American psychedelic rockers Pontiak are about to release their new album INNOCENCE through Thrill Jockey. Sander van den Driesche reviewed INNOCENCE describing it as "INNOCENCE shows a Pontiak  on the top of their game with a heavier, more melodic, and more engaging album that easily sits on top of my list as an early favourite for 2014". Sander got a chance to ask drummer Lain Carney some questions resulting in some great and interesting answers. Pleas read on...

(((o))): Firstly, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you with the new album as I think it’s another great release. You have quite a back catalogue already with a new release nearly every year from 2005 onwards, but nothing’s been released in 2013. Was it more difficult to write and record INNOCENCE and did it therefore take a bit longer?

Lain: No, it wasn't more difficult to write INNOCENCE.  We gave ourselves more time to write it intentionally. You know, we like to set deadlines whether they are near or far, just on the horizon, so to speak and this particular album had a deadline farther in the distance.

(((o))): How do you guys get your material together? Does any of you write most of the songs, or do you go into the studio or rehearsal space and just jam and see where it takes you?

Lain: We write both ways actually. For INNOCENCE, Van had written several songs that we arranged for the band. While we were writing the album though we were also getting into the studio every day and playing for several hours just coming up with group material. We would play and talk and play and eat and play and drink some wine and play some more and talk… just shake things out, record some ideas, sit on them find something nice, teeeeeaaaaaaassssseee it out, work around it, find a melody, work that out, re-write the music to suite and support the melody, record that, sit on it… it's a process and I LOVE it. We have to tell ourselves, alright dudes, we gotta go home. I mean, we could spend 24-hours a day, seven days a week in the studio. That's the beauty in writing music--its infinite and there's always more to sing.

(((o))): I think INNOCENCE is a bit more accessible than your previous work (in a good way), was that the intention or is that how it just came out?

Lain: The general accessibility of INNOCENCE that you perceive is indeed intentional and I'm glad you've sensed it. I think we are a band of all types of songs and for this effort we said, let's challenge ourselves to write songs that connect with people. All people. I love to write weird shit, but I love songs that are also not so much weird as they are just strong, and that is a very difficult thing to do - write something that is accessible yet not cheesy, simple but also poignant. I hope we've done that!

(((o))): Compared with your previous releases, INNOCENCE sounds a bit heavier and fuzzier. Have you experimented with different sounds and/or backline for this album? Or have you used a different recording process or engineer for this album?

Lain: We engineer all our albums so that crew was the same. Our gear is always in flux but it remained relatively similar to previous works. I think what you hear as heavier and fuzzier has a lot to with many little things rather than one specific thing. How we are playing together… letting certain things "pop" at certain times, contributed I know. Also, I have a mantra that if you want something to sound heavy, the naive band will play harder and louder and with more notes. But that will only get you so far. I feel that to get louder and harder and heavier everybody play less notes, back off and find whatever can effectively pop out of the tunes, whatever that it is, and go from there. Heaviness is an unnameable thing but it starts with "less is more", I believe.

(((o))): I believe the capitals in INNOCENCE are intentional. Is there any specific reason for this?

Lain: Yes! We thought it looked cooler that way!

(((o))): I love the cover art for INNOCENCE. It is very simplistic but also very stylish. What can you tell us about the artwork, like who designed it and is there a specific idea behind it?

Lain: Van [lead vocals and guitar] has done all of our album artwork. I think he has spent a lot of time honing his eyeball for it. We usually let him come up with a couple ideas and then toss out opinions but it's really his thing. I know he liked the upside down stars as he found them to be unnerving in a way.

(((o))): You must get asked about what it’s like to be in a band with your 2 brothers all the time, so I’m not going to ask too much regarding that, but is any of the brothers taking more of a leadership role in the band, or perhaps more initiative than the others?

Lain: No, I think we all carry a certain part of the band. It happened pretty naturally actually. We all have things that we're better at than the other brother and so we'll just pick up that torch and start running. We are open about it as well. I mean, it's no secret and we don't shy away from saying, I do this well let me handle this.

(((o))): You’re preparing for another big European tour. What attracts you to come over to Europe so often? Is the public here more enthusiastic about your music than in the US?

Lain: Well, Europe has always been a little more enthusiastic about our tunes than the US but we also just love to play for people and play wherever we can and that has brought us to Europe whenever we can.

(((o))): Are there any specific places in Europe you enjoy playing more than other places and why?

Lain: We love it all!

(((o))): With all the touring you’re doing, there must be one or more funny anecdotes you can tell us about?

Lain: One story comes to mind: Jennings [bass and vocals] and I were eating lunch in Baltimore before a show and we were sitting outside on a patio. We had ordered the inferno wings or something like that. They were the hottest wings on Earth, so to speak - like, there were warnings and cautions etc. We were dining with a friend and he got up to use the bathroom. All of a sudden this random dude runs up looking really frantic and sat at our table, grabbed our buddies water and proceeded to pound it. He then looked at my brother and me and said, "I just dropped seven hits of acid and I'm freaking out!" He then grabbed a hot wing and started rubbing his hands all over it and then sucking on it. Both Jennings and I yelled "NO!!!!!!" but it was too late. He dropped the wing as the heat set in and then grabbed his face with his sauced hands rubbing the dark red sauce all over his eyes and shit. He started HOWLING and bolted from the table down to the end of the block where he began to writhe and puke into this trash can. I followed him over, not really sure what to do and he just took off running. At this point he was drenched in sweat. About five minutes later I saw him running, still creaming like five blocks away and there were cop sirens not far off. Our friend returned from the bathroom and sat down and seeing the stricken looks on our faces asked, "what happened?"

(((o))): What do you think about the psychedelic rock band scene in general. Bands seem to be playing much bigger venues over here in the UK than 2 or 4 years ago, is it the same in the US?

Lain: Man, you got me there. I have no idea… sounds good to me though.

(((o))): Who is the best band Pontiak has shared the stage with?

Lain: We've shared the stage with some really fantastic bands so it would be impossible to say. BUT, watching Earthless slay it every night was pretty awesome.

(((o))): What is your favourite Pontiac car?

Lain: The Firebird has several amazing years. The '68, '73 and '78 being pretty awesome.

(((o))): This is a question we regularly ask bands, if you were an animal what animal would you be?

Lain: Do Superman or Magneto count? Can I say that?

(((o))): Are you aware that there’s a popular smoothie brand called Innocence Smoothies? Make sure you request them in your UK rider as they’re pretty tasty!

Lain: I was unaware of that. But I do like to stay regular 😉 And an 'Innocence Smoothie' sounds like a clean and efficient bathroom visit to me!

(((o))): Thanks a lot for the chat Lain, and hope your upcoming tour will go great!

Lain: Thanks Sander! I hope to see you on the other side of the pond! Lain

Catch Pontiak playing for Baba Yaga's Hut in London in April. 

It was Hunter S. Thompson who said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.” 

Music connects us to ourselves and to each other. It has this almost enigmatic ability to transcend time and space. An album that was most relevant upon its release date decades ago can still ignite passion inside someone listening to it for the very first time today. Music speaks volumes and has the same fluidity of movement as the bond between hydrogen and oxygen. Music is the ultimate drug. As it is ingested the need for it becomes stronger and stronger. For those who become hooked, it becomes something that is desired with greater fervor.

When I’m not listening to music, writing about music, or capturing music live through photographs, I am a grief counselor in the hospice setting.  Some of the patients that I’ve encountered inspire me and others make me laugh.  A select few with horrible attitudes teach me to keep mine positive. Some have the uncanny ability to always leave me appreciating life a little more. There are countless patients that I carry with me daily as I recall the wisdom they’ve shared. The families also make their mark. As I walk with them through their grief they always reveal to me the power of the human spirit. Grieving families remind me just how much a person can or cannot handle and they inspire me to push harder and talk louder.

I see and experience a lot in the work that I do. On a daily basis I encounter people who are months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes away from their death. Although some of these people are numbed by the weight of heavy denial, most of them are aware that the sand within their hourglass is slowly running out. Part of the wisdom I’ve acquired through my experiences is noticing the influence that music has over the hearts and minds of the dying and their families. Music often helps and hurts. It is both a painkiller and a reminder of painful memories. 

I recently began to take notice of how often my patients listen to music. I sometimes stay quiet as I watch their faces respond to the sounds that they’re hearing. The notes almost act as a time machine, taking people back to a different place to experience a previous stage in their lives. Music allows the dying to transcend their disease processes and escape to somewhere safer, happier, and more serene. 

I’ve watched the corners of Mr. M’s smile turn upwards as he recalls the first time he danced with his wife to “their song” on their first date. I’ve watched the tears in Mrs. H’s eyes well as she listens to a song that puts her back in the seat of truck she drove in while listening to music with her dad.  I have laughed along with Mr. F as he sluggishly dances to a song from his youth that begs for a quicker pace. I’ve felt goose bumps rise on my arms as I listen to a song that a family has chosen to play at the funeral of the newly deceased.  

Music anesthetizes pain. I’ve seen a certain melody briefly take someone away from the anguish of excruciating bedsores that have spread down to the bone. I’ve listened and complied with a patient request that I put on the radio to distract them from feeling weak and uncomfortable. I’ve been stopped dead in my tracks while watching several of my patients and their family members sing along to songs that inspire them and keep them moving.  Music has a funny way of being more than just music. It is often times more influential than conversation or touch. It’s personal and real, its sometimes even stronger medicine than any treatment or drug. It binds people together and allows them to share a sacred space with one another.

Through my years of walking with those that are both dying and grieving I’ve been privileged with the experience to witness first hand just how influential music is in the lives of those around me. From the one who is lying on their deathbed reminiscing on better times to the bereaved spouse listening to records that almost bring their loved one back to life… music is a constant. Through all the love and loss that encompasses the human experience, music is a safe haven to those who are suffering. Music is both the universal savior and the soundtrack of the living.

As a very special patient once said to me, “I know I’m dying. I have no idea what there is after death, if anything. What I do know is up until my last moments of life I I’ll have music and that’s good enough for me.” 

I’d have to say it’s good enough for me too. 

Last year American hardcore band Empire of Rats released their album on A389 Recordings and it is a total belter of a record, which made Berns von Bernington cnoclude "It’s hateful, brutal and crushes like a run-away cement truck" in his review of the record. Berns asked bass player Zac Miller some questions.

(((o))): Firstly I’d like to thank you guys for taking the time to do this interview on behalf of Ech(((o)))es and Dust and myself. Can you give us some background on who’s in the band and hat other projects they’re involved in?

Zac: Dustin Hysell (Pitboss 2000, Under One Flag, plus many others) on vocals, Chris Tatman (The Come Up, plus many others) on drums, Kurt Miller (Butchered Remains, and currently in one of the best death metal bands in Columbus - Arterial Mist) on guitar, Zac Miller (Under One Flag, Palehorse, plus others) on bass and Mike Lare (Ringworm, Under One Flag, and tons and tons of metal bands) on guitar.

(((o))): What made you guys decide to come together and start Empire of Rats since you guys are all already in all the other bands?

Zac: I went bowling one night with a whole bunch of friends including Chris and Dustin and I started talking to Dustin about doing another band. Turns out, he and Chris had been working on a couple songs. It just kinda all came together after that. I remember Dustin saying that he wanted to name the band Empire of Rats. We just talked about the band being really heavy, and kind of sludgey. I was on a big Eyehategod-Crowbar kick at the time.

(((o))): The style of hardcore you guys produce is hateful, angry and just fucking ferocious. What atmosphere does that create within the band and what are attributing factors that lead you guys producing this style of hardcore?

Zac: It's honestly the kind of hardcore we've all loved for a very long time. A lot of the anger just comes from everyday living. I know that for me, it's really the only way I can take all of my frustrations out. The atmosphere within the band, I can only describe as solid. We've all been friends, and played in bands together for a very long time.

(((o))): Let’s talk influences. Where does the band’s roots stem from with regards to influences?

Zac: We all listen to so many different types of music. For this band in particular I would say Cold as Life, Slayer, early Hatebreed, Crowbar, with a ton of other bands thrown in there. I really don't even know where to start.

(((o))): How did you end up on A389 Recordings?

Zac: My fiancée sent Dom the No Peace EP. Dom ended up asking Dave Heck (Get This Right Records) if it was cool to ask us to do something with A389. I'm a big record nerd, so I was stoked. I knew the quality of stuff he had put out, and it's honestly the label that I would've picked for my own preference. So, I guess that worked out.

(((o))): As a band touring, what was This Is Hardcore Fest like? Were you guys well received?

Zac: We had a blast that entire weekend. There were still kids waiting to get in the door while we played, but we got a great response from the kids that were already inside. It was awesome, especially for playing at noon. I know that I passed out on our merch table (thanks to some friends...haha).

(((o))): Do you guys plan on touring parts of Europe anytime in the not so distant future?

Zac: We really hope that we can make that happen soon. I've always wanted to go to Europe, but everytime I've had the chance, something went wrong.

(((o))): The band’s name, Empire of Rats, what lead to the name and is there any meaning behind the band name?

Zac: We live in an Empire led by rats.

(((o))): Do members in the band have their own favourite song off the album? If so, what are they?

Zac: The first new track we started playing off of the album was ‘Leeches’. That's probably one of my favorite songs on the album.

(((o))): If you would be able to choose 5 bands to play with, what bands would you choose and why?

Zac: KISS.

(((o))): What’s the best place you’ve been to while being on tour?

Zac: We played a basement/house show at State College in PA with Full of Hell, Menace, Rock Bottom, and Benchpress. It was well over 100 degrees in that basement and it was packed. Kids were just going off at that place. I'm probably partial to that show in particular because I would rather play in a sweaty ass basement with no stage and horrible sound, than playing a big/medium size place with some giant stage. This is Hardcore and the Rumble were both awesome too! It's kinda weird, we get asked to play fests a lot more than we get asked to play smaller shows. We're okay with that, considering that we're not able to play a ton of shows. A lot of people travel to these fests, so it definitely helps get the word out about us.

(((o))): How important is the whole social media thing to the band?

Zac: In this day and age it's extremely important, I think for any band. I'm 35 years old, so I still hate dealing with the whole computer thing. I would much rather do all of our business over the phone, especially since I don't check my e-mail that often. I just can't seem to come to terms with the changes that the internet age has made.

(((o))): What do you guys do when you’re not in the band making music?

Zac: My brother and I own a bakery that's been in my family since 1950. Chris works at our bakery and takes care of his family. Dustin is a tattooist. Kurt is a machinist and plays in the ultra heavy, and amazing death metal band Arterial Mist. Lare delivers beer and spends most of his time being awesome.

(((o))): Lastly, we have this question at Ech(((o)))es and Dust we ask bands occasionally. If you would be an animal you’d be…?

Zac: My dog. Then, I could just live like a king!!

As a writer, there is always an element of putting a small piece of yourself into words. This is something I have strived towards perfecting since my very first review and will continue to strive towards until the day I eventually keel over and die. 

However, I’ve always been reluctant to go all the way and write from a solely personal point-of-view. Much of this stems from my own insecurities, a fear of coming across as self-absorbed and a belief that overly-emotional writing benefits absolutely no one besides the author. I usually prefer to let the music to do the talking; to try and convey in words how meaningful Sigur Rós’ (  ) is to me is futile and would result in little more than a few thousand words of emotive drivel. 

Over the course of this year, I have reviewed a great deal of albums that fall under the ‘depressive black metal’ subgenre - perhaps a subliminal method of allowing myself the opportunity to dedicate some words to my own struggles with depression. I’ve failed every time, feeling unqualified to even define the word. In all honesty, trying to label what I feel is something I struggle with every single day. Dredg’s epic “The Canyon Behind Her” is an anthem to me for this exact reason, with its repeated refrain of “Does anybody feel this way? Does anybody feel like I do?”  

Most people tend to associate depression with ‘extreme sadness’ and if that’s the case then I would have to say I’ve never experienced it before. I’ve been very fortunate in my life to have never lost anyone that was really close to me, I’ve never dealt with what I would consider to be real hardship and I’ve only ever had to overcome the negative effects of one tumultuous relationship. All in all, I’ve been pretty blessed by whatever deity it is that presides over this life of mine. 

Rather, I would define my depression as a constant struggle to give a fuck. Apathy, self-loathing and social anxiety plague me... and it is only made worse by the fact that I realise I have no right to feel this way. Honestly, I wish that I didn’t. At the very least, I wish I just had something to latch onto to explain why I do. That’s why I would never bother with openly expressing myself; if it’s too difficult for me to understand, how can I expect others to? For this reason, music plays a vital role in my life – it is the only thing I can use the channel how I really feel.

Listening to the tortured souls in Esoteric, Silencer, The Angelic Process and Swans makes me feel a whole lot lighter. To me, it is hopeful music – hopeful in that it brings about the realisation that things are not as bad as they seem. I don’t think that I could ever feel the kind of suicidal longing and insanity that Nattramn did whilst recording Death – Pierce Me. I could also never display the same level of harsh nihilism that permeates Swans’ Public Castration is a Good Idea era. Looking at images of Kim Carlsson’s cut-up body or watching the extremely disturbing video for Nachtmystium’s “Every Last Drop” (depicting the broken lives of heroin users) makes me believe that my feelings of emptiness are merely drops in a vast ocean of fucked up emotions... or lack thereof.

That’s why I listen to the music I do: catharsis. It takes you down into the deepest, most horrific depths of human suffering, forcing you to re-evaluate everything you thought you knew about depression and suffering in general. You will come out on the other side feeling worse than you did before and you will have to confront feelings you wish you didn’t have to. But that’s precisely the point. It’s about knowing the enemy; experiencing a darkness that is beyond anything you could suffer in reality. And this is a far more comfortable feeling than falling victim to some bullshit happy ending you know will never come true. 

Am I suffering from depression? I’m not sure. Three years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder... I still don’t know if that’s what I feel. It doesn’t matter – what does matter is that the music I listen to makes me feel more alive. And that’s good enough for me. 

Poison the Well’s Tear from the Red is the soundtrack of that harrowing time when an angsty yet youthful outlook gives way to true anger and cynicism. The album entered my life much earlier than when I personally would go through this transition, though it foreshadowed the intensity I would experience later on. If I remember correctly, I purchased the album in the summer of 2002, making me about 14 years old. I hadn’t really listened to music as heavy as Tear from the Red, let alone Poison the Well’s music itself. I was, in every sense of the word, a poser. However, Tear from the Red began what would become an obsession and passion for heavy, dark music.

What preceded Tear from the Red was only a small indicator of what would come. Poison the Well blasted onto the hardcore music scene in the latter 1990’s, a period that harboured many of the new generation’s hardcore bands. While H2O and other groups were staying true to the old guard ways, Poison the Well were continuing on the path of infusing more death and thrash elements into their music. Their first proper full length, The Opposite of December (1999), remains a landmark hardcore record - one that is likely more popular amongst fans than Tear from the Red. Classics like 'Artist's Rendering of Me' and 'Nerdy' still stand the test of time.

The aggression of The Opposite of December carried over into Tear from the Red, but the band’s sound changed drastically. Poison the Well shook off genre blending and veered off on a direction all their own, angering fans of their old style. They traded up for stronger melodies but with a stalwart emphasis on unrelenting heaviness. Tear from the Red would become the style that Poison the Well would build on throughout the rest of their career. Their subsequent albums struggle for the same ferocity of Tear from the Red, though they manage to be successful in their own individual and unique ways.

Vocalist Jeffrey Moreira’s screaming and deadpan singing match his lyrics of deeply felt personal hate and emotional loss. The album opens with his voice of longing singing, “But I adore her… this will never happen,” before a bludgeoning cacophony of drums and guitar charge in. It is a starkly contrasted juxtaposition of quiet melancholy and throat clenching hate. It also provided one of my most memorable moments in music. Having never heard the album, I turned it up the first time I listened to it, believing the intro was too quiet. Needless to say, my 14 year old self nearly had a heart attack when the song kicked off.

Every song on Tear from the Red is a monument to Moreira’s disdain for a former love. Lyrics such as, “What I’d do for one more day without you,” are screamed above Derek Miller and Ryan Primack’s guitars and Chris Hornbrook’s drums; in a strange turn of events, Miller is now one half of electronic rock duo Sleigh Bells. Poison the Well cycled through many members during its lifetime, though Primack and Hornbrook remained members until the band’s current hiatus. Iano Dovi, who left the band before they recorded their next record, You Come Before You (2003), provided bass on Tear from the Red.

The album’s last song, 'Parks and What You Meant to Me' is the best indicator of what would come next for Poison the Well. It exhibits the most variation in style and instrumentation, and is the most emotionally resonant song on Tear from the Red. Poison the Well would continue their progression on You Come Before You, but the raw aggression of Tear from the Red remains the most concise dose of their signature sound.

For me, the album has become a singular reference point for my personal journey from hardcore to the numerous genres of metal I listen to now. It provided a crash course on how emotionally powerful heavy music can be, and the outlet it can provide. Though it may be a bit pretentious, I am fully confident that Tear from the Red has played a role in making me who I am today. For that, I am eternally grateful to Poison the Well.

Let’s just say I wasn't always a rock star. Growing up, I was the most straight-laced, model student you could imagine – getting good grades in class as well as on various musical instruments, I was a credit to my parents, and the height of my aspirations was to get a good job with a good salary, a solid career footing and settle into living a life of 9-5 daily grind, with 2 weeks holiday per year.

Halfway through my law degree, something snapped. Something that I eventually understood had been building for years. It wasn't an instant revelation, but I started to realise that I didn't want to be a lawyer.  Far from being Damascene in its impact, this realisation threw me into a state of almost complete panic. What else was I going to do? I’d been working towards this since my GSCEs. All those hours revising for exams, crying in my room over coursework, desperately trying to live up to expectations, how could that all be for nothing? The death of a wonderfully inspirational friend during my final year of university accelerated this downward spiral of self-doubt and hopelessness, until my mum said possibly the wisest thing anyone’s ever said to me (and, looking back, the most pivotal sentence in shaping my life going forwards from that point). “You’re 21”, she said. “Who cares what you want to do for the rest of your life. What do you want to do now?”

So I graduated, moved home, saved up a decent amount of money and explored the world for 6 ½ months. It was incredible, exhilarating, terrifying, lonely, exciting, ground-breaking and above all else, eye-opening. I came home determined to go back. Within 8 months of returning home I’d moved to London and installed myself in an office job with good prospects. 9 months after that I tried to kill myself. 

That was in May 2009. In September of that year (by which time it was plainly apparent that the overwhelmed NHS did not consider me as a priority case) my boyfriend at the time, in a desperate attempt to save my sanity as well as his own, suggested I join a band. He found an ad on Gumtree looking for violinists, ‘cellists and/or flautists. I’m a violinist, personally, but one of my sisters plays the ‘cello and one plays the flute. It seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, so I arranged to meet Adam and Omar, who had placed the ad, and Rumour Cubes was born.

Four years later it remains one of the best decisions of my life. I've been through 18 months of psychotherapy since that point but I’m convinced that Rumour Cubes has done at least as much for my mental health as my (admittedly wonderful) therapist at LACAP. It’s really very difficult to entirely articulate why, but bear with me as I give it my best shot.

My official diagnosis is Major Depressive Disorder, but my therapist advanced the theory that I may actually suffer from Cyclothalmia. In my opinion, that certainly seems to fit better with my symptoms – or at least, it does now my symptoms are to some extent regulated by medication.

Maths alert: I've analysed my moods quite closely over the last few years, and they actually seem to correlate to a four-quadrant map, where the axes are Happy/Sad and Active/Passive respectively. This serves to illustrate it in the best way I can. 

There are a multitude of ways in which Rumour Cubes benefits my mental health and – hopefully – vice versa. First and foremost is that the other members of the band are my closest friends. I’m very open about my depression in general, and 99% of the time that’s met with positivity and, if not empathy, then at least a willingness to understand. The rest of the band have always been incredibly supportive of me – whether I need a shoulder to cry on, an ear to rant into, or for them all to just not talk to me for the next few hours because I’m in such a dark place – they’re there for whatever I need, whenever I need it, which is the most wonderful thing anyone could hope for.

Delving further, being in a band satisfies a number of deep-seated needs. The compulsion to create, which is driven by my manic periods, has always suffered from the fact that those parts of the cycle never last for long enough to see anything through to completion. In years past my room was full of half-finished projects, each one serving to stoke my guilt and feed my frustration at not being able to finish, which in turn reinforced my fear that I’d never be good at anything. Composing collectively, as Rumour Cubes does, serves to assuage those feelings because the weight of responsibility is no longer on my shoulders alone. It’s helped me realise that if something isn't working, we can shelve it for a few months and try again, or just start something else. It doesn't mean I’m a failure.

Being in a band also serves as a pretty hefty fuck-you to all the bullies. As a skinny, bespectacled, braces-wearing kid who was normally top of the class in maths and science but whose mum had sent a letter to the school asking that I please not be tackled while playing rugby in P.E. in case my glasses broke, you can imagine I didn't have a great time of it at school. Every time I get up on stage, every time we launch into a song, every time I get to thank the cheering crowd at the end of a show, EVERY TIME, even if no-one I went to school with ever finds out about it, I’m secretly giving them the finger. And it feels GOOD.

I actually performed a lot while I was at school, with a few orchestras as well as playing solo, but there’s a world of difference between almost-flawlessly rendering a Tchaikovsky violin concerto to a hall full of kids with zero interest in classical music and performing to a room full of people whose sole purpose for being there is because they think the music you make is great.  For someone who spent more hours than I care to admit sitting in the corner of the music room during lunchtimes listening to 15 year old kids playing amateur covers of Greenday songs, the fact that I am even in a band, let alone a band which has fans, fills me with a sense of wonder every time we rehearse.

On an entirely different level, making music allows me to express my emotions. There are two facets to this – one, it’s incredibly hard to articulate how I’m feeling a lot of the time, particularly to people who don’t suffer from anything remotely similar, and I find music helps that process. The band can often get a pretty good idea of how I’m feeling based on the type of music I play when line-checking, and it’s much nicer than reading out X and Y values based on the graph I posted earlier on in this piece (as well as being less likely to make their eyes glaze over). Two, it gives me the opportunity to take all the hurt and hopelessness I feel and turn it into something beautiful. OK, so it won’t be the happiest piece of music you've heard in your life, but I can guarantee it’ll bring you more pleasure than the emotions themselves have brought me.

The last point I’m going to make isn't necessarily as a result of me being in a band, but is certainly related to the fact that I’m very involved in the independent music scene & I know a lot of musicians, many of whom I consider to be my friends. This is a hard thing to say, because I’d love nothing more than for all of the people I love to be sane, healthy and happy, but knowing that so many of them experience similar feelings to me is something that helps immeasurably. I think this is something that’s hugely important, and for which musicians aren't given even nearly enough credit. Lyrics such as “And on the worst days, when it feels like life weighs 10,000 tonnes”, “Let’s drink until tomorrow to forget that we’re still alive”, “On the days that I can’t keep my insecurities at bay, I will push you and I’ll push you and I’ll push you away”, “Hurt myself again today and the worst part is there's no one else to blame” among countless multitudes of others – they remind me I’m not alone. I cannot overstate how much that helps me get through the day.

Frank Turner once said “it’s a funny thing, to spill your guts for a living”. Think about that. If you've ever pulled yourself through a dark patch by empathising with the singers of sad songs, think about where those songs might have come from. Over the course of history, mental illness has been behind some of the greatest creative output that’s ever been witnessed. If we truly want to end the stigma surrounding it, everyone has to get on board.

Late in 2013 French industrialists Herrscahft returned after a five year break with their new album Les 12 Vertiges which much to caught the attention of Andrew Rawlinson (read his review here) so much that he decided to find out more about them.

(((o))): So according to your biography you formed in 2004, how did the band originally meet?

Zoé: I was so young man. I remember we didn't know each other. Our singer BzD just released an advertisement in his school. I called him, MaX did too, and we all met in a bar. Some of us were drunk, others were sleepy in the bar, so it is where we decided to make music together.

MaX: In fact, the line-up turned out not to be the one we had initially expected but one thing is sure: as soon as we met with Zoé we knew we were sharing the same vision and would be doing some stuff altogether.

(((o))): How did you come to choose the name Herrschaft? It doesn’t appear to be a French word?
Zoé: Actually this is a German word, but it wasn’t the first goal. MaX found it in 2004. We liked the sound of this word, but moreover the meaning of it. Something about domination of the word, reign. It is a bit dated, but fits perfectly to the concept that we explored in our first two efforts.

MaX: Still nobody knows how to write it.

Zoé: And you probably don't want to know what was the first band name suggestions. Still a shame 10 years after (laughs)!

(((o))): Who are your biggest influences?

Zoé: Mostly recent movies and books. I personally try not to listen to too much music, I try to keep fresh ears and a fresh brain. For the rest, we don’t agree about influences with MaX. I loved Snow Piercer, he didn't, right?

(((o))): How is the industrial scene in France today compared to when you formed?

Zoé: Concerning our scene, it is full of boring stuff. Too many bands call themselves electro-metal but are just playing technical metal riffs with fast kick drums all the way and a tiny pad behind the noisy wall of sound to justify the “electro” or “industrial” side of the project.

MaX: When we formed, there were still two dedicated scenes, one for extreme metal, the other for dark electro, and a few bridges between them. Well we’ll see if this has changed and if we can reach a more open minded public today. For other bands sharing the same musical direction, well a lot of our previous friends resigned so I would have said exactly the same if our drummer Manu DK has not released a pearl few days ago with his new project. It’s called  “F*** me I’m Dead”.

(((o))): There has been a five year break and member changes between you last album and Les 12 Vertiges, was this by accident or design?

Zoé: Everything happening in this band is an accident, man.

(((o))): Speaking of which, Les 12 Vertiges appears to be more aggressive than Tesla, was this a conscious choice?

Zoé: Really? I thought Tesla was more aggressive. Some of the quieter tracks on Les 12 Vertiges were started in the Tesla era, five years ago you know. For me with Les 12 Vertiges you have an album that has a first half album with the catchy songs and a more ambient part in the second half.

MaX: The approach of Les 12 Vertiges was definitely more “in your face”, more raw and more dancing, especially for the first songs. I don’t know if it’s more aggressive overall but we really tried to make it more “intense”.

(((o))): The overall concept of your material seems to focus on humanity’s darkness, has this come from personal or general experience?

Zoé: You get the point, buddy.

MaX: It’s pretty simple if fact, unlike what we used to do for our two first albums, for Les 12 Vertiges we just wanted to present twelve different experiences, strong, lost, addicted, violent but most of all, lively.

Zoé: This album is basically a diary of our last five years together, where have explored our limits, our souls, sometimes for the best but mostly of all for the worst. This album is way more personal and introspective than what we made previously.

(((o))): Since the emergence of Gojira, the UK has seemingly become more open and aware of French metal bands, has this been noticed at home? If so has it become an inspiration to the various music scenes?

Zoé: Why waiting for a worldwide success to check the other French bands? (laughs) Well, I can’t explain that Gojira phenomena. Trust me, we have a big bag full of bands that do exactly the same shit.

MaX: There are a lot of talented bands in France, but yes, too many struggle to gain an international respect and “name”. I love Gojira, I had the chance to discover them in the early years when they were still known as Godzilla, in the South of France. When you realise that when they just opened a few days ago for Slayer in New York, well, it’s stunning. Their work has been impressive from the start, nothing to say about that. The real problem is when you realise that there seem to be no place left for any other French metal band to be known. Considering the talent of French scene, of which there is a lot.

(((o))): What are your plans for the future?

Zoé: Live shows, live shows and more live shows. We are currently looking for some good venues. Do you know some?

MaX: And we’ll try to release a special remix edition for our 10th anniversary. Overall we have had a lot of remix activity for several bands during these last ten years, and as well as some jewels made by friends. It’s time to gather all these and present all the work done, so stay in touch for more news in 2014, just before the apocalypse.

(((o))): Are there any bands you feel our readers should check out?

Zoé: If you liked us, you have to check the old bunch of the French electro-metal: Tamtrum, The CNK, PsychoShop, Dexy Corp_, Temple of NemeSYS. All of them are friends, and just like all the good things, apart from The CNK and Punish Yourself, all of them are dead. Don't give a fuck, go listen to them anyway, in memories of good old times!

MaX: F*** Me I’m Dead!

(((o))): If you could collaborate with anyone you want on your next album who would you choose?

Zoé: We already collaborated with all the people we wanted on this album. The priestess Jessy Christ (PsychoShop) offered us her voice on three tracks. The almighty CNX (Temple of NemeSYS) helped us on another, and Heinrich von B (The CNK) did the best artwork in the world. Well, we can die peacefully!

(((o))): You’re given the opportunity to create your own festival. What would be the first five bands on your list?

MaX: White Zombie, Electric 6, Ghinzu, Ministry playing only old songs, and as headliners Death with Gene Hoglan on drums!

Next week North Carolina based retro doom rockers Demon Eye release their album Leave the Light, which Rob Thompson in his review described as "a solid release with dark thick riffs, Sabbath solos and Maiden influences on every track." Rob asked guitarist and singer Erik Sugg a bunch of questions to find out more. 

(((o))): Thanks for agreeing to this interview with Ech((o)es and Dust. For who doesn't know Demon Eye, can you please introduce the band to us and who plays what etc?

Erik: I’m Erik Sugg. I sing and play guitar for Demon Eye. Larry Burlison plays guitar and is responsible for most of the leads you hear on the record. Paul Walz plays bass and does some backup vocals. Bill Eagen plays drums and percussion and sings backup as well. Our song writing is collaborative, but generally begins with riffing and then seeing how we can expand on our initial ideas. We try to make sure our tunes are a fine balance of heavy, groovy, dark, and melodic. 

(((o))): So the story of the band is unusual, starting off life as a tribute/cover band and Erik being involved in children's entertainment. What triggered the switch to a full blown band writing your own original material?

Erik: First there was Corvette Summer, which is our cover band alter ego. Corvette Summer was Larry’s idea. Around the time when he and I first met he suggested it would be fun to start a band that did under-the-radar covers of ‘70s rock tunes for all the real rock geeks out there (covers by bands like Budgie, UFO, Humble Pie, all the good stuff you never hear on the radio).  That was how I met Bill and Paul as well. We started playing together, and not to sound dramatic, but it was pure magic. There was an instantaneous musical connection. We found a common thread in all of the hard rock and metal we loved during our younger years, and then we started getting really tight as a band. After we had been together for awhile, I spent a weekend alone camping on a dark, wooded mountainside reading lots of Lovecraft and writing creepy, witchy riffs on an acoustic guitar. I came home to band practice and asked the guys if they’d humor me by playing along to something I wrote. I showed them the riffs to 'Hecate' and they nailed it. Demon Eye was born right then.  The next songs to come were 'Witch’s Blood' and 'Shades of Black'.  All of our Corvette Summer gigging helped Demon Eye come together pretty quickly. 

In terms of my kid’s music, I’m a children’s librarian for the local library system here in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had been working in libraries for years and made the switch to working with kids because I thought it’d be something new and fun and would keep me from getting burned out on the job. It’s been a total blast. Kids have a natural inclination towards music and rocking out, so they love all of the goofy little songs I write for them. Occasionally I’ll even see story time parents out at Demon Eye shows, haha. Also, my niece and nephew’s favorite song to dance to is, 'Shades of Black'! It’s a trip when these two vastly different worlds collide, but metal isn’t as taboo as it once was. Parents seem to not mind Satan and witchcraft like they did when I was a kid 😉 

(((o))): The new album is excellent, so congratulations on this. It contains songs previously found on your debut EP, were these remastered or re-recorded in anyway and why the decision to include them on the album?

Erik: Thanks! The decision to include that first batch of songs on our debut LP was a mutual decision by the band, our record label, and our engineers. Once we finished those initial songs we decided to share them free of charge via the Internet because our main concern was in just getting them out there for people to hear. We had zero idea as to how our music would be perceived by folks in the metal/doom community, and the response was overwhelming.  Within a matter of days we were hearing from people all over the globe, telling us how much they dug our music. An Irish label, Sarlacc Productions, did a limited edition cassette of the EP, and a buddy of ours here in North Carolina, Chad Davis (from the great band, Hour of 13) brought us to the attention of Soulseller Records. That was how we started working with them. The label said we could save ourselves a lot of time and energy by including the previously recorded material for the debut, which worked perfectly for us because the material we were working on at the time was very cohesive with what we had just finished recording. We knew that if we included all of this music together we would have a strong record with a great flow. We were back at Seriously Adequate Studios a mere six months after finishing the earlier sessions in order to keep up the momentum we had gathered during that first run. Alex Maiolo and Pete Weiss, of Seriously Adequate Studios and Verdant Green Studios respectively, both did fantastic jobs in picking up where they left off. They both brought an amazing amount of sonic inspiration to the recording.  And yes, Pete did remaster those original songs at Verdant Green in Vermont just to make sure the older songs were consistent with the newer ones. 

(((o))): I love the cover art, what was the thought process behind the images; what story are they trying to tell

Erik: The artwork was done by a local Raleigh artist/musician, named John Hitselberger.  John has a natural talent for creating mindbending supernatural art, so he was always my first choice in doing something for us. I simply asked for something Lovecraft-esque and “occult” looking and he came up with that excellent design for Leave the Light.  If you look at occult imagery throughout the centuries you’ll notice there’s always a some sort of beautiful symmetry to it. John included that symmetry in this design by having the demons facing one another and by having the pillars and the pyramid in the background. As for the demons themselves, there’s not much else to say other than they just look perfectly evil. I like thinking about demons in the biblical sense, where they were merely parables representing the darker sides of human nature, but I also like how they are depicted in classical art and supernatural literature as malevolent beings who prey upon mankind. This theme is rather prevalent throughout our record. Most of the lyrics share the Lovecraftian notion that human beings are in no way the center of the universe; that there is no golden rule, no benevolent higher powers, and that everything beyond our limited understanding is cosmically indifferent to us. I enjoy writing material like this because, even though I generally go about my day to day routine working with kids and trying to bring positivity into the world, there is another side of me that sees all the darkness in the world and thinks we are truly heading for the end of days, and I can’t seem to muster the energy to care. Classic doom metal themes, I suppose! 

(((o))): Why did you pick 'Secret Sect' to promote with a video? Is this your favourite songs on the LP? I personally loved the tracks 'Hecate' and 'Shades of Black' as they really showcase what Demon Eye is capable of.

Erik: Well, 'Secret Sect' must have been my favorite song at that particular moment, because shortly before I made that video I tried doing one for 'Witch’s Blood' and messed it up, haha. No, but really I just thought it was a good idea to provide people with a video for one of the newer songs from the record. We have a video for 'Hecate' as well and I thought 'Secret Sect' would be a fine addition.  Also, yes.  I’m very fond the song, but really I love all the songs on the record. It’s hard to say which one is my favorite. I find myself listening to 'The Banishing' a lot lately, so today I’ll call that one my favorite. 

(((o))): Let's talk influences. You clearly love the classic bands of yesteryear; which albums and groups have played the biggest parts in your lives and how do you incorporate these into your music?

Erik: Our biggest influences are probably Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Pentagram, and Iron Maiden. Sort of the no-brainer resources if you’re playing this style of music, you know? To me, and I’m sure the rest of the guys in the band agree, these four bands had it all. They knew how to write songs with power and volume, and they knew how to make their music sound sinister and evil. At the same time, they also knew how to make it a good time for their audience. Anytime you see old footage of these bands performing during their hey day, what you’re generally seeing is people freaking out and having a blast over how awesome the music is making them feel, well, maybe not in the case of Pentagram, haha. Still, that was something we wanted to tap into, to just be able to write music that stays with you once you hear it, whether it’s the heavy riffing, the melodies, the rhythms, the sinister vibes, whatever. I think it’s also important to keep your mind open to lots of different music. Everyone in Demon Eye just loves music in general. Some nights we’ll go from having hour long discussions about ‘60s bands like Blue Cheer and the MC5, then the conversation will shift entirely to discussing Grim Reaper and Loudness, then we’ll kick back and listen to Thin Lizzy, then someone will mention Jake E. Lee’s guitar playing, and then I’ll go home and throw on a Laura Nyro record. Basically we just to try to write music that moves us, because no one else is gonna dig you if you don’t dig yourself. 

(((o))): If you were to organise your own one-day festival, which bands would you ask to play?

Erik: Wow. This question is the hardest for me so far. I’ll try to keep the bands as contemporary as possible. Iron Maiden would be the headliners (mainly due to the fact that we, as a band, have had some stellar Iron Maiden road trip/concert experiences). I would also love to have Electric Wizard, Pentagram, Sleep, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, The Melvins, Graveyard, YOB, Witchcraft, Blood Ceremony, Church of Misery, Hour of 13, Sinister Haze and Windhand. 

(((o))): How have you found the reaction to the Leave the Light so far in the press and from your fans?

Erik: So far most of the press I’ve seen has been very positive. I keep expecting to read something where we’re heavily panned, but so far that hasn’t happened. It will though. Not everyone is going to dig the record, and that’s fine. We are very proud of it and it seems to be striking a chord with a lot of folks, and that’s very cool. The greatest honor to me is when musicians I admire seem to genuinely like our music. But honestly, when anyone, any random person, takes the time to tell me that they’ve enjoyed our recording or our live performances it is an honor to me and it’s truly appreciated. We’ll try not screw it up by going out there and sucking!

(((o))): What plans do you have for touring, and most importantly, any UK gigs planned? 

Erik: We definitely want to tour overseas. We have been contacted by some European booking agencies, but there are many variables we need to get worked out before we make that jump, like jobs, kids, families, money, etc. Still, a lot of folks over on that side of the pond have been very kind and supportive of Demon Eye, so the very least we can do is come over and do our thing. And yes, we would love to play the UK. Where do you want us?!

(((o))): Can you share a nice or funny live anecdote with us?

Erik: For one of our earlier gigs we played with a David Bowie cover band, who did the Spiders-era Bowie. They played Ziggy Stardust in its entirety (really well too I should say). It was looking like it was going to be an off night without a lot of people, so before the Bowie band started I went for a little walk throughout the neighborhood. When I came back the band had started and there were like 50 or so people who had arrived. I was thinking “Oh man, decent turnout afterall!” But then I saw that most of these people were early 20-somethings and didn’t look the slightest bit like the usual rock show goers, and they all sat there in this very studious manner with pens and notebooks and all. Some of the girls were even watching the Bowie guy with looks of sheer disgust on their faces, which was really cracking us up. Come to find out this was all just a field trip for a journalism class from the nearby university, haha… They all split after a few Bowie tunes, and later we played to an audience of the bartender, the sound guy, the door guy, and the “Spiders from Mars”. So far, that gig was the most bizarre to date.

(((o))): Thanks for taking time out to answer these questions. One last one: what's next for the band?

Erik: Our record release party for Leave the Light is happening in Raleigh on February 1st. After that we’ll be playing a show with our Relapse pals, Lord Dying, and then we plan on gigging regionally, writing new material, meeting new people and other bands, and hopefully will keep this momentum rolling well enough for us to make it over to Europe. Thanks for getting in touch and thanks for listening!

Leave the Light will be released on January 24th through the excellent Soulseller Records. Pre-order your copy here.

Graveborne is preparing to unleash their fantastic new album, Through The Window Of The Night, a nonstop barrage of throwback black metal from the country of Finland. Raato, the singer and a founding member of the group, shares the grisly details of Graveborne’s new album, as well as touches on what it means to be a Finnish black metal band. Raato makes it clear that Graveborne are not playing music to make anyone happy or tour the world, rather they only desire to let loose the fury of black metal of yesteryear.

(((o))): Please describe, in your own words, Through The Window Of The Night.

Raato: It is pure, heavy and dark. An ode to all the timeless classics and a fine example of the genre today. I would say it pretty much ties the knot between the past and the present of black metal. For us it is a clear sign that we are making progress.

(((o))): Some reviews have referred to the album as being a bit too conservative in its aggression and power… obviously I disagreed in my review. What pushed you to make such heavy, uncompromising album?

Raato: Why settle for anything else? Compromising destroys purity, and as far as I am concerned, music without honesty is worthless. We are not bothered with pleasing anyone.

(((o))): In terms of black metal compositions most of the songs on Through The Window Of The Night are very concise, and the album is relatively brief at just over 35 minutes. Was there any purpose behind keeping the songs and the album short?

Raato: I think we just wanted to keep it straight to the point. Besides, the songs usually write themselves and you except what comes out naturally and with ease.

(((o))): You have expressed the belief that Norwegian and Finnish black metal aren’t all that different. Was proving that statement a motivating factor behind Through The Window Of The Night and your previous releases?

Raato: In the beginning it must have been different, most of the influence obviously coming from Norway and Sweden. At the moment however, both scenes are influencing one another and it’s almost impossible to detect any specific characteristics that would separate one from the other. Maybe Finnish bands are sometimes leaning more into this whole “folk” thing. However, to get back to your question, I would say no. We don’t need to emphesise any “scene” or influence, our work will speak for itself.

(((o))): What influences beyond the realm of black metal played a part in Through The Window Of The Night?

Raato: Outside music, just about all the misfortune and true evil I find myself surrounded by and plagued with. By watching the evening news you can pretty much write an entire album on the spot. Also the beauty of Nordic nature is essential. I am an avid reader of history and that proves to be an endless source of inspiration.

(((o))): Was independently producing the album an important part of the process of creating Through The Window Of The Night, or was it simply a circumstance of being an independent band?

Raato: It’s an interesting development in general that seems to be becoming more and more the norm of new bands. For us it just works perfectly, we don’t have to make any compromises and the end result still sounds fucking great without the need of a huge corporate-machine behind us.

(((o))): Graveborne has gone through numerous lineup changes and stages of evolution since Marchosias and Pentele founded the group. Has this had any effect the band’s purpose and musical direction?

Raato: Well, the core has been almost the same from the start. I got involved late 2009, had a small break and rejoined. Our previous guitarist, who left the group late 2013, had quite an influence on some of the material. But this is all part of the natural progression of the group. The purpose and direction are very clear and have been from the start.

(((o))): The abrasive lyrical content on Through The Window Of The Night are an integral part of the album. What were Raato and Pentele's motivations behind the lyrical themes of anti-Christianity and blasphemy?

Raato: I have been interested in these matters for as long as I can remember. Pure intellectual consideration and thought combined with observations of our surroundings. I try to find links between the past and the present. However, some of my lyrics are influenced just by pure hatred toward the human race. Of course, these themes have been one of the main reasons the music sounds as it does, and one of the main reasons we got into it in the first place.

(((o))): The underground Finnish metal and rock scene have been flourishing as of late. What has your experience been as a band in an environment that is so welcoming to music, especially metal?

Raato: A thesis could be written about this subject. To answer short, I find the political and religious freedom we have in Finland to be one of the main factors. Economical prosperity, to some extent, combined with the frustration of the youth, probably has an effect. For rock music in general, these elements seem to be quite important. For black metal I believe them to be a necessity. Also, the historical and well documented tradition of substance abuse cannot be stressed enough, especially in Finland

(((o))): From other interviews, it doesn’t sound like you’ll be playing many shows at this point. As Graveborne grows more well-known, do you plan on playing more gigs?

Raato: I think previous misfortunes have made us more careful in when and where we want to play. There are vast sides of this country that we have yet not explored as a band, and obviously it would be a great pleasure to play abroad for our fans that cannot travel long distances. For the past year, we have been completely focused on releasing and promoting this latest album, so there has simply been no time to organise any gigs. After the release the situation will most likely change.

(((o))): As band and as individuals, how important are theatrics (corpse paint, costume etc) to a live show?

Raato: I think it is important. Personally, I find it easier to get into the atmosphere, when all of us are conjuring all the negativity and strength out there. Loyalty to the traditions of black metal play an important part. Also, I believe it is more entertaining for the crowd.

(((o))): Thank you for your time and I wish the best for Graveborne. Cheers!

Under the Sign of Hell was the first album I listened to that left me speechless. At the time I first heard it, it was a surreal experience. Up until that point (2002) all I really listened to was the radio or the more “popular” music talked about by friends and classmates. This changed that entirely. I didn’t know such a thing as black metal even existed. Gorgoroth’s Under the Sign of Hell was my foot in the door into the genre and I felt mad that I hadn't find it sooner.

With this being my first black metal album it was hard to find others that matched this album’s brutality. Under the Sign of Hell led me to other great albums from bands all around the world. Yes I have found albums that are darker, louder, and far more ambitious than Under the Sign of Hell but, in my eyes, this record was one of the first to really push the limits and extremities that black metal had back in that era of the genre (early – mid 90’s).

There are times where I go a long spell without giving this album a listen. Suddenly I’ll feel the urge to just pop it on and have a listen. After a while of not listening to the album in it’s entirety it feels like the first time all over again. Hearing the whispers and echoes launch off each song brings back the same chill I felt when I first heard it. In my mind this album takes me to a cold and desolate place; a place of inspiration for the dark and the wicked is definitely found here. Ever want to just spend some time to yourself and get lost in a void of thought? Under the Sign of Hell will take you there.

Gorgoroth’s Under the Sign of Hell is sure to shove hell and all of its diabolical fiends in your face without any mercy or remorse. Track after track there are waves of brutal black metal assault streaming into your ears. The start of the album is loaded with fast tracks and towards the middle there are some slower, colder sounding songs. Before you know it the end of the album arrives with an even faster sound, relentlessly thrusting the black metal gavel through your skull.
The album as a whole plays out almost like a soundtrack to an ongoing war in hell! Speedy instrumentation accompanied by vocals just as fast and ferocious create an album delivering an extremely raw and unique sound to black metal to the time was not often heard of. To this day the album can still hold its ground as one of the rawest and fastest black metal albums to exist.

'Profetens Åpenbaring' makes for the best sample of the album. The track starts off slow and cold… in the distance you hear a guitar humming along. Then you hear the rumbling of the lead guitar kick in and the vocals arrive with an almost viking clean sound. The song speeds up and then you hear Pest’s grotesque screeches and howls return. By the end of the song one can almost envision being in the presence of the legions of hell, ready to ride into the abyss. Another gruelling track, 'Blood Stains the Circle', is sure to conjure up all kinds of twisted emotions in its short two minute and forty four second span. This song packs a punch with speed and a tidal wave of intensity that will not only chill the spine but shatter it as well!

Overall the entire track list shares a very unique cold and distant sound that is sure to sate any black metal fan. With this album Gorgoroth truly helped lead Norwegian black metal in the right direction.

Israel’s Promiscuity just believe in good, honest riffs, and having no time for trends or idol worship means they can pump out plenty of them. The blackened-thrashy-speed metal trio spared no expense and made no compromises in the recording of Basic Instinct (reviewed here), and the results speak for themselves. Bassist/backup vocalist Werewolf speaks on his band’s ideals when it comes to making the music they enjoy, as well as digging into some of the details of the recording process and hinting at future live activity…

(((o))): It's fairly easy to pick out your musical influences. What is it about these bands that speaks to you? Why do you love this music so much?

Werewolf: The music itself was written solely by Butcher [vocals and guitar] for Basic Instinct, but since our tastes in metal have a rather small common denominator, it would be fair to say that Promiscuity reflects only a certain part of what we listen to ourselves. We are into anything from Iron Maiden and Judas Priest to Nifelheim, Incantation and other bands that have a backbone, a personality of their own. Memorable riffs, an atmosphere that feels honest and convincing, guitar solos with a lot of feel, well written lyrics and sometimes even just a powerful production is what can make a metal band stand out and sound attractive to me. It’s not so hard to figure out who is riding a trend and who has something genuine to offer, if you listen carefully.

As for influences - it seems that many people think that an “influence” means “your favorite band”, “bands that you’ve been listening to most, lately” or “one specific band that you plagiarize like there’s no tomorrow”, but I don’t think that a namedropping would contribute much. We don’t play anything too complicated from a technical point of view, but we do our best to use our own ideas and not to sound like this or that “influence”. Similarities to some other stuff are inevitable when you play primitive metal, but they aren’t intentional. Some people claim that we sound like a NWOBHM band; others consider us “pure thrash” or “old school black metal”… I assume that it means that we don’t sound too “influenced” by something specific, which is great.

(((o))):  Are there any bands (or non-musical things) that influenced Promiscuity that fans might not expect?

Werewolf: Probably not. I find black humor quite inspiring, but this is probably pretty obvious anyway.

(((o))):  You've mentioned before that you're looking to have Basic Instinct pressed to vinyl. Has any progress been made here?

Werewolf: Unfortunately, not yet. The cassette version should be released by Dying Victims Productions by the end of January, but there is no exciting news about other formats.

(((o))):  While I didn't think to talk about it in my review, the production on Basic Instinct is fantastic - raw and gritty, but everything is heard clearly. How did you get it to sound this good? I know it was recorded in a very nice studio and mastered by Leon Manssur of Apokalyptic Raids - did they do anything special or unique to get the sound on this record right?

Werewolf: It’s a combination of many things, such as working with a professional and open minded enough sound engineer, great gear, lots of cash spent, lots of hatred towards wimpy production that involves the use of triggers and abuse of compression and, last but not least, our lack of will to compromise.

We wanted the drums to sound like fucking drums and neither do we regret about such “wrong” things as injecting a reverb overdose into a filthy song like ‘Pedophile’. We aren’t experts by any means when it comes to the technical side of sound recording; we knew how we want the songs to sound and just trusted our hearing during the recording and mixing process. Neither did we mind to argue with the sound engineer when we wanted to make something sound, errrr, “not the way it should”.

Anyone with half a brain should be able to figure out how masculine an old Thin Lizzy record sounds, both in general and when it’s compared to any random so-called “old school” death metal album that was produced by Dan Swano. Compression and loudness cannot compete with a powerful organic sound and that’s why it was obvious that the enemy of useless loudness a.k.a. Leon Manssur is the right person for the mastering job. I’ve been into Apokalyptic Raids for over a decade myself, so I knew that he also knows how to work with this type of music. The mastering version that was eventually chosen is the first one he created, and since everything was recorded well – he didn’t have to make any miracles in order to get a good result.

(((o))): I haven't heard much about the gear you use to create these infernal tones. What do you guys play and what do you plug it in to?

Werewolf: Butcher uses a Gibson Explorer. The guitar tracks were recorded with a combination of monstrous Marshall and Orange amps, without any pedals.

As far as I remember – Steel has some special edition Pearl drum kit and an Iron Cobra pedal. I have a Gibson Thunderbird bass. I recorded the Promiscuity tracks with an Ibanez bass and a Tubescreamer pedal, though. I wish I had the Thunderbird before the recordings took place!

(((o))): You've mentioned in some previous interviews that Promiscuity have yet to play live. Is this poised to change soon?

Werewolf: There is a chance.

(((o))): Which band's live performance would you use as the standard to judge your own?

Werewolf: Bathory, Hellhammer and Burzum.

(((o))):  What is the best band from Israel no one knows about?

Werewolf: This band is called Har. Nobody knows about them yet, literally, because they have neither published any recorded materials nor played live yet, but I heard a recording of their rehearsal and I can say with confidence that the stuff that they are about to record is quite promising.

(((o))): Any last words you'd like to add?

Werewolf: Last words? Thanks for the interview, first of all!

The cassette version of Basic Instinct will be released by Dying Victims Productions next month. Stay tuned for more updates via our Facebook page and our Bandcamp page (both linked above), or contact us about anything at contact@promiscuity-band.com!

Moon's The Nine Gates is an ecstatic, mystical trip of an album (see our review here).  It's a release that deliberately leaves questions unanswered, though I couldn't help but act on the chance to clear some of the fog surrounding the mysteries therein.  Here are some of Moon's driving force Miasmyr's thoughts on the occult, what emboldens Australia's metal artists, and why he doesn't have plans to retire any time soon.

(((o))): To start off, you debuted Moon in 2008 after playing in a few different bands. What led you to start a project over which you had complete control rather than collaborate with other people?

Miasmyr: Originally it was a side project for ideas that didn’t suit the bands I was playing in and it was also a platform for experimentation. After a while it developed a sound of its own as I noticed a growing interest from others in hearing it. This led to a few demo/EPs being released and some splits.

(((o))): Both of your full-length releases have a sound that seems insular when compared to the rest of the black metal landscape right now. Is this deliberate? Do you pay much attention to what other people are doing or do you try and block that out during your writing/recording process?

Miasmyr: I’ve got a good idea of what sound I want, but I’m always open to experimentation. I listen to a lot of black metal and various other genres such as doom and ambient but I’ve developed my own style and direction I want to head in being a blend of atmospheric and hypnotic black metal. I haven’t found too much of late that I’ve found striking but I go through periods of listening and taking things in and times of productivity where I like to be absorbed in what I’m working on.

(((o))): How important is lyrical content to you? It seems like your lyrics hold personal and emotional weight for you, based on your vocal performance, but the production makes your voice seem more like a musical instrument or element of the general atmosphere rather than a means to clearly communicate ideas.

Miasmyr: The words are secondary to the expression and effect they have. On earlier recordings I often didn’t use any lyrics as sometimes I found they inhibited the more primal form of expression. I gave more detail to the lyrics on The Nine Gates to give the songs a conceptual backbone unifying the musical themes. Whether you can understand the vocals or not it is intended to serve as guided imagery similar to how I experience much of the black metal I listen to. The instruments sometimes serve as voices themselves giving way to a non-verbal oration. Overall I like to keep details hidden and undefined for stylistic preference.

(((o))): Your music is often described as occult black metal. What personal meaning does "occult" hold for you, both in how you define the word and how the concept of the occult informs your music?

Miasmyr: Ultimately the music serves as guided imagery for astral projection using symbols and analogy to illustrate the shadow world. I don’t follow any specific paradigm but draw from a range of left hand path sources; I don’t like to identify too specifically with any pantheons to emphasize the primordial nature of the content.

(((o))): With Moon being a product that is so singularly of your own expression, how much control do you have over the art design of the albums, merchandise, and photography based around the project? To me, the art ties in so perfectly with the themes of the music - is it important to you that Moon be experienced with senses other than hearing?

Miasmyr: I usually direct the artwork, the visual aesthetic can strongly influence how one interprets the music so I’m always looking for artists who will complement the music appropriately. So far I’ve had the most luck with people I know who have a stronger understanding of where I’m coming from musically and aesthetically, otherwise I look for people who already do a style I think might work. Winterkalt’s minimalist 90s cover for the split with Xerbittert was a good break from the standard artwork I’m used to putting forth, whereas The Nine Gates is a good example of the style I usually go for, its symbols and imagery are integral to the music.

(((o))): At the risk of interfering with the mystical aura of your music, where was The Nine Gates recorded? Is this a studio album or do you have the ability to record your music at home (or a mix of both)? What are the artistic benefits behind the process you use to commit your ideas to a recording?

Miasmyr: Usually I record in a home studio and master the material in a professional studio. Recording at home gives me more time to work on getting the right sound and subtle nuances. On the negative side I would sometimes rather have a system running better and a limited timeframe can sometimes encourage faster production.

(((o))): Has Moon always been a project you expected/wanted to translate to live performance? What are the major differences between how you feel about a song you’ve recorded and how you feel about a song while playing it live with a band?

Miasmyr: I’ve been involved with other bands on the live front for quite a few years. After my output of recordings became more prolific with Moon the band I was in changed over to play those tracks. It was in a way a progression to the next phase in my mind idealistically. This was in part to streamline the output into something more raw and primal. I plan to always play live, it’s where one can connect most directly to an audience and it gives the music another facet. It’s hard to always get the sound we’re after at local gigs since the engineer doesn’t always know what we’re going for. Generally we play the more involved, less ambient tracks live to maintain a strong energy although we maintain its evocative and bleak sound.

(((o))): You are based in Australia, which has been steadily gaining attention in the metal community for the past decade or so for producing high quality metal bands. I personally remember the Pestilentia Australis compilation of Australian black metal bands being a sort of holy grail when I first began listening to the genre - featuring other one-man projects like Striborg and Elysian Blaze. Is there a reason in your mind that there is such a concentration of highly-regarded black metal in your country? Is there anything about your music that you feel is specific to where you come from, geographically or culturally?

Miasmyr: Australia doesn’t have a strong cultural past heritage like places such as Norway and Poland. Black metal doesn’t have a unified sound here as such. Geographically Striborg is in a very green part of Australia and he embraces that in his lifestyle and music whereas I use black metal as a means of communing with the inner world. My home town, Brisbane has offered some strongly unique bands over the past decade or so. From the retro thrash/black bands like Spear of Longinus, and Vomitor, to the obscure black/death of Portal and Impetuous Ritual, each band has something unique to offer and made a bold move to forge their own sound. In a way, not having a past cultural identity has given people in Australia more freedom to go their own way.

(((o))): Has your process changed at all since Moribund began to distribute your music and brought it to a larger audience? Do you feel like there are expectations put on you and your music that weren’t there before as a result of being heard by more people or is it easy to stay true to your original vision and creative process?

Miasmyr: Certainly the aim has been to find a label to fit the music, not the other way around. I’ll continue to do what I do whether there is much interest for it or not. I’m not always overly critical when writing material but when choosing what to be released I don’t want to add to the rubbish.

(((o))): What else do you want to accomplish with Moon? Is there a specific goal you’re trying to reach with your music or is it more of an organic, amorphous path for you? Can you think of anything that, after achieving with this project, would make you say “Okay, I’m done?”

Miasmyr: It’s an ongoing development; my ears and ideals change quite quickly and are somewhat ahead of what I release. I maintain my overall sound and vision though, I don’t think I’ll ever lose interest even when I reach my old man wizard phase therefore I’ll never be “done” with it.

“Pick an album from your past,” he said, “something you really enjoy, or that changed your life.”

Oh, cock.

I hate nostalgia. Looking backwards makes me uncomfortable. But, y’know, he asked nicely, so I’ll give it a go.

To have a truly honest stab at this, I need to go back a long way, because I am, shall we say, quite old. There are a lot of abandoned bands littering the maze of paths which lead me to where I am today, none of which I regret in any way.  In truth, these bands ARE the paths, without which I would be lost.

Anyway, I pick my way back through the maze, and I reckon I find that album which was the gate, beyond which lies only the bland swamp of youthful ignorance and poor taste. And that gate is Hawkwind’s 1974 album (See, told you I was old!) Hall of the Mountain Grill.

I should set the scene.  I was 14, maybe 15 and I didn’t have a clue. A mate of mine had just joined one of those mail-order record clubs. You know (don’t you?), those ones where you promise to buy ten full priced albums over the course of a year, and they’ll give you four free from this list of dross and remnants¹. He can’t find a fourth, so he offers me the choice. I see an album with a weird title, and a picture of a crashed spaceship on the cover. ‘That’ll do’ I say.

A few days later, it arrives, I stick it on the turntable, and it blows my brain right out of my head. I had NEVER heard anything like this before². That gate flew open right there and then.

Looking back – and I had to go to YouTube to do so – I find it hard to get excited by it now. It’s not their best album, nor is it their worst. All of the regular Hawkwind ingredients are present and correct – the swirly keyboard noises, the saxophone, Brock’s choppy guitar, Lemmy’s fuzz-bass, the metronomic hypno-drumming, songs about space, drugs and revolution, all of that. But today it all feels a bit....weak. The lyrics seem a trifle naive, all hippy student anarchy-lite or psychedelic science fiction/fantasy clichés. Nik Turner’s saxophone, once weird and wonderful, now sounds mostly like the honking of a flock of startled ducks.

There are still some nice things to be found -Simon House’s violin on ‘Wind of Change’ is sublime, the instrumental ‘Web Weaver’ is jaunty and very danceable, Lemmy’s ‘Lost Johnny’ is dirty and dark proto-Motorhead. The production values have also improved over those of its predecessors, but it loses the authentic weed-hazed roughness of In Search of Space and the monumental Space Ritual. It lacks the blunt –instrument thud of Doremi Fasol Latido. It has nothing to match ‘Brainstorm’ or ‘Master of the Universe’. Going forward, it can’t match the epic fantasy grandeur of Warrior on the Edge of Time or the dystopian-future poetry of Quark, Strangeness and Charm.

Reading back, it seems that I’m not making a very good case for Hall of the Mountain Grill as a thing to be remembered fondly. But, and this is the important bit, it introduced me to so much more. It led me through Pink Fairies to punk, through Motorhead to metal, Tangerine Dream to trance, Pink Floyd to prog (a path mercifully short!), ...and that’s where my alliteration skills break down. Bugger.

Anyway, there we are. Hawkwind’s Hall of the Mountain Grill. Not a great album, not a terrible one, but a significant one, to me at least. The first thing to show me there was interesting stuff out there. Directly responsible for the impeccable taste which I display today. Introduced me to live music (Hawkwind, Usher Hall, September 1976, my first of somewhere in the region of 600 gigs, to date...)

Definitely an Echo of the Past, but the past is where it belongs; a place where I can remember it fondly cherish it without having to listen to it again.

Footnotes:

1. They never turned out to be the bargain you thought they were going to be. The choices were crap, and if you missed a month, they would stick you with their ‘recommended’ album and charge you for it anyway.

2. Lived out in the sticks and had very little contact with ‘modern’ music. Parents into Opera and Scottish Country dance tunes.

Dutch death metal band Hail Of Bullets recently released their third World War 2 inspired album III The Rommel Chronicles, which got reviewed by Andrew Rawlinson. Drummer Ed Warby gave us some insights into the band and their WWII inspiration.

(((o))): Thank you for ding this interview for Ech(((o)))es and Dust. We’re based in the UK where the majority of our readers are based. Can you give us a brief background about who is in the band and the history of the band?

Ed: The band was formed in 2006 by Thanatos main man Stephan Gebédi and his plan was to hand-pick the best man for each spot from people he'd worked with and/or admired. He ended up selecting Paul Baayens (also in Thanatos) on guitar, Theo van Eekelen (ex-Houwitser) on bass, Martin van Drunen (ex-Pestilence, Asphyx) on vocals and yours truly Ed Warby (ex-Gorefest) on drums. Some of us had never played together or even met each other, so instead of the usual tentative rehearsal one might plan we decided to go out on the town instead, figuring if we liked each other the rest would follow. We did, and it did, and so here we are 7 years, scores of shows and 3 full length albums later.

(((o))): What is it about World War 2 that appeals to you so much to form a band based on it?

Ed: Well, the band wasn't really based on WWII or even war in general when we started, only when I presented the first instrumental demos did Martin come up with his Eastern Front concept which we all liked immediately. We didn't have a name yet and although we wanted something "violent" sounding we didn't want to pin ourselves down on something too war-like, which is why we chose Hail Of Bullets, which definitely suits the war concept but not exclusively.

But by now we've definitely become a WWII band, it's simply a subject that suits our music and it's extensive enough to provide inspiration for many more years and albums to come. If we live that long of course.

(((o))): What processes go into choosing the theme of each album and how deep do you research it?

Ed: That process happens largely in Martin's head, he's our master lyricist and chief historian. The Eastern Front on our debut album was something he'd been wanting to do for a long time, so that was easy. Then for the second album we didn't want to repeat ourselves too much so Martin came up with the Pacific and what led up to the Japanese involvement. And this time he felt it would be good to try a slightly different approach and focus on a specific historical figure which became Erwin Rommel. The research he does is incredible, he literally disappears off the map with as many books he can get his hands on and doesn't come up for air until he's devoured them, and only then does he begin writing the actual lyrics which may take another few months.

(((o))):  On a similar note was it considered a gamble to base album 3 [The Rommel Chronicles] purely on a German general and have you received any negative feedback for this?

Ed: Back when we did Of Frost And War there was already some risk of being mistaken for Nazi's, but especially in Germany Martin's left-wing political convictions are well-known so we had no trouble whatsoever. Besides, one only needs to read the lyrics for a few minutes to realize what we're about. And it was the same with this album, we're signed to a German label (Metal Blade Europe) so they made sure we didn't do anything commercially stupid, but they trust our judgment. We did have some minor discussions about the artwork and what we could or could not do, so in the end we chose a rather abstract image for it that still manages to convey the theme of the album without actually portraying Rommel.

(((o))): What’s your favourite Tank and why?

Ed: Ahh, that would have to be the Tiger I. I like to compare the band to one of those unstoppable war-machines, crushing everything in its way... it's near-indestructible, heavy as fuck, just a brutal machine!

(((o))): What is the most surprising/interesting fact that you have discovered during your research into an album?

Ed: I can't really name one thing but usually when he's doing his research Martin comes up with all kinds of titbits, and he recounts them with much gusto in the dressing room or on the road. Cool stories about the secret route that Rommel devised which made his division appear almost like ghosts in their swiftness (‘DG-7’ is about that), or the specific details of his forced suicide. I'm not nearly the history-buff Martin is, so for me it's usually very interesting to hear these things.

(((o))): Are there any topics you won’t cover for any reason (E.G. Holocaust)

Ed: That for me would be one, we want to maintain a certain level of "fun" and although we touch on many horrific subjects (whenever we do ‘Tokyo Napalm Holocaust’ the mood gets a little grimmer) I don't think the Holocaust would make a very tasteful subject.

(((o))): Do you plan to stick to World War 2 material or do you have any desire/plans to approach a different subject?

Ed: That's really up to Martin but I think that for now we'll stick to WWII, it suits our music well and there are still tons of topics left to explore.

(((o))): Do you keep track off and enjoy other World War 2 themed bands such as Sabaton or Eastern Front and have you ever thought about putting on a ‘war-torn’ themed gig or festival with bands such as these?

Ed: I don't get Sabaton at all, to be honest. Happy-sounding power metal with war-themed lyrics doesn't make much sense to me. We wanted to name one song on the new album "Ghost Division" but then we found out that Sabaton had already written a cheerful ditty by that name so we had to work our way around it. To each his own, but I don't think we'd belong on the same bill, haha

(((o))): Has being seen as a ‘supergroup’ been a help or a hindrance to your career?

Ed: When we started out it helped in getting our promo heard, but even then we all felt it was a major misnomer. I mean, it's not like we were in Slayer or Metallica before and we all see Hail Of Bullets as just a band (yep, band, not project). To me a supergroup is a bunch of rich and successful guys getting together to record one uninspired album and then dissolve again, not at all how I view this band. But I'm sure we sold some albums thanks to the "featuring so and so" tags, although I like to think those people would have found us anyway. So apart from the first few months neither help nor hindrance, I'd say.

(((o))): You have a long running partnership with Dan Swano with all your albums, how did you get involved with him and is he the only man you consider for the job?

Ed: When we got around to unleashing our first promo we all agreed it had to sound great, we were doing old school death metal but we wanted a "modern" production. It didn't take long for Dan's name to come up, and as luck would have it I'd just befriended Rogga Johansson who was in a band with Dan (Demiurg). I asked him to check with Dan if he'd mix our promo, and he said he would if I'd agree to join Demiurg on drums, which I did of course! Needless to say he did a killer job and even delivered some devastating growls, knowing full well we'd go back to him as soon as we had a record deal (which, partly thanks to Dan's mix, didn't take very long). And 3 albums down the line we're still extremely happy to be working together, it's a stupid cliché but he really feels like a 6th band member.

(((o))): You’re planning to tour again in 2014, will this include the UK?

Ed: Hopefully, yes. The UK has been difficult to break so far but we'll give it another shot if we get the chance. For now we're booking mostly festival appearances and one-offs, actual touring has never really been an option for us due to our regular jobs and other bands, but we'll try to visit as many countries as possible again.

Last week Gary Jackson reviewed the debut EP Zebra Pilot by French rock band Duck Explosion. He was so intrigued by the name that he wanted to find out more, so read all about exploding plastic ducks and French rock music.

(((o))): Hey guys, thanks for doing this interview with us. Can you give us a brief background introduction to the band, like who is who etc?

Wil: Thanks to you and thanks for the great review! We really like it! My name is Wil and I'm the cofounder of the band and I play guitar. Duck Explosion was created by two friends and roommates Jey Bridge and myself. A common passion leads us: ROCK!! 70's rock for one for one and more alternative rock for the other. We create the alchemy, which gives its foundations to the band. Charly Poppins, a singer with heavy metal influences who marks the songs by his hoarse and energetic voice, then joined us. Later we were joined on the bass by Saraswati Inthesky, who is an arranger and a composer of harmonious tones, and finally by drummer Luca who quickly learned to hammer the rhythms of Duck Explosion.

(((o))): Can you give us a brief history of the band please?

Wil: We created the band in March 2010 in a little town. We worked very hard the first year, so we created many songs, and at the end of the first year we decided to play live! The second year we played approximately 40 concerts everywhere in France (Marseille, Paris, Avignon etc.). We learned a lot in this year, but something was missing, which was a release. So we started to think about our first EP Zebra Pilot around September 2012, because we wanted to push our music to another level for our fans. In January 2013 we started to work very hard on the EP and we were back in the studio in April 2013. We finally released Zebra Pilot in October 2013 and now I’m here answering your questions.

(((o))): So fellas, Duck Explosion, you indicated that there was a story behind the name. What’s the story?

Wil: Well, for my roommate’s birthday in August 2010, I bought a gift and it was a plastic duck that used to light up when you slapped it. He decided to put this duck in our rehearsal room, and when we played very loud the duck used to make some lighting and I think this thing then began to become our emblem so we want a name with duck! The ‘Explosion’ part of the name came from the band Jon Spencer Blues Explosion as all the members are huge fans of Jon Spencer so we decide to put ‘Duck’ and ‘Explosion’ together. And at the end of every show we explode a rubber duck!

(((o))): What are the bands influences, musically and outside of music?

Wil: With 5 members with 5 different influences Duck Explosion is a mixture of all these influences. For me it's clearly The Strokes who are my influence for everything, my songs and the sound of my guitar! Charly is a huge metal fan, Jey is really more a 70's rock fan like KISS, Led Zep, and Saraswati likes the alternative stuff like Sonic youth, Dinosaur Jr etc. Our drummer Luca listens to Nine Inch Nails everywhere and all the time, I think at this point it's actually a disease (just joking!).

(((o))): I had written in the EP review that the band were kinda like post-hardcore, is this a fair reflection of the band’s style or would you place yourself somewhere else style wise?

Wil: We don't usually ask ourselves this question as I already said that Duck Explosion is a mixture of different influence and I hope we sound like Duck Explosion. As for the style everybody can hear something different! We basically play Duck Based Explosive Rock!

(((o))): What is the music scene like in France for you guys?

Wil: France is not a rock country, so we try more and more to play outside our own country like playing in Germany and all of the United Kingdom but it's a big thing to organise. So it's hard to do something with this type of music in France. Fortunately some people like Christophe Sousa from Dooweet help the band a lot.

(((o))): What is the best gig or venue you have played in?

Wil: Montfavet near Avignon last September 2012 was a great venue with a great crowd and it was a great show I think. It was a really special show for me personally because one week before the gig I lost my dad, so it was a really emotional concert, but he give me the strength for the show and lot more.

(((o))): Zebra Pilot was a four track release, have you any new material recorded or plans for a full length album?

Wil: We start to think about a six track EP for 2014 and certainly an full length album in 2015. We currently have 15 songs in the planning.

(((o))): What are your future aspirations as a band?

Wil: To play in London at some point would be a dream coming true for us. Besides this to travel for gigs, making some good records, play a lot and most importantly to have a lot of fun with our music. Basically what all bands want I think, but we always keep finding ways to think about our music, as it's maybe the most difficult thing to preserve with the music when you've got some success.

(((o))): Have you any gigs or tours that going to be taking place now or in the future?

Wil: We are playing on January 25th at Orange, which is a nice town. And a lot more gigs are coming quickly. We have our song ‘In the inside’ on the War Machine compilation Dooweet is putting out in the beginning of 2014, and we’re planning to shoot some videos, so stay tuned.

I really enjoyed answering your questions and I wish you all the best. Hopefully we will see you at a future gig!