Based out of Los Angeles, California, Vanilla Sugar dares to push the envelope of unprecedented and bold sounds. The eclectic mixtures is the release of Jessica Perry (JP Vanilla) on vocals, synthesizer, and guitars, a proposition which combines comprehensive alternative/electronic sample infused music with an electrifying stage presence. We craved to learn more so with big thanks to JP we explored origins, music, songwriting and more…
Hello and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Thank you for having me!
Can you first introduce the band and give us some background to how it all started?
I am Vanilla Sugar – I started this project on a midi keyboard and iMac. I wanted to get the songs in my head out and into my car’s speakers.
Have you been involved in other bands before? If so has that had any impact on what you are doing now, in maybe inspiring a change of style or direction?
I have been performing in different bands since I was 12 years old. I have done Industrial, Punk, Metal, Pop – you name it! I learned from each band, and playing different genres has definitely helped craft what Vanilla Sugar is today.
What inspired the band name?
The PG13 version is that Vanilla Sugar seems like such a dainty name – when the music is actually very in your face and powerful. I love throwing off new audience members. They never know what to expect. The R rated (and completely true) version is this…I wanted a name for this that somehow had my name tied in all at once and not at all. My nickname is JP Vanilla. Hence the “Vanilla” in Vanilla Sugar….the “Sugar” comes from the term “Kitty sugar” (Feel free to Google when you’re not at work). Put those two meanings together and you’ll know what Vanilla Sugar means!
Was there any specific idea behind the project and also in what you wanted it and your sound to offer?
I wanted the sound to be a mix of everything I enjoy listening to – which is Metal, Electronic music, Pop, etc. I blend my favorite aspects of each genre all together.
Do the same things still drive you from when you started up Vanilla sugar or have they evolved over time?
I would have to say the same things still drive me. I write lyrics from the heart – things that I have been through, things I overcame – I want to share it with the listener. You never know what someone is going through. Music helped me through a lot while I was growing up and I want to be able to return the favor.
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
The sound is much more structured now – in a great way. Songs are smooth, clean and on time!
And that has been more of an organic movement of sound or you deliberately wanting to try new things?
A deliberate change – I am always trying to better the sound.
Presumably you haves a wide range of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only on your music but your personal approach and ideas to creating it?
I love Grimes – she is a huge influence on me. I respect that she does everything DIY. Love that – and Mindless Self Indulgence – they taught me to be brave and not care what the formula is “supposed” to be when writing a song. They taught me to write what feels right.
Is there a particular process to your songwriting?
Typically the song is made, often times starting with a synth melody. I write the lyrics from the feelings the music gives me.
You touched on lyrics earlier; the major sparks for that side are?
Life experiences. It’s a way for me to get things off my chest. I have a very bad habit of holding onto bad experiences and let it eat away at me. When I write the lyrics around the issue, it’s as if I am releasing it from myself and it’s a very freeing feeling.
Give us some background to your latest release.
This new album is my first one! I am very excited to share it with the world. A lot of blood, sweat, and glitter have gone into this.
Give us some insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs.
I am trapped inside of my head a lot. This album dives into that, and I confront myself for the first time through lyrics. The music videos give a wonderful view into the insides of my brain.
Are you someone that goes into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
I prefer to develop songs as I record. I record little ideas at home, but ultimately my producer and I work songs out at the studio.
Tell us about the live side to the band, presumably the favourite aspect of the band?
I love playing live shows! It is wonderful to be able to connect with fans. My favorite part of the live show is when I get to go crazy with my keytar. I love feeling the music that way.
It is not easy for any new band or artist to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it your neck of the woods? Are there the opportunities to make a mark if the drive is there for new bands?
I think there is always a place for opportunity to happen, you just need to work to make it happen. I tour often, and wide – from Los Angeles to Florida, and venturing out into Brazil, Japan, and the UK within the upcoming years. It’s important to keep touring so you can grow your fanbase.
How has the internet and social media impacted on the band to date?
I absolutely love social media when it comes to music. Before social media, promoting shows and your brand was difficult! Now, I can just create an event on Facebook and invite anyone all over the world! It’s a great way to keep in contact with your fans, and allow them to see the real you.
Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
Thank you again for having me! I host a Facebook & Instagram Live every Thursday night at 8pm PST. Please join – I would love to get to know you!
In a world bent on self-destruction from the intimacy of relationships through to the broader intolerance of religion and the greed of those governing it up front and behind the scenes, never has there been a more suitable and insidiously compelling soundtrack to it all than the new album from King Satan. Recently released by the Finnish outfit, King Fucking Satan is a ten track devouring of the senses and an insatiable trespass of the psyche as flirtatious and contagious as it is emotionally pestilential.
Originally a solo project for vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer King Aleister Satan (aka fra. Zetekh, the frontman of Saturnian Mist) when it emerged in 2015, the band has subsequently expanded due to live show demands with Kate Boss (vocals, synths, piano), John Oscar Dee (guitars, bass), Martin Shemhamforash (synths, bass), and Magister Demaniac (beats, additional instruments, programming) completing the current line-up. Musically King Satan creates and fester a senses consuming, body inciting fusion of black and death metal with dark electro, EBM, aggrotech and more besides whilst lyrically and emotionally, nothing is left out from being invaded and violated; the album exploring themes “found within occult philosophy, psychological mind-fuck and even sociological satire hand in hand with renegade rock ’n’ roll spirit that surely bows to nothing and no one!”
Dance With the Devil pretty much sums up the experience of listening to the album as well as providing the title for its opener. As a dark atmosphere crowds around ears, a vocal trigger brings hungry beats and synth cast temptation upon the senses. Equally predacious and alluring, with increasing addictiveness and virulence as melodies and hooks play, King Aleister Satan’s vocal trespass bullies and harries, every syllable explored and sharing primal instruction. Like a mix of God Destruction, Skinny Puppy, and label mates Barathrum, the track infests and incites, its infectiousness and inviting hooks as loaded with viciousness as its boldly direct animosity.
It is a great manipulative start soon matched and overshadowed by As Above So Below, a song managing to be even more primordial and catchy as nagging rhythms pound and synths cast their toxic melodies and hooks; an infectious trait matched in the swing of the punk/black metal scarred vocals. Within moments bodies are bouncing and hips swinging, something we have seen in close attention, as thoughts are twisted and stretched by the corrosive vocal and lyrical intrusion. Addiction appears inevitable so be warned as indeed in regard to Enter Black Fire which though not quite having the body as firmly in its puppeteer grip keeps things feverishly pulsing as thoughts are taken on a tour of ascending oppressive power and its escape.
Psygnosis has everything lustfully involved and enslaved next too, its musical psychosis the fuel for more unstoppable infectiousness and lyrical humour honed drama. Physically exhaustive and imaginatively tenacious refusing to leave the listener alone with its creative bordering psychotic enterprise, the track is superb, a new major highlight though instantly eclipsed by Sex Magick. Stomping over the senses with every beat a haymaker and each synth nurtured sortie of ears a rebelliously sexual coaxing, the outstanding track grows into a relentless and licentious tide of industrial/ EBM contamination adding J-Pop like ingenuity with the vocals of Boss glorious and a devilry akin to something Mindless Self Indulgence might expel.
The predatory instincts of Satanized course ears next, its infectious electro canter a bold niggling of the senses around the raw air and tone of vocals and word before Of Internal, Eternal & Spiritual War, with its haunting Cimmerian crawl through an ominous atmosphere woven around darkly whispered vocals and harmonic siren cries, envelops the senses.
Recalcitrant causticity gets its head in the electro punk epidemic of Spiritual Anarchy straight after; defiance and vocal antagonism a potent contrast to the quenchless dance and devious endeavour of synths and guitars while Destroy the World is a calmer but cancerous embrace of the senses. Suggestive melodies vein an invasive smog of sound and intent which dowses the listener in emotional and sonic malignancy.
The album closes with a similarly toxic climate and reflection, though Kali Yuga Algorithm has a thicker sinuous texture to its layers and black industrial, rancor coated wake-up call. The track leaves a lingering imprint on the senses as pretty much all within King Fucking Satan, a release which enthrals on the verge of rapture and provokes to the point of brutality for seriously one of the most rousing and enjoyable stomps this year so far.
Always partial to some creative bedlam or a seemingly deranged adventure which, no matter how much you think you understand it, never fails to surprise and leave a vacant expression of pleasure on the face, Sistema Solera was destined to spark an eager appetite here for its sonic psychosis. It is easy to predict that the riveting debut album from French trio Gloomy Hellium Bath is not going to be for everyone but if the likes of Pryapisme, Mr Bungle, or 6:33 light the fires, then this unique fusion of industrial, electronic, and metal bred incitement is well worth exploring.
Gloomy Hellium Bath is the union of former guitarist Würm Edgard Chevallier (guitar/machine/samples) and Christophe Denhez (guitar /vocals), the latter no stranger to exciting ears through his work and releases with Nerv, Mur, and Område. Emerging in 2014, the Val d’Oise hailing project, with a line-up completed by bassist Neil, also previously of Würm, takes no prisoners with its infestation of the senses and emotions. Their sound is compelling aural violence and off-kilter enticement spun with black humoured mischief and realism caked antagonism; the result a cacophony of raw and intricate ideas honed into a roaring storm of gripping chaos and as shown by Sistema Solera, deviously captivating.
Fight is first, instantly throwing a melee of voices and fizzing sound at ears before leaping into a psychotic stomp with carnivorous walls, ravenous vocals, and warped electronic flirtation. Imagine Mindless Self Indulgence and Rabbit Junk in a dirty fusion with Young Gods and you get a whiff of the lunacy soaked enterprise, though from its ‘mid-season’ break it returns as another fresh industrial shaped punk of a proposal with the vocal alone insanely bewitching.
It is a great start continuing with Alcoholique Djerk, the track organically evolving from certain aspects of its predecessor to explore an even more industrial metal hued canter quickly working its way into the psyche. Equally it is unafraid to expose raw nerves with caustic eruptions and abrasing animosity, or indeed to throw one or two exotic or incendiary sonic slithers of surprise in to the mix too.
Fuck It swings in next, warm yet fuzzy air and sound coating ears as melodic rock with grunge lined edges colours the song’s sinister intent before hardened and rapacious provocation blends with funk urged enterprise and vocal revelry. Across its body, the track reveals a host of flavours, country rock and jazzy scented essences amongst the metallic turbulence again walling in varied endeavours within the song.
The album’s title track merges haunted and dark natured ambience with atmospheric volatility straight after, its Nine Inch Nails toned electronic grumble drawing in lighter exploits throughout to evocatively spark ears and imagination whilst setting up the tenaciously energetic and dynamic Lady Boy with its steely schizophrenic rock ‘n’ roll carrying elements of Trepalium and We All Die (Laughing) to it.
Across the sonic dissonance of Ouarchhh and the industrial neurosis of Bloody Mary, band and album wrong-foot, ignite, and twist body and thoughts inside and out. The first of the pair has a slight whiff of US band Pere Ubu to it in many ways as essential grooves and hooks lurk and spear an unpredictable landscape of dark intrigue and disorientating aural dementia with emotions to match whilst its successor scythes through and permeates the senses via a debilitating cyber invasion.
A melodic calm of sorts mellows things a degree or two through Fucking Mashine, its emotive and enveloping croon expectantly laced with provocatively disturbed and manipulative additives bringing light and dark, reserved and twisted elements in potent collusion. The track brings another open and striking variation to the album as too the CD version’s closer Dead Rising Horse, a drama of piston driven rhythms and scuzzy temptation aligned to melodic seduction and tempestuous extremes in sound and creative provocation. It is a rousing conclusion to a release which might need time to get fully under the skin but is ultimately very likely to if the kind of warped imagination it holds is the kind of pleasure which gets the senses and passions inflamed.
As suggested for some it might be an adventure too far, but Sistema Solera for the rest of us is as easy to greedily devour treat.
I am sure we all get excited and very often from new bands and introductions to their creative persuasions, but truly, really excited? Maybe much less so but that deep rooted tingle has certainly been inspired by the Siren EP from UK synth punks The Dead Betas. Our first encounter with the North Devon quintet but their third EP, Siren is a rioting, confrontational slab of creative and energetic agitation. Consisting of five in your face provocations of sonic anarchy as well as a trio of remixes, the release is middle finger raised punk rock cast in electro and alternative rock devilment, and quite compelling.
Emerging in 2010, The Dead Betas began whipping up attention with first EP Blast-Arcadecore at the end of that first year. The Dead End Habit EP three years later sparked a fresh and more intensive wave of attention, though some of us missed that invitation also. Having taken in stage sharing with the likes of Mindless Self Indulgence, UK Subs, Lethal Bizzle, Boomtown Rats, InMe and many more over the years and fresh from playing Goff Fest recently, the band explodes into view again with Siren, a cracker of an incitement uncaged just before the band go on a UK tour supporting The Birthday Massacre.
With its songs looking at “life, or the lack of, in small towns across the world”, Siren erupts into life with its title track, and instantly has body and emotions breeding a lusty appetite for its punk rock ruggedness. Riffs and rhythms gang up on the senses in an intimidating but anthemic way, keys hanging around in the background and almost smiling at the trespass under way before throwing off their own cloak and dancing vivaciously across the stomping landscape. There is a great old school punk essence to the track but equally a modern ferocity and imagination, like The Vibrators and Autopsy Boys meets a punk version of Young Knives.
It is an exhilarating start soon surpassed by the mischievous sounds and character of A Night On The Town. Synths and the tangy twangs of guitar strings open up the proposal, rhythms in close quarter with their own jabbing tempting. The aggressive vocal delivery only adds to the potency and fierceness of the electro rocker, as does an open inspiration of MSI, and as the keys continue to swirl venomously around the psyche, the punkish nature of the track reveals an aggravated intent to incite the deepest pleasure within the volatile adventure of the excellent song.
15.comes next and immediately has a flurry of catchy hooks and electro tempting teasing and firing up body and thoughts. Feet are tapping with rigour almost straight away whilst hips flirt with the enterprise of the synths as vocals roar and accuse simultaneously. Again there is an essence of Young Knives to the encounter, more openly through the vocals, whilst thoughts of Hadouken and Swound! add to the colourful and irritable energy of another exhaustingly thrilling offering. Adrenaline, as through all songs, surges within sound and delivery whilst contagiousness, well that’s a given.
From a broody bassline, Lotion steps forward for the rawest punk offering on the release, grooves and hooks as belligerent as the caustic vocals. Electronic melodies simmer away within the battleground of the song though for once they remain there adding alluring spices. Lyrically the song pulls no punches either and certainly this track has brought many lamenting on the juvenile immaturity of the writing. Here you can understand their thoughts though for us it feels, rightly or wrongly, like it is a character pouring out the coarse narrative, and if the latter it has done punk bands and indeed MSI no harm over the years anyway.
The release’s original tracks end with the brilliant tempest of Ego Song, the finest slab of electro punk you will probably hear this year. Like Rabbit Junk meets The Adicts with a splash of once more Swound!, the song twists and rages with a spiky attitude, sinister synth bred melodies, and addiction forging virulence. Punk does not get any more dynamic and bracing.
With remixes from Martron, Bear La Soul, and Alpha Project of the title track completing the release, all enjoyable interpretations though always you hanker for the original, Siren leaves energies breathless and emotions thrilled. If like us the EP is your wake-up call to The Dead Betas then a treat is guaranteed and for those in the know, the band just proves that no matter their claim, punk is not dead, just evolving again.
Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @ http://www.reputationradio.net
Last year saw the impressive decay of Alice In Zombieland from Post-Apocalyptic Industrial Zombie Tech band Virus Cycle consume the senses, the release a formidable and startling debut album from the one man project of Johnny Virum. It was a raw and uncompromising release which impressively reflected its stark and corrosive narrative in sound and energy. As strong and compulsive as it was, it now pales against its follow-up Zombichrist, an album even more destructive but with a marked evolution and maturity in composition and structure. Not an album for the weak hearted or those flimsy in spirit, Zombichrist churns up senses and blisters synapses with acidic sonics, festering intensity, and the breath of reanimated death. It depletes and inspires energies, evoking cinematic soundscapes and numbing erosion of hope and light. It is a remarkable release which needs to be allowed to envelop and consume numerous times to reap the full rewards of its imagination and power.
Pre Virus Cycle, Jonny Virum was involved in projects which saw him releasing numerous albums and supporting the likes of The Misfits on their 30th Anniversary Tour, Gothminister, Carfax Abbey and Thou Shalt Not, the artist already a respected veteran of the Boston music scene. Since releasing Alice In Zombieland, Virus Cycle has opened for bands such as The Ludovico Technique, Nolongerhuman, Morningwood and Mindless Self Indulgence, as well as seeing a remix album of their debut called Return to Zombieland which featured reinvented tracks from numerous talents including Otto Kinzel, who co-produced the new album with Virum and is the owner of Bluntface Records, the label it is released through.
The union of the pair on the production side has certainly brought a more rounded and darker intrusion to the album, their understanding spawning a deeper energy sucking presence and interpretation of the death driven annihilatory sounds and atmospheres. The release explores further depths and shadows within the disturbing undead driven world from which it is borne, its touch a disturbing and malevolent cinematic experience drenched in the shadows of horror and zombie movies, specifically of the Italian maestros like Lucio Fulchi, whose Zombi is said to have inspired the album.
Opening track The Dead Hate The Living sets the tone, its film sample bringing in an insidious and crawling death soaked atmosphere. Groaning ambience throws heavy whispers across the senses before slowly blistering guitars leave their abrasive caresses across the ear. The vocals of Virum again resonate with a decomposed breath, something newcomers to the band may have to warm to but are an integral part of the textured soundscapes. The track persists in its dragging intensity, a sprawling caustic engagement intent on corruption.
The first single from the album Why Don’t You Love Me follows sending a wash of electro warmth over the already open wounds, its coarse eighties pop elegance smouldering within the astringent guitar weaves and pulsating rhythms. The track is like an industrial update of something by Fad Gadget, the shadows deeper and more abrasive but cored by an infectious pop spine of melodic light. It is a welcoming pull into the album, arguably the least venomous and violent creature on the release but still a thoroughly sinister and intimidating companion.
Love Me To Death continues the sonic burning, its exquisite ebbs and flows of scorching energy mesmeric whilst From Dusk Till Dawn is a sprawling vehemence which sucks away any resistance before it even raises its temperature and energy such the malevolence within. Both leave one lost in the world created, thoughts wrapped in a deathly landscape which makes Silent Hill feel like a trip to the beach.
The remaining tracks further and complete the hellacious consumption, Kir Der Nacht a heavy crunching rub defusing the senses and Memento Mori a track which bounces in on a hopeful vibe before being smothered by the towering intensity and oppressive sounds. It is a great blend of electronic strokes and dehabilitating metallic muscle. The title track is a rotting attrition for the senses, its friction scarring and almost unbearable but ultimately a sweet exhaustive undermining of life.
Closing with the excellent instrumental House On Haunted Hill with only samples to bring a narrative to the intensive sonic manipulation of the senses, Zombichrist is an impressive industrial violation to immerse within, a tremendous release which drags you into a world of ravenous dead bodies and life extinguishing atmospheres whilst leaving a glow of total satisfaction.
On October 13th, the release day of Zombichrist, Virus Cycle will be celebrating its unleashing by holding an open forum web chat at http://www.stickam.com/viruscycle. You may ask them questions during the web chat or you may send them to viruscycle@gmail.com. There will also be 3 signed copies of Zombichrist to give away, with everyone who sends in a question entered in to a draw to win one of the albums at the end of the web chat.
Zombichrist is released on October 13th 2012 and is available through www.viruscycle.com or through Bluntface Records on www.bluntfacerecords.com
Zombichrist will also be available for FREE download @ www.viruscycle.com and www.bluntfacerecords.com from October 13th, with physical copies of the album available for $6.00.
RingMaster 10/10/2012
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
The best and easiest way to get your music on iTunes, Amazon and lots more. Click below for details.
Just one week to go before the release of their new album Zombichrist from Virus Cycle onBluntface Records, anticipation is brewing to new infected heights for the next Post Apocalyptic Industrial Zombie Tech assault from band mastermind Johnny Virum.
With the cover for Zombichrist just unveiled and the first single from the release in Why Don’t You Love Me? gathering strong acclaim the album is set to make the end of 2012 a wasteland of corrupted husks and fully satisfied bodies.
To celebrate the release of the album, the same week sees Virus Cycle and Bluntface Records offering the opportunity of winning free downloads of the entire album and tracks from Zombichrist featured on The Bone Orchard from The Reputation Radio Show.
More details for both will be unveiled during the week via The Bone Orchard and The Ringmaster Review.
An official statement about the album from Virus Cycle said:
“In March 2012, it was announced that the band would be releasing their new studio album Zombichrist through Bluntface Records on October 13th. The title of the album Zombichrist references the protagonist in every zombie movie to date. The one character that everyone puts their faith into in the hopes that the “chosen one” will deliver the rest into safety and salvation, away from the pending zombie apocalypse. On August 7th, the first single from the album called “Why Don’t You Love Me?” was released through Bluntface Records with accompanying remixes from artists from around the world. The single has seen national as well as international airplay. Virus Cycle plans on closing out 2012 by playing shows in support of Zombichrist.”
Virus Cycle is a Post-Apocalyptic Industrial Zombie Tech band from Boston, MA that combines haunting lyrics, pulsating beats, and grinding buzzsaw-like guitars that takes listeners on a journey into a devastatingly bleak future of death and decay, plagued by the flesh-eating undead.
In 2011, Virus Cycle self-released their debut full-length album Alice In Zombieland in February along with their remix album Return to Zombieland in November. Both albums were very successful as they both saw a lot of radio play as well as reviews in blogs and magazines around the world. Virus Cycle has opened for The Ludovico Technique, Nolongerhuman, Morningwood, and Mindless Self Indulgence.
Hard work and fighting spirit, not to mention determination, has been a trade mark alongside their outstanding punk/metal sounds of US band Mongrel, a quartet which has thrilled and ignited passions through their dynamic live shows and equally impactful releases. Shows with major rock names such as Misfits, Korn, Otep, Sepultura, Mindless Self Indulgence, Wednesday13, and Prong to name just a few has brought the band to the fore of attention for masses of fans, as well as their albums and EPs, but there has been plenty of obstacles to overcome at the same time. With the release of their excellent new album Reclamation, a definite contender for album of the year, Mongrel have emerged again as one of the most impressive rock n roll bands around. The band has been a permanent feature of The Reputation radio Show and Bone Orchard podcast for many years so we just had to grab some time of guitarist and band founder Adam Savage to find out about the band, their album, and their new refreshing onslaught on rock music.
Hi Adam and many thanks for taking time out to chat with us.
My pleasure!
It is probably fair to say the last few years has been a battle for the band so how does it feel to finally be unleashing your new album in a stable and powerful situation, band wise and support wise with the label?
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it felt great!! It’s definitely been a struggle the last few years for sure, and fighting to get this album done and released has been a huge amount of time, stress, energy, frustration, etc since the initial start of the process over 3 1/2 years ago. Not to say there wasn’t good stuff going on and lots of fun these last 2 years but finally putting this album out and being able to do so with a great team of people both in and around the band (label, publicist, radio promotion, etc) feels great!! It’s a huge relief and certainly really exciting to see where things will go now.
Before we get in to certain aspects of that time can you give for newcomers to Mongrel some early background to the band, its beginnings and early successes?
Sure, I started the band in 2003 with our original singer after pulling the plug and imploding my prior band. We went through a lot of early transitions of band members and within 6 months I was the only survivor of the original line-up but we found new people and carried on. We eventually found some longer term members, put out our 1st full length album in 2006 which was then picked up by Screaming Ferret Wreckords/ Locomotive Records and re-released in 2008. In 2009 we put out another EP in association with Screaming Ferret. After some revamping of the band (new drummer and now a female singer) we released “The New Breed of Old School” EP in September 2010, “Declamation” EP in May 2011, and now the “Reclamation” album on September 25th 2012 on THC-X. Some of the early successes were getting to play at CBGB’s before they closed, tours with Blitzkid, Trashlight Vision, and FEAR; getting called “the hardest working band in Boston” in Metal Edge, some really cool sponsorships; playing with bands like the Misfits, Otep, Korn, Prong, etc. Getting played on Sirius/XM and Music Choice; and seeing support from people around the world from us has always been amazing to me.
You have played with many of the major names in rock and metal as you just referred to; did that bring any direct positive impact and openings for the band outside of your home state other than making your Resume look rather special?
Hah hah. Well a good resume doesn’t hurt but yeah, it definitely helped get our name out, and it got us into some places in other markets for sure.
2010 saw the departure of your long time vocalist and drummer, obviously a major setback for any band, but how did it affect you as people and your determination to keep fighting as a band?
It was a setback in the sense that we had actually just finished up a new album (mixed/mastered/etc) at that time which was then promptly scrapped. But in all honesty it was actually the best thing possible for me as a person and for the band. Tensions in the band were horrible and negativity was continually getting worse. It wasn’t at all fun anymore dealing with it. So as odd as it may sound, I was far less stressed out when it was myself and Rev (our former bassist) left in the band than I had been for a good number of months with a full line-up. I was then even more determined to rebuild, regroup, and re-record the album and to make the band better than ever. It was definitely a blessing in disguise for sure!
After trying a few vocalists I believe as you kept gigging as a band throughout the period and you called on your friend Jessica Sierra to fill in some dates. We know she was a great presence and vocalist back from her days with Affliction and may I say even more impressive now fronting Mongrel, but as initially it was for just a few shows to help out why did you look at a female vocalist for such an initially planned brief moment in the band’s life, or was there a secret plan at work? 🙂
I wish I could take credit for some super diabolical master plan in that regard but essentially we’d been auditioning male singers, we got a new full time male singer (Scott Campbell, ex-Graveyard BBQ), but due to other issues in his life it didn’t work out and he had to drop out. We had 3 days notice to cover a show we had booked months prior in Boston and the only singer I could think of who’d potentially be ready in 3 days like that was Jessica….she did it, and she did a great job with the situation and continued covering shows… lo-and-behold she sounded great on the tunes, we were having a lot of fun again and she threw her name in the hat to audition for the band (and yes, she insisted on going through the formal audition process despite having done like 6-8 shows with us at that point). It was just too perfect and worked too well for it not to go forward like that.
At what point did you make the decision to make her a permanent member and I assume there was no persuasion needed to convince her?
Shortly after her “audition” we made her official at a show we did in her hometown right around her birthday (early August 2010) actually so it worked out pretty cool like that. Other than promising her that we would eventually get her a pony for the tour bus Dethklok reference> it didn’t take a lot of persuasion.
We know what we feel she offers the band which has brought a new strength to your sound but what for you has she brought which has helped evolve and shape your music now?
Jess brings a whole lot of personality and fun to the band as well as a new sense of melodicism and aggression (she’s gotten even fiercer since she came back from her hiatus!), plus having a female singer brings a different level of meaning to some of the songs (for example, the kind of sultry melodic singing she brought to “Zombies of War” on the new album to me brought a layer of meaning cause of how they try to sell the military as sexy and glamorous in order to recruit people).
Drummer Dave Kazukiewicz joined just before Jessica, and most recently bassist Micah Maltais joined the band as replacement for the departing Rev. How did you come across the guys and can you give a word about the legend which is Rev?
Dave was actually introduced to us by his girlfriend who was a fan of the band and it worked out perfectly at the time (he’s actually just recently been replaced by new drummer Mike Hogan as Dave stepped down in order to focus on his painting and his band Polluted Remains). Micah we knew from shows we played over the last few years with his band Tell It To The Dead. Micah was a big fan of the band and we always had a great time hanging out with him when we’d do shows together so it was really cool cause he had so much enthusiasm about the songs and getting into the band since he was a fan first. As for Rev, he’s a hell of a bassist and a fun person to have around. Very witty and a very unique character (in a good way). Definitely not a bad word to say about “responsible rockstar #1” – he’s currently playing in several projects but primarily in a band called The Evil Streaks (female fronted surf-garage-rock-horror punk) and in a Rob Zombie tribute band called American Hellbilly.
Would you say Rev leaving was a bigger jolt than anything before, just for personal feelings?
Yeah, I was personally more bummed about Rev leaving than the others before him cause he is such a good guy to have around and it was a bummer we wouldn’t get to see him/hang out as often but he put a lot into the band over the years and was such a class act (even recording 2 EPs and an album with us knowing he was going to be stepping down so as to make sure we didn’t get sidelined again with this album). He seems really happy with what he’s doing musically these days and will on occasion do a guest spot with us so it’s all good. Thankfully we have a great group of people with us still though and Micah has worked out great for us, not necessarily filling Rev’s shoes but bringing an equally cool pair of his own to the party if you know what I mean.
Let’s come to the main reason we grabbed you, your new album Reclamation. A mighty, rampaging, and thrilling release which dare we say is your best yet by far? There must have been a real buzz brewing as the songs and release came together for you?
Thank you! I definitely agree that this is the best release yet for us. Part of the frustration with the delays and sidelines over the last few years has been that I truly believe in these songs and felt that they had to be recorded and released properly come hell or high water. It’s great to see in the really early reviews we’ve gotten for it (your own included) that other people really are connecting with the songs too. It’s definitely been exciting seeing it all coming together finally and who knows, maybe the timing is finally “right”, the stars aligned, etc and this was the time it was right for it to come out. Who am I to argue that is so, we’re just super excited that it’s all finally happening.
Did the songs find their first breath around the time of the Declamation EP of last year or were recorded later? I ask as the EP feels like a lead in to the album, a teaser of what was to come.
So you did catch that. Well played Ringmaster! Yeah, we actually recorded all 17 tracks at the same time. Our then management consultant (and later label boss, Thom Hazaert) suggested splitting it into an EP and a full album. So we figured out what we thought made for the best full album and what songs worked best as the EP and “Declamation” and “Reclamation” were born. The similar names and artwork were definitely intentional since the EP was meant as both a teaser for the full length album and as a companion piece to it. Originally we expected to release “Reclamation” much sooner after the EP but when we found out that Jessica needed to step down it got put on hold again until her return this past spring.
How long did the album take to record, one senses you are a band which is explosive in all aspects and just gets down to it and to the point in all aspects.
We recorded it (and Declamation simultaneously) over the span of 2 months I believe (we were playing shows and such still as well) and then mixing/mastering/etc was another couple months span or so. We definitely don’t screw around in the studio though. We’re not a band who goes into the studio to write songs while the clock is ticking and we know we’re not there to slack so things definitely do get done pretty quickly when the time comes to hit the studio.
Tell us about the writing process within Mongrel.
Historically I’ve been the main songwriter in the band. Typically I’d have lyrics and the basic outline of the song and bring it in and we’d jam on it then decide if it needs anything else, if it works, etc. With the new line up though, I expect we’ll have some more collaboration on the next album as both Jessica and Micah have been songwriters in their prior bands and will be able to contribute the next time around.
The album is released through THC: X, but I gather there was plenty of hard work and again battles behind the album, in getting it to this point (though not within the band), certainly with labels and things?
When Jessica came back and we were going to start figuring out the release plans for Reclamation, I had approached our on again/off again management consultant about putting it out through his label. After some discussion we worked it out and then it was time to set a release date and get the game plan in order. so definitely work was taking place and since then in the getting the full team together, coordinating, etc but Thom (Hazaert) and I have been talking for years now so that process was actually pretty smooth.
It is so hard to pick out favourite tracks, everyone a blistering slice of essential punk/metal/rock n roll. Twist our arm and maybe we would pump, today, for Pseudocide, C and a Half, Crucifiction and Revisionist. Is there any moment, song, or element of the album which gives you the deepest glow personally inside?
Honestly it’s really hard to say, I’m really happy with all of them personally…. I dig Tarnished Halo and Zombies of War a lot cause I think they kind of branch out style wise a bit, Revisionist like you said cause of the story/message of the song, No Gods No Masters is kind of our anthem… like you said, it probably varies day to day here too.
Mongrel is a band which has never not been flat out gigging, so one assumes there is a feast of dates coming up to support the album?
Yeah, we’ve been doing a run of cd release party shows and we’re playing the Rock & Shock Festival (rockandshock.com) with the Misfits, Shadows Fall, God Forbid, and Vision of Disorder in Worcester MA on October 12th which we’re psyched for, we’ll even be at the convention all that weekend where they’ve got stars like Danny Trejo, the guy who played Dante in Clerks, Bill Mosley, Sid Haig, Peter Criss, Dee Snider, etc all doing meet and greets and such. It’s gonna be amazing!
Where do you get the deepest pleasure as a band, live or in the creating and studio times?
At the core we’re a live band. That’s what we do all of this for is that thrill and energy of getting on stage and connecting with people. Obviously we get excited about creating new music, and while perhaps more tedious at times the studio is exciting too but it’s that time on stage that is truly what it’s all about.
Listening to the album one senses a freedom to the band again, is that how it feels and what is on the horizon for us from the band?
Can’t agree more! It’s fun, it’s exciting for us, having Jess back with the band, and the enthusiasm we have going right now is awesome. We’re hoping to work on writing towards the next EP or album over the winter when the show schedule slows down a bit just cause of the unpredictability weather wise it’s incredibly frustrating getting a show snowed out or something so we’ll prolly keep a lighter show schedule but spend more time writing over the winter months. I’d like to see a second video from the album happen as well so hopefully that will fall into place as well. We’re also working on releasing the album in the UK as well later this fall (physical CDs, not just iTunes since it’s already on there and Amazon, etc)…. a lot will depend on how things take off and play out with the new album though. Fingers are definitely crossed though!
Lastly tell us about the new video for Bored To Death, the first song on the album.
We did the new video with Red13Media, who happen to also be the people we recorded the new album with and who did our photo shoot as well. They really “get” us there and have a good sense of what we’re about and work well with us so it’s very low stress and a lot of fun working with them. The video itself was shot in one day at a couple of locations, and in our traditional “keep it in the family” way of doing things, actually features 2 people who at different times covered some shows on vocals for us (Blu Jess and Scott Campbell) so it was a cool family reunion type thing doing the video. The response on YouTube for the video has been really cool to see with over 2,000 views in just about a week so far. It’s been awesome and we’ve definitely seen the impact at shows where people who don’t have the album yet since it JUST came out, are already singing along with that tune which is the greatest feeling as a performer. If any of the readers haven’t seen it yet, here’s the link:
Thanks for talking with us, really appreciate it and good luck with the album…any final words?
My pleasure! Thank you for all the support, the great review of the album on your site, and for really doing your homework on these questions!! You rock!! If people want to hit us up directly they can reach us at http://www.mongrelband.com and http://www.facebook.com/mongrelofficial or http://www.twitter.com and I hope everyone will check out the new album Reclamation on iTunes, Amazon, etc. Thanks again!!! –
Since your early days, how would you say your sound has evolved?
It is a great manipulative start soon matched and overshadowed by As Above So Below, a song managing to be even more primordial and catchy as nagging rhythms pound and synths cast their toxic melodies and hooks; an infectious trait matched in the swing of the punk/black metal scarred vocals. Within moments bodies are bouncing and hips swinging, something we have seen in close attention, as thoughts are twisted and stretched by the corrosive vocal and lyrical intrusion. Addiction appears inevitable so be warned as indeed in regard to Enter Black Fire which though not quite having the body as firmly in its puppeteer grip keeps things feverishly pulsing as thoughts are taken on a tour of ascending oppressive power and its escape.
It is an exhilarating start soon surpassed by the mischievous sounds and character of A Night On The Town. Synths and the tangy twangs of guitar strings open up the proposal, rhythms in close quarter with their own jabbing tempting. The aggressive vocal delivery only adds to the potency and fierceness of the electro rocker, as does an open inspiration of MSI, and as the keys continue to swirl venomously around the psyche, the punkish nature of the track reveals an aggravated intent to incite the deepest pleasure within the volatile adventure of the excellent song.
