In a series of Tweets, festival manager AJ Maddah announced the festival canceled due to low ticket sales. Acrimony has already kicked up about who is responsible for refunds, with the ticket agency and the promoter in a public war of words. Fans have taken to social media to express their dismay, although the festival’s website has yet to be updated. Had it taken place Disturbed, Bring Me The Horizon, The Prodigy, Deftones, Bullet For My Valentine, NOFX, Refused, Hatebreed, L7 and others were scheduled to perform. This was to be the last year of the fest so with the latest events, it would seem the festival, once one of the best live music events in the world is over.
Canceled Soundwave Dates
Jan 23: Brisbane, AU
Jan 24: Sydney, AU
Jan 26: (Australia Day Public Holiday) Melbourne, AU
Nuclear Blast Records has announced a new deal with hardcore influenced metal bandHatebreed with new album due out next Spring. The deal extends the bands contract in Europe and now covers the bands releases worldwide. The new album will be the follow up to 2013s Divinity of Purpose.
Jamey Jasta commented on the signing:
“Hatebreed signing to Nuclear Blast worldwide could not come at a better time and we’re extremely excited to get this new album out and commence the world tour in 2016 and 2017! Our diehards have been patiently waiting for headline dates and new songs, we can’t wait for everyone to hear what we have been working on!”
The band is recording the new album with their long time producer Chris “Zeus” Harris (ROB Zombie, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel).Josh Wilbur will mix the song(Lamb Of God, Megadeth).
Hatebreed2016 tour dates:
Jan 23 2016: Soundwave – Brisbane, AU
Jan 24 2016: Soundwave – Sydney, AU
Jan 26 2016: Soundwave – Melbourne, AU
Headlining the Impericon Festivals 2016 Tour:
Apr 22 2016: Turbinenhalle – Oberhausen, DE
Apr 23 2016: Agra – Leipzig, DE
May 01 2016: Melkweg – Amsterdam, NL
May 02 2016: Academy – Manchester, UK
May 03 2016: 02 Forum Kentish Town – London, UK
May 04 2016: Les Docks De Paris- Paris, France
May 05 2016: X-Tra – Zurich, CH
May 06 2016: Arena – Vienna, AT
May 07 2016: Zenith -Munich, DE
Jun 17 2016: Hellfest – Clisson, FR
Jul 07 2016: Resurrection Fest – Viveiro, ES
Jul 08 2016: Out & Loud Festival- Geiselwind, Germany, DE
May 07 2016: Zenith -Munich, DE
Jun 17 2016: Hellfest – Clisson, FR
Jul 07 2016: Resurrection Fest – Viveiro, ES
Jul 08 2016: Out & Loud Festival- Geiselwind, Germany, DE
Another year, another Rock and Shock Festivalarrived on the scene to get us even more in the Halloween mood. A terrific lineup of iconic personalities, and amazing vendors at the DCU Center along with a strong lineup of music titans over at The Worcester Palladium made this a year to remember. I have been to eight of the eleven years of this great festival and it gets better and better every year. This was one of the years where the convention ran slightly ahead of the show for me in terms of love, but that is less about the bands and some the horror giants that were in attendance, among my favorites in the genre, ever.
Friday was marred slightly by the typically shitty I -90 traffic heading out to the venue, taking almost 2.5 hours to arrive from Boston. Not only did we miss a tight group of local bands, I missed some of the bands I really wanted to see like Brick By Brick and Shattered Sun. Getting there in time to catch some of Soilwork at least made up for it. Not only did they play some more recent tracks from The Ride Majestic (Nuclear Blast), they played the throwback classic cut ‘Bastard Chain’ which was amazing.
Sanctuary, by Meg Loyal Photography
Following Soilwork it was time for some more old-school jams with Sanctuary and Soulfly. The reactivated power metal/thrashers Sanctuary were super tight and sounded great. Better than I expected or remember. Soulfly also put on a great show. Max Cavalera and crew played a lot of hits as well as Sepultura classics and even a little Nailbomb jam. Maybe about the best Soulfly set I’ve ever seen. Max is just really great at extolling the crowd to move: screaming, rapping, or playing some percussion instruments, the guy does it all.
Soulfly, by Meg Loyal Photography
As expected Hatebreed’s career spanning, 20th anniversary set was as great as could be. Jamey Jasta and his crew have boundless energy and played an almost two-hour set. Track after track of classic beat-down songs and deep cuts from every era of the band rained down from the speakers. Many times Jamey jumped into the barricade and had fans screaming along with him. It was epic feeling and people were just throwing down all over the venue. It was a pretty amazing time and Jamey made sure everyone new Hatebreed is coming back with a new album in 2016.
Getting up early on Saturday, we made sure to spend a lot of time at the convention at the DCU center and really get to see and do everything over there. There were many awesome vendors, specifically a lot of local businesses, which was great to see. There were also several dog rescues and pet adoption tables with people doing great work to find some puppies and kitties new homes in the middle of all this metal and horror greatness. While I was only able to get glimpse of George A. Romero, some of the movie personalities I got to chat with made up for it such as Doug Bradley (Hellrazor), William Sanderson, Bill Mosley, Traci Lords, and especially Stephen Macht and Michael Mackay from Monster Squad. Most of the band signings were happening here, with the longest line I saw being for Superjoint.
Saturday’s lineup was a little deeper and more eclectic than most years too. The second stage had an array of diverging styles represented by The Relapse Symphony, Byzantine, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein with his solo band, and Eyes Set To Kill among others. The main stage was led off by doom masters Witch Mountain. New singer Kayla Dixon has a tall order to fill replacing the much adored Uta Plotkin, but Kayla has amazing pipes and stage presence. She does justice to all of Uta’s material, the other past material of the band, and definitely brings her own style to the table too. I am so looking forward to a new WM album with her at the mic.
For a bit of consistency, the next three bands had a common thread in Wednesday 13, New Year’s Day and The Rocking Dead, all bringing an old/new take on horror punk, glam rock and metal. Wednesday performed the best, NYD had the most fans in the house, and The Rocking Dead was beautiful wreck. Both the later two performed with The Rocking Dead, an all-star collection of talented folks playing all covers. It was exciting to see and hear Doyle and Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat jam out to some great songs, but the band hadn’t rehearsed at all and the sloppy performance was not amusing.
Prong, by Meg Loyal Photography
Prong was up next and were one of the best bands of the weekend. The band seems reinvigorated by some new blood in the band and performed a mix of old-school (‘Beg to Differ’, ‘Unconditional’) and new-ish (‘Revenge Best Served Cold’) tracks. Props to Tommy Victor for pulling double-duty this tour with Danzig. I’m waiting patiently on that new Prong album in early 2016 too.
Veil of Maya, by Meg Loyal Photography
After catching a little bit of Veil of Maya’s performance, we had to grab some provisions (beers and food) and do a final sweep of the band merch for the weekend. Then it was time for Superjoint to open up a total can of whup-ass on The Palladium. Easily the most brutal set and pits of the entire weekend by far. Between Phil Anselmo’s between song levity, the amped up playing it was a really fun time. With an excellent blend of hardcore, doom riffs and heaviness, the band was actually tighter and better than they were back in the day to me.
Superjoint, by Meg Loyal Photography
Superjoint, by Meg Loyal Photography
Finally the set changed over for Danzig. As always he had an impressive stage set up and props, with the ominous “Skull Horns” mascot emblazoned on everything. The backdrop and stage were definitely the best of the entire weekend in contrast to the other bands except for maybe Soulfly. The band came out strong with ‘Skin Carver’ and ‘Hammer of The Gods’. Glenn still has a mighty voice live after all these years. The good thing about being an enigmatic artist and not touring all the time is that people are not burned out on seeing you. Even the songs you have heard a million times on record sounded good live. Feeling every note and dramatic beat, the front man flung himself around the stage like a much younger man. While this challenged him to keep his breath and tone steady, he held up well. The set list was also pretty eclectic with three new cover songs from his new Skeletons album (Evilive/Nuclear Blast).
One thing that was a bummer was the much talked about photo policy. As everyone now knows, Danzig hates photographers; professional or otherwise. I saw at least 25 people kicked out of the show by security for taking pics or videos, and that number may have been 3-4 times that number from what I have been told. Although I admit this policy is extreme, Danzig has a point. Everybody put your phone down and watch the goddamn show! Plus there were signs everywhere and it wasn’t exactly a secret since security guys were warning people all night and stopping the from filming.
Overall Danzig’s set was pretty sweet, although some people I talked to after quibbled with the song choices. He did mix it up well with 15 tracks spread across 7 albums. And I might have chosen a different closer than ‘Brand New God’ from Danzig 4P (American), but no matter. If it’s the last time I ever see the guy live, it’s all good to me.
From Black Sabbath’s 1970 début to the present day, cover versions have always been part of the Metal furniture. They can appear as part of the album itself, tacked onto the end as bonus material, or in more recent times, even given a disc of their own to supplement Special Edition packages. In fact for some bands, covers almost come as standard. But to release an entire album of them? Well that could still be seen as a little unconventional.
It’s been done before, of course. Metallica even did it twice (well, once and a half), Slayer took a stab at it, Ozzy had a bash, and more recently Hatebreed threw their hat into the ring with surprisingly effective results. However, whereas those acts chose songs which came as no real shock to anyone, there are a couple of genuine surprises on Skeletons (Evilive/Nuclear Blast). Danzig does ZZ Top and Aerosmith? Really?
Yes, really. And what’s more, he does them well.
Kicking off with a rollicking version of the theme song to obscure 1967 biker flick ‘Devil’s Angels’ it’s pleasing to report that Danzig’s voice is still in fine fettle. The obscure movie theme, er… theme continues with the title song to 1969 movie ‘Satan’s Sadists’. A slow, bluesy number which allows Danzig to croon to his heart’s content, featuring lyrics he could easily have written himself.
Unsurprisingly, the album kicks off properly with the arrival of Elvis. Lifted once again from a movie soundtrack, ‘Let Yourself Go’ comes from the 1968 Presley movie ‘Speedway’, and this new version is an absolute thumper. As soon as it finishes, you want to go back to the start and listen to it all over again. And again. A satisfyingly heavy version of Black Sabbath‘s ‘N.I.B.’ follows. Not a patch on the original of course, and Tommy Victor’s pinch harmonics do start to become a little grating, but it’s a meaty enough version with Danzig’s stamp all over it.
Up until now, covering Black Sabbath, Elvis and low-budget biker movies should come as no real surprise. But Aerosmith? Taken from Get Your Wings (Columbia), ‘Lord of the Thighs’ sounds more like a Danzig original than an Aerosmith song by the time it ends. The Litter are next up for the Fonzig treatment. A psychedelic garage rock band from Minneapolis, their song ‘Action Woman’ from 1967 was their first hit, and once again not the most obvious choice of song to benefit from a Danzig overhaul. But yet again, the big muscular cuddly one comes up trumps.
It’s a case of so near, yet so far with ZZ Top‘s ‘Rough Boy’; an adventurous selection anyway, it so very nearly comes off thanks to Danzig’s voice (probably his best vocal performance on the record), but Tommy Victor’s constant pinch harmonics renders it irritating to the point of distraction. Even Zakk Wylde‘s ear piercing harmonics would have been easier on the ears than this. Also, the addition of a couple of needless “fucks” added to the lyrics distract you even further. Frustrating.
Danzig turns The Troggs classic ‘With A Girl Like You’ into a Misfits number with consummate ease, ‘Find Somebody’ by The Young Rascals gets a lively makeover, and the album closes with a suitably depressing version of The Everly Brothers‘ already melancholic ‘Crying in the Rain’.
Danzig’s voice is as strong (and divisive) as it always has been; a few minor wobbles and cracks here and there but nothing too bothersome. The production is nice and warm, and the album cover features a naked-from-the-chest-up porn star Kayden Kross in skullface make-up. Which is nice.
An interesting collection of songs, Skeletons should sit comfortably on the shelf alongside Danzig’s other releases, and surely without any of the ignominy of being referred to in the future as “oh yeah, that pointless covers album”. If you consider compilation album The Lost Tracks of Danzig (Evilive) to be worthy of inclusion in your record collection, then this should definitely be in there too.
Being a new face on a record label with a storied history like Nuclear Blast Records can be a daunting task for any band. For the members of Speaking The King’s, they became one of the label’s newest faces that spearheaded a breed of youth based punk driven metal.
The band completed their full length album Carousel and is excited to share it with the world. The public got their first taste of the band with their debut EP (2013’s Here To Stay), and since then they began growing into their sound by experimenting with a variety of styles and crafting songs that reached a variety of listeners.
“We worked real hard on the EP but we were trying to figure out which direction we wanted to go – if we wanted to go wider, heavier. We wanted to see what we could do. So one of the things we really loved and really wanted to exploit was Bobby’s [Burap, lead vocals] great voice so we figured let’s focus on a lot of using that element that he has and getting that into our songs,” said guitarist Mike Entin.
“When we were writing the full length, it was a lot of basing off of the choruses opposed to who can write the biggest breakdowns. Now granted there are plenty of breakdowns and plenty of heavy parts on the new CD, it does have something for everybody. It’s a much longer roller coaster.”
Taking the name from a familiar film, guitarist Justin Bock talked about how this hit them enough to name the band after this.
“There was a scene in the movie Inglorious Bastards and it’s actually exactly what you said – it’s a shorthand of speaking the king’s English. It’s the scene where an English soldier first sees a German soldier in the basement of a bar and is captured by one of the actual German soldiers. He basically realizes that it’s the end of the line and there’s really no way out of this. So he’s going up to this place and we just felt like we’re just going to take over this place and we’re just gonna throw everything we’ve got into it and just hope for the best and see where it takes us. So that really struck a chord with us and we grabbed the name and the rest is history.”
On Carousel, they enlisted veteran producer Steve Evetts to man the recording sessions. While soliciting producers to work on their record, they found a connection with him over some of his past producing projects was some of their favorite records and ones that helped shape the band’s sound.
“On this one, we were lucky enough to work with Steve Evetts. Nuclear Blast gave us the opportunity and we couldn’t have been more thrilled. There was a point where we got the list of producers on board and we were writing down the list of CDs they did. We wanted to work with Steve Evetts but let’s put him on here and the reason why was, is because he worked on one of our favorite albums – The Here and Now by Architects, and a lot of our favorite CDs in the past ten years.”
“When we got a call a few days later from Nuclear Blast, they said ‘hey we’re meeting Steve Evetts. OK later.’ We just dropped our jaw and said ‘did that just happen?’ Steve Evetts is an amazing producer. He did a wonderful job and we’re beyond stoked on this,” said Entin.
Bock explained their songwriting process and how they approach their vast string of songs they have written. He said they took more chances on the new record that they did not on the EP.
“Typically Mike or I will come up with riffs or chorus parts. We build from there. It’s become a more closed process than it has in the past. I think with the full length there’s much more variety. We feel we put in a little bit more than we did on the EP where it was more straight ahead heavy. We took a little more risks on this one. I think it paid off huge for us.”
“It usually starts off with Mike or I will write and then we put drums to it and then we put the basic idea structure wise. Then Bobby puts the vocals and then we wait and make it fit the way it is. It’s usually small changes and sometimes big ones and it turns into songs.”
They spoke about the variety of styles on Carousel, ranging from heavier mosh songs to more melodic tunes with sing a long parts, which gives listeners an assortment of songs to choose from.
“It’s funny because what we do is when we put the set together, we will try to knock off a little of everything. We try to make sure to play something for the kids with the breakdowns, and we’ll also play something back to back that the girls want to sing along. The other thing that we also do is that all of our biggest fans say that they like it and they have so much fun and they’re involved. We don’t make it seem like we’re not down on anyone and they wanted to listen to it. I think that’s one of our awesome qualities that we like to win people over. We’re trying to get them involved – even if it’s not a genre that you like, you won’t feel like you’re lost in the crowd. We want you to sing along with us. I think that stuff shows how much we like to put into making this more of a band than just a band’s show,” said Entin.
Having Evetts manning the recording sessions helped Speaking The King’s elevate their sound to the next level. They explained how his past experience helped them grow as a band and working hands on with the band made them a better band overall
“With Steve we gave him a much more complete product. When we did the EP, the band and I just recorded. We didn’t have a singer at that point. So it was like doing two halves and it was the EP. With this record, everything was finished and ready to go when Steve came up and spent a week with us at our rehearsal space just going through everything and song structure – change the kick pattern to this and change the guitar chord to this – little things that help make all the songs into something maybe bigger than we had imagined it being.”
“He’s a master at his craft and was one of the single biggest learning experiences of my life, which was spending that one month with him and learning more than I have than all of the records I’ve made combined. It was really cool just picking his brain and letting him show us how he makes records with real sound the whole time. It’s not all that programmed drums. It’s all real live natural feeling and I think to me those records seem to last. We were super fortunate to be able to meet with him and then to work with him and make a record that way with somebody like that that’s done so many records we have so much respect for,” said Bock.
“One thing that he did actually that we all experienced as musicians he broke us down. He made us work until we had the perfect take. He only strives for the best and we all loved that. It made us better musicians as growing musicians. It was hard love but it was awesome because he got a lot out of you. I think that’s one thing that all of us got after we got out of the studio,” said Entin.
“For me, he made me play so much that there were so many drumheads that we had to switch. I even broke one of his cymbals. He made me play so much and so hard to get the recording correct and perfect. I’ve never sweated so much in my life,” added drummer Will Peacock.
At what point did the members of Speaking the King’s realize that Evetts was the same guy who produced records for such artists as Hatebreed and Dillinger Escape Plan?
“I think for me we kind of had an idea of a lot of that stuff when we went in there. For me specifically, I found out during the process that he actually produced a lot of the records I’ve listened to for a long time that I had no idea he did. Bands that whenever certainly I’m thinking about pitching to who was producing one, I found three or four records that were some of my favorites that he had done and had no idea. We went in there awestruck and left there even more awestruck. It’s really cool,” explained Bock.
While the band are still a new face on the music scene, they are learning the ins and outs of how to maneuver in many situations. They shared some of their experiences from their brief time on the road and playing with other touring artists.
“We’ve learned that there’s all kinds of people that know what we do in there. It’s cool the variety of people who come together for music. We also learned that the sound guy is your best friend in the world. We played a festival out here with Emmure and their sound guy mixed for us for the show. There was an incredible difference. We played at The Grove in Anaheim, CA and it’s a pretty good sized venue. It was a night and day difference between what we had with him and what somebody in the band had with the house guy or whatever. Each venue is different and so when you get a good sound guy, make sure you thank him for that,” said Bock.
Peacock concluded, “Another good aspect is keep it simple. Don’t complicate things with your rigs with everything that you’re using. You’re making it in and out on the road 24-7 for 28 shows out of 30 days. You want to keep it simple because it will have a lot of wear on it and take care of yourself.”
Once again it’s on at the annual Rock And Shock Festival at Worcester MA this weekend, October 16th, 17th and 18th. The amazing horror convention slash- music concerts is one of the best combo experiences and certainly one of the dominant concert events on the east coast yearly. Bands now route their tours just to align with the festival and this years biggies are Hatebreed, performing a special 20th anniversary show, Danzig’s Blackest of The Black Tour, and the We Sold Our Souls To Metal Tour featuring Soulfly and Soilwork. Ticket information can be found at this link:
Many people come to Rock and Shock just for the horror convention element, one of the best organized and heavily attended of its kind. The collection of talent, vendors, and films premiering on display are enough to satisfy the most discerning gore-obsessed fan. While there is a big presence of major stars and mainstream film coverage, it is the chance to meet (or is it meat?) the biggest names in celluloid axeman-ship and scream queens galore that will keep you coming back. Luminaries of the bloody sliver screen such as Tobin Bell (Saw), industry legend George A. Romero, director Adam Green, Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), Samantha Mathis (The Strain, American Psycho), William Sanderson (Blade Runner, True Blood), Bill Mosley (The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween) Derek Mears Friday The 13th) Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), and Traci Lords (Blade) are just the tip of the iceberg. Many will be meeting fans, taking pictures and signing autographs most of the weekend. There are costume contests, tattooing, discounted entry for America’s Armed Forces servicemen and women and much more.
Friday night is the a fore mentioned Hatebreed retrospective set. The Palladium is basically a hometown type show every time the band plays there, so expect chaos. Following right behind are Soulfly, Sanctuary, Soilwork, Decapitated, Shattered Sun, and Brick By Brick. They will be joined by a host of local bands on the Upstairs stage.
Saturday is the day of Danzig’s Blackest of the Black tour with Superjoint, Veil of Maya, Prong, Jeremy Saffer’s The Rocking Dead all-star jam (Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein–The Misfits/Doyle, Alex Story–Doyle/Cancerslug, Wednesday 13–Murderdolls, Kyle Castronovo–Wednesday 13, Ace Von Johnson–Faster Pussycat, Taime Downe–Faster Pussycat, Ash Costello–New Years Day, Nikki Misery–New Years Day, Mike D’Antonio–Killswitch Engage, Acey Slade–Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, and Bret Von Dehl–The Relapse Symphony),New Year’s Day, Wednesday 13, and Witch Mountain on the Main stage. Upstairs features Get Scared, Eyes Set To Kill, Doyle, Hatchet, Byzantine, and The Relapse Symphony.
Sunday features horrorcore rappers such as Twiztid, Blaze, Boondox, Prozak, Wolf Pac, Scum, Kissing Candice and many more. There is also an after party performance too.
“There was one conscious decision when it came to this album, and that was to have a bit more pace in there. Once we started playing the Severance stuff live, we sped a few songs up and they sounded way better. We sound our best when there’s a bit more urgency. Then, when it came to recording, we wanted to recreate the live sound as much as possible with natural, organic sounds, with everything properly recorded.”
Jamie Graham sounds slightly worn at the end of a long day of press, promoting the new Heart of a Cowardalbum, Deliverance (Century Media), but there’s no mistaking the glint in his voice when discussing their new release. Because he knows. Part tech-metal, part groove armada, HOAC have taken the slicker, yet oh-so-malevolent approach of Severance (also Century Media) and worked hard on their song writing to produce this years’ sleeper for UK metal’s breakthrough album. He knows Deliverance is a bit special.
“You can’t just play constant ragers for 50 minutes; people want dynamics. But we’re getting to a balance where we don’t have any songs that are there just to make the time up”, he begins, moving on to discuss the flesh of the new offering. And it is a body of work that sees some impressive vocal output from the man himself, with attention in the detail of the different tones of his more aggressive shouts and the nuances and delivery of his cleans, a performance that upped the ante for Graham. “Yeah, it’s tough! I’m not going to lie! Since we’ve started playing the new songs I’m like… Fuck! It’s hard!”
If anything, the laughter that accompanies that comment betrays modesty, for Graham has always delivered as a vocalist. This time around, though, he shines, leading a slew of new metal anthems that should see HOAC truly establishing themselves. “I had that feeling when we did Severance as well. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing, to be honest. As soon as you’re setting be all and end all goals, you’re setting yourself up for a fall. Hopefully people will appreciate the album, and forward it on, talk about it, or whatever the kids do these days, and the album itself will do the rest.”
While not a concept album, Severance linked itself to a reoccurring theme; Deliverance (continuing the train of album titles ending with ance – “Haha, yes! Well, after the last one came out we thought, why don’t we make this next one the last of set?”) also returns at key moments to motifs and similar notions: “to an aftermath, or a result of something, whether a conflict, or struggle, or endeavour. Most of the songs are about fulfilling something – hence the title. The last record was more about breaking away from things that were holding you back. There’s definitely a cohesiveness between our album titles and themes, but there’s not a story across them.”
Heart of a Coward may seem a relatively new name, but since adding guitarist Steve Haycock and former Sylosis vocalist Graham in 2011, this British quintet have been very much in the ascendancy. If 2013’s Severance saw a refinement from bluster, and a band of raw promise, to a genuine contender to the UK metal throne, then Deliverance should, by rights, see them being fitted with ermine robes and bejewelled, pointy head gear.
“It doesn’t feel like it to us, but a lot of people still perceive us as a new band” Graham confirms. Album three is a tricky place to be for a line-up that is only four years old; but four years that have now seen three increasingly excellent albums. “It works in our favour as we’ve been around the block and fully road-tested, so someone coming to check us out won’t need a second time to be convinced. At the same time, there’s no excuse for complacency. We know we have to put the work in and we do the best we can.”
With convincing recent performances under their belt at both Download and Techfest, one of the questions to be asked is, where do Heart of a Coward fit in? “It’s pit music that has hooks and choruses” states Graham. With his band appealing to different audiences, Deliverance sees further development of a more song-based progression. While this will appeal to the more centre ground, is there a concern of leaving their Tech Metal fanbase behind?
“We’ll always have enough technicality to appeal to the tech fans, but we’re a simpler equivalent” explains the frontman. “I’m not worried about that at all. You’ve got your Born of Osiris and Periphery’s and they do their thing and have a lot of bands trying to copy that, but that can’t do it as well (as they do). We do take a portion of that sound, but then mix it with a Killswitch vibe, and with a touch of Acacia Strain or Hatebreedy stuff.
“With the technical side, a lot of bands lose the purpose of the “song” for the purpose of being technical. But then it can go too far the other way with bands who just have a chorus, and the song becomes far too throwaway. We balance that.”
Graham has already mentioned an insistence on ensuring a live, organic feel to this album, and it is with the live arena in mind that several of the songs were constructed. “We did that with this one, yes”, he confirms. “Songs like ‘Deadweight’ and ‘Shade’, we probably wouldn’t omit from the live set, so we wanted to think of songs that would fit nicely with those songs, but without copying them. You have to pace yourself too.”
And the band are aware of the increased demands live, considering the developments on record. “Steve’s doing more backing vocals and stepping into new territory. He’s got a really good screaming voice, a real proper gruff Scott Kelly smoking through a rubber tube voice, which is wicked, Carl can sing too, but it’s a confidence thing with him as he’s so used to just playing his guitar”, Graham adds.
Heart Of A Coward 2015
Deliverance is a maelstrom of modern metal that bridges the age gap within the HOAC ranks. With Graham’s own introduction to metal being Machine Head’s ‘Death Church’ as a mate slipped him Burn My Eyes (Roadrunner), Side B first, to Metallica, Guns N’Roses and then Deftones, it’s no surprise of the diversity flecking the spectrum of HOAC, as Deliverance supplies ragers, groove metal, djent, jagged Gothenburg riffs and modern metal songs with depth and character.
“I like most that it’s got dynamics, and more variety, but it doesn’t lose focus” concludes Graham. While each band spouts their current album is their defining moment, ‘tricky’ album three has proved just that moment for Heart Of A Coward. “I’m really proud of that. A lot of bands struggle on album three to not repeat themselves and whatever big hits they‘ve had before and whatever’s worked for them before, and tend to exploit that too much. Or the opposite, and they veer off in a direction that alienates the whole fan base.
“We’ve straddled both and we’ve paved the way for the next album to be a logical evolution. We know where we want to go with it all, now.”
Japanese pop culture has made its presence felt over time and now the musical side is slowly attracting fans across the globe. For the rock outfit known as VAMPS, they have quickly built a loyal following within their home country while also attracting curious fans internationally as well.
They released their third album (and their first release via Spinefarm Records) in 2014 titled Bloodsuckers, and supported SIXX: AM on a US tour, which included an appearance at Rock On The Range in Columbus, OH. They had previously headlined US tours in 2009 and 2010, and invited SIXX: AM to perform on their Vamp Park Fest in Tokyo in February 2015. The band will be doing their first ever live dates in South America, as well as shows in Los Angeles, CA at the Roxy (October 5th) and in San Francisco, CA at Slims (October 7th), and supporting Apocalyptica’s UK tour in November.
Vocalist and guitarist Hyde talked about sharing a stage with an iconic figure such as Nikki Sixx and how much of an inspiration he was on him as a musician.
“It was really hard to believe that we are on the same stage as Nikki Sixx. The reason why is because that was the first opportunity for me to pick up the guitar because of Motley Crue and that was the biggest surprise. I was so excited.”
So how different is it to support a band like SIXX:AM versus previous headlining runs? “The biggest difference is it’s not our own show. This is SIXX AM’s shows and of course SIXX AM is the main act and we get pressure for that too. At the same time, we get a great chance to expose ourselves to different fans,” Hyde said.
Unlike past releases, Bloodsuckers was released simultaneously across the globe, and followed by live dates supporting the album. Hyde explained that the way they had promoted their past records in Japan was taken into consideration when they were making this one.
“What the biggest difference is this time we released the album and did the live show at the same time internationally. In Japan, we have been doing the record release and the follow up tour is a normal thing, but this is the first try for international releases and the tour together.”
The band worked with producer Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Hatebreed) on Bloodsuckers, and while they had previously recorded their previous albums in English, lead guitarist K-A-Z said it helped push the band’s overall performance.
“Every time we do a recording, we always try to bring us up to a higher level. This time is no different. This time we tried to achieve some quality of the sound and the music. We always try to step up to the next level.”
The challenge of recording songs in English despite it not being their native language is often a challenge, but Hyde admitted that the recording process was not as strenuous as in the past.
“Yes it is all the time. But time wise, we would be spending the time to record one song sometimes the whole day in the past. It got shorter and shorter,” he said.
Hyde explained the back story around Bloodsuckers and how the title pays homage to their diehard fanbase who have supported the band over the years. He explained how the name came together.
“Actually when we call the fans in Japan, we call them by the area or the city, like ‘Hello Osaka’ or ‘Hello Nagoya,’ but sometimes I made a mistake about the location and also it’s not that cool. Then I was thinking what is a nicer way to call the fans. I’ve been looking in the dictionary what the meaning of vampires and I found a really cool nickname ‘Bloodsuckers.’ So that’s where it comes from.”
The album opens with a melodic yet anthemic tune titled “Zero,” which took them into creating a sound somewhat different than their previous material. Both Hyde and K-A-Z both explained how this song came together and what it means overall to VAMPS.
“Lyric wise, zero means start and also means the end. Also lyric wise, this is yourself. I like to express and also describe a little sexier music wise,” said Hyde.
“Music wise I tried what we’ve never tried as VAMPS before. Also this is the song that’s catchy and even hearing it for the first time you can really understand it easily. That’s kind of a new thing,” added K-A-Z.
Lastly, VAMPS is often mentioned as part of the J-Rock movement, a subgenre tagged onto artists from Japan and fans have often been attracted to. K-A-Z was unsure how to explain this phenomenon they were lumped into, but still shared his thoughts on the matter.
“We don’t even know what J-Rock is! It’s very hard to describe what J-Rock is because even when it’s called J-Rock, there are so many different elements of the music and again the styles of the band. Some bands are very heavy and some bands are poppy and some bands are very visual oriented. Even if we’re here, whatever you call it, we still don’t know and it’s hard to express or explain what J-Rock is. It’s probably what the international people put that on J-Rock. It’s easier for them to describe.”
Ten years is one hell of a good run for any music festival, but for one with the DIY, underground origins of Ghostfest, it’s a monumental achievement. Beginning in Leeds in 2005, the festival has showcased the best in UK underground metal and hardcore every year (except 2007) with more than a few international acts along for the ride. Early fests featured artists as diverse as Bring Me The Horizon, Cult of Luna and The Berzerker, but since 2009 the emphasis has strongly been on deathcore and hardcore with beatdowns and neck tatts the order of the day.
Venturing out of Leeds for the first time this year with a show in Bristol, the future for Ghostfest appeared rosy but a mid-week announcement that this year’s event would likely be the last had undeniably cast a shade over proceedings. That being said, there was a strong turnout at the Motion and Marble Factory (also the venue for the revered Temples Festival) with the audience determined to enjoy a full day of seriously angry music.
Blood Youth, by Steve Watkins
After a delay caused by, of all things, deer on the motorway, the savage death metal-cum-hardcore of Venom Prison rattles the rafters of the Warehouse stage (actually a cow shed) before Casey do their best to enthral with an intriguing set of eerie post-hardcore heavily reliant on wavering guitar-led ambience as well as obligatory crushing riffs. They’re not quite there yet but the ideas are good. Up next are the energetic and impassioned Blood Youth who play as if they’re headlining Wembley despite only having one EP to their name, with tracks such as the anthemic ‘Failure’ calling to mind a more emotive Modern Life is War.
Oath Breaker, by Steve Watkins
Over on the Marble stage, the furious black metal style assault of Oathbreaker goes over the heads of the br00tal kids in the crowd, but for those who stick around, their utterly furious barrage of Converge-meets-Wolves In The Throne Room noise is nothing short of spellbinding, with frontwoman Caro Tanghe’s hunched over Sadako (evil girl from The Ring) impression a perfect visual contrast to the restless energy of the guitarist and bassist.
And now for something completely different…
Seafoal by Steve Watkins
Is Ghostfest really the place for an acoustic set from a small girl playing Fall Out Boy covers as well as her own material? You bet your longsleeve Nails shirt it is, as a visibly nervous Siana Sweeney aka Seafoal takes the stage and proceeds to wow all in attendance with her simply stunning voice and gentle guitar playing. A nice bit of backing ambience from a friend on electric guitar helps the songs come to life and although only thirty or so people are present, the change of pace is welcome, the voice a tonic, and her appearance on the bill wholly justified.
Rise Of The North Star, by Steve Watkins
French manga obsessives Rise Of The Northstar are a big draw for many here today and as a result, it’s virtually impossible to get anywhere near their set over on the Marble stage but they certainly give it their all, with bouncy riffs and hip-hop laced vocals jostling for prominence. Unfortunately a muddy sound neuters their impact somewhat which is a shame, for tracks such as ‘Demonstrating My Saiya Style’ have the potential to sound absolutely massive.
Ghostfest crowds love a good beatdown and Southampton wrecking crew Desolated have them in spades. Unfortunately that’s all they’ve really got going for them and the repeated bass drops are like catnip for that curious species armspinner pitwanker who get their kicks from punching innocent bystanders. Sadly, their cretinous behaviour mars several of today’s sets.
Heart Of A Coward, by Steve Watkins
The large Motion stage is where Heart Of A Coward looks most at home with their powerful, if slightly generic metalcore sounding huge, with vocalist Jamie Graham working the crowd like a pro. However, said crowd is surprisingly sparse for a band that has packed the tent at Download not too long ago. That’s possibly because the cowshed (sorry, Warehouse) stage is filling up in anticipation for the visceral deathcore of Martyr Defiled, who play one of the sets of the day as cuts from last year’s No Hope. No Morality (Century Media) cut a swath through the throng and prove just how far the Lincoln lads have come since their below-par early days.
Despised Icon, by Steve Watkins
Having said that, they don’t draw nearly as many punters as reunited deathcore daddies DespisedIcon, who deliver a systematic pummelling over on Motion as the poseurs and imitators in attendance are well and truly crushed. The dual vocal assault of Alexandrie Erian and Steve Marois may have been derided in the past, but it’s in the live environment where their presence is really felt. Plus you simply can’t fuck with tracks as brutal yet well-crafted as ‘A Fractured Hand’ and ‘In the Arms of Perdition.’ How long they’ll stick around for is anyone’s guess, but their existence is proof that the dreaded ‘D’ word isn’t so dirty after all.
Emmure, by Steve Watkins
After Emmure, the only logical band to close proceedings is Hatebreed, an act pretty much every band on the bill owes their existence to. Jamey Jasta’s band of brothers are a lean, mean, metallic hardcore machine and are one of the few acts to transcend the bridge between metal and hardcore, something they achieve not only with their sheer professionalism, but by having a set of seriously catchy yet hard hitting anthems that fans of Slayer and Agnostic Front can dig equally. Tonight’s set has an air of triumphalism about it, with a career-spanning setlist that has heads banging, arms flailing and fists pumping from front to back.
Hatebreed, by Steve Watkins,
If this does prove to be the last Ghostfest, it will be a cause for sorrow. The vast majority of the bands here are hard working, don’t rely on major labels, and constantly have to put up with arseholes claiming they’re “not metal” because they wear bandanas instead of face-paint. However, there is the lingering sense that it may have run its course. A glance at the bills for previous events shows a troubling recycling of acts, with some bands seemingly guaranteed a place on the line-up year-in-year-out. With such a vibrant hardcore scene in the UK and beyond, there is certainly a deep pool for the organisers to dip into. The reasons for the ominous announcement concerning the fest’s future are still unknown at time of going to press so it wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate. So if this does prove to be Ghostfest’s last stand, it certainly went out with a massive fucking bang.
