Bad Habit-demo

self-produced
2007

This four song demo from Maryland's Bad Habit sounds largely like early 80's punk rock. It's very short and plunges straight ahead with no apologies, but a tremendous amount of fire and rage. The thing I liked most about a lot of punk rock bands back in the early 1980's was that it seemed pure to some extent. There was little thought about money, production values or anything that might make you second guess yourself and your music. I think these guys very much have that approach and that's refreshing because the term "punk rock" has become a bit too broad over the years and not everyone deserves to be in that category. These guys do and fly through their songs yet they still manage to sound powerful and each song has it's own flavor. They remind me primarily of Minor Threat and early Uniform Choice yet it's still a direction that certianly seems to work for them. I certainly enjoyed it and that they keep moving forward and stay focused.

http://www.myspace.com/badhabitmd

Interview with Dave Overkill of Destructor

Destructor formed in the Cleveland area back in the early 1980’s. They released their debut “Maximum Destruction” back in 1985 which was a very raw and killer example of early thrash. The band broke up in the early1990’s, but have since reformed and just released “Forever in leather” in the fall of 2007. I recently interviewed guitarist/vocalist singer Dave Overkill to find out more about what the band were up to.



MM-So what are you currently up to?
Dave- IN THE FALL OF 2007 DESTRUCTOR HELPED ORGANIZE A FESTIVAL WITH BILL PETERS, THE PRESIDENT OF AUBURN RECORDS, TO CELEBRATE HIS 25 YEARS ON COLLEGE RADIO. BILL HAS HAD A SHOW NAMED “METAL ON METAL”. THE BANDS CONSISTED OF RAVEN, ANVIL,THE EXALTED PILEDRIVER AND US ALONG WITH SOME CLEVELAND FAVORITES. THE SHOW WAS A GREAT SUCCESS. AFTER THAT WE RELEASED THE“FOREVER IN LEATHER”C.D. THE REACTION HAS BEEN GREAT. WE HAVE RECEIVED GOOD REVIEWS AND THE DISTRIBUTION IS THE BEST WE HAVE HAD SO FAR. IT SEEMS TO BE SELLING WELL. A COUPLE OF SHOWS HAVE FOLLOWED SINCE . CURRENTLY DESTRUCTOR IS WRITING NEW SONGS FOR ANOTHER FUTURE RELEASE. WE HOPE TO RE-RELEASE “MAXIMUM DESTUCTION” IN 2008. WE HAVE RECORDED ALL OF THE SONGS THAT WAS TO BE OUR SECOND L.P., DECIBEL CASUALTIES. THAT HAS BEEN DONE SINCE 2002 BUT WE HAVEN’T PUT THAT ONE OUT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO PROVE TO OURSELVES AS WELL AS THE FANS THAT WE WERE BACK AND HAD CURRENT MUSIC TO OFFER THE HEAVY METAL WORLD.

MM-“Forever in leather” has been out for a few months now so what has been so what has been the reaction to it so far?

Dave-WE WANTED TO PRESENT ALL NEW SONGS ON FOREVER IN LEATHER. ON SONIC BULLET AND THE STORM OF STEEL E.P. WE HAD A COUPLE OF NEW SONGS MIXED IN WITH OLDER ONES AS WELL AS LIVE TRACKS. FOREVER IN LEATHER WAS OUR FIRST CHANCE TO SHOW WHAT DESTRUCTOR WAS CURRENTLY ALL ABOUT.

MM-What were you doing in the 1990’s during the time when you didn’t have this band going?

Dave-DESTRUCTOR’S LAST SHOW FROM THE OLD DAYS WAS IN 1992. IT WAS WITH OVERKILL. IN 1990 PAT RABID MAT FLAMMABLE AND I STARTED A PROJECT CALLED “SPACE CORE” IT WAS A FUN BAND THAT PLAYED SPACE ROCK. WE OPENED UP FOR HAWKWIND AND HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH IT THAT AFTER DESTRUCTOR SPLIT PAT AND I KEPT SPACE CORE GOING. IN 1995 I LEFT SPACE CORE AND THEY CHANGED THEIR NAME TO NUCLEON. PAT REMAINED IN NUCLEON UNTILL 1997 OR SO THEN IN 1999 DESTRUCTOR REUNITED.

MM-It’s hard to believe that it has been 23 years since Maximum Destruction came out. Does it seem real to you that it was that long ago?

Dave-IT’S WEIRD. LIFE HAS GONE SO FAST AND MANY CHANGES HAVE HAPPENED OVER TIME. NOW DESTRUCTOR HAS COME FULL CIRCLE AND HAS A NEW LIFE.
MM- Let’s say someone could only afford to buy one of your albums, which one would you recommend and why?

Dave-I WOULD SAY FOREVER IN LEATHER BECAUSE IT SHOWS ALL SIDES OF THE DESTRUCTOR STYLE.I BELIEVE IT IS OUR MOST METAL EFFORT EVER.


MM-What is the music like in Cleveland these days? Any great bands there that we should know about?
Dave-CLEVELAND STILL HAS AN UNDERGROUND METAL SCENE. MANY BANDS HAVE COME AND GONE OVER THE YEARS AND SOME HAVE COME BACK. A COUPLE OF GREAT ONES ARE ETERNAL LEGACY,CELLBOUND, SOULLESS,LICK THE BLADE AND MIDNIGHT.


MM-You are set to play at Wacken this year. How excited are you about that?
Dave-WE LOOK FORWARD TO PLAYING EVERY SHOW WE ACCEPT AND WE HAVE DONE SOME GREAT ONES OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS BUT WACKEN WILL PROVE TO BE THE BIGGEST SHOW YET. THE WHOLE FESTIVAL SCENE IN EUROPE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD. FOR DESTRUCTOR TO EVEN BE CONSIDERED FOR A SHOW LIKE WACKEN IS ANOTHER DREAM COME TRUE.

MM-In recent years a number of bands like Fueled by fire, Merciless Death and other have popped up. They play an 80’s style of thrash metal. Do you think these band are doing anything that older bands like yourself have not already done or are they copying a style that has already been done?
Dave-WELL THAT’S NOT REALLY FOR ME TO SAY. JUST BECAUSE YOU PLAY OLD SCHOOL STYLE DOESN’T MAKE YOU GOOD IN MY EYES. I LIKE ALL TYPES OF MUSIC AND, TO ME; THERE ARE ONLY GOOD SONGS AND BAD SONGS. THERE IS A LOT OF GREAT METAL RIFFS STILL YET DISCOVERED AND IT’S UP THO THE NEW BLOOD TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL.


MM-What have Destructor yet to accomplish that you would like to do?
Dave-DESTRUCTOR WANTS TO TOUR EUROPE AND OTHER COUNTRIES. WE WANT THE CHANCE TO CONTINUE TO SHOW WE ARE BACK AND READY TO KILL. WE HAVE MANY MORE GOOD SONGS TO RECORD AND AS LONG AS WE ARE ABLE AND THERE IS AN INTEREST IN WHAT WE DO WE WILL CONTINUE OUR MISSION OF METAL.



MM-How do you think that the metal scene now is different from say twenty years ago?
Dave-WELL FOR ONE THERE ARE MORE DIFFERENT FORMS OF GREAT METAL MUSIC NOWDAYS.THINGS HAVE PROGRESSED FOR METAL MUSIC A LOT OVER THE PAST 20+ YEARS BUT AS MUCH AS THINGS CHANGE THINGS REMAIN THE SAME. MEANING THAT REAL OLD SCHOOL METAL WILL ALWAYS HAVE AN AUDIENCE. METAL LIVES FOREVER IN THE HEARTS OF THE BELIEVERS.

MM-What newer metal bands do you like?
Dave- I REALLY LIKE MANY OF THE NEW METAL BANDS. SOME SUCH BANDS LIKE AMON AMARTH, RIOTOR, TOXIC HOLOCAUST ARE ON MY LIST.

MM-If you could only listen to three albums for the next month then what albums would you pick?
Dave-UNLEASHED IN THE EAST, (JUDAS PRIEST) , ANOTHER PERFECT DAY ,(MOTORHEAD) AND ODIN ON OUR SIDE, (AMON AMARTH). THAT SHOULD TIE ME OVER I THINK.

MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and tell why.
Dave-
Destruction or Kreator
KREATOR. I DON’T KNOW WHY!

Judas Priest or Motorhead
I CANT PICK BETWEEN THOSE TWO.IT’S WAY TO HARD.

Breaker or Damien
BREAKER. THOSE ARE MY BOYS. THEY’RE ALMOST LIKE FAMILY.

Anthrax or Slayer
SLAYER. THAT’S A NO BRAINER. ANTHRAX IS GOOD BUT SLAYER ??? COME ON!!!

MM-Is there anything else that you want to say about your band or your music?Dave-DESTRUCTOR ARE JUST GLAD TO BE APART OF METAL AGAIN. THERE SO MANY GREAT BANDS OUT THERE THAT WE JUST LOOK FORWARD TO MAKING MORE MUSIC AND PLAYING IT LIVE. THANKS TO EVERY METALHEAD THAT HAS SHOWN DESTRUCTOR THAT FAITH LASTS FOREVER. I HOPE EVERYONE THAT READS THIS HAS A CHANCE TO PICK UP FOREVER IN LEATHER AND

http://www.myspace.com/maximumdestructor

Thanks to Dave for doing the interview.

Check out Divine Chaos

Divine Chaos are from Alexandria, Virginia and they have two songs over at their Myspace page. They play a very raw medium fast style of metal bordering on early speed metal. The first track reminds of say Kill 'em all era Metallica at times. The second reminded more of the great, but barely known Medieval due to the low, rough and fairly heavy sound. I think the music actually benefits from being somewhat under produced, it certainly sets them apart from most bands playing a similar style of music. I certainly liked what I heard so hop over and check out their tunes.

www.myspace.com/divinechaos1

Check out Watchmen

I recently recieved an e-mail asking if I would got and check out this band so I went over and listened to them. Watchmen have been around for almost five years and are from Buenos Aires, Argentina. They had three tracks up over at their Myspace page. I would say they are melodic hard rock sounding a bit like bands from about 1987-1991. The first two tracks were somewaht similar to early Mr.Big while the third track reminded me more of late 80's Whitesnake. The vocals are strong and the music was overall solid. Not totally original, but very tight and they know how to build up a song and keep it going. So go over and check them out.


http://www.myspace.com/watchmenhardrock
http://www.watchmen.com.ar/

Bone Shaker interview

Bone Shaker are a classic metal style band from Wisconsin and they formed back in 2006. They have appeared on various compilations and they recently released “Bang,… You’re Dead” on Turkey Vulture records. I recently interviewed Vocalist/Guitarist David"Gonz"Gonzalez to find out more about this band.



MM-Can you tell us a little about how and when this band formed?

Gonz-It sort of grew out of nothing. I was spending a lot of time in cover and tribute bands and had a large number of originals laying around. I decided I wanted to record some of them for personal reasons and it sort of got out of control! Myself and some friends from another band went into Triple Six Studios and before I knew it, we had recorded 14 songs over a few weeks time. This wound up being the '13 Ghosts' demo and I decided the material was good enough to be rocking the clubs with. Some of those early versions of songs wound up on a couple compilations!


MM-How do the songs on your new album “Bang,…You’re Dead” compare with the material on your “13 Ghosts” CD?

Gonz-The new songs are true to the band and what it offers. '13 Ghosts' has a lot of the same songs at a very young stage. The songs developed further once I decided to back the CD with a real band. We used the demo to shop labels and there are actually only a few hundred out there. If you have one, dispose of it immediately for fear of contamination! Ha, ha! The new material has a raw edge to the fidelity which is one of the targets we we're aiming for. I don't like over-production and fills everywhere there's space in a song. You have to let a song breath a little even if it's just a guitar chord sustaining. I also wanted it to feel as closely as possible to a live Bone Shaker show so we purposefully didn't layer too many guitars.

MM-Who have you opened for? Who would you like to open for?

Gonz-We we're lucky enough to open for Metal Church on our second show. We've opened for lots of bands and headlined ourselves. We did a gig with Lillian Axe recently and also the side stage for the Viva La Bands Tour last fall. I think it's one of the things that boosted our confidence and sort of let us know that we could go further with this band. Hearing it from seasoned national artists and industry people really helps a lot.


MM-What have been some of your most memorable shows so far?

Gonz-The unexpected ones! We had a show that we thought was going to be pretty tame and it turned out the crowd was damn near on stage with us! They were eating it up so much and getting as close as they could. We loved it. That's what it's all about. Any of the shows where first timers are singing along, that's the goal, that's the high.


MM-What should someone who comes to see Bone Shaker live expect?

GonzHonesty. What you see is what we are. We dress a little better on stage because that's what I expect of my favorite bands. I don't like casual dress on stage. Dress casual if you want to be taken casually. We also play as close to the original version as possible.
That goes back to not adding things in the studio you can't pull off live. We are looking at bringing in another guitar or maybe keys but it has to be a perfect fit. Also, as much of a set change as possible from the other bands. I want you to know Bone Shaker's on stage when you look up there. Not some nondescript act you won't remember the next day.


MM-I know you have a few local shows coming up soon. Do you have any plans for a bigger tour in the works?

Gonz-Actually we plan on many bigger tours. We've got some things in the works that could pan out in a huge way. We are joining up with some great management next month. We have a song going out with the April issue of Metal Edge Magazine. That will be a lot of exposure for the band. We hope to do Europe as soon as it's feasible. We are dying to do those metal fests over there. We also plan to do a North American tour coming up. Once the new cd picks up steam.


MM-You have only been around for two years and you have done CDs, had songs on compilations and toured. It seems like you have done a lot in a short time period. Are you surprised by how much this band has done so far or was that all part of your plan?

Gonz-We're very thankful for the opportunities that have come our way. We also take a lot of credit for it because we don’t waste time. It's just the nature of the people in the band. We are very dedicated to do more than the next guy. As long as it is possible and doesn't disrupt normal life, we'll give it a try. We take an idea and we see how we can do it better. We don't like to be the band that forever rehearses and never does a show or sells a cd. You will become super at your instrument if you practice all the time. Screw that, we want to get out and gig! The song may only be 95% ready but we're going to play it for you and see what you think so far. We are also very into networking all the time. Always trying to see who can help us in the industry. If someone tells us no, or we're not good enough, that's o.k. We just move on to the next person or idea. There are lots of people out there and the trick is to find the ones who like you and believe in your music. We don't care about the rest.


MM-What do you hope to accomplish in 2008?

Gonz-A bigger label. A new cd. A world tour would be nice. Honestly, as much as we can. We are surprised every day by what happens to this band and we know we are truly blessed. What ever happens, it's going to be by our fans doing. So, in advance, thank you fans!



MM-Obviously you are big fans of 1980’s metal. What do you think was so good about metal from that decade as compared to other decades?

Gonz-Better melody. I'm not trying to regress or anything like that. I just prefer certain moods in my songs and today's metal doesn't have it. Everyone is too wrapped up in singing about death and dismemberment today or trying to sound like the last band to have a hit song. The subject matter was lighter in the 80's. Singing about dragons or mythology takes you away and lets you escape. I don't write about those things but what I do write about for the most part doesn't exist. I want you to visualize and escape for a moment. The new screamo type metal gets old to me. There are so many doing it; I wonder where metal will go from here. The 80's also had better showmanship. Big productions and arena shows. I've been told those days are gone. Well, music goes in cycles and I believe it's coming back. I'm already noticing tours are getting bigger and the Swedish metal scene is kicking stage shows up further every year. Iron Maiden is doing a huge world tour this year.


MM-What’s the metal scene like in your area?

Gonz-Brutal. The bars prefer cover bands for the most part. The good venues don't allow covers so that helps us a lot. But you can't play the same place every week. If you don't sell merch, you can't make much. There are tons of metal bands in the Milwaukee area. We also have the Nightmare of the Chicago club scene in our backyard. The venues will just find someone to play cheaper or for free if you ask for too much up front. Shows outside our immediate area always go over better. It's a shame, we have a better time away from home.

MM-Why should someone buy your new album?

Gonz-Because it's fresh to the ears. Yes, it's heavily influenced by our favorite bands but it's what everybody else isn't doing right now. We don't tune down to D for a reason. It's an easy way to achieve heaviness but we use E Flat because it winds up sounding very different today. Fresh in an old way! It takes you back and let's you know you're not the only one who was alive before 1990.


MM-What are some of your favorite tracks off of “Bang … You’re Dead” and why?

Gonz- "Hell and Back" because of the lead break. I used to ad lib that solo live. Now I play it just like the studio version. "Judge, Jury..." I like because it goes over great live. We extend that one and get people to sing along. I like "Hell Razor's" attitude. I think it's bad-ass. And "Dr. Strange" for sure.


MM-Do you play any cover songs live, if so then what?

Gonz-Yeah, we do "In The Dark" by Billy Squire. I know that sounds weak but if you take out the keys and heavy it up, it rocks! We also do "See You In Hell" by Grim Reaper. We did "Looks That Kill" from the Crue but we may stop that now. Covers take away from original material even though they do serve a purpose.


MM-I saw that you are going to have a song on an upcoming compilation that will distributed by Metal Edge. Can you tell us more about that and how did that opportunity come about?

Gonz-They decided to let a deserving indie band be on the comp along side the big boys. Who else could it be?! Honestly, the call went out and we were chosen. We were on a compilation last Summer that went out to the Ozzfest tour dates and we were noticed off of there. The Ozzfest compilation was a small investment that may pay off in a huge way.


MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and briefly state why.

Gonz-

Accept or Grim Reaper

Ouch! Tough one...even though I love Grim Reaper's melodies and guitar work I have to give this one to Accept. They had some awesome dark, gloomy stuff and Udo is living proof that metal doesn't care what you look like. Short hair from the word "go".


Iron Maiden or Judas Priest

Iron Maiden, hands down. Big tours. Big albums. The best use of harmony guitars ever. Completely consistent to this day.


Ozzy or Dio

Great songs aside, Ozzy. Just because he was better at picking guitarists over the years. They both changed up often but Ozzy just knows how to pick a great guitar player. I prefer Jake E. Lee over Zakk, by the way.


Motley Crue or WASP

WASP. Anyone who knows me knows this answer. Blackie is one hell of a frontman. I hope to do a show with him sometime in our career.


MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?

Gonz-We always try to put our best foot forward. Bone Shaker is what it is. Not contrived. We love our influences and when I write, it shows. I think you can say that about most bands early in their careers. If I write a song that seems too long I chop bits out. I want to have fun on stage and not have to think too much. I'd rather not be standing still because I have to nail something. Keep an eye out for us; we're coming your way!


www.myspace.com/boneshakerinfo



**Thanks to David for doing the interview.

Check out the KISS reviews

Bob Vinyl reviewed all of the make-up KISS studio albums over at his blog. He even took the time to listen to The Elder so hop over there and check out his reviews.

http://www.rnrnonsense.com/2008/01/discography-kiss-makeup-years.html

Various Artists-Thrashing like a maniac

Earache
2008



The thrash movement was huge between about 1985 and 1990 in many different countries. Even though this genre likely will never reach those heights of popularity again there has been a resurgence of younger bands following in that style. This compilation includes mainly previously released tracks from sixteen of today's up and coming thrash bands including some of the biggest in the movement like Municipal Waste, Merciless Death and Toxic Holocaust. I loved this style back when it first emerged and ate up stuff by almost every new band that popped up back in the day. These younger bands play with largely the same energy and fire yet so many of them are relying on formulas that were created 20+ years ago and they just fail to bring, add or blend much of any new ideas into the fold. Most of the bands here fall into one of the following three categories.
A-Sounds like Slayer/Dark Angel
B-Sounds like the German bands: Sodom, Kreator and Destruction
C-Sounds like the Bay area bands: early Metallica, Testament and Exodus
All good bands to be influenced by, but most of the bands on this compilation just are not doing anything that you have not already heard. Now almost every song here is good, but only two bands really stood out to be as being somewhat different. "Immortal Life" by Bonded by blood had a very a frantic approach with the guitars just tearing through thrash riffs with far more intensity than most bands could even hope for. They were taking thrash, but moving beyond it by upping the pace and energy level a notch and it worked. The other band that made me take notice was SSS doing "Overload". The music on this was sort of standard pace, but as self aware as many of the songs on this album. The best of the song were the vocals which at least partially embedded in mid-late 1980's hardcore style that was both charged and confident. This song sounded more like some of the better crossover music of the 80's yet they had their own flavor as well. Overall a decent compilation, but not terribly original except for a few tracks.

Ninth Moon Black interview

Ninth Moon Black hail from Eugene, Oregon and have an album due out soon. I recently interviewed guitarist Erin to find out more about the band and their upcoming release.

MM-How and when did this band form?
Erin-The first stage of this band was formed in 2003 in Fresno (lemoore to be exact) Ca. I was learning how to do my own demos and decided on the name at that point for the project. It was very different from what we do now, more simplistic, a little industrial. However Caleb and I had been talking years before about doing something like this, but we were both pretty busy in our other bands at the time, Ahisma, and Fuck God in the Face,. Fast forward a little bit, I moved back to Oregon and Caleb wasn't doing anything at the time musically so we started working with our original lineup. This is our second.

MM-You have an album coming out soon on Forgotten Empire records. Does it have a title and how would you describe the music?
Erin-At present time, self titled, and I would describe it as dark, ambient, metal. We're really aren't that metal, but we're not pop by any means, so I guess that will work.

MM-Why should someone buy your record?
Erin-Good question. To take a chance on something a little different I guess. We are an instrumental band, nothing new, and we use video for live shows, also nothing new, but we are four people doing our own thing. For me personally I don't listen to a lot of new music, or bands that sound anything like us for the simple reason I like to have a clean slate when I write, no outside influence. I mean as much as possible. So I think we have a unique sound that is easy to connect, and relax to.

MM-What was the most difficult aspect of recording your album? What was the most enjoyable part about recording it?
Erin-There were no major difficulties at all. Josh Alderson is a really easy engineer to work with. This is our third time with him, and each time he learns a little bit more about what we are going for. Most enjoyable aside from hearing progress each time we mixed would be the studio it self, Dogwood. It's in the woods so it's very peaceful.

MM-Who came up with your band name and what does it mean?
Erin-I came up with the name, and I wish I could say there is some deep meaning behind it, but it just came to me one day. Maybe it has meaning on a sub-conscious level.

MM-Where do you get the inspirations for your song topics?
Erin-Since there are no vocals, there is no specific topic. You can draw you own conclusion. Whatever you feel from our music, that's what right for you. It can vary from person to person. Like reading a book.

MM-You have a tour coming up in March with label mates Blackwaves. How psyched are you about that and what expectations do you have about the tour?
Erin-Extremely excited! this will be their first time in the states (I think), so we want to show them a good time, with good shows. No expectations other than fun.



MM-What should someone who comes to one of your shows expect? Do you play any cover songs live?
Erin-No cover songs yet. Our set runs continuous for 35-40 minutes so, I don't know, hopefully people will enjoy the atmosphere we are trying to create.

MM-What is your band doing that sets you apart from others?
Erin-I think we are combining many styles of music. Obviously we don't sound like '50s surf music, but my clean guitar tone is influenced by that style of music. My guitar playing in general is influenced by surf music. Fast picking, reverb, delay and so on. Combine that with heavy bass, atmospheric keys/ samples, and steady drum lines, and I guess you have a Link Wray/ Pink Floyd sort of metal. If that makes sense.

MM-What is the music scene like where you are at? Any great unsigned bands we should be aware of?
Erin-I don't get out much, but there are a lot of good bands in this area so I would say overall the scene is good. I wish there were more all ages places for the younger crowd but you can't have everything. Bands, to name a few would be: Middian (presently unsigned), Deosyll, Happy Bastards, On the First day...they were Kittens, Traitor Hearts, Fuck God in the Face was awesome, but they are long gone. There are a lot of others, but I can't think right now.

MM-What do you hope to accomplish in 2008?
Erin-Well, we hope this tour goes well in march for us and Blackwaves. After that we are gonna work on writing a new album to record in the summer, and maybe tour at the end of summer again. I think everyone wants to do as much as we can get away with. Write, tour, meet new people, and just get our stuff out there. We do hope to go to Germany soon and tour with the Blackwaves, so 2008 could be very busy. I know I hope so.

MM-If you could only listen to five different albums for the next month, what would they be and why?
Erin-I really couldn't say. I really like the bands on our label, so maybe some of those. Middian (age eternal), is heavy as hell and we wish them the best with their legal issues. Sorry, I don't think I could narrow it down, it's day to day for me.

MM-Is there anything else that you want to say about your band or your music?
Erin-Only that we're doing what we do because we have to, there is no choice, so we hope you enjoy it.

http://www.myspace.com/ninthmoonblack

Thanks to Erin for doing the interview.

What's coming up?

I'll be feeling whoozy on Sunday since there is no football and still a week to ago before the Super Bowl. I'll have to manage somehow though and then the big game will be here. I'll have a Super Bowl story for you on Super Bowl Sunday about something that happened to me ten years ago. However, this week I hope to have out the following.

Reviews
Bad Habit demo
Thrashing like a maniac compilation

Interviews
Destructor
Bone Shaker
Ninth Moon Black

Plus
Spotlight on an up and coming band or two on Myspace (didn't get to it this past week)
and
Lesser of two evils with Iron Maiden vs. Judas Priest. How can these two be in this feature? Drop by and see and then you will know.


***If I gave you $15 to buy one CD released since 2005 then what would you buy?

Mos Generator interview

Mos Generator are a bunch of veteran musicians who recently released the very solid "Songs for future gods" on Small Stone records. I recently interviewed guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Tony Reed to find out more about this band and their plans for this year.



MM-This band has been around since 2000, but every band member has been playing for quite some time. What bands was everyone in before Mos Generator?
TR-All three of us were in a band called twelve thirty dreamtime from 1991-1996. During that time we were also touring and making records with other bands. Shawn was also in Mindfunk, Scooter was in a band call Voodoo Gearshift and I was in a band called Treepeople.


MM-How did this band form?
TR-After the demise of the other bands we had been working in we just came home and gravitated to each other. We decided to do the kind of music we loved and since we had a background with each other it was easy to pick up on each other.



MM-How does your new album “Songs for future gods” compare to your previous releases?
TR-SFFG is more straight forward than our last two discs. It sounds a lot like our first CD. It also has re-recorded versions of a few songs from our out-of-print self titled disc. "The late great planet earth" was a concept album and "the vault sessions" was a disc of demo sessions we had done in our rehearsal space. Each album has a different feel to it.



MM-How would you describe your music?
TR-Melodic heavy rock

MM-What’s the music scene like in your area? Are there any unsigned bands there that people should know about?
TR-Heavy rock is a hard sell in the Seattle area. Right now the local bands that I am into are friends of mine or bands I have produced/recorded. Golden pig electric blues band, Sower of dischord, and The Valley just to name a few.


MM-You have a few dates set up in Washington state soon and then a number of dates in Europe for the spring. Do you have any plans to tour in the summer yet and do you know if you will make it to the East Coast?
TR-After we get back from Europe we are going to take some time to write the next record. We are trying to do the 1 record a year thing. After that it would be great to get to the east coast. We get asked about the east coast quite often and we have good connections there. Hopefully in the fall we can make it happen.



MM-Your music has a bit more of a groove to it than a number of bands that play a similar style of music. Is that intentional or does it just naturally happen?
TR-Shawn is the secret to that whole vibe. The swagger in his playing makes it's way into the feel of many songs. Sometimes in the studio I have to hold him back from it. It's a natural thing we all have, born to boogie.





MM-How is being in this band different from previous bands that you have been in?
TR-In Mos Generator we are all playing the kind of music we love with no compromise. We can be honest when we write music.



MM-What are some of your songs about and where do you get the inspirations for your song topics?
TR-Most of the songs I have written in the last few years have had a very science fiction feel with topics ranging from science fiction authors to leaving the world to find a better place. A real "into the void" thing.



MM-What should someone who comes to one of your shows expect?
TR-30-40 minutes of high energy rock with possibly an improvised jam section.



MM-What bands would you love to tour with?
-Dexter Jones circus orchestra, Dixie Witch, Pearls & Brass. We are touring with Blood of the sun in Europe and they would be another band on my list.



MM-With each band member having quite a bit of playing experience, does this help the writing and recording process to go smoother or not? Or does it make a difference?
TR-We demo everything before we go into the studio. some times there will be 2 or 3 demo versions. We are really hard on ourselves in the studio. I operate a recording studio for a living so when we go in we have as much time as we need. Since we grew up together we understand each other and know how to work in the studio environment.



MM-What music related goals do you hope to accomplish by the end of 2008?
TR-We would be happy with recording another disc and doing some more touring.



MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and state why.
TR-
Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin
-For me this is one of the hardest music questions of all time but I'm going to say Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath ARE my favorite band. There is something about them that is so primal, raw & heavy. There is no other band in history that was that powerful and that beautiful at the same time.


YOB or Sleep
-I would have to say sleep because they were first.


Deep Purple or Pentagram
-Another hard question. on one side(Deep Purple) you have one of the most talented band of musicians ever, and on the other side (Pentagram) you have that killer raw heavy energy. Today I'm going for the underdog. Pentagram


Cathedral or Trouble
-To be honest I don't have much from either of these bands.



MM-Is there anything else that you want to say about your band or your music?
TR-We're just trying to have a good time playing the music we love. If other people dig it as well. that's a bonus



http://www.myspace.com/mosgenerator

Interview with Bad Candy

Bad Candy were playing in St. Louis in the early 1990's. They recorded a demo called called "Welcome to the party" back in 1991. Recently Retrospect records released the demo and now the band also has another album called "Welcome back to the party" out on Retrospect as well. I recently interviewed guitarist Kevin Hauk to find out more about this band

MM-Tell us some about the history of your band?
KH-Bad Candy was formed in 1990. Me(Kevin Hauk) and Troy Heigl were writing songs, but we didnt have a singer so we had our friend Jeff Mueller who is also a singer record our songs and sing the songs for us. He liked what we were doing, so he eventually joined . We started playing locally and opening up for any band we could. In the summer of 1991, we went to Memphis Tenn. and recorded "Welcome to the Party" with producer Danny Jones, who is well known in the music industry. He had worked with the Beach Boys, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Patti Labelle, etc. We figured he could really make a great demo. And he did. I think our demo was one of the best sounding around as far as production. We played a huge demo release in June 91' and from there we just played all over town, opening for such big names as Firehouse, Britney Fox, Asphalt Ballet, and Valentine Saloon. We even opened for the guy who played "Ricky" in Skid Rows 18 and Life video, who had a band. We kept it going till some members were either got kicked out, or left. In 1993, the remaining members , Me, Troy, Ryan, and Travis, who had replaced Nikki on bass, changed the name to Beggars Playground and recorded a new demo, which was a totally different style than Bad Candy.



MM-What are you currently up to?
KH-We are now just playing locally in cover bands for now. We are all married and have kids and fulltime jobs. We have gotten together lately and did a reunion show which went very well.



MM-How would you describe your band’s music?
KH-I would call it 80's Hair band rock. Course none of us have the hair anymore.



MM-I know you had a reunion show lined up last year. Are you currently playing any shows? KH-Right now we arent locally. But we do have a big show coming up this summer, that I cant really give out any details to just yet.



MM-Did you ever have any label interest back when you did “Welcome to the party”?
KH-No, we did have a lot going for us as the follow up band Beggars Playground, but Bad Candy never had label interest as far as I know.

MM -How did you link up with Retrospect records?
KH-Sam from Retrospect records somehow got a copy of "Welcome to the Party" and then managed to get ahold of TRoy. Troy did all the correspondence with him. When Troy first told me about it, I was like , "Yeah Right". Everyone else said the same thing. But it turned out to be true. I mean it's 17 years later!!!!

MM-It seems like so many hard rock bands that were around in the 80’s and early 90’s are reforming. Why do you think that is?
KH-I think with the internet and myspace, you can reach a lot more people, so bands are putting up pages of their former bands, and people are responding to it. I think the overwhelming response, gets bands motivated to reunite. We were actually joking about a reunion show for a long time, but when Retrospect Records came calling, it just helped make it a reality.

MM-What do you hope to accomplish in 2008?
KH-Have Bad Candy's music reach as many people as possible. I dont know what to expect, but I think we're gonna just see what happens. Like I said, we have a pretty big show this summer, that we're all very excited about, and everyone will find out what it is as soon as we are given the go ahead to make the announcement.

MM-What is the hard rock/metal scene like in St. Louis these days? How is it different from say 17 years ago?
KH-Truthfully, I don't think its any better. Bars cater to cover bands mostly. Back 17 years ago, there were many more places to play for "original" bands. It seemed like back then, more people were into it. These days, the original clubs pack 6 bands on one bill for a single nite. Back in the nineties, we might share a bill with one other band. I think if we had the internet back then, we could have done so much more. We did everything with flyers.

MM-Any great unsigned bands there that we should know about?
KH-Well the best unsigned band around that I know is Modern Day Zero. There is also Never My Silence. I know alot of great musicians that are just doing the cover thing too. But those 2 bands are probably the best around in my opinion.

MM-So what were you guys doing when after this band broke up and before you recently reformed?
KH-Me and Jeff and Troy were in a band called Spit in the late nineties together. We were a cover/original band. Then Me and Jeff were playing in a cover band called Fivetimezero up till about a year ago. Troy was singing in a original/cover band called Slapdragon till about 8 months ago, and Nikki and Ryan were out of music completely.

MM-In the early 1990’s you changed singers and became Beggar’s Playground. How long did that version go and was the music any different?
KH-That went very well, we thought we had found our sound. The music was harder edged, more like Skid Row, and we were playing alot. We had a little airplay on Kshe 95, and opened for a lot of great bands. Our demo"the beg", which has just been released by Retrospect Records, was reviewed in RIP magazine, and thanks to that, we were getting the word out all over the world.

MM-Pick the band from the following pair that you prefer and tell why.
KH-
Poison or Skid Row
Skid Row, because Sebastion Bach was and still is one of the greatest Rock singers of all time.
Aerosmith or Cheap Trick
This is a tough one, since I think they are both great, but I'd have to say Aerosmith, because they are still to this day cranking out hits.
LA Guns or Pretty Boy Floyd
This one is a no brainer, Pretty Boy Floyd. Motley Crue junior, Bad Candy used to play Floyds version of "Toast of the Town".
Guns and Roses or Motley Crue
Another no brainer, Motley Crue. They were the band everyone wanted to be like. With a drummer like Tommy lee , and songs like "looks that kill" and "Shout at the Devil", they were the best around and fun to watch.

MM-Is there anything else that you want to say about your band or your music?
KH-We did just record a new cd, which is available on Retrospect Records titled "Welcome Back to the Party". 7 of the songs were written back in the early nineties when we were still together, and one of the songs is a brand new song, called "Hangin' On". It is a song about us, still being friends and Hangin on to the past, and doing it all over again. I hope whoever reads this, will check it out on www. Retrospectrecords.com and check out our myspace page at www.myspace.com/badcandystl. We will keep everone posted on future shows, especially the big one this summer!! Peace.

http://www.myspace.com/badcandystl

-Thanks to Kevin for doing the interview.

Byzantine-Oblivion Beckons

2008
Prosthetic

West Virginia's Byzantine have released their third album and quite honestly it's boardering on being incredible. This album manages to be and do so much without seeming fake or overeager. Everything about this release comes across as being natural and this album has so very much to give. There are elements of death, progressive, thrash and classic metal yet all are played with the same high level of intensity and give the same amount of importance. Despite the different styles that are used, the band still manages to move to and fro with the greatest of ease while pounding out and building the songs. The vocals go from death metal to clean, but truly powerful without loosing any momentum at all. On top of all this each song has it's own real personality and that's probably the real kicker about this album. Byzantine pull off the basic and the complex and utilize both while getting the most out of everything they are cranking out on this release. They have managed to use their obvious technical skill, their energy and their creativity and put all of that into a very cohesive and mind boggling product. I think this album will just get better each time I play it because I think it's one of those type albums that just gets better with repeated plays. I have heard a few albums so far in 2008 and almost all of them have been good, but this is the first great release I have heard so far in 2008.


http://www.myspace.com/byzantine

Most likely to happen?

Last year was a pretty good year for music and hopefully 2008 is just a good. I have already heard a couple of good albums this year. My mind was turning to some of the bigger acts and bigger events of this year.

So I wanted to ask which of the following do you think is most likely to happen this year?

-Chineese Democracy is released.

-Metallica's new album is good.

-Judas Priest's new album isn't completely stupid.

-Rocklahoma is more than just a festival of hasbeens.

grief of WAR-a mounting crisis...as their fury got released

2008
Prosthetic

The old style thrash wave comeback has apparently hit Japan as well as grief of WAR play a style completely relying on late 1980’s-early 1990’s thrash. To be more specific they are obviously very influenced by the old Bay area sound that was so big for several years. I would say that they sound most like the tight punching styles of early Testament, Forbidden and Death Angel. One obvious advantage for this band is the high production values which is something so many thrash bands two decades ago didn’t have. This high production allows one to hear that this band plays a rather brutally punishing style that they are comfortable with. The band also obviously have no difficulty changing the pace even at high speeds and that’s not a skill that every band can master. I loved the aggression that grief of WAR so easily bring and I like how they can channel it into different approaches. My gripe is that I have heard just about all of this before, in fact I heard it before 1990. That’s the problem with doing this style, it has all been done and you really have to bring or add something new or different for it to be anything except a re-hash. It’s a solid retread, but certainly nothing new.

http://www.myspace.com/griefofwar

Clash of the album covers

This time around it is....


Accept-s/t

versus


Jackyl-s/t

***So which one do you prefer?

Steve Grimmett Band interview

The Steve Grimmett band of course features former Grim Reaper, Lionsheart and Onslaught vocalist Steve Grimmett. The band just released their debut album “Personal Crisis” this past fall. It’s a killer solid heavy metal album very much in the mid-1980’s style. I recently got to interview the band and find out more about them and their future plans. The band answered the questions as a group unless otherwise noted. The band members are Steve Grimmett-vocals, Ian Nash-guitar, Richard Walker-bass and Pete Newdeck-drums.


MM-What has been the response to your album so far?
SGB-Very positive, the songs & production have been very well received by the music press with some reporting that in their opinion 'Personal Crisis' is the best album that Steve has ever done. Many reviewers have stated that the album was much better than they had expected it to be & that Steve's vocal's have, if anything, improved over the years.


MM-How and when did this band form?
SGB-The four of us initially got together in January 2006 to rehearse a full Grim Reaper set which we played at several European metal festivals during that year. The idea for the Steve Grimmett Band was conceived in April 2006 We were enjoying performing & touring together as a band so much, that we wanted a vehicle to enable us to write & record brand new material & also to allow us to incorporate Lionsheart and reaper material in to our live sets.


MM-Do you any tour dates set up for 2008? Any plans to play in the United States?
SGB-We are confirmed for some festivals so far, Puerto Rico Metal Thunder in March & Madrid Pounding metal in May.aswell as british festivals. Along with this, we are exploring the chance of an appearance at Rocklahoma for 2008. We are also in negotiations with various promoters for appearances at several other UK & European metal festivals & UK ,US and Japan tours We would love to get over to the States & play some shows, but nothing is confirmed as yet. Although there has been a huge amount of interest in getting us over there, the logistics mean that is is that much more difficult to make it happen. That doesn't mean that it won't happen of course..........


MM-How is this band different from other bands that you guys have been in?
SGB-Everyone is much older & much uglier. Seriously, we are all best friends. There are no conflicts in this band even after almost two years together. We all have different strengths & the music seems to come together by all of us just doing what we do best. Personal Crisis was not written & recorded under ideal circumstance by any means, we were all under a huge amount of pressure with very tight timescales & a limited budget but we all worked together & pulled the rabbit out of the hat. That could never have been achieved if there had been any conflicts or egos within the band.


MM-Where do you get the inspiration for your song topics?
Pete & Steve-Song topics have ranged in subject matter that includes………..people we hate, people we care about, people who have killed and other things that range from reaol life to fantasy.
Reading through the lyrics you will find that some are obvious and some are a bit more hidden and obscure. Depending on steve and pete’s given moods or aspirations.
Karma being a good example stating to a person that maybe they should keep looking over their shoulder….and I will leave that one for you to consider who it might be about!!!


MM- Question for Pete. What other albums have you produced and is it easier producing something when you are involved in the playing like with this album?
Pete-Other albums I have unofficially had an input into production, go back as far as ‘The Shock’ @PINULTIMATE@ album where a lot of the initial song writing structures and parts etc were given to myself for scrutiny……since then I have had much production experience with demos and recording other bands on a private basis. This however is my first official product and look forward to meeting the challenges for SGB album 2.
Being involved with the playing and songwriting has advantages but also can cloud issues when you can easily become ‘too close to something’


MM-Question for Steve. Grim Reaper seemed to have had a strong following here in the states back in the 1980’s while a number of other NWOBHM bands really had trouble breaking in over here. Is that accurate and if so then why do you think that was?
SG-It was all one giant piece of luck, the album got to the States as an import to a store called Zig Zag records who played it to a guy call Walter Obrien who was head of Combat records at the time he contacted Ebony records who said they only wanted to deal with a major label, he took it to Wendy Goldstine at RCA who signed us and Walter became our manager,it is right that most British bands couldn’t get a deal out there but I guess it was down to luck in the end.


MM-You do a cover of Grim Reaper’s Wrath of the ripper. Will you be playing that one live and will you play any other Grim Reaper songs live?
SGB-Hell yes!! Wrath of the Ripper is definitely one of our live favourites. We also play other tracks taken from all three Grim Reaper albums.


MM-What do you think about the metal scene these days? Is it getting better worse or about the same as in recent years?
SGB-Difficult one to answer that, probably about the same there has to be a lot more effort going into it but it’s still a very limited response al round.


MM-What’s the metal scene like in the UK these days?
SGB-Same as always really, the support is there but it's very difficult to generate much enthusiasm for our style of music. Well organised & well supported metal festivals are few & far between in this country.


MM-Are there any younger bands that have had influence on your music or do you generally have the same influences that you have had for years?
SGB-Looking at the Myspace communications we have around the world, it seems Steve’s voice has been inspirational to many people. Grim Reaper as a band again have had the same influence. It’s nice to know that you have been an influence and have helped change some lives. Personally our influences are pretty much the same as they were twenty years ago. Although we are aware of what a lot of the newer & younger bands are doing we still tend to refer back to the music we grew up with. That's not to say that we don't like what younger bands are doing, some of them are awesome, we’d imagine that a lot of them have many of the same influences as we do anyway.


MM-Anything else you want to say about your band or music?
SGB-Yesh, I really love you guysh.....*hic*...... you are my besht friends.....*hic*...... oh shit.....*hic*.....I think I'm gonna puke............. Blah Blah Blah and puke in the bucket this time and don’t shit your trousers again.
We would like to thank all the people who have offered the large amounts of kind words and encouragement, to make us believe in metal again!!!

http://www.stevegrimmett.co.uk/


Thanks to the whole band for doing this interview.

Blind Fury Interview

Blind Fury are from Boise, Idaho and have played on tour dates with acts such as Judas Priest, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Dokken and L.A. Guns. I recently got to interview guitarist/vocalist Eric Cliff to find out more about what the band is currently working on.

MM-So tell us a little about how and when your band formed?
EC-We formed in Dec 24th 1994. My brother Dwight and I were playing in a band in L.A. in the 80's and early 90's called Prototype. We were in 94 earthquake in Northridge. It destroyed my house and about crushed me inside. So at the point I had decided enough of L.A. for a while and decided to come back home to Idaho. We had been playing the biggest clubs in L.A. , Roxy, Whiskey A GO GO, Troubadour, etc. We had write ups in Hollywood Gazette Magazine, and Variety Magazine, Bam, Sreamer Magazines.Grunge music was starting to get big at that time so the metal scene was dying. So I came back to Idaho to re-group and started Blind Fury. It took a while to find the right musicians in Idaho because there just are not a lot to choose from. But we finally came up with the right combination of players.

MM-How would you describe your band’s sound?
EC-We are a melodic heavy metal band with duel guitars and duel lead vocals. With touches of the 80's,90's and up to date with today's sounds. Ripping lead guitars and powerful vocals and vocal harmonies.

MM-How is it going with trying to land a record deal?
EC-We have 2 cd's out from 1997 and 1998 and have recieved air play from Germany, Brazil, USA and many others and have had a great response from the audience's. One of our songs from our 2nd cd Master of Allusion went to 89th in the world ratings on MP3.COM and we had John Weakland from Columbia Records show interest in the band. Then the band had a misfortune of the bass player went to prison. So we had to find a new bass player and re-group again. We lost some momentum from that and had to start again. Then I was diagnosed with a potentially deadly disease (coccidiomycosis) and was very sick and wasnt sure if I was going to make it or not. Slowly I got better from the medication and we got back on track. We just recorded our new CD Do or Die with a top producer from L.A. Jerry Deaton. Jerry has worked in the Industry for many years and is in Music, Movies, TV Commercials and has worked with the best in the business. So we are just now getting the new cd out to the labels. I have my friend from Billboard Magazine, Bryan Reesman helping me get it to the right people at the labels. So far I have had one response from Alfie Falckenbach the Pres. of Mausoleum Records,Belguim. He said that he went to our myspace site and listened to the tunes on the site and said it was (very promising) and hoped the rest of the cd was as good. And for me to send him the full cd. I just sent it to him and am waiting to hear from him at this time. I have several labels I am waiting to hear from so we are keeping our fingers crossed.We just hope someone gives us a chance. We have put a lot of hard work into this.

MM-If you were to secure a record deal soon do you already have an albums worth of material written or would you have to come up with some more songs?
EC-We have a full cd of new music we are getting ready to record. Some of the songs on our cd Do Or Die are actually old songs. We just wanted to get a product out to have something to shop and for our fans that keep asking us for a new cd. Our new stuff is really our best stuff and we are excited to get it out. We have no problem coming up with new material because everyone in the band rights music.

MM-What is the music scene like in Boise, Idaho?
EC-The scene here is not that great. We have some good clubs and concert arena's to play at but there isn't anyone to really get you to the right people. It's to bad because there is some really great bands here. I am lucky in knowing contacts from my past in L.A. so I have the advantage. It is getting better here all the time and soon to be a great place to come and discover bands. The music world is starting to notice Boise as a hot spot for talent that no one has discovered yet.

MM-What bands have you played with so far?
EC-We have opened for Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Dokken, Skid Row, LA Guns, April Wine, Nazareth and many more. They all ask us why are we not signed. We usually impress them quite a bit. Many of them have come back stage to meet us and talk to us. Judas Priest came back and met us and took pictures with us and Jane Andrews their road manager was trying to help us get a touring budget so we could go on tour with them but because we are not signed to a label she couldnt help us. I personally have jammed with Neil Schon/Journey, Jeff Watson/Night Ranger, Paul Gilber/Mr.Big, Phil Wolf/Wasp and many more.

MM-Have you played much outside of Idaho?
EC-We have toured in Washington,and California. We just dont have the budget to tour. We all have good jobs and for us to leave we would have to have a major deal. My drummer is a Doctor/Surgeon so for him to take off is pretty hard. We will have to secure a Deal.

MM-Did anyone in the band play in any bands before Blind Fury?
EC-Yes we all have played in other bands. My bass player is from Ohio or Iowa, cant remember and had a record deal on an indie label. My drummer has played in several bands. My brother and I played in a band Prototype and Tamerlain in L.A. Prototype was very big in L.A. We won the first DEMO LISTEN competition for KNAC in L.A. in 1991. We had several labels talking to us but the earthquake put an end to it all.

MM-After getting a record deal, what other goals do you have for the near future?
EC-Go on tour and show the world what we have to offer. We put on a great live show. We sign autographs after every show which is very unusual for a band that isnt signed. So we feel we have the right goods. Our music is the kind of music that you have to listen to a couple of times to really break it down and then you start to get hooked on it and see the capabilities of each individual musicain. We have been on stage with the best and held our own and we think if we can get the right exposure we can do some great things. We average 40,000 hits a month on our web site with absolutly no promotion,and have lots of fans around the world. So we just want to tour and show the world what we have to offer.

MM-What are you doing that other bands today are not doing?
EC-I can't say that we are doing a whole lot of different stuff. But we still play mean lead guitar riffs and we are very fluent on our instuments. We have good powerful vocals. We just play good rockin music.

MM-What bands would you love to open for?
EC-Anyone who is a major player in the metal world at this time. So we can get exposure.

MM-What are your songs about and where do you get the ideas for your topics?
Love, Sex, Drugs, Terrorist,God,Life Goals, Evil,Broken Hearts. Good ole life stuff. We get it from our dirty little minds. TV topics etc.

MM-What do you think is the best thing about the music business? What’s the worst thing about it?
EC-Touring seeing the world. Being on stage, the rush you get. Being told that one of your songs changed somones life from one of your fans. Meeting your idols. The worst is the politics involved. Its who you know not how good you are. Having someone else decide if your good enough to make it. That always kills me, what makes someone think they know what is going to be a hit. Know one really knows, it is pretty much up to the public, they are the ones that really decide. Sure there are some people in the biz that have been in it for a long time and do have the knack for realizing what a hit is. But there are definitly some bands and songs that know one thought was going to be big and they turned out to be major players. It sucks to have someone else decide if your going to be the next big thing or not.

MM-Is there anything else you want to say about your band or your music?
EC-Take a chance on us. Listen a couple of times and you will probably get hooked on the music. It sinks into you soul after a while and you will be humming the tunes and they will be stuck in your head. We are pro's and have the right attitude to be successful. We are not on drugs or have alchohol addictions. We are a pro act and will deliver the goods.We are fortunate to have been given a gift and just want to show the world what we do.Thank you to all the fans around the world that have supported us. We owe it all to you. We hope to see you on tour!

http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomblindfury

**Thanks to Eric for doing the interview.

Lehigh Valley Rocks, The best of 1984-1994

2007
Fever Rock

The Lehigh Valley area of Eastern Pennsylvania saw a number of musicians like Richie Kotzen, Jimmy Degrasso and Robert Mason get their start before moving on. There were also a lot of local bands during the time between the mid 1980's and the mid 1990's. The idea for this compilation originally came from two friends who were at first talking about just making a CD for friends that would include songs from hard rock and metal bands from the Lehigh Valley area. However the idea grew and turned into to being an official two disc set with 30 tracks from 27 bands. With that many songs there is a variety of musical styles and heaviness ranging from Omynus who have an AOR/hard rock sound like Journey up to Atom West who play speed metal with some crossover undertones. I thought that I had heard of a lot of bands and I have, but I had only heard of a few of these bands before including Teeze who appeared on Hit Parader's Wild Bunch, Dirty Blond who did a few albums and Destroyer who I think got some mentions in the metal magaines back in the day. Now some of these acts like Rock Haven sound like a raw bar band and I can tell why they didn't get a lot bigger. However, then you hear the smooth hard rock of Washed and Kraken, the groove of Jolly Roger and heavy involved riffing of Leviathen and you wonder why these bands didn't get further. At least I am getting to hear them now though. With the packaging we get a huge booklet where each band gets a half of a page that includes the list of band members and most entries include a band picture, information on when the band was around and even information on any band members who are still currently playing music. Overall it's a nicely constructed compilation with most of the songs being of good quality and it comes with great packaging. So I am glad this project came out so those of us who didn't hear these bands the first time around at least get to check them out now.

http://www.myspace.com/lehighvalleyrocks

Brainstorm-Downburst

Metal Blade
2008

I actually never heard of Germany’s Brainstorm until recently yet they have been in existence for almost two decades. That’s a shame because they obviously have a great deal to offer. Downburst is fairly potent blending of power metal, classic style heavy metal and thrash to a lesser extent. They hammer at their songs with no hesitation and attack most of them with a flurry of riffs. Brainstorm does a good job of balancing between melodic and heavy. One of my biggest problems with power metal is that some band get too caught up in the flourish and pageantry part that they forget that it’s a metal album. Brainstorm never for one second let you forget that they are a metal band. The vocals are extremely solid with a huge range and a great deal of consistency. This band is not doing a whole lot new, but they are certainly proficient at what they do. A few songs tend to get a little too repetitive as I found my attention drifting here and there. Largely it’s a good album that I will be playing for a while.

1,000th post, what's coming up and Motley Cruise

This is my 1,000th post which means I have written a lot of posts and hopefully some of them actually made sense. Thanks for reading my blog.

This week I hope to have these topics out.

Reviews-
Lehigh Valley Rocks
Brainstorm-Downburst
Byzantine-Oblivion Beckons

Interviews-
Blind Fury
Steve Grimmett Band
Mos Generator

and

Either Clash of the album covers or judge the album cover.

I was reminded that the Motley Cruise is coming up so I thought it was appropriate to do a list on that topic. Here are the top five things you might here someone say on the Motley Cruise.

"Didn't you used to be somebody?"
"I thought the 80's were over"
"Are you going to Rocklahoma this summer to see more hasbeens?"
"Vince Neil ate all the doughnuts"
"This cruise isn't the only thing that sold out"

Have a great week!

Interview with Titan

Titan are from Brooklyn, New York and play a style that is heavy and progressive music yet at the same time they are beyond that as well . They released their album "A raining sun of light and love for you and you and you" on Teepee records in early 2007. It's an incredible release and it made number three on my top album list of 2007. This interview was done with keyboardist Kris D'Agostino.

MM-Can you tell us some about the history of this band?

KD-Well, Josh and I started playing music together during the summer of2004. I was looking to start a punk band and so I posted a craigslist ad, which Josh responded to. He basically wrote me and email saying,"hey, I play guitar. Used to be in punk bands, but I'm not really interested in doing that anymore, but I see you like the boredoms."and we started talking and he told me about this prog project he wanted to start. So I met up with him and a drummer name Adam Kriney and we played together as La Otracina with Dan Bates on bass. After a while Josh, Dan and I parted ways with Adam and picked up Dave Liebowitz as a drummer and started writing music as Titan. I thinkJosh and I really wanted to keep a really basic, rocking, driving sound and fuse it with what we liked about progressive rock. Dan eventually moved on to other things and recently we've been jamming with Steve Moore on bass, which has been amazing.

MM-Who are your influences?
KD-We have a zillion influences. Everything from ELP to Yes to High on Fire to Discordance Axis. I think that great thing about the guys in this band is that we are into a ton of different shit outside of what we draw upon as influences as a band. I think all of us are open to new things and we're constantly excited about new stuff we here, be itold 70's Kraut records or Wu Tang.

MM-Your album “A Raining Sun of Light and Love For You and You and You” came out about a year ago. What have you been up to since then?
KD-Since the record came out, we did a west coast tour for a few weeks, hitting California and Oregon. And we've been working on new material and we finished mixing an 12" version of our CDR Pilzmarmelade which should be out on Wakusei Records soon.

MM-Prior to the album you had some earlier releases that you released yourselves onto CDR. How do those songs compare with your album?
KD-In my eyes, the album is a lot more focused than our CDRs. And what I mean by that is that on the album we actually "wrote" songs that are really structured and we practiced the shit out of them and tried toget them as tight as we could. There are jams on the record but we always tried to keep it within a structure. Most of the stuff on the CDRs is pure improvisation. We'd come up with an idea or a theme and hit record in our friends' basement or in the practice space and jam. For the record we got studio time and an engineer and did it "proper". The CDR have way more of a DIY approach behind them.

MM-How was the whole recording process different between the album and those prior releases?
KD-Like I said, for the album, we had money in our hands from Teepee and we had Steve Revitte on board to record and we booked time in a studio and we went in and tried to get the sound we wanted. The CDR's were recorded by our friend Jeff Yellin who did an amazing job, but those were basically done super DIY on a mobile protools rig in a basement in Brooklyn.

MM-Do you have any new material written? If so how then does it compare to tracks from your last album?
KD-We have a couple new songs written and we're working on building up more new stuff for what could possibly be our next full length. The new songs are very heavy, very rocking and have less frills attached to them. I think we're honing in on the best parts of what we do, as opposed to just A Raining Sun of Light and Love which has a lot of different elements to it. Our new material seems more streamlined tome. More urgent.

MM-Any touring plans for the near future?
KD-No touring plans for the future that are set in stone. But we'd really like to put something together for the summer. We are working on it. We want to be on the road this summer.

MM-How have TeePee records treated you?
KD-Teepee has been great. Tony and everyone at the label have been super supportive and have been there for us whenever with whatever we've needed.

MM-On your Myspace page under “sounds like” it states "...they plucked a demon’s jawbone for a guitar pick to strum the massive tones". Where did that quote come from and can you elaborate a little on how you would describe your sound?
KD-Haha, that demon's jawbone comment came from a review of the record that was online somewhere and we thought that was best compliment and so we posted it up there. I have a hard time describing our sound to people, but I have a hard time describing any music to other people. I think it's really hard and often pointless to sum up a band with afew words or a "they sound like ______". it's really limiting in away and you never to a good job describing. It's best to just get your hands on some songs and hear it for yourself.

MM-What should someone who comes to see you live expect?
KD-Someone who comes to see us live should expect a headache the next day.

MM-Choose the band you prefer from the following pairs and tell why you chose that band?

Black Sabbath or Deep Purple
ELP or Yes
Dream Theater or Spock’s Beard
Electric Wizard or Sleep
KD-I like all of those bands. Don't really know which I'd pick out of the pairings. They all kinda rule and we rip off pretty much all of them.

MM-“A Raining Sun…” is available on vinyl. Are any of you big fans of vinyl?
KD-Josh and I are huge fans of vinyl. Dave, too. I think we were all most excited about the fact that Teepee was doing vinyl. I remember getting the copies of the full length vinyl and really feeling super psyched about it. Everything sounds better on wax, even if it doesn't, it still does.


**Thanks to Kris for doing the interview.


http://www.myspace.com/titanaut

Bone Shaker-Bang,...you're dead

Turkey Vulture
2007

I am not sure exactly what I was expecting from this based on the cover, but solid, gritty mid-1980’s style metal wouldn’t have been my first guess. However, that’s exactly what this late 2007 release is and it’s pretty much right up my alley. The music reminds me of Accept, Judas Priest, Grim Reaper and maybe even a dash of early WASP thrown in for good measure. The vocals are raw and work wonders as this trio absolutely plow their way through ten tracks that will make you think that it is 1985 again. They obviously strap on the studded bracelets and just go at it. Okay, they are not exactly busting down the doors of originality yet they are tearing up some killer metal with a lot of steam and fire. I love the energy they bring and they do a nice job of mixing up the pace as well. The production is in your face and they waste no time ripping into every single song. The lyrics are a bit on the cheesy side with dribble about rockin’ and three songs have “hell” in the title. Yet it is unquestionably one of the better old style metal albums I have heard in a long time. They have a lot of control and confidence and those two things coupled with their talent are what makes them better than a number of other bands I have heard recently who are trying to sound like old style metal.


http://www.myspace.com/boneshakerinfo

Airbourne-Runnin' Wild

Roadrunner
2008



This release actually came out in Australia and New Zealand through EMI back in the summer, but it is being released here this month by Roadrunner. Melbourne based four piece Airbourne are initially going to have you stuck on one thought and that's the fact that they sound a whole lot like AC/DC, probably prime “Powerage” and “Highway to Hell” era. These guys bring a lot of energy and a full throttle approach to the classic three chord rockers. There is very little fooling around and they launch right into most of their songs. They also don’t overstay their welcome either as we get eleven tracks, but with a running time of just a little over 37 minutes. Tracks like “What’s Eatin’ You”, “Diamond in the Rough” and “Let’s Ride” are just a few of the instantly memorable tracks on this release. This band was receiving a huge amount of hype months before it was released here so much so that I think it is going to recieve a huge response. Although a good album, I am still left wondering how much credit should they get for being so much like another band? Maybe I am overcomplicating matters, but I am a little hesitant to give give too much credit to an album that does not bring any new ideas. It's a good album and I love the energy, but they are going to have to eventually bring some more if they want to carve a niche for themselves.



http://www.myspace.com/airbourne

Rat Skates interview part two

More with former Over Kill drummer Rat Skates. If you missed part one yesterday then just scroll down and read that first.





MM-You mentioned learning some things through watching Twisted Sister, the Dead boys and other bands perform. Once Over Kill started to get more popular were there smaller local bands being influenced by what you were doing?

RS-Yes, but not right away…that didn’t really happen until the first record and the L’Amour scene started opening up to more aggressive and heavier stuff. BUT, we were really a local representation and interpretation of what I was scoring from the Import Section…that’s were it all came from. I was turned on to it by the tape traders, and so I turned on whoever DD and I had in the band at the time. Aside from the core NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) bands that had inspired us, like Priest, Maiden, Saxon, Motorhead, etc. we had stepped it up to pulling some influences from they “gray area” time period of metal (as I like to call it). This means the bands from like ’81-’83 that were not traditional metal, but had definitely stepped things up quite a bit as far as tempos, aggressiveness and lyricism, bands like Anvil, Riot, Accept, Mercyful Fate (musically) and even Manowar (listen to “Fear His Name” from “Taking Over” and tell me there’s no Manowar influence).
So really what happened is that we had SUCH a devoted but VERY specific group of fans, who were 99% the same guys I would always see at the flea Market, around Rock n Roll Heaven, and at the Import section of the few record stores where I got my goods….that was my ‘connection”…our fans were very hardcore because of our obscurity in the early days, and I think other bands wanted that, so yeah, they mimicked certain aspects of what we were doing to try to get that devotional following…a loud crowd with fists in the air was straight-up “success”.

MM-It sounds you spent several years wearing the ghoul make-up and Blitz wearing the cape and the other horror type props you used. When did you drop all of that? Was it because most thrash bands were going for the plain jeans and t-shirt look or did you have a label or someone that asked you to change your image?

RS-That whole theatrical thing wasn’t just suddenly “dropped”, but it did dissolve over a short period of time…it was pretty much gone by I guess 1985 because it wasn’t understood. When you have a band like Exodus who was kicking the shit out of everyone (musically), the “denim and leather” mindset of the headbangers at the time really are the people who persuaded us and Slayer to take it off…it was like “why are you wearing all that shit, Exodus doesn’t have all that crap on”. And of course, that was what was Motley Crue was being recognized for, so we CERTAINLY didn’t want THAT comparison. So they were correct in the sense that Exodus had the MUSIC as their building block, we (Overkill) grew up in the New Jersey/ New York club scene era from 1978- 1983 that was totally dominated by Twisted Sister, so that was all that we knew in a way, it was the standard…just like long hair and spandex pants, you go with what you know. I think we (us and Slayer) should have continued on and stuck to what we believed in…that’s why we did it in the first place…for a little longer, because to me anyway, the theatrical aspect of the show just was just a visual extension of the music. I enjoyed using that part of my brain to be imaginative like that, and DD was REALLY into it and really good at it.

MM-Which album do you prefer "Feel the fire" or "Taking Over" and why?

RS-“Feel The Fire”, without a doubt. A band’s first record is usually their best, and that’s the case here. I think it’s blatantly clear that “Taking Over” was being attracted by that Metallica-magnet that consumed a lot of bands in that time period, and Gustafson was no exception…which was too bad, he had is own style early on, very Priest/ Sabbath/ Maiden-ish. That record was recorded at the start of the period where everything became a comparative to the peers; lets A/B ours to Master of Puppets or Slayer or they even tried Pantera…You can fool the people for a little while, but not forever. Eventually the copying or ripping off even could put such a big bruise in your credibility that you’ll never be able to get out of. How about doing what’s best for YOU and YOUR music, instead of just hoping you’ve changed some things enough where no one will peg your influences, or even who you are directly ripping-off?
In “Born in The Basement”, I freely talk about some things that I ripped off, like Maiden’s letter “O”, and there’s even more that didn’t made the final cut. There are two things about that thinking; first, it clearly shows how strong our influences were, and how those influences directly dictated our directions going forward. Second, the competitiveness. There’s a very fine line between what fuels you to push something up to the next level, and just complacently existing as a wanna-bee.
“Feel The Fire” was honest; there was very little influence from the fans, media, or all the other things that cause most bands to swing the pendulum in whatever direction the fans want, or whatever band they have a hard-on for. The production on “Feel The Fire” was pretty rough, but at least you could hear the drums. On “Taking Over” we tried to make the guitar so fat and layered it a billion times that it devoured any bandwidth where things like snare drums should reside. I’ll never forget having this ‘argument’, as I kept explaining that the clarity of an instrument should be a GIVEN…I mean you could hear the drums very clearly on those Slayer and Metallica records, right? And they’re still heavier than hell. I thought the first Metal Church record was produced very well and that we should have used that for guidance, if anything. They took my advice, amongst other things, immediately after I left…the drums were heard!
On “Feel The Fire”, I think that Carl (Canedy) really did do a heck of a job, considering that everyone was still figuring out how to record music this heavy and fast in 1985…and if nothing else, at least it didn’t sound like everyone else, and when everyone else just kept gauging themselves to Metallica, in songwriting AND production, when that became the STANDARD in metal, which Priest had up until then been the benchmark, all the groups subsequently had their best sales in like 1988-1991-ish. As long as you had the Metallica crunch-thump, the black stretch pants and Reeboks, you did well in the game…the SOUND was the priority, not the songwriting, and that’s what caused the collapse of the “Thrash” bands.

MM-What was the most difficult aspect of making your film?

RS-Well, it was kind of weird in the way that I approached the “interview” parts, because I wanted to keep the audience that I invited (which was really just a dozen select old school people of that era) interested in the whole story. Some were primarily Overkill fans and wanted to know that history, but some couldn’t care less either. I had to try to keep everything consolidated and to the point; painting the timeline in which all this happened, and relating it to the culture as a whole, and my obsessive/compulsive behavior that drove me everyday. Quite honestly, I was conscious about how much I wanted…or needed…to talk about Overkill. There weren’t Cliff Burton-type tragic deaths or anything really so unique about how everything came to be, so all the references are just that…references. I also reference Twisted, The Dead Boys, on and on to make everything relative, but my focus was just to tell my story of the struggles I experienced, relative to the time period and within the culture of the Northeast. It was Lori (Director) that really kept everything in perfect perspective; not too much, but not too little, make the point and move on. There are quite a few really interesting bites that didn’t end up in the final cut; more honest, straight-up stuff, but Lori really kept the whole story in mind, beginning, middle, end. There is also a cut/ fade that everyone’s been asking about what I was saying (the part is towards the end where I think the words I used was “making a mistake by turning my back and walking away”)…this was actually a GREAT piece about MONEY, where I got pretty detailed. It may not be super-clear, but Lori thought we should fade out and back like that so it would be understood that talking about financial matters in any detail is in poor taste, it’s finger-pointing that is supposed to be a private concern, so it could be mentioned as an issue of discussion but not elaborated on, and I totally agree. I mean you’re watching this whole story and at the very end it turns into this propaganda thing about money?…I don’t think so…Fans are interested in us as musicians, not as businessmen. That “Wrecking” DVD was a great example of what NOT to do, so we didn’t. In another recent project that David Ellefson and I just did, we had some Grammy- award winners with us in it who reaffirmed it…MONEY has single-handedly RUINED the art of music…I wasn’t going to let the subject of money ruin our film as well, that’s not what this was about. Another thing that we considered, since I am a writer, and as a songwriter I was noted for writing Thrash music, but NO WAY did I want another label to box me in as a filmmaker, that’s why I didn’t use the words “Overkill” or even “Thrash” in the title of the project, those labels could help in some aspects, but for the long haul they could hurt even more…if Overkill was a REALLY popular band, I guess using the name MIGHT help on an awareness level, but again the friggin’ label…I write what I feel, regardless of whatever “genre” the public decides to tag my work with, same with playing music.
So, back to your original question. It was a challenge to keep it interesting and understandable for EVERYONE to understand EVERYTHING I was talking about while shooting it live and trying not to shoot re-takes. The other thing that was hard (but fun) was rounding up all our materials, hooking up with some people that helped that I hadn’t talked to in years…I actually came across some more UNBELIEVABLE audio and video material that I could have used in it, but we’ll use it in an upcoming project….and we’ll have to put more of the cut about that money part on YouTube so everyone sees where it was going.

MM-What were you doing in the 1990's?

RS-My main focus was to raise…correctly raise…a family, by my standards and values, which meant staying off the road, and re-assessing some real-world issues like financial portfolios and so on…I really needed a break from the music business. Music is, and always will be the absolute BEST thing in someone’s life and also the absolute WORST. Love to play, hate the business, but one needs the other. It’s an act that can never be perfectly balanced. After Bomb Squad (my band post-Overkill) broke up in ’93, I continued as a full-time percussion instructor, both public and private, did a little stint teaching at Rutgers University in NJ, did audio engineering in and out of the television business, and generally I just tried to have fun with music again. I did some hired/ studio work (not using my professional name) in all kinds of music from electric jazz-fusion to rhythm and blues to everything else in-between. It was actually a lot of fun to PLAY drums again, to enjoy my instrument for all the reasons I am a drummer. I don’t care what anyone says, there is no possible way that your creativity will ever expand if you only listen to ONE type of music and nothing else. Period. Even if you play Thrash or whatever…the narrow-minded thinking of some people amaze me. And some people admit to this too! “No, no…all I listen to is Thrash”…and they call themselves musicians. Those are the guys who will asking you if you want more coffee at Denny’s when everyone else is retired.

MM-How did you things have changed for up and coming bands from the early 1980's compared to what it's like for bands today?

RS-It is drastically different today, some for better, some for worse. Fortunately, the traditional record industry as I know it is self-destructing. I for one, am happy to finally see this. As you saw in the film, when the industry became involved, things changed. I did everything by myself because I didn’t have a choice, but that wasn’t how I wanted it either, I was always striving for that plateau of being a Recording Artist that was signed to a Record Label, and when I got there, things never really got better, they just got different. Here’s a quick example: did you ever notice how many BIG variations of the color GREEN my Overkill logo has been through over the years? This wasn’t rocket science, I picked a simple fluorescent lime-green, I even used to give the record company people actual COLOR samples, saying “here, do this…not darker, not lighter, just do THIS”…and see what happened? To them, this was apparently no big deal, but to me it was my entire WORLD. It got screwed up all the time, everywhere. But on the flipside, I could never have sold more than a few thousand “Power in Black” without a record company behind me at some point. (There was no such thing as The Internet). So, We able to sell a LOT more of the WRONG colored albums!
The thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that every successful band always has one guy (usually one guy) who is the pragmatic guy with the initiative to keep forging ahead onward, and completely ignore the odds. When I was out there fighting the world for the cause of Metal and getting my band on the map, in retrospect I was pretty blessed to have instinctively acquired enough business skills that HAD to be implemented along with the creative element to ultimately reach my goals…Today If a particular individual within a band can also merge these two elements together, the rest is SO MUCH easier…As I said before there was no internet…and there was no CD burning, digital cameras, home recording, on and on…the resources that I had available SUCKED compared to today, no comparison. With all these great tools, a band can obviously be known around the world literally OVERNIGHT! Get a Pro-Tools recording system or Cakewalk or one of the countless other software recording packages, record something that may not be GREAT, but it just has to be ON PAR with the other guys who are also recording in their bedrooms, shoot it out to the ‘net via MySpace, YouTube, etc. and BINGO! You’re in the game. Look at what Radiohead did?…brilliant. But of course they had prior success via traditional recording industry protocol, and of course have the music to back up their marketing moves. So the playing field is pretty even now, but if your music can’t carry you, all the MySpace friends in the world won’t get you past playing Bar mitzvah’s.

MM-What plans do you have for the future?

RS-Well being that you see that I have a real-world assessment of the BUSINESS of MUSIC, I can’t say too much here, but David (Ellefson) and I just put together something TOTALLY unrivaled about this subject and then some…I’m not saying anything more right now due to the “shit-happens” factor, but, it is a COMPLETED project we did, only the delivery end of it is the process that we’re just now working on. I’m also sorting through my own scripts for an actual feature-length movie that I can’t WAIT to start filming….wait ‘til you see this…
I’ve also got projects with Kick Ass Magazine and The Old Bridge Militia on the boards…just deciding on which comes first tends to be my difficulty sometimes.

MM-Anything else you want to say?

RS-Yep…I would like to say ‘thanks” to everyone who has supported this film, the contributors, the fans, the reviewers, and I would like to thank YOU Mark for giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts with your readers. Keep up the great work.

http://www.myspace.com/ratskates

Thanks to Rat Skates for doing this interview.