Tag: Trve kvlt Coffee

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LUST WITCH – We All Die Alone – REVIEW

 

Lust Witch’s deput, We All Die Alone, is four  tracks of murky and sludgy doom crawling out from the depths of Indianapolis. Interestingly enough, the 4 song titles are taken from the words in the album title with “We,” being the first track and so on. With that thought process in mind, this album is meant to be enjoyed as a complete listen.  Each track melds into the next. Don’t put this one on shuffle.

“We,” starts off softly with an eerie tone coupled with some creepy chants in the background. Lust Witch slowly build up the temp and intensity into the second track, “All.” The tones are a little harsher and the sense of dread still hangs thick in the air. With “Die,” the longest track on the recording, Lust Witch continues with more vocal work and more thick and chunky riffs. Throughout the first 3 tracks you can really sense that Lust Witch is building to something.

“Alone,” closes things out starting with some thick and nasty bass grooves and trench deep guitar tones. As the song title would suggest, “Alone,” has an unshakable depressing feeling of isolation and loneliness and despair. Everything your blackened little heart wants from a Doom EP.

 

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Interview with Heljarmadr of Dark Funeral and GRA/Concert Review

© Tomasz Podgorny

Dark Funeral are currently halfway through their extremely successful North American tour with extreme metal titans Cannibal Corpse, Immolation and relative newcomers, Black Anvil. The fans showed up in full force with this string of shows with many of the dates selling out and the rest with very few tickets remaining. 

The Cincinnati show which took place at Bogart’s, one of the city’s longest running music venues wasn’t sold out but it sure felt like it. People were packed and crammed into the tiny venue excited to witness a night of killer metal. Black Anvil started the evening off early and did an incredible job. I was both surprised and impressed. I had not heard any of their material before checking them out live and will definitely seek them out in the future. Immolation’s set was brutal as fuck as usual for an Immolation show. Headliners Cannibal Corpse proved that they are still one of the finest live Death Metal acts around even after all of these years.

Seeing Dark Funeral live for the first time was amazing. Immediately upon entering the stage, their presence and energy could be felt throughout the entire venue. From the first note of the opening song, “Unchain my Soul,” the crowd was totally captivated by their performance until the end of the set closing track, “Where Shadows Forever Reign.” It was crazy to think that another band had to follow this killer performance. (In fact, I was so worn out I left towards the end of Cannibal’s set)

Before the gig, I had a chance to sit down with Heljarmadr, Dark Funeral and GRA’s vocalist. Despite his extremely intimidating stage presence, he is a very thoughtful and accommodating person off stage. I don’t think I would have had the balls to speak with him in his stage gear! 

Trve Kvlt Coffee: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me before the show. Just to start things off, how has the tour been going so far?

Heljarmadr: So far so good I think. Turnout has been awesome. All the bands are performing excellent; it has been a pleasure to watch them all. I think it’s rolling strong. Very strong. There have been a lot of sold out shows.

TKC: That’s what I was going to say. There has been a few sold out shows

H: More sold out shows coming up too.

TKC: That’s awesome. I was at a Cannibal Corpse show earlier this year and a lot of their shows were selling out. I think that was in March. Everyone was so hungry to see shows again after COVID shut downs. How does it feel to be touring again?

H: After 2 years of silence, you can imagine. It’s like being constipated for 2 years and you finally get the shit out. It’s the only way I can describe it properly. You’re really, really hungry and you finally get that pizza. 

TKC: Just a big relief now?

H: Yeah. It’s a different world we are coming back to that’s for sure. I mean with inflation and everything. Everything is extremely expensive. Flights are insane but it is what it is. I mean we are back on that road and have to be very glad about that. 

TKC: When you are on the road, what do you do with some of your down time? I’ve seen some of your Instagram pictures, what do you look to do in the cities you are in when you have a chance?

H: Actually, I try to do as much as possible. Just before now we had a soundcheck and then I went for a quick run because it’s so warm out. I try to stay fit and see as much as we can. 

TKC: This area has changed so much, I wish I had some recommendations for things to check out but I don’t even know what’s around here anymore. 

H: It’s still one of those days where I have a lot of administration to do and don’t have much time to do stuff anyway. The first thing I do is, I Google what there is to do in the town. Recommendations, Atlas Obscura, do you know about it? It’s like a website with weird places. They have an app and website, in a new town that’s the coolest website to checkout because it’s weird shit. This town has the world’s biggest stamp and an abandoned railroad. That’s what we try to do as much as possible. Sitting on the bus is a waste of time. We are trying to get out, especially when the weather is as nice as this, it’s amazing to be out.

TKC: I’ve been listening to a lot of We are the Apocalypse. Which is fucking awesome! I wanted to ask about the song, “Let the Devil in,” We did some of the inspiration come from the lyrics? 

H: Inspiration comes from everything and it kind of mounds down into a song. It’s kind of an introvert song. I mean looking into yourself and taking control of yourself or letting go, you know? You can do either or. In life you always have choices. You can let the devil in or you can let the devil out. That’s kind of where I’m going with it. 

TKC: It was one of those songs where the lyrics just hit write as I was working at my computer today.

H: Yeah. He’s riding on the shadow of my soul, you know? This is how my eyes see the world. It’s like we all have our little angel and demon on our shoulders. They see things differently depending on what mood you are seeing things through. Which eyes you see it through.

TKC: Another song I really dig is “Nosferatu.” You have the song referring more to the original film. 

H: Oh yes! The 1922 film. I watched it during the Pandemic actually. I had this weird idea. So I have a lot of time and I’m going to watch Dracula themed movies from oldest to newest and there are lots of them. So I had to make a selection obviously. I started with the first one and nothing measured up after that. Everything became this romantic crap but the first one had a darkness. It’s out of this world, this feeling from that movie. Maybe it’s the fact it’s mute, maybe it’s the fact it’s black and white, everyone that’s in this movie has been dead for a long time, you know? It’s really like an old book but it’s a movie. It’s kind of cool that it’s 100 years old. 

TKC: It’s so hard to find a complete copy and find one with the correct original score. I recently heard they are once again going to be releasing a remake.

H: I saw that too with the Swedish guy. 

TKC: What do you think of that?

H: Why not? Actually the second best Dracula movie rendition was from a couple years back. It was a 3 episode series or something like that. (Note:This series is named Dracula and is currently streaming on Netflix) A different take for example is the classic movie from the 90’s, Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula, that one was not so good. I don’t think it aged so well. Too gothic for me. But this new one was quite interesting. Some interesting takes on it. 

TKC: Nice. I’m going to have to check that series out.  You’re working on a new album and when that’s coming out?

H: Well the album is done already. We are just waiting because post Pandemic the world has changed as you’ve said. So the vinyl pressing companies are slow as fuck. Or jammed as fuck. Sometimes it’s even hard to get a hold of material. We decided instead of gambling and getting the CD version and maybe people have to wait to get the vinyl, we decided to postpone and the album will be out in mid January. And that is for sure when the vinyl will be available. 

TKC: You also have your solo act as well. I was listening to that last night, which was great. I loved the video (watch below). You have a full album coming out?

H: Yes. It’s being planned to be recorded next year. We’ll see whenever it’s released. We are also negotiating some record deals for that album too. So it’s a work in progress. The drummer for that project will be Dennis Ekdahl from Thyrfing. So we are working together so this can come out next year.

TKC: Awesome! With all of that I have to ask, Do you ever sleep?

H: (laughs) I don’t know, I’m a very restless person. Sitting still is not my thing, you know? Maybe I’m like this shark that has to swim or otherwise I’d drown or something. I like to keep occupied and I like to keep active. I don’t know, I’m just that kind of person.

TKC: I totally feel it myself. I just finished my full time day job before coming here and I’m always grinding and looking for something to do. Again going back to your Instagram stories from the road, I love the picture with the Rocky statue in Philly. 

H: Oh yeah! I mean, why not? 

TKC: I would have done the same thing. Any spots in the US that you are looking forward to seeing?

H: Well the thing is when we came here we all flew into New York and we had a couple of days before the first show. So we rented a car together and just went sightseeing all the way down to Baltimore. We went to DC to check out the Lincoln statue, those things. That’s something I had really looked forward to seeing. I’ve never been to Washington before and it’s an iconic place that you’ve seen in movies since you were a kid. 

TKC: I haven’t been there myself yet.

H: It’s definitely worth seeing. I don’t know what to do there for more than 1 day. In 1 day you will be very overwhelmed and impressed. It’s an impressive thing to see, you get all of the Forrest Gump references. Aside from that I don’t know if there is anything on the radar. I try not to plan too much ahead because you never know what days are gonna be like. You have other things to do like administration or something is broken. I don’t want to be disappointed so I take it day by day. Of course I’m usually thinking a couple days ahead but I try to take it slow. 

TKC: You gotta be careful with shows right now. Someone gets sick and that cancels a few dates or the bus breaks down.

H: Someone gets sick, the bus breaks down and you’re stuck somewhere. It happened not the last time we were here but the time before when we were touring with Septicflesh. The bus broke down, so we went to the nearest airport, rented a car and a Uhaul. So we were touring and hitting hotels every night. So that was like an adventure. I’ll never forget that, I’m from a small Swedish town and I was driving my car in Chicago. I think that was kinda cool. 

TKC: Definitely different from driving in a small town.

H: I was also driving in DC, I’m not afraid of driving anymore. Nothing can scare me.

TKC: I think that’s all I had for you today. Anything that you would like to add?

H: Thanks to everyone for coming out to the shows, the turnout is awesome and thank you for this interview.

Well the concludes this interview. Be sure to check out Dark Funeral’s newest release “We Are The Apocalypse” and Grá’s newest music video(below) for “Flame of Hephaestus” from their upcoming 4th album “Lycaon”

Here’s some suggested content to check out that is relevant to Heljarmadr:

 

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LIKHELM – Alt Skal Svinne Henn – REVIEW

 

Alright! Here’s some pure 100% Norwegian Black Metal, something here at Trve Kvlt Coffee that is close to our little blackened hearts. Why many newer bands claim to have a “True Norwegian Black Metal,” sound, they often fall short or miss the mark entirely. Thankfully, Likhelm delivers on this promise.  Likelm’s debut EP is a welcome recording full of plenty of all school raw black metal tones, haunting atmospheres and unlike most traditional black metal, some very clean and slick production.

The tracks are vicious with blistering tremlo guitars with shrieks and guttural vocals amongst somber and haunting backgrounds. Spoken vocals are included as well. Likhelm keeps the atmosphere to a minimum instead relying on a satisfying raw and unforgiving experience. The closing track, “Stormen,” is an absolute banger that takes advantage of all these elements. If you dig early Immortal and Mayhem, this one can’t be missed.

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MAGNATOR – Crushed – REVIEW

We continue the Sludgecore assault this month with the impressive debut album from “Four piece Amplifier Sadists” out of Manchester, New Hampshire, Magnator.  With a heavy nod to the large soundscape sounds of Neurosis and a heap load of groove and a few twists and turns into elements of Black Metal, Magnator have a lot going on with their sound. Thankfully, it’s never a unharmonious change instead everything is pumped out fluidly.

Throughout the album, Magnator has a ton of heavy, crushing riffs and murky bass lines that create the perfect atmospheric listening experience between calm and chaos. The intro bass to “Loving You Was Killing Me,” pulls you in instantly.  John Funk’s drum work keep a steady and powerful groove while the vocals range from soft to harsh for the perfect dramatic feeling.

Magnator’s mellow stoner sound shines on the title track, “Crushed.” The almost eerie and dreamlike sound comes across calm and aggressive at the same time. The vocals have an interesting layered effect that works well here. The riffs here are perfectly balanced. Bonus points for the perfect balance of synth added to this track; it hits just right.

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BULLETBELT- Warlords – REVIEW

 

Bulletbelt may be best known for their thunderous theme track to the incredible 2015 metalhead themed horror flick, Deathgasam. Flash forward 5 years and a new lead singer, this New Zealand based group is still angry and out for blood on their 4th album.

Bulletbelt does an excellent job here switching from straight blitzkreig thrash insanity to black metal bleakness with plenty of melody throughout. The album is full of heavy and catchy hooks and complex passages  nicely presented with some slick and smooth production. New vocalist, Paul Roberts’s screeching vocals work well with the filth and fury presented here.

“Blade on Fire,” starts out with a killer punk inspired riffs complete with a 70s fuzzy tone then transitions to a much more thrash feel.  The next song, “Flames of Hell,” goes back more into the black metal territory with plenty of tasty riffs and great song structure. This is where Bulletbelt really shines; the melding of different styles and harmonies in such a smooth transition that it feels natural.

“Warlords “isn’t your standard blackened thrash album. There is so much to unpack here, it’s brutal as fuck in parts, eerie and dark in others and includes too many incredible riffs to keep track of.  Hopefully we can get these lads to the states soon as touring has become possible again. These songs are begging to be witnessed live.

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THLURM – The Thlurm Must Die & Dungeon Scum

 

Thlurm bills itself as, “Metal Punk from the dungeons of Indiana,” which is quite an accurate description for their contribution to this month’s subscription. “The Thlurm Must Die and Dungeon Scum,” is part of Wise Blood Records demo series that highlights up and coming and promising new artists.  This recording, combining 2 separate demos is raw and punk as fuck, covered in chunky layers of pure filth.

” Instantly you hear influences of Toxic Holocaust and Midnight and like those bands, Thlurm is a solo product brought to you by Austin Sipes. Thlurm though has a much more punk and grind approach to their style. Songs come in fast and filthy with a certain unpolished charm that is comparable to early Napalm Death. This recording reeks of the lo-fi production of the the mid to late 80’s.

The vocals are sick, the guitars have more of a punk then metal feel and the while the drumming does not include any blast beats, the first demo, “The Thlum Must Die,” is some killer Grindcore. “Disease,” is punk rock kick to the jaw and the following track, “Imaginary Hell,” is a straight up banger that reminds me of Ghoul.

The second demo, “Dungeon Scum,” is much more raw in sound than the first. This half shows more of a Black Metal influence which can be felt the most on “Serpent Master.” “Illusions of Chaos,” and “Human Waste,” even slow things down a bit with even adds more of a haunting vocal feel.

For a demo release, Thlurm are already a band to watch.

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HELL NIGHT – Unlimited Destruction – REVIEW

If you haven’t been hip to Hell Night yet, now is the time to correct that mistake. The band had several 7’s and singles throughout their career and released their first full length in 2019, “Unlimited Destruction.”  The title  fits perfectly as this recording is full of enough hard hitting guitars, pummeling drums and vicious vocals to level a city. Brian Fair replaced original vocalist Mike Craft for “Unlimited Destruction,” taking the sound further with even more fury than before.

Hell Night have a hardcore/metal/punk approach filled with pure aggression that comes in part from Andy White’s brutal and murky guitar work that perfectly compliments Brian Fair’s pissed off vocals. While their exact genre of music is difficult to pinpoint, their ability to write killer riffs and songs that may a mosh pit to break out in your living room is without question.

For even more details regarding this album check out our recent interview with Brian Fair.

 

 

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NIGHT DEMON – Darkness Remains – REVIEW

For the last couple of years, Night Demon have kept the traditional Heavy Metal flag flying high with their incredible and distinct retro inspired style. “Darkness Remains ” was released back in 2017 and if you haven’t gotten into this power trio from California yet, this album will serve as a perfect introduction to the band. If you are a fan of the more classic years of Metal with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Diamond Head, you will find much to bang your head to on “Darkness Remains.”

In the last 10 years or so there have been plenty of bands that perform classic styles of Heavy Metal, Thrash or Death Metal. So many that we may need yet another Metal genre (Retro Metal?) Night Demon, however, may be the absolute best when it comes to capturing the feel. Songs like “Black Widow,” and “Life on the Run,” will have you feel like you just stepped out of a DeLorean into 1985.

This feeling comes from Night Demon’s incredible song writing. There are tons of killer riffs and melodies that will get your head banging and memorable choruses that are guaranteed to get stuck in your head. There is plenty to love here from the technical guitar work to the vocals that blend in perfectly to each song. If you are looking to give your ears a break from extreme metal but still listen to something that is gonna kick your ass, give this one a spin.

 

 

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Interview with Brian Fair of Hell Night and Shadows Fall

Hell Night’s album, “Unlimited Destruction,” is part of April’s subscription bundle. This is a brutal and killer record that we are excited to share with you. Lead singer Brian Fair, whom you may also recoconze from Shadows Fall, took a few moments out of his busy schedule to chat with us about Hell Night, Shadow Fall’s reunion shows and raising the next generation of Metalheads. 

 

Trve Kvlt Coffee: I understand you’ve been pretty busy lately, you were saying that you were moving offices?

Brian Fair: Yeah. We’ve been home for 2 years. It started because of the pandemic and then we had a giant flood from a water main, they just kept pushing it, pushing it and pushing it to the point I was like, “Man, I set some roots at home. I’m not ready to move. “(laughs) It was getting pretty comfortable working from home but we start full time Monday. 

TKC: I don’t think my wife ever wants to go back to the office. She’s been working at home since the pandemic. 

BF: I’m with her. I don’t wanna go back. I can get snacks out of my own refrigerator, and little things like running the laundry while I’m working. Where am I gonna find the time now?

TKC: Do you find yourself working longer when you work from home then you would at the office?

BF: I’ll pop in if I have to take care of something real quick, it’s great to have that access. Say something comes in after hours but I just wanna get it done, I would do that where there is no option at the office. Yeah I go in a little earlier, make some coffee and start working. 

TKC: You’ve been a part of several bands throughout the years and in our subscriptions this month we are featuring Hell Night. How did you land that gig? 

BF: It was kind of funny. When I first moved to St. Louis, where my wife is originally from, was right when Shadows Fall was still touring for the first couple of years I lived here but we were definitely winding down. I wasn’t really looking to do anything musically for at least a little while , ya know? Just after 20 years on the road with those guys. But then one of the first bands I saw was Hell Night with their original singer, Mike Craft who was a good friend of my wife. So I went and saw them and they were this mix of like Black Flag down tuned crazy sludginess with Melvins mixed and all of this shit happening. It’s not what I was expecting, I was blown away. These guys are amazing! Mike was talking to me, “I don’t have the time to commit to a band these days,” He just decided not to do it anymore. I was skateboarding with our guitar player Andy and he was like, “You wanna come down and jam?” I was like, “Dude I already know the first EP and a few other tunes, I’m in.” So we jammed and honestly started writing music right away. And that’s what really solidified it. It’s totally different from what I’ve been doing for a long time and we were already making material together that just felt right. 

TKC: Speaking of writing music, is your approach to writing music for Hell Night similar to Shadows Fall or something entirely different?

BF: Totally different. In Shadows Fall there was a lot of technicalities to the song writing as well as the riffs. Those guys would have a pretty solid riff map when they were putting songs together. They would tweak overtime with myself bringing in some vocal lines may change a thing here or there. There was a very long process of getting it all super tight, getting everything together. Hell Night we come up with some ideas in th practice space and we try to map out a song. I’m usually writing while we are jamming on it. It may take a practice or 2 to nail it down and then we try to record it super early. We do things the exact opposite where before the original inspiration is gone we get in the studio and just lay it down. We weren’t able to do as much pandemic wise but we were writing a crazy clip before that in almost every other practice we had a new tune. We are also at the point we play that live the new stuff is always going to be a part of the set list. That’s probably what excites us the most is getting together and writing new tunes, coming up with new ideas.

TKC: “Unlimited Destruction,” is a killer album, it hits just right. How has the response been so far?

BF:It’s been good. It’s a fairly limited release , we did it with a local label here. We weren’t really able to tour on it but locally the shows have always been killer whenever we play, real good support from the local music scene. Anyone who has gotten their hands on it or checked it out has been digging it. Sonically it not only falls in between a lot of genres and has a lot of angles that people get into, it doesn’t sound production wise like what happens in heavy music right now. I think it’s got kinda of a different sound. A lot of it is due to Andy’s guitar tone and Doom/Sludge thing that sounds more like a keyboard that is being attacked by a shark than a guitar. I think that really adds this weird element to it. We had a bunch of different EPs and songs here and to get them together on vinyl, I’m stoked to have that together in one spot finally. 

TKC: That’s awesome to hear. Personally, I love the cover to the album. Godzilla is my son’s hero. We’ve watched several Godzilla movies several times. Where did the album cover come from? 

BF: My son is currently obsessed with Godzilla and we have been on such a Godzilla kick over here. Really titans in general, he’s a big King Ghidorra fan, with some of the toys and we’ve been watching a lot of the movies. Artwork wise, we wanted something that captured that unrelenting force of destruction and there’s not many things better than Godzilla. So it’s a mix of a car crash, Godzilla and some other flaming things. The artist who did it created an original piece from scratch, which was important to us. It can be easy to photoshop a bunch of different images together but to have an original illustration made it a little cooler.

TKC: I feel with the title, “Unlimited Destruction,” you have to have Godzilla! Now that Covid restrictions have loosened, any Hell Night shows planned in the future?

BF: We are just getting back to practicing regularly again, once we get our sea legs back, we’ll book some shows around here. We haven’t been able to travel much, we really only play the St.Louis area but we’d love to go down the road do the long weekend stuff and hit maybe Chicago and places around here. Probably won’t be touring anytime soon unfortunately but hopefully we get some shows soon. For us, everyone has full time jobs, kids and stuff. It’s a little hectic to really travel. Honestly, I’ve done that for a couple decades between Overcast and Shadows Fall. I love being on the road but the longer you’ve been away, the harder it is to imagine doing it full time again, you know? The idea of getting into a bus or van for 8 weeks….I don’t know if I’m ready. (laughs) 

TKC: Researching for this interview I stumbled upon your recent cover of Pantera’s “By Demons, Be Driven,” which was fucking awesome! How were you approached to be a part of that?

BF: Thank you man, that was a blast! Frank, who does Metal Injection, who also played drums on the track, hit me up. It was pretty quick too. “Hey man, I’m sorry this is so last minute, I think you’d be perfect,” I was like, “When do you need it,” This was on a Friday, he goes, “Sunday.” I had to dust off the home studio, it had totally been broken down and make sure all my software still worked. So it took a day to get set up and I tracked it on Saturday and did the video kind of through the next day. For the strobe lights part of the video, I literally took all of my kid’s bike safety lights and went into my weird tiled in shower that’s in my basement and just did the strobe lights with a bunch of kids safety lights. (laughs) Total DIY production! It came together super fast which was also good. I didn’t want to obsess over the vocals and try to get crazy with it. It came out sick. I was pretty stoked.

TK: If there is one good thing that came out of the pandemic, it would be the zoom concerts. Especially in the days where it seemed there was no end in sight. Especially seeing people jam together, who you may have never seen perform together before.

BF: Or bringing guys who would always talk about on the road, “Hey we should jam together!” But you never get the chance to. To actually do it virtually and to have some cool weird combos you wouldn’t expect, that was super entertaining. Like you said, it at least brought in some fresh music and things like that. If you couldn’t go see it, you’d at least see something you’d never get a chance to have. Hell Night was part of one of the Metal Injection streaming things when they did a full day festival and that was really cool. It gave a lot of bands a chance to at least show what they are up to and connect in a different way and feel like you are doing something. You’re getting some music and there and you’re connecting in some way. I think a lot of other people got to hunker down in the studio, there are probably so many newer original ideas and music coming out because people are like, “Well, I have nothing else to do but fire up the Pro Tools and see what happens.” At least a little silver lining there.

TK: Yeah that’s one thing to look forward to; the music that may be coming out now that bands are able to tour again. I know a lot of bands have been sitting on things, where they don’t want to release it if they can’t support it.

BF: Totally. That stuff gets planned out so far ahead that if you were dropping a record that March or April, aww man I can’t even imagine. You’ve been building up to this whole thing then all of a sudden it’s like you are not going to be able to tour for almost 2 years. That’s such a momentum killer. For a lot of bands the only real revenue source you have now is touring and merchandise while you’re touring. It’s not like record sales are what they used to be although it did force people to get creative  with Twitch and covers and finding ways to generate revenue and connect in ways to keep the fires burning. I think that we bring out more ideas that will stick around.

TK: I also saw that you were part of the Headbanger’s Con a few years ago, what was that like?

BF: It was cool. Chris 51 who is a tattoo artist and a crazy Metalhead, he had done one of the early tattoo reality shows too, had the idea after doing all these tattoo conventions and was like, “There is no Heavy Metal one, there is a convention for everything else.” So he set it up similar to that. It was a blast man. Fans coming in getting to hang out, there was also some Q and A stuff and there were some shows that were played. The one thing I think if they would have been able to expand it, I think there would have been more jams, sort of all star bands. We just didn’t get a chance to pull that stuff off. Hopefully they can keep that going now that people can get back together in large groups again. 

TK: I hope something like that show happens again and seems like a very unique experience for both the fan and the artist.

BF: Exactly. It was cool to see someone thinking outside the box and a bunch of companies and labels supporting it too, finding new ways for people to get together and celebrate Metal. I really hope it is something that Chris can keep rolling. 

TK: At the end of last year you had your very successful Shadows Fall reunion show. How did that night go for you guys?

BF: It couldn’t have gone better. That venue (The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts) is our home away from home. The crew that put it on our people that have been in our circle for decades and decades, everyone has their families there, it was just a blast. The lineup was killer from top to bottom. It really couldn’t have gone any better. Now we have a couple festivals planned for September. That will probably be the way we do things, a couple festivals here and there each year if we can or maybe a long weekend type of thing. It’s just been a blast to just jam with those guys. There are even some ideas floating around maybe if we got some riffs. we’ll try and see if new music can happen naturally. It was just good to jam again. The fact that it all happened was crazy. We started the ball rolling before the pandemic and had to shelve everything and then when we finally got it together for December, all of a sudden Omicron was coming and things were getting shut down right before that. We didn’t think we were gonna make it to the finish line. Luckily we did. There was a little bit of Covid soup in there, I’m not gonna lie! Even at the time we were like, “Ehhhhh…..I don’t know if this is the best idea.” Luckily none of the band got sick, we didn’t hear anyone from the crowd of anything crazy happening, numbers spreading or anything like that. It was a nervous part there where we thought we were so in the clear for December at that point. The fact that it happened was the best part. I think it has been 6 years since we played.

TK: Glad to hear that all worked out. It is so easy to have a show canceled just like that. One crew member gets sick and that’s all it takes.

BF: Exactly and we were seeing that happen. By the end of December I had some tickets to some shows in New York City that I was going to fly in for around New Year’s and it all got shut down right before. Our show was the 18th, so it was barely right before it. It seems like touring is not totally getting back to normal but you’re seeing a lot less last minute cancellations at least. There have been a lot of shows coming to St.Louis lately and it;s been fun getting out and about. It does feel strange on the social aspect of it. I feel like Ricky Bobby. “What do I do with my hands?”

TK: I will tell you the fans are hungry for it. A lot of Metal shows in my area are selling out.

BF: It’s the same here. There was a 3 day run with Cannibal Corpse, The Circle Jerks and Dragonforce and this one venue and 2 shows sold out and one almost did and that was a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It goes to show you we are ready to party; let’s do this.

TK: You were saying you are doing a few festivals with Shadows Fall in September?

BF: Blueridge Music Fest in Virginia, it 4 days and 6 stages. Every single band in the world is playing. It’s huge. The lineup is a never ending scroll of awesome bands. The next one after that is Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama. So happy to play shows. When you only have 2 it makes it special, each one you can focus and let it all rip.

TK: Going back to the Shadows Fall show, were your kids able to attend?

BF: Totally. They were there. They are super into music, they’ve seen the Youtube videos and all of that but it’s not the same. I’m really glad they got to see a big headlining show and be like, “See? I told you dad was cool!” They were right on the side of the stage and came up for a second. It was a blast. They had a great time.

TK: What do they think of having a “Metal Dad” and see dad perform and do his thing?

BF: They love it man! But they think it’s pretty normal though. It’s more weird when they kinda realize I guess everyone’s dad’s hair isn’t 5 feet long or when Slayer comes to town doesn’t go backstage. We took some friends of theirs to Dragonforce and they were like, “This is different!” I’m just psyched because they have been jamming on their own tunes and they are only like 5 and 8. We’ve been writing tunes and jamming a little bit ourselves. We’ll see. Keep the next generation rolling.

TK: I think that’s all I had for you today. Anything else that you would like to add?

BF: We are stoked to be part of the subscription for Hell Night. We appreciate spreading the word. Keep an eye out for Hell Night tunes. You can always follow us on all the social media stuff. Shadows Fall is playing a few shows here and there, I’m sure there will be more.

 

 

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DEADYELLOW – Self Titled – REVIEW

Deadyellow is a post Black Metal band from New Jersey who are just getting started and are already bringing the noise. Their debut self titled effort contains only 6 tracks but is meaty enough to satisfy any palate. The guitars are low and murky with some great riffs and solos amongst the tremolo picking. The vocals are a little less harsh than your typical Black Metal fare but blend in well with the rest of the band.  Most of the music on this release runs on the slower to mid tempo side. Don’t let that worry you, there are still plenty of blast beats included here and the overall sound is still heavily rooted in Black Metal. Deadyellow’s tracks are multifaceted and include the use of pianos and clean vocals for a truly epic journey.