Heavy Metal Time Machine

Monday, April 07, 2014

Interview with Hellscream's Dave Garcia

Hellscream is a new project that teams up the pair of David "Conan" Garcia (Cage) and Norman Skinner (Skinner, Dire Peril, Tramontane, ex-Machine Called Man,The Consequence of Chaos, ex-Katagory V (live), ex-Imagika). The band's debut recording, "Made Immortal", is a smoldering blend of power metal, speed metal and thrash! You can read my review of it by clicking on the link below this interview. And speaking of this interview, I want to thank everyone involved with setting this up and thank Dave for sitting down with us to chat! Enjoy!

Andy-Up front I've just got to say that I loved "Made Immortal"! Could you tell us what the recording process was like? One would imagine that with your "day jobs" and all that it was hard finding the time to hit the studio right?

Dave-All instrumentation was performed in my home studio. Norman recorded all vocal tracks in his studio. We transfered files back and forth via e-mail. Software we use is Pro Tools. Arrangement of music was determined by Norman Skinner to enhance vocals.

Norman Skinner

Andy-How did you guys first meet up exactly and is there a story behind the band name?

Dave-Norman Skinner actually came up with the name and as we were creating the music it really seemed to make sense to call the project Hellscream!

Andy-The opening bit on your album is totally creepy! It almost has a eighties horror movie vibe about it, but then again so does your band name! Are either of you fans of the genre or is it meant to be more tongue and cheek?

Dave-I wanted the music to be a little on the eerie side! Some of the intros into the songs are purposely created to create the vibe of the song! I actually had a fun time making the music!!!

Andy-Well, it certainly shows! Now, Hellscream is just the two of you right? As I don't have a CD copy of "Made Immortal" in front of me I am going to assume that you, Dave, handled all of the instruments. Is that correct?

Dave-Yes as mentioned earlier, all musical instrumentation was created by myself, and the vocal lyrics and arrangement was solely Norman Skinner.

Dave Garcia

Andy-Hellscream (and again I just love the name!) has as much of an old-school vibe going for it as it does a more modern one. Was that what the two of you were aiming for?

Dave-We really had no idea what to expect! We actually met by chance at the NAMM show in Anaheim and were talking about what was currently going on in our careers. I mentioned that I was looking for a vocalist to do a musician project and we shortly after that began working together!

Andy-Given the positive response to your debut album will the two of you be looking at making Hellscream more then just a one and done project?

Dave-Yes! we are looking forward to creating another CD! This time there will be a full band lineup as we will want to be able to tour and do some shows!

Andy-That sounds awesome! So, what does 2014 have in store for the two of you?

Dave-I am currently working with the Cage camp creating our 7th CD! Cage is scheduled to tour in Europe during July and will be also touring on the East coast in November. Norman Skinner is currently touring like a madman with his band Skinner and also Dire Peril.

Andy-I like to give artists the last say so the mic is all yours! Anything you want to say to your fans? Have a favorite show you want to mention? Have other albums to recommend? Perhaps you have a cocktail recipe you want to share? Anything and everything goes so it's all you!

Dave-It is important to thank all the fans for their support and that is a true inspiration! We have so many fantastic fans worldwide! As always we will continue to push the thresh hold! Thanks to all and continue to enjoy the universal sound of metal!

http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2014/03/hellscream-made-immortal.html

Labels: 2014, Hellscream, interview, power metal/thrash

Monday, March 24, 2014

Hellscream-Made Immortal

Self-Release
2013

This 11-track debut album from Hellscream answers the age old question of what would happen if you paired up David "Conan" Garcia (Cage) & Norman Skinner (Skinner, Dire Peril, Tramontane, ex-Machine Called Man,The Consequence of Chaos, ex-Katagory V (live), ex-Imagika). Wait, what? You've never asked that question before? Well now that is weird. Very weird indeed. I honestly thought that every "true believer" had pondered that question at one point or another in life, but here I find out that I'm the only one. Still, do you want to know the answer anyway? I mean since I brought it up and all? Well then, here's the score. Take one fine guitarist in David "I could crush all of you puny earthlings with my god-like humongous arms" Garcia, add in the epicness that is vocalist Norman "Rob Halford has got nothing on me!" Skinner and have then have Stu "The Hammer" Marshall, (Death Dealer / Empires of Edén guitarist/producer) master the 50+ minute slab of power/thrash/speed metal fury and the result is near sonic annihilation of EVERYTHING! Or at least that's what happens after the creepy intro that is "I scream, you scream, we all scream for Hellscream!" opens things up in eerie fashion! After that evil little moment of an opening it's all or nothing as in (to quote Hudson from the movie Aliens) "That's it! Game over, man! Game over!". Just stand back and await delivery as the pairing of Skinner and Garcia results in track after groovy track of "Speed Kills..." power thrash! Both modern and retro (in a good way friends!) Hellscream are like taking your metal collection of old (you know, from A bands like Anthrax & Annihilator up to and including Z groups such as Zoetrope & Znowhite) and adding modern touches (from song-construction to production values) all while forging boldly ahead into (maybe not new per say, but original nonetheless) exciting territory where one man's voice perfectly suites another man's guitar playing! Hellscream are all that and more as funneled through a supergroup project (only difference is here you don't get any of the big egos that would usually be involved in such an effort, but instead you get all the big riffs and even bigger metal moments!). The only downside would seem to be that, seeing as this is a side-project and all, we could be looking at a one and done deal as both Garcia and Skinner have fully stacked plates in front of them with their day jobs! One can't imagine then that Hellscream, even as good as they might be together here, would take priority over their other projects. For the time being though it's easy enough to enjoy "Made Immortal" for what it is (heavy power metal that borders on thrash metal only with all the added excitement of speed metal!) while appreciating the skill level of both men involved!

Labels: 2013, 2014, debut album, heavy/power metal, heavy/speed metal, Hellscream, thrash

Monday, March 31, 2014

Interview with Norman Skinner

Recently I had the absolute pleasure of talking with Norman Skinner. As the lead vocalist of both Skinner and Hellscream (two exceptional metal acts!) he brings a powerful set of lungs and a clear and demanding presence to the stage. If you have yet to read my reviews of both band's latest releases I've provided links at the bottom of this article. And finally I just want to thank Norman for taking the time out of his crazy busy schedule to chat about Skinner and life in general!

Andy-Could you briefly tell us about Skinner? Who's who these days as far as the line-up is concerned?

Norman-Definitely! This is easily the best combination of talent I have worked with to date. Also I need to add the most cohesive unit as everyone works well together and seamlessly. The band started with 3 of us founding SKINNER. Myself… Norman Skinner (Vocals), Robert Kolowitz (Guitars), & Jim Pegram (Bass). Jim took a short hiatus from the band during the time of our debut EP but has since returned to the line-up. We were the 3 former Imagika members that decided to move forward with a new band. The next addition was Robert’s son Grant Kolowitz (Guitars). Alfred San Miguel (Guitars) was next to join the ranks 1^st as a guest lead player on our EP “The Enemy Within” but soon after permanently as our third guitarist. The newest member is Noe Luna (Drums). He was the missing and final piece to the puzzle. I now believe we have a killer and hopefully long-term line-up.

Andy-You're a man of many hats Norman, Just how do you find the time for everything?

Norman-Honestly there are times when I feel I do not have time for everything. Ultimately it all comes down to prioritizing. I have a job & family. 2 full-time bands Skinner & Dire Peril and a couple projects Hellscream & Tramontane. I also do various guest vocals on albums and live performances which really keeps my plate full. I run a yearly Metal Show called “Screams of Metal” Festival and have just this month launched my own record label “Dead Inside Records”. Let’s just say I am passionate about Metal and must be a bit crazy!!

Andy-Your debut EP is straight-up METAL!!! Can we expect more of the same out of the new album?

Norman-Thank you so much!! This new album “Sleepwalkers” due out May 6^th is everything “The Enemy Within” was just taken up a notch. “The Enemy Within” in reality is simply a demo that we self-released to hold everyone over until the entire album was completed. All 4 songs were re-recorded along with a ton of new material so if you liked the EP you will love the full-length.

Andy-Any fave moments on the new album?

Norman- I love how the songs we originally recorded for the EP sound so much more epic on the new CD. Added tunes like Guilt-Ridden, Orphans of Liberty, & The Breathing Room are personal favorites off the CD. I can’t wait for everyone to hear them.

Andy-What does the rest of 2014 hold in store for you personally and for the band?

Norman-For Skinner we just released our 1^st music video for the song “Sleepwalkers” off our upcoming CD. We will be releasing a lyric video for “Orphans of Liberty” and most likely a full video for “The Breathing Room”. We have only 2-3 more songs to finish writing before we head back into the studio to begin recording our next untitled full-length release. Besides all the exciting things happening with Skinner I will be releasing 2 EP’s with Dire Peril titled “Queen of The Galaxy” & “Through Time And Space”. Dire Peril already has another full-length album written titled “Final Scenes For Forgotten Worlds” and we will most likely start tracking that at the end of the year. No news just yet but I be involved in a couple other projects this year… I’m always putting my fingers in something. Finally this year I plan to begin signing acts to my new label and growing it as much as I can.

Andy-Any parting shots? The mic is all yours Norman!

Norman- I just want to really thank anyone and everyone that has supported any of my musical endeavors. It’s no secret I love what I do and I love collaborating and sharing the adventure with as many fans\friends as possible am excited to see what the rest of this year holds. If you are a new band looking to sign with a startup label please send your submissions to deadinsiderecords@gmail.com. My team is currently accepting and reviewing all press kits.