Interviews
To date, we have conducted 1624 interviews. If your band is available for an interview, feel free to contact us and we'll see what we can do. Here are our latest:
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Gene Hoglan Talks To MU At Brutal Assault 2025!
Gene Hoglan "The Atomic Clock," sat down with Metalunderground.com at this year's Brutal Assault and discussed the late Jim Durkin, the album "Darkness Descends," and their forthcoming release, "Extinction Level Event" among other topics!
Check out the video interview below!
Band Photo: Helloween
Michael Weikath of Helloween Talks Tour
Michael Weikath, one of the founding members and guitarists of the German power metal legends, Helloween talks to Metalunderground.com about the upcoming 40th anniversary tours and their forthcoming album, "Giants & Monsters" among other topics such as, is it difficult having 7 members in such a legendary band?
Watch our video for the whole interview:
Entheos Gives Us More Than The End Of Everything
Entheos is a fast rising progressive metal band that has ambition, drive and a ton of talent. Chaney Crab recently was so kind to respond to our interview and the current happenings in the Entheos camp.
Metalunderground: First of all, if there’s someone out there that hasn’t heard of Entheos or have listened to your music, can you give them a condensed description of the band and some of the back history of it?
Chaney Crabb: I formed the band in late 2014 with Navene Koperweis, Evan Brewer and Frank Costa. Each of them have played for a multitude of bands that I’m sure people are familiar with - all three of them with Animosity, Navene has drummed for Animals as Leaders, Whitechapel, Job for a Cowboy, Machinehead,, etc. and Evan is a former member of the Faceless.
Since then, we’ve condensed the official members of the band down to me on vocals and Navene Koperweis on drums/studio guitars. Evan has always played bass in the studio for us even though he no longer tours. I would describe us as a metal band with a multitude of influences, including a lot of post rock and grunge.
Metalunderground: What is current status of the band? Is there a new album in the works?
Chaney Crabb: We’re working on a new album right now.
Metalunderground: I’ve heard that you have an upcoming U.S. tour, can you touch on that a bit?
Chaney Crabb: This fall we are embarking on our first ever headlining tour in the United States. Joining us will be Fallujah, The Zenith Passage, and Tracheotomy. We’re incredibly excited and proud, this is a milestone for us as a band that we’ve looked forward to for years.
Metalunderground: It has also been said that you are borrowing one of the guitarists from Allegaeon for the tour. How did this come about and why did you pick them?
Chaney Crabb: Yes, one of our guitarists, Michael Stancel is from Allegaeon and our other guitarist, Scott Carstairs, plays guitar in Fallujah. We’ve toured with Allegaeon a few times and that is how we met Michael. I’ve always kept him in mind as a guitarist, because he and I have a ton of influences in common. When it came time to find someone to play live with us for a tour last year he was the first person I thought to ask.
We’ve known Scott for a long time but became good friends with him when he moved to Nashville, where we live. I truly believe that adding the two of them to our live lineup has brought our band to a new level, we’re better and more creative now than we ever have been.
Metalunderground: Are there any side projects that you are working on?
Chaney Crabb: My focus is all on Entheos.
Richie From INCITE Talks With Metal Underground
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Richie Cavalera from INCITE discusses INCITE's upcoming new album "Savage New Times" and United States tour and his future with the band in an exclusive interview with Metalunderground.com.
Toe Tag/Accused AD Discuss Future Plans
The rain had finally quit in Seattle, so I headed off to the home of Blaine Cook, the lead singer of both Toe Tag and The Accused AD. I thought band practice would be at an off site location so I didn't bring earplugs. I soon learned otherwise - that Blaine brings the practice home! As his wife Rahel escorted me down into the basement, I passed the well stocked bar and went into the practice room. Everyone except bassist Steve had shown up at this point, so I got to asking Blaine if Tommy Neimeyer of the old Accused was OK with him reviving the new rendition of The Accused. "He's not happy about that," replied Blaine. Tommy had brought back the original vocalist and it's basically a different band.
Band Photo: Sodom
Sodom Sails With Metalunderground.com
Seven questions (but actually more...) on the Seven Seas with German thrash legends, Sodom with Metalunderground.com.
Sodom discusses their 42 year existence as a band, changes in the culture of heavy metal since their inception, their favorite Sodom album, The German Big Four, why their album "Agent Orange" was picked as on of their sets and the future of Sodom!
Mental Cruelty Talks Shop With Metalunderground
Mental Cruelty has become standard-bearers for the sound of European extreme metal. Zwielicht, the latest full-length album from blackened deathcore outfit Mental Cruelty, and was released via Century Media Records on June 23. With several positive reviews pouring in, the band was gracious enough to give us more insight on what Mental Cruelty is all about!
Mantar Vocalist Tells All About New Album
Over the past eight years, German musicians Hanno Klänhard and Erinç Sakarya, collectively known as Mantar, have wreaked aural havoc. So far, the band has released three studio albums, an EP and an eight song covers record entitled, "Grungetown Hooligans II" (so called because the original recordings were erased,) but next week, on July 15th, the duo will unleash their fourth full length album, "Pain Is Forever And This Is The End," an extraordinary ten song journey into not only the minds of the creators, but the depths of humanity and Earth itself.
To find out more about this incredible album, how it nearly led to their dissolution, signing with Metal Blade Records, music videos, lyrics and so much more, Metal Underground caught up with Hanno Klänhard for a deep conversation. You can check it out below.
Audrey Horne Rings The Devil's Bell
This past April, Norwegian hard rock supergroup Audrey Horne unleashed, "Devil's Bell," their first album in four years, through Napalm Records. Not only this, but 2022 also marks the twentieth anniversary of the band's formation and what better way to mark this milestone than with one of the strongest albums in their catalogue to date?
To find out more about the record, the meaning behind the title, artwork and much more, Metal Underground spoke with vocalist Torkjell Rød, who discussed all manner of things pertaining to the album and the band. You can check it out below.
Band Photo: Primordial
Primordial Frontman On New Music, COVID And More
Black metal is a genre which will forever be closely associated with Norway, much like death metal is often paired with Sweden. But just like death metal, black metal was spreading across Europe quite some time before the likes of Darkthrone and Immortal hit the scene. There were bands from England, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, as well as a healthy scene in Greece before the Black Circle was conceived and naturally, it would make its way far west to Ireland, where one band took it upon themselves to be their country's ambassadors of extreme music; namely Primordial.
Beginning life thirty five years ago, the quintet from Skerries has achieved their goal of being Ireland's answer to Bathory and even more, becoming one of the most beloved extreme metal bands in the world and even being credited as one the founders of the Celtic metal sub-genre. Now with nine albums under their belt, the band recently finished a headlining run across Europe, supported by Swallow The Sun and Rome, which delighted fans everywhere with fierce music and inimitable stage presence.
Before the tour kicked off, Metal Underground was fortunate enough to speak with Alan Averill, aka Nemtheanga, about returning to the road, if fans can expect a new album any time soon, Ireland, heritage, religion and even football. You can watch the interview in full below.
Sacred Son Detects The Foul Deth of Engelond
England has something of a funny relationship with metal music. While many will point to certain bands as the fathers of the genre, or of certain sub-genres such as Venom and black metal, it often seems that bands in other countries overtake the island in terms of the music's popularity or roster of bands. The aforementioned black metal is of particular note and it's quite strange because English history is every bit as savage and brutal as countries like Norway, Greece or Poland, who have all produced some truly legendary bands in the field.
That's not to say that the English black metal scene is barren however. There's always been underground bands keeping the music alive, though very few have broken into what could charitably be called the "black metal mainstream." Nevertheless, one band which has got people talking in recent years would be Sacred Son, who only two weeks ago, released "The Foul Deth Of Engelond," their fourth album and first with a full band since "Arthurtian Catacombs" three years ago. To find out more about the album, including how to pronounce the title, as well as the themes, history, politics behind it and much more, Metal Underground spoke with vocalist and bassist Dane Cross. You read the interview in full or watch it in full below.
Diamond Oz: First of all, let's get clear on the title. I imagine it's pronounced "The foul death of England," though it looks like it could be pronounced differently.
Dane Cross: Right. You're absolutely correct, it's pronounced "the foul death of England" but it's written in middle Scottish. It derives from just after the black death came to these shores and the Scots at the time believed that it was the wrath of God, specifically reigning down to kill off the English, but obviously a few months later, the plague arrived in Scotland and they realised that it wasn't exclusively affecting the English. I suppose it's up for interpretation as to what it means in terms of the context of this album. It could still refer to the black death itself, because it played such a part in the socio-economics of the fourteenth century, which gave way to the rise of the revolt, which is the theme of the album. It could also refer to the revolt itself I suppose or it could, and this is my personal take, refer to the corruption, malice and ineptitude of the ruling figures at the time.
Unbowed On New Album, Joseph Campbell & Tour Plans
Friday is always a good day. The working week is over, AEW Rampage is on TV and most importantly, it's new release day! Among the many exciting albums out today, there's one that really stands out for offering different facets of metal music and philosophical viewpoints all rolled into one. Of course, I'm referring to "Colour The Soul," the latest full length from Canadian heavyweights Unbowed and their first in five years.
Five years is of course a long wait for a new album, even with two singles interspersed in between and one might assume that the COVID pandemic played a bit role in the wait, but you know what they say about assuming things.... To find out more about this audible beast, Metal Underground caught up with the band's vocalist Ioan Tetlow and guitarist Alex Snape to discuss all things related to "Colour The Soul," the inspirations and ideas behind it, healthcare, imagery and more. You can read a transcript of the interview below, or watch it in full at the bottom of the page.
Oz: The new album, "Colour The Soul" is out on May 20th. It's an interesting title, it's quite vibrant for such a heavy band.
Ioan Tetlow: It's based off of Carl Jung's philosophies and psychologies sort of thing, so it's like heavily endorsing a vibrant nature, so that was the right wording you used there for sure.
Oz: Obviously it's been five years since your previous album. One would imagine that COVID played a big role in delaying the release and that kind of thing. Was that the only factor in there being such a long gap in between albums?
Ioan: I would say it's probably the least defining factor just because at the time Alex was studying in London, England, so a lot of us were moving back and forth, recording there and then he came back, we recorded here, so there was actually a few different factors. I'm sure Alex has a few more.Alex Snape: We wrote the album in 2018 and then our drummer ended up leaving shortly after that, so then we kind of had to find a new drummer and finish recording the new record. That was the initial thing, because our drummer left due to a health issue in his hand which is obviously very important when you're a drummer. We were kind of figuring out what to do, because you know, you don't want to kick someone out just because they have a health issue, that's not the kind of people we are. But then, the entire world had a health issue, so it was a little convenient in that regard because people stopped asking us what was taking so long.
Ioan: In reality that was the least defining thing. Eventually we just realised that this is more or less a sign for everyone. I think a lot of people, if there is a silver lining from the pandemic, assessed their situation in life in general and so it was good for that because we were able to sit there and go, "We have a lineup change, we have a sound change relatively." Like, halfway in between we were thinking more along the lines of our own sound I guess. We've always been searching for it but it just kind of found us. Some of the riffs we gutted from the original singles, so the singles "Home" and "The Anthem Of I" came out back in 2019 and we had completely different riffs for both of those songs for a while and then they became what they were. Even now on the re-release, they're completely mixed different as well.
Alex: Yeah everything's kind of evolved really nicely. I think with our previous releases, even different sections of the album kind of have different flavours or sounds, so I think this is the first album where it grew into a cohesive, this is what Unbowed sounds like.
Sicksense Vocalists Discuss Debut EP "Kings Today"
Even in its heyday, nu metal was controversial genre. On the one hand, metal purists saw the influx of rapping, turntables, trackie pants and lyrical themes which were often far removed from what had come before and saw everything despised coming into their home like an welcome brother in-law. In fairness though, until this point, the mainstream was convinced that metal was dead and grunge killed it and so to even have the word "metal" back in mainstream consciousness again was something of a miracle. Add to that that these bands were still name dropping icons like Black Sabbath, Suicidal Tendencies and Slayer, providing a gateway and introduction to heavier music for kids of the day, as well as the fact that almost everything gets appreciated more with age and one has to wonder if it was all that bad.
Little wonder then that in the 2020s, the world is seeing a small revival of the sub-genre and in the latest example of this, we turn to two known vocalists and a trio of Canadian musicians, collectively known as Sicksense. Featuring The Agonist singer Vicky Psarakis and Stuck Mojo frontman Robby Fonts, the quintet released their first EP, "Kings Today" just shy of a month ago and the response so far has been positive. Those who were nu metal fans back in the day tend to agree that they do a perfect job of capturing the fun and the spirit of the era and even some detractors have to agree that the music they offer is highly enjoyable. To find out more about the band, the EP, live plans and more, Metal Underground caught up with Robby and Vicky, in an interview which you can watch in full below.
Diamond Oz: I've been listening to the new EP and having grown up as a nu metal kid, I can say that it does a really good job of capturing the feeling of the nu metal era. Was that always the goal of Sicksense, not to emulate but to recapture the spirit of back then?
Robby Fonts: Yeah, I think so. Sicksense was actually started by our members Bran and Cody. They were in this other band called Keychain who were doing this unabashedly nu metal style and then they ended up parting ways with their previous singer. So they were looking to replace that person and I ended up auditioning for them, I worked on three demo songs that Brain had sent me and Brain really liked what I was doing on a lyrical and vocal level, but he was like, "Hey I would like to incorporate singing in this band as well, would you be OK with having another vocalist in the band?"Vicky was already working on the demos with me, doing backing vocals on them, so for the third song, before I started working on the third demo that he'd sent me, I was like, "OK, well now that I know there's going to be a second vocalist, let's write this one with Vicky in mind" and that song ended up becoming "Make Believe." We went forward from there and so that's how we came to be working with Vicky and I think she did magic with the song and the music.
Udo Dirkschneider Still Doing Things His Way
The word "legend" is thrown around a lot these days. It seems that anyone who has been a musician for longer than two years can be tagged with the label. However, there are still those out there who truly deserve to be called a legend. Such is the case for the unmistakable voice that is Udo Dirkschneider.
Udo Dirkschneider's career began in the seventies with Accept, one of the most popular and influential bands in the history of German metal music, responsible in part for making the country one of the most welcoming places for the genre in the world today. He would leave the band in 1987, forming a new group, U.D.O. the same year. Since then, U.D.O. has gone on to become another staple name in German metal and the vocalist remains a touring machine.
Last month, Udo released an album under the name Udo Dirkschneider for the first time. It was a collection of covers entitled, "My Way," an appropriate name for someone who's stood the test of time and touches on everything from fellow metal icons to overlooked rockers to Frank Sinatra. To find out more about this album, Metal Underground caught up with the man himself, who revealed why these songs were chosen, what it was like to sing in German for the first time and what his plans for the road are. You can watch the interview in full at the bottom of the page.
Diamond Oz: The album, "My Way" was released on April 22nd. It's a very interesting album. Obviously it's the first one you've done just with your own name, why did you decide to release it under your name rather than U.D.O.?
Udo Dirkschneider: It is definitely a solo album. It's songs that I like, that I listened to when I was young in the end of the sixties, the seventies and beginning of the eighties. It's songs I like but not ones that I'm influenced by as a musician or a vocal wise. These were songs that in the old days when we had the BBC, I would sit there with a cassette recorder and record them, so it was important to put all these songs together on a cover album. The album wasn't really planned in the beginning, it was more for myself in the studio.I was working with Stefan Kaufman from my old band Accept and of course we had some time during the pandemic. The first song that we did was "Faith Healer" by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, which is one of my favourite songs and it's still played at rock clubs and that in Germany and it turned out very well. We were talking with the record company who suggested a cover album and the producer said to make a list of what kind of songs you'd like to do and... Here we go!
Imonolith Drummer Speaks About New Album
As devastating as the pandemic has been generally, it must have had that extra bitterness to bands who released their debut albums just before it kicked off. Finally realising your dream of putting out your first record together only to be unable to perform it to people could only have been a metaphorical kick in the balls. Such was the case for Imonolith, the band featuring former Devin Townsend Project members Ryan van Porderooyen and Brian Wadell, whose debut full length "State Of Being" was released at the end of March 2020, just as things got really bad the world over.
Two years later and the band are gearing up to release their sophomore album, "Progressions," which had a small scope to begin with, but gradually grew to become it's own beast and in a way, a compilation of everything Imonolith is all about. Before it hits the shelves on May 20th, Metal Underground caught up with van Porderooyen to discuss the record, the importance of including demos, covering Bjork and more. You can watch the interview in full below.
Diamond Oz: The new album, "Progressions" is set to be released on May 20th. It's obviously a fitting title given that it's moved on from the debut, "State Of Being." In what way do you feel that Imonolith has progressed since the first album?
Ryan van Porderooyen: Well the thing is, just the songwriting, Brian Waddell and I wrote all of "State Of Being," or the majority of it, between 2015 and 2018, so it was an ongoing process while we were playing with the Devin Townsend Project, we were writing music. It's no secret that when Devin starts something, whether it be Strapping Young Lad or Devin Townsend Project, it always has a bit of a shelf life. It's never going to be an ongoing thing, so we were surprised how long the Devin Townsend Project lasted, which was pretty much a good ten years, which is the longest thing he's ever done and the biggest, most successful thing he's ever done and he's doing great now. So we were kind of expecting it so around 2015 we said, "Let's write just in case this goes." I didn't really have any interest in joining another band or being a hired gun, I'd rather take a shot at something that was our own.So with that precursor, we wrote all this music that was "State Of Being," but it was during the time that we were with Devin so we kept it on the side until 2018 when the inevitable happened. It was all good, Devin's awesome, I'm still friends with him and there's no hard feelings whatsoever, it's just now we can move on and do this. So that was the start of Imonolith and the writing back then, but it progressed so much getting Jon Howard in the band. Brian Waddell isn't in the band anymore, basically he never liked touring with Devin Townsend Project either and he just wanted to stop doing it altogether. So Jon Howard and I took over the writing process from when Beav and I were doing it.
When Jon came in, the whole of "State Of Being" was already written. He contributed to "We Never Forget" and "Instinct" but other than that, it was Beav and I. So that progression alone was huge because how Jon and I write is definitely more progressive and heavier, I'd say. I love the "State Of Being" record to this day but it's just a natural progression and there's a little more samples, more keyboards, the production's different, it's more progressive even in song writing. So that's how the band has progressed and the other guys will put in riffs too, it's just that Jon and I are the head guys that take everything, mold it and create the music.
Skull Fist: Paid In Full And Ready To Rock
As mentioned recently when introducing the interview with Wolf, the love for and the spirit of traditional heavy metal never went away. It may have been sidelined by its more extreme successors or mocked by the trends that followed it in the nineties, but it remained as defiant as ever. There's no shortage of bands keeping this style and sound alive today and without a doubt, one of the most successful at keeping the fire burning bright would be Canada's own, Skull Fist.
Last month, Skull Fist unleashed their latest album, "Paid In Full," an eight track collection of some of the finest traditional heavy metal music this decade, although the road to its release had its fair share of bumps along the way. Indeed, the record itself is older than some people may realise but with an ever growing fan base and the power of Atomic Fire Records behind them, it seems that Skull Fist are poised to lead a charge for their genre and contemporaries. To find out more about the album, Metal Underground caught up with frontman Zach "Slaughter" Schottler, who revealed just how long the band has been sitting on the record, where they've been recording videos, why he prefers demos and much more. You can watch the interview in full below.
Diamond Oz: The new album, "Paid In Full" is out now. What can you tell me about the title of the album? Where does that come from?
Zach Slaughter: Well, I couldn't call it "Powerslave," because that was taken. "Rust In Peace" was taken too. No, you just get old and disgruntled and it's just where you end up. I think it's more about not wanting to deal with people's shit anymore, I guess.
Oz: And what makes this a different album from "Way Of The Road"?
Zach: Ummm... It's got different riffs! Although I realise that the picking for the song, "Long Live The Fist" in "You're Gonna Pay," so I feel like at this point I'm ripping off myself. It's heavier. "Way Of The Road" was a lot mellower I think, almost a little bit whiny at some points. I think this one's a bit more disgruntled, which I guess is my theme word for the day. The sound is a bit better too, especially the vocals.
Darkher Weathers "The Buried Storm"
Doom metal has a wonderful way of painting the darkest mental landscapes there could be. Sometimes, just the sound can conjure up thoughts of harsh terrain, oppressive surroundings and even make one's skin feel cold. Such is the case with "The Buried Storm," the latest offering from English dark doom outfit Darkher.
A one woman band led by Jayn Maiven, it was in 2016 that the first album, "Realms" was released and six years later, the sophomore effort, "The Buried Storm" is available. To find out more about the record, the gap in between releases and more, Metal Underground was fortunate enough to put some questions to Jayn Maiven, who had the following to say:
Diamond Oz: Congratulations on your new album, "The Buried Storm." It's been six years since your debut full length "Realms" was released. Why was there such a long gap in between albums?
Jayn Maiven: Thank you . For many reasons, for the first couple of years following ‘Realms’ release, I was focused on playing live and touring. Following that I had some ill health and collectively we had the pandemic which slowed things down, but i think for the most part an album can take time to be complete, especially when doing the writing, production, recording and mixing alone- it can be a very slow process.
Oz: Musically, what would you say makes "The Buried Storm" different from “Realms"?
Jayn: I think there is more emphasis and focus on the orchestral instruments and the harmonies on this album. It felt more cinematic and visual when i was creating it.
Oz: What's the meaning behind the album title?
Jayn: The storm relates to dark emotions and The Buried Storm refers to leaving those emotions behind and finding a sense of peace.
Band Photo: MWWB
MWWB Discuss Name Change, New Album And More
Though it may not be immediately obvious, Wales has always been there presenting great rock and metal music for as long as the genres have been around. Whether it be the proto metal of Budgie, the NWOBHM excitement of Persian Risk, the bombastic beats of Skindred or the extremity of Hecate Enthroned, Welsh musicians have always been proudly flying Y Ddraig Goch in heavy music. Indeed, one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Britain in recent years hails from the town of Wrexham, in the form of MWWB.
Formerly known as Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, the band now going just by those initials recently released, "The Harvest," an amazing blend of doom metal, space rock and psychedelia, which is already a contender for album of the year among those who've heard it. To find out more about this record, along with the name change, the health scares which delayed the album and more, Metal Underground was fortunate enough to put some questions to bass player Stuart Sinclair.
Diamond Oz: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me today. Congratulations on your new album, "The Harvest." I suppose the first thing to ask is about your name change. Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard was a very memorable name, so did you have any apprehension about shortening it?
Stuart Sinclair: First off, Thank you for the kind words. No, there's no apprehension over the name, people called us by both before and still by both after, people are definitely putting way to much stock in it, again before and after. I know for a fact that some people who listen to doom metal and like adjacent sub genres of metal avoided us because of the name, which is stupid in my opinion. But also sometimes when we trying to promote ourselves in Internet world we couldn't easily because of the words WEED and BASTARD, so now maybe it's just less fuss in some respect but everyone knows what it is still. People used to ask us about the name all the time and it got really old and now we change it and they still ask us. *laughs*
Theigns & Thralls Founder Discusses Debut Album
Folk metal has come a long way since it was first recognised as a genre in the 1990s. While bands like Led Zeppelin were experimenting with folk music, it was the likes of Skyclad and Cruachan who established it as a true sub-genre and over the past ten years or so, its popularity has sky rocketed. As mentioned, Skyclad were arguably the first folk metal band and so it's unsurprising that one of the year's most excited albums in the genre would come from a member of its lineup, as frontman Kevin Ridley introduces the world to Theigns And Thralls.
It was only two weeks ago today that the band released their debut album, an eponymous trek which finds so many instances and events from history that the modern world has barely learned from, if at all. Joining Ridley on this journey are current and ex members of Irish legends Waylander and Cruachan, while an enormous amount of guest musicians from the likes of Korpiklaani, Ensiferum and Celtibeerian were also involved. To find out more about the record, Metal Underground spoke with Kevin Ridley himself, in an interview which you can watch in full below.
Diamond Oz: Obviously people know you from your work with Skyclad. What would you say it is about Theigns And Thralls that gives you more freedom of expression, if at all?
Kevin Ridley: Well, that's one of the things. Most of the songs that I write with Skyclad are co-written of course but obviously on the Theigns And Thralls album, I've written them all. Having said that, some of the songs are adaptations of poems and things like that from the past, which again is one of the things that Theigns And Thralls allows me to do because I have this penchant for history and historical fiction, so I can combine those things to create these new songs, so I'm not trying to fit in with what Skyclad's doing, I've got a free hand to do what I want. I've got to say, one of the things to remember is that when I started Theigns And Thralls, I didn't have a plan or anything, it was the kind of thing that just evolved because of the pandemic.As you're well aware, we were will sitting with time on our hands in a lockdown situation and I had a few songs, because I'd done a solo album before and I wanted to do another one, because as a musician, you never really stop writing. Some things are suitable for Skyclad and some songs aren't so you end up with some stuff. It was a gradual thing where I said, "I've got this time on my hands, I've got a few songs, what can we do with this?" and kind of built it up from there. Once I got into it, it evolved quite quickly and I kind of found a little niche or a certain area that I thought was productive, so I followed it and got in touch with some friends who I felt could add things to it and then it built up to friends of friends and grew into this project, so I started taking it a bit more seriously once I realised it could turn into an album. We couldn't do anything with Skyclad anyway because I live in another country.
Wolf Treads Into The Shadowland
Traditional heavy metal music may have been overshadowed by its more extreme offshoots over the decades but the popularity and spirit is still plain for all to see, with the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne still headlining festivals and selling out venues the world over. Its also being kept alive and well by younger bands performing the tried and true classic sound, with more recent examples being bands such as Toledo Steel, Skull Fist and Night Demon, who have all found degrees of success and praise. One of the most notable bands to play traditional heavy metal at a time when heavier styles were all the rage is Wolf, the Örebro quartet who began life in 1995 and have been continuing to keep the flame burning since.
Recently, Wolf unleashed their ninth studio album, "Shadowland," released by long time label Century Media and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. To find out more about this follow up to "Feeding The Machine," how the pandemic affected the band and much more, Metal Underground caught up with frontman Niklas Stålvind, who revealed all about the record and more. You can watch it in full below.
Diamond Oz: The new album, "Shadowland" is out now. It was only two years ago that you released "Feeding The Machine," was the pandemic a factor in being able to release two albums close together?
Niklas Stålvind: Yeah it was. It was really bad for "Feeding The Machine" but really good for "Shadowland" because it meant that we could focus on writing and recording. I'd started writing before we went on tour for "Feeding The Machine" but then the pandemic came and we aborted the tour and went home. So there was a couple of songs already but then we decided to just focus on making a new record and forget about everything else.
Oz: I was lucky enough to see you on the "Feeding The Machine" tour with Grand Magus and the songs from that album sounded great live. The "Shadowland" material sounds like "Feeding The Machine" turned way up and with a bit of a darker edge to it. Would you say that's a fair assessment?
Niklas: You're not the only one who has made that assessment but personally, I feel that "Feeding The Machine" was the darkest album I've ever recorded, though that's just my opinion and I think that this one is a lot more positive. I feel that this album is so much more positive and enjoyable. I know that the themes can seem pretty dark and nihilistic but I don't interpret them that way. There was such a pure joy of writing songs with a new lineup and making music. This time I wasn't writing as a kind of therapy like I did with "Feeding The Machine," and digging up all kind of weird and dark things from the past that I needed to come to the surface in order to cope with them. This time it was quite the opposite and also the new members brought in such a positive energy and it's fantastic to write music and hear them do their thing because it's even better than what I imagined as I wrote it.
Saphath Hails The Ascension Of The Dark Prophet
It's the most obvious thing in the world to say that the COVID-19 pandemic ground the world to a halt two years ago. From the viewpoint of the music industry, albums were delayed, tours were cancelled and plans were up in the air. Imagine then that you've created a band which is difficult to define, has some amazing music to offer but you face it being over before it even began. That's exactly the situation Russian outfit Saphath faced.
Despite all the setbacks, Saphath has risen with full force and this month, released their debut album, "Ascension Of The Dark Prophet," a multi faceted story of contrasts, darkness and beauty in the strangest places. To find out more about the record, Metal Underground caught up with the band's vocalist Alexey Duraev and bassist Alexander Klimkov. You can read it in full below.
Diamond Oz: Congratulations on your debut album, "Ascension of the Dark Prophet." What is the meaning behind the title?
Alexey Duraev: The Dark Prophet is a character of harsh fate, an outsider in his world, rejected by society, but possessing indomitable willpower and independence. Since his youth, he hears a voice of Darkness in his head and the Darkness is personalized, she is not just a universal power, she is a lady of forbidden knowledge and defiance. You may look at him as Antichrist or Cain and perceive her as Lilith or Mara (Slavic goddess of death), but it is more to them than the known mythological characters.The Prophet aims for reaching the city he sees in his dreams, and this would be the story of his ascension. On his lonely path, he travels around the world seeking knowledge of half-mad wizards, he falls in love and loses his beloved, he gets sentenced and kills, he becomes a ruler and a demigod god and finally reaches his goal, falling into the arms of Darkness in the land of his dreams. All the album lyrics are written from the Prophet’s standpoint, but if you look closer at the character, many people in the world can relate to him. I just meant to tell that everyone can ascend from dust to the sky, even so it is unbelievably hard.
Oz: What kind of topics are covered in the lyrics on the album?
Alexey: As I said, many people could relate to the Dark Prophet at something. The music and lyrics are filled with a poetic combination of loneliness, despair, pain, anxiety, passion, rage, judgment and questioning of what is believed to be truth. A couple of songs of how love hurts. Summarizing that, every song expresses a particular emotion a person like that would feel. It is very personal to me, I lived through every hardness expressed, so everything described is a sincere thing in Byronish style bars.
A Very NSFW Interview With Atoll
Death metal has never been afraid to push the boundaries. From grizzly murder to Satan and everything in between (and between his legs,) there's always been something to offend, disgust and amuse when it comes to the sub-genre. The human body itself can be a pretty disgusting thing at times and why not use one of its more.... intimate parts for inspiration? Enter Atoll and their new EP, "Prepuce."
Atoll began in 2014 and to date have released three full length albums, the latest being "Zoopocalypse" in 2019 and most recently, a six song EP named "Prepuce." Before Googling what the title means, you'll probably want to read on or watch the video, especially if it's a shared computer you're using! Regardless, the EP itself is a brutal display of Arizona slam showcasing fearsome vocals, pounding rhythms and a wicked sense of humour. To find out more about this release, Metal Underground caught up with Atoll vocalist Wade Taylor, guitar players Christopher Nick & Spencer Ferguson and bassist Cameron Broomfield. You can watch the interview in full below, where you can also find a transcript of the chat.
Diamond Oz: The new EP, "Prepuce" is out now. I looked up the title and then I regretted it.
Wade Taylor: That's what we did too. We did that song, "The Circumcisor" and then thought, "What's another word for foreskin?" and it was "prepuce" and I was like, "That's it!" It was one of those unanimous decisions that happens really fast.
Oz: Yeah, as long as you search normally instead of image searching, you're OK. So I guess the first question is... Why? Why name an EP after the foreskin?
Wade: I guess I'll answer this one. I guess a lot of our other stuff had kind of a serious tone to it. Our first two or three albums did and this one, we just wanted something silly but sounded serious and I wanted people to look up that word. It also just goes with the "Circumcisor" thing and that's pretty much it. It has nothing else to do with any of the other songs on the album, it's just a cool word and I wanted people to look it up and see a wiener.
Christopher Nick: "Prepuce" is kind of like a weird encapsulation of our personalities. We want to give off this serious mantra and play brutal music but at the end of the day, we're just a bunch of immature boys. We kind of just leaned into it a little bit more.
Band Photo: Manegarm
Månegarm Uncovers The Secrets Of The Ynglinga
Metal music and Scandinavia go together like bread and butter, or peanut butter and jelly. The incredible mythology, the ice cold landscapes, the colourful history, it all combines so well to create the perfect breeding ground for metal. While every Scandinavian scene will likely think of themselves as having the most to offer, today we focus on Sweden and one the most eclectic bands to come from the nation, Månegarm.
Månegarm has been active for nearly thirty years, having formed in 1995 and releasing their first album three years later. Their mesh of black metal, folk and Viking metal crafts something truly astounding and many will argue that they've not let their audience down yet. So it is with their new album, "Ynglingaättens Öde," set for release next week via Napalm Records, which tells the amazing stories of nine Swedish kings from over a thousand years ago. It's sure to go down a treat and to discover more about the album, Metal Underground caught up with vocalist and bassist Erik Grawsiö. You can watch the interview in full at the bottom of the page or read a transcript below.
Diamond Oz: The new album, "Ynglingaättens Öde" is out on April 15th. Where does the title come from?
Erik Grawsiö: The title is about a royal family, or dynasty you might say and they were called the Ynglinga. It's a concept album and it's about in the 900s or so there was a poem called Ynglingatal, which details this royal kin and the lives and deeds of a lot of kings. The poem consists of fifty four verses I think and details the lives of twenty Swedish kings. So we built the album around these stories, so each song is about the life of one king.
Oz: Is this a subject you'd been wanting to discuss for a long time?
Erik: Yeah. Jacob the drummer is the one who writes the lyrics and today he's a history teacher at university. When he started to become a teacher, he had a class with a professor named Sundquist about the Ynglingatal, which is where Jacob got the idea that he wanted to do a concept album, but at that time we were working on our previous album, "Fornaldarsagor," which is also a tricky name! But he kept the idea and when I showed him some songs and some riffs for the new album, he told me about this idea and he really thought that the concept and the lyrics he had in mind would fit the new songs perfectly. So for a couple of years, it's grown.
Incite Vocalist Discusses New Album "Wake Up Dead"
As we near another Friday, which is to say another release day, there's one album hitting the shelves this week which really stands out as one to watch, or rather listen to, namely "Wake Up Dead," the sixth full length album from Arizona groove metallers Incite. Spearheaded by frontman Richie Cavalera and with new guitarist Eli Santana on board, as well a new label behind them, Incite has never been at a more exciting point in their career and the record certainly reflects this.
With old school art, visually arresting videos and a guest appearance from Soulfly's Max Cavalera to boot, "Wake Up Dead" promises to be the fiercest release from Incite yet. To find out more about the album, Richie Cavalera spoke with Metal Underground and revealed all about the creative process, the changes the band has gone through, how the pandemic affected them and much more. You can watch the interview in full below.
Diamond Oz: The new album, "Wake Up Dead" is out soon, I believe on April 8th.
Richie Cavalera: Yeah, that's correct. We're super pumped on it. Everybody's talking about it and it's getting a lot of attention. We're super hyped.
Oz: I'm not surprised that it is because the two singles that have been released so far, "Deadbeat" and "War Soup" are really good and while they both have a groove to them, they're very different from each other, so it's a good display of the variety of the album.
Richie: Yeah I think that's one of the feelings with this new record. Each song kind of pushes a new realm for us. Keeping the main structure of what we are and who we are but just taking it a bit further with the talent we have, how long we've all been together. It was fun. It was a fun time to make these songs and feel what we could do. You know, acoustic guitar intros and ripping solos. It's a dope album.
Band Photo: Konvent
Konvent Vocalist Reveals How To Call Down The Sun
Over the past decade, maybe more, the metal world has seen a sharp rise in the number of all female metal bands and bands emerging from Denmark. A mere two years ago, we were treated to a wonderful combination of both when Copenhagen quartet Konvent unleashed their debut album, "Puritan Masochism" through Napalm Records. Now the time has come for a sophomore effort and the group are blowing minds with their second release, "Call Down The Sun."
Released on March 11th, "Call Down The Sun" builds perfectly on the foundations laid by "Puritan Masochism," adding greater depth and variation. It's been receiving rave reviews from the press and fans of death/doom have a new band to add to their list of essentials. To find out more about "Call Down The Sun," Metal Underground spoke with vocalist Rikke Emilie List, who shared plenty of information about the album, lyrical themes, shooting music videos in the freezing cold and much more. You can watch the interview in full at the bottom of the page.
Diamond Oz: Let's talk about the new album, "Call Down The Sun." How do you feel the band has grown since "Puritan Masochism?"
Rikke List: I think we've grown a lot. When we started writing "Call Down The Sun," we started almost immediately after we left the studio when we finished recording "Puritan Masochism." We were so inspired by the whole studio experience and we realised how many options and possibilities you have as a band in the studio, like working with a producer who has a lot of ideas. I think we'd already decided then that we really wanted to challenge ourselves for the next record. For example, Sarah said she wanted to write a guitar solo, which is tricky when you're in a band with only one guitar, so we still need to figure out how we're going to do that live! We had really high expectations for ourselves on this record and all the positive feedback for "Puritan Masochism" blew us away, so we thought, "We're going to at least have to try and top that."