Finally, I’ve gotten to see one of my favourite locals for the first time in what feels like forever. Some recuperation was necessary for them to return to the stage, but the downward spiral has finally turned upward. They have a new song, and they still remember some old stuff. Everyone’s playing is still tight, as if they never really phased out in the first place.
And that was in May of 2016.
But alas! Buffalo’s death giants Seplophile have returned for a second time! And in just over a year and a half. Almost kind of feels like that Slayer farewell tour that hasn’t ended yet, but like, in reverse. But this time it was a little different.
Our pals in Mass Casualty kicked off the night in classic brutal death style; you certainly can’t go wrong starting a night off with songs like “Dragged Into Cremation” and one of my personal favourites, “Cunt Slamming Frenzy”.
One of my favourites out of Rochester, Sastruga, carried on with their own flavour of techdeath. Their material is typically fast and complex, but also allows room for more ambient and jazzy sections that fit in perfectly in between all of the technicality. These guys steal the show for me every. Single. Time.
Rochester’s death/grind/noise/etc. amalgamation Sulaco was on Seplophile’s last return show, but this time they brought with them a +1; they acquired themselves a vocalist to ease up on the pressure on guitarist Erik Burke. It was Jason Leone’s first live performance with Sulaco, and he did an outstanding job. And the best news is, they’re keeping him! Or so I’ve been told..
Sulaco weren’t the only one to present a new face on Saturday. Founding member of Seplophile Greg DiPasquale stepped down earlier this year, and announced that his replacement would be no other than Louis DiThomas-Keller (Nethergrave, The Age of Plagues). I mean, its a huge bummer Greg had to put the guitar down for the foreseeable future, but stinky diapers aren’t going to change themselves. But it was awesome to see Louis back on stage, where he belongs, shredding with some of Buffalo’s best.
And I do wanna thank the guys for letting me bust their balls on this a little, but I’m kind of being serious. I want to see EP release show. And if they have the chops, and LP release show. No more of this “return” bullshit. They didn’t really go anywhere to begin with.
In response, Seplophile vocalist Colin Winkelman had to say; “Why would you say that!? You totally already know we’re supposed to return again next year!”
Catalysis is releasing their debut self titled EP December 14th which is a total banger. I am honored to present the world this nothing short of stellar debut EP courtesy of the kindness of Catalysis. If you love groove and melody, you’ll really dig Catalysis. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. TMR has you covered yet again on another fantastic piece of music! I hope you enjoy the interview with the band that is right below here, while you’re listening to their EP!
TMR: How did Catalysis form?
It originally started just as myself and our lead guitarist, Drew, deciding to jam for a bit of fun outwith our respective bands at the time, but then by the point that we actually got round to meeting up to jam, the bands that we were both in had just split up, so we decided to start Catalysis as our new project. We’ve had several line-up changes since then, but everyone that’s been a part of the band since it’s inception had all been a part of the local music scene with other bands.
TMR: Talk about your upcoming EP. Do you feel you’ve grown as a band compared to when you first started?
Absolutely, I feel like the main element of growth that we’ve had is that since we became a four piece band with the members we have now, our sound has become a lot more focused. Our last EP was a showcase of a lot of different influences that various members of the band had, and I think we all feel like despite being proud of that EP, it wasn’t very concise. Since then, and without much discussion about what we wanted ‘our sound’ to be, I feel like we’ve really come into our own, which is what we want to highlight with this new release.
TMR: What shows do you have planned coming up to support the release?
We’re playing an EP launch show at Beat Generator in our home town of Dundee on December 14th alongside some local talent that we’re happy to call our friends, asides this we’re also playing shows in Perth and Dunfermline on December 1st and 2nd respectively, though these aren’t in support of the new EP, I feel like they’ll help to generate a bit of excitement around what we’re up to at that time.
TMR: Go into detail about working with Mendel and how you hooked up. His solo work is spectacular, let alone what he has done in Aborted. What was your experience like letting him mix your EP?
Working with Mendel has been a great experience, and surprisingly smooth sailing as well given that all communication with him has been online due to him being in the Netherlands. I think I speak for everyone in the band in saying that none of us have been a part of a release that sounds as good as this one in regards to the actual mix and production, and any comments that any of us had about any element of the mix for the EP, Mendel was always happy to revise what he’d done and make sure that we were as happy as we could be with it, and I know we’re all over the moon with how its turned out. All credit goes to Drew for getting us hooked up with him as well, he’s the one that reached out to him after seeing that he offers mixing services to bands, and Drew’s the one that kept us all in the loop with what Mendel was doing as well.
TMR: How did everyone get into music? And did you think you would be doing it professionally rather than just for fun?
I think we’re all people who have felt a massive impact from music in their lives, and like I said earlier, we’ve all been a part of bands prior to Catalysis, especially our vocalist/bassist, Col, he’s been active in Dundee bands since the early 2000s. I’d say that we’re all quite driven people, and as lame as it may sound I think we all view music as one of the driving forces in our lives, so an interest in playing music just came naturally. We’re all aware of how hard an industry the music business can be to get into, so the way that we all view it is that Catalysis is something that is fun for us and is something that we can use as a form of expression more than anything else, cause we’re not under any impression that we’re going to become massive rock stars or anything like that, but we figured that we might as well do as much as we can with this band, and achieve as much as we can that we can all be proud of.
TMR: What new releases are you guys looking forward to?
Seeing as we’re almost at the end of 2018 now, upcoming releases is a bit of a tough one, but there are quite a few releases from this year that we’ve enjoyed, some examples being TerrorVision by Aborted, Overtures of Blasphemy by Deicide, As The Kingdom Drowns by Psycroptic, Catharsis by Machine Head and the self titled release from Jungle Rot. We all have varied music tastes, so I know that everyone in the band would have a lot of other albums they’d want to say so these are just a few releases that I know more than one of us has really enjoyed. Personally I think that 2018 has seen a lot of really stellar albums being released, I could go on for a while about that haha!
TMR: How did the writing for the EP go? Did you have songs planned from the past or were there fresh ideas? Explain how your band writes.
The way that we generally tend to write is that Drew or Sean will come up with a few riffs or even a whole song on guitar, and then present it to myself and Col. From there I’ll start writing my parts, and if it’s just been a riff or two that’s been shown to us then as a band we’ll write the rest of the song, or if someone brings a whole song to the table, we’ll usually give it a few tweaks based on how everyone feels about it. We’re not really into just jamming out at practices or anything like that, because improvisation isn’t always our strongest point, and we write our best music when we all have time to sit with what someone has written, and add our own elements to it. I think by writing like this, we are able to write quickly, while keeping the ideas and quality consistent. We’re actually already a considerable way through writing the follow-up to the EP
TMR: What 5 band’s discographies would you choose to accompany you on a 5 hour road trip?
This is a tricky one because of how different everyone’s music tastes are, so I don’t doubt this would cause some arguments, haha! Though I’d say that Machine Head, Chimaira, Sylosis, Dyscarnate and Wintersun would be 5 bands that might keep everyone happy.
TMR: What interests you guys outside of Catalysis? Any other bands you guys are part of, as well?
Drew’s the only one of us that’s a part of any other projects at the moment, he’s in a punk band called Overdose with his dad as well as this band. I know I’d like to be part of something else as well, something a bit less in your face and more progressive rock oriented, most likely. Sean has his YouTube channel where he reviews guitar gear and does covers of songs from bands that he’s into as well, so folk with an interest in that kind of thing should definitely go and check out his channel. Outside of other musical endeavours, Sean and Col are both married and have kids, so I know that quality time with their families is really important to them. We’re all fans of going to gigs as well, whether they’re local shows where we get to see some of the bands that we’ve become friends with over the years, or going to see bigger bands that we love.
I know I’ve been slacking lately on show reviews, and I have been to plenty since the few articles I did over the summer (Inferi/Alterbeast, Inanimate Existence/Last Of Lucy/Fields Of Elysium and Micawber/Ahtme/Lago in September)…..so I finally pulled my head out of my ass, and the First Fragment show in St. Catharine’s is getting the TMR treatment.
First off…..I gotta talk about how awesome Canada is. Warehouse was a super clean venue….not just the stage (YES BUFFALONIANS THERE’S AN ACTUAL STAGE WITH LIGHTS!) but the bathrooms and bar as well. They really, really care about cleanliness and first impressions. What else I really, really loved was how the bands were so professional swapping over….switch over time was very efficient, and the scheduled length of the show was basically on point! Here in Buffalo for local shows sometimes it drags on past doors, and a 7pm door time might not start until 8pm or a bit later to try to get more people in the venue. I was impressed with the logistics and sticking to the start and end time of the show. It was a very close drive, 45 minutes at most including a few minutes crossing the border on a Sunday. And it was only $12! If you want to keep up to date with the venue’s shows check out The Warehouse!
Now for the music….Occultic was first up. They were on WITHIN A HALF HOUR OF DOORS! They are a no nonsense death metal band with great groove and rhythm. The vocalist was very upfront, present and energetic. I try not to judge bands by band names, or check out their music before a show if i’m not familiar with them. In the modern age, we have those advantages and disadvantages. It’s great to access music easily, but can be good and bad for attendance…..some bands are just better live than on a recording, and people can also make a short sighted judgement based on a recording negatively impacting that show attendance and vice versa. Occultic was a passionate opener that started off a fun filled and relentless night of the various metal bands on the bill. You can check out Occultic’s groovy death metal right here.
Up next were Eaten By Sharks (more band name judging!) who I was curious about because of a random band name. Shit, did they put on a solid show and constantly required crowd interaction. They seamlessly blended classic and modern death metal with some technical flare here and there. I was thoroughly impressed with this awesome band, and can only add another solid band to the ever-growing laundry list of opening bands that may or may hit hit the spot…..and Eaten By Sharks fucking shredded! Check out the band here.
Sinner followed Eaten By Sharks and they were awfully confusing sound wise to be honest. They have a grindcore influence with some hardcore moments and some quick parts as well. Tough to describe, but they were metal for sure! They kept the energy flowing and were entertaining the crowd without hesitation! Sinner was a fun band that also threw in a Hatebreed cover (I’m pretty sure it was Hatebreed) for good measure, as well. If you’re into that sort of style of metal, check out the bros right here.
Unbowed came up next (who was First Fragment’s support on the tour for the November/December run across Canada) and gonna have to be honest I loved this band as much as the rest. They have that blackened death metal feel to their sound with sweet background elements of keyboard/synth, strings and some singing occasionally that offset all the different growls. They were very professional, energetic and had it their whole set. I don’t know if any fans or musicians can relate to such an experience but they didn’t slack at all or show any sort of insecurity….I just KNEW they were the support band, and it did set them apart from the rest. There was that confidence and aura that I think surrounded them during their massively impressive set. Check out Unbowed, you won’t be disappointed at all.
Now for the main event…..First Fuckin’ Fragment. The under appreciated tech death geniuses from Quebec. Their stage presence is beyond wild…..taking into fact their music isn’t the easiest to replicate, I’m shocked they were able to put on a very engaging show. I have been waiting for the guys to come close enough to Buffalo, and shit that quick trip across the border more than did the trick. Also factoring in December around 50 degrees throughout the day leading into the evening with barely any snow made the decision easier travel wise. I was very impressed with their stage presence, and already knew what I was getting musically so I don’t need to constantly say the same things about the great First Fragment that have already been said. The technicality, proficiency, clean playing of everyone and David’s energetic vocals were basically perfect. First Fragment fucking rips, check them out PLEASE.
I absolutely needed to tell the guys how obsessed I am with their talent and skill. And a band as talented as First Fragment they were equally as laid back, as most Canadians generally tend to be.
Here’s a quick take on my phone of one of their many impressive instrumental sections, further showcasing their talent dedication and passion to technical neoclassical death metal.
My cheeky dumb ass between David (vocals) and the legendary Forest Lapointe (bass) (First Fragment, Augury, Ex- Beyond Creation).
A very happy Dave with axe slinger Phil Tougas who is a wild man on stage. Dude is a modern day legend that not enough people know about. He has it all as a guitarist.
And to boot, the attendance for a Sunday evening just under a month before the Holidays was awfully impressive. Excluding the bands, I would guess there were at least 60 people there if not more for an underground death metal show maybe 70. Many metal horns and hugs were had by all at this killer show. Great job Canada, great fucking job. We will be back sooner than later.
Darkest Horizon is fresh off a European tour with the legendary WINTERSUN, a killer new album and also just partnered up with my promo friends in India Proximity Productions! This band is off to a great start, and will do you well if you’re into that epic melodic death metal sound. Check out my interview with the lads right below!
TMR: Tell me how Darkest Horizon was formed and what influenced the band name.
Darkest Horizon was “founded” in 2008 with one old friend Till (He’s now playing in Precipitation) and me (Olli). We had an idea for making old school Melodic Death Metal combined with catchy melodies and epic backround layers, so we got Chris as an talendet Main Songwriter. We worked together in a cool and relaxed way. We had like different drummers, bassplayers and a rhythm guitarist till 2010. So during that time we had to pick up musicians who fitted perfectly in our band. I think it was back in 2009, when I called Jonas for joining us as a bass player, the funfact was,that he wasn’t a bass player, he was an talented guitar techaer at this time, but he took it good like always, “Okay… then I think I have to buy me a bass”. So during 2010 we had a stable band (yes… we thought that at that point), 5 songs and were ready for some recordings. So we hit the Empire Studios under the direction from Rolf Munkes ( he’s working with bands and artists like Michael Schenker, Crematory, Bülent Ceylan and Labels like Nuclear Blast, EMI, Sony etc. ) During this process our old drummer Massimo Sardo left the band, because he had other plans in live, so I had to sample and play some drum passages for the record… me… as a guitarist. And after the recordings our session guitarist Kevin wanted to focus more on his projects and left the band. The funny thing was, on the same day, Daniel called me and told me that he has listened to our unpublished material and was blown away and if we need a fill in guitarist we should call him first. So I said to him that we won’t call him for this, because we want him as a proper member and he should come to the next rehearsal. I´ve known him for years, I´ve played with him in some bands before and he fits like the fist on the eye to Darkest Horizon. He was laughing and said of course he will join us and now we’re here. So during 2011 we prepared our live set up and the first shows and festivals came up and we decided to get Darkest Horizon to a professional band. The influence is quite intereseting because everybody is listening to different styles of music. Chris is making our main inlfuence beside our personal ones. Jonas is more the new metal guy, Daniel is more on Oldschool Melodic/Death, Pagan and Black Metal, Enis has the melodic death taste, same like me and Chris got the Epic stuff.
TMR: You guys recently opened up for the legendary Wintersun! How did that go?
That was funny as well. I recived a “What’s up” from Teemu if I´ve checked my e-mails and if we want to do this. I had no idea what it was. When I´ve checked my e-mails, I saw the invite for all the request shows and I thought we will definitly do this. So I got the green light from the other band members at the same day that we’ll supporting these guys.
I know Teemu in person since the Paganfest Tour in 2015 and met him for some guitar lessons in Helsinki as well. He´s a cool guy and during the Shows we all figgured out that we fit perfectly togehter, in person and from the music. These shows been the easiest and best we ever had, because everybody knows how to do it the professional way. Especally the hangovers with Asim..
TMR:” Your album “Aenigmata” was recently released. Go into detail about the theme, lyrics and what influenced it.
AENIGMATA is a collection of thematic songs, each containing conundrums or puzzling questions of our world and universe. “Can man become machine?”, “What is enlightenment?” and more. It also features the problems of enigmatic paradoxes like the “Omnipotence Paradox” and inexplicable phenomena known to mankind. AENIGMATA explores thought experiments on a philosophical as well as a scientific level. The songs often contain mysterious sounding notes, ranging from somber melodies to melodies with a more fantastic touch.
TMR: What was the best moment in Darkest Horizon’s history as a band?
We had a lot of great moments in our history, I think you can say every milestone we had were the best moment so far. For example, the first recorded album, the first big festivals, the festivals abroad from Europe, the first tour, the shows with Wintersun etc. But I can say from my point of fiew, that every concert or business we did with Darkest Horizon was filling the experience scale, if it was good or bad. Because you gain a lot of impressions on the road and this is what’s important for a band. You learn how to deal with anything and that’s a lesson in life you can’t probably gain beside having a band.
TMR: What was the writing process for “Aenigmata” like? Any struggles or was it easy? What did you do differently this time around?
That was a new experience as well. Because we thought we would release it in 2016. We had troubles with the recordings or some issues like some other bands had. We just wanted to have a 100% finis product. It was easy to record and nice to work in the process, but finding the right sound… dude… one year mixing and painting the details… that was pain in the ass.
And of course we did something different in the process. Everybody recorded their parts on their own. I mean of course we stayed in touch during the time, but everybody could bring his own influence down. So it was amazing. But next time we´ll check out a new kind of path during the process as well. Doing it all the same would be boring.
TMR: Does Darkest Horizon have any shows coming up?
Yes! But I am only allowed to say that we´re playing on the 22nd of December near our home area in Darmstadt at the Goldene Krone with Sapiency, Corbian and another band. We’re doing there a Christmas special, so get your tickets and get suprised! We are really looking forward to this event! There are a lot of other requests through Europe but I can’t say something more because we’re actually planning this beside the recordings.
TMR: Talk about your newfound partnership with Proximity Productions. Your band has had some good things going on lately, and this is just another one of them.
Yes! First I want to thank you guys that work togehter. Honestly I am more on the booking and songwriting level but we all experienced a great time when we have been to Sri Lanka where we met Harsha of Proximity Productions. So Jonas contacted him this year and we started working together. We hope that we will reach a higher level by his (Harsha’s) international contacts and especially in Asia for we would love to come back and visit more countries and cities (and of course play gigs there too!). This cooperation started very good and we hope that it will grow and grow and well… let’s see, where it leads us!
TMR: What are your goals for 2019? Anything cool planned?
Yes! We played a lot of shows this year in Germany and at the neighboring countries so after the awesome experience in Bucharest we are working to get our asses more abroad from Germany, for some club and festival shows. Beside this we’re working on new material. After releasing “Aenigmata” in October we have like 10 new songs and are working on them. We haven’t decided yet how and when we’re releasing these songs. But there is something cooking for 2019 and it smells definitely good.
TMR: How did everyone become a musician? What albums and artists helped you make that decision?
We all grow on each other. So everybody in the band did his part on the other one I think. Of course I wont be able to be that muscian I am right now without the guys and I think I can say this for the other members as well.
For my personal development beside Darkest Horizon was Wintersun. In the first point they blew me away with their first Album. So I started a year before their debut release the guitar playing business. But after listening to that high skilled guitar music, I saw the long path I had to go. Beside that Teemu Mäntysaari is my guitar instructor.
TMR: What is everyone interested in outside of music and Darkest Horizon?
Time besides music and the band is a very thin line. We’re all working beside our band and the rest of the time is focused and saved for the band. For sure we’re having a life beside the band but that’s more like calming down from the daily routine and enjoying good company with some friends or doing sports and other simple activite like anyone else does.
Dave here with one of my rare opinion pieces. First off, I want to welcome my friend Vick who is now working with me on here stopping in to write some articles. She’s very feisty, opinionated, and passionate for the music I strive to promote and is already a great addition to the website.
I have been thinking about this topic for a while, and decided today to blabber about it. I think its AMAZING seeing women/females getting into heavy metal and other genres artistically than the usual….you know, that female folk singer or pop or hip hop artist….you know, cultural gender stereotypes and expectations. One thing I absolutely cannot stand is the whole “female fronted” label, it’s stupid to me at least. Women are musicians too, you know. The fact there happens to be females in some bands shouldn’t be a surprise. And no, this is anything BUT a fad or trend.
Okay, on to the actual point of this article. As previously stated, I’m very infatuated with the growing number of women going against that artistic gender stereotype….and I’m going to promote some of them (well deserved artists that you may already know).
SARAH LONGFIELD
Yep. She’s my obsession, i’ll admit it. This young lady can not only shred and sing, but also can produce and record music. She has a really unique style now that can’t truly be categorized. Sarah was really metal at first with lots of shredly demos, heavily influenced by Swedish greats Meshuggah. The older she got, she experimented with electronics and some pop influence as well to throw in her music for good measure. If that isn’t enough of a mindfuck, she got into a more expeirmental and progressive style in her newer music. Her success as a Youtuber is only the beginning of an extremely promising, fulfilling and diverse musical career. She was also a member of The Fine Constant an instrumental band she had for a handful of years. Longfield is also a new artist of Season Of Mist, as well. What HASN’T she done already in her young musical career? Her latest album “Disparity” is a serious artistic step for her, yet trying more new things to add to her very impressive sound layering even deeper. There’s some saxophone, xylophone and even more singing. I’m gonna let her great music do the talking, and just let you make the decision yourself.
YVETTE YOUNG
Yvette is the guitarist in her 3 piece instrumental prog band Covet, who has a similar style to Sarah Longfield in some senses. She also has an acoustic project under her name and an equally beautiful voice on top of her guitar playing as well. Young is a melodic guitarist who also uses a lot of tapping in her style. She dabbles into some math rock and jazz as well in Covet. Both of these lovely young female guitarists are my two personal favorites in music right now and totally crushing it. It was the “Ares” play through that caught my attention over a year ago and has kept my interest in this great young artist. Check out some of her wild, melodic and inspiring guitar playing below.
Yep…..here it is….the almighty ARES.
SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION
Yep, time for the heavy shit now. Sisters of Suffocation is a death metal band consisted mainly of females, except the drummer. Why am I talking about SOS? Because they’re heavy, that’s why…..and love their death metal. And before you ask, no they have nothing to do with the legendary death metal band Suffocation. The gals are equally as crushing as most death metal bands, and don’t get enough recognition in their short existence as a band. Bang your heads along with the girls (and guy) to these heavy songs. Oh, and they’re releasing a new album next year I’M SO STOKED ABOUT. Fucking Death Metal!
YOUR CHANCE TO DIE
To SLIGHTLY change genres a bit, here’s a great Melodic Death Metal bands with TWO vocalists both females. A friend of mine turned be onto this band, and couldn’t be happier that I am familiar with them. The band released a great album “Ex Nihilo” last year that finds its way back in my rotation here and there. Their growls are utterly impressive, to say the least. Check out this great up and coming band right below.
ABNORMALITY
WOW! I’ve been into this band for a few years now since I saw their grotesque video “Mechanisms of Omniscience”. Their frontwoman Malika has such a low guttural that you would have never guessed it was a woman! The band is a great death metal band that means business, and full of groove and plenty of brutality. They’re a straightforward death metal band that doesn’t technically woo you, but their disgusting brutality and sheer power wins you over. And I have been a big fan ever since. I hope you feel the same about Abnormality. Oh, and they too are working on a new album set for a release date sometime next year in 2019.
Okay, so here’s a handful of my favorite bands/artists in the metal and prog scene involving women. I think it’s great to see more women breaking the trend of where they stereotypically are, but are doing what they want. I think it’s glorious, and pretty cool for a change in genres generally dominated by males. If there’s any other great bands I may have missed, don’t be afraid to chime in.
Orchid just released a new track “Master Supreme” off their upcoming album “Miasma”. If you like your metal extra weird, heavy and energetic Orchid should hit the spot for you. Miasma is set to be released on January 10th and the album was mastered by Colin Marston who was worked with the likes of Gorguts, Atheist, Origin and Dysrhythmia. Check out the song below and judge for yourself! If you dig it, preorder the sonofabitch!
UK’s technical death metal freaks Godeater have released a very entertaining guitar playthrough of their crushingly dynamic single “Exsanguinated”. This mind bending track will take you through the depths of insanity and back in its short 2:45 span. Enjoy some ridiculous guitar playing from a great band! Stay tech my friends!
Rise To Fall recently released their album “Into Zero”. The melodic death metal lads have slightly modernized the metal sub genre that originated out of Sweden (and quickly spread to many neighboring countries). There’s lots of catchy choruses, great melodies and some pretty great guitar melodies that accompany all of it. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw a “modern melodic death metal” tag, since music has to be described in one way. I am into melodeath, and was curious what Rise To Fall sounds like….and was very pleased with my attempt.
RISE TO FALL:
Dalay Tarda (Vocals)
Hugo ( Guitars)
Dann ( Guitars)
Javi (Bass)
Txamo (Drums)
The sweet combination of Hugo and Dann really make this band flow really, really well. Dalay has a great growl, and can reel in his voice on some really get vocal melodies as well…..a diverse vocalist, so to say. In a world where many metal subgeneres get stale with a repetitive sound, I think Rise To Fall will surprise many people. They are what In Flames SHOULD BE right now…..but unfortunately aren’t themselves. Rise To Fall is doing what the genre godfathers currently can’t, and that’s saying a lot.
Prophetic Scourge released a killer album this year “Calvary”. It was a kick ass, groovy and proggy time. Get to know the band right below and check it out as well!
TMR: What is everyone’s favorite song off “Calvary”?
Hmmm, that’s not an easy question to answer, but probably THE HIEROPHANT – Bringing Lost Sheep Back To The Fold. It’s the song we spent the most time writing, and it ended up being a great distillation of our various influences. It’s also the song that we sent to KLONOSPHERE for their first listen. We’d already recorded a video for it (check it out on youtube) so it seemed to be a perfect introduction to our music.
TMR: When did the band start writing for “Calvary” and how long did the process take? Were there any difficulties?
I’d say writing started late 2015, the final song was finished just 2 days before the cds were pressed (the outro to THE CULTIST that’s only present on the physical album), so almost two and a half years. The only real difficulty we had is that we all live in different towns, and need to travel 300km for rehersals and writing sessions. As such, progress was made in spurts of intense activity, which in some ways actually helped as it means that we were always completely focused when we worked….
TMR: What shows does Prophetic Scourge have lined up for the rest of the year?
We’ve just returned from a tour of France, Switzerland and Spain, which went perfectly. We were very well received (especially by the Swiss!). We’ve got 3 or 4 shows still to come this year, in Toulouse, Agen and Montpellier. We’re also planning a tour next April, in France again, and probably with gigs in Holland, Belgium and hopefully England. We’re also looking in to the Summer Festivals, though nothing’s confirmed as of yet.
TMR: Any music prepared for a follow up?
Indeed there is, and it’s going to be awesome! I’d say the second album is about 85% done. The style is the same as CALVARY, with long average song length, complex structures, and a very progressive vibe. I feel we’ve gained a certain level of confidence in our writing, and I fully expect the second album to be a step up in quality all round….
TMR: How and where was “Calvary” recorded? Did you take any different recording or artistic directions compared to your debut EP?
We recorded Calvary in our rehersal space, with our good friend Xavier Collard and his “travelling” Steel Mind Studio. He’d previously mixed and mastered our debut EP, but we’d done the tracking ourselves. This time round he was involved from the very start of the process, the difference being immediately apparent in the sound of the album.
TMR: What influenced your band name and how did Prophetic Scourge become a band?
We became a band after a previous band called Scars On Mumansk (again awesome band to check out on youtube) split up. Romain and Jon played guitars and drums in it, and had developed a good feeling for each others playing style. They decided to start a new project. Robin had done some filling in for SOM, so they knew they could work well with him. At that point Robin and me (Josh) had been playing together for a while, and he knew I was desperately seeking a new band at the time, so everything fell into place nicely…
Before we chose a band name, the lyrics to 3 songs had already been written (THE CULTIST, THE GOD KING, and THE MAGUS), whose themes were ancient Egypt, ceremonial magic, and spiritual insanity. We brainstormed to those themes and came up with PROPHETIC SCOURGE as sounding like it coherently conveyed our style and themes – which both tend to be somewhat magniloquent.
TMR: What is the band’s favorite song(s) to play at shows?
Again hard to say, I can’t speak for the others (though I expect THE HIEROPHANT would pop up a couple of times). I’d personally go with THE ALCHEMIST, as I love embodying the characters I wrote for it.
TMR: Upcoming releases you guys are looking forward to? And what has everyone enjoyed from 2018?
Our favourite releases of 2018 are from Beyond Creation, Aborted and Conan.
TMR: Who got you guys into extreme music and eventually influencing the formation of Prophetic Scourge?
Well my Mum and Dad listen to a huge range of music: from classical, to polyphonic folk, to prog rock, Motown, Stax, and the list goes on (though funnily enough, not metal); so was I raised to be vey open minded about music. Amongst others were Pat Metheny, Jeff Beck and Joe Satriani – I used to love electric guitar, and I remember telling my parents that I liked “the fast music” (I was probably 4 at the time). I was also a huge fan of the cartoon Thundercats, and I don’t know if you’ve listened to the theme song recently, but that shit’s pretty much Speed Metal for kids!
Later influences were Origin, Limbonic Art, Ulver, Ageless Oblivion, early Panzerchrist (Battalion Beast FTW!), Deicide, and my all time favorite band Krallice!
TMR: Just under a month of “Calvary” being released how is everyone taking to your new album? I really dig it, and hope it sees more light in the metal community.
Cheers! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it! It’s been pretty well received with mostly positive reviews (and some ragingly enthusiastic ones), and we sold a buttload of digipacks on tour. Obviously not everyone has been on board; a few journalists have not always appreciated the average song length and structure; but that was always going to be unavoidable playing 9 minute long Death Metal songs. Not everyone is in to a progressive approach to songwriting, so fair enough… On the whole though, things are good, and we’re looking forward to a lot more live shows to give people the full, close-up experience of our music.
Psychedelic Prog Rockers Astrolabe are releasing their upcoming EP “The Hermit, The Fool and The Hanged Man” December 7th. I have the official stream right here for you guys a few days before it’s release! Marco Minneman recorded the drums for Astrolabe on this EP that brings it to a totally new level. It’s a wild trip through all three songs, all obviously based off tarot cards. Enjoy this great band and their upcoming offering!
TMR: What’s the meaning behind the name Astrolabe? How did the band form?
Well the Astrolabe is this very ancient piece of equipment that was priorly used to guide yourself with help of the stars and planets. If you were lost at the middle of the sea on the 18th century the stars always showed you your relative position and presumably direction with the help of this instrument. At the time I saw an Astrolabe for the first time, it was on England’s British Museum, and I was in a point of my life that I really felt lost and jaded. When I saw it I realized there were many things in life I still didn’t know, maybe there was some treasure still to be found. So this element really stuck with me, this time this machine worked backwards, it became a sort of a guiding star, so to speak.
The band formed almost two and a half years after this incident, I knew I wanted to make music, so at age 20 I decided to lock myself in a room for a looooong time trying to come up with something different, learning how to play guitar and keys, also singing. When I turned 22 life itself made all the introductions, I wanted to make a band so I began scouting and one day in a Tool cover concert, right around the corner from my house, I met Jim López who already was a great base player. I showed him some of the ideas I had, he really liked them so for the next month we began playing with these. I tried to contact some nationally well known drummers but some had many projects or just didn’t know me. After 15 possible drummers I put an ad on a music equipment page on Facebook and 20 minutes later Cesar Rodas from Symbolic says he’s interested! We began rehearsing that week and it all worked out from then on.
TMR: How did you score the opportunity to have Marco Minneman record drums for your EP? Walk me through this once in a lifetime opportunity!
I’m not even sure myself at this point, I’m very proud about the fact that I try a lot different avenues and I’m very driven but in this case I’m humbled by the fact that it was a lot of luck and good timing and maybe some sort of good willing entity! I found a way to contact him around June of this year, sent him our latest album, told him about the ideas we had and the band and after talking for some days, and then we began scheduling dates to record with him as a guest drummer around July 2018. I cannot stress enough on how professional, neat and proactive this man is. I’m still amazed by it.
TMR: How and why did tarot cards influence your upcoming EP? Describe the lyrics and themes of it all.
The Tarot theme began with the previous record and it felt almost intuitive to keep it around a little longer. There’s a correlation between the meaning of each card and the songs composition as well as in the lyrics. On the Hermit it’s pushed a little bit further: lyrics somehow depict a journey, different phases of a life long evolution, all presented in an ambiguous way like cards and their premonitions would be read when someone is reading your future. All three cards depict different processes of a person’s life that somehow never end, because right when you think you are as wise as a Hermit, you realize – hopefully- that your still the Fool. The Hermit, in our story at least, is a form of death of some sorts of a former self into another metaphysical incarnation. That is why the album ends in a way that allows it to begin a knew like a wave following another.
TMR: Any shows coming up supporting your upcoming release?
Yes, we are at the moment looking at the possibility of playing mainly in Europe on 2019!
TMR: How is it different compared to your previous release?
While we were touring for Shock of the New I began to feel the urge to do something completely different and… Literally fun. That was my main drive, do something that’s fun to listen to as to play it all the way. And these three songs I had been playing with seemed to hold this quality. This album is in many ways more mature, it has the blend of what we have learned while touring, it represents the person’s we are becoming now. And the presence of having Marco on the record made us to really push ourselves into growing even more. It’s pretty spontaneous, violent and honest from my perspective.
TMR: How did the band get into music? What bands and artists got you going?
We all lived our whole lives around music, our families were already huge music lovers. In my case one of my uncles, huge influence on my childhood, had around 3000 records in cassette, vinyl and CDs…BEFORE THE INTERNET. At some point I began to think that my family accidentally raised me to love music more than anything.
Some of the bands that got us going were Opeth, Genesis, Mastodon, Steve Hackett, Spinnetta, Steven Wilson and, in some way, Tame Impala.
TMR: What were some of your favorite releases of 2018?
Some of the most interesting records I heard this year where The Sea Within debut album and Haken’s “Vector”. The only record I think I’m looking forward to at the moment is Dream Theater, I’m a fan for life (Systematic chaos was the first record I bought on what the elderly used to call “music stores” ) . I have some hopes on this one.
TMR: Describe the writing process for Astrolabe.
Well, it begins with coming up with some weird cool sounding riffs, try to keep them as complicated and juicy as possible. Then having them in such organized way, and under extreme quality standards, that everything is neatly tied together without any layer of fat between the riffs. Then we begin to add vocals and synths. The longest process is actually making sure that everything is complementary and that there’s only but great riffs, in our opinion, on the song.
TMR: What is everyone’s favorite piece of gear they own? And what do you want?
I love my Schecter Flying V-1, however this record I used a Gibson Les Paul and I’m hooked, it’s just the shape and sound I need so maybe a Les Paul or a 24 fret PRS guitar I saw on a music shop in London a few weeks ago. As for Jim, he is so obsessed with his new Ibanez Multiscale Bass, he only uses it when playing or recording with Astrolabe.
