On June 11, 2008, when classic San Francisco thrashers Death Angel came to NYC to play BB Kings Blues Club & Grille in support of their latest album, Killing Season (Nuclear Blast), we invited guitarists Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar to our Manhatten headquarters for a video question-and-answer session.
In the following interview the guitarists get current on all things Death Angel, including their involvement in the Eighties Bay Area scene with Exodus and Metallica, their landmark releases The Ultra-Violence and Act III, the tragic 1990 bus accident that nearly tore the band apart, and the quality musicianship that has always been central to Death Angel’s music.
When Massachusetts hardcore stalwarts Converge rolled into NYC’s Blender Theatre on April 1, 2008, in support of their latest full-length, No Heroes (Epitaph), MetalKult caught up with vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou for a candid backstage video interview.
In the footage below, check out the guys as they discuss their respective paths into the music business, thoughts on the transformation of the hardcore scene and the “riff refinancing” that went into creating No Heroes. (more…)
When MetalKult visited Norway last March, we met up with Archaon (guitar) and Seidemann (bass) from the black metal band 1349. Before the pair took us out on a Norwegian metal pub crawl, we sat down in Neseblod Records’Maiden branch for a few warm-up pints. When the alcohol started flowing, so did the conversation. Lucky for us we had our video cameras with us.
In the following candid question-and-answer session, Archaon and Seidemann speak on a wide range of topics, including 1349’s position in Norwegian black metal, their views on Satanism and religion, black metal as Norway’s biggest cultural export, and the state of their forthcoming release, the follow-up to 2005’s Hellfire.
When MetalKult visited Norway last March, we were invited to visit the private studios of Norwegian black metal band Satyricon for a gear tour and the following in-depth question-and-answer session with frontman Satyr and drummer Frost.
Below, the pair discusses a wide range of topics, including the progression of Satyricon’s sound from traditional black metal to more straightforward rock, collaborating with Samoth and Thorns, and how “Satyricon has always been proudly a part of Norwegian black metal” even though Satyr wasn’t interested in doing what Mayhem’s Euronymous expected of him.
Satyricon also discuss the resolution of Frost’s visa troubles and their plans for recording their new full-length in Los Angeles. On June 2, U.K. and European fans were given a treat of what’s to come when Satyricon released a five-track EP, My Skin Is Cold, which included the new title track, “Live Through Me” and “Existential Fear-Questions” (excluded from 2002’s Volcano) and compelling live versions of “Mother North” and “Repined Bastard Nation.”
When MetalKult visited Norway last March, we were privileged to have the rare opportunity to visit with Emperor guitarist/vocalist Ihsahn at his Symphonique Studios in Notodden, Norway.
While we were there we got a tour of the gear Ihsahn used to record his latest solo album, angL (Candlelight/Mnemosyne), before sitting down with the black metal legend for a lengthy interview.
In the following clips, Ihsahn discusses a diverse range of topics, including the roots of angL’s aggressive sound, his collaboration with Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and how the “black metal expression” had to come from rural, isolated places like Notodden.
When Arch Enemy came to The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on their Tyranny & Bloodshred tour, in support of their latest album Rise of the Tyrant, MetalKult dropped by the venue for a little pre-show Q&A with guitarist Michael Amott and singer Angela Gossow.
In the following interview, the pair discuss (amidst the racket of soundcheck) the return of guitarist Christopher Amott, the new musical directions of Rise of the Tyrant, the challenge of being a front-woman and the imminent return of Amott’s pre-Arch Enemy band Carcass. (more…)
Since 1980, German experimental band Einstürzende Neubauten (translated “collapsing new buildings”) have traveled a unique sonic path that has included creating power electronic landscapes, dark noise ballads and, most famously, proto-industrial assaults out of metal harvested from junkyards.
On the eve of EN’s latest release, Alles Weider Offen, MetalKult had the opportunity to sit down with singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Blixa Bargeld to discuss his band’s West Berlin history, his work with avant-alternative creative Nick Cave, the theory behind scrap metal sonics and the creation of “unbelievable noise.”
On February 21, 2008, when Swedish progressive metallers Opeth rolled into New York City on a press tour in support of their latest album Watershed, MetalKult invited guitarist/vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt and guitarist Fredrick Akesson into our studios for a question-and-answer session.
In the following interview, check out the guys as they discuss a wide range of topics, including guitar heroes, the “Norwegian black metal mafia,” band lineup changes and what to do when you’re down on inspiration.
When Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta came to New York this past February for a press tour to promote his NOLA metal project Kingdom of Sorrow, featuring Down’s Kirk Windstein on guitar, we invited the hardcore stalwart into MetalKult’s Manhattan headquarters for an exclusive video interview.
In the following clips from that interview, hear touch on a range of topics, including the formation of Kingdom of Sorrow, his guitar contributions to their self-titled debut and how Windstein’s singular approach to vocals and guitar is inspiring Jasta to start a whole new generation of “Kirk-worship.”
This past January, MetalKult had the opportunity to catch up with Children of Bodom singer/guitarist Alexi Laiho at the winter NAMM convention in Anaheim, California.
Check out the following interview, in which Laiho describes his latest injuries, the inspiration behind Blooddrunk and how he planned to destroy George Lynch at the NAMM ESP shred-off. (more…)
