Send your promos for review: Forgotten Scroll, 30, Bafiadaki Str, Hermoupolis, Syros, GREECE / Digitally @ indierock3@gmail.com


Δευτέρα 2 Νοεμβρίου 2015

THELEMITE Live @ The Crow Club - Σάββατο 7 Νοέμβρη 2015 [Special Guests: LIGHTFOLD]






Σας παρουσιάζουμε το πρώτο μας live μετά από ένα χρόνο, όπου μείναμε εκτός stage, προκειμένου να ολοκληρωθεί ο δεύτερος μας δίσκος που θα διαδεχθεί το Slave To Desire του 2013. Πληροφορίες για το νέο άλμπουμ έρχονται σύντομα με τα πρώτα details να ανακοινώνονται την βραδιά του live​. Σας δίνουμε λοιπόν την ευκαιρία να ακούσετε μέρος του νέου μας υλικού, είτε παιγμένο Live, είτε από τα decks του CROW CLUB.

Μαζί μας θα είναι οι LIGHTFOLD που συμπληρώνουν σχεδόν 2 χρόνια ζωής, με νέα σύνθεση, και με το σχήμα να προετοιμάζει το δεύτερο άλμπουμ του. 

THELEMITE:
Yiannis Manopoulos - Φωνή, Κιθάρα  
Nikos Michalakakos - Μπάσο  
John Britsas - Πλήκτρα / Φωνή  
Thodoris Tsiligiannis - Τύμπανα


THELEMITE Official Facebook Page

LIGHTFOLD:
Thanasis Labrakis - Κιθάρα
Theodor Martinis - Φωνιτικά
Makis Petritsis - Μπάσο
Eleni Nota - Τύμπανα
Hari P. - Πλήκτρα  


LIGHTFOLD Official Facebook Page

The CROW CLUB
Entry: 5 €
Ώρα έναρξης: 23:00

Management, booking and info:
Chris Papadakis: indierock3@gmail.com

Τρίτη 25 Αυγούστου 2015

DOOMOCRACY to play at The Malta Doom Metal Festival 2015 (MDM VII)

A few hours ago the message bellow was posted on the official Malta Doom Metal Festival 2015 (MDM VII) Facebook Page:

Without further delay...we bring you more good tidings for this year's MDM....we can now confirm that Greece's new epic doom titans - DOOMOCRACY are booked for this year's edition this October. Their debut album "The End is Written" (released on the mythical Steel Galley Records) and awesome shows at Hammer of Doom among others, have hit the doom metal scene by storm...and it is indeed an honour to host them here. For lovers of pure epic doom a la Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass, Memento Mori and Forsaken.

Here's the band - caught live in the act at HoD fest with their mammoth show of force - "Sins":



So yes it is official. DOOMOCRACY will be on this year's MDM. Here is a litle more info about the festival:

MDM returns for a mammoth and much awaited seventh edition on the 23rd and 24th of October 2015 with a hard-hitting line-up that should appeal to doomheads and true metallers alike; covering all the shades and hues of doom metal and related genres including epic metal, NWOBHM and early thrash! We shall start announcing bands very, very soon! Watch this space!

Warm-Up event: https://www.facebook.com/events/894685070602267/

Line-up:

Alunah (UK) Stoner Doom
www.facebook.com/Alunah.doom

Cromlech (Canada) Epic Doom
www.facebook.com/CromlechDoom

Dawn of Anguish (Malta) Doom Metal
www.facebook.com/DawnOfAnguish

Doomed (Germany) Doom Death
www.facebook.com/doomedband

Doomocracy (Greece) Epic Doom Metal
www.facebook.com/doomocracy

King Heavy (Chile) Heavy Epic Doom
www.facebook.com/kingheavydoom

Marche Funebre (Belgium) Death Doom
www.facebook.com/MarcheFunebreDoom

Mother of Six (Wales) Stoner/alt Rock
www.facebook.com/motherofsixband

Nomad Son (Malta) Heavy Doom Metal
www.facebook.com/nomadsonmt

Stonegriff (Sweden) Doom Metal
www.facebook.com/STONEGRIFFOFFICIAL

Tysondog (UK) NWOBHM/Speed Metal
www.facebook.com/pages/Tysondog

Void Moon (Sweden) Epic Doom Metal
www.facebook.com/VoidMoonMetal

VENOM.Inc (UK) NWOBHM/Black/Thrash Metal
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1629661823931140

More bands to be announced!!


In other cool news,  Doomocracy, will release their first album, The End Is Written, on Limited Vinyl (300 handnumbered copies) via Steel Gallery Records on September 2015. Included in this release will be a live DVD featuring Doomocracy’s live performance at Hammer of Doom festival 2014 and their performance at Astoria Theater.

If you still scream for more Doomocracy here are two live covers on Candlemass and Tad Morose classics, that the band uploaded:




Σάββατο 4 Ιουλίου 2015

TOMORROW AT DAWN Interview

I recently received an email from guitarist John Lutzow (Leviathan, Braver Since Then). John was informing me about his new project TOMORROW AT DAWN and their first album. "This for sure got to be checked", I thought, and yes this new material was a big surprise to my ears.  This project actually marks the co operation of John Lutzow with an old friend and co musician: guitarist Jason Boudreau. On their debut release entitled "From Diablo to Devereux" TAD deliver a great piece of acoustic and electric guitar based music with lots of prog and fusion elements: Beautiful and inspired music that brings together the universes of  Mclaughlin, Di Meola, and De Lucia under a Rush / Dream Theater prism. On the interview bellow John answers to my questions about the Metal past with John, the birth of the TAD project, the influences, the future and many more.  Enjoy.



Hello John. Thanks for your time to answer to my questions. So lets take a flashback in time. Can you remember how you got in touch with Jason Boudreau for first time? I remember you mentioning that Chris Broderick was the person that got together the two of you. Can you remember how did this happen? 

Chris and Jason were best friends since they were young. I was playing in a band with Chris and our styles didn’t really blend well so he suggested that I jam with Jason. He thought that our playing and personalities would fit together better. After the first day of working on music, Jason and I had a great musical connection.

I know that your first band with Jason was Tyrants Reign (from Colorado, USA). Can you give us some information about them. You may also want to refer to Incarnate Fear which was another band that you participated with Jason on the line up. Years of existence, possible releases and some basic line ups for both bands would be cool.

Yes, Tyrants Reign, was our first band together, that same band later evolved to become the short lived group called Incarnate Fear. We never really released any studio music. We just played a few shows and wrote music together. Tim Lawrence, who sang on the other guitarist from Leviathan’s solo album, Iron Fortress was the original vocalist for Tyrants Reign. Jack Aragon, who later was the singer of Leviathan was the vocalist for Incarnate Fear. These bands existed between the years of 1987-1991. When I left to join Leviathan, Jason formed Quiet Room.

In the early 90s both of you moved forward to new musical adventures under Leviathan and The Quiet Room. I wonder why you did not form a Prog Metal band together? 

I really liked working with Jason. The only reason I left to join Leviathan was that they really had momentum in the local scene. Ron Skeen asked me to join and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He told me of the goals they had and their plans to record with Jim Morris. I was only 19 years old and it was a business decision. It was tough leaving a group I considered to be my friends for something that was more impersonal and restricting.

Have you been in some kind of contact through all those years? 

Jason and I, as well as Chris Broderick would always see each other at shows and around town. The music scene in Denver back in the 90’s and 2000’s was pretty compact. Everyone knew and played with each other over the years. The pond was limited with talent so to speak.

How did you exactly get back in co operation and decided to write music together? When did that happen? Have you got a clear vision of what did you want to compose and deliver musically? Give some more info on how the Tomorrow at Dawn project was born and took shape?

Jason and I reconnected through Facebook back in 2012. We hadn’t talked with each other since the Prog Power Festival in 1997. Back then I emailed Jason and discussed the possibility of him playing the newest Leviathan album. He agreed and contributed a solo for a song off of “Beholden to Nothing, Braver Since Then”.

Once I connected with Jason through FB, we began just working on acoustic songs to do at local coffee shops for fun. Jason had been doing his own solo material where he played guitar and sang. I had also released a few solo albums like that. The material we started playing together was mostly cover tunes. Jason and I would divide up the songs for him and me to sing.

The main concept for Tomorrow at Dawn was kind of born out of seeing a need and trying to fill it. The initial spark occurred when every time I would go downtown to a restaurant or bar, I would hear Rodrigo Y Gabriella playing over the house speakers. That acoustic group is very popular in Colorado. I have seen them a few times and like their music very much. I just think from a guitar shredding perspective, their music is limited. I always wanted to do a full acoustic flamenco album similar to “Friday Night in San Francisco” by Mclaughlin, di Meola, and De Lucia. This was a great shredding acoustic guitar showcase but the song writing was too obscure for the average listener. 

From a marketing perspective, I thought if I could get together a few other guys and we could write and release an album that showcased our musicianship, style and song writing ability, we would have many opportunities to play in our own home town. I thought if done right we could hopefully cash in on some of the success from groups like Rodrigo and Tommy Emmanuel.

From there the idea was born. The second motivating factor was that after I finished the last Leviathan album, it seemed like such a shame that someone as talented as Chris Lasegue didn’t want to play guitar anymore. Him and I were never that close before also meeting on Facebook. Back in the 90’s he was the guitar teacher to Jason and Chris Broderick. I had reached out to him about doing a solo for the Leviathan album. He blew me away with what he came up with. So in my mind I had to try and include him in this acoustic guitar adventure I was planning. I wanted to create a showcase of sorts that would have the potential to reach a huge audience in CO and abroad. My plan was to have the three of us; Jason, Chris and I, collaborate on all the songs and lay down a foundation to show off Chris’s exceptional ability.

In the beginning Chris was very much into the project. The first four songs were written and we were about to record when he had to drop out of the project due to family conflicts. It was a serious disappointment to have to move on without him. It did however motivate Jason and I to raise up our game and become better players.



In your own words how would you describe this musical project? What are your main musical influences?

I would describe TAD as the most diverse collection of acoustic guitar styles possible. Full of tasty, thoughtful songwriting and well displayed musical ability. Jason and both really wanted to make an album that would appeal to more than just the progressive metal musician audience. We hope to attain some recognition in our home state and country for once. As for musical influences, for me they have always been the same. Apart from the performers I already mentioned, some top artists that inspire me are; Rush, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Shawn Colvin, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, Martin Sexton, Ben Harper, The Beatles, Jellyfish and Black Crowes.

You actually made a musical contact with the material included on the Tomorrow at Dawn debut album and your guitar work on Leviathan's 1994 release: "Deepest Secrets Beneath". Why this? 

I made the reference to DSB because that was the first album after joining Leviathan that I was allowed to contribute as a song writer. So I felt if I could make that association. If people specifically differentiated my song writing on Leviathan albums from that of Ron Skeen, they would have a good idea of what this Tomorrow at Dawn album might sound like.

What about the name Tomorrow at Dawn is there any special concept behind it? And I would ask the same about the album's title "From Diablo to Devereux"...

The name actually came from a search I did where I stumbled across the Victor Hugo poem called Demian des L’aube, which I later had to translate to English to get “Tomorrow at Dawn.” The name jumped out at me as pretty open to musical styles but yet professional, serious and hopeful.
The album title has significance to me in that I wanted to find something that would reveal the full breadth of musical styles and encompass the musical journey of these songs. The words themselves don’t really mean anything but their origins cast a glimpse of what you’ll be hearing. The album has a lot of Spanish influence so that is the Diablo part. To me, it also has a lot of experimental and jazz influence which I equate to French art. That is where “Devereux” comes in.

How did you both work together for the composing part of the material? 

Jason and I each wrote basic pieces separately then worked together on letting the songs find a balance and direction.

How long did it take you to finish the composition of the songs? And how long to record the album? 

The album took about 18 months from start to finish. We recorded each song as it was finished.

Where was the album recorded? Its production sounds great especially on the acoustic parts. Any special techniques used? 

We recorded most of the album at our old rehearsal studio at Denver University. These studios are quite notorious in the Denver area. This is where most top bands back in the 90’s practiced. Jason has rented his room there since the mid 80’s. It is a simple 20x20 brick room. We sound proofed it and set up mics. We recorded everything using a few mics and different acoustic guitars. It was recorded digitally into Sonar and mixed at Atomland studios, which is also at DU. The unique thing about this album that most people wouldn’t realize is that all the sounds you hear are actually played on acoustic guitar. Even the sounds that appear to be synthesizer or orchestra instruments were done on my main nylon string classical which has the most elaborate electronics system available. It has a Ghost midi/ piezo package and a K&K transducer/ mic system. I really wanted to do a project where just two guys on acoustic guitars can fill up the sound live without using sequencing.

Can we mention this as a "one album" project or you got some future -creative- plans for Tomorrow At Dawn? 

Jason and I have already begun writing songs for the next TAD album. We want to take this project as far as we can.

Can you give us any quick Leviathan updates? Any breaking news? Any live dates? Is there a new album in the making or what? 

Leviathan is in limbo right now. Jeff Ward the singer, Derek Blake the bass player and I are still working together but until we have interest in the form of shows, we are all working on other things right now. My wife and I just had our first baby, so that and TAD keep me pretty busy.

Thanks for your time John. and thanks for the music.

As always, Thank you for all the support. I really appreciate everything you have done to spread the word about my music. Thanks.

Chris Papadakis

Σάββατο 6 Ιουνίου 2015

BELLICOSE Interview


From Dallas Texas, USA, BELLICOSE is a band that have delivered one of the best Melodic Metal albums out there, any doubts on this statement can go away simply if you give a listen to their "Love On Ice" debut CD (Warped Records - 1989). Apart from the music the band carries a very interesting story since the early 80s, although many of the facts that actually shaped their saga were not known, as their is actually not much written information about the band. Back on March 2014 as I was hardly working for their debut re release on Arkeyn Steel Records I did this interview with singer Joey Darcangelo and bassist Zak Johnson who were kind enough to answer to all my questions and share with me (and you) lots of interesting info about Bellicose. Enjoy. 




Hello guys, thanks for taking some time to answer those questions! So lets take a flash back in time. Where, when and under what circumstances the band was created? 

JD: The band was created in Dallas in 1983 when members of 2 local bands joined forces. I myself (Joey) was lead vocals for a band Sabotage when Ru Spearman and Michael Laurence were the guitar players for the band Rokker.

Who were the founding members of the band? 

JD: Joey Darcangelo, Ru Spearman and Michael Laurence were the founding members of Bellicose.

Bellicose sounds like an inspired name can you please tell how exactly did you come up with this name for the band?

JD: Bellicose was one of the few names (Morte Bellum being one of the others) I had thrown around when trying to find a name... I was wanting something that represented an aggressive and powerful sound and a warlike attitude, kinda where our music was at that time. You ever want to drive 100 mph when you hear a certain song? I wanted our songs to make you feel like you could kick anyone’s ass when you heard them.

Did you focus on this Melodic Metal style from the very beginning and as your main musical goal or it was a musical style that was built inside the band through jamming?

JD: Bellicose began with the idea of powerful metal tunes with very intricate guitar progressions and harmonies with very twisty time signature changes to make the songs more interesting. The melodic element to our sound was a very slow process and transition and mostly existed in the vocal parts early on.

Can you mention any bands that have influenced Bellicose? 

JD: I would have to say Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, UFO, Riot (Guy Speranza) were some of my biggest influences which in turn lent to my part in the writing.

ZJ: Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy.

Can you remember which was the very first track you composed? 

JD: The first track I co-wrote with Ru and Michael was “Run for Cover”. In the beginning we lived and breathed Bellicose. We would spend endless hours just sitting around playin’ guitars and humming melodies and scratching down lyric ideas and drinking lots of beer!! It was a lot of fun back then. There was so much creative energy and music pouring out of each of us, it was sometimes hard to keep up. It didn’t take long to recognize the magic that was the sound of Bellicose that came from this collaborative nucleus.

Your debut album "Love On Ice" was released on CD on 1989. Right? Before we reach that part of your musical saga, I want to ask about your previous recordings. I know that the band have recorded various demos on different seasons. Those demos were not released to the public. Some of them, were used only to approach record labels. Am I right into this? 

JD: You are absolutely right. The sole purpose of any track other than what was on “Love on Ice” was to shop to the major labels. We stayed very busy in both writing and recording so that we could keep pitching new material to the labels every three months.

So can you refer to the demos you have recorded before the official album release? 

JD: Actually our whole recording career we consider to be a demo as every track that made it to 24 track recording was pitched as a demo to the major labels. Before tracking to 24 tracks we would do pre-production recordings, tracking everything to 16 tracks. After listening to them for a while we would then decide which ones would make to the 24 track recording for the label pitch. The official album release was something our new management team at the time pushed for. The idea was to give the band a more professional polished presence (editor's note: some unreleased material together with a complete demo recording from 1984 are included on the debut album's re-release on Arkeyn Steel Records).

Many of the songs that finally made it to the debut album were on existence even from your very early days and were re presented in various recordings / versions until their official release. However are there any songs in existence that finally were not included on the "Love On Ice" release?

JD: Yes, we still have some unreleased material (another 16 tracks) that we are currently wrapping up the re-mastering process on. These too are songs that were pitched to various labels anywhere from 1987 to 1990.


The fact that you have basically composed many of the songs that finally appeared on the debut, mainly on the beginning of your career and not only you have not left them behind but you completed them and presented them on your album, proves that you were believing very much on those songs right? 

JD: Absolutely! The idea of releasing a CD without some of the earlier material was never a question. Those were the songs that a lot of our fans were familiar with and sang along to at our shows. To think of the CD without them was crazy. If anything, to the band, the CD was a gift to our fans. Bellicose fans were true and very loyal… We fed off their love and energy many nights for many years!

So, before the release of the album that was basically a private release, have you tried to reach any record label? Have you came close to a deal? What went wrong and you finally decided to release the album yourselves (editor's note: the band is actually behind Warped Records that did the release)? 

JD: Upon signing with MKM management our promos were landing into the hands of some very notable AR reps for some very high profile labels. Polygram, Warner Brothers, Epic, MCA and A&M were a few of the labels that expressed interest in the band. Battling the never-ending revolving door of AR reps and label roster openings was exhausting I’m sure. In the 80’s everybody wanted to be a Rockstar, you could only imagine how many other bands were working their asses off to secure a spot on any of those rosters. Reflecting on that today? I like to believe that maybe we just needed to wait for the music world to catch up! LOL!

So please give all the spicy details about this MAGNIFICENT debut. First of all when and where it was recorded? In how many days / weeks / months have you completed it? 

JD: The “Love on Ice” CD was recorded at Sound Logic Studio in Dallas, TX. It took about 6 months to put all the tracks together for the CD. It was a matter of track selection and mixing and or re-recording some of the songs to 24 track to keep the sound of the mixes consistent. Tim “Chopper” Grugle our drummer deserves a lot of the credit for the end result of the tracks and the sonic sounds that made it to the CD. He spent countless nights mixing and re-mixing the songs on that CD to ensure that when it was ready to be packaged, it was the best that it could be. Way to go CHOP!!

Back in 1989 the CD format was something new, although it was clear that the CD would overtake the market as the format it was still something new. However you decided to release your debut on CD and NOT on vinyl. How and why did you came on this decision? 

JD: Again, this was a decision made by our management team as they had the foresight to see that vinyl was phasing out and digital media was the future, so we let them do what they were contracted to do.

In how many copies was it pressed? 

JD: We had 5000 CD’s pressed.

Was it released also on tape or only on CD? 

JD: We also had 5000 cassette tapes produced.


Was the recording line up of the album the same as the initial line up of the band? Can you refer into lineup changes of the band during the 80s? 

JD: No, just to be clear the “Love on Ice” recording lineup consisted of (myself, Michael Laurence, Ru Spearman, Tim “Chopper” Grugle and Steven Grillo). Starting from the beginning the original lineup consisted of myself, Michael Laurence, Ru Spearman, Staley Rogers and Mike Gage. Staley left the band just after our first demo was recorded. The band recruited Rick Rivera upon Staley’s departure. Rick was with the band for a short stint before Steven Grillo was recruited for the bass slot. It was shortly after that, that Mike Gage left the band. Upon Mike leaving we auditioned tons of drummers before finally finding the right guy for the job Tim “Chopper” Grugle. About a year after Tim joined the band Steve Grillo left and Staley Rogers returned to the Bellicose fold. Staley was like a brother and it was a good thing to see him back. Another year went by and Staley departed yet again leaving the spot open for Zak Johnson to fill. The very last personnel change was Chris Vasquez in the guitar spot upon Michael Laurence’s departure…. That’s pretty much how it rolled out.

The album is a perfect mixture of Melodic Metal with many Hard Rock touches. Even the fans of the explosive Melodic Hard Rock / Poser musical movement -that was getting bigger and bigger in the USA on the late 80s- could have loved it and I am sure they did. Have you look into such an audience? That could probably be the reason for selecting this catchy cover and this catchy album title… or not? 

JD: Yes, I believe that the idea of the band mixing some more commercial sounding track with our other heavier tracks was to cast a wider net and reach a wider audience. To this day I’m not sure if that was the best idea? I do know that I still love all the songs on the CD. The songs where we collaborated on were always my favorite.

After the album release what the band did to promote it? Have you started to send it to labels, magazines or zones, what was the feedback? 

JD: Our management team did in fact launch a promotional campaign soon after the album release. They sent the CD to all of the afore mentioned, Record labels, college radio stations, local and national magazines.

I want to ask this: After the album release as part of its promotion: Did you get on the road?

JD: Here in Texas (considering the size) getting on the road is like driving around the corner, so to answer your question, yes, we did do some traveling to promote the new release. For the most part we kept it regional. We would do the Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Shreveport circuits on a regular basis. This was more than enough ground to cover what we wanted to accomplish. We weren’t sold on that notion that the only way to make it was to move to LA or NYC. We saw that the Southwest region of the country was growing by leaps and bounds in the world of audio and video media.

Speaking about the road: How active was the band on stage in general? 

JD: When Bellicose was at the top of their game we found ourselves performing every weekend for a good three to four years. I would say from 1986 through 1989 was a pretty good hot streak!

Can you remember the band's first live show? 

JD: I sure can. Our very first show ever was on March 15th 1985, just after we finished up our very first 1984 demo recording. We were graciously offered a slot at the 1985 Zoo World show at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, TX. It was hard to believe that right out of the gate we would be sharing the stage with many of the area’s top bands of many genres. I believe Golden Earring headlined that show.

ZJ: Well actually yes. My first live show with Bellicose was at The Basement in Dallas TX in the Summer of 1988.

I guess that you made lots of shows even before the CD release. Am I right into this? 

JD: Yes I am speaking abut the first years and in general until 1989 Was it difficult for an unknown band to book some space to play back on the 80s? 1985 was our break out year. We pitched our demo to the newest top live rock music venues in our hometown and waited for the callbacks. Once we were booked and did the first gig, the dates just started rollin in… My coolest memory of those first shows was the faces in the crowd after the first couple of songs. There was a tightness to the band that I really didn’t hear in many of the other bands on that scene at that time. We really didn’t get out much to see what the competition was doing. All we knew is what we wanted to do. For many of the first time Bellicose rockers it was a jaw-dropper. As the band began to make its mark and play on a very regular basis we started to notice a lot of band members from other bands in the circuit were showing up to our gigs. I’m going to guess to see what the buzz was all about. While this was flattering it was also a clear indicator that we were doing the right things.

I am setting 1989 as a key year for the band due to the album release. Ok the album was released and then what happened? There is not enough information about the band after 1989…. 

JD: 1989 was the beginning of the end, not from a band standpoint but more from a musical landscape perspective, bands like Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains & Hole had already been out and generating a new buzz. It was only when Pearl Jam came along and kicked in the doors that the rest just poured in to become the new “grunge” scene. When this happened, if you weren’t already signed, you probably weren’t going to be. In short, you missed the boat.

I know that there were some demo recordings done during the 90s. Again you recorded the musical stuff but keeping it unreleased to the public. I guess you were still looking for a label contract and new music was the only way. Right?


JD:
Yes, by the 90’s we were still writing new material and our management was diligently still pitching the new material to the labels for a recording contract.

Were there any new songs recorded after the album or you were again working with the album material in newer versions?

JD: After the release of the CD we continued to write and catalog material for what we had hoped would eventually become our sophomore release. As it stands, the band still has an extensive catalog of songs that were never released.

ZJ: Yes a second album project was recorded but never released.

During the 90s did you still tried to play live and remain on the road or not? Any shows for remember? 

JD: Bellicose played a handful of shows into 1990, but with the scene changing and most of the rock clubs closing their doors there was little left for any heavy metal band to do.

ZJ: Yes. The band reformed with past members under the name of Bombay.

Was the band under the same line up during the 90s? 

JD: It was not, by 1990 Chris Vasquez had filled the vacancy left by Michael Laurence’s departure. The rest of the band was intact.

When and under what circumstances the band split? 

JD: After the grunge invasion we pretty much had to re-evaluate our efforts. Michael Laurence and the band parted ways, leaving a pretty big void in the “creative nucleus” and the rest of us scrambling to find a replacement. We recruited Chris Vasquez, another local player who was very familiar with the band only to do a wrap scene about 6 months later. For the most part it just didn’t feel the same and with Michael leaving it just didn’t sound the same either. All the years together working creatively with both Michael and Ru forged a chemistry that was sadly non-existent with the new line up. It wasn’t long before one by one we decided to hang it up and find our own ways again.

After the split were the members of the band got involved into any other musical projects and bands? 

JD: Yes, after the split I took some time off to clear my head and find myself again. After about six months I decided to make some calls and reach out to a few of the guys to talk about putting together a new project. The project was to be called “Dr. Bombay” which was later changed to just Bombay. It was really a revolving door of players for the first three or four months until we settled with a lineup that consisted of myself, Mike Gage (original Bellicose drummer), Ru Spearman, Zak Johnson and Eric Keathley. This band made some noise and enjoyed some regular stage time. The clubs always seemed to book the band with the “former Bellicose members” tag… (That was pretty funny).


I still wonder how the hell a band that have composed such high quality, inspired, Melodic Metal music, almost radio friendly, never made it for something bigger. Even your demo recordings kick some serious ass, not to mention your album. What went wrong with Bellicose? 

JD: I still wonder that myself sometimes. I always felt we had strong material, a sonic lineup and a pretty solid management team. It’s possible that we may have not known that there was a whole new world of Metal lovers beyond our borders and we just failed to recognize the opportunities in other markets? We were young and for the most part care-free back in those days. The internet wasn’t commercialized until 1990, so the world had yet to be connected… Running all this down, timing was just a killer for us.


How the band came back on shape? 

JD: Well most of the band members remained friends and still kept in touch. It wasn’t until one of our dearest friends “Big Ron Brignon” who was the first club owner to book the band and was instrumental in getting us our start passed away and one of the local promoters in town decided to put together a reunion show in remembrance of our friend. They didn’t have to ask us twice. I made some calls, we did some homework and the beautiful sounds just came together. It was like we had never stopped playing. It was truly magical.

Can you describe your first re union show? Feelings? 

JD: There was a feeling of disbelief at first. I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. While we were getting ready to go onstage we could hear the crowd behind the stage curtain start chanting “BELLICOSE”!!, BELLICOSE”!! It was so awesome that 25 years later I would have the privilege to finally pay my debt of gratitude to the true “Die Hard” Bellicose fan who 25 years later made their way to visit an old friend.

ZJ: I was feeling a little rough around the edges but excited and relieved that we could finally get back together. It was great to see all the old gang and play the music again.

What are the plans for the future? Are you working on a new album? 

JD: We are!! We are currently working on some new material for a new album, however before that we will be working on the idea of actually getting around to releasing that sophomore album and sharing it with the world….

ZJ: Currently we working on some new material.

Is this a second chance for Bellicose? 

JD: Our 16th president Abraham Lincoln once said, “I will prepare and some day my chance will come”. This could very well be that day for Bellicose.

ZJ: Nothing would make me happier!!!!

(April 2015 extra question). Well what is actually the current line up of the band now?

JD: Our current lineup is the following:
Joey Gutierrez (aka Joey Darcangelo) - Vocals
Ru Spearman - Lead Guitar/Vocals
Mark Akin - Lead Guitar/Vocals (of Dragonball Z Guitar Fame)
Zak Johnson - Bass Guitar/Vocals
Mike Gage - Drums/Vocals (Bellicose' original drummer from 1983)

 
Thanks for all the info and your time. Close the interview as you like.

JD: Chris, I personally would like to thank you for everything you have done. I hope this goes well for all parties involved. You have been a true professional thus far and for that I am very appreciative.

Chris Papadakis

Τρίτη 28 Απριλίου 2015

RUFF JUSTICE to release digital single



The much anticipated first new single from the Dallas, Texas, US Melodic Metallers  Ruff Justice will be released this Saturday May 2nd. This is the first recorded stuff featuring the 2015 line up. The single will be entitled "Face The Dark Within" and will be available in digital format. You can find more info about this release and how you would be able to grab it on the band's official facebook page.

The band who is currently under a hard working status for their forthcoming full length album is performing in various stages around USA preparing their fans for the release.

The band's line up:

Vocals - Pino Garcia
Guitar - JZ Dunegan
Guitar - Bobby Michaelides
 Bass - Rob Tate
Drums - Scott Baughn (Original founding member)

You can read our 2011 review on their classic "No Justice No Peace" CD, here.

Τρίτη 21 Απριλίου 2015

DEVILUSION - Devilusion EP (Self Financed)

 DEVILUSION - Devilusion EP (Self Financed)


It was with a little bit of surprise my first listening of the debut EP by Devilusion from Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. You know, that kind of surprise you go through when you listen to a totally new band delivering music that somehow manages to stab you in the back from the very first listening minute. I pressed the play button on my stereo letting a "what the fuck" phrase to slip from my mouth as the first riff of the opening "Intruder" track was hammering my speakers. So for the next twenty minutes (maybe a little more), I left everything aside, focusing on the material of those newcomers.

Devilusion deliver a mixture of Heavy, Speed and Thrash Metal. Listening to their music you would be able to discover a wide range of influences: from Metal Church ("The Dark" and "Blessing In Disguise", era) and Intruder ("A Higher Form Of Killing" era), to Megadeth ("Rust In Peace" era), Anthrax and Iron Maiden. Their songs are perfectly balanced between power and melody. The power that marks the band's Thrash / Speed Metal part, is generated thanks to the main riffing of each song, however the melody and the feeling that re-present the more Heavy Metal oriented part of their music, is generated mainly through the vocals and the fantastic lead guitar parts.

Manos Fatsis (ex Dark Nova) makes the difference in here. You see, on your everyday typical Thrash newcomers (and older ones) you would meet those "angry again" vocals that mark the genre. However in Devilusion's music you would hear melodic vocal lines, double vocal parts and a wide range of vocal expression that mark each and every song. To tell you the truth I was not surprised at all. Having heard the excellent latest Dark Nova album (plus some more music) I was aware of Fatsis talent, which is simply represented in this EP. However the vocals are not the only big thing in here. You can clearly hear a fantastic drummer (Uwe Rudolph), an incredible bass player (Marc Stemmer), and a double axe attack through the hands of Sascha Kuss and Patrick Lessmann. Well those are the pieces that complete the Devilusion puzzle. I would advise you to spend some extra time focusing on the performance and the ideas of each musician in here and you would realize why I am referring to them this way. Well this team works great.

The band have wisely selected "Intruder" as the opening track cause it is the most catchy tune of this EP thanks to its mighty chorus (excellent double vocals). I bet that even on your first EP listening, you would go back to this song on the repeat more than one times, BEFORE you roll to the next one, exactly like I did (air guitaring to its lead part). "Almighty Hypocrites" with its ala Megadeth main verse (thanks to the main riff and the vocals) is another powerful track. The chorus is catchy, the double guitar bridge is great and the lead part is a big plus.

The Thrash and Heavy Metal flavors are successfully combined for one more time under the "Crown Of Gold" song. Great mid tempo chorus and a Megadeth-ish small lead guitar part, before the main melodic guitar lead. Not bad at all. "Raising Hell" is the most technical tune of this release. Many different themes and riffs on different tempos wisely combined on a song to bang your head at. Very interesting mid tempo opening themes (there is a great band line on the initial part of the song), outstanding mid tempo verse, faster bridge before the fantastic chorus and ok what else can we ask for? "Tribe Of Slaves" is the faster track in here. I am sure that this one would be one of their strongest tunes on stage. I really enjoyed the drumming in this one. 

The EP's final song is a cover version of "The Four Horsemen". What do you mean by which band? Come on they just re-released their "No Life 'Til Leather" 82 demo tape on time for the record store day a few days back (18/4) and this song was called "The Mechanix" back on this demo. You got it, Metallica is the band.  But I bet that Devilusion selected it cause it was co written by Mustaine, I will ask them on the forthcoming interview. Ok I liked the cover a lot. Fatsis has studied every breath of the young Hetfield adding his own approaching as well, but I am still trying to get why the band left a big part of the song behind. Yes their version is sorter than the original studio recording. Well they basically grab the version that was played live by Metallica which is sorter (check out some of their 90s live stuff), but you know I still miss those lead parts. So to cover or not to cover guys? I guess this is another good interview question. Ok all in all this is a bonus track done for fun I guess, so my point on the sorter version is not a big deal, you can still headbang on the sorter one.

The production is loud and clear and does justice to the songs. It would be a pity such good songs to suffer from bad production but this is absolutely not the case in here. Sascha Kuss recorded all the stuff on the band's own studio. The recorded material was mixed and mastered by Rene Bannasch at Schreiraumstudios, Solingen (Germany).

All in all here we got a release by musicians that first of all are passionate fans of the music they play. This is crystal clear on each and every part of the songs in this EP and you know something? One of the main reasons for each one of my positive comments about this release is the passion I discovered, behind the leads, behind the vocals, the drumming etc etc.

So if you look for a good piece of stormy steel delivered in fast tempos, raw power and touched by a fantastic voice, this one is for you. If you keep yourself amazed by new under the ground stuff coming armed and dangerous this one is also for you. The sure thing is that our eyes and ears should be open to this band, they will offer even more good stuff in the future. For sure.

 http://devilusion.de/

Chris Papadakis
 

Παρασκευή 10 Απριλίου 2015

ADRAMELCH to release their final album on May 22nd



Italian Prog Metallers Adramelch return with the final album of their carrer. The album's title is "Opus" and it will be released on May 22nd through Pure Prog Records, a division of Pure Steel Records.  

Here is the official press kit of the album:

'Opus’ is a Latin word. It defines “an artistic work, especially on a large scale”. And this fits perfectly for the fourth release of Adramelch. Yes, the outstanding progressive metallers from Milan, Italy, are back with a new album. And this only a few years after their beautiful ‘Lights From Oblivion’, the debut for the Pure Prog record label. As a welcome exception, this time Adramelch have speedup their pace, and with a reason.

On the one hand, ‘Opus’ marks the official end of Adramelch discographic career. For a number of reason, the band has decided to call it quit, drawing the final curtain on the career of Italy’s most influential and charismatic combo. But, before leaving forever, the band has decided to produce yet another milestone, set to leave a mark on the scene, as every output of them did so far.

And man they made it. On the other hand, ‘Opus’ is probably the most atmospheric and mature album of Adramelch career. Once again, the band has not limited itself to repeat is glorious past, but has looked forward, managing to create a new masterpiece, adding new colors and atmospheres, yet totally in line with its past heritage.

Opus’ has all the trademarks of the Adramelch sound. From arcane progressions to epic atmospheres, from the overwhelming arrangements to the unique vocals of Vittorio Ballerio, this record shows once again all the facets of the very peculiar sound that has made Adramelch an absolute cult-band, not only in their homeland but around the world.

As always, it’s very hard to pick up single songs, as every Adramelch album is conceived as a composite work, to be received and appreciated as a whole, but a very personal preference goes to the pounding ‘Long Live The Sun’, the beautifully progressive-tinged ‘Only By Pain’, the amazing ballad ‘Fate’ and the astonishing up-tempo ‘Forgotten Words’, with its arcane and epic melodies.

To make a long story short, ‘Opus’ definitely deserves its name, turning in to be the latest (and last, unfortunately) masterpiece in the history of one of the most talented bands on this planet. Do yourself a favour, pick randomly each song on this album, you won’t regret it at all.

Opus’ – some additional quick facts

This last release is also the first time for Adramelch with a professional artistic producer: Guido Block, native German singer and bass player, who gave to this project a real higher gear. The album has been recorded at his “Lo Studio” in Milan. ‘Opus’ also counts on the participation of 2 singers as special guests that offer to this musical prism a further hue. Simona Aileen Pala and the same Guido Block join the band in four tracks further embellishing this last masterwork. The album, mastered @ the NewSin Studios (by Luigi Stefanini), will be issued, as the previous one, by the German label Pure Prog, also in vinyl.


ADRAMELCH - a brief history

Their name rose to the headlines 27 years ago, when ‘Irae Melanox’ stunned fans and critics because of its being as catchy as amazingly “out of the ordinary” (4K received from Kerrang! should tell more than a thousand words!). 2003 is the year of the reunion, or rather, of the re-establishment, as Gianluca and Vittorio call to the army new musicians (Sig, Fab and Mau) to revive the project: in 2005 ‘Broken History’ confirmed the power of the band is still there, with an epic metal, tinged with progressive, screaming the pain caused by the madness of the Crusades. In 2012, ‘Lights from Oblivion’, issued by the German label Pure Prog / Pure Steel, though keeping the usual distinctive imprint, red line to the previous albums, drives to an unpredictable evolution, with tremendous ballads and lofty solos. And today it’s the turn of Adramelch’s fourth and last chapter: ‘Opus’ has the arduous task of acting as the final milestone of this extraordinary pathway.


GUIDO BLOCK

As singer, bass player, guitarist and songwriter, has been founder or member of a number of recording projects (The Event, Lauroja, Noize Machine, Neon Karma...), with hundreds of collaborations with music system first tier players (among which also Dario Mollo, Graham Bonnet, Cesareo - Elio e Le Storie Tese) and countless live shows.


SIMONA AILEEN PALA

Simona (Thought Machine, Holy Shire) is a talented and very skilled singer that studied with the best coaches. Her voice is strikingly versatile, covering with heart and passion a range that goes from Opera to Growl, passing through Heavy Metal
.