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By Andrew Bansal

To metalheads and guitar enthusiasts, the name Marty Friedman needs no introduction. After a long, isolated exile wherein he concentrated his musical efforts solely towards his adopted home country of Japan, the former Megadeth and Cacophony guitarist and solo artist is finally ready to make a worldwide comeback with his new solo album ‘Inferno’, due out on May 27th via Prosthetic Records. He made an appearance at this year’s NAMM in late January to promote the album, meet fans and demonstrate his new signature PRS guitar. On January 22nd, I spoke to him in detail about NAMM, the new record, and the guest musicians featured on it, among other things. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “Marty Friedman Talks NAMM, Signature Guitar, New Album & More”

By Andrew Bansal

Miami, Florida-based stoner doom/sludge trio Shroud Eater made it out for their first ever US West Coast run earlier this month, and are currently onto the home stretch. Bringing forth a very organic, intense and free-flowing brand of doom for the past five years, Shroud Eater released a new EP called ‘Dead Ends’ in 2013, and will soon begin work on new material. Following a great show at the Complex in Glendale CA on February 28th, they suffered from canceled shows in Dallas TX and Little Rock AR due to treacherous weather, and while on the drive to the next show in Nashville, bassist/backup vocalist Janette Valentine spoke to me over the phone to discuss this tour, the long drive from Florida, the band’s 3-piece musicianship, and future plans. Enjoy the conversation below.  Continue reading “Interview With Shroud Eater Bassist Janette Valentine”

By Andrew Bansal

Heavy metal supergroup De La Tierra brings together four Latin Americans from different walks of heavy music, namely Andrés Giménez of A.N.I.M.A.L. fame as frontman on vocals and guitar, Andreas Kisser of Sepultura on lead guitar, Sr. Flavio of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs on bass and Alex González of Maná on drums. The quartet utilizes the diversity in talent that comes from their combination, and have already released their self-titled debut full-length album via Roadrunner Records. A couple of weeks ago, Andreas Kisser spoke to Metal Assault to discuss this new project in detail. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “Sepultura Guitarist Andreas Kisser Talks About New Side Project De La Tierra”

By Andrew Bansal

After more than a decade in the wilderness, Canadian technical extreme metal band Gorguts orchestrated a triumphant comeback in 2013 with the release of their fifth studio album ‘Colored Sands’ via Season Of Mist Records, their first album since the 2001 effort ‘From Wisdom To Hate’. Unanimously heralded by fans and critics alike as one of the strongest albums of the year, ‘Colored Sands’ is Gorguts’ finest hour. Now, while the band gets ready to hit North America on the Decibel tour with Carcass, they also have a Juno Awards 2014 nomination under their belts for the best hard rock/metal category. A few days ago, guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter Luc Lemay to discuss the Juno nomination, Colored Sands, the upcoming tour, and more. Check out the conversation below. Continue reading “Gorguts Frontman Discusses Juno Nomination + More”

By Andrew Bansal

When it comes to discovering young metal bands with great potential and honing them into establishing successful careers, Los Angeles-based record label Prosthetic Records is doing as good a job as anyone else out there and with a solid selection of incredible talent, Prosthetic is providing quite a service to fans and followers of the heavy metal genre everywhere. Holy Grail, Skeletonwitch, Scale The Summit and Ramming Speed are only a few examples of the pedigree that currently occupies the label’s roster, which continues to grow with killer new signings such as Exmortus, Felix Martin, Niacin, and of course, the one and only Marty Friedman. A few days ago, co-owner E.J. Johantgen spoke to Metal Assault for an interview. Check out the conversation below. Continue reading “Interview With Prosthetic Records Co-Owner E.J. Johantgen”

By Andrew Bansal

On an unrelenting run of tour dates since the release of their latest album ‘The Dream Calls For Blood’, San Francisco Bay Area thrash veterans Death Angel are currently trekking across North America to detonate audiences as main support act to Children Of Bodom. Death Angel’s recent years have been easily their most fruitful, as the band has successfully been able to release high-quality new music and tour worldwide on a regular basis. The Children Of Bodom tour made a stop at a sold-out House Of Blues Sunset Strip last Saturday March 1st, and as expected, Death Angel put on a powerful performance. A few hours before they destroyed the stage, drummer Will Carroll spoke to Metal Assault to discuss the tour, the Rainbow and the LA scene, his ideal soundtrack to rainy weather, live musicianship, and lots more. Enjoy this candid chat below. Continue reading “A Candid Conversation With Death Angel Drummer Will Carroll”