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Interview by Avinash Mittur

Southern California’s very own pagan metal outfit Helsótt have been working their asses off in their endeavor towards developing a local fan-following through live performances opening up for nationally touring acts. In the process, they themselves have now taken the next big step in their career and become a nationally touring band, with Paganfest America, their first ever North American tour recently coming to a conclusion. Our man Avinash Mittur spoke to vocalist Eric Dow about the tour and all other things Helsótt. Check it out below. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Helsótt Frontman Eric Dow”

By Andrew Bansal

Canadian hardcore punk exports Cancer Bats cross over excellently with metal audiences with their sludge and rock elements. They’ve audaciously toured aplenty with bands who did and didn’t exactly form a perfect fit with their musical style, but in the process Cancer Bats have gained a level of respect and reputation as mighty road dogs who always put on a fun show. Last night, Kvelertak’s North American tour made a stop at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood CA, and along came Cancer Bats too. I had a chilled-out chat with vocalist Liam Cormier before the show. Listen to the conversation below. Continue reading “Interview With Cancer Bats Frontman Liam Cormier (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

Raleigh NC-based sludgelords Corrosion Of Conformity have been riding high on the wave of creativity in recent times. They put out two new studio releases last year, the self-titled album and the Scion-sponsored ‘Megalodon’ EP. Now, even as they are hard at work on the next full-length, they decide to take a little break and do a short touring run as support act to Danzig. This tour made a stop at Pomona’s Fox Theater yesterday (April 27th 2013), and a couple of hours before the start of the show, I had the pleasure of sitting down with bassist/vocalist Mike Dean to talk about touring, the three-piece ‘Animosity’ lineup, the upcoming album, and more. Listen to this 12-minute conversation below. Continue reading “Corrosion Of Conformity Frontman Mike Dean Talks Touring, ‘Animosity’ Lineup & More (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

Legendary German heavy metal singer Udo Dirkschneider brought his band U.D.O.’s short North American tour to a close at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood last night (April 23rd 2013). A few hours before the show, the band did their soundcheck. Having never seen Udo perform on stage before, I was quite blown away by the quality of his voice, even at the age of 61. I knew the show was going to be great, but what I was immediately looking forward to at that point was my interview with Udo. After the soundcheck, I sat down with him for a brief chat. Check out the audio of our conversation along with a slideshow of images in the YouTube clipbelow, read my review of the show here and a full gallery of live photos here. Make sure to check out U.D.O.’s new album Steelhammer when it comes out next month! Continue reading “Interview With Udo Dirkschneider (Audio)”

By Andrew Bansal

After his well-documented departure from Metallica in 2001, Jason Newsted explored his musicianship with various bands and projects like Voivod, Papa Wheelie, Echobrain, Gov’t Mule and WhoCares, but his true return to metal came about with his new band Newsted’s debut EP in January of this year, aptly titled ‘Metal’. The four-track EP gives a us taste of what to expect from Jason Newsted the frontman, and a full-length album is on the way too. Of course, Jason is still very much respected and admired by Metallica fans, and it’s no surprise that the new band and EP have been embraced gleefully by those people. Right now, the Newsted band is getting ready for a US tour. Earlier today, I had a chat with Jason to talk about the band, the recording sessions, future plans, and other things including Flotsam. Check it out below! Continue reading “The Jason Newsted Interview”

By Andrew Bansal

Megadeth bassist David Ellefson will perform at an exclusive, one-off event at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood on Wednesday April 24th. In a rare jam, he’ll be performing with Sal G (Staind), Troy McLawhorn (Evanescence), Neil Godfrey & Pete Murray (Lo-Pro) and the band Eye Empire. This event will benefit the Boot Campaign for the support of military veterans, and will also celebrate the April 24 release of ‘Battlefield Of The Mind’, a documentary based on the same subject. These guys will be playing songs off of the documentary’s soundtrack. In addition to his musical contributions to this project, Ellefson serves as the narrator of the story. To talk more about the event, the documentary and other things, I had a chat yesterday with David Ellefson himself. Read it below, and if you are in the LA area, come and check out the special event next week! Continue reading “David Ellefson Talks ‘Battlefield Of The Mind’, Boot Campaign & Recent Travels”