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By Andrew Bansal

When you think “metal” and “Brazil” at the same time, the first name that comes to mind is Sepultura. These stalwarts from Belo Horizonte have been in existence for more than 32 years, but unlike some of their peers from the global early-mid ’80s thrash movement, Sepultura are not only more diverse in their musical creations, but are not one to rest on the legacy of their past. They’re still releasing new albums consistently, each one coming with a clear sense of purpose. Their newest and fourteenth full-length effort ‘Machine Messiah’ is set to be released January 13th 2017 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, and we think it’s one of their finest albums till date. Guitarist Andreas Kisser recently spoke to Metal Assault to discuss the album and more. Enjoy the conversation below, as the ever-articulate and intelligent Kisser opens his mind and shares his thoughts on various subjects. Continue reading ““We Respect Our Past, but We Live in the Present”: In Conversation with Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser”

By Andrew Bansal

German group Accept have been nothing less than an institution in heavy metal over the past four decades, and a new incarnation of the band, fronted by vocalist Mark Tornillo, set out in 2010 to maintain and enrich the band’s legacy, creating fresh new music but with the same old classic Accept flavor fans love so much, and putting forth splendid live performances of old and new material worldwide. In 2015, they went through further lineup changes as they welcomed Uwe Lulis (guitar) and Christopher Williams (drums) into the fold. This lineup’s first show in Europe happened to be the ‘Bang Your Head!’ festival in their home country the same year, filmed for a potential DVD, and subsequent shows in Europe recorded for a possible live album. The outcome of this is the ‘Restless and Live’ DVD+CD package, ready for release via Nuclear Blast on January 13th 2017. Guitarist and founding member Wolf Hoffmann recently spoke to Metal Assault about this release and more. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading “Still Restless and Wild: Accept Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann Discusses New Live DVD+CD”

By Andrew Bansal

Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, melodic death metal group The Black Dahlia Murder have established themselves as one of the genre’s modern-day mainstays in the 15 years since their 2001 inception. They found a stable home at Metal Blade Records very early on in their career, and all seven of their full-length albums released till date have been on the same label. Touring extensively with other extreme metal bands across North America, Europe and beyond, The Black Dahlia Murder initially often found themselves slightly out of place, owing to genre elitism on the part of the audiences. But on the strength of technically skilled musicians and an entertaining frontman, The Black Dahlia Murder kept releasing solid albums and putting on high-energy shows to win over the harshest of critics, and succeeded in creating their own niche. Most recently, they completed a co-headline North American tour with Napalm Death last fall, and during that run, vocalist Trevor Strnad spoke to Metal Assault about all things TBDM. Enjoy the candid conversation below. Continue reading ““We Chill in a Weird Niche”: An Interview with The Black Dahlia Murder vocalist Trevor Strnad”

Interview by Jason Williams

Finnish melodic death metal group Children Of Bodom, even with all members still in their mid to late 30s, are veterans of this genre, having started out in 1993 as teenagers. Through these past 23 years, they’ve marched non-stop in their quest, consistently releasing studio albums and touring the world relentlessly. Their ninth and latest album ‘I Worship Chaos’ was released in 2015 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, and on their second North American tour in support of it, Children Of Bodom embarked on a headline run with opening acts Abbath, Exmortus and Oni in November 2016. The tour arrived in Southern California for a gig at the Observatory in Santa Ana, and our writer Jason Williams sat down with bassist Henkka T. Blacksmith to discuss the ongoing tour, the latest album, musical direction, his longstanding relationship with the rest of the band, future plans and more. Enjoy the conversation below. Continue reading ““Playing On Stage is Our Lifeline”: In Conversation with Children Of Bodom Bassist Henkka Blacksmith”

By Andrew Bansal

Through the past eight years, San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal giants Testament have gone from strength to strength, in a manner perhaps no other band has. The 2008 release ‘The Formation Of Damnation’ was by all means a triumphant comeback album, and they followed it up with the stellar ‘Dark Roots Of Earth’ in 2012, the two albums and their respective touring cycles re-establishing Testament’s stronghold on the genre they’ve now pursued for more than three decades. On October 28th 2016, they released their eleventh full-length ‘Brotherhood Of The Snake’ on Nuclear Blast, an album that well and truly crowns them kings of thrash, with every song a winner on its own and the album on the whole standing out far and above all other new releases, including those by Testament’s ’80s thrash contemporaries. Currently nearing the end of a European headline run, Testament are plotting worldwide domination all over again as they ready themselves for the ‘Brotherhood Of The Snake’ touring cycle. Vocalist Chuck Billy recently spoke to Metal Assault to talk about the album and future plans. Enjoy the conversation below, bask in the glory of the new album, and keep your eyes pealed for a show near you. Continue reading ““I Tried To Push Myself Out Of My Comfort Zones”: Testament Vocalist Discusses New Album”

By Andrew Bansal

Dutch symphonic metal band Epica have been prolific in their increasingly illustrious career that has spawned 14 years thus far, and seems like only the beginning of greater things. Their 2016 Nuclear Blast release ‘The Holographic Principle’ is already their seventh full-length effort, and is a meticulous creation centered around eye-opening, thought-provoking scientific themes. Soon after the September release of the album, Epica embarked on a North American tour, headlining packed shows in what has become a very favorable market for them in the past few years. The ‘North American Principle’ tour also features Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arkona and The Agonist, and will visit the Los Angeles area for a gig at the Regent on Saturday November 19th. Metal Assault recently spoke to guitarist Mark Jansen to discuss the album, the tour and more. Enjoy the conversation below, and catch Epica on the remainder of the tour while you still can. Continue reading ““We Surprise People In A Positive Way”: An Interview With Epica Guitarist Mark Jansen”