ANY QUESTIONS?

Just Announced!!! The Convalescence will be hitting the road with Filth, Casket Robbery, and Blood of Angels this Spring! Tickets and VIP Packages will be on sale this week!

5.5 - Sudbury, ON @ The Asylum*
5.6 - Ottawa, ON @ The Brass Monkey*
5.7 - London, ON @ Call The Office*
5.8 - Chesterfield, MI @ Diesel Concert Lounge w/Jungle Rot
5.9 - Toledo, OH @ Toledo Deathfest w/Jungle Rot
5.10 - Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
5.11 - Cincinnati, OH @ Mad Frog
5.12 - Dayton, OH @ Rockstar Pro Arena
5.13 - Kansas City, MO @ Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club
5.14 - Fort Worth, TX @ The Rail Club Live
5.15 - Houston, TX @ Acadia Bar & Grill
5.16 - Gulfport, MS @ Gulf Coast Beer & Metal Fest
5.17 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Warrior On The River
5.18 - New Port Richey, FL @ The Verona
5.19 - Orlando, FL @ Soundbar
5.20 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
5.21 - Chesapeake, VA @ Riffhouse Pub
5.22 - Turtle Creek, PA @ Sub Alpine Society**
5.23 - Battle Creek, MI @ The Music Factory**
* - No Blood Of Angels
** - No Filth

Devour Once Dead AXEMEN guitar interview / Chris Dolphin

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

I am Chris Dolphin, I am in Devour Once Dead, Hail Satan

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar?

Honestly, to say who got me wanting to pick up the guitar goes back to my grandma, she bought me my first guitar at age 5. But when I seriously started playing its James Hetfield and Dimebag Darrell who by learning their stuff made me technically sound and made me what I am today, there are many others but those are the top of the list as far as what drove me to pick up that guitar and play every day.



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

100% self taught


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

I can read music but not great, I taught myself tab and went from there



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

I feel like I do have my own sound/tone, it's heavy but clean n' crisp

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

My guitar is an LTD but no clue year or model? Same with the one that is Jason's that used to be Nicks …….I mean that's not what I want to say but need to find out



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

The green LTD has active but my other guitar don’t, the Green LTD's pick ups are amazing….James Hetfield ones….not sure the name of them….Nick would know (he installed them) again this isn't my answer, just saying


  

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

My amp is a Bugera 6262… but honestly am not sure of the cab I use, its not mine and it's like the 4th one I've used since mine took a shit



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

My pedal board is a Gator Pro. As far as what pedals I use Chromatic Tuner, MXR 10 Band EQ, Cry Baby, and a NR300 Noise Reducer.

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

Dream Rig? I don’t fucking know.



11.What guitarist can you not stand?

I can't think of one.



12. Is tone more important or is technique?

Tone is as equally important as technique to me. However I do think great technique can cover up a great tone.



13. Name your top 5 guitarist

Dimebag Darrell

Zakk Wylde

Jeff Hennaman

Dave Mustaine

Jerry Cantrell



14.Who is the most overrated guitarist

Me. Lol Honestly though Kim Thayil from Sound Garden.

  

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

Easily Dimebag Darrell.

Devour Once Dead AXEMEN guitar interview

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

John Ewing. I play for Devour Once Dead

2.Who made you want to pick up the guitar

I was a late bloomer. My father asked me on my 18th birthday what I wanted, and I said a guitar. I never picked one up before then. I realized right away that I was born to play.



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

.Self taught for the most part. There was a friend that helped me out in the beginning. But I started simple. I learned songs by ear, mostly punk songs. It took me a bit to play metal.



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

I learned tabs pretty easy. Reading music not so much. I can kinda understand it but I never really felt a need for it.

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

Most definitely. I'm really picky about tone. I learned along the way that if you invest into your equipment, you achieve the tone your looking for.



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

It’s a Black Schecter Hellraiser 7 string. I bought it recently. I also like to use ESP brand.

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

I've always liked the EMG active pickups. Mine has the popular 87 and 66.





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

I have a Peavey 6505+. It has great tone right out of the box. But I also like to DI my pedalboard. Less gear to lug around.

 

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

I have a Headrush pedalboard. An amazing piece of equipment. I can mold my own sound very easily. And I can DI it without requiring a cab or amp.



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

I'm pretty satisfied with what I have. I could always use more guitars though lol.



11.What guitarist can you not stand?

There's really no one I can say. I might not like ones style, but everyone has their own unique way.



12. Is tone more important or is technique?

Both are equally important if you want to achieve great songs.


13. Name your top 5 guitarist

Tom Searle from Architects (RIP)

Seth Blake from Wage War

J.B. Stead from Miss May I

Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree

Oli Herbert from All That Remains (RIP)



14.Who is the most overrated guitarist

Never really thought about it. I don’t like cocky guitarist though. Ones that think they are the show. You have to be a team in a band.

   

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

Tom Searle. I love his writing technique, and I find myself looking toward something similar.

BATTERY DRUMMER INTERVIEW : Nick Goodwin / Devour Once Dead

1.What is your name and what band do you play for?

Nick Goodwin, I play for Devour Once Dead

   

2.Who made you want to play drums and why?

My dad use to play in a Black Sabbath cover band in the 70's. He would show me different techniques and skills.

3.When did you get your first kit? Tell us about it…

I was 12 years old and it was a piece of shit from Sam's Club.

   

4.Were your parents supportive of you and your loud / expensive new habit?

Dad was! Mom was not, she would always say, " you don’t need to buy that its to expensive, your never going to play it."

5.What drum performance on an album is perfection to you?

All is War by Sevendust/Gojira

   

6.Tell us about your current kit and set up in DETAIL.

Tama Star Classic in Bubinga Birch. I use Iron Cobra P900 Double Kick My Symbols are Sabian AAX, Ziljian Oriental Custom China, Z Belts

7.If you could have a dream kit tell us about it in DETAIL

I already own my dream kit. The only other thing that I want is another kick drum.

8.Name your top 5 drummers excluding Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy

Morgan Rose

Dirk Verbeuren

Mario Duplamtkier

John Rutsey

Jurica Jakus

9.Do you prefer Live or Studio?

Studio.

10.Do drummers really get all the chicks and if so how do we convince the guitarist?

Bass players are gay, the guitarists already think they get all the chicks but the chicks tend to all flock to the drummer and vocalist.

Devour Once Dead Ten Pounder interview

Ten Pounder: Hello and welcome to The Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!

  

TP: Do you feel the band's music would have the same impact as it does now with fans if the makeup, costumes and theatrics were not present?

Sometimes the makeup and costumes can be a pain in the ass but the fact that we do it now we cant really go back.

TP: What lead the band to decide to include makeup as part of their stage persona? Was it more than just a way to stand out?

We were already trying something with doing a unique look with chef coats but it wasn’t coming off how we wanted it to so we decided to step it up a notch.

TP: How is Devour Once Dead different from other acts, such as Wednesday 13, Gwar, King Diamond and Rob Zombie, that used theatrics and makeup as part of their artist persona? Would the band's music have the same impact as it does now with fans if the makeup and theatrics were not present?

I think Devour could pull a stage presents off without any of the theatrics and makeup and it would still bring a great performance.

TP: Does being primarily a Horror Metal band limiting in any way with regards to songwriting and fan appeal?

   

Id say yeah, We always wanted to not be black balled into a certain category but I think we ended up doing it to ourselves anyway

TP: What are your thoughts on bands using pre recorded material and backing tracks?

 Does it diminish the band's abilities and mislead audience's expectations in any way as some critics have stated?

It depends? I love seeing bands in their raw forms, but I totally understand why bands do it. If you want to look professional and have your own lights and build a "show" then you almost need to do it.

TP: In your opinion, can a band have a sustainable career just following musical trends?

I think if you're just making music depending on what's popular at the time, then you're not really doing it for the love of music

TP: With over 25,000 new songs releasing daily, does a band need a gimmick to get an audience’s attention and have their music heard?

It's kind of sad but true. There's so many bands out there now and with the attention span people have nowadays, you need something to catch their eye

TP: Do you think bands today could survive without social media? Is it possible for a band to have an audience without Facebook? Is it really that valuable to success?

I don’t think so, that’s just the era we live in now. There is no more scouts out there looking for new talent. It's 100% up to you to push your band to get out there. Then if you're lucky enough to get enough views, shares, downloads ect…. Then maybe a record company will look at you.

TP: Does Devour Once Dead consider it a cutting-edge band...and if so, how would you compare that to other bands that have pushed the artistic envelope in sight and sound?

I would definitely say we try to be. But again there is so much music out there I think its hard for anybody to be really cutting edge and something no one has heard before.

TP: What can fans expect to see from Devour Once Dead in 2020?

 

We are currently working on new material with our new guitarist John Ewing, so potentially a new album. We have been talking to some promoters to help with booking a tour this summer and we will be hosting the 3rd annual Midwest Metal Massacre in our home town of Sioux City IA, last year went really good, we had Gabriel and the Apocalypse and Blue Felix headline, so hoping to keep it going and getting bigger each year.

   

TP: Thanks again for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated.

"AN OLD SCHOOL ALBUM REVIEW" with: SIN MG

My assignment this episode was SIN MG..
A band based out of Chicago, Illinois.

I've followed them for a little bit before doing the review.. probably about three months.. since they're also a METAL COFFEE band..

I did a little interview with the band before doing the album review..
I asked him about tunings, bands they've played with, major accomplishments of 2019, and their goals for 2020..
Here's what they said:

Tunings: Drop D and Drop A
Bands we’ve played with: Red, Shamans Harvest, Psychostick and more
2019: we graduated from the bar circuit and only played at legit music venues, we were offered our first record deal (we did not accept), we worked with a new manager, David Atkins and we were offered tours in Russia and a two-week tour across the States with Enuff Z Nuff.

2020: we are focusing on the major music venues in downtown Chicago in 2020, starting with Bottom Lounge. We are also working on a show at the House of Blues and we are going to be playing Canafest in August at SeatGeek Stadium with some amazing national bands like 311.

We are currently working on a full length album that we hope will be complete by spring 2020. Our prior two albums are demo albums that we recorded in my basement. For this new album we are working with Jordon Popp. Jordon is an accomplished producer in Chicago. The material for this album will include some of the older demo material from previous albums, as well as some brand new material.

*LET'S GET TO THE REVIEW*

One of the things I notice first about SIN MG is that it's hard to compare them to another band..
Which is GREAT !!!
That means they sound like SIN MG !!!
That's hard to find in a band..
But if I had to put a comparison to them, some bands that I'm reminded of after listening to their music are..
Marilyn Manson
(Mechanical Animals album)
Bullet for my Valentine
Nine Inch Nails

1.)  36 CRAVEN ST.

I really like the creepy intro..
Craven St. sounds haunted..
Good vocals..
I kept waiting for an explosion, but it's a slower song.

2.) AFTERLIFE

They told me this was a super new song, not many people have heard it yet..
This song brings a sledgehammer sound..
Thumping bass lines..
With the drop tunings you can hear the chugs well..
Vocals match riffs..
Good backing vocals..
Good build-up in bridge, which chugs into a full pause, hard to do..
I like the rowdy ending.

3.) LIGHT

The album is named after this song..
They really let the deep tunings work for themselves..
I liked the yelling part..
Good beat..
Not too complicated riffs, it's their timing that pushes the band..
And then they surprised me with a great solo in this song !!
You could probably run a jackhammer to this song..
Inspired by the Chris Cornell story..
Watching the YouTube video was what I expected this song to look like.

4.) WAIT

Heavy bass driven song..
Good guitar attack with chugs..
Good riffing..
Probably awesome live..
Great timing..
Sounds fun to yell this song..
Good blendz on guitar.

5.) BURNING EYES

I liked the intro, it has a chorus effect to it..
Lead guitar is good, creating a fuller sound..
Loved the sound of the background singing..
Good lyrics, vocals are really good..
Awesome solo, sounded like finger tapping..
Really good song, blends together so well..

6.) WICKED WAYS

I got a file of this song live, which was way better in my opinion, there's just something to say about hearing it live..
Another sledgehammer opening..
Solid groove..
Solid vocals and backing vocals..
A medium paced song..
Loved the sound at the end.

7.) IT'S ALL OVER

A different song from the others..
Great groove when the bridge hits, into a really good chorus..
Seems to have a violin sound which was really cool..
Spoken part is awesome, back into that crushing bridge..
Great ending..
Just a really good song.

8.) WHO AM I

Another song I got to hear live, I really enjoyed this one it has a great up tempo start..
Solid riffing..
Definitely a mosh pit song..
Whiplash effects with vocals..
That riff kills it, right back into that break down..
This is the song you play drums on your steering wheel to..
There's a DEFINITE breakdown in the middle, it just crushes it..
This was my favorite song on the album it was totally amazing.

9.) REMEMBER

Loved this immediately..
Really a different sound..
Comes together well..
Bringing whole band in the unity with a good groove..
Vocals are really good, matching the beat..
Builds up and comes down in waves..
Really good solo, back into the groove again.

10.) HELL BELOW

Unique guitar sound..
Probably a hard song to sing, but they nailed it..
I really like this song, trying to explain it was difficult, but that's what makes it so good..
Vocals driven..
Good job mixing different sounds.

by: Jeremy Amack

FOR ALL THINGS SIN MG PLEASE VISIT:


https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kKTRvvOMZKT4EPMdgKK5T?si=lbmBoVtYSN65f0XdWFhcCg

https://www.youtube.com/user/sinmg13

Twitter.com/_SinMG

Facebook.com/sinmg

Miko/Burdizzo Vokills interview

Hey all! This is Miko, and I’m the vocalist for Burdizzo! 

2.What / Who made you want to sing? 

Growing up, between the 70’s & 90’s, there were all the obvious icons that inspired me to sing along when I would hear them on the radio or spin their records. But, as far motivating me to actually want to get a band together and grab the mic, is when I saw two Canadian legends: Sudden Impact & Voivod, play together at the El Mocambo here in Toronto. Damn. As I write this, it hits me. It was 1988. It was an All Ages gig and I was 15! The night blew my mind! To think a couple Canadian bands, at that level and genre could pack a club was unimaginable to me. Of course at that point I had only been to a couple large arena type concerts before that. Being under age, in a club and having some understanding that this is how it starts with a lot of bands, that was it. I was hooked.  

3.Who was the first singer you saw live that gave you chills? 

 

Well. Here we are at another Voivod concert, this time with Soundgarden and Faith No More opening. Yes, Voivod was the headliner on this leg of the tour. Lol. Anyway, we all heard that FNM got a new singer and being more of a Voivod fan at that point, I didn’t expect much. I hadn’t bought The Real Thing yet, and not even sure I heard anything from it at that point. FNM hit the stage and they killed it. Mike Patton was this inhuman being executing almost every vocal style imaginable with precision and it was stunning. The only other vocalist that gave me that same feeling was The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato. It was the Miss Machine tour and the first time I had seen them live. In both cases, I just stopped dead in my tracks and slowly back up and watched in utter amazement.  

4.Many people say heavy music is just screaming, How would you combat that statement? 

Perception and personal taste is a complex thing. To a lot of people this statement is correct. There’s screaming, then there’s screaming in key. A lot of my friends and family members, despite their never ending support, don’t understand why I love this. Why I do it. And they’ll   

never understand the skills involved to keep doing it well. Personally, I can’t even begin to explain the theoretical components of our style of singing versus that of more palatable styles. I can hit a bite or two and carry a tune but this is just style is just so much fun and rewarding. So for those who don’t get it, I don’t lose sleep over it. There are so many more important debates to engage in than arguing to justify our vocal style as a bonafide skill and art.  

5.If you growl or do harsh vocals how do you keep your voice after such violent performances? 

Luck! Back to the previous question, with regards to screaming in key or properly, I’m sure a lot of us have developed our style over time. I paid close attention to what worked, sounded and felt good. Sounds and techniques that didn’t work were abandoned very quickly. I definitely struggled in the beginning but my vocal journey became heavier over the years. From starting my first punk/thrash band to joining a more thrash/grove/hardcore band and eventually being part of the formation of Burdizzo and delving deep into Grindcore. It was always a genre I loved, and integrated a bit of it to my performances, but going full tilt takes me to a another level of being. It’s cathartic, therapeutic and deeply satisfying to be able to physically do it and still have a voice after every performance. In my 20 plus years of doing this, I’ve done sets in perfect health and ailing from some flu or cold and am fortunate enough to say that I’ve never lost my voice due to aggressive singing. Physically, it’s taxing and the day after of a set is very challenging to normalize, so pacing myself between sets and rehearsals is important as well.  

6. Do you have a warm up routine? Tell u bout it ? 

I tend to keep to myself and shut up before a set. Breathing exercises are very important. So a lot of deep breaths, long holds and slow releases to get my lung capacity ready for every rehearsal or set helps. I’ve gone cold a few times due to time constraints and have never been particularly happy with the over all performance of those sets because I know I’m holding back so I don’t do any damage. Stretching helps as well. Especially for the next day.  

7. Do you think power or performance is more important? 

 

Both. At least for us. Fans of Grindcore will know if ones faking or dialing it in. Even fans of any genre can tell when a vocalist isn’t 100% and that’s part of being human so I don’t judge too harshly when I watch a bad performance. If it’s fatigue from touring too heavily or just them having a bad day, I appreciate the effort they give to fans. Vocalists who don’t care and just roll in and out of every city like it’s a chore or a job bore me. That’s when it’s time to hang it up. It’s important to connect sonically, visually and emotionally at shows and personally, I don’t care if there’s 10 or 100 peopling the room, I’m  going to give it my all.  

8. Who do you think gets unfair vocal praise, someone the world thinks is great but is not? / And who is great but does not get the credit? 

James Hetfield. Hands down. I am one of those fans that loved Metallica up until the Black album. I just didn’t get it. I thought it was too soon in their career to shift to that style of metal. So 
when everyone in mainstream music we’re praising him as a great vocalist at that point, I though it was a joke. Especially since around the same time, to answer who never got full recognition for amazing pipes, was a vocalist from a little know band from a galaxy far, far away that we’re destroying cities all over the world! Gwar’s David Brockie is a phenomenally skilled vocalist. His range almost rivals Mike Patton, and every time I’ve seen Gwar, he never disappointed.. I remember one year, Air Canada lost some of their luggage including Dave and Danielle’s, (Slymenstra Hymen), costumes. They came out on stage and explained what happened and asked the crowd if they wanted them to go in with the show, as we responded with a huge resounding roar of approval and they basically performed in their birthday suits. That night, Dave was free. He wasn’t weighed down or restricted by his costume Andre was in fire! He probably played the best set I had ever seen and he sounded amazing. I miss that guy.  

9.Name your top 5 vocalist 

Heavy Music World/inspirationally specific, and not easy to do, I’d say: 

1-Mike Patton  2-David Brockie 3-Kevin Sharp 4-Greg Puciato  5-LG Petrov 

10.Micheal Buble or Jim Gallette? Just testing your skills here 

I have no idea who Jim Galette is. Buble is Canadian, so he gets props for that but I wouldn’t say he’s as talented as people think. So, I’ll go with Jim Gallette! 

11.Who do you love to listen to that would surprise people?. 

 

I love Beth Gibbons of Portishead and I am a huge fan of Jeff Buckley. There will never be another like him.  

12.If you could remove the autotune from any singer who would it be? 

All of them.