Interviews

Twenty-six years later, we finally discover the fate of the protagonist from Life of Agony’s groundbreaking debut River Runs Red at a time that couldn’t be more fitting in the rise of support for mental health awareness. With a reinvigorated lineup, featuring drummer Veronica Bellino, the band has returned with unwavering passion and relentless energy on their new album The Sound of Scars. Find out more as we chat with bassist and songwriter Alan Robert.

Lizzy Borden may take its namesake from an infamous murderer, but the band’s music is intended to take you on a visual journey like no other. Having just returned from a very successful tour with Tyr and Demons and Wizards, we had a great time chatting with the frontman himself about the tour, the anniversary of Visual Lies, and more.

Strange as it may sound to say, what stands out most about Liverpool based trio Dawn Ray’d is that the black metal sound is all that’s really attaching them to the black metal scene. Hailing from the same boundary pushing outskirts as outfits like Wolves in the Throne Room, Alcest, Panopticon, and those who dare weave other genres around black metal’s DNA helix—in their case, classic folk and protest music—Dawn Ray’d has found kinship with the DIY scene, squat and underground independent venue touring circuit, and make no bones about their far left politics.

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.

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.

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.

From new characters to an inside look into the creation of his highly anticipated new record, horror aficionado Wednesday 13 was just a few days away from releasing his latest album Necrophaze via Nuclear Blast Records when we got to pick the man’s unique brain.

Primal Future: 2019 may be the sixth Toxic Holocaust full-length, but six albums is just the tip of the discographic iceberg for the Portland crossover thrash institution. Numerous EPs, demos, splits, live albums, and compilation appearances, in addition to those six albums, round out and comprise the 20 years of Toxic Holocaust’s recorded history. Ironically enough, Primal Future: 2019 has the most in common with the band’s earliest releases…

The idea to release a short, 26 minute album titled Horror with VHS inspired cover art could have exploded in the face of a lesser retro thrash act without the pedigree and experience of Exhumed. Thankfully, Matt Harvey and Co. have all the bases covered with their seventh full-length, an absolute ripper of a record that strikes like lightning with riff after devastating riff.

New Zealand’s very own Alien Weaponry have found their way back to California soil to kick off a tour with Black Label Society. A band heavily influenced by Māori, Alien Weaponry has quickly made a significant splash in the metal world. From playing all of the biggest festivals in the world to touring with legendary bands, this group is hard to ignore.