Hellwell’s Beyond The Boundaries of Sin review

Hellwell is a new band formed by Heavy Metal Legend Mark Shelton, member of the mighty Manilla Road. And you’ll probably be reading all over the web and the magazines many comparisons between Manilla Road and Hellwell; the latter being presented as Manilla Road’s “evil twin”.

That statement isn’t exactly aberrant, but it’s pretty unfair to Hellwell, since the band is not just about Mark Shelton developing some dark sort of Manilla Road.

Hellwell was actually named after E.C Hellwell, the band's bassist and keyboardist. The man is also a horror novelist, whose work has strongly inspired Mark Shelton for Manilla Road. The Acheronomicon Suite that closes this album was also originally one of his short stories that Shelton has adapted. The guy has also co-written most of the songs, and therefore Hellwell is pretty much his band too. Jonny Benson completes the line up on drums. 

Hellwell is also extremely important when it comes to the band’s sound; because although Shelton’s guitars are obviously super important, the fantastic organ and other keyboards often lead the dance and help creating a unique sound (at least a sound that is different from Manilla Road) that perfectly reflects the typical horror-movie atmosphere. Really, that’s what I appreciated the most when listening to Beyond The Boundaries Of Sin. Just listen to the opener “The Strange Case Of Dr Henry Howard Holmes” or the final "End Of Days" and you’ll immediately get my point!

But Hellwell being an important member of the band doesn’t mean that Shelton is invisible. His guitar-riffs are amazing, twisted, heavy and even a bit more violent that the stuff he plays in Manilla Road. He also managed to inject a huge dose of that epic feeling he masters so much. His solos are also as fantastic as they’ve always been, filled with feeling and intensity.

These two guys managed to perfectly mix their talents and create something really interesting and original here. That record should have been one this year’s highlights; especially now that everybody’s so crazy about dark Heavy Metal.

I’m guessing you’re wondering why it should have been a highlight. The thing is, this record has an unbelievably bad sound. Mark Shelton handled the production, and just like on Manilla Road’s last record, Playground Of The Damned, the sound is extremely muffled, with triggered drums and VERY dirty guitars. I understand they wanted a nasty and organic sound, but they ended up totally killing the power and the impact of the songs.

One last word about Shelton’s vocals; which again, I think, are a little too extreme. He sort of screams/sings like a gargoyle but I really think more of the epic and “clean” vocals could have given more impact to the songs (the choruses are really awesome though).

All in all, this first Hellwell release is extremely interesting, and although Beyond The Boundaries Of Sin has some flaws, I really enjoyed playing it very loud, as each song overflows with top-notch musicality, Heavy Metal power and that typical epic feeling Mark Shelton masters so much. 

By the way, the final suite (the last three songs) called Acheronomicon is such a fantastic illustration of that; clearly the record’s top moment.

Fans of Epic Metal; there’s another Shadow Kingdom release you need to check out! (you can listen to the album and make up your own opinion right here).

Yath

http://shadowkingdomrecords.com/

Vindicator – United We Fall review

I like Megadeth therefore I like Vindicator. That’s a pretty simplistic statement, but it’s also a very reliable one. If any of you guys are Megadeth fans, then you will most likely enjoy listening to Vindicator.

I got introduced to Vindicator when Heavy Artillery (great old-school label, dicoverer of Enforcer, Vektor and many other super talented bands, now part of Earache) sent me a promo for Antique Witcheries, the band’s second album out in 2010.

After that awesome record, the band just went under the radar (at least under my radar), and I found out almost by accident that they released their third full-length; United We Fall on Slaney Records earlier this year. And trust me; for less than 10 $/€ (shipping included) you guys can acquire one hell of a thrash record. 

Original singer Marshall Law has quit the band, and the vocals are now handled by mastermind guitarist and composer Vic Stown. The guy hasn’t got THE voice, but he sure knows how to sing. Kind of like Mustaine -from you know what band- uses his vocals smartly. Vindicator also got reinforced by former White Wizzard guitarist James J.LaRue. By the way, White Wizzard already have one of the most impressive “former members list”: 12 past-members listed by Metal Archives, for a band that’s been active since 2007, I say BRAVO!

But let's get back to United We Fall as this record is made out exactly of the type of Thrash Metal I love: it’s rapid, sharp, violent, and aggressive, it’s got some killer riffs, awesome choruses and some outstanding solos. What else could you possibly need??? I’m a huge fan of that old-school Thrash, still close to it’s Heavy Metal and Punk-Rock roots. I mean, I can’t stand the “clinical” Thrash Metal bands, that just accumulate heavy riffs without that hysterical and "close to the edge" feeling. When I listen to Thrash, I want the music to screw with my mind, make me nervous, it has to make me want to go down the street and start a fight.

It also has to make me hate the way our society goes, and just protest over anything! If Thrash bands don’t do that, then who the hell would do it anyway??!!

"Bastards Of Noise And Agression", by Vindicator

And that is why this band reminds me of Megadeth, although musically there are some similarities as well. Just listen to “Nationwide Ruination”, or “Fatal Infection”, you’ll feel that you’re back in the late 80s, somewhere between Rust In Peace and Peace Sells. The similarities are sometimes so obvious that you can recognize some Hangar 18 solo parts here and there. 

Now I don’t need to tell you that there are a million other retro-Thrash bands out there, and some of them are signed on important record labels. They put out their records in fancy boxsets that include patches and wristbands, but when it comes to the music itself, believe me, these little “Bastards Of Noise And Aggression” (Third track, AWESOME song) are above average. I actually feel like mentioning each one of the songs, as they all have something special; like a super riff, a nice chorus, insane solos…

One of my favorite thrashers this year, a MANDATORY purchase of you like Thrash Metal!

YATH

http://www.facebook.com/savindicator

http://www.vindicatormetal.com/

Desultor's Masters Of Hate - Murder Metal??!!

Over the past couple of years, Abyss Records have become one of Metal’s best underground suppliers of new bands. You know, the kind of label that will make you discover  unknown and interesting acts, no matter how much time you spend on reading underground 'zines. And as people seem to be fighting globalization, one must admit that in this particular case, it’s a blessing. What a pleasure to discover a new Stockholm-based band on an American label!

May seem like a detail, but this fine logo immediately made me want to hear that band. 

And obviously the pleasure is even more intense as Desultor are a very promising band. There are 2 guys presented as “permanent” band members here: Markus Joha handles guitars and vocals and Michael Ibrahim takes care of the drums. They describe their music as “Murder Metal”. Could someone please tell them that this label is already used by Macabre – the US funny -but not so good- Death Metal band??!!

Anyways, forget about the damn labels, since describing Desultor’s Metal is one nasty challenge. I often like to look around the web and read reviews for records I listen to; especially when a band is that difficult to characterize, I like to read about other reviewers opinions. 

In their case, Desultor are mostly described as prog’ or technical Death/Thrash Metal. Why not? The thing is, although they seem to be a pretty technical band, their songs are very catchy and built on a very “classic” extreme metal scheme. The best way to describe them is probably to mention 2 other bands: Nevermore and Into Eternity. From Nevermore, take the vocals; as they really remind me of Warrel Dane's style. There’s this intensity and the constant melancholy in the clear singing, and even though Markus doesn’t have Warrel Dane’s untouchable talent, he does a really great job transmitting dark emotions. They big “chunky” riffs also reminded me of Nevermore but the Extreme Metal (meaning very fast riffing and drums) mixed with the melodic singing; has to be credited to Into Eternity, one of the first bands, if not the very first one, to use clean and high-pitched vocals on insane blast-beats. 

However, make no mistake, this very young band has it’s own personality, and definitely displays a huge ambition and talent. There influences may seem obvious, but they really don’t sound like any of the bands cited above.

Masters Of Hate is a brilliant first record from a band that sure is going to shine in the near future. I’m not sure you understood what the music REALLY sounds like, which is a good thing, because it shows how original Desultor are. The best way to discover these guys and to fall for their charm is to click on this link and to listen to some songs online.

Cool cover that perfectly illustrates the music on the album

One last thing I need to mention: there seems to be a concept on Masters Of Hate, something complex and that nicely suits the cover artwork and the band’s image. Some of you guys probably already know how much I LOVE bands that kind of define their own universe or world to explore.

This is clearly the best song on the record & the easiest way to convince you that this band is brilliant.

Yath

CHRISTIAN MISTRESS – Interview with the Mistress behind the mic: Christine Davis

I’d already loved Christian Mistress' first LP; “Agony And Opium”, out on 20-Buck Spin last year. With "Possession" however, their second coming, the band has taken things to a whole new level. Christian Mistress has signed a deal with Relapse Records, and “Possession” has got everything a great record needs: catchy songs, fantastic artwork and an singer that truly stands out. Christine Davies has an outstanding voice; full of Metal Power and filled with Blues Passion. More than enough for you hard&heavy rock maniacs to check out this very promising band.

Until then, enjoy the interview with the band’s n°1 asset: singer Christine Davis.  

My first question is extremely simple: what or who is the “Christian Mistress”?

Well, Reuben (drummer) drooled this name onto the page he was drawing on. We hated the name at first but grew to like it for it is somewhat rude and has a good, memorable ring to it. No secret meaning really, we just like the connection to the Virgin Mary in a sacrilegious sort of way.

Can you tell me more about the band’s line-up? The band was formed a few years ago; you guys played in other bands before?

I met Ryan at a show I played with his previous band.  We hit it off; he and his friends were all at the front of the stage headbanging with more fury than I had ever seen.  One year later I moved to Olympia, WA from Portland.  Ryan and Oscar had been playing together for a few years off and on and they asked me to join them. This was in 2007, I told them I thought their songs were killer but I wanted to wait until I knew who else would be in the band. Eventually, they got Reuben (drums) and Jonny (bass) who were friends of mine already because they dj'd at a club I was the bartender at. We already got along great and I loved their tastes in music and attitudes so I decided there was no way I could pass up trying to start a band with all these awesome people.  Reuben is and has been my favorite drummer of all time and Jonny is such a great bass player and even-mannered person to be around at all times.  I joined the four of them in 2008 and we have been going strong ever since.

Things seem to have gotten to a new level with that new CD. How did you guys land on Relapse Records?

We have been happy with Relapse, they are very easy to work with and good people. They listen to us, have time for us and gave us the budget we needed to record the record on 24 track analog as we wanted to.  It seems like a great fit for us so far.  We were happy with 20 Buck Spin but wanted a budget to work with for the recording so it would have been Relapse or another label so I can't say that it was necessarily a big step, just a natural progression. We never actually signed to 20 Buck Spin, they just happened to be friends of ours that offered to put out our first record. The response from metal heads worldwide was enough to make us realize that people were going to continue to listen to CM and we might as well look for ways to fund making our ideal record.  The music industry is a strange beast and Christian Mistress was quickly swept up in its tide before we had a chance to see it coming.  Signing to a label didn't change our process; Relapse gives us complete artistic freedom music-wise.

Did you feel any extra “pressure” now that you’re releasing a record on an important record label?

Not really, we had already written all the songs for the new record before we signed to Relapse.

How is Possession different from your previous material?

We are excited that it turned out with such a heavy, amazing sound.  It is a bit different than our last LP, “Agony and Opium” so we are anticipating the response to the songs.  Because we are so close to them, hear them, play them a million times - it is hard to hear the freshness that people hearing the songs for the first time can enjoy.  Also, I am glad it is finally out because it has been a long time now that we have been playing some of those songs.  We first expected this record Possession to come out in 2011 so we are thrilled that it is finally out and available for people to hear.

I feel that your major influences are the earliest metal bands, like in the beginning of the 80s, when the frontier between hard-rock and heavy metal was very thin…

I agree, more of the merging of hard rock, heavy metal and heavy punk rock - we absolutely love the early Scorpions records from the 70's.

I really loved the guitars, especially the very classic metal stuff… And also the fact that there is a fantastic melody on each one of the songs. Is it something you specifically focus on?

I think so, the songs have intent to sound good and this is what we think sounds good so that must be all there is to it.

Your voice is clearly the band’s biggest asset. You have that bluesy swing to your singing. That’s the 70’s influence I guess…

A lot of my favorite bands are from the 70's - Uriah Heep, Motorhead, Scorpions, Hawkwind, Blue Oyster Cult - it's true.

And how do you guys compose? Very complex process or just jamming’?

The songs come easily for us; we have a strong chemistry together as musicians. Oscar writes the main guitar riffs and then we jam them out at practices. I listen to the completed or near completed songs and then decide what the vibe is going to be for the vocal parts and lyrics that I write. This is the typical Christian Mistress writing process and if the songs on Possession are any different from earlier Christian Mistress songs, it is because we have evolved together as musicians into a more cohesive direction. The last song on the new album - All Abandon, was really the song that shaped the style of all of the songs on the record. So, there definitely was a plan stylistically for all of the songs on Possession to have a certain brooding, heavy yet raw and exuberant feel to them.

I Love the artwork as well, seems a little bit “mystical”. Does it mean anything specific?

The central element is my hand with the fate lines radiating lightning.  The plants beneath them are the black flowers from the song 'Haunted Hunted' on Possession.  And of course the original Christian Mistress symbol that was on Agony and Opium is making an appearance again in the background.  We were honored to have Benjamin Vierling make this painting for us.

Are you guys touring already? Any chance to see you in France?

We will be in France in April 2012.  The dates should be up on our website soon: christianmistress.com.

What’s Christian Mistress like on stage? In 3 or 4 words?

Take this riff to the grave.

What’s the coolest thing we can wish you for 2012? Like what are your craziest dreams for the band??

I want to tour Japan and play lots of crazy shows in France!

Any last word for your French fans?

We hope to see you in France this April and make sure to come say hello at the shows!

Thanks To Christine and to Frank for making this interview possible!

http://www.christianmistress.com/

Iced Earth – Dystopia

Take this as a confession: I never really got Iced Earth. For a Heavy Metal fan, that sounds like a heresy I guess. But as you all know, appreciation of music is completely subjective. I really need to feel the music all over my guts to “get it”, and it just never was the case with Iced Earth. 

I still remember buying the normally amazing triple Live CD (Alive in Athens) when it came out back in ’99; everyone had told me it was the perfect introduction to the band, and I was so disappointed! I mean I did recognize the quality of their Heavy Metal, but somehow, I just didn’t dig that band… Maybe it was about the very old-fashioned vibe, the cheesy lyrics…I can’t really tell, to me, they sounded like a way too nostalgic band… I even remember a discussion with a friend of mine about The Glorious Burden record; that came out in ’04. Man the lyrics were just…ARGH!

Jon Schaffer has two passions: Metal and History. I like it better when he doesn't combine them

And now here I am, listening to Dystopia on a nice 180g-vinyl and thinking, WOW, at last I get this band! Something's changed, definitely, and knowing what I just confessed, you guys should realize how awesome this record is.

Freakin' awesome, nothing else to say about Dystopia!

First very cool thing about Dystopia: singer Stu Block, former Into Eternity (a band I literally LOVE). The guy is the perfect modern heavy Metal singer. He’s got the insane high-pitched powerful voice and the aggressive modern singing. That is clearly an asset for Iced Earth and it makes the songs sound much less old-fashioned. And I also felt that mastermind Jon Schaffer specifically wrote songs that would allow Stu to express his entire potential.

Stu Block is no longer the singer of Into Eternity. "Hybrid Singer" is indeed a very relevent way to define his skills

The songs on Dystopia are extremely heavy, with insane power riffs and amazing choruses. In fact, every song has 3 special ingredients: at least one insane riff, a fantastic chorus and a cool solo or melodic bridge. And somehow, the “cheesy” feeling you had when listening to Iced Earth is replaced with a very impressive modern approach! It’s like old Iced Earth met Nevermore, the melodies and the songwriting join forces with the heaviness of Thrash-like riffing.

It’s amazing sometimes how minor changes in a band completely reverse the feeling you get out of the music!

That is the killer self-titled opener! 

Dystopia’s got 10 awesome songs, but some of them stand out, like the killer self-titled opener, the genuine hymn “Anthem”, the melodic “Anguish Of Youth” and my personal favorite, “Dark City”. And although some tracks are just “good” (like the very classic “V”), this is still overall a "way above average" Heavy Metal release. 

One of 2011's best songs. Period. 

At first, when I started liking that record, I thought something in me went wrong, I mean, I wasn’t supposed to like Iced Earth! After discussing that surprising fact with some friends (I happen to know some huge Iced Earth fans) they confirmed me this was Iced Earth’s best record since the classic Something Wicked This Way Comes (1998). And as a very wise man said: “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change”, I thought I’d give Iced Earth another chance and I grabbed some old records to see if my opinion about the band would change. And you know what: I think I’m gonna stick to Dystopia…

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Yath

http://www.icedearth.com/

Metallica – Beyond Magnetic

I was pretty surprised to come across Beyond Magnetic on my local record store shelves. I thought this was supposed to be an exclusively digital release, but apparently, the fans demand was so strong that the band eventually decided to release the “physical” EP version.

These B-sides from the Death Magnetic sessions were originally a gift the band had made to its fanclub members. Then the songs were released on Itunes, and the feedback was extremely positive, so what the hell, why not put out a low-price CD? Great idea & an excellent way to move on after the DISASTEROUS LULU.

And that also explains the very minimalistic packaging: very simple cover, no booklet, just a cool picture on the back of the CD. At first, I was disappointed, but I have to admit it makes sense. These are only B-sides, and obviously the band just wanted to make them available for old farts like myself that absolutely WANT the physical CD. No need for a fancy packaging, bonus songs and useless linear notes. Simple cover, cheap price and most importantly: 4 very good songs; no more, no less, I kind of like that idea.

Simple yet very classy cover...

These 4 songs were originally composed and recorded during the Death Magnetic sessions, and they were eliminated when the band had to choose the final tracks. The songs are in their rough mix, non-edited version. They are pretty long; as you get 30 minutes of Metallica on that 4-song EP, and they sound indeed like rough mixes full of ideas, different riffs, breaks…

There are 2 ways to “analyze” that EP. The first one is pretty simple: these songs are really cool, I personally LOVE “Just a Bullet Away”, with it’s awesome riff and very cool/typical melodic break in the middle.

Your second option is to try and understand WHY these songs weren’t on the final Death Magnetic tracklist; especially that as said, they are pretty good.

If you listen carefully, you can clearly tell that these songs are more “rock” oriented than Death Magnetic; that had a clear METAL orientation. I mean listen to the “Hell And Back” riff; it sounds like it escaped from the Load/Reload sessions! If you dig a little further, these songs actually sound like the perfect transition between St Anger and Death Magnetic! Maybe St Anger wasn’t just a horrible accident after all…(OK, most of you Metal fans want to hang me now).

And that is probably the reason why these songs didn’t make it on Death Magnetic: they sound a little different, with a more rock’n’roll vibe, whereas the band wanted to make the Metal & Thrash orientation very clear. Makes sense…

And that’s why I’m glad Metallica did release that EP because I personally love it when they inject that groove and rock vibe into their music. I’m actually a fan of many Load/Reload songs and I enjoy a lot of the St Anger Riffs (I did say RIFFS, not songs J). Another funny “coincidence”: the band’s black & white picture on the back of the CD: really looks like a picture from the Load/Reload period!

Yath

http://www.metallica.com/

SerpentCult’s Raised By Wolves: this year’s most underrated album

OK, I admit it; I’ve always loved this band, and I’ll always think it’s not enough covered. But this time, I know I’m right for 2 reasons. First of all, the coverage in the specialized press was close to nothing. The second reason is that Raised By Wolves is a unique and special record. Not only should it have been more covered, it should have conquered several “album of the month” spots!

I fell in love with the band when their first EP came out on I Hate Records in 2007. Trident Nor Fire contains 3 fantastic heavy/doom songs and it contains one of the coolest covers I ever heard: Rainbow Demon (originally written and performed by Uriah Heep). SerpentCult played that song like a ritual, really occult and dark. Very Yummy. Of course, the warm sound, the heavy guitars had a lot to do with the atmosphere, but it was also about Michelle Nocon, the singer. Her voice was like a heavy metal singer possessed by a witch.

The first EP on I Hate Records. 4 fantastic heavy/doom songs

After that EP, the band released a pretty cool record called The Weight Of Light. Pure heavy/Doom, with the same recipe but more “resulted” than the first release, heavier, darker, more focused…

The first LP, out on Rise Above Records

And the expected move obviously was to repeat that record with better promotion, to tour and to be a little more successful record after record.

Instead of that, SerpentCult decided to change almost everything. Michelle left the band and the remaining guys decided to go on as a trio.

In fact there are almost no vocals on Raised By Wolves, the new CD. And the music has changed A LOT. It’s not about traditional doom anymore, which is a smart move really, because many bands are doing that now. SeprentCult has taken off to some farway planet. Ther music is cosmic, repetitive (4 songs, 40 minutes) psychedelic and there are some insanely heavy riffs here and there to bring you back to earth. Would you gusy shoot me if I dare saying “progressive” as well?

Amazing second CD by SerpentCult...

Raised By Wolves is a really surprising record that somehow reminds me of Yob. Ok, these two bands sound different, but they have some pretty similar characteristics as they both play with contradictory feelings; cosmic and very heavy, dark yet sometimes very bright, may seem repetitive but progressive... They even sound like they're improvising on some parts ("Longing For Hyperborea" - these wild'n'groovy bass lines are terrific!)

It is extremely difficult to describe precisely Raised By Wolves, and that may be a reason why the press did so little coverage. You have to FEEL this album to understand why I love it so much. And to feel it, you need several spins, you need to listen to it in good conditions (try to do it with headphones) and to turn off your brain. When I manage to listen to it in these conditions, it seemes obvious to me that Raised By Wolves is going to end up in my 2011 favorites. 

The best advice I can give you is to listen to the unbelievable second song of the album, called "Crippled And Frozen". The way these guys literally BUILD the main riff is amazing. Then that riff will bludgeon your sweet little head for almost ten minutes. Looks boring on paper, but it actually feels sooooo good. 

Damnit, here I am sounding like a freak again…

Interview with Sinister Realm's John Shamus Gaffney

I know I keep repeating this, but I can't help it, The Crystal Eye, Sinister Realm's second album is one of my favorite albums of 2011. A classic Heavy Metal record, with 8 classic songs, each one of them being special and memorable in its own way. The Crystal Eye is an outstanding record produced by a pretty underground band and released on a specialized label (Shadow Kingdom Record), and it deserves all your attention. I recently conducted a short interview with band leader John Gaffney, a renown bassist and composer of the American Heavy Metal scene. These few words are about Music, Passion, Hard-Wrok and of course, HEAVY METAL. (You can read the french version of this interviwe on NOISEWEB)

John, my first question is about the band's lineup. 2 musicians have changed can you tell me more about the changes?

Our original drummer Darin McCloskey was with me from the beginning of the band but Darin landed up moving and it put him rather far away from where we practice and play most of our gigs, as the band got busier and busier it was more and more difficult for Darin to make rehearsals so he decided to leave and concentrate on his other band Pale Divine who are very successful and respected in their own right.  Darin and I are still very close friends and I speak with him all the time.  Our original guitar player was asked to leave because we were just unable to work together peacefully.  Our new guitar player's name is John Risko who is well known in our area as one of the best guitar players, so as soon as we needed a new guitarist I thought of him first.  Chris Metzger our drummer also has a reputation in our town as one of the best and he really brought his own unique style to the band and were very happy to have these guys on board.

The Crystal Eye is your second album and I found it much stronger than the first one. Were you guys conscious of that while you were composing and recording it?  

Thanks, I don't think I really knew how good this album was until we started recording it, as the songs started to come together I began thinking "Wow..this is really good" and I felt pretty confident that it was a step forward from the first CD, which I was also very happy with.  When we recorded the first CD we had never played those songs live but with the new album we had the chance to play all these songs out a bunch of times and that really helped the songs grow and become tighter, so all of us were feeling really good about these songs when we entered the studio, when we heard the final results we were very pleased.

How dis you guys compose? Together in a same room or do you exchange the ideas progressively?

I write all the music and lyrics for the band.  What I do is I demo everything out on my computer with a drum machine and me laying down rough tracks for the other guys to hear and then we get together and bash it out in the practice room and that's where the other guys will put their stamp on the songs. Every guy in Sinister Realm has their own unique style and elements that they bring to the table that help to create our sound.

I also want to congratulate your singer, Alex. His performance is amazing! He seemed to have worked pretty hard...

Alex did an amazing job on this record.  What a lot of people don't realize is that the first CD was written mostly with just me and our original drummer Darin with no proper vocalist, when we decided to get more serious about things and record a proper demo that’s when we got Alex into the band.  For this album, the band had already been playing for a while so when I was writing the new songs I had Alex's style of singing in my mind, I knew his strengths and really wrote to them.  I also think that Alex has become more comfortable interpreting my ideas and lyrics, he really knows what I'm after and does a brilliant job of brining the songs to life.

I also noticed that the record conceived like a “classic”: the length is ideal (45 mins). You have included fast songs, one very epic closer, an instrumental, a power-ballad, a slower song, a heavy one, the solos, the bass solos...It’s all on The Crystal Eye!

Thanks again… Well, that's how I like to put things together, I think of the "big picture" so to speak when I write an album, I'm very aware of trying to create a flow and feel to the record.  It's very important to me to take the listener on a journey.  I've always loved albums that you could put headphones on and listen to from beginning to end.  I'm old fashioned and even think in vinyl record terms.  I imagine what would be the first and last songs on each side of a record.  For instance, the song "The Crystal Eye" would be the end of side one and "The Tower is Burning" is a perfect album closer.

What are your favorite classic records by the way? 

British Steel-Judas Priest, Piece of Mind-Iron Maiden, Blizzard of Oz- Ozzy, Heaven and Hell- Black Sabbath, Holy Diver- Dio., Epicus Doomicus Metallicus-Candlemass.  Those are what I consider to be some of the greatest metal albums ever and they were and still are very influential to me.

There is some sort of "heavy metal revival" thing going on. It started with specialized labels like Shadow Kingdom Records and some forums, and now some big labels are signing traditional heavy metal bands...You feel you belong to this scene?  

Yeah, I think so.  I consider us to be a traditional metal band and I am very proud of that, our influences are very much from the classic metal years from 1980 to about 1984.  There are of course lots of other great years for metal but those years especially mean a lot to me and the guys in the band.  We like to believe that we are defending the flag for classic metal here in the United States.

You personally have been doing this for years, (the Pale Divine period), how does it feel to see this little "hype" going on? 

It feels good, very good, that's why we do what we do in the hopes that people will like it and say that our music means something to them, so when we get positive feedback from people, whether it's in a review, an email or on a forum we feel very proud.  We really believe in what we do and work hard at it. Heavy Metal means a lot to Sinister Realm and we take it very seriously.

Do you think it's a good opportunity for Sinister Realm? 

I think so, there is a lot going on for us right now and we are trying to make the best of every opportunity that comes our way.  With the recent "Heavy metal revival" as you put it we feel we are in a position to really make a name for ourselves, we want to just keep working hard and putting out the best music we can and hopefully the rest will fall into place for us.

How far do you think you can take the band? I think you guys have a huge potential. You have the songs, people seem to be demanding that style of Metal, you have a fantastic reputation on stage.

I hope that the band can just keep growing and getting bigger and bigger, so we are ready to take it as far as we can.  We want to keep moving up and hopefully we can land a recording contract with one of the big labels in the near future and we can get the opportunity to take our show to the big stages around the world.

What are your plans on the short and mid-term? 

Playing more gigs, especially more gigs out of our town, maybe do some touring and especially try to get over to Europe.  I've already started putting ideas together for our next record, which I want to be even more epic and another step forward in the songwriting department.  Basically are plans are to just keep pushing forward and getting better and reaching more and more people.

Any chance to see you guys on stage in Europe? 

I hope so! That is one of our big goals to get over to Europe and play in front of as many metal heads as we can, right now we are just trying to find the right person who can make that happen for us, so any promoters out there reading this drop us a line please, we're ready to go!