Interview with PATRIARCH

by Vpower

The Band: PatriarcH
Country: Belgium
Answers by: Fred (guitars)
www.patriarch.be
https://www.facebook.com/PatriarcHMetalband

Today we have the pleasure to talk to Belgium act PatriarcH. I like this kind of interviews where you can chat with guys that are alive history of Metal, with capital letters. As Fred Mylemans is, guitarist from the very beginning and founding member of the band. A cult band this Patriarch, that not only lives from the past, as they have released a new great album, Rage of Gods. Enjoy it. And if you like it, buy it!

Hello Fred, let’s talk a little about history, because Patriarch is a band with a long story that begins in 1983 under the name of Pariah. What would you rescue from those early years?

Yes, indeed Alberto , that’s true, we’ve been around since 1983, be it first under the name Pariah. We changed that name due to a few facts. First of these facts is that there were 2 other bands around carrying the same name (Can’t resist mentioning this: In those days organized a festival with some Belgian bands and one headliner from the UK, named Blind Fury…. Before they used that name they were called Satan… and a while after the festival took place they had a new singer and changed their name to PARIAH…. L. So you can say………….). Another thing that happened back then was that our bassplayer deceased in a car crash. So we thought it was best to change the name, which wasn’t an easy decision. So we chose PatriarcH as our new bandname.

If you look carefully you can still find our first name in it , so that was back then an important point for us to pick this name. As Pariah we only recorded a few demos , but as soon as we recorded a demo as PatriarcH we found a label. That was surely a highlight, to release two albums with a label and being able to record these albums in some great studios.

Yes, a curious sequence of circumstances, with a tragedy in the middle, sadly. After some years fighting you got your first album in the streets Prophecy (1990) and in 1993 your second record World Within Worlds. Is this material available nowadays for the fans (cd, vinyl)?

Unfortunately not, we often get this question. I guess the only way to find these albums is on ebay, but sometimes the price asked for it is rather high. Most of the songs can be found on Youtube as mp3 , so you can give it a go there. But for CD’s or LP’s you have to look further.

A pity. After that, many years later you released your third album in 2008, what happened?

After the second album it took us a long time before we recorded some new stuff. We recorded a few demos, a split 7” single with After All. A mini CD called Deity (released by Output Music) and another demo called Black Harvest. Over this period we had lots of line-up changes. With Black Harvest we started recording our music by ourselves in my homestudio. Mixing and Mastering was done by Nik Mettez, who after the demo also mixed and mastered the ‘Mankind: the Virus’ album.

Again we had a lot of line-up changes, shortly after the release of Mankind: the Virus we parted ways with our vocalist Ortwin and our second vocalist Erik Rinkes rejoined the band. That went good for a while but in the long term it didn’t turn out to be a lasting cooperation. So we had to find a new vocalist again. During the recording of the Red Cord demo, guitar player Ronny left the band and during the recording of the new album we parted ways with drummer Kris de Bie. So finding new musicians, learning the songs etc… is very time consuming. And we also re-recorded the drumparts Kris played. Finding a drummer wasn’t easy, so my son Ruben learned the songs and recorded them again.

Another demo in 2013... It seems you have been continuously struggling to release your songs...

That’s just how it is, no interest from record labels at all. So we do that part ourselves as well. Releasing an album is no problem, it’s only difficult to have it distributed. The Red Cord demo was a preproduction of the album. It was mainly to have an idea of what our music would sound like if we did everything ourselves, including mixing and mastering.

So we are now in 2016 and we get your fourth album “Rage of Gods”. Is it composed for all brand new songs or there are some old material in it?

Most of the songs are new, though we’ve been playing them for a long time now…. Only Chronology and By My Forbidden Words are older songs that were never released. The titletrack appeared on the Black Harvest demo, but since we like that song very much we decided to record a revamped version of it for this album.

How long did you work on “Rage of Gods”?

Far too long. I already told you about the line-up changes and re-recording of the drums. Also the mixing an mastering took quite a while, we wanted to make the best of it so we took our time for it.

Comparing “Rage of Gods” with your previous staff what is the conclusion in your opinion?

That’s a hard question. We’re very proud of this album and especially of the fact that we produced it completely by ourselves. In my opinion it’s also the best sounding album we have yet.

For those who have never listened to them I would tell them that Patriarch plays Thrash Metal with influences from bans as Metallica or technical Thrash as early Mekong Delta, mixed with US Power as Armored Saint or Meliah Rage. Summarizing, a bomb. Do you agree with the definition?

Thanks for the compliment ;-). In many reviews the name Metallica occurred, personally I don’t hear the resemblance. 3 songs on the album are composed by our former guitar player Ronny Clé, who is a Metallica fan so probably some influences sneaked into those songs. My main influences are coming for more echnical/progressive stuff. But we mainly try to create our own sound. I guess everyone hears some influences from different bands in our music. But the bands you mention are all great bands, so we’re very pleased to hear that.

In my opinion, one of the strong points of this “Rage of Gods”.is the variety, we find groove, acoustic guitars, fast and medium tempos, nice guitar solos...

I agree on that, it has always been this way with the music we make. That’s the way we like it and we will try to keep it that way. Though it’s not the easiest way. Not everyone appreciates some softer parts on a Metal album or a Grunt here and there

By My Forbidden Word is my favorite song, so much feeling and killer heavy rhythms, what is yours or that one you will always play in any gig?

That’s the reason why we took this (older) song of the shelves and recorded it. Time will tell if this song will survive our setlist. We have many requests to put some songs from our 2 first albums on the setlist and we started working on new songs at the moment. So it will get harder to choose songs for future setlists

Patriarch’s current lineup combines old members as you, Fred, and Luc (drums) with some more recent members as Stijn on guitars. How has this affected your style and your work?

Not so much at this moment, but that will change for the next album. Stijn as a songwriter is coming more from the Thrash-scene so that will surely be an influence for the upcoming songs.
For Kevin it will be great when he can start singing his own lyrics and vocal lines, ‘cause most of the songs on the album were written before he joined the band. Our new/old drummer Luc only played 1 track on the album (The Red Cord). He is a real Powerhouse-drummer, so expect some Heavy stuff coming up…

Sincerely, with the quality of this “Rage of Gods” I do not understand how you haven’t signed for any label so far. What the hell is going on in the music industry?

Don’t know that either. I guess the record labels want more specific music to sell, be it Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Hard Rock… But not a band who plays a mix of different styles, but I don’t know, just guessing.

Where can the metalhead with “good taste” buy this great “Rage of Gods”?

At the moment only in our webshop, you can find it on our website : www.patriarch.be
We are still trying to find some shops /distributors who are willing to help us out with that but it isn’t easy.

As a prestigeous and cult band in Belgium how do you see Metal nowadays?

Well, the scene surely has broadened. We still enjoy finding new bands and music that we like. I can tell that the quality of most bands , be it soundwise or concerning technical bagage is much better nowadays than in the 80’s/ 90’s …

Do you have any plan touring around?

Not really. It’s also not so easy to arrange without any labelsupport. Maybe if we could arrange a package deal with some other Belgian bands. That would be a possibility.

I hope it comes true. With so many years in the Metal world I suppose you have shared stage with so many bands, what gigs you remember with more affection or pride?

Not so much with international bands, mostly Belgian or Dutch bands. But gigs that are worth mentioning were those with Magnum, a gig with ShadowKeep, and one with Overkill and Annihilator. And surely our 25th anniversary gigs where we invited some former members of the band.

Cool. Finally, what are your plans in the long-term?

Well for a big part this will depend on how the album will be received . ‘Till now most reviews were positive so we hope the fans will like the album as well. We hope to have some more gigs with this album, that would be great. But if we look ahead I have to mention that we are psyched to start working on new material for a new album.

And we will be hear to spread like the hell is coming on us, Fred. Thank you Fred and congratulations for your fantastic new album

Thank you Alberto and Metalbrothers.es for the interview and the support. And if people are interested there are some teasers of the cd on our Facebook page, check them out and if you like what you hear buy the album. Support the underground!!!
Cheers, Fred, PatriarcH           

Grave Cross – Nothing but the Night (2016)

1.Nothing but the Night

2.Curse of the Witch

3.Grave Cross

4.The Devil's Skull

Johnny Chávez - Vocals, Guitars

Antonio Tascón - Bass

Ledbek Sanchez - Drums

Luis Resendiz   - Guitars

Grave Cross es una banda de Mexico City que se fundó en 2008 y al año siguiente editaron una demo, pero hasta ahora no habían vuelto a sacar material nuevo. Con este EP vuelven a apostar por un heavy de corte clásico y dejan muy buenas sensaciones, así que a ver si pronto ven culminado su primer disco completo.

Nothing but the Night es el corte que abre el EP, tiene un riff de inicio muy a la nwobhm, sabor old school total. También llama a atención la forma de cantar del vocalista desde un primer momento, con un estilo muy personal y que le da un cierto halo de sicodelia y de misterio a las composiciones, a mi me recuerda por momentos a los Diamond Head. Los temas de estos Grave Cross nunca se van a desarrollar a una gran velocidad, se trata de un heavy de medios tiempos, nada speedico. Riffeo clásico a lo Cloven Hoof, Maniac y solo limpio para acabar un tema muy interesante.

Curse of the Witch, seguimos con el sonido ochentero, te sentirás transportado a los años de la nwobhm, es como si estos Grave Cross realemente hubieran estado allí. Este tema presenta ciertos arreglos en la guitarra que recuerdan a unos Maiden, aunque los ritmos nunca son tan acelerados como los de los primeros tiempos de la banda británica, recuerdan más bien a unos White Spirit, primeros Holocaust... Muy buena ralentización del tema para a continuación lanzar un solo espectacular repleto de feeling, largo y eterno.

Grave Cross se inicia con un sonido un tanto apagado para luego lanzar un ritmo heavy doblando guitarras. Se trata de un tema más rockero y sucio, con cierto aire amercano, y el solo melódico que no puede faltar. Rematamos la faena con The Devil's Skull, que se inicia con un riff de esos machacones que te hacen mover el cuello sin que te des cuenta y que se repite varias veces a lo largo del tema. De nuevo, vuelven a sonar muy clásicos, pero sobre todo destacaría el excelente trabajo del batería en este corte, conduciendo totalmente el tema y sacando todo un repertorio de ritmos. Riffeo melódico a lo Maiden y a unos Cauldron pero con menos velocidad, haciendo siempre composiciones que enganchan, canciones muy pegadizas.

En definitiva, que esta banda mexicana tiene muy buenas hechuras, parecen salidos directamente de los 80, sin conservantes ni colorantes, heavy clásico en vena. Esperemos que pronto nos ofrezan un larga duración. 

MEDIA SOLUTION - The Prelude (2016, ep)

1. Destroy Something Beautiful

2. Punchline

3. Stand My Ground

4. Coward

5. Turmoil

6. We Are The Kings

7. Enjoy The Ride

Robb Sackett - Voice

Andy Martis - Guitar & back. vocals

Jay Dot Ca - Bass

Benny Cancino jr - Drum

Scott Ramsay – Guitar

Media Solution es una banda italiana que practican un Metal tan versátil como sorprendente por momentos, tan pronto te pueden sonar a heavy clásico de toda la vida como te meten una composición de groove metal con cierto toque metalcore, sin que falten por medio los buenos solos. Como el propio nombre de la banda indica, sus temas versan sobre el poder de los medios de comunicación, la manipulación a la que someten a la población los poderosos y todos sus resortes, y estos Media Solution se postulan como la solución a ese problema, así que coña tampoco les falta. Como veremos, la conclusión es un disco muy divertido.

Se trata de una banda italiana que se caracteriza por combinar ritmos explosivos, mucha energía, agresividad y detalles de calidad. Su carrera es todavía corta pero se ha convertido en una de las bandas más activas del país transalpino, habiendo girado con grandes como Motorhead, Obituary, Agnostic Front y Sepultura. También han girado por los Estados Unidos y allí grabaron su primer disco “Horizon Of Events” en 2010.

Se inicia la grabación con Destroy Something Beautiful, de metal moderno, voces aguerridas, ritmo machacón, pero te sorprenden después introduciendo un riff de puro epic metal y con un excelente cambio de ritmo.

Punchline se inicia con un riff de aires progresivos, al que luego suceden ritmos de groove metal que alternan constantemente con esos toques de progresivo, ya os digo que es una banda que se salta un poco los parámetros establecidos y parece que van haciendo lo que les pide el cuerpo en cada momento.

Stand My Ground arranca con unas buenas guitarras dobladas que acompañan a un gran ritmo de batería. De nuevo nos vuelven a sorprender porque bajan el ritmo para meter unas guitarras true metal en vena. Más tarde una parada con acústicas y aceleración con riff épico, buen tema al bolsillo. Coward es un medio tiempo de groove en el que van insertando cambios en los ritmos y los riffs, rompiendo la cadencia del tema, finalizando la faena con un solo limpio tirando de épica.

Turmoil es uno de los cortes más poderosos del disco, con un inicio a un ritmo realmente devastador, groove de aires thrasher, tirando hacia unos Kreator, Destruction. Es un tema corto pero muy intenso que explora distintos terrenos, ciertos aires a lo death sueco, pero con predominancia de estilo power thrash.

We Are The Kings es un tema de groove metal, el más típico y normalito de todo el disco. Y llegamos al final con We Are The Kings, un tema que navega entre estilos tan diferentes como el hard rock y el metal moderno, con constantes cambios y los delirios típicos de esta banda italiana.

En definitiva, una buena noticia que estos Media Solution vuelvan a estar bajo los focos, porque es una de esas bandas con la que tienes siempre la sensación de que te pueden sorprender en cualquier momento. 

Take it over (Watain)

Aquí tenemos a los Watain tocando este pedazo de tema que es Take it over, orginario de los grandes Taiwaz que, por cierto, pasaron por estos micrófonos. Larga vida a los grandes dinosaurios del Metal under.

Interview with MARTYR

The Band: Martyr

Country: Netherlands

Answers by: Rick Bouwman (guitar)

http://www.facebook.com/MARTYRONLINE

www.martyronline.nl

Martyr is a cult from the 80s that has just released their new album “You Are Next”, fusing speed metal, heavy metal and power into one. They keep loyal to their classic legacy but they still sound fresh and powerful as if they were born just a few months ago. So, we have had the honor to talk to guitar and one of the founding members of the band, that has told us many and very interesting things. Enjoy it.

Hello Rick, thanks for this conversation and congratulations for your new work

Thank you very much and thanks for this interview.

Martyr was born in 1982, but you stopped your activity in 1989 until 2005. What happened in the middle and what reason brought you to resume the band?

Yes we started as youngsters back in 1982. Releasing a few demo tapes after which we got signed in 1985 to release “For The Universe” and “Darkness At Time’s Edge” along with contributions on great samplers like “Dutch Steel” and the famous “Metal Massacre VI”. After “DATE” was released things were going really well , we were touring a lot and got major publicity and some major record labels got interested , also due to help of our management at that time. But, youngsters as we still were we listened too much to that big label’s wishes  which wanted to force MARTYR into a more commercial direction. Wwe did some demo tapes for them but in the end it didn’t work out. In 1987 MARTYR broke up to get back together again in 2001 for a , what we thought, 1 time reunion for the Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival (A Dutch Metal Fanclub) and did the same in 2005 for KIT, Headbangers Open Air. After that the rereleases of the 2 cult classic albums came out and we kept on going ever after with tours all over Europe and new albums as well.

Old fans of the band probably will remember great albums as “For the Universe” and “Darkness at Time’s Edge”. But, what do you remember of that time?

I remember the fun mainly. I know these albums are seen as cult classics. In the mean time already rereleased about 3 times or so . People still do want to hear those songs, also when we play live.  In that time we were a very young band, so being in that band and playing every weekend onstage was our partytime during those weekends instead of going to bars or clubs. We were and always have been a hard working band. So it was so overwhelming to see that fans came along with us while following our own path. As we wanted to be different then the already established acts that were around those days.

Rick, do you miss anything from the golden 80s?

 Well, I think the 80’s when it comes to metal was the main era in the existence of heavy metal. I mean it set the basics for all bands that came after that. It was a journey , discovering new bands through radio stations and not as overwhelming with all the bands (good and bad) that are offering their albums right now. Everyone can release a CD nowadays, back then I think it was still something really special to have your own album in the stores physically.

Yes, I still recall the magic of entering a music shop and leaving it with a vinyl under the arm. What can you tell us about Martyr’s current line-up? I think you still keep some of the key positions with no changes compared to the formation back in the 80s, right?

 You are totally right. In fact 4 out of 5 were active in MARTYR in the 80’s. Myself being the founder together with Rop (vocals) and Marcel (guitars) are from the very first start of MARTYR. Wilfried joined a few years later. Because our original bassplayer left 2,5 years ago we found an amazing replacement in Jeffrey Bryan Rijnsburger.

You have just released your fouth album “You are Next”, I think it improves a lot your effort from 2001 and it sounds closer to your first releases...

 You Are next is out since March 31, and wow , we are really happy with everything that goes on. Reviews , respons, feedback from the industry and most important (!) our fans is simply AMAZING. The funny thing is we don’t think about keeping close to the first releases. We just want to make the best album we can make. We us the new technologies although we record traditionally , meaning we play everything live in the studio!! I think we are 30 years further and yes you can hear that.The new album is more raw, aggressive, heavier.  We are influenced along the way but we on the other hand never forget where we came from.

How long did you work on “You are Next” and how was the composition process?

 It took us 2,5 years to make this album. Rop and I mainly wrote the songs , somposing it in my small home studio and did the arrangements by recording guitars with drumloops. That set the basic for the songs , the arrangements and gave the feel as we wanted it back to the band. The other then filled in their won parts mainly without losing that feel , which we thought these songs needed. Early 2014 we did 2 pre productions to judge the way of recording we wanted and judge and re-arrange the material. After that we started recording till August 2015 , started mixing and mastering til December 2015. Our producer Jack Nobelen gave us all the time we needed and did an amazing job!!

We are going to find a lot of strong riffs, songs with powerful rythms as Monster or In The End. We can say this album is the most agressive of your whole career?

 Yes, i agree, it is . It is what we wanted. It needed to progress from Circle Of 8, more heavier. All songs are more in line with each other i think as well.

Do you think your Metal approach fits fans from all ages or it’s more oriented to the old headbangers?

 NO certainly this is for all ages. And that is what we see live as well. We have our old fans in the audience but also the youngsters. Sometimes they come together with their parents haha. When we reunited it was already clear it was that way. When we did KIT for example many young metal fans , who are really into the 80’s stuff, knew about MARTYR.

Yes, you keep you cult status, that’s clear. Netherlands is a country with a long tradition in Metal, in your opinion, what is the position of Martyr on it?

MARTYR are THE Dutch Metal Legends. We are not the oldest still running metal band maybe , but we are the most stubborn for sure haha. We choose our own path, we do what we want to do and want to write and want to hear. First we need to like the material and be behind it 200% ourselves, and then of course we hope everybody likes it. MARTYR has a very well known in the Netherlands also due to our live shows where we always interact with our fans ! 

I couldn’t avoid to see in your Facebook that in May you are going to play in Belgium with underground legends Manilla Road. How do you feel about it?

 Yes, looking forward to that one. We already played with them before at the Ages Of Meal Fest I think 3 years back or so. They are cool guys and also a legendary band. I hope the venue will be packed and will be cool to see and meet them again.

Apart of that, do you have other gigs scheduled for this 2016?

 Mopst important is our release party which is scheduled for April 20 in De Helling in our hometown Utrecht. That will be a big party with a lot guests that also appear on the album like Marloes Voskuil from Izegrim, John JayCee Cuypers from Praying Mantis, Nick Holleman from Vicious Rumors, Gert Nijboer from Highway Chile to name a few. After that we will have the festivals as well, planning shows for Greece and other countries. So busy times ahead.

A true party, indeed! As a classic band of Ducth Metal how do you see the Metal scene nowadays?

 The Dutch metal scene has some great bands, some big bands as well although they are mainly in the female fronted gothic area. In general I think we have too many different subcultures. For me that makes the recognition of a band too vague sometimes. Also too many bands copying each other, why is that? I think always try to be original, stand out. But again the metal scene over here is healthy when it comes to quality but when it comes to gigs it is an overkill. We got the chance to play quite a lot , but every day of the week there is too much that is offered and soon those major festivals are starting again. Meaning fans get tired to go to every show which is a decrease for the clubs when it comes to visitors and clubs can’t offer proper fees or close.

Come to Spain and we won’t miss your gigs hahaha. How can the fan get your new album?

 That is easy , you can simply get it everywhere. From the amazons and itunes, till the record store on the corner and mailorders etcetera . But of course also through our record companies Pure Steel Records (http://www.puresteel-shop.com/MARTYR-You-Are-Next_1 ) and Into The Limelight Records (http://www.ittlr-shop.nl/c-3106245/martyr/ )

What are your plans for the future?

 Well, the album has just been released for a week now, so first promoting it, changing our live set (yes finally), shooting a second video for this new record for the song “Souls Breathe” and then hit the road !

Yeah, that’s the way! Rick, we wish  you a great year of success and thank you for your time. If you wish to add something...

Yes, thank you for the opportunity. I want to thank all readers, listeners, fans for all the continuous support over all these years in this band. Just check out the new album, it is really worth it. We do hope to come to your country soon and give you the MARTYR eXperience. Meanwhile connect with us on social media , we like to be in touch : http://www.facebook.com/MARTYRONLINE or visit us on www.martyronline.nl

Cheers!

Advermix - Pandeathmic (2016)

1. Born of Chaos         

2. Messenger of Death     

3. The Power of the Perfect Line         

4. Panje         

5. Manhate Philosophy     

6. Inside the Wall         

7. We Fall         

8. In Thrash We Trust       

9. Pandeathmic

Manolo – vocals

Carlos – guitar

Frutos – guitar

Bart – bass

Juanfras – Drums

Tenemos encima de la mesa la puesta de largo de los murcianos Advermix, después de dos EPs y un split nos presentan su primer disco completo y creo que estamos ante un grupo que dará mucho que hablar, pues el disco es excelente. El disco saldrá editado el 31 de mayo a través de Born of Chaos Records, un sello americano y es que estos Advermix tienen un sonido de lo más internacional, combinando el old school thrash con otros elementos más modernos pero en todo caso con un gran nivel.

Arrancamos el disco con Born of Chaos una intro de guitarras muy heavys que es un excelente preludio para Messenger of Death. La descarga de riffs thrashers no se hace esperar, con una poderosa batería, un sonido de sabor americano. Realmente podrían pasar por una banda yanqui por lo que se refiere a su estilo. El tema empieza veloz pero van metiendo más marchas a medida que avanza, introduciendo también solos cortos, manteniendo una cierta melodía en los riffs y con un solo final en clave speed y a medio tiempo, gran comienzo.

The Power of the Perfect Line tiene un inicio con bajo al que luego se le une la batería en un medio tiempo machacón. Meten por primera vez voces limpias y aceleran el ritmo, un tema a lo Pantera, Anthrax, culminado por un buen solo atmósferico y un segundo solo speedico. Panje vuelve a las raíces más thrashers con un riff de la vieja escuela y la batería conteniendo el ritmo. Voces guturales y un solo que brota de la nada de manera sorpresiva, con mucho feeling, para volver luego al ritmo de inicio y con el mismo riffeo.

Manhate Philosophy es otro tema donde se aprecia el peso que adquiere el bajo en el sonido del grupo y que le da mucha contundencia a la propuesta de estos Advermix. Inicio templando guitarras y luego un ritmo power thrash , parada y arrancada a media velocidad, tirando de groove. Otro de los elementos que caracterizan su sonido es la gran labor de la base rítmica, en constante evolución, no se dan mucho a las paradas ambientales como era característico del sonido bay area, sino que ellos son más de acelerar y ralentizar sin descanso. El solo de este tema es true metalero a tope.

Manhate Philosophy es el tema más sencillo de todo el disco en mi opinión, con una estructura apenas sin cambios y muy por el libro, al alcance de cualquier banda, la excepción dentro del disco. Pero con We Fall volvemos a la carga con todo el equipo. Sorprende con su inicio doom, lento y pesado, pero poco a poco van subiendo la intensidad y la velocidad, metiendo voces guturales y un sonido de bajo potente que oscurecen todavía más la atmósfera del tema. El tema sigue progresando, me recuerdan a unos Death Angel, pero también a unos Vader en la última parte del corte, ya que se dan a un riffeo death con blast beats por momentos. Luego vuelven a la dinámica doom y un solo heavy muy inspirando y otro muy atmósferico. Uno de los temas más completos y mejores del disco, donde las voces acompañan perfectamente.

Nos acercamos al final con In Thrash We Trust, un tema que vuelve a sonar a thrash clásico, un medio tiempo a lo Testament, siempre tiran hacia el sonido Usa, aquí con voces limpias. Riffeo bay area, twin guitars a lo Judas, un ataque por tierra , mar y aire que en directo tiene que ser devastador. Esto se acaba con Pandeathmic, thrash a lo Overkill, Forbidden, con la variación habitual en ritmos que nos han ido suminstrando a lo largo de todo el disco.

En definitiva, asistimos a los comienzos de una muy buena banda española, de base thrash pero con apoyo en otros estilos, tienen calidad, pero sobre todo tiene pegada y saben elaborar temas de esos que te entran desde el principio y te animan a repetir la escucha. Un disco muy a tener en cuenta.

Puntuación: 7,75/10

Gang – Live is all (2015)

1.Behind The Gate

2.All The Fool Around

3.Chaos For Glory      

4.Believer Betrayer

5.Total Eclipse

6.Primal Reign

7.Skull's Out Of Genocide

8.All Of The Damned  

9.Make Some Noise... For The Froggies

10.The King Became A God  

11.Back To Asylum

Philty - Bass

Biggy - Guitars

Steve - Guitars

Bill - Vocals

Malo - Drums

Aquí os presentamos el último material publicado por los franceses Gang. Se trata de un grupo con 25 años de Metal a sus espaldas, seis discos de estudio y éste es el segundo directo que publican, se publicó el año pasado y fue grabado en el Reino Unido aprovechando su actuación en el SOS Festival 2014 que se celebró en Manchester.

El directo corresponde a su gira de 2014, que llevaba el título de Inject the Venom Tour y que les llevó por unos cuantos países europeos como Bégica, Reino Unido y Francia, claro. Durante la gira compartieron escenario con grupos de renombre como Girlschool, Blaze Bayley, Absolva, ADX, Napalm Death, Tysondog, entre otros.

La verdad que el directo que contiene el plástico no es demasiado extenso, unos 40 minutos, para lo que se estila hoy en día, que te los suelen ofrecer a pares como los donuts, pero lo que sí contiene es material de calidad. Son temas escogidos de su último album de estudio, Inject the Venom, y del anterior a éste que data de 2010. Además incluye una versión de los Maiden con el tema Total Eclipse. Se trata de material clásico, old school, como corresponde al estilo de la banda y el sonido también me ha gustado, pues es bastante crudo, sin demasiado retoque de estudio. Material de sonido clásico, una buena banda estos Gang, con un intenso directo donde te vas a encontrar riffs potentes, ritmos para cabalgar a gusto y una voz con buenos agudos como la del señor Bill.

Así que este directo es como una especie de presentación para la fiesta total que prepara la banda con su gira de 25 aniversario, que ya comenzó el año pasado y que les llevará por su país natal, Grecia y Bélgica, de momento no hay confirmación de que se pasen por España, donde, hasta donde yo sé, nunca han puesto un pie y no son un grupo del que la gente tenga mucho conocimiento. Además, están trabajando para presentar en este año su nuevo disco de estudio, así que están en plena avorágine de acontecimientos. Un buen momento para conocerlos. 

Inferno (by Al Azif)

Interview with THE FORESHADOWING

by Vpower

The Band: The Foreshadowing

Country: Italy
Answers by: Francesco Sosto (Keyboards & backing vocals)

https://www.facebook.com/theforeshadowing/

www.theforeshadowing.com

www.instagram.com/theforeshadowing

It’s almost here, just a few days ahead, on April 22nd The Foreshadowing's new album, "Seven Heads Ten Horns", will be on the streets, and there is much to talk about it and the band. The fourth masterpiece by Italian Dark/Goth/Doom-masters THE FORESHADOWING. They work hard and I would say the pay attention to every detail, always thinking it can be improved, a constant request for perfection. Their new album gathers all the necessary to be a boom.

Hello Francesco, this is your first studio album with Giuseppe Orlando (ex-Novembre) on drums. Now that he is not reading..., how has the new guy fitted the band?

I think Giuseppe has given a lot not only as for the performance but also in terms of songwriting and sound engineering. He played an active role in both aspects, for instance, he composed part of the music for the track "Fall of Heroes" together with me and Alessandro and provided several valuable suggestions for the album arrangement. In addition, as a sound engineer, his presence was essential during the whole process of mixing and mastering with the Hertz Studio, since it has been able to provide useful guidelines for the basic sound we wished for this album, without neglecting any detail. As a drummer I would say he maintained his own style adapting it to our needs. At the beginning it wasn't easy because he used to play quite different things with his previous bands, then with time he managed to acquire our own sound.

The Foreshadowing is a band that we could name as a winning horse, you know every album they release is always a must listen and a must buy. Do you feel the pressure?

Honestly speaking I'd say no, and just as well, it's for the best ... if we were a mainstream band maybe we'd probably have much more pressure during the release of an album ... Fortunately, at least from this point of view, we're a band from the underground metal scene and usually in these cases there's always the feeling to support the quality of a work ... this is very important for us because I believe every artist needs to take his time when he makes an album and a band should not be subjected to strict deadlines.an album, is after all, a piece of art and it deserves his time to be realized.

You are from Italy but the album has been mixed and mastered at Hertz Studio, Bialystok, Poland. Any especial reason for that or you just did your work and left it in other's hands?

The main reason for which we chose the Hertz Studio was his excellent price/quality ratio. Since we wished a more powerful guitar sound for this album we wanted a studio with a first-class equipment, just like Hertz Studios; but at the same time they've got very affordable prices for any band. I think the Wisławski bros. have been professional and gave a great contribution, especially in terms of guitar sound. Actually we had some problems with them because they didn't respect the deadline for having the whole mixing ready, but it's not been such a big problem. What was important for us was basically the basic sound for guitars, bass and drums. All the rest, like keyboards  chorals and vocals has been completed by Giuseppe (Orlando) at his Outer Sound Studio.

The CD will be released as a beautiful digipack with the cover art designed by no less than Seth Siro Anton, a guy that has worked previouly for bands like Paradise Lost, Nile, Soilwork, Moonspell or Vader. Another proof that you play in the big league...

More importantly I think we appreciate and try to collaborate with those people working for the big league, just like Seth, because we hope one day to be ourselves in the big league. Honestly I would not say that we've got this status, in that case we'd probably be on tour eight months a year, and for us this is still not the case.

Francesco, I think all of you have worked hard for a long time in this new album, how satisfied are you with the result?

We're really satisfied. Besides, after four years being happy with this job is a must ... very often when we listen again to the album there's always a tendency to say, "hmm, maybe we could improve this passage or maybe it should have been longer" or "this fade-out is too short or too long"or anything like that. I think this attitude is in the nature of whatever musician, but sometimes you need to contain yourself, otherwise it becomes a tunnel you can't escape from. There's a beginning and an end for each album, as it's right.

I share your view 100%, it also happens also to me when preparing questions for an interview or an article. This "Seven Heads Ten Horns" is your fourth album, regarding your last works are we going to find something different, some new taste?

Sure thing: first of all, there will be not only elements from the gothic-doom, but much more. I'd say in general this album may be defined as a hybrid of different genre, in which you can find folk, ambient, synth pop or world music. There will be many atmospheric passages, but we didn't forget the powerful and massive sound thanks to the excellent work on guitars and drums. Obviously, I hope these new solutions will be appreciated not only from our aficionados, but also by those who accused our previous albums to be not innovative and not original. I cannot tell whether this album is original or not, but it has still a great personality.

I think"Seven Heads Ten Horns" will no disappoint the fans, it has the melancholy, the atmospheres, some epic moments and even folk elements, everything that one can expect from guys like you

Well, actually with this album we hope to win over new fans, especially those are most stranger from metal, because I think our music has the potential to be appreciated also by another type of audience. Let's gonna see.

A really Interesting comment. As I said before, if you pay attention you realize that every song has so much work, every song is like a fantastic travel or story, right?

I agree, in fact, the idea that has developed around this album was already very complex in itself and that's for this reason we wanted to achieve a more complex album than usual. Especially  for keyboards, for instance, it has been realized a massive work, as well as in general it wasn't overlooked any detail. Not only with regard to arrangements but also to the technical aspect, this album was definitely the most difficult to achieve. One of the album features is that there are many passages containing guitar solos, much more than in previous albums, some of these are technically very valuable (in this regard, I recommend you to listen to New Babylon, that's my favourite one of the whole album).

The song "Nimrod" is the clear example of that, 14 minutes of travel in time, how did you get to design and compose it?

Nimrod is our first real attempt to create a "suite" although this term is inappropriate for this song. Actually one of the features of a suite is having a main recurring theme throughout the song and this is not Nimrod case. We might say It's more like a story made up of 4 chapters, I personally like to see it this way, and anyway it's been an interesting experimental and however well managed attempt. The song theme is the Tower of Babel and it's seen simply from our perspective with a structural logic that tries to follow the story plot, just like we had wanted to create a soundtrack for it, that's all. It is composed in 4 parts, the first and the third one (The Eerie Tower & Collapse) are distinguished from one another, the second part (Omelia) is a kind of interlude and the final part is an outro with a unique theme repeating endlessly like a mantra going in fade out. Originally The Eerie Tower and Collapse had to be inserted in the album as tracks in their own right, by the way they were two tracks we realized in different periods and had nothing in common, but then we decided to combine them to create, in fact, a kind of "Suite". I believe we all agree with the fact that this song is the best one of the entire album.

So complex as inspiring, true. When composing, is there any guy who works more than the others? Who makes the "script", if we can name it as that?

Basically Alessandro (Pace) and I write all the songs on the album, whereas I deal with. Occasionally the other band members do take part in the songwriting: for instance, Giuseppe (Orlando) wrote together with us the music of Fall of Heroes, and Andrea (Chiodetti) wrote the bridge of Lost Soldiers. As for the lyrics, Marco likes proposing from time to time some of his lyrics, as he also did in the previous albums. In this case he wrote the whole text of "Fall of Heroes" and together we wrote "Two Horizons". However, I should point out this aspect is limited only to the songwriting, if it comes to arrangement the work is often done with the 6 of us during the rehearsals.

The Foreshadowing have a long record of touring dates in their boots, you have gone around with bands such as Moonspell, Marduk, Saturnus and many others. I suppose you will get "into the van" once again, right?

Our will is to get on a van as soon as possible, but unfortunately, this is far beyond our control. It depends primarily on how much people around us are going to support us, as for the rest of us, we never backed in the past and we will not do it now if we will have the opportunity.

By the way, you are an international phenomenon in all the extension of the term, even you have succeed in the US and Canada by the hand of the agency Rock The Nation Usa, how do you feel about that?

Rock the Nation USA has done a great job for our tour in America and we cannot forget their contribution by supporting "Second World". Now we have a new album, therefore our intention is to perform once again in America, since the american metalheads have enjoyed our songs and in particular our performances. Overall, we expect that Rock the Nation USA wants to support us once again just as in that case.

After the releasing of your new jewel and the supposed very extensive tour, do you have in mind some vacations or you will continue feeding the fire?

There is no time to chill out or get relaxed at the moment, we must strike while the iron is hot. In the first place, we have to work on the promotional aspects of the album since it will be released very soon and besides the idea of arranging an upcoming tour there are still many other things to organize, such as the making of a videoclip and other interesting collaborations we'll announce on our facebook page soon. I think during these four years we had a lot of time to rest, now it's time to work hard on this album and we won't stop at all between now and the end of season.

As one of the most recognized Italian bands, how do you see the Metal scene in your country?

My opinion is that the metal scene is very followed but it's still poorly supported. As for the Italian bands, many are indeed talented, but in general I always notice there is a lot of envy and hypocrisy in the environment. I hope I'm wrong but I have often this sensation. On one hand there's still a tendency to esterophily, although I must say that lately there have been some exceptions. On the other hand I must say the interest towards the Italian bands has grown up, but it's still limited to certain bands ... I would like this renewed interest in supporting the made-in-Italy-metal might also extend to other Italian bands who constantly try to improve the italian metal quality.

Francesco, thank you for your time, it was a pleasure to have this conversation with you, and from Metalbrothers.es we wish The Foreshadowing a very successful tour, hopefully around Spain too!

Thanks a lot for your interview, it was a pleasure! I invite all the readers to listen carefully to our new album and support us. We hope to come in Spain for some gigs very soon, we've never played there and it would be a blast! Doom on ++++

Unreality (by Matricide)

Interview with TYFON'S DOOM

The Band: Tyfon’s Doom

Country: Finland

Answers by: Tommi Varsala (all instruments)

https://www.facebook.com/tyfonsdoom/

https://tyfonsdoom.bandcamp.com/

Tyfon’s Doom may not be a big name, for now, but it has all the taste the true lovers of NWOBHM and classic heavy/speed metal will much appreciate. It is the Tommi Varsala’s creature, the man does everything and does it right, especially on the guitar tasks, he has the skills and the feeling (in my opinion the most important), and he also has a raspy voice very easy to identificate which gives his recordings a especial sound and mark. One again, we talk with Tommi.

Hello again Tommi, it’s a pleasure to talk to you again after the interview we made last year

Hi Alberto, the pleasure is mine. Hopefully I’ve got something new to tell you.

Sure you will. As it’s good to know that you are still with your foot on the pedal, composing with quality and without stop. You are very creative...

Thanks, of course I’m still writing music! If I remember correctly, I promised you that the first demo wasn’t going to be the last release and neither will be “Yeth Hound”.

Yes, last year you released Demo’15. Only a few months later you present your new EP, “Yeth Hound”. In your opinion, is there some big difference between those recordings?

Well, I think that “Yeth Hound” is a bit heavier and the production is much better also, even though some people still seem to have some problems with it. Anyway, I like and it so do many others so I’m satisfied with it. Musically they are more or less the same but in my opinion, “Yeth Hound” is much more advanced than the first demo.

The new songs were more or less ready when you published “Demo’15” or you developed them afterwards?

Only “Rockers” was fully composed at the time I recorded the first demo, so it could have been on the demo instead of the new EP. I just felt like it wasn’t ready by the time and I’m glad I didn’t release that version of it since it was a bit different and kind of shitty. Also, some riffs in “Galactic Flash” are already a few years old but otherwise everything is composed after the digital release of Demo ’15.

I feel this “Yeth Hound” is not so much in the vein of speed metal as your previous recording but it’s clear also your love for the nwobhm sound

Actually, I think it’s vice versa. In my opinion, “Yeth Hound” is much faster and heavier than the first demo which was more like Hard Rock or something. Song material might be pretty much the same on both records but the difference probably comes from the equipment I used. Anyway, Heavy Metal is the way to go, fast and slow.

I would like to underline the track “Gate to New Reality”, more than 8 minutes of heavy metal, some speed metal and epic sound, in my opinion the best song in the EP

Most of the people who has kindly given their comment about the EP has had the same opinion as you have. “Gate to New Reality” is without a doubt a song that I’m very proud of, but if I had to choose, I think that the title track of the EP is still the best one and “Gate to New Reality” follows very closely behind. “Gate to New Reality” is probably the most complex song that I’ve composed and it’s still pretty solid entirety, so I can see why it’s highlighted so often.

Another thing that doesn’t change is that you stay alone against the elements. Do you still want to keep Tyfon’s Doom as a solo project or do you have in mind to get new people on board?

The answer is still yes. This issue is strongly associated with playing live. As long as Tyfon’s Doom is not playing live, I don’t have any necessity for a crew. I can do everything by myself and it’s actually easier that way. However, a drummer would be very helpful with future recordings but I’m still not sure if I’ll use a drum machine or not anymore.

By the way, I have come to know that you have signed for the prestigious label Cruz del Sur Music. How did it happen and how do you feel about it?

Yeah, that’s right. Actually, I’ve signed for the sub-label of Cruz del Sur Music: Gates of Hell Records, which at this point seems more suitable option. I didn’t have any goals with the first demo, so that time I didn’t even consider releasing the demo on tape format until I got contacted by Impious Desecration Records. This time I wanted to make some progress with the project, so I decided to ask around if someone would be interested in releasing the EP. Cruz del Sur Music was one of the best options, so I have to say that I was very happy when they responded. Right now I could not be more excited. The release is going to be a killer!

I think this signing means that Tyfon’s Doom goes ahead with all consequences, taking no prisoners...

Something like that… I’m just doing the best I can – writing good songs for those who are interested.

Are you going to make some live appearance now that you have composed enough material for a gig?

I can’t see any live shows in the horizon and there’s a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, I’m still a guitarist, not a singer. The singing could be probably considered as some kind of a trademark of this project, so it would be pretty impossible to find anyone who has the same kind of voice. Secondly, I very rarely practice singing, and on the record I’m pretty much going all out, so the voice wouldn’t last the whole gig. The last thing is that frankly I can’t sing and play guitar at the same time and only singing is no option for me. It probably wouldn’t be too difficult to get over these problems but right now I don’t have enough time for practicing. Anyway, I do have enough instrumental material to play for few hours so that wouldn’t be a problem!

Interesting and, as you say, no problem that cannot be solved. After two EPs the question is mandatory: when are we going to get a full-length from Tyfon’s Doom?

Should it be the next one? Maybe. First, I would like to release a split album with some band to get more exposure, but if I manage to keep the quality and write enough songs for a full-length in a reasonable amount of time, a full-length album is not impossible. Only one thing is sure and it’s the fact that a full-length isn’t going to be released in 2016.

I suppose for the moment Tyfon’s Doom is a passion and you cannot make a living of it, but you think this can change in the future?

There’s no way I could make a living of this and that’s probably not going to change, not with this kind of music. And for money, I’m not going to change the way I’m doing this. The ideal situation would be that with a profits of a previous album I could make another one. I’m not even sure if I could be a full time musician. The ideas will come if they will, not by force. The moment this becomes too serious, the passion becomes a job, it will turn to shit.

That’s true. A curiosity: I couldn’t find any portrait of yourself, will you ever disclose your identity or will you become a nwobhm superhero hahaha?

Haha! I would gladly wear a mask and be a heavy metal superhero but there will be a portrait in the physical release of “Yeth Hound” so it’s too late for that. The less photos the better, so I’ll just keep the amount in the minimum.

Between us, I don’t like photos either, but anyway, for the fan that is another reason to buy the EP release from Gates of Hell Records J And finally Tommi, what are your plans for the future?

I haven’t thought too far. If I manage to write enough music and produce a little bit better sound, then I’ll make the full length album. As far as I can see, Tyfon’s Doom is going to be a non-gigging one man project, hiding under ground and every once in a while coming up with a new heavy metal release.

And we will be here to spread it like wildfire. Thanks again for answering our questions (you see, you have many new things to tell) and wish you all the success you deserve.

Thanks to you!

Senescence – Endoomed (2015)

1.The Mourner's Claim

2.Wisdom Be Prey

3.And The Vultures Collapsed Into Sound

Holger Dalinghaus - Guitars, Bass, Drum programming, Keyboards

Tim Klöcker - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drum programming, Keyboards

Los Senescence son una banda alemana de doom metal que ya llevan unos cuantos años en esto del metal aunque con altibajos. De hecho, en más de diez años de carrera no han editado todavía un album completo. Lo que os comento hoy es su tercer ep, que publicaron el año pasado, de manera independiente, como no podía ser de otra forma. El grupo lo componen solo dos miembros que se encargan de todas las labores, teclados, cuerda y percusión, si bien la batería es programada.

Se inicia la grabación con The Mourner's Claim, tema oscuro y minutero, como todos los que componen este ep. Sus composiciones se caracterizan por ser espesas, lentas y con buenas dosis de oscuridad. En este tema encontramos unas guitarras muy bizarras pero que transmiten sensaciones, acompañadas perfectamente por unas voces agónicas, en una especie de delirio y sifrimiento contínuo. Es un tema que nos mete en las profundidades de su sonido, oscuro como un pozo.

Wisdom Be Prey es un tema bastante diferente, si bien el inicio es lento el riff que lo acompaña es demoledor, como un martillo golpeando tus costillas. Se acelera el tema con un cambio de ritmo, pero manteniendo la amalgama de riffs pegadizos. Más adelante introducen un nuevo cambio de ritmo e insertan unas guitarras death, finalmente rebajan el ritmo con unas guitarras a lo Black Sabbath.

Cerramos este breve pero intenso ep con un tema tan largo como su título, And The Vultures Collapsed Into Sound son 9 minutos de locura sonora, completa y desbordante, sin fronteras. El inicio es en clave post rock ambient. Mucha presencia de teclados, logran una gran ambientación junto con las voces y unas guitarras muy melancólicas. Tema con una pausa larga y cargada, para ir volviendo luego poco a poco a la cadencia inicial en plena avorágine doom.

En definitiva, Senescence es un grupo que se toma su tiempo para elaborar los temas, pero lo que no se puede negar es que los trabajan a conciencia y que saben transmitir sensaciones, casi siempre en el terreno de las sombras. 

Gracepoint – Echoes (2016)

1.Animal                     

2.Spider                     

3.Secrets                    

4.Full Circle                

5.Somber                   

6.Crucible                   

7.Bittersweet              

8.July 4                       

9.Echoes                    

10. Moon

Sam van Moer - Bass

Lance Reed - Drums

Stefan Radzilowski - Guitars

Lon Kunze - Guitars

Matt Tennessen - Vocals

Gracepoint es una banda de Minnesota que lleva activa, o no, no se sabe muy bien, desde hace muchos años. De hecho, este es su segundo disco, el primero fue publicado allá por el 2000. El caso es que ahora vuelven a la actividad cargados de energía, practicando un metal técnico en el que destaca especialmente la labor de las guitarras, pero también con una buena base rítmica, el vocalista ya es más normalito.

Arrancamos con Animal, posiblemente el tema más ramplón del disco, no es malo pero está muy trillado, rollo a lo Metallica con groove a lo Symphony X en los riffs, las referencias de siempre, lo mejor es la base rítmica y que las guitarras siempre tienen bastante potencia. Spider ya va afinando más la puntería, es un corte que va variando entre ritmos thrashers y heavys. La producción es excelente en todo momento y eso hace que las guitarras luzcan plenamente. Riffs a los que le suelen dotar de mucho groove y excelente solos de guitarra siempre limpios, este tema lleva una onda muy bay area.

Secrets es un tema instrumental con mucha clase, lento pero de aires progresivos. Full Circle contrasta bastante con el tema anterior por sus guitarras heavys, sucias y ochenteras, con momentos de speed metal y otros de metal progresivo. Eso sí, sus temas siempre tienen mucha pegada, una contundencia que hace que entren fácil.

Somber es una prueba más de que estos tipos saben lo que se traen entre manos, un inicio bastante atípico con guitarras que suenan a Steve Vai, con mucha melodía, y luego un desarollo acústico a lo Opeth. Pero nunca falta la parte más agresiva con groove y un excelente solo de guitarra para ponerle la guinda al pastel.

Crucible es un tema de metal moderno, una mezcla entre Mastodon y Nevermore. Mientras que Bittersweet parece un tema a lo Ozzy en las partes relajadas, que contrastan con la agresividad y la pegada de la parte con groove guitarrero, un tema de excelente instrumentación. July 4 es uno de los mejores temas del disco, un tema todoterreno, que empieza con unas acústicas a lo Annihilator para luego desarrollar la pista de manera magistral y desbordante, llegando a meter partes incluso en clave blues, un tema de progresivo con mucho gancho. Y es que ésa es una de las grandes virtudes de estos americanos, que saben combinar su buena técnica con una composición adictiva, logrando un metal progresivo muy asequible para el oyente medio.

Echoes es el último tema propiamente dicho, ya que el siguiente es una outro, y sigue la línea habitual del disco, es decir, tema de progresivo con mucho groove, brillantes guitarras y mucha pegada. En definitiva, un grupo que nos ofrece diversión en cantidades masivas con momentos de ejecución brillante. Como decía al principio, el vocalista baja un poco el nivel respecto a la instrumentación, demasiado neutral y con poca pasión quizás.

Puntuación: 7,5/10

The coming of war (Morbid Scream)

Entrevista con ICARUS DREAM

by Vpower

The Band: Icarus Dream

Country: Spain

Answers by: Jose Icarus (guitars), José Torres (guitar)

https://www.facebook.com/icarusdreamrenace/

Icarus Dream es una banda madrileña de heavy metal melódico que acaban de publicar su primer disco completo, “Renace”. Un buen momento para hablar con ellos ahora que están a tope de actividad para que nos cuenten cómo se gestó el disco y nos cuenten un poco la historia del grupo. Para ello hemos hablado con los dos hachas de Icarus Dream.

Buenas, ¿cómo surgió Icarus Dream?

Jose Icarus: Hola!,  pues fue allá por el año 2002, cuando Sonia (mi ex mujer) y yo comenzamos a dar forma a los temas. Ella se encargaba de las letras y yo de la música, con el tiempo nos hicimos con un buen repertorio y comenzamos la búsqueda de músicos para formar un grupo. Tardamos poco en conseguir un local en Móstoles y empezar los ensayos.

La banda se disolvió y habéis decidido volver al ruedo, ¿Cuál fue el motivo de esta vuelta?

Jose Icarus: Nos disolvimos justo en plena grabación de lo que iba a ser nuestra primera maqueta, así que decidí que todo el trabajo invertido en estos años debería plasmarse en un álbum, y como no se podía quedar ahí, pues aquí estamos, con nueva formación y energías renovadas.

Elegisteis Siempre al límite como single de este álbum, ¿cuál fué el motivo de esta elección?

Jose Icarus: Es un tema muy directo y cañero que creo que engancha bastante bien.

Jose Torres: El tema representa en cierta medida el espíritu de la banda, que no es otro que ir a por todas y no rendirnos nunca ante las adversidades. Es una canción positiva y llena de energía.

¿Cómo fue el proceso creativo de este nuevo trabajo?

Jose Icarus: Los temas ya estaban compuestos hace tiempo, lo único que hicimos es darle una vuelta de tuerca más y añadirle arreglos para la grabación, muchos arreglos.

Creo que los temas que componen este Renace, es una especie de recopilatorio de los mejores temas de Icarus Dream, ¿es así?

Jose Icarus: Si, exactamente. Compila los mejores temas de Icarus Dream de todos estos años. No obstante ya estamos inmersos en nuevas composiciones.

El álbum presenta unas colaboraciones de lujo como David Muñoz (Chamán, DMX proyect), Julio Martín (Chenoa, Camilo Sesto), Santi Zorrezno (Trueno), Iván Fernández (Iron of the Beast, Bourbon), Andrés San José (Sakata), Maria Jesus San José ( La Petit Marie) y Raquel Monroy. ¿Como fue trabajar con ellos?

Jose Icarus: Son todos amigos nuestros, así que ha sido un autentico placer contar con ellos para este trabajo, son grandes músicos.

Jose Torres: Cada una le ha sabido dar a los temas el toque que necesita. Al haber varios cantantes el disco se hace muy ameno y entretenido. No obstante, de ahora en adelante continuamos solos con la formación definitiva y sólida que tenemos actualmente.

Renace es el título del álbum, creo que le va como anillo al dedo a la historia de la banda. Power metal melódico y clásico, con muy buenos solos y estribillos con gancho, ¿Lo veis como una apuesta segura, por un álbum de power metal melódico clásico?

Jose Icarus: Gracias, creo que en el álbum tocamos bastantes palos dentro de lo que es el rock y el heavy, no sabría que etiqueta ponerle. Son muy distintos entre sí,  de hecho al cambiar de cantantes en varios temas lo hace todavía más variado.

Jose Torres: Sí, efectivamente este disco se puede catalogar dentro del heavy-power clásico. Los temas tienen años y es un poco el tipo de música y de influencias que Jose tenía en aquella época. Ahora la formación cuenta con nuevos componentes con influencias diferentes y por ello los nuevos temas seguramente suenen de otra forma.

¿Cuáles son vuestras referencias musicales?

Jose Icarus: Pues somos muy distintos todos y tenemos gustos muy diversos.

Jose Torres: Tenemos influencias diferentes sí. Yo por ejemplo vengo de Secret Signs que hacíamos Metal Sinfónico, así que mis influencias son principalmente esas: Nightwish, Epica, Stream of Passion....son bandas que se alejan del estilo de Icarus, pero que sin embargo tienen un nexo en común: hay cantante femenina y teclado. Eso fue en parte lo que me animó a entrar en la banda. A María (voz) le gusta mucho Queen, Raúl (batería) y Chuchi (bajo) son muy fans de pantera, a Alma (teclado) le gusta mucho Dream Theater...

Mi tema favorito es Coraje. ¿Qué tema destacaríais de vuestro nuevo álbum?

Jose Icarus: Sin duda coraje, para mí es un tema a destacar. Coincido contigo en que es un tema con mucha caña, pero a la vez bastante melódico.

Jose Torres: Sí, a mí también es de los que más me gustan. El riff es Megadeth cien por cien, tiene una base rítmica matadora y un desarrollo instrumental muy interesante. Personalmente también me gusta mucho Ángel del Sur, cuyo riff me suena muy Symphony X y El Sueño de Ícaro porque toca palos del Rock Sinfónico que es el estilo que a mí más me atrae del Metal.

Una pregunta para Jose Antonio Carmona, líder de este proyecto. ¿Cuáles son los guitarristas que más han influenciado tu técnica?

Jose Icarus: Lo tengo claro: Yngwie Malmsteen, Dimebag Darrell y Dave Mustaine.

La banda se está moviendo mucho para promocionar su nuevo trabajo, ¿cómo veis el panorama metalero español, os sentís apoyados por los medios ya sean profesionales o amateurs?

Jose Icarus: Ha sido una sorpresa la gran aceptación que estamos teniendo en tan poco tiempo, no nos lo esperábamos. Nos sentimos muy contentos y agradecidos a todos los medios que nos están apoyando.

Jose Torres: Una de las cosas buenas de Internet es que ha fomentado la democratización de los medios de comunicación. Yo personalmente no veo la televisión, me resulta mucho más interesante Youtube, Periscope o escuchar un Podcast. Esto mismo se puede aplicar a la música. Existen muchísimos medios de comunicación por Internet que apoyan incondicionalmente a los grupos, lo hacen porque les gusta, sin pedir nada a cambio y me parece una labor encomiable. En ese sentido nos sentimos honrados y afortunados por contar con apoyo mediático 2.0

Vivimos en un mundo globalizado y vuestro álbum se puede adquirir en Japón. Supongo que os hará ilusión llegar al máximo número posible de gente. Cada vez es más habitual ver a bandas que venden sus discos en el país nipón, ¿es un mercado donde explorar o sólo está al alcance de los grandes nombres?

Jose Icarus: Muchísima ilusión, claro. Hemos recibido ya varios pedidos de tiendas desde Japón, es una aventura, y creo que es un mercado que claro que hay que explorar, sobre todo si nos dan la oportunidad.

Jose Torres: Por lo visto el Heavy Metal en español está gustando bastante en Japón de unos años a esta parte. Nos llena de ilusión que haya gente que nos escuche desde tan lejos. De momento han sido pedidos pequeños, pero claro, teniendo en cuenta que somos una banda que acaba de aparecer para nosotros es la bomba. Este es un claro ejemplo de que efectivamente es un mercado que hay que explorar.

Os estáis currando mucho el merchandising, me gustaría que me dijerais como conseguir una camiseta de vuestro grupo.

Jose Icarus: Bueno estamos empezando, las camisetas ya se pueden pedir por medio de nuestra web y en breve en nuestros conciertos.

¿Y cómo se puede conseguir vuestro álbum?

Jose Icarus: Tambien en la web de Icarus Dream en formato físico y en todas las plataformas digitales.

¿Qué planes de futuro tiene la banda?

Jose Icarus: Todos los que estén a nuestro alcance, trabajando cada día para llegar a cualquier rincón.

Jose Torres: De momento a corto plazo vamos a grabar un video clip con Fernando García de "Artnovaera" que es un gran profesional con el que ya trabajé en la época de Secret Signs, y seguramente antes del verano demos un mini concierto para presentar los temas del disco y el video clip. La presentación oficial en directo con un concierto largo será con casi toda seguridad después del verano. Y a largo plazo seguir componiendo y grabar un segundo disco.

Fue un placer charlar con vosotros, desearos suerte con la promo de vuestro álbum y que os veamos de gira pronto.

Jose Icarus: Muchas gracias a vosotros por la oportunidad,  ha sido un placer, nos subiremos muy pronto a los escenarios y esperamos vernos muchas veces.

Jose Torres: Gracias por la entrevista, estamos encantados de nos hayáis hecho un hueco en vuestra web, muchas gracias!