Heavycore

Heavycore founder Pete Altieri does most of the interviews on here. We only interview Heavycore members or those who support our cause. If you're interested in doing an interview with Pete Altieri, you can contact him at join@heavycore.org

Pete - So I have to ask - how does a metal band survive on the island of Tasmania?

Joe - Well I guess it has been fairly hard especially in the beginning. It took quite a while for us to develop into a band that could play interstate in Australia let alone overseas, as we pretty much have to fly anywhere we go. This obviously strains our budget a fair bit. It did take a fair amount of perseverence. But I guess it also has had its benefits in a way. Being secluded in a place like tasmania has kind of kept us separated to a lot of the other scenes that are around so we tend not to get influenced by them too much, so hopefully that gives us a sound that seperates us from most other bands.

Pete - Tasmania seems like a beautiful place. What was it like growing up there?

Joe - I suppose its like growing up anywhere else really – its home to us so we dont really know any different. But after travelling the world a fair bit, you do get to notice how different it it really is. We all love it down there – its very quiet and there's plenty of awesome scenery to check out. I think the entire population of Tasmania is like 500, 000 in a land space the size of holland so its pretty small.

Pete - I like your new CD "Observant" and played one of the songs on my radio show back in November. How has it been doing?

Joe - Its been doing very well so far. The response to it has been very positive and we're very happy with the sales so far. We signed to nuclear blast shortly before its release, so that has been a huge help in getting it out to the public.

Pete - I noticed you got to tour with Kataklysm and the Black Dahlia Murder last year. How did that go?

Joe - That went really well. It was our first US tour and for a band that had never been out to the states the response was overwhelming. There were heaps of great bands and a lot of great people involved with the tour, so we really enjoyed it. We've been good friends with the guys from Black Dahlia for sometime, so it was great to play with them again.. We also just recently got off a European tour with those guys which was also a lot of fun!

Pete - So what's it been like playing with the legendary Carcass and the other kick ass bands on this tour?

Joe - Growing up listening to Carcass and then finally getting to share the stage with them is an honor. We never thought that they'd get back together to play shows, let alone that we'd be joining them! So yeah, its been great and the shows are going really well so far.

Pete - How have things gone over for you with the US fans?

Joe - Like I said, the response from the US fans has been great and it only seems to be getting better. So hopefully we can get back over here a lot more often.

Pete - The artwork on your CD is great - who did that for you? Is there any story behind it?

Joe - A guy called Raymond Swanland did the lastest artwork for us. Its a great piece. When we get people to do artwork for us we always try to give them as much creative control as we can. We find that artists seem to do their best work whenever they have complete control over the creative process. So with that piece, I think the only info we kind of gave him was to try and imagine an old forgotten trying to commit suicide and just let him come up with whatever he imagined from that. I think it came out great.

Pete - What do you think about the recording process? Do you like doing it - or is it a misery?

Joe - The recording process for us isn't too bad as we pretty much do all the recording ourselves. This keeps everything very relaxed and (most of the time) stress free. So I don't really mind doing it, because every time I record im always learning something new.

Pete - What 3 bands influenced you the most when it came to getting involved in music.

Joe - Hmm, not too sure really.. Its hard to pick only three bands that I grew up listening to really. If had to pick, I guess i'd say Soundgarden, Metallica and Pantera I reckon.. I listened to a lot of the Seattle style grunge stuff too, so I reckon that influenced me a fair bit.

Pete - Have you seen any good up and coming bands on your recent tours?

Joe - Yeah, heaps but its hard to pick them all out. I guess the most recent band that I thought was really cool was a band from the UK called Sylosis. They were really cool.

Pete - So what's up next for Psycroptic? Any last words?

Joe - Well, we've got a DVD/CD coming out later on in the year which should be pretty cool but until then I guess we're just gonna do a few more tours whenever we can.

Check 'em out online or by snail mail: PSYCROPTIC 70 Lochner St, West Hobart Tasmania 7000 Australia http://www.psycroptic.com http://www.myspace.com/psycroptic

Pete - So I have to ask, how did you guys come up with the name Hurtlocker and does it have some special meaning?

Tim - The name is something that Grant came up with. He grew up in Texas and I guess it is a common way of saying your about to kick somebody’s ass. I think it was a gym teacher when he was in grade school that would always say it and it just stuck in Grants head.

Pete - I see you guys have released several demos prior to your first CD, do you recommend up and coming metal bands to do the same thing?

Tim - I think that it gives bands a good way to mature, our first songs were different than the stuff from Fear in a handful of dust, but if you go back and listen to the demos you can hear a progression. It also doesn’t hurt to have demos to pass out at shows, with the band name and contact info on it, hell we would go to any big show and stand outside passing out demos to kids when they left the venues. Plus with the advancements in recording and home studios you can whip out a good sounding demo very cheaply.

Pete - I know you guys have opened up for some big national acts like Obituary, King Diamond, Anthrax, and Lamb of God. How were you able to do that - it seems that Chicago is very "political" when it comes to those coveted opening slots?

Tim - Well it’s funny you mention that because all the bands you just named we played with outside of the Chicago area. You are right about the political attitude towards opening slots, God I have been to so many shows where I just cringe at the local opener.

Pete - I read about the passing of Dan Ditella. So how has the new drummer been able to fit into the Hurtlocker formula?

Tim - Same old story for this band, Dan was a good drummer but he had issues , This band has had 2 real good drummers and everybody else is just trying to fill their shoes. Chicago has never been good to us for finding a drummer and starting over and over with new guys that are not into the band fully or have side projects get old real fast.

Pete - Are there any influences that you have that might surprise our readers?

Tim - No not really, I think when people hear us they might be able to tell what we listen to. The only one in the band that has some different influences is Grant and I wouldn’t be able to tell you what they are.

Pete - My band Low Twelve recently had the chance to open for you in Chicago, and I was impressed with the tightness of the band live. How often do you guys practice to keep that intensity up?

Tim - Surprisingly not that often, we got together 4 days before the show and ran through the set for the first time in at least a month . That’s one of the advantages to being a band that toured together, you can stay tight and not have to practice 3 or 4 times a week plus the other guys are in other bands as well and that leaves certain days out of the question to jam on, seeing as their other bands are more important than Hurtlocker.

Pete - How has the metal public accepted your latest CD, "Fear In a Handful of Dust"? Personally, it kicked my bald ass all over the place.

Tim - For the most part we have gotten good feedback on the album, but we never got a chance to tour the states and get our name out there. I think for a band on their first album it is very important to tour nonstop. Especially in a metal band that doesn’t have the means of mainstream radio as a promotion tool.

Pete - So what's up next for Hurtlocker?

Tim - Writing a new album and drinking a few beers, we are getting ready to just stop everything and write a new album. Stopping everything and concentrating on putting a new album together. We are hoping to get it done and be out touring by early summer but we will see what happens.

Pete - Is it true that Grant wants to steal my tampon throwing idea?

Tim - Yeah I think he has mentioned that, I am sure he will give you credit for it . I think it is a good way to break some ice with people that haven’t heard the band , very funny.

Pete - If you could kick the shit out of one of the following persons, which one and why? Tom Cruise, Kevin Federline, Clay Aiken, or Orlando Bloom?

Tim - Definitely that pussy Tom Cruise that guy has been pissing me off for years. I think to make it a fair fight I would have to fight them all at once, but hey if you can get them to agree, I’m in.

Pete - What do you guys think about the Heavycore concept of metal brothers helping each other out?

Tim - I think that’s what metal and especially the Chicago metal scene needs. There are too many tiffs between bands that just damages the scene. It’s all metal dude just play.

Pete - Anything else you'd like to add?

Tim - Keep an eye out for the new album coming soon .Hopefully by summertime thanks for your time and stay metal

Pete Altieri - I'm a huge fan of Death and the Individual Thought Patterns CD is one of the best. What was that like for you playing bass on that project?

Steve Di Giorgio - Who knew back then that it be what it means now? I was just returning once again to make another album with my friend that I had been jamming with since we were 18. We brought Gene in and it was one of the most cohesive line ups I have ever been privy to be part of. We were playing the new batch of Chuck inventions and just trying to make our way through the metal movement, all the while searching for our own identities. There was a sense of urgency and hunger back then that I think is hard to retrieve now. It is the sound of our youth and the sound of individuality. Not to say that things have gone stale, but the attempt to capture that vibe from that album session hasn’t been repeated by anyone since. Chuck searched for it later times, and I am always compared to that chapter of my playing. It was a mix of desire, timing and luck. But back then it was just the next one, and as much as we poured our hearts into it, no one then could have guessed of its staying power and eventual journey and unhindered majesty to classic status.

Pete - So what was it like to jam with the immortal Chuck Schuldiner? Anything we wouldn't know about him that you can share?

Steve - What is probably already known is that he had a huge inclination for music. Playing, listening and contributing. He loved cranking the tunes in the car or out on the deck for the bbq as much as he loved cranking the amps up. He really got into little intricacies of what was going on during the songs while we were playing them. When me and Gene would talk about some little part we were working out together he would listen and seem to understand. Then later in the car while listening to the rough mix he would air bass or air drum the part to show he was aware of our contributions. Stuff like that, I only point that out because I’ve worked with a lot of guys that aren’t that much analytical about parts other than their own.

Pete - It always amazes me to think about how Chuck changed band mates so much but kept improving with each CD. Was he tough to work with or did he like moving the musicians around?

Steve - Neither. He was not only easy to work with, but fun and one could only be enthusiastic about it from the encouragement he pumped out. Every musician that came and went has their own story I’m sure, because the coming and going of each was unique to their own situation. Some guys went peacefully; some went through some kind of falling out - we’ll say. It is easy to see the revolving door going on, but you also have to recognize that a lot of guys lived far from Florida, and I can tell you from experience that it’s really hard to plan far into the future when you’re working so remote with all kinds of transportation all the time.

Pete - You've also played with Testament, another one of my favorites. You played on the First Strike Still Deadly CD and your tone is incredible. What was that like playing with those guys?

Steve - Not as easy going as the Death days, but a whole different trip. In Testament, compositionally things are more formulated, less room for experimentation, that sort of thing. But the history and success level, at that time, was the highest I had been around. So it was a welcome challenge to try to fit in an established, well respected metal force. And by the time we had recorded First Strike... I had already one previous album, a few semi-official videos and a lot of touring with those guys. Also I had weathered many lineup transformations too, so I felt a little more entrenched in my role with the band. Chuck saw this too and suggested that I record alone with the engineer, who was Doug Hall from Iron Maiden at the time. So working just me and Doug in the studio was basically me in charge of my tone with the guy who dialed in Steve Harris’ sound every show. I think it came out the closest to what I like to sound like, as opposed to what the “formula” usually was.

Pete - I was going through chemo at the same time Chuck Billy was, and that was the CD he recorded during that time. He must be a strong mother fucker. I know how much that kicked my butt. I will have been in remission for five years next month and hopefully Chuck is doing as well. Any comments about Chuck and his battle?

Steve – Chuck is a true warrior in personal battle. He is the most positive person I have ever met. I worry too much and usually have a dark outlook on life compared to him. To watch him take such a devastating illness and kick its ass into submission (remission) was very inspiring to me. Makes one realize that the power of the mind and a positive attitude are more than just ideas, it’s really fucking real. And when I try to agonize over bullshit now, I try to remember that things can get worse and still be conquered.

Pete - Your band Sadus just came out with a new CD. It rips! How are things going with that?

Steve - Yeah, after all this time...! We found time amongst all the side projects and things life throws at us. We found time to get together and make a new batch of songs sound new and fresh but pull ingredients from the old sound we used to make. But above all we found the page. The same page. It takes a lot more than intent to get on the same page after such a long break. It had to be something that was beyond just saying we wanted a album of new songs. I think we were feeling it at different times along the way, but somewhere in 03 and 04 we finally felt the urge at the same time and got serious. And we realized then that it takes more than just getting together and making noise to make something that not only sounds good but also has the right vibe. I think if we were forced to make that album any sooner it wouldn’t have turned out the way Out For Blood did. We’re really happy with what we’ve managed to put together. We don’t really rely on the band for financial purposes so we treat it like a hobby. But it was nice to validate all the time invested in the hobby with something that has that much heart and sweat and blood from all the time we’ve been together.

Steve - Well we finished a pretty cool tour of about 8 or 9 countries in Euroland with Darkane and Gory Blister. It was cool to play the new stuff live for the first time, and it was obvious when we played places that already had the new album. Having completed phase one, we’re looking into some offers for the US and South America right now for this winter. Nothing has solidified yet, but if any or all of these offers comes thru, we’ll be furthering the new music upon the willing ears

Pete - I know you play a fretless bass, I can tell from your tone. What other weaponry do you have in the arsenal . . as in amps, processors, cabinets? Any secret weapons?

Steve – No secret weapons man, just fresh strings, and a loud ass amp. I want to hear the inflection of the fingers on the strings against the wood. I don’t like active pickups that over saturate the tone. I use a few effects, but all are foot pedals and not some over blown processor. I’m still primitive enough to admit that electricity needs to power the sound of the instrument, and that extra computer processing is relying too much on the technology. In my opinion that takes away from the integrity of actually learning to make music, eventually it leads towards leaning on non-music making electronics.

Pete - Heavycore is all about brothers helping brothers and have helped lots of metal bands gig exchange and work together. You've been a member of Heavycore for years, what do you think about the Heavycore way of doing things?

Steve – Dude, you can tell from how long it took me to get this interview back to you that I don’t spend a lot of time tripping on this computer. I’m not really sure how my membership has realized anything. But if you say I’m a member for years, maybe you can tell me if anything cool came out of it.

Steve – Thanks to Heavycore for the attention and support. Keep up doing what you’re doing; you’re the strength of metal. Thanks to anyone who read this and has become all the more wiser. Sadus – Out For Blood has been out for a few months now, thanks so far for all the killer comments for the long overdue album. If you haven’t picked it up yet, get a hold of one, 11 brutal songs and it has a cool behind the scenes – making of – type of video to watch on your computer too. Awesome to see everyone in the countries we played over in Euroland, and hope to partake in some metal mayhem in the north and south of America soon. Check www.sadus.us for band info. Metal!

Pete Altieri: Joey, thanks so much for taking the time out to do this. I see you're in the middle of another solo CD. Can you tell us about it and when can fans expect it?

Joey Vera: The project is called A Chinese Firedrill and the record is titled “circles”. I hate trying to describe the music to people. I’m bad at it. It’s kind of Art Rock sounding to me, that’s all I can say. I was trying to have it done by the end of July but as usual it’s late. I hope to have it done and available by early September. You’ll be able to get it at my website www.joeyvera.com or at www.cdbaby.com

PA: I'm a bass player too and I really love your tone live as well as in the studio. What kinds of things do you do live as compared to in a studio to keep that tone consistent?

JV: Nothing really. I use my 1979 SVT head with an 8x10 cab live and in the studio. The only real difference is that I also record with a DI in the studio and I play with a bit more control. Lately I’ve been using Direct preamps in the studio mostly the Sans Amp PSA-1 and the RBI.

PA: I'm hard on strings and most bass players are. I see you use DR Handmade strings. Do you have any advice you can give players who have this same problem and want to keep their strings fresh without spending a fortune?

JV: I’m not really hard on my strings other than the sweat from an hour and a half show. I think the biggest problem with strings going dead is when they are put on the bass to begin with. A lot of people over stretch them when they are first tuning the bass. Over stretching the string opens the wind and makes a nice big space for things like dirt and oil from your hands. I use the self locking method of winding the string to the tuning pegs and then there is no reason to stretch your strings. They stay in tune and they last longer. Don’t over stretch your strings!

PA: So many metal bass players use 5 and 6 string basses today. I've seen you use a 4 and 5 string bass. What is your preference?

JV: I prefer 4. It’s what I feel most comfortable with. I really like my 5 too but the 4 is like being home.

PA: I didn't see speakers listed on your site and wondered if you just used an 8-10 Ampeg cabinet live or did you also use some bigger speakers for low end?

JV: I just use 8x10’s – two of them when possible. I used to have 2 Mesa Boogie 2x15 cabs but it was like “why?” – 160 inches of speaker vs 60 inches of speaker – aside from farther projection, there’s no contest.

PA: You've played (and still do) with so many bands to include Armored Saint, Fates Warning, and Anthrax. How do you fit into each but still maintain your style of playing?

JV: I don’t know. I think I play a little differently with each band but in the end it’s still me playing. I guess I make each gig my own.

PA: What bass players got you interested in playing bass and why?

JV: First it was Geezer Butler, John Paul Jones, John Entwistle. Then in 1979 came Jaco Pastorious. I was turned on to his first solo record by a friend and I never returned it! Jaco showed me (and many others) that you could groove with the drummer but also be melodic with the vocalist. Not to mention the use of 16th note grace notes. Jaco changed the way I looked at the bass guitar. I owe it all to him. I use things he influenced me with all of the time.

PA: I know you knew Cliff Burton well and have read about some of things you've said about him. He seemed like such an interesting person. What did he use to get that infamous bass tone?

JV: He used those big 2x15 Mesa Boogie cabs! His sound was part his basses, his fingers and his set up. I think he used to have all Mesa stuff. In fact he was the reason why I went over to Mesa for a while. But I could not get enough of that SVT “distortion” that they are famous for. Cliff used some kind of box to get that out of his rig. Mostly though it was Cliffs hands that made his sound like him.

PA: I've been a Fates Warning fan since they started. One of my favorites is "A Pleasant Shade of Gray". I happened to see the Champaign IL date of that tour. What was that like being a part of such an epic project like that - live and in the studio?

JV: It was pretty amazing. That was my first record with them and the way they made it was unusual for me at the time. They wrote and recorded demos bi-coastally as the members live on the east and west coasts. So, I’d get a demo with bass parts and without, along with a sort of road map with the parts, some written in notation some not. Then Mark Zonder and I would get together and we’d come up with our own interpretation of the parts but not always deviating from the demos much. We’d record our parts with a slave demo mix and send it back to Jim Matheos for a listen. He’d make comments and we’d keep doing this until we were all happy. For the most part Jim told me to go for it and write my own parts but some of the parts he had written for the song would end up winning because it’s what the song or part wanted. It was obvious what was right and what wasn’t.

By the time we were ready we all got together and had live rehearsals for about a week and right after that we went in to record. By the time I got to my parts I was pretty well rehearsed which made the recording go pretty quick for me, about 4 (5 hour) days. I always leave some parts open for improvisation though and I don’t really know what I’m playing until the record light is on. I’ve done this with every record I’ve ever made. Makes it more exciting for me.

Playing APSOG live was one of the best live experiences for me in my career. When we had those nights when everything was just right, it was truly magical. APSOG is one of my proudest recordings.

PA: I also love the Fates "Live in Athens" DVD. That crowd looked crazy! Anything you'd like to tell our readers about those Greek shows?

JV: Greece “LOVES” Fates. My first trip to Greece was with Fates and I made many friends instantly from that first trip. The Greeks are some of the nicest, most hospitable people I’ve ever met. They love their bands there too. Some of the most insane crowds in the world are in Greece. They just go nuts for the bands they like. There’s always a lot of love in the room when you play Greece. I’ve since been back about 5 times, even for a vacation or two. I fuckin LOVE Greece!

PA: I've read that you really hate the music business. Do you have any basic advice you can give a band that actually wants to do this for a living and stay out of trouble?

JV: The only reason you should do this is because you love to make music, and for no other reason. The chances are slim that you’ll make any kind of living from it so If you happen to, it’ll just be extra gravy. But the most gratifying thing will have to be the music you make. You cannot expect anything in return or else you’ll set yourself up for disappointment. For me, making music is art. Business comes into play but after the fact. First, I make art for myself. It doesn’t matter to me how much money my art doesn’t sell for. I’m forced to be self indulgent. Do it because you love to make art.

PA: I also see you're very involved with recording your own music with Pro Tools. My band took a full year to do our last CD totally by ourselves with Acid Pro - so I know how much work is involved. Any advice to our readers who want to get started recording themselves?

JV: Just do it (to quote an old ad campaign). The only way to learn and get good at anything is with practice right? The same applies here. In recent years the tech industry has made it possible for just about anyone to have the ability to record and produce a record in your own home. The misconception is people think that having the best gear equals getting top quality results. Unless you know what you’re doing, it’ll never happen. For someone starting out, I would suggest learning about how digital recording works, miking techniques, using compressors, using quality pre amps stuff like that. Then realize that you need to start with good players, a good band with good sounding equipment. If you record poop, you’ll get good sounding poop. But it’ll still be poop. Look at it as troubleshooting. Do it and learn from your mistakes. Listen to records that were done in a similar way you’re doing yours. Don’t expect to sound like a record that cost 100,000 to make unless you have 100,000 to pay for yours. Figure out how things work, figure out your mistakes and do it over and over and you’ll get good at it.

PA: Would you like to mention anything else to our readers?

JV: Thanks for keeping us alive. For any further info or to keep in touch please visit my site www.joeyvera.com

Pete Altieri- So what is your bass of choice when playing live? What about when you're recording?

Kim Tornianen - Hehe, the "bass of choice" question is a bit dangerous, because I'm somewhat a gear addict and can get a bit excited when talking about gear...But with TK, I mainly use a Warwick Corvette Standard that I found and bought used a few years ago. It isn't the lightest of basses (bubinga body, ovangol neck) but it has a nice, dark sound with a good growl (the legendary Warwick Growl..) and gets 10 points out of 10 in reliability. I tune it before a gig, put it through a beating and still is in tune after the gig. I used this bass in the studio when recording "Swarm!" too. When I record and demo stuff home, I might also use a 6-stringed Ibanez or a Fender fretless Jazz that I just bought. But you could say the Warwick is my main bass of choice at this moment.

Pete - Strings wear out easy for me. What kind do you use and do you have any tips for our readers to help keep them fresh?

Kim - I have the same problem, my hands get really sweaty and acidic when I play and that kills the strings pretty quickly. A combination of fast fret and wiping the strings after every time I play lengthens the strings' lifespan, but even that is just postponing the inevitable. Changing the strings often seems to be the only solution. I've also noticed that GHS strings are the ones for me that lose their freshness slower than others,
when other people have said other brands work better for them. So trying different strings might help too.

Pete - Do use your fingers or a pick? What do you feel are the advantages/reasons why you choose that way?

Kim - I actually started to play bass with a pick, because I've played the guitar for years, but switched to playing with my fingers pretty soon after
that. I liked the sound of it, and it just felt more natural and "free" for me. I came to the conclusion that with my fingers I could do the same
things than with a pick, but I could also e.g slap/pop or tap more freely. But a matter of personal preference in the end, I guess. One extra benefit
is that I don't have to panic before a gig, because I've lost all my picks. Just grab the bass and start playing, hehe.

Pete - What kind of amp/processors do you use?

Kim - In my rack I have a Warwick Profet 3.2 Head, a Fender rack tuner and a power conditioner. The head goes into a Warwick 411 Pro Cab. Between the bass and the head I usually put a MXR Bass D.I+ for some grit. My "ideal" setup for TK would be just my bass straight into the head and no pedals in between. I also have some other pedals and a Line 6 bass Pod but I mainly use them for home demoing.

Pete - What bass players inspired you to decide to pick up the bass in the first place?

Kim - I actually ended up as a bass player almost by accident. The guys in TK needed a bass player, I said "I've got a bass" (a cheapo that I had used in home recording) and got the gig. After a while I realized that I liked it more than playing the guitar and started taking it seriously. I had been a guitar player up until that point.

But as bass players go, we could say that Roger Patterson, Alex Webster and Tony Levin turned me into a bassist. They all had/have their own style, which I admire. Patterson for his crazy chops, Webster for his speed & stamina and Levin for his melodic/rhythmic sense.

Pete - How did the bass tracking go for the new CD?

Kim - It was a pretty smooth deal. We figured what the sound should be, and I played the tracks in. All done in one day.

Pete - Thanks for doing the interview. Is there anything you'd like to pass on to our US readers?

Kim - Thanks for the interview and hopefully we'll see you on tour someday!

Lisiya Gori hail from Huntsville, Alabama and have been together a year, dishing out Thrash/Extreme/Death Metal, with a spiritual message. The members have come from various area bands, such as: Fleshtized, Spinecast, Temple Of Blood, Quinta Essential and Stateofdecay.

They have been influenced by the likes of Morbid Angel, Pantara, Acid Bath, Opeth, SOD and numerous other bands. The website says they sound like everything you’ve ever heard before. Done well.

Members: Eric Baumann – Vocals, Matt Barnes – Guitar, Lance Wright – Drums and

Eric Baumann: Well the new EP is something we knew we needed to rush out to get us heard. Funny thing is that when we did it we had been together for three weeks. Me living two hours away from the rest of the band, I only got up there once a week. We practiced for like three hours so really we did the CD only after about nine hours of practicing. I write all the lyrics lol and I didn’t even know all the songs. We wanted to give out a few of the mid abrasive songs we had so not to give you everything all at once, just a taste. I can’t wait till the world gets a chance to hear the full-length CD, which we are going to start in May.

DD: The band played shows in 5 states in February, what are your tour plans for the spring?

EB: Well as of right now, we are doing sporadic shows through Tennessee and Alabama in the next few months. We are preparing for a full-length album that should be out sometime this summer. We are going into the studio in April and May. Once the album is ready the sky is the limit. Our goal/plan is that towards the end of the summer we are planning full on onslaught across the country starting here in the south going towards California, go north and across the northern states, pretty much a full U.S tour, all on our own .We are very close with signing with Bomb Works Records, which should take effect in the next coming months. Also March 28th Motley Crue we’ll be playing Huntsville. We and the venue (The Benchwarmer) have worked out a deal for the band (Motley Crue) to have an after show party that which we are going to be playing. So that is one big thing for this spring that we are looking forward to.

DD: Give me a glimpse of your show.

EB: Pure chaos! If one has ever seen an old Pantera show, you know the energy level. We provide that loss in the metal scene that we as metal fans have been lusting for, for some time now, pure energy! Our fan base is growing every day and as we let time take its course the crowds will grow but in our hometown Huntsville, the metal scene is thriving. It’s very much alive and strong. We will normally pull out at least 3 or 4 hundred people. And the more energy we absorb from the fans the crazier the show. One won’t be able to relax, lol. We did this one show in Little Rock Arkansas and some guys had had too much to drink and had passed out at a table in front of us playing. I took it upon myself to make sure he got his moneys worth out of the show so I got the crowd and myself to circle around and get on top of the table to sing them a lullaby. Needless to say they woke up. Which later on they actually thanked us for doing it haha. We try not to have a set list so that the show will take its own course. We like to improvise a lot. Though the songs are the same you’ll never see the same show.

DD: What kind of underground scene is in Birmingham?

EB: Unfortunately the scene in Birmingham is lacking. Unless you’re into rap or lite rock, the metal scene isn’t there. It’s really sad to be honest because there are some fantastic bands in Birmingham. It used to be such a thriving scene here but after many of the clubs shut down, and we lost every decent radio station, killing off any vessel of promotion. It’s funny we refer to the city as, boring ham. Even the great bands that have made a name for themselves in Birmingham only get maybe 70 or 80 people. It’s really kinda sad there is no unity for a scene. But we and a few other bands and promoters are trying to change that. It’s a slow process but we will bring a lively metal scene back to this dying city such as it was when we had the Boiler Room. Many a great band played there and the scene was strong as well as the music. But to be honest the majority of the band lives in Huntsville and I travel about 2 hours up there to practice .We also do a majority of our home shows there. Not playing in Birmingham too much because of the lack of support for music there. We know where home is, and we know its Huntsville.

DD: What made you think to name the band after the fictional mansion in the Tolstoy novel, War and Peace?

EB: To be honest and straightforward, Garth Lovvorn, my bass player, read the novel
and felt the name was very powerful, which the rest of us agree. It’s not your average name and depending on whom you ask in the band you will get a different pronunciation. But the over all view is that we are an Old Testament type of Christian band. And the name is such as when you die you inherit a mansion and every room is the size of a mansion and when we die, our brethren and us will go there. We are not a bible-thumping band by no means. Our quote of sorts is “WE ARE THE SULFUR AND THE LOCUST IN THE VOICE OF GOD”. We aren’t trying to convert anyone. My own view is that God is unforgiving and wants you to know you are his ant in the farm, other wise you get the locust (horns). Whatever I admire that you should know there is always something bigger and badder than you. The devil isn’t as such; he’s like a friend that always wants to get into trouble but you get all the blame. What a pussy! Jesus is the hippy that says you know I lived in their shoes, it sucks and forgives them. I like the idea of that. The overall meaning and message is, live your life well no matter what you believe. We don’t judge, it’s not our place.

DD: What has surprised you most about being in a metal band?

EB: The love you get for what you feel you are doing is right for yourself, for the scene, and for music period. The pure fucking enjoyment of it. The people that are into this scene will always make you feel you are amongst brothers in a unity even the ones who can’t stand up cause they’re to drunk. The shock value of people when they hear us, then find out what we are about; it seems to earn us more respect, we hold no punches. And being metal and in a scene that for the most part doesn’t accept our ways and to see them understand it and respect it once one of our shows are done.

EB: To take over the world. Spread the message. Sell a ton a CD's to real metal heads and infiltrate the commercial scene and take it by storm. Tour our Asses off; make the most deeply brutal metal that we can get signed to a major label. Be a household name.

EB: The Internet metal scene. We all have had bands prior to this one, which had been on

Heavy core so we knew where to turn to for support and unity we knew we had to be a part of Heavy core because you guys are the shit and growing.

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Jo Bench's label, Metal Blade Records.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I'm a fellow bass player, a huge Bolt Thrower fan, and LOVE the new CD. I noticed your bass tone is really killer and sounds louder in the mix. What did you do different this time around?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Thanks a lot, glad you're liking the album! Well with this album I spent more time working on my bass sound. I bought a couple of new distortion pedals and a duplicate set up - amp, speakers, etc. So in the end I spent 2 days or so messing around until I found a sound that I was 100% happy with. It's the best sound I've ever had and I'm really happy with it. It compliments the sound of the two guitars without being swamped or being too prominent and it really made the album sound fuller. It was quite a gamble to raise the bass in the production, but I think it paid off and hopefully we can do the same on the next one.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - You guys have been at it for so long, how do you keep the metal flame burning?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - I think it's because we genuinely love what we do and we're doing it for the right reasons. We're all very passionate about the band, we don't write to order or release to make money so it's all a very natural process and I think that shows in the music. At the end of the day, we're still 5 friends making music that we enjoy, it's that simple.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I'm sure you've been asked over and over about what it's like to be a female in a death metal band. But what do you think it's like for the guys (in your band and others you play with) around you? Does it make them feel weird to have a woman play a bass as mean as you do? You're awesome!

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Ha ha, good question! To be honest, I've no idea what they really think about it, you'd have to ask them! All I can say is from day one I've always tried to make the fact I'm female not an issue and I'd like to think I've succeeded. I just get on with it and I work damn hard, so hopefully the other members don't even think about my gender and just appreciate me as another musician in the band.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Do you have any plans to come to the US ? I'm dying to see you guys live.

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Well we really hope so, it's been too long since we last came over. As soon as we get a decent offer we'll be there. There are talks of a US tour later in the year with Malevolent Creation, and that would be great, 'cos we just toured Europe with them and we all had an amazing time. We'll see I guess.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Do you have any plans to release a DVD in the future?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - We filmed some of the shows on the last tour and some of the footage may end up on the website or somewhere, but whether we do an official DVD or not I'm not sure.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Is there any way to get my hands on the double CD For Victory with the Live War CD? I've tried a few times to bid on ebay, but they go for $40 or more. I would love to get one. What do you think of that CD?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - Hmm, there were only a limited amount of that CD pressed, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to get hold of one nowadays, especially for a good price. Sorry. The live recording isn't that amazing, but you get the idea, but nowadays we have a much better sound/set/tightness, etc.. Might be worth waiting for the next live release... if we do one!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - What kind of bass strings do you use? Do you play a 4-string?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - They're nothing special - Rotosound .45 - 105. I've been using them for years and never had any problems, so I've stuck with them over the years. And yeah, I play a 4-string. I'm no virtuoso and my style is pretty basic, but I get by ok.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Have you guys discussed when fans might see the next Bolt Thrower CD?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - No, we're still recovering from the doing the last one! There was plenty of blood, sweat and tears that went into recording Those Once Loyal, so we're not even gonna think about writing the next one for a year or two. We've never been in a rush to release albums, we just do it when we're ready and 100% happy with the songs. Maybe the fans are disappointed they have to wait so long, but hopefully it's worth it in the end.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Thank you so much for taking the time out to do this interview. Do you have any parting shots for our readers and fans?

Jo Bench/Bolt Thrower - No problem at all, cheers for the interview. I'll just sign off with the usual thanks to all the Bolt Thrower fans out there, we appreciate your support over the last 20 years! We hope to come over to the US sometime soon, but until then, stay loyal. Cheers, Jo.

Unburied have been haunting the St. Louis metro area for several years now. The band formed in November of 2003 but didn’t get serious until May of 2004. Unburied has been influenced by the likes of Pantera, Slayer, Lamb Of God, Carcass, Sodom , Destruction and Death. The website says,” Sacrifice. Not a sacrifice to the great Satan. Unburied has sacrificed melody for brutality, intensity and aggression.”

Members: Joe Rabus – Vocals, Andy Beineman – Bass, Dreathus Harris – Guitar and Tim Brown – Drums

CD’s: The Revival EP (July 2004), II EP October (2004), Welcome To Your Graveyard (2005) and Blasphemy Through Dismal Actions (2005)

Diane Demeter: What's all the chaos going on in the Unburied camp (CD and line-up changes)?

Dreathus Harris: Well we released "Blasphemy through Dismal Actions" on November 12th, and that same night after the show Joe told me he was quitting the band. There was a lot going on and we thought that the band was over and done for. After a month or so we started to get back together just to jam and mess around and we decided to get the band going again since we were refreshed. We didn't know who would sing and we started looking around and Justin from Misanthropic, joined on New Years Eve 2005. Unburied and Misanthropic have played tons of shows together so we knew him pretty well and we knew how his voice sounds so we knew it was destined for destruction.

We're now releasing an EP hopefully around the first couple weeks of March called "Pure fucking Brutality", it features the heaviest most brutal shit that Unburied has done and we redid it all with the new line-up. You can pick it up from our website or at our shows.

DD: Tell me about the summer touring you have lined up.

DH: We are planning on going on a lot of road trips. We've been playing in St. Louis for almost 2 years now and we want to branch out to other areas and go crazy with other people.

DD: Give me the details; what goes down in an Unburied show?

DH: We usually play about 12 or 13 songs and we like to wear lots of the blood we drained from the posers we slaughtered the night before. Inverted crosses, pentagrams, prosthetics, and bible destroying are some other common things at an Unburied show.

DD: What's the St. Louis Metal Scene like?

DH: It's definitely improving; I started following bands and what goes on back in 2001 before I was even in a band. There are some really fuckin' heavy bands out here who don't get nearly as much credit as they deserve.

DD: What does Unburied hope to accomplish in the future?

DH: Right now this is like a rebirth of the band, in the near future we're looking forward to our new release, and playing lots of shows everywhere we can. We have a lot of plans for 2006.

DD: How did you hear about Heavycore?

DH: I found it on midwestmetal.info when I was checking out other bands from the Midwest, I think around late 2003.

DD: Random Thoughts...

DD: None of us can wait to play shows again. It's been about 6 months since Justin has been on a stage and about 5 for the rest of us. Our new EP "Pure fucking Brutality" really rips, definitely something to check out if you like metal, its only going to be about $5 so there's no reason why you wouldn't have it!

Unburied Live schedule:
March 11th @ The Great Skate (troy IL)
March 25th @ Just Bill's (www.chunksofmeat.com)

Heavycore Member # 220
www.unburied.i8.com

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Mille Petrozza.

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Tom Angelripper. For anyone who doesn't know, Sodom is a great thrash metal band from Germany that has been pounding it out since the early 1980's and has been a huge influence on many bands.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - When you write songs, do you write the music first - then vocals? Or do you write vocals then music? Or both at the same time? Basically - how does Sodom put a new song together?

Tom Angelripper - That is always different, but usually we first have a couple of guitar riffs, than I start writing the lyrics.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Many modern metal bands seem to have forgotten the importance of melody in the vocals. You can still be brutal, but melodic? I think many of the Sodom vocals have a memorable melodicness to them. Would you agree with that?

Tom Angelripper - Yes, you are right. That is always important to Sodom and the big difference between Sodom and all the other “Metal” bands. I have to sing aggressive and scream it out but the most intense is coming from the musically vocal lines.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - One of my favorite Sodom songs is "Napalm in the Morning" off the "M-16" CD. What interests you so much about the US military? It seems to be a common thread in many of your songs. I'm a US Army veteran, so I'm honored by your attention to our armed services!

Tom Angelripper - I just use the Vietnam theme cause everybody knows what I am singing about with all of the movies about this war. I try describe how bad a war is, or could be, but always in a lyrically way and based on historical facts. I can't write lyrics about World War II, because I am a German. I did it in 1987 (Bombenhagel) and got misunderstood. Its just a song against war. You'll never find any political opinions in the songs. We hate war and thrash music gives me the chance to scream it out!. My dream is a peaceful world without wars and conflicts!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Your bass sound on the live "One Night in Bangkok" is incredible! What kind of bass amps and speakers do you use? Do you use any effects?

Tom Angelripper - I just use a Marshall amp (EL34), but the sound is coming from my Pre Amp “SANS AMP”. I prefer Ampeg 8x10”.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I know you have a new DVD that just came out, but I can't find it here in the US yet. Do you know when it's coming here (I don't know how much longer I can wait - ha)? Can you tell us something about what US Sodom fans can expect from it?

Tom Angelripper - It will be a double DVD. The first DVD contains the complete Sodom History from the year 1982 `til 1995. You'll see hundreds of unreleased pics, interviews will ex-Sodom members and people who are involved into the metal scene. This documentary is about 3 hours long, so if you are a Sodom fan you will miss nothing. The second DVD is a concert movie which we recorded in Bulgaria (Sofia) and a couple of festivals in Germany. It contains 22 Songs and some backstage and travel clips. I heard that this DVD will be released on February 21st.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - What about a new CD from Sodom? What's the status of that? (I can't wait for that either!)

Tom Angelripper - It's already recorded. We start mixing at the end of January. This is a real thrash killer! Its important to say that our Ex guitar player Andy Brings produced it. He has his own studio near my hometown.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I see from your website that you're coming the US in 2006, but there are only a handful of dates. Will you add more dates to the tour and who will you be touring with? If you come to Chicago or St. Louis - I'll be there!

Tom Angelripper - We will see! If we find a serious promoter in US we want to go for a bigger tour, why not? We never got the chance, and that is really sad. We know that we have a lot of Sodom fans over there and they are waiting to see us live for more than 20 years! Now the time is right!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I missed seeing the Sodom/Kreator/Destruction tour - is there any hope you'll ever do that again? I love German thrash metal!

Tom Angelripper - I talked to Schmier from Destruction, and he is really interested in to do it again. I'll although try to get Mille, but I think that he wants to go his own way with Kreator. The tour was successful and the fans enjoyed it. So, there is no reason not do it again.

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Your webmaster was kind enough to put a link to Heavycore on your website and we've added Sodom as honorary members for your incredible contributions to metal. Had you ever heard about Heavycore before this?

Tom Angelripper - NO, this is the first time I got in contact with you, but its important to get more support for our band with great websites like Heavycore!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I know you're a big Motorhead fan - have you ever thought about recording a song with the immortal Lemmy? Was he a big influence on your bass playing and vocals?

Tom Angelripper - Yes, Lemmy was a big inspiration for me at the beginning of the 1980's, but when we started in 1982 we where more into the Venom album “Welcome to Hell”. We tried to create our own style, which has to be heavier than Venom and faster Metallica (haha!) I like Lemmy's bass sound, that really kicks ass. When we toured with them in 1993 I always tried to find time to visit his sound check, and that was HELL !!!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - I really love the live version of "Sodomized" on "One Night in Bangkok". What kind of crap have you had to put up with having the name Sodom as your band name and a couple of songs with sodomy in the title?

Tom Angelripper - When my mother came into my room when I was a little child, she always said the words: “It looks like Sodom and Gomorrah”. That I will never forget. Sodom is a short band name with historical background and nobody had the idea to use it, so we did it !!!

Pete Altieri/Heavycore - Do you have any final words to pass on to our readers?

Tom Angelripper - Hope to see you on tour! The DVD is coming out in USA at February 21st and we are working to come for a bigger US Tour next year. Thanx for your support all over the years….TOM

This interview was conducted by Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri via email directly to Matt Bishop. Some of you may know of Matt as the guitar player/singer of Lividity. Now he plays in Human Artifacts.

This 4-man band, from Blythe, (Southern) California offends a lot of people and organizations and as a result continually is banned. Obviously they could care less and just want to play their music. Music is very much a big part of their lives and being in one band can’t satisfy the lust for more metal.

Example: Doh, Jay and Braedon are in the band Vesuvius (Death Rape Records/Fearless Prod.). Doh and Braedon are also in the band, Born Without God (Death Rape Records). Braedon is no longer a member of the band. Doh and Anthony are in, Lustmord (formerly Metal Blade Records). Anthony was in Axe Murder Boys (formerly Relapse Records) and Murders Inc.(formerly Pavement/Crash Music Inc.).

Members: Anthony Lustmord – vocals/lyrics, GoreHorror aka Doh – Bass, Slay aka Jay – Guitar/Drum Prog., The Virgin/Braedon – 2^nd Guitar

CD’s: Decimation Of The Diseased Womb – Demo, Torn From The Womb – full length, Split CD’s: Womb Raiders/Vesuvius, Womb Raiders/Daughter Of Lust and Womb Raiders/Speculum

Website: www.wombraiders.us

Diane Demeter: Hey Congratulations for going so far in The Core Wars!

Anthony Lustmord: Thanks. We are happy that we made it as far as we did; we thought Unburied was going to take us down but we narrowly escaped that one. We give it up to the winners though, as all the bands in this were cool and they've gained our crew and us as fans.

DD: You recently released your first full-length, TORN FROM THE WOMB, how's it doing?

AL: Pretty good. It's released on Death Rape Records. We're all very happy with the quality of the album and so far its getting great reviews. It is climbing the charts; we were at #87 in the Death/Black Metal genre out of over 6,500 listed so I think that’s a good thing...

DD: You describe your music as gore, porn, rape, grind! I bet you get tons of censorship (such as getting banned from PayPal, again)?

AL: ha ha yeah. We've been banned from PayPal like 4 times. They keep letting us back on and then banning us within a month. The laws in other countries are odd because it is against the law for people in countries like France, Australia, and Tasmania etc to sell our music, however we are able to sell in from here in the US. But shipping it can be a problem as customs will open the mail and look at the CD cover and lyrical content and if it violates the laws they can arrest the person buying it. So a lot of the more brutal gore stuff has to be sold on CD-R with a blank disc face and no lyrics (which is one reason the underground scene in Europe does so well.)

*** A short time after this interview was conducted, Anthony told me he had spent most of the day on the phone with Homeland Security because the French government said Womb Raiders were sending in illegal stuff, assuming weapons or drugs.

We've been banned from playing places here in the US also. It's a long story but certain bookers are dumbasses and cannot take a joke so they ban us and tried to ruin us, but that’s what one should expect when your songs offend people to the point of crying and attempting to cause bodily harm to you. We've also stepped away from the grind part for the most part so now we just say we're brutal and obscene Gore/Rape Metal: P

DD: Womb Raiders music is featured in the film, "The Day The Dead Livened Up", any other film credits?

AL: We've submitted music to lots of people. We have some early music in the film, Goat Of Mendes, and we have been talking to Vamping You Productions and Brain Damage Films for a while about having our music in some future releases. Darrin Ramage of Brain Damage is a really cool guy, and he’s a total metal head so doing music for his movies would be great and its something we're looking forward to very much. I'm not sure if the music is actually in any porno but I have some friends who do porn and they've played our music while doing live cam shows, and some vids for their websites.

DD: Tell me about your stage show; is it as gory as your music?

AL: Well our stage show depends on where we're playing. We do not play a lot due to being banned almost everywhere, but when we do it is something special. At our first show we did, it shocked everyone because it was at a backyard party and there were a bunch of kids running around and I spit blood at people. We use blood, rotten meat, maggots, bleeding girls (female fans we cut open on stage) We’re in talks with the bookers of Fall Fest (rock on the main stage (Kottonmouth Kings, Bad Religion and metal on the second stage) should be a couple thousand people there, we plan on fucking people up for life at that show! Going to go old school mayhem style and toss around pig heads and shower in blood. We have a song co written by Dennis Rader (BTK) called Blood Soaked Visions, that song is perfect for a bloodbath and ritual killing of virgins.

DD: How's the Underground music scene in Southern California?

AL: Honestly I'm ashamed of it! There are a lot of really cool bands but they're lazy fuckers and won’t play shows, and when shows are done the venues here like to fuck bands over and make them pay to play or just refuse to pay at all. The few saving graces here are I.E.Death, Graverot Promotions, and Dan Dismal/Church Of The 8th Day. All of which are great for the scene here in Cali. Were proud to be members of the IE Death Crew. All the bands hang with each other, tour with each other, and help each other out everyway possible. Dan Dismal is also a great bro. He is in Crematorium and runs the Church Of The 8th Day which books tours, shows, does flyers, and merch. He is a super cool guy and he is one of the best things to happen to the California metal scene for a long time!

DD: What are some future goals, of the band?

AL: Well we are going to be playing with Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse in 2006. We made out stuff available to members of both of those bands and they liked what they heard and told us who to contact and we did and thankfully those people liked our shit also. So playing with bands that have directly influenced not only Womb Raiders, but also the extreme metal scene, as a whole was a goal that we will get to do. We also want to do tours in other countries which again we have been lucky enough to connect with the right people and we're currently set to headline The Extreme Assault Fest in Malaysia in 2006, and we are working out details for a tour in South America in Feb./March 2006. We also would love to win CORE WARS NEXT YEAR!!!!!!! IT WILL HAPPEN! We just want to keep playing and getting our music out to everyone we possibly can. We would love to get out to the Midwest and play with the Heavycore bands in that area. Roast some posers. We would also like to have our stuff in more movies, and win some awards (a Grammy would be nice) but we'll take anything we can get. We also want to make Sadistic Intent stop being such lazy bastards and get those fuckers out and do some shows with them, and get them to put another CD out, as they are hands down one of the top 10 bands in the world!

DD: How did you hear about HEAVYCORE?

AL: I was in a band called De Kinderlokkers back in the day and we were Heavycore members before you had to pay to be a member. We had an issue with Rob Ghrol from the Milwaukee Metal Fest and we were talking to some heads about him and they mentioned something about they were just reading about him on a site called Heavycore so we checked it out and joined the core. After De Kinderlokkers was over and Womb Raiders became a serious project we joined the core…after all how can Heavycore be the home of the most brutal bands in the world if Womb Raiders are not members?

DD: Random Thoughts?

AL: Well it’s nice to do this interview, so we thank you for doing it with us. We would also like to hail all of our Heavycore bros. We want to send out thanks to Ron of IE DEATH, Joseph & Army Of Darkness, Accion Terrorista, Gang Raping Nuns, and of course Vesuvius for being such great friends/musicians! And of course we want you to all check out our music! We are still giving away free promos for anyone who wants one. And our CD is for sale and All Heavycore members/supporters get a discounted price. Thanks again for doing the interview with us. Our website is www.wombraiders.us for those who have not checked us out yet. I also write reviews/do interviews with bands for Raging-Metal Zine so any bands that want some publicity drop me an email. butcher@wombraiders.us

Scarlet Whore is from Housesprings, Missouri and originally formed as a metal cover band, in 2004, by alumni of St Louis bands, Dark Illusion and Synaxis.

If you love ‘80’s and ‘90’s Thrash, such as Anthrax and Overkill, with the Gothic look, this band is for you. The website says, “They have dedicated themselves to spreading chaos, perversion and destruction wherever they go.”

Members: Jackal – vocals, Sin – guitar, Shadow – bass, and Vlad – drums.

Diane Demeter: How are things going with the new vocalist?

Vlad: Very good we are extremely grateful we gave him an audition because just a week before our first show with all new members he stepped in to help and really picked up things fast and he has grown so much since then and we are all grateful he is a part of our family

DD: Why did the band choose the "character concept" for your music?

V: Well it’s because Shadow (bass) was trying to get everyone to come up with their BIOs for the website and everyone just never did it. And after awhile he got tired of waiting and dicking around with everyone so he decided to just make them up! And we all get into a different state of mind when we play so we just kind of mutated into our personas and thought it would be cool to do it live since that’s when we change is when we are all ready to kick some ass so it just stuck after that

DD: Is your new CD, "Rise Up" ready to be released?

V: Yes and No. We got a few shows lined up and we are going to take some time and finish writing some new songs and then play them out! We have a few new ones we have been playing out and people are really digging it and tearing the pits up it is great to see that. That’s why we test new stuff out live before we add it to our album it helps us see which ones will be better
for the album, but so far all of our new ones are getting great reactions. And a little news announcement!!! We decided to not go with "Rise UP" ! When we choose that title we thought it would fit, but since we started actually writing the material we
felt that Rise Up wasn’t the direction the music was going. So "ORGASMS AND DEATH SPASMS” is where we went with it.

DD: Has the band been surprised by anything yet, pertaining to the music business?

V: Not really surprised although we have played a few places that we were like ok, we are going to get shot!

DD: What does your band offer that other bands don't?

V: Well we have our own sound and originality and we tend to let our music speak for itself. We don’t take things lightly if you piss us off we don’t care that’s what fuels our inspiration to make some sick brutal ass music and then laugh about it. We are all laid back and we love doing what we do and we support other bands as well. Like I do promotions for other bands such as Divulsion, Womb Raiders, Skrim Shanker, Heavy Core etc. We don’t try to compete we are all family here and we just try to go out and support one another and put on a kick ass show for people and hang out with our friends and family (other bands)

DD: Scarlet Whore recently played in Chicago with some Heavycore bands, how did that go?

V: Well it would have been a Kick Ass night! LOL but we haven’t Played Chi- Town yet Although We would love to go there and get rid of a few Posers!

DD: How did your hear about Heavycore?

V: I heard about Heavycore from Divulsion actually I went to one of there shows and was like WOW!! These guys are fucking amazing, man I mean this show was just the best Local show I been to in along time! And they cease to amaze me every time I see them. This was before I joined Scarlet Whore and I asked them about websites and shit and I noticed one had a Heavycore shirt on that had the site on it I went home looked it up and was hooked then I got to join Scarlet Whore and they were like we are being reviewed now and a little bit later I was standing there with my membership card in hand and lacing up my boots getting ready for war!

DD: Random thoughts?

V: BE READY FOR WAR ALL FELLOW HEAVYCORE MEMBERS, BANDS, SUPPORTERS, CORE COMMANDOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM GETTING READY TO DECLARE WAR ON ST. LOUIS!! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS BECAUSE ME AND YOUR CORE COMMANDO MAGGOTT ALL HAIL!!!! LOL ARE GETTING BATTLE PLANS READY AND WILL BE SET TO UNLEASH THE FURIES!!!!!!!!! THE STL MUSIC SCENE SUX FLAT OUT AND WE ARE GOING TO COME FULL SWINGIN, GUNS A BLAZIN AND SHOW EVERYONE THAT METAL IS HERE TO STAY STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!

13 Winters hail from New England (Maine) and have only been around for a short time and they already hit the pages of the, “Shorts” column, in the July issue of Metal Maniacs. (Did ya ever notice all the Heavycore bands showing up, most of the time repeatedly, in the pages of MM? Hell Yeah!)

They play many different types of music, but it all is dark and heavy. 13 Winters show no loyalty to the critics, only to the fans and themselves…

Members: Die Winters – vocals, Mike Webb – drums, Malthe Schildroth – guitar, Roy Addams – keys, violin, backing vocals, Mike Evil a.k.a. Red Beard (new member) and Casey Chick – bass.

CD’s: Where The Souls Wander, full-length, enhanced CD (2004), Autumn Promo, Dark Embrace Demo-blackdisc, (2002 re-release of original Demo).

Website: www.13winters.com

Diane Demeter: Since I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the band perform, describe your show.

Roy Addams: We've always done our best to be entertaining. When we're playing it's all about the show. Crowds don't watch you with their backs to you so you need to give them something to look at. When permitted we incorporate lights, fog, stage make-up, blood and snow. All the audio intros that appear on our album are also used. When we're put in charge of a show
we sometimes take over the stage and build it up to look like the cover of the CD. We have just replaced our guitarist with one that's not only better musically, he's better in stage presence so we expect even better reactions from the crowd. A good chunk of the band is naturally showboats; we like to interact with the crowd, make some jokes. We're both serious and comical at the same time.

DD: Tell me about the "Dead and Autumn" video airing in Chicago on Channel 19 and having it air (late May-early June) on 25 other markets, on the "Marcuss Mixxs Boom TV", program. How did that come about?

RA: I'm friends with the band, Season Of The Wolf in Florida, they told me to send him a tape and that we’d be right up his alley. I did so and about a week later we got the news from Marcuss himself that we were going to be aired and also included into a short-term circulation. The more we're requested, the longer we stay.

DD: 13 Winters is playing the main stage of GothicFest in Villa Park, IL, September 17. Fill me in on the details.

RA: While there are still some more bands on the way, right now there’s Hanzel Und Gretyl, Slick Idiot, Grigori3, Slavedriver, Deepest Symphony, Ofearia, All Systems Halt, Spyder Baby, Rosenguard, Withering Soul, Drake & Reverend Agony playing as well. It's going to take place in the Odeum Expo Center, which is about an 8,000-person venue. All the info including tickets can be found at www.gothicfest.com. It's going to be an all day event filled with dark music, gear, tattoos, food and lets not forget... WOMEN. Did I mention music?

DD: What kind of impact, do want to have on underground metal?

RA: We will always want to keep at least a toe in the underground. It's pretty overwhelming when you think about it, there are so many bands in the underground, how could anyone really make an impact unless you get some serious fame going. We're not out to change the scene, we just play what we like and hope someone else does too.

DD: What are the bands goals for the future?

RA: Our main goal is to achieve a national level, with or without a major label. DVR is a label I started. The other members in the band do all the A+R with bigger labels in hopes of getting a contract that will get us some national (or international) distribution. Until then we will remain on DVR and go about business as usual.

DD: How did you hear about Heavycore?

RA: Actually it was from SlaveDriver. They too are playing GothicFest. I was checking them out and saw Heavycore.

DD: 13 Winters has been a Heavycore member for a few months now-how has it helped the band?

RA: Honestly, I haven't had much time to utilize the core yet, and I stress YET. We're located in Maine, which is the eastern most state in the U.S. Local Mainers have a motto "Born in Maine, live in exile." Because of our location it's hard for us to interact with the Core other than on-line. I have been visiting the site when I get a chance and I have to say Heavycore
IS the embodiment of band brotherhood. There are so many groups and sites claiming to be underground and all about camaraderie and "The Music" but all they usually are is a clique of friends who rag about bands all day. They have a lot to learn from Heavycore. Heavycore connects bands from all over the country (world) in a very mature, opened way. There's respect for one another.

DD: Random thoughts?

RA: Check us out on www.13winters.com We'll be playing PaganStock in Michigan on June 25th. Get the details on our site.

What a treat it was to interview Oderus (Dave Brokie). Now here is a guy who knows how to give an in-depth, very detailed interview. He was very gracious and easy to talk to. I was planning on doing a face- to -face interview but with a time conflict we settled on doing a phoner.

I love doing interviews the day of the show. You get all pumped up and can’t wait to see them live.

They played, that night at The Canopy Club in Champaign/Urbana, IL, which they have played numerous times before and I’m sure, will again. I’ve never seen the place so freakin’ packed. It was the best performance I’ve seen in a long time.

Speaking of GWAR shows, here’s a news flash for you: Gwar will be special guests, at the SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND TOUR. Check out this line-up: Clutch, Poison The Well, Opeth, From Autumn To Ashes, Unearth, Norma Jean, Every Time I Die, Chimaira, Throwdown, Strapping Young Lad, High On Fire, Madball, Terror, A life Once Lost, All That Remains, Devil Driver, The Red Chord, Full Blown Chaos, and F.B.T.M.O.F.

This summer 2005/U.S./Canadian Tour is stopping in Tinley Park, IL at the Tweeter Center Parking Lot, on July 8^th. Tickets are $29.50, for this show. They are also playing in Sauget, IL at Pop’s Lot for $29.00. What a deal!

For more information on the tour, dates in your area and to shave some fees from ticket price - www.soundsoftheundergroundtour.com.

DD: Oh Goddamnit, I’m so looking forward to your show tonight, I can’t stand it!

DD: Yeah you’re playing a show tonight! I’ll hunt your ass down. I’ve waited all fucking month for this!

O: No! I love girls! Usually they never interview me. The ratio of girls to guys at our shows is about 99 to1. We were walking around the House Of Blues (Chicago), last night and I was just trying to see a girl period, except for the bartenders!

DD: Oh man, well in Champaign/Urbana you’re going to get some girls there, bud! There is a big, strong female metal following!

DD: What the hell has the band been up to since the last CD (Violence Has Arrived)? It’s been three years, not that I’m complaining.

O: It’s three years, I know. Our Metal Blade contract came to an end and we uh wanted to look around and check out some other labels ‘cuz, nothing against Metal Blade-they are a great label, we just felt like we were just getting lumped in with all the other bands on the label and we just felt like were a gerbil on a treadmill. The contract that they gave us to re-sign, we were like, you know what, we’re not gonna sign it. We shopped around for a bit and talked to the guys at DRT and somewhere along that line I put out my little solo record and did a couple of tours with that and that whole process took three freaking years; well two years. We’ve spent the last year working on the new album. We used to crank shit out, basically an album a year. It takes a little longer now. We don’t feel like we have to rush it. Gwar is an amazing, eternal concept and it’s gonna last forever. I’d rather wait three years and put out a truly excellent album, than try to have to rush stuff.

O: We’re going on, online and reading reviews. I’ve never seen such an overwhelming show of support for a Gwar album before. A lot of people just seem to wait for Gwar albums to come out so they can make fun of them.

O: Anybody who knows music in metal that listens to that record is absolutely loving it and we are real stoked.

O: People who are incredibly stupid, would say something like, “Oh it’s just a show, the costumes, whatever!” Well if it’s a one–trick pony like that, it would have lasted about one record and then it would have been over. It was a good joke and now it’s done. The music and the idea and the visual, it’s all so fuckin’ strong. It’s really got a life of it’s own now. I don’t think we could stop doing Gwar even if we wanted to. Oderus would come to my house and take my dog.

The other “O” phone rings and I hear in the background, “Hello, I’m right in the middle of another interview-let me call you right back.”

DD: This is the first time In seven years that Gwar CD’s have been released worldwide, have you had any word yet to the response to that yet or is it too early?

O: Actually, it’s a little too early because I believe December 1^st is the international release date and not the simultaneous release we were looking for on Dec. 1^st it will be released in Europe and Japan, all over Asia. We are really looking forward to seeing how that does, ‘cuz we haven’t been back to Europe. We kinda of lost Europe because we put out a state of albums, I’m not gonna say they were bad, but we were just kind of…we were going through line-up changes. A lot of weird shit was happening with the band. Our guitar player got shot, all this kind of crazy shit was going on. I don’t think the band really had an identity for a little while there. Basically from Toilet Earth all the way up to We Kill Everything. You put on any one of those Gwar albums and you’re gonna hear Punk Rock, Metal, you know a country music song, lounge music. I think we thought we were Frank Zappa, for a while there. As a result we really lost a lot of support in the metal community. When Violence Has Arrived and especially in Europe, because they fucking take their metal so seriously. They WANT TO HEAR METAL! They don’t want to hear Gwar sound like they are trying be like a country music band, singing a song about Sex Cows. They want their Gwar with metal, please. So a lot of our support eroded away. Now when Violence Has Arrived, we totally got back to the Metal and with War Party we reaffirmed, that is the direction. There’s not gonna be anymore, big surprises, when you put Gwar records on, from now on. We’re gonna stay with this because it is the most powerful way to present Gwar. I mean I think Metal is, you know, the most dominant and longest lived form of rock and roll music. Rock and roll has been around since the ‘50’s. Metal has been around since the late ‘60’s and it’s still around. You know rock and roll goes through all kinds of different phases and changes but Metal is always there. We’re gonna stick with it because it feels great! Hopefully the overseas reaction will be as strong as the American one is and we’ll get back over there and reclaim our bloody, shit-stained throne of Metal Opulence. Believe m I cannot die until Gwar has conquered Japan. It simply has to happen!

O: It’s great, Corey actually was almost in the band abound six years ago, when we got Zach. We decide to go with Zach for some dumb reason because he had more touring experience, which was a stupid idea. Corey absolutely shreds. This album is really his greatest work yet. He’s a great guitar player, great engineer and soundman and a great guy to boot. He fills up that flatus costume wonderfully. Todd Evans ? **** our new bass player, is the 3^rd Beefcake we’ve had over the years, he’s the best! Every one of those guys, whether it was Casey Orr or Mike Bishop, they all brought their own little something special to the character. We don’t want guys who will get in the costumes and do what the guy did before that. We want them to take the character and make it their own. Todd totally did, of course he’s the biggest Beefcake we’ve ever had. The motherfucker is like 6’6” pr 6’7”, 300 lbs. He’s huge! He’s just tackled the character with all the vigor that he can muster, it’s amazing! I stood out there on the stage and I’m no longer the tallest guy in the band, it’s horrible. There’s this whole hedonist attitude in Gwar, it’s like, I’m not gonna say “bad apples” but we just got rid of all the people who really weren’t into being into Gwar. We got a lot of artists and musicians over the years that love Gwar that never were really into it for the right reasons, ya know. It’s just like we decided we’re gonna concentrate on writing great music and we’re gonna see what happens. Damned if it isn’t the strongest incarnation of Gwar, yet. There’s a whole new attitude in this band. I think people really realize how lucky we are to have this opportunity. There’s just a tremendous vigor and joy in the band. You can see it when we play, we’re up there, I know we’re supposed to be hating the world and destroying everything but goddamnit we’re smiling ear to ear!

O: Oh totally! (No delay in response time) The Midwest is great! We have wonderful, wonderful shows out here. People always ask me, “Where’s your favorite place to play?” I really don’t have a favorite place to play. As long as there’s a thousand sweaty, blood-soaked Gwar maniacs, or at least a couple of girls in the place, I’m a happy man!

O: We got it all together. We just need to lay it all out. I think that’s one of the products we release- in two years, it will be our 20^th Anniversary of Gwar. That’s gonna probably be one of the big ones. We’re gonna have special projects to come out right around there to celebrate Gwar’s 20^th Anniversary. We’ll probably have a box set, like all the albums and DVD’s. The coffee table book, it’s gonna have everything in it. It’s our “KISS” story, basically. We are also working on a documentary called the “DIM TIME”, which is about the first, like three years of Gwar, before Hello, when we really didn’t know what the fuck we were doing! Just working on making everything out of paper mache’, working our asses off, do a show and everything would get destroyed and take another five months to re-build the costumes. So yeah, right around the 20^th Anniversary we’ll have all these extra special Gwar products out and people will go, “Holy Shit? These guys have been around for 20 years? Holy Shit, I’ve been going to see these guys for 20 years? Oh My God! I’ve had a child and they’ve had a child, too and I’m a grandfather and I’m taking my grandson to be fed to the world maggot- what is the world coming to?”

O: My fans (chuckles) are gonna hate me but I love U2! (laughing) They are a great band. I like all kinds of music, you know. We listen to everything from metal to pop, ya know. Freakin’ Dirk, Balsac, he likes girl bands…He likes hot chick bands, for some reason, you know. Corey is more into metal, he kind of keeps me up with some of the cooler new bands, ‘cuz I’m such a boring old fart now. And then of course you know we’re so busy with our own music, sometimes it’s hard to appreciate other bands because you’re so self-absorbed. We better start listening to new shot here. We have to keep at to what’s going on out there. A kit if the credit I give to Gwar’s resurgence was because of Lamb Of God. These guys are like really good friends of ours. We ended up touring together. Many a day they expect to be in the Gwar Slave Pit and I would tell them about all the mistakes we’ve made and for them what not to do and then when the time was right for Lamb Of God to go on a major tour we took them out with us. Playing with these guys every night and listening to the metal they were making, it really got us back into metal! I was like “Holy Shit”, here we are doing comedy records for the last few years, but damnit we gotta get Gwar back on the Metal Wagon. All respect and love to those guys! It’s amazing to me how much they’ve blown thing up. Those are our homeboys, it’s great to see them doing so well!!

O: Well you know, I must say, we’re getting radio reports where they are actually playing our music on the radio and that’s a new thing! So it’s gotta be pretty good. In Richmond, Virginia where we’re from, there’s no station that plays Metal, at all. The closest thing to that is Puddle of Mudd or something horrible! There’s a lot of heavy music on the radio for the first time and that’s pretty cool and then you actually read the lyrics of these bands, Oh My God these guys are incredibly stupid, but it sounds cool.

DD: So what do you guys dress up as, during Halloween? (“O’s” other cell phone rings.)

O: During Halloween? Hold on a second, be right back…(off the phone) These guys wanna call me up and interview me, but before they call me up to interview me, they have to call me up and interview me on how they are going to interview me.

O: I’m like Dude, you don’t need to tell me how to do an interview, (laughing) let me call you at 5:30. Okay, back to the question.

O: We’re always playing it, it’s just another day for Gwar, we are always playing a show. Um…I didn’t have a costume this year, but last year we played in Milwaukee on Halloween and I dressed up like a priest and went and hung around in the audience and I was amazed. First of all nobody recognized me or knew who the hell I was. A lot of people were really offended! A lot of metal heads were like, “That’s fucked up Man!” Gwar would celebrate Halloween by dressing up like human beings, I suppose.

O: The artists and stuff that work with us, they’re the Slaves you see scurrying all over the stage getting the shit kicked out of them. They are the same guys who design, make and maintain the costumes. I get to double-time because I was an art student, I graduated and I build a lot of stuff on my costume myself, I’m proud to say. It’s completely DIY.

DD: So what kind of normal stuff do you guys do besides…I know you like to cook in a crock-pot!

DD: Hey I do my research. You like to put pork and beef in a crock-pot and make barbecue.

O: I do and I’m damn good at it! When I’m at home I love going on the Internet and finding weird recipes. Whether it’s a crock-pot or whatever and spending the whole day cooking in the kitchen. When you get out here doing this crazy stuff, with Gwar for a living and then when you go home, it’s like you revel in the non-craziness of it. So I like to cook. I’m not saying, I’m a good cook but I do like to cook.

DD: Do you agree with this statement: Humans are the viruses and Gwar is the vaccine.

O: Yeah, well that would imply that we’re actually curing something – Ummm, I’d say Humans are the viruses and Gwar is an ointment, that you could rub on it, that makes it worse!

DD: (Laughing) I like that even better. Well I know your time is limited, so I’ll ask you if you have any final thoughts, anything you want your fans to know and non-fans. Something you want to get off your chest?

O: All I can say is Gwar lives, Gwar rules and we’re going to go down in history as the most outrageous act in the history of Metal and for all you people that seem to think that Gwar doesn’t know what they are doing with their guitars, you better listen to our new album, ‘cuz you’re gonna look like real a idiot!

O: Cool, I’m so stoked about that! The label totally set us up in Times Square.

DD: I love that the VIRGIN (Records) sign flashing in the background. I was like, was that an accident or what? It was very cool.

O: It’s kind of hard to film in Times Square without the frame getting bombarded with a million different advertisements. So I guess it was and accident, but hey what the Hell. Maybe Richard Branson will give me a million dollars.

DD: There ya go and it’s so impressive because you guys pull it off. Quality video without a million dollar budget. To me, if you have to use a million bucks then you know, what’s missing in your music?

O: Okay I know, it’s like these bands spend that much on stylists, ya know, give me a break. We’ve (Gwar) done it ourselves from the bottom up, you know. An amazing group of musicians and artists and definitely a rogue band of contemporary modern day pirates, who are fighting the good fight!

SHEEP GRINDER INTERVIEW

Sheep Grinder is a fairly new band, from way down south, who recently have a “CORE WARS” win to brag about! They have a new drummer, new material and a new recording they’re working on.

Members: Chad Morgon – bass, Dustin Bernard – rhythm guitar, Brian Johnston – lead guitar and Chris L – drums.

CD’s: As the Darkness Unfolds, 6-song demo 2003.

Website: www.sheepgrinder.com

Diane Demeter: Where is the band from and how is the metal scene in your area?

James Scott: We are from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The scene here is not the greatest. There are several good bands around here, but not nearly enough support. Not too many people are into heavy music here. You see a lot of the same faces at the shows, and they generally consist of other guys in other bands. We are the musicians and the fan base.

DD: What kind of impact do you want to have on underground music?

JS: We are not really looking to make an "impact". We just enjoy playing music. If we get noticed, great, but if not, fuck it.

DD: Describe one of your shows?

JS: HA! We have only played one show thus far, and it was a fucking disaster. People seemed to like us, but the performance was really bad. I had the flu, and we were using a fill in drummer (Blast Beat Jones). I think maybe one song was played well, but the rest were shit.

DD: I hear you have a new drummer?

JS: Yes, at last! I hope it works out in the long run. I've known Chris since the 3rd grade, and he always liked metal music. He is actually our first drummer. I wrote the drum tracks for the demo, but our guitarist Brian played drums on the demo. So, yes, March 2003 we formed, and just a month ago we got a drummer. We are hoping he does not die though. He seems to really enjoy wrecking automobiles.

DD: Tell me about the new material you're working on?

JS: Slowly but surely we are getting new songs written. For the most part the music is faster than our older material, but still sounds like Sheep Grinder. Lyrically the songs attack Christianity and other low forms of life. Rhythm guitarist Duston and myself usually lay down the basic structure for the songs. And if we would stop drinking so much, the album would be done by now.

DD: What bands influence you?

JS: Hmmmm… Samael, Slayer, Immortal, Gorgoroth, Suffocation, Obituary, Napalm Death, D.R.I., Pink Floyd (the "Animals" album), Manowar, Emperor, Opeth, GG Allen, Gwar, Death, Broken Hope, Deeds of Flesh, Morbid Angel, Satyricon, Nuclear Assult, Misfits, Behemoth, Mayhem...to name a few.

DD: How did you hear about Heavycore?

JS: I was looking for a site to promote Sheep Grinder on, and somehow stumbled across it. It's by far the best site I have found for getting your bands name spread around. Pete is doing a great job.

DD: Random Thoughts?

JS: I will take this opportunity to shamelessly promote my partners in crime. Check out www.buildingrecords.org for some killer bands from Baton Rouge. Building Sounds is a label started by our guitarist Brian. Also check out Catholicon at www.fuckyourgod.com

This time I’d like to focus on a special interest event for you Midwest Metal Heads. It’s time for a road trip, people. The second annual Central Illinois Metalfest, at The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL, Friday and Saturday August 13^th and 14^th. If you missed last years’ event, you have a chance to redeem yourself.

Artery Eruption (CA), Severed Remains (OH), Decrypt (IN), Dead For Days (IL), Screaming Afterbirth (WI), Incinerate (MN), Necrotic Disgorgement (OH), Putrefy (UK), Putrid Pile (WI), Waco Jesus (IL), Internal Suffering (Columbia), Mastic Scum (Austria) and Lividity (IL).

Gemisaudi (OH), Saprogenic (MI), Vomit Spawn (FL), Estuary (OH), Dyscrasia (WI), Exploding Zombies (MI), Slough (IL), Leukorrhea (MA), Mutilitated (MI), Funerus (PA), Emeth (Belgium), Stabwound (Sweden), Lust of Decay (NC), Gorgasm (IL), Fleshgrind (IL), Mortal Decay (NJ), and Incantation (PA).

I hooked up with the founder of the Central Illinois Metalfest and member of Champaign’s Death Metal band Lividity, to fill you in on the details.

Diane Demeter: Last years' fest was one day, this year it's two, why the change?

Matt Bishop: Well ..I had tons and tons of bands interested to play the 2003 event but could only get 1 day booked at the club. So, if I could of gotten 2 days last year I would of had it as a weekend fest like this years event is.

DD: What other changes are in store for us?

MB: Besides the number of bands, which has jumped from 15 to 30, there is not a whole lot different.... I think the line up features some of the best brutal bands in the underground metal scene today, a few making their first United States appearance. So should be an exciting weekend for all!!!

DD: On this years bill you have 5 bands from outside the U.S. (pretty impressive), how'd that come about?

MB: We (Lividity) have a strong following overseas and abroad and have made a lot of friends over the years...so worked this year to get some of the out-of-the-country bands on the bill to get them some states exposure... we have 5 bands from out of the USA on the bill... MASTIC SCUM (AUSTRIA), EMETH (BELGIUM), STABWOUND (SWEDEN), PUTREFY (UK) AND INTERNAL SUFFERING (COLUMBIA).

DD: Is there going to be a lot of vendors again this year?

MB: OH YEA!! Plenty of vendors for all your metal needs and desires!! (Excellent selection of underground CD’s, t-shirts and other kick-ass memorabilia! Probably some tattoo artists, as well. DD)

DD: What did you learn from last years’ fest that you've incorporated, this time around?

MB: Just learned how to do and not do things...still a learning process to this day.... main goal is to just put on a great show and get the local scene jumping again like it was in the 90's.

DD: The ticket prices are extremely affordable, compared to other fests, why is that?

MB: Main goal was to not tax the heck out of the fan. I feel with a fair ticket price and a solid lineup people will travel. I know a lot of people from all over the world flying to little old Champaign/Urbana to see the show. (Friday the 13^th, One Day Pass is only $15, an ungodly amount for seeing 13 bands. Saturday the 14^th, 17 bands, One Day Pass $20 and $30 for both days. Tickets are on sale now at www.etix.com or www.canopyclub.com DD)

DD: Is Lividity the only band filming a video at the show?

MB: No, ...I think a few other bands are getting their sets filmed but can't confirm that...we'll be filming our set for a DVD that will document the 10 years of LIVIDITY. Be out later in 2005!!

DD: Additional comments?

MB: Just want everyone to come support your local metal scene August 13th and 14th @ The Canopy Club In Urbana, IL!!! Sorry 18 and older only!!! Its gonna be a great weekend!! I'd like to thank Ian, Mike, Chad and the whole Canopy Club crew for the 100% help and support in putting on this event on and bringing the metal back to CU!! For more info go to the official website at www.xwarp.net/fest/fest.html

(This is a very informative site with good directions to the show, a huge list of hotels in the area and anything else you could think of. DD)

Thanks Diane for all the great support over the years!!! See you all at the CIM 2004!!!

INTERVIEW WITH THREE HEADED MOSES

Three Headed Moses, residing in Columbia, Missouri, has been together long enough to nail that Old School Metal and do it up right! 3HM is finishing up their new CD, soon to be released.

Members: Ethan Folger – rhythm guitar, Luke Offield – lead guitar, Jeramy Mcallister – drummer and Nick Fizer – bass.

CD’s: comobands.com compilation, MP3 and video of “Wacky Monkey Test”, which is also on Heavycore’s Roasting Posers Volume I.

Website: www.3headedmoses.com

Diane Demeter: Tell me about your new 10-song CD, that's coming out in April.

Luke Offield: It's called "RIBS and GUTS: 10 unholy tracks from 1412 Rebel Drive." It's quite a collection, we believe. All of it is full of our "Moses" sound which is deeply rooted in the older styles of metal but also has a lot of power metal, thrash, and a bit of death in there too. Each song changes styles and tempos 3 or 4 times before the song is finished. And each following song is very different than the one before it. Also, Ethan, Nick and myself tackle the vocals together, which adds even more definition to each song. We like to keep things varied to keep people interested and trying to guess what will happen next.

DD: How's the metal scene in your area?

LO: It wasn’t all that good for a while but it's growing. And spreading FAST. Metal shows are finally starting to beat out all of the bullshit and it's great to behold.

DD: What's in store for the fans at your shows

LO: A lot of head banging, and even more beer.

DD: Do you have any good backstage stories?

LO: Nothing comes to mind; we're probably too drunk after a show to remember much of it. More good road stories though. Stolen guitars, flat tires, driving through intense storms, meeting a lot of cool people and a lot of assholes. I'm sure a lot of bands can relate to things like that.

DD: Anything special lined up for the summer?

LO: In April we're opening for Six Feet Under at The Rockwell in Springfield, Mo. Apnea and Soulsick will be playing there too. Those guys tear it the fuck apart.

DD: Does it piss you off to be called rednecks, just because you're from Missouri?

LO: I don’t think I've ever been called a redneck. There's a pretty definite line around here between rednecks and non-necks. Mostly people in MO have no accent whatsoever, but the rednecks CHOOSE to have that hick accent to sound like their favorite country loser. I know most people assume that Missouri metal heads are pretty weird, and for the most part they have no idea how right they are.

DD: Why did you pick Three Headed Moses for the bands name?

LO: Nick (bassist) came up with it when we were in 9th grade, and we've never let it go. I hope we don’t too cuz I've got it tattooed on myself 4 times. The name itself it almost as much the entity of the bands as much as the music. We really believe in it and we'll never change it. IT would be changing who we are.

DD: What's the best part about being a Heavycore band?

LO: The brothers! All the members of Heavycore are brothers to us.

DD: Random thoughts?

LO: Stick to your guns, support your metal brothers, and stay with the true (not nu) metal, 3 Headed Moses will always be Core 'til fucking DEATH!!!!

INTERVIEW WITH KRYOBURN

Kryoburn hail from Carlsbad, New Mexico and have been together for a couple of years doing their own vicious brand of Hardcore. Listening to them will make your neck hurt, without even head banging!

Members: Jason Todd Brashear – guitar, vocals and synthe, Les Huber – guitar and vocals, Chris Huber – drums and samples and Derrick Richards – bass.

CD’s: Enigmatic Existence and “Breakaway” included on Heavycore’s Core ‘Til Death II, plus 2 mp3’s on their website, “To Pieces” and “Breakaway”.

Website: kryoburn.net

Diane Demeter: Tell me about the band touring since 2000 without any label support.

Todd Brashear: It's tough but fun all at the same time. It's really a challenge to keep out there for a month at a time but in the end it's all worth it.

DD: What motivates Kryoburn?

TB: I think our true fans are what really push us. I know that if it weren't for some of our fans I think we would be done by now.

DD: Is Enigmatic Existence your first CD?

TB: It's actually our 3rd but it will be our first world-released cd. So basically, yeah.

DD: What bands influenced all of you?

TB: Most European metal bands but we have such a wide variety of influences it's hard to say.

DD: How's the metal scene in your area?

TB: LOL! We live 3 hours to the nearest interstate. There isn't much but we make the best of it by putting on shows in our hometown and regional stuff as well. The kids really come out and support so I would have to say, good.

DD: What kind of feedback have you gotten since Kryoburn's "Breakaway" was included on the Core Til Death II compilation?

TB: Great! Everyone seemed to dig it quite a bit. The recording on it is crappy but it was everyone's favorite so we said why not.

DD: How has Heavycore helped the band and how did you hear about Heavycore?

TB: I heard about Heavycore in the Midwest on tour. Saw some shirts and wandered what the hell it was all about so we joined up! The song on the compilation is the only thing heavycore has done so far. But I feel really confident that in the years to come this organization will be doing some really killer things.

DD: What's up next for the band?

TB: The release of Enigmatic Existence and to tour our balls off, including Europe!

DD: Random Thoughts?

TB: Sure, Kryoburn has just begun our career so keep an eye out for us on the road. We will be sticking around for a long while. Also, we will continue to support Heavycore in any way possible, hopefully get a tour going on!

Six Feet Under's 5th studio release, "Bringer of Blood" is in stores 9-23-03. The CD has 11 cuts and a bonus DVD, with a 28-page full color booklet. I'll let Chris tell you more about it.read on.

sfu420.com is the official SFU website and a damn good one!   You've got to go there to listen to "Amerika The Brutal", it will kick your ass and then
some!

I had to purchase a new recorder and who better to break it in, than Chris Barnes! It isn't an everyday event, when speaking with a legend. Even though I've spoken with him once before, I was still nervous.   It was cool listening to SFU, on the phone, while I waited for the 3-way call to go through.

Diane Demeter: Hey Chris, how's it going?

Chris Barnes: Good! How are you?

DD: Just fine.

CB: Right on!

DD: You have a new CD coming out, called "Bringer of Blood" and it has a bonus DVD, what makes that different from what other bands are putting out?

CB: I don't know what other bands are putting out really (laughs). I really don't pay attention to that. I just know that what we did on this was, do some stuff basically, chronicle the making of the album. We did some rehearsal footage, some studio footage from the demo studio and from the recording studio. Also one of the differences is I think we've got a documentary, over the past 4 years that was done by a friend of mine (Darren Grams), who is releasing this into underground film festivals, across the country. It's an overview of the metal scene, in about 20 minutes showing what the hardcore and death metal scene's all about. A little piece of us in the whole thing; so it's pretty interesting.

DD: The artist who did the CD cover art for the new disc, he also does the animated video for "Amerika The Brutal", tell me a little bit about that.

CB: David Aronson. Yea, he did our album cover artwork, did a lot of images, an image for each song in the CD booklet, depicting some of the points of the lyrics and his take on that. Really interesting stuff, he's into animation as well. I asked him to do/produce a video for us. He came up with something for "Amerika The Brutal", that just really was really different than what you see in a lot of videos for bands, nowadays. Mainly you're seeing a lot of band footage, in front of a sound stage or at a concert, or something. We wanted to kind a do something more. The meaning of the song had a lot to do with us not wanting to appear in the video; just get the idea of the lyrics have to do with. Kind of paint a picture of it all, to people, in a very subtle way, but makes them understand that, through these images.

DD: This time around the lyrics deal with past experiences, instead of horror movie themes, why the change on that?

CB: Well, I don't think they all together deal with reality, you know in the past it's just a little more focused in certain directions, lyrically. I've always been able to put my own personal questions and stuff into my lyrics and use that as a way to outline a story. I think that people are wrong if they expect the whole album to be totally like "Amerika The Brutal" . I think that's the most different stand out song, like in it's own way on the record, so I wouldn't judge what you expect from this, based on that song.

DD: Is there an upcoming tour in the works, and if there is what bands?

CB:   There is an upcoming tour in October, that we will be doing. We don't have a specific band line up, right yet. There's a couple of bands that we'
re working with, (I just found out two of the bands: The Black Dahila Murder and The Heavils, with one more band, yet to be announced).

DD: If you had a chance to tour with anyone, past or present, which would that be?

CB: (long pause) Jeeze (llaughs), I just like to get out on the road, I don't really care who I'm touring with. Really it doesn't make a difference to me.

DD: Do you see resurgence in Death Metal, now?

CB: I never saw it go away, for us, you know, I've always had a good run of things out there. So I mean it was always good for me. I don't really. I see
that there is a lot more heavy music in that the video music channels are pushin' in that direction, so that's all good! I don't think things will change for us though; we don't succumb to what those bands do, in the industry.

DD: Do you feel like you have to prove yourself because you are a Death Metal band, because some people's perception, that they really don't take Death Metal very seriously, or does that not bother you in the least, you just do what you do?

CB: Yea, I don't really think about other people (laughing) like look at the music style as, cuz I don't really look at it as, I'm doing a certain style of music. I mean, that's what everyone else perceives it as, you know, they put you in a box and that's where they'd like you to be. I look at it; first and foremost as proving something to myself, with what I do interesting and really keeping my interest in it, that's where it really all starts.

DD: What's in the works for SFU, now that you have a new CD and a tour coming up, do you have anything planned, after that?

CB: Oh yea. I've always got stuff planned, I'm just not gonna let people know!

DD: Who or what do you think is the biggest threat to today's society?

CB: Complacency!

DD: Anything in particular?

CB: I think that says it all, really. If you're complacent about something, then you're not really thinking too much.

DD: Can you tell me something that the fans would be surprised to know about you or Six Feet Under, that hasn't hit the press yet?

CB: (laughing) You know that's kind of like cheating, a little bit. You're supposed to find out those things.I 'm not gonna give up the ghost, you know, you've got to find out those things, you know, do your homework.

DD: What CD have you been listening to lately?

CB: I've just been really working and listening to my new CD, kind of ever since I've been in the studio with it, kind of analyzing the ins and outs of it. Learning everything so I can perform everything really well on tour for everybody. So that's really all I've been listening to, is my own material

DD: Do you have any random thoughts?

CB: I think we covered everything pretty much, you know. I'm really anxious for the new CD to come out, that's about it.

DD: Do you have a particular website that you feel covers SFU, really well?

CB: Yea, sfu420.com.

DD: Do you ever answer e-mails?

CB: Yea, once in a while.

DD: Do you have an e-mail address or can the fans get through to you on the website?

CB: It's on the website.

DD: .I sure do appreciate your time to do this interview. I wish you guys all the best of luck; in everything you do, because you sure do deserve it. You guys work really, really hard!

CB: All right! Thanks a lot!

The Owner/Program Director of Maddog Rock Radio, Don Mangiarelli, is someone you need to know. Broadcasting from the island of Oahu, he’s streaming metal on the net, 24/7. We’re not talking poser metal, but the real shit! Underground and in your face like a mad dog! The play list is fueled by listener requests, so you know it’s gotta be good!

Maddog has been loyal to the core for some time, and is always finding new ways to incorporate The Core bands into his programming. Hell, he even has a Heavycore Hour on Tuesday and Friday evenings, 5:30 PST – 8:30 EST. You can also check out his Live Saturday Night Show, 5:30 PST – 8:30 EST.

He has a new website chock full of information and of course tons of Heavycore mentions. The site also has reviews, interviews, weekly newsletters, metal news, forums, REQUESTS, Heavycore Hour play lists, and a place to submit your bands music. It’s user friendly, with the metal head in mind.

Diane Demeter: How long have you been doing the Maddog Rock Radio and how did it come to be?

Don Mangiarelli: Well it's a long story but here goes. I had a friend that had a station and he lost his tech guy. Since that is what I do in my other life I decided to take on the job. Soon he shut down his station and I decided that the web needed a brutal radio station since there really wasn't much choice out there. So I set out to make the best damn brutal station I could but I was and am always there helping the guys like me that wanna bust their ass to make something happen. Then I came up with the idea of opening the station to any band that had the balls to submit their music and letting the listeners control the play list through requests. The station is set up to play requested songs more often in the rotation so the more a song gets requested the more it gets played. Bands and their fans can really take advantage of this and a band that has is Heavycore's own Mindscape. The station will celebrate its first birthday on May 13th. This summer we will release our first compilation cd with the only requirement being that each band must have their music in rotation on the station.

DM: I am a one-man operation or I should say I was until a few days ago. Gramie Dee from Morgueazm is starting a new column on the site called The Autopsy Report and The Goddess of Perversity will be doing band interviews soon so any bands interested should email her at goddess@heavymetalradio.net if they are interested in being interviewed. Other than those two columns I maintain the whole website myself. Gramie does all my graphics and he is great to work with so if you need any graphics email Gramie at gramie@heavymetalradio.net

DM: I met Gramie Dee through mp3.com and he was one of the first guys that sent me a cd to play on the air. Since then we have become good pals and he heard about Heavycore through the grapevine on a forum or some such place. He told me I should sign up after he did and so I signed up and immediately made a big impression on Pete (great fuckin guy). Since then I have been a tireless promoter of Heavycore. I even came up with the idea of an all Heavycore radio show, which I now syndicate, to 12 radio stations weekly. The show is called The Heavycore Hour and I mostly play new stuff that the bands send to me to promote their new albums. I have been tossing around the idea of an all Heavycore station but I'll need more support from the HC bands. I don’t have enough material to do an all Heavycore station yet, but I am getting there.

DM: I came up with this wacky idea to have a show with only Heavycore bands on it. At first I had trouble filling the whole hour cuz I didn't have enough material. Now I have gotten Pete more involved and when a band signs up for the Core they get an email telling them to contact me for airplay so I am getting a lot more material for the show these days. The show is on 12 stations now and I am always looking for more stations to carry it. If any of your readers know of stations that should be carrying the show call them up or email them and tell them to get in touch with me at maddog@heavymetalradio.net

DM: Well, it's difficult to tell. The website has recently been getting more hits but I have been visiting lots of metal message boards and signing guest books so maybe???? The one thing that I like about the core is the bands are so into getting their fans to the station to vote for them in our monthly Featured Artist Poll and to make requests. Live 365 has recently released a program called Start365 that makes it much easier to listen and you can use Winamp which sounds much better than the Live365 player. I encourage people to try it out and if you look on the front page of my site you will see a link that tells how to install it and set it up to listen to the station.

DM: Funny you should ask. For a whole year I have been in search of a metal scene. I knew one existed because at night while flipping through the public access cable channels I would see video of bands playing in clubs but I could never find any of them. Through my networking efforts I finally found the scene and soon you will see the bands here in Hawaii joining up to Heavycore. One is already there; 8mm Overdose and they are big supporters of the station. Later in the year summer/fall we will be putting on a Poser Roast Hawaiian style. I have several core bands interested in coming down to play so it should be a great gauge as to how big the scene is here.

DM: Expansion! I am always looking for new ways to get bands to support the station by sending in their material and telling their fans to come and listen to their music. Always hooking up with new sites to promote the station always posting on metal message boards, band guest books, indie band sites and any where else I can find to whore my station. I am in the process of building the ultimate metal radio station. The hardest part is that it is 100% self funded so that limits my expansion. But the more record companies see what I am doing the more they appreciate it and the more they get involved the bigger it will grow. I am averaging almost 1,000 visitors a day to the site now.

DM: I started this station because there was a lack of extreme music on the air and on the net. It seemed that the demand was there judging by the number of extreme bands on mp3.com, IUMA and others. There are a ton of metal shows going on throughout Europe and there were some here in the US. Since I started I am seeing an explosion in the popularity of the music I play. I aim to support any extreme metal or hard rock (as in old school) bands that are out there. As I look around the Internet I see few organizations and radio stations that support this kind of music. I guess the final thought is to tell everyone to support these sites because without them, the scene will die off again.


Joe Haley - Psycroptic read his interview with Heavycore founder Pete Altieri - March 13, 2009	Chuck Billy - Testament HEAR his audio interview (26 minutes) with Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri - April 28, 2008	Rob Thorne - Sacred Oath HEAR his audio interview (20 minutes) with Heavycore Founder Pete Altieri - March 17, 2009

Tom Angelripper - I just use a Marshall amp (EL34), but the sound is coming from my Pre Amp “SANS AMP”. I prefer Ampeg 8x10”.