Interviews

Interview with Fredrik Andersson

"Amon Amarth has reached such a legendary status in the minds of metalheads that not knowing of them would be akin to a blues fan not knowing who BB King is. The band is one of the few that has its roots firmly planted in the soil of death metal, but has the power and melody to cross over and garner the fancy of the more mainstream fans without the usual obligatory style change, which has earned them the ire of many an underground elitist. Love them or hate them, Amon Amarth, after over 16 years, are stronger than ever. On a bracing December day in Cleveland, Fredrik Andersson, percussionist extraordinaire for the band, gave me the chance to sit and discuss the band and other topics with him; the exchange follows....."
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Interview with Ole and Tony

"I don't have many favorite bands. On the contrary, I only listen to 10-12 bands on a permanent basis and am of the opinion that everyone who does not like the bands I like has shit for taste. This said, Enslavement of Beauty has been one of my favorites since I first heard Megalomania. A creation of two musicians, Ole Alexander Myrholt and Tony Eugene Tunheim, Enslavement of Beauty transcends genres. While the band's backbone is still firmly rooted in black metal, the band seamlessly combines Gothic metal and classical elements to create a musical amalgam that, while overly catchy and at times over the top, is unique. In 2007, after a six year hibernation, Enslavement of Beauty is back with Mere Contemplations, an album that has been in my playing rotation ever since buying a copy from a local music store. I urge everyone into melodic black metal to purchase Mere Contemplations, Megalomania, and the band's first album The Traces O' Red, and find out for themselves how great Enslavement of Beauty is..."
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Interview with Sebastian Swart

"Morgoth released several album for Century Media in the early '90s. "Cursed" - a brutal slab of '90s death metal - was their breakout, but it was their following album, "Odium" that cemented their place in death metal history. Where their early albums were all excellent executions of the Tampa / Death / Obituary mold, "Odium" broke all the rules and took things to a brooding, emotional zone that relied on slow builds and honest rage instead of calculated violence. Their swansong was "Feel Sorry for the Fanatic," which carried the evolutionary ideas of "Odium" even further and despite being a quality album, was just too much too soon for many of the band's death metal fans. Not long after the release of "Feel Sorry..." Morgoth called it a day. We caught up with Sebastian Swart – bassist on Morgoth's three seminal albums – for a look back on the band's peak years..."
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Interview with Barney Greenway

"The godfathers of grindcore, Napalm Death are entering their 27th year of blowing away listeners with brutal, fast and relentless metal littered with copious amounts of messages regarding anything remotely un-P.C. Despite the fury and power that goes into every N.D. performance, it would seem that our beloved grinding deities are as soft-spoken and genuinely grateful as the rest of us. Barney Greenway, the grunt-belting frontman of Napalm Death, was kind enough to give me some time to talk to him about (what there is) in the new album, Michael Moore, Richard Dawkins, and the Dillinger Escape Plan. If you blink, you might miss when he plays 'You Suffer' during the interview..."
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Interview with Sakis

"The vocalist and songwriter of a band of this style, it would be thought, would have to have an ego the size of Paris Hilton's cooch after a night on the town with two zebras and an elephant. But, as with so many of the men in metal, this is not the case. Sakis is man who radiates a disarming amount of magnanimity, a man seemingly as eager to meet and talk to fans as they are to meet him. Thoughtful and well-spoken would be added to the list of accurate adjectives, but the one defining characteristic of this man would be his remarkable dedication not only to the songwriting and performing aspects of the band, but the managing and planning as well. With a calm assuredness, Sakis awaited my questions..."
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Interview with Steve Austin

"My first taste of Today is the Day came in the summer of 1998, when two of my high school buddies and I took a five-hour driving trip to the West Coast of Florida to see a metal fest featuring Converge / Today is the Day / Dragbody / Morning Again. As Steve Austin and Co. geared to hit the stage, it seemed like the majority of 300 or so kids that were in the small Club Q in Davie, Florida, left and the only people that stayed inside the club were approximately thirty of the strangest-looking and smelling human beings, the three of us, and a dozen or so onlookers. I have been a fan ever since... Now, almost ten years later, the time is right for a Today is the Day interview. Steve Austin, the man behind the band and Supernova Records talks about life, music, and everything in between..."
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