Metal Bul l eti nZi ne#54www.metalbulletin.blogspot.com August 2015www.twitter.com/MetalBulletinZnwww.fuglymaniacs.com (issues online, videos, ) ZandelleLeather Leone (Chastain, Sledge Leather) Axemaster SuspendedSoradraFedra

bands from Washington state: Rutah, Inquinok album reviews, news, updates One Machine, Arcturus, My Refuge, Morbid Slaughter, Suspended, Satanika, Evil Force, Secret Sphere, Tentation, Cattle Decapitation, Mongol Metal: Tengger Cavalry / Nine Treasures / Ego Fall, DarkTribe, Goat Torment, Ogotay, Kaledon, Antropofago, Norylsk, Deathwhite, Fedra, Gutter Instinct, Soradra,free metal music Cra!nula, Eldertale, Dead Conception, Hereditary Metal Bulletin Zine P.O. Box 1339 Lake Stevens WA 98258 www.facebook.com/pages/The-Metal-Bulletin-paper-zine Metal Bulletin Zine #1-20:(2006-2009):Wisconsin #21-26: (2009-2010): Texas #27(2010)--now; Washington state - metal programs(these are Pacific Times) Mosh Pit (Madison, WI): Monday night 9:30pm-12amWORT 89.9 fm www.wortfm.org SweetNightmares(Houston,TX):Thursday night 9pm-12amKPFT 90.1 fm www.kpft.org ExcuseAlltheBlood(Olympia,WA):Friday night 11pm-1am www.kaosradio.org MetalShop(Seattle,WA):Saturday11pm-3am KISW 99.9fmwww.kisw.com bands from Washington state Rutah Rutahisanextrememetalbandfrom Spokane, Washington state.According to the band bio: Formedinthesummerof1999,Rutahwasa group of friends that wanted to listen and play extrememetal,sothebandwasformedand hasbeengoingstrongsince.Overtheyears wehavehadtheprivilagetoplaywithmany great bands local and international and have hadsomegreatshowsontourandathome. Our goal as a band is to stay true to what we startedoutas,aextrememetalbandthat doesnotchangetofitthepopulartrendsof thetime,buttoplaythemusicweloveand thewaywelovetoplayit,HEAVY,FAST, LOUD!! The discography is: Hate from Days Long Past2005 Welcome to the End of Days2007A Place of Outer Darkness2012 Thebandhassomefreedownloadson ReverbNation.TheyarealsoonFacebook and Twitter. Ifyouwouldliketohearmoreofthis Washingtonstatemetaldefinitelygoto ReverbNation,astheyhavesomesongson there. www.reverbnation.com/rutah www.facebook.com/pages/Rutah/442544779100745 www.twitter.com/RutahBand contact: rutah_666@hotmail.com Inquinok Ifyouhavenotheardthisblackmetalentity, youllbesurprisedtofindoutthatthe recordingonBandcampisfree/name-your-price.Itsabitsurprisingbecauseitisafull-lengthalbum,Inquinoksthird,Dimensionof I. The discography is: Shadows Amongst the Moonlight2002 Entranced by Twilight's Gaze2006 Immortal Dawn2009 Dimension of I2013 track list for Dimension of I: 1.Shrouded in Chaos04:45 2.King 06:293.Illusion04:57 4.Dominion04:09 5.Dimension of I07:593 6.Banner05:49 7.Shattered07:078.Tormented Skies05:45 9.Engines Defined08:12 total time:55:12 This is the bands bio: Inquinokisanepic,melodicextrememetal bandoutofSeattle,Washington.Theband was founded in the summer of 2000 by Krelian and had its first full lineup in May of 2001. Inquinokreleasedtheirdemoentitled ShadowsAmongstTheMoonlightin2003 whichfeaturedfourverydarkand atmospheric tracks. The demo received much praisefromfansofextrememetalandmetal ingeneralandwasreviewedpositivelyin severalmagazine/websitesincludingMetal Maniacs.Thebandplayedmanyshows beforegoingintothestudiotorecordtheir debutalbum,includingsupportingbands suchasCannibalCorpse,Incantationand Sadus. InquinoksdebutalbumentitledEntranced By Twilights Gaze was released in January of 2006.EntrancedByTwilightsGazefeatured tensongs,showcasinggreatsongwritingand musicianshipaswellasexcellentsolowork fromthennewleadguitaristMordred.The albumestablishedInquinokasapromising new metal act and a band to look out for. In early 2007, the new lineup was fully realized. The band's lineup became Krelian on vocals & rhythmguitars,Mordredonlead&rhythm guitar,Kythvingonbass,andTormentoron drums.Inquinokhadbecomemore aggressiveanddarkerthenever,partlydue totheadditionofTormentorsfastandbrutal drumstyle.Thebandshowcasedtheirnew materialatvariousshowsincludingtheir headliningoftheNorthwestDeathfestin2007 andsupportingsuchbandsMayhem, Nachtmystium,WolvesInTheThroneRoom and Enslaved. In 2010, Inquinok released a single 'Tormented Skies'beforestartingworkontheir3rdalbum whichwouldbecalled'DimensionofI'. 'DimensionofI'whichfeatured9brandnew trackswasreleaseddigitallyinJanuary2013. Aftertakingabreakafterthereleasetowork onsomeotherprojects(ShadedEnmity, Somnae)thebandwillbereturninginfull force for live shows and a 4th album. Hear/download the music here: www.inquinok.bandcamp.comwww.reverbnation.com/inquinok www.facebook.com/Inquinok ** REVIEWS All album reviews, news, updates below are by MMB, unless stated otherwise. One Machine: The Final Cull (Scarlet Records) Warning: Do not check your brain at the door. YouwillneeditforOneMachine!Ifyouhate high-pitched heavy metal singing, move on. If youabhorprogmetalthatrequiresseveral listensandneedsfortheaudiencetomake an effort to understand the music, you should also move on. OneMachineismidtempo/uptempo, chuggy,proggymetalwithanaggro/thrash poundingheaviness,andwithboth 4 aggro/angry shouted vocals and air-raid-siren singing,likefusingshreddermetalwith SymphonyX,NevermoreandCowboys-era Pantera,withtheaggroofayoungPhil Anselmo and the high screams of Rob Halford. Forthesolosthebandunleashesmajor fretboard action upon the ears of the listener. GuitarmaestroSteveSmyth,whoaccording toMetalArchivesisoriginallyfromthegreat stateofTexas,U.S.andnowlivesingreyand rainyLondon,U.K.,firstcametopeoples attention through his work with Vicious Rumors and Testament, and then perhaps most visibly withSeattleskingsofmiseryandself-loathing metalNevermore.Mr.Smythhasdonework otherprojects,suchasForbiddenand Dragonlord,andothernames,too,butthose are some of the most well known for the metal music public. AfewyearsagoMr.Smythrevealedanew monsterthatheandfellowconspiratorshad beenfrankensteininginthemadlaboratory: OneMachine.In2014theybroughtoutthe behemothknownasTheDistortionofLies andtheOverdrivenTruth,aworkthatwasa marriagebetweenclassicmetalandmodern metal,comingacrossasprog/thrashymetal, heavy,yetstillmelodic.Now,onSeptember 18th, they unveil The Final Cull. Inmyopinion,thefirstalbumwasastrong exhibition of hard work and dedication, by an experiencedteamthatexpectsthatthe listeneriswillingtoputsomeeffortintothe music. The band seems impossible to limit to a categoryorlabel,andthisnewalbum demonstratesonceagainthatthemusicis the result of experience. MikkelSandager,theformervocalistfor Mercenary,isnolongerwithOneMachine, either. In his place we find Chris Hawkins, who isanewnametome.Thebandhasanew rhythmsection,StefanoSelvatico(bass)and MicheleSanna(drums).JamieHunt(guitars) andSteveSmyth,accordingtoMetal Archives,havebeeninOneMachinesince 2008.Thefirstalbumfrom2014wasabit overwhelmingattimes,tome.Alittletoo heavy-handed on the prog/thrash, perhaps a bittoomuchmusic-for-musicians,soIwas lookingforwardtohearingthenewmaterial to see if I would understand it better. Sincethisisthesecondtimearoundforme,I wasmorepreparedforthehighskilled combinationofprogmetalandmodern metal,thatparticularconcoctionthatisOne Machine.Ihearthemelodiesalotmorethis timearound.Or,maybethealbumismore melodic?Thesongstructureshaveabitofa twist to them, providing the sensation that this banddoesnotsoundlikeanyotherband rightnow.Theguitarscanbefluid,butthey candigdownandgetheavyandchuggy, too. Add the variety of vocals of high and low, and the picture of versatility comes into focus ratherwell.Itmaysoundabitstrangeatfirst, duetothevariouselementsofprog,thrash, traditional,modernandgroovemetal,butall of it put together adds up to One Machine. Asforme,thisnewalbumhasbeenagood transition.IunderstandOneMachineabit better now, and thats a good thing because thealbumsoundslikealotofhardwork.Mr. SmythandMr.Huntwillprobablyget tendonitisinthefuture,andMr.Hawkinsis mostly likely still in the hospital getting therapy forthedestructionofhisvocalchordsduring therecordingofthisalbum.Iwishforgood health for everyone in the band! www.facebook.com/OneMachineOfficial www.feedtheonemachine.com www.twitter.com/one_machine 5 review by Matt Spall, Man of Much Metal Arcturus:Arcturian(Prophecy Productions) Year Of Release: 2015 Idiosynchraticallybeautiful.Thesearetwo wordsthathavestuckwithmefornearly20 yearsandwhichIrecallalmosteverytimeI hearorreadthenameArcturus.Thesewords were quoted on an advert for the Norwegian bands1997release,LaMasquerade InfernalewithinanissueofeitherTerrorizeror MetalHammermagazine;Icantremember which.WhatIdorememberwasthatIwas deeplyintoastageofblackmetaldiscovery at the time and this quote resonated with me for some reason. I took the punt and received thealbumasaChristmaspresent.Itwasnt loveatfirstlisten;insteaditwasaslowand steadyslogthathasendedinalastingand deeploveaffair.ItwasthetrackAdAstra thatwasthecatalystforrepeatlistens.Fullof drama,avant-gardevaudevillianoddness and a compelling crescendo, it impressed me andforcedmetolistentotheremainderof thealbummorethanperhapsImight otherwise have done. Itisarguablethatintheinterveningyears, Arcturushavenevermanagedtohitthe heightsofLaMasqueradeInfernale.Neither 2002sTheShamMirrorsnorSideshow Symphoniesspoketomeinthesameway anddespitecontainingsomeoutstanding moments,Icameawaybothtimeswith feelings of slight disappointment. And that, as theysaywasthat.Intermsoforiginalstudio albums,nothinghasbeenreleasedsince; indeedafterthereleaseofShipwreckedin Oslo in 2006, the band called it quits with the individualmembersgoingontododifferent things. And so it has remained until now. Rumourswererifefromaround2011when variousmembersmadecommentsthat alludedtoaresurrectionofthebandand laterthatyeartherumourswereconfirmed. However,foronereasonoranotherithas taken until 2015 for a new original recording to seethelightofday,adevelopmentthathas beengreetedwithgreateuphoriaamongst the loyal Arcturus following. Arcturusversion2015iscomprisedofSteinar SverdJohnsen(keys),Hellhammer(drums), KnutMagneValle(guitar),HughSkoll Mingay(bass)andICSVortex(vocals). Together,theyhavecreatedanalbumvery much worthy of their lofty status and one that Iwouldarguejustaboutmanagestomatch thequalityofLaMasqueradeInfernale.The onlyreasonIhedgemybetsandsayjust aboutisbecauseIveonlyhadaboutthree dayswithArcturianasopposedtothe18 yearsIvehadtoenjoyLaMasquerade Infernale. That said, Ive listened to Arcturian moretimesthanIcaretomentioninrecent days and it gives me chills on each and every listen.Itiscomplex,quirky,brilliantly composedandprofessionallyexecuted.I have no doubt that with even more time and attention,itlldelightandcaptivatemeeven more than it does already. The one thing that perhaps I wasnt expecting wasthesheeramountofmelodyand accessibilitythatArcturiandisplays.Itsno exaggerationtosaythatforallofthe 6 complexityandrawheaviness,almostevery trackonthealbumcontainsamelody,lead vocal or some kind of hook that makes me sit upandtakerealnotice.WhenIlistentonew music,Ihaveatendencytomakeanoooh noiseandsmilebroadlyifsomethingexcites me.Isuspectthattherewillbesomeofyou outtherewhodosomethingsimilar.On Arcturian,Iadmittoooh-ingalloverthe place. Oneofmainreasonswhythisalbumfeelsso melodicandaccessibleis,Ibelievedownto vocalist ICS Vortex. Yes he is an acquired taste butsouniqueishisdeliveryandsoimpressive is his range that seemingly very little is off-limits. Hecomplementsthemusicbeautifully, managing sound both majestic but also a little unstable, as if he could spiral out of control at anymoment.Imean,attimes,hesoundslike hes yodelling for heavens sake; its superb. Ontothecompositionsthemselves,theyare all dense, multi-layered affairs that contain an abundanceofrichness.Therearenosongs that tend to extend over six minute mark and yet,suchistheambitionofArcturusthatit feelslikeamilliondifferentideasareinjected into each composition, testing the listener and toyingwiththemateveryturn.Istrongly suspect that this has been done with a certain playful,yetmischievousintent.Thosestrong Vaudervillianovertonesofthebandspast makeawelcomereturn,asdoanumberof various influences that pull Arcturus away from beingsimplydiscardedasablackmetal band.AstheydemonstrateonArcturian, thereareelementsofblackmetaltotheir underlyingsoundbuttheydeliversomuch morethattopigeonholetheminsuchaway would be inaccurate and disingenuous. Openingtrack,TheArcturianSign,startsoff somewhatdisconcertinglywithweird electronicnoisesandsounds.Itsatypically eccentricbeginningwhichsoongiveswayto thoseunmistakablevocalsofICSVortexand, atitscore,ablackmetalmeetsprog composition.Dominatedbypowerfulsynths andrelentlessdoublepedaldrumming,those oddsoundslikelasergunsneverthelessre-surfacethroughout.Butwithinthetumultand idiosyncrasiesisareallycatchy,hook-laden chorus. Crashlandhasalightandbreezyfeeltoit, takingininfluencesfromspacerock,folk musicandmoreextremeclimes.The sweepingsynthsareimmediatelyreminiscent of the La Masquerade Infernale era, as they areduringmypersonalstandouttrack, GameOverwithitsaddictivemelodiesand thewayitbuildsandmorphssoelegantly fromoneguisetoanotheralmost imperceptibly,endinginacrescendoofsorts that elicits another ooh from my lips. Angstisapowerfulandmoreextremeslab ofmetal,dominatedbyablisteringtempo, torturedscreamsatopanotherstrongsynth melodyandthethreatofadescentinto chaos on more than one occasion. Warp on theotherhandintroducesmoreelectronic influencesbuthassuchanimposingand catchymelodythatitsimpossibletoignore. DemonhasdemonstrableGothicsynthpop overtoneswhereasPaledelightswitha marvellousdrivingcentralriff,agreatchorus ofsortsandsomeofthemostvariedand brilliant vocals on the entire record. The album ends with Bane, a track that further backs up thegorgeousTheJourneybyproviding amongst other things, some truly beautiful and subtleacousticguitarplayingwhichisareal joy. For all that, I have to say that Arcturian is an album thats best enjoyed in its entirety rather thanpickingandchoosingindividualsongs. Thealbumhasadistinctflowandoverallfeel 7 thathelpstomakeitasspecialasitis, something that could be lost if listened to in a piecemeal manner. Forthesakeofbalance,myonlysmallgripe relates to the production which I think is a little ontheweaksideandrobssomeofthe aforementionedrichnessfromthemusic. Occasionally,thelayersofmusiccome togetherisaslightlymessymuddleof impenetrablewhitenoisewhichisabit disappointing.Butthenagain,theresa certainold-schoolcharmtothemixtoo, remindingmeoftheirheydaymorethan once.Maybetherefore,theproductionis entirely deliberate, those naughty scamps. ItsalmostimpossiblesumupArcturianina concisemanneranddoitthejusticeit deserves, except to say that if youre a fan of Arcturusattheirmostoriginal,challenging, audaciousandquirky,preparetotake Arcturian straight to your heart. The Score Of Much Metal: 9.0 ReadmoreofMattSpallsreviewsand interviews at: www.manofmuchmetal.wordpress.com www.twitter.com/ManOfMuchMetal MyRefuge(Italy):AMatterOf Supremacy (Bakerteam Records) MyRefugesalbumisasolidworkof modern/traditional/melodicheavymetal.Its abitonthesideofpowermetalandsome progelementsarepresent,butitsmelodic metal all the way. They have melodic singing; itsnotaggressiveshouting;justsinging.They douptemporockers,midtemposongsand some slow songs. ThebandhadanEPin2010,theyearthe bandstartedoutasasoloprojectforMauro Paietta (guitars). There was another EP in 2013. Nowadays My Refuge is a full band and this is the debut full-length album. Thealbumisprofessional.Therecording soundssolid,inthestyleofmodernheavy metal.Thesongsarememorable,andrather easy to understand. The riffs work well with the songs, and the guitars have hooks. The singing isnotonlymelodicbutemotional,too,asis expected.If you want melodic metal or if you knowthatyouliketraditionalmetalbands fromItaly,thencheckoutMyRefuge.Thisis thedebutalbum,soitsfairtosaythatwe couldbehearingbiggerthingsfromthemas they gain more experience! Mr.Paiettastartedtheband,buttodaythisis the full legion of power and glory: Davide Vella lead vocalsMauro Paietta - lead guitar Simone Dettore - lead guitarSalvatore Chimenti lead bassValerio Ferrari lead drums www.facebook.com/pages/My-Refuge/357637697668118 www.myrefuge.it www.bakerteamrecords.com 8 MorbidSlaughter(Peru):AFilthyOrgy ofHorrorandDeath(BorisRecords/Inti Records) FanaticsofSouthAmericanrawandprimitive extrememetalhaveSeptember4thtowhich tolookforward.ThatisthedatethatMorbid Slaughterwillhavethenewalbumreadyfor thosethatliveandbreathebarbaricmetal. ThesePeruviansaretotalitarianbestialmetal alchemiststhroughtheirsecretofoccult,sick metal.Playthisalbum,hearit,anditsounds great!Themembersofthebandhave appropriatenames,suchasRippingCorpse andNecrophiliacSodomizer,namesthatwe canallsayaloudwhenwearegathered togetheraroundthewatercooleratthe office, talking about the newest music that we like.Theconversationswillgolikethis,Oh yeah, Christine, that Necrophiliac Sodomizer is unstoppableonthenewalbum!Youshould check out Morbid Slaughter for sure. Theyapparentlystartedin2009,butthespirit ofthemusicsays venombathorysodomhellhammermotorhead fromthe80s.Theyhaveseveraldemosand otherrecordingstowhichthemetalfreaksof Lima,Peruhavebeenraging.Thesecriminals donotwanttoexcludetheworld,sohere they are now just about to let their songs loose ontheworld.Thevocalsarehandledby Envenom, whose style comes proudly from the tradition of 80s Bathory. Thebestpartofthealbumisthatitisreally perfect for headbanging, very memorable, in an extreme metal way, but also in a dirty rock androllkindofway.Theyknowwhatthey want:theywantyoutobangyourheadand get into the barbaric metal right now. Cmon, join the barbaric metal brigade!www.boris-records.com www.facebook.com/IntiRecordsPeru www.facebook.com/MorbidSlaughterOfficial www.facebook.com/IntiRecordsPeru www.intirecordsperu.bandcamp.com Suspended(Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.) These thrashers have a new recording in 2015 calledHollowedMinds,asix-trackEPthat continuestheirpathofbringingtogetherold thrashandnewthrash.Thebandbridgesthe gapbetweentheoldschoolandthenew school through the use of growl vocals, and a bit of the modern energy and speed. HollowedMindsbecameavailableJuly 2015and the track list is: 1.Latrom 2.Hollowed Minds 3.Escape the Pain 4.Beast Within 5.When the Smoke Clears 6.Embrace the End Thebandismovingalongfineintheir 9 trajectoryofthrash,soundingtighterand moreexperienced.Previously,in2010they hadafour-songEPcalledDigYourOwn Grave.Beforethat,theyhadthenine-track albumPreludetoIndignancein2008.Keep inmindthatthisbandsrecordingsare independent(fromtheinformationthatis available)andthatgoestoshowthekindof determinationformetalthattheyhave. Furthermore,accordingtoMetalArchives, Suspended began in 2003, so they have been atitawhile.GivecredittoSuspendedfor sticking to their story and not giving up. Thats how it should be. www.facebook.com/Suspendedchickz Satanika (Italy): Total Inferno (Osmose Productions) Satanikasextrememetalhasgrowledvocals and some blasting, yet the spirit of the music is allabout80sprimalthrash.Itsagood combination;itworksforthem.Theband exudesalevelofprofessionalismthatis impressive.Thiscouldallbeduetotheir unusualrecordinghistory:theband apparentlyreleasedfourdifferentEPsin2010, which is basically something that seems highly unprecedented.Then,in2011thebandhad an album and EP. In 2012 they had an album andasplit.2013wasabadyearforthem: theyhadonlyanEP.In2014theybounced rightbackwithanalbum.Theydidnotallow toomuchtimetogoby,soin2015surprise, surprise!theyhaveanewalbum:theten-song lesson in thrash called Total Inferno. Suchaflurryofactivitymeansthattheband believesinwastingnotime:songsthat metalheadscanunderstandquickly.Atthe same time, listening to the music, its a bit of a surprisehowcleantheproductionis.Perhaps thatsjustanotherexampleofthe professionalismthatImentionedearlier. Satanika means business. www.facebook.com/satanikattack www.satanika.bravesites.com www.osmoseproductions.com Evil Force (Paraguay): Ancient Spores EvilForceisashonestaspossiblewiththe soundoftheirthrash(thinkNuclearAssault, Vio-lence,Hirax,andThrashZone-eraDRI) for 2015. Thisbandisalsoexclusivelyforthelunatics thatnevergetenoughthrashfromtheold school.Thebandbeganin2005andhasa multitudeofdemosandsplitsthatglorify thrashmetalasmuchashumanlypossible. ThebandhasthreerecordingsEPs/splits released as splits in 2014 and this album seems toincludesomeorallsongsfromthose.The bandisnotaJohnny-come-latelyandthey sound like experts at thrash with the mentality oftheclassicdaysbroughtintotoday.The peoplethatappreciatethedirectimpactof thrash songs, like the old Bay Area bands, and wanttohearnew(ornewtoyou)bands,Evil Forcewouldbeperfectforthoseseeking thrash with the attitude of the golden age. www.facebook.com/evilforcepy 10 SecretSphere(Italy):ATimeNever Come 2015 Edition [Re-recorded] (Scarlet Records) SecretSphere,accordingtoMetalArchives, beganin1997.Beforethisnewre-recording, theyhavesevenfull-lengthalbums.Thosein the know in Italy do not need an introduction to the band, although the band is new to me, given that I have missed the boat in this case. Iamnotqualifiedtosayanythingaboutthe previousalbums,includingtheoriginal recording of this album from 2001. Asyouknow,themetalpublicthatdoesnot likere-recordings.Somepeoplereallyhateit when Exodus and Manowar and Anthrax and other bands go back and re-record old music. Theysayitlosesthemagicoftheoriginal.I expect that some of the bands older listeners willbenotbepleasedthattheirnostalgiais being ruined with a new version. This leaves me in a strange situation because I think this album sounds awesome. If you listen topowermetalandyouhaveneverheard thisband,youwillenjoyitalot.Thealbum soundslikeitistheworkofanexperienced bunch of musicians, which of course they are; theyve been at it for a long time. In my case, I cannot help but think this is an a verygoodalbumofpowermetalfromItaly, withthetalent,attitudeanddedicationthat traditional metal bands from Italy show in their albums. I am not able to compare it, and can only say that this album is a keeper for sure. If youhavenotheardSecretSphereandyou wouldliketohearpowermetalfromItaly,I recommendthisalbum.Ihavebeenlistening toitalottoseeifthequalityisstrongforthe completealbum,andnotjustafewsongs, andhavedeterminedthatthealbumasa completeworksoundscatchy,melodicand rocking. Whydidthebandre-recordthealbum? Really,itdoesnotmattertome,beingoutof the loop as I am. The band says that this new recordingofthealbumwasoriginallymeant for the Japanese market. As you can imagine withbands,thebandhasgonethrough membershipchangessince2001whenthis albumwasfirstrecorded.Oneofthemain attractionsisthatthenewlineup,including thenewsingerMicheleLuppi(withtheband since 2012), gave it the new production. ThiswasanexcellentintroductiontoSecret Sphere for me. www.facebook.com/secretsphere www.scarletrecords.it Tentation(France):Tentation(Infern Records) HowmuchtraditionalheavymetalinFrench haveyouheard?Thisbandsoundslikethey wakeupheadbangingtoFrenchheavy metal,havebreakfastheadbangingto Frenchheavymetalandgotobed headbangingtoFrenchheavymetal.Can you say Sortilge? I do not speak French, but I speak a little bit of heavy metal. I understand this music perfectly. Nothingneedstobetranslatedbecause everythingisperfectlyclear:80straditional heavy metal will not die as long as this band is alive and kicking up the jams. 11 Thebandhasnotbeenaroundtoolong, formedin2012,andthisistheirdebutEP. Whenyoulistentothisband,expectheavy metal similar to the New Wave of British Heavy Metalinthesenseoftheoldschoolmetal, andexpectbasicallynothingfrommodern metal.Tentationwillbringbackthe80sand theywanttotakeyouwiththem.Thesongs aregenerallyfastheavymetal,andtheyget to the point quickly. Ihavenotheardthatmuchheavymetalin French,sothissoundedbothfamiliarand differentbecauseofthelanguage,but,likeI say,intheendthelanguageisheavymetal, regardlessofwhetheryouspeakEnglish, Spanish, German, Japanese or Martian. Definitelygivethisbandyourtimeifyoulove traditionalheavymetal.Ifinyourmusic collectionyoudonthavetoomanybands doingmetalinFrench,thenthatsanother reason for finding out more about Tentation. www.facebook.com/tentationfrance www.tentationfrance.bandcamp.com review by Matt Spall Artist: Cattle Decapitation AlbumTitle:TheAnthropocene Extinction Label: Metal Blade Year Of Release: 2015 If youre looking for a way to make an impact withyourmusic,Isuggestyoutakealistento CattleDecapitiation.Inaworldwhere extrememusicseemsintentongettingever moreextreme,manyoftheprotagonists wouldalsodowelltotakealistentoCattle Decapitation. Why? Because here is a band that make brutal and extrememusicintosomethingofanartform. Whereothersmayupthecomplexityinan efforttobecomemoreextremeorevenadd strings to guitars for more bottom-end rumble, CattleDecapitationjusteffortlesslyblend everythingtogethertocreateagenuinely unsettlingauralexperiencethatsjustabout as good as anything Ive heard for a long time inthisparticularscene.Itsnotextremefor extremessake;itismusicthatusesits extremityasatoolorapotentweaponto make a statement. You want technicality? You want groove? You wantaggression?Youwantheaviness capable of shaking the very ground you walk on?ThenyouneedTheAnthropocene Extinction in your life. Onafirstlisten,Iwas,Imustadmit,alittle thrownbythis,theseventhrecordfromthe SanDiego-basedquartet.Imnotthebiggest out-and-outextrememetalfanandmyonly realexposuretoCattleDecapitationwasvia theirdebutHomovoreand,toalesser extent,thefollow-upToServeMan.Bothof thesewereall-outunmitigatedgrindcore, albumschockfullofquick-fireextremityin bite-sizedchunksofaroundone-to-two minutesinlength.Asanewbietothe grindcorescene,Iratherlikedtheoutput becausewithineachfrenziedassaultwasa snippetofrealgroove,somethingtolatch onto.ItwasenoughformewhenwhatIwas yearningforwassomeunmitigatedsavagery tocleansemymindandridmeofpent-up frustrations.ThefactthatIkeptcomingback tothedebutmeantthattherewasdefinitely something special about it. 12 Havingmissedtheinterveningfouralbums however,Iwasinitiallysurprisedtodiscovera slightlydifferentapproachonThe AnthropoceneExtinction.Cattle Decapitationcirca2015isundoubtedlya more refined, more structured and, dare I say it,moreaccessibleproposition.Theyrestill brutalasallhellofcourse,butwitha modicumofaddedsubtlety,whichI personallywelcomewithopenarms.Theirsis nowbestdescribedasanextrememetal hybridwheredeathmetalinfluencesfor example, are apparently as much a factor as thoseofgrindcore.Itsalsoanalbumthat seesthebandfocusingonthelessismore principle and, as such, the songs seem to take precedenceovertheindividual performances;anotherexampleofthe increasing maturity of the band. OpeningtrackManufacturedExtinctbegins veryquietlyandominouslybeforelaunching intoaslow-pacedandmeasuredriffatthe handsofJoshElmore.ThevocalsofTravis RyanarealmostindistinguishablefromDerek Engemannsbassrumblebut,asthetrack suddenlypicksuppacelaunchingthetrack intoabrieftumultofferocity,sodoesthe voiceintoamorediscerniblegrowl.WhatI wasntnecessarilyexpectingwastheclean vocaldeliverythatemergestocompliment thechorusofthesong.Tocallitcleanis wrongthough;whenIfirstheardthealmost dementedbutcontainedshriekIwondered whatonearthIwaslisteningto.Itsgenuinely harsh, disturbing, uncomfortable and I love it. Iftheopenerwassurprisinglymelodicand mid-pacedattimes,follow-upTheProphets ofLossgoesonall-outattackfromtheoff. BringinginaBehemoth-esquequasiblack metalfeeltothetrackisamasterstrokethat workstogreateffect.Thepaceissignificant, asittheutterlyridiculousdrummingcourtesy ofDaveMcGrawwhichabsolutelypummels with relentless power and precision. Topickoutallofthegoodbitsonthisalbum would be a futile exercise given that there are somany.InsteadIllmentiontheirresistible stompandmajestyofPlagueborne,the shifting tempos of Clandestine Ways (Krocodil Rot),theout-and-outgrindcore-meets-mid-tempo-grooveworkoutthatsMammalsIn Babylonandthecontemptuoussnarling withinNotSuitableForLife.Thelatteris venomousandithasthatauratoitno messing, just genuine revulsion and disgust put to music. ReferringbacktotherelentlessadjectiveI usedearlier,thatstheoverwhelmingfeeingI getwhenlisteningtothisalbumitmay display a surprising amount of variety given its brutalnaturebutthecontentofThe AnthropoceneExtinctionisexhausting.But then thats exactly how it should be. For all the groove, all the melodic flourishes and the brief momentsofrelativequiet,theresno possibility at any moment to forget that youre listeningtoaproperlyextrememetalrecord thatisdesignedtopummelandtestthe listeners endurance as much as it is intended to entertain. TheonethingIveyettomentionthusfaris thelyricalcontent.CattleDecapitationare anangryband,thatsforsure.Whetheritbe animalcruelty,politics,thegeneralstateof theworld,CattleDecapitationareopento explore it; theyre not what you could class as 13 an activist band but it is refreshing to hear a bandthathassuchstrongviews,airingthem withoutfearoftherepercussions.Italladds yetanotherlayerofauthenticitytowhatis, unquestionably one of the best extreme metal recordsthatIhaveheardforalongtime.It haseverythingthatIcouldeveraskforand more besides. The Score Of Much Metal: 9.0 Read more of Matt Spalls writings at www.manofmuchmetal.wordpress.com Mongol Metal (compilation) (China): Tengger Cavalry / Nine Treasures / Ego Fall (Mongol Metal) Whetheryouareintofolkmetalornot, considerexploringthesethreebandsfrom Chinabecausethiscompilationissomething good,veryinterestingandsomething different,andyouwillhearandfeelthe difference.Thecompilationexhibitsseveral characteristics that will be worthwhile to those looking to hear metal approached from these angles. However,inthiscase,thankfully,allthree bands rock out on this compilation. The bands haveparticularelementsoffolkmetalfrom InnerMongolia,China.Thevocalssoundlike extrememetal,butsomeofthevocalswill soundnewtothemetalear,withelements thathavenameslikethroatsingingand other features. Itmakesyouwonderabouttheroadthat thesethreebandsTenggerCavalry,Nine TreasuresandEgoFallhavetravelledin order to arrive at the sound that they have. Of course,theysounddifferentfromeachother, butthiscompilationdoesagoodjobof showing the world what folk metal from China soundslike,bythesethreebands.Thesongs arememorable.Thereisayouthfulenergyto them,regardlessofwhatevertheiragesmay be. To conclude, if you are into folk metal or if you arecurioustohearsomemetalfromChina, this compilation is very, very helpful. www.facebook.com/egofallband www.facebook.com/tengger0cavalry www.facebook.com/ninetreasuresofficial 14 www.tengger-cavalry.com www.mongol-metal.com/#!nine-treasures/c2366 www.mongol-metal.com/#!ego-fall/c1mle www.mongol-metal.com www.facebook.com/mongolmetal

DarkTribe(France):TheModernAge (Scarlet Records)Every time I listen to this album I cant help but noticewhatsolidworkofmodernmelodic metalitis.DarkTribeisaperfectexampleof the type of bands that will take melodic metal intothefuture.Theymaynotbefamousand theymayonlyhavetwoalbums,butthereis enough on this album to showcase what they havetooffertothepublicintobandslike DreamTheater,butanaudiencethatis perhaps not as excited as the aging sound of thosebands.DarkTribeisnotreinventingthe wheelofmodernmelodicproggypower metal,butistakingthetraditionofthepast andsharpeningitsowninterpretationofthe style. Thats what I want. I want to hear bands thatarecomfortableintheirownskin,that knowthattheydonthavetoinventnew genres,butreallywanttowritecatchysongs andhaveprofessionalrecordings.Thesinging isprobablythemostimmediateattraction abouttheband.Itsmelodicandpleasingto theear;good,solidsinging;thetypethat deliversthegoodsandpromisesmoreforthe future. AccordingtoMetalArchives,thebandhas been active since 2004. In 2009 they had their firstEPandin2012thedebutalbum.In2015 theyhavethisnewalbum.Atanyrate,ifyou lovemelodicmetalwithaprog/powerbent, listentoDarkTribeandseeifthesesongs speak to you. www.facebook.com/DarktribeOfficial www.darktribe.fr www.twitter.com/DarktribeMetal www.scarletrecords.it GoatTorment(Belgium):Sermonsto Death (Amor Fati Productions) GoatTormentformedaround2008/2009and ever since then the objective has been to live uptothenameoftheband.Letsfaceit, onceyoumakethisleftturnandheaddown this road of perdition, you either live up to the nameGoatTormentoryoudieamiserable death.Theresnogoingbackandthereisno changingmusicaldirectionbecause otherwiseitsnolongerGoatTorment.You mustplayblackmetallikeyouwanttobeat up Marduk and Endstille in the dark corners of thestreetsatnight.Eitheryoujumpinto moving traffic and survive or get forgotten by thefastmovinghordesofblackmetal.Thisis black metal, this is Goat Torment black metal: blasting,primalmetalthatwillchallengethe clansofthespikestofightskinheads,drug addictsandthepoliceinthesewersofthe city.GoatTormenthasthegoalofsickening yournormallifeandinfectingyouwithblack metalscummentalityandyouwilllikeit becauseyouwantthisbandtobeyour enemy to hate. Bestialmetal,warmetal,barbarianmetal, necroblackmetal,whetheritsRevenge, 15 Sarcfago,Blasphemyorwhateveryouwant inthebestial,thebestialyouneed,youwant this now, you come and get it down here. www.facebook.com/Goattorment www.amor-fati-productions.de Ogotay(Poland):DeadGodsProphet(Selfmadegod Records) Thesoundsoftruedeathmetalmakeiteasy tobangyourhead.Extrememetalfanatics know that Poland has a reputation for reliable, consistentdeathmetal.Suchbandsfrom Polandareappreciatedforknowinghowto workwithinthegenre,andthesebandsare consciousnottodisappointtheirlistenersby releasingweird,disastrousalbums.Itsalmost likeawarrantyfromdeathmetalbandsfrom Poland.Inmetalingeneral,consistencyis appreciated,duetomanypeoplefeeling alienatedbytheirfavoritebandsgettingall electronicaexperimentaldanceclub dubstepspokenwordjazzyglamhardcore hipster postrock and whatnot. Ogotayisbassist/vocalistMarcin!wierczy"ski (ex-Yattering),drummerSzymonAndryszczak (ex-Pandemonium),guitaristsArturPiotrowski (Mess Age) and Andrzej Peszel (Fulcrum). Such informationonlyconfirmsthatthisisdeath metaloftheoldguardofthePolishextreme metalsounds.Peopleintothesoundsof Vader, Behemoth, and Hate can find so much ofthosefundamentalsoundsinOgotayand thisnewalbum.Imentionthosebands becauseInoticethattheprofessionalismof Ogotay is top notch. Thisdeathmetalisabitmoretraditional, youcouldsay,andbythatImeanthatit soundsliketruedeathmetal,withoutany need to go into the whole mess of subgenres. The vocals are guttural and strong, the speeds varyfromblastingtouptempodoublebass attack, the guitar tone is thick, the solos shred andthesongsareeasytounderstandand verylistenable.Ogotayisprofessionalismin deathmetal.ThisalbumfollowsEveofthe LastDay(2012),whichIhavenotheard,but thisnewalbum,whichisalreadyout,isa definitely a winner for me. Solid, solid work. www.facebook.com/ogotay666 www.selfmadegod.com www.youtube.com/user/SelfmadegodRecords www.facebook.com/selfmadegod Kaledon (Italy): Chapter IV: Twilight Of The Gods(Scarlet Records) Ifinyourheartthegloryoftruepowermetal resides,andsomehowthemagicofKaledon haspassedyouby,then,you,truepower metalwarrior,willbetriumphantuponyour discoveryofthismightyalbumbyKaledon,a bandthatformedin1998,andtheirfourth album(asyoucantellfromthetitle)isfrom 2006. Scarlet Records is reissuing this album for allofthose,wholikeme,neverheardthe young Kaledon on the rise. Recently I wrote about the bands 2014 albumAntillius:TheKingoftheLightand observedthatthebandssoundsintheir prime,itisabandascending,searchingto makemasterpiecealbumsthatwillcapture theheartsofthecatchymetalworld audience.Kaledonhasplentyofsing-along powerrockers,buttheyalsodosome midpacedheadbangingtunesandafew slowermoments.Itsagoodbalance,but keepinmindthatKaledononthisalbumis aboutrockingouttopowermetal,sothats what they do. 16 This album Chapter IV is a younger Kaledon, whenthebandwasspreadingitswingsupon thekingdomofpowermetal;Kaledonwasa young dragon, flexing its wingspan, breathing balls of wild fire and roaring power to show its majesty. The band, however, is consistent and in 2006 or in 2014, it does not matter, Kaledon doesitallwellinthenameoftruepower metal.Theriffscangoveryfastandthe singingcanalsoreachsummitheights,and thesongsreachouttothetruepowermetal supporterswherevertheymaybefound. Expectspeed,butalsouptemporockersand ballads. Asanextragoodie,the2015lineupof thebandhasdoneanewrecordingoftwo songs:HolyWaterandIntotheFog,so thatthelegionscanhearnowthecurrent lineupdoingsomeoldKaledonsongs.Ride withthedragonsandoverseetheland,the seaandthesnow-coveredmountains,join withKaledon,joinwiththedragonsofthe multitude lands of grand Italia. www.facebook.com/kaledonofficial www.kaledon.com www.twitter.com/kaledon www.scarletrecords.it Antropofago(France):raDementi (Kaotoxin Records) Ihavethe2010demo(thankyou, Antropofago!)simplycalledAntropofago. ThebandsdemohassongslikeBarbecued BabyBackHumanLegs.Morbidthemesand Antropofagogotogetherlikehorseand carriage.Now,yearslater,thebandwrites songsthatpushthetech-metalmachineryto the brink. Things are looking up for the band in 2015:anewalbumandtheyareonKaotoxin Records.Nottooshabby,eh?Naturally, blasting and fast riffs are the backbone of the bandssound.Inthatrespect,thesong remainsthesamein2010or2015,butyou knowwhattheysay:themorethatthings remain the same, the more that they change. The first time that you listen you will hear a wall oflow-growlingblastingspeed.ThatswhatI heard the first couple of times. Then, with a bit of time, I began to notice how diversethesongsare.Despitethespeedand theimpressionthatallthesongsmightsound thesame,thereisvariety,changes,bitsof melody,smallsegmentsofsidewaysenergies andothersuchsmallthings.Unfortunately, duetothefactthattheyarestillanextreme, raucous,overwhelmingband,somepeople will not or might not want to delve deeper into whatthisalbumhastoofferasamodern tech-metal band. Thus, while undoubtedly this musiciscompletelyinthecategoryoftech-metalwithallthefeatures(dizzyingspeed, roboticdrums,soonandsoforth),theband hastraitsaboutitsmusicthatgiveititsown little sick twist within the context of tech-metal. www.kaotoxin.com www.facebook.com/antropofago.deathmetal www.twitter.com/antropofago_bdm Norylsk (Poland): Catholic Dictatorship (Selfmadegod Records) Thereare14tracksofmodern,heavy,brutal grind on this album. Norylsk has come to chew 17 bubblegumandplaygrind,andtheyareall outofbubblegumnow.Heresthedeal,so, thefirstsongsoundsawesome,fastand perfect,butthenthesecondstartsandit sounds awesome, too. Then,thethirdsongsgetsgoingimmediately, but this track starts to sounds a bit better than awesome.Next,thefourthnumbercertainly kicks down the door, and then all kinds of hell breakslooseandeverythinginthehouseis shakingatthispoint.Theneighborsareupset becauseNorylskistoonoisy,andtheother neighborsareangrybecausetheydontlike grind, only classic rock, but this is rock and roll, people, this is most definitely rock and roll, too. Cmon,now,thatswhatLockUp,Nasum, SquashBowels,InsectWarfareandnow Norylsk are.www.norylsk.q4.pl www.facebook.com/norylsk www.selfmadegod.com www.facebook.com/selfmadegod Deathwhite: Solitary Martyr (self-release)Deathwhitesdepressive/melancholicmetal atfirstsoundedinterestingtomeforbeing different.Thesingingismelodic,inalow-key, emotionalway,verymuchinthestyleof present-dayKatatonia,whilethemusic soundslikemetal,maybeabitmelodicand prog, in the sense of Opeth, by which I mean thatitsclearandpleasanttotheear,not abrasive. The music never kicks into high gear associatedwithmetal,itstaysmelodic,the guitarisajustatadthick,thickenoughto soundlikemetal(butifyousayitsrock,you might be right, too); the clean guitar moments addtothespiritofmelancholy,whichthis bandseemstohavemastered.Addingitall up, the music, I would say, would be the most appealingtosupportersofmelancholic metal, melodic doom metal, and I would also saythatiflatter-day Katatonia/Opeth/Agallocharesoundsthat youreallyappreciate,Deathwhitewillbea good, strong band. Deathwhitesharessometraitswiththelate-periodKatatonia,inthevocalsandthe overallvibe.Nevertheless,donotdismissthis band as some sort of alternative band. If this bandwillonedaybeanon-metalband, thatsnotsomethingthatIknow.Rightnow, with this album, this band definitely sounds like ametalband,anon-extrememetalband. Thereisnogrowlinghere.TheEPissome24 minuteslonganditgoesbyfast,asthefive songsarecompact,lean,direct,withnofat, noexcess.Letshopethattheydonot incorporategrowlingbecause,really,itsso clich, like you have to do it to please certain people.Forgetcertainpeople!Justdo Deathwhite. Lots of people can growl, scream andyell,butnotlotsofpeoplecansing. Thats the difference. Irealizethatthereviewdoesnotmakethe bandappearexciting,anditmighteven give the impression that the music is a bit dull. Whileitistruethatthisisnotheadbanging metal,perse,ifyoulikeadultcontemporary metal,low-keymetal,withstrongsongs,give thisbandarealchance.Itisverylikelythat theywillsoundlikesomethingnewand different,inagoodway,ifyouarewillingto explore some new melodic metal.www.deathwhite.com www.deathwhite.bandcamp.com 18 Fedra (Colombia) Fedraistraditionalblackmetalfrom Colombia. In 2015 the band has a new album called The Gates of Hell. The band says about itself: Inearly2006FEDRAwasbornbetween dreamsandlamentsemanatingfromthe depths,inhabitedbytemplation,lustand mundane,wheremenhavebeensentenced to eternal torture and suffering. The band is: lead singer: Carolina Araque guitarist: Janis Gutirrez bass and choirs: Ana Mara Briez drummer: Catherine Correa The discography is: The Queen of Darkness I demo 2008The Queen of Darkness II demo 2011The Gates of Hellfull-length2015 track list to "The Gates of Hell." 1.Intro 2.Engraved on a Tombstone my Name 3.Fuerza sombria4.Fedra5.La muerte 6.Eternal Blasphemy7.La ley del infierno8.Crow9.Hija de la noche 10.Voodoo Magic 11.Oda al mal12.The Next To Die 13.Recuerdo oscuro GotheirFacebooktofindoutmore.On Twitterthebandisofferingthe2011demo available for free. www.facebook.com/fedrafemaleblackmetaloficial www.twitter.com/FEDRABLACKMETAL email: FEDRABLACKMETAL@HOTMAIL.COM GutterInstinct(Sweden):The Insurrection (Prosthetic Records) GutterInstinct(Sweden)istraditionaldeath metal that wastes no time with nonsense. They have a new EP on Prosthetic Records. The EP is thefoursongslistedbelow.Itiscalled"The Insurrection.TheEPisshortandsweet,and givesagreatideaofthedeathmetalof GutterInstinct,whichformedin2012.Those thatwantdeathmetalwiththementalityof theoldschoolwillfindGutterInstincttobea bandthatisworththeirtime.Giveitalisten below at the Bandcamp link. 1. War Command 2. Under the Scythe 3. The Invisible Hand 4. We Hate You www.gutterinstinct.bandcamp.com www.prostheticrecords.com www.facebook.com/gutterinstinct Soradra (Madagascar) Soradra has a recording and below there is a linkwhereyoucanhearit.Therecordingisa roughone,butitgivesasolidideaofthe thrash that they play. It is called Ho sora-dr. 19 The band is: Bass guitar: Balita Drums: Ando Ranady Guitar, vocals: Faniry Ram Guitar: Lito M This is the bands bio: SORADRA is a Thrash Metal band founded in 2006bystudentsoftheLyceJulesFerry Faravohitra(Antananarivo,Madagascar) followingjamsessions.FaniryRam,Balita, AndoRanadyRapaandarethenthefirst members in the group. SORADRAspentthefirst3yearsofhislifeto thecompositionsandintherehearsalstudios topreparewellitsfutureappearances.In September2009,the4guys,supportedby Tojo(Backvocalsonoccasion),executed theirfirstperformanceatthefestival'Metal WaveatFaldaAntanimena-Antananarivo, Madagascar. Thiswasthefirstandlastconcertrapaasa memberofSORADRA.Heleftthegroup because of his studies but will still be on good terms with his former comrades in arms. ThegroupistransposedcompositionTrio concertsduring'Challenge'sMetal'(27 December2009attheECARIsotry- Antananarivo,Madagascar)andAnimation oftheAfricanCupofNations'(January10, 2010atGymnasiumCoveredMahamasina- Antananarivo,Madagascar)waitingtofinda replacement for Rapa. In2010,FanirycontactLockitobecomethe newguitaristSORADRA.Uponhisarrivalinthis fraternity,heisverymotivatedandbegan workingpiecebypiece.Thatsameyear,the newline-upinstudio(inValiMad)torunthe firstrecordingsofMasoMenaandmiaramila Miloko(tobereconstitutedin2012).After relentlessrepetition,asusual,Balita,Ando Ranady, Faniry Ram and Locki take the stage April 23, 2011 during the first festival 'Big Metal atKianjaMaitsoofAnalamahitsy- Antananarivo,Madagascar.Then,theself-produced concert entitled 'Metal Warrior' with othergroupsoftheindependentscene (SHARKS,SAKRAMETAandFAMBARA)atthe MunicipalTheatreAnalakely-Antananarivo, Madagascar.Itisnotfinishedfor2011 becauseSeptember6,2011,SORADRA mountsafestivalentitled'TogetherAsMetal' (incollaborationwiththegroupSHARKS)and givesanotherperformanceattheMunicipal Theatre Isotry. In 2012, the band entered the studio to record the first album 'Ho Sora-Dra'. The same year, after recording half the album playlist,Lockiannounceshisdeparturefrom thegroupforacademicreasons.Heentered theMilitaryAcademy(Antsirabe)andwill finish her training in 2015. SORADRAthereforereturnedtothe compositionduringtheconcertTrio'Metal Absolute',14July2012(atJedOne Ankazomanga - Antananarivo, Madagascar), but also during the recording of Aizina. DuringrecordingofAizina,Lito(afriendof RamFaniryduringhisyearsofcollege)was contactedtolendhisacousticguitartothe group (you can hear the acoustic part at the beginning and the end of the song). Resulting from this cooperation, Lito million was taken as anewguitaristSORADRAandparticipatein 20 thefinalizationofthealbum(whichwillbe delayed for financial reasons). Theseasonofconcertsofthe2013groupis started on April 27 to mark the second edition of the festival 'Pic Fest at Itaosy Guest House - Antananarivo,Madagascar.Continuingwith hisnewquartetformationSORADRA participatesatthefestivalBigMetalCaf 'May 20, 2013 at Akorondrano. The year 2013 is very important to this group of ThrashMetalasitmarksthereleaseof"Ho Sora-Dra."Topromotethealbum,thefour thrasherssetofftoAntsirabeandparticipate inconcert'M'RockVitaBacc'theFrench AllianceofAntsirabewithtwogroupsfrom AntananarivoandlocalgroupsonAugust25 2013. After the show, they took advantage of their trip to shoot the video for "Thrash Mirevy" (3rd video of the group). Meanwhile,thecompositionsandthesearch fornewinspirationscontinue,asimproving andstrengtheningtheperformanceofeach group member. OnMay31,2014,coincidingwiththe anniversaryofFaniryRamSORADRAiscalled tocarryoutworkduringtheconcert 'BijaMetRockatParissAmbatoroka- Antananarivo,Madagascar.Duringthesame year,inresponsetothepromotionofthefirst album,thegroupwentbackinthedirection ofself-productiontoestablishaspecial concerttitledThrashMetal'ThrashMetalin Blood'. track list for Ho sora-dr 1.Maso Mena2.Ho soradra3.No More Trust (Tribute to Cherokees) 4.Bala ho anlah5.Aizina6.Miaramila miloko7.Thrash Mirevy8.So Dizzy Listen here: www.soundcloud.com/aniryam www.facebook.com/pages/Soradra/224190017666362 FREE METAL MUSIC Alltheserecordingsarefreewhenlast checked August 10, 2015. Crnula (Brazil) HumanSavageisthenameofthe2015EP availableforfreeonBandcamp.Theband deliversasolidrecordingwithnonstop blastingdeathmetalaction.Theband proudlyproclaimsitselfdefendersofdeath metalbystating:Welikedeathmetal.We playdeathmetal.Wearefreetododeath metal since 2011. Thebandlistsitsinfluencesas:MorbidAngel, Terrorizer,NapalmDeath,Carcass,Deicide andCannibalCorpse.Therefore,thisband promisesdeathmetalandthatswhatthey giveyou:deathmetaloftheoldschool.This band is all about true death metal. www.cranula.bandcamp.com www.twitter.com/cranula www.facebook.com/cranula Eldertale (Ukraine) Melodicfolkmetalishowtheband describesitself.Themusicofthe2014three-songEPLandofOldisuptempoand 21 catchy,andtherecordingdefinitelyshows thattheyhavesomethingalittlebitspecial goingonbecauseitspalpableinthequality ofthesongwriting.TheEPisabout17minutes long,anditcreatesgreatanticipationfor what the band will do in the future. BackinAprilthebandreportedthattheir rehearsal space burnt down and along with it, of course, the bands gear. For this reason, the band is asking for your support on Bandcamp. The recording is free/name-your-price. Regardlessoftherehearsalspacesituation, though,themusicisworthwhileforpeople that love folk metal. The band demonstrates a seriouslevelofunderstandingofsongwriting, which is why the folk metal public that has an interest in hearing new music of the genre will be pleased to hear this band. www.eldertale.bandcamp.com/album/land-of-old www.facebook.com/eldertale.metal www.twitter.com/EldertaleMetal email: eldertale.metal@gmail.com Dead Conception (Poland) RebirthPaintedDeathisthenameofthis freerecordingonBandcamp.Theband impressesforitsseriousdevotiontodeath metal, thick guitar tone, strong growling and a bitofmelodyintheguitarsolos.Irealizethat youmayhaveneverheardofthisband becausetheyarenew,butifyoulikeserious andtruedeathmetal,Ibelievethis free/name-your-pricerecordingwillbe worthwhileforpeopleintocheckingoutnew death metal that is upfront and no nonsense. This is the bands bio. DeadConceptionisadeathmetalband, which was formed at the beginning of 2014 in TomaszowMazowiecki,attheinitiativeof drummer Jakub Woskowski and guitarist Kamil Jachym.Aftereightmonths,theyreleased theirfirstsingletitled"LifeCrusher",whichwas recordedstillatfullstrengthteam.After leavingtheteamofMarcin"Sacza"Saci"ski (bass)andPrzemys#awWalczak(guitar),the band has been suspended until the beginning of2015years.Workingonanewdemo entitled"RebirthPaintedDeath"co-founders started alone, without the participation of the vocalistPrzemys#awJuzwa.Thethemeof songs are stories from the life of murderers and mentallyillpeopleaswellasmisanthropyor finding strength in helplessness. www.deadconception.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/deadconception Hereditary (Germany): Angel of Decay ThebandisdeathmetalfromBonn, Germany. Once you listen to the free/name-your-price EP on Bandcamp, the bands area of specialty comes into focus a bit better. The band plays that older melodic death metal thatabandlikeDarkTranquillityhelpedto define,butpleasedonotconfusethisband with a band like In Flames nowadays because thisGermanbandsoundslikedeathmetal, withsomethrashyriffsandmorememorable structures.22 Therearenomelodicvocals,justgrowlsand snarls.Thedrumminghassomeblastingand itsgenerallyfast.Overall,thisisagreatstart forthisnewband,formedin2013.Theband hasputtogetherarecordingofwhichthey can be proud.The band is: Flo (vocals)Stefan (drums)Jesco (guitars)Flo (guitars)Marcel (bass) TheEPisabout22minutesanditiscalled Angel of Decay. 1.Angel Of Decay 03:46 2.Buried In Exploited Flesh 02:54 3.Prophecy Of Fear 03:23 4.Resurrected Persecutor 04:20 5.Flesh & Bones 02:51 6.Impurity 03:25 7.Evilution 01:13 Hear and download the full recording for free. Betteryet,donatewhateveryoucan.New bandsneedallthehelpthatyoucangive them. Let them know that you are out there. www.hereditary.bandcamp.com/releases www.facebook.com/hereditarymetal www.hereditarymetal.de email: hereditary@gmx.de ZANDELLE Zandelle,fromNewYorkCity,isatraditional heavymetalbandformedin1996and recordeditsdebutEPZandellethatsame year,accordingtoMetalArchives.Zandelle nowhassomesevenstudiorecordings,the latestofwhichisthe2015albumcalled Perseverance,thenewalbumthatcomes outonJuly24th.Inviewofthebandsnew album, here is a little discussion with Zandelles singer George Tsalikis, who also was the singer forheavymetallersGothicKnightsfrom1990 to 1994. Currently,accordingtoZandellesFacebook page, these are the members Zandelle. George Tsalikis (vocals) Joe "Jofu" Cardillo (drums/backing vocals) James Corallo (bass) TW Durfy (guitars/backing vocals) Josh Tuckman(keyboards/backing vocals) www.facebook.com/pages/Zandelle/180777448619659 www.zandelle.net Hello,Zandelle! Yournewalbumsounds great! How is life in New York City for you all? Does everyone in the band live in NYC?

Thankyouforreachingouttousandforthe kindwordsregardingthenewalbum. Were gladyoulikeit. LifeinNYisprettyhecticas usual. Yes,weallliveintheNYCareabutin differentparts. I(George)liveinBrooklyn.Jofu lives in Staten Island.James lives on Long Island.Josh lives in Manhattan and TW lives in Westchester.

TheworldthinksofNYCasthisawesome placeingeneral,butwhatisitlikefora traditionalmetalband?Thevastmajorityof bands from NYC that get media coverage are hardcoreorbrutalmetalorhipster/fashion gimmicky, weirdo stuff.

NYC is indeed an awesome place in general.Ifyouplaytraditionalmetalhowever,itsnot soawesome. Asyouvestatedthegenreof musicthatgetsthemostpublicityintheNYC 23 areaisnotatallwhatweplay. Infact,most people do not even know that bands such as usevenexistorwhatwesoundlike. On average,ifImentiontosomeone(whoisnot a metalhead) that I sing in a metal band, they automaticallyassumesomesortofbrutal metal with harsh vocals that one cannot even understandordiscern. ThenIllplaythema sampleandtheirresponseisusuallythatof completeshock,followedbycommentssuch as This is actually really good.

ZandellesdebutEPcameoutin1996.What wasthesituationinNYCatthetimefor traditionalmetalandforZandelle?Therewas muchtrendydeathmetalbackthenandyou came out in 1996 with your heavy metal! What do you remember from that time?

Thattimewasactuallytheworst. Duringthe 80smetalwasverydominant. Ofcourse,like anything else, once the industry realized there ismoneytobemade,peopleinsuitswho knownothingaboutmusicruineditbyover-saturatingthemarketwithcarboncopiesof thosebandsthathititbigduringthattime, which created a backlash. Sointheearly90sanewformofrock musicdominatedthescene:grunge. Sothe 80smetalbandswerequicklyreplacedby bandslikeNirvana,StoneTemplePilotsand PearlJam. Butaninterestingthing happened. Itwasntjustthatpeople migrated to a new genre of rock.The attitude became very hostile toward traditional metal.Itsuddenlybecameveryun-cooltoplay orlistentometal. Radiostationsstopped playingmetalbands. Venuesstopped bookingmetalbandsandthescenewent crap. Formepersonally,thatwasthetime when I discovered the European power metal bandssuchasStratovarius,HammerFall,Blind GuardianandRhapsody. Wekeptplaying throughoutthe90s,butwewereconsidered theoldbandbecauseofthefactthatwe continuedtoplaymetal(themusicfromthe previous decade) when so many other bands were playing what was more timely and hip. Zandelleseemedtohavecontinuousactivity, butafter2009,bandactivityseemedtoslow down.Whathadbeenhappeningthelast several years?

In2009wehadourfirstEuropeantourwith GrailKnights. Itwasafantasticexperience, exceptforthefactthatwerealizedthatour twoguitaristsatthetimewerenotcutoutto beinthebandanduponreturningfromtour, we parted ways with them.It was at that time thatJofu,Jamesandmyselfdecidedto continueworkingonthealbumShadowsof thePastwhichfeaturedre-recordingsof songswehadreleasedindependently,prior toourfirstrecorddeal. Werecordedallthe guitar parts ourselves for that album and got it releasedin2011. Butwithoutanyguitariststo playlivewithitseemedthatZandellewas facing its final days. Shortlythereafter,wedidareunion showwithabunchofouroldmembers, includingAnthonyMaglioandTWDurfy. The chemistryonstagewasundeniableandso they rejoined the band and we began writing new material.During that process however, it becameapparentthatAnthonywouldnot work out with the band and he was let go. We thenhadtofindareplacement. TWthen suggestedwetrykeyboardistJoshTuckman.Beingtheopen-mindedindividualsthatwe are,weagreedtotryhimoutandhevery muchimpresseduswithhistalentsandability to add a new enhanced sound to the music.Weinstantlytookhiminandcontinuedthe writing process while also taking time to teach him some of the older material for live songs.Keepinmind,allthishappenedover thecourseofafewmonths. Sooncewe completedthewriting,itwastimetostart 24 recording.The problem here is that when the bandisnottheprimarysourceofincome(or inourcasenotasourceofincomeatallha ha!!)jobstakeprecedenceandbandwork sometimestakesabackseattoearninga livingsothatcansignificantlyslowdown progress.

Nowyoureback!Didittakealongtimeto have stable lineup again?

Aswithanyrelationship,therearealways issuesandproblemsthatneedtobedealt with. Thebiggestproblemwehavealways facedasabandisscheduling. Theolderwe get,themoreresponsibilitieswehaveand thereforemakingtimeforabandbecomes moreandmorechallengingforsomeofus.So we do what we can.Those of us who have moretimetodedicatetoourmusicalpursuits joinorstartotherprojectsinthemeantime.Butinanswertoyourfirstquestion,itcertainly did take a long time to have a stable lineup.Wehavehadsomanydifferentguitaristsin thebandthattheycanprobablyformtwo different Zandelle tribute bands.

Onthetopicofthenewalbum,Zandellenow has a keyboard player. Did you feel the need toaddkeyboardsformoreepicsongsand elegance?

Addingakeyboardistwasntsomuchofa consciouspreconceiveddecision. Insteadit wasmoreofanopportunitythatwedecided totryoutandfoundtoworkoutverywellfor themusic. Wehaverecordedkeyboardson allofourpreviousalbums,onlythenitwas moreasabackupinstrumentratherthana leadone. Joshhoweverisanunbelievably talentedkeyboardistandbeingthathe replacedaguitarist,therewasnodoubtthat heshouldfeaturedasaleadmusician. The finalversionofthesongssoundfarbeyond what we had imagined and that is the beauty ofwhatwedobeingthateveryoneinthe bandcontributestotheproductionofthe album. Everymemberaddstheirown influenceandelementtoeachsongsothat the end result far surpasses our expectations.I do in fact feel that the songs sound a lot more epic with Joshs influence.

Foryou,personally,whathavebeensomeof the highlights in the history of Zandelle?

I would say that the European tour in 2009 was probably one of our biggest highlights.It was incredibletotravelabroadandplaytoour fansoverseas. Thereissomethingamazing aboutplayingtopeopleyouveneverseen beforeinperson,butwhoaresingingyour songs as you play them on stage. Inanyevent,wewouldlovetotourfor thenewalbum. Sofarwehaventheardof anyopportunitytodoso,butthatcan change and hopefully we will all be ready.Eachalbumwereleaseisalsoquite importanttousbecausewealwaysstriveto outdothepreviousoneandIbelievewe accomplishindoingjustthat. Witheach album,ourproductionaswellasour performance improves drastically. Weverecentlybeganworkingon video production as well.The latest video we just released Unending Fortitude was the first videowedidwherewehad100%control 25 overitsproductionfrombeginningtoend.And we have two other new videos which we will be releasing in the coming months that we are very proud to unveil to the world.

Howdoeshavingabandwhenyouarea grownperson,withspouses,children,regular jobsandallthesethings,howdoeshavinga band present challenges for you all?

Youareindeedcorrect. Theolderyouget, themoreresponsibilitiesyouinheritand playingshows,touringandtakingtimefor other band-related work does in fact become moreandmorechallenging. Butyoualso become wiser (hopefully) so that the time you dospendonbandrelatedactivitiesisfar moreproductiveandproducesfarbetter results.

Unliketheoldbandsfromthepreviousera,a band like Zandelle doesnt become rock stars overnightwithradioandMTV.Yet,dontyou think that Zandelles time will come?Itsdifficulttosay. Althoughperseverance does factor in (see what I did there?), todays technology makes it easier for more bands to putthemselvesouttherebutthatalsomakes ismoredifficultforoneofthosebandstoget noticed.When I was younger my goal was to be arockstar. Nowmygoalistocreategood musicandImdoingjustthat. Iftheday comeswhenIgetrecognizedbythemasses fordoingsothenIwillbeextremelyhappy, butifitdoesntIllstillkeepdoingitbecause itswhatIlovetodo. ButImhopingyoure rightandourtimedoescomebecausethat would be awesome!

Do you find that there is an audience in metal musicthatwantstohearsingingagain?You havebeenaroundtheblock,soyoumust have a sense of how the times are changing? Okay,thatsthesecondtimeyoumadea pointofhowoldIamwatchit! Just kidding. Ifeelthattheuncoolfactorof melodicsingingvs.growling,shoutingor barkingwasmoreprevalentinthe90sasa backlashtothe80ssound(asImentioned earlier in the interview).I think nowadays a lot morepeopleare,infact,wantingtohear melodic singing. Onethingwevealwaysdoneasa bandistoincorporatesomeelementsof differentsub-genresinoursongs. AlthoughI much more favor melodic singing to the more aggressiveapproaches,therearesomeparts incertainsongsthathavegrowlyvocals,but we use that as an accent to at dimension to a song. WhatIvenoticedingeneralisthat tastes always cycle because people get tired ofwhatisover-playedandwanttohear somethingnewwhichturnsouttobea rehashing of something old.

YournewalbumiscalledPerseverance. Whatdoesthetitlemeanforyouandyour band in 2015?

Perseveranceisbasicallywhatwehadto have in order to survive this long in an industry thatisfarlessthanhospitabletothosewho dont have it.Its what this band is all about.ItswhatImallabout. Itseasytopush forwardwheneverythingisgoingyourway, butlifeisntlikethat. Therearemany challengesonefacesovertheyearsandits duringthehardtimesthatweneedtodig deepwithinourselvestofindthestrengthto fighton,otherwiseyouwillneversucceed.Andthatiswhatthisalbummeanstous. No matterwhatdifficultieswefacedoverthe years,Zandellelivesonandwearestronger than ever. THE END ** 26 LEATHER LEONE MetalsingerLeatherLeoneisknownforher workwithtraditionalheavymetal/shredder bandChastaininthe80s,early90s,and LeatherisbackonvocalswithChastain.She has worked with other bands and projects, like SledgeLeather,MalibuBarbiandRudeGirl, andhasdonesomesolowork,too.Thisin-depthinterviewseekstoshedlightonthe variousphasesofLeathersparticipationin music. www.facebook.com/LeatherLeone www.leviathanrecords.com Whataresomeofyourearliestmemoriesof musicplayinginthehousewhenyouwerea child?

Therewasalwaysmusicinmyhouseasa child.Irecentlyhadthisconversationwith myMammaabouthowshewasalways singing.Iamnotsureexactlywhat,butshe wasconstantlysmilingandcarryingatune. EvenasIthinkofitnowitmakesmefeel peace.Growinguptherewasalwaysa stereoblasting,GlenCampbell,AlMartino, DeanMartin,ElvisPresley.MyPappaloved country music, Buck Owens, George Strait, lots ofJohnnyCash!Mybrotherhadquite eclectictastesfromtheSpinnerstothe Beatles. How cool is that!! Soabsolutemusicthroughoutmykiddays.I nevertookanymusiclessons.Ijustdon't rememberevernotsinging.Goingtoasmall CatholicschoolIwastheonewhowould volunteertosinganything,anywhere.Being raisedItalianCatholic,Iofcoursewentto weeklymass.Thechurchhada10:30mass with a choir that I had joined very young.We would sing vital music of that time, Eagles, Led Zeppelin,songsfromthepopularBroadway playsofthatera,JesusChristSuperstar, Godspell.Itwasatruebreedinggroundfor me to find my voice, although I didn't realize it then. I can remember singing the first verse of "StairwaytoHeaven"acappella,feelingso lightheadedandexhilarated;itwasthe beginningforme.Thebeginningofthe realization of what a voice could truly be. Whenyouwereinmiddleschoolorhigh school,whatmusicdidyourfriendslike?Had themusicbugbittenyouatthistimeordid that happen later? The music of my middle/high school years was allthatincrediblearenarock.Styx,Boston, EltonJohn,Zeppelin,FleetwoodMac,Heart. Such big, huge reverberated sounds. I knew it all. Every night after dinner I would lock myself inmybedroomandsingasloudasIpossibly could to all those records.When Led Zeppelin"HousesoftheHoly"andHeart's"Dreamboat Annie" came out I was blown away by what a rockvocalcoulddoandbe!!Itwasanother turning point for me. Yes,thebughadbittenmeintheass big time. I had no exposure to Motown, or the BritishInvasionatthispoint.Butbelieveme, myloveofJimiHendrixwasjustaroundthe corner. Were you into other activities, like sports, too? Whatkindofhobbiesdidyouhave?Didyou writepoetryorhaveajournalinwhichyou wrote? 27 Iwasaheadcheerleader,whatasurprise huh?I got to yell, scream, and lead people in chants!!Iplayedvolleyball,softball,was deeplyinvolvedinridingandshowinghorses.AllthetypicaladventuresofanupstateNY youngperson.Andyes,Ididwritepoetry, although I never shared or even told anyone. Wow, I hadn't thought of that for years. I need to go home and try to find those journals!!! Whatwashappeninginyourlifeinthesenior year of high school? Mysenioryearwasquiteexciting,just becauseIknewmyindependentlifewas about to begin. I went to college (I use that termloosely)outsideofNYCity.Iwasa horriblestudent,butwasintroducedto frontingrockbandsthere.Ibegantosingin coverbands,singingeverythingfromPat Benatar to AC/DC.I hung out there for about 4 years, when I had gotten in touch with friend whohadmovedtoCalifornia.Iwasbored and partying way TOO much, so I hopped on aplanetoSanFrancisco.Againnotever reallythinkingaboutdoingmusic professionally.NordidIcareabouthowthe world perceived me. Atthisage,howhadyourtasteinmusic changed? Attheageof23mymusicaltasteand seriousnesscametolight.Orthedark,as othersmayviewit!!Ihadbeenhangingin Berkeley with a friend. Someone had brought meaflyerfromatelephonepole,ametal band looking for a singer.Actually they werelooking for a nail spitter, ha ha!! The rehearsal studiowaslocatedatHaightandAshbury. Thatalonegotmestoked,asthe Haight/Ashburywasahistoricalplaceof music from the 60's. Not knowing where I was, I got on a bus in the pouring rain (which is my favoriteweather)andwenttothestudioat 6:30onaWedsnight.Imet2musicianswho werestartingametalband.LoisLarue,guitar playerandSandySledge,drummer.Wegot right down to business as I sang Hearts version of Zeppelin 's "Rock and Roll" I sang it a couple times,thentheyaskedmeifIknewwhoBon Scottwas?OfcourseIdid.TheyrequestedI singwithhisvocalconviction.Idid,Iwas hired.Thebandwascalled"RudeGirl"andI begantotakemyselfseriouslyasasinger.It wasthroughmyrelationshipandhardwork with"RudeGirl"thatIwasdrawnintometal music.Ronnie James Dio to be exact! How was the chemistry early on? How did you feelwithinRudeGirlatfirst?Youareinyour early 20s and in a band! Theearlychemistryin"Rudegirl"washowit alwaysiswhenasituationisnew. Exciting, hopefulandwewerefulloffuckingMetal. Nothingcouldstopus,wewerefearless, whichopeningforsomeofthesehardcore bandswetrulyhadtobe. Itwascrazy!!It was an incredible time...We had chose this life styleoftruededication,sweatandplainlove for metal music. Believemeitwasnotarockstarlife.It wasextremehardwork.Rehearsalevery night,showsmostweekendsopeningforthe bigboys.Andsincewewerenotdoingthe sexthing,wehadtobeontopofourgame. Lookingback,Iwasn'treallyevenawareof my situation,Iwassincerelyjusttryingto become the vocalist that I heard in my head. Butthatbeingsaid,Iknewitwasaspecial time . As I had mentioned earlier.I and been introducedtoRonnieJamesDiopersonally andmusically. InmymindIhadasteep mountain to climb. The voice I had and heard inside of me was not yet coming out. Ihavehimandhisencouragementtothank for anything vocally I have. He fuels me still. 28 CBS/Columbia offers Rude Girl a seven-album dealandBlackSabbathmanagerSandy Pearlmanwasscheduledtoproduce.Of course,thisdidnothappen.Whatwouldyou like to share with us regarding this time? Yes,onpaperitalllookedperfect.Sandy Pearlman, a CBS deal.Howie Klein, who later becameahotshotbehindMadonna,was courting the band.But I always felt something wasn'tright,especiallywhenthey wantedus to sign for 7 years.Although back then it was common.Wehadgotridofourbassplayer lookingforamoreaccomplishedmusician. That had really upset the label,which I found weirdthattheywouldn'tencouragetrue musicianship. Throughallofthatmessthecracks startedtoshow."Rudegirl"hadbecomea selfish, controlling entity which left a sour taste in my mouth;the final straw being as I waited for the band on a Friday afternoon at 1 pm to signthebigdealandstartournewcareers.I was still sitting there alone with my pen 1 hour later.TothisdayitisarealproblemIhave about punctuality. It sends me over the edge if you are not on time. SoIpickedupmypenandmybag, thankedthereceptionistandwalkedout. FuckingpissedoffIwenthomeandcalled MikeVarneyfromShrapnelrecords.Heand hiswifeKathyhadbecomegoodfriendsof mine. He had always appreciated my talent andtaughtmethetruthaboutthebusiness.I toldhimwhathadhappened.Within1week hetoldmehehaddemoshewantedme record. Those demos were with a guitar player from Ohio, David T Chastain. Do you ever go back and listen to the first two Chastain albums from the mid 80s? I don't go back to listen to that older material that I have recorded.Very hard for me.I just hear the lack of perfection. The wrong notes, thewrongmelody,howitcouldhavebeen donemuchstronger.Especiallyasyouask aboutthefirst2albums. "Mysteryofillusion" and"RuleroftheWasteland." Iwasvery youngandverygreen.Ihavesomuch appreciationforeveryonewhofinds inspirationfromthatearlyChastainmusic. Thatisallthatmatters,inspiration,itsmagic when it finds you. For you personally, in the mid 80s, how do you remember this period? Me remembering the mid 80's is all positive. A timeIwouldrunbacktoimmediately. We wereyoung,strong,fearless,outtobethe best due to the fact that I was in the middle of the best. I always had a feeling that the San Francisco scene was very special. It was again extremelyhardwork,butthedriveIhadwas insatiable.Itwas,atthetimewhereI belonged. AccordingtoMetalArchives,youwerein MalibuBarbistartingin1986.Howlongwere you in Malibu Barbi? It was never my band or band I wanted to be involved with. They had called me to record 2 songsasafavor,notsurewheretheirvocalist wasthatday. Ididthe2songsinanhour.I 29 left,endofstory.Iheartheysellitthroughout theworld.Ihaveneverreceivedany royalties. In a way, "For Those Who Dare" (1990) seems like a culmination of your 80s work. The songs are more memorable; the pace is more varied; the songs breather more; the melodies and the singing shine more. Was Chastain gaining ground? In terms of the working relationship between David and yourself, were you clicking at this point? WorkingwithDavidTChastain,materialis neveranissue. Heisawritingmachine. I couldandstilljustgivehimanideaandhe creates a story.Iappreciatethatyoufoundthesongs enjoyableon"ForThoseWhoDare."AsI always say, it is hard for me to judge. I create music, then leave it for a long while. "For Those WhoDare"wasreleasedonRoadRacer, whichlaterbecameRoadrunner.Sothe distributionwasenormousforus;ourfirstMTV video.Itwasquiteexciting,andinmymind welldeserved.Andtoallofthat,yesit seemed we were gaining a ton of ground. Andyes,youarecorrect.Atthispoint DTC and myself were certainly in the groove.I hadactuallybeganfeelingthatwayon "VoiceoftheCult."Thecreativeprocesswas incrediblysimple.AlthoughImustsayDTC (David T Chastain) was always very respectful andtrustingofmyvocalability. Ineverfelta lackofrespectwithhim,althoughI'msureI drove him crazy much of the time.Though at thispointitbecametwofold.Istartedtofeel thatDTCopinionsandmineregardingthe pushforwardandtouringweredifferent. Leviathan(whichwasDTC'slabel)hadbeen sufferingthefinancialstruggleofhavinga band and a crew on the road for years.Leviathanwasn'tveryexcitedtotake onbiggerventures.Istillhearstoriesoflarger offers that DTC turned down. He says not, and Iguesswewereabitburntoutfromtheclub circuit.Thecrowdsweren'tgrowing,wedid seem to be in a slump not taking on a bigger tours. In1989youhadthesoloalbum"Shock Waves."Howdidthesoloalbumcome about? Didyouknowthealbumsguitarist Michael Harris very well? As far as "Shock Waves, DTC tells me, I was a bitdiscouragedbackthennotgetting enoughrecognition. So hesuggestedasolo record.Itwasaveryuncomfortable suggestion,but,hey,Itookit.Hehadtonsof musicjustsittingaround.Ihookedupwith MarkShelton(ManillaRoad)andPatO'Brien whohadbeentouringwithusbefore CannibalCorpseandwrotesomematerial. Lookingback,itwasbasicallyjustaChastain record with me writing most of it. But I was and stillamintowhatisnowconsideredthat classic metal sound. I am extraordinarily proud ofit.Especially"SomethinginThisLife"which waswrittenaboutaconversationIhadwith Ronnie Dio. IneveractuallymetMichaelHarris.We didourpartsseparately.TothisdayI'mnot sure I thanked him for his work. It was exquisite. IbelieveheisonthenewVeronicaFreeman solorecord"NoworNever"asIam.Itwas great to hear his name again In1993youleftthemusicindustry. Whatcan you tell us about this? Did you stay in contact with David? Asfarasmydeparturefromthebusiness, it's not a very interesting story. After Chastain had cometoanamicableend,whichIalways thoughtwouldbetemporary!Igavemyself6 months to decompress. I then started having meetingsinL.A.,andcallinginforauditions. TheresponsewasnotwhatIexpected.Ihad littlerespect,oranyoffersthathelduptomy 30 integrity. I did some demos for a larger band in L.A. In that process I realized I was grabbing at something that had nothing to do with me; nothing to do with my voice or my belief. IwasextremelyproudofwhatIhad accomplished,soIwentback(asLitasays)I went back to the cave. It was not easy, it was frustrating,itwasyearsofmentalchange.I got into animals. I got into Pit bulls. As soon as ImetthebreedIwashooked.Mypassionsin life have always been music and animals. So Iamablessedperson,abletoexperience both. I was in touch with DTC occasionally. He wouldconstantlytellmetogetbackintothe studio.But at that time in my life it was not in the cards You returned with Sledge Leather around 2011 andthen toChastainforthe2013album, "SurrendertoNoOne."Whatfinallydiditfor you?! The reason I came back was the death of my father,PeterLeoneIn2009andRonnieDioin 2010. Theybothtoldmetoneverstop,thatI was good enough, that I inspired people. And asyoucanimagine,myfriendinspiration camebackbangingatmydoor. Unfortunately,Ihadbeensooutofthen scene,Ididn'tknowRonniewasilluntilthe end. I never had the chance to be in touch. Yourotherband,SledgeLeatherseemsto havebecomeactivearound2010?Whatcan you tell us about Sledge Leather and returning to music? SoItooksmallsteps.Ihadverykindpeople whoallowedmetogoinandoutof L.A. studios. To get it back together. I had re connected with Sandy Sledge from "Rude Girl" andwewrote.Wehadtheprivilegeof connectingwithScottWarren,andJimmy Page from the Dio family. We then hooked up withanincredibleguitarplayerfrom Germany, Matt Weishart. We did a cd in 2012. "ImagineMeAlive,"playedafewshows.It wasverycool.Theresponsehadbeen indescribable.Chastainmetalfriendsare everywhere.Iam extremelythankfulandwill kick ass for all of you, as long as you will have me. ThroughthiswholeprocessIhave reconnected with DTC. We decided we were notdoneyet. Wereleased"SurrendertoNo One" in 2013. Our new music "We Bleed Metal" willbeoutinNovemberofthisyear. UnfortunatelyDTCisnotinterestedintouring still. Soitisafrustratingsituationfromme. I havebeenblessedenoughtogetsome interestastheVoiceofChastain. Iplayed Brazillastyearandhavehookedupwitha promoterwhoisbehindme.Wearetryingto get out again soon. What are the plans for 2016? There is a lot of talk but nothing in cement yet. I am older and wiser. I understand my place in metal,sothereisnodrama.Idon'tacceptit any longer. Ihavebeenveryblessed. Ibecame friendswithVeronicaFreemanfrom "Benedictum,"andJimmyDurkinfrom"Dark Angel".IhookedupwithDebbieGunfrom SentinelBeast,celebratedDoro's30 anniversarywithheronstageinNY.Lifeis good. 31 Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Thanks so much for your interest.Love and Dio Find me at Leatherleone.com Xoxoxo www.facebook.com/LeatherLeone www.twitter.com/LeatherLeone THE END ** AXEMASTER Axemasteristraditionalheavymetalfromthe stateofOhio,U.S.Thebandsbrandofmusic isrough-and-ready,honest,gritty,blue-collar heavymetal.Thebandstartedin1985,and hasgonethroughlineupchanges,including namechanges,butleadguitaristJoeSims, theonlyremainingmemberfromtheold formation,continuestosteerAxemaster today.In2014,thebandsignedwithPure Steel Records (Germany), and Sims produced, mixed,andmasteredthenewalbum "OverturetoMadness.PureSteelreleased "OverturetoMadness"inMarchof2015,an albumwhich,accordingtotheband,helps todefineAxemaster'soverallgeneralstyleas acombinationofthedarkriffsandfeelof doommetalandtheenergyandaggression of non-speed thrash metal. BAND MEMBERS Geoff McGraw - vocals/rhythm guitar Joe Sims - lead guitar Denny Archer - drums Jim Curtis - bass This interview seeks to be an in-depth look into thehistoryofAxemaster. www.facebook.com/axemasterofficial Axemaster has returned with a new album on PureSteelRecords.Whatcany'alltellus about the current members of the band? JOE:I'mJoeSimsandIplayleadguitar.The otherguysareGeoffMcGrawonvocalsand somerhythmguitar,JimCurtisisthebassist, andDennyArcheristhedrummer.Iwilltell youwhat,themetalgodsweresmilingonus whenIputthisbandtogether,Idon'tknow how a lineup could be any better all the way aroundthanthisoneis.Geoffisahellofa singerwiththePERFECTsoundandstylefor thekindofthingwedo.Healsoplaysrhythm guitaronsometuneswhichdefinitelyhelps our live sound, and is one hell of a songwriter.JimandDennyarebothworldclass musiciansintheirownright.It'sreallykickass tonothavetotakeintoaccountany limitationsintheirplayingwhenIwritemusic because they are more than good enough to play anything I would ever want them to play. Aboveallthat,alltheguysaregreatpeople and I consider them all close friends. They are allveteranmusicianswhoaretrue professionalswithgreatattitudesandno egos.Thisbandneverhasanykindofdrama or bullshit with any of the members which is so VERYrare.Weallworkandwritesowell togetherit'salmostunreal!Forme,thetotally positiveatmosphereyoucanfeelwhenever we're all together keeps me power-motivated toworkashardasIpossiblycan.I'lltellyou what,I'mproudashellwheneverIwalkout onstage with those guys!!!!! OnlyJoeSimsremainsfromtheearlydaysof theband,formedin1985,correct?So,how didthecurrentincarnationofthebandcome together? JOE: Yeah, I'm the only one who has been on alltheAxemasterreleases.WhenIfinally decidedtoputanewversionofAxemaster togetherforgood,thefirstcoupleguysI contactedwereoriginalAxemasterdrummer 32 BrianHendersonandourcurrentbassistJim Curtis. I had worked with them a couple years before on a CD project under the name Inner Terror and we worked well together, so asking them to join was basically a no brainer for me and they wanted in right away.Thatwholesituationwentpretty smoothly,butfindingapermanentvocalist wasawholedifferentstory.OriginallyIfound agoodsingerfairlyeasily,butitwasatough situation right from the start because he didn't havemuchtimeatalltoputintotheband. Thenafterhehadalreadywrittenand recordedacouplesongsforthealbum,he had to leave the band altogether for personal reasons,sowewerestuck.It'susuallyso damned hard to find a decent singer, and at thatpointwehadalreadyrecordedallthe musicforthealbumsowewereprettymuch deadinthewateruntilwecouldfind someone. It was frustrating as hell!!!!Afterwhatfeltlikeforever,Ifoundan ad Geoff had put on Craigslist. Yeah, I was so desperateIwasevencheckingthere!After talking to him for a short time and hearing him singjustacouplelinesunrehearsed,IKNEW hewastheman.Theninspringof2014we replacedBrianHendersonwithDennyArcher ondrums.Idon'twanttogointothereasons why,butitwasnecessarytodoinorderfor the band to be able to move forward the way wewanted.I'veknownDennysincewewere kids and we played together in the mid 90's in a band called Reign, so it was a great fit. Geoff:IfinditfunnywhenJoetalksabout beingsodesperatetofindavocalistthathe checkedCraiglist.Itoohadneverpostedan ad on Craigslist before, and was myself pretty desperatetofindaband.Ihadneverhada goodexperiencewithmusiciansfrom Craigslistandhadgottenabunchofweird stuff and only 1 or 2 things that even had any potentialwhenJoecalled.Soitwas serendipitousthatwewerebothso "desperate"...lol. LookingonMetalArchives,Inoticethatitis possible that everyone knows each other from yearsinthescene.However,foryourvocalist GeoffMcGraw,MetalArchivesdoesnotlist previous bands. That's not right, or is it? Is he a "newbie"? JOE: Well, I guess you could say that Geoff is a newbietotheinternationalscene,buthe's notatallnewtobeinginbands.He'sbeen doing this almost as long as the rest of us, and hasbeeninsomeoriginalprojects,notjust only cover bands. He has just never been with abandthatwasabletogetpastthelocal scene. Geoff: Joe is exactly right here, I have done a lotofstuff.Whilehardrockandmetalhas alwaysbeenmypassion,Ihavebeenin everythingfrommetaltofolkmusic,just nothingsonotableastohavehadanyreal impactanywhere.Thelongestanyofmy previousprojectshavelastedis2or3years, andexceptforacoupleofselfproduced discs that were available only on CDr, there is virtuallynothingrecorded.Iwasjustneverin the right place or time.33 ThelastcoupleofthingsIdidbefore joiningAxemasterwasplayingguitarina theatricalmetalprojectcalledPsychWard, andonmypersonalpetprojectcalled MorrigansCross.Ihadalwayswantedto experimentwiththeconceptIhad,butit never got off the ground where I was living at thetime.Ihadagroupofguysbutsome personalissuesaroseandIfoundmyself havingtoleave,sowhenIarrivedhereIhad triedtogetmusiciansforitagainbut consistentlyfailedatfindingtherightpeople. WhichiswhyIhadplacedtheinternetad,I really needed to play with someone. Onasidenote,nooneinthisband created the Metal Archives entry for me, and I wasshockedandpleasantlysurprisedtofind thatsomeonehadmadeit,so"asphaalanx", whoever and wherever you are...Thanks! Howwastheexperienceofputtingtogether thenewalbumandgettinganewversionof theband,too?Wasthatstressful?Wasitafull band collaboration? JOE:LikeImentionedinthesecondquestion, addingBrianandJimwasprettyeasy,but findingGeoffwasatotalbitchandpretty damnedstressful!!!!Iwroteallthemusicfor thealbummainlyonmyown.Otherthana fewsuggestionsaboutsomelittlethingshere andthere,itwasallonme.Sotherewasa verysmallamountofcollaboration,butnot much. For the most part I didn't feel any stress whenIwaswritingallthemusic,exceptfor maybe when I was trying to decide which riffs and tunes we should use for the album, that's just because of how important those decisions were.Overall,allthewritingcamespretty easyforme.Iwasonarealroll,andwhat's evenmorekickassisthattherollhasn't stopped!Ihavebeenwritingmusicfor somethinglike35yearsnowandnotonlyis my creative well FAR from being dry, but over the last 5 years my writing has actually gotten a lot better and easier!!! Anyway, I spent a lot oftimeonsmalldetailswhichcanbetedious attimes,butoverallItotallyenjoyedthe wholewritingprocess.Creatingnewmusic thatwillbeheardallovertheworldis probablymyfavoritepartaboutbeinga musician.As far as the lyrics go, I'll leave that to Geoff. Geoff: I felt no stress at all....lol. Aside from the factthatIwas,atthetimeJoecalled,pretty sure that I was just spinning my wheels in trying toA)putmypersonalpetprojectback together,andB)findinganyprojectthatwas afit.SothenIwenttotheaudition,Joe startedplayingsomeofthemusichehad writtenforthealbumandonesongjust clickedwithsomelyricsIhadwritten.We rolled on half a verse and the chorus, and the rest as they say is history. Incidentally that song became "Forsaken", and the lyrics are exactly thesameonesasIhadonthatday.OnceI wasinvitedtojointheband,Ijustbeganto writelyrics.Ihavealwaysenjoyedthewriting process and was extremely happy to be able to put my words on Joe's music. HowisthenewAxemasterdifferentfromthe old band, and what are the similarities, in your own opinion? JOE:Well,thewayIseeit,thereare2HUGE differencesinthebanditself.OneisGeoff's vocals.Notmeaningtoputdownanyofthe previous Axemaster singers, but Geoff's singing isamajorplusinwhatwearedoingnow.His voice fits this material like they were made for eachother,andhe'sahellofasongwriter. The other thing is that, like I said, all the guys in thebandaretotaltopnotchproswhohave excellentattitudesandnevercauseany problemsordrama.Youjustdon'tfindbands with a lineup that works this well together and neverhasinternalproblemsveryoften. Frankly, it's like a dream for me.34 Asfarasthematerialgoes,Ithinkthe newerstuffshowsthatwenowhavemore experienceinmusicingeneraland songwritinginparticular.BoththemusicI wroteforthealbumandthetunesweare nowwritingasaunithavemoreofa professionalfeelaboutthem,betterput togetherandIbelievemoreinteresting overall.Thecurrentmaterialisslightly morethrashy than a lot of the older Axemaster stuffwithmorecomplexrhythmsandalot moreinterestingguitarlayering.Istilllikethe oldersongs,buttomethenewerstuffshows improvementsinprettymucheveryaspect, both in writing and performance. The new Axemaster album is called "Overture toMadness"onPureSteelRecords.Isita conceptalbum?Whatmotivatedthelyricsof the album this time around for Axemaster?! JOE:Iwrotealotofthewordsforalltheold Axemaster releases. But even though I always likedthelyricsandphrasingIcameupwith,I thinkitworksoutbetterwhenthesingerdoes themandbesides,Idon'tlikewritingwords anywhere near as much as I like writing music. SoIleftthattoGeoffandhedidahellofa job,especiallygiventhecircumstanceswe had with this album. Geoff:Honestly,nothealbumisn'taconcept album. However when we were talking about albumtitlesInoticedthatalotofthethingsI hadwrittenlyricsaboutdealtintypesof "madness".Whetheritwasactualinsanityor thingsthatmightbereferredtoas"mad".So whenIsubmittedalistofalbumtitleideasto Joethatoneendedupbeingtheone everyone seemed to like. Asfarasthemotivationbehindthe lyrics,welltherearealotofdifferentthings. ForthemostpartIhavealwayswrittenin metaphor,soveryfewthingsonthisalbum actuallyaretalkingaboutwhattheyseemto be.Therearealotofpersonalstories,and genuineangerandrageinthelyrics,whichI stilldon'tfeellikerevealing.InmanywaysI thinksometimesit'smoreinterestingforthe listenertoabscribetheirownmeaningsor perhapstrytofigureoutwhatitactuallyis about. I love to hear theories from fans about what they think songs are about, so it's fun for me too.Iwillgosofarastotellyouabouta couple songs that aren't too deeply personal: "Chylde"isexactlywhatitappearstobe, basedintheworldofthesupernatural,each verseisaboutadifferentsupernatural creature. The lyrics were written in a couple of hours, once I heard the music it just spilled out, like the song itself knew what it was about and I just wrote down what it told me. "DreamOrNightmare"startedbecause Joesaidhe'dalwayswantedtohaveasong titled that, and I said "OK, lets do it." Everything in that song is intended to give the impression ofthatpointwhenyouareasleepandare stuckbetweenhavingadreamandfalling into nightmares. "StatuteOfLiberty"...NOTStatueasina sculpture,Statute,asinlaworrule.Thisisthe 35 1st political song I ever attempted, and it was basedaroundaspeechbyPresident Eisenhowerwhichwarnedagainstinvesting toomuchtrustinthe"militaryindustrial complex."JoehadthesoundbitesandI wrotethelyricstodescribethesituationwe findourselvesinnow,wherethepopulaceis distractedfromthethingsthatour governmentdoesbybreadandcircuses, keepingthemateachothersthroatsrather than noticing the man behind the curtain.I'llstopthere,gottakeepsomemysteryafter all.Plus,Istillwanttohearwhatothersthink our songs are about. Axemasterwasformedin1985.Werethe membersofAxemasterinotherbandsbefore 1985? JOE:Wehadallbeeningaragebandsand jammedwithdifferentpeoplethroughthe timewewereinhighschool,butnoneofus hadeverbeeninabandthatdidanything morethanmaybeplayatafewpartiesor something.Iwasonlylike19whenwefirst started Axemaster, damn, seems like a lifetime ago!!!ThemainthingIhaddoneatthattime wasayearorsobeforeIhadrecordedlike8 or10ofmyoriginalsongsinsomeguy's basementonhis4-track,dubbedsome copies on cassette, made a cover for it that I justphotocopied,andgaveitawaytosome ofmyfriendsatschool.Lookingback,doing that little homemade release back then really showedwheremymindwasatandthe directionIwasgoing.WhilethemusiciansI knew who were my age were mainly learning cover songs to play small gigs and show off to theirfriendsandthegirls,Iwaswriting, recording,andputtingtogethermyown "album" of sorts! That was actually the first time thenameAxemasterwasused.Iwantedto make the tape appear like a band did it and wasn'tasolothing,andIhadthoughtbefore thatAxemasterwouldbeacoolname,soI justusedthat.Bytheway,Inamedthetape "The Heirs to Revolution." What was happening in Ohio that inspired the formation of the band back in the day? JOE:Itreallyhadnothingtodowithanything happeninginthisarea.Ilovedmetal,totally addictedtoit,lovedtoplay,andlovedto writemusic.SoIwantedtoputtogetheran originalbandreallyfornootherreasonthan thatthemusicwasandstillismybiggest passion.Itmightsoundclichd,butitwas honestly ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC. I had a bunch oforiginalsongsandwantedabandtoplay them, all of which is why I started Axemaster. I honestlydidn'tknowmuchaboutthelocal clubsceneandwhatwashappeningwith bands in our area, so that had no bearing on my wanting to start an original band. What type of expectations did the members of Axemaster have in 1985? Did the band expect to make it? Why or why not? JOE:Ican'tspeakfortheotherguys,butfor myself,Iwashopefulbuthadnoreal expectations. I was a stupid kid but I still knew itwastoughtodosomethingmajorinthe music business. I just didn't realize how tough it actually was (and is)!!!!!! I thought there was a possibilitythatthebandcould"makeit",but alwaysknewitwasabigtimelongshot.I neverkiddedmyselfbythinkingwewere gonnabethenextBlackSabbathorJudas Priest,Ijusthopedwecouldgetwitha companythatwouldallowustorecord,put out albums, and go on tour without having to spendatonofmoneyoutofpocket(which we never had) to be able to do it. But it wasn't anexpectation,justsomethingIthoughtwas possible and hoped for.EvenbackthenIknewthatexpecting to"makeit"waswayunrealistic,whichwasn't 36 a problem since I've always been in this totally becauseofmyloveformetal,notbecauseI was looking for fame and fortune. Of course, it wouldhavealwaysbeenkickassifthat happened,butthatwasn'tthereasonIgot intomusictobeginwithandiswhyInever gave it up and never will!!!! Areanyofyouoldenoughtogrowupinthe 1970s?Whatdoyourememberaboutheavy metal in the 70s in your part of the U.S.? JOE:Iwas