thrash

EMQs with GOLDSMITH

EMQs with GOLDSMITH

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with German Classic Rock/Thrash band, Goldsmith. Huge thanks to guitarist, vocalist, and band founder, Michael Goldsmith, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Michael Goldsmith, I play guitar and sing. I guess you can say the band is my. I founded the Band around 2012. We are based in southern Germany and released 3 albums so far (“Shut Up & Rock” 2013 , “Fire!” 2016 and “Of Sound And Fury” 2022). The first 2 albums contain slower and more Bluesy songs compared to the new album. From 2005 to 2015 I toured a lot with blues guitarist Bernard Allison, so I was surrounded by a lot of blues during that period. You can hear these influences on the first 2 albums. I changed the line-up while writing the songs for the new album since I knew it was gonna be a lot heavier and faster.

Our new album was recorded by Christoph Brandes at the Iguana Studios in Germany. We’re happy to announce that the new album is going to be released through MDD-Records, which is a big step forward for us. As I said, the new material is a lot heavier and faster than what we did before. I would say it is a mixture between Rock / Metal and a very little bit of blues.

How did you come up with your band name?

The name is the English way to say my surname (in German: Goldschmidt)

I thought about giving this band a ‘real’ name but just couldn’t find anything cool. So I kept the name Goldsmith. Now I like it because it has metal in it.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We are from Germany. The Rock/Metal scene is pretty big here, at least it was before Covid 19. It’s recovering from the lockdowns right now. The Metal and Rock fans are very loyal and supported the bands during that tough times, that’s what I like about that scene. I think there will always be a Metal and Rock scene. I was at a Metal Festival last week and the people there looked like they came straight out of 1986 with all the patches and stickers on their jackets. I think this never gonna change.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

We are going to release a new album on June 24th. It’s called “Of Sound And Fury”. There will be also a new Video of the Song The Parade Of Euphoria‘ soon.

Who have been your greatest influences?

I grew up in the 80s and 90s listening to Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer…etc. So I would say back then my influences were Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield, Jeff Hannemann, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, to name a few. After school I studied Jazz Music and a whole new world open up for me. I discovered Wes Montgomery, Stevie Ray Vaughan, George Benson and a lot more. Then I played for 10 years in an American bluesband (The Bernard Allison-Group) and after that I got hired by a symphonic orchestra. I met so many great musicians during that time. They all influenced me.

What first got you into music?

My parents sent me to Music school to learn the accordion when I was 6. I thought it was cool to learn the accordion because my siblings played it, too. When I was 12, I switched to the guitar and found my first band. We covered three-chord-punk songs, because that’s all we could play on our instruments back then. We got better and better and changed our style more into Heavy Metal music. Some of my first records were Scorpions “Love At First Sting” and Iron Maiden’s “Piece Of Mind”. That’s what brought me to heavy music. A couple years later I was listening to Slayer, Entombed, Death…

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?

I’d like to meet Matt Bellamy of Muse. I admire his pioneering spirit when it comes to guitar sounds and the way he transformed Rock music and made it fit into the new century.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

I’d like to play Wacken Open Air in Germany. I’ve never been there so far, but from what I‘ve heard I think it’s one of the greatest Metal Festivals on this planet.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

A big bucket filled with little bottles of Jägermeister and ice. It’s actually not so weird but he put it right on the stage next to me and we, the band, started to empty the bottles immediately. We were all pretty hammered after a bit.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

I’d like you to check out our new Album “Of Sound And Fury”. It’s Rockish, Thrashy and a little bit Bluesy. Thank you for supporting us and our music. We love you all!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Randy Rhoads

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I enjoy the creativity that comes with it. That’s a way for me to express my feelings. I’m not the best talker, I speak through music. And also I like the fact that I don’t have a boss, I can do whatever I like 24/7. I don’t really hate anything about being a musician. It’s definitively money-wise not as solid as working in a factory or an office, but money never played a big role in my life.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I can’t complain. I’m a self-employed musicians for almost 25 years now and I still have a house, a car and a filled refrigerator. There’s a lot of talking in the music industry, and a lot of showing-off, but I don’t care about that. For me music comes first. I also teach music and do studio jobs for guitar manufactures, so there’s always money coming from somewhere. I can’t imagine doing something different than being a musician.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Iron Maiden – “Piece Of Mind”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?

I’d say Vinyl. I like the warmer sound and the fact that it’s harder to skip songs. Once a album is put on you gotta listen to it from beginning to end. It has the highest value for me, especially when it also has a decent cover painting. Since the age of downloads and streaming began everybody thinks music is for free and that’s the way it’s treated. It’s nearly impossible for smaller bands to make any money. The side-effect is that bands now make their money on the road, so the quality of the live shows is rising. That’s not too bad.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

2008 I played the Long Island Blues Festival in New York with the Bernard Allison Group. There‘d gotta be about 15,000 people in the audience. That was pretty intense.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

I’d say a teacher.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Vince Neil, Ozzy Osbourne, Nikky Sixx, Dave Mustaine and Steven Adler. I guess that’s gonna be funny.

What’s next for the band?

We just shot a video in France and are gonna release it pretty soon. We are also working on getting a live set together for some shows in autumn 2022.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

www.goldsmithrocks.com
https://www.facebook.com/Goldsmith.rock
https://www.facebook.com/goldsmithrocks
https://www.instagram.com/goldsmithrocks/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvNxNOqCDrGRNz_ZYZzPCg

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

I’d say a cake. In Germany a biscuit is pretty solid.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you, too. Please check out our new album “Of Sound And Fury” which will be released on June 24th.

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with TURN COLD

EMQ’s with TURN COLD

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview, with Atlanta, Georgia based Crossover Thrash band, Turn Cold. Huge thanks guitarist Brett, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Hello! My name’s Brett and I play guitar in Turn Cold. The guys in the band are my best pals and we’ve played music together in other projects before. These songs started as demos on my laptop and then I started sending them to the drummer and he would send tracks back. Once things started to loosen up with Covid and we were getting vaccinated we did a couple practices and hit the studio to record an EP. It’s been pretty surreal really only existing as a band online.

How did you come up with your band name?

We spent a week or so just texting each other band names all day until we landed on something that sounded hard.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We are from Atlanta, Georgia and the heavy metal community is alive and well here. A vibrant group for sure. Lots of excellent bands hail from here as well.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Our first EP “Break Your Faith” will be released in September and the first single ‘The End Of My Rope’ was released on 30^th July.

‘The End Of My Rope’ (Audio)

Who have been your greatest influences?

Slayer, Metallica and Cro-Mags are pretty big ones for me.

What first got you into music?

The first band I ever heard that wasn’t pop music was the Misfits when I was a kid. After that I had an unquenchable thirst for more music like it. On the hunt for anything I could find that was fast and/or evil.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

The past year or so I’ve worked with Taylor Young of Nails/Gods Hate/Twitching Tongues, Cody Davidson of Sanguisugabogg (and his 10,000 other projects,) Mastering extraordinaire Nick Townsend and Damian Herring of Horrendous. I hope to continue this and keep working with people I respect and/or admire. What’s Rick Rubin up to? I’d def work with that dude.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

I think some of the wildest people in the world are in Texas and would love to play something like Chaos In Tejas and of course any metal band wants to play Wacken!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Nothing stands out specifically but maybe a piece of weird fan art or designer drugs.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

We’re a relatively new band so I think our fanbase is minimal, but my message for readers or potential fans would be we put a lot into these tracks and I think they’ll speak for themselves. and to all the haters out there I’d say thank you. You keep this thing going.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Lemmy. No question.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

Playing live is a big ol’ rush. Finishing a record and bringing something to full fruition that started as an idea in your head feels insane. I don’t hate much about it except for being forced to be organized which does not come naturally to me.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I haven’t been in it enough to comment. All feels like a secret club to me.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Metallica – “Ride The Lightning”.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

Cassettes are my favourite.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Playing a gig with Power Trip on the Manifest Decimation tour is one of my best memories playing live. R.I.P. Riley.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Professional cashier.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

James, Kirk, Lars, Jason and Dave. Watch the sparks fly.

What’s next for the band?

Giggin! Tour and fests!

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp. We’re old-school too though. Never underestimate the power of a flyer on a telephone pole.
www.facebook.com/turncoldthrash
www.instagram.com/turnt.cold/
www.turncold.bandcamp.com/releases
www.open.spotify.com/artist/1rw9pLKvwYuC9EBEnsRZtP
www.youtube.com/channel/UCNt_s41s_kHNtbAYYrzIyXQ

Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?

I had to google this lol. Here we’d go with cookie, for sure.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thanks so much. See you in the pit!

Immortal Sÿnn – Force of Habit

Immortal Sÿnn – Force of Habit
Self-Released
Release Date: 07/05/2021
Running Time: 40:37
Review by Simon Black
5/10

This record really does feel like it has fallen through a time warp. Immortal Sÿnn hail from Colorado, and have clearly been listening to their parent’s 80’s breakout Thrash vinyl collection since their debut back in 2017, although this change of direction had been signalled with the “Capital Punishment” EP that filled that gap. I say Thrash, but I really mean Thrash-influenced in the instrumental department, with beats and riffs that remind me of that era. Vocally new singer Duel Shape is not what you would expect, opting for a much cleaner vocal style that the musical tone would imply. This can go both ways, depending on the phrasing of the song. The opener ‘Anamnesis’ works well, as that clean style and phrasing invokes a bit more of a traditional metal melody and Shape can open up and channel his inner Joey Belladonna. However, the more overt Thrash tracks are crying out for a gruffer delivery style. ‘Fight The Prince’ which follows is a good example of this – the vocal phrasing follows the riff’s, which feels like a waste of Shape’s voice, as this needs staccato and guttural delivery and the clean style flounders somewhat.

My problem with the album is that although the sound is influenced by that 80’s heyday, it sometimes lacks the kind of barely contained aggression and energy that characterised the period. Many bands who were there at the time struggled as well, which is why their early releases borne out of a limited time and budget situation felt special, yet later albums recorded with the advantage of time and money failed to capture that zeitgeist. Some tracks get the balance right, some not.

Instrumentally though they’ve got the sound structure and phrasing down pat – the riff driven pace of delivery of tracks like ’F.U.D.C.’ is pure Thrash, with time changes in all the right places, but the guitar sound is that little bit too clean. When they do go down and dirty which happens for example in the solos for ‘The Ballad of Martin Heemeyer’ (which absolutely ain’t a ballad by the way) then suddenly the whole thing works much better, helped also by the fact that the vocal delivery once again mixes things up and helps pull the whole song together. There’s a nice vein of humour running underneath the thin political veneer – the Lawnmower Deth inspired ‘The Mailman Song’ being a classic case in point and with another member of the band throwing in a much more aggressive vocal turn and proving that when they mix things up, it works. Perhaps alternating vocalists a bit more is the way forward for these guys as the half of the album when they do far outshines the remainder.

‘Anamnesis’ (Lyric Video)

TRACKLISTING:
01. Anamnesis
02. Fight The Prince
03. F.U.D.C.
04. The Ballad Of Marvin Heemeyer
05. The Mailman Song
06. Nuclear Terror
07. Satan’s Tavern
08. Denver Nights
09. Force Of Habit
10. Whiskey II: The Wrath Of Corn

LINE-UP:
Duel Shape – Lead Vocals
Tony Z – Rhythm/Lead Guitars, Vocals
Axel Berrios – Drums, Vocals
Frantz Pierre – Bass, Vocals
Brad Wagner – Lead Guitar, Vocals

LINKS:

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Sacred Reich – Re-issues

Sacred Reich – Re-issues
Ignorance/Surf Nicaragua/The American Way
Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 12/02/2021
Running Time: 42:33/26:03/56:00
Review by Simon Black
9/10
10/10
8/10

Sacred Reich are one of those influential second wave Thrash bands who for some reason never become as huge as their initial direction of travel indicated and were buried by the 1990’s. After a twenty-three year gap, 2019 saw the release of the aptly titled ‘The Awakening’ and pretty darn good to hear from them again after all this time it was too. Not to let a little thing like a total stoppage of all things live get in the way of their revival plans, Metal Blade have decided to re-release those seminal first three releases from the late 80’s for a wider audience so people can see what all the fuss was about. I don’t think I ever caught these guys live first time round, but I certainly still have vinyl from back in the day and the chance to hear these beauties cleaned up and remastered for this decade was not one I was going to turn down the opportunity to share my thoughts on with you lovely people.

“Ignorance” is where this all really started as their first full album back in 1987, and is probably just as politically relevant in this post-Trump world as it was when it was originally released. Just to hammer the point home, vocalist Phil Rind recently made it quite clear that supporters of the orange one are not welcome. I don’t think anything summarises this band better than the blistering anger of the title track, the absolute art of blistering shredding that is ‘Rest In Peace’ and the slab-like heaviness of album opener ‘Death Squad’, the first few bars of which probably best define 2^nd Wave Thrash for me in those opening two minutes of ruthless technical efficiency. It was brilliant then, and it’s still brilliant and relevant now.

“Surf Nicaragua” from that tongue in cheek whistle of descending bomb madness introduction the title track of this EP, was actually the first song I ever heard from these guys way back when. With its thrash pastiche of the Surfaris ‘Wipe Out’ this is pure late 80’s Thrash irreverence with a loaded political back bite at its best. Anthrax gave us the Bermuda shorts, these guys gave us a song to wear them to. It was a guaranteed mosh pit raiser when I used to DJ and it sounds just as fun then as now and suddenly I feel 18 again. To be fair this EP was all about this song, rather than the covers and live fillers that follow, and it did a huge amount to raise their profile at the time, even if it did convince most people that these guys were from Florida or California instead of Phoenix, Arizona, but then that sort of misdirection is rather the whole point of what they are about politically. It’s worth buying for this track alone, and the remaster cleans it up beautifully whilst losing none of the freshness that made it work so well in 1988.

“The American Way” is politically far more forward and clear in its intent. It’s also a more mature and in many ways richer release than its two predecessors. At the time I was less impressed with its measured delivery, but thirty years later I can appreciate that it was ahead of its time in many ways – although it’s still nowhere near as infectiously catchy as “Ignorance” or balls out (hanging slightly out of the trouser leg of the Bermuda shorts) as “Surf Nicaragua”. The Information Age has come and gone since this was released, and the oft-ridiculed PMRC (the subject of the classic ‘Who’s To Blame’) may be political history now, but the underlying trend of conservatism that these liberal Thrashers loathe makes this just as relevant in the Disinformation Age.

This does not feel like a cash-in situation as more of a pertinent reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same. These albums strike me as just as relevant and enjoyable as they were originally and it’s been an absolute treat to revisit them again. You know what to do…

TRACKLISTINGS:
Ignorance (1987)
01. Death Squad
02. Victim Of Demise
03. Layed To Rest
04. Ignorance
05. No Believers
06. Violent Solutions
07. Rest In Peace
08. Sacred Reich
09. Administrative Decisions
10. Ignorance (Metal Massacre VIII)

Surf Nicaragua (1988)
01. Surf Nicaragua
02. One Nation
03. War Pigs
04. Draining You Of Life
05. Ignorance (Live)
06. Death Squad (Live)

The American Way (1990)
01. Love…Hate
02. The American Way
03. The Way It Is
04. Crimes Against Humanity
05. State Of Emergency
06. Who’s To Blame
07. I Don’t Know
08. 31 Flavors

LINE-UP:
Phil Rind – Bass/Vocals
Wiley Arnett – Lead Guitar
Jason Rainey – Rhythm Guitar
Greg Hall – Drums

LINKS:

INTERVIEW WITH CRO-MAGS

INTERVIEW WITH CRO-MAGS
The Story Of 2020 EP Style
By Stephanie Stevens

The CRO-MAGS, a legendary name in the Hardcore/Punk/Thrash scene. A band who has had a cult following since early in their career. They gave birth to the tough as nails attitude of the scene in the late 80’s and brought, to this world, music that held no punches and surrounded you with an essence of ‘fight and stand strong’.

It’s been 20 years since the band dropped a full-length album to their fans but, earlier this year “IN THE BEGINNING” was born! The album brings you back to the New York hardcore roots and pummels you with that high-octane energy!

Throughout this year the guys had to cancel a tour because of the pandemic but rose up and presented one of the very first live Quarantine livestreams and then continued writing, so we will not just see a full-length released this year but the men of CRO-MAGS are also releasing another slew of songs with the EP entitled “2020”, coming out Dec 11, 2020. To me this EP outweighs the full length. It’s got so much power and angst, a masterpiece in its own right. From living in quarantine, to seeing violence, brutality, burning buildings and the empty streets of NYC, 2020 is a year we will never forget. This EP captures the emotion and raw reality in 20 minutes and 20 seconds. The band fully engulf what we have endured as you listen to the music, words and lay your eyes on the artwork. You want real? Its right here, packaged up in a six-song disc!

I had a chance to ask the legend himself, Harley Flanagan, about the making of the EP, the future of America and who empowers and inspires!

Q: Through 2020 you guys have done a lot of writing. Back in June of 2020 you released “IN THE BEGINNING”. How was it going back to work with producer Arthur Rizk and did you re-visit him because of a certain thing it brought out in you guys?

We get along really well musically and as people, he is not afraid of taking chances and he encourages me to do the same.

Q: Before the end of the year you’re also releasing the EP “2020”, a tell-tale story of the life we have seen roll out before our eyes. With so much emotion about the year we have had, how easy was it getting it out onto a soundtrack like this?

There was no better way to deal with it and to vent. I am blessed to have friends like Steve Zing, Arthur and my guys.

Q: You guys are from NY, so you have seen so much through the year that our country has gone through. Being we are in probably the most chaotic year we have ever seen how do you envision the new year will pan out if you could voice your opinion?

To be honest I have no idea. I hope we start doing shows again soon, but I think things are gonna stay weird for a while.

Q: ‘CHAOS IN THE STREETS’ was a song that stuck with me off the 2020 EP. What do you hope people walk away with after hearing this track?

I’m just reporting it as I see it and giving a little warning.

Q: CROFUSION is an epic ending to the record. Tell us about the jam session and how did you break it down to a, little over, 4 min song?

We just put on a click track and started jamming. It was almost 20 mins long, then me and Arthur just took what we thought were the best parts of it and lined them up so the full record would be 20:20 long. Initially, when we did, we weren’t planning on that, but since it came to 20 min and 16 seconds when we were done, we just added 4 more seconds of sound and made it an even 20:20 like the title.

Q: The EP also has an array of pictures from the album cover and the most eerie look into a deserted NYC. How did you go about choosing pictures and did you go out yourself to take these images?

Me and my wife took some of them and my uncle took the back cover. I went out when I had to, but I stayed away from people and crowds to the best of my ability. There were a few Covid cases in my building, one death and my mother in law was sick but she recovered.

Q: As a band how was the writing process for you guys due to quarantine and how long was it before you could get into an actual studio to lay stuff down and how different was the process?

I always do most of the writing and I have a backlog of riffs and songs, they add their input after. I have so much material and I’m always writing; once I give them the riffs and arrangements, I encourage them to just go nuts, and we take it from there.

It was a difficult time due to the quarantine, and everything was closed but when my longtime friend Steve Zing from Danzig moved into his new house he set up his studio and when things eased up a little we went out there and jammed through the riffs and tracked them there and then we built on it. Rocky was in L.A so he did his tracks there.

Q: This year the touring all stopped, and you guys were one of the first to do a livestream. How did you perceive it after the fact and were there more positive outcomes of it, vs an actual tour?

Obviously, I would rather have toured, but sometimes life throws curveballs at you and you have to handle it. I took what was a shitty situation and turned it into the best thing I possibly could. Then I got to work on writing this EP and the next album. I wasted no time, I didn’t get sucked into bitching online with conspiracy theories and bullshit, I just kept busy. I was out of work, so I wrote music and lyrics and worked out.

Q: As a legendary group and having a platform where people look up to you, what is one thing you can say to this country, that is so divided, that could maybe open a few people’s eyes to what America is and how we can save this country?

I’m not gonna be that guy to try to give anyone a solution or the “Answer” on how to save anything, but I’m hoping that with everything that has happened people start to wake up. Change can be a painful thing, but I am hoping for progress. But just remember things can always be worse and or get worse and It doesn’t take much for that to happen. Be grateful for the good things in your life. I honestly don’t have much hope for the human race as a whole.

Q: Are you guys doing any pre-launch promotions for the EP “2020” and how can fans support you guys with this soon to be released EP and “IN THE BEGINNING”?

Not that I know of. Just buy it, download it and enjoy it!!! Maybe make a video of you and your friends singing the songs and post it and share it with us!!!

Q: Empower another artist and tell us what inspires you about them?

That’s a hard one. There are so many- there are so many artists that I love and respect, but I have to say Gman ( I know he’s in my band does that count?) Because I get pumped when he plays – I love watching him play – it makes me want to play and if I didn’t have an instrument in my hands I’d probably just start flipping out – and I guess that’s what HC is supposed to make you feel; like involuntary stomping, swinging, headbanging, running back and forth jumping off shit and smashing shit. Good thing I have an instrument when he plays cause shit would get dangerous.

The End

CONNECT WITH THE BAND:

‘From The Grave’ (Official Video) – Taken From The Album “In The Beginning”

‘2020’ (Visualiser) – Taken From The EP “2020”

Cro-Mags – Full Live Quarantine Concert (15^th March 2020)

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Stephanie Stevens and East Coast Romper, and has been released to Ever Metal on this basis. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Granada – Amarre EP

Granada – Amarre EP
Self-Released
02/01/2020
Running Time: 20:59
Review by Victor Augusto
9.5/10

If someone asks why maybe South American bands have a kind of unique aggressiveness in their way of playing or in how they express themselves in their music, I would say that it is the consequence of all the crap we have to live with in a continent full of cultural richness, but that, at the same time, is also full of misfortunes. All South American countries are “cursed” by poverty, corruption and violence despite all other good things. Obviously, all this suffering reflects in society and, consequently, in the music that emerges from there.

The Argentine band Granada came up with another release and have brought a concept, based on all these problems that we live with in our countries. “Amarre” is composed of five tracks that reports a view of who witnesses and experiences how hard it is to live in a dysfunctional family. It goes further. All the tracks have videos on the band’s YouTube Channel, illustrating what the band says, along with the laws that criminalize the particular abuse that is the subject of each song, as well as the phone numbers to report that crime in Argentina. It is an excellent way to bring consciousness and awareness to people of these problems, through the music, something that even politicians cannot do well.

An interesting thing about the EP title “Amarre” is that it could mean ties, like people tied in a specific hell or abuse that is related to the songs. However, Amarre also means spiritual ties that some local spiritual religions do in two evil kinds of desires. One, is the desire of having a person tied in your life, like in slavery. The other way could be just like bringing disgrace to someone, like a voodoo. The songs talk about suicide, family abuse, violence against woman, etc. You can hear things in the Spanish lyrics like “Shut up, I am your father/mother” which relates to family abuse of power and “Until Death do us apart” related to a woman waiting to die after suffering so much abuse in her marriage but is powerless to act.

Musically, ‘Autoridad’ shows a fast and aggressive Thrash/Hardcore style and ‘Golpes’ shows dizzy riffs, blast beats and breaking rhythms with a lot of heaviness, similar to Agnostic Front. The Hardcore and Punk vein appears more strongly in ‘Sometido’ and it fits well with short moments of double kicks in the drums and a guitar solo in an Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) style. ‘Castracion’ has the Death Metal inspiration diluted in the band’s sound, with strong riffs that reminded me of Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel). The ending song brings a feeling of a person being dragged by the music due to all the broken rhythms. This feeling of agony and suffering has a reason and it helps to summarize what the title track ‘Amarre’ is.

Guille Estevez does a good interpretation of the lyrics, along with his precise guitar work. The drums of Marcos Edwards give a lesson of versatility, going from Punk through Thrash and Death Metal in a blink of an eye. He is the main force of all aggressiveness and excitement that you are going to hear on this release. There is no bass recorded on “Amarre”, but Damian Mayster’s second guitar keeps a good sonority and gives the proper sound that the band needs. To create a more aggressive atmosphere, the recording was made in a live format, at El Attic studio, in an analog way, without editing or adjustments. Everything recorded in one take! The rawness increases the dark atmosphere of the theme, extracting an excellent sound, musically speaking.

What I can assure about the twenty minutes of this listening is that “Amarre” shows perfectly what Granada is capable of doing when they decide to turn all the anger from their lives into music. I felt touched by the concept and by the power of their sonority. For sure, we have one of the best releases of this insane year!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Autoridad
02. Golpes
03. Sometido
04. Castración
05. Amarre

LINE-UP:
Guille Estévez – Vocals and Guitars
Marcos Edwards – Drums
Damian Mayster – Guitars

LINKS:
www.granadametal.com/
www.facebook.com/granadametal/
www.instagram.com/granadametal/
www.twitter.com/granadametal
www.granadametal.bandcamp.com/
www.open.spotify.com/album/7HunWHeaJRJ1ThycQD5Ea5
www.deezer.com/br/album/125136772

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Augusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with BOMBSCARE

EMQ’s with BOMBSCARE

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Bakersfield, California based Thrash Metal band, Bombscare. Huge thanks to vocalist/bassist, Patrick Murphy, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Patrick Murphy, I’m the vocalist/bassist of the band. Myself and my brother/guitarist Tom founded the band the end of 2013. At first it was just a studio thing because we couldn’t find members. But we eventually got a drummer in 2015 and played as a 3 piece for a good while. We put out our first release “T-Minus…” in 2017 and did a small tour to support it. On the road we realized something was missing, so we brought in a second guitar player, and that solidified the line-up we have today. We put out an EP in March this year, titled “Bastions of Blood”, but due to the current state of things we can’t tour, so we’re just writing and doing behind the scenes stuff until we can get back on the road.

How did you come up with your band name?

I smoked some weed, sat on the couch, and tried to think of a cool band name, and Bombscare kept coming back to me. I did a quick internet search, and nothing came up at the time so that was that.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We’re based out of Bakersfield, Ca which is the lower mid part of the state. We’re about two hours north of LA. There isn’t much of a thrash metal scene here, it’s more of a hardcore thing here as far as heavy music goes. So, we play a lot of hardcore shows here, not that that’s a bad thing. I honestly prefer mixed genre gigs. But if we want to play with other thrash/death bands we usually have to travel.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

Our latest release is an EP, “Bastions of Blood”. Our buddy Issac Sanchez (Trinity Sound Studios) did our tracking, and we were blessed with the opportunity to work with Bill Metoyer (Skull Seven Productions). The artwork is a colab of my friends Britton Shrum (New Wasteland Design) and Joe Ortega (Useless Artworks). The EP’s available on CD and all digital formats.

Who have been your greatest influences?

My favourite band is Forced Entry. They were based out of Seattle, Wa, and were active from 84-95. I first found out about them a little late (maybe 6 years ago), but when I first heard them, I was floored. They changed the way I go about making my own music. So, without Forced Entry, style wise, Bombscare would be a very different band.

What first got you into music?

Metallica and Iron Maiden made me love music. I got “Master of Puppets” and “Powerslave” as a kid and it was game over for me, that was it!

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

That’s a tough one. If I’m shooting for the top here, it would be an honour to do something with Exodus. But on a more achievable level, I would love to do something with my buddies in Paralysis or Intent.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Wacken. That’s self-explanatory.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

This didn’t happen in Bombscare, but one time I signed this kid’s rotten ass shoe he was wearing. That was pretty messed up.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you for being a fan. You have no idea how much any level of support is appreciated.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

I wish they were all still here. It’s really hard to answer that one but I guess I’ll go with Cliff Burton. I love Newsted, but it would be really interesting to see what could have been, you know what I mean?

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

It’s the only thing that makes me happy. I live and breathe my music. Being on stage is my therapy, if you see us live, I think you would pick up on that pretty easily. I hate the business end of things. I handle pretty much all of it in the group and it kind of sucks the life out of you! But if you have aspirations in this game, it’s what you have to do.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

I wish there was more artist development on the label/management end. It seems as though no one will touch you with a ten foot poll unless you’ve got huge numbers on social media, which is a crock of shit in my opinion, because anyone can just get numbers and it doesn’t equate to talent. I’d rather have a smaller number and it be all organic then having a large number that has no idea who you are. Social media is a blessing and a curse. But hey, what do I know?

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Here’s a few.
Forced Entry- “As Above, So Below”
Razor- “Shotgun Justice”
Solstice- “Solstice”
Forbidden- “Twisted Into Form”
Vio-Lence- “Oppressing The Masses”
Dark Angel- “Time Does Not Heal”
Demolition Hammer- “Tortured Existence”
Nuclear Assault- “Handle With Care”
Exhorder- “The Law”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

I like CD’s best, but I know vinyl is super popular. I don’t get the cassette thing. I’m old enough to remember dealing with them. They suck and they break!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Opening for Skeletal Remains was a lot of fun.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Exactly what I’m doing now. I’m a body piercer and a stagehand. I love both of my jobs.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

I hate dinner parties. I’m pretty antisocial, kind of counter intuitive for being a frontman but it is what it is.

What’s next for the band?

With the whole Covid thing, all our plans for this year are shot. So, I guess all there is to do is write, demo, rehearse, and figure out what to do when concerts exist again. If we get the finances in order, I would love to buy on to a larger tour package.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

www.facebook.com/bombscareband
www.instagram.com/bombscareband

Our music is available at
bombscare.hearnow.com/

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

I had to look up what that was. I guess I would call it a cake, but the term biscuit has different meanings in the US and UK, so I guess it could go either way.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you for the interview and thank you to everyone that reads this. Bombscare is:

Patrick Murphy: vocals/bass
Tom Murphy: guitar
Gar Flores: guitar
Fernando “Nano” Villagran: drums

EMQ’s with Solitary

EMQ’s with SOLITARY

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Lancashire, UK Thrash Metal band Solitary. Huge thanks to Vocalist/Guitarist Rich Sherrington for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Hi, this is Rich from Solitary – lead vocals and rhythm guitar. We’ve been playing thrash metal for 25 years and don’t intend to stop any time soon.

How did you come up with your band name?

One of the early band members came up with it. I wanted us to be called Solitude but there was a band using that name so he came up with Solitary and we went for that.

What Region/Country are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We’re from Preston and the metal scene in the UK has changed a lot over the last 25 years. I think it’s best to separate it into sections: In terms of social media and webzines etc it’s really good. I think the live scene isn’t what it was, with the exception of the major cities and the core people who buy merch and physical formats, really support the bands, definitely keep them going.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single or Video)

We released an EP called “XXV” in the summer to mark our 25th Anniversary and we’re just about to mix our next album, with Simon Efemey, so that should be out at some point in 2020.

Who have been your greatest influences?

I would say really Slayer and Testament are probably the bands whose influence can be heard in our songs, but to be honest, anything that makes you stop and listen probably makes a subliminal impact on you when it comes to being creative.

What first got you into music?

It has to be Xentrix! I actually won a competition to meet them on 10th Dec 1990 and from that moment I knew I had to form a band and get on the stage myself.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

I’m not really sure…thinking from a business perspective it would have to be a really big name to enhance the bands profile, so maybe Tom Araya now that Slayer are no more.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Hellfest or one of the mega European ones would be amazing and I would like to play Donington as well.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Well we don’t tend to receive anything, but years ago I was aware that someone was going to do cross stitch of a photo they took of me.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

‘Thank you’ – because without them we wouldn’t still be here!

If you could bring one Metal/Rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Got to be Jeff Hanneman!

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I enjoy it all really, there’s nothing I would say I hate. It’s difficult at times, organising everything. I would say the worst point is when someone leaves and you have the uncertainty until you find a replacement.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Digital royalties! It still costs the same to record an album so the royalties factor that in.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

“Reign In Blood” – still as amazing as when I first heard it in the 80’s.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

From a musicians perspective I would say vinyl is a really special achievement, but my own personal preference would be CD for the sound quality.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

We’ve done so many, but Bloodstock last summer was up there and also playing abroad has a lot of great memories. The one I enjoyed the most was probably at Backstage, Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

I don’t know…I’ve been a musician longer than I’ve not been one! I think life would be pretty tedious to be honest.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Dinner parties aren’t really my thing.

What’s next for the band?

We’re in the midst of compiling a retrospective DVD and then obviously the new album being released in 2020.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

We have the usual platforms like Facebook etc, but it’s really becoming all about guiding people to platforms like Spotify.

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Bizarre question! They are a biscuit.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thrash forever!

https://www.facebook.com/Official.Solitary/
http://imperativepr.co.uk/management-solitary.html
http://www.solitary.org.uk/

EMQ’s with CRYPITUS

EMQ’s with CRYPITUS

Hi Everyone. Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Vermont, USA Thrash/Death/Prog Metal band Crypitus! Huge thanks to all of them for taking part!
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Zach: Hi. I’m Zach. I play drums. Crypitus has been around for about 3.5 years. It all started with Doug and Pete living and playing together. At the time I was desperately searching the internet for local musicians to jam with and Pete was the first to respond with Doug in tow. The rest is history.
Pete: We are Crypitus. We play thrashy groovy prog Metal. Doug and I used to play guitar together and we decided to find a drummer. Zach was available and it’s been history since.
Joe: I’m Joe and I play bass. I joined after a friend introduced me.
Doug: I’m Doug and I’m the guitarist / vocalist for Crypitus. We really started this group in the spring of 2016 when Zach, Pete and I got together. After cycling through a few bass players Joe stood true as a solid fit.
How did you come up with your band name?
Doug: The name Crypitus actually came from when I was taking wilderness first aid in high school, my teacher came up to me rather excited and exclaimed “Do you know what a sick metal band name would be? Crypitus; it’s the sound of breaking bones!” I was sold instantly.
What country are you from and what is the metal scene like there?
Zach: We hail from Mendon, Vermont, USA. The metal scene varies from State to state here. My favorite local metal scene is definitely in Maine, which is the north Eastern most point of the country. No matter where we go in the states though, the music scene is a very humbling experience. It’s like a tremendous underground brotherhood.
Pete: We’re from the United States. The metal scene is booming here. Lot of different genres going on! The people are incredible in the scene. They just treat everyone like family.
Joe: We are from Vermont, USA. The metal scene is awesome here.
Doug: I love the scene we have around here, I see so many bands in the New England region hungry to make music for people and have a great time doing it!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Zach: We just released our first album, “Ill World (That’s What You Get)”. The first single from the album is called ‘Out Of Line’. We are very excited to have some fresh material out for the world to hear and we are looking into getting a music video made soon.
Joe: We just released our first album “Ill World (That’s What You Get)”.
Doug: “Ill World (That’s What You Get)” is our first official album, it’s so great to have that released now. It’s a culmination of the last 3 years of Crypitus, and we hope that it helps people understand our sound as a whole. The lyrical content is meant to display the danger we endure in this Ill, dying world.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Zach: My biggest influences are Blake Richardson from Between the Buried and Me, Terry Bozzio and Mike Portnoy.
Pete: Frank Zappa, Aaron Marshall, Between the Buried and Me, Exmortus, Mastodon.
Joe: Metallica, Primus and SOAD.
Doug: I love Megadeth, Death and Death Angel.
What first got you into music?
Zach: Birth. As a toddler, my father was a metal head. I had a drum set made of phone books and pots and pans. Riding in the car, I used to bang my head off the front of my car seat when the metal was blaring. It’s in my blood.
Pete: I’ve been into music since I was really young. I played piano from 5-10 and switched to guitar after that.
Joe: My parents listened to good music when I was growing up.
Doug: Music has always been amazing, ever since I can remember I was delving into music and artists and all the stories surrounding.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Zach: I’d really like to get a chance to rock out with Sithu Aye. There’s another local band that I’d really like to replace their drummer too.
Pete: I’d love to jam with Plini.
Joe: Primus.
Doug: I’d love to jam with Voivod.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Zach: Herd Flock. It’s a small one but it’s like home.
Pete: Reading Festival in England seems really cool.
Doug: I’d love the chance to play Heavy MTL in Montreal QC CA.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Pete: I’ve gotten some free drinks once but that’s about it.
Doug: We got sent home with an insane amount of homemade bread once!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Zach: Hakuna matata.
Pete: Just play the music you want to. Don’t conform to any genres.
Doug: Support your local artist! Literally anyway you can, we are working our tails off for you!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Zach: Chuck from Death. He’s the only one.
Pete: I’d bring Frank Zappa back.
Doug: What Zach said?
What do you enjoy most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Zach: I really enjoy hitting things with sticks. Also getting to play in front of a crowd is pretty amazing. What I like least would have to be some of the long ass drives we make to get to a show.
Pete: I love expressing myself through the guitar. I hate breaking strings.
Joe: Get to play cool music and travel around to awesome places. Dislike long car rides.
Doug: I love being able to express myself, especially in front of people, it’s exhilarating. I do hate equipment issues with a passion.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Zach: The fact that it’s almost impossible to make a living as a musician unless you get famous.
Pete: I’d change the music industry to not rely on capitalism to thrive.
Doug: I wish that music wasn’t a trap for people to sell out in.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Zach: My all-time favourite album is “Colors” by Between the Buried and Me.
Pete: “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd.
Joe: “Sailing the Seas of Cheese” by Primus.
Doug: “Rust In Piece” by Megadeth
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Zach: 8 track.
Pete: I love vinyl.
Joe: Downloads are cool.
Doug: CD’s for sure!
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Zach: That’s a hard one. It was either our first Herd Flock or this year’s RPM fest. Both were awesome crowds.
Pete: RPM fest in Massachusetts was pretty rad.
Joe: RPM fest was probably one of the best we played at.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Zach: Maybe fishing a bit.
Pete: Nothing. I’d be a husk.
Joe: Not a lot.
Doug: Disappearing into the woods and never coming back.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Zach: Gandhi, Blake Richardson, Plini, Steve Rinella and my dog Lucy.
Pete: Frank Zappa, Bill Hader, Bruce Campbell, John Mulaney, Joseph Stalin.
What’s next for the band?
Zach: A lot of shows and album promoting, winter hibernation, and world domination.
Pete: We’re playing with Exmortus in December.
Joe: World domination.
Doug: Scattered shows throughout the fall and winter and expecting a heavy 2020.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
http://www.crypitus.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVH3Jy1IikiY_nwoedEzV0A
https://www.musicindustrydatabase.com/artists/Crypitus
https://soundcloud.com/crypitus
https://www.reverbnation.com/crypitus
https://crypitus.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/crypitus
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Zach: Do they have frosting? Do you smother them in gravy? Idfk what a Jaffa cake is.
Joe: It has cake in the name so cake.
Doug: Word on the street is it is a luxurious biscuit that is like a cake.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Please show us some love and pick up our latest release here!
https://crypitus.bandcamp.com/album/ill-world-thats-what-you-get

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Prison – Come, Annihilation. EP

Come, Annihilation EP Cover

Prison – Come, Annihilation. EP
Self-Released
Release Date: 29/03/2019
Running Time: 11:01
Review by Stephen Moss
8/10

Prison are from Seattle, describe themselves as Thrash/Punk/Doom and WOW, I could write an entire article on just how awesome the first track of this EP is. However, I’ll try to contain myself.
“Come, Annihilation.” starts off with a fantastic song! ‘Into The Pit’ and it is one of the best Punk songs I’ve heard in a long time. The very first time I listened to it, about 35 seconds into the song, I had to plug my phone into my drums and play along to the track. I have over 38,000 songs on my phone and ‘Into The Pit’ is now in my top 50 most played songs. Buy this song!
The Second song on the EP is called ‘Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cares’ This is also a really good Punk song. After that, the songs become more average street punk songs. Nothing really stands out and the rest of the EP isn’t really memorable.
Even though the rest of the “Come, Annihilation.” didn’t hold up to the level of awesomeness of the first two songs, it is still a good EP. Not every release is full of smash hits!
What “Come, Annihilation.” does very well is show off the band’s potential. The band do such an amazing job on their first two tracks that I’m really excited to follow the band as they make new music.
If you’re a fan of street punk and bands like: Hot Snakes, The Casualties, The Unseen, S.T.U.N., and None More Black then you need to check out this EP.
Prison hit all the major points for a good punk band. The songs are short, fast, loud, catchy, angry, and make you want to mosh with your middle fingers raised in the air!
I’m genuinely excited to see what’s next for this band. Kudos to Prison for doing punk right!
Must have songs are ‘Into The Pit’ and Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Cares’
TRACKLISTING:
01. Into The Pit
02. Who Lives Who Dies Who Cares
03. I Do Not Value Life
04. I Welcome Death
05. We Live In Filth
06. The Smell Of Flesh
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/prisonseattle/
https://prison.bandcamp.com/

Promo Pic

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Stephen Moss and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.