| Past Issues:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27

BACK
ABRASIVE
OUTLETS
ION DISSONANCE: 
Holy fist fuck, Batman! Quebecs Ion Dissonance have unleashed
a masterful grouping of aggressive romps of chaotic frenzy with
their Willowtip Records debut Breathing Is Irrelevant. Hold on to
something, Robin!
"It always makes me smile to see that the term chaotic
is so often used to describe our music," begins singer Gabriel
McCaughry. "Okay, at first it might sound like that, but thats
only the primary surface (the technical aspect). Beneath it youll
discover that there is a lot of work involved to create this chaos.
To me, it sounds more like maelstrom of sudden changes and a nice
application of the Law of Possibilities. There is also the emotional
violence that is quite present throughout each track, and I think
thats adding even more to the insane frenzy and thus makes
the first listen even more difficult to digest, I guess.
"Its definitely for extreme music lovers," he notes
of the debut. "We are lost somewhere on the edge of the newer
style of tech/hardcore and metal (death/black/whatever). I truly
think there is enough appeal to our stuff that everyone might find
something interesting in it."
It
must have been hard for the bandrounded out by guitarists
Sebastien Chaput and Antoine Lussier, drummer Jean-Francois Richard
and bassist Miguel Valadeto assemble all of this apparent
chaos.
"I cant say that it was easy, but looking back it was
a lot of fun. Everyone put their ideas in the mix to create something
that we would be proud of for a long time. We are very easygoing
people so we are quite open to everyone elses suggestions,
whether it is musically or conceptually. Everything fell together
quite naturally, but we were constantly re-arranging the songs to
suit our needs. Some of them took more time to complete because
of that."
As well, do you wonder if some music fans might find the music too
intense and chaotic?
"No!" says the singer. "Theres nothing too
intense, nor franticand we are not even close to our prime
achievement yet, so if the fans dig our stuff then great! But if
they dont, they can always listen to something else, you know?
There should be neither limits nor barriers to musical creativity,
only new standards to be setalways heavier, more insane and
viler. If I read a review about us saying that we are too
much as a negative way to criticise our band Ill be
glad, for we intended on being like that, so it means that we have
achieved some of our goals."
Bud Dwyer has become a cult/pop culture figure of sorts. Why did
the band decide to do something on him with the track "The
Bud Dwyer Effect"? <br><br>
He answers, "I might be a little retarded, but I never knew
that Bud Dwyer was a cult/pop figure before I wrote The Bud
Dwyer Effect. I only saw a short movie on the Internet where
the guy blew his head off with his monstrous .357 and I thought
it was so brutal that I had to use his name somewhere. But if you
take closer attention to the lyrics, youll see that this song
is not at all related to this Bud Dwyer character, in fact, apart
from his name in the title there is no real connection with him.
It mainly revolves around repressed emotions kept secret until the
day you decide to burst and let everyone know how you truly feel
and commit suicide in a most graphic way."
As some may know, you are also part of the black metal band Unquintessence.
Tell me about how being in this band differentiates from Unquintessence?
"First and foremost, both scenes are completely different.
There are good and bad elements in bothsuch as the imagery
which is so damn important, fuck that!and I couldnt
really tell which one is more close to me. None I guess. Conceptually
speaking, there are a lot of similarities in both bands since Im
the one writing all the lyrics. Ill always stay true to subjects
that matter most to me, but the major difference is that Ion Dissonance
is less metaphorical and more anchored in the concrete everyday
life. It was difficult to immerse myself in Ion Dissonance at first
because the music sounded completely different to everything Id
previously done and it took a serious adjustment period in order
to adapt myself fully to this particular style. Fortunately, my
experience with previous bands helped me a lot in getting through
this relatively easily. Unquintessence has been a great part of
my life in the past four years, but now things have changed; it
has become more a side-project to me since Ion Dissonance takes
a lot of my time. Unquintessence also suffered from a drastic change
of lineup recently, so right now the only thing I can do with this
band, is writing the new album (which is almost finished). Once
that will be done well see what the future holds for Unquintessence."
He ends off, "Right now, Ion Dissonance is my main priority
and Im thankful that things turns out the way they did. I
cannot stress enough how important music is to me, so whatever projects
I might be involved in, it will always require all my energy and
devotion, and so far, Ion Dissonance has repaid me for every effort
given. It is very rewarding to be part of such a band."
-Adrian The Energizer Bromley
TOKYO: 
Over the many years Ive worked as a music hack, Ive
never worried about "scoops." Whether or not this particular
interview with Tokyos singer, Dimitri Minikakis, could be
considered a scoop is debatable. However, it was, for various reasons,
an event of some consequence. Not only did I get to shoot the shit
with an old friend, but this was also the very first interview granted
by this Philadelphia band that features ex-members of BoySetsFire
and, of course, The Dillinger Escape Plan. Before Minikakis joined,
they were called Knives Out. Additionally, its been a couple
years since Minikakis left Dillinger and until now, I dont
think hed ever gone on record explaining why he walked away
from one of extreme musics most popular outfits. So, in the
interest of setting the record straight, I asked the obvious question
and prepared myself for this momentous occasion. Of course, it wasnt
until after Dimitri finished his explanation that I realized I hadnt
turned my phone recorder on! No wonder I never score the scoops.
He was kind enough to backtrack.
"To recap on your mistake," he says, to laughter. "Basically,
at the time I wasnt 100 per cent into the bandtouring
took its toll on me and my heart wasnt into it. I had a nagging
ankle injury that I couldnt get addressed because I didnt
have health insurance and I was in major debt. I mean, its
fun to play music, make money and make a living, but thats
not why I did it. Basically, it was the effects of constantly touring
and always being away from home didnt put money in my bank
account, plus I was planning on getting married. So, I sat down
together with those guys [DEP] and it ended up in the clichéd
mutual agreement."
A difficult decision indeed. What brought you back to playing music?
"Actually, seeing bands that Dillinger used to play with on
MTV2 or signing to such-and-such label made me think that if you
keep going with what youre doing, something can happen. Unfortunately
for me, there was a breaking point and I had to drop off because
of it. I missed playing right away. Even though I knew I was unable
to do it, I missed it from the second I left. If you enjoy that
life and you enjoy playing music and youre not doing it, you
constantly miss it."
Despite being an "ex-members of" band, Tokyo are an entity
unto themselves. Their debut recording (The Jones Demo) is only
three tracks in length but its plainly obvious that this band
is heading in an opposite direction from any of the members
prior bands. As I see/hear it, Tokyos sound is two pronged.
One half of The Jones Demo is rooted in Dischord punk, though not
as primal as Minor Threat, heavy-handed as Fugazi or arty as Shudder
To Think, mind. Think Jawbox and Dag Nasty played in minor keys.
The other half recalls the myriad of go-nowhere, "lets
form a band because theres a house party we can play in Riverside
next weekend" punk-and-roll bands that Flipside magazines
contributing writers used to drool over in their alcoholic rants
that passed for columns; bands that werent overtly blazing
hardcore or punk, but bands with a punk attitude who genuinely enjoyed
playing energetic rock music. All in all, Tokyo is a far cry from
what Minikakis is known for. What sort of accommodations, if any,
were made for the new sounds hes working with?
"My vocal approach hasnt really changed and my lyrical
topics are pretty much the same. Its just that Im not
restricted to the intensity and aggression that Dillinger brought
out in me. I mean, I wrote a song about gambling on the demo. Its
more laid back, like grab a girl and start dancing instead
of..."
Kicking her in the face? After all you were the chap who wrote "I
smell that whore/Bring me back/Bring me a brick" ("43%
Burnt"). <br><br>
"Well, I was going to say clenching your fists and gritting
your teeth," comes the laughing reply.
Given that many people will be expecting Dillinger Mk. II and/or,
to a lesser extent, BoySetsFire Jr., its natural to wonder
what sort of the reactions this new band are getting. Have the kids
been walking away disappointed?
"I already did the Dillinger thing and I cant, and I
dont want to, duplicate that sort of intensity. Ill
just leave well enough alone. Tokyo is more straightforward. People
have told me its really refreshing and that they havent
seen a fun band like ours in such a long time and thats the
main goalto be a fun band. This is going to sound funny, but
we just want to remember how fun it was to start a band again. Theres
no pressure on us to perform, were not in demand or anything.
Were just having fun being a band."
Kevin Stewart-Panko
HALO: 
S. Klein and R. Allen, the Australian duo that make Halo, have delivered
their latest release, the crushingly heavy Body of Light, an introverted
sonic monster that continues to take that essence of sound, pushing
and stretching it to new standards of heaviness by creating a wall
of reflecting and devastating sound that reaches deep within the
boundaries of how far a musical entity can take the essence of sound
and use it as a destructive, and constructive, movement.
"Its is an extension of our last album," says Klein
on the follow-up to their last album, Guattari. "Its
a progression whilst inevitably keeping the sonic and emotional
elements that make Halo. Musically, I think theres a lot more
light and shade in the new album, more extreme dynamics. After the
uncompromising assault of Guattari, we tried to accomplish a more
varied range of atmospheres while retaining the intensity and heaviness.
I think BoL achieved a pretty good mixture of the dense and the
sparse, the harsh and the empty.
"I think what we learned with the new album is that intensity
and heaviness can be achieved with so much more than just harsh
noise," continues Klein. "Its interesting that you mentioned
hypnotic, as I think BoL gains much of its intensity
from repetition. Some of the music I listen to that I find the heaviest
has very little in common with most heavy musical stylesits
power comes from its hypnotic repetition, almost trance-inducing,
and from its emotional intensity. There is so much more intensity
in a single word sung with conviction than in a wall of amps at
11. I believe Halo will become more and more intense and heavy while
we experiment not only with pure sonics, but with pure dynamics,
atmospherics and emotional impact."
How would you describe the collaboration between the two members
that make Halo?
"Our musical tastes are pretty different, although they do
overlap at certain points, which is probably important for the mutual
understanding of what Halo is. We both share a similar mind when
it comes to Halo, although its an unspoken understanding.
We both play more or less unconsciously, that is, we dont
write parts or anything. Most of our music is improvised, and what
we play usually just spontaneously fits. Well, according to our
own understanding
"
You have coined the term "antimusic/antisound" to describe
the essence of your
"music." Is this a term you use
mainly because your pieces of work dont follow traditional
song structures, or is there more to it than meets the eye, so to
speak?
"I would say thats pretty much correct. We dont
tend to follow any rules or conventions regarding making music;
we just follow our ears and some sense of internal logic related
to making our music. Its kind of a piss-take also, and a reactionary
response to the banality of a lot of music in general. I mean, if
fucking Robbie Williams or whatever is music, then we
want no part of it..."
The title of the album, Body of Light, comes across as elegant,
celestial, almost heavenly, and that it serves as a great counter
to the music at hand (especially when one can refer to the band
moniker itself). How were the title and themes of BoL conceived,
and how do such elusive concepts and themes fit into this nightmarish
vision?
"The title was a concept that came to me while we were mixing
the album. For me personally, it was an abstract concept that described
for me visually what I was hearing in the music. It will mean a
different thing to every personwhich is really half the point
of music or art in generalbut for me it describes an intense,
all-consuming brilliance, like a supernova, an unspeakably hot and
destructive/constructive force which is contained in the sub-freezing
absence of space. The themes of the songs in general are often reoccurring
themes that are present in all our music. They are there, if even
subconsciously, while were making it, and take on a more unique
meaning when theyre presented as a whole, as an album. But
then with hindsight I try not to read too much into the non-musical
concepts behind our music. In the end I think the title fits well,
and what connections a listener makes are completely valid and true,
for themselves."
What lies ahead for Halo then? How do you envision Halos future
and its development as the tide continues to push forward? <br><br>
"The tide continues to push forward. I like that.
We will continue to push our music further. I mean there really
is no limits on what you can achieve with music, with sonic experimentation,
emotional intensity
I do see, eventually, Halo becoming like
this incredibly dense thing, like a singularity, a black hole, where
it just cant go any further. And then it will end."
Chris Bruni
STRIKE ANYWHERE: 
Its funny when you think about the way punk has become such
a hydra-headed monster. In its infancy, any band that displayed
rebellion was cast as a punk band. Describing their sound was secondary
to the movement they stood for. So you could have bands like The
Exploited (oi-punk), Discharge (metal/punk), Black Flag (hardcore/punk)
and The Damned (goth/punk) all parading under the one all-important
"punk" banner. Those terms in parentheses only came later.
So how do terminology junkies find punk parentheses for Strike Anywhere?
They dont. Consisting of musicians who embrace and emulate
nearly every variety in the punk genre, Strike Anywhere strums a
familiar chord with every punk fan, thereby transcending definition.
Members Thomas Barnett (vocals), Matt Smith (guitar), Matt Sherwood
(guitar), Garth Petrie (bass) and Eric Kane (drums) have all been
entrenched in the punk rock scene for years, and have played for
an extreme variety of punk bands in their days.
One late afternoon, I talked with singer, Thomas, about what this
quilt-of-a-punk-band of his is all about.
"It didnt happen deliberately," he begins, "but
each of us kind of represents a UN of punk and hardcore. We all
have different backgrounds, which has given us the longevity and
the energy to discover new things. And all the songwriting takes
place on a pretty collaborative scale.
"Its like we could all go to the same shows together,
but wed all be there to see different bands on the same billor
even play in different bands on the same bill. Were not just
like the same five guys that have been in the same five bands for
the last five years. It takes a little more discipline and a little
more compromise, but its fun too. We all love hardcore/punk
music, its just that our focuses are in slightly different
directions, but its nothing major. Theyre only differences
that help to enhance us, not divide us.
It seems that, in no time, Strike Anywhere has built up quite a
good following. With only their second full-length releaseExit
English on indie Jade Tree Recordsemerging as this article
is being written, they can already boast an average of 400 fans
per night on a headlining tour. Rather than boastfully attribute
their popularity to good songs (of which they have plenty), Strike
Anywheres soft-spoken vocalist modestly gives credit to a
solid work ethic and a solid ethical stance.
"Its easy to forget that its work because its
fun, but you have to be really disciplined," Thomas admits.
"Its really important to lose yourself in touring and
make that your life, not just make it a profession. This is bigger
than that. <br><br>
"Its also about sharing ideas and helping punk rock culture
grow and find itself. Were lucky to be a part
of really hard, horrible times politically in the U.S. The punk
rock culture is a culture of protest, so the ideas we disseminate
get stronger and stronger. Well do things like have a show
and then announce a peace march from our hotel the next day. 100,
200, sometimes 300 kids will show up for the peace march and bring
their parents.
"A lot of punk bands have the opportunity and experience to
incorporate aggression and social criticisms, and try and move that
into their community and mean something to their cities, rather
than foster a clique of kids that might like it today, might not
like it tomorrow. Were trying to add a sense of permanence
and real culture to this thing. It also keeps the band alive because,
as the generations pass on, your music is still relevant and your
ideas hopefully still have some integrity."
Paul Silbiger
GLASSEATER: 
Through Glasseaters short but productive history, you can
practically hear the gears of evolution grinding away. 1999s
eight-song Miles Ahead of WhereWe Left Off on the Ideas of March
imprintreleased when all the band members were in their teensfeatured
an abundance of screaming and choppy guitar riffs that somehow worked.
The "Fearless Years," featuring two very solid albums
for Fearless Records, advanced their sound by peppering some singing
amongst the screams, complemented by a movement towards a more consistent,
flowing pop/punk/emo style of songwriting.
While all those releases were great, it seems Glasseater have bettered
themselves again with 2003s Everything Is Beautiful When You
Dont Look Down on Victory Records. All elements of their past
have been embraced, and what were exposed to is a pop/punk
sound with a very dark, sinister backdrop.
I mention to Julio, Glasseaters lead vocalist, my abstract
summary of his band sounding like a vampiric version of New Found
Glory, and he lets out a hearty (though not bone-chilling) laugh.
"Thats awesome, man, Im glad you said that,"
he says earnestly. "We got pigeon-holed on the last record
because of that one single, Medicine, so everyone thought
we were just a pop/punk band. What we tried to do with this record
was show that we could do a lot more than just pretty, happy stuff.
We tuned down for this whole record to make it heavier and a lot
darker."
Listening to the new albums first track, and knowing Glasseaters
penchant for screaming, I kept waiting for the scream the way a
horror movie addict waits for the knife. It never happened. And
while the screamless song initially felt like a letdown, I have
to admit the tension created was awesome. Julio rationalizes their
matured approach by pointing out, "When the growling is there,
it sounds like it fits, whereas on the previous records, I think
we overdid the screaming. I listen to those records now and realize
that a lot of those screams shouldnt have even been there.
With the new record, when the screaming does come out, it fits a
lot better. It feels like it really needs to be there."
I know that the dichotomy of Glasseaters sound has freaked
out the odd reviewer. Some ask rhetorically whether this is a screamo
band or a pop/punk band; a bunch of musical extremists or a bunch
of emotional saps. And while reviewers have faulted them for their
schizophrenia, this type of review is exactly what the band gets
off on. "I kind of want that; I mean, I want them to be surprised,"
Julio begins. "Music should be different every time you hear
it. It shouldnt get to the point where you can expect whats
going to happen next. I want the unexpected to be the way we write,
and I think weve been doing a good job of that.
"Thats why I like the feeling of this bandwere
five guys who pretty much write whatever we want and try to make
it blend and work. Whatever critics take out of that is fine, because
this is what we want. We always want to be able to do what we want
and have complete freedom with music. Id hate to be in a band
that plays the same thing over and over. It would get so fuckin
boring!"
Paul Silbiger
ON BROKEN WINGS: 
In this day and ageas we all know because we follow the hardcore/noisecore/metalcore
scene religiously, right?is that most bands coming into the
scene need something to stand above the rest, or at least make an
impact. Lots of bands fall into the trap of sounding like a particular
band and/or playing their hearts out but coming up a bit short with
something to draw you in. Bostons On Broken Wingsthe
band comprises drummer Kevin Garvin, guitarists Mike McMillen and
Sean LaForce, keyboardist/samples by one Johnny Cupcakes, singer
Johnathan Blake and bassist Huck Lamboardoneed not worry as
their debut for Eulogy, titled Some of Us May Never See the World,
jabs at you with a ferocious and chaotic frenzy. How could you not
pay attention?
"I think right now we fit into the metalcore genre,
which I guess I dont really care about, though some of my
favourite bands would be classified as metalcore, but
now that term gets looked down on upon quite a bit," begins
singer Blake when asked about where the band fits into the music
scene. "Earth Crisis, Strife, All Out Wartheyd
all be called metalcore now. On Broken Wings dont
try to be anything; we just write and the way it comes out is how
it goes. It would be stupid if we sat around and said, I dunno,
guys, that was a little too metalcore, and thats not whats
cool right now. Youd never catch us doing thatever!"
On the debut there is a real raw, almost smothering angst of aggression
filling up this album from the startwas that a main focus
of this album? What kind of things did the band try with this recording
that you may not have done before?
Responds Blake, "I think we all just wanted to make a CD that
we would all want to listen to. I have a lot of CDs I like, but
I listen to them and sometimes and just wish some things would be
different. I guess we all just wanted to make a CD that we could
listen to ourselves that didnt make want to change things
after hearing it a few times. Now I know a lot of people dont
like a lot of things about our CDIve heard complaints
on the amount of breakdowns, my low growls, the recording quality,
all sorts of stuffbut I think we really just focused on what
WE would want to listen to as a whole. There are six different people
in the band though, and we all have different ideas about what sounds
good. Like I dont so much love when bands have melodic singing
parts on CDs, but some of the guys in the band really dig that kind
of stuff, so we had to compromise. All I do is try to make the singing
parts as not whiney and interesting sounding as possible. As far
as the amount of aggression on the CD I think we all just like that
kind of sound. I wish there were more fast parts kind of, but Im
not displeased with it as a whole. I think we all just wanted to
make a CD that would have people dancing from start to finish. Or
at least make them want to. Were not trying to break any new
ground; were just trying to make the most of ground thats
already been broken."
Tell me about the images/themes/lyrics that accompany the album
title. Why was this subject matter chosen?
"Id say the overall concept of the CD is just about not
wasting your life. The layout is supposed to be about a guy who
travels around for work a lot and ends up killing himself cause
he realizes how pointless his life is," says the singer. "The
title has to do with that. This guy traveled everywhere, but he
never just saw the world for what it was. He never looked around
and just saw what was there. I dont mean like, saw how beautiful
it was or some crap like that. I mean, saw that thats
all there is. Everythings already been discovered. You know
what your life has entailed, so just live it. I have a lot of friends
that worry themselves away, theyre so concerned with their
future and what will happen when theyre older, when in the
meantime, theyre not living when theyre young enough
to appreciate it. Youve heard the expression Youth is
wasted on the young, right? Well, even if you havent,
it means that by the time youre old enough to realize youre
close to death and that you want to live, youre too old to
do anything about it. I think people put a lot of emphasis on the
wrong parts of life. A lot of the songs are about how were
going to die anyway, nobody lives forever. So you might as well
live while youre around."
So I guess it is safe to say that, unlike the character in the album
themes, you are pretty happy with the way life is going right now?
<br><br>
"For sure," he says. "I made a lot of new friends
on tour and met a lot of people I may not have had the chance to
meet. I did a lot of things I may not have had the chance to do
had I not been in On Broken Wings and given the opportunity to go
places and be in situations I was in. I just like to have fun. I
love playing out. I love just being able to drive around and do
something I have fun doing and not have to worry about being homeless
and not having enough money, and my bills, and all the crap I sit
and think about when Im home."
Adrian The Energizer Bromley
ALEXISONFIRE: 
In Canadian indie terms, Alexisonfires sudden rise to prime-time
prominence is impressive. Considering the abrasive music they play,
its goddamn meteoric.
With two videos in heavy rotation on Canadas Much Music, these
boys have made a pretty good name for themselves here at home. Their
sounda melange of swirling guitars and abrasive, screamed
vocalshas introduced countless kids to the "screamo"
sound, leading them away from clichéd bands such as Linkin
Park and Good Charlotte. Just recently, with over 12,000 copies
sold in Canada, Equal Vision Records in the United States picked
up the disc for American distribution. Meanwhile, the accolades
continue to pile up.
While on their way to Thunder Bay as part of their first cross-Canada
tour, I talked with one of the bands founders, Wade, to get
his opinion on what has generated Alexisonfires continuous
rise in popularity.
"From day one, weve always tried to play as many shows
as we can," Wade humbly begins. "We also try to play as
hard as we can, whether were playing in front of three people
or 300 people. We started to build a buzz through playing a lot
of shows, and we handed out tons and tons of sampler CDs and tried
to push those on as many people as possible."
Of course, as Wade admits, the big push was the bands first
video, "Pulmonary Archery," which ended up taking the
number one position on the Much Music charts. "The first video
helped so much," Wade agrees. "Like, tomorrow, were
playing Thunder Bay, which is uncharted Alexisonfire territory,
and somehow the shows are sold out already. Were incredibly
pleased and excited that we have the opportunity to go play in front
of a bunch of people who dig us and know what were doing."
But how did a video from an independent, unheard-of band end up
going all the way to number one? Wade explains: "That, I would
pretty much have to say, has to do with our fans voting and spamming
Much Music like crazy with emails, and tons of calls from kids who
support us. In fact, thats 100 per cent the reason we got
bumped up into such high rotation. The fans who support us are just
an incredibly great group of people who do their best to get us
played more. Thats the reason we are where we are today.
"I would agree that our sound is a hell of a lot different
from anything else that Much Music plays, but I think theres
a lot of people out there in our scene that appreciate the fact
that its not the same stuff thats already getting played
constantly. Its a real breath of fresh air, which also helps
us get played more."
Amusingly, not only is Alexisonfires music getting played
more, but also a certain strip artist known as Alexis Fire, The
Lactating Contortionist, is getting a few more hits on her Web site
these days. You see, Alexis Fire owns the rights to alexisonfire.com,
a porn site, while Alexisonfires domain is theonlybandever.com.
Logically, a number of Alexisonfire fans expectantly type in the
dot com and get the unexpected. Interesting site. Powerful band.
My recommendation: check out both
.-Paul Silbiger
|