Author: admin

Interview by Avinash Mittur

Los Angeles’ very own traditional metal outfit White Wizzard have been around since 2007, releasing two EPs and two full-length albums in the process. The latest of these was ‘Flying Tigers’ which came out in late 2011, and showcased the band in a different light, with some classic prog rock influences blended in with the good old fist-pumping, head-banging traditional metal that was typified on releases like ‘High Speed GTO’ and ‘Over The Top’. The current lineup of the band consists of Joseph Michael on vocals, Jon Leon on guitars (studio) and bass (studio and live), Jake Dreyer and Will Wallner on guitars, and Giovanni Durst on drums, and will release a new album called ‘The Devils Cut’ later this year on Earache/Century Media. On April 13th, they played at the Whisky in Hollywood, as main support act in Lizzy Borden’s 30th anniversary celebration show. A couple of hours before they hit the stage, Jon, Joseph, Jake and Will sat down with our man Avinash Mittur at the Rainbow, first to give him a rather exclusive peek into the new music (including the songs ‘Forging the Steel’ & ‘Strike the Iron’) and artwork, and then did an interview with him. Enjoy the great conversation below! Continue reading “In-depth Interview With White Wizzard”

By Andrew Bansal

Based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Beatles-Metallica mashup masters Beatallica are well known for their craft all over the world. With EP releases like ‘A Garage Dayz Nite’, ‘Beatallica: The Grey Album’ & ‘Winter Plunderband’, full-length albums ‘Sgt. Hetfield’s Motorbreath Pub Band’ & ‘Masterful Mystery Tour’, and the maxi-single ‘All You Need Is Blood’, they’ve garnered themselves quite a cult following, and their live shows only enhance the level of fun that’s generally had by the listener while he or she indulges in Beatallica’s music. Today, on April 16th 2013, they are all set to release their third full-length album ‘Abbey Load’, via Oglio Records. I’ve enjoyed their previous releases and the two times I’ve seen them live were indeed great, so I for one was looking forward to new music from them. Last night, I had a pleasant chat with lead guitarist Grg Hammetson III, and you can enjoy that below. Continue reading “Beatallica Guitarist Discusses ‘Abbey Load’”

By Andrew Bansal

Longstanding Swedish extreme metal heavyweights Dark Tranquillity have been around for a while, and their fan-base continues to grow even today, reaching out to newer territories rather rapidly. They  released the face-melting ‘We Are The Void’ album in 2010 and backed it up with some rock-solid touring all over the world. Now, they have completed work on their 10th studio album ‘Construct’, and it’s set to release via Century Media on May 27/28 in Europe/North America. Last night (April 15th 2013), I had the pleasure of talking to vocalist Mikael Stanne to discuss the making of this album, the band’s past and future tours, vocals, and more. Enjoy the chat below, and prepare yourself for the upcoming Dark Tranquillity onslaught next month! Continue reading “Dark Tranquillity Vocalist Mikael Stanne Talks New Album ‘Construct’, Touring & More”

By Andrew Bansal

Bristol (UK) based hard rock quintet BlackWolf was formed in 2010, and came through various nationwide competitions to earn their place on many prestigious venues in the UK. Their music has an instantly catchy, no-bullshit, honest quality to it that makes fans of heavy music take notice straightaway, and that was the case with me too. The band released their debut EP ‘Taking Root’ in 2012, and have now launched a Pledge Music campaign for their debut full-length. I caught up with vocalist Scott Sharp and bassist Ben Webb to discuss in detail the debut album, band’s history, the UK scene, and lots more. Enjoy the chat below and get a taste of their music. Continue reading “BlackWolf Vocalist & Bassist Talk About Debut Album + More”

By Andrew Bansal

Based out of Bordeaux, France, psychedelic stoner rock band Mars Red Sky was started when the trio of guitarist/vocalist Julien Pras, bassist Jimmy Kinast and drummer Benoit Busser, all from different musical backgrounds, came together in 2007. The result of their combined creative force was the fuzzy, dreamy but still crushingly heavy style that represents Mars Red Sky’s music. The band released a 7-inch vinyl called ‘Curse’ in 2010 and followed it up with their self-titled debut full-length in 2011. I came across this album on one of my BandCamp explorations, and the music made an instant impression on me. It’s psychedelic but by no means random, and the songs have solid structures on which they are based. Mars Red Sky, joined by drummer Matgaz in place of Benoit Busser, have now released a new EP. Recently, I caught up with Julien, Jimmy and Mat to talk about all things MRS. Check it out below. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Mars Red Sky”

By Andrew Bansal

German extreme metal band Heaven Shall Burn have been around for 17 years now, and their recent efforts have been spent in the huge ‘Iconoclast’ trilogy, with the release of the Iconoclast I and III albums in 2008 and 2010 respectively, along with the Iconoclast II DVD in 2009. Over the years, the band’s overall musical style has had elements of melodic death metal, metalcore, thrash and straight-up death metal. It has allowed them the freedom to explore their songwriting more and more on each album. This is evident on the upcoming 7th studio album ‘Veto’ more than ever before, with a dynamic blend of melody and aggression. The album comes out on April 22nd in Europe and April 30th in North America via Century Media. A couple of days ago, I spoke to guitarist Maik Weichert to discuss the making of Veto. Check out the conversation below, along with some music off of the album. Continue reading “Heaven Shall Burn Guitarist Discusses New Album ‘Veto’”