Interviews

Umeå, Sweden’s Cult of Luna is one of the few bands that has been able to emerge from the post-metal morass with an identity intact. Having roots that go back to 1998 have been helpful in the band being one of the scant few to be mentioned as overarching influences and genre leaders not followers (the others being Neurosis and Isis), as has creating awesome music with individuated and defining characteristics.

Metalcore mainstays Killswitch Engage was born in 1999 out of the ashes of two prominent Massachusetts metalcore bands—bassist Mike D’Antonio from Overcast (which also included future Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Fair) and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (who switched to drums) and guitarist Joel Stroetzel from Aftershock, as well as vocalist Jesse Leach from Nothing Stays Gold.

As one of the great voices in rock, Wayne Hussey is an English musician with quite a résumé in the gothic world. From being a part of cult icons The Sisters of Mercy to fronting his own band The Mission, Hussey has one of the most interesting lives out there. So interesting, in fact, that he has recently begun chronicling his life in books, with the first titled Salad Daze having just been released.

You can’t say “legendary thrash metal band” without mentioning Destruction. We spoke to Destruction vocalist and bassist Schmier to discuss Born to Perish, writing and recording with new members, the band’s history, and his views of the German Big Four.

Today, there are two iterations of the Cro-Mags touring out there on the road, but that’s definitely not the case if you speak to band founder, bassist, and songwriter Harley Flanagan. For him, there’s only one Cro-Mags, and it’s the band with him set firmly in the creative driver’s seat.

We caught up with the always astute, eloquent, and hilarious guitarist Matt Fox to discuss coming back from the grave, releasing a record no one wants or cares about, and why zombies are lame.

This summer sees the release of World War X, the seventh and most ambitious outing yet from San Diego’s Carnifex. Delivering all of the neck snapping riffs and pulverizing tempos that have become the band’s calling card, World War X sees the death metal five piece conceiving a war themed modern metal epic that’s as emotional and evocative as it is brutal. We caught up with vocalist Scott Ian Lewis to get the story behind the new record.

Mortiis has gone through various changes in musical direction throughout his career, starting in Emperor and then going on to have an incredible solo career first with dungeon synth (a genre he helped create) before moving to a more goth industrial sound for the past 15 years. Now, Mortiis is digging back into his Era 1 material, performing and reinventing classic songs from his second album, and even considering potential re-recordings in the future.

Get your battle gear on, we are going to war! Military-esque legends Sabaton have released their newest album, The Great War. Inspired by the events of one of the most monumental wars in history, this World War I record shows the metal scene just how incredible real life history can be. We had the opportunity to go deep with Sabaton bassist Pär Sundström on everything to do with the battle metal band’s ninth record.

From the suave to the sultry, from the dark to the even creepier, PIG is back at it with a new twist on songs you may never expect to hear. With pop music always wrapped in a colorful, innocent little package, PIG’s Raymond Watts has unearthed the more sinister side within the lyrics.