Metal Underground.com

Serj Tankian Discusses His Solo Career

After taking his leave of wide reaching and influential act System of a Down, Serj Tankian went it alone for his debut solo album release "Elect the Dead." In the man's own words, "With Elect the Dead, in retrospect, I ended up making the rock record I’ve always wanted to make." A new symphonic live version of the album performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra was also recently released.

While System of Down remains on hiatus for the foreseeable future there is still plenty of music coming from the band's former front man. Besides "Elect the Dead Symphony" he is currently putting together a musical based on the play "Prometheus Bound" and is also hard at work on a second solo album. Serj recently shared his thoughts with Metalunderground about the direction of his solo career and his upcoming tour plans.

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Gredin of Hypno5e Discusses Recent Tour, New LP

Not only does Hypno5e have a tough name to pronounce, but this French experimental Metal band writes some pretty challenging music - as far away from Power Metal as it gets. Taking this type of metal on the road can be challenging for both bands and fans, but Bassist/vocalist Gredin Le Fourbe assures us that it was well played and well received. He recently took the time to answer some questions about their recent Metal as Art Tour, their music and how the band name is really pronounced.

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A Conversation With Annotations Of An Autopsy

Murder, mayhem, legions of darkness, and bathing in snakes. Sounds like a recipe for a blistering death metal experience, which is provided by recent Nuclear Blast addition Annotations of an Autopsy. February saw the release of the band's sophomore full-length album "Reign in Darkness," and the coming months will send the band on the road to both Europe and North America in support of the catastrophic hate as the band tries to bring civilization to its knees. A taste of the new reign of darkness can be had at the band's MySpace page. Annotations of an Autopsy guitarist Jamie Sweeny filled me in on the details of their second album and their evolution in sound from their debut release.

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Angelica Rylin Discusses Debut Album "Divanity"

Created by drummer Daniel Flores and fronted by vocalist Angelica Rylin, newly formed Swedish act The Murder Of My Sweet just released their debut album “Divanity." Several tracks from the album can currently be heard through the band's MySpace page. Commenting on the name of the album and the sound of the band Rylin stated, "We wanted a name that could capture the elements of the sound and the lyrics and the film noir vibe that we want to create and so we came up with this hybrid of words like diva, divine, and vanity, simply Divanity." Rylin explained to me the process of recording the album in Daniel Flores' own studio, the sound of their music, and discussed writing a new song with former In Flames guitarist Jesper Strömblad.

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Band Photo: Heathen

A Chat With Heathen Frontman David White

19 years after their last album, “Victims Of Deception,” Bay Area thrashers Heathen return with “The Evolution Of Chaos.” The album shows the band drawing heavily from their earlier sound, with a few modern touches here and there. Loaded with guest musicians and brimming with intensity, Heathen’s third studio album is an early candidate for many “Best-Of” lists at the end of the year. I recently had the opportunity to speak to vocalist David White about the new album, how it felt to write new material after a long hiatus, and the most underrated Heathen song.

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An Interview With Members Of Ventflow

Ventflow is a metal band from the south of England who released their debut album, "Terrorsiah" last August. They have gained a large fan base in their time of touring and have performed with the likes of Carcass, Saxon and Arch Enemy. Recently, I spoke with vocalist Lee Brennan and bass player Craig Daws to discuss their achievements, their goals and their past.

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Speaking With Eye For An Eye Frontman Tom Norris

Eye For An Eye are an upcoming heavy metal band from the British town of Swindon, a place just over an hour's drive from London. They will be releasing their debut album, "Downfall" on April 19th through Rising Records and have been touring heavily recently to promote the release. I recently got the chance to ask lead singer and guitarist Tom Norris about the album, the band, influences and where he sees the band going in the future.

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Band Photo: Dark Tranquillity

Mikael Stanne Talks New Album "We Are The Void"

"How we do deal with the fact that we aren’t immortal and how do we justify the things that we do up until that last inevitable day?" asks Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne. For one of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound it's taken the band a long time to finally get to the subject of man's mortality. In their ninth full-length opus "We Are The Void," the subject will be the focus of the music. "It’s something that everybody cares about and I’m being a little bit more honest about it and being more real than dealing with faith or other imaginary things." Mikael took some time out of the band's current tour with Killswitch Engage and The Devil Wears Prada to discuss the new album with me and their upcoming plans for a full headlining tour in support of the release.

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An Interview With Ihsahn

Ihsahn has been one of the figureheads of black metal for almost two decades. From his time with the mighty Emperor to his current solo project, the frontman has had a hand in some of the best albums in black metal history. On his third solo album, “After,” Ihsahn incorporates unfamiliar elements into his core sound, including eight-string guitars and saxophone melodies. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ihsahn about the new album, illegal downloading, and the possibility of touring the US.

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J.W. Pozoj Discusses New Album "Escape Of Pozoj"

Croatian black metallers J.W. Pozoj are currently working their way through a concept trilogy dealing with birth, death, and renewal. The band recently released "Escape of Pozoj," the second phase in the cycle. Samples from the album can be heard at the band's MySpace page. J.W. Pozoj guitarist Filip Fabek and vocalist Ivan Borcic spend some time explaining to me the theme of their planned trilogy, the story behind their distinctive name, and what the world can expect in the future from this ambitious Croatian outfit.

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Band Photo: Strapping Young Lad

An Interview with Gene Hoglan Down Under

Gene Hoglan’s drumming style adds a distinctive intricacy and complexity to Fear Factory, already evident in his other seminal collaborations: Strapping Young Lad, Dark Angel, Death and Testament. The ever-present irony and humour of Hoglan’s style is reflected in his playing on the recorded albums of Dethklok from the series Metalocalypse, The intensity of Hoglan’s drumming is buttressed by the constancy and accuracy of his ferocious double kick rhythms, executed to blistering tempos. Touring Australia with Fear Factory, Hoglan reflects on the early influence of Slayer, working with Devin Townsend, blast beats and the satirical element of metal.

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Band Photo: Killing Time

Killing Time Takes "Three Steps Back"

Long running New York hardcore act Killing Time, who have gone through a series of break-ups and reunions throughout their 20+ year career, have just released their first full-length studio album in over a decade. "Three Steps Back" hit stores on February 9th via Dead City Records, and a record release party is planned for February 27th in Brooklyn. The band is currently streaming several sample tracks from the new record at their MySpace page. Killing Time guitarist Carl Porcaro spoke with me about the aggressive and high energy new release, writing the album in their original jam session space, and their plans to tour in support of "Three Steps Back."

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Band Photo: Megadeth

Dave Ellefson Jr. Explains His Return To Megadeth

Who would ever thought that David Ellefson would return to Megadeth after the sour note in 2003? The music industry, and in particular the band member relationships, are very complex. The music industry can be forgiving, indifferent, and downright cruel at times. Fortunately, when it comes to Megadeth there is always the opportunity to rebuild the once burned bridges when it comes to band member relationships.

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Interview with Mark Jansen of Epica

Epica lives up to their name, being a live powerhouse that few bands can compare to. It's obvious that this is a band that has a special chemistry together and love what they do. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with guitarist and band founder Mark Jansen to talk about Epica, its future and the new project by a former bandmate of his.

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