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By Andrew Bansal

In the eyes and ears of many, San Francisco Bay Area veterans Exodus wrote the blueprint for thrash metal, and in addition to inspiring multiple generations of thrashers over the past three-and-a-half decades, they’ve also stayed hungry and true to form, specially in the past 12 years. Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza, who replaced the then vocalist Paul Baloff in 1986 until the band broke up in ’94, then featured on the 2004 comeback ‘Tempo Of The Damned’, but parted ways with Exodus after that album, and perhaps in an unprecedented move for him and the band alike, Zetro returned for his third stint with Exodus in 2014. They released their tenth studio album ‘Blood In Blood Out’ that year and have been going strong ever since, despite guitarist Gary Holt’s busy schedule with Slayer and on-and-off involvement in Exodus shows. Now, Exodus are setting out on a three-show mini-tour as main support to Killswitch Engage which includes a gig at the Novo in downtown Los Angeles on Friday September 2nd. Last Friday August 26th, Zetro spoke to Metal Assault about all things Exodus. Enjoy the chat below. Continue reading “Bonded By Thrash: One-On-One with Exodus Vocalist Steve ‘Zetro’ Souza”

By Andrew Bansal

Minnesota-based drummer Pete Campbell a.k.a “Minnesota Pete” joined legendary stoner doom band Pentagram in 2015, recorded the drum parts on their latest album ‘Curious Volume’, and has been holding the rhythm strong on stages worldwide since then. Coming off a US headline tour and a high-profile festival appearance, Campbell is currently home and besides his commitments to Pentagram, is plotting his next moves, one of which involves him joining Ventura, California nerd rock group Gygax, a band many readers on this site should already be familiar with. Last Monday August 29th, Pete Campbell spoke to Metal Assault about all things Pentagram and Gygax, plus his favorite band, biggest influences, other projects and more. Enjoy the chat below. Continue reading “All About The Groove: In Conversation With Pentagram Drummer Pete Campbell”

Interview by Nathan Hernandez

In the eyes and ears of some people, Swedish quartet Enforcer may be deemed throwback-driven with their denim-and-leather clad old-school heavy metal, but in the 12 years since their formation, they’ve brought high-class and deadly precise musicianship, to go with the kind of quality production that decorates some of the most celebrated timeless classics in hard rock and heavy metal history. But they’ve proven themselves to be far beyond mere revivalists, bringing an undeniable sense of freshness with their pristine, full-sounding albums and putting on live shows that exude captivating energy. No amount of praise is excessive when it comes to this band. Enforcer released their fourth full-length album ‘From Beyond’ via Nuclear Blast Records in 2015, and completed a highly successful North American co-headline tour with Warbringer last winter. They’re returning to the continent for a tour with Dark Tranquillity, and are gearing up to write the next album. Our writer Nathan Hernandez spoke to vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand to talk all things Enforcer. Enjoy the chat below and make it a point to check out this band if you haven’t yet. Continue reading “Taking Metal Out Of Its Nightmare: An Interview With Enforcer Frontman Olof Wikstrand”

By Andrew Bansal

One of the last remaining personalities of his kind, at least in the realm of heavy music, Canadian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend has donned many skins in his career and has painted sonic landscapes with varying colors and textures, whether it was with Steve Vai in the mid ’90s, Strapping Young Lad in the late ’90s and early 2000s, his solo albums, or still is with the Devin Townsend Project and other endeavors like Casualties Of Cool. Now he’s been with his DTP band mates for ten years, and is ready to release the seventh DTP album ‘Transcendence’ on September 2nd 2016 via InsideOut Music. Aside from being an endlessly creative musician and an inimitably dynamic performer, Devin Townsend has also been a great conversationalist whenever he has taken the time to talk to Metal Assault about his music over the past six years. Last Tuesday August 23rd was another enjoyable and insightful chat with him about all things DTP and more, including ‘Transcendence’, the upcoming North American tour, production styles, live shows, farting into microphones, and other subjects. Read the conversation below, get a taste of ‘Transcendence’, and if the next tour is visiting your town, mark the date in your calendar. Continue reading ““I’m A Perfectionist Who Isn’t Perfect”: An In-depth Interview with Devin Townsend”

Interview by Jason Williams

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, technical extreme metal quintet Archspire, their music lovingly coined ‘tech-space’, have only been a band since 2009 and have one EP and two full-length releases to their name. But with spark-igniting technical brilliance in vocals, guitar play as well as the rhythm section, they’ve caught modern extreme metal fans’ attention and are rising rapidly through the ranks. They recently concluded a short US run on their way to Denver, Colorado to record their third full-length album with Dave Otero, who has worked with the likes of Cobalt, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation. As part of this run, they played a headline show at DiPiazzas in Long Beach, CA, and our writer Jason Williams was in attendance. He sat down with new bassist Jared Smith for a chat on all things Archspire. Enjoy it below and be on the lookout for album and tour announcements from the band in the immediate future. Continue reading “Lost In Tech-Space: In Conversation With New Archspire Bassist Jared Smith”

By Andrew Bansal

Swedish battle-themed power metal warriors Sabaton have been a band since 1999, perhaps longer than some people realize. After several years of continued success in Europe, they finally embarked upon North American shores in 2011, and through constant touring, have enjoyed a steady rise in their popularity in the continent ever since. They’ve consistently written songs about battles, victories, sacrifices and heroes from history, and continue to do so on their eighth studio album ‘The Last Stand’ (released August 19th 2016 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment), but focusing lyrics on ancient battles on this one. Following the release of this bombastic set of tunes, Sabaton are now getting ready for a five-week US tour as main support to Trivium. On August 25th, vocalist Joakim Brodén spoke to Metal Assault in a candid conversation about the new album, lyrics, the use of backing tracks, the fans, the band’s own festival and cruise endeavors, and the upcoming US tour. Enjoy the chat below, along with three tracks from ‘The Last Stand’. Continue reading “Metal Heroes In Battle: A Candid Conversation With Sabaton Frontman Joakim Brodén”