This Italian prog-melodic death metal band has released only two albums in nine years. However, those albums show them remaining brutal while massively pushing their boundaries, drawing inspiration from as many sounds and atmospheres as different genres. As Mind Control jammed so many influences into “Elements”, it initially sounded like a huge mess. However, after listening to it again and again, their skill as musicians and where they were taking their song structure became clear to me.
Despite the nine-year gap between “Elements” and their debut album “Heptagon”, it's more than sufficient time for a band to establish themselves as innovators. They're gaining a reputation for hybridizing underground and aboveground metal, as well as shuffle the listener fast. This is done by leading you in one direction and suddenly thrusting you in another. This is done to heighten your awareness and anticipation of what's next. All the while striving to reach the level of Steve Morse or Billy Sheehan.
There is no doubt that was an audacious statement. However, both albums demonstrate the band’s adeptness to a variety of musical persuasions as well as the range of multifariousness achieved by merging and integrating them. The members of Mind Control could have been melodic death metal, industrial metal, classical metal, progressive rock, jazz fusion, or funk/rhythm and blues. They would have been just as convincing of their ability to arrange and execute songs as they are here on “Elements”.
Mind Control compose crushingly heavy music, unfaltering and resolute, but not as single-minded as some may think. Their heaviness is often a backdrop for the temperaments provided through the addition of metal, prog rock, nu metal and funk. Many songs assume different themes corresponding to Massimo Boffa's guitars and the resolute rhythm section of Stefano Tatasciore (bass) and Luca Nicolucci (drums). Stefania Salladini’s alternating delivery of clean and harsh vocals is equally convincing.
The transitions and layering in the songs are more natural. Mind Control takes liberties with time changes, instrumental sections, and intense guitar solos to maintain a cohesive, uncontradictory atmosphere. The core material of a song remains unchanged regardless of embellishment. 'Elements' establishes this with an industrial theme that unexpectedly turns toward melodic death and post black metal, encouraging close listening to the songs to follow.
As evidenced by “Rage” with jazz solos, time changes comparable to Voivod and Meshuggah and strings, “Effluent” with a tranquil guitar with atmosphere and angelic vocals easing into funk-tinged melodic death metal, “Air” with its recurring industrial-prog-melodic DM guitars, overlapping vocals and fluctuating mood changes, and “Maelstrom” with prog and post black metal themes mixed with post hardcore and some techno, “Elements” demonstrates how hard the band works to take extreme metal to new, uncharted territories, and should inspire new bands to consider new ways to grow. Also check out the video for “Hurricane” below. –Dave Wolff
Scrolling through YouTube I happened to come upon the 2023 self titled release “Gut Juice” by Gut Juice! Featuring 7 short blasting yet groovy goregrind tracks this was super fresh, and it hit the spot with all the force of a shotgun blast!
This is some awesome D.I.Y. goregrind—raw enough, yet with enough clarity and decent production quality to warrant a few listens. The vocals are burping, bubbling and gurgling, the guitar is low and groovy and the drums are just about perfect! I am highly reminded of early Plasma and bands like Necro Tampon that graced Myspace in the early 2000’s!
For someone looking for something within the mainstream this might not be for you, but for those of you that like to indulge in goregrind of the “purest” form I’d suggest giving this a listen. This is another one from Gore Bubble Productions. I have heard a handful of releases from this label, and for me, everything I’ve heard has been “so good so far”! -Devin J. Meaney
Lineup:
Gore Bubble (Gorey Corey): Vocals, all instruments
Before NothingNew, Andrew C. Zinn was a member of the death/thrash band Head Not Found and a handful of other bands. Can interested parties listen to any of those bands via streaming?
Andrew C. Zinn (vocals, lyrics):Head Not Found is on Youtube but I can't say if anyone would care to hear it. Jerry Clayton was in a hardcore band called Stand Strong that did pretty well. Stand Strong is also the name of his record label. I looked up Stand Strong but didn't find anything. Jerry also played in a pop punk band called New Leaf.
How long has Jerry Clayton run Stand Strong Records? Is he assisted by a staff or does he handle everything on his own?
Jerry Clayton (guitar, bass): I started Stand Strong Records to release our music. I guess I’ve been doing it about two years or so. There is no staff, just me and anyone willing to help. We try to be as DIY as possible. Honestly it’s not much since we just do digital releases.
Does Stand Strong Records exclusively sign hardcore bands, or also bands of other genres? How many bands are currently with the label?
JC: I haven’t signed many bands. Honestly I just offered to help out one more band with recording and release. Mainly because they are friends and I already do it for us. They are in the writing phase now. When it’s done, if they decide to let me release it, they will be the second band on Stand Strong.
Who is Jerry assisting and how long has he known them? When and if the release is handled by Stand Strong, will hardcore fans be interested?
JC: I have known the members of NothingNew for well over twenty years and I have known the members of New Leaf around five or six years. I hope the listeners of Stand Strong will be interested in New Leaf’s songs. If I get to release it and since Stand Strong is so new and pretty much unheard of I think it will be okay. I don’t really want Stand Strong to just release one genre or another. I want to release good music no matter what the bands are doing.
Before NothingNew, what level of experience did Sean Lyons have with bands? Are you working with him for the first time?
Sean Lyons (guitar/bass): I have mostly jammed with friends or added guitar solos or parts to tracks recorded by friends. I briefly played with a heavy alternative rock band called Jericho Quick Stop in college. I’ve played as a member of a house band for stage productions. Jerry and I have been friends since high school so we have jammed together before. NothingNew is the first time we’ve done something together formally.
ACZ: I knew Jerry years before we started the band. I used to work at a mall; he would come in and we'd talk about music. We always discussed trying to start something, but we would be in other bands, or other things were going on and it never happened. That changed at an Eyehategod show we went to at The Knick in Birmingham, Alabama. We were there separately but it was weird because Birmingham was a pretty good drive for us both. We had the same conversation again but it was different because Jerry had been learning recording and how to use drum sims. He told me he could play everything and record it and I could do the vocals. That's where it started from. Sean is a childhood friend of Jerry’s. Jerry was looking to expand the possibilities of songwriting for NothingNew and to take some of the songwriting burden off his shoulders. He suggested Sean; if Jerry said he was good people, I knew it would work. Sean and I had talked a few times at shows or online but didn't know each other really well before he joined the band. He's been an amazing addition and he's my brother as much as Jerry.
In what ways has working with drum sims benefited Jerry's performance with the band?
JC: The drum sims benefit us in the way of using a perfect drummer. It’s perfectly in time at all times. It was used out of the fact that we didn’t have a drummer at first, and it let us record and release music without finding someone that might not have the same work ethic we do.
Can you tell me about the stage productions Sean was part of? How active was Jericho Quick Stop, did they intend to attract a larger audience or was it a local college band?
SL: It was just a couple of local theater productions from when I lived in the Muscle Shoals area. A coworker who was a drummer knew I played and connected me with the director. Jericho Quick Stop was fairly active with live appearances before I joined. They played original material but had not released anything, to my recollection. Unfortunately, shortly after I joined a couple of members decided to pursue other interests, so that basically ended the band.
NothingNew composes songs influenced by death and black metal, doom, sludge, and hardcore. Is there a way you mix these genres? If so, what steps are taken to make it unique?
SL: Personally, I don’t focus too much on genre when writing. Songs generally start with a riff that I’m excited about, and from there it’s about building around it in a way that makes musical sense. I’m inspired by bands more than genre, though the goal is to create something honest that sounds like us.
JC: I think our songs sound unique because we are the ones writing and playing them. Our band name comes from the idea that there is NothingNew in music. But I think when we have a song finished it’s going to sound like us. And that’s what makes it unique.
ACZ: Related to the mixing of different genres of metal, I've always mixed death, black, and hardcore guttural vocals to the songs. I feel using different vocal timbres helps keep the vocal delivery interesting throughout the song. And it adds more textures to the overall completed song. Also, the music itself started more with sludge, doom, and death/doom in the early days of the band. As we've gotten more comfortable and improved as musicians we've branched out some into other, more extreme, metal genres. We even did a full black metal EP. With Sean joining the band, we've moved into more thrash, hardcore, and death metal places in the music. However, we'll never abandon our doom and sludge roots. The slow and heavy will always be a major component of what we write.
How much of a unique sound are you striving to achieve? Are you close to reaching this goal?
JC: For me I don’t try super hard to be unique so much. I just try to find a sound I like, then see if the band likes it. As for different styles I just write what comes out that day. Sometimes it’s doom, sometimes it’s something else. A goal for this band is just to keep making good music and having fun with my friends.
SL: For me, I’m just trying to write music I would want to listen to. Like Jerry, I’m not consciously aiming for uniqueness. But I don’t think we’re copycats either. I think we sound like us even though our various influences are there. As long as we like what we’re doing, I expect it will continue in that direction.
Do your lyrics vary as much as your music? What are some topics or themes you've covered? For example, the lyrical content on your album “Blood From The Southern Sky” seems to stand out.
ACZ: Song lyrics for the band are generally stream of consciousness. They are purposefully left vague and open to interpretation. I prefer the listener to get from it what they need to. There have been few exceptions from that. We did a song called “Work to Death” that Jerry wanted a specific theme for lyrically, so that's what we did. The black metal EP is going to have black metal themes such as evil, darkness, and general anti-Christian sentiment. As a whole, I'd prefer not to force concepts down the listener’s throat. I'd like the lyrics to mean something different to everyone who hears them.
How has your band been received locally and on social media/streaming sites so far? What improvements have been made over the years?
JC: I think we do better on social media than locally. I feel with every release we gain a few more people that like what we do. So on all our albums we do all the mixing and producing ourselves. I do most of the recording. Now we can do our own parts at home. Mastering is also done by me. I just took up the recording side of it because I always wanted to learn. And I’m still learning as much as I can. I know I need to be a lot better. But it’s also night and day from the beginning of the band.
Exactly how much have you learned about recording? Does recording your own music make it closer to your vision that working with a producer?
JC: I learned a ton about recording from the beginning of the band till now. And I still learn every day. I think recording our own music does help with the vision of each album. I do tend to let outside people listen to our records after we’re done to give me ideas on how to make it better.
What equipment do you have available for recording, mixing, and mastering?
JC: I’m always trying new VSTs and sims. Different DAWs as well. I and Sean are always looking at new guitars. I have found a lot of things I like to use for mixing and mastering, but new VSTs come out all the time I check out. Right now we use Reaper for the DAW and a MOTU m4 for my interface. We used a ton of different amp sims for amps and Superior Drummer 3 for drums, a few different EQs and reverbs for finishing and Ozone to help with mastering.
Does the band prefer a raw or polished sound, or does it depend on the song or the album?
JC: The sound of the band changes song by song. If the song needs to have a rawer sound we do that. If it needs to be polished we do that.
Describe the process of creating your full-length “In This Together”. Did the band mix and produce the album independently or did you hire professionals?
JC: We recorded and mixed this ourselves. This is the album Sean joined on. This album we recorded and I was not happy with it. I felt like my solo playing should have been a lot better. Sean’s solo playing is nearly perfect so we asked him to join.
Your full-length “Wretched Paths” featured covers of Black Sabbath, Sepultura, Joy Division, Superjoint Ritual, and Darkthrone. What was the process of selecting songs and adding your own touch?
JC: We each picked a few we liked and thought would sound good done by us. As far as adding our own touch, I just did the songs as I’d do any NothingNew song.
ACZ: Choosing the cover songs for “Wretched Paths” was really some give and take. Jerry picked some, Sean picked some, I picked some, and we picked some together. Satyricon and Darkthrone are the only ones I'm positive I picked on my own. There were a few songs that really made me step out of my comfort zone. Honestly, I may have butchered some of those beloved songs, and if I did, I apologize to anyone I've offended. I swear I did try my best. On the flip side, doing covers is good for musicians because it gets them out of their comfort zone. It can get you out of a musical rut and try new things which you may even apply to your primary music. This allows you to grow as an artist.
The vocals on your cover of Sepultura's “Refuse/Resist” are spot on and one might mistake them for Max Cavalera's. How long did it take you to record it so accurately?
JC: The Sepultura song was honestly pretty quick. I’ll let Andrew talk about the vocals. The one thing I will say about the musicianship is Sean recorded that song in one take. He had that solo down perfectly and nailed it one take.
SL: Thank you for the kind words. As Jerry said, the guitar tracks were done in one take, even the guitar solo. I can be pretty obsessive over recording solos, so I was proud of that one. Sepultura is one of my favorite bands. I’ll also add that “Refuse/Resist” was the catalyst for me joining NothingNew. Jerry texted me and asked if I’d be interested in playing the solo, and the rest is history. In retrospect, I’m glad I did a good job, haha.
ACZ: In reference to the Sepultura cover, they are a band I used to practice with a lot over the years. I don't know if many vocalists would admit it, but doing karaoke in the car is how I keep up my vocal chops because we don't practice like a band who does shows. Crowbar, Pantera, and Sepultura are bands I've done a lot of karaoke with. Particularly Crowbar. With that said, “Refuse/Resist” was one I worked with before.
Your rendition of Black Sabbath's “Children of the Grave” is rawer and more stripped down, like doom metal in its root form. In addition, it was arranged in a slightly different manner.
JC: The Black Sabbath song was actually done for a comp that was released a couple of years before “Wretched Paths” came out. So the recording is rawer because I wasn’t as good. Plus I found the actual Bill Ward drum track and used that. The reason it was arranged differently was because of time issues. We got behind on time and had to kinda rush it to finish. And I honestly love it. It is very fitting for NothingNew.
Your diverse range makes you ideal for this webzine, which has covered a wide variety of genres. When conducting interviews, do you seek zines that do the same?
JC: As far as interviews go I’m always excited to talk to anyone that’s interested in the band.
SL: I’ll talk to anyone about the band as well. I think because of our sound we would primarily attract interviews from like-minded publications or people, but I’m open to anyone.
ACZ: We appreciate anyone, and not just interviewers who take interest in what we do. And thank you for taking the time to speak with us. I don't foresee us turning down any publication for an interview any time soon, regardless of that journalist's specific genre focus.
As you continue to experiment as musicians, would you consider releasing another album of covers? What does NothingNew have in mind for their release?
JC: As for another covers album, it would be a long time from now. We would get a few more releases out there before I’d want to do another covers album. Right now we have “Wreathed in Bone” coming out on December 15, 2023. We are working on videos and things like it. Then we start the next album.
SL: If we ever do more covers, I think it would be either a one-off or an EP. I’m excited about “Wreathed in Bone”. We worked hard on it, and it was a long time coming. Beyond that, I’m excited to continue writing new music.
ACZ: As far as covers go, I'd have to agree with Sean when answering with my gut. I would think it would be a song or two here and there, but I don't feel like we would commit to a cover album in the near future.
How do you envision NothingNew's long-term impact on underground music? Are you beginning to have that impact or do you have a way to go?
JC: I can’t say about our impact in underground music personally. I just enjoy making friends and releasing music. I hope we are liked and people listen.
SL: I haven’t thought too much about our impact. I just hope people check us out and dig the songs.
ACZ: Our impact on the music underground is impossible for me to quantify. When you do something creative, you have no idea how many people it reaches, the impact, and how it affects the rest of the art community. My approach is, I work hard to put out a product the three of us are happy with and we release it to the world. What the world chooses to do with it is out of our hands. I can only hope it impacts others in some positive way.
Antania is the new project featuring Dr. Luna who helmed the metal/synth/industrial/electro project Luna 13 from 2015 to the present. Luna 13 wasn't a project that sounded like anything else nor one that could be categorized.
Borrowing from everyone from Voivod and Celtic Frost to David Bowie and Sisters of Mercy to Prodigy and Aphez Twins, the duo of Luna and Lilith released a series of albums that dragged you out of your comfort zone and left you trembling from their eccentricity and derangement.
However scant, the separate parts that prompted their direction contributed to a whole with potential to become huge. Sticking to formula was never a constraint for them as they could find new methods of channeling their concept.
In the context of a new project based on true crime stories, naming it after a term connoting beauty, grace, regality, and strength seems kind of peculiar. The vision that began with the first Luna 13 album is nonetheless restructuring and metamorphosing, heading into doom metal territory with pronounced accentuation on bass guitars, distortion, synths and droning scales. It becomes apparent that “Lividity” is not like anything you’ve listened to, and the sense of unsound apprehension previously established is heightened exponentially.
A few ways to describe their sound have surfaced since this album’s release; the band commonly refers to it as doom bass. This sounds like a way to sum up Antania’s direction without revealing too much about the recorded tracks; this comes when you listen for yourself. To some extent, death metal bands could convey the serial killer mindset, giving some insight into what motivates them.
In place of studying such mindsets and attempting to express them in words, Antania conveys mental states of agitation, despondency, horror, and the loss of all senses of right and wrong as pure sensation. Rather than presenting an intellectual analysis of man's darkest impulses, they depict instinctual distress and fear, creating a narrative style that is felt rather than thought out.
With crushing, discordant instrumentation, accompanied by tense keyboard notes, industrial echoes, and robotic sounds, "Lividity" evokes the notion of the human mind breaking down beyond repair, as if you were looking through the killer's eyes, experiencing what the killer is experiencing. As an observer, you are aware that you're not too far gone and you'll emerge as sane as when you entered. Still, "Lividity" is the closest you can get to understanding the macabre events exposed in the media. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Kali Mortem: Vocals
Dr. Luna: Synthesizers, guitar distortion pedals, sub-bass
With “Poetica”, Uruguayan band Upon Shadows showcases the black flowers they planted blossoming ever wider with all their dramatic charm and seduction, edging their music ever closer into the realm of art.
Several reviewers who wrote for Asphyxium were profoundly moved by Upon Shadows’ dark magic in some way. In example, Daniel Ryan’s review of “Modern Obscurantism”, points out that people achieve self-mastery by looking deeply within and finding where the lines between disobedience and virtue fade and eventually disappear altogether. Finding the place where you become your own master is what I picked up from his writing about the band. At least, that’s how I personally relate to it.
Upon Shadows’ core members, Tamara Picardo and Natalia Arocena, have grown closer as musicians and vocalists through working and interacting with each other more deeply. Listening to their innermost voices, discovering how they relate to one another, they are becoming a more cohesive unit. As a result they’re greatly improving their ability to entice you into their world. A world where there is still beauty in the darkest depths of the mind that seem the most desolate.
Since I haven't listened to their older work in some time, I decided to give “7 Stages of Grief” and a couple other albums another listen to see how far they’ve come. Compared to black or gothic metal, “7 Stages” has more in common with experimental ambient/classical music. But this along with “Between the Southern Cross & the Northern Star” and “Modern Obscurantism” demonstrated Picardo and Arocena's willingness to take chances rather than rehashing the same formula.
Having heard those albums again, I'm struck by how elaborate “Poetica” is in terms of musical and vocal arrangements, songwriting and melody, and production, and how actively involved they are in bringing their ideas to life. Bringing new dimensions to their starless nocturnal craft is an extended process of numerous years, not something abruptly sprung into between releases. As a result they lay it out that remaining lightless and solemn is not a limitation if one can elaborate on it.
As I first listened, I noticed a greater emphasis on guitars complementing keyboards and vice versa, building a multilayered song structure. The lone piano begins the album with overlapping keyboard sounds, followed by guitars before moving into the first song “Written in Blood” that demonstrates the shades of expression characteristic of this recording. As the lyrics are becoming more illustrative of the stories they tell, the songs become more like acts in a stage production or a living novel.
These lyrics personify the balance between disobedience and virtue, illumination and shadowiness, life and death, through tales of implementing impermissible witchery, exploring nature’s cycle when all is cold and barren, and the primordial serpent from which all diablerie originates. In essence this creates a balance between black metal imagery and traditional witchcraft, besides one between perdition and enlightenment. To embrace it all is to reach virtue through disobedience to religious doctrine.
Did I mention how the musicianship enhances these perceptions of light and dark in a way that the band had not yet come close to? The dual melodic and raspy vocals also help contribute to the coexistence of desolation and beauty. There is a line in the song “Chants of the Serpent” that drives home this dualistic contrast: “farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear”. In some ways, it’s the summation of the statement made by the entire album. In the end, the journey taken leads to enlightenment.
Do yourself a favor and take a moment to read what other writers have said about Upon Shadows. And if you have time, listen to a track or two from their past releases when taking a look at their latest. –Dave Wolff
After finding a review posted at Metal Digest (the link was posted at the Facebook profile of Billy Nocera of Razorback Records and Evilspeak magazine) I was inspired to listen to this album and see what I thought of it.
Adam McCann of Metal Digest described Vaultwraith as taking a flamethrower to the template of underground/old school metal to blacken the edges. I see his point while listening to the band firsthand, and would also describe them as dousing the template in napalm and allowing it to settle for a time, so it’s exposed, inflamed and a little bloody.
If Witchery, Nifelheim and Deatwitch (along with Deceased and Toxic Holocaust) are commonly on your playlist, “Decomposing Spells” is something pulsing with horror, theatrics and a fondness for its craft. Unapologetically old school and brutal, unconcerned with toning anything down or pursuing anything in vogue, Vaultwraith is a blackened heavy metal band through and through.
The band has made impressions of channeling the music they matured with since their first demo in 2016 and their debut full length “Death Is Proof of Satan's Power” in 2017. “Decomposing Spells” epitomizes their adamancy at writing and recording to come across as raw, animated, explosive and in your face, it adds just enough harmony, keyboards and atmosphere to etch its own mark.
The cover art suggests a typical approach to dark power metal, but once you hear the songs you’ll perceive something far more profound. With lyrics reeking of occultic horror fantasy spewed by vocalist Esteban Walpurgis like a despoiler of vital life force from the most bottomless perdition, or Nosferatu awakened from his coffin, the band companionably escort you to crumbling, creaking manor dwellings, then lock you inside to observe the unsanctified occurrences within.
In the world Vaultwraith constructs there’s little light and more than enough mystery to compel your curiosity to stay. They also have a personalized process integrating heaviness, tunefulness, resonance, trepidation and alarm into a style that transforms their roots into something to distinguish as their own. “Decomposing Spells” is a seamless example of playing what you feel and spawning something honest and unspoiled. Support the band and their label; it's deserved. –Dave Wolff
Interview with Scott Rowe of Redrumed by Dave Wolff
Redrumed has existed for a long time and boasts a massive track record. Tell the readers about your biggest accomplishments to date and how much publicity the band is getting?
Redrumed started as my solo band, coming off my Alice Cooper tribute which I retired after thirty years. The band played our first gig with Scott Rowe (vocals) on November 10, 2018 at Chopper John's. Last year I decided we should be a band, being that Matthew Taylor (drums, vocals) and Rob Erwin (bass, vocals) have been with me for four years, and Anthony “Doc” Tarantino (lead guitar, vocals) for three, and the name is easier to say. This past year or so, we've been recording with Tommy Gibbons at KMS Studios and he really helped us achieve our sound and be the band we wanted to be! Tommy was definitely a game changer for us! Our biggest accomplishment.... now we’ll just see what the future brings us.
Which songs by Alice Cooper were you covering in the tribute band you had before Redrumed? How often did this band play out while you were together?
My Alice Cooper tribute show is a legacy here in Arizona. It lasted from October 1990 to October 2020. I've been called the valley's founding father of copycat rock by Get Out Magazine in 2000. I retired it on its thirtieth Anniversary. I worked with Michael Bruce who wrote and played in the original Alice Cooper band. He was everything to me in the beginning, but that's another story. There are too many songs to list.
Your bio mentions when you started working with Redrumed, you wanted to avoid cover bands and play original music. When did you decide this and for what reasons?
Too many people want to be somebody else nowadays. On one end of the spectrum, I'm sorry for creating the tribute band scene here in Arizona. After doing someone's music for thirty years on and off, it gets old, I mean really old. You have to be on the road constantly to make a living. Where does that get you in the end? Not a damn thing! I didn’t want to fall into that! On the other end of the spectrum, I had a great run; it was a lot of fun! Besides getting to work with Michael Bruce, I was hired by Alice Cooper himself a few times, and played his restaurant many times. I got to do gigs bands only wished they could do. But if I wanted to do anything serious in music, I had to drop the Alice Cooper tribute, period! Run as far as I could! I always loved the dark side of music! I even created my own character with makeup, Silver*Tongue*Devil* which I got rid of over two years ago! No makeup at all now, we want to be more like Pantera!
What was it like to work directly with Alice Cooper and perform at his restaurant? To your knowledge, is it true that he feeds the homeless each year, around Thanksgiving or Christmas?
At Alice Cooper's opening back in December 1998 they needed a bass player. Alice Cooper, Neil Smith and Michael Bruce were going to do a reunion, and I said I had my bass player from my Alice Cooper tribute band and I could do an opening set. It was a really good night. I did some other shows including the Glen Buxton memorial. I remember in October 1999 we played on the same bill with the original Alice Cooper band.
Actually Alice still opens his restaurant before Christmas. He has all the kids from the orphanage come down and has cartoons on TV screens. I got to help serve food with Alice through friends. I talked to one about what a mentor Alice was. That was back in 2003, I think.
Redrumed’s bio states you started playing heavy rock and moved towards playing metal. You describe yourselves as “unapologetic melodic death life metal”. Describe your transition from rock to metal and explain what the term means to the band.
In the beginning we wanted to be the band we are now, but it took time. A mere hard rock band wanting to be a semi death metal band. Death/life metal came to me recently to describe our music. We covered Slayer’s “Dead Skin Mask” to help us in the early years, along with The Damned’s “New Rose”, which we still do here and there. Also Megadeth’s “Symphony of Destruction” and Amon Amarth's “Pursuit of Vikings”. We basically combined metal with death metal and some punk and there you have it! You'll hear our influences, but we don't sound like anybody!
What bands has Tommy Gibbons of KMS Studios worked with before working with Redrumed, and how has his experience brought out the band’s qualities? Do you generally find his ideas compatible with yours?
We have each song recorded one by one. We now have nine songs and are recording the tenth on November 26, then our album will be finished. Tommy Gibbons was in Flaw and Tantric, then he decided to step away and produce bands. He is our Bob Ezrin and he knows metal.
What methods has Gibbons used to help the band develop their sound? What equipment does he have at his disposal?
We don't do anything really special. We just go in a hundred per cent and lay down our tracks in four to five hours, and Tommy does the rest. This will be our first album ever. We have eight songs out now, but no one will hear the other two, “In the Key of Me” and “Mortified Mortification”, till the album comes out.
You have also gained exposure by playing with L.A Guns and Soulfly. In what way did you obtain these opening slots and what was the size of the venues where you performed?
We opened for a few national bands at The Marquee Theatre here in Phoenix, with Scott Rowe and Redrum. It was five years ago when we played with L.A. Guns. And coming up on four years when we opened for Soulfly in January 2020. It was Doc's first gig, and debut of “The Boogie Man Will Get You”. From there we started to slowly morph into what we are now!
In what ways do you expect the album to be an improvement for the band?
Our music is maturing as we go. Our first three years together was my old material with my previous band “Twelve Inch Tacks” which fell apart. When Doc entered the picture, that's when it changed. This past year and a half working with Tommy Gibbons was the icing on the cake!
You mentioned that Tommy Gibbons sang on "Pursuit of Vikings" and his performance left an impression on you. Can you discuss the time when he asked to offer the band support that way?
It was just once for me. I just wanted to be a performer so Tommy Gibbons said he wanted to do a little back up on “Pursuit of Vikings”. He did a great job of producing and I can't wait for everybody to hear it.
Who in the band is the lyric writer, and by what process are the lyrics written?
I write the lyrics… they just come to me out of nowhere. Sometimes I find myself with a pen and I can't stop writing. I started on a song about being a vampire, and all of sudden out of left field I wrote entirely different song lyrics and had it halfway done. A few days later, the band was messing around and there it was! By the week after I had the lyrics finished. It's called “Death on Borrowed Time”. It's about the Grim Reaper taking time out to find true love, and no one can die until he does! Musically, it has a Ministry “feel”. We'll be debuting it at Too Broke for Pudding #8 on December 8.
Name some of the singles you released to preview the album before its release, and indicate in general how the response to them has been?
We just released “Shelter Skelter” which has been getting a positive response! It’s the first song I sing out of the gate after the instrumental intro! “The Boogie Man will Get You!” seems to be a staple in our set. It’s very entertaining to perform live! I just adore “Black Sunday Domination” for which I wrote the lyrics off the 1960 Italian horror movie “Black Sunday”. The second part of the song is an ode to Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Abbott [Pantera], and dedicated to our backup singer Rickie Broeker who passed away early last January.
What is the storyline of “Black Sunday” and what aspects of it did you wish to convey in “Black Sunday Domination”? You mentioned that storytelling plays an important role in your lyrics. What techniques do you use to convey a story?
I was watching the movie and the lyrics basically wrote themselves. I love the second part of Pantera's “Domination” and for some reason it slid its way in. It's also dedicated to Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Abbott, and Rickie Broker. We had Selene Shiloh come in and recreated her vocals for the track.
Selene Shiloh designed the artwork for the album. Tell the readers how you arranged for her to design for you. What arrangements did you make for her to sing backup on "Black Sunday Domination"?
Selene is the singer of Trixie & The Ego Machine. She took the word "redrum" and added the crooked –ed to redesign it. She recreated Rickie Broeker's vocal on “Black Sunday Domination” and did a few shows with us as our back singer/muse.
Your song “Exacerbated” is about Dorothy Kilgallen, the New York journalist who investigated John F. Kennedy’s assassination and mysteriously turned up dead. What intrigued you about her story and the conspiracy theories, if any, surrounding Kennedy’s death?
I stumbled upon Dorothy Kilgallen by accident. One Youtube video from Mark Shaw is really intriguing; I listened more and more to what he had to say as he talked about his books. I did some more research and found an article with the word ‘exacerbated’ in it. I figured it meant her death was brought on by alcohol and meds, like Marilyn Monroe. I actually started writing that song a few years ago when I used to work for Office Depot. I was just kind of sitting there and the lyrics started popping my head. I started writing it down right then and there. We first recorded it under Scott Rowe and Redrum, our first ever time working with Tommy Gibbons. I read a comment on Youtube asking why isn't "Exacerbated" on Metal Mainstream Radio?
How did you come to partner with SelfMadeRecordsLLC for publicity and promotion? Since you began contacting the label, how have they treated the band?
I do believe our name come across their desk with “Shelter Skelter”. When they heard “Pursuit of Vikings” he asked us if we wanted to sign.
SelfMadeRecordsLLC will distribute your album through Earache Digital Distribution when it is released by SelfMadeRecordsLLC. What is the expected extent of the band's fan base expansion?
As far as the release, hopefully it will have the Quiet Riot effect on the world. I've been telling that to my boys the last few months. Last night's gig, the soundman played Quiet Riot’s “Cum on Feel the Noize”, their cover of Slade, right before we went on. I was thinking the same thing Ken Howey said, “Maybe it's an omen.” The soundman had no clue.
Are there any additional plans for the band to make a name for themselves, anything you would like to tell your listeners?
On December 19 we are having a special listening party in honor of my late wife Ronda on the second anniversary of her passing.
With Garrett Wang, Aeon Cruz, Heath C. Heine, Amanda Rhodes, Heidi Rowan, Greg Farinelli, Cali June, Dalena Nguyen
Produced by ETK Entertainment and The Gam3
Distributed by Uncork'd Entertainment
Released September 13, 2019 (KaPow Intergalactic Film Festival)
At the height of a very boring day I decided to watch a movie. As per usual I made my way to Tubi, and although I was feeling like something cheesy I wasn’t aiming for horror. After a brief search I made my way to “Monster Force Zero”, a low budget “sci-fi hero comedy” (that is the only way I can describe it).
First and foremost I will throw it out there that this was listed as PG, but it actually had loads of adult humor and cursing and stuff. Secondly, this was actually pretty damn rad! There were dinosaurs, aliens, super heroes, robots, and a slew of other things that can be described as “up my alley”! No, the script wasn’t uber professional and the acting was amateurish at best, but in the long run it was filmed pretty well! I find it hard to find movies that draw me in (the same as books) but this for sure is something I would watch again with friends!
I’d go into further detail but I feel as if a better way to consume the story would be to watch the movie yourself. If you have any interest in “well done” B- grade humorous stuff I’d say give it a go. I was never one for the more mainstream super hero movies, but this had loads to keep me entertained—and I’d make a stab that you might find it to be something that entertains as well! -Devin J. Meaney
NothingNew’s album "In This Together" had lots of metal hardcore undertones in their music this is a pure metal band with a mix of genre and elements in their musical abilities in all of their songs. Each song takes you on a different path leading to so many different levels of emotions in every song; it was very unique. Some songs had a very old school death doom vibe, in some of the beginnings of their songs, and from there just got heavier. The singing reminds me of early Crowbar. If you have a unique tastebud this band is for you. –Gene Olivarri
Format: Digital, jewel box CD (limited to 500 copies)
Label: Satanath Records (Georgia). Co-released with Australis Records (Chile), Pluton's Rising Productions (Poland), The End Of Time Records (Ireland)
Release date: June 30, 2023
Serpens Lvx is insanely impressive with this album. I was very taken back by the sound of the tone. The quality the writing of the songs was amazing. Serpens Lvx is indeed a Black/Death torturing machine from the very depths of hell. The sound produced by this band is breathtaking such epicness with every song throughout the album. The ideas of the drum beats were something to my ears, a new and very different approach. The bass as well was sharp as a demon's blade soaring through the music. The guitars were so amazingly done; lots of unique riffing and timings. The tone of the guitars was completely different and tasteful. –Gene Olivarri
Lineup:
Tzinacan: Vocals, lyrics
Vorronah: All instruments
Track list:
1. Raping the 7 Mothers ov Kaoz (Point of Ingress)
2. Tzinakankamazotz (Aztec Vampyrism)
3. I Am the Adversary (Impii Irreligiosi Carnivoribus Immortalibus)
4. Gnosis Cipactli Tiamat
5. Salve la muerte!
6. Anticosmic Eroticism (Sexual Black Light Magick)
7. Formulation of Qayin
8. Stabbing the Eye of the Sun
9. Set-Typhon in Apep (Quetzalcoatl Decapitated)
10. Dehexecrated Graveyard of Galaxies
11. Tlazolteotl Mantra (Point of Egress) (Instrumental)
