Interview: Crowbar – Touring On My Terms

Posted on December 30, 2014 by newsteam

Crowbar has spent much of 2014 touring behind their tenth full length record titled Symmetry In Black (out now via EOne Music). Already headlining a tour with Revocation, Havok, Fit For An Autopsy and Armed For Apocalypse; the Symmetry In Winter tour with Unearth and Black Crown Initiate, and appearing at Maryland Death Fest and the Scion AV Rockfest, they have kept themselves busy and also celebrating 25 years of the band in the meantime.

Photo By Keith Chachkes

One thing frontman and guitarist Kirk Windstein did was bow out of his long time “other” band Down in 2013, which the decision helped with him focus on Crowbar instead of balancing multiple bands.

He admits that leaving Down allowed him to put all of his time into Crowbar without juggling schedules. “I do have a clearer vision but it’s not that I have another band to worry about. It’s just that Down is a democracy and so is Crowbar. The difference is, and when I told Phillip [Anselmo], he understood me. ‘You’ve always been in charge of your career. You did what you wanted to do. If you wanted to stop doing Down and do Superjoint [Ritual], you did it. If you wanted to stop that and concentrate on a record label, you did it. Stop that and do a solo record, you did it.’ He was very cool about it, of course. He is my brother. I love him until the day I die. He was very cool about everything.”

“The situation for me in my life had changed to simplify my life was the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Now I’m in control. Now as in an arrogant asshole – I’m in control of when I tour, where I tour, how long I tour. My wife does merchandise. To us, Crowbar is a family business. So if we’re not on the road doing Crowbar, we’re at home being a family. To me, it was a logical, perfect step for us as a family. You saw what you saw and this band kicks ass. I put us against anybody. I ain’t scared of nobody. We don’t need bells and whistles, explosions, dragons, demons, light shows or none of that bullshit. I’m proud of what we do and I believe in what we do. That’s why I’m doing it.”

He said he likes how things are moving along with Crowbar and has regained control of his career. “Now I call my own shots. At my age…not to sound like a dick but I deserve to be in control of my own life and my career. With Crowbar, I do that.”

Interview By Rei Nishimoto

The Official Ghost Cult Writers Albums of the Year Top 50: 30-21

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Steve Tovey

The countdown to the Official Ghost Cult Magazine Album of the Year for 2014 continues. Please consume and enjoy the results of our 2014 Writers’ Poll. We hope it will introduce you to some of the incredible works of art you may have missed that we have had the immense pleasure of listening to and writing about this year.

In our third installment we bring you albums 30 through to 21

30. CASUALTIES OF COOL – Casualties Of Cool (Pledge/HevyDevy)

“Casualties of Cool is an intriguing experiment from a man who excels in making left-field music. Go in expecting massive a prog-metal exercise will only lead to disappointment, but having an open mind will result in a rewarding experience” DAN SWINHOE 8/10 Full review here

29. ANATHEMA – Distant Satellites (KScope)

“One of our world’s most understated bands, despite the plaudits they get, Anathema have once again showcased their knack for penning both forward thinking and emotionally driven music which oozes real human character and sentimentality”. CHRIS TIPPELL 9/10 Full review here

28. DOWN – IV (Part II) (Down Records)

“When we look back on this part of their career, we will likely understand that these are less like regular EPs that other bands release, and much more like a mini-opus, in pieces. Down clearly realizes their collective vision, no matter who is in the lineup, every time”. KEITH ‘KEEFY’ CHACHKES 9.5/10 Full review here

27. VALLENFYRE – Splinters (Century Media)

“Sadistic and aggressive with endless moments of bleak reflection Splinters is a leviathan unleashed upon unsuspecting listeners and a release surely destined to grace many year end lists” ROSS BAKER 9/10 Full review here

26. AGALLOCH – “The Serpent and the Sphere” (Profound Lore)

Like a massive-antlered stag glimpsed amidst a wintry landscape, breathtaking, elusive and hard to pin down, The Serpent and the Sphere looks set to continue their elegant and ever-evolving legacy JAMES CONWAY 9/10 Full review here

25. THOU – Heathen (Gilead Media)

“A storm manifest as a piece of music, as devastating as it is awe-inspiring, Heathen is varied and compelling for the entire runtime”. TOM SAUNDERS 9/10 Full review here

24. septicflesh – Titan (Season of Mist)

“Sharp, buzzing riffs and symphonic keys, strength and brutality amongst moments of pomp and beauty, bloody entertaining and another show of form” PAUL QUINN 8.5/10 Full review here

23. PYRRHON – The Mother of Virtues (Relapse)

“The Mother Of Virtues doesn’t just challenge what is “extreme”, but calls into question whether some of what is produced is actually even music. Completely and utterly impenetrable, and exceptional with it”. STEVE TOVEY 9.5/10 Full review here

22. EYEHATEGOD – EyeHateGod (Housecore/Century Media)

“Eyehategod continue to age like a good whiskey, seeming to improve as time goes by, but by no means losing their sting”. CHRIS TIPPELL 9/10 Full review here

21. ALCEST – Shelter (Prophecy)

“Shedding the last vestiges of metal, let-alone any lingering black metal leanings, a captivating and stunning piece of music poured straight from the heart”. JAMES CONWAY 9/10 Full review here

Ghost Cult Magazine Albums of the Year: 50-41

Ghost Cult Magazine Albums of the Year: 40-31

King Parrot Supporting Down on Upcoming North American Tour

Posted on November 28, 2014 by newsteam

Australian thrash grinders King Parrot are joining Down, Orange Goblin and Bl’Ast on a North American tour. They are touring behind their Bite Your Head Off album, out now via Candlelight Records. Watch their fan-filmed clip from Housecore Horror Film Fest here.

KING PARROT w/ Down, Orange Goblin, Bl’ast:
Nov 29: Southport Music Hall – New Orleans, LA *Down, KING PARROT only
Nov 30: The Lost Well – Austin, TX *KING PARROT early
Dec 01: Aztec Theater – San Antonio, TX
Dec 02: Fly Catcher – Tucson, AZ *KING PARROT only
Dec 03: House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
Dec 04: Epek Print – Salinas CA *KING PARROT only
Dec 05: Riverside Municipal Auditorium – Riverside, CA
Dec 06: Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Dec 07: Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA
Dec 08: The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
Dec 09: Tonic Lounge – Portland OR * KING PARROT, Author & Punisher only
Dec 10: Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
Dec 11: Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
Dec 13: Union Hall – Edmonton, AB
Dec 14: Flames Central – Calgary, AB
Dec 15: Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
Dec 16: Area 51 – Salt Lake City, UT *KING PARROT, Wolvhammer only
Dec 17: Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
Dec 18: The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO *Orange Goblin, KING PARROT only
Dec 19: Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
Dec 20: Gas Monkey Live – Dallas, TX
Dec 21: Warehouse Live – Houston, TX

KING PARROT on YouTube

Orange Goblin Supporting Down on Upcoming North America Tour

Posted on November 26, 2014 by newsteam

UK Stoner Metallers Orange Goblin will be supporting Down across North America with Bl’Ast and King Parrot as support. Their current release, Back From the Abyss, is out via Candlelight Records.

ORANGE GOBLIN w/ Down, Bl’ast, King Parrot:
Dec 01: Aztec Theater – San Antonio, TX
Dec 03: House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
Dec 05: Riverside Municipal Auditorium – Riverside, CA
Dec 06: Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Dec 07: Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA
Dec 08: The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
Dec 10: Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
Dec 11: Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
Dec 13: Union Hall – Edmonton, AB
Dec 14: Flames Central – Calgary, AB
Dec 15: Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA
Dec 17: Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
Dec 19: Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
Dec 20: Gas Monkey Live – Dallas, TX
Dec 21: Warehouse Live – Houston, TX

Orange Goblin on Facebook

Hang The Bastard – Sex in the Seventh Circle

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Steve Tovey

Picture the scene. It’s a slate grey sky and a howling wind. It’s a Saturday lunchtime and you have a hangover straight out of the lower reaches of Hades. Going to watch a band might be the last thing on your mind. But this is what I’m doing at the UK Hammerfest Festival in North Wales. And what a great decision this was. The band in question were Hang The Bastard who proceeded to tear me and all the lucky souls who had clambered out of their sleep pits a proverbial new one, rip our collective faces off and send our hangovers back to their sulphuric origins. Marvellous stuff.

It’s these fond memories of face-ripping and adrenaline surges that preface the listening of this new opus and this fledgling band’s second full length album. The charmingly monikered Sex in the Seventh Circle (SOAR/Century Media) is as pumped up as a steroid doping muscleman, as gnarly as an old tree branch and full of gusto and effervescent promise. If you wanted a decent example of what heavy metal sounds like today then you could do much worse than land here.

Sex in the Seventh Circle is respectful of its heavy metal lineage but not to the extent that it is a mere facsimile of a Black Sabbath album; on the contrary, there are more riffs here than you can shake a particularly sticky stick at; riffs that Crowbar or Down would be very pleased to call their own but there’s loads more going on than praying at the Iommi altar.

On the opening track ‘Keeping Vigil’, the band conjur such a spectacular cacophony of noise and bludgeoning intent that you worry that by throwing everything, including (if you listen hard enough) the kitchen sink, into four minutes of throat grabbing attention that they won’t have anything left for the rest of the album.

Ye of little faith, listener. Whilst ‘…Vigil’ is a serious statement of intent, it is by no means the high point of the record. The aural swampy stew that is ‘The Majestic Gathering of Goetia’ wears its New Orleans sludge like a freshly inked tattoo whilst I dare you – I absolutely double and triple dare you – not to headbang during the glorious title track. There, I can see you doing it already.

It would not be responsible of me to pass up this review without making comment on Tomas Hubbard’s astonishing vocal performance. To say it is marmite is an understatement. It is probably the defining sound of the record but also the element that will enrage as many as it delights. From guttural roar through to black metal-esque screeching, one can be in little doubt that there are not many bands that sound like this. To these ears, that is part of this band’s charm. It would be really easy to put together a record with plenty of clean singing, big choruses and so forth but then Hang The Bastard would end up sounding like every other band around who have a copy of Never Say Die.

It is testimony to their self-belief and their ambition that they have created a record that sounds this distinctive and so self-evidently contentious. It’s clear that Hang The Bastard want to sound like one band only- and that’s Hang the Bastard. ‘Sex in the Seventh Circle’ has echoes of stoner, doom, sludge and classic metal easing through its grooves- so what? At the end of the day ‘Sex in the Seventh Circle’ is, labels aside, proper, heavy, grown up fun.

7.5/10

Hang The Bastard on Facebook

MAT DAVIES

Big Ears – Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity

Posted on September 4, 2014 by News Team

Corrosion of Conformity have a great new album out, entitled IX (Candlelight). Still a trio, I had the pleasure of interviewing the very cool Mike Dean about this latest killer release, which is chock-full of southern-fried grooves, a touch of punk and the tasty riffage COC is known for. After exchanging pleasantries, we got right down to business…

I loved the last record (Corrosion of Conformity, Candlelight, 2012), but I’m digging this one (IX)a lot more. How do you feel this release compares?

“I like it a little more myself. I think one the things that differentiate this one from the self-titled – which I’m proud of – is the fact that we dusted off that trio lineup and put in it in effect around the same time as the record so we hadn’t really…owned our identity as three-piece in this era. It took a lot of going out and playing in front of a lot of people to sort of develop that. So the whole ‘identity’ factor, was one, and the other factor was our experience with the self-titled. At that time, we got on a plane, we flew to California, we made a record at a far away studio, and we didn’t actually have all of our equipment, so we just looked around for what we could find, and we utilized that, and it was kinda challenging, but the short version of it is we didn’t really get a sound that reflected what typifies what we do together. So when we made this record we took the approach of capturing that.”

So then there was a bit of…not finding your feet, so to speak, because obviously you guys have been playing together forever, but getting that comfort level back, plus not having your own equipment, being away from home…

“Yeah, it just made us hungry to sort of, say, yeah, let’s get Woody Weatherman’s entire battle-rig, his entire guitar set up, and let’s find a place to put some microphones in front of it so it’s like being there, and in terms of the drums, let’s document Reed Mullin and his 30-something-year-old drumkit he’s had since before he could legally drive and really capture that, and it interacting with the room and the acoustic space.”

What is your favorite track on the record?

“I have to say…it’s kind of a toss-up…today, I’m gonna have to say…’Brand New Sleep’. It wasn’t supposed to be on the record. You know, you write 14 or 15 in order to get 10, so I think those guys didn’t think we were recording it for the record, and they were just having fun, and didn’t even know we were getting a take, it was a real casual run through. So they were a little surprised when I put a vocal on it and it ended up as the lead-off track on the album.”

There is definitely an almost funky vibe in some spots on this one. Was there anything in particular that lent to the groove, or was it just getting even more reacquainted writing and playing as trio again?

“Well, ya know, we’ve got big ears, we listen to a lot of different stuff. Rhythmically, Reed Mullin has a lot of tricks that he does. The inspiration for some of the funkier parts would be ZZ Top, stuff like that. Even the jazzier elements like what Bill Ward would bring to the table. There are a number of moments that are in reverence to Black Sabbath, it’s all over certain songs, like ‘Elphyn’…we just listen to a lot of music, and I think it’s kinda fun to do that in heavier music, because it’s not often used to good effect, in that there may be a kind of stiff, Hip-Hop, type of mechanized mall-Metal version. so it’s fun to do that in a more organic, heavy fashion.”

Obviously you guys can go through styles very easily, you’ve pretty much covered it all. When you say Sabbath, the eleventh track (‘The Nectar Reprised’)…that is SOOO Sabbath! The first track of it was it’s own thing, but the reprise you went all out with the Sabbath

“Yeah, there is a particular lick, it’s not anything verbatim, but I know what your mean!”

Can you give us any info on the upcoming video for ‘On Your Way’? Did you choose this song, or the the label decide to use it?

“We had a little talk, and we told them four songs that we were okay with making a video for and that happened to be one of them. Ya know, they do whatever scientific process of deciding what they’re going to invest their dollars in, and it happened to be ‘On Your Way’ which is fine because that was one of the tracks we were okay with. I don’t quite know what the process is.”

Well, at least you had some say in it…I know some labels are like, “here is the single for the video, go here and film it”…

“Yeah, and moreso in the past, when there was just more money at stake in general with music, but now it’s a smaller part of the economy, and it’s more a kind of informal thing.”

Which leads me to the next question, you guys have been around long enough to remember when a video was the big thing to do…how do you feel about even doing a video now having seen the video golden age come and go?

“Well..I don’t know if we saw the Golden Age…you saw the age where there was gold in a video because there was a big time expensive TV airtime (for them) and a lot of eyes on it so I guess that was the Golden Age. I don’t think it was the Golden Age of artistic content I mean, some of the music would be good, but we all know that the video essentially was at that time a TV commercial for a song, and now an Internet commercial for a song, and the people that directed them, you know we were lucky to get something that was non-formulaic or interesting into it. We’re hoping this one turns out a little difference. Yeah, I think it’s a good thing to shoot for, uh, a lot of times I wish I had an idea sooner of whether or not there was going to be a video so we could prepare for it and really do something special with all that kind of rush. But right now, the director is doing some raw footage down in Louisiana and told him I wasn’t worried about it, but I am a little worried about it. (laughs)”

So…it’s kind of a surprise; you did your footage and not you have no idea what he’s doing right now?

“Well, we kinda have an idea because we all came up with the concept together, but in speaking conceptually and writing a little description in an email and talking about it is a whole lot different than actually putting it together and putting in context. So, uh, yeah, I’m just preparing my, “Okay, well, we could change this type of uh…” tactful, helpful voice, steering it in the direction it was originally intended. It’s all just conceptual words on paper, but as far someone actually get all of that footage, combine it and get a look…but I trust the guy, I like his stuff. I like his work. He was able to work with Pepper Keenan, who can be super – when it comes to aesthetic things – he can be super controlling or at least super involved, and he was able to come out on the other side of that successfully, so that’s a good thing.”

Because of outside projects, I heard the recording for IX was a bit disjointed. What was the time frame between when you guys started working on songs and when you finally all hit the studio for real?

“The whole thing – songwriting, making the demo and doing some basic tracks, doing some overdubs, and finally finishing some vocals, and mixing and getting it to mastering, took about a year, but it really only took about 9 weeks of work. There were a couple of COC tours in there, and Reed Mullin was off working on the Teenage Time Killers.”

…And you were doing the Vista Chino tour, correct?

“Yeah, I did a couple of Vista Chino tours, a little recording and this and that…”

Was it hard to get into the groove so to speak, or were you and Reed able to just jump right into it?

“Nah, it was kind of welcome, it wasn’t long enough to where we had forgotten anything by any means, or it was unfamiliar. But after the time away, it was a welcome thing. You know, sometimes you can really get stuck on a piece of music, and you’re focusing on individual grains of sand instead of stepping back and looking at the beautiful beach. I think it actually helped the process. There was kinda of a point at the end there where we felt like we were up against the gun, and we really needed to adhere to some deadlines, and that can go good or bad, but I think it kind of helped us to just get the job done. The one thing I really don’t like in a lot of contemporary music is the fact that people will mess with it endlessly, and they will strive to make it perfect, whether it is the good ol’ fashioned, honest method of, “do it again, do it again”, or the contemporary, “I have a computer, I can do anything” in either case, to me, a lot of those performances that are achieved like that, you kind of smell a rat, even if they’re good musicians, it lacks the immediacy and the cohesiveness of some competent people that got almost perfect but not quite perfect. It needs the human element for me to enjoy it. Which doesn’t mean it has to be sloppy, or anything like that…”

COC’s records are never over-produced, never overly processed; they have that great live swing to them. Is that always the goal, or that’s just how it works out between you guys and (producer) John Custer?

“Well, I think originally when those guys started working with Custer while I was out of the band, it kind of went from, “what will these poor dudes are gonna do without me, man?” until a record called Blind (Relativity) come out, it’s just super musical and super kick-ass…I think that one, there was an emphasis of taking that idea of perfection almost as far as you can take it before you smell a rat or before you suck the life out of something but stopping way short of it. From what I told, now that I’m one of the engineers, and I know the guys in the back, it was a pretty exhausting process. At that point, those guys and Custer working together, they were really trying to make a statement and really make a tight, tight, tight, record. And it worked. From then on, all of us, and Custer in particular, he’s going for the performance. He has the ear for the performance, having a little something special about it, less on the technicality. There is a bare minimum of technicality, and he’s helping us with quality control and all that, but I find that his suggestions are…they’re fewer and farther between, but they’re just more…dead on. Everybody’s taste on that kind of thing has been pretty much in sync, there’s no telling how far we’ll take that aspect the next time just to see how it feels…it’s kind of what the material dictates to.”

Well, it is definitely refreshing to hear that “live” quality when everything is so overproduced and all of the souls is sucked out of it.

“Yeah, especially in the world of Metal when everything it gets, super-mechanized and all the drums are triggered. You, know you don’t even hear a drum set, you don’t hear a drum kit, it’s not like a unified thing, with a common ambiance, it’s more of a collection of drums that are all carved up to be individually controllable. That can be impressive in small doses, and it’s impressive that technology has made it a possibility.”

Certain bands do call for it, I mean, I can’t see a band like Fear Factory doing what you guys do. Certain bands call for that sort of thing. The downside is that you couldn’t hear the bass player, so it’s nice that a lot of newer recordings are getting off of that, and bringing back live sounds and bringing the bass back up. Which I’m sure you appreciate!

“Yeah, yeah, I do mixes for people and I have been accused of burying the bass a little bit, particularly if it’s my own, sometimes you have to step back and listen to the whole picture.”

I’m a fan of all of C.O.C.’s incarnations, but I’ve noticed that as a trio you never do any Pepper (Keenan) songs live. Is that a respect thing, or is it that you want to be true to the current lineup? What about singing ‘Damned for All Time‘, I think you would sound awesome on that!

“That would be challenging, man, that’s a serious Karl (Agell) groove! That’s Karl in full, almost Ian Gillan-eque mode. I guess, basically a lot of those songs, Pepper songs, Karl songs, it’s just…I don’t know if I would wanna hear someone else sing those. You kinds what…it is kind of a respect thing. I mean, respect for the original creator and singer, even more respect for the audience you don’t wanna try to…you know, sometimes these bands are like an ongoing circus they bring in members, then they kick ’em out, and live they try to grind out the hits, or whatever, but it’s not quite the same, you know, someone else besides Ian Gillan singing ‘Highway Star’”

Some people are happy being hoodwinked like that, and are upset that you don’t, but I think a slight majority appreciate it.

“One of the reasons we started off doing an original band is ‘cos we were hardcore punk, then we started putting in new influences, crossover, you know, whatever you wanna call it, the fact it, we couldn’t be in a cover band because we would mess up somebody’s song that was familiar to people, and they would call, “bullshit, you played it wrong!”, but when you create your own music there is no wrong, because it’s your own. So that’s how we started out, and years and years later now you have the pull of playing someone else’s material, that I was familiar with as a listener and give it the attention that it’s due, it’s real outside of my comfort zone, and kind of a challenge but it was a cool thing to do, and I enjoyed jamming with that.”

COC on Facebook

LIVE PHOTOS BY CURTISS DUNLAP PHOTOGRAPHY

LYNN JORDAN

Cave Dwellers – John Fitterer of Crowned by Fire

Posted on August 8, 2014 by News Team

California metal crew Crowned By Fire breaks the mold of many bands from the LA scene with a raw blend of stoner-rock grooves, and firey blues. Veterans of the scene, they have a “not our first rodeo” approach to metal that fans of Black Sabbath, Black Label Society, Down, Fireball Ministry, Lord Dying and the early records of Soil will flock to. Recorded at Zakk Wylde’s Vatican Studios, their new EP Space Music for Cave People (Chrome Mountain) throws the kitchen sink at you in terms of fuzzed-out, badass tracks and killer solos. The band is just starting to tour outside of California now, and has promised more big things in the future. Ghost Cult caught up with front man John Fitterer to get the scoop on the new EP, covering the greats and rubbing shoulders with some metal gods on a the regular basis. You know, no big whoop.

Your band has been around for almost a decade, but the new EP Space Music for Cave People feels like a real coming out party for the band with a lot of “wow” moments. How did it all come together?

I think the EP has a lot of diversity because of how and even more so when the songs came together. This is almost entirely a B-Side album.

There is definitely a lot of groove-based stuff going on in your music and slower songs really stand out. Is there a Crowned by Fire go-to tempo?

Maybe? ha! It seems even our more upbeat/faster songs like I Spit On Your Curse, I Am The Crime and Shake The Bag off our album Prone To Destroy still have the same tempo as our slower songs, just more fills between the tempo, so maybe we do, If anything it’s the tempo of Sabbath…

What is “space music for cave people”?

I was living up in Cherry Valley in Riverside County on 42 acres of property in a ranch style house built in 1908. At night I would sometimes walk into the blackness of the surrounding fields with my German Shepherd Elsa, a folding chair, a cocktail and just sit, look at the sky and listen to the wildlife, mostly Elsa chasing rabbits in the dark. I only had one visible neighbor and I couldn’t even see him at night. Anyway, I guess I had this sort of vision looking over all the city lights from the hilltop that we humans are still just cave dwelling folk but our caves are constructed of wood, drywall, concrete, metal, stone and that most of us are driven by the identity of music from the past and present propelling us into the future. It inspired me to write a simple song to tip my hat to the gods of thunder (rock n’ roll) and thank them for throwing me into the mix in some way shape or form.

Along with the throwback feel of the tracks, it’s cool to see a band with a song named after itself again. Do you think little things like that send a certain message to the listener about the band?

In this case yeah, Justin hit me up to sing for a band he was in because they were replacing the singer, I thought the music was really heavy and had the potential to be something special. The stuff they were doing was more balls out Slayer/Pantera-ish which showed they had chops and I was really impressed by the looseness of the guitars. I wasn’t sure if we were going to mesh at the time mainly because I was listening to a lot of stuff that was slower and darker (Goatsnake, Neurosis, Celtic Frost, Venom, Sabbath, Vitus, Cathedral, Satyricon, Bolt Thrower) and I really didn’t want to sing to fast songs.

The very first time me and Justin (Manning) jammed together in the Summer of 2006, he broke out this heavy swampy blues metal riff and I immediately started singing this thing I’d written called Crowned By Fire. The riff and lyrics came together so organically we were blown away. We both decided that this was a beast of it’s own origin and to start this band from the ground up. Never once did we play a note of the songs previously written. A month or so later we agreed that Crowned By Fire was the best name for the band.

How did you get Tommy Victor to guest on ‘Buried Away’?

Justin first met Tommy when he was working at Schecter Guitar Research. Tommy was (is?) endorsed by Schecter. CBF played a Schecter party in Hollywood that Tommy was at, he said he dug the set and we gave him a shirt and cd and whatever else we could throw at him, ha! Later Tommy asked Justin to tech for him for a few Danzig gigs. Next thing you know he’s up at Zakks per our request to do some vocals on the new EP, the rest is history. Tommy is fucking awesome and killed it in the studio, -total pro and stand up dude!

You are very versatile vocally, more than a typical rock or metal guy. I even heard some Leonard Cohen stuff in that ballad. What are some of the not-so obvious influences of the band?

I can really only speak for myself on this, yes I’m a huge Leonard Cohen fan, I probably own 95 percent of his catalog. I was thinking I was going for more of a Michael Gira (Swans) or Scott Kelly (from Neurosis on his Blood and Time) thing there, but it was probably all three. My relationships are complicated.

As far as my influences, 60’ psychedelic rock, 70’s classic rock and FM radio, 80’s & 90’s punk/goth and underground metal, some of the decades overlap in genre but you get the picture, I believe all of the influences live and breath through me vocally.

What is Zakk Wylde’s studio (Vatican Studios) like to record in and did he have any advice for you guys?

Kinda. There were 2 actual surreal moments I experienced while recording at the Black Vatican. One was hanging in Vatican kitchen with Tommy Victor and drinking Valhalla Java Coffee while writing down a verse of my lyrics to our song Buried Away for Tommy to sing on, then watching him perform the part while Zakk frequented the room with words of sarcastic encouragement. The next was a complete Spinal Tap moment as I walked into the Vatican to lay down vocal tracks with Adam Klumpp and find Zakk throwing down about 10 takes of the lead guitar on the song Space Music For Cave People. He was schooling Justin on playing a blues lead over the tune. Fucked up thing, both mine and Justin’s iPhones were frozen in limbo uploading new IOS software (in a cell phone dead zone) in the hills of the infamous BLS compound, so none of this was documented at all, and worse yet, no thumbs up to use the boss’s lead on the album, ha!!

Is it a little daunting to record a cover of such a well-known song as ‘Burning for You’ by B. O.C.?

I don’t think so, we talked about doing it a certain way and did it that way. I like it when a band does a cover and you know it’s “that” band doing the cover. I’m sure we’ll occasionally catch some shit about hacking the song or whatever, so what! Scott Hill from FU Manchu once told me that some dude was giving him crap about switching the word “bus” to “Camaro” in their killer sludged out version of BOC’s Godzilla, funny shit. Sometimes people just need to lighten up. Most bands that I truly like, well they can do no wrong for the most part, they aren’t always 10’s and that’s ok with me. One of my favorite cover albums is Six Feet Under’s Graveyard Classics 2, where they cover AC/DC’s Back In Black LP in it’s entirety, total brutal genius.

Sidenote… no cowbell? Bogus! Lol!

I actually wanted cowbell on the song Crowned By Fire, I still do, ha! The first time we attempted to record it in 2006, we sent Justin in the drum room with a cowbell in hand and every time we went to record it we almost died laughing. He looked like a drunk bullfrog hitting an oil can with a flyswatter in there, it really brought out the hillbilly in him. Since then it was unfortunately never revisited..

Is it tough cracking the LA scene with this kind of old-school metal band these days?

No. I actually think it’s brought us more respect with the promoters because they seem to see the genuineness in what we do. We’re almost falling into the “fad” of things now, it feels like anyway. In 2006, when we started, the majority of the bands out there were playing all this technical skinny pants eyeliner metal, now you rarely see any of that shit, and actually a lot of those bands now look like they rolled out of the same smelly van as us, which is a bit disheartening.

Your video was directed by Matt Zane who is known for his distinct visual style. What was it like working with him?

Matt’s a total pro when it comes to directing, he was to the point and extremely articulate in his vision of what we could and should pull off with the resources at hand.

What kind of touring and gigs do you have lined-up in the near future?

In the near future, as far as shows, we’ll be at The Rail Club in Fort Worth on Friday August 15th at Ride For Dime Texas with Texas Hippie Coalition, Malone’s in Santa Ana, CA on Friday August 22nd with Gypsyhawk, Saturday August 30th at The Viper Room in Hollywood with our friends All Hail The Yeti and Lords of Ruin. We’ll probably be hitting the northern west coast this spring (SF, Santa Cruz & such).

We’re working with Black Radar Management in the UK and hope to be making plans to get to Europe sooner than later!

Crowned By Fire on Facebook

KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES

Back To Basics: Jimmy Bower of Down

Posted on June 10, 2014 by News Team

Since 1995 Down has been the leading lights of metal. When the super-group released their debut NOLA (Elektra) it was an amalgam of the best of the best members of Southern influenced metal. Despite the great names among their ranks, they were almost an underground band, with little fanfare, that did a few short tours and then little else, at first. However, their fanbase grew over time, almost willing the band into full-time existence. Ever since 2001, the band has been regularly putting out fine releases, and passing on the torch to a new generation of other bands. With the release of the throwback feeling Down IV- Part II (Down Records) the band continues to cement their legend. Senior Editor Keith Chachkes chatted with the ever humble Jimmy Bower (EyeHateGod) about the evolution of the group.

We started off our chat with Jimmy by immediately addressing the departure of founding member Kirk Windstein from the group last fall. Whenever Down has lost a member in the past, it seemed to always be from within the Down extended family, and this has held true with Bobby Landgraf being chosen as the new guitarist:

“Kirk left the band last year. He wanted to concentrate on Crowbar full time. So on this EP, we introduced Bobby. He was our stage manager for five years. It was really cool and made sense to get Bobby into the band. The first Down EP had a couple of songs left over from our other records. This EP was all new stuff. This was one of the smoothest records we have ever made. Like you touched on, it kind of gets back to the basics of Down.”

“If you really think about it, you have to spend 24 hours a day with this person. You have to have the same influences. You have to know Down well enough, to know how to write a song with us. With Bobby, he’s been our stage manager for five years. He understands the Down sound and how we work. He is like family. He is family. We really like and respect his guitar style. He comes from the band Honky, which is really like a ZZ Top-style, Texas rock band that we dig. Like I said, you have to be able to live with this person. It was a really easy decision for us.”

Since this series of releases has been in the works for quite some time, we asked Bower if there were going to be any leftover songs from the Kirk era on future releases.

“Kirk wanted to do Crowbar full-time. We completely respected that. But the cool thing about this EP as well, is all these songs are brand new. I don’t think any old riffs of Kirk’s or anything like that are going to be used or anything, just out of respect. Because he might want to use some of those riffs in Crowbar someday. Besides, riffs are too easy to write! (Laughs)”

Although some eyebrows were raised at the time two years ago, the decision by the band to release a series of shorter releases instead of just a couple of full-length albums has proved to be an inspired choice. Jimmy went into detail about the concept, and how it evolved once Landgraf came into the fold.

“The whole idea behind the EPs was that each EP should reflect a different style and sound that Down does. We’ve got heavy stuff, mellow stuff, trippy stuff. Since Kirk left the band, we decided on this EP to just write a record with Bobby, you know? Just to have a fresh start. I’m sure the next EP will definitely reflect a different style. For this one, it just made sense with Bobby just getting in the band, you know, “let’s just write a good Down EP”. All the songs are brand new. It was one of the easiest records Down has ever made. All the riffs are brand new. Bobby came in with some riffs, everybody wrote riffs for this one and contributed. It’s great and it feels like a fresh start.

Several members of the band have long floated the notion that they band would make a mellow, acoustic album at some point in the future. Will this come to fruition soon? Bower reveals this as the possible direction for the next EP:

“It will be more reflective of songs like ‘Jail’ on Nola and, like Down II. You know, Down II was really kind of an experimental record for us with a bunch of different styles. We’ve already started talking about that actually, and everything like that. That was the whole point of these EPs, to represent all the different styles of the band. We are back on track with that.”

Down is currently out on the Revolver Golden Gods Tour with Black Label Society, Devil You Know, and Butcher Babies. We asked about the challenges of not being the headline band for a change:

“We are going out with Black Label. The only mis-fortunate thing about that tour is, we are only getting an opening slot. So I don’t think we are getting more than an hour. With that said, the plan is to definitely play songs off the new EP on the tour. At least three of `em. We’ve been practicing, and we’ve got three and have `em down pretty good. We’re just looking forward to people hearing the new stuff too. We’re really excited about it man. Again, the new material sounds really fresh to us, so of course we will be playing some of it live.”

2015 will mark the 20^th anniversary of the NOLA album, and almost 25 years since the band was formed. Jimmy mused about the spark of friendship that helped created the band, and what his feelings are today about the group:

I remember when Down first got together, I thought the idea was amazing. We were all friends and it was a very influential time. We’d always hang out and listen to anything from Soundgarden to Sabbath to (Saint) Vitus or Witchfinder (General). It felt good for us as friends to get together. We’d all hang out, get drunk and listen to Vitus, Sabbath or whatever. It just made sense that Down was created. I am just honored to still be in it. We always told ourselves when we started Down, that this was the kind of band we could all grow old in and jam. I say this all the time that Down is really one of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever had as a musician, and it’s just a really cool thing to be involved in. And for it to still be going on, like you said, next year will be 20 years. It makes me feel old, man! (laughs)

Down on Facebook

KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES

Ghost Cult Magazine #18 is out now!

Posted on June 7, 2014 by News Team

Like a bat out of hell……Ghost Cult #18 is here! The new issue features none other than Down on our cover.We interviewed Jimmy Bower about the changes in the band and their amazing new EP, Down IV, Part II. Issue #18 also includes interviews with Lacuna Coil, Beastmilk, Sevendust, Sabbath Assembly, Kyng, Amenra, ReVamp, Lord Dying, Anciients, and Dragged In To Sunlight. We also have complete coverage of the legendary Roadburn Festival, and a recap the 16^thannual New England Metal And Hardcore Festival. Plus concert reviews from the likes of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Carcass, Red Fang, Scale The Summit, The Ocean, & The Atlas Moth. We also have special feature with the late Dave Brockie, as well our largest section of album reviews to date. Made especially for your tablet device or smartphone! Check it out and tell a friend! Twice!

The Golden Gods Tour – Live at Iron City, Birmingham, AL

Posted on May 27, 2014 by News Team

There are some great tour packages these days, but the tradeoff is that each band may get a little less stage time than they (or their fans) may be used to. An example of this is the Golden Gods Tour headlined by Black Label Society. The opening bands, in order, are Butcher Babies, Devil You Know and Down. However, it is a quality bill, and I highly recommend that you catch this tour when it rolls your way.

Skipping the bigger city of Atlanta and stopping in Birmingham, AL at the venue Iron City Birmingham, the show started early with one of the “love them or hate them” bands, Butcher Babies. I happen to like them, and they are showing that they aren’t some kind of fluke as they continue to tour off of their summer 2013 release Goliath (Century Media). The band wasted no time getting down to business for their 30 minute set. Of course, the lead-singing ladies Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd command the stage and everyone’s attention with the strong voices, looks, and constant motion, but their band should not be overlooked. Solid and keeping it tight, they were a great musical support while the ladies did their thing. Butcher Babies has grown in notoriety, and I am sure there were many there who were curious or waiting to hate. But I have a feeling that by the time their set was over, Butcher Babies had themselves some new fans.

In our last issue, I had reviewed the Devil You Know’s debut album, The Beauty of Destruction (Nuclear Blast), and rated it very highly. But of course, I couldn’t wait to see them perform the material live, and they did not disappoint. Warmly welcoming Howard Jones and his return to the stage, the crowd was ready to absorb the new music. I was curious as to how the band would be received since the material is still so new and there are no ‘classics’ to fall back on, but the crowd was into it, and the band was flawless. Musicians Francesco Artusato (lead guitar), Roy Lev-Ari (guitar), Ryan Wombacher (bass) and John Sankey (drums) are technicians, but the taste they display when they could easily over do it really showed their skill. Another short set, they crammed in ‘A New Beginning’, the single ‘Seven Years Alone’ and the closer ‘Shut It Down’. They were polished, but did radiate enough raw energy to keep the crowd more than *ahem* engaged. Howard’s stage banter was humorous as always and he sounded fantastic, and it was great to see and hear him in such fine form and getting back into the grind of touring.

I absolutely love Down and have had the pleasure of seeing them on several occasions. However, this is first time I’ve seen them with second guitarist Bobby Landgraf and bassist Pat Bruders, who are just great and seem like they were always there. I did miss seeing Kirk Windstein at first, but the solidity of the new members made me forget about that quickly. They opened with ‘Eyes of the South’ and played new favorites ‘We Knew Him Well’ and ‘Witch Tripper’ off of Down IV Part 2 and Down IV Part 1 – The Purple EP (Down Records/Independent Label Group) respectively. They made the most of their 40-minute set, and Phil Anselmo was gracious and self-deprecating. He apologized for the band, saying that they really didn’t get to practice much, but it certainly didn’t show. Jimmy Bower kept it tight, and Pepper Keenan was just on fire. I am loving where Phil’s voice is right now as it has really rounded out, and sounded warm and full. They closed with the mighty “Bury Me in Smoke” before they left the stage. While myself and many others in the audience wished they had more time, they made good song choices such as ‘Lifer’, ‘Stone the Crow’ and ‘Losing All’.

While the crowd showed respect to Devil You Know and for Down, there were very many there to see Black Label Society. Once Down was done, the crowd clearly became more anxious and rambunctious, getting ready for Zakk Wylde and crew. I have not seen BLS in a very long time, so I was overdue to catch them live. The huge BLS banner dropped and the band kicked in with ‘My Dying Time’, the killer track from BLS’ latest release, Catacombs of the Black Vatican (E1 Music), then dove right into ‘Godspeed Hellbound’. BLS had the audience in the palm of their hand from the get-go. With his band Dario Lorina (rhythm guitar), John DeServio (bass) and Jeff Fabb (drums) backing him, Zakk clearly has the foundation from which his guitar can soar, and the crowd ate it up. Other songs performed included ‘In This River’, ‘Suicide Messiah’, and they ended the night with ‘Still Born’. It was a great set, and what you go to a rock show for.

This is definitely a tour worth catching, and dates have been selling out. So if you are considering going, don’t wait too long to get a ticket. Reasonably priced with a dynamic and diverse lineup, this is one tour that will give you a great bang for your hard-earned buck.

Black Label Society on Facebook

Down on Facebook

Devil You Know on Facebook

Butcher Babies on Facebook

LYNN JORDAN

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