Smash The Mould from Irish rock band Subject Matter is a feisty beast of a release which leaves one with emotions ranging from fired up through to slightly bewildered and uncertain but always it intrigues and brings an eagerness to hear more. The Dublin quartet create music that demands to be noticed and leaves an impression that is long lasting. Renowned for their lively and raucous gigs the album successfully follows suit.
Consisting of Paul “POK” O’Keeffe (vocals/guitar), Ste Brennan (guitar/vocals), Paul “Jim” Carey (bass/vocals), and Tommy Devine (drums), the band splatters the ear with insatiable riffs and energy from the off with the excellent opening track Funky Coloured Pitfalls. With a deep taunting bassline and flourishes of eager guitar the song erupts into a ball of pumped energy and enthused vocals, simply it is a fine blast of gut punching punk rock. It is a track that defies you not to join in and sets the release off to a great start.
The immediately following Give It To Me Straight brings more of the same punk fuelled rock sounds and within two songs one attention is firm not only on the songs but also the great bass of Carey, his belligerent riffs an excellent scowling and prowling presence within each song. The impressive What I Know easily confirms the fact straight after as well as reminding that you can not dismiss the guitars and rhythms neither, the band a unit whose strength is its sum parts. What I Know is one of the best songs on the album due to its eagerness to throw things slightly awry, its rhythms and vocals at times wonderfully at odds with the drive of the guitars. Again the song is an example of punk rock at its disruptive best and though it verges on chaotic and almost undisciplined at times it all adds to the strength of the track.
From this point the album is a bit hit and miss with the emotive ballad of Dressed To Depress one of a few songs that lose the focus gained previously, though one has to admire the adventure and unexpected turns the band bring to song and album. From that dip the band resurge back with the twin Rage Against The Machine flavoured Old Flames and Death By Monkeys, the first raw and caustic and the second a blues soaked crawl over the senses.
Though as mentioned mixed in consistency the likes of the garage rock/blues tinged Ground with again excellent bass work aligned to crusading riffs and strong vocals, See Thru Souls with its emotive depth and strong melodies, and another RATM lined Different Station, contribute much more than songs such as second ballad Keep Me With You and the formulaic rocker The Pass At Dark steal away.
Closing with the throwaway but fun O Nani Ama, the album is an enjoyable release full of promise for the band though one feels they need to find a more defined sound to truly emerge from the crowd. Subject Matter as they stand right now is a band who with songs like Funky Coloured Pitfalls and What I Know will easily make frequent visits to many ears.
The beginning of may saw the release of one of the most exhilarating and persistently captivating albums in the shape of Separate Realities from US fusion/progressive rock band Trioscapes. The band features the combined imagination and invention of Between the Buried and Me bassist Dan Briggs, Walter Fancourt (tenor saxophone/flute), and Matt Lynch (drums, electronics). The album is an instinctive and cultured blaze of stunning creativity and technical skill which leaves one eager for much more. We had the great pleasure
Hi Dan and thank you for taking time out to talk with us at The RingMaster Review.
First question has to be when and where did the idea to form Trioscapes evolve?
It started in the summer of 2011. We all had open schedules that summer and it seemed like the right time to get something new going. There wasn’t a ton of thought that went into it really, no pre determined sound or any real goals. We just had the opportunity to play a show and I put the band together for it.
Were the three of you old friends and have you worked together before Trioscapes?
Not old friends, but I had known Matt for a few years, and Walter was a friend of a friend who I finally met earlier in 2011 and had a few talks with about music and playing together at some point in time. Walter and
Matt didn’t know each other at all before we were all in the same room together playing.
Was the original idea simply as the promo sheet suggests, to create your own interpretation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra classic “Celestial Terrestrial Commuters” or was there a deeper reason and older seed of an idea that took you into this musical adventure?
The reason for getting together was to play a show with my friend’s band that I had booked a show for in the town I live in. I called the two dudes and asked if they were familiar with the song and if they’d like to jam it
as well as a few other compositions I had, which ended up being “Blast Off” and “Curse of the Ninth”. We used that as the basis for everything we did.
What is it about that song and the band itself that connects with you?
I’ve loved Mahavishnu Orchestra since I was in high school. My dad had the “Bird of Fire” record and I just thought it was perfect. It’s psychedelic, it’s really intense with a lot of energy, the playing is just unreal…at
that point in time I had never heard those scales used in a really practical sense. John Mclaughlin continues to be a huge influence on me; his work in the 70s with Miles Davis, Mahavishnu, and Shakti is just huge.
As the album which we will talk about shortly shows, you did not just do a cover but gave it your own new breath, how easy was it to find that distinct identity without losing the essence of the original song?
If you follow along, the whole content of the original version is in the song. I learned Jan Hamer’s keyboard solo verbatim, and then have an improv bass solo, and then Walter takes a solo and that whole bit kinda
eats up the space where there was a trade-off solo between violin and guitar on the original. We were just wondering what exactly we were going to do to it to expand on it and really make it our own. I didn’t want to
add another solo section, but just from jamming the song over and over up to that point the bridge section developed. The song is in a G overtone scale, which has a c# in it that sticks out and I thought it’d give it a
nice spin to have the bridge have a c# diminished sort of sound. It made it really dark, but still was in the 19/16 time of the rest of the song and in the same scale just starting on a different note. It was a lot of
fun to put together and one of our favorites to play live.
At what point did making the song turn into a possible live performance and even more so a full project with an album in its sights?
The live performance was the whole reason the thought for the band came together, and the idea to really expand on it was just after we were in the same room together. All the work we were putting into the music we just knew there had to be more of a future for the band. We had most of the record put together for the first show, so we had one more writing session afterwards where we wrote “wazzlejazzlebof” and “Gemini’s
Descent”.
What have you gained or found distinctly and rewardingly different from your musical ‘day jobs’ with Trioscapes?
Any time you play with different people you always learn new things and it impacts your writing and understanding of music. It’s my favorite thing about playing with other people. This group offers me the chance to have more of a lead role, but also more of a bass player’s role where I get to vamp on a groove for a while and just lock in with Matt to form a solid rhythm.
As mentioned you have just released your wonderful album Separate Realities and with such an immense and openly varied and unpredictable release it is hard to know where to start haha, so please tell us your intentions and thoughts as you began creating a full album. Was there any central premise to it?
Not really nah! We literally just wanted to record everything we had written that summer. It felt like we had enough material to do a full length and that the music properly captured our sessions together that summer.
As a non songwriter any song seems a difficult job to get right with structure and ideas but the pieces on the album have more twists and turns and a seemingly unbridled free form of composing within what is, one suspects a well thought out and crafted frame, so how do you approach your music, where is the beginning point?
It’s different for every song. The songs I came in with were just products of jamming. I don’t usually write just one riff, it’s usually a series of things put together with maybe a larger idea for the song. In the case of “Blast Off” and “Curse of the Ninth” it was whole songs. Other songs Walter would come over and play me a few melodies that he thought went together in the same song and I’d jot them down and start working on rhythm ideas behind them and then a whole ton of parts would stem from playing around with the lines he wrote. I love that stuff because it’s parts I never would have thought of on my own, it was Walter’s line that
got me thinking on that wavelength.
The opposite question is when do you know when to stop in such free running and intricate pieces? Is it as hard to find the point when things work and to resist continually adding or tweaking, as it is to start a song?
Nah, once you get mid way through a song you can see the rest of the composition layout in your head and it all falls into place. Sometimes you write something that you know you want to lead up to and then it’s a matter of working backwards and getting up to that point. It’s different for every song, but you never really just stumble onto the end. It’s always very well thought out.
Is there a firm connection to the tracks on the album, it feels like there is something but not as open to reveal the truth either way or I am just missing it haha.
There isn’t, but it was all written in the same burst with each other so I think there’s sort of a natural connection to the songs. It’d be fun to write something in the future that’s super cohesive and purposefully fits together.
Often it feels as if especially Walter was bringing some inspired improv to the compositions but one suspects it was more structured than that, what was the reality?
The songs and solo structures are all laid out, it’s just what he’s playing within that 16 bars or whatever that changes from time to time. We spend a lot of time on our arrangements and structures. I don’t have a ton
of interest in super free form stuff; everything is very planned out in our songs.
Your bass play was as we have come to expect from your work with Between the Buried and Me striking and inventive but also more instinctive and enjoying a freedom that maybe BTBAM does not allow space for?
BTBAM’s music is just always changing so quickly, there’s not a ton of times where I get to lay back and vibe out in the same feel for a very long time. A song like “Gemini’s Descent” is literally built around two sections. I loved doing that, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It was the perfect opportunity to mess around with different structures. No rules ever.
Matt is the frame that allows the songs to expand and for their imagination to burst forth but he too displays great invention and ingenuity within the songs. Was there a careful planning on when you each could explore your ideas so as not to veer towards a chaotic outcome or was it again just instinct within all of when you could investigate your individual play and ideas?
Matt’s just a maniac and is in his own universe. There was a few times we went back and forth kind of scaling back figuring out where the right groove was, but he hears rhythms in such a different way that it’s fun to see what he comes up with. His midi pads obviously add a whole other dynamic into the mix that really opens up new opportunities for us to explore new sounds.
Without guitars, Walter and you are the ‘face’ of the songs with Walter bringing the solos and ‘filling the space’ from bass, and drums primarily alongside his sax. How difficult was that to get right and expand into?
It all happened naturally. We really put these songs together pretty quickly, and we didn’t know what we sounded like really. We were just flying by the seat of our pants arranging and writing. It was a ton of
fun. The bass and sax operate at such different frequencies it was cool to see how unison lines really sounded in the studio or trade-off lines.
As with the band Morkobot where it is just bass guitars and drums, do you think you and Separate Realities will inspire but more so open up non guitarists to the possibilities they can bring forth to their craft and individual bands?
I think it’s just opening up some people who aren’t used to hearing any sort of “fusion” music to something new. They’ve been listening to bands for years probably that are influenced by jazz and fusion artists, so I
hope it’s a gateway for people. We’re always talking about our influences, whether it be Mahavishnu or Frank Zappa or what, so hopefully it’s just inspiring a new generation of fans to get into that great music from the 70s.
It might cause some fights too when bassists outshine guitarists? Haha
People need only listen to Primus.
With your music seemingly having its own intent of where it wants to go as it is played do you look at the album and still feel the pieces are in evolution and are still imagining possibilities within them or are they at their final form?
No everything is very meticulously thought out. We got to the studio and just played it like we had demoed it and then we jam it like that live. We’ve got a few parts of the set that we embellish and try new things to
get into songs, but we’re like a rock band in that sense. The songs are the songs as they’re written.
I have to admit it is hard to describe your sound to people without leaving a long list of ‘labels’ on the floor, how would you explain it to newcomers?
A mix of fusion and progressive rock/metal.
I guess the most important question is will there be more from Trioscapes?
Yeah definitely, we have little bits written. Our record just came out last week so maybe we’ll talk about that in another year or two.
And further live performances?
We’ve got plans to be out a little bit this summer and then in the fall. We’ll be staying busy and trying to cover as much ground as we can for sure.
Once more many thanks for sharing your time to bring us great insight into you and your music.
Would you like to end with any words for those discovering your fine album and a few of the influences that have had most impact on the music you personally brought to Trioscapes?
Well, like I said earlier I was all hopped up on Zappa and King Crimson and Mahavishnu last summer when we were writing. Walter and I were sharing bands back and forth, and we still do all the time. It’s a really fun
dynamic we have between the three of us and I’m excited to see where it goes.
Going blind in to the debut album from Atlanta rock band Royal Thunder there were many whispers in the ear that their self titled EP of 2010 was rather tasty and that this new album should be great. Well the news is that great does not cut it for CVI is simply a triumphant feast of rock music for every taste. It is fuelled with such stunning creativity and hypnotic lingering sounds it finds a place in each and every heart.
Released may 22nd via Relapse Records, CVI is a sweltering array of classic rock, southern tinged blues, and progressive artistry with more than a liberal dose of metal and stoner thrown in for extra spice. It is an unpredictable release that twists and turns with glee to leave one persistently surprised, continually eager, and always fully satisfied. Drawn from a well deep with essences of the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cradle, Electric Wizard and Black Tusk to name a few, the album is an invigorating and consuming insatiable mass of splendour which leaves one enveloped in an immersive smog of aural grandeur.
The album opens with Parsonz Curse and within this song alone you know all you need to know about the album in sound, creativity, and quality. Seven minutes of pulsating mesmeric ingenuity the song is an expansive hard/progressive rock driven explosion of colourful sounds, heated melodies, and imaginative invention. The guitars of Josh Weaver and Josh Coleman bring dazzling weaves of melodic sonic blistering to the senses with white hot radiance whilst Lee Smith with his rhythms and the bass teasing of Mlny Parsonz add deeper shadows and darkened energy. It is amazing stuff and alone is undeniably impressive but it is the vocals of Parsonz bringing another fiery torch within the songs that the ignition of passions find their fullest flame. Her tones spread from searing the ear with scorched passion to mesmeric beauty and whatever the varied path she brings to each song she is irresistible.
Whispering World follows and inflames thought and heart with flurries of stout dominate beats and compulsive riffs. Together they lead one unerringly into the magnetic beauty within its passions and emotive force majestic. At one point the song may have you swaying within its siren glow and the very next it is inciting aggressive urges. It is as all tracks on CVI a bustling forever evolving maelstrom of invention.
Though every song deserves attention time and space is a greedy beast so as we bring some songs to light take those we do mention as read for those not. CVI is deeply diverse, an ever amazing collection of songs which draw you back into their irresistible charms like an aural addict. The one consistent that does pervade every track though is quality, not once is there a dip or lull in the sheer awe inspiring imagination. You can pick the likes of the anthemic express that is No Good, the sensational Blue with its wonderful evocative instrumental first part, or the haunting prowl of South Of Somewhere, and find alongside their glories something else totally unique but equally astounding. Blue is as contagious as any new virus, its soul and breath breeding a pure addiction whilst the craft and songwriting is from wizardry borne conjurations whilst South Of Somewhere is a seemingly chilled yet unsettling entity, its initial presence disentangled from its surroundings but ultimately it reveals itself as a wanton tease. Drawing one in with a slight sinister allure and remote emotive atmosphere it slowly weaves its devious charms to explode with fury of punk attitude and metal intensity. Though it is near impossible to choose a standout track all so impressive, this pair ignites the biggest fire of all.
CVI is an easy contender for album of the year and it is hard to imagine many will rise alongside it let alone surpass its brilliance and magnitude of imagination. Royal Thunder has made those initial whispers rather inadequate and very under estimating.
RingMaster 17/05/2012
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As the windows and doors to your thoughts, emotions, and soul are blasted and virtually shaken off their hinges by Empathy the new EP from Belgian post hardcore band Campus, you know this is one release you are not going to forget in a hurry, or want to. Empathy is immense, a sonic wind tunnel of intensity and aggression veined with inspired invention and melodic enterprise. The enormity of the EP is clear as one lies on the floor grasping for a new breath to chase off the numbness that pervades every sinew as the release signs off from its deeply satisfying four track obliteration of safety.
Released May 28th via Small Town Records, Empathy is destined to ignite passions within a great many more than ever before. With a sound which has traces of bands like Architects, Underoath, and While She Sleeps to its formidable and imaginative creation, the release is the next step on the quest to conquer far afield from their already worshipping homeland. The EP follows their thoroughly acclaimed 2009 album Oh, Comely! which itself followed a well received debut two years before in We Are The Silence. That initial release led them to opening up the Belgian leg of the Taste of Chaos tour of the same year and saw them share stages with the likes of The Used, Rise Against, Aiden and Gallows. Since then they have not looked back as shows and tours with the might of bands like Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats, Parkway Drive, Bring Me The Horizon, Underoath, and Architects filled subsequent years as well as numerous festival appearances.
It is probably fair to say outside of Belgian the band has still to find the heights their music deserves but with an impressive appearance at the Hit The Deck Festival in the UK this year, slots at the Burnout Festival, Hevy Festival, and Skatefest upcoming and most of all with Empathy this feels like the point the rest of the world takes notice.
The release opens up with the title track and within seconds has the senses reeling. As the rhythms of Josse Wijckmans pummel the ear hungry growling riffs prowl with a predatory intensity and overwhelming energy. Vocalist Martijn Leenaerts scowls and unleashes pure venom to match the tumultuous attack. His delivery is persistently varied and an example to many other same genre frontmen that mixing up things is a mighty tool. The guitars of Tijs Mondelaers and Fabrice Parent strip flesh with the sharpest of harsh riffs and energy whilst mesmerising with a melodic invention that leaves blisters seething within the ear. They are openly impressive and again show that thought and diversity can be a weapon of the greatest devastation.
From an impressive start the band raise the bar with Lone Wolf, another track to fly from first note with rampaging energy and dehabilitating effect. As with the first song bassist Tuur Geeraerts is a growling vehement presence bringing the darkest shadows and depth to the songs. Abrasive and provocative the track riles up more than the ear and leaves the first search for air an urgent need.
Downtime is a lumbering brute of a song, its heart, pace, and towering muscle the heaviest on Empathy. It does not neglect the other elements the band does so well neither, offering an impatient groove to wind around the ear with a grip borne of spite and melodic craft to light up the skies of the song like meteor shards, white hot and violently incisive.
The EP closes with the best song within its angry walls in Young Bastard. All the great things that preceded it return in greater heart and intensity. Vindictive, the aggression is lifted to its greatest heights leaving the senses ringing out for mercy and relief but wanting more and more of the same. Within this synapse melting the song explodes with the most infectious groove and clean vocals to ignite flames of primal energy. The track reminds of Red Tape with a twist of Ghost Of A Thousand at times and is easily one of the best tracks heard this year.
If Campus does not breakout to infect the world with their great sounds then justice has never had a place in music but with Empathy the feeling is their time is just shifting up multiple gears. https://www.facebook.com/CAMPUSBE
RingMaster 17/05/2012
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Brought together by Cosmo Morte of US band Scream Machine, we had the pleasure of meeting Darvius Noctem of Canadian goth/black/industrial metal band Days Of Our Decay and reviewing the excellent album Electric Twilight which was released a few weeks ago.With a rich mix of flavours reminding of the likes of Rammstein, Deathstars, Dimmu Borgir, Type O Negative, and Sisters Of Mercy, as well as unique and vibrant imagination of its own it was a release that found a firm place on our playlists. Wanting to know more about the band and the great creativity brought forth by Days Of Our Decay we threw a flurry of questions the way of Darvius and he graciously revealed all.
Hi Darvius welcome to The RingMaster Review and many thanks for talking with us.
Firstly could you just tell us about yourself?
Man, you gave me the hard question first. I am so horrible talking about myself, but I think my Facebook “about me” section sums it up. Here goes…
I draw stuff and occasionally get paid for it. I also compose and play music, but usually don’t get paid for that. Sometimes I collaborate with other musicians for various projects. I end up talking to myself a lot because no one really listens to me to begin with. I hate most things, particularly: people, religion, and summer. Most people often mistake me for a “snob” when I am actually a misanthrope. I’m extremely opinionated and often voice my opinions, which usually get me into some degree of trouble. I have a dry, morbid sense of humour, but I am usually the only one laughing.
What is your musical history before Days Of Our Decay?
I started playing guitar when I was 15 or 16, but just couldn’t really get into it and moved on to learn bass, drums and then keyboard. I took piano in high school but never really took it seriously until just before I started Days Of Our Decay. During high school I played in a really lame electronic/rock/metal/experimental band called: The Spacemen On Vacation. Later on in my early 20’s I joined my friends’ band: Malice. It was more of a nu-metal influenced band in the same vein as bands like Coal Chamber, Spineshank, etc. Initially, I played drums and then moved into the keyboard and bass position just before the other guys called it quits, which is then when I started Days Of Our Decay.
Days of Our Decay was initially and in many ways still is a solo project?
I started the band and wrote a few songs, but wanted to get my ex band mates from Malice to join and contribute, but due to our life schedules and one of the members alcoholism, it ended up just becoming my solo project, and in many ways it still is a solo project. I have had many different people in and out of the band over the years, but the only other official member is Demonika Demise. Most of the past members were just brought in so we could play shows. I recorded some demos and alternate versions of songs with a lot of the past members, but none of the final songs included them. There are some demo cds and a live cd floating around – I will tell you that.
What was the intent and spark behind starting the project for you?
I wanted to have a rock/metal influenced band that was really keyboard savvy. The thing that annoyed me the most in metal and rock is that the keyboards were always mixed so low, or just so minimal, so I wanted to have a band that featured keyboards as the driving instrument. In addition, I am really attracted to dark music, whether it is heavy or soft, which is something I also wanted to incorporate into my project. Ultimately, I wanted to create a sound that I wanted to hear in music, from a listener perspective, and at the same time, I wanted something that didn’t take itself too seriously.
You have self termed it “Elevator Music For The Dying!” could you elaborate on that and did that apply to your music from the very beginning? I ask as I know you had a later album with the term as its title.
It was originally a line from a poem/song I wrote in my late teens and I thought it was just something silly and over the top, and just decided to run with it. The term did apply from the beginning. In regards to the album: Elevator Music For The Dying, it kind of summed up every aspect of the band at the time and prior to that. That album was more or less an end of an era and Graveyard Superstar was the first album of the new era. It’s ultimately still “Elevator Music For The Dying” it’s just expanded a bit more, I think.
From what I know of your music you are unafraid to explore your own and the music’s boundaries?
Umm, sort of. I don’t stray much from my trademark style, but I am always trying to incorporate new elements per song or album. Overall, I just try to write and play what comes natural at the time. That’s also easier said than done. I tend to over think everything. Sometimes I write a riff or a song and have to think “Did I write that riff before?” or “Does this song sound too much like this one?” etc.
You are quite prolific release wise especially in recent times and I know people have commented on that to you but I get the sense whereas other musicians might do the same but just throw everything out they create whatever the standard you have a disciplined and strict standard you place upon your work and maybe discard songs as many as you release?
Definitely, for every album I generally write and record up to 20+ songs and narrow it down to the best 11 or 12. It’s hard to determine what makes the cut until the end because each song means something to me, but I try and make each album as dynamic as I can and have it flow really well from beginning to end. I always second guess myself though because you never know what songs are gonna connect with people. I find that most of my favourites are people’s least favourites and vice versa. One of these days I might just make an album of songs that I hate and maybe everyone will love it and it will be a big hit.
Is creating music the first and last thought for you each and every day?
Sometimes. I think about drawing and art just as much. Sometimes I write songs in my dreams. No joke. I wrote 2 songs from how I remembered them in my dream. One was called: “The Letter And The Ghost” and the other was called: “Gift.”
As you mentioned you work with Demonika Demise in the band and though she is mentioned as a backing singer she brings a lot more than her vocal skills to the project?
I think of her vocals as more of an instrument, rather than a backing singer. It’s a complete contrast to my vocals, but somehow they seem to work well together. I think that if I sang more conventional or if she sang more unconventional, it wouldn’t work. In addition, she helps me with some of the final mixes.
How did you both meet?
We met online in December, 2006 when I was living in Minneapolis. We got engaged and I moved to Canada in 2007 and the rest, they say, is history.
Does she get involved with the initial songwriting?
Haha, no, not at all. She admits that she is not a songwriter. She understands this is more my project and doesn’t want to interfere with that. She has helped with a few parts though. She helped me revamp an old song and she wrote a choir part to the intro/verse of our song: The Dark Gift.
We have had a discussion about bands that people compare your music to rightly or wrongly so what are your major influences and which ones do you think have most added texture to your ideas and sound direction?
I`d say that our biggest influences that helped shape our sound would be: Deathstars, Type O Negative, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein, Dimmu Borgir, Nightwish, She Wants Revenge, Sisters Of Mercy, Diary of Dreams, and The 69 Eyes. Demonika’s influences are roughly the same as mine, but she is really influenced by more female -vocal oriented stuff like: Tarja Turunen, Evanescence, We Are The Fallen, etc.
I know Marilyn Manson is mentioned a lot when talking about your music especially vocally though I do not see it; does this get a bit tedious?
You are probably one of the only people who don’t see it, haha. That’s cool though. Overall, it does get tedious, but I usually find that it`s mostly from people who don`t know of any other darker- type bands, and since Manson is so mainstream, everyone just associates me with him. I admit that I think our singing techniques are fairly similar from the raspy-ness in our voices and how we drag our notes, but if someone were to listen to us back to back, they would notice drastic differences. I suppose at the same time, if someone compares us to Manson in a complementary way, I don`t get offended or anything, haha.
Always late to the party haha our introduction to you came with the great Electric Twilight which came out earlier this year. You first started making music for Days Of Our Decay with your first release The Devil’s Concubine appearing in 2005 I believe? How has your music evolved through the past decade and you as a musician and songwriter?
Yep, I wrote Devil`s Concubine back in 2005, but rerecorded for world release in 2007, and to also include Demonika Demise, as she was not on the original recordings of the first 2 albums. Over that course of time, my songwriting and composing has gotten so much more refined and mature. I can play stuff now that I could never play years ago. We integrated new elements over the years and gradually got away from a lot of the `metal` aspects in our initial sound. However, that will always be there in some form or another, I think, which is cool. The production has greatly improved over the years for sure. Even our vocals have changed and matured, quite a bit. In the early albums it was about 50/50 singing to screaming, whereas now, I barely scream anymore. Our vocal accuracy has greatly improved as well. In a lot of ways we simplified and in other ways we expanded from the drums to the keyboards and all the sounds in between. It was just a natural progression, I think. I also managed to learn how to create and define a “mood” for a particular song much better. Before it was just playing notes and making riffs. For Graveyard Superstar, we started incorporating more guitar-synths and simpler compositions, as compared to our older work. At this point, I can barely listen to our first handful of albums without cringing.
Your website http://daysofourdecay.yolasite.com suggests you have already three more albums planned for the rest of the year and into 2013, are you that far ahead or is this just planned targets?
Ever since 2009 we have been 2 or more albums ahead of schedule (so to speak). Keep in mind, we have been this far ahead even with me scrapping lots of songs. I work extremely fast and can put out 1-2 finished songs per week. If I were to die or end the band today, there would be a good 5 albums ready to go. We’d be like the Tupac of the gothic rock world – dead, but still coming out with albums!
How do you create your music, what most often comes first and how do you develop these seeds?
I usually sit around and think to myself, “What would people really NOT want to hear.”
I’m usually inspired by a song, whether it is good or bad, or some kind of mood or feeling and then I sit at my keyboards and see what comes out. I have spent hours just messing around with keyboard riffs and ideas, but usually I try and get the music to the chorus part done first and build the rest of the song around that. A lot of times it doesn’t work that way, but that is initially how I start. Once I finish writing and recording the main keyboard part, I fill in the rest of the sounds. The drums usually come together last, as far as the music goes. 99% of the time, the lyrics and vocals are written and arranged after the music has been finalized. I hate writing lyrics though, yet, ironically I spend a lot of time working on them. It’s like an organized chaos and sometimes a warzone when I am writing a song.
You produce and mix your own releases too?
Yep. I have the most unconventional equipment set up, but somehow it works for us.
How do stop yourself from getting too close in that department when you are doing every aspect of the music, do you have an outside ear to offer thoughts and ideas around too? Demonika maybe?
Exactly! You hit the nail on the head, my friend. I have to step away from it a lot and have Demonika take a listen. Aside from her, I don’t want any outside influence because I don’t want to feel like I have to compromise what I do to appease someone. Occasionally, I will ask my friends what they think of a particular mix or song, but that’s it.
How do you set up your live shows, still just the two of you?
It has changed for every show. For the first 3 shows, we had a full line up (vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, drums), without using any kind of backing tracks, but when I moved to Canada, we got booked for a show and I couldn’t secure a line up, so I had to resort to having our music (keyboards and drums) backtracked with Demonika and myself on vocals (respectively). Honestly, I had so many problems with live musicians in the past, that we decided to keep the backtracks and go from there. Some people might see that as unethical, but whatever. The music is all created electronically, and unfortunately I can’t sing and play keyboard at the same time, so we have to resort to extreme measures to play shows. Demonika doesn’t want to play shows anymore, and honestly, neither do I. However, I get that “itch” from time to time, so if we play any shows in the future it will just be me and my lap top on stage. I am also considering doing “internet shows” so people from all over the world can check it out, being as most of our fans are either in Europe or the U.S.
Is there a good audience for goth/black/industrial metal in Canada and especially Ontario where you are from?
Not at all. We constantly get the cold shoulder from promoters around here, as well as bands, and just people in, general. Most of the people around here just hate our style of music. It’s really discouraging and disappointing. The main thing is that it’s so divided here between crowds/scenes. To make it in a band around here you either have to play really banal sounding hardcore/metal or classic rock and country. There is no in between. With most of our past shows, we’d get booked to play with all metal/hardcore bands, and that crowd is definitely not our demographic, to say the least. Our last show we ended up opening for a blues, cover band.
Can we move on to the great art work to your albums, that is all your work too I believe?
Yes, indeed!
How long have you been creating art and is it an important part of the whole music experience you bring to your releases?
I have been an artist way longer than I have been a musician. I have been creating art since I was a little kid. I think my art is really contrasting to my music, but I think they work well together as a package deal.
What are your inspirations in this aspect of your skills?
I’d say mostly: Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Joan Miro.
I am sure I am wrong but I just have this thought there is a link or theme running through your art which wraps around your releases?
Well, the art you see is just my style, so all of my pieces have a unique, ongoing look and theme. For album covers, I generally just choose a piece that seems to fit for that particular album.
Apart from your album sleeves you do not have a gallery for your work on the website so where can people see more of your art?
Does the art come after the music when creating music or arrive hand in hand?
No, I do art and music completely separate. However, a song title has been known to influence a piece of artwork.
Which receives the priority of your time music or painting?
I’d say it’s about 50/50 give or take. Some days I work on music all day and vice versa.
When can we get our ears and thoughts into your next album?
“Master Of Funerals” will be the next album, which we are planning for Halloween this year (2012).
Once again a great many thanks for sharing time with us.
Would you like to leave with a final thought or comment?
It’s not how much Crown [Crown Royal] you can drink, it’s how much ass you can get while drinking Crown. I believe Vinnie Paul said that or something like that. In regards to the music and art, you can download most of our albums on our website and tell all your friends (who might like us) to ‘like’ us on Facebook and spread the decay.
When the debut EP from UK electro rock band MiXE1 was unveiled in 2010 there was more than mere interest set in motion for any future releases. Module 01 was a haunting and vibrant collection of tracks offering much promise ahead whilst at the time lighting up thoughts and emotions with its warm enveloping sounds. A free single last year in A Spark In The Air only strengthened the eagerness for more with word of a follow up EP set for 2012 the trigger for even more enthused and impatient waiting. Module 02 does not disappoint, a four song release it brings an evolution in sound and invention with all the essences and imagination that first captivated still on board.
MiXE1 is the solo project of Hatfield based songwriter Mike Evans. Having played in an alternative metal band he reached a point where he wanted to express himself in a different way and turned to electronic music, a genre that had already engaged his tastes. The project which became MiXE1 allowed him to find a more positive energy and area to express himself within, bringing a contrast to the darker sounds and lyrics which were borne from his previous band. It was a move as by the evidence of his releases which has openly inspired his creativity, the new release being no exception but a further step forward in his vision, songwriting and its realisation.
The EP immediately lights up the senses with opener This Is Not Goodbye, synths and dazzling swarms of sound wrapping around the ear with a tender embrace. With an emerging throbbing pulse the song spreads deeper into the head as the vocals of Evans, smooth and mesmeric soak the music in dazzling harmonies and care. Swaying within its warmth one is then thrust into a frenzy of aggressive guitars, vocals, and blistering intensity. It creates the perfect union of extremes and continually unpredictable glories, offering a NIN/ Celldweller like feel with bursts of Sonic Syndicate. That is simplifying it as it has a uniqueness and freshness that is MiXE1 alone. It is the best track on Module 2, a sure and persistent companion to share time with though the other three songs that stir within the EP are just as compulsive.
Your Heart Is The Beat starts with the unlocking of the song, its grace and flow emerging from shadows into the limelight of the ear with a heated grace and hypnotic energy. Emotive and seemingly personal through passion and heart the song is a wave of summer warmth splintered with flashes of harshness which ignites even deeper veined satisfaction. Electro pop with a Visage like breath the track is a wonderful excuse to visit inner thoughts and emotions with an understanding soundtrack.
Do You Know continues the feeling with more eighties electro flavouring though it reminds more of John Foxx led Ultravox with its underlying rock edge. Another song with euphoric depth to it the irresistible pleasure lifts the lowest spirit and any darkly shadowed emotion with caring imagination and evocative thought coated in infectious harmonies and soaring melodies.
The release is completed by the impassioned Never Been Gone, a far reaching atmospheric mist of emotion spotted with falling sonic glittering and the tenderness of electronic enveloping. Once more Evans brings textures to the music which makes each dip into its sea of sounds fresh and deeply rewarding. The song invites one to lie back and let it take them through their own journey of memories, thoughts, and feelings, the wonderful sounds an understanding companion.
Released June 16th on Static Distortion Records, Module 02 is a stunning result of an artist who has found a full well of imagination and craft within music he is relatively speaking still fresh to and it harbours even greater promise for a planned debut album ahead. Just to be picky one would say more guitar and more of the metallic abrasion on that please, but if it is as good as this EP, we will take anything MiXE1 brings with relish.
RingMaster 196/05/2012
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If you are looking for some new and exciting rock sounds then maybe head over to the debut album from UK band States of Matter. With a flavoursome mix of classic and hard rock with extra spices from far and wide The Scheme of Things will more than feed the demands and senses of rock fans everywhere. Eight tracks of enthusiastic and finely crafted rock n roll it is hard to imagine many that will not be wrapped up within its energised eagerness immediately and permanently. To be honest classic and hard rock with very few exceptions fly by our tastes only receiving a cursory glance at best but this little enthused piece of sound has had a few secretive and furtive returns on top of just around the review.
Formed in September 2011, the quintet from Bournemouth is as new as the sounds they rustle up with skill and strength. Taking influences from the likes of and as wide as Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Yellowcard, Ray Charles, and Kids In Glass Houses, they have taken no time in grabbing attention with live shows around the south of England and their debut video for opening song on the album Skyline. Filmed at Bristol Filton Airport earlier in the year it offers all you need to know about States of Matter and The Scheme of Things.
Skyline emerges on a wave of electronic atmosphere as a sizzling guitar lights up its skies with a fine display of melodic invention. The song builds up its elevated presence before reaching a plateau of powerful riffs and boisterous energy which finds an even more enthused intensity within the excellent infectious chorus. The track is an immediate hook from the album, an invitation into its arms that is impossible to resist. The vocals of George Holloway are impressive and easily fit the stylish sounds surrounding him, backed by great group vocals throughout the song.
As indicated in the opener the guitars of Harrison Perks and Richard Couchman are another element of the songs which one cannot fail to be impressed with, the following Jeez Louise sealing the opinion with some fine and imaginative play from both. The song is a definite favourite on the album, another irresistible slice of strong songwriting and its contagious unleashing. Though not always as openly heard as one would like on the more raucous tracks, the bass of Iain Sheppard is a brooding growl behind the song, his obvious ability adding a groove behind the scorched guitar sounds.
The album as it progresses reveals a diversity of sound and intent which is to be admired especially as the band pulls it off each and every time. The power ballad Cassiopeia is an emotive feast for the ear of passion fuelled piano and guitar majesty, the track rising and dipping in intensity like a heavy hearted chest. The power and reach of the song explores beyond the ear to wrap tightly around senses and emotions, a masterful piece of composing brought forth with further passion.
The eighties rock flavouring of Hot Of The Press adds another taste to the album and though it is not as striking as the trio of songs before it, classic rock fans will love its easy and anthemic sounds. The track, alongside Shotaway and the closing Hit For Six, did not quite find the appeal as elsewhere here but that is down to personal taste only and the dislike of the genre that spines them. They are like the medicine that you know is good for you but has a taste that makes one reluctant to take it, for those that love older rock sounds they will drool over them.
The remaining two songs on the album are the soulful Only Lovers Left Alive with a great southern twang to its provocative charms and the excellent The Casual Company. With a splatter of sleaze to its bluesy rock stance it has a splash of Wasted Sinners to it that draws one in eagerly. The rhythms of Lloydi Gee Pearson throw the ear into a frenzied state as the bass and guitars twist and turn with exuberance and ingenuity. The track is real rock n roll brought by real rock n rollers and pure pleasure.
If you love your classic and hard rock you will adore States of Matter and if not you will still find more than enough satisfying and imaginative things within The Scheme of Things to have a great time in its company, we did.
Formshifter the new album from Colorado melodic death metallers Allegaeon is just one of those beasts that you can only be impressed by no matter which metallic flavour lines your heart most. It is quite simply a masterpiece of defence splitting aggression, mesmeric technical prowess, and blistering scorched melodies, that is not to mention the deeply manipulative grooves and tumultuous numbing riffage which drives each and every track. The album is immense, a ruthless incursion of ear and heart which leaves one in no doubt they have just experienced the mightiest and most invigorating storm.
Formshifter is the follow up to 2010 debut album Fragments of Form and Function, an album that put them on the metal map with force. Formed in 2008 by founding member and guitarist Ryan Glisan and soon completed with the addition of classically trained guitarist Greg Burgess, vocalist Ezra Haynes, and bassist Corey Archuleta, Allegaeon (pronounced: uh-lee-juhn) drew attention with their four tracked self-titled EP of the same year. 2009 saw them sign with Metal Blade Records and the eventual release of their critically acclaimed first album the year after. Following up such an impressive introduction to the wider world is always testing but they make it look easy as they return with an album that puts even that mighty debut in the shade.
Recorded at Lambesis Studios with Daniel Castleman (As I Lay Dying, Impending Doom, Carnifex, Winds of Plague),Formshifter splatters the senses against the cranium from the start with not only brutal intensity and insatiable grooves but also from the sheer class of their melodic invention. It never leaves one alone for a moment persistently barracking, provoking and captivating. It retains the core sound that made its predecessor so dominant but brings a fuller depth and uses a wider palate to create with. The band adds in multi sourced flavours to their melodic death metal spine without diminishing the tight powerful structure and strengths that make them Allegaeon; in fact they have simply just made them even more formidable.
The opening melodic beckoning of first song Behold (God I Am) sets one up majestically for the soon to follow wall of destructive intensity, and riffs that cripple the senses within seconds. It is a rampant muscular assault that leaves no avenue twisted and escape route blocked with its mountainous intensity. With solos which leave flesh as cinders the track is a stunning start to the album and yet not even close to be the best track on the album.
The following Tartessos: The Hidden Xenocryst explores inner corners you did not know existed as its grooves search out every shadow for the stunning guitar invention to glow within. Not one for over blown guitar play or constant solos it is still impossible not to be blown away from the imaginative and glorious creations from Glisan and Burgess, the latter one of the finest guitarists around and with the discipline and skill to stay well away from indulgence. Throughout the vocals of Haynes growl and crawl all over the emotions with authority, emotion and venomous spite veining every track with a harsh intensity.
Every song on the album is a ravenous predator upon the ear mauling with titanic riffs and melodic ingenuity that lights every pore. The likes of the unrelenting bruising Iconic Images, the viciously clawed The Azrael Trigger a track which twists and torments the senses until you have no idea what day it is, and the infection spewing From The Stars Death Came, all leave one a breathless husk as they devour every synapse and feeling. It is with Twelve – Vals For The Legions though that the band ignites the most ravenous fire within. It immediately consumes with a groove which tantalises and excites whilst wrapping it in a fury of rhythms and riffs to bring any stiff kneed recipient to the floor. Contagious and intimidating the song prowls the ear as the guitars eagerly offer a mesmeric sonic intrusion with a final captivation coming from the brief Latin classical guitar insertions which invite nothing but the deepest affection. As the track drops its final colossal note it transforms into a wonderful guitar instrumental, the classical heart and skill of Burgess irresistible, and though the piece feels unrelated to the song it aligns itself to it is a deeply satisfying moment on the album to match the song itself.
Formshifter is immense and Allegaeon a metal giant, the album is the proof so now is the time to go and be impressed.
RingMaster 16/05/2012
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Following up their successful and acclaimed double album The Chronicles of Sin earlier in the year the hell rock/industrial band Scream Machine return with their new double a-sided single Worlds Collide & Heavy, and what an infectious little soul grasping creature it is. The Chronicles of Sin within its mighty and bulky mass brought forth the ever infectious and dark energy of the band but also sent sparks of new directions and ideas to brew up an intriguing and satisfying mix. The new single takes a further step as the band explores an openly lighter melodic path littered with shadows and evocative darkened essences.
From Washington DC, the husband and wife duo of Sindelle and Cosmo Morte have been challenging and thrilling dark electro/industrial rock hearts through the impressive likes of Electrowitch and Zero to name just two of their provocative albums. Never ones to sink into formulaic familiarity or rest on laurels the pair have opened up a new avenue with the single to inspire a fresh anticipation and eagerness for future creations. Both songs lie somewhere in between recent Scream Machine songs and the solo project of Sindelle, godMONSTER, especially Heavy with its thick enveloping atmosphere.
Worlds Collide opens with a brooding ominous swell of sounds, its electro clasp building the sense of an impending dynamic intervention in sound and premise, two volatile emotional forces set to clash with blistering resonance. For existing fans to the band the notable thing are the vocals of Sindelle, she has swapped her impressive aggressive and senses antagonising attack for a warm flowing delivery, on both songs she allows her natural singing voice to explore the music and it is strikingly pleasing and impressive. The track is as impactful as anything the band has done before, the new flavouring assisting rather than diminishing the intense consumption and impact the pair always unleash. Worlds Collide boils up the further it progresses to take us aboard the delicious and irresistible yet cataclysmic ride for the relationship within.
The accompanying Heavy blisters the ear with a rain of sonically spawn melodic shards of delight. There is an almost medieval feel to the sounds, elements the likes of progressive bands Hawkwind and Horslips would infuse in their music. The song is based in repetition bringing an insatiable siren quality to lyrics and the crawling drone spiced sounds which consume and immerse the ear. A perfect example of infusing light and darkness, Heavy is an ambient cloak for every emotion whether from the brightest skies or deepest pit, a soundtrack to fuel and encapsulate any heart.
Worlds Collide & Heavy is exceptional, a return to the inciteful and imaginative vision they are known for not that they had drifted far from that expected element. The single shows Scream Machine as a band unafraid to stretch themselves and explore their depths and one can only hope the essences unveiled upon the single find a constant place upon their inventive canvas.
The single is a name your price release and a must investigate for all electro/industrial/EBM, melodic…well for everyone. grin We recommend you check out and grab Worlds Collide & Heavy at http://screammachinedc.bandcamp.com/album/worlds-collide-heavy-single and with a knowing smile and mischievous remind a certain person, told you so.
Ringmaster 15/05/2012
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Lettie might predominantly be tagged as electro pop but as her new album proves there is so much more depth and diversity to her sound and creativity. The UK artist is an imaginative and instinctive songwriter who weaves sounds and emotions with mesmeric and irresistible flourishes and skill. Unpredictable, insistently contagious, and persistently the cause of pure pleasure tingles within the senses, the new release Good Fortune, Bad Weather is a masterful and delightful feast for the heart.
To simplify a back story for an artist who has as many tales and sure to be inspiring moments to her life and career as the album, Lettie is a Suffolk girl who for the past decade has played in various bands and recorded solo material with Anthony Phillips (ex- Genesis) for Universal Publishing. It was in 2006 though that she met composer/producer David Baron and together it led to the recording of two albums in America. Things suddenly started to happen from this point with both Age Of Solo and Everyman without any real promotion gaining strong attention and acclaim. These led to a session for the BBC, special guest appearances on the tour of ex- Bauhaus frontman Pete Murphy in 2009 and also the following year, as well as guest slots with Chris Difford (Squeeze) and Roger O’Donnell (The Cure).
Personal tragedies surrounded the release of the albums for both Lettie and Baron and she returned to the UK, where she worked with a writer and producer in Oxford on her third album Other Days which never saw a completion as problems continually stood in its progress. A call from Baron led her back to America to work on a new, an invitation that has benefitted everyone given the wonderful result that has emerged in Good Fortune, Bad Weather.
From the moment opening song Swirl wraps around the ear there is a sense that something unique and special is on the horizon and the track takes no time to insist that feeling will be realised. From the brooding dark synth start with her sparking vocals on top, one is immediately drawn to an eager attention. A line mentions ‘the puppet master’ in an open swipe at a certain TV personality, television producer, entrepreneur etc, yeah him, but that term easily represents the skill with which Lettie caresses and weaves her sounds and ideas. Only difference is there is no self serving intent or dark lining to her creativity. Funny thing is if she was in front of the man you know he would not recognise the talent and pure artistry on offer.
Lucky steps up next with a beckoning graceful stomp across the ear, piano and guitar as melodically captivating as her stunning vocals. Nothing is forced, the song an organic summer upon the ear and thoughts that warms as it pleases.
The sensational Bitter actually puts what came before in the shade somewhat, great songs they are this track is simply delicious, a perfect slice of inventive, thoughtful and passionate. As with the album nothing is predictable or assumed, each note , harmony, and spiral of melody an inspiring and heart igniting joy. With a simple pulse but deep atmosphere the track explodes upon the senses like the brightest sun.
The addictive and pulsating electro Never Want To Be Alone sparkles in sound and lyrical poetry but has to make way for another of the strongest highlights on the album in the shape of 80’s electro pop flavoured Sanctuary. It brings the warm harmonies of Bat For Lashes alongside the hypnotic melodies of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark though at times it could be Thomas Dolby and Shakespeares Sister partying with Propaganda. Yes it is that mesmeric and irresistible.
There is no weakness on the album, only varying heights for the continuous peaks of wonder. The sensational Digital with its Thompson Twins spice and sneaky Jona Lewie lurking melody both radiating nothing but pleasure, and the indie jewel that is Pandora with its jangly guitar and sultry flow, further incite a stronger an accumulating affection for Good Fortune, Bad Weather with ease. They also show the eclectic nature of the album, each song distinctly varied to each other and irrepressibly enthused with multiple flavours as the folk hearted Mister Lighter, the reggae pulsed title track, and Gwen Stefani pop of Aluminium Man show impressively.
Every song on the album deserves a mention but that is for you to discover as Lettie pleasures your very soul, though we have to mention Crash And Burn, another major highlight which lights up skies with shooting aural flashes and siren borne melodies. This is admittedly our first introduction to Lettie but it will not be the last, we want much more of this sensational stuff.
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songs one attention is firm not only on the songs but also the great bass of Carey, his belligerent riffs an excellent scowling and prowling presence within each song. The impressive What I Know easily confirms the fact straight after as well as reminding that you can not dismiss the guitars and rhythms neither, the band a unit whose strength is its sum parts. What I Know is one of the best songs on the album due to its eagerness to throw things slightly awry, its rhythms and vocals at times wonderfully at odds with the drive of the guitars. Again the song is an example of punk rock at its disruptive best and though it verges on chaotic and almost undisciplined at times it all adds to the strength of the track.
