Noord-Brabant hardcore scene - As Enemies Aries

OK, so I realised I hadn't done a feature on a band from this area for a while and there are still loads of awesome bands that I want to bring to you. So, what better way to start my next run of features than with these guys - As Enemies Arise.

 

As Enemies Arise formed in early 2008 and by the autumn of 2009 they had released their first EP - Show me that smile. The EP was good enough to land AEA some high profile support slots in Europe with the likes of Cancer Bats, Architects and Avenged Sevenfold!.

AEA are made up of Gideon - Vocals, Johan - Guitars, Jelle - Bass, Dirk - Drums and Maarten - Guitar.

A few days ago, I was lucky enough to catch up with bassist Jelle and he was cool enough to answer some questions for me:-

For those people who are unfamiliar with As Enemies Arise, can you tell people a bit about the band and how you formed?

We are a metalcore band based in The Netherlands. The band formed early 2008 and had several line-up changes. We're playing the current line-up since July 2010 and feel very happy about the members currently involved.

What or who are your influences?

I guess our influences are very diverse. We all listen to a lot of different music, from dub step to pop-rock and from metalcore to hip-hop. I think for our music we resemble bands like The Ghost Inside, For The Fallen Dreams, Misery Signals...the more modern hardcore, but we try and get as many influences as possible in our music and don't want to be labelled as just another metalcore band.

What are your plans for 2011?

Playing shows and touring! Playing shows is what we love doing the most and we want to continue playing a lot and hopefully some more! We have several tours lined up, going through different European countries. We're also writing for a new EP which will hopefully be released somewhere in the fall, so we're having a very busy year!

You seem super busy with gigs so far. Do you find it easy doing shows in mainland Europe?

It's not really easy, it needs a lot of hard work and i think a lot of luck. When we just started out we had the luck of meeting some awesome people who helped us out and we're always on the look-out to play anywhere at anytime. When you play as much shows as possible people will hear your name more often, check you out and hopefully ask you for shows. Right now we get asked for more and more shows which is awesome because we can focus on getting the tours together better.

Is there a feeling of community in the scene in the Netherlands and how do people react to your shows?

The Netherlands is awesome! There are so many young kids getting into this music and this scene which we think is awesome. We love playing The Netherlands because the response is awesome. Since our CD came out people are singing along and that is just awesome to see!

You've supported some big bands in you home country. What has been your highlight so far?

Supporting Avenged Sevenfold in Amsterdam, in front of a sold out venue. No doubt about it. We were almost pissing our pants when we saw the crowd of 1500 people, since before that the biggest crowd was maybe 300 kids. But it was just awesome playing on such a big show!

What has the attention been like from the media in the Netherlands?

It's been good! The Dutch media is supporting the Dutch scene which is really cool. We've had awesome reviews here and the response of the people was cool as well.

Have you had much attention from outside of the Netherlands?

Media wise not so much, but people in Belgium and Germany seem to really get into our new record as well. Crowd responses are getting crazier every show we play and we can't believe it if people 500 kilometres from our hometown sing along with our songs, it's just really weird for us but we love it. I guess we just never expected that people actually liked us and get into us and appreciate what we do.

What do you think of the metal/hardcore scene in general at the moment?

There are so many new bands which are totally awesome. Bands look beyond their genre boundaries which is a good thing, and bands come to Europe a lot quicker. Some people complain about younger kids getting into it and everything getting way to big but they should stop complaining and be happy that more people get into hardcore and that whole mindset. The world would be a better place if there's more people getting into hardcore, getting their own opinion about the world and think more about all the shit that is going on.

Can you give any tips about bands to check out in your local scene?

We have some awesome bands on mainland Europe at the moment. Everyone should def check out Wasted Bullet - they released a new single and this band is going to be massive. Our friends in Showyourteeth will release a new record soon which will blow up as well, they are such a good live band as well.

 

The band have recently recorded their debut album - Chapters, which will be released by CFC records later this year. The band will also be embarking on a number of shows across Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in support of the album. 

As Enemies Arise album - Chapters, is an awesome addition to the current crop of great European metalcore albums. Metalcore is a bit of lazy label to give to As Enemies Arise, as they are so much more than that.

The album's full of different elements that marks the album and band out as something a bit different. Melodic guitar, crushing breakdowns relentless hardcore style vocals and some really cool extra touches to add a bit more to the album. There are some techy moments, but these aren't overused, and the Chapters hold the listener all the way through, as it twists and turn through various sounds and ideas. The solo in second track Embrace Tomorrow is brilliant and the use of gang vocals, invokes the hardcore influences that are very prevalent in European metalcore bands.

This is AEA's debut album, which is incredible because the musicianship is definitely beyond that of a band just starting out. It probably has a lot to do the bands live outings.

It's got a very punky vibe to it, which is refreshing as it's not just straight through brutality and it AEA manage to hold their own amongst their peers, which makes them a very promising prospect and makes Chapters a great intro to the band. 

If you want to check out AEA and find out about their live dates, go to their Facebook page and Like them at - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/asenemiesarise?sk=app_178091127385.

The guys are offering two free tracks from Chapters at - http://www.asenemiesarise.net/. Head there and show them your support.

Also, the band's label CrossFireCult can be reached here - http://www.crossfirecult.com/index.php and on Facebook at - http://www.facebook.com/pages/CrossFireCult-records/144127768959870?ref=ts&sk=wall.

Get on it!

Introducing - Demoraliser

I put a small intro feature up on this band a while back, but after their Drummer - Mat got in touch, i decided to put together a bigger feature on them.

Demoraliser are from Grimsby and formed in mid 2010. Shortly after their formation, they recorded and released their debut EP - Reform.Repent.Revenge, which they made available through Mediafire for people to download.

Demoraliser is made up of James Dexter - Vox, Nathan Smith - Guitar, Sam Jarvis - Guitar, John Stark - Bass and Mat Ombler - Drums.

The guys are in the process of recording a brand new EP, called - Conveyance. The band have made new track - The Anomaly available online for people to listen to at - http://www.facebook.com/l/563e8QsY15of3LXKI9VpvCpdsgg;soundcloud.com/demoraliser/the-anomaly.

You can also check out the video for the son Checkmate, from their debut EP here - http://www.facebook.com/l/563e8pHXkwf_mm8anAsXDdBgnRg;www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOtC-VZJnCo.

So far, Demoraliser have played with Postmortem Promises on their farewell tour and have tours booked alongside Silent Screams and The Final Crisis.

And so to their EP - Reform.Repent.Revenge. Awesome slabs of hardcore infused metal. The songs are heavy affairs, but include some nice melodic guitar lines. The vocals are aggressive and the guitars pump out nice, breakdowns and riffs that keep the brutality raging throughout the tracks. They also through in some nice, discordant riffs to show variety. Breakdowns are used to good effect, especially in the track Checkmate and you can imagine crowds going crazy to this in a live setting. The production of the EP is also really good, allowing each instrument to breathe and cohesive as a whole.

There are 7 tracks on the EP altogether, so there's enough music for you to get a decent taste of Demoraliser. Go to - http://www.mediafire.com/?ew5yiizkmiz.

Demoraliser are another great example of the homegrown talent that is emerging at the moment. Check them out at  http://www.facebook.com/demoraliser and they also have merch available at - http://www.demoraliser.bigcartel.com. So, what are you wating for! Get down!

Introducing - Witness the Fall

Witness the Fall are a wicked metal band from Dumfries in Scotland. These guys have been going since late 2007. The band consists of Nels on Vocals, Chris and Tony on Guitar, Jase on Bass and Dikie on Drums. Their first EP came out in 2009 and they are almost ready to release another. You can pick up their first EP on their BigCartel site at - http://witnessthefall.bigcartel.com/.

The band are also due to play with Sinocence in Dumfries on the 24th of February. Check out that event and more on their Facebook page at - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Witness-The-Fall.

Earlier in the month I asked Chris, one of WtF's guitarists about how things were going and what the guys had planned:-

So how's 2011 going? What are your plans for the year?
 
2011 so far is going well,we've got a new drummer and guitarist broken in. we're just getting some shows sorted out and writing some new songs so we can get another EP done.other than that we just want to play as often and get in front of as many people as we can.

What prompted you guys to start Witness the Fall?
 Jason, Andy (ex drummer) and I were playing in another band at the time and we'd played a truly shit show in Edinburgh,so we got home and decided to do something new,that we all believed in.We'd played in a band with Nelson (the singer) so Jason phoned him up and that was it.We had 3 or 4 songs really quickly and it just felt really good,we were all just going in the same direction.

What are your influences?
 Musically Metallica,Exodus, Sepultura,Iron Maiden,Machine Head,Unearth,Darkest Hour,At the Gates,Carcass,not to mention 80's soundtracks!

What are you guys listening to at the moment?
 We all listen to a variety of things which is good it keeps everything quite fresh when we come to our material,Lower Than Atlantis,Between The Buried and Me,Unearth,a bunch of Blues stuff.The Haunted,Johnny Cash,Guns and Roses,The Ghost Inside,Necrophagist,Nile,In Flames,Akercocke,Stan Bush,Vince DiCola

What do you think of the state of metal at the moment?
 I'm quite excited and worried at the same time,it seems like there are so many splinters or factions of metal at the moment and if you listen to certain bands then your not part of "the scene"which we most certainly aren't part of.
Which makes it harder for bands outwith the scene to get shows and in front of people,it just makes us more determined though.

How has it been playing live and what kind of response have you got?
 Playing live is always good,we generally get a pretty positive reaction,there always seems to be more people down the front by the time we're finishing a set so that keeps us strong,or maybe they're just trying to steal beer from me.

Have any random events happened to you while playing live? 

We were playing at and this guy came onstage and started really kinda spazzing out to us then he tried to perform a back flip which,well, lets just say it didn't end to well for him.

What have been your highlights so far?
 Playing in Glasgow,Edinburgh and at the amazingly named COCKROCK festival 2 years in a row,has been awesome,just getting to meet new bands and wasted in new and exotic locations.how can that be anything less that amazing!

Can you give us any tips on bands to check out from your local area?
 Yeah local boyo's Turbyne and Decimate our good friends in Glasgow, Grant Me Revenge

.

I also downloaded Witness the Fall's debut EP, through their Facebook page. It's a really impressive listen, with a good, modern production. It consists of four slabs of good old modern, groove laden hardcore influenced metal. The guitar melodies and riffs are really good and it's all anchored together nicely, by the band's rhythm section. The vocals are also vicious. This is a great record for fans of modern metal and a great starting point for people who are getting into heavier music. I can't wait to hear what their new material sounds like.

You can get physical copies of their EP through their BigCartel store, and it's well worth buying as you'll be getting it straight from the band and you'll be supporting another great homegrown band in the process.

Blast from the past - Mad at Gravity

Okay, so I've been wondering where this band have gone.

Mad at Gravity appeared on a Rocksound magazine sampler CD way back in 2002. They were alternative rock band, kind of similar to Cold, Unloco and bands like that. They released one album called Resonance, and then appeared to disappear. It's a pity because they were actually a pretty solid band.

The song that appeared on that Rocksound sampler was called Burn, and you can listen to it on their no longer used, but active myspace profile - http://www.myspace.com/madatgravity.

They may not be in the same vein as many bands I've featured on my blog so far, but I don't care, I just wanted to give a shout out to a band that I listened to during my school days and for being one of the bands that got me into metal and bands I hold in such high regard now!

It'd be cool to hear from anyone who liked the band. Also, I'm going to do some more posts about long forgotten bands from those Rocksound samplers or from the deep recesses in my head. Thanks.

Scene Heads - up - Azure World

OK, so while digging around the Yorkshire scene, I came across metallic hardcore band - Azure World from Barnsley. Azure world formed in 2009 and are now starting to build up there live reputation in the local area. With an EP already to their name and a growing presence, these guys will soon be a band you hear about regularly.

I caught up with guitarist Liam Hawksworth to find out more about Azure World and what their all about:-

So, what are Azure World's plans for 2011?

It's not been easy getting off the ground as a band from Barnsley, with there being next to no scene here, and with the only busy gigs being free entry, we've had to play a lot of shows without our costs covered, we've given our Cd's & tee-shirts out for free, and given free downloads.  The fact that none of us drive yet makes it a lot harder for us to get places, but we've had some interesting endeavours getting to other towns to play shows but always seem to manage it. Now we're all learning to drive, that shouldn't be a problem soon!

Our plan as a band is to try & play as many shows as we can manage, we want to get our music out to people, we'd rather someone enjoy our CD for free than never listen to it because they can't buy it, that's why we give free downloads to our music and play shows with no payment if it's necessary. We're also planning and continuing writing material for a new release this summer! We all still have commitments to education with us being 17/18 years old, but we try to play as many gigs as we get offered, and summer holidays is the perfect chance for us to progress as a band. Hopefully we'll be booking a summer tour with a couple of local bands and really trying to get ourselves heard.

You seem to be playing a lot of shows with loads of local bands. What have been your highlights so far?

Our highlights have been meeting the people we have done through our shows. We've found good fans and awesome bands that have helped us out and just generally been a laugh! (Never Cry Wolf, Dead Harts, Malevolence etc)

Other things that stick out to me is just what happens sometimes when we turn up to a town we've never been in before, let alone played in, get on stage and kids go nuts and really appreciate the music & our performance places like Hull, Wakefield, Doncaster and Sheffield where we'd never expect people to be so into us straight away. That's why we wanna keep getting these shows, and build our fan base wherever we can.

How did you guys form Azure World?

Azure World came about after a few of us decided after we left secondary school (2009) to have a go at writing some music, the result was our first EP which was a melodic metal style. However we've changed our approach now and play a more hardcore-orientated, aggressive, heavier style (also had a line-up change of our guitarist about 8 months ago that brought us Simon).

What influences you as a band?

Influences are a difficult thing to define with us, as we don't really base our music around sounding like anything else, we want us to like the sound of it, rather than writing to please the scene or to follow what leading bands do. Influenced somewhat in the Better Days EP was our new found love for straight up aggression in our music, combining good dynamics between our guitars and drums with hate filled lyrics and vocals, we have found you don't always have to play endless beatdowns and open chuggs to achieve a really heavy song. This is the reason our music is sounding more hardcore than metal these days, there is so much to explore within a hardcore alternative sound.

Don't know if this could be classed as influence but often we find it a lot easier and more productive to get high before we write a song together. We don't like to set ourselves boundaries when writing new material, and for some reason just helps us get rid of these mental barriers and personally makes me kick out some sweet ass riffs. As long as we like the sound of it, we're fine, because we feel a lot of bands these days are held back by expectations & boundaries within the scene.

What do you think about the state of the UK metal/hardcore at the moment?

We feel that the hardcore and metal scenes aren't as good as they once were. A lot of kids that used to go to gigs just lost interest and there doesn’t seem to be any major support like there once was when we were like 15 and used to go to gigs every week. We don't this is down to bands but just generally down to trends in teenage years; kids would rather go get drugged up or whatever and go round the town than go to the show and support music they like.

I think you're one of the first bands I've come across from Barnsley. What is the metal/hardcore scene like there?

To be quite blunt, the scene in Barnsley is non-existent. There will a gig every 2 months maybe, but even then the turnout wouldn't be enough to cover the costs and the bands are simply just dreadful Metallica replica bands or copy cat As blood runs black bands.


That's why we gave up trying to gig in our hometown; anyone that cares already has heard us so we may as well focus on spreading in other parts of the country.

Can you give us any tips on bands to check out from Barnsley?

Our bands to check out in Barnsley would be;

Debts (www.myspace.com/debtsmusic)
Redmist Destruction (www.myspace.com/redmistdestruction)

however there has been some internal problems with both those bands recently and so I’m not sure as to how long they'll be around.

However bands I’d recommend near to us are;

Never Cry Wolf
Malevolence
Grazes
Closure

The guys have an EP available for download through Mediafire. Go to - http://www.mediafire.com/?70ymilgpgobgm and check it out. 

The EP is called Better Days, and will be available as a physical release through their BigCartel page soon. Check http://azureworld.bigcartel.com/ for their merch.

The EP consists of four tracks, Which begins with an Intro which is more like a proper song. It's a heavy track which includes raspy, hardcore vocals and good time changes and leads into title track - Better days. It's a fast paced song with relentless, screamed vocals and a great rhythm section. This is mosh at it's best! Third track Desolation is an interlude of sorts which leads into final track Fall, which starts with what could be described as tribal drumming and leads into the main song. This shows the bands originality really well, with a doomy mid-section and chugging, low end guitar. This is great, hardcore influenced heavy metal and shows that Azure World will be a force to be reckoned with on the live scene very soon!

Give these guys your attention by going to either http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=127870410134#!/pages/Azure-World/127870410134 or http://www.myspace.com/azureworlduk.

Solar Zalavia - re-visited

A while ago I posted about a band from Mexico called - Solar Zalavia. I couple of days ago, guitarist Selko got in touch with me about the bands new song - Sick Precious Smile, which will be on their new EP - Smile Gerbera Smile.

Selko kindly sent me a link to the new song, so you can listen to it. You'll need to download the track via Mediafire. Just click on this link - http://www.mediafire.com/?m8dl56k9cju60yp.

This song marks a move to a heavier sound for the band, with great musicianship and  more progression. I can't wait to hear the rest of the EP.

Be sure to check it out and show the band your support. Go to - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Solar-Zalavia/135942870836 and http://www.myspace.com/solarmusic.

Australia attacks pt.4 - Disentomb

Well, this is my forth post about the Australian death metal scene. It's a scene that I didn't know a lot about, apart from bands like Blood duster and Psycroptic. It's another example of the diversity that can exist within the same genre of music. I'm writing this time about a Brisbane based band called Disentomb.

These guys formed in 2009 and in that year they played their first shows, recorded a demo and signed to Japanese death metal label - Amputated Vein. Their current album - Sunken Chambers of Nephilim is available worldwide through Amputated Vein.

Disentomb consist of Jord James (Vocals), Jake Wilkes (Guitar), Thomas Joice (Bass) and Henri Sison(Drums). These guys have made great progress since their formation, even supporting the mighty Napalm Death and Dying Fetus on their recent Australian tour.

Recently, I caught up with Vocalist Jord, to find out a bit more about Disentomb:-

So, what are your plans for 2011?
A lot of touring, playing shows and promoting the new album. We've started throwing around ideas for the next album and we're excited to get back to writing.

What influenced you to start Disentomb?
Henri, Jake and I were in a band called Cadaverine, and we wanted to do something heavier so we left that band and got our mate Tom on bass. We just wanted to and still want to make Brutal as fuck Death Metal.

How did it feel when you guys signed with Amputated Vein?
It felt awesome. We are big fans of previous releases they have put out so it felt right.

What has the reception been like for you guys when you've played live?
Amazing - It seems we're a band that people not only enjoy listening to, but watching as well.

Have you gotten a lot of attention outside of Australia?
Funnily enough, most of our orders are from Europe and the US rather than Australia. The Brutal DM scene in Australia isn't as big so it's expected.

What do you think about the death metal scene in Australia at the moment?
It's going great, there is a lot of fantastic DM in the country, but a lot of people are under the impression that if it's local it's no good, not realising that it's just as good as it's overseas counterparts. The scene here seems to be getting stronger and we've noticed a lot more Brutal DM has been brewing in different parts of Australia over the last few years.

Finally, can you give us your suggestions for bands that we should be paying attention to in your local death metal scene?
Get ahold of a band called Internecine Excoriation "Prognasticate The Decrepitude". These guys only released a demo before they broke up but it still remains one of my favourite releases.

If you're a fan of brutal death metal, Disentomb are another great reason to check out the Australian scene. You can pick up their album at www.disentomb.bigcartel.com and go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/DISENTOMB/149133246395?v=wall to keep up with what they're doing.

From Norway they came - Kollwitz

Occasionally, a band rises from obscurity and blows you away. They are mysterious and encompassing and leave you feeling awe-struck, especially in world of spoon-fed, commercialised music. The band I am referring is Kollwitz.

Kollwitz play a very different type of music from a lot the bands that are coming out of Norway at the moment. They play very introspective, doomy metal with hints at the hardcore past of some of their members.

Kollwitz surfaced in 2006 in Bodø, Norway by Thomas Hanssen (Guitar), Stian Hansen (Drums), Jorgen R. Holmen (Synths/Samples/Vocals) and Frederik Hillestad (Vocals/Synths). The four had already been active in the Norwegian underground music scene, playing in bands such as Beyond The Fences, Oceanism, Uzumaki and Hjertesorg. Shortly after, Endre Njos joined as the bands second guitarist and was also active in a band called The Spectacle. 

In 2007, Kollwitz relocated to the city of Oslo, where they played shows and begun to records material that would end up forming their debut album - Like Iron I Rust, which was released in 2010 by Norwegian label Fysisk Format. Around the time of it's release, Tobjorn Hafnor joined on Bass and this allowed Jorgen to focus more on the layers and textures that would contribute to Kollwitz's sound.

A little while ago, I caught up with guitarist Endre Njos, to ask him some questions about the band and their journey so far:-

First of all, how are you and how is 2011 going so far? What plans have you got for 2011?

We are doing well! 2011 has started nice and quiet, with some time for other projects than Kollwitz. Our main focus now is writing new songs, but we also have a few gigs lined up in Norway. The writing process is pretty slow for us, so it takes a while to finish a song, let alone and entire album. Right now we mostly have a lot of riffs, and we are trying to work though what can go together and what is potentially right for our next record.

Like Iron I Rust is a brilliant record. How did you come up with the sound for Kollwitz? Was it a natural progression from your previous bands?

That is most kind of you. I guess you could say that it is a natural progression from earlier bands, though it was far from the only possible outcome, if that makes sense. All of us have played in hardcore or metal bands before this, and at least most of us have had a love affair with slow and hard music for quite some time. Our sound is, like most bands, partially coincidental and partially deliberate. It is not like we had a master plan from the get-go, nor is everything purely by chance. You discover new things by chance, and then you make deliberate decisions based upon what you’ve found and what you have learned in the past. In one sense, you could probably say that we have fused various elements from earlier bands to our liking.

The package for Like Iron I Rust is great. How did you come up with it?

A Norwegian artist, Johannes Høie, did the artwork. We had seen some of his work on the Internet, and incidentally he had already been in touch with our label, Fysisk Format, about doing artwork for some of their bands. We gave him some keywords, and he made the awesome drawing on the cover, plus most of the other illustrations. A friend of us did the layout. He is great with graphic design and did a superb job putting those illustrations together in a format that could be printed. The packaging itself is an “arigato pack”. Our friends and label mates in Dominic had used it for their album, and the label suggested we do it too. We are really satisfied with it, and if you like the CD packaging, you should see the vinyl!

Your label Fysisk Format seems to be gaining a reputation for really quality releases at the moment. What made you decide to work with them?

Actually, they were the number one label that we wanted to work with, so we were thrilled when they liked a promo CD we made them. The quality of music and packaging they had already put out was most impressive, and the people behind the label seemed very dedicated and serious, not to mention that they are all really nice people. Top that with the fact that they are running the best record store in Norway, and you have a winner! We couldn’t be happier with being on Fysisk Format.

I found out about Kollwitz from a feature in Terrorizer magazine. Have you had a lot of attention from other areas?
Not really, it’s mostly been from Norway and the UK, which is obviously connected to distribution and promotion. However, we are eager to tour and release albums more or less everywhere, and try to build up a network and, hopefully, a fan base wherever there might be interest.

Norway seems to be producing a lot of great, original bands at the moment, including yourselves and Kvelertak. Is the scene switching to more forward thinking bands?

Fysisk Format is almost like a scene of our own – and what a great one! On could perhaps say that bands coming from more of a hardcore/punk background are pretty diverse and “forward thinking” these days, but it is hard to say something meaningful about those things when you are involved in it yourself. Suffice to say that there are many good bands in almost any genre in Norway nowadays?

What bands/music do you listen to and would you say that they influence you at all in your music?

That would be a different answer from every band member. There are of course some of the usual suspects: Neurosis, Breach, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, GYBE!, Sigur Rós, TNBM amongst many others. Of course they influence us. However, I think we find most inspiration in our near surroundings and from all the great bands that our friends play in. There is something special about music performed by people that you have a real relation to.  

Which bands would you suggest that people pay attention to from Norway at the moment?

Okkultokrati, Obliteration, Årabrot and Aristillus from Fysisk Format. Hell, check out the entire roster! Altaar is a drone/doom band that are actually playing South By Southwest this year. Kråkesølv is a great indie pop band, and Lukestar is another, and yet another one, which features members from Kollwitz, is Cold Mailman. Iskald plays black metal that will freeze your soul. 

And so to the album itself. Like Iron I Rust is made of eight tracks in just over an hour.

The track listing for the album is as follows:-

1. What You Are Given

2. Green Line

3. A Great Divide

4. And The Stars Did Wander

5. Dispirit

6. Black Star, Grey Sky

7.Stille For Stormen

8. Like Iron I Rust.

As soon as the album starts, it transports to the baron, cold landscapes of Scandinavia. The synths and lightly plucked strings, heralding in a sense of calm before bursting into raucous passages which would be akin to bands like Cult of Luna. Now, I don't want to draw any comparisons to other bands becuase Kollwitz deserve more than that.

You can definitely hear brief nods to the bands influences, but they add to the bands very original sound and help them to become somewhat unclassifiable, genre wise. The album is able to hold the attention well, allowing the listener to get lost in their soundscapes. I think it is a great album and has been on rotation in my record player since I laid my hands on it.

The packaging is also great. The CD came packaged in a cardboard case, not much bigger than the CD itself. The artwork on the front of the release, stretches round when you open the album up. Inside, instead of the standard booklet, the band provided the song titles and lyrics on separate, double sided cards. This is a very original and quality release, and should be a sign of the quality to come from the band's label.

Overall, Kollwitz are a real treasure and a band that should start to get more recognition for such an amazing debut album. The album is out now through Fysisk Format. You can visit the label by going to http://www.tigernet.no/shop/fysiskformat.php and thanks to the label's distribution, you should be able to find copies in the UK, especially on Amazon.

You can follow Kollwitz on facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/kollwitztheband/104195012625.

 

Blogs Away!

While I'm waiting for some stuff to come in for my next features, I thought I'd give a shout out to some blogs I've come across recently.

Firstly, a blog by Berlin Powerviolence band - Henry Fonda. The band update their blog with news about releases and tours. Be sure to check it out at - http://henryfondapowerviolence.blogspot.com/ if your into your powerviolence!

Secondly, I found a blog by rising Norwegian blackened hardcore band Okkultokrati. Again, this is filled with updates and news about the band and their exploits. Go to http://okkultokrati.blogspot.com/ and be sure to check this out.

While on my quest to seek out metal from all corners of the earth, I came across Bangkok Thrash. This is a website promoting thrash metal in Thailand. There's loads on it about cool Thai thrash bands and about the website own thrash metal festival. Go to http://bangkokthrash.wordpress.com/about/ for more info.

Consider it Core is a cool webzine about all things core. They have regular updates about new releases by hardcore/deathcore/metalcore/whatevercore bands and it is well worth checking out. Go to http://beforemylifefails.tumblr.com/.

Rockfreaks.Net is an online music magazine, based in Denmark, focusing on all ends of the metal/rock spectrum. It's full of news, interviews, gig and album reviews. go to http://www.rockfreaks.net/ for more.

And finally, on a more brutal note, check out Supreme Brutality.net. It's an awesome webzine about death metal, grindcore and goregrind. So if your interested in all thing extreme and gory, get yourselves to http://www.supremebrutality.net/index.php. I know I will be! 

Australia attacks pt.3 - Through Plagues

This is my third post looking at the Australian death metal scene. Through Plagues are a new band who recorded their first EP - From the Depths in 2010. They are part of a growing Brisbane death metal scene and are currently building a great live reputation in their local area. 

I caught up with guitarist Clarke to find out a bit more about the band and their scene: -

You guys are the third Australian death metal band I've featured Stay Ahead. How do you guys view the Australian death metal scene at the moment?

I think Australian Death Metal is doing great at the moment. There are tons of older and younger bands killing it live as hard as ever, Especially in Brisbane. I think we are pretty lucky to have a metal scene that not only is quite large in size but the quality of bands makes it so much better.

What have you got planned so far for 2011?

We cant wait for 2011, we are just about to get our first run of merch done, so that is pretty exciting - a design by Artist Joshua Andrew Belanger should be up for sale on our big cartel soon, so keep eye out for that.

There is a lot more going down on the show front, we have a show this Friday with some great bands, (Bane of Isildur (nsw, Album launch) and Defamer) Then a great mixed bill show in march featuring Adrift for Days from NSW. Our plan after that is to definitely try and branch out by playing some interstate shows and all ages events.

We are still promoting our free EP which can be downloaded at throughplagues.bandcamp.com and we urge more people to download that but
there is talk about recording a split later this year, which we plan to release a video clip with as well.

All up it should be a pretty busy year for us.

Obviously, Australia is very spread out touring wise. Have you guys found it easy to get shows so far?

We haven't toured yet, nor played as much as we would like to, but locally promoters have been really great to us and we were urged by many to play shows from the moment we put our first demo online with vocalist Luke.

What's the feeling like when you're playing live and how have the crowds reacted?

Its been a long wait since writing our first songs, plus recording and releasing well before our first live show. I think this has made us if anything push the songs harder live, people already know the songs so they expect them to be tight, just like the EP. The crowds have been great so far. We had great turnouts for our first 2 shows. I just wish we could play more songs for them!

Do you find that you local metal scene has a good DIY ethic and do the bands help each other out?

Overall yes. But there are always bands who don't and I think people realize pretty quickly.

What has been the highlight for you guys so far?

Self-Releasing our own EP and Playing our first show to a packed crowd rate pretty high! I'd also say seeing over 1500 downloads of the EP in the first 4 months of release. I think all the guys are really proud of that.

Finally, can you give us your suggestions for bands that we should be paying attention to in your local scene?

Locally, there is lots of great talent.

Our Great mates The Fevered just released an EP thefevered.bandcamp.com, to quote them "We think we're Swedish and it's the nineties".

Disentomb are also some really intense brutal Death from Brisbane as well. http://www.myspace.com/disentomb.

Other cool bands worth check out are, Teargas and Brazen bull.

 

Here is a quick review of the bands debut EP - From the Depths - 

1.Intro

2.Goddess of the sea

3.Ice to see you 

4.Wings of Damnation 

5.Eternal silence

From the Depths begins with a sampled intro which sets the tone nicely for the rest of the EP. First song proper, Goddess of the Sea shows off Through Plagues instrumental dexterity, which is noticeable throughout the rest of the EP. The bands influences include The Black Dahlia Murder and Darkest hour, and are not that far off for people who want a reference point. They incorporate very good, Scandinavian death metal inspired musicianship and dual high pitched/low pitched vocals, which complement each other very well. A grinding, raging rhythm section keeps the whole thing in check and the band don't lose any brutality, even including a nice guitar solo in Goddess of the Sea.

The production of the EP is really good and considering this is Through Plagues first recorded output, it shows that these guys are not messing about and have set out their stall early. It will be really interesting to see what progression they make with their next record.

If you want to download their EP, go to - www.throughplagues.bandcamp.com.

Also check the band out at - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Through-Plagues/279779609336 and at http://www.myspace.com/throughplagues. 

It's really great to hear band of this quality and Through Plagues should give you a good excuse to do some digging and find out more about the growing Brisbane death metal scene.

Scene Heads-up - Melody of Your Demise

Melody of Your Demise are a post-hardcore band from York. The band are full of energy and so far, have played gigs all around Yorkshire to build up there reputation as a kick-ass live band. I caught up with screamer Chris, to ask him how things were going and to find out about to expect from Melody of Your Demise in 2011.

"2010 was an exciting year for us. We played our first gig in March, which was scheduled to be with The Ocean Between Us, who unfortunately couldn’t make it, but it was a really fun first gig and within a week we were offered slots with Trigger the Bloodshed and local legends RSJ.

Our year has progressively got busier and busier from there. We’ve worked really hard on getting in touch with promoters, trying to gig as much as possible whenever and wherever we can. In December we even played two gigs in one night in Hull. We love being on stage and want to get our music out to as many people as possible. A lot of reviews we’ve had done about us have said we are an interesting live band to watch, we just try and get out and play as often as possible.

The highlight for me at least was probably supporting Yashin and With one Last Breath to approx. 450 people.  We want to play more bigger scale gigs like this in 2011, we already have an opening slot supporting Glamour of the Kill and have a few more in the pipeline which will pull in some bigger crowds hopefully.

We also surpassed our own expectations by reaching the final of a battle of the bands 20 miles from our local fan base in Castleford.

All in all we’ve had so much fun, made loads of friends and can’t wait to further this in 2011!"

I've been checking out a lot of local bands recently. What do you guys think about the Yorkshire scene?
Yorkshire has a lot of amazing bands! We’re privileged in York to be surrounded by local bands that have such high standards and a lot of potential. Considering what a small city it is how many bands have ‘made it’, and there are so many that people don’t know about that one day might. It sets the standard high and pushes us to continually improve.

It's great to see so many bands on the local scene, helping each other out. Do you think that helps make the scene better and more accessible?

Yeah, defiantly. We’ve had loads of occasions where friends in other bands have got us on line ups and where we have got them on gigs. Which is cool cause often their fans will like us and ours will like them so yeah definitely a positive thing for the music scene.

What do you think about the state of the UK metal/hardcore at the moment?

It’s good, I guess. I personally think it’d be cool if there were more fans, like in America. But I’ve seen a lot of good local bands with a lot of talent and on a wider scale we’ve got bands like Asking Alexandria, Bring me the horizon and Gallows all massive in America where the whole scene it bigger. I think it’s a shame there isn’t the fan base and radio time for bands like this in England though as there is a lot of talent around just not as many opportunities for bands to be as successful.

You’re supporting Glamour of the Kill in Feb. How do you feel about of playing the show?

Can’t even say in words how stoked we are about this! We’re gonna definitely put in one of our best performances yet and work hard running up to it. But mainly it’s gonna be so fun (for us and our fans). I know a lot of our fans are GOTK and Shadows Chasing Ghosts fans as well so they’re looking forward to seeing us with a bigger crowd and hopefully some more crowd participation. It’s gonna be brilliant.

What other local bands would you say people should check out in 2011?

As I said above York really has an amazing scene so I’ll give you 5 of my favourites:

1.  Don’t Let Paris Fool You, a bit, well a lot different to us. Like Acoustic, folk, punk. But great to watch! Definitely worth checking out.

2.  You Cried Wolf, more similar to us, another metalcore band. Catchy, heavy music that’s awesome live!

3.  Mitzi’s Revenge, local more punk style band again. Amazing to watch live, really catchy songs! Defiantly going places!

4.  With One Last Breath, while these are a bit bigger than the bands above, they are still from York but they are right about to blow up! If you haven’t heard of them before though, check them out!

5.  Open invitation, is our guitarist (Jonny Gills) acoustic project! He’s got an amazing voice and he’s playing his acoustic gigs all the time! If you like acoustic music defiantly check him out!  

MOYD currently have some demo songs up on their myspace site, which you can listen to. Go to http://www.myspace.com/melodyofyourdemise1. Also, check out their Facebook page for more news, including details about their gig with local high flyer's Glamour of the Kill.

Melody of Your Demise are another very promising addition to the Yorkshire scene and a band that I think you'll be seeing a lot more of in the future.

Something utterly exciting - Solar Zalavia

So, this is my first feature of 2011 and to kick things off, let me introduce Solar Zalavia. These guys are an alternative metal band from Mexico. They formed in Mexico City in 2005 and have so far released two EP's, titled - Something Quite Inspiring (Released Winter 2009) and Nothing Utterly Exciting (Released summer 2010 and reviewed below). They also have a new EP due out in January of this year, called - Smile Gerbera Smile. Solar Zalavia consist of Selko (Communications, riffin' & growls), Zald (Growls, screams & low end), Diego (Beat, tempo & snare) and Russelcrowe (strings). The bands main influences are progressive bands like Opeth and Coheed and Cambria, and metal bands like In flames.

I caught up with Selko recently and asked him about the scene in Mexico and about their music. Here's what he had to say: -

You guys have been together since 2005. How has the metal scene changed in Mexico in that time?
Back in 2005 the whole metal scene in Mexico was mostly punk rock and happy punk, so metal bands didnt have too much support.
By 2007 the scene changed, the "emo bands" took control of the scene, pushing aside metal bands.
Since 2009 the main scene was the deathcore/screamo/hardcore. It has been really hard to establish our name in the Mexican metal scene.
Late 2009, early 2010 meant a change for us, that's when we started to have a small, but significant, success via Social Networks.
Mexico is more open now to "heavy" bands than 5 years ago, but we are still left behind by the pop music industry.

What inspired you to form the band and what is the significance of your band name?
In high school,  we started paying close attention to metal bands, we were really shocked by what bands were doing, both technically and emotively.
Bands like Opeth, Seether, Coheed & Cambria and In Flames were huge influences to us back in the day, we found so much creativity and inspiration in those bands.
That's when we realized that we have to do something, something that contributes to the metal music as a whole.
There's no hidden meaning behind "Solar Zalavia". Solar it's about life and energy, and here in Mexico a "solar" is a an abandoned place.  Zalavia it's the funny part, a story about how the ice cream cones were invented in the beginning of the 20th Century.
Together it's a solid name, we can really relate to it, besides, it sounds really cool!

You have a new EP coming out in January 2011 Can you tell us a bit about it?Yeah, the new EP is named "Smile Gerbera Smile", its in the same line of "Nothing Utterly Exciting". With a bit more of technical and semi-prog stuff, and definitely more growling.
The lead single will be "Sick, Precious Smile". We're still waiting for the final mix of the album. We're really excited about it, if u liked the Nothing Utterly Exciting, you will love the new songs. We hope to upload a couple of songs to MySpace and BandPage (Facebook) by January15th.
A bonus track is ready to be recorded in January, we are planning to record our version of Limp Bizkit's "Boiler" just for fun, adding some fast breaks, screaming and sick guitar solos.
 
What are you plans from 2011?
Play more shows than in 2010. Hopefully promote the band in the US and Europe.
Record more stuff in the studio, and drink as much rum as we can.
 
How have you found touring and playing shows in Mexico? Where else have you toured?
Playing live is what we live for, we love to sweat our souls off in the stage, and never let down our friends while playing.
We have mainly played in Mexico City, a lot of small bars and pubs support local acts, giving bands free beers.

How do fans react to your live shows?
We always try to surprise the audience with our versatility, going from a straight-solid riff, to a mellow acoustic part, to a fast solo, going back to the acoustic stuff, then to a heavy riff, and so on, mixing clean melodies with intense growling. That's what we try to be praised for.

Can you give us your tips on bands to check out from your local scene?
The bigger Mexican metal band would be Here Comes The Kraken, they have toured Europe a couple of times. If u're into brutal deathcore be sure to check out HCTK on http://www.myspace.com/herecomesthekraken. If you are into metalcore and fast sweeping you must check out our neighbors KillTheFury, www.myspace.com/killthefury.

Nothing Utterly Exciting is the bands 2nd EP and was released in the Summer of last year. It contains 7 tracks. I've also done a review of the EP below: -

The EP starts of with a track called Soul Perfection, which sets the stall for Solar Zalavia unclassifiable sound. They use good growling/melodic dual vocals to good effect, over the top of muscular guitar and rhythm section. They include and guitar solo and sweeps similar to Santana and the closest reference point for their mixture of styles would be The Mars Volta.

The next track is a short, spaghetti western soundtrack style interlude called Bizarrely Unexpected. 

The third track is called Love Kills (Pt.1). The band mix low/high growls with almost grungy vocals, which sounds similar to Mudvayne. Again the band make use of the skill of their guitarist to include more wailing solos and clever sweeping guitar.

Track four is entitled Romeo's last stand (Pt. 3). SoZa incorporate a number of styles into this tack including death metal inspired low/high screams and raspy growls, as well as skillful technical/mathy guitar parts. A good instrumental mid-section proves that they have a good appreciation for their instrumentation.

track five is another interlude called Lunaluz Ademir.

This leads into sixth track Ok,go, begins in a thrashy tone, made better by the production of the EP. The song includes more raspy growls and high pitched screams. The band incorporates an acoustic mid section which leads into nice low end screams and mathy guitar before ending with the bands trademark, almost grungy sound.

Seventh track Glassroad (Pt.3) starts off with a nice acoustic instrumental introduction and then builds into a Seether inspired rock ballad.

The eighth and final track is a bonus track called My Bleeding scars, which was the lead single off their first EP - Something Quite Inspiring. It's easy to see from this track where the basis for the bands trademark sound has come from and you can see the progression that the band has made between their two EP'S.

Overall, the EP is crammed full of ideas and different musical perspectives. The band show their influences but make it their own. I can't wait to hear what their new material sounds like when their new EP comes out shortly.

If you want to hear Solar Zalavia's tracks go to http://www.myspace.com/solarmusic. The guys have also very kindly provided a link for a special download that you can do , which includes Romeo's Last Stand and Ok, Go from the Nothing utterly exciting EP and My Bleeding scars from their Something quite inspiring EP. Go to http://www.mediafire.com/?82im8iv6nvlqa51 to download it.

Posts

This is just a quick update to let people know that there will be some new posts appearing soon. I haven't gone quiet on ya!

Australia attacks pt.2 - Corpse Carving

A while I featured new Australian death metal band - The Fevered, who seemed to go down really well with people. So I've been doing some digging around and while I know there are probably loads of death metal bands in Australia that I'm yet to come across, I thought I'd mention Corpse Carving, as they from the other end of the death metal spectrum to The Fevered.

Corpse Craving are from Tasmania, and play gore grind with touches of death metal. The band are currently signed to Despise the Sun records.

The band currently have four releases: -
A split release with Italian band Mincer, which was released through Coagulated records called - "Hacked, split then quartered"

A split release with Philippino death metal band Human Mastication, which was released through Sonic-Corruption called - "Masticate The Corpse : Aftermath of Human Carving"

A three way split release with UK death metal bands Bludgeon and Twitch of the Death Nerve, which was released by Life Fluid Productions called - "And Then There Were 3"

Also, a full length released through Despise the Sun records, called - "Grotesque Goratorium : Disemboweled Gorific Feast"

To find out more about the band go to http://www.myspace.com/corpsecarvinggore and http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Corpse-Carving/94943029972.

If you're into brutal death/gore grind, check these guys out!

P.S. If anyone reading this post is able to suggest any other extreme metal band from Australia that I should check out, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you about this subject or other stuff metal related. Cheers.

I want to hear from you!

I want to hear from anyone who is reading my blog. I want to know what the metal/hardcore scene is like where you are, the gigs you go to and about any bands in your local scene you think people need to check out!

Get in touch with me by commenting below this post, by e-mailing me at stayaheadblog@yahoo.co.uk or by adding me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stayaheadblog.

Thanks.

Jim.

Scene Heads-up - Book of Job

Here's another kick ass local band for you! Book of Job are a metal band from Leeds, but are slightly different from a lot of bands, as they're more progressive.

They are playing at Rehab in Harrogate tonight at Bottom of the Bottle, alongside local boys Waking Theo and York rockers, The Fallen. The gig starts at 9pm.

They are also down to support Harrogate's own Ericbana and Rash Decision on their tour on 2011, at Scruffy Murphy's in Birmingham on Feb 23.

As well as the gigs mentioned above, the band are playing in Barnsley on January 7 with The Ocean Between us. These guys are always playing shows so you've got no excuse for missing them.

You can find them at http://www.myspace.com/bookofjobmetal and at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/BOOKOFJOBUK?v=wall, which is updated more regularly!

Scene Heads-up - Demoraliser

Demoraliser are a brilliant metal band from Grimsby. These guys formed in June 2010 and already have a 7 track EP out called - Reform.Repent.Revenge.

The band have spent a huge amount of time playing shows with some great bands, including up and coming bands - The Eyes of a Traitor and Awaken Demons.

Below is link to their video for the song "Checkmate", which appears on their EP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOtC-VZJnCo

The band currently have a gig booked for July 24th at The Priory in Doncaster. Get down if you can!
 
Here is a short review of their debut EP:-

The opening track "Hellbound" comprises a 40 second breakdown, which is a clue to the rest of the EP's sound and will no doubt get people moving in a live setting.

Track 2 - "47" is the first song proper. It reminds me a bit of Devildriver to start with but takes on a direction of it's own with more melodic guitars. It's a good combination of metal and hardcore being fused together to get that aggressive, modern sound, including those good old twin guitar harmonies.

Track 3 - "Checkmate" is starts with more melodic guitar and a crunching breakdown, which later makes way for guttural screams and then dissonant guitar riffs. The band again use breakdowns to emphasise the aggression in the song.

Track 4 - "Blood Meridian" is a faster song to start, with a slightly more punky vibe in the rhythm section. The vocals are more hardcore in this song, that may remind people of No Turning Back. The song seems more angry and sinister and the lyrics back this up. They also make use of low, guttural death metal vocals and gang vocals inside the breakdown towards the end of the track and demonstrate a good time change in the closing bars to slow thing to a halt.

Track 5 - "Pallbearer" begins with the sound a rain and wind and acoustic guitar melodies to break up the relentless brutality so far and set a calmer mood before the final two tracks.

Track 6 - "Out for Justice" hits the ground running, with fast paced riffs. rhythm section and furious vocals. The band again are sticking to their brand of hardcore infused metal to bludgeon the listener. The song also includes some more thrashy parts.

Final track "Glass Hands" finishes the EP the way it started, with a pit friendly, brutal sound. The song invokes feelings of euphoria as well as visions of flailing limbs flying across the dance floor of any sweaty, small club gig and rounds of an excellent EP.

If you're into your mosh and like more modern metal, you could do a lot worse than listen to this lo!

You can download their debut EP and find out more about Demoraliser by going to http://www.myspace.com/demoraliser and http://www.facebook.com/demoraliser.