Hey! Saxon is coming to town! On Friday, May 15th, Saxon takes over Ram's Head Live to play songs from the "Holy Trinity." Saxon will be performing songs from Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law and Denim and Leather. It should truly be a show 35 years in the making!
If you're a traditional heavy metal warrior, you'll want to be there. Good thing we're giving away tickets!
If you want to win two tickets to Saxon: Comment with the track you're most excited to see from the Holy Trinity of Saxon albums by April 23rd at midnight, EST. I'll choose a winner at random of all the valid entries (by picking a name out of a hat) on April 24th. Make sure you use a valid email, or include your email in the comment, so that you may be contacted if you win. If the winner does not claim his or her prize by April 26th, a new winner will be chosen. You can claim your prize at Ram's Head Live via two guest list spots.
If you don't want to leave it to chance, you can purchase tickets for $20 via Ticketfly.
We're here to chat about straight up heavy metal, drummers and dream-come-true fests with Drew Rizzo, drummer of Midnite Hellion
PG:
Hey Happy New Years, Hellions! Do you have any band resolutions for this
year? Did you make any personal resolutions?
MH: Happy New Year to you too, Lindsey,
and to all at Scrapyard Magazine! Band
resolutions include playing more often and in front of bigger masses, and upon
release of our full-length, we hope to travel to the other side of the pond for
touring! My personal resolutions are to actually
stick with a diet and exercise plan so I can get healthier and to keep the Hellion
fire burning even stronger!
PG: You recently released a singleHour
of the Wolf. How has that been received?
MH: Most excellent! In conjunction with our record label, Witches
Brew, and our PR company, Clawhammer PR, we have all been able to get the
release to a much larger audience than ever before. Nearly everybody who has heard the new single
has only praised it, and sales have been beyond our expectations. The first week alone moved about 20% of the
stock, having now largely tapped into the Japanese market, which has been
relatively small for us in the past, with significantly increased European and
US sales as well. We just can’t wait to
get to reconnect with all of our current supporters, meet all of our new
supporters face to face, and deliver the goods to all of them live!
PG: How would you describe your sound?
MH: All things Heavy Metal! I’d say our sound features a strong
foundation of Traditional Heavy Metal with a healthy mixture of Thrash Metal
and Speed Metal on top with a light dusting of early Death Metal. Honestly, when we write, we do not scrap any
idea just because it does not fit within certain confines, and all of us listen
to a very diverse catalogue of music in general, even outside of the Metal
realm. I feel that our variety of
influences shine within each song one way or another.
PG: It seems like you’ve had a line-up change between recordings. What do
your new singer, PJ and your new guitarist, Nick bring to the table?
MH: PJ executes the songs the way they
should have always sounded, having brought the elements of style, class, and versatility
to the helm. As PJ is also rooted more
in the older styling of Metal, her vocals add the right touch to the music,
making it more of a cohesive package. We
got very lucky with Nick, as he’s not only a quick learner and has maximum
adaptability, but he also adds his own signature stamp to everything he does. While he also loves Metal from the glory
days, he is more in-tune with the modern bands on the Metal scene than we are,
so it is refreshing to have that approach coming in to blend with the old. Both are writers as well, so we are able to
keep with the consistency of all five members contributing to both the musical
and lyrical writing process.
PG: Also saw you guys are playing Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse Festival, which
is awesome! How did that happen? Are you looking forward to sharing the
stage with any bands in particular?
MH: Hell yes, this show is beyond our wildest
dreams! One of the organizers, Bob
Byrne, and I have been in touch since the end of 2012, as we were attempting to
participate in the 2013 edition of the festival. Due to lineup issues at that time, we were
unfortunately unable to confirm. We secured
both Nick and PJ when they were booking for the 2014 edition, so I got in touch
with Bob and he invited us to participate!
I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with all of the bands, but most
of all are Hallows Eve and especially Grim Reaper. Both have been favorites since I was a kid,
and I never thought that the Reaper would ever tour the States again, as they
last appeared over here in 1987, so three dreams are coming true that weekend
for me. First is playing Chicago, second
is opening for Grim Reaper, and third is actually seeing Grim Reaper live!!
PG: You and I met on the 70K Tons of Metal cruise, how did you get involved in
that? What was your experience like last year?
MH: Believe it or not, it’s always been a dream
to be a professional backline technician.
Our mutual friend, Marie, had posted about the Volunteer committee
online, and having been absent from it for many years, I wanted to
reconnect. The event itself was beyond
my expectations and it was a great amount of fun to meet new friends and
reconnect with old ones. The hours were
long and I only had a chance to snap one photograph while in Turks and Cacaos
before boarding again, but nonetheless, it was great as I got to work for and
see a lot of excellent bands, some of which had performed special setlists just
for the cruise. I ran into a member of
one of the bands that I had worked for shortly after the cruise, and he had
said that he wished it was two weeks instead of five days as he had so much
fun! From a working standpoint, I think
you’d agree that the staff would have probably all died from exhaustion and
malnourishment if that were to happen!
PG: WhichMidnite Hellionshow was your favorite to play?
MH: It’s difficult to pinpoint just one, but I’d
have to say that in recent times our most recent show was overall just such a
fun night. It was a hometown Trenton
show back in November opening for Toxic Holocaust, In Defence, and Ramming
Speed, and every band on the bill delivered the goods, but also, our
performance went over extremely well and the Hellion faithful were out in
full-force. It was also recorded for an
upcoming live release called “Bitchin’ At Champs,” which is being released on
cassette on our friend Jon Norberg’s label, Contaminated Tones.
PG: Since you’re the founding member, and a drummer, was it easy to form a
band? I always feel like it’s the hardest to find competent drummers!
MH: It was surprisingly easy to form the band and
even securing new members when old ones exited wasn’t too difficult of a task,
looking back at it now. As this is been
one of many bands that I’ve built from the ground up over the years, I’d have
to say that finding a competent singer was the most difficult, but when I was
in a Death Metal band as a teen, finding a competent bassist was the
hardest! I think it really boils down to
finding people who are on the same page in terms of goals and outlook which can
be the hardest, as in my experience not many people maintain the same goals and
drive throughout their tenure with a band.
PG: Does MH have plans to release new music in 2014?
MH: Yes, first and foremost will be the live
cassette that I mentioned previously.
While it does not contain any new material, it’s a fun representation of
the band. With regards to new material,
we have already started preproduction on our full-length album, which is
tentatively scheduled to be released on Witches Brew in the late spring or
early summer of this year. While many
details currently cannot be disclosed, I can say that we plan to include 8 or 9
songs out of 14 that have been written for the album, and new recordings of
both songs from our latest single, “Hour Of The Wolf” and “The Morrigan,” will
be included.
PG: Where can people find out more about your band?
MH: Thank you, Lindsey, for taking the time to
conduct the interview and for the support, and I’ll see you in a few weeks on
the cruise! People like you that grease
the gears of the Metal Machine keep the Heavy Metal scene alive and well! Thanks to everybody who has supported Midnite
Hellion since day one, and we hope to see you all very soon. Keep the flames of Heavy Metal burning
strong!
Featured Review:
Lover of Sin, Horny Beast
Maitri from Christian Death, Allister Pike and Punchy of Diet of Worms Studios
team up with an all-star roster of guest musicians: Ralph Santolla, George
Kollias, Elizabeth Schall, Karl Sanders and DestrucThor. This is definitely different from Christian
Death, but it has sort of a similar vibe.
It’s got some groove, it’s sultry and Maitri’s voice is to die for. Basically, Horny Beast could be the soundtrack to a very naughty burlesque
show (as I’m sure the name implies).
I think the coolest thing about a project like Lover of Sin is hearing a bunch
of notable and talented musicians work on totally new projects. It’s quite refreshing to hear, for example,
how creative and innovative George Kollias is.
Instead of his typical 3,000 mile per hour beats, his drumming on this
album is thoughtful and interesting.
Elizabeth Schall’s lead guitar on “My Secret Things” is fucking
perfection. Horny Beast also includes a very sexy, very sultry of “You Really
Got Me” by The Kinks featuring Karl Sanders on guitar. Other standout tracks include “Liquid Fire”
and “Goddess of Love.”
Lover of Sin is a bit of a departure from my usual music rotation and I dig
it. The tagline “Sexy Music for Sexy
People” holds true. From the intro to
the end of the last track, the album is just really damn sexy. It’s music to play in a goth club or while you’re giving your
significant other a lapdance or something.
Horny Beast is dark and erotic
and there’s a wicked hot lady with a big set of pipes singing. How can you go wrong with a sexy romp through
hell? www.loverofsin.net
Coprostasis, D.E.A.T.H
Coprostais, from Bulgaria. Cool. They sing in Bulgarian, which I think is
really awesome. I love when bands sing
in their native tongue. It’s just
neat. The intro track was slightly
off-putting because it reminded me of Korn and the early 2000s in general (ugh,
sorry!). After that though, the music
isn’t too shabby. It’s got some low
growls and catchy riffs, especially on “Pian i Drogiran Ot Povrasht” and “Death
Metal on Drugs” which were my favorite tracks.
(Metal-Archives tells me that Pian I Drogiran Or Povrasht translates to
Drunk and Drugged, By Vomit Occupied.)
Speaking of things I never knew before, Coprostasis refers to dried poop
being stuck in one’s bowels. I guess
that’s something to keep in mind.
Coprostasis is solid, but isn’t reinventing the wheel. If you’re down with some (I hear, I don’t
speak Bulgarian) gorey, old-school influenced death metal, or listening to
samples and lyrics in foreign languages, or finding bands from all corners of
the world, then do yourself a favor and get your hands on Coprostasis. Judging by the videos and pictures I’ve seen,
these guys look like a great live show too! http://www.last.fm/music/Coprostasis
Deathcult, EP
Alright, it’s a little hard to review just two songs from a website, since I
never received the full EP…but anything that will be out on Razorback Records,
I can put some faith into. Yes, this
sounds like something Razorback would put out, and I mean that in the best
way. It’s heavy, has a real old school
sort of feel, it’s catchy, and while there’s not a whole lot to say about two
songs, I would like to check out the full length, and you will too when you
hear it.
www.reverbnation.com/deathcultchicago
Fleshclot, 85
Petits Plaisirs I am told the title means 85 little pleasures, and 85 teeny tiny
songs. 85 songs, seven minutes. No titles.
Let’s do this “long time reader.” Well, you weren’t kidding. This one man project serves exactly what it
promises, a million teeny songs based on shit like Nausea/Anal Cunt/ Meat
Shits. For a bunch of teeny songs, it
works as one longer…uh, 7 minute song, with lots of pauses. I really dig the vocals and the overall sort
of sound of the music. It’s like
something I’d like to hear playing at a hole in the wall crust punk and grind
show, if that makes sense. And the harsh
drone song that makes up the second half of the album ain’t bad either. If you’re into tiny music with a crusty
personality, I’ve been told to distribute this as much as I want, so just shoot
me an email!
scrapyardmagazine@gmail.com
Legions of Raum, The
Great Beast Evolved Oh, shrink wrap. Fancy. This shit is professional- it looks nice, and
the production is solid. I appreciate
the effort dudes. Anyway, the tunes are
heavy, sort of chuggy and angry. People
that like Lamb of God and other pissed off music would probably like Legions of
Raum. Everything about the EP is solid-
the vocals are good and pissed, the instruments are interesting and it’s mixed
well. If you like heavy-ness, being pissed, and chug-y riffs, then Legions of
Raum is up your alley. www.facebook.com/legionsofraum
Sacred Gate, Creators of the Downfall
Traditional Heavy Metallers hailing from Germany, Sacred Gate offer up six
tracks of, well, traditional heavy metal.
The EP has three studio tracks, which are pretty much your standard
traditional heavy metal- it’s got some sweet clean vocals, a little flashy
guitar work and some solid drum and bass.
I’m more interested in the live tracks though. It’s got a less-clean, more organic sound,
which I prefer. It’s a little heavier, a
little less polished and the singer sounds more furious and powerful. If you’re into traditional heavy metal with
fast guitars, mid-paced heavy drums and bass and dudes with mad lung capacity,
check this out. Since receiving this EP,
Sacred Gate has put out a full length called When Eternity Ends which is available from Metal on Metal Records,
which is worth checking out if you’re into traditional heavy metal. http://metal-on-metal.com/bands/sacred-gate/
Writhing/ Ad Patres
Split This split came to me by way of Gabriel from Nihilistic Holocaust. He made a Dismember pun in the email, so I
really hoped this split would deliver.
And it does. Writhing are from my
hometown, holy crap, and they play death metal.
Their half of the split is aggressive and heavy, with the right amount
of guitar solos and cool drum fills.
Their third track, “Prey” makes me think of places cold and
forest-y. Then again, I know what
Detroit is like, and this could make the perfect soundtrack for a walk through
an abandoned city.
French split-mates and fellow death metal Ad Patres fill up the other three
spilt tracks. This is pretty dynamic and I really enjoy it. Ad Patres is the band that opens for a huge
tour package, but is actually good. If I
saw them live, I’d actually want to listen to them and not groan in disbelief
and walk outside. All three of these
songs are under 4 minutes, they’re fast, they’re interesting and they don’t
weigh you down with any bullshit. What can I really say about a split between
two solid death metal bands from opposite corners of the world? For getting an e-mail from a tiny label
containing a split by two unknown bands (neither of whom have released a full
length), I’d say this split delivers. I’m
looking forward to future releases from Writhing, Ad Patres and Nihilistic
Holocaust! http://www.reverbnation.com/writhingdetroit http://www.myspace.com/adpatresdeathmetal
