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By Andrew Bansal

Known for her work as a guitarist in SubArachnoid Space, a San Francisco-based heavy rock band that existed for 15 years between 1996 and 2011 and released 10 studio albums in the process, Portland-based musician Melynda Jackson has now formed her new band Eight Bells, named after SAS’ final studio album. Through this new outlet, Melynda gives us a different interpretation of a similar kind of experimental heavy rock, both with her guitar playing and unique vocal style. Joining her in this conquest are Chris Van Huffel on drums and Haley Westeiner on bass and vocals. Eight Bells’ debut album ‘The Captain’s Daughter’ came out in February via Seventh Rule Recordings, and having heard it I can safely say that the 4-track, 31-minute effort nails what Melynda is attempting to accomplish, in its own dark, intriguing way. To talk more in detail about the band, I spoke to her in detail recently. Check out part 1 of our conversation below. Part 2 will be posted on GuitarWorld.com soon. Continue reading “Melynda Jackson Talks About New Band Eight Bells”

By Andrew Bansal

San Francisco-based doom rock quartet Orchid started out in 2006 and have slowly worked their way towards gaining a fan-following, more so in Europe than in America by their own admission. They signed to Nuclear Blast last year and released the ‘Wizard Of War’ EP on 10-inch vinyl a couple of weeks back as a teaser for their upcoming second full-length album ‘The Mouths Of Madness’. coming out on April 26th in Europe and on May 14th in America. Although this is a style of music which has been done before and is still being done by lots of other bands, there’s just that sense of honesty about Orchid, and the sheer quality of their songwriting, which makes the listener take notice. Recently, I spoke to guitarist Mark Thomas Baker to discuss these two releases, the writing process and more. Check it out below along with the new single, and visit Orchid online. Continue reading “Orchid Guitarist Mark Thomas Baker Talks About New Releases & Writing Process”

By Andrew Bansal

In our ongoing endeavor to highlight the organizers and brain trust behind some of the best metal festivals from around the world, this time I spoke to Scott Lee, the creator of New England Metal & Hardcore Fest which has been taking place annually since 1999 at the the Palladium in Worcester, MA. This time, from April 19th to 21st, they are celebrating their 15th year with a truly special lineup that combines some of the touring lineups like Metal Alliance, Paganfest and others, along with bands that are playing it as a one-off gig. Scott talks about the history of the fest, the challenges he has faced, the lineups and other things. Read the conversation below, and check out NEMHF using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Interview With New England Metal & Hardcore Festival Organizer Scott Lee”

By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal

Nitin Rajan is one of the main men in the organizational team that is putting on the 5th edition of India’s original extreme metal festival ‘Domination – The Deathfest’ this coming Sunday March 10th at Hotel United 21 in Thane (Mumbai), India. The lineup this time features the return of Exhumation, along with local support acts Gutslit, Atmosfear and Orion, and outstation attractions Witchgoat and Insane Prophecy. The gates open at 3.30 PM and the ticket price is a mere Rs. 250. Going back to the origins of this festival, it started out several years ago, and is making a comeback after a few years of absence since the first four editions took place. Last night, I spoke to him about the history of the fest, the 5th edition coming up, and his future plans. Read the conversation below, check out our interviews with some of these bands using the links at the bottom, and of course, people in the Mumbai/Thane area are encouraged to attend what promises to be a killer show on Sunday. Continue reading “Nitin Rajan Talks About Past, Present & Future Of ‘Domination – The Deathfest’”

Interview by Avinash Mittur

Maryland rockers Clutch are all set to take the year of 2013 by storm with the release of their fantastic new album ‘Earth Rocker’ on March 19th. We started listening to it a week or so ago, and it hasn’t left our music players since then. This is an essential set of tunes for all heavy music fans. And what’s more, the band is ready to embark on the Earth Rocker North American Tour now, to play some of these songs on stage for us. After reviewing the record, we set up an interview with drummer Jean-Paul Gaster to discuss this album in detail, among other things, of course. Our man Avinash had a great conversation with JP yesterday. Read it below, check out the amazing lyric video for the title track, and visit Clutch online using links at the bottom. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Clutch Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster”

By Andrew Bansal

Heavy metal supergroup Adrenaline Mob, consisting of Russell Allen on vocals, Mike Orlando on guitar, John Moyer on bass and Mike Portnoy on drums, released their debut album Omerta early last year and got a positive response from heavy music lovers worldwide. This year, they’re following it up with a covers album titled ‘Coverta’, set to release on March 12th via Elm City Music/EMI. This is a rather enjoyable offering for any hard rock/heavy metal fan, with covers of some truly classic tunes. To celebrate this release, the band is embarking on a North American tour, the first leg of which begins on March 12th and ends on April 7th. A couple of days ago, I spoke to Mike Orlando to discuss Coverta, touring and more. Check out the interview and other goodies below, and visit AMob online using links at the bottom. Continue reading “Adrenaline Mob Guitarist Mike Orlando Talks ‘Coverta’ + More”