Interviews

Six long and quiet years have passed since The Almost last graced our speakers. With a very public saga of the demise and subsequent rebirth of vocalist Aaron Gillespie’s juggernaut of a full-time job, drumming for Underoath, fans of his side gig weren’t holding their breath for a follow-up to 2013’s Fear Inside Our Bones. As fate would have it, keeping fans in the dark is exactly what Gillespie needed to complete Fear Caller.

With a legacy spanning 30 years, Sinister has endured many changes in its career, such as different lineups, but the band has remained consistent by constantly releasing heavy and ravaging material. Deformation of the Holy Realm, the band’s 14th album, is no different. Sinister guitarist Michal Grall talks about Deformation of the Holy Realm, his contributions to the album, and the band’s plans during and after the quarantine.

This fall, The Infernal Pathway sees the legendary black metallers returning with an absorbing 11 track odyssey that showcases some of the band’s most aggressive and ambitious efforts to date. We caught up with 1349’s founder and frontman Ravn to discuss the songwriting process and the unique creative directions within the record. He also shared one of his favorite US television shows, and there’s no way you’ll guess which one it is.

Times they are a-changin’ for Minneapolis’ False. Quickly after their 2010 formation, they were heralded as shining stars on the American black metal scene following an EP and a split with Barghest. The sextet’s insistence on anonymity and refusing interviews created both mystique and controversy. Fans of the band’s progressive and melodic black metal style clamored for information…

With the band’s third full-length album Macro out on Napalm Records, Ukrainian extreme metal band Jinjer pulls inspiration from within while speeding forward on the road to success. We spoke with bassist Eugene Abdukhanov on what it feels like to be “On the Top” amidst their almost completely sold-out headlining US tour.

The Crow has been a cult classic for 25 years, but what many may not know is before the film’s incredible soundtrack featuring Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Rage Against the Machine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Stone Temple Pilots, there was a soundtrack made for the comic book.

Ghost has been on the rise for nearly a decade, getting exponentially larger with each year, each album, and each tour. Ghost has had its best year yet, jumping from theaters to arenas, opening for Metallica, and finishing out their Prequelle tour cycle with US and European tours. We spoke with Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge at the end of the US The Ultimate Tour Named Death. With just one more run of dates before taking all of 2020 off from touring, we found out what we could expect in the next chapter of Ghost…a new album, the end of Cardinal Copia, and a new Papa?

THE BANDS THAT WE STILL CELEBRATE DECADES after their debut are the ones that ignored the rules and the prevailing wisdom of their day and instead challenged listeners to reconsider all that music might achieve.

Just like every musician, artist, and band during this pandemic, melodic hard rockers Alter Bridge had to get creative with its normal band activity after the cancellation of their entire 2020 touring schedule. Mr. Kennedy spoke with us about the new EP Walk the Sky 2.0, his upcoming solo release, his appearance in the 2001 Mark Wahlberg starred movie Rock Star, his writing sessions with Led Zeppelin, and more.

To celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary of their 1999 seminal concept album, Metropolis Part 2 – Scenes from a Memory, the band has released Distant Memories – Live in London. Mr.Petrucci recently spoke with us about the band’s early days, the new live album, beard care, and more.