Metal Assault: Interviews

Interview by Avinash Mittur

Little Rock, AR based doom metal quarter Pallbearer started out in 2008, and their debut full-length album ‘Sorrow And Extinction’ was released in early 2012. It garnered appreciation from fans of the genre, and Pallbearer started doing short tours on a more regular basis, playing headline shows as well as support runs. They were included in the Scion A/V Profound Lore showcase, and subsequently Scion also released the Pallbearer Live EP recently. Right now, the band is on a North American tour with Enslaved, Royal Thunder and Ancient VVisdom, and this tour made a stop at the Troubadour in Los Angeles last Friday February 8th 2013. Our man Avinash Mittur was there, and caught up with bassist Joseph Rowland for a chat. Read it below, check out his review of the gig, watch a Pallbearer YouTube clip, and visit the band online using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “Interview With Pallbearer Bassist Joseph Rowland”

By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal

Based out of Pune, India, ‘sci-fi metal’ band Gaia’s Throne present an intriguing combination of a lyrical story based on science fiction, and musicianship that draws influences from Western classical music as well as from classic metal and progressive rock. This young quintet somehow makes sense of all of this and composes compelling music for the progpower metal fan. They’ve also been playing a few shows here and there, and catching people’s attention in the process. They’re still very new, but they’ve shown to have tremendous promise, and it’s high time I featured them on this website. I caught up with vocalist Sidharth Raveendran and guitarist Aditya Shukla to discuss the concept, musical influences, future plans and lots more. Read the conversation below, check out their music via the SoundCloud and YouTube widgets embedded within, and visit them online using the links at the bottom of the page.  Continue reading “Gaia’s Throne Discuss Lyrical Concept, Musical Influences & More”

By Andrew Bansal

Known for his work in Pentagram, Place Of Skulls and Death Row, guitarist Victor Griffin has now started his own band called In-Graved, featuring original Trouble drummer Jeff Olson on the Hammond organ alongside a group of guest musicians who have contributed to the self-titled debut album, set to release on March 22nd in Europe via Svart Records and March 26th in the US via Veritas Vinyl. The album includes Pete Campbell (60 Watt Shaman, Place Of Skulls), bassists Guy Pinhas (The Obsessed, Acid King, Goatsnake), Ron Holzner (Trouble, Earthen Grave, Debris Inc), Greg Turley (Pentagram), Marty Swaney (Death Row, Pentagram), Anne Griffin, and Dan Lively (Sweet Cicada), as well as keyboardist Mike Puleo (Orodruin). The touring lineup of Victor Griffin, Olson, Campbell and Pinhas are now preparing to hit the road in Europe in April and the US in June. Earlier today, I had a Skype chat with Victor himself to talk in detail about this band. Listen to the 24-minute conversation below, and stay tuned for more updates from In-Graved. Continue reading “Former Pentagram/Place Of Skulls Guitarist Victor Griffin Discusses New Band In-Graved (Audio)”

By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal

Even though I do my best to spotlight the most deserving rock and metal acts from around India, the vastness of the country means there’s bound to be unexplored territories, no matter what. The city of Gangtok in the state of Sikkim, located in the Eastern-most corner of the country, is one such territory. Very recently, I stumbled upon a YouTube video by a band called Girish And The Chronicles, recommended to me by a good friend who simply said, ‘Check out the vocals.’ The song was a live rendition of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’ and my friend was absolutely right. Frontman Girish Pradhan’s vocals blew my mind, and I was amazed to discover that there’s such talent devoted to rock ‘n roll, even in a country like India. I researched his music a bit more, and discovered that he’s also the singer in Guwahati-based progressive metal band called Silver Tears, whose music is pretty impressive too. I decided to contact him immediately for an interview, and he was gracious enough to come up with these greatly detailed answers. Read the comprehensive chat below, check out the videos and mp3 embedded within, and visit him on the web using the links at the bottom. Continue reading “A Detailed Conversation With Vocalist Extraordinaire Girish Pradhan”

By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal

Despite being die-hard supporters of classic heavy metal, we at Metal Assault also keep in touch with the relatively modern styles of metal, and bands that play such style always bring a different perspective which makes for an interesting listening experience. Bangalore-based extreme progressive metal band Escher’s Knot is one such group. Besides their solid music they are known for their high-octane live shows, as I witnessed for myself when I saw them open for the mighty Lamb Of God in Bangalore last year. Since then, I’ve kept an eye on their updates and was looking for an opportunity to feature them on the site. It has finally arrived, and yesterday I caught up with vocalist Abijith Rao to discuss all things Escher’s Knot. Read the in-depth, honest conversation below, visit the band on their facebook, twitter and reverbnation pages, and people in Chennai can catch them live at the Star Rock this Friday. Continue reading “In-depth Interview With Escher’s Knot Frontman Abijith Rao”

By Andrew Bansal

After a successful and extensive touring run supporting Lamb Of God in America last fall, Swedish melodic death metal giants In Flames have embarked on yet another North American tour. Getting into the last phase of the touring cycle for their latest album ‘Sounds Of A Playground Fading’, the ever-busy, ever-active quintet is out on a short run with Demon Hunter, All Shall Perish and Battlecross. Just a couple of days after the tour began, I caught up with drummer Daniel Svensson and asked him these questions via an email. Read our conversation below, and visit In Flames on their official website, facebook and twitter. Continue reading “In Flames Drummer Talks About North American Tour, Writing Process + More”