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By Andrew Bansal

A nod to the unadulterated goodness of old-school heavy metal, Finnish band Battle Beast began in 2008, and through their music they bring out the positive aspects of the classic 80s metal sound, proving that metal needs that element of ‘cheese’ for it to be fun. The band released their debut album ‘Steel’ in 2011, and following a change in vocalist with Noora Louhimo taking over from Nitte Valo as the frontwoman, they put out their sophomore self-titled album on May 17th 2013 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. Before the release, I had a chance to do a Skype interview with guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen to discuss the new album, vocalist change, and lots more. Listen to the in-depth 18-minute conversation below, and visit the band online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Battle Beast Guitarist Discusses New Album, Vocalist Change & More (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

One of the pioneers of American power metal, Vicious Rumors are still going as strong as ever, touring actively and releasing new albums prolifically. Their eleventh studio effort ‘Electric Punishment’ came out via SPV Records in North America on May 7th, and in all honesty, it does complete justice to that title because on this album Vicious Rumors are sounding just about as vicious as they’ve ever done. Preceding this release was a massive world tour in support of the previous album ‘Razorback Killers’, which culminated at the 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise. Just before the release of Electric Punishment, I had a chat with guitarist Geoff Thorpe about that cruise, the new album, touring plans and more. Listen to the 14-minute interview below, and visit the band online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Interview With Vicious Rumors Guitarist Geoff Thorpe (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

Seattle-based singer-songwriter Pamela Moore is best known to metalheads for her longtime collaboration with Queensrÿche, as she has gracefully sung on the band’s albums and performed on stage with them for the role of Sister Mary since 1988’s ‘Operation Mindcrime’. Aside from her Queensrÿche commitments, she has released a few solo albums of her own over the years, the latest being ‘Resurrect Me’ which came out last month via Rat Pak Records. It’s her most ‘metal’ solo album till date, and the effects of her working with the likes of Queensrÿche and briefly with Primal Fear definitely seems to have rubbed off on her music. Her partner musician on this particular album is guitarist Michael Bosch. Late last month, I spoke to Pamela about the music on this album, her work in Queensrÿche, and future plans. Listen to the 12-minute conversation below, and visit her online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Interview With Pamela Moore (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

Austin, Texas based classic hard rockers Scorpion Child are set to release their self-titled debut album on June 25th in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The label might have unleashed a gem here as the band’s music is a modern take on the old-school 70s sound. Through this debut release, the band is certainly proving themselves to be more than a mere 70s revival act, and they are here to achieve more than simply jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak. They completed a North American tour with Clutch and Orange Goblin earlier in the year, and are preparing for yet another massive tour, as they have just been announced as one of the replacements for Behemoth on the Mayhem Festival. Check out my recent interview with bassist Shaun Avants below, check out Scorpion Child at this year’s Mayhem Fest, and visit them online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Scorpion Child Bassist Talks Recent Tour, Debut Album & Influences”

By Andrew Bansal

Despite being primarily known for his longtime and still ongoing involvement in Rob Zombie’s band, guitarist John 5 has more than that one facet to his musical repertoire, as is evident from his latest solo album ‘God Told Me To’, which came out last year and turned out to be a fantastic representation of John 5 the guitarist. Currently, he is getting ready to go out on the massive Mayhem Festival tour with Rob Zombie, kicking off in San Bernardino on June 29th. A couple of weeks ago, I caught up with John on the telephone to discuss his upcoming commitments with Zombie, the solo album, other projects and future plans. Listen to the 12-minute conversation below, check him out live on this year’s Mayhem Fest, and visit John 5 online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Interview With John 5 (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

Assyrian black metal band Melechesh released their fifth studio album ‘The Epigenesis’ via Nuclear Blast Records in late 2010, and following two previous North American tours to promote the album as a support act to bigger bands, Melechesh have returned to North American shores for a two-week headline run of their own. The tour began at the Joint in Los Angeles last Sunday June 16th 2013, and prior to the show I caught up with mainman Ashmedi for a chat about what to expect from this tour, plans for the next album, his thoughts on metal bands using unconventional instruments, and other topics. Listen to the 10-minute interview below, and read a review of the LA show or visit the band online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Interview With Melechesh Frontman Ashmedi (Audio)”