Tag Archives: Metal

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Exinfernum: The Band From Hell

exfernium

New Jersey has never been a stranger to metal.

Classic bands such as Danzig, Overkill, Ripping Corpse, Whiplash and Symphony X have all come from there. The state still has its fair share of greats today including newcomers Exinfernum. In this interview, members James and Vinny talk about the band as well as some other fun topics.

How would you describe your band’s sound?

Vinny: The way I see it, we take inspiration from different forms of dark music. This includes black metal, darker death metal bands and old goth music – it all inspires us. The only term I think can describe our band is dark metal.

James: Essentially we just play really dark metal music and some of it verges on death or black metal. Metal-Archives.com even calls us blackened death metal. The sub-genre of metal we play isn’t as important to us as it would be for other bands. Really, we are just looking to make some dark, heavy music

Why did you choose the name Exinfernum and what does it mean?

Vinny: The name means “from Hell” in Latin. I was sitting in the dark one day, writing riffs and the name just hit me out of nowhere. It seemed to be a perfect fit for the music I was writing. It was also one of the few cool sounding names that wasn’t really taken.

I understand you used to be the old-school death metal band Gorematory. What made you decide to change to this new style and was it hard at first?

Vinny: Originally, Gorematory split up in November 2011 after opening for Entombed. We tried to bring the band back a few times but it didn’t work out. We decided to change the bands style. Since we went in such a new direction, the name (Gorematory) didn’t fit anymore. Our lyrics went from being gore and horror themed to more dark and spiritual. Due to these changes we put Gorematory to bed and Exinfernum was born.

James: We had alot of bad luck with the band. We started to feel the name Gorematory was cursed. This was around late 2014. We decided we were going to start 2015 with a clean slate. I also felt our style grew a little.

Vinny: To this day I am still a very big horror fan, but I needed to write about more things that are personal to me. At that point I started getting more into the left hand path.I started reading a lot more books and looking into different things. What I wanted to do was say these things but in a form of music. I guess you can say it’s something that feels more natural and personal to us. It’s more real then what Gorematory was.

Any new releases on the horizon? If so can you tell us about them.

Vinny: For the rest of this year we will continue to promote our album “The Gutting of God.” In the middle of next year we are going to start working on our second full length.

James: We have some rough song ideas (maybe around four). Cereberus, our drummer is also working on a few. Some might not make it to the next album but whenever we feel like writing we write stuff. Nothing we wrote is really concrete at the moment.

How do you feel about the state of black metal today? Do you feel the original idea of black metal is gone or do you think it just took other forms?

Vinny: I personally feel metal needs to evolve to survive, this includes black metal. As much as I like the classic bands such as Darkthrone, Carpathian Forest, Gorgoroth and Dissection; in order for the music to continue it needs to evolve. Don’t get me wrong, I love bands that are throwbacks to the old style but it still needs to evolve.

James: My opinion is a little similar to his. I feel black metal fans today take themselves and the music way too fucking seriously. I think a lot of black metal bands get too into the ideology and the image and forget it’s fucking music.

Vinny: To me, ideology and music go hand in hand.

Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 21: Mick Mayer from Sonic Pulse

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Our guest at this time is Mick Mayer from Adventure Metal band (who’s last release bears the same title) Sonic Pulse. Mick and Chris shoot the breeze on touring, music, comic books and more – including Sonic Pulse’s upcoming album “Vs. The Internet” and why they band covers the “Adventure Time” theme song.

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Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation at The Chance Theater – 10/16/2015

Cannibal Corpse and Cattle Decapitation are two bands I always make the effort to see when they come around. When a show was announced featuring both bands at a venue near me,  I had no excuse not to go.

I went to pick up my buddy Jay (aka Keyboards) and we were off. After a ride that consisted of getting stuck in traffic and blasting Vomitory and early Samael, we arrived at “The Chance Theater” in Poughkeepsie, NY and bought our tickets from Will of Necroptic Engorgement. Many friends were at the show (including people I had no idea liked death metal) and Jason Keyser from Origin.

Necroptic Engorgement

First up were local favorites Necroptic Engorgment. I’ve seen these guys open for many bands including Macabre, Dying Fetus, the previous time seeing Cannibal Corpse as well as previous times seeing Cattle Decapitation. They’re always fun and this time was no exception. They played greats such as “Born in the Morgue” and “Blow Torch Castration” as well as a new song called “Sandpaper Masturbation” (which is now one of my new favorites).

Soreption
https://youtu.be/6GTV3HwFRTQ

Out of the four bands, this was the only one I hadn’t seen before. I had never heard of this band before this tour was announced, but Jay’s friend Ralph told us they were “brutally good.”

Soreption is a Swedish technical death metal band. They were really heavy and had an awesome performance. Most modern tech-death bands tend to be forgettable song writers but this band was an exception as their songs tended to have more variety and didn’t sound too similar at all.

Cattle Decapitation 

I had seen these death-grind legends at the buildings upper venue “The Loft” two months ago with tech-death greats Beyond Creation. I was worried of their set here not being as good as that one since they weren’t headlining. The band ended up topping that set due to better sound. As always, their set was very energetic mostly due to Travis Ryan’s incredible stage presence.

Cannibal Corpse

https://youtu.be/KN8GUJmgfWY

Cannibal Corpse were the band that got me into death metal. Though I’ve explored the genre since then and found many hidden gems (such as Timeghoul), Cannibal is still a band I love.

What I noticed was their set was mostly later songs (except for “Stripped, Raped and Strangled”). I didn’t mind this as I enjoy all eras of the band, but there’s always the purists that only want the old material. Towards the end of the set they included more Chris Barnes era songs such as “I Cum Blood,” Skull Full of Maggots” and of course, “Hammer Smashed Face.”

The crowd was wild, the band had tons of energy with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher twirling every chance he got as well as singing in a Broadway-esque voice between songs (not making this up). After the show, Jay and I got pics with his friends Ralph and Candy and we headed home after yet another kick-ass Cannibal Corpse show. This is my third time seeing both Corpse and Cattle but I know it wont be my last.

Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 20 – The Unravelling’s Steve Moore

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In a long-overdue return host Chris Butera sits down with The Unravelling’s Steve Moore to talk about his music, Moore’s battle with Cancer, and The Unravelling’s new album “Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision” (available at theunravelling.bandcamp.com).

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Nuclear Assault at the Gramercy Theater – 9/12/15

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Thrash legends Nuclear Assault have embarked on their final tour (dubbed as the “Final Assault” tour) which will commence with a one-off appearance at next year’s Maryland Death Fest where they will finally hang it up for good.

Last Saturday, the band played an awesome show to a packed hometown crowd with friends Murphy’s Law and Whiplash at New York City’s Gramercy Theater; which I was fortunate enough to have attended.

I had taken the day off from work for a local show in my area when the date of that show got moved. I figured I’d tag along with my friend Jay to go to this awesome looking show instead. We took the train to New York City, got slices of dollar pizza, then took the subway and walked to the Gramercy Theater. Once inside, I ran into some buddies of mine and we caught up until the show started.

Whiplash

Up first were thrash legends Whiplash. I was not too familiar with them outside of their 1986 debut “Power and Pain,” but my friends were excited to see them. The band was fucking killer. They had incredible incredible energy and sounded great.

Murphy’s Law

Next up was the hardcore punk band Murphy’s Law. While I am a big fan of 80’s hardcore, this band was never one I could get into. The band played a very long set and had a lot of energy. After watching them for a few minutes, I went down to the lower part of the venue to look at merch. Jay and I would then meet Tony Potaro, the vocalist and guitarist for Whiplash and get a picture.

Nuclear Assault

After Murphy’s Law finished it was time for Nuclear Assault.

I had seen them once four years ago at MDF 2011. While this fest had other greats like Voivod, Ghost, Acid Witch, Nunslaughter,and Exhumed; Nuclear Assault owned – and here they were no different. The band delivered classics such as “Brainwashed,” ”Hang the Pope” and “Critical Mass.”

Bassist Danny Liker is a legend. I’m also a fan of his other bands Brutal Truth, S.O.D and his time in Anthrax. S.O.D is scheduled to play the Black and Blue Bowl in Brooklyn next year and I will make sure I go.

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The Unravelling: Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision Review

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After a five year hiatus, battles with Cancer and a revolutionary new sound, Canada’s The Unravelling have returned with their striking sophomore release, “Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision.”

Ten tracks of beautiful, chaotic frustration make up the release, starting with “The Hydra’s Heart.” Gustavo de Beauville’s ambient, droning guitars over spacious synths, dancing drums and the agonized, rage-fueled vocals of Steve Moore fuel the album to life.

Weaving a morbid, raving web, the albums tempo picks up in the Powerman 5000-esque “Lucky Me,” then slows to a crawl in the title track and the gripping dirge “Out of the Depths.” Moore’s lyrics are of a man possessed, dissatisfied with society and the cards he has been given and willing to make a drastic change for better or worse. De Beauville’s scoring of Moore’s dwindling frustrations is timed immaculately, with each transfixed scream generating its own unique crescendo.

The remainder of the album continues with “The Fearless Seed,” the piss-and-vinegar ranting of “Enough is Enough, and ” “No One’s Song.” Also contained are the two singles (“Revolt” and “Master Drone“), and the albums ironic closer, “We Have No Problems.” What’s interesting is not only de Beauville’s sonic decoration of Moore’s chilling vocals, but the fact that both singles are the deeper cuts of the album rather than highlighted at the beginning. Placement is everything and if you read the lyrics, there is a damn good reason.

We very well may have a concept album on our hands.

While the album’s pace is of a slower pace than their previous effort “13 Arcane Hymns,” “Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision” (which can be downloaded here) is a more enraged horse of a different color. The Unravelling have gotten darker and angrier, emerging like a phoenix from the ashes out to solidify their place in musical history. Lyrically the album seems like there is a story element, especially when you think about the placement of the songs and the way they bleed into each other.

How’s that for a hole in your collective vision?

Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast – Episode 19: Robert Orr of Zamboni

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Joined by his partner in crime Robert Orr, Chris Butera discusses the NWA biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” this year’s installment of their annual “Thrash Bash BBQ” concert, Batman: the Animated Series and more.

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Paul Bostaph Talks New Slayer Album, Jeff Hanneman, Mayhem Fest

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On July 21st 2015, Rockstar’s Mayhem Festival came to Holmdel, New Jersey. The fest had several big names, though the highlights were Jungle Rot, King Diamond and Slayer.

Jungle Rot put on a crushing death metal performance and got the pit going. Their setlist only contained six songs, but they made the most of their short set.

King Diamond was the most hyped act of the year and had the biggest crowd of any band that day. The theatrical set mostly consisted of songs from King’s classic albums. It got even better halfway through when he covered the Mercyful Fate classics “Evil” and “Come to the Sabbath” with Slayer’s Kerry King on guitar. The set then ended with three songs from King’s most popular album, Abigail. 

However, the final band of the night was none other than Slayer. Slayer started their set with several of their 2000’s songs including the three singles from their upcoming album Repentless. The second half of the set was all older songs including the popular tracks “Raining Blood”,”South Of Heaven”,”Hell Awaits” and “Angel of Death” as well as deep cuts like “Chemical Warfare”, and “Ghosts of War”. The band’s energy was great and the sound was spot on.

During the fest, Alternative Nation was able to catch drummer Paul Bostaph for an in person interview. We discussed the band’s upcoming album as well other topics related to his body of work.

Tell us a little about your upcoming album Repentless.

We all have different opinions on the album since we are all different people. It’s the first album we have done without Jeff as well as the first album I’ve been on since God Hates Us All in 2001. The whole time I was in the studio, Jeff was on my mind. He was a big part of the band and I feel I lost a friend. We still haven’t let things settle… that type of thing is not easy to deal with.

I noticed the three singles released for far,”Repentless”, “As Stillness Comes” and “Implode” are pretty different. Which one would you say represents the new album the most?

I wouldn’t say that one any of those songs represent the whole record at all. The different between the three represents diversity in the record. Each song on this record will have a different intensity. Some songs are darker then others. The three songs released show that it will not be the same thing on every track.

I see Mayhem Fest is going well so far…

Mayhem Fest is awesome! Unfortunately, I have not been able to see any of the bands on the second stage. The second stage is normally not very close to the main stage and we usually get here too late to catch those bands. I really enjoy sharing the stage with King Diamond. I’m a huge Mercyful Fate fan and love his solo stuff as well.

To continue reading on Alternative Nation, click here.

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Chelsea Wolfe Discusses ‘Abyss’, ‘Game Of Thrones’ Fandom, & Top Secret Upcoming Project

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Edited by Doug McCausland

Chelsea Wolfe, a California singer/songwriter, is one of the most eclectic artists on today’s scene. With her lo-fi sound self described as “doom-folk”, Wolfe has gained an underground following among metalheads, art kids, and goths alike while touring with major acts such as Queens of the Stone Age. She’s probably one of the youngest musicians to say that Mark Lanegan covered her!

Meanwhile, in the realm of television, major networks have taken notice of her cinematic potential: last year, her song “Feral Love” was featured in trailers for the hit HBO show Game of Thrones, while more recently Wolfe has been gaining even more exposure via ads for AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead.

Chelsea’s making critical waves with her ethereal new opus, “Abyss”, and I recently had the chance to interview her via email. We discussed her new album, rising fame, and other topics relating to her work.

On the heavier direction of Abyss: We’ve been touring a lot for the past few years so for the first time I kept the live show in mind while writing an album. I knew I wanted to have some heavy songs that would translate well live and be fun to play. I played Roadburn, I love that festival. I think our audience is really varied, actually.

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On the themes of sleep paralysis permeating Abyss: It’s just something I’ve had for years so it started creeping into my music, into my daily mindset. I’ve had sleep and dream issues since I was a kid, but as an adult I started getting this version of sleep paralysis where I wake up, and my body wakes up, but I can still see the figures from my dreams in the room, like shadows moving towards me. At times I’ve lashed out or tried to fight them off. While I was writing this album I started talking about my experiences of sleep paralysis with other people, and got some books on sleep, and it all just kind of happened naturally. Not every song is specifically about sleep or dreams, but every song has a nod to it, at least.

On visualizing Abyss‘s music: I think it would be really stylized with deep colors, lots of blue. It would be like the painted world in What Dreams May Come.

To continue reading on Alternative Nation, click here.

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Winter Calling: As Darkness Falls Review

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Winter Calling is a progressive metal band from Florida, but you’d never be able to tell with their widely influenced brand of music on their self-released debut, “As Darkness Falls.”

The album (which can be streamed, bought and shared though the bands official website)  is an emotional journey spanning accross 11 songs, including a unique piano-based cover of Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years.” Highlights include the opening track “A World I Can Feel,” the power-groovy “Forever” and the single “The Stand” (for which the video can be viewed below).

“As Darkness Falls” contains complex ballad-esque arrangements backed with ambient keyboards that uniquely provide the foundation for the music. “Forever,” “Make it Rain” and the “Wasted Years” rendition largely reflect on this rarely traveled route.

Although Winter Callings vocals and guitars are a hybrid of Queensryche, early Helloween, and Dream Theater, that’s not to say they aren’t unique. Ian Medhurst (guitars) and  Chris Hodges (vocals) sonically feed off of each others energy throughout their debut – a prime example of what a guitarist and singer pairing should be.

“As Darkness Falls” is a solid debut from an independent band trying to make a name for themselves in Winter Calling. While the slower pace is not for everyone, it is a calm, refreshing offering for the wandering spirit in all of us.