May 2014


Mattel's Monster High franchise has been highly popular over the course of it's debut a few years back. Since then it's expanded into it's continuous doll line. appeal, gaming, movies, webisodes and word of a live action take on the franchise was said to happen with little details exposed. Well now further details have been exposed with a release date of October 7, 2016!

Several websites, IGNTVQC, and Variety gives the details that the film will be produced and the screenplay will be written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (the duo worked on The OC and Gossip Girl) under the banner of the production company Fake Empire. They will be joined by Craig Zadan and Neil Mero Storyline Entertainment.

Plot details of the film look to go look this, "Monster High focuses on a teenager in search of their true identity group, while wondering what to do with their secret love to the secret academy Monster High."

Will the franchise cease to exist if this live action adaption doesn't live up to previous live action adaptions of other product lines i.e. Smurfs, Scooby Doo, Bratz, Alvin and the Chipmunks, etc. Only the guys and ghouls who rule the school of Monster High's fan base will be the one's to judge so let the countdown begin!


Black Belt KARATE are swaggering, melodic alt / high-energy, prog indie rock from Southern California.
The band has been doing their thing for a while now, playing showcases, touring, releasing music the works! Bassist Harry Ostrem and guitarist/producer Jason Achilles Mezilis discusses the band's progress and plans.


1. What type of band are you?

Harry:  At a rudimentary level, Black Belt Karate is a rock band.  This being said, the sound of BBK is very unique considering the low tuning of the guitars (C#, F#, B, and E) and the attention to melodic vocals and harmony.  I like to think of the band’s sound as beautiful vocal layers over a grimy, muddy, distorted foundation.

Jason:  There’s a lot of deliberate thought and structure (and sometimes pretty difficult musicianship), but we try and make sure it’s all delivered in a very honest, simple form.  Murderous rhythm section, amazing vocals.  Pretty damn good band to be in.

2. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Harry:  Everyone has been playing their instruments for years and brings to BBK a diverse range of experiences.  Jason and Ryan Hanifl (singer) are accomplished producers, as well as former band mates in Your Horrible Smile.  I have been in LA for 10 years doing music, and have and still play in a large number of bands/projects including The Shrill and Dizzy Reed’s (of Guns N’ Roses) solo band.  Ryan Brown (drums) is most notably a member of Zappa Plays Zappa who also teaches at Musician’s Institute.  He is also one of LA’s most in demand session drummers.

Jason:  Harry had this incredible mustache when he first joined the band.  Not one of those ironic hipster facial caterpillars, I mean a real honest-to-goodness for reals 1972 US tour bus mustache.  For a while it was gone, then back again en force.  Lately it seems to have taken a long-term sabbatical.  You can watch our music videos for a chronological visual history of this elusive “fifth bandmate”.  No signs as to its possible return.

3. Why did you want this band to be called Black Belt KARATE? Does the name reference to actual Karate or is it just a name?

Harry:  The main reason for choosing Black Belt KARATE is because Foghat, Ted Nugent, Men Without Hats, and Party of The Rich were already taken.

4. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?

Harry:  As described above, BBK has a unique blend of sensitive vocal harmony and an abrasive low-end guitar sound.  There are also a lot of time signature changes in many of our songs, but never at the expense of taking the listener out of the listening experience.  We try to write pop-based rocks songs with a progressive punk attitude.  The arrangements are not simple, and the energy is direct, intense, and honest.  All good bands, from Zeppelin and Rush to Radiohead and Queens of The Stone Age, have had an influence on this band.  We are such musicians at heart, that there are too many influences to count.  

Jason:  “abrasive” guitar is a kind way to put it…I've also heard “the sound that makes guitar purists cringe”, and my personal favorite…”your guitar sounds like two cement mixers fighting with each other”.

5. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)

Harry:  I wouldn't know since my two efforts of trying to help with lyrics were met with extreme resistance from our singer.  I think our songs have something to do with a mountain, crying, serving others, saving the best for last, and applying ointment to lessen the degree of Rigamortis on dead bodies.

Jason:  Harry is trying to be funny.  Those are all song titles from our 2013 EP  (look it up on iTunes).  Harry you really shouldn't be Building Walls between us and our audience…it may Push them away.

6. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)

Harry:  Jason and Ryan Hanifl are the primary song-writers in the band, and work out most songs in a demo-format before bringing it to the band.  This being said, Ryan Brown and I have complete freedom to write our own parts, and offer whatever suggestions we may have for the songs in general.  We also record many jams during rehearsal, which Jason later turns into demo ideas.  I think our song writing system is quite healthy, considering the fact that everyone has roles to play and is respected in that role.  I do plan on writing a few demos this summer for the band, and Jason will be forced to listen to them and shower me with praise and laud for my musical genius.

7. What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?

Harry:  I just wish Rolling Stone would leave us alone.  I get tired of their incessant demand for interviews and photo sessions.  We have tried to release as much content on a consistent basis as possible.   Besides our one 5 song EP, we have only released singles and accompanying music videos.  The band has even ventured into comedy and released a few comedy sketches to promote the band on YouTube.  People seem to really dig what we are doing; especially in England / the UK.  I think the most important thing to do to get the right types of attention from the media is to stick around.  So many great bands break-up before they have a chance to be discovered.  Most of our listeners probably don’t know of us yet, but hopefully they will in the future.

Jason:  That last sentence was really funny.

8. How about new music, what do you have in the works?

Jason:  This year (2014) we are releasing a new single every month, complete with cover art for each by the very talented David Urbanic…all through our digital distributor…and will continue on through the rest of this year.  It’s a bit of an experiment in this new modern era of digital content delivery, and so far seems to be going really well.  There will also be some videos along the way, we just met with the director (Tyler Jackson) of our first 3 videos and he’s on board for our next single “Transformer”, which will be out on iTunes & Amazon on Tuesday June 24th.

9. Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?

Jason:  We do, yes…we've played all the club circuit in LA and surrounding areas, as well as some pretty cool larger bills with bands like The Offspring, NOFX, Truckfighters, Valient Thorr…as well as shows with local bands we really love like The Janks.  And BBK is happy to say we just signed on with Odds On Agency for future bookings, so there will certainly be lots more good stuff to come very soon.

10. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Harry:  If all goes well, our goal of starting 50 new orphanages for homeless children around the world will be realized.   That is what Millard Fillmore would have wanted; that is our only hope.

Jason:  First person to name which president Millard Fillmore was (without using the damn internet) gets a free CD.  Seriously!

11. What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?

Photo By: Carlo Alberto Orecchia
Harry:  This is a tricky question, since an honest answer could come across as a vain attempt to be recognized.  However, I think labels and the press should know about our band for two main reasons.  First, the band is comprised of 4 very good musicians who have been honing their skills for a long time.  Lastly, the music is truly unique and enjoyable.  I wouldn't have accepted an audition invite from Jason had I not recognized the strong quality of the song-writing and melodies when I first heard the preliminary tracks.  I believed in the music then, and I still believe in it 1.5 years later.  It’s good shit that deserves a larger platform of exposure.    

Jason:  Goddamn right.

12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

Jason:  iTunes is best.  Amazon is good.  Just search Black Belt KARATE.  Spotify, Pandora, all that stuff.  If you want a hard copy of the EP, we've got a merch store on our website at www.BBKofficial.com.

13. Anything else you'd like to say or would like to add?

Harry:  I ate an entire pizza this afternoon and I am still very thin.

Jason:  Harry moves around a lot on stage.


Goth punk rock duo One-Eyed Doll has done it all from being featured here or there to playing shows, going on tour, writing and recording music, to so much more there an act that can't be avoided. Frontwomen vocalist/guitarist Kimberly Freeman discusses about the band, side projects, new music, and much more!


1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Kimberly: I had a band called, "Ghetto Princess" back in 2005. At that time, Jason had a recording studio in Austin. He showed up to one of our performances and offered to record our first album, which ended up being "Hole". I lost all of my band members before the album was even finished (some of them before it we started) and decided to change the name and just start fresh. He made several more albums with me over the years as band members came and went, and we became great friends. I finally had the idea to ask him to be in the band, and he fell for it! :) Haha, and it's been amazing ever since! Wish I'd done it way sooner!

2. What made you want to be a duo type of band?

Kimberly: I kept losing band members and didn't want to cancel our booked shows, so my drummer at the time Scotty and I just played without them. We thought we'd just do that until the right bandmates came along, and I guess they never did. I don't think very many people were on board with my style. Everyone I auditioned wanted to change everything about my music. In the meantime, I wrote music that just Scotty and I could pull off and still sound pretty good. Simple, chunky riffs, really fun stuff.  In the early days, I was so scared to be up there without any other type of guitarist or bassist on stage, that I made cardboard cutouts, duct taped instruments to them and pretended that they were alive.

3. How did you guys come up with your band name? Is there an actual One-Eyed Doll?

Kimberly: It's a reference to my grandpa Bernie Jones, who had one eye. He was a great comedian, actor and musician all his life. I'm just trying to fill his big old clown shoes. :) There's also a little bit of a velveteen rabbit story behind it as a secondary meaning, and I reference the third eye a lot. It's a few things, but I think of Bernie as the main inspiration.

4. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?

Kimberly: There really isn't one. Writing has always been my emotional and intellectual outlet. As a kid, I wrote hundreds of poems and went to great lengths to hide them. They were my precious secrets, and I would've felt devastated and exposed if anyone had ever found them. Poetry was the only way to explain how I felt about the things that I couldn't talk to anyone about... even if I was only writing to myself. My writing has always been for me. It's the one thing that I do only for myself. I love that I can share it now with people who appreciate it, but I don't think I'm trying to tell them anything. I'm just doing what I've always done. I would like to say that it's been really amazing to share my songs, though.. and even more amazing that anyone wants to hear them. It's been a journey of healing.

5. How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?

Kimberly: We sound like a squeaky toy being run over by a lawnmower. I think our influences are pretty wide, but they range from riot grrrl to Chinese pop, and a various places in between.

6. Tell me about the song "Committed" and why did you pick it as your single and video choice?

Kimberly: It's one of my oldest songs, kind of a piece of my personal history. I wrote it when I was 17 or 18, before I ever picked up a guitar. Committed has been way past due for a video, and I was just waiting for the right opportunity. It's an important song to me. I can't even remember playing a show without it!! It's possible that we've never left it out of a set.

7. This song seems to have taken a heavier direction, but it's only available as a single, will it be included on a future release?

Kimberly: It depends on some beeswax things pertaining to the album in the works right now, but we did originally plan for it to be on there. I'm hoping we'll be able to tell you all about that soon!

8. Do you guys have any new music in the works?

Kimberly: A poop load.

9. Do you have any other side projects happening?

Kimberly: Heck yeah! We're always making lots of different styles of music. Most of that comes out as, "Kimberly Freeman", since its not something we'd play at a One-Eyed Doll show. We've got possibly my favorite album yet coming out in that department.

10. How easy is it to keep the motivation going on a daily basis for One-Eyed Doll?

Kimberly: Jason is a great motivator. He's always sooo positive and confident and strong. I'm not nearly as strong as he is, and I have so much self-doubt sometimes. Jason inspires me to pick myself up and keep on moving. I don't know where I'd be without him. He's my hero!

11. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

Kimberly: We're going to be the first female president of the United States.

12. Is that your final answer?

Kimberly: Umm... yeah! I mean.. I think? NO?! I can't take this kind of pressure.. CATCH!

*throws cat bomb and runs away*

I'll get you for this, Natalie Perez! I WILL BE AVENGED!

*rides away on a hippo, the most dangerous animal*


The Dead Rabbits have announced the Shapeshiftour. The band will hit the road with The Relapse Symphony, Myka, Relocate and Nightmares for a 28-date summer trek. Find out where and when below!


TOUR DATES:

Friday 6/20/2014 San Diego, CA SOMA
Saturday 6/21/2014 Van Nuys, CA White Oak Music
Sunday 6/22/2014 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction
Tuesday 6/24/2014 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge
Wednesday 6/25/2014 Portland, OR Branx
Thursday 6/26/2014 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
Saturday 6/28/2014 Missoula, MT Stage 112
Monday 6/30/2014 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
Tuesday 7/1/2014 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
Thursday 7/3/2014 Joliet, IL Mojoes
Saturday 7/5/2014 Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
Sunday 7/6/2014 Lansing, MI The Loft
Monday 7/7/2014 Toronto, ON Sneaky Dees
Tuesday 7/8/2014 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
Wednesday 7/9/2014 Worcester, MA Palladium
Thursday 7/10/2014 Albany, NY Bogies
Friday 7/11/2014 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
Saturday 7/12/2014 Hartford, CT Webster Underg.
Sunday 7/13/2014 Amityville, NY Amityville Music
Monday 7/14/2014 Springfield, VA Empire
Tuesday 7/15/2014 Whitehall, PA Planet Trog
Thursday 7/17/2014 Greensboro, NC Greene St. Club
Friday 7/18/2014 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
Saturday 7/19/2014 Jacks, FL 1904 Music Hall
Sunday 7/20/2014 Orlando, FL Back Booth
Wednesday7/23/2014 Austin, TX Dirty Dog
Thursday 7/24/2014 Dallas, TX Tomcats
Saturday 7/26/2014 Tempe, AZ Pub Rock


Hard rock metallers Cathercist have been touring relentlessly since the release of their latest album "As Hope Expires" have got a whole lot more lined-up for the rest of this year! Guitarist Taylor Roberts discusses the album, plans for new tunes and touring a whole lot more!


1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Cathercist, and how long the band has been together.

Taylor: Hey how’s it going? My name is Taylor, I play guitar and do back-up vocals in Cathercist. We've been together about 4 and a half years.

2. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Taylor: We say Gulfport, MS. which is where we originated, but some of our members are from Mobile, AL. So in all, we are from the Gulf Coast. As far as locals, there aren't too many from our area anymore, but one of our favorite local bands would have to be Arkos based out of Hattiesburg, MS.

3. Tell me about As Hope Expires?

Taylor: Well, “As Hope Expires” is our follow up record to "The Untimely Death of Zack Sawyer", both of which are available on iTunes or physically at cathercist.com. We recorded it in Miami at Bieler Bros Studios over the course of one week, with a few fly dates for our vocalist to Wisconsin to compete his tracks. It's definitely a more mature record for us. We strive to get better with every record and improve ourselves as musicians. I can't wait to see what the next one pushes us to write.

4. Is there any story or concept behind the As Hope Expires,title?

Taylor: The basic concept is the post-apocalyptic/post war theme. Our song “Hope in Darkness” is where the title actually came from. Like the start of the track, you can hear the alert sirens you hear in those types of movies where some type of war/natural disaster is happening. Once you hear those sirens, you begin to feel kind of hopeless (hence “As Hope Expires”) and the rest of the song follows suit, yet on the chorus you begin to find a way through all the hopelessness.

5. Who produced As Hope Expires, and what was it like working with them?

Taylor: We worked with Matt LaPlant, whom we intend to do a follow up EP with! It was fun yet strenuous to say the least. He pushed us to write better if we were stuck and to really play something to the best of our ability. We actually said he should change his studio name to "One More Time Studios" haha. Just when you thought you have the perfect take, he'll come back with, "Yeah that was really good, let's do that one more time." But in the end it really made us better players as far as recording is concerned.

6. Who did the cover art for As Hope Expires, and how much input did you have on it?

Taylor: Tim Fox, based out of the UK. And we basically gave him the idea of what we wanted based on the theme of the album, which was the post-apocalyptic theme. We worked back and forth until we got something that we were completely satisfied with.

7. Select two songs from As Hope Expires, and what inspired the lyrics.

Taylor: “Everything Has Changed”: It's about the downhill slope we all have to face when you cut ties with someone close to you that you care about. All the promises you make to each other just don't seem to matter anymore. But, sometimes when you can't communicate effectively, it's the best thing.

“Hope in Darkness”: It's about the spark we're all grasping for to know everything will be okay. Whether, it be a friend, or an idea… We need it to move forward. No matter what seems to be crashing down around us, you can't give up.

8. Do you guys have any new music in the works in terms of a follow-up?

Taylor: Absolutely! We've actually been writing for quite some time, it's just a matter of weeding through all the ideas to get something solid that everyone feels strongly about recording.

9. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)

Taylor: It kinda varies, we don't necessarily have a common theme or concept. We write what we feel at the time, whether it be anger, joy, depression, bliss, or whatever emotion is present at the time of writing.

10. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)

Taylor: Yes absolutely! It's kind of an ever-evolving process! Someone will have a riff or even an entire song idea/skeleton and we just kind of go from there. We do our best to give everyone a shot at trying something different within the song, because we all hear things differently. Which can lead to some feelings getting hurt here and there, but in the end, we usually come up with something everyone is happy with and feels a part of. Everyone gets a say so and a chance to try their ideas and see how it turns out.

11. Who are your musical influences?

Taylor: We have quite a wide variety, ranging from Metallica to Bruno Mars! Some others include, Sevendust, The Misfits, Lamb of God, Disturbed, All That Remains, Papa Roach, Envy on the Coast, and Protest the Hero. It's all a pretty big jumble of influences thrown into the melting pot. Ya know, I really think we have an advantage these days because we have such a wide variety of great music out there to draw inspiration from, but it's almost a curse at the same time! Because you have to separate yourself from everyone else out there!

12. How have the gigs you guys been doing this year been?

Taylor: They've been going pretty well! We've been on tour quite a bit since November of last year. We have a little time off with a few good shows in between. Some of which are with 10 years and Twelve Foot Ninja, as well as a Headlining show at the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA at the end of this month.

13. How do you promote your band and shows?

Taylor: Word of mouth, Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Bands in Town, Instagram) and through networking. If we are coming to your town we will find a way to let you know!

14. Describe your show, visual and musically for us.

Taylor: Well, currently we are revamping our entire show! I'm extremely excited for what we are trying to do with it! I can't reveal anything yet, as it's all still being worked on/built! But, after all is said and done, we want to create more than just a musical performance. We want to have a visual experience that you take home with you, and have to tell your friends about the next day! We have some really neat things in the works and I'm excited to see it all come together.

15. What plans do you guys have for this year?

Taylor: Recording more music, and Tour, Tour, TOUR! We love being on the road and traveling. It's always great to make new friends in other bands on the road, as well as meeting new people face to face every night.

16. What advice would you give to fellow bands, who want to do what you're doing?

Taylor: Well, first thing I would suggest is finding a group of like-minded individuals. You definitely need to surround yourself by people that feel the same about music, writing, and touring, like you do. Secondly, I would say don't release a demo that your buddy wants to record for you for free so he can get experience. Take your time, write music you would enjoy listening to yourself, and then save up some money, find a decent studio and cut 3-4 songs that you would be proud to let anyone listen to. Third, I would say get out there and play your ass off, and by that I don't mean the same club that's 20 minutes down the road from your house every weekend or every other weekend. Branch out to different places, make connections with other bands so you can do show swaps, and build a name for yourself regionally.

17. Any final words of wisdom?

Taylor: Be cool to EVERYBODY. You never know who you are talking to, who you are dealing with, and who could potentially give you a shot later on down the road. People remember your words and actions. Also, this process isn't an overnight one. Be ready to put in the work and be poor for a while, haha! If you're not in this 100% it's just a hobby, which there's nothing wrong with at all. But if you have the rock star vision in your head, be ready to give up everything to pursue your dream.


Pop/Electronica act The Ready Set have released their third and latest album to date "The Bad and The Better" with a lot of touring ahead with even more plans in the future. Mainman Jordan Witzigreuter discusses that album, touring, and more!


1. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?

Jordan: TRS is my solo project- I started writing and producing music when I was about 17, finished high school, and began booking tours for myself around the country. Eventually I got picked up by Decaydance/Warner brothers and from there had some cool radio stuff happen, have toured around the world, and gotten to do some amazing things!

2. How did you guys come up with your band name?

Jordan: I didn't want to use my actual name because a. It is Witzigreuter, which is way hard to pronounce, and b. I didn't want it to seem like I was attempting to be a pop star per say. I liked the idea of using a band name so that if I wanted, it could be just me, or a 3 piece, or a 4 piece, or whatever. It's sort of whatever I want it to be, which is fun. The name itself means, to me, being ready to push inhibitions aside and do what you want to do.

3. Why did you want this to be a solo project instead of a full-fledged act?

Jordan: I made TRS a solo thing because at the time, I didn't feel like there was anyone in my town who would be on the same page as me. There was a big hardcore scene I was into for a while playing drums in bands, but I don't think there was a large group of kids who wanted to be part of an electronic pop project. I find it easier this way through- the decision making process involves only me and my team, and I can't ever break up with myself.

4. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?

Jordan: I'm all about positivity. I'm a pretty positive person normally, but sometimes writing uplifting music is almost like a sort of therapy for me. Almost like I'm convincing myself to believe the brighter side of things. In the greater sense though, I want people to take away whatever they want from my music. As long as it means something to them, or makes them feel something, I'm happy.

5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?

Jordan: I'm really into bands like Copeland, Saves The Day, Mae.. Those bands were my inspiration to start writing. Now I love everything. Lately I've been really into Ty Dolla Sign and Future.

6. Your on your third album to date, but it's been four years since the release of "I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming". Why such a long time period between albums?

Jordan: Ultimately just behind the scenes hold ups. If I had it my way, I would have released an album every year, if not more. I can say now though, the distance won't be as long again. I'm in a much more productive situation with my team!

7. Is there any story or concept behind the "The Bad & The Better" title or concept to this album?

Jordan: Not necessarily a concept, but an underlying idea I was thinking about constantly during the writing of this album. There is good in every bad thing, and bad in every good thing. Everything in life is just a matter of perspective and how you decide to view it.


8. You worked with producer Ian Kirkpatrick, what was it like working with him? What was about him that made you want him on board?

Jordan: Ian is my favorite person to work with- he did my Feel Good Now EP prior to this. He's great with making sure I don't commit to ideas too quick. He's like a super intense editor which is great to have.

9. Who did the cover art for "The Bad & The Better" and how much input did you have on it?

Jordan: I did all of the visuals associated with the album- I've always designed 99.9% of anything TRS -based. Merch, logos, etc. I like to have control of that. I usually only work with one photographer as well if I'm able to. I dealt with some very conflicting opinions on visuals for TRS a while ago and definitely don't want that to happen again.

10. Why did you want "Higher" and "Freakin Me Out" as your first set of singles off this album?

Jordan: I actually am a bad judge of singles. As far as that stuff goes, I prefer to leave it in the hands of people who know what "makes" a single. They are some of my favorites, so I'm definitely glad, but I'm far too indecisive to make that kind of a call on my own. Higher is a really important song to me, so that makes me very happy. I would have picked that one anyway, honestly.

11. "I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming" was a success. Did you feel any pressure to follow it up?

Jordan: No. It's been too long and I don't think people would expect anything similar to that at this point. That album was heavily based on the single, love like woe, so I feel like the other songs kind of sat in the dark. I think this album as a whole is much more "me" feeling- I feel good about it. I'm sure I'll say that with the next one too though.

12. What direction do you think this new music is headed for future material?

Jordan: We shall see. I have some ideas. I'd like to back away from some of the conventionalities. Maybe have things breathe a little more, be a little less polished.

13. You will be hitting the road all summer, what can the fans expect to hear?

Jordan: Nonstop music. It's 30 mins straight of music, no pauses. Throwing in some mashup type things with very old songs that I haven't played in years, which I'm excited for. It's fun because I have to kind of guess which songs people will want to hear off the new album. I hope I guess right.

14. What have you guys done to prepare yourselves for being on the road this summer?

Jordan: I'm running 5 miles a day usually now. That makes a huge difference playing shows in the heat, to get your endurance up and breathing stronger. We have radio promo stuff up until a few days before warped so it's all pretty hectic up until then.


15. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

Jordan: A melody that resonates with them, or something that makes them feel anything. I don't want it to just be a pop song you hear as background music (though I wouldn't really be mad since they'd still be hearing it).

16. What can the fans expect to see from you for the remainder of this year?

Jordan: I have some really cool tour plans after warped tour. Probably stay on the road until the middle of next year and then I'd guess get back to writing.

17. Any final words of wisdom?

Jordan: Everything is exactly what you decide to see it as.


Critically-acclaimed, Billboard-charting metal unit, AMON AMARTH, will be reconquering North America this Fall. This time around, the band will bring fellow Swedes, Sabaton, along for the ride. Additionally, Skeletonwitch will once again be opening the show, with the exception of New York City where fans will be treated to the first-ever North American performance from extreme metal supergroup, Vallenfyre as part of the Decibel Magazine 10th anniversary celebrations (which will include additional news and events to be announced soon). In February of this year, AMON AMARTH devotees in Los Angeles witnessed the exclusive appearance of the band's epic Viking ship stage setup. For this tour, New York enthusiasts will take in the Viking ship spectacle at the Best Buy Theatre on October 18th. Tickets will go on sale on May 30th. Keep an eye on amonamarth.com/tour for details.

Comments the band of the upcoming trek: "Yes, we are coming back to North America, and this time we're doing Canada and the US together with our friends in Sabaton and Skeletonwitch! We can also announce that we'll be bring the Viking ship to the show in New York City! So get ready North America, this time we'll take no prisoners!"

AMON AMARTH
 w/ Sabaton, Skeletonwitch

9/25/2014 Riverside Municipal Auditorium - Riverside, CA
9/26/2014 The Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA
9/27/2014 Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA
9/29/2014 Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
9/30/2014 El Corazon - Seattle, WA
10/01/2014 Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
10/03/2014 Union Hall - Edmonton, AB
10/04/2014 Flames Central - Calgary, AB
10/05/2014 Louis' Pub - Saskatoon, SK
10/06/2014 The Garrick - Winnipeg, MB
10/07/2014 Crocks - Thunder Bay, ON
10/10/2014 The Sound Academy - Toronto, ON
10/11/2014 Metropolis - Montreal, QC
10/12/2014 Imperial - Quebec City, QC
10/14/2014 Higher Ground - Burlington, VT
10/15/2014 Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
10/17/2014 Upstate Concert Hall - Albany, NY
10/18/2014 Best Buy Theatre - New York , NY *
10/19/2014 Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH
10/21/2014 Track 29 -Chattanooga, TN
10/22/2014 Bijou Theater -Knoxville, TN
10/24/2014 The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC
10/25/2014 Freebird - Jacksonville, FL
10/26/2014 Iron City - Birmingham, AL
10/27/2014 The Civic - New Orleans, LA
10/29/2014 The Pageant - St. Louis, MO
10/30/2014 Mojoes - Jolie, IL
10/31/2014 Royal Oak - Detroit, MI
11/01/2014 The Eagles Club - Milwaukee, WI
11/02/2014 Wooly's - Des Moines, IA
11/04/2014 Bourbon Stree - Lincoln, NE
11/05/2014 Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK
11/07/2014 Fun Fun Fun Fest - Austin, TX
11/08/2014 Tricky Falls - El Paso, TX
11/09/2014 Club XS - Tucson, AZ
* no Skeletonwitch 


Death metallers Desecration have been around for quite sometime and have been hard at work writing and recording for their latest album "Cemetery Sickness". Bassist Andi Morris discusses the album, studio time, and plans these guys have for the future.


1. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?

Andi: Formed in 1993 and after just one demo "Mangled Remains" DESECRATION recorded their debut album "Gore & Perversion" (1995), which was banned upon release! The artwork AND lyrics led the band to their arrest under the Obscene Publications Act. A one year court case was eventually dropped but they were warned to ‘tone down’ in the future.  A Norwegian record label later released this album with a censored cover.

Naturally, after lying low for a short period of time, they were offered a contract with Copro Records and hit back with "Murder in Mind" (1998), an album with similar content but with mild artwork and unprinted lyrics. This even included a track called "A Message to the Censors". A three week American tour was next and an appearance on the Texas Metalfest.

After inevitable line-up changes, ‘Inhuman’ (2000) was released. The band performed a European tour and European festivals and shows, sharing the stage with bands such as NILE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL etc.

In 2002, the fourth album was released "Pathway To Deviance". During the same studio session "Gore & PerVersion 2" was recorded. It was a great idea as this time Ollie and Mic recorded it faster, heavier and better as a better band would! This came out in 2003.

2005 brought "Process of Decay", the critically acclaimed concept album depicting in detail the decomposition of a corpse, which got rave reviews in many magazines. A UK tour with VADER, another with SUFFOCATION and gigs with DEICIDE, NAPALM DEATH, BEHEMOTH followed along with a new label contract. Andi joined the band at this time and shortly after Ollie and eventually Mic, and Andi would join punk grinders EXTREME NOISE TERROR.

In 2008 the band headed back to the studio to record "Forensix" for Metal Age Productions. This album took the band all over Europe, including many festivals such as OBSCENE EXTREME, INFERNO, DEATHFEAST and BLOODSTOCK.

In many people’s eyes, Desecration became UK Death metal legends AKA "The Welsh Death Metal Bastards". Over the last few years they have performed headline shows mostly in UK but also some shows in Russia and Asia. Mic recently joined UK thrash outfit ONSLAUGHT, meaning all members were busy! It’s been a long time coming but at last, 2014 sees the band better themselves again with a brand new album, CEMETERY SICKNESS, their second for Metal Age Productions with a controversial cover, explicit lyrics and kick ass tracks such as "Cabletie Castrator", "Cut up and Fed to the Dog", and "Coffin Smasher" (for the first time with an official promo video!)

2. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

Andi: We're based in South Wales, which has a very small death metal scene. We've recently done a few gigs with local lads Sodomized Cadaver, and another bunch of brutal locals are Crytophile. We don't to play locally too much though, as Wales is very small, so we often tour the UK, most recently with Basement Torture Killings, Zombified and Foetal Juice. I think we've done something like 4 tours in a row with that line up now, which shows how well we all get along! Definitely check them all out.

3. How and why did you want to call yourselves Desecration, what does that mean and represent for you guys?

Andi: Well that was way before my time in the band, but I that there's nothing cryptic about the meaning. It suits our lyrical and often graphical themes in the fact that we destroy what is precious. This is really apparent with our upcoming album cover where we are seen to be desecrating a cemetery.

4. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?

Andi: The 3 of us are fans of old school death metal, so that's what we play. We enjoy bands that have memorable riffs and well thought out song structures, and hopefully that shows as an influence to our song writing. Influential bands over the years have got to be the classics like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse and Vader, but also others such as Pestilence, I do like to think that we play faster than those guys though, especially live.

5. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?

Andi: The lyrics are always quite traditional gore and horror related. Sometimes about certain serial killers, others just describing horrific acts. There's an incredible amount of perversion in there, and there's usual pretty obvious sexual overtones. We're not a political band, so we don't have a message in our song content, except that if you think about the 3 of us sitting down to write these lyrics you might realize that there is something seriously wrong with us.

6. Is it important for you to paint visual pictures with the songs?

Andi: Definitely. If you don't you're essentially just writing rude words to form a song. We like to think of a scene, or series of scenes for the lyrical theme for a song, and map out how it would play out. I think this comes from Ollie being a huge horror movie fan so that has instilled a lot of ideas and situations into his already twisted brain.

7. What's the story behind your current single "Cemetery Sickness"?

Andi: Lyrically it's about a very disturbed individual going into a graveyard at night and pleasuring himself all over the graves and the dead contained within. We often laugh when we see the lyrics for that song as you cannot glance at the lyric sheet without seeing something utterly sick and disgusting. The single itself was released last year as a split 7" picture disc with our friends and fellow perverts Basement Torture Killings. It's actually a completely different recording to the version that appeared on the album so if you listen to both you'll hear some slight differences.

8. What's your take on the album "Cemetery Sickness" as a whole?

Andi: It's been a long time coming as we've all bene so busy with our other bands, so it's a huge relief to have it all recorded and ready to be released. We've written the songs over a period of several years, basically since Forensix came out in 2008, but several of the songs have been tweaked and chopped until we've been 100% happy with them. I don't think there's a single note or cymbal hit on the album that we haven't scrutinized in great detail. I know we're all pleased with the outcome and the reviews so far are really positive so hopefully others will think so too.

9. What would be the cinematic equivalent of "Cemetery Sickness"?

Andi: It's hard to pin this down to a single film as there's not only one theme to the album. It would definitely be a horror film though. Perhaps it's better suited to the whole horror genre as we have songs about graveyards, chopping people up and feeding them to animals, cannibal morticians, and also a slight twist on a common theme with a song about a female serial killer who likes to dispatch of her victims by castrating them with a cable tie.

10. How long did this CD take to make from start to finish, recording-wise?

Andi: That's a difficult question to answer really as we approached this very differently to any album we've recorded in the past. Usually we've had 2-3 weeks to record the whole thing in one block, but this time we had a bit more room to play with as we recorded at Mic's (drummer) studio (Sonic Forge) in Cardiff. This meant that we could go in over several sessions and try things out, especially with the vocals. Really the recording took around 10 months, but if we actually added up the time into one block it would probably have been around 3 weeks to a month.

11. What kind of "sound", production wise, did you have in the back of your mind, prior to entering the studio?

Andi: The only thing we all knew we wanted before recording was a more natural drum sound than has ever been on previous Desecration albums, and I definitely think that has been achieved, and I think the album sounds way better because of it.

12. What kind of input did the producer have during the process?

Andi: The album was produced by Joe Thompson who runs the studio with Mic and he helped in all kinds of ways. He didn't change anything as far as song structures or anything like that went, however he has got a really keen ear and picked us up when we didn't play something as tightly as he would have liked, or if a certain note would sound better in a particular place than others. He really knows his stuff fair play.

13.  And are you pleased with the final outcome? Like (sound - production wise)?

Andi: Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I think it's the best sounding Desecration album, and I know we've worked so hard on these songs that I really hope others like it as much as we do.

14. Did the producer use any (weird) experimental mixing and/or recording techniques?

Andi: No, we're an old school band and aren't looking to change anything from that dramatically. To be honest if Joe had suggested we tried putting the amps in the fridge, or making sure we stood westward whilst playing in a certain time signature, and east for another, we would likely have done it, but thankfully he's a straight up guy and just got the job done exactly how it was required for the music style.

15. How did you go on about capturing your "live sound" in the studio, or perhaps you didn't?

Andi: That's not something I can even pretend to know anything about. Joe and Mic ran the show, and we just played what were supposed to when we were told. I know that when we were recording the bass they were taking two inputs and then ended up with a really nice growly tone in the final outcome. There was some amp modelling involved I think, but it's all far too technical for me to answer properly.

16. Please inform us about your favorite songs and lyrical highlights and why?

Andi: My personal favorite song on the album is Cabletie Castrator, mainly as it's got a different lyrical theme, where the killer is a female. This lead us to the idea of getting a guest vocalist in for the middle section, and asked a friend of the band, Millie Crampton from Craniation to step in and lay some vocals down. She absolutely nailed it and I think it's a real highlight of the album.

17. Does your vision for coming up with music get affected at all by time?

Andi: Well the whole album took a long time to write as we were so busy touring with Desecration, but also Extreme Noise Terror and Onslaught. However in other ways this time away kind of helped, as there's always a lot of waiting around on tour, so we used this time to write the lyrics of the album.

18. Did the record company interfere with anything on your "sound" and songs?

Andi: No, Metal Age Productions are great like that. They just let us get on with it and have given us nothing but solid feedback, even when we took nearly a year to record the album! They did ask us to design a slipcase for the album cover however as they could see it getting banned in several countries with it being left like it was.

19. Are there any "crazy" behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share with us?

Andi: Nothing too crazy, we do have pretty much a full albums worth of funny vocal out takes that Mic kept threatening to put on the album somewhere. The main funny thing about the album is the places the lyrics were written in, as mentioned usually whilst on tour. The title track Cemetery Sickness was at a merch stand in Belfast, Mortuary Debauchary's concept was thought up whilst drunk in Cleveland, USA, Cut up and Fed to the Dog was written in Dublin, Coffin Smasher was written in a minibus in Germany, with most of Extreme Noise Terror laughing at what Ollie and I were coming up with, and Cunt Full of Maggots was written whilst Ollie and I were paddling in a swimming pool in Singapore.

20. How would you describe the sound of your new CD to any potential new fan?

Andi: Catchy, savage riffs with brutal vocals and choruses you can remember. Lyrics that will disgust you, and speed that will impress you.

21. What about plans for this year, what do you guys have lined-up?

Andi: We've just done a short tour of England, and have another coming up in June. We have a video coming out in May for the track Coffin Smasher, which you really need to see if you want to watch us actually digging up graves, and then the album is out at the end of June. We have a few festival appearances over the UK booked in, and hopefully we'll have some more confirmed soon.

22. If there's anything you'd like to add, say, please do.

Andi: Nothing more than I've already said really. Just to please check out Cemetery Sickness on our bandcamp page (desecration.bandcamp.com) where you can listen to the title track and pre-order the album. Watch the video when that comes out, I promise you'll love it, and come and say hello at any gigs we're playing. We're always camped out by the merch stand.


Six Days 'Til Sunday is an act whose style combines various forms of metal and rock music creating something original. They have played shows, toured, and written and recorded material that comes in the form of "Predetermined" their latest release, with that they have come to realize that a future awaits them and now the time is just right. Frontman vocalist Starlin Cross and drummer Devlin 9 discusses their latest album and future.


1. Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Six Days 'til Sunday?

Devlin: Hi I'm Devlin 9 and I am the drummer for SIX DAYS 'TIL SUNDAY

Starlin: I’m Starlin Cross Vocals and guitars

2. What brought about the creation of Six Days 'til Sunday and is there a long history of music appreciation between each of the members?

Devlin: SIX DAYS 'TIL SUNDAY is really a collaboration of life and truths between every members vision and experiences...although not every song was written by every one of us the core principle responsibility to delivering these songs as well as the creative nature of each song has been brought into play by the same desire. All of us share a common goal and responsibility to this music but its the diversity in each others talents that make this unique...

Starlin: Devlin and I were brought together by some mutual friends a few years back. I played him some songs I was working on and liked them. I knew he was an amazing drummer so we started working together. The writing process just became a no holds barred act of creativity. We had no set sound we were going for, we just wrote and we’re really happy with what came out.  We wanted to bring the music to the people and Eric Griffin and Malice were always our number one choice. We got them on board and it’s been awesome ever since.

3. Are there any bands that have inspired the overall sound of Six Days 'til Sunday?

Devlin: For me that answer is absolutely not. Even though we all admire and appreciate music in every genre, we have never felt the desire to copy and or develop an inspiration for any certain band that is out there,... SIX DAYS 'TIL SUNDAY is really a collaboration of experiences like I said earlier, for each one of us...It's like having a nightmare and then writing about it,... its truth and feeling can only be described by you.

Starlin: Yeah, I would agree. I don’t think there are any bands that directly inspired our sound. Although our influences are apparent.

4. How would you define your style and sound of music and why should someone listen to your work?

Devlin: There has been quite a bit of positive feedback from fans and the industry. Although I personally love metal and black metal I am not sure there is a category for us to be honest, If you are a music lover and enjoy truth in lyrics and a bit of true story telling, experiences so to speak then you will enjoy this CD,...personally for me I go through the CD and it reminds me of times I have witnessd as well as experienced, not every one of them have been positive. It has been a difficult time as well as a positive one,... but it marks the time for us individually as well as collectively, somewhat like a milestone in time of a child being born, an anniversary or a death in your family.

Starlin: We’re all about musical intensity and vocal melody. I think we mix the genres in an interesting way. It gives us a pretty unique sound. As Devlin said all these songs are based on experiences and deep seeded emotion. We tried to deliver each as honestly as possible.

5. Can you tell me about the song and video for "Disease".

Devlin: The video was directed by Tom Von Doom, we initially wanted this video to be purely cinematic in a sense, but after looking at all the imagery and clips Tom had entered into the video itself it really did take a different life. We were originally wanting to tell a story about a "villain" chasing a "survior" if you will, throughout the video, however we couldn't come to terms on how to portray that vision,... we do believe that we will re-shoot DISEASE V2 at sometime but for right now we are concentrating on the follow up to Disease,... I think Starlin best describes the meaning of DISEASE...

Starlin: The song itself is about the dual nature of humanity. It seems since time immoral we've been fighting and killing each other for one reason or the next. As if it’s some sort of sickness within us.

6. What's your favorite song on the album right now?

Devlin: I can't say I have a favorite, as ALL the songs are very close and enjoyable to be played live, however I am looking forward to the video for "PREDETERMINED" and of course "A BULLET FOR YOUR THOUGHTS" is right up there for me as a fave, if I had to pick one ];-)

Starlin: Yeah I love them all as well but right now I would have to say “DISEASE” and “PREDETERMINED” are at the top of my list! :)

7. Is it important for you to paint visual pictures with the songs?

Devlin: I'm not sure we are intentionally trying to do so,... image and visual aspects of SIX DAYS 'TIL SUNDAY is extremely important to us, as we look forward to capturing the imagination of what fans perceive us to be... SIX DAYS 'TIL SUNDAY is a presentation into the final outcome if there should be one, good against evil...

8. What would be the cinematic equivalent of  "Predetermined"?

Starlin: I would have to say “Constantine” meets “Apocalypse Now”! :)

9. Do you have any new music in the works in terms of a follow-up?

Devlin: Yes absolutely, its heavier faster and just as chorus driven as the first CD, bottling up all these experiences and portraying them in song is a very delicate thing for us, we will ALL collectively take the time to bring ideas that are close to us and formulate the truth into song if you will,... We just don't write about anything.

Starlin: The next album will be amazing! We’re really looking forward to working with Eric and Malice on this one! Those guys are awesome. We all have a huge amount of respect for one another and I can’t wait to hear what we put together!

10. How is 2014 looking for Six Days 'til Sunday, what do you guys have lined-up?

Devlin - We are shooting a new video for PREDETERMINED as well as a 4 week tour is in the works, we do have some other things going on but I'd rather just wait until those are confirmed... The support and feedback from everyone has been extremely awesome to be honest,... We also have some merchandise coming out very soon, within the next few days actually!!!!

11. Where can we go if we want to listen to or purchase your work?

Band: If you’d like to listen you can check us out on reverberation.com/sixdaystilsunday and Spotify. You can purchase our album on cdbaby:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sixdaystilsunday

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Predetermined-Six-Days-Til-Sunday/dp/B00HVPS1O4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401124723&sr=8-1&keywords=six+days+%27til+sunday

And we’re available on iTunes as well!


Get ready to mosh in the privacy of your own home, because multiple Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling thrash masters

ANTHRAX have announced the release of "Chile On Hell," a live-in-concert DVD that is set for a September 16, 2014 release.  "Chile On Hell" was filmed at the Teatro Caupolican in Santiago, Chile on May 10, 2013,  and features Anthrax - Joey Belladonna/vocals, Scott Ian/guitar, Charlie Benante/drums, Frank Bello/bass and Jon Donais/lead guitar.  The band performed an extended set that featured songs from Anthrax's entire catalogue - all the fan-favorites including "I Am The Law," "Indians," "Madhouse," "Caught In A Mosh," "The Devil You Know," and "I'm Alive."  "Chile On Hell" will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray, was recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound, and will retail for $16.98.

"Santiago was the perfect place to film the show for this," said Anthrax's Charlie Benante.  "When we'd played there in the past, we'd finish our set, play our encore and go back to the dressing room.  But every time, the fans would continue to scream and cheer and clap.  I mean, they went on and on, they wouldn't stop.  One time Scott and I walked out to the side of the stage just to watch what was going on in the audience, it was intense.  Why wouldn't we want to film a DVD in front of an audience like that?

"Plus," Benante continued, the time was right to do this DVD."  The band was in the home stretch of a three-plus-year campaign to record and support Worship Music and the Anthems EP, a period of time that was loaded with high points: the return of "classic era" vocalist Joey Belladonna, Worship Music making the band's highest chart debut in two decades, the series of Big Four shows - Anthrax, Metallica, Slayer and Metallica, the four bands that wrote the speed and thrash metal road map - that culminated in the September 2011 Big Four spectacular at Yankee Stadium in the band's home town of New York, "Anthrax Day" declared in the Bronx, becoming the first metal band to have its music ("Got The Time") played on Mars, two Grammy nominations, and sold out shows in every corner of the globe.  "We wanted to finish on a high note," Benante continued, "we didn't want to look back and regret that we didn't record the live show."

"Chile On Hell" was produced by Jay Ruston and filmed by City Drive Entertainment Group and DC3 Global.  The DVD's cover art was designed by Stephen Thompson who partnered with Benante to "redesign" the artwork from last year's Anthems EP. 


Chiodos has announced The Crowd Surf America co-headline tour with BlessTheFall.  The tour will also feature special guests I Killed The Prom Queen and Capture The Crown and kicks off July 25th in Oklahoma City, OK and wraps up August 30th in Colombia, MO (tour dates below). A pre-sale launches today to purchase VIP and General Admission tickets at www.chiodos.net.

The VIP package will include:

•One (1) General Admission Ticket
•Chiodos Acoustic Performance
•Meet and Greet and Photo Op with Chiodos
•Limited Edition Flexi Disc with Chiodos Bonus Tracks, "R2ME2" and "Let Me Get You A Towel"
•11x17 Tour Signed Poster
•Souvenir Laminate w/ Lanyard
•Download of Flexi Disc Songs
 
Bradley Bell of Chiodos comments, “Releasing our new album Devil has enabled us to headline and share both our new and old catalogue with our fans. It's exciting to see our longtime fans and new ones join us on this journey. Our next endeavor is a co-headline run with our longtime friends BlessTheFall.   We're excited to share the stage with them again and the bands I Killed the Prom Queen and Capture the Crown. It'll be the perfect way to end the summer.”

TOUR DATES:

July 25 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond
July 26 – Albuquerque, MN – Sunshine Theater
July 27 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall
July 29 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
July 30 – Reno, NV – Knitting Factory
July 31 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock
August 1 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theater
August 2 – Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
August 3 – Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
August 4 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock
August 6 – Tulsa, OK – Cains
August 7 – Odessa, TX – Far West Event Center
August 8 – Austin, TX – ACL Live @ The Moody Theater
August 9 – Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street Pavilion
August 11 – Mobile, AL – Soul Kitchen
August 12 – Birmingham, AL – Zydeco
August 13 – Knoxville, TN – The International
August 14 – Wilmington, NC – Ziggy’s By The Sea
August 15 – Winston Salem, NC – Ziggy’s
August 16 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
August 17 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland
August 19 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance Theater
August 20 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
August 21 – Hartford, CT – Webster
August 22 –Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall
August 23 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
August 26 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
August 27 – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre
August 28 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
August 29 – Joliet, IL – Mojoes
August 30 – Columbia, MO – The Blue Note


Heading back out on the road for Part 2 of their Trilogy Tour, Southampton’s (UK) alt/rockers Circle Of Reason reach out to venues in the south of England and Wales this June. The Kerrang! TV and Big Cheese magazine championed outfit shall be announcing Part 3 of their Tour in the coming weeks.

TOUR DATES:

June 21st, Saturday, Sheerness, The Ivy
June 22nd, Sunday, Portsmouth, Drift Bar
June 23rd, Monday, Watford, The Horns
June 24th, Tuesday, Dartford, The Bull & Vic
June 26th, Thursday, The Old Ale House, Salisbury
June 27th, Friday, The Patriot, Crumlin (Wales)
June 28th, Saturday, Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms


Suicide Silence an act who's truly unstoppable. While they lost their former frontman Mitch Lucker in a tragic accident in 2012, making music and continuing on was one of the hardest decisions the band could ever do but wanted to do none the less. They have moved forward rejoicing long time friend Hernan Hermida or "Eddie" formerly of All Shall Perish to step in as frontman, reconnecting with one another to create what would be their fourth record to date, "You Can't Stop Me". But not only would there be a new record to their name and a new label as well, Nuclear Blast Records with such change and diversity that has come between them there will be no stopping them. Guitarist Mark Heylmun discusses the new album, touring, and some spiritual insight into Mitch's presents.


1. Would you mind telling me the story as to how and why you wanted this band to be called Suicide Silence?

Mark: Well the band was started out of the imagination of one band member named Christopher Garza,  he wanted to start a band that would be the heaviest band in the world. So he thought up the heaviest band name in the world, he thought of Suicide Silence. He then moved on to drawing out the logo on his science schoolwork during ninth grade, this scratchy logo of Suicide Silence that no one could read,  it was the original logo and that logo, band name, existed before the band even started.

2. You guys have been a band for the past 12 years and you're only on your fourth album, don't you think you could have released more?

Mark: You would think so but the band started when everyone was only in high school, like teenagers we didn't know what recording an album was, it required money and for things to happen, really the band didn't put out anything until late 2005 the EP. Then once we got some hype we just toured, we had one EP with a bunch of songs we hadn't put out yet then just went on tour. We had financed ourselves bought a van and trailer toured all over the U.S. and Canada, we had toured with Sepultura before we ever had a record deal or anything. We were milking the "industry" we knew everyone was interested in us and wanted us to sign on to a label, but there was no use putting out a record until someone signed us. So we just toured, toured, and toured then Century Media Records signed us and we put out our debut record in 2007, so it took us about five years to put out a full-length.

3. Why did the change in labels happen and how is the relationship with Nuclear Blast Records going?

Mark:  We signed with Nuclear Blast because we had put out three records with our previous record label and felt our relationship was strong with them but felt we could make a bigger move and try something new. I think in this industry and playing music professionally as a job, I don't think it's always good to stay in one place, and I think creating new relationships and changing the horizons is necessary so the signing with Nuclear Blast was a no brainer. When we first had label interested in us like I told you earlier with the EP having labels interested, Roadrunner Records were the first to look at us, Monte Connor  and Mike were both involved with Roadrunner, Monte made the switch to Nuclear Blast at the time our contract was up with Century Media, it was a reconnecting an old friendship and he wanted us to sign on that it made so much sense. Especially knowing the owner of Nuclear Blast and him loving Suicide Silence to the extent of us playing his wedding, there already like family to us so it's great to be a part of Nuclear Blast.

4. Can you tell us how this album differs from the previous ones? What can we expect and what is the message behind it?

Mark: The progression from this record came from what you're going to hear which is Suicide Silence at our best I feel. We pretty much hit rock bottom when our singer passed away and emotionally moving forward was a difficult decision to make and this record I think for us, an outside perspective something like this to happen, it's a sweet thing to happen, we've gone so much of heartache and hard decisions to be doing what we're doing, it's a strong record of where we are as musicians at this point in our lives. We put everything into this record, it's a really good feeling, we let a lot out and have a lot more to let out, playing these songs they mean a lot to us, and the title of this record is "You Can't Stop Me" that message is not letting anything slow you down or get in your way being unstoppable, for the fans to know that we're here as Suicide Silence and we're here to let them know they can do anything and they can support us like we support them.

5. What was the recording process like this time around? Was there anything different that happened or was it the same old studio thing?

Mark:  Being that we had a new singer, it was a new experience because we had to warm up to him the way he was warming up to us, we're just four guys who have been playing music for quite some time, and he's just a friend who knows us and the music and knows who we are as people. So collaborating together is a whole another story, so learning how we work together was a sigh of relief, so when he clicked when working together making changes of the songs everything worked except there was a new person. All of us our souls are on fire, we wanted to record and write this record wanting it to be the best we could ever do putting pressure on ourselves and one up each other making the best sounding product, amazingly heavy metal record you will probably hear for this year if not the next 10 years, we just put everything into it on this record.

6. The album's title came from a collection of lyrics left behind by Mitch, so were those lyrics bits and pieces or an actual song? Would you consider recording and releasing that song?

Mark:  What happened was that there were two songs musically as instruments recorded and Mitch was going to do vocals on November 1st going into the studio that next day but on Halloween night October 31st he wrecked his motorcycle. So he had only one song lyrically ready to go into the studio and I assume he was going to write the other song while in there, we had just written the music, the lyrics and title "You Can't Stop Me" it was easy to tell that the structure of the song was literally him writing it for this song and why it made the record and is the title track of the record. It just pointed us into the right direction we didn't have those lyrics until we had made the decision to move forward with the band, Eddie was already in the band and we were all in the band room we got to the lyrics of the song, they were what they were we just couldn't believe it type of feeling. We wrote the title of the song on our white board with the rest of our ideas and "You Can't Stop Me" was the influence for this record.

7. Could you describe your song writing process? What comes first – the music or the lyrics?

Mark: It's pretty much always the music coming first. We really like to think of our band as a real band that comes together writing music together the music coming out from the people involved not one person writing it and the band playing it, we like to work with each other if somebody doesn't like it we talk it out, it gets the rounded vibe from all of us. I think that's what makes our writing process different from others we like working with each other leaving room.

8. How did you guys choose who you wanted to have as guest vocals on the new album?

Mark: It came pretty easily, Cannibal Corpse's singer George Corpsegrinder Fisher who's band was on tour with us in 2011 were all just partying it up and being fans of that band as well, we thought it would be cool if he was on the next record and such an honor it would be. So we decided on it and said we would pay your label and you whatever you wanted but he was so amazing that he said he would do it for free. So we booked the studio time and he was happy to do it. Greg Puciatio if The Dillinger Escape Plan had met them in 2010 becoming friends then became closer using the same producer we were a part of the same family so the same thing happened, we had asked Greg to sing on the record and he recorded his part. Our producer Steve had called us and suggested how cool would it to have two singers battling each other singing at one another so that's how the song and those guests were brought on.

9. Can you tell me about the album's artwork and what does it represent, there's a cube and snakes with people all over the place so what's up with that?

Mark:  It's a progression from all of our previous records. On our last record "The Black Crown" the crown had snakes on it in the shape of an "SS" for Suicide Silence. So for this record we came up with this incident of this box with the two "SS" one frontwards and one backwards with the person standing atop with their arms out having that feeling of being free and able to do anything. The box itself contains all of the problems we us a band or the fans or people deal with so unleashing those problems out of the box just feels like a winning at life.

10. A lot of bands have been doing playing albums in their entirety will you guys consider doing this sort of thing?

Mark: That's a good question, we have been considering that for a little while but it definitely it would not be us playing the new record, maybe in a few years our first record hits the 10 year anniversary mark we'll play it in its entirety but we're not sue yet.

11. You guys did release the Memorial Show CD/DVD release which had a live performance, but aside from that you guys have yet to release a live album or live DVD, when can we expect to see something along those lines from you guys?

Mark: The chances of it happening are little. We would love to do that but we'd like to keep it for the people who come out to the show and see us live in-person than just putting on a disc and watching it, seeing us live is something to experience.

12. Why did you want Eddie to take Mitch's place as vocalist and not go forth and recruit someone else?

Mark: The youngster would probably look at it as getting a big gig and stepping into a position as a famous rock star or accepted. Whereas with Eddie is a close friend of ours and  he would treat this job as a task of respect and it's not coming in filling in but dealing with a fan base who has lost an idol and may have looked up too or never got to see us with Mitch. Eddie is a very heartfelt person and what kind of gig he is stepping into and moving forward with as a band with a group of people who has been through a lot, those groups of people and fans who have been there with us.

13. How have the audiences reacted to Eddie's presents as Mitch's replacement in regards to the performances and new material?

Mark: It's been really good. It's been honestly hard to explain, it's been hard to do moving forward, very nervous going out on tour again to see what would happen and what reactions we would receive. We didn't know how it would go, when we go to our first show we had a day off, we couldn't even walk around there was so many kids wanting to talk to us, it was unexpected, wanting to see how we were doing. It was extremely honest and heartfelt seeing a lot of tears and it's a difficult thing to go on tour and face it every day. The fans see us and burst into tears it's pretty easy for me to go back to that spot and miss Mitch and it's really sad but once you go on tour you have to be ready and they were there too and they have lost someone as well. It's a whole new game and new way of going about life and the band is very eye opening.

14. Have you or any of the other band members or anyone you know experienced anything weird happen since Mitch's passing, like has he made his presents known?

Mark:  it's pretty personal stuff I have had experiences and stuff. I've had dreams having a couple of people visiting mediums and talked to people and there have been things that are unexplainable. But he is still here or his energy is still here, he wrote a song about being unstoppable and the fact that "You Can't Stop Me", was the last lyrics he wrote and to fast forward to this conversation right now, I think it's obvious he's still here.

15. How do you think he is feeling about all of this you guys moving on without him do you think he's upset?

Mark: I think he would be furious if we had stopped. It would be back to what we discussed at the start of this interview, why did we only put out this amount of records,  it's because we started this as kids, as something that was a true release not wanting to become something. Everyone wanted it to be as crazy as possible. You know you want to talk about brutal our singer died and we're still going with it. We're trying to be someone to look up too in heavy music, I think he would be really stoked on the record we put together.

16. Speaking of performances you will be partaking in this summer's Mayhem Festival so what can the fans expect in terms of setlist material?

Mark: We don't know what our setlist will be yet. It's very possible to have George Corpsegrinder Fisher come out as a guest for the song he appeared on but we're aiming to be more diverse with our set having more of the old songs than the new, I think the fans would like it more.

17. What other plans do you guys have set for the rest of this year?

Mark:  We're just going to get our feet wet, get this record out there, finish up Mayhem Festival for the summer then can announce what details of what we'll be doing next, but I can say that there will be another U.S. tour before the year is over.

18. Anything else you would like to say or want to add?


Mark: Honestly I just want to thank everybody for being a part of this, this band, the music, being a part of it through all of it, thanks for reading this, without you we are nothing, we are grateful to be Suicide Silence hopefully we can all hang out and rock out!

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