of me and I feel awkward on stage without a guitar. Todd, like me, is a big Kiss, Ramones, Cheap Trick and Hanoi Rocks fan. When we met, it was like we had the exact same CD Collection. He’s a big fan of Pete Way and Bob Daisley. Joe lists The Beatles (who I also love), Eagles, ELO, and Styx among his favorite artists and influences, particularly Ringo Starr and Phil Ehart. Clark is a big Kiss and Ace fan as well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Kiss was initially an underground band that achieved success on its own terms. Is that attitude still evident in heavy rock today?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think it is, it’s just way harder to make it happen today. People don’t go out and support live music like they used to. People tend to find new music online instead of looking for it in a record store or a live venue. Half the time, people will add a song they like to their playlist and have no idea who the artist even is. It’s very hard to build a following that way. It’s also very impersonal. There’s lots of great things about the online availability of music, but there’s just as many bad things about it that hurt an artist as much as it helps them. We’re all tiny fish in a huge pond. Really hard to find new listeners and to stand out in the crowd.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>As a result of social media and streaming sites, bands can increase their audience from country to country. However, in many cases, going to a show is more helpful to a band. What are some ways streaming negatively impacts local scenes? Would you be able to say the same for the scene you’re a part of?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think the biggest thing is the anonymity of it. People hear songs they like and the download or add them to their playlist but they don't even know who the artist is. There's no real connection there. We've had great success being heard all over the world but no one really knows who we are or are invested in the band.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Would you be able to say the same for the scene you’re a part of? 100%. It's hard to get people out when they don't know who you are. Back when radio actually played new music and regional artists, they would promote who the artist was when they played a song and you'd develop a following thru that radio and sometimes TV connection. It's just not there anymore for independent artists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I was wondering what your thoughts are on Kiss marketing avatar versions of themselves now that their "farewell tour" has ended. Many people think this shouldn't replace the live experience. How do you personally feel about this issue?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m a huge fan. I was in New York for the final shows. This is the connection that I was talking about that seems so hard for artists to have today. The feeling of being a fan of a band making you a part of something bigger than yourself and being a part of a tribe. That's what the Kiss Army is and what people who aren't part of that can't understand. I feel technology is making us lose that connection. I'm not sure how I feel about the avatars. Obviously, I want Kiss to continue in some form and their legacy will never die, but I'm not feeling the avatars right now. I'm trying to have an open mind and take a wait and see approach. I guess I need to see what the plans are for them. There's no way they could ever replace the live concert experience. Rock n roll is about that human element and those raw emotions we all feel. If technology replaces that, it'll never be the same. I hope we never lose the true power of rock n roll and live humans playing music on real instruments expressing real emotions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>At a time when artificial intelligence is at an all-time high, are human elements still a part of the band's music and lyrics? What are some of the feelings you convey through your music?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Without raw emotion and human feelings, music is pointless. Music, like all art, should touch you and make you feel something. I can't connect with a loop running over and over. To me, that takes the creative energy and element away and makes it a cold, soulless thing. I write real situations that I've been in or someone close to me has experienced. That human element of expressing the emotions that everyone feels brings the true connection of why you have "your song." That song speaks to you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I once watched a video claiming most of the songs recorded by pop icons were written by the same producer. That video and another one I watched discussed how these songs sound very similar if not the same. In order to maintain originality and creativity, what can struggling artists and bands do?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think you just have to be true to yourself. You don't do this to make money. That's a nice reward if you can make it happen, but art should feed the soul. If it can feed your stomach as well, that's a bonus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>As far as supporting live music in local scenes and at major rock and metal festivals, what can be done to improve the situation? Especially with outrageously high ticket prices for national and international acts. Would most people prefer to pay for a local band than pay three to five figures for a major concert?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't know. That's the dilemma. Nobody wants to let or help a band develop anymore. It's a catch 22. If you can't bring people, you can't get gigs but how will you ever be able to bring people if they never get to hear and see you? I would hope that promoters will realize at some point that they need to be including some new, unknown bands in these events to help build more audience for them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think that's the big ticket prices actually hurt smaller bands and hold us back from being able to advance up that ladder. People would rather pay $300 to be in the rafters to see the Eagles than pay $5 or $10 to see a great indie band from the front row. I remember searching out new music, whether it be going to clubs or sifting thru the record stores. That seems to be a lost passion. It's very frustrating. I know there is a lot of great indie music out here but very few people ever hear it. I always hear people saying there's no good new music but there is. You just have to look for it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In every country there are fan run metal festivals as well as larger festivals like Wacken, Hellfest, Milwaukee Metal Fest and Decibel Metal & Beer Fest that give underground and unsigned bands a chance to be heard. How important do you feel these festivals are today? Has your band gotten a chance to play at one of these?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We haven’t gotten to play any of the big ones but are definitely up for it. I think these are really important as it’s one of the few ways for an original independent artist to reach large numbers of indie rock fans. Hopefully we’ll be doing a bunch of these soon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you know of any festivals taking place locally or nationally where you might want to perform next year? How would appearing there be an improvement for the band after your local shows?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We’ve submitted for several, hopefully some of them will come thru. I want to put our music in front of as many people as possible. We've charted in the UK. That's one of the positive things the internet brings. It allows people that you may never get to play live for, the ability to hear and connect with your music. Nothing beats a live show experience, however. I hope that the live concert experience never goes away. I am concerned that it might. Hard to get younger fans out to see new original music. Festivals help do that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Besides the factors we discussed, what are some other reasons you are concerned about the fading of the live experience?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s still the easiest way to connect with fans. People who only watch shows online or on YouTube or whatever just don't get the full experience. I still go to shows as often as I can. Again, just the real connection between the artist and the fan can only be found live. It's real easy to disconnect if everything is just virtual. Same reason I still prefer physical media. I've downloaded a few albums and I haven't noticed idea where they are. I can pull a CD or vinyl off the shelf any time and have more of a connection than pressing a button on a mouse.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I personally think there are far too many festivals of various sizes, with much more affordable tickets for the live experience to be replaced. It is also helping that social media and streaming sites show these festivals. Is your band streaming live shows on YouTube and other platforms?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've streamed a few solo acoustic shows. I hope to do some full band shows this coming year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>As a result of playing out, how much new music have you discovered up until now? Any of it you deem worth mentioning here?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are so many talented bands playing the underground club circuit. It’s a shame people don’t get out more and look for new music because there’s a ton of it out here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We’ve become good friends with a band called Trailer Park Orchestra from Greensboro. We’ve played a lot of shows with them. Great band and cool guys. We opened a show for the Soap Girls, Pretty Ladies and an absolute trip to hang out with. Really too many to mention. Most of the bands are very cool. We’re all trying to accomplish the same things and most understand that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In what venues has the band been performing lately? What has been the general response of fans who wish to hear live music?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Your normal bar and nightclub scene mostly. So far, we've hit South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. There are plans to add a few more states this year. The response has been phenomenal. We've made new fans everywhere we've been.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where did you perform at the solo acoustic shows you are streaming? Would these be acoustic versions of your band's songs or songs you composed for playing on your own?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just from my rehearsal room on Facebook Live and Youtube Live. There are acoustic versions of band songs, some of my older material and some of my favorite covers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>With regard to your available material, has the band built a loyal fanbase and an equally strong reputation by releasing and distributing your work independently?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have people that buy everything we release. Music, merch, my books, you name it. Getting large numbers out to live shows is more challenging. People don't seem to go out as much as they used to. We have people that are at every show in their area, so it's building. Our streaming numbers have been really strong, so the music is getting heard. The first EP sold several hundred physical copies and been streamed 50,000 times or so. The last LP is already over half a million, so it's getting out there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>So the internet and social media are helping the band establish a name for themselves? Considering this, how important is it to you to still release your material in physical form?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just the real connection. I can't sign a download, haha. The internet gets stuff out there, but too many times, people will download a song and not even bother to look who the artist is. You get lots of streams and downloads that way, but not as many fans. I like reading the liner notes, looking at the artwork, the music becomes a real, solid, tangible thing, not just something that exists in the nothingness of cyberspace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the total amount of material that the band has released to date? If it all has been released on all formats, which format has received the biggest response?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This band has released a four song EP, “Girls and Cars and Things That Matter”, and a ten song LP, “Burn It Down”. The EP was on CD and digital and the LP was on vinyl, CD, and digital. Obviously the streaming numbers have been the largest cause that's the most readily available format, but the CDs have done really well at shows and the vinyl has done ok too. Vinyl is still kind of a niche thing but cool to have.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Where was recording, mixing and mastering done for the EP and full length done? Do you prefer working with professionals or is the band professional mixers and masterers in their own right?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The EP was actually recorded as demos about twelve years ago. During Covid, I came across the files and just tweaked a little in GarageBand and put it out there. It came out amazingly well, all things considered. “Burn It Down” was recorded at Studio 101 I. SC and then mixed in California by John Webster of Red Ryder, then mastered by Mike Schau, former guitarist for Thor. I was hooked up with John and Mike by my co-producer, and also Thor guitarist, Kevin Stuart Swain. Kevin is a great friend and has done so much to help me in my music career, I can’t think him enough.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I like to write and perform. I leave the mixing and mastering to the pros. Those guys are another level.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Among the songs on your EP and full-length, which best represents the band's evolution as musicians? When you perform live, which of them are most well received by your listeners?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don’t know about evolution, but a few that I’m really proud of are “Everybody’s Broken” and “Fighting for My Life” from the “Girls and Cars” EP and “After The Fall”, “Words Get In The Way” and “We Got Mona Lisa” from “Burn It Down”. I think all those show my maturation as a songwriter, especially lyrically. I couldn’t have written any of those when o first started writing.
When you perform live, which of them are most well received by your listeners? All those are live staples. “Fighting, Words”, “Everybody’s Broken”, and “Mona Lisa” all seem to strike chords with people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In addition to the emotions you convey, do your lyrics reflect your experience as a band and your experience with the music industry that we’ve discussed?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I generally try to stick to human elements that most everyone can relate to and understand. The music, and entertainment industry in general, are their own beasts that people that haven’t been inside those bellies, really can’t understand. I do have a few references on the forthcoming record, but they’re not the main thrust of the song.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Regarding artwork, does the band design their own cover art or does it hire artists to do so? Who designed the artwork for both of your releases? In general, are you satisfied with the results?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I did the “Girls and Cars” cover. I used another artist’s photo and then modified it to work for the album. The second one, I did a really rough sketch and then had my friend, Patrick Rasmussen, who is a professional artist, do a painting of my concept. The third one, at this point I have designed and done the artwork but am still deciding if I will use my art or have someone like Patrick do their interpretation of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m very happy with both, I am never truly happy with anything creative I do, but I’ve learned to draw a line at picking stuff apart too much. As a whole, I’m pleased. Patrick’s work is amazing and if there’s anything that I’m unhappy with, it would definitely be in my communication, not in his rendering.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>In 2024, do you plan to expand on the fan base you gained by singing with an independent label to further distribute your releases? Are there any other plans you have for this coming year?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This will be our first release with Self Made Records, so we’re really stoked about the potential for a wider audience. We hit four states last tour and we’re looking to at least double that this time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We plan to play out as much as possible. Expand the brand and our fan base. I love playing new places and meeting new music lovers. I also have a short story being included in an anthology from my publisher, Black Bedsheet Books, and also should have a new book out by year’s end. I like staying busy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChuckWChapman" target="_blank">Chuck W. Chapman at Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://selfmaderecordsllc-business.com/chuck-w-chapman" target="_blank">Chuck W. Chapman's new album "Burn It Down" at Selfmaderecords LLC</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div></b>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-56284434333860486302024-01-22T16:00:00.000-08:002024-01-22T16:00:52.513-08:00Full Length Review: Mahavatar "Rise From Betrayal" (Rebel Sound Records) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU49rAbWJVYRlV_O-rweZ8dyPJ_Kuxa9VqafbVRkRBBNG8p2sAHMvkhEk0WfvGGI_n9zo_7lBsr59jsUDE0LlmFv_3A3bFEv8Sw4LyU6GSOdUFwkkuyXog1yWst2EuyEF2X5Yni8W73jeZxI_2LPW6IIVGumex-hSRNq7DxrRFiVHs9c58zXrAekxbxf0X/s600/R-10704190-1502735978-1169.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU49rAbWJVYRlV_O-rweZ8dyPJ_Kuxa9VqafbVRkRBBNG8p2sAHMvkhEk0WfvGGI_n9zo_7lBsr59jsUDE0LlmFv_3A3bFEv8Sw4LyU6GSOdUFwkkuyXog1yWst2EuyEF2X5Yni8W73jeZxI_2LPW6IIVGumex-hSRNq7DxrRFiVHs9c58zXrAekxbxf0X/w200-h200/R-10704190-1502735978-1169.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Band: Mahavatar</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Manhattan, New York</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: USA</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Groove metal</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Full length: Rise From Betrayal</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Digital</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: Rebel Sound Records (USA)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: May 8, 2020</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mahavatar was a band that I followed consistently in the 2000s, starting with a promotional CD for a song they had written called “The Time Has Come”. I came across the promo through an email from their old guitarist who was plugging it. Black metal, death metal, and underground metal in general was well on its way growing beyond its origins, and my musical tastes were also expanding at the same pace, so I was more than willing to give it a try.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The song's lyrics were somewhat prophetic in their own right since Mahavatar was one of the first bands to fuse metal, alternative, Middle Eastern rhythms, heaviness, atmosphere, and exotic flavorings. Before cultural folk metal became as widespread, diverse, and prominent as it is today in the underground, they had a vision. I therefore kept up with them through their next two demos and their full-length releases “Go With The No!” (2005) and “From the Sun, the Rain, the Wind, the Soil” (2006).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were on a roll and gaining momentum when they stopped releasing albums for an extended period. It was a few years ago when they decided to make their presence known again with a revamped lineup and a third studio album. “Rise From Betrayal” reminds me why I was enraptured by their conceptualization of metal's capacity for expansion, and it is indicative of the same burning desire to conceptualize something new and innovative. As before, the band presents memorable arrangements and hard musicianship, delivered as if they truly believe in what they are writing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As before, there is a fusion of post-thrash metal, alternative, groove, crunch, unconventional songwriting, a strong vocal presence, and themes that sound as though they originate from far away. They are able to evoke emotions that are as diverse as the material they use in their compositions, resulting in a much larger whole than its parts. As a result of the cleaner production, the sound is heavier and more convincing than their previous releases, as if they are unleashing all the energy they have been accumulating during their silence at once.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lizza Hayson's vocals give new meaning to Helen Reddy's “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar”. She embodies the spirit behind the band's creation, regardless of whether her voice is melodic or brutal. Her range often personifies the band’s exotic qualities, especially in “Epicore” and “Warrior of Light”. There is so much difference between the themes of every song that it would be difficult to place them into a single category. The following songs may be of interest to you: “Resist”, “Light Comes Out the Dark”, “Broken Wing”, “A Prayer For the Insane”, and “Fallen”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those of you who have never heard of Mahavatar would be well advised to give them a listen if you are looking for music that breaks the mold in a variety of ways.<b> –Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lizza Hayson: Vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shahar Mintz: Guitars, vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Richard Almady: Guitars</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maria Rapacz: Bass</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Glenn Grossman: Drums</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Track list:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Resist</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Hate Factory</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Epicore</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Light Comes Out the Dark</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Broken Wing</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Rise from Betrayal</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Warrior of Light</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. A Prayer for the Insane</div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Cold Steel Welded</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. Fallen</div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. Broken Wing (acoustic)</div><br />
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<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@tomahavatar" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Youtube</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mahavatar/rise-from-betrayal" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Soundcloud</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/15cNBFtBw6p10B2dtUjCfR" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Spotify</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/mahavatar1" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Reverbnation</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/10704190-Mahavatar-Rise-From-Betrayal" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Discogs</a><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Betrayal-Mahavatar/dp/B08744Z98P" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Amazon</a><br /><a href="https://music.apple.com/ph/album/rise-from-betrayal/1508087387" target="_blank">Mahavatar at Apple Music</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-14072428082852048722024-01-19T10:13:00.000-08:002024-01-22T03:29:30.890-08:00Interview with Prophet of St. Madness by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTy6iohTg5lx8mRPiM8FAQ-duujrrZFQAJe6f6ZTHO1Plu1zIclS1Iz-bq4US3nrFLq8gW6Tt1rT9JA0k6nJw-NyEEwjBRXUYWnxSiZGzqO15OJGUwTiC-SkC_hHgLKv12JtNeHzXCjGmAKvlXDWFjMlskEBM5pvMBlSbwoMZ38EAHpOn7X-9BYbPX5Jsa/s1080/sm2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTy6iohTg5lx8mRPiM8FAQ-duujrrZFQAJe6f6ZTHO1Plu1zIclS1Iz-bq4US3nrFLq8gW6Tt1rT9JA0k6nJw-NyEEwjBRXUYWnxSiZGzqO15OJGUwTiC-SkC_hHgLKv12JtNeHzXCjGmAKvlXDWFjMlskEBM5pvMBlSbwoMZ38EAHpOn7X-9BYbPX5Jsa/w400-h300/sm2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Interview with Prophet of St. Madness by Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Over the years, the band has had one name change and several members. Explain why you changed the name of the band, how many new members you hired and what impact they had on the band's sound and direction.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We began as a band in 1993 under the name Crown Of Thorns and right away we noticed like five other bands in different countries who had that name. Then in 1997 we found out that a Christian rock group had actually trademarked the name Crown Of Thorns in 1991, two years before we even started using the name, so we knew we would have to change our name. The album we had out at the time was our second and it was called “The Spiritual Visions Of St. Madness” by Crown Of Thorns. Margie (our manager) and I got with an entertainment attorney and did a worldwide search to see if anyone owned the name St. Madness. When we found out no one owned it we trademarked it right on the spot and we have owned the name ever since.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the years we have probably had about twenty great artists/musicians in the band. Every single time we have had to replace someone. Even though it was kind of a pain to have to do that, it has always worked out for the betterment of the band by bringing in fresh blood so to speak. I am truly grateful to have gotten to work with so many great musicians. It's kind of like Megadeth and all of the band members that they have had over the years. No matter who is in the band, all of the songs and albums sound like Megadeth. Dave Mustaine knows what he wants his band to sound like and I know what a St. Madness song and album should sound like.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Were all those lineup changes an effort to find musicians who share a similar musical and artistic vision?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is inevitable that not all members are going to stay around for thirty years. I love and respect every single current and former member of St. Madness and I am honored to be able or to have been able to work with so many talented people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When people hear the name St. Madness, what should they expect from the band?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That we are first and foremost entertainers, not people trying to be rock stars. Our biggest goal and concern when we play concerts is that the crowd has a good time and gets more than their money's worth. We are part of show business, we are professionals and we know that our job is to do our best we can to send the audience home happy at the end of the night. We care deeply about our music and the show we put on. People can choose to go to any show that they want so if they come to our show it means the world to us. I personally am very proud to be an entertainer and I consider the stage to be a sacred place. Onstage we let the music do the talking and we understand that without fans there is no life in music, so the fans always come first.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Prophet is the name you record and perform by. What is its meaning and how does it relate to your songs and stage presence?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Prophet” is a character I perform as. Because we are a theatrical/face painted band we all agreed that taking on stage personas was the right thing to do. When a person paints their face or wears a mask onstage it changes their personality a bit and allows an alter ego to come forth and in our band it has suited us well. I chose the name “Prophet”, believe it or not, because my aunt married a guy way back in the 1970s whose last name was “Prophet”. When she got a personalized license plate for her vehicle it said “Prophet” and I thought that it was really cool. Plus the name “Prophet” for me goes very well in the context of being the front man for a band called St. Madness or Crown Of Thorns.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What makes your stage presence different from those of Alice Cooper, (old) Kiss, Misfits, King Diamond, Gwar, etc.? In formulating your concept, did you draw on any outside sources or did you create it entirely from your own ideas?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was the one who went to the band one rehearsal and told them that at the next show which was in November 1995 that I was going to wear face paint or war paint. I told the guys in the band that I didn't care if they wore it or not but that I needed a change. The reason for this was that in the early 1990's record companies had started to sign lots of so called “grunge” band (which to me were just rock n roll bands) and had started to drop many metal bands from their labels or not put much money behind them anymore. Did grunge music kill metal in the 1990's? In my opinion only partially, because what I believe really hurt Metal music was that in the 1980's it seemed like every metal had to have a guitar god and many of the bands started to look and sound alike, which bored even me at the time. We started wearing face paint and decidedly began to make or music heavier and heavier was our response to the record labels and radio stations abandoning metal. This was our way of making our band stand out like a sore thumb. Oddly enough my whole band started to wear face paint from 1995 on and we still do to this day. It really had nothing whatsoever to do with any of the bands that you mention though I am a fan of all of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Over the course of your career, you have opened for a variety of bands, from Van Halen to Lynch Mob to Misfits and Mercyful Fate. Are you aware of the appeal that St. Madness has for fans of those bands as well as those with whom you have played?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have never really thought about it, I/we just do what I/we feel comfortable doing. We also play many cover songs of artists or bands that have influenced us as musicians over the years. We try to put one or two cover songs on each of our albums and CD's. This is our way of showing respect and love to them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Of all the covers the band has included on their releases, which came closest to the original? Or have you always made a point of adding your personal touch to your cover artwork?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We always have and always will put our own St. Madness flavor or spin on any cover that we play however it is important to us to maintain a certain respect to the original version of any song that we cover. This is out of respect for that particular artist and for their fans. We really aren't interested in changing any cover song that we do to the point that it's hard to know what song we are covering. All of the covers that we have done have the St. Madness touch to them but not so much that you can't recognize the song when you hear it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How did you come up with the dark humor that appears in some of the songs on your album “God Bless America”?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“God Bless America” was our third full length album and it came out on Nasty Prick Records in 1998. Remember that as a band our original name was Crown Of Thorns from 1993 till 1997 and by the time that we changed our band's name to St. Madness in September 1997. We had already released two albums under the name Crown Of Thorns. We released “Loneliness Is Black” in 1994 and “The Spiritual Visions Of St. Madness” in early 1997. As far as our humorous side goes, I have always had a bit of a twisted sense of humor. Remember we are entertainers who work in show business so it's important that our fans have a good time and this includes the “God Bless America” album. Everything we do is primarily for entertainment purposes only. We want our fans and the audience who has never seen or heard us before to have a good time. Our music is about the human experience and humans are capable of either doing great good or great evil; it's all up to each person. Our songs sometimes are very serious while other times they are funny or sad. Music is the language of the soul and our music is designed to bring out different emotions in the listeners.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Is it safe to assume that the subject matter of your lyric writing, whether humorous or serious, is influenced by your frame of mind at the time?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I get inspiration but everything around me or things going on in the world. When I wrote the lyrics to our song “Sexual Abuse”. I was purposely trying to offend as many people as possible. Metal music has always been a little dangerous and I wanted to hold fast to that tradition. Our songs go from realism and truth to humor or fantasy. I/we enjoy putting a lot of variety on our albums because it makes the creative process so much more fun for us and for the fans.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How offensive are the lyrics of “Sexual Abuse” and what sort of feelings did you intend to capture when you penned the song? In what ways does it reflect metal’s tendency toward being dangerous?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This one is kind of a funny story because the music was written first by the band and I had promised them that I would have lyrics for it by our next rehearsal. A few days later, I was getting ready to go to rehearsal when I remembered that I had completely forgotten to write and lyrics for our new song. I had about five minutes before I had to leave, so I quickly just wrote down every offensive thing that I would think of and that was that. The guys were shocked by the lyrics but they also loved them because we didn't care about who we offended with them, and to us that is a very METAL thing to do and attitude to have. It is still a lot of fun for me to sing that song onstage and to watch all of the shocked faces on those who are hearing it for the first time. Many ladies who are married will let me sing it to them from the stage while they smile, but they would never let their own husbands speak to them like that. It's really funny at times.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Was “Sexual Abuse” the most offensive song you’ve written for the band, or have you written lyrics even more extreme than that?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would say “Sexual Abuse” is our most offensive song for sure, but it's also one of our most popular songs as well. In 2000 we found out that a modern punk band named Guttermouth had recorded a cover of “Sexual Abuse” and put it on an album called “Punk Goes Metal” that was put out by Fearless Records. We ended up making just over ten thousand dollars in royalties off of it, but later when Fearless Records sold out to another label, that other label has ignored our request to get the rest of our royalties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When "Punk Goes Metal" was released, did Guttermouth's inclusion of "Sexual Abuse" increase St. Madness' popularity as well as royalties? In order to obtain additional royalties for the cover, how often did you contact the new label after Fearless Records?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't really want to talk about how many times we have contacted a label about royalties because that is a private band matter but what I will say is that Guttermouth covering our songs did increase our bands profile because they sold about one hundred thousand copies of the record. I know that one hundred thousand in sales isn't a huge number but it is one hundred thousand more people who may not have heard of St. Madness before that might make then curious enough to check us out. It is always a good thing when people admire your work enough that they want to cover it and put it out on the market for sale.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Can you tell the readers of other instances when bands recorded cover versions of your songs, and how those helped the band?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There have been a few bands or artists that covered a song or two of ours and to me it's always a good thing. Imitation is one of the greatest forms of flattery. I love hear how other bands or artists interpret our music. Back when we were still called Crown Of Thorns there was a punk band here in Arizona called Clowns With Horns who played our music but turned it all punk. The band was all friends of ours and it was awesome!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is some of the gallows humor you write based upon? What songs with this subject matter have been a steady part of your live shows?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The song that we play the most is our composition entitled “Arizona” which was written in tribute to the beautiful state that we live in, as well as a tribute to all of the Native American peoples here. Another song that we perform all of the time is called “Metal To The Death and Beyond” or “MDB”. We also play “Sexual Abuse” and “The Anti-Superhero” a lot. As far as newer songs that we play all of the time now, “My Music Manifesto”, “A Time For Reflection” and “Biologic Manipulation” are also on the list. It's also good to write humorous songs because the fans at the shows seem to really enjoy them. Our concerts can take people through many different emotions, all in one show.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What about Native American culture partly inspired “Arizona”? Does it capture the essence of said culture as a tribute? How long has this song been part of your set?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The song “Arizona” was written in 2005 and it was released on the “Vampires In The Church” that came out in 2006 on Nasty Prick Records. St. Madness has always had many Native American fans and we have always shared the stage or played shows with lots of Native American Metal bands and we love it. “Arizona” lyrically is my way of saying ‘thank you’ and giving back to all of the love that the state of Arizona and the Native American community have shown me for many years. Dying Tribe, I Don't Konform, Rez Of War, Hell Defined, Native Blood and Guardians, these are some of the bands we have played many shows with for many years and they all kick ass!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I had heard of a few Native American metal bands, but I had no idea there were more than I knew. As someone who listens to a great deal of this genre, why is it having such a significant impact on local metal scenes, and where do you think it will go in the future?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not sure where it will go. I just know that here in Arizona we have many awesome Native American bands and we always have great shows with them. If you look up Revolver Magazine/I Don't Konform on YouTube the magazine put out an amazing documentary about the band; it's one of those that you want to watch more than once. The truth is that all kinds of people around the world love metal music and because of that we have so many different flavors of metal and I personally love it. I believe that there is room for everyone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Were there any moments when someone thought the more serious side of your writing was too much for them, or do people generally relate to what you have to say?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have never had anyone say to me or to any of us in the band (that I know of) that we have written songs that were too serious. By now our fans know us and what to expect from us and this is why we have so much variety in our music so the fans don't get bored hearing the same old thing from us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Describe a typical St. Madness performance to readers from other states and countries who have not seen you perform.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First of all we don't go onstage to play rock stars. We find it incredibly important that we always do our best to put the fans and the audience first and foremost in our minds. Our shows are about taking the audience into a metal journey of emotions and feelings while having a good time. We are what I call “metal theater” and what we play is “Carnimetal” music. We have had many different actors performing with us onstage over the years and also many attractive ladies dancing onstage with us while we are performing. It's all about heavy music, shock and fun!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Describe in more detail the stage gear worn by the band while they are performing, as well as any other props or accoutrements that are part of your show. In what ways has your live show been discussed in the press, and how would you define “Carnimetal”?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First of all I came up with the term Carnimetal, and what it means is that we are basically carnies who play metal instead of putting up rides and booths to play games. People have asked me in interviews if I fancy myself as a real Prophet because of my lyrics and stage name. I tell them that “Prophet” is a character that I perform and record as, but I don't see myself as a real Prophet whatsoever. I'm an entertainer and nothing more and that's good enough for me. I love being an entertainer and performing for people who love metal music and making people happy with our music and show. Onstage we all basically wear whatever we want and depending on the weather (because it's pretty hot here in Arizona) we could be wearing more leather or less. We all basically wear a lot of black clothing with some old school spikes and such.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When it comes to hiring actors and extras for your performances, how do you go about doing so? Are they mostly friends of the band, or do you search for them through agencies?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During “Arizona” we have an actor named Loki Toki who comes out on stage waving the Arizona flag. In past shows we have had Devils, evil monks, sexy ladies dancing, The Grim Reaper, The Jesus Clone, (check out our song “Jesus Clone 2000”) and we have also had my son “Josh” who performs as the character, Happy Evil and we have had angels, zombies, and Howard Presley who unfortunately passed away on December 15th 2021. Howard was one of our crew members and one day he and I were talking about Elvis Presley. As we were talking I was looking at him and it occurred to me that Howard would look great in an Elvis jumpsuit. I asked him if he would ever wear one and perform onstage with us by doing Karate kicks and such. He said “I could do that” and Howard Presley was born. He performed with us since the mid 1990's and when he passed away it has left a big empty space in all of our hearts. All of our actors are usually friends of our own crew members who we turn into characters and before you know it, we have them performing onstage with us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Has the band released any live recordings on DVD, Blu Ray or digital/streaming? Or uploaded any of your live shows on YouTube, so people can see what your performances are like?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are all kinds of live videos of us on Youtube. And we released a live record in 2017 called “Live 55” because a friend of mine recorded our show on my birthday that year and gave it to me as a birthday present. What we love about that record is that none of us in the band had any idea that we were being recorded whatsoever. We never went back and fixed anything sound wise on that album so basically what you hear is what you get. It's a very true to life performance.
What do you remember about the show that was recorded for “Live 55”? Can you hear any audience participation in the recording, and how is the sound quality in general?
There were no mic's in or close to the audience, so you can't hear them as well as if we had had mics out there. But it's a truly LIVE recording and that's what I love about it. None of us in the band knew we were being recorded so the whole thing was very natural. We didn't fix one thing on that recording other than mixing and mastering.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>St. Madness’ new release, the first part of “Last Rites: The Final Blessing”, which came out in 2022, seems to have replaced gallows humor with a more serious theme. Could you explain this concept and what inspired you to take such a lyrical approach?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Last Rites: The Final Blessing” is only halfway done. We started to release songs from it in 2022 but we have only released the first six songs as singles so far. We have two new songs written and have started a third plus we may be recording our cover of “Wasted Years” by Iron Maiden for the album. We are on our own label so we are just taking our time to finish it. We are really in no rush.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Which of the songs from “The Final Blessing” do you consider to be the most personal to you? In writing the lyrics, did you need to engage in any introspection, or did they simply flow like other songs you've written?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would have to say that the song called “They're All Gone” is the most personal to me of any of our songs. It's about losing so many loved ones and beloved pets in my life. I'm sure that everyone who hears the song can relate to it in some way or another.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Between “Wasted Years” and “Wild Child” by W.A.S.P., were these songs selected as covers so you and your listeners could remain connected to when you and they discovered metal?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We just pick cover tunes that we want to play at random. If you go to our Bandcamp page you can stream all of our albums for free and check out all of the cover songs that we have put on our albums. We just pick songs from bands and artists that have influenced us in some way in our musical lives. There is really nothing more to it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The first six tracks of “The Final Blessing” are available for streaming at Bandcamp. Have your listeners been responding to them since they were uploaded there?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They have, and we are being featured in many metal magazines all over the world lately because of those first six songs from the upcoming new album. I love all six songs very much and I know the rest of the guys in the band feel the same way. We really put our hearts and souls into the music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Would you consider the original songs you have yet to record for “The Final Blessing” of the same personal nature as the ones you've released?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do; we have two new songs already finished. One is titled “We Make Evil Fun”, then there is the title track called “Last Rites: The Final Blessing”. We are working on a third new song called “It's Always Hard To Say Goodbye”. Along with “Wasted Years”, those are the next ones we will be recording.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How aggressively has the band promoted their upcoming full-length album prior to its official release? Do you plan to release physical copies of the new album in addition to streaming it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We have been promoting “Last Rites: The Final Blessing” pretty aggressively since about 2022. This album has taken long simply because we are on our own label and we went through some tough financial times with the pandemic etc. So the album will be completed and put out as a finished product whenever the time is right.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Who designed the artwork for the new album's cover? Has a promotional video been produced or is one in the works for additional promotion? What are the visual representations of your songs or how will they be represented?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If anyone goes to Youtube and types our name they will see there are tons of videos out there on or by us. The main promotional video so far for the new upcoming album would be the lyric video for “My Music Manifesto”. This song is my way of saying goodbye to our fans when I and we finally do retire. We have already been at this for over thirty years but it's not over yet. I just wanted to have a song and cool video that tells my musical story and I think it came out amazing. Again, what we do is metal theater; it's much more than just playing music. I get bored easy so we have lots of variety on all our records, and we bury samples and statements in the background of songs to make the whole thing more interesting to the true listeners.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Are you planning to perform at bigger venues and reach more listeners in 2024 due to the momentum you're gaining from past releases and promoting your new album?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We pretty much play it all by ear because we have no idea what's coming up the path that we have taken. The largest crowd we have ever performed for was just over eight thousand people, although we did also play the side-stage for Van Halen and Monster Magnet here in Phoenix back on July 1st of 1998; there were about ten thousand at that show. We never know what’s going to happen, we just stay on our path and keep moving forward. We are not in the least concerned about becoming rock stars; that is the last thing that we would ever want to be. We love being entertainers and we see it like this. When you are a rock star the fans serve, you but when you are an entertainer the entertainer serves the fans. We will put on the same show for ten people or ten thousand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>When people look back on St. Madness's career in the future, what kind of impact would you like the band to have had on metal in general? Are you aware of any changes the band has made in the present?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I just hope that when people look back on St. Madness, that our music and shows have given them some good and great memories. It is our great pleasure to entertain metal fans and as long as we have done or continue to do that, then we have done our job. Things happen as they should so we just keep doing our thing for our fans and that's it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I would like to say thank you to you Dave for sharing this interview with your readers and letting them know more about St. Madness!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">LONG LIVE THE FANS OF METAL MUSIC!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sincerely,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prophet, St. Madness</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058057178547" target="_blank">St. Madness at Facebook</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://stmadness.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">St. Madness at Bandcamp</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/stmadness" target="_blank">St. Madness at Reverbnation</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.filthydogsofmetal.com/interviews/interview-with-st-madness" target="_blank">Interview with St. Madness at Filthy Dogs of Metal</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2023/12/full-length-review-st-madness-last.html" target="_blank">Review of the pre-release of "Last Rites: The Final Blessing" (Nasty Prick Records) by Dave Wolff</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>-Dave Wolff</b></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-72098755441809343452024-01-16T08:51:00.000-08:002024-01-18T09:49:56.123-08:00EP Review: Sewage "Punk Not DeAd" (Solid Bass Records) by Dave Wolff<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqNTO0QYOzlnC-rwolJ3K6jjWjOJ3lCQsOeO-4rmVMdjktsodrocaBAeWWjrusR7JkONksFjsBy-C0RNjCtT8IKv_SqtOnhJoQz7e_w0Bs4J9dWYmVDwY8OKJ6AI7atqiVUqyVWgwOYekoHBZj2lsQbQkCuiIBAbhXFuVB40rwd9MTVTSY4FaqLYSJ7My/s1116/thumbnail.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqNTO0QYOzlnC-rwolJ3K6jjWjOJ3lCQsOeO-4rmVMdjktsodrocaBAeWWjrusR7JkONksFjsBy-C0RNjCtT8IKv_SqtOnhJoQz7e_w0Bs4J9dWYmVDwY8OKJ6AI7atqiVUqyVWgwOYekoHBZj2lsQbQkCuiIBAbhXFuVB40rwd9MTVTSY4FaqLYSJ7My/w194-h200/thumbnail.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>Band: Sewage</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Location: Manhattan, New York</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Country: USA</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Genre: Punk</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>EP: Punk Not DeAd</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Format: Vinyl</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Label: <a href="https://solidbassrecords.com/product/punk-not-dead-vinyl/" target="_blank">Solid Bass Records</a></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Release date: January 15, 2024</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've said that one benefit of social media is it has helped punk become more socially and politically aware since people can share information that you usually wouldn’t be able to watch. While this is still so, there are still people who are concerned with social media interaction replacing physical contact between people. As Sewage has always been outspoken about what they see around them, they address this ongoing issue with a vengeance on their new EP “Punk Not DeAd”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anyone who knows the band since their inception knows they don’t lash out at society for the sake of lashing out at society. The issues they address are real concerns: the homeless problem, police corruption, corporate greed, complacency in the local punk scene and so forth. So when setting their sights on social media it’s no case of crackpot conspiracy theory or a knee jerk “I hate technology”. It’s the misuse of technology and its possible repercussions on people, going by facts and research.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course what I’m referring to is the track “The Social Media Suite” which expresses their sentiments on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Twitch and TikTok. I gather it’s an expression directed at social media because the attack is sudden and thorough, and put across in the context of someone who still goes out to see a local show rather than filming and uploading it. A similar sentiment about selfie obsessed web surfers, as I remember, was made by Sick Of It All with “Self Important Shithead” from “Wake The Sleeping Dragon!”, a song that made you laugh and think at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is Sewage's first release featuring electro club remixes, such as what you would hear at clubs like Pyramid on the lower east side and Alphabet City. I am starting to become nostalgic, probably because I can see how closely the band, while widening their range and touring several US cities, has remained in touch with where they came from and remained relevant to their environment. Michelle Shocked, esteemed musician and political protestor, also joins the band on bass and backing vocals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As much outrage as social satire, Sewage has demonstrated remarkable staying power by putting what is going on in their community on record for you to consider or ignore, with as much wry humor and classic punk aggression. Despite the passing of time, they have maintained that spirit and play the songs on this EP as if they were channeling public protests regarding the issues mentioned above through their musicianship, with such intensity that you can feel their passion. Keeping longtime supporters around and attracting new ones is a result of their honesty in doing so. <b>–Dave Wolff</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lineup:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spike Polite: Vocals, guitar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Michelle Shocked: Bass, vocals</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tony Romero: Guitar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">John Pannikar: (Beast) Drums</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Track list:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. What Happened To The Punk Rock (Rock version)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Florida (Rock version)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. The Social Media Suite</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Punk Not Dead (Electronic Club Remix by XnormL & Les Techno Radio Edit)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Punk Not Dead (The Full Edit)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Florida (Electronic Club Remix by XnormL & Les Techno)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkfbOE6dc5QPwNzbke_GKeg" target="_blank">Spike Polite & Sewage at Youtube</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://spikesewage.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Spike Polite & Sewage at Bandcamp</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://spikepolitesewage.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Spike Polite & Sewage's other Bandcamp</a><br /><br /><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2017/04/cd-review-sewage-italian-sessions.html" target="_blank">Review of SEWAGE The Italian Sessions (Independent) by Dave Wolff</a><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://aeafanzine.blogspot.com/2022/07/full-length-review-sewage-pandemonium.html" target="_blank">Review of SEWAGE Pandemonium (Rotten Bastards Records) by Dave Wolff</a><br /></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-51950107857420547722024-01-16T07:48:00.000-08:002024-01-16T07:48:32.022-08:00Article: "Reasons to Drink" by Jeremy Void<p> <b style="text-align: justify;">Reasons to Drink</b></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Article by Jeremy Void</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I showed up at Bell’s house with a liter of whiskey. Hoping he’d want to drink it with me. He said he wasn’t in the mood to drink it that night. His loss, I thought. I drank it all, by myself, wandered the party room downstairs and passed out on the couch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The next morning I was so frikken hungover. And I had to pee. I don’t think I’d ever drunk that much whiskey to myself before. I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled into the bathroom. Didn’t bother to close the door. No one was there; I didn’t really care. I took a piss. Watched the bright yellow liquid splash in the toilet. Closed my eyes for——</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I woke up on the floor. What just happened? My vision was blurry; my mind felt foggy. My head was throbbing. My arm was soaking wet. I assumed I had pissed all over my arm. I felt the liquid; it was thick, runny, and … red. Dark red like blood. Blood. It was blood. I traced the source of the blood to the side of my head. There was a gaping gash there. I must have fallen. I grabbed the sink and hoisted myself up, when I noticed the crack in the sink. The paint on the walls was peeling. I thought nothing of it. I lumbered out of the bathroom and into Bell’s bedroom. He wasn’t there. His Chinese girlfriend named Chunky was sleeping in his bed. I woke her up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">She peered at me. What do you want? I’m sleeping.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think I split my head on the sink.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Can you take a picture of me?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sure, she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One night Lacey and I went to Bell’s because we didn’t want to go to my place and he said we can sleep on the couch in the basement. He gave me some Percosets for fun, I swallowed them, and then he laughed, and I said what? And he said: You just swallowed a bunch of Trauzadone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We went downstairs and started to make out. We were about to have sex. I was so drunk. I fell asleep so frikken fast.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Crrraaash!!!</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Glass rained down upon us. What was that? I opened my eyes and looked at Lacey and she was crying and screaming and then I looked to my right and a bunch of guys were throwing glass bottles at the wall behind us. Right above the couch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lacey jerked her head up, in shock. A beer bottle nicked her head, swirled, and smashed into the wall, and she was crying so hard.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said to me: Do something!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was so tired. The Trauzadone was so strong. I started to speak.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were still throwing bottles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was speechless.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nodded my head and fell asleep.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What the fuck is going on down there?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I woke up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Katherine came running down the stairs. Bell, what the hell are you doing? She was so mad. Have you seen my dog anywhere?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">What’s going on? I asked them all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kat looked at Bell and shouted: Have you seen my fuckin dog? Then turned and looked at Lacey. And who the fuck is she? Then turned and looked at me. Hey, Jeremy. Then back at Lacey. Why the fuck is your head bleeding?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We left that night and had to sleep in the pouring rain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The day after I turned 21 I woke up somewhere—on a couch, in a strange apartment. Didn’t know where I was. I was only in my underwear. I rolled off the couch and stood and lumbered into the kitchen. No one was around. I reached in the fridge and found a beer and pulled it out and cracked it open.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The door opened and DJ came in. He said: Hey, how’s it feel to be 21?</div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-10992542453343786302024-01-15T06:23:00.000-08:002024-01-15T06:23:32.018-08:00Band Spotlight: The Distinguished Order of Disobedience by Erik Leviathan<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFI4CKZO1ffRd7MsEAkM1oXupjoDx1h0truqAKL4XD5fz5L70I31zKMcKDHU0D79RqPDi8JWseaqzGijImlIh1s5PFwAcb5_NFzNNl3WiQoDM0BH_nsfw2X4P9ZHKeau4snYQ_C3eC_zrFW6Rg99lnTNSnnOSLLhcHah73yBG4En1RX6XZtwVfN93g2tQ/s1080/dood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1080" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglFI4CKZO1ffRd7MsEAkM1oXupjoDx1h0truqAKL4XD5fz5L70I31zKMcKDHU0D79RqPDi8JWseaqzGijImlIh1s5PFwAcb5_NFzNNl3WiQoDM0BH_nsfw2X4P9ZHKeau4snYQ_C3eC_zrFW6Rg99lnTNSnnOSLLhcHah73yBG4En1RX6XZtwVfN93g2tQ/w400-h296/dood.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The Distinguished Order of Disobedience (The D.O.O.D.) is a metal band from Sarasota Florida.</b></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Established in 2004 their music and theatrical stage set has made them one of the premiere acts in Florida and they are quickly finding a place from themselves on the national scene. Having toured The United States on several successful outings, the music is finding a place in the metal community, garnering praise worldwide from fans of music everywhere. Under their belt is 5 studio albums and direct support for tons of National acts as well as playing one of the biggest music festivals in America. The D.O.O.D. released a brand new single, "Chaos for the Fly" on January 15th, 2023- available on most streaming platforms and is the first release from a new studio album due out mid-2024, with a new single set to be out for the song Subterfuge in February 2024.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Originally put together by Raynus and Jonzey DOOD, this band is crushing shows and winning over crowds in Florida or on tour nationally exposing the world to their new and exciting brand of heavy metal, live audiences just have a hard time not liking this band. Their music is heavily influenced by the music that has excited them over the years, hard and driving with good hooks and unabashed and unafraid riffs reminiscent of the pioneers of the music genre, all the while grinding forward into the music of today and tomorrow. <b>-Erik Leviathan</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">BAND LINKS</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://thedoodband.com/home" target="_blank">Website</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thedoodband/" target="_blank">Facebook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDoodband" target="_blank">Youtube</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thedoodband" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://twitter.com/thedoodband" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6d6Ivd55eab2MUD3xEAWRi?si=b_-DtrcOSBmrp4p91fbQ8g" target="_blank">Spotify</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-d-o-o-d/1492651110" target="_blank">Apple Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://music.amazon.com/artists/B083GDZDY6?ref=dm_sh_7a60-fc0e-b81e-a31c-96afb" target="_blank">Amazon Music</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/thedoodband" target="_blank">Reverb Nation</a></div></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-64558078583733711092024-01-14T21:00:00.013-08:002024-01-14T21:00:00.169-08:00Poem: "The World is a Vampire" by Ted Axe<b>The World is a Vampire</b><div><b>Ted Axe</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The world is a Vampire</div><div>It sucks and bleeds us dry.</div><div>It digs in deep with its fangs</div><div>And hears not our cries.</div><div>This place is cruel</div><div>It laughs at us</div><div>As as we try.</div><div>Sad beautiful world</div><div>We must all leave you</div><div>By and by</div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-70018172488593311442024-01-14T21:00:00.012-08:002024-01-14T21:00:00.170-08:00Poem: "Golden Apple (Same Seed)" by James Kenneth Blaylock<b>Golden Apple (Same Seed)</b><div><b>James Kenneth Blaylock</b></div><div><br /></div><div>a golden apple</div><div>for the taking,</div><div><br /></div><div>a sweet fruit</div><div>of character</div><div><br /></div><div>it can be</div><div>baked into</div><div><br /></div><div>aromatic pies</div><div>or thoroughly</div><div><br /></div><div>dried out, to</div><div>grow another</div><div><br /></div><div>tree of the</div><div>same seed</div><div><br /></div><div>james kenneth blaylock
1-2-24</div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-57647396027880087362024-01-14T21:00:00.011-08:002024-01-14T21:00:00.168-08:00Poem: "Black Moon Promise" by Judge Santiago Burdon<b>Black Moon Promise</b><div><b>Judge Santiago Burdon</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Bathroom confessions</div><div>backdoor redemption</div><div>Black moon promise</div><div>made to a leather winged Angel</div><div><br /></div><div>Afterglow addict disciple of dawn</div><div>woman standing at the edge of love</div><div>listening for the silence in between the words</div><div>whispered by an ambidextrous tongue.</div><div><br /></div><div>Loiterer in dim luminescence</div><div>under bloodshot skies.</div><div>beautiful visions reminding her of horrible things</div><div>knowing the best part of truth is the lies</div><div><br /></div><div>Casualty of kindness</div><div>twilight apostle</div><div>feeling what is not her favorite color</div><div>A song of flawed perfection</div><div>a bitter taste on her lips</div><div>Its melody fading</div><div>along with the last smile of summer</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Judge Santiago Burdon</i></div><div><i>Stray Dogs and Deuces Wild, Not Real Poetry, Quicksand Highway, Fingers in the Fan, Tequilas Bad Advice, Lords of the Afterglow, Overdose of Destiny, Architect of Havoc .
</i></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-87327151342884654492024-01-14T21:00:00.010-08:002024-01-14T21:00:00.306-08:00Poem: "The Balance" by M Teresa Clayton<b>The Balance</b><div><b>M Teresa Clayton</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I listen to the waves rushing ashore; the ebb and flow…</div><div>the rhythmic beating of lives measured cadence</div><div>keeping pace with what must come and what must go -</div><div>alluvial grounds preparing for a blessed nascence.</div><div><br /></div><div>I watch as the sun arrives; lifting its light from the east…</div><div>we know nothing of our treasured reliance.</div><div>Reaping her nourishment, each day a new feast -</div><div>yet, taken for granted 'neath this unspoken alliance.</div><div><br /></div><div>The wind blowing in from the north; a harsh and stinging cold…</div><div>the solstice has lost its once grand appearance.</div><div>Long past its due, the season has now grown old</div><div>bidding the equinox to come without interference.</div><div><br /></div><div>Strongest are the many blessings now spoken from its mouth…</div><div>hymns sung aloft now rain down its affluence.</div><div>Spring's warm soft breezes arrive from the south;</div><div>gives praise to the passing season at its confluence.</div><div><br /></div><div>The seasons have never forgotten their appointed course…</div><div>each pushes past all unforeseen resistance.</div><div>We endure the change without any remorse,</div><div>knowing it still remains true to its flawless consistence.</div><div><br /></div><div>The new moon prepares to wax full and then begins to wane…</div><div>pulls the tides high in glorious resplendence.</div><div>She assures that she will return once again,</div><div>It is the symmetry of her splendor in transcendence.</div><div><br /></div><div>Opposites push and pull to gain their own definition…</div><div>yet, held fast within this divine ordinance.</div><div>Redundancy - the bane of man's supposition.</div><div>All grace lies within predestined accordance.</div><div><br /></div><div>The courses, cyclic in nature, rearrange; recomposed…</div><div>remains the same when bartering allowance.</div><div>Abundance is equality; juxtaposed</div><div>On the head of a pin, a delicate balance.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>written and read at the Dreams and Divinities Art show in San Cristobal Mexico in 2014.
</i></div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4737298227541380383.post-36121082086183537572024-01-14T21:00:00.009-08:002024-01-14T21:00:00.167-08:00Poem: "The Greatest Film Ever Made" by Jerry Langdon<b>The Greatest Film Ever Made</b><div><b>© Jerry Langdon 2023</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Passing the threshold of the cinema door</div><div>Spelunking deep into the darkness,</div><div>Scrying for the perfect seat for what's in store.</div><div>No, back row; no front row</div><div>Too far away; too close.</div><div>One would think the center to be perfect</div><div>But there is the strange feeling of being lost.</div><div>For this feature there is no required ticket;</div><div>I am alone and without extra cost.</div><div>I sink into my conquered paradise chair</div><div>I feel the static rising in the air,</div><div>Adrenalin wafting out like sweet perfume.</div><div>I am a bat on a cavern ceiling</div><div>In that sanctuary where I'm hanging and chilling.</div><div>I hug my bucket of popcorn and bag of jelly beans.</div><div>Jelly beans!; that is what this adventure will be like.</div><div>Not knowing what surprise will unfold in the scenes.</div><div>The cover is cracked and the story begins to spike</div><div>Drifting into a fantastic world spilled on the pages</div><div>And the camera rolls.......a movie just for me.</div><div>Tonight's matinee a gruesome horror; my blood rages.</div><div>My mind races and the pages break the sound barrier.</div><div>The room I'm in becomes the stories carrier.</div><div>Welcome to the greatest film ever created.</div><div>For me books will never be out-dated.
</div>Dave Wolffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01314564295775150775noreply@blogger.com0