interview w/tom guitarist for cardiac arrest&vocals/guitars for severed.

Interview with Tom, rhythm guitarist for Cardiac Arrest and vocalist/guitars for Severed. Done by Patrick.


1. Metal hails brother! How’s your weekend been for you? Please tell the readers a little about yourself.

Cheers Patrick and thanks for getting in touch. Weekend was ok. Just finishing up in the studio. More on that later though. About me, nothing special. Lifelong horror and metal fan. Lucky enough to have been in a few bands that people seem to dig. I’ve been doing the tape trading/band thing for over 20 years now, although I did have a few absences here and there. Worked in the corporate world for a long time and I’m currently trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up now that I am in between jobs. I’m back in college for the third time in life too. Pretty boring, but that’s what happens as you get older.

2. When did you first discover metal? Who were some of the first metal bands you listened to? Who are some of your favorite bands from today's scene?

Well I discovered Kiss at a very young age. After seeing Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park on TV, I begged my mom to get me Kiss albums. I still had to wait a couple of years though. So probably when I was 6 or 7 I got my first Kiss album. I had some older cousins that listened to Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Motorhead and stuff like that. So I was pretty much hooked. I started getting into heavier stuff as I was getting older…Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Venom etc…I think I started getting into the underground around 87 or so. Did the tape trading thing and had a pretty respectable demo collection going. So it around this time I was getting into the more extreme stuff…Celtic Frost, Death, Master, Repulsion, Massacre, Slaughter, etc. And those are still the bands I am into most. I am very stuck in the past, almost to a fault.

As far as newer bands today, to be honest I don’t really keep tabs on anyone. Fondlecorpse is excellent. Cianide is still doing what they do best. Gravehill are also awesome. I’m sure there are a lot of great bands out there, but I really have to have someone recommend them to me…I don’t really seek anything out. Basically if it sounds like the old stuff and they have the ideals of the past, I’m game.

3. At what age did you become interested in playing guitar? Are you self-taught or did you take lessons? Who are some of your influences/favorite guitarists?

I’ve been interested in playing since I got into music. It didn’t become a reality until I was 13. I figured that I was writing to a lot of bands and into what they were doing and figured I can do the same thing. I took lessons for about 6 months…I went once a week for a half hour…once I started being able to figure out songs from my favorite bands at the time, I said bye bye to lessons…I got into my first band when I was about 15…of course we sucked. But my first serious band was called Dogod and I was around 17 once that started going.
As far as my favorite guitarist, that will always be Ace Frehley. He is why I started playing guitar after all. I’m not so much a guitar nut though. I don’t really care much for all that wanky stuff.

4. You are the rhythm guitarist for the mighty Cardiac Arrest! When did you join the band? What is the current line-up? For the readers who may have not heard the band how would you describe the music?

Yup. I joined in 2006. Lineup has been the same ever since…Adam Scott-Guitar/Vocals, David Holland-Bass, Jim Deabenderfer-Drums, and yours truly on guitar and sometimes vocals. We’re just death metal in its true form. We all have our different influences and it just melds together well.

5. I know the band released it 2nd full-length CD "Cadaverous Presence" last year through Epitomite Prod. Are you guys satisfied with how it turned out? Do you have a personal favorite song off the CD? How has response been from the fans/press?

Yeah, Cadaverous came out in April and we were all happy with it. We worked hard on it and I think it shows. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite song though…I like all of them. If I didn’t I wouldn’t play them. The response has been very positive. Sounds kind of cliché, but I haven’t heard anything bad about it yet.

6. It was released through Von Young's label Epitomite Prod. How did you guys get signed to the label? Are you all satisfied with the job he and the label have done so far? Do you all plan to work with him on future releases or was it only for a single release deal?

I have known Von for a long time and we reconnected once I joined Cardiac. Adam knew him pretty well also. We had played a show with Deaden and Von told us if we were ever interested in working with him to let him know. Well, we were interested and started to get the ball rolling. We are satisfied with what Von and Epitomite has done. We are always in constant contact with him which is nice. Our upcoming full length will also be released through Epitomite, so that should give everyone a hint on how we like working with him.

7. Speaking of releases, has the band begun writing new musick for the next release? How many songs does the band have written and completed? Would you say the new songs are in the same vein as your previous releases?

We are always writing…plain and simple. We practice 2 times a week and riffs will just happen. We’ll work on arrangements and boom, a shell of a song is born…We’ll refine and whatever, but it is a pretty quick process. Once a band has retained the same lineup for awhile, things really gel. Everyone just brings their ideas to the table and if it works and we all like it, we just keep working at it.

The upcoming full length will be called Haven For The Insane. 13 tracks on this one. A little different than Cadaverous as this one is a bit more stripped down. It is Cardiac Arrest though, no mistaking that. We just finished in the studio this past weekend and are in mixing mode right now. We are very happy with it.

8. In your opinion what is the best and worst thing about the underground today and what does the term "metal underground" mean to you?

Well, that’s a loaded question…People will probably get mad at for this, but fuck it. There really isn’t an underground any more. Sure, there are some of the same people still around and doing stuff, and that’s cool. But the old spirit is not there anymore. And of course, like anything, there are exceptions. But there are too many genres, too many bands, to many “retro” kinds of stuff going on…I guess since metal is somewhat popular now that is to be expected. Let’s see in a few years when it is not and see if some of these people that claim they are underground are still around doing the same thing.

9. I know like me you have been into metal and the underground since late 80's/early 90's. How do you feel the scene has changed over the years? Do you feel it is better or worse or stayed the same for the most part?

Well, the obvious thing is the internet and technology. It has its good points and bad points though. I like the convenience of the internet because it is so easy to get ahold of people now. In the past, you had to wait and wait. But there was still something really killer about getting home, checking the mail, and getting a demo, fanzine and multiple letters from people all over the world. I really believe people who never did that (and in some cases no fault of their own) really missed out on what the true spirit of the underground was.

10. You live in the state of Illinois. I have been a huge fan of the Illinois scene since the mid-90's. What is your opinion of the scene in your state? Who are some of your favorite bands from your state/area? Are there any new bands the underground should keep an eye out for?

Illinois has always been great as far as bands go. Chicago in particular. Unfortunately, Chicago seems to never get any recognition. There are quite a few legendary bands that help create the death metal sound. You always hear about the “Florida style” and the “New York style” but never a Chicago style. Maybe that’s because all the bands were a bit different from each other so people couldn’t really pigeonhole a style. I dunno…

None of these bands are really new, but the ones around here I have been digging are Malas (Danny from Severed’s other band)…Deadnight is really cool…kind of an old Kreator meets Dissection kind of thing. Kommandant is a war/black kind of thing that is really aggressive. They just put their debut out and it is really good.

11. I notice a variety in metal styles {death,thrash,black and everything in between} so do all the bands get along pretty well or is their lot of competition?

See, that’s what I was alluding to before. Everyone is different in some way. The older bands all get along fine. Lots of us hang out together and just chill out…drink beer and listen to records…that kind of stuff. The newer bands, well, there are only a few around that are cool like that. But most think everything is a competition. It is a pain in the ass to plan shows. Once you do, it turns out that there are 10 other shows going on in the area. Nothing is an “event” anymore. Bands and promoters need to get their heads out of their asses and if they want any kind of “scene” start working together instead of against.

12. Besides being in Cardiac Arrest you also play guitars and do vocals in Severed. When did the band form? What is current line-up for this band? Do you have any releases or merchandise available for the fans?

Severed formed in 1995. There hasn’t been too many changes over the years. We stopped playing from 2001 but started going again in 04. I was no longer living in the area and it became too difficult to coordinate things. But I missed it too much and eventually figured things out. Danny (drums) and I have been in Severed since the beginning. Bill, our original vocalist quit in 98 I think…I can’t quite remember. It wasn’t bad or anything, he just didn’t want to do it anymore. Bill was in my first band Dogod that I mentioned earlier. We remained close over the years. Unfortunately, he passed away in 06, and I’m still not quite over it. Our original bass player quit late last year, but we have been jamming with a dude named John. I have known him for 20 years, and we never really jammed together, so he came aboard. So current lineup is Danny-Drums, John-Bass and myself on guitars and vocals.

We only ever did one 7 song demo and that was released in 96. On cassette only. We were behind the curve a little bit as most bands did CDs. We were supposed to do a free promo with a lot of our past songs and the demo tracks re-recorded, but that ain’t going to happen now. There is some drama going on with the old bass player that I’d rather not go into. But we have started live shows again and are in writing mode. We plan on doing a new promo with all new material soon. And like the last one, it will be a freebie.

I’m also in Convulsions with Stevo. Gregg from Lincoln Love Log is also on board. Logistically, right now things are just so busy for everyone, but something will happen.

13. Do you find it difficult to do both guitar and vocals in a live situation? Do you do anything special to keep your throat healthy? Who are some of your favorite vocalists?

Sometimes…I have gotten better at it over the years. I actually do vocals on some of the Cardiac tracks as well. But Severed is kind of a different animal. In a live situation, I’m known for being quite blitzed when I play. So, depending how bombed I am it can be very difficult to do both. The last show was like that…I took out the drum set twice. I try not to get that bad, but it happens. That’s what happens when we get stuck playing last I guess. But people still have fun anyway…we must pull it off ok.

I’m not really a vocalist per se…I just do it. I have no technique. I chain smoke and drink a lot, so I don’t take care of my throat at all. I just need to work on range. Favorite vocalists for me are Cronos (Venom), Chris Refiert (Autopsy), Chuck Schuldiner (SBG era Death), Scott Carlson (Repulsion), Kam Lee (Massacre) Paul Speckmann (in Master and Deathstrike especially) and a few others…at least those are the ones I try most to sound like…



14. Well man thank you for taking the time to fill out this interview. Do you have anything you would like to add before we end the interview?


Thanks for wanting to do an interview with me. I don’t do very many, so it is nice to talk about all that kind of stuff.

Cardiac Arrest will be very busy this year. More live shows throughout the US. New album, Haven For The Insane, will be out by summer hopefully. We’ll have a split 7” with our pals Gravehill coming out on Relapse. We also have a few other splits in the work.

Hopefully Severed will get a release out this year. And I’m hoping Convulsions will start working this year.

If anyone ever wants to get in touch, feel free. I’m online a lot and always like talking to people, especially about anything horror related.

Cheers and thanks again and take it queasy!!


anyone who wants to contact tom or his bands please check out the "official" myspace pages

tom's personal page
http://www.myspace.com/tomkwarrior

cardiac arrest
http://www.myspace.com/deathrot

severed
http://www.myspace.com/severedil

interview w/hagalaz vocalist,bassist,synths for streben done by patrick

dark hails!!!
we have a new interview done with a new up and coming italian band streben.the band has released 1 demo so far and is finishing up their new full-length.if you enjoy melodic black metal with some experimental passages intertwined within the music.streben is a band for you!!
check out the interview with hagalaz founder,vocalist,bassist,synths



interview with hagalaz vocalist,bassist,synths for the band streben done by patrick


1. Hello Hagalaz how is your week been going so far? Please tell the readers a little about yourself ?

Hello there, thank you very very much for this interview! My week? Well, I’ve just had a little sister about three days ago, but, apart from this, my week has exactly been as the previous ones. Sure, I can tell them! I am 20 years old, I’ve got two legs, two years, an enormous nose and I bite my nails.


2. When did you first begin listening to music? Who are some of your all-time favorite bands? Who are some of your "current" favorite bands.


I began very early, because, since I was born and until I was 18, I used to live in the same house with my two aunts, which were very young at that time, and so, of course, they used to listen to a lot of music, especially the older one, who was about the same age I am now. The whole house was always full of music, so I began familiar with it when I was a child and easily learnt how to love it and make it a part of my life. My all – time favourite bands are Pink Floyd, the Who, Blur, Dornenreich, and Windir. Currently, I am listening a lot to Fear Factory’s first two albums, In Flames’ early stuff (from their 1st album to Clayman included), Beach Boys, Fabrizio de Andrè (an Italian artist), Genesis, David Bowie, and… many others I don’t remember.


3. I know in Streben you play bass, snyths and do vocals. Out of all the instruments you learned to play which one was the hardest? Which one was the easiest to learn?


Oh well, I don’t know if I can really say that I have learnt how to play an instrument! I’m basically a self – taught person, and my approach to keyboards and bass is definitely amateurish, as for vocals. However, the voice is maybe the easier instrument because your vocal chords are a part of your body; I manage to find a way out with bass because I’ve played guitar for some years when I was a child, but my keyboard skills are totally crap.


4. You have some pretty intense vocals that fit Streben's more black metal roots. Is it hard to keep up with this style of vocals for long periods of time? Do you do anything special to keep your vocals/throat healthy?


Oh no, man, no training, no constant exercise, nothing at all; in fact, I’m not so fond of my vocals, I handle vocals in Streben because it’s my own personal project and I don’t want any stranger to be involved in that. But this doesn’t mean I don’t have fun while singing; on the contrary, I love to perform screaming vocals and I wish I could do it often.


5. I mentioned above you are a part of the band Streben. Please give us a brief history of the band? What is the "current" line-up? For the readers who have never heard the band how would you describe the music of your band ?



The project Streben was already outlined in my mind since some years, even though at an embryonic stage. Anyhow, in the autumn of 2007 I finally found the courage to start it, and so I made Valker hear some material I had composed. He accepted to be part of the line – up as the guitarist of the band, and, some weeks later, Dark Shadow joined us as a guest member on drums. We started at once to work on “… of Melancholic Elegies and Wanderlust”, our first demo, which has been published in the spring of 2008. However, the new music from Streben will sound different from what people heard on that demo, which has been recorded in an enthusiastical, instinctive way and with a very low budget, this is why I cannot completely answer your question. But, by the way, the current line up is the same since the beginning: me and Valker as actual members, and Dark Shadow as a guest.



6. The demo "…of Melancholic Elegies and Wanderlust" is a amazing work of experimental melodic black metal. How long did it take to create the songs on the demo? Are you satisfied with how the demo turned out? Do you have a "personal" favorite song off the demo.


It took a very short time; we were excited, and impatient, so we did everything hastily and instinctively, so of course we have been satisfied of our work right after the releasing of it, but I think it’s pretty normal for a young band to revalue a past work, and to wish to bring the music to another level. My favourite demo songs are “In the Woods of the Satyr” and “Laguz”.




7. I know the demo has only been out a short while. But has the band begun work on the next demo or full-length? Any idea when it might be released? Have you all found a label to work with or are you all still looking?


Sure. I started composing the new songs right after the publication of the demo, and I readapted three old songs as well; this material will be part of a full – length that we are currently recording. We are still looking for a label to release it, but, in the case we will not find any, we are going to self – release the album.


8. I noticed on the demo cover that you write all the lyrics yourself. So I was wondering where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics? Do they have a special meaning or message you try to bring out in your lyrics?


My inner world is what I draw inspiration from; the lyrics deal with the contrast between reality and this inner world of mine: I haven’t any particular message to bring out because I basically make music for myself, but, if there was a voluntary message in what I do, it would be related to the concept of this project, which is about the juxtaposition I told you above: individuality contraposed to a dull reality, the inner world against the outer one.




9. Do you or Valker {guitarist,clean vocals} play in any other bands or side projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them.


Ah ah, that of the clean vocals is a mistake! Valker was actually to record some clean vocals from Breidhablik, but then something went wrong with the software and stuff we were using and we had to leave it alone; but the layout for the demo was already done and printed, so I couldn’t correct that. You’re the first one that mentions it! Anyway yes, Valker is the guitarist and songwriter of Cold Empire, where also Dark Shadow plays drums. Cold Empire are a raw melodic black metal band which released a demo in 2007 entitled “… And the Cold Arrived” and they are currently working on a full – length album. I haven’t any side project or other bands at the moment.




10. The band comes out of the mighty italian black metal scene. What is your opinon of Italy's metal scene? Who are some of your favorite italian bands? Any new bands you think the readers should watch out for.


To tell the truth, I am not very interested in Italian scene, but I appreciate very much the work of Vultur, a black/thrash band in the vein of Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, early Bathory and Mayhem, and the music of Fearbringer, a black metal one – man band which only member, Fearbringer, is the mainman of several other projects as well.
Everyone should watch out for those two bands!



11. In your opinion what is the best and worst thing about the underground today? And what does the term "underground metal" mean to you ?


Both underground and mainstream metal scene nowadays lack of passion and sincereness so the word underground doesn't actually mean much anymore.



12. Well my friend thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to fill out this interview. Do you have any final comments for the readers?



Busy schedule? Ah, ah, come on! I have to thank you for letting me express a few things about my music, and, of course, thanks also to the readers that spent some minutes of their time to read.
Cheers!


to contact hagalaz and the band go to their "official" page.or check out the bands u.s street team.

http://www.myspace.com/strebenband

u.s street team
http://www.myspace.com/strebenusastreetteam