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In-depth Interview With Ramming Speed

By Andrew Bansal

Boston MA-based road warriors Ramming Speed are easily one of the most active touring bands in metal oday, and fittingly appropriate to their name, they’re hitting the scene hard. Having been around for the best part of 6 years and building themselves from the ground up, the band got signed to Prosthetic Records earlier this year and released their second full-length album ‘Doomed To Destroy, Destined To Die’ in June. With a smooth blend of metal, punk and hardcore, they have a little something for everybody. Currently, they’re on a North American run in support of North Carolina party-mongers Valient Thorr. They stopped by at the Roxy Theatre on September 17 for what turned out to be a great show, and before Ramming Speed went on stage I sat down with drummer Jonah Livingston and guitarist Kallen Bliss for a light-hearted chat. Check out the conversation below and do not miss Ramming Speed the next time they come through your town. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Ramming Speed”

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In Conversation With Gene Hoglan

By Andrew Bansal

Perhaps the most prolific drummer in heavy metal today, Gene Hoglan needs no introduction to metalheads, thanks to his exploits in a long list of bands including Testament, Fear Factory, Dethklok, Dark Angel, Death, Meldrum, Strapping Young Lad and many others. Even though Testament is currently a highly active touring band and Hoglan continues to take the drumkit for them, while he is off Testament duty he is on a run of solo clinic/performance dates titled ‘The Gene Hoglan Experience’, and has announced ‘The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two’ DVD, a sequel to the Atomic Clock which was released in 2010. Yesterday on September 26 2013, I had a chat with him about the solo tour, the DVD and other things. Check out the conversation below, and LA folks should come and see his show at the Whisky on Tuesday October 1st. Continue reading “In Conversation With Gene Hoglan”

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Valient Himself Talks Touring, New Album, Bad Movies & Lots More (Audio)

By Andrew Bansal

North Carolina-based heavy rock outfit Valient Thorr have intrigued me ever since I saw them open for Mastodon back in 2010 and subsequently with Motörhead the year after. With a dynamic and highly entertaining live show, they compel the audience to take notice. They’ve toured relentlessly for the past few years, and following the release of their latest album ‘Our Own Masters’ earlier this year, they’ve continued on the touring run, promoting what in my opinion is their strongest studio album till date. They brought their headline tour to the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood on Tuesday September 17th 2013, and before the show I had the pleasure of chatting with frontman Valient Himself about all kinds of topics. I aired the 14-minute interview on Episode 6 of the Metal Assault radio show on Razor KXRZ in the live broadcast last Wednesday September 25th 2013, and now the podcast version of the entire episode is posted below. The Valient Thorr segment begins at exactly the 22:03 mark. Check out the full playlist for the episode here. Continue reading “Valient Himself Talks Touring, New Album, Bad Movies & Lots More (Audio)”

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Audio Interview With Night Demon

By Andrew Bansal

Ventura CA-based traditional heavy metal band Night Demon keep it simple and old-school. Their music is a nod to the classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands like Iron Maiden and Diamond Head, and by their own admittance, they are not reinventing the wheel but merely carrying forward the legacy of the bands they love. I saw Night Demon open for Cauldron earlier this year and they blew me away, and just a few days ago I witnessed their headline show in Pasadena. They also put out a self-titled EP a couple of months ago, and are not getting ready to record a full-length album, following which they’ll be on a short West Coast tour with their heroes Diamond Head and Raven. I had bassist/vocalist Jarvis Leatherby and guitarist Brent Woodward as my in-studio guests on Episode 6 of the Metal Assault radio show on Razor KXRZ for the live broadcast last Wednesday September 25th 2013. Now the podcast version of the entire episode is posted below. The Night Demon segment begins at the 1:01:12 mark. Check out the full playlist for the episode here. Continue reading “Audio Interview With Night Demon”

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Max Cavalera Talks About New Soulfly Album ‘Savages’ (Audio)

By Andrew Bansal

Max Cavalera-led Soulfly are ready to release their ninth studio album ‘Savages’ on October 1st via Nuclear Blast Records, an extremely solid album by the prolific outfit that not only strengthens what they established over the 15 years of their existence, but also sees them break some interesting new ground through collaborations with guest musicians like Neil Fallon from Clutch, Mitch Harris from Napalm Death and Jamie Hanks from I Declare War. A few days ago, I spoke to Max Cavalera about this album among other things. I aired the 13-minute interview on Episode 5 of the Metal Assault radio show on Razor KXRZ in the live broadcast last Wednesday September 18th 2013, and now the podcast version of the entire episode is posted below. The Soulfly segment begins at exactly the 29:30 mark. Check out the full playlist for the episode here. Continue reading “Max Cavalera Talks About New Soulfly Album ‘Savages’ (Audio)”

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Audio Interview With Eddie Solis

By Andrew Bansal

Although he’s mainly known in the Los Angeles underground music scene as the frontman of two-piece hardcore punk band It’s Casual, Eddie Solis has more than one facet to his personality. While he’s still busy working on all things It’s Casual, he’s successfully hosting his radio show ‘Los Angeles Nista’ on Skid Row Studios, and he has also started his own label called Stoked Records. His lyrics in It’s Casual songs and his radio show both strongly promote the message of being pro public transportation and car-free. I had him as my in-studio guest on Episode 5 of the Metal Assault radio show on Razor KXRZ for the live broadcast last Wednesday September 18th 2013. Now the podcast version of the entire episode is posted below. The Eddie Solis segment begins at the 1:09:30 mark. Check out the full playlist for the episode here. Continue reading “Audio Interview With Eddie Solis”