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By Andrew Bansal

For more than two decades, Norwegian progressive extreme metal stalwarts Enslaved have delivered music that’s ‘extreme’ not only in the conventional sense, but also in its thought-provoking progressive patterns. This aspect of their musicianship is perhaps more evident on the latest album ‘Riitiir’ than anything else, and the band has been touring in support of the album for the past 18 months. They just completed a very successful North American tour with Amon Amarth and Skeletonwitch, and a few hours before they took the stage for their last show of the tour at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on February 15th, guitarist and mastermind Ivar Bjørnson spoke to Metal Assault about the tour, plans for the next album, and more. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Ivar Bjørnson Of Enslaved”

By Andrew Bansal

Maryland rock n’ roll band Lionize have been in existence since 2004, portraying a musical style that can be described as stoner rock with elements of blues, funk and reggae. They are now ready to release their fifth studio album ‘Jetpack Soundtrack’ on February 18th. It will be their first album on Clutch’s label Weathermaker Music, a band with whom Lionize has shared quite a bit of touring history in the past few years. This new album is an apt representation of the eclectic nature of Lionize’s musicianship, and with 11 tracks spanning a mere 41 minutes, the band has expressed themselves more concisely than ever before. On February 3rd, they held a media-only listening party at Swinghouse Studios in Hollywood, and guitarist Nate Bergman spoke to Metal Assault about the album, among other things. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “Lionize Guitarist Talks New Album ‘Jetpack Soundtrack’ + More”

By Andrew Bansal

Swedish heavy metal trio Grand Magus have begun the year of 2014 on a great note with the release of their seventh studio album ‘Triumph And Power’ via Nuclear Blast Records, an album that sees them turn it up a notch or two in several aspects, serving as an apt follow-up to the highly acclaimed 2012 release ‘The Hunt’. With gloriously epic tunes such as ‘On Hooves Of Gold, ‘Fight, ‘Triumph And Power’, ‘Dominator’ and ‘The Hammer Will Bite’ on this new album, Grand Magus look set for a tremendous year ahead. Lead vocalist/guitarist Janne “JB” Christoffersson spoke to Metal Assault a few days ago to discuss the album, among other things. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “Grand Magus Frontman Discusses New Album ‘Triumph And Power’ + More”

By Andrew Bansal

Progressive metal band Rusty Eye began in Mexico City in 1995 but have called Los Angeles their home for several years now. Musically, they’ve blended various elements and sub-genres within the progressive metal blanket throughout their career, and when it comes to the lyrics and imagery, they’ve followed a horror-based theme. Having been a three-piece band for the longest time, they went through some lineup changes recently and are now back to being a trio with Mr. Rust on bass and vocals, Baron Murtland on guitar and Justin Lack on drums. While they continue to work on new material, they’re getting ready to release an all-covers album called ‘Saca El Cobre’, which consists of Spanish covers of songs by Mexican music legends, along with a Spanish version of the Rusty Eye original ‘Mr. Cannibal’. On February 5th 2014, the three members of Rusty Eye spoke to Metal Assault about the past, present and future of the band. Watch the 11-minute chat below. Continue reading “Video Interview With Rusty Eye”

By Andrew Bansal

Based out of Detroit, Michigan, rock n’ roll quartet Against The Grain truly embody the Motor City spirit in their music and attitude, as was clearly prevalent on their debut album, simply titled ‘Motor City Speed Rock’. The follow-up album ‘Surrounded By Snakes’, deemed by Metal Assault as one of the best releases of 2013, saw an expansion in the band’s musicianship and they underwent a natural progression in their songwriting abilities. Motor City Speed Rock has been re-released as a 10″ by Self-Destructo Records this month, and the band is gearing up for a run of US dates. On their previous big US tour with Church Of Misery and Zoroaster, guitarist/vocalist Kyle David and drummer Rob Nowak caught up with Metal Assault at the Satellite in Los Angeles to talk about all things Against The Grain. Enjoy the chat below. Continue reading “Interview With ‘Motor City Speed Rock’ Band Against The Grain”

By Andrew Bansal

In the past one year, Sirion have proved themselves to be one of the fastest rising bands in the Los Angeles metal community, and last Friday, they capped off their recent months of hard work and celebrated their debut EP release with a headline show at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood, where they played the EP, newer material and covers in front of a large audience which entirely consisted of their own fans. A few hours before they tore up the stage with intense music in the foreground and a hilarious light saber sideshow, bassist Joey Linahon spoke to Metal Assault about all things Sirion. Enjoy the chat below. Continue reading “Interview With Sirion Bassist Joey Linahon”