The Ritual Aura has some weird stuff planned out where…..they want to play a……game? No it’s not jigsaw, where your limbs will get hacked and thrown into a vat of acid but it’s a more normal game. As posted above, the band is planning to release “Velothi” sooner than later. But first, break out your magnifying glass and trench coat Sherlock Holmes! Stay updated with every clue along the way to solve the puzzle, Macgyver. Here’s the first bit of information we have received from the overlords.
Avikari is a melodic instrumental band that recently released a killer new song “Timeless”. It’s a great mix of modern progressive metal with more melody and some electronic sampling too. The project is based out of Vancouver, where the water is really good and breed some great artists. If you wanna try something different, melodic and really prog with some technicality mixed in Avikari really rips. Listen to their latest release below and stay in tune with what they’re releasing!
Dark Helm released an obscenely awesome progressive death metal album this past Christmas, and wow the Indian band really put on quite a show. Let’s say the country has their own Rivers Of Nihil. These guys not only blend progressive death metal and rock with some psychedelic influences…..but what really drew me in was authenticity to their home. There’s all sorts of cool sitar and other Indian instruments added into their extremely deep and impressive sound. Don’t worry, the guys bring plenty of heavy along with that awesome sound of theirs.
To already add to their wild sound, there’s also some keyboards that widen their sound even more. Everything about this album is fantastic from energetic vocals, killer rhythm and beautiful guitar work. India is pumping out some solid music right meow with Orchid and Coma Rossi being two of my first discoveries. Just like Indonesia, I think i’m starting to develop a soft spot for India and is motivating me to want to promote their music more. When Dhairya sings, it’s like that classic 70’s psychedelic prog sound mixed with a big Steven Wilson influence. And let me tell you how cool the layered sitar sounds when he’s singing, just wow. There’s even hand drums too, if you were curious. I can’t ramble on enough on how great Dark Helm is, and how artistic they are. This isn’t another metal band trying to fit in, they’re truly unique and I strongly suggest you give them a chance. Check out the album right here.
The Indonesian attack is at it again through Eastbreath Records with a band this time called INRAIN. Now if you’ve been paying attention, ER has been signing more technical bands and that’s what the record label looks to be focusing on. Now, let’s shift gears to something really groovy and straightforward shall we? I have been gifted one track titled “Rhyme Disarray Destination”. Holy crap, it grooves. It’s a solid modern take on death metal, with the energy and emotion some bands in the genre lack sometimes. The drumming is on point, and the vocalist just rips. The guitar lead is melodic, and an unexpected melodic progression underneath it just to change things up. Then, it kicks back into full gear. I dig the track, and hope you do too. You can check out Eastbreath Records right here for all your INRAIN needs. While you’re at it check out the rest of their impressive and growing roster…..must I say the Indonesian Artisan Era? Only time will tell. Stay brutal and stay tech!
Instrumental Progressive Fusion band Ad Astra dropped their self titled album and I’m here to blabber all about it! The guys have put out a more than stellar output, to be honest with you all. The guitar work is absolutely brilliant, and does what it has to do…..some fusion guitarists just aimlessly noodle (like technical death metal occasionally, too) without a good song structure. Well, I’m relieved to say Ad Astra goes against that generalization big time. The band has worked together to create compositions, not just a band aimlessly playing their instrument. There’s great melody, sweet keyboard work as well, and some killer rhythms.
The drummer holds a solid and steady output on the kit, while maintaining great flavor in the recipe of Ad Astra’s music. The bassist holds a fine steady rhythm, and is totally locked in with the drummer’s parts. He also has some sweet fills, that compliment when the keys and guitar when they have leads and vice versa. The mood is ever so relevant in the band’s album. Considering how laid back their sound can be and then bust out of nowhere like a bat out of hell. I really dig what these guys are doing, and have clearly thought their music. Head over to their website to check out more on the band, their music, and upcoming shows. While you’re there, grab a physical copy of this album! I might just do the same!
Beyond Creation and Obscura are my Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden for Technical/Progressive/Experimental music, and can say helped influence the creation (HAR HAR) of my website. It’s with immeasurable excitement to announce I have successfully interviewed bassist Hugo of Beyond Creation, Brought By Pain and Equipoise. Enjoy the read people! I hope you’re as excited as I am!
TMR: You’re such a proficient bassist and well trained….what made you want to jump into a death metal subgenre? What influenced it?
First of all, thank you for having me on here! It’s truly a pleasure for me! Thank you for that comment! I always loved the energy and uniqueness that metal has over other music styles and technical death metal is one of the subgenres that shines with those qualities. Also, I’ve always liked the challenging aspect of performing death metal!
TMR: Tell us how the Equipoise recording went.
Pretty good overall, with quite some challenges too! I recorded the album at home using minimal gear and focusing on getting the cleanest takes possible, which ended up being very time-consuming but worth it in the end! I started recording right after my last studio session recording Beyond Creation’s ‘Algorythm’ so I was pumped and ready to do Equipoise’s ‘Demiurgus’ right away!
TMR: Are there any plans of playing some Equipoise shows?
We have been talking about it, but it’s still at that phase for now. There are 7 people in the band – most being in active and/or touring bands – so it would require proper management and scheduling to make it work for all of us. I think that touring is going to be inevitable at some point, but we’ll see!
TMR: Your main squeeze Beyond Creation released a fantastic album “Algorythm” last year. It seems to have been well received so far! Tell us about how the shows have gone supporting the album, and how making the album was as well. What did you guys specifically set out to do differently?
Thank you so much, I’m super happy you enjoy the record! Indeed, we are very grateful for the great response so far! All the shows we did supporting ‘Algorythm’ turned out amazing actually! We got on the road to perform the album in its entirety only about 2 weeks after it came out and we were surprised on the amount of people knowing the material, lyrics and song titles, it was truly a wonderful tour! The actual recording of the album was a very special experience for me, being my first time recording in a ‘real’ studio, and Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy) at The Grid made it so much enjoyable! We actually have studio update videos as well as tour recap video on our Youtube Channel for anyone who wants more insights on the studio/live side of things! For ‘Algorythm’ we wanted to do something a bit more dynamic and rich without going off the tracks of Beyond Creation’s signature sound. We’re always trying to reach the next level musically and to make music that we would listen to ourselves. Also, we took the opportunity to reach new kind of fans and welcome them into the tech-death subgenre with this progressive and intricate album.
TMR: What and who made you want to pick up a bass?
I had musicians in my family, but none of them played bass, so I though I’d just fill in on bass! I stuck to it and made it a passion and priority! I also learned guitar and drums not long later, but have not been able to practice as much as bass! As with any skill, you need to focus on one at a time to really shine!
TMR: Describe your emotions and feelings on recording your first album with the band since you joined.
It’s a pretty awesome feeling to finally be playing my own bass lines after so many shows playing Forest’s. Don’t get me wrong here, I absolutely love his work and what he brought to the band’s sound! But for some reason it’s always more exciting to deliver you own material and I have to say that BC’s fans and fellow bassists have been giving me the most amazing feedback, which I want to thank everyone for! This kind of duty obviously comes with its challenges but it turned out immensely positive overall for me!
TMR: Let’s be honest, when you joined Beyond Creation you had huge shoes to fill with Forest Lapointe leaving. And I’m in the crowd who thinks you’re doing a fine job at that, and adding your own style to their music and now helped write your first album with them. Was any of that going through your head at first?
Thank you so much man! Yes of course. Forest is and always be one of my favourite bassists so at first it was quite inconceivable to take his place in the band. I have to admit that circumstances made my life a bit easier, having joined the band only a few months after the release of “Earthborn Evolution”, I had plenty of time to develop my technique and sound as a fretless bassist before actually having to write and perform on a record. Also, as I mentioned above, I’ve been receiving tons of supportive vibes from the fans as well as from my bandmates so it’s been quite smooth.
TMR: Can you give some fellow artists tips to shrug off negativity? Not all of us can always handle it. Some people have ripped Algorythm I think they’re nuts for doing so!
Sure thing! Remind yourself why you’re doing music in the first place! Also, consider yourself lucky enough to have people actually check out your stuff, even if they leave negative feedback, can’t be worse than having zero feedback right ? There are so many bands out there trying to get their name out, there’s no time to get caught up in negativity! Take their advice for what its worth to you and move on. Instead of reading comments, you could be playing music, or just enjoying life, going outside, meditating etc! Even though musicians usually do music quite seriously and tend to blend their personal life with their professional life, I think it’s crucial to be able to disconnect from what you’re doing in life and tune in to who you really are deep inside. If you think what you’re doing is important, you need to take a vacation!
TMR: What tour plans do you have with Beyond Creation this year and next year in 2020? And please don’t take another handful of years between albums again
So far we have a Latin America Tour planned in April 2019 as well as an Autralian/New Zealand tour in May. Everything else is still in the works/not ready to announce yet! Oh don’t you worry we will absolutely take another handful of years until we release another record brother! We have ZERO interest in rushing into new music! I don’t think it’s fair from fans to take a band for granted and act as if they owed them any new music. As a matter of fact, that is the kind of pressure that would likely discourage an artist from creating and releasing an honest piece of music. This is serious business guys, some people actually end up taking their own life because of that kind of pressure/attitude from fans towards them. Part of the problem is that we are getting used to consumerism and instant gratification in modern society, so we are constantly in need of new things to keep our brains filled with more and more dopamine. That’s why people like singles and EPs! They get their fix, stream the song a few times online for free and move on : their brain chemistry is unbalanced! Again, it’s not fair to expect anything from an artist based on our own perception of time. With that being said, I will be working on new music all year with my other bands Conflux and Brought by Pain (on top of Equipoise’s album release March 8th and tons of session work). Back to Beyond Creation, one thing that we enjoy a whole lot is touring, especially in places we’ve never been before. So we’re really looking forward to take the time that we need to visit as many countries and continents as we can on the ‘Algorythm’ album cycle. And that alone can take a handful of years
TMR: You guys seem to have a solid chemistry artistically and really “click”. Explain the band dynamics and how important being fluid and understanding each other musically and as people as well.
I think that the easiest thing about being in a band is playing your instrument! What’s not so easy to everybody and also not that obvious is the requirement in social and communication skills to thrive as a bandmate. Most of the things that happen in a band do not require to play your instrument, especially in self-managed band like Beyond Creation. Think about what’s essential to develop to be able to go out on the road with 4 to 20 other people for 25+ consecutive shows without losing your mind, but actually enjoying it from all faces and being excited to go back multiple times a year, for many years to come. To me, it has always been important that everyone feel part of the same “family” and have the best time possible doing music altogether, and luckily it’s been a priority for Simon, Kevin and Philippe as well. Everything else seems to come naturally when you already have sense of fulfillment from being with each other and living our craziest dream!
TMR: What’s your favorite song from “Algorythm”?
I always tend to consider the title track as my favourite, but I think that each song has a very unique vibe that deserve my own recognition.
TMR: Describe your favorite tour you have been a part of, and what made it great or special.
Great question! When I look in the past, I try to learn from it and move on. So I would say each and every tour was my favourite since they each provided me with so much personal growth and insight about what makes me happy and give me a sense of fulfillment. Each tour has been super special and made it possible for us to meet new friends, fans and develop better practices as a business, so I highly value each one of them equally!
TMR: Any new Brought By Pain music?
Yes, as stated earlier! We’re working on a full-length, which I’m pretty stoked about!!
TMR: Tour plans for Brought By Pain?
Yep, nothing concrete as of right now, but we definitely plan on getting this band on the road again and again!
TMR: What was it like getting that band off the ground and on some tours? Do you expect it to be a constant or just occasionally tour?
It’s been great! We consider ourselves lucky to have so many dedicated followers and fans that are constantly spreading the word about us! It’s always more demanding to get things rolling properly and get out of the ‘friendzone’ (if I can allow myself such metaphor) but always worth it in the end! I think in the long run it’s going to be both constant and occasional, taking the opportunity whenever we can, without forcing things!
Here’s my favorite song from the latest Beyond Creation opus. Yeah, maybe Hugo’s tasteful bass lead at the end has something to do with it. It RIPS. Don’t fool yourself.
Mechanized Dirge is premiering their bass playthrough for the track “To Shed The Flesh Form” today through TMR! If you didn’t know, that is the bass player of Crevassian! Check out this wild technical death metal band on all of their pages and stay up to date on the band’s actions!
The Odious Construct’s Drummer KC Brand has released a drum playthrough of “Vortex Of Self” from their killer EP Shrine Of The Obscene. I have been into this band since their debut album, and wow SOO made it onto Dave’s ever so expanding best of list. The playthrough is physical evidence of how good my homeboy is on drums, and is another testament to their improving sound and talents with their second EP. Y’all wanna get familiar with these cats if you’re into symphonic melodic technical death metal (A MOUTHFUL I KNOW). They just rip really hard, and Brand proves it…..yet again. Check out the video below and bang your head!
Death metal newcomers AD PATRES have released a lyric video for the track “Spellbound” from their upcoming album “A Brief Introduction To Human Experiments”. Its a great mix of classic death metal with some technical virtuosity, and plenty of brutality. It doesn’t have some of the repetitive nature of brutal slam death metal bands, and is a rather intriguing song. Sweet, meaty riffs are very welcome in the song along with some consistent rhythms from the rhythm section especially the drums. The vocalist is ever so consistent, and the frontline energy supplier for the French death metal four piece. I’m very intrigued, and so should you! Check out the track!
With three full lengths and an EP under their belt, German death metal project Phobiatic are almost ready to release another. Founded in 2008, Phobiatic boats members of other projects like Warfield Within, I Despise, and Fake Idyll. The death is strong with these other projects as well.
The influence of death metal giants like Suffocation, Origin, Cryptopsy and Dying Fetus are heavy amongst their discography, but don’t let statement form a bias against them. Phobiatic offer their own flavor of technical death metal, but don’t think for a minute that their complexities take away from the brutal foundations of their music.
When I asked drummer Kai Bracht about Phobiatic’s upcoming release, he said that they’ll still offer a high level of technicality, but are bringing other metal influences into their material.
Their newest jams are currently in their mix/master stage, but for now, you can catch Phobiatic’s three previous LPs and their EP, as always, on their bandcamp. I’m stoked to hear what goodies they’ve got cooking and we wish them the best of luck with their hunt for a record label worthy of their material.
Death Metal band Ulfven premiered their first song “A Mother’s Betrayal” earlier this month and are in full gear to promote their music in the band’s infancy. The Swedish band’s album “Folklore” is based on Swedish folklore. Check out the song below and if you’re interested mark that date down it will be available digitally for all of you metalheads! After a strong start, I’m intrigued to hear the rest…..so give them a shot! What’s there to lose?
