THE AXEMEN SERIES : Gemini Wolves

  

 

1.Tell us your name and the band you play for
Gemini Wolves 

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar
Bands like the Scorpions and Pink Floyd made me want to play the guitar.
3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons? . A little bit of both. Took lessons from a few different instructors, but I have been mostly self taught. 

4. Can you read music, Can you read tab? 

 I can read tabs, but not REAL music notation. 
   

5.Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ? 

I would like to think so. 

6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color ) 

I have found the Ibanez RG series to be the most comfortable. My main ax is an Ibanez RG 120R from 2000 in Blue, with the trem blocked.   

7.What about pickups? Passive or active ?

 Tell us about them
Passive stock Seymon Duncans in the HSH configuration
8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc 
I am running a Laney IRT Studio into a Laney IRT 212 Ironheart cab with the stock HH Custom speakers. 
  

9.Do you have a pedal board?
 Tell us about that badboy 

Yes I do. Reverb, Delay, and Boss RC-3 Looper in the effects loop. Modified Dunlop Crybaby into various dirt provided by Wampler and Lovepedal. 10..Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail.....
All I want for Christmas is the Mesa/Boogie JP-2C Mark IIC+ 60/100-watt Tube Head 

11.What guitarist can you not stand? 

Noel Gallagher 
12. Is tone more important or is technique? 
    

They really go hand in hand, but if had to choose I would say good tone with bad technique is probably harder to listen to than bad tone with excellent technique. 13. Name your top 5 guitarist
Jon Schaffer, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Rudolf Schenker, and James Hetfield.
14.Who is the most overrated guitarist 

Jack White 15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive? 

James Hetfield, and we would only work on improving my rhythm playing!!  

THE AXEMEN SERIES : WES JAQUES OF METAL COFFEE

 1.Tell us your name and the band you play for 
My name is Wes or Moose either way works for me. I am also a butcher of grammar and typing so complaints take a number. I do not play for any active band any longer but my main band was called Dead River in the late 80's early 90's. It was melodic metal in the vein of Firehouse and Stryper.
 

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar
 It took me a long time to figure this out because to me I blame all of my rock n roll dreams on Nikki Sixx he was just so damn cool. But Randy Rhodes is really the first guy I heard and went, Oh yeah this guy is not the norm. And a close second was EVH I loved his emotion

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons?
Mainly self taught I took a couple of lessons very early, I probably should have continued but I thought i was a rock star, One of many dumb decisions I made thinking that....... .
   

4. Can you read music, Can you read tab?
 I can read sheet music though I would rather not its so sterile, I can read tab thank God.
.

5.Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ?
 LOL , Most definitely no I was always a 100% cord into amp guy. My sound was as sloppy as my solos.

6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color ) 
I started on an arbor flying V it was garbage, Then I got a basic Kramer set bridge it was a bit nicer it was candy apple red I called it Babushka. Then I  moved my way onto Jacksons my first Jackson was a hot pink Dinky Strat that i played to death and until one show where I thought I was cool and yanked on the floyd rose until the bridge popped out..... I had it fixed but it was just never the same any longer.Luckily my bandmate Roy Nelson who was an actual musician unlike me lol had a Les Paul I named ED and I used it 90% of the time from that point on and LOVED it!

   

7.What about pickups? Passive or active ?
 Tell us about them 

 I had a great friend and excellent guitarist names Chibon Tiger in High School who put an EMG in his guitar and it smoked! But I was always a Dimarzio and Seymmour Duncan guy, Passive or death.


8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc 
I used a crate G-40 it was dirty and had a celestion. I was happy

   

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy 
NOPE

10..Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail….. 
If I had an unlimited budget I would like 3 guitars
1. A Zakk Wyle bullseye signature series
2. A Paul Gilbert PG-13 first edition
3.I would run a Mesa Triple rectifier into a Marshall 1973 4X12
All Purple Tortex Dadario strings

11.What guitarist can you not stand? 
Oh man I have a hard time listening to Larry from Primus, I liked him so much better in Possessed
   

12. Is tone more important or is technique? 
I mean tone is interesting Eric Johnson , Dimebag, ZZ TOP, Ty Tabor from Kings X all prove that but if you have 2 left hands of all thumbs tone means nothing...


13. Name your top 5 guitarist 
1.Paul Gilbert
2.George Lynch
3.John Petrucci
4. Ronnie LeTechro
5. Micheal Sweet

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist
 I will gt huge hate for this but Hendrix and Jimmy Page I think are way over rated. Legends yes but cmon folks

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?
Probably Mikael Åkerfeldt just so I could sit and watch dude is terrifying 

 

THE AXEMEN SERIES : NICK GROBE OF EXSINGUISH THE SUN

1.Tell us your name and the band you play for 

My Name is Nick Grobe.  I play guitar in the band Extinguish the Sun.

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar

The person who made me want to start playing guitar was actually Joey DeMaio, the bass player for Manowar. I freaked when I heard him on their record “Sign of the Hammer” and  I went into the local guitar shop to get a bass. The salesman there talked me INTO getting an electric guitar.
 

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons?

I took lessons at the same shop I mentioned above.. For 2 or 3 years I think.
.

4. Can you read music, Can you read tab?

Pretty much just tab.  I did a single semester as a music major at my local community college when I was younger and I briefly learned how to read music (poorly) in my classical guitar class. I have since forgotten all of it.

.

5.Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ?

 Im not really sure honestly.  I think overall me, Jer (guitar) and Dan (bass) have a unique sound.  I like how things sound together.  Ive never really been a gear or “tone” guy.  Ive always really just wanted something that sounded consistently good that I didnt have to worry about too much.  That being said a couple years ago I switched back to using tube amps and also got into different pedals and effects -  and now Im a lot happier and more interested in tone.


6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color )
  

 For years I used a Hamer Diablo that I LOVED.  I still have it but lately have been playing a Bossman from Hard Luck Kings - not an expensive guitar by any means, but I actually like the way it plays and sounds (i think it might give me whatever “uniqueness” my tone has) and Ive stuck with it - for now at least.



7.What about pickups? Passive or active ? 

Tell us about them
Passive for sure.  I dont really like the idea of having to worry about another battery somewhere.  In the above mentioned Bossman, I put a Lace Drop and Gain pickup in the bridge position.  The neck pickup is just whatever the stock Bossman pickup is and its fat as hell and just plain gnarly.  That can be heard at the end of “South by Southwest” on our first release.



8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc

My head is a Peavey 6505+ which I play through a Mesa 4x12 cabinet.
  

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy

Yes I do.  Whats in it sort of rotates a bit here and there depending, but most of the time its a Boss “TU2” Tuner which Ive had forever and will probably have forever.  A Crybaby BASS wah, TC Electronics Thunderstorm Flanger, TC Elec Hall of Fame Reverb 2, Boss Harmonist, Boss GE7 EQ and a Jam Man solo 2 looper / sampler.  The Jam Man is a new addition that Im still trying to figure out - to see if it could add anything cool to our live show.
    

10..Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail…..

I dont really think I have a “Dream” rig. Or at least I dont know right now what it would be.  There are definitely a bunch of killer rigs out there, but until I hear it Ill just stick with what I have. lol.

11.What guitarist can you not stand?
 No idea. I cant think of any guitarists I cant stand.

I12. Is tone more important or is technique?

My gut says technique, but im sure they are interchangeable. Ive seen guitarists that I think are good but their tone is really bad..but Ive also seen some really great players with zero gear that I like to listen to a lot.


13. Name your top 5 guitarist
In no particular order..
Larry Lalonde, 
Brent Hinds, 
Bill Kelliher, 
Janick Gers,
John Baizley

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist

Not sure about that one either.

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?

I would probably have to pick Bill Kelliher of Mastodon.  I honestly wouldnt even want a lesson - not that I dont think he could teach me something - He’s great.  But if I had the opportunity I’d rather just talk with him about writing and music in general.

Dwarrowdelf Records proudly presents the Dinenthal.

Dwarrowdelf Records proudly presents the Dinenthal.

"Bedahalh"  is the first single ffrom the forthcoming album "Wðdendreám þá Norðsæ", Old English for "Madness of the North Sea". Their 3rd release on Dwarrowdelf Records

This single represents a shift into Psychadellic Black Metal Abyss where the influences of Mayhem and Emperor collide head on with Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream.

Attached are Album Artwork and MP3. Video and additional media available upon request.

The album will focus on the raw beauty that is Northumberland, the Northumbrian coast, the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, and some of its legends.

The first track Bedahalh (or Beadnell) is about the ethereal experience of scuba diving at midnight, floating in zero gravity in the pure blackness, looking at the stars from under the water and the bioluminescence sparks from the plankton in the water making the whole experience, dream-like.

The band are available for live or pre-recorded interview. Physical merchandise and promotional items are available on request.

LINKS :-

https://dwarrowdelfrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC77g7oZ_ZYxt0jev0oDRhnw
https://www.facebook.com/dwarrowdelfrecords
https://www.facebook.com/dinenthal

THE AXEMEN SERIES: Nando Thommessen. and Senen Garcia of The Brood

1.Tell us your name and the band you play for
Nando Thommessen. TheBrood



2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar
The 90's

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons?
Self taught. 

4. Can you read music, Can you read tab? 
Just tab. I'm learning more musical theory now


5.Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ?
Well using a Boss HM-2 there's not too much room for a
Personal tone.
  

6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color )
For The Brood my main guitar now is a Gibson flying V
From 2017 I believe. All stock anything thing fancy. And a Prs SE as a
Backup. 



7.What about pickups? Passive or active ? Tell us about them. 
Personally I prefer passive. Im happy with a Seymour duncan JB. 
Or a custom. 

8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc. 
I was using an Orange Jim Root for long time, but I switched to a
Mesa Boogie mark V25. About Cab I own a simple thomann 2x12 loaded with 
Celestion V30, which i use just for practice.

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy. 
I love pedals, but don't need too many with The Brood. 
Basically. Tuner, noise gate, and a Boss HM-2. 
10..Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail…..
Difficult one for me. I have been the last few 
Years building my dream rig which I use at home.



11.What guitarist can you not stand? 
No one in particular.

I12. Is tone more important or is technique?
Feeling! 


13. Name your top 5 guitarist. 
Chuck Schuldiner. 
Frank Zappa. 
Mattias "IA" Eklundh. 
J. Mascis. 
Paul Masvidal. 

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist
Kirk Hamet. 

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?
Frank Zappa. 
  

   
1.Tell us your name and the band you play for
Senen Garcia – The Brood
  
2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar
It was Michael Jackson Beat it. I was about 9 or 10 when I heard that riff with distortion for the first time and I loved it.

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons?
Self taught. 

4. Can you read music, Can you read tab?
When I was 9 or 10, my parents send me to music lessons, I lasted 3 months lol. Thanks to that I can read music but very slowly. I do read tab. I used a lot when I was younger to learn other band’s songs.
   

5.Do you feel like you have your own sound/tone?
We are going with an HM-2 type of sound, which doesn’t give you much variation tone wise. It’s not exactly the same as the classical Swedish death metal sound, as we use the HM-2 as an EQ booster for the amp distortion.
   
6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color )
I mostly play a Mayones Duvel Elite 7 translucent black 2015. It’s a beast of a guitar, very versatile, but probably a bit overkill to play grindcore. I also play a very basic LTD M-17 with a Bareknuckle Aftermath pickup on the bridge position.

7.What about pickups? Passive or active? Tell us about them
I like both. It really depends on what type of tone you are looking for. At the moment with The Brood I use passive Seymour Duncan Nazgul and passive Bare-Knuckle Aftermath.

8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand, model , speakers etc
There so many good amps nowadays. I recently got a PRS MT-15 and is a killer, the amount of gain on that little amp is just insane! I have a Thomman 2x12 cabinet with Celestion v30 speakers
  

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy
I’m quite minimalist with regards of pedals, so my board is fairly small. The signal chain goes like this: Tuner (Korg Pitch Black), Throne Torcher (HM-2 clone), Mooer Noise Killer. 

10.Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail…..
Here it goes!
As of guitar I would go for a Custom Shop Mayones Duvell 27” scale. On the amp side I’d love a Fortin Cali with a custom Zilla 4x12 oversize cab. For pedal board I’ll have a Left Hand Wrath Deluxe instead of the Throne Torcher and swap the Noise Killer with a Fortin Zuul.

11.What guitarist can you not stand?
Yngwie malmsteen. He’s such a diva and for what I’ve seen in some of his videos, an asshole when he’s of the stage.

12. Is tone more important or is technique?
It depends on the type of music, but generally speaking I would say technique is more important than tone. You can have a great tone, but if you can’t play a song, soon enough the beer glasses will start flying towards your head ;)

13. Name your top 5 gitarist
This is really difficult… In no particular order: 
Randy Rhoads
Fredrik Thordendal
Steve Vai
Muhammed Suiçmez
Robert Fripp

14.Who is the most overrated guitarist
Ted Nugent

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?
This is even harder than the top 5 guitarist… As I’m some kind of an optimist I hope this may happen one day I’ll go for someone alive and choose Muhammed Suiçmez

BLACKTHORN INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE

1.What is the name of your band and how did you come up with it?
What is your name and what do you do for the band?

Aina: We are Blackthorn. It was chosen very quickly according to the principle “easy to remember”/“it sounds good”. A little later, when we defined an idea behind the band, I was studying the relevant literature and read that blackthorn is one of the most powerful trees in magic, so I learned about its use in sorcery, as well as its symbolism; stamina, strength, protection coming from dark spirits. This is it.
My name is Aina, I'm a vocalist, I write lyrics and do a little of this and a little of that.

Acotath: Hello, I’m Polyana and I do drums. 

2.Tell us where you are based and describe the scene. How do you think where you are located influences your sound.

Acotath: We are from the middle of Hell. That’s why you can hear some screams sometimes, mostly ours. 
Aina: Blackthorn are based in Moscow, Russia. The metal scene is really big, I believe they found a new metal band every day here. I am not sure I can say what's the most popular metal genre at the moment... From folk metal to metalcore, we have it all. One the biggest acts from Moscow region is probably Arkona. 
I am not sure our location influences our sound somehow. Russian metal bands mostly try to sound like bands from Europe or the States, it's like a lodestar, you know. I met a lot of people who couldn't guess which country we hail from, including Russians. Well, there is of course an accent, I mean you probably can perceive we are Russian speakers from our vocals.
    

3.Who influences your sound that would surprise people?

Aina: Well, I am not sure there are any surprising influences... It's mostly metal and classical music, but we enjoy a lot of genres, not only metal. Eventually we can get some ideas from non-metal/classical musicians, but saying that those artists influence our sound would be wrong.  
Acotath: Tuvans.

4.Are you endorsed by musical companies , if so who , and if not who would you like to be endorsed by?

Acotath: No, I want to represent something I’ll be proud of. And some companies I like have no distributors in Russia. So I’m a bit in research right now. I would like to get Pro Mark sticks and Remo drumheads endorsement for sure :) 

5.When you started what was your ultimate goal? And how close to the goal are you now?
    

Aina: As far as I remember, it was a full length album. Well, now we have three albums and I can say that the more you have the more you want. Goals getting bigger and bigger every time you achieve them. At the moment we're on a halfway to another goal which I'm gonna keep secret for awhile. 
Acotath: I think I wanted to play 300 bmp in 16 notes blast beats. Far away now, but working on it. Now I have a bit different goal, but this is still my ultimate one. 

6.In today's digital environment it takes creative strategy to keep things moving. What creative ideas do you have to keep your band relevant over time?

Acotath: come on, we are all girls! Everything we do is just another crazy idea. And it doesn’t matter if it’s relevant. 
Aina: Creative strategy indeed can be really helpful. Well, we try different things, from constant contact with fans to visual content and from SMM courses to magic. Creative as hell!

7.We've all seen a terrible live band that is awesome on CD. Is that cool with you or do you lose respect for bands that cannot pull it off live?
   

 

Aina: I prefer not to judge bands by one single show, but if there are several shows and all of them are bad... Probably you shouldn't compose/record/release things you can't perform live.


8.Tell us your “core” are you Metal , Rock , Punk , Pop etc because people just have to categorize these days you know?

Acotath: Just witches, please.

Aina: We are definitely Metal. Well, our latest release is close to classical music, it's EP entitled “Classical Compilation”. But it's more like an experiment and not something we gonna do constantly.   

9.This is a tough question but a very real reality, Is your band actually talented or just popular?
Many bands make it with a cliche or publicity stunts etc. Would you accept fame even if it was just because of being the “ in” thing or is it actually important to you that you gain favor with talent?

Acotath: are we popular now? Can’t feel it though. So that makes us talented, right? No, I’m serious. We are really talented and not so popular yet. 

10.Tell us what to expect from you live. Nothing is more boring than watching bands stare at the floor and bob their heads to music nobody but the band knows. What can your band offer in a live setting that people will remember?
   

Aina: Every band has it's special energy but not every one can share it. No matter what you do onstage, if staring at the floor is a part of your conception, it would produce energy anyway. And energy is a real reason we are attracted to any thing. It's the lack of energy that is boring. 
I believe that Blackthorn can do it onstage and the energy is unique, it's prolly hard to describe, you should feel it. We always try our best to make a Show that resonates with people somehow.

Acotath: Do you want to see how I fall from a drum chair in epilepsy and start a foam party? Also I can do it GG Allin style. Oh, wait. I just sweat in this band, sorry. 



11. What releases have you put out , When will we see something new?
     

Aina: As of 2019, we released three studio albums: Gossamer Witchcraft/Аранеум (2009), Codex Archaos (2011) and Witch Cult Ternion (2015). Other releases are: Era Obscura (single, 2012), Sister September (Anorexia Nervosa cover, 2013), Death of Love (Cradle of Filth cover, 2015), Evocation (EP, 2018), Classical Compilation (EP, 2019). We will start working on our new album asap, that's all I can say for now. 

12. If you have videos where can we see them?

Aina: We have some live videos and a few official music videos on our Youtube page. Please visit www.youtube.com/BlackthornRus

   

13.Everybody has Bandcamp , ReverbNation , Soundcloud , etc
Why do you think this is so important? Doesn't it seem like everyone is giving everything out for free?

Aina: Not everything and I would not call it a “giving out”. For instance, all the tracks on our Bandcamp page are free for streaming, go check them out! And if the music is good enough you will pay to download it to put it on your laptop. Probably you will have one more fan, which is always awesome.
Uploading music to these platforms is indeed important, this is our current reality. Spreading your music everywhere was never a bad idea.

Acotath: how does everyone know that you’re talented if you’re not popular yet? It’s hard to make people to listen to your music even for free. 
   

14.Best moment of your career so far?
Acotath: MFVF in Belgium! The catering was unforgettable! 
Aina: I would say our show at Metal Female Voices Festival in Belgium too, it took place in 2016. Great experience, definitely something I will always remember fondly. 

15.Your message to the fans?

Aina: Thank you for reading this and for all the support.
Acotath: I love you! Your smile makes me happier. I evolve every day to see it <3

Bonus Question who do you bring back
    

Dime , Cliff , Dio , Lemmy , Randy

Acotath: Why? Interested in some resurrection ritual maybe? 
Aina: Yes for Dime, he had so much more to contribute to music. Contact us if you're interested in the ritual by the way. We can trade someone in for him at least

THE AXEMEN SERIES : Dale "Slinky" Qualls of McCuin

 1.Tell us your name and the band you play for.

 Dale "Slinky" Qualls, McCuin
   

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar 

3.Are you self taught or did you take lessons? .

 Self taught, was shown a few chords here and there

4.Can you read music, Can you read tab? 

 

 I read music very little in school trying to learn piano. I do read tab though!

5. Do you feel like you have your own sound / tone ? 

 

 Somewhat, yes, somewhat no. I always am over-critical of everything I do so sometimes I think I sound too much like this or that and not unique enough. Always searching and learning!

6.Tell us about your guitar ( brand ,model . year , color ) 

 

 I have a black with white bevel Jackson King V JS32 that has been upgraded and tweaked, and a Rhoads V black with red bevels that has also been upgraded. I have always loved the mid to low end Jacksons for some reason.

  

7.What about pickups? Passive or active ? Tell us about them 

 

 EMG 81-85's. Played passive for years but wanted more attack and different tone.

8.Lets get into amplification, Same drill brand , model , speakers etc 

 

 Randall Diavlo 100 watt tube half stack. Love the tone and the thick lows you can pull from those.

9.Do you have a pedal board? Tell us about that badboy 

 

 Digitech RP1000. Always been a Digitech guy. Ease of use is a big plus for me for changes on the fly.

10.Now tell us your Dream Rig in detail….. 

   

 Randall Diablo full stack, rack mount eq, Sonic Maximizer, and still gotta have my Digitech! Maybe an extra Crybaby Wah to change it up a bit.

11. What guitarist can you not stand? 

 

That's a hard one....for style and tone alone I would have to say Keith Richards. His sound is so trashy to me.

12. Is tone more important or is technique?

 

They go hand in hand. That's like the nature vs. nuture debate!

13Name your top 5 guitarist 

Dimebag Darrell, 

Randy Rhoads,

Eric Johnson,

Dave Mustaine,

Kirk Hammett.

14. Who is the most overrated guitarist 

 

There are many....but probably Kurt Cobain

15.Who would you like a one hour private sit down lessons with anyone dead or alive?

 

 Easy one! Dimebag Darrell no question!