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.”
On March 4, 2008, Japanese doom-psych-drone trio Boris played before an excited crowd at New York’s Knitting Factory. The band was in town to support its latest release, Smile (Southern Lord).
In the clips below, watch Boris unleash a torrent of distortion, cries and ripping rock and roll as the play “Statement,” “Laser Beam” “Buzz-In” and “Pink.” (more…)
When Sweden’s Disfear hit NY’s Knitting Factory on April 16 in support of their latest record, Live the Storm (Relapse), MetalKult grabbed our cameras and raced downtown to catch a heavy D-beating from Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates) and crew.
Below, check out the guys rip through “Get It Off,” “Phantom” and “The Cage” from Live the Storm. (more…)
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.
For the past six years, Chicago’s Nachtmystium have been producing some of the more forward-thinking U.S. black metal out there.
So when founding guitarist/singer Blake Judd and his latest batch of supporting players—Jeff Wilson (rhythm guitar), Zion Meagher (bass), Sanford Parker (moog synth/effects) and Tony Laureano (drums)—entered Chicago’s Engine Studios and Volume Studios in December 2007 to record their latest excursion into the realms of blackened psychedelia, MetalKult just had to be there.
Thankfully Judd agreed, and welcomed our cameras into the studio to document the recording of their latest record, Assassins: Black Meddle, Part 1 (Century Media).
Below, check out this unique, behind-the-scenes look at this emerging black metal band. (more…)
For four days in March 2008, MetalKult’s Brad Angle and Jimmy Hubbard took a journey to the grim-cold heart of Norwegian black metal: Oslo, Norway.
In this revealing four-part series, we catch up with a few of Norwegian black metal’s leading acts. We go on a pub crawl through Oslo’s hottest metal bars with 1349’s Seidemann (bass) and Archaon (guitar), visit Notodden’s ancient Heddal Stave Church, head off to Emperor/Zyklon drummer Trym’s Emperial Tattoo studios (where Hubbard gets some seriously Nordic needle-and-ink action), hang with Emperor vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn at his Symphonique Studios, tour the rebuilt Holmenkollen Chapel (which was burned in 1992 by members of the black metal community), go to Helvete (the late Mayhem guitarist Euronymous’ record store and informal black metal “inner circle” headquarters) and chat with Satyricon in their cavernous rehearsal studios.
Check out this rare glimpse into the lives of these artists below. (more…)
When Gothenburg melodic death metal pioneers In Flames came to New York as part of Gigantour 2008, MetalKult had a chance to sit down with guitarists Bjorn Gelotte and Jesper Stromblad for an exclusive riff lesson.
In the following lessons the pair demonstrate how to play a selection of new and classic tracks from In Flames’ nine-album catalog. Tracks include “Moonshield” from 1996’s The Jester Race and “Gyroscope” off of 1997’s Whoracle, as well as “Bullet Ride” (Clayman), “Zombi Inc.” (Colony), “Take This Life” (Come Clarity), and “Disconnected,” “March to the Shore” and “The Mirror’s Truth” (from A Sense of Purpose).
Watch below as Gelotte and Stromblad explain how they achieve their signature sound, which includes extensive twin guitar harmonies, complementary melodic lines and downright brutal riffage. Enjoy! (more…)
