Last night this obnoxious and teched our tour stopped in a half hour from my place, in Tonawanda. Let me tell you, well wait…..you can see my obsession. Inanimate Existence is turning into one of my modern day favorite bands more and more each weeks. Their melodies, groove, track layering, awesome guitar work from Cam…..blistering drums from Ron, and killer backup growls and bass work from Scott……I really like this band a lot more every increasing week. Fields of Elysium is killer, and thanks to this flyer released months ago to promote the tour I really end up digging their crazy style…..and I already knew Last of Lucy. If it stops out near you at the end of this run, you shouldn’t even question it!
There was another opening band on the bill from the area that I didn’t arrive in time to check out. BUT I did get to the venue in time for Protopilot! One local band dropped off and these guys filled the spot. Their instrumental sound was glorious! It mixed a ton of different genres…..rock, punk, funk, psychedelic and even grind core influences! It was a nice surprise to see how good they were. Western New York does unfortunately have watered down bands, in the sense theres a lot of bands in the same popular genres (metal, rock, punk, acoustic, pop, etc.)…..but nothing I’ve seen that’s real experimental, proggy or against the norm of just being another band. There is only a handful of bands I could rattle off that are instrumental, and was a fun and refreshing set of music. Stereotypically, instrumental bands are over the top technical. What I dug about Protopilot is the guys had layered music focused on rhythm and melody……not over the top crazy, and cared about their songs not just showing off and playing as fast as they could. It was a fun change in instrumental music…..I’d love to see them again.
Next up in the evening was the batshit crazy tech fiends Fields of Elysium! Holy shit did they put on a display of obnoxious technicality and groove that could last for months! All the crazy tapping, sweep picking (did I mention a 7 string bass?) and great vocal dynamics between two different growls and some singing made it a very entertaining set. The assumption (which is true half of the time) different progressive and technical bands go over the top didn’t necessarily apply here. Their music is well thought out and goes as well together like the classic combination of Peanut Butter and Jelly. If you’re into a high octane experimental death metal band these boys are for you! I think they almost blew the roof off of the venue last night.
Next up were the technical heavy hitters The Last of Lucy. Wow, are they fun live! Relentless and energetic I didn’t fall asleep for hours after the show was over! The guys have crafted an interesting and unpredictable band that is ready for some great tours and definite festival slots. These guys are relatively new and wish them nothing but the best. They were super cool, to boot. That’s why I love underground and independent bands more. They’re not held up to a high stature and can say hi to them and don’t pay hundreds of dollars to tell them their music is awesome. I love the intimacy of smaller shows and not a fan of arena shows for the most part. As a guitarist, I was a bit wooed between Christian and Gad. I tried an 8 string guitar before, didn’t know how to play off of that extra string…..I respect guys that can play those larger scaled guitars, which is why I leave it to the pros! Their vocalist Josh ended up hanging with the crowd and going crazy during one of their songs. They’re just flat out fucking good, kids. They also have saxophone in their music, and some jazzy sections. They’re part of the experimental side of death metal….they stand out in many ways. Check them out!
And onto the main event. After Last of Lucy tore our heads off and smacked us with them, Inanimate Existence took the stage……temporarily. After a song, the shitty laptop cutout. Know what? They’re fucking professionals, shit happens. Every touring artist knows it, no matter how prepared you are and want to be prepared for the worst. They handled it well, unfortunately losing a good 15 minutes of their set…..but still heard 4 full songs (a few attempts at the same tracks when the laptop powered off ) and even a new song they decided to play! The Artisan Era has been signing great bands, and when I found out about IE 3 years ago that catapulted my obsession with the band and record label. Since then they’ve been signing top notch underground talent, and Inanimate Existence is another great band. It’s amazing how cool and supportive the label and its bands are of each other, a true music family. Cam’s guitar work is just great….great melody, knows when to rip a shred section and scale it back….just an absolute treat to watch a guitar wizard for a fellow 6 stringer like myself. Scott’s growls and killer bass playing round out a very interesting sound for the trio, you may not always hear the bass the greatest in music sometimes it gets drowned out with the bass drum of the drum kit. Hot damn, he played his ass off last night and didn’t ride one string their whole set. Lots of killer fills and parts that weren’t necessarily easy…..color me impressed. Now, to the skins man himself Ron is a great drummer. I was drawn to that part of the band as well when I heard “Calling From a Dream” when it was released about 3ish years ago (I think?). He has tasteful fills, and a nice blast that’ll make any death metal fan smile ear to ear. Overall, this adds up to a very under appreciated and underdog of a band. Minus the technological bullshit I’m glad I got to see another band off the Artisan Era record label and meet a band I really, really dig a lot.
Switzerland death metal headbangers Carnal Decay are putting out a 7 inch vinyl release July 20th via Rising Nemesis Records (Don’t worry there’s digital versions available too!). The band recently toured Japan in support of the new release, and also talked about many other things. Their vocalist Michael Kern answered the questions, if you are curious. Enjoy!
It’s that raw, brutal sound that was fascinating to me from the very first time i heard it on until now.
I remember one of the first Bands i heard playing Deathmetal was Cannibal Corpse, back in that time I only knew Hardcore Bands like Sick of it all, Biohazard, my own victim…. and of course I knew Slayer but then there came these Growls, that blasting drum, and those (lets call it) slamming riffs. Just pure Brutality banned on CD. Now we know way more bands, that are faster, catchier and whatever but still it’s fun to listen to some new Albums of Cannibal, these guys are just still the same, like a rock!
TMR: How was the band name conceived and what or how was it influenced?
It’s that word Carnal if you search for that in an English->German Dictionary it means “fleshly” and also “sensual”, to let these two things decay is like being unhuman…. I always liked Marvel Comics so there’s the match 😀
TMR: What’s it like being a smaller band?
It’s great! As a professional Sound Engineer i see a lot of Bands that are way bigger than my own but for some reason lots of those tours that are coming across the Clubs i work for are missing the fun and the “realness”.
Fake smiles and stressed out musicians is what I see sooo much that I really appreciate doing this all just for the fun of it.
We don’t have a label that’s telling us how to sound like or how many shows we have to play or whatever.
We are right where we want to be.
TMR: Any big dreams or goals for Carnal Decay?
Visiting more countries and play for people that are into our music, that’s it.
Of course to play more shows in different countries we have to make new records and sell those but to be honest I don’t want to be on a race track around the world and just put a needle into every country I played in. I prefer leaving a country with an experience that’s why we always try to make it some kind of holiday when we play abroad and enjoy some sights and food and beers and of course meet new people.
TMR: Who are some of your favorite bands these days? And all time favorites, as well.
I’ve always liked the bands i already mentioned, Biohazard, Hatebreed, Terror and stuff like that are a big influence to me on the Hardcore side, inside Death metal there’s mostly the beginning of 2000’s era that is a big deal for me, Bands like Pyaemia, Severe Torture, Disavowed (I just realized that the first bands getting in my mind are all from Holland☺) but also Despondency, Inveracity, Gorgasm (Masticate to Dominate aaaaaaaaah yessssss)…. great stuff from that time. I’m pretty much stuck in those days 😀
I hear new stuff but a lot of things dont really catch me that much, part of this is surely because a lot of records are very interchangeable. It’s somehow computerized, you get too much correction and the life gets sucked out of the music itself.
TMR: What are your show plans in the near future? Anything in the works?
21st of July 2018 we’ll be in Spain for the first time! YEAH! Move your fucking brain fest, that one will be in Barcelona! 20th of October in Wermelskirchen, Germany, that’s also going to be a fun one, Birthday bash for an old friend. Later this year 24th of November we’ll hit Belgium again on the “Brutality over Belgium” Festival. Some more shows are in planning we always put that stuff on our Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/carnaldecayband/
TMR: Did the band intentionally write a few songs for a 7” or was that how many you felt was good for a release?
Yes we just needed some new stuff and said “Hey lets make a vinyl only thing”,, now that everyone is just downloading and streaming a CD with such a small cover art is pretty much senseless. So if you pay a cover artist Vinyl is the way to make it worth the money 😉
TMR: Anything for a full length you guys are working on?
We’ve got some riffs but nothing ready to record, we’ve always been kind of slow when it comes to songwriting but now that we live 400km apart from each other it doesn’t really speed things up if you know what I mean. It’s hard to find dates to rehearse and so we’re just taking it easy on that.
And trust me I know there’s ways of being online and send stuff back and forth but we still all prefer the old school way when it comes to songwriting. You can’t cheer each other through skype.
TMR: What bands/artists are you guys keeping an eye on you think are going to be great?
We just played with some great Bands over in Japan that I really like to mention here! “World End Man”, is kind of Misery Index-ish Death/Grind with a lot of drive, very energetic live show and great Musicianship!!!
But when it comes to my actual fave album, Malevolence “Self Supremacy” and Enemy Mind “no safe place” are doing the trick for me at the moment 😉
TMR: How did your first few shows in Japan go?
That was a GREAT experience!!!! Those shows were crushing, we had so much fun on stage. Especially Osaka was one of the sickest shows for us since this band is existing, so much positive energy that came back to us from each visitor! So much love and respect. PLUS! The Whiskey was actually great over there 😀 we had that local one where you cant read a sign on the bottle haha.
TMR: What was it like in Japan? Were there any big moments of culture shock or did you guys naturally love it? I’ve kinda wanted to go myself at one point. Where did you guys play and visit before or after shows?
We were mostly in Tokyo and just traveled to Osaka for one show. Well Tokyo was nice but it’s like a lot of big cities in this world, there’s tons of shops, restaurants and bars and because we’re kind of lazy we didn’t find the “real deal” Japanese food. But what I can say is that people are extremely nice and helpful! All those signs that you see in the subway are unreadable to the western civilization but every time we asked someone for help they really try to help out the best they can and they are never too lazy to explain everything as good as they can without speaking the same language!
TMR: What are you guys interested in outside of death metal and music?
Outside of music there’s not that much time anymore, at least for me, as I said earlier I’m a Sound Engineer so that’s my day to day business with music. But I also like snowboarding in winter, going out skateboarding (downhill) in summer or just drive my motorbike around the Alps.
We all like nice views, good drinks and hanging with our friends I guess that is the main thing we’re into 🙂
TMR: Opinions on the second comeback album from At the Gates?
I just had to give it a listen on Spotify…. Well not my cup of coffee, I’m not that Swedish when it comes to death metal, it’s all well played but I prefer vocals to be more brutal and hateful, drums to be blasting and guitars to just slam and chunk, that’s too much melodyfor me in there.
I remember At the Gates to have more drive and not being that “dark” that was the time when I liked it a bit more but to be honest it never really got me.
TMR: What are your favorite albums or eps of 2018 so far? And what are you looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to every new Band that crosses my path and it doesn’t matter what kind of music they play. If a band does it with passion it can be everything. That’s what I love about my job I see/hear so much new stuff that I don’t get stuck in one genre.
TMR: What are your favorite pieces of gear or instruments/mics past or present? Anything you’d love to own that you currently don’t?
SM58, preferably wireless not because we’re playing the big stages but it’s because I mostly stumble and fall over the fucking cables :-D.
Beside that our guitarist is playing an Ampeg VH140 which is our guitar tone for years now. A great piece of gear! And not easy to find when you’re over here in Europe! I know they go kind of cheap every now and then in the States but they’re close to impossible to reach over here! So anyone has a spare one? Hit me up please!!!!
Our bass player Nasar just got himself a Spector endorsement, nice basses with a good tone. You can hear that on our upcoming 7” 😉
Beside all that we’re a fucking punk rock band. We just play what’s there to play.
TMR: Provide links here whether it’s music related or not for anything you do outside of the band. Thanks for taking the time to chat and best wishes I love your music!
Thank you very much for the interest in Carnal Decay! We feel honored!
Technical/Progressive Death Metallers Inanimate Existence is TMR’S July 2018 Featured Band Of The Month! As promised, they are this month’s showcased band as they placed third in total votes in May’s Battle Royale. Plus, I fucking love this band. The California Trio released their 4th album “Underneath A Melting Sky” last year and I am basically obsessed with it still a year later. Good news is the guys are working on a follow up already. I initially heard the band on Youtube I believe. “Calling From A Dream” was when I heard them for the first time and I love the prog death metal mashup with the female vocals! I loved how diverse their sound was on their 3rd album with occasional clean sections and plenty of death metal too, mixed in with clean vocals and gutturals made it very appealing to me.
IE is not a one trick pony and that’s what I dig about the band. Frontman and guitarist Cameron is a solid guitarist, to say the least. The band’s latest album showcased his dramatic improvement as a songwriter and guitarist. He knows how to harness his immeasurable talent, while making his leads very tasty and melodic…..far from boring and not necessarily repetitive. Oh, and I get to see my homeboys in a few days on the 3rd when they come to town!
Left to Right: Guitars/Vocals Cameron Porras, Drummer Ron Casey, and Bass/Vocals Scott Bradley
In their short time, they have put out some very tasty passages and some great grooves too. They’re one of the best bands out there on the scene right now, and a huge underdog. The sky (HA!) is the limit for Inanimate Existence and if given a great opportunity I know they’d wow the masses of a bigger festival or tour. Ron Casey holds down the drums impressively every time he steps behind the kit. Bradley keeps a great rhythm on bass, and also offers a second set of gutturals that gives the band two different voices in their songs. The guys were initially signed with Unique Leader Records and within the last few years made the transition to the ever potent and rising Artisan Era record label.
I hope everyone digs IE, checks out their music and makes it to a show! They’re currently tearing it up with The Last Of Lucy and Fields of Elysium! Hope to see some of my local Buffalo metalheads at the show on July 3rd! Stay Tech bitches!
Alterbeast, Inferi and Rivers of Nihil are conducting a nation wide tour in support of all three band’s releases with Nihil headlining. Fortunately for us Western New Yorkers, the supporting bands booked an off date with local black metallers Nyktomorph opening up. A second local band was supposed to play but dropped off last minute. iPhone quality photos, excuse my amateur status I hope you enjoy the article!
I think this was the band’s 3rd show? I saw their first show at the Rockin’ Buffalo, and they had a good performance. As you can tell, they’re a 3 piece now they need a bass player. They’re going to start working on their full length during the summer, so you won’t see the band coming out of hibernation until the fall time I heard there’s a show sometime in September I think they’re playing. They’re a black metal band, without all the getup. I was impressed this time around as much as their first show……they’re dark and eerie like any black metal band, but there’s something I really dig about them I can’t put my finger on……It’s just heavy as fuck, and awesome. My colleagues in THE METAL were at the show and also took some video….
Next up were the Inferi dudes. When they took the stage, there was a confirmation their other guitar player Mike couldn’t make the tour for some vacation or something? But they’re continuing the tour as a 4 piece. Both guitarists Malcom and Mike run their record label The Artisan Era together. They’re continuously signing mind blowing tech bands including their own (Inferi and Oubliette). Unfortunately the guys played a handful of songs even with a smaller bill with the other band cancelling….point is I still got to see one of the most overlooked technical death metal bands on the scene right now. They’re all the way out in Nashville, so it made it easy to go to the show knowing they may or may not be back. Their latest album “Revenant” is one of the best releases of the year without a doubt. The neoclassical elements and obnoxious guitar playing of the bearded wizard Malcom made it a very entertaining set. The band’s first two albums are great, but the production wasn’t the greatest……Revenant is a well produced album and if you didn’t know they’re working on remastering and remixing their first two and putting them on vinyl!
If you somehow need further convincing you can check out the stream of Revenant right below here.
Here’s some great guitar work from Malcom himself…..I swear the dude is extremely underrated and if put on a larger level, he’d wow larger crowds. An inspiration for all guitarists, especially for a bum like myself!
Now for the main act…..Tech death thrashing Alterbeast. Wow, their 2 albums do them no justice in comparison to their live show. Now, if you know me I’m the laid back metalhead who doesn’t really mosh, protects the people who get thrown from the pit and constantly headbangs. During Alterbeast though, they really energized the crowd and I felt the need to be a stereotypical metalhead. I really like Alterbeast’s formula of fitting as much into a shorter song rather than the opposite of the band who played before them Inferi who have some bigger songs. Their latest album doesn’t even hit the 40 minute mark! They’re quick, tech, and straight to the point. The Californians put on one hell of a show and left me pumped full of adrenaline.
Here’s the stream of their latest album “Feast” which dropped earlier this year in February. Buy it!
Overall, this was a killer show and for a measly $12 who wouldn’t want to see a lineup as killer as this? If it cost $30 I wouldn’t have felt ripped off, considering the talent that was put on display that evening. Next week Inanimate Existence pops (another great band like Inferi signed to Artisan Era!) with Last Of Lucy and Fields of Elysium at the same venue Stamps on July 3rd. I’ll be there, so you can probably expect another article similar to this….and I have an obsession with Inanimate Existence, so it might be a bigger article.
Aethereus is releasing their first full length “Absentia” on August 10th through The Artisan Era. I chatted with the guys about music, and shit. Ya know….stuff.
TMR: What was it like working with Luis Martinez?
Ben: I met Luis after The Zenith Passage played in Seattle. He heard some demos of the songs for Ego and seemed to dig them. After TZP’s tour finished, we got in contact and began working from there. Lacking a drummer of our own at the time, Luis’ incredible talent was a fantastic contributor on our first release. When we heard the recorded tracks, we were absolutely blown away!
Kyle: Working with Luis on the first EP (Ego Futurus) was pretty great. Even though he’s two states away, we were able to send him demos and click tracks so he could work out his parts and get into the studio with relative ease. The dude is a phenomenal drummer and super easy to work with.
TMR: How is your upcoming album “Absentia” different in comparison to your debut EP? Anything different this time around?
Kyle: There are a few notable differences, the most obvious being the lineup. Except for Ben and I, this is Matt, Vance, and Scott’s debut with the band. They each bring their own style to the table, which I’m super stoked about. In terms of the actual songs, they’re a bit more varied. There are more peaks and valleys, with a heavier emphasis on melody and structure than with Ego.
TMR: How was your band name conceived?
Kyle: We were trying to figure out a name that captured the essence of our sound and the subject of our songs, all of which have a kind of spacey philosophical bend to them. Aethereus means something that is ethereal or other worldly, so it seemed to fit.
TMR: Upcoming show plans?
Kyle: We have a few shows in the pipeline right now. We’ll be playing with The Kennedy Veil in Tacoma, WA on 7/11 and the following night we’re playing with them and our labelmates Inanimate Existence in Seattle. After that we have our CD release show on 8/10 in Tacoma with Theories, Blood and Thunder, and Xoth. We will also be making our way out to the East Coast to play the second day of Fresh 2 Deaf Fest with Artificial Brain and a bunch of other sick bands.
TMR: What’s it like being on the most potent record label in the business right now? You guys are one of many newer talents signed to TAE that proves how great the label’s ears are…..they have lots of great original tech and prog bands that don’t mimic anything!
Kyle: I greatly appreciate the compliment man. It still feels a bit surreal when I think about it. The amount of talent on this label is staggering, so to be counted amongst any of these bands is an incredible feeling. To top it all off, Malcolm and Mike are just awesome dudes who bend over backwards to take care of their bands. So, short answer, pretty stoked.
Ben: I couldn’t be more excited to be working with TAE! The phenomenal musicianship comprising their roster is both awe inspiring, and humbling. I’m very grateful to now be a part of their team.
Vance: I am still in shock and blown away for getting to be part of an amazing label and roster of other great musicians. Overall I am very grateful and stoked to be part of TAE team and look forward to what’s to come.
TMR: What’s the concept behind the album artwork and lyrics? Or is it not a concept album? Anything you guys would like to expand on?
Kyle: In the simplest sense, this is a concept album about losing a loved one that was inspired by the passing of our late bass player and friend Shaun Hansen (who played on “Ego Futurus” and our previous band Seker’s album “Transcendence”). Without going too deep into it, the album loosely follows the Kübler-Ross stages of grief, those being denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, with each song representing a point in the grieving cycle. It’s a much more personal album than Ego.
TMR: What was your moment in wanting to be an artist? Was it a specific song, album, artist or certain instrument that propelled you to your musical talent? What’s everyone’s story that convinced them music was your life?
Kyle: My dad had this crappy Plymouth Acclaim with a cassette player in it. We’d go on drives and just jam out to things like Van Halen, Judas Priest, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix. Then one day he popped in a copy of Yngwie Malmsteen’s “Marching Out” and my 10-year-old head exploded. That was about the time I decided I wanted to play guitar.
Ben: I was in 7th grade when I discovered System of a Down and peaked my interest in heavier, rock.. A year later I ended up buying Master of Puppets in the electronics section of a grocery store. From there, I became addicted to the guitar I’d gotten for Christmas, learning every Metallica, Pantera, and Slayer riff I could.
Vance: Metal has always been in my life growing up thanks to my older cousin. When I was in 8th grade some friends wanted to start a band and we all picked an instrument and I went with guitar. We never did fully put one together, but I stuck with playing daily. In 2008 I moved to Seattle and started my first band where I played guitar and did vocals. Then I joined a few other bands, up until I became a full-time vocalist.
TMR: How does Aethereus write? Spontaneous or planned? Through bits and pieces at practice?
Kyle: Often, it’s spontaneous. I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and been like “I’m going to write a song today.” Usually it comes out of me just jamming on something on my own that ends up snowballing into me demoing something which leads to me tabbing it out, sending it to the rest of the band to get their input/suggestions, and then, if it’s not already in a workable form by then, saving whatever I have written for a later time. That’s pretty much how most of the material “Absentia“ was written. With the new stuff we’re working on, it’s been a lot more collaborative. Ben, Scott, and I have been sending a lot of riffs and partial songs back and forth that have got us all excited.
TMR: What’s your favorite moment as a musician?
Kyle: That’s a tough question. We played a show back in 2017 with Archspire and Arkaik. This guy and his son came out to the show. His son wanted to take a picture with us which was pretty damn cool. I think another awesome moment was when Ben and I got the master back for “Absentia.” Hearing the result of all of us busting our asses for over a year just felt incredible.
Vance: My favorite moment was back in 2012, when my first band I started from when moved to Seattle got to open up for Summer Slaughter. Such an epic night with so many good memories. Another awesome moment was getting to perform one song with Cattle Decapitation on 70,000 Tons of Metal.
Ben: Getting to perform with the CWU symphony in my brief tenure as a violin major was pretty sick.
TMR: What is everyone’s top 5 favorite albums of any genre of all time? And also everyone’s top 5 favorite extreme metal albums of all time?
Kyle: Top 5 All Time Favorite albums of any genre (no particular order): 1. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here, 2. Cynic – Traced in Air, 3. Obscura – Omnivium, 4. Mastodon – Remission, 5. Isis – Wavering Radiant
Top 5 All Time Favorite extreme metal albums: 1. Obscura – Omnivium, 2. Meshuggah – Nothing, 3. Spawn of Possession – Noctambulent, 4. Dissection – Storm of the Light’s Bane, 5. Morbid Angel – Gateways to Annihilation
Vance: Top 5 All Time Favorite albums of any genre: 1. Death – Symbolic, 2. Between the Buried and Me – Colors, 3. Al Di Meola – Elegant Gypsy, 4. Dream Theater – Train of Thought, 5. Agalloch – Ashes Against the Grain
Top 5 All Time Favorite extreme metal albums: 1. Spawn of Possession – Noctambulent, 2. Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity, 3. Necrophagist – Epitaph, 4. Behemoth – Demigod, 5. Cannibal Corpse – The Wretched Spawn
Ben: Top 5 Any Genre: 1. Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked 2. Opeth – Still Life, 3. Led Zeppelin – IV 4. Cynic – Traced In Air 5. Testament – The Legacy
Top 5 Extreme Metal: 1. Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked 2. Necrophagist – Epitaph 3. Spawn of Possession – Incurso 4. Decrepit Birth – Diminishing Between Worlds 5. Obscura – Omnivium
Scott: I’d literally be up all night trying to figure this out so I’m just going to give the first album which comes to mind: Gojira – From Mars to Sirius.
TMR: What are you guys listening to these days?
Kyle: Lately, I’ve been listening to the new Rivers of Nihil a lot. Also, been spinning the new Slugdge and Pelican’s “What We All Come to Need” pretty regularly.
Ben: The new Inferi and Rivers of Nihil are constantly on repeat. Really stoked about the new Obscura and Soreption too!
Vance: At least once a week now I listen to the new Inferi and Rivers of Nihil, so much fire from both albums. Along with that rotation I always put on The Contortionist, Slugdge, Artificial Brain, Virvum, in to the mix.
Scott: For the last few months or so I’ve been jamming a ton of Raiju, an amazing progressive metal band from San Francisco. Keep an eye out for them. Other than that, it’s been a lot of the new A Perfect Circle and Enslaved albums along with a healthy dose of 90s / early 2000s power metal bands.
TMR: What do the Aethereus guys do for fun?
Kyle: Outside of music related stuff, I play a lot of video games (been playing the new God of War quite a bit), go to the gym, and watch an inordinate number of Japanese monster movies.
Ben: Star Wars Battlefront is my jam.
Vance: I play a lot of video games (my favorite is the Mortal Kombat series). I cast many spells in Magic the Gathering. Attendant as many concerts as possible.
Scott: Hang out with my wife and kids, lift heavy things and play/write/see/record music. And when I have time I do enjoy watching weird, disturbing and/or foreign films.
TMR: Favorite TV show/show on Netflix or Hulu at the moment?
Kyle: Really been digging this season of Westworld. Outside of that, I’ve pretty much just been watching old MST3K episodes on Netflix.
Ben: Anxiously awaiting the final season of Game of Thrones…But until then, pretty much reruns of Trailer Park Boys, It’s Always Sunny, Workaholics, etc.
Vance: I watch a lot of cooking shows with my girlfriend and so far, my favorite is Cutthroat Kitchen. I also have been watching all of Star Trek chronologically. Then the old standbys are South Park, American Dad and The IT Crowd
Scott: Netflix? Last show I watched and enjoyed thoroughly was Wild Wild Country. Good documentary series.
TMR: Favorite things to do on tour or after shows?
Kyle: Have a drink, watch the other bands play, and think about how poorly I played.
Vance: Try to find a party or a good place to hang. Also find the nearest diner/Taco Bell.
Ben: I definitely enjoy a post-show drink and perhaps a toke.
Scott: My favorite thing to do on tour besides playing shows and eating food is waking up early in the morning, putting in my headphones and walking around/exploring whatever town or city I ended up in. I’ve found a lot of cool little spots doing this.
Aethereus – Absentia
1. Cascades of Light
2. Writhe
3. Mortal Abrogation
4. Fluorescent Halls of Decay (Ft. Brody Uttley of Rivers of Nihil)
5. Absentia
6. That Which is Left Behind
7. The Black Circle
8. With You, I Walk
9. The Pale Beast
Aethereus
Vance Bratcher – Vocals (The Devils of Loudon/Six Days of Darkness)
Kyle Chapman – Guitar/Vocals
Ben Gassman – Guitar
Scott Hermanns – Bass (The Devils of Loudon/ex-Blood and Thunder)
Matthew Behner – Drums (ex-Fully Consumed/ex-Year of Desolation)
Oubliette is releasing their second album “The Passage” July 13th. The band’s sophomore effort is more mature and a collaboration with a full lineup rather than a solo effort of Mike Low. Oubliette has a lineup finally and a triple guitar attack…..you should know what that means. There is definitely a lot more melody this time around that is a beautiful touch to Oubliette’s blackened metal attack.
The band is an enjoyable change in pace in comparison to the other great bands on their record label The Artisan Era (which is fairly dominated by technical death metal so far). The album concept is a sad and depressing theme of struggle, and at many points pleases a hardcore Opeth fan like myself.
I have to say “The Passage” is a much more experimental album compared to their debut album “Apparitions” which was a tad bit more straightforward. I like the fact it’s a concept album and is done well. You can really feel the character’s struggle in certain points of the songs the further the album progresses. The band further explains the album, lyrics, theme and more right here.
“The Passage” definitely exceeded my expectations after a nice debut album from the crew. It’s a heartfelt and emotional album that carries on right from the start to the last second. This somber and melodic trip makes you wonder how great the third album will be……only time will tell.
The band is playing a show the day of the album release on July 13th at Little Harpeth Brewing in Nashville, Tennessee. If you live near there, don’t wait and purchase your tickets along with the album too!
Prog/Tech death newcomers Aethereus premiered a new song off their upcoming album Absentia titled “The Pale Beast”. After listening to the track, I’m beyond convinced to say the least. It’s not only a great tech and prog piece but very atmospheric and cool melodic parts that intertwine such a killer song…..I’m very impressed. Absentia is out Friday August 10th. The artwork is severely captivating, I hope the rest of the album is as crazy as everything else on The Artisan Era record label!
Aethereus Vance Bratcher – Vocals (The Devils of Loudon/Six Days of Darkness) Kyle Chapman – Guitar/Vocals Ben Gassman – Guitar Scott Hermanns – Bass (The Devils of Loudon/ex-Blood and Thunder) Matthew Behner – Drums (ex-Fully Consumed/ex-Year of Desolation)
) and even a new song they decided to play! The Artisan Era has been signing great bands, and when I found out about IE 3 years ago that catapulted my obsession with the band and record label. Since then they’ve been signing top notch underground talent, and Inanimate Existence is another great band. It’s amazing how cool and supportive the label and its bands are of each other, a true music family. Cam’s guitar work is just great….great melody, knows when to rip a shred section and scale it back….just an absolute treat to watch a guitar wizard for a fellow 6 stringer like myself. Scott’s growls and killer bass playing round out a very interesting sound for the trio, you may not always hear the bass the greatest in music sometimes it gets drowned out with the bass drum of the drum kit. Hot damn, he played his ass off last night and didn’t ride one string their whole set. Lots of killer fills and parts that weren’t necessarily easy…..color me impressed. Now, to the skins man himself Ron is a great drummer. I was drawn to that part of the band as well when I heard “Calling From a Dream” when it was released about 3ish years ago (I think?). He has tasteful fills, and a nice blast that’ll make any death metal fan smile ear to ear. Overall, this adds up to a very under appreciated and underdog of a band. Minus the technological bullshit I’m glad I got to see another band off the Artisan Era record label and meet a band I really, really dig a lot.
