Today, Midnight reveals the first track from their highly anticipated third album, Sweet Death and Ecstasy. The album will be released later this year on 2CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats via Hells Headbangers. The track is titled “Penetratal Ecstasy,”
By now, Midnight need no introduction. Guided by the twisted muse of mainman Athenar since 2003, this Cleveland cult have been slaying the metal/punk underground with their own, highly addictive brand of lust, filth, and sleaze, subsequently building up a sizable catalog and garnering a rabid fanbase. While there’s certainly fanatics for the band’s early EP work, it was Midnight’s debut album, Satanic Royalty – released to international fanfare in 2011 by Hells Headbangers – that entered the band’s name into the annals of “classic.” Never one to rush things (nor drop an EP along the way), Midnight continued their underground dominance with No Mercy for Mayhem in 2014, further perfecting their signature sound. Now, with their massively anticipated third album, Sweet Death and Ecstasy, Athenar and co. return with their darkest and most daring effort yet.
Granted, upon the first detonating chords of opener “Crushed by Demons,” it would be fair to assume that Sweet Death and Ecstasy is simply classic Midnight…until the tracktime nearly doubles what a characteristic track of theirs would be. This is no mere bloat, though: bookended by two of the band’s longest songs to date, Sweet Death and Ecstasy lays bare a more anguished ‘n’ aggravated Midnight, forever in thrall to the usual subjects (LUST, FILTH, SLEAZE) but speaking a slightly different, altogether-more-poisonous tongue. It both charges harder than ever – even harder than the band’s early EP work, arguably – and also puts on the brakes to bang ‘n’ clang in a manner most foul. Indeed, Midnight truly deliver Sweet Death and Ecstasy in a swift 32 minutes, and it’s absolutely addicting. What’s more, the CD version will feature a bonus disc that’s a 12-song live rehearsal recorded in 2015 by Commandor Vanik. There’s no dawn for Midnight…ever!
Release date and preorder info to be revealed shortly.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
1. Crushed by Demons
2. Penetratal Ecstasy
3. Here Comes Sweet Death
4. Melting Brain
5. Rabid!
6. Bitch Mongrel
7. Poison Trash
8. Before My Time in Hell
Today, legendary Finnish death metal masters Purtenance premiere the new track “Vicious Seeds of Mortality”
The track hails from the band’s highly anticipated EP, Paradox of Existence, set for international release on September 12th through Xtreem Music.
After returning to a five-piece lineup, Purtenance began to work on new tunes, which were recorded during the first half of 2017, and are now released as an EP that follows their trademarked heavy old-school Finnish death metal for which they’re known since their inception in 1989. Cover artwork was once again made by Chris Moyen, who’s done every Purtenance cover artwork since their debut album, Member of Immortal Damnation, in 1992.
The first track from the EP, “In the End Only Death Will Remain,”HERE.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Purtenance’s Paradox of Existence
1. In the End Only Death Will Remain
2. Vicious Seeds of Mortality
3. Paradox of Existence
4. Nekro Orgy
Today, Iron Bonehead Productions sets November 3rd as the international release date for Kawir’s highly anticipated seventh album, Exilasmos, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
Since 1993, Kawir have been one of the unsung pillars of the classic Greek black metal sound. While the names Rotting Christ, Varathron, and Necromantia are incredibly important to that style’s foundation, it was Kawir who kept the faith during the ’90s and into the new millennium. In 1994, the then-young band released two pivotal 7″s, Eumenides and a split with Japan’s Sigh – on the pivotal Cacophonous Records, no less – and then followed those up in 1996 with the To Cavirs MLP, which is the first truly pagan-oriented record to hail from the Greek black metal scene. With that mini-album, Kawir set about on a Hellenistic crusade to celebrate their native gods and mythology in their lyrics and sartorial presentation. From the late ’90s onward, the band continued to remain prolific, perpetually committed to fine-tuning their idiosyncratic craft, culminating in underground classics Arai (2005) and Ophiolatreia (2008). Although 2012’s Ισόθεος featured a cross-continental lineup, the album further solidified Kawir’s status as unique icons in the black metal underground.
Then, just last year, Iron Bonehead released the massively acclaimed Father Sun Mother Moon, which saw Kawir return to an all-Greek lineup and recast their classic sound in a whole new light, and now they continue that forward momentum with the fiery Exilasmos. If the 64-minute Father Sun Mother Moon was the sound of Kawir indulging their most epic expanses – always with power and poignancy, it must be said – then the 42-minute Exilasmos is its punchier and more restless counterpart. Across its six characteristically cascading tracks, Kawir take a decidedly darker and more aggressive turn, racing into the fray in a manner most mid ’90s (or To Cavirs, as it were) but never losing the inherently heroic aspect so crucial – and so engaging, after all these years – to their Hellenic sound. Supplementing that dark heroism is the addition of a fulltime keyboardist in Aristomache, who lends mystical light and shade to the band’s surge ‘n’ swell. Further coloring the windswept wildness of Exilasmos are an endless supply of dramatic solos from guitarists Melanaegis and founder Therthonax.
But, as ever with Kawir, the sonic portrait they paint is imbued with a deep lyricism hailing the Greek pantheon. In the case of Exilasmos, the record is conceptually about the tragic dynasties of the house of Lavdakides (Oedipus Tyrannus) and the house of Atreus. Both dynasties nearly exterminated themselves, and all these violent and inhuman acts brought forth the wrath of Zeus and the curses were consequently laid upon the whole bloodline. “Exilasmos” in Ancient Hellenic Language means calming down the gods’ wrath, so it perfectly describes the tragic events featured in the namesake album.
Recorded at Esoteron Studio in Athens and mixed and mastered by Esoteric’s Greg Chandler at Priory Studio, Exilasmos is yet another gleaming jewel in the rich Kawir canon. Long may they ascend Mount Olympus! Begin that ascent with a special promo video for the new track “Agamemnon”
Today, black metal enigmas Reverorum ib Malacht stream their highly anticipated third album, Ter Agios Numini. Set for international release on August 18th via The Ajna Offensive, stream the entirety of Ter Agios Numini HERE.
Reverorum ib Malacht’s newest offering, however, isn’t all that new, having been composed and compiled and reworked and redesigned over the past 10+ years, kept lingering in a haunted and purgatorial state until just a few months ago. Therefore, those who came to understand and marvel at the likes of Ur-kaos and De Mysteriis Dom Christi will find Ter Agios Numini to be equally as dense and vast and inspired. And yet, Ter Agios Numini reveals another complex dimension of the band, all the while being unapologetically Reverorum ib Malachtian: cryptically, murkily terrifying and simultaneously cathartic with moments of sublime remoteness.
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Reverorum ib Malacht’s Ter Agios Numini
1. Synestesi
2. Long into the Time Beyond
3. Reverorum ib Malachtum
4. Dwellings are His that Die
In their endless quest to push and support current underground acts that perpetuate the odor of vintage death metal, on October 23rd, Memento Mori is proud to present War Possession’s highly anticipated debut album, Doomed to Chaos. Hailing from the black metal hotbed of Greece, War Possession indeed features a number of scene veterans within their ranks, including current and past members of such bands as Embrace of Thorns, Merciless Crucifixion, and Wargoat. Since the band’s beginnings in 2008, they’ve been possessed by an unwavering desire to craft and perform punishing, war-themed DEATH METAL impervious to trends and modern standards, combining corpulent, ominously slow riffs with blasting brutality soaked in a blackened ambience. References to be made are the olden endeavors of Bolt Thrower, Demigod, Treblinka/Tiamat, Incantation, Therion, Archgoat, Imprecation, and Asphyx. But while they’ve quietly made an impression across a demo, split, and EP, at long last, War Possession reveals its most devastating assault in Doomed to Chaos.
Totaling 10 tracks in a lean ‘n’ mean 40 minutes, Doomed to Chaos begins its slow lurch into undead life with an ominous intro, setting the stage for the audial apocalypse to come. War-torn atmosphere established, War Possession soon kick into caustic ‘n’ crunch gear with a proud ‘n’ powerful pulse not unlike a Panzer tank. No more and certainly no less, the band evince totally pure, unapologetically untarnished DEATH METAL songwriting that finds the right balance between linear and labyrinthine. Engaging the listener (and enemy!) at every decimated turn, the sonic canvas of Doomed to Chaos soon becomes a battlefield, as each song plays out the stark drama so endemic to war. Or, if you simply listen and prepare to be flattened, never giving a thought to their thematics, War Possession lurch ‘n’ lunge in a most classic way, even down to the early ’90s-style production (with mastering by The Crypt’s Ted Tringo). Completed by equally classic, era-accurate artwork by Fendieart, Doomed to Chaos is diehard death metal for death metal diehards – for victory!
Feel the first opening fire with the new track “Operation Neptune.”
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for War Possession’s Doomed to Chaos
1. March into Hell (Beyond the Chaos Gate)
2. Operation Neptune
3. God of a Wicked Mind
4. Verdun Hell
5. Doomed to Chaos
6. War Is the Father and King of All
7. Slapton Sands Tragedy
8. The Sword of Stalingrad
9. Haunted by Carnage
10. Mass for the Dead
Walpyrgus was formed in 2012 in Raleigh North Carolina to write, record and perform hard rock / heavy metal music. They’re influenced by Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, old Slayer , The Ramones, The Scorpions. Today I got to speak to Scott and Peter from the band – read on
* First off congrats on the album it sounds retro but with a totally fresh spin on it – how long were you guys working on this before you went into the studio?
Peter Lemieux: ‘The Dead of Night’ and ‘We Are the Wolves’ were the first demos I ever heard, so really since the formation of the band!
Scott Waldrop: Yes, Peter had a home studio right there in our jam space so we recorded lots of demos of these songs right when we started the band in 2012. It was about 3 years of long nights in the basement and several gigs in The Carolinas – and at some Fests to “test” the songs in front of a crowd. There were different incarnations of the tunes and we tweaked them several times before eventually going into “Volume 11 Studios” here in Raleigh NC to get the drums and guitar rhythms done. We of course, are all inspired by older bands from 70’s prog to 80’s punk, but we use modern gear.
For instance, Charley and I play through Mesa Boogie amps with modern guitars containing emg pickups. Him and I discussed guitar tone when we started the band – whether we wanted to play Gibson SG’s through old Marshalls or go full “meathead” metal with the sound. So, we opted to use our pointy guitars with sizzle tones and that ethos of “modern tone” verses “old school song-writing” followed us aesthetically unto the album’s completion. Basically, the philosophy was, “Let’s write cool classic metal songs in the vein of the early 80’s masters but let’s take advantage of technology and not make this band a retro novelty by going out of our way to track down vintage gear and record on analog”.
It’s like if Gary Holt from Exodus was hired to come into The Grateful Dead’s practice and whip the guitarists into shape
* How did you write for this album – does it start with a guitar riff? Lyrics? Does everyone bring ideas to the studio or do you rule with an iron fist?
Peter Lemieux: Scott, for the most part would come up with the skeleton tracks, i.e. rough guitar and some vocals! We would flesh out the songs together, at rehearsal, but also on the side with guitar jams and rhythm section practices!
Scott Waldrop: That’s right. I will write a song in my home studio with a drum machine. I’ll do a simple guitar version with my example vocals/lyrics then take it to the band. At band practice, we’ll pick it apart and scrutinize all the tempos, the rhythms, chord progression and fills. I give the guys something simple so that they can all bring their expertise to it. Peter will add all his cool quirky drum fills, Aune will fine-tune the melodies and vocal harmonies, Jim is always the “master” editor usually adding the minutia that give our songs their signature dynamics, and Charley basically just swoops in and polishes our guitar playing up completely. He obsesses over how many time we’ll palm mute on a 16th note and have us bend our Schneker harmonies 100 times until he’s somewhat “okay” with them, ha ha. He gives me the kick in the ass I need to NOT be a sloppy hippy of a musician. It’s like if Gary Holt from Exodus was hired to come into The Grateful Dead’s practice and whip the guitarists into shape, ha ha.
* How was the recording process? Did you guys use a lot of analog gear or was it all plugging right into the desk?
Scott Waldrop: No, we were in a proper studio for most of it but at the same time we did record in Pro-Tools. We didn’t use analog at all but Tom went to great lengths to make the album sound as organic as possible. It’s funny – we were tempted by those “reels” as both of the main studios we recorded the main tracks in down here in Raleigh NC have working vintage reel to reel machines. First, we went to Volume 11 Studios (owned by Mike Dean of Corrosion of Conformity) so it’s like the C.O.C. “nest” in there – full of all kinds of amazing boutique effects, amps and vintage gear.
Mike Shaffer of local thrash legends Blatant Disarray engineered the drums and rhythm guitars. He even played some rhythm on “Torch” during the solo section which he didn’t get credit for on the liner notes so I’ll give it to him here, ha ha. Recording everything in that studio was incredibly fun. There’s such a cool atmosphere and history in that room.
It’s rad being surrounded by Corrosion of Conformity’s road cases and there’s this guitar stand Motorhead gave them, guitars Metallica gave them etc. Anyway, then we took the album a few blocks away over to long-time collaborator and Twisted Tower Dire engineer/vocal coach John E. Wooten of Widow and just a long-time friend. He’s the guy I call if we need help with vocals or if I need help moving a piece of furniture. That said, recording vocals with him is pretty much the “fun stuff” being in a band is all about.
When we get together in the studio and start working we joke around between takes, laugh at ourselves, and you know- it’s like we’re still 20 years old. Wooten did however, wind up going to college for audio engineering and was mentored for a long time by producer James Lugo (if you google this guy his resume/client list is insane. I went over to their studio one night to help fix a cable and they were recording vocals for a Disney movie, ha ha ha. Anyway, so Wooten helped us produce the vocals. Many of the vocal melodies are his ideas and he probably should have received a little more “defined” credit on the liner notes as well.
He (Wooten) sang with us a lot on the album too on the back-up vocals. After vox, Tom Phillips took over orchestrating keyboards and editing EVERYTHING. He painstakingly nudged things bit by bit to keep the organic integrity of the album. The hours he spent doing this were unbelievable but it’s the main thing that holds the album together as sounding “vintage”. Once you “snap to the grid” it sounds like modern robotic production which turns a lot of people off including myself. I really wanted something between “Powerslave” and “Nevermind The Bullocks” when I referenced the overall ”sonic wall” I wanted to hear. After Tom was done putting it through the “While Heaven Wept” ringer (which was an epic process to say the least), he sent it over to long-time trustee Kevin 131 of Assembly Line studios to mix it (again, look at his resume – the guy’s a bad ass) and finally over to Kevin’s mastering counterpart Bill Wolf to give the album its final polish. And there you go! That’s a how a Walpyrgus album is made.
* You and bassist Jim were in OCT 31 together right – how did you guys meet? There has to be a good story there!
Scott Waldrop: I’ve never got this question, ha ha. It is a good one! Jim and I grew in the DC Metal scene and we were both Deceased fans. I saw his band Springheel Jack play with Deceased one time (we must have both been under 18 at the time) at the legendary Safari Club and I knew one day I would “steal” him ha ha. He was a totally awesome bass player back then already. He was this super tall and gangly kid with hair down to his ass and looked like Cliff Burton. I thought, “I need dudes like this in my band!”
Anyway, we knew each other for a while from the scene and when October 31 needed a singer Tony Taylor (TTD) tried out and got the gig. I think Tony kind of talked King into bringing me along as a “side package” because they wanted a rhythm guitar player after losing Kevin Lewis. Tony knew I was a big Deceased and that it was kind of like a “dream come true” for me to play in a band with King. So, Jim and I wound up riding together a lot on October 31 trips because I drove this little ford ranger pickup that only seats two.
We’d haul the gear in the back and put the other guys in Brian’s car. Jim and I were immediate kindred spirits with very similar senses of humor and tastes in music so having each other’s company made those long rides across the Midwest tolerable.
So, yea, we have like 20+ years- worth of voices and comic routines we entertain ourselves with on car rides to this day. Our bandmates pretty much just sit back and listen to us talk nonsense in weird voices for hours on end. I suppose the most pertinent bit of information is that him and I discovered early on that we had a very natural-flowing relationship when it comes to writing music. It’s very easy for us to sit down with guitars and get creative and we know each other’s weird quirks, as well as likes and dislikes. He can analyze seconds of me playing a guitar riff, then say, “Keep the first ‘Dead Kennedys’ dinga-ling, keep chugging on ‘Seek & Destroy” and do the ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ funk stop,” – and I’ll know exactly what he’s talking about.
Woman universally love him
* How did you find vocalist Jonny? Historically for so many bands, everyone spends years learning how to play guitar, or drums, how to write songs whatever and many singers are just like “yeah let me try that” whereas real singers like Jonny usually are very hard to find
Scott Waldrop: Jim Hunter was the talent scout that found Jonny, ha ha. He called me one day back around ’07 and was like, “Man, there’s this band of teenagers in a band called Viper I just saw last night and they’re way better than us!” We were looking for a singer at the time so Jim insisted I go check them out. So, I went out and saw Viper play at The Berkley here in Raleigh and was amazed by this guy’s stage presence and voice. Jonny is one of those guys who just resonates good vibes to everyone he comes across. He’s very magnetic which is the most important aspect of a lead singer. He’s the sort of person who’s just great at whatever he tries to do. He was a great athlete in high school. He knows how to look cool and present himself aesthetically that’s a little more over-the-top than most be never seeming to appear as though any effort is put into it. Woman universally love him and nonetheless he’s married to his high school girlfriend. I don’t know what the hell it is but the man has some swagger and some sort of “it” factor that is very special. So those are some of the things I love about the guy and why I like having him as our lead singer.
I’m just glad he wanted to be friends with me, ha ha ha. He’s like this super charming, talented, beam of light who helps me channel my creative ideas. So, yea, we were just EXTREMELY lucky to find him when we did. You know, aside from all of his natural talent & mojo, he grew up playing bass & singing in his Dad’s church. The Aune’s are a very interesting and tight family. They’d been grooming him to be an awesome musician since he could walk & talk basically. He knows music theory from stacking hymn harmonies as a second nature. I’ve played with guys that have formal classical music training/college degrees like Tom Phillips and Jonny can have a conversation about counterpoints, Mixolydian, and minor 3rds with the best of them. I remember his Dad saying at his wedding that one of the things about his son that amazed him was his ability to excel at the things he loved to do. They had photos of him being projected on the wall from when he was this badass high school athlete, then there were photos of him when music came into his life and he was starting his own bands, and then lots of photos of him and his (now) wife & mother of his child Nicole growing up together. My point is, he’s a very focused, intelligent, loyal, dedicated guy. He’s the architype of the sort of person I want as a friend and a bandmate. I never worried about him. He’s solid.
* In my opinion, its great seeing younger guys like yourselves playing almost a throwback to 80s style metal – tons of great guitar parts but also super tuneful songs. How did you guys get into this style of playing?
Scott Waldrop: As far as “music career” shelf life is concerned – I’m way passed my expiration date and indeed am older than dirt! Me, Tom, Jim, and Charley are in our 40’s. You must have been looking at Carlos, Peter or Jonny, ha ha ha. Thank you though! I feel young physically and mentally. Well, Charley I met back in the mid 90’s and he grew up with the whole Raleigh North Carolina scene – bands like Corrosion of Conformity, & Confessor.
Me, Jim & Tom grew up in the 80’s/90’s in the Washington DC music scene which entailed everything from punk/hardcore like Fugazi, Bad Brains, Minor Threat and the massive death/thrash metal scene centering around the community King Fowley of Deceased created. Up in D.C. there was ALSO the whole Pentagram / Maryland Doom Scene. You know- like most of the Hellhound bands were from the DC/Baltimore area like Revelation (Jim’s old band), Iron Man, Internal Void etc.
In the city there was some awesome grass roots seminal heavy music & punk we were lucky to be a part of and witness. But a few miles out in the suburbs there was something else going on. Kids were watching MTV and seeing the California hair bands. In 1984 my neighborhood was full of teenagers who had their bedroom walls covered in Motley Crue & Van Halen posters. That music was like teenage religion back then so it made a big impression on me.
Peter Lemieux: Believe it or not, my dad got me into playing the old school traditional metal! He took me to all the concerts while I was growing up and we’ve gone to see each other’s bands play countless times! The Dude plays Tony Iommi in a Black Sabbath Tribute for, Pete’s sake!
I’m budgeting time between writing music and perusing new horizons like the world of ultrarunning and charity work
* Are you aware of bands like Sumerlands and Eternal Champion who are also kind of in this modern retro genre?
Scott Waldrop: I’ve heard of Eternal Champion and I know this genre has been stirred up and that it’s simmered repeatedly since the mid 90’s so it’s never really gone too far out of fashion in the grand scheme of things. I used to be very involved in meeting and fraternizing with bands and I’m sure there’s lots of amazing talent out there, but now that I’m 41 I like to spend my time differently. I don’t drink alcohol anymore and just prefer to stay away from too much nightlife when possible. It’s not that I don’t care or want to encourage younger people to carry on this music or feel jaded in any way. I just have but so many hours in my day and days left in my life so I’m budgeting time between writing music and perusing new horizons like the world of ultrarunning and charity work (not to mention most importantly my beloved wife and teenage son). So, yea, I know about them but don’t go out of my way to listen to new music and I do wish them well. I supposed I’m just acting my age. I’m still and extreme person but those characteristics of my personality just manifest in different ways rather than me going out and getting wild and crazy. When I play with newer bands I always very much enjoy seeing younger people playing this music and loving it as I do – it proves that the genre is timeless which is a beautiful thing. When I look around at all these younger bands it makes me feel like heavy metal has won. When I say that I mean that heavy metal has carved out a place for itself in popular culture. It’s universal in its energy so new generations keep tapping into it. It’s here to stay. I think metal will (in the long run) be a very defined genre separate from rock, rap, blues etc. It has its own culture which is ever-flowing, so kudos to bands like Sumerlands (I love that name) and Eternal Champion for taking “carrying the sword with a burning skull impaled on its tip”. That run-on phrase sounded cooler and more metal than “carrying the torch”.
I’m cool with a lot of wiccan ideas and I’m very much into spirituality
* Am I right in thinking Walyrgus is a variation of the word Walpurgis ? In Germanic folklore, Walpurgisnacht literally means “Witches’ Night”. Are any of the band practicing pagans? if so what faith?
Scott Waldrop: Yes, we wanted the band to be about occult and supernatural topics. No, we aren’t into anything like that at all. It’s all about dark fantasy metaphor because the words involved in its general vernacular sound cool. I’m cool with a lot of wiccan ideas and I’m very much into spirituality but I’m my own animal. I navigate ethereal matters on intuition and through meditation. I don’t identify with any religion or group in-particular. I feel like to be in touch with spirit you need to remove yourself from religion or groups. Too much vernacular and dogma blur the focus of the mission which is to know spirit and not to belong to a secular group. We’re all stardust that will succumb to the same final singularity. The second you ever arrive at any feeling like, “Okay, I’ve got this, there’s nothing more to learn or understand”, you’ve cut yourself off from the possibility of further growth. Health and wellness have become of paramount importance to me as a sober alcoholic. I think it’s incumbent upon on all of us to continuously evolve as individuals and a species. That entails letting go of ego and seeking mindful consciousness as much as we can access it. Religion groups with which we identity our spiritual or philosophical perspectives is all too often fashion. What’s worse is conviction, as it drives a wedge between people with conflicting beliefs. So Walpyrgus is just nonsensical tales of witchery and cartoon Armageddon. We’re no less or more serious than Scooby Doo is about catching ghosts. Let’s keep it real! I’ve seen what those dudes look like in the Renaissance Festivals. You think those boys could hold their own in The Viking Age??? Those were some scary times. You could legally walk up to some dude and be like, “I want your house, your wife, your children, …and I’m going to fight you to the death for them.” And if the dude killed you, he got to keep all your stuff fair & square! So, no, there’s like some Pagan “nature energy stuff” I relate to but I’m rather glad I don’t have to make my way in The Dark Ages. I like doing 100-mile foot races. That’s my idea of channeling my inner pagan-toughness. That’s where I find a lot of my spirituality. I’ve been to a lot of conventions, festivals – even people’s houses who were practicing wiccans, purported witches, and voodoo practitioners and it felt way too much like Cosplay to me. I’m like the saxophone player from “The Lost Boys” ‘cause “I still BELIEVE”.
It’s pronounced “WALRUS PENIS”
* While we are on the subject of the name – what’s the correct pronunciation and who came up with it?
Scott Waldrop: It’s pronounced “WALRUS PENIS”. Okay got that joke out of the way. The proper way to say our name is: “WALL PURRRR GUS” That’s “Wall” as in “The Great Wall of China” or Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” if you like. Then “purrrr” as in the sound a cat makes. And lastly “GUS” as a dude named Gus or “Gus G.” if we want to get all Heavy Metal Nerdy about it.
* You guys are from North Carolina right? How’s the metal scene down there? The Carolinas have a long history of producing great bands: COC, Confessor, Nile etc. Any idea on why the 2 states are so prolific considering you don’t have the population numbers like say California, NY or Florida does?
Scott Waldrop: Yea I think it’s because of the college scene down here. There’s a huge art/music culture which has existed here for a long time. You have just in one small area some of The American South’s top colleges clustered very close together in the Raleigh area. I’m talking about North Carolina State, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Duke. And then you also have a bunch of very old and venerable smaller colleges like Peace College, Meredith College and so on and so forth. There’s a constant influx of intellectual people flowing in and out of the area so there’s never been any shortage of clubs to play at or bands to play with. There’s a special “energy” here that’s very conducive to playing music. For instance, in downtown Raleigh there is one giant building that houses a club called The Maywood which is a great nightclub for metal/punk/indy bands. In the same building, there is a studio owned by Mike Dean from COC called “Volume 11” studios which is famous around here. Also, still in this same building – there is this massive labyrinth of rehearsal spaces so you can walk through there on any given night and like here like 20 bands rehearsing at once. COC and The Connells are in there sometimes. Also, downtown one of our main landmarks is an outdoor amphitheater you see as you drive through the city called The Red Hat. Slayer played outdoors there last week so all of Raleigh was being shook by “Angel of Death” ha ha. This amphitheater has a mosaic of a giant oak tree (our city’s symbol) which softly changes color like one of those meditation salt rock lights (if you have any idea what the f**k I’m talking about by that). It’s a very giant breathtaking art installation which really accentuates the city’s skyline and I know it must be surreal for artists on stage to look out on this see of faces under this trippy flickering mural. I saw Blondie there while there was a full moon over the buildings, over the hue-shifting mural, and over the amphitheater full of faces dancing on grass. She commented on how magical our city is. I turned around to take stock of what she must have been taking in from the stage and I, “Yea our city is pretty damn awesome.” Just within Raleigh, you have tons of clubs to play in like Slim’s, King’s, Deep South, The Pour House, Southland Ballroom, Berkley, Black Flower, The Lincoln Theater, The Ritz etc. etc. That’s not even talking about Durham and Chapel Hill which as two close-by cities with lots of other clubs. So, yea, we have it good down here culturally as a place for musicians to fraternize. Also, you know – when you’re talking about the music scene down here and you only mention metal, you’re only “scraping the surface” of the actual music scene because Indy Rock, Indy Folk, & Punk down here are pretty much everything. There’s a whole radio station devoted to it and of course the scenes cross-pollinate a lot. I think also it’s slow-paced down here compared to DC or Atlanta.
In the Carolinas, we pretty much grow crops, go to college, brew craft beer, swim in the ocean and hike in the mountains. I’d say our state is a fairly “existentially aware” sort of place as the culturally there seems to be an emphasis on enjoying life and you know – not giving too much of as shit about what nightmares are transpiring in The White House. There is room to breathe here and really think about art and music. This wonderful state is a place people come to visit for Holidays to have fun. It’s a major sports destination. It has the best beaches on the East Coast of North America and the most beautiful mountains (The Smokey Mountains) in the East – google photos of them, they are right out of a J.R.R. Tolkien story with their ever-rising mists. Our beaches are the cleanest, full of beautiful shells, ancient lighthouses, and boast most of the best surfing on the East Coast. To the west in Asheville you have some of the best mountain-loving hippy right wing liberal culture in the country. In the middle of the state, you have Charlotte and Raleigh which are major metropolitan hubs generating big income, sports, and influential people.
To the east you have a beach culture so distinct and desirable people come from all over this giant country and Canada just to spend a little time here. I think all the aforementioned is why you have such a perfect breeding ground for bands to be born out of. We live in a place that celebrates life and places value on the quality living and not necessarily “how much you can get done before you drop dead”. I was born here in North Carolina so I have to give it a big “shout out” and I believe everything I just said despite my inherent predilection for this place. This is my home and I love it. Great things manifest here!
* Have you guys done much touring on this album yet? If so what has the response been so far?
Scott Waldrop: We haven’t toured. The furthest this band has gone out of The Carolinas was Chicago for Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse and also back to Chicago this year when that fest became The Legions of Metal Fest. We’re going to Ventura California this October for Frost and Fire III https://www.facebook.com/frostandfiremetalfest/ (Thanks Jarvis!). The response has been quite good from all the reviews I’ve read. Of course, there are bad reviews of our music because not everyone will like your music but I’ve never heard us be accused of be sloppy or uninspired on stage. I’ve got a great team and I practice guitar a lot to keep up with those dudes. It helps that Carlos has been touring with Weedeater too because when he comes home and we do local gigs, he’s really in shape on the drums. People seem to consistently say the band is “tight” and that our enthusiastic energy is infectious on the crowd.
So, that’s exactly what we set out to do in the very beginning back in 2012. I want people to watch Walpyrgus live and think, “These guys belong together, they look like a gang, you can tell they work towards a common goal, they have vision, they’re a team, there are no weak links, no one looks like they wish they weren’t on stage, etc. etc.” Yea, I want you to think ALL that, ha ha ha. You know when you see a band and they’re great but there’s that one person that just looks like they don’t quite belong and that the band had to “settle” on this individual as a bandmate? I want us to never have to be like that.
You know, there’s always that opening band were each member looks like a very dedicated metalhead musician with sweeping chops and wild hair and all that… BUT they’ve got that one guy: a mediocre bassist who’s “competent” but playing with a pick. He’s wearing khaki Old Navy cargo shorts and some “regular person” T-shirt (maybe a well-worn white “Hard Rock Café” Las Vegas” shirt). We’d like to avoid that. It’s painful for the audience to look at something like that. It’s awkward for everyone involved.
In Walpyrgus as a rule, each member is integral to our live show. When we started this band one of the points was to be a great live band. When Peter left it was crushingly sad for us as I could not think of anyone that was worthy of replacing him down here – at least anyone that I knew personally already and trusted. There was only one guy I was willing to replace Peter with (and this was Peter’s suggestion too) – Carlos Denogean from Salvación. The only problem was that Carlos lives 2.5 ours east on the ocean in Wilmington. Still, it was worth us to travel to have him to hold our integrity as powerhouse line-up. That’s not to say he doesn’t sacrifice to drive to us as well because he does and we much appreciate it. Carlos kept this band alive.
* What can we expect from Walpyrgus for the rest of the year?
Peter Lemieux: You can expect to see us in Ventura, California the weekend of Oct 6-8 at Frost and Fire III with tons of other great bands! (including Twisted Tower Dire featuring Jonny, Scott, AND Jim!!!)
Scott Waldrop: We’ve got a very cassette version of “Walpyrgus Nights” coming out. Watch for announcements on that if you’re a tape person. I’ve got lots of new songs demoed. If Enrico at Cruz Del Sur wants another Walpyrgus album we’re going to start putting it together. Jonny and Charley have young kids so that makes things trickier with timing things. I have a teenager, several other music projects, and a whole “career” (if you will), around my distance running & charity work so I need real momentum or enthusiasm for projects (running or music) to justify focusing my time on them. I spend so much time in the studio and out on trails training that budgeting my time & sleep while not letting my family life suffer, has become an obsessive science.
That said, I’m sitting back and watching how “Walpyrgus Nights” is being received throughout the year to gauge whether or not The Universe is pushing me in the direction of a second album or just allowing the legacy of this one great (in my opinion) set of songs to stay intact & unblemished. We know if we do a follow it cannot be half-hearted as we put what I would call an almost immeasurable amount of thought and energy into these songs. If we tried to rush a follow up without enough forethought I’m sure fans would notice and may be disappointed. So, as with everything – the future of the band is tentative but generally bright.
* Any final words?
Scott Waldrop: Yes, thank you so much for taking interest in us and letting us talk. Yes, as an end note to plug my charity – I’m an ambassador runner for The Herren Project. We raise money and awareness around mental illness and addiction which is born from it. We want to break the stigma society holds around these topics. It shouldn’t be considered weak or embarrassing to ask for help when you or a loved one suffers from something like alcoholism.
No, this sort disease is not like cancer – it is psychological and we humans don’t know much about our own brains. In cosmology we pontificate and hypothesize about the implications of dark energy yet we unable to quantify our own consciousness!? I believe these problems (mental illness & addiction) shouldn’t be considered taboo and that people with mental illness need to be helped – not be made pariahs or unnecessarily incarcerated.
Obviously, drugs and alcohol effect many of us “music people” and for some of us the day comes when the party ends and we find ourselves alone in dark places. If you relate to this please check my page www.ultrarunvegan.com There is help. You can also connect with me personally on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at the handle @ultrarunvegan …As for WALPYRGUS, you can also connect w/ us with the handle @walpyrgus on FB & Twitter. Better yet – you can find links to all our social media, book us for shows, buy our merch, buy & listen to our music www.walpyrgus.com THANK YOU & GOOD BYE (FOR NOW)!
Iron Bonehead Productions sets October 27th as the international release date for Sacrocurse’s highly anticipated second album, Gnostic Holocaust, on vinyl LP format.
Following hot on the heels of their Destroying Chapels 7″ for Iron Bonehead last year, Gnostic Holocaust sees Sacrocurse going from strength to strength and reaping their most ravenous whirlwind yet. Whereas the Destroying Angels EP introduced the live lineup that’s been in place for a couple years now, Gnostic Holocaust is the first full-length display of the band’s true power and potency. Here, Sacrocurse take all their original rudiments – bestial propulsion, immediately memorable songwriting, and mind-melted solos – and adds even more insanity and ritualism, more red-eyed and rabid than ever. It’s quintessential South American-style black/death witchery, but given a dosage of Ross Bay-steeped sturm und drang. What’s more, while the power-trio are just as apt to blast away at dangerous speeds, there’s expert pacing in their down-tempo death-marches, giving further iron-fisted thrust to what is truly a Gnostic Holocaust. Fan the flames of zealotry and prepare for Sacrocurse’s Gnostic Holocaust!
Check the new track “Maze of Serpents.”
Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Sacrocurse’s Gnostic Holocaust
1. Just Fucking Die
2. Jaws of Hell
3. Spirit versus Flesh
4. Endless Khaoz
5. Kirie Eleison
6. Maze of Serpents
7. Empire of Sekmet
8. Triumphant Tribulation
9. Gnostic Holocaust
10. Vengeance Consumed
* First off congratulations on the amazing chart success you guys achieved with Nightmare Logic. Were you surprised with all the chart placing’s that you got?
To be honest, I didn’t know we were on any charts! What charts are or were we on? That’s cool to be on any chart, I guess. Unless it’s like your hospital chart or something and you have cancer, that wouldn’t be a good chart to be on.
If you give a shit about your record then it takes a very high level of focus to sit and write the songs
* It’s been 4 years between Manifest Decimation and your newly released “Nightmare Logic” – why the big gap? what was going on?
We were touring the entire time. If you give a shit about your record then it takes a very high level of focus to sit and write the songs, so we needed time dedicated to where all we could do was eat, sleep, and write the songs. So we had a lot of tours and life just going on, it took us about 3 years after Manifest was released to start writing again.
* This is your 2nd record with Arthur Rizk right? What would you say are the biggest differences in what you guys did on Nightmare Logic to Manifest Decimation?
We knew what we were doing this time around. We learned a lot, recording MD. For me and Blake, it was our first LP we’d ever worked on. It was a huge learning experience. So since then, Arthur has been producing records and he’s only getting better at his craft. We wanted to “trim the fat” from the songs, and making sure this record was like a polished circular buzzsaw. strong and clean in the center of it, but still rough and razor sharp around the edges. Personally, I was a better vocalist now. We were wiser and older and knew what we wanted to improve on from the last record, and i think we accomplished that.
* This is your 2nd album with Southern Lord right? How did you come about getting signed to such a legendary label?
Greg Anderson, founder/owner of SL had heard of us through a friend. He checked out the music we had, we had just released the self-titled 7”, he liked it and wanted to sign us. So we said yes. It was really very simple.
* Even though you guys are all relatively young I’m hearing some classic metal/hardcore influences in your songs? How did you guys get into such old school bands as your influences?
There’s very few good modern bands our there that really excite us. We don’t think very many modern thrash or metal bands are doing a very good job, so we’re writing songs we want to hear. I don’t consider us young though. We’ve been a band for almost 10 years, and I’m 31. Our youngest member is 26. So most of us are 80’s babies, and I can remember growing up with hearing bands like metallica, sepultura, napalm death, slayer, anthrax, etc… I had a neighborhood friend, and he had an older brother who listened to lots of punk and metal bands so that was probably my first real introduction into the harder underground, and it’s stuck with me ever since.
* Can you give us a brief history of how the band came about for those readers who may not be familiar with Power Trip?
We came together in February, 2008. Blake heard I was wanting to start a heavy NYHC influenced crossover style band, and he hit me up to jam. I didn’t really know him, and he was really young in comparison – I was 22, he was 16 – so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. His parents lived in the same suburb as my parents, so one weekend when I came to visit from college, we got together and wrote pretty much the whole demo in that first session. That was the spark.
* Seems like every time I turn around you guys are on another tour – what’s been the best tour you have played so far?
Hard to say, there’s been so many good ones, but I think I would pick our recent headliner that we did in support of Nightmare Logic. Every single show was great, not one bad one. For every city we played, it was the best show we had performed in that city before. It was our first time headlining a tour off of a record we just released, to be doing that whole thing for the first time felt really great. It was exhausting, but it was the best reactions we’ve ever had, everywhere we went.
What happens in the van, stays in the van, man
* Any crazy tour stories yet? They say you experience more one year on the road then the average person does in their lifetime.
What happens in the van, stays in the van, man. I will say this: I do want to one day write a book, or a comic book, or a movie, or anything that’s a comprehensive, accurate portrayal of touring. I just want to get all my friends together, tell tour stories for hours, and then we construct a narrative around that. It would be so easy to write, and if you layout the premise well enough, you could do sequels because you’d have so much material, so many stories.
* Touring with bands like Iron Reagan and Napalm Death you must learn a lot – what’s the one bit of advice that you would give yourselves from 2011 if you could go back in time?
2011? It would have been to work harder at MD. I would have given ourselves advice on recording. I don’t think we put out a bad record, but looking back there’s a lot of things I would change.
We always have a great time in Springfield, Missouri
* You guys have any favorite tour towns yet? I know some bands prefer to play places like say South Dakota over NYC as the fans are so appreciative that you made the trip out to play for them, unlike say a “jaded” NYC audience.
I really love Texas still. Texas is #1. I really like playing NYC, the two times we went to Russia, Moscow and St. Petersburg, have been incredible. I’ve really liked our shows in Finland and most of the UK. Toronto and Boston are both really good to us. LA and SF, too. In relation to the South Dakota vs NYC thing, we always have a great time in Springfield, Missouri. The shows aren’t huge, but the kids are just so awesome and energetic that it doesn’t matter.
* How’s the local Dallas scene these days? Are their many bands playing old school Thrash like you guys there? (For some reason I imagine you guys probably still have some nu metal bands knocking about the local scene…)
To my knowledge there really isn’t any other bands from our area trying to do the thrash/crossover thing, but I’m also not too strongly in touch with the modern scene around here. I do like this band called Creeping Death. They’re kind of like us, in that they started as a hardcore band with metal influences, and now have morphed into a full on metal band. But their style is straight up death metal.
South America, Australia, Japan… I want to go anywhere that’ll have us
* Any countries on your wish list of places to play that you haven’t played yet?
I really want to tour South America, Australia, Japan… I want to go anywhere that’ll have us. The world is both big and small and there’s still so much to see.
* What can we expect from Power Trip for the rest of 2017?
Business as usual – just touring, touring, touring
* Any final words?
Thank you for the support, and asking unique questions! You are a good interviewer.
Today, Hells Headbangers reveals the cover art and tracklisting for Midnight’s highly anticipated third album, Sweet Death and Ecstasy. The album will be released later this year on 2CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.
By now, Midnight need no introduction. Guided by the twisted muse of mainman Athenar since 2003, this Cleveland cult have been slaying the metal/punk underground with their own, highly addictive brand of lust, filth, and sleaze, subsequently building up a sizable catalog and garnering a rabid fanbase. While there’s certainly fanatics for the band’s early EP work, it was Midnight’s debut album, Satanic Royalty – released to international fanfare in 2011 by Hells Headbangers – that entered the band’s name into the annals of “classic.” Never one to rush things (nor drop an EP along the way), Midnight continued their underground dominance with No Mercy for Mayhem in 2014, further perfecting their signature sound. Now, with their massively anticipated third album, Sweet Death and Ecstasy, Athenar and co. return with their darkest and most daring effort yet.
Granted, upon the first detonating chords of opener “Crushed by Demons,” it would be fair to assume that Sweet Death and Ecstasy is simply classic Midnight…until the tracktime nearly doubles what a characteristic track of theirs would be. This is no mere bloat, though: bookended by two of the band’s longest songs to date, Sweet Death and Ecstasy lays bare a more anguished ‘n’ aggravated Midnight, forever in thrall to the usual subjects (LUST, FILTH, SLEAZE) but speaking a slightly different, altogether-more-poisonous tongue. It both charges harder than ever – even harder than the band’s early EP work, arguably – and also puts on the brakes to bang ‘n’ clang in a manner most foul. Indeed, Midnight truly deliver Sweet Death and Ecstasy in a swift 32 minutes, and it’s absolutely addicting. What’s more, the CD version will feature a bonus disc that’s a 12-song live rehearsal recorded in 2015 by Commandor Vanik. There’s no dawn for Midnight…ever!
Release date, preorder info, and first track to be revealed shortly. Cover and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Midnight’s Sweet Death and Ecstasy
1. Crushed by Demons
2. Penetratal Ecstasy
3. Here Comes Sweet Death
4. Melting Brain
5. Rabid!
6. Bitch Mongrel
7. Poison Trash
8. Before My Time in Hell
GORGUTS will kick off their European summer dates at Brutal Assault Festival in Jaromer, Czech Republic tomorrow, August 9th. Right after, the Canadian death metal pioneers will perform at Belgiums Ieper Festival, Vagos Metal Fest in Portugal, and Germany’s Summerbreeze before embarking on four special package shows, which are featuring GORGUTS alongside FALLUJAH, HAVOK, REVOCATION, and opener VENOM PRISON. After these special dates, the rampage continues with a regular tour in support of CONVERGE together with HAVOC and REVOCATION.
A full list of currently confirmed tour dates can be viewed below
GORGUTS
Festivals
09 Aug 17 Jaromer (CZ) Brutal Assault
11 Aug 17 Ieper (BE) Ieper Festival
13 Aug 17 Vagos (PT) Vagos Metal Fest
18 Aug 17 Dinkelsbühl (DE) Summer Breeze
GORGUTS
+Converge +Havok +Revocation
20 Aug 17 Wrocław (PL) Zaklęte Rewiry
21 Aug 17 Bratislava (SK) Majestic Music Club
22 Aug 17 Wien (AT) Arena
23 Aug 17 München (DE) Backstage Halle
24 Aug 17 Aarau (CH) Kiff
25 Aug 17 Paris (FR) Trabendo
GORGUTS will be performing in support of their previous albums as well as their critically highly acclaimed latest EP ‘Pleiades’ Dust’
The artwork of the EP that contains only its epic title track was created by renowned Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak and can be viewed below.
Canada’s long-running and much loved craftsmen of technical death metal are returning with a 33-minute song. Entitled ‘Pleiades’ Dust’ this complex, image evoking, and masterly arranged eponymous track fills an entire EP. Expect the unexpected, when it comes to GORGUTS.
In an age of a postulated clash of cultures, mastermind Luc Lemay delivers a piece of music that is conceptually and lyrically based on the “House of Wisdom”, a medieval library based in Baghdad and at the heart of the Golden Age of Islam with its many scientific breakthroughs in various fields of learning. As Luc comments: “It is a story about curiosity, beautiful minds and sadly, about how man destroys great discoveries and achievements.” Musically there is more narrative feeling as each section is introduced in such a way that every riff has the space to evolve like a character in a story.
The stunning cover art created to reflect this concept has been specially created by renowned Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak (MAYHEM, GHOST, ZHRINE et. al.).
Few extreme bands can boast the pedigree of GORGUTS. During their early days as part of death metal’s first wave, they created a legacy of legendary releases including their debut album ‘Considered Dead’ (1991) and its more experimental and technical follow-up ‘Erosion of Sanity’ (1993). After a hiatus of five years, Luc Lemay returned with a new line-up, which released the highly acclaimed and seminal third full-length ‘Obscura’ (1998). By then GORGUTS had been busy at expanding and redefining the language of death metal. With a new line-up that left Lemay as the sole original member, the next milestone album was released under the title ‘From Wisdom to Hate’ (2001).
Yet again the band went into hibernation, while their musical legacy continued to inspire and thrive as their native Quebec became a focus for technical death metal with acts such as CRYPTOPSY, NEURAXIS, and BEYOND CREATION to name but a few following in their footsteps. After more than a decade of silence, mastermind Luc Lemay unleashed ‘Colored Sands’ (2013) with an all-star line-up including Colin Marston (BEHOLD THE ARCTOPUS), Kevin Hufnagel (DYSRHYTHMIA), and John Longstreath (ORIGIN, SKINLESS), who has in the meantime been replaced by Patrice Hamelin (QUO VADIS, BENEATH THE MASSACRE).
Now GORGUTS return with their most experimental song so far that combines all their virtues into one massive masterpiece. Lean back and listen carefully!
