Review: Micawber- Viral (2011)

Band: Micawber

Release: Viral

Genre: 2011

Label: Independently Released

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/micawbermetal

Tracklist:

1. The Colonization

2. Viral

3. Beyond The Throne

4. A Timid Existence

5. Systematic Manipulation

6. The Calamity

7. Victim Of Persuasion

8. Mechanized Enslavement

9. Incorp(s)orated

Review: 10/10

Coming off strong after their last release Hell On Earth, the ever brutal Micawber have just released their latest album Viral onto the world.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I was very unsure that they could top Hell On Earth, but I am so wrong. This album is exactly what the world of death metal/deathcore is missing. Like the last album, Viral kicks off with a sick intro on “The Colonization,” a haunting and eerie intro that throws you in the middle of apocalyptic drumming like the signaling of the end of times.

With a demonic growl that is meant to make you want to punch babies, “Viral” is a thundering track that is no doubt an excellent crowd pleaser. Awesome ,old school death metal brought into the new age that will surely convert more people to the dark side of metal. The vocals are much more refined and menacing than ever before, the guitar playing is much cleaner, and the drumming has gotten a hell of a lot faster.

Probably my favorite track on the whole album (and that’s a maybe cause it’s hard to pick a favorite), “Beyond The Throne” is full of the kind of metal that puts a Pabst Blue Ribbon in your hand and hair on your chest. The vocals are straight phenomenal. Phil Bozeman, watch out cause Jeff Plewa is on the fast track to sitting on that throne. Full of intense riffs and pummeling, ultra fast drumming make this track a stand out on the album. The different transitions keep this track fresh all the way through, not a single dull second.

“The Calamity” is pure old school throughout. Not too much unlike Massacre, they keep it fast and heavy for the average deathhead, and enough awesome instrument work to impress more seasoned listeners. The solo alone is worth it, but this track overall is just plain badass. It’s the equivalent of having a train made of death metal and shoving that into your ears.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of listening to a pre production track called “Ridin’ The Night Train” that I couldn’t stop raving about. Well it’s been renamed and given a slight musical makeover, but the track “Victim Of Persuasion” is a force to be reckoned with. In my opinion, this should have been right behind the intro track, but that’s just me. It’s a tad slower than the fast playing of the rest of the album, but not by much. It’s a welcome change of pace and helps break the formula a little bit.

You’re not a real man if you haven’t heard this album yet. Seriously one of the best releases of the year, this is a must have for any music collection. Go cop it now!

Review: As You Drown- Rat King (2011)

Band: As You Drown

Release: Rat King

Genre: Deathcore/Death Metal

Label: Metal Blade Records

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/asyoudrown

Tracklist:

1. Conqueror

2. Slaves To The Kingdom Of Fear

3. You Should Be Paranoid

4. Rabid Wolves In Sheep's Clothing

5. Your Loyal Betrayer

6. The Coming

7. The Nothing

8. Bleeding Structure

9. Cleansing Hands

Review: 5.3/10

Meat and potatoes deathcore is what As You Drown’s latest album Rat King can be best described as. Although they use more death metal elements than most –core bands, they still have breakdowns as a base. Does that make this a bad album? Yes.

Each song is hard to really tell apart and that’s the main fail point. It’s laden with tons of breakdowns, but they sound like they should be used as shorter bridges instead of an entire song. Hardly any deviation is noted in the first song “Conqueror.” This is a song by a band that would make a great filler for any given tour. Even the vocals aren’t anything you haven’t heard already. Just basic deep growls that sound like they were gurgled from the stomach.

“Slaves To The Kingdom Of Fear” is the previous song all over again, but a little faster. The vocals just sound like mud against the instruments, barely having any sort of unique tone or feel at all. Also it really feels like he’s holding back from really belting out some brutal line’s but, alas, he just sounds like a better version of Pathology’s vocalist.

The vocals get even more painful to listen to on “You Should Be Paranoid.” There is no telling what he is saying, but it’s in a tone that is like rubbing a cheese grater against my eardrums. The music really isn’t all that great either. It just sounds like a bunch of thrown together riffs and blast beats that don’t have much relation to each other.

Ditch the current vocalist and get a new guy. Even if they still stay as a basic deathcore band musically, at least they would have a lot more attention than they do now. 

Review: Fury Never Fades- Demo (2011)

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Band: Fury Never Fades

Release: Demo

Genre: Heavy Metal/Death Metal

Label: Unsigned

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/furyneverfades

Tracklist:

1. This Declining Hour

2. Immolate

3. Shades Of Grey

4. Perpetual Black

Review: 8.3/10

When I heard the name Fury Never Fades, I was thinking they were going to be yet another generic hardcore band. Well I sure as hell was wrong. “This Declining Hour” has a epic guitar and drum intro until they bring it down a notch and give you brutal low vocals and chugging guitars that would make any metal head proud. Though it’s not really stand out, they still do a great job. Double bass drums and guitar solo combo was also a win for me.

I would love to see “Immolate” played live. Heavy metal song writing with old school death metal influences are always welcome on my iPod. MOAR BLAST BEETS!!!! Seriously, this song is full of them. I love the song structure they stick to throughout the song and the awesome vocals. “Shades Of Grey” isn’t as impressive as the other 2 songs, but it still holds it’s own. The instruments don’t branch out as much and the vocals are slightly down tuned it seems, but it also follows a more linear song structure as compared to the other 2 tracks.

I can’t wait to hear more from this band, and I know for a fact that if the right opportunities come their way, they will garner much more attention in the metal community. Give them a listen and comment this post on what you think. Regardless of what their Facebook says, I consider them a perfect mix of heavy metal and death metal.

Review: Æther Realm- Odin Will Provide Demo (2011)

Band: Aether Realm

Release: Odin Will Provide Demo

Genre: Power Metal/Death Metal

Label: Unsigned

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AetherRealm

Tracklist:

1. Ravensong

2. Odin Will Provide

Review: 8.8/10

Aether Realm was a surprising twist of events for me. I was expecting standard power metal, but I was wrong. Sure there’s awesome power metal to be had here, but this is coupled with growling vocals and blast beats to please any brutal music lover. With their use of orchestral arrangements, they are sure they show you what they are doing on this demo with the first track “Ravensong.” Full of power riffs, excellent transitions, this has it all. Death metal-like vocals is mixed with slight black metal tone proves a unique and stand out experience over other like minded bands. Awesome lighting fast guitar riffs in the solo and on the point drumming gives this track life.

Folk metal has never sounded better than this band. To be honest, I was never into the genre at all. But this band has changed that for me. With battle charged lyrics, “Odin Will Provide” is the call to bludgeon your enemies, at least that’s what I felt like doing. This sounds like a band that’s been around for over a decade, though to the best of my knowledge have only been around for a short time. May I call this folk death metal? Cause I just did.

Seriously, these guys are overdue to be signed. They’re onto something here, and people need to take notice. Give them a try and judge for yourself.

Review: Blotted Science- The Animation Of Entomology EP (2011)

Band: Blotted Science

Release: The Animation of Entomology

Genre: Progressive Metal

Label: EclecticElectric

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Blotted-Science/106052046092225

Tracklist:

1.Ingesting Blattaria

2. Cretaceous Chasm

3. Vermicular Asphyxiation

4. A Sting Operation 

I - Human Barbequed

II - Cessation Sanitation

III - Seeing Dead People

IV - Omitting Eyes

Review: 5/5

I am extremely biased toward anything Blotted Science releases; Ron Jazombek is my favorite living guitar player, Alex Webster is my favorite bass player of all time, and they always seem to work with extremely talented individuals such as Charlie Zeleny, who was drummer for Machinations of Dementia in 2007, and Hannes Grossman, the drummer for this year’s release, The Animation of Entomology. I had extremely high expectations for this release when I first heard about it, and I am glad that the band lived up to them. 

The band intended to give the album a film-score vibe with an extreme-metal twist, and I believe they succeeded when you take into consideration the insect-horror theme they decided to go with. The animations to go along with the music have not been released yet, but I can tell by the rapid and spastic playing that it is going to mesh well with the silly and frantic thematic style to be expected from insect-based animation.

The playing is extremely clean and precise, even when going through passages of seemingly frenetic phrases at ridiculous speeds, and I believe this shows a great amount of forethought and effort was put into every note played. Hannes Grossman has some ridiculous drum passages, such as those at the beginning of Cretaceous Chasm, that make a seasoned active-listener to progressive metal and jazz say to myself “what the fuck?” and “oh shit!” and the entire album is full of insanely crazy guitar and bass phrases that are articulate enough to make it not sound like just a barrage of randomly played notes and interesting enough to set it all apart from your average shred wankfest. 

Anyone familiar with Ron Jarzombek and his other projects will know what to expect; there are plenty of dark passages, crazy clusters of notes, and sections that could only be inspired by the likes of Carl Stalling and Disney films. The mix is very well balanced, the effects and tones used are all amazing and none of them take away from the music and its message. As is typical with Jarzombek, every instrument is very clearly heard on each song; even during a solo-type passage or section where one stands out, none of the others are drowned out into obscurity. 

My only qualm with the album is its length, and this is only a minor problem. While I understand that writing, scoring, recording, and mixing an album of this level of complexity takes a lot of time and energy, I couldn’t help but want much more by the time the album had finished. The Animation of Entomology is only an EP, but the catchiness of the music, the flow, the production quality, and everything else about it makes me feel that it is so much more than just a few songs tossed my way to help me get over the fact that a new full-length release by blotted science won’t be around for a quite a while. I love Cannibal Corpse, I love the false sense of hope of there ever being another Watchtower release, and I am looking forward to Ron Jarzombeks DVD lessons that he has been working on for years, but I feel that the band is being a tease, much like that girl that makes out with her busty friend at a party but refuses to let anyone stick it in her gash, leaving a large group of men to suffer with blue balls for the rest of the evening. 

Regardless of that one minor problem, I still feel like this band did a thorough job scraping the uterus at the clinic when they aborted this album out of some random suburban girls cunt. In order for a suburban bitch to save face with her rich mommy and daddy so that she may keep her breast implants and her luxury sedan, the entire fetus needs to be removed; therefor I give this album a full 5 out of 5 fetal chunks!

Review: Proud Of That- Revenge (2011)

Band: Proud Of That

Release: Revenge

Genre: Goregrind/Death Metal

Label: Independently Released

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Proud-of-That/154535960873

Tracklist:

1. Mr. Ed Gein

2. Roses

3. Be Proud

4. This Is My Personal Revenge

5. Pussy Dreaming

6. We Are Proud Of That

7. Let Me

8. Ah

9. Physicality Vs. Psicology

10. Working Knife

Review: 8.7/10

I tend to think that in order to like a genre like goregrind, you have to have an acquired taste for it. Thankfully, this album crosses over a little into the death metal spectrum and has delivered one of the best goregrind releases of the year. The first song “Mr. Ed Gein” is full of indecipherable lyrics coupled with punishing brutality that is sure to bring in fans that normally don’t listen to goregrind. Lots of double bass and snare hits along with tuned down guitars drive it home.

“This Is My Personal Revenge” is a really good song to rage to. Classic, old school grindcore music is hardly heard of these days, making this song that much better to me. “Pussy Dreaming” is another old school grindcore song that reminds me of Napalm Death, Scum-era. At one point, it stops and brings on the heaviness with a good breakdown that doesn’t sound like a generic new school breakdown what so ever. I would imagine this song being a live set classic in their future. The one and only gripe I have is that they use a couple bree-bree’s, though it’s not too common. Not really a big thing, but still there.

For people that want to give the goregrind genre a try, I would suggest that you start with this excellent band. Definitely goes down as one of my all time favorite goregrind artists. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for the future.

Review: Nightmare In The Twilight- Self-Titled (2011)

Band: Nightmare In The Twilight

Release: Nightmare In The Twilight

Genre: Death Metal

Label: Independently Released

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nightmareinthetwilight

Tracklist:

1. Chicken Sauce

2. Nothing

3. Nose To Toes Cause Rob Is A Bitch

4. Torture Me

5. Horrid Massacre

6. Life...

7. Pineapple Express

8. In Memory

9. The Young And The Restless

10. Country Music Suicide

11. Death...

12. The Ending Subject

13. Holding On

Review: 8.1/10

One thing I really notice when it comes to hardcore bands from Sacramento is the similar metalcore guitar riffs that take part in almost all of the local scene bands. Nightmare In The Twilight uses this example, but they don’t rely on it, as that is also something I see way too often. The self-titled album opener “Chicken Sauce” uses some recycled guitar riffs as mentioned earlier, but their song progression really sets this band apart from the rest. Although the beginning is forgetful, I like that they really give the guitars a lot of room to experiment their riffs and see what really sounds good. By a minute and thirty seconds into the song, it doesn’t sound anything like it’s the same song at all. I would go as far to say as this song alone could have been split into 2 different short songs.

The brutal vocals on “Nothing” are some of the best on the album. From heavy lows to shrill highs, you’re never bored. The bass and drum driven breakdowns are sick as all hell and I could see that bringing out the dancers in the pit, though I myself am not a fan of hardcore dancers. The death metal-esque riffs save this from becoming a full deathcore song.

“Torture Me” is my pick of the litter. With the nostalgic guitar opener to start off, you know it’s not going to be like anything else on the album. It’s something I have a little difficulty putting into words, I would suggest you to go to their Facebook page and listen for yourself.

Overall, this band definitely has a few kinks on working out (such as the over usage of the metalcore guitars) but a lot of people love that sort of thing. Other than that, I can see this band really going places and making a true name for themselves in the Sacramento scene.

Review: The Kennedy Veil- The Sentence Of Their Conqueror (2011)

Band: The Kennedy Veil

Release: The Sentence Of Their Conqueror

Genre: Old School Death Metal/Grindcore/Thrash Metal

Members: Cody, Casey, Shawn, Gabe

Label: Unsigned

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thekennedyveil

Tracklist: 

1. Intro

2. The Sentence Of Their Conqueror

3. Isolated (The Travesty Of The Cleansing)

4. Process Of Cerebral Enslavement

5. Genesis Lamentations

6. Fractured

7. Atrophy Of The Synthesis

8. We Are The Nothing

9. Last Act Of Suffocation

Review: 9.8/10

The Kennedy Veil is a fast rising death/thrash/grind band from Sacramento, CA that are looking to bring back the speed that’s missing from the slow and chunky music scene today. “The Sentence Of Their Conqueror” is a crushingly brutal opener, bringing together lightning fast guitars and drums that are worthy of their own clinic. I love the huge variety of different transitions that are present in this song and really keep it from being boring in any way.

“Isolated (The Travesty Of The Cleansing)” is a slightly slower and heavier track that really showcases the vocals over all. He uses goes through a bunch of different tones, mostly low-mid range that is almost as fast as Phil Bozeman (Whitechapel) vocals (but thankfully aren’t), to really deep vocals that are used every now and then, and lastly the larynx shredding highs. Personally, I don’t see how a person can change so much between vocal styles and come out still talking normally after a show. Blast beats are used heavily in this song, while switching back and forth with the ultra fast drumming like in the last track. They really keep the whole momentum of the track and keep up perfectly with the guitars.

“Genesis Lamentations” is a beautiful old school death metal track that would have fit right in with the other bands of the late 80’s/early 90’s. Deicide and Hour Of Penace is a heavy reference to use here. The drums sound a tad heavier than the other songs, but you really have to listen closely to point it out. Guitars are put in the front for this song and really reflect the old school sound nicely. The transitional solo at the one minute ten second mark is an awesome touch. Back and forth between heavy head bangers and shredding makes this my favorite track off of the entire album.

Overall, this is a fucking awesome band that deserves more recognition. No telling how far they can go if the right label is behind them. Nuclear Blast Records, better sign them now before you miss your chance.

Review: Etched In Stone- Emulate The Defiler (2011)

Band: Etched In Stone

Release: Emulate The Defiler

Genre: Death Metal

Members: Brian, Eric, Ryan, Adam

Label: Unsigned

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EtchedInStoneMusic

Tracklist:

1. Emulate The Defiler

2. Prophet Of Descention

3. Dirge Of Dimitri

4. Vispag The Annihilator

5. The Locust Storm

6. The Martyr

7. An Enigmatic Response

8. Death Ends Red

9. The End Result

10. Birth Of Unknown

Review: 8.6/10

Etched In Stone is a band from Modesto, CA that are represented by the excellent Rebel Pyro Management. The first thing you will notice from the record “Emulate The Defiler” is that it’s no standard, generic death metal album. For a band that haven’t really broken through yet, they are surprisingly well polished, talented that isn’t your everyday run of the mill local band.

“Prophet of Descention” starts off with an eerie soundscape, like you’re trapped in a cave with water dripping around you and some sort of robot-like background noise, before shredding the guitars and pounding drums. I think that this track resembles Deicide in a lot of ways, most notably in the tempo of the overall song. The vocals here are quite exceptional for a band I’ve never heard of before. The drums keep the timing just right and the guitars hit every note perfectly.

“The Locust Storm” is just soaked in heaviness. This song is the breadwinner of the album, and if this band ever gets signed, will be a death metal anthem. It’s at a moderate speed, the kind where it’s really heavy, yet doesn’t sacrifice any of the heaviness in the process. I can literally see blood being spilled while this song plays. I feel that this song also has some black metal influence in the song structure, most notable at the 3:18 mark and beyond.

“An Enigmatic Response” is a death metal song that crosses over into progressive, almost spazztic territory by showing song compositions that I’ve never really heard before. The beginning is a truck of instrumental noise that obliterates everything in its path, heads into fast-slow-fast with lyrics, then goes into a spazz number before it really starts sounding like a death metal track. The rest of the song doesn’t really expose these aspects again, then around the 2:53 mark it heads into a bass and guitar solo outro that is merely something different to throw in at the last minute.

“The End Result” starts off with an acoustic guitar that really gives it away as its function as the calm before the storm. Although it is pulled off quite well. The track itself is slow and heavy, just how I like my women. The best word used to describe this is pummeling, although I am aware I have already used that word once. It’s not too technical, unlike most of the album, but is still awesome nonetheless.

Overall, I think that this band is quite capable to bring it to the masses, all they need is some label interest. I would love to see these guys live as soon as they are off of hiatus sometime in November. 

Interview: Corey of Applaud The Impaler

Interview @ 6/19/11

"Like" Applaud The Impaler here: http://www.facebook.com/applaudtheimpaler

Buy their latest EP "Anthropophagi" here: http://applaudtheimpaler.bigcartel.com/

Applaud The Impaler have been making their mark slowly but surely in the grind scene. With gutteral vocals and crushing music, ATI will more than likely be on the news 6 years from now from some kid blasting their music at their grandmother's house, grandmother croaks, and some white, yuppie mother who worships Al Gore's wife will try to sue the band. Of course, the band will win the case and ultimately will only gain more promotion from it all. Yeah, I am aware that's a bold future telling story, I am a world renowned psychic. Deal with it.

Ridge: So what's the history behind Applaud The Impaler? What other bands were you guys in before ATI?

Corey: Applaud the Impaler formed in early 2008 by Guitar players Corey Millett and Will Larkin, Bass player Gino Millett, and former drummer Mattlock Lopes. After weeding out and going through many vokillists, Zack Lashure was added to the ATI arsenal. We were all in local bands that had quit around the same time (Nothing Sacred, Prayers for the Dead, We were Gentlemen, R.O.N.K.) and since we all knew each other and we were all very dedicated about writing brutal music and making a name for ourselves, we all said, "hey, why not... lets do it". After putting out a demo and doing some serious recordings, Mattlock Lopes quit the band and we brought on the drummer everyone in the 757 scene wanted, Joey Glover. We then were picked up by Unique Leader Records and put out an EP titled "Anthropophagi" that finally put us on the map after so much hardwork. After doing some touring and more writing for our debut album, guitar player Will Larkin left the band and Ryan Carmichael quickly joined and became yet another strong weapon in the ATI arsenal. We are full throttle and ready to bring some intense music to our friends and fans.  

What's the story behind the name? How many albums, demos and EPs does your band have?

 Naming the band was the hardest thing to do! Harder then writing the music. Applaud the Impaler was actually named by our former drummer Mattlock. Everyone in the band was constantly coming up with names that somebody didnt like or names that were just completely retarded... like Raygun. haha!. One day Mattlock called guitar player Corey and was like "dude I got it... Applaud the Impaler! Ya know like Vlad the Impaler!?" At first Corey laughed and shunned it off  like every band name that was put on the table, but then it was like hold up, thats actually really cool. So we went with it. In all, the story behind the name was just a spurr of the moment thought that ended up defining our music... brutal. 

So far we have put out 1 demo and 1 EP. The first demo was a few songs quickly put together with various singers we eventually weeded through until we found Zack Lashure, our now vokillist.  The "Anthropophagi" EP was released on you Unique Leader Records, and it featured brand new songs with Zack and our new drummer Joey Glover.

What's the overall theme or message with your lyrics?

Zacks writes all of his lyrics to match the aggressive feel of each song. Every song gives off a certain vibe and feel, and Zack connects with that and writes what he feels the music is portraying. Every song lyrically is different, but every songs music and lyrics will equal each other in brutality. We strive hard to bring forth a completely crushing musical and lyrical balance. None of our songs are pretty, so you won’t hear pretty lyrics. None of the lyrics so far have been theme based, maybe in the future we'll have a themed album or something. Not sure yet.

What was your first song? Do you guys play any covers?

The first song we ever wrote was called "Bone Meal". It was a quick 2 minute banger that got us in the groove of writing music together. It was cool and fun to play, but nothing we'd want to put out to represent Applaud the Impaler. We've done a few covers for fun. One Halloween we dressed up as Slipknot and covered “Disasterpiece.” We're always jamming other tunes at practice, like the forever fun songs of Pantera. It’s always good to step back and and have some fun playing something else, especially when writing. It gives everyone a fun break from the intense and sometimes stressful writing sessions.  

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Each member of the band has their own wide variety of musical influences. It's crazy to sometimes hear what one another might be listening and inspired to. As far as what each member brings to the table with their outside influences for the writing process and complete sound of Applaud the Impaler, we are all highly influenced by Origin, Beneath the Massacre, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Trigger the Bloodshed, Nile, and many other great death/grind/slam/gore acts.

What bands would you like to tour with in the future?

Of course it’s always a dream to tour with your favorite bands. We'd all love to do that, but we'll tour with anybody who’s ready to have fun and crush some skulls on stage!

Random Question - What's the meal and drink of choice for you guys? Are you another vegan death metal band?

Haha, no we arent a Vegan band. Corey can eat a steak raw and uncooked. If it was legal, he'd probably eat people! Busch beer, Jager, Crown Royal, and water are our drinks of choice. While on tour, we tend to grub down on healthier foods and the sometimes here and there greasy delicious foods. It is very important to stay healthy during tour with what you eat. It keeps you moving forward and able to perform top notch. Not eating right on the road will get you sick quick. We all love trying different food in the places we play too. It makes for good memories.

Do any of you guys have any other projects you want your fans to know about?

 

Currently nobody in the band are involved in any other projects. Every member is completely dedicated to Applaud the Impaler

 Are you guys currently in the process of making another album? If so, what is the title of it and when will it be released?

We are in the process of writing our debut album on Unique Leader Records. We plan to hit the studio at the end of 2011 to bring a 10-13 track, crushing album for all of our friends and fans. There is no title for this album at the moment.

So what's the overall message of Anthropophagi EP?

The overall message was just to bring to the table a completely brutal EP to get our feet in the doors in this hard music business. And with great perseverance, it's happening. We wanted to make everyone realize that we are legit, focused, and serious to make this band a lethal weapon in today's music scene and not just another band who forms, plays, and just quits. Music is our passion, and with "Anthropophagi", we feel like we've started to portray and make people realize that this is our passion and that we won't stop or halt by any means. We were very lucky to have been picked up by Unique Leader Records. They've been awesome to us. We can't wait for them to hear what we have brewing up.

Any shout outs you want to give?

Always! Our fans come first. Without you all there would be no us. You keep us moving strong with your endless support and dedication to this band. We are forever in debt to you. Unique Leader Records for the tremendous opportunity at a childhood dream and for putting us on the map. All the bands we've shared the stage and crushed skulls with and all the people who have in some way helped Applaud the Impaler. It truly means the world to us.

Any last words for your fans and people who don't know about you guys yet?

Just keep helping spread the word of Applaud the Impaler. We are all on this ride together. We'd love to have the opportunity to come throw down and party with all of our friends and fans. It's what we feel like we owe in return for their support. Keep it guttural and PARTY ON!

Check these websites our for crucial updates and brand new Applaud the Impaler news!!!

Facebook-www.facebook.com/applaudtheimpaler

Myspace -www.myspace.com/applaudtheimpaler

Twitter- www.twitter.com/atigrind

Record Label- www.uniqueleader.com

Record Label- www.myspace.com/uniqueleaderrecords

Merchstore- http://applaudtheimpaler.bigcartel.com

Reverbnation- www.reverbnation.com/applaudtheimpaler

Interview: Unto Acheron

Interview @ 5/12/2011

Like them here: http://www.facebook.com/untoacheron

These guys hit me up out of the blue to review their self titled album just recently released. I haven't really had the time to write it yet, so I hit them up for an interview to get to know them better, where they stand on the local music scene, and what they also do to help out other local bands.

RB: So tell your fans a little bit about Unto Acheron. How did you guys meet? What other bands did you play in before?

Blaine: UA started back in late 2009, I had just gotten kicked out of a band I was in called Death of Athena. Brett asked me to join, but for whatever reason I told him I wasn’t ready to be in a band, but sure enough haha he got me in.
Eli: Well, I met Brett before Unto Acheron was a full band because we were in a band together. He asked me to play drums for his band. I was in a bunch of high school jam bands that only played a few shows, none of which were as serious as UA.
Brett: I started the band around August 2009. It was just me pretty much doing a side-project. I was in a band with Eli at the time called Behold The Torrent and was friends with Blaine. I asked them to join my side-project (Behold The Torrent was walking the plank essentially) and they eventually agreed to hop on board.

What is the meaning of the band name?

Eli: From my understanding; in Greek mythology, it's the river that transfers lost souls to the underworld where Hades awaits them.
Brett: In Greek mythology, it is the river across which Cheron, the ferryman, ferries dead souls into the underworld. I came up with the name "Unto Acheron" because we are all heading towards that end, so we might as well make the best of life as it is.
Blaine: Well, from what I know, Acheron, in mythology, was referred to as the river of pain and was one of 5 rivers that flowed through Hades.

What are your biggest musical influences?

Brett: I'm influenced by a lot of things. In all honesty, what really ushered in my appreciation for music was Marc Anthony and Crossfade. In metal, I'd have to say Nile and God Forbid.
Blaine: My biggest influence in music would have to be bands like Pantera and Queen, haha yeah. Odd combo.
Eli: I would have to say my friends, because I've found out about very few bands that I like on my own, and my friends usually turn me on to all sorts of music. Plus, I'm open-minded, so that helps too.

What is the overall message of your new self titled album?

Blaine: hsufjshfusiofgausijkdfansduafhsjdaso
Eli: There is a mutual agreement that we all want the album to present itself as grand and epic, essentially all that greek mythology is made out to be already.
Brett: It's questions like these when we need Ken haha. Really though, musically, the album can be perceived as epic, grand. Lyrically, it is equally larger than life. Ken speaks of positive outlooks, love lost, and everything inbetween.  Our album's ingredients are similar to what a Greek tale would give you haha.

How was the writing process for the album? Did the music and lyrics all come within a short amount of time or was it an ongoing process?

Brett: A lot of the groundwork for the songs that are on our album were laid out before we even had a full lineup. We were tight musically but needed something extra. Then we gained the missing link to our chain. Ken completely turned the songs upside down with his vocal style and structure.
Blaine: We made changes to a lot of songs over time.
Eli: No comment. haha Greekcore bitch!

If you could tour with 4 other bands, who would they be? 

Blaine: Wretched(old lineup), Within Ruins, Salt The Wound, All Shall Perish
Eli: Job For A Cowboy, All Shall Perish, All That Remains, and As I Lay Dying
Brett: I'd have to say Job For A Cowboy, Oceano, Fallen Figure, As Blood Runs Black, and Carnifex.

What are some of your favorite venues and cities that you guys like to perform in? What songs do you like to play the most live? Any covers? 

Eli: Any city that accepts our music is a favorite of mine. I personally enjoy playing "The Rise Of Ares" most because it sets the mood just right. Covers? No.
Blaine: So far I love McAllen and Pasadena, cant wait to play different cities. And we definitely don’t play covers.
Brett: MCALLEN. It HAS to be the place where I should've been born haha. The scene down there is amazing. I personally love playing "Pearls From Persephone" live. It definitely shows the direction we're going in more than the other songs. And we don't play covers. Never have.

Where do you see Unto Acheron in about 5 years from now? 

Blaine: Signed to a major record label most definitely. 
Eli: Hopefully on the road and signed, playing shows all the time.
Brett: I'm thinking signed and touring. Even if we're broke as fuck, that's where we want to be. We have a lot of potential I think. We're a diamond in the rough that's just thirsting to be discovered.

Do you guys have have any shows coming up? If so, tell your fans about them and why they should be there. 

Brett: We have one May 27th at Dad's venue in Lewisville, TX. It's going to be a badass show. Tickets are $10 and it starts at 7pm. ANYONE in the DFW area should haul ass to get there!
Blaine: We have a show coming up at Dad's Venue out in Lewisville, TX on May 27, so come and get crunk with us.
Eli: Yes, May 27th at a local spot called Dad's Venue. It should be cozy.

What influence do each of you have that the rest of the band doesn't share and what common ground do you all stand upon? 

Blaine: Um haha my love for Pantera is something we don’t share haha, but we all definitely share the love of the music we write.
Eli: We all have metal influences, but we are all so very different and I think it helps out in the long run because when people are too alike, it gets kind of boring.
Brett: I think my love for Michael Jackson might be a lonely one, but as far as metal is concerned, we're pretty parellel with our interests.

Do you guys have any other projects you want your fans to know about? 

Eli: Yes, Decimator Magazine, a Magazine that we're working on to showcase local talent, mostly metal and that sort of thing.
Blaine: My photography project should get checked out haha. B. Mathis Photography
Brett: All 3 of us run Decimator Magazine, a local magazine trying to showcase local bands in the Death Metal and -core genres, and also trying to build the scene here because it seems extremely exhausted. I also do graphic design work for local bands.

What advice can you give other people wanting to start up their own bands? 

Brett: Just do it. Don't let someone tell you that you can't. Don't be ashamed of your music, ever. Strive to be better, and you will be.
Blaine: Just go for it, take pride in your music, but don’t have so much pride to where you won't take any opinions on your music.
Eli: Have fun with the people you play with, your instrument... The rest will fall into place.

Any shoutouts you want to give? 

Blaine: Just to everyone who gave our music a chance and became a fan. It means so much to us.
Eli: To anyone who has taken the time to listen to our music, I thank you very much and hope to see you at a show 'cause we need all the support we can get. If you can't make it to a show, then spread the word!
Brett: Where to begin? People who have helped us with rides, with money, with gas, anyone who bought our album... fuck. Chuy, Paloma, Kristen, Kirsten, Abel, Chris, Teresa, Grace, Diana, Brittany, Yessenia, Chase, Pete, Crystal, James from Skillman, The Brattains from Dad's Venue, Sadie, Anthony, Obie.... the list goes on and on. I KNOW I didn't name everyone. If I skipped you just hit us up on Facebook and we'll post that shit!

Any last words for your fans and people who haven't heard your music yet? 

Blaine: Give it a listen, it definitely will not disappoint you.
Eli: Listen to our jams, tell a friends about us, and help support all the local metal bands in your area. Oh, and come talk to us if you're into our music. We love to meet new people at shows and online. It really encourages us to step our game up. We're not only musicians, but we're also entertainers.
Brett: Listen to us. I promise you, you won't walk away without something. Keep an eye on us, tell your friends, spread the word PLEASE because there's a LOT of stuff coming from us. I so so SO wish I could talk about it, but you'll just have to wait and see.