DEEP AMD HARD BASS INTERVIEW : MURDER VAN

 

1.Why Bass?

 

To bring the low-end frequencies. Music without bass sounds incomplete and even irritating at times. To my ears, it sounds best with a full range of sound. The complete package.

And that sums up why I am playing bass in Murder Van, it needs it. We play old school thrash and death metal, with very few opportunities to walk scales, I am really just playing guitar on bass for the most part.

2.Do you think it is unfair or just lack of knowledge bass gets so little credit?

I wasn’t really aware of that. It might be relative to the genre more in some cases. Our fans, in particular, have a tendency to have a solid knowledge base in music, and the majority also play instruments on their own and in bands. I guess for the rest of the people out there, it would be a lack of knowledge.

3.What kind of bass do you use? Model , color , year , And why

I am currently using a late-model Ibanez Soundgear Gio series 5 string with active pickups. It is a deep orange color. I purchased it from Tommy Stewart who used it in the last culmination of thrash legends Hallows Eve. My main reason for this particular bass is that it feels more like a guitar in my hands, and I’m really just a guitar player. I’m even contemplating switching to a short-scale bass to improve accuracy when shredding. It’s kinda tough moving extremely fast on the low side haha. This also seems like a good time to add that I use a pick. I am a full-time picker, no finger playing.

4.Tell us about your amplification

I am currently running a Hartke LH1000 through a Decibel Sound Implements 212 cab. It’s loaded with Italian-made Faital PRO 12s. It sounds amazing and can get into the ridiculous sound pressure levels. It is the smallest loudest thing you’ll ever stand in front of. We call it “Mini-Monster”. As I recall, I told Jerimy at Decibel, that I wanted to see the audience puking when I crank it past 5. Mission accomplished!

5. With all of that being said do you feel tone is an important thing for bass?

Yes, absolutely. Bass tone will completely change the sound of a band. For some quick, easy reference just listen to Motorhead and Iron Maiden. They are very different yet give each band a very distinct character. My preference is for a clean, tight tone, that rattles your eyeballs while maintaining a brightness and clarity that defines every note.

6.Do you prefer 5 strings over 4 string?

For bass I definitely prefer the extended range of the 5 string. Although, anything beyond that and you are either entering the guitar frequency or just muddying up your sound. I don’t want to have to rely on a sound engineer to bring out my frequency because I’m going into mud-range or crossing into guitar territory. I wasn’t a fan of 5 strings to begin with either, I switched because I’m playing a C# standard tuning and needed my strings to be tighter and not flop around when playing fast. Over time I found that the extended low frequency on a 5 string can add a heaviness that is otherwise not achievable.

7.Who is your favorite bassist?

The “favorite whatever” questions are always a tough one for me. I don’t have an absolute favorite and the answer might be different next week. That being said, Cliff Burton has been blowing me away since the early 80s. I can definitely relate to playing bass like it’s a guitar, which he does. And he also displays some prowess in composition, which impresses me as well.

8. Who is your least favorite bassist?

I don’t know. Sid Vicious sucked real bad haha!

9.Why do you think women seem to be attracted to playing bass?

Are they really? It must be because I’m secretly just an Okish guitar player that they leave me alone haha….Now that I’m thinking about it, it might have something to do with the long reach of our fingers and/or the tendency for bass players to have a soul patch or sport some other chin hair without a mustache.

10. What bassist dead or alive would you like a private lesson with?

I could probably benefit from a lesson from anyone since I’ve never had any. I’ll go with Cliff again on this one, he’s just a badass. Forever.

11. Bonus question

Bobby Doll , Nikki Sixx , Les Claypool , Billy Sheehan  which is more ridiculous and why

To my knowledge, Les Claypool has done the most off-the-wall stuff out of that list. Ridiculous is a fitting description, at times. He’s just all over the place, tapping, mixing styles and genres. I have a lot of respect for the guy, and have some of his music in my collection.

AGE OF FIRE Signs with Pitchfork Management

 AGE OF FIRE Signs with Pitchfork Management:

Formed in South Florida in 1988 by Greg Brown and Jeff Osias, together they quickly set out to create their own form own thrash metal paying homage to their influences. In the following year they were joined by Clint Jacoby on bass. Having played clubs in New York, New Jersey and across Florida, with airplay on WSHE, WSOU, WKPX and many other radio stations, they proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Mention was also been given to the band in Jam Magazine, Tonight Today, Groove Magazine, XS, East Coast Rocker, Wasteland and the Showtime section of the Fort Lauderdale’s Sun Sentinel. Over the years they morphed into The Village Idiots and played more alternative rock until they disbanded in 1993.

But in 2008, Greg Brown took up the torch again and mastered all of the original tracks from reel to reel from sessions recorded in New Jersey and Florida and transferred to digital format. This self-titled 20th anniversary CD, Age of Fire, was released on iTunes and many other digital outlets. 

Turn the clock to 2018 and Greg released the 30th anniversary disc of Age of Fire that hit digital outlets on Halloween. On Christmas, the all new full length CD entitled Obsidian Dreams came out and the response has been very positive. For this release, Greg has tagged in other musicians such as Steve Sanderson and Arnaud Krakowka on drums while he takes on duties of vocals, bass and keyboards for himself. This CD starts a new chapter for the band. 

2019 was a busy and productive year for Age of Fire with more and more streaming outlets, magazine features, podcasts, blogs, online interviews and radio stations picking up their music around the globe. A few new singles have been released for the upcoming CD called Shades of Shadow such as Time is Running Out, Fairystones and the lyric video King of Aquilonia. This new full-length CD came in in February 2020 and was the largest release to date and released on Sliptrick Records. Adding their talents to this new release is Laura Viglione on vocals and Michael Heck doing bass and drums as well as recording, mixing and mastering with a few guest musicians as well. It has been great to have more people involved for Greg to achieve his vision of Age of Fire. Laura’s voice expands the vocal possibilities of the band and having Michael behind the sound board has brought the band to new heights sonically yet to be head by the band before. This disc expands and broadens the band’s musical palette with some crushing vocal tracks and harmonies, classical influences and more unique instrumentals that have become a new trademark for the band. Steve Sanderson and Arnaud Krakowka also make guest appearances on this CD on drums as well. 

Greg started playing guitar at 12, inspired by AC/DC and then moved quickly into Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio and Van Halen. He started performing metal at age 14 in a variety of venues around South Florida with his middle and high school band Assault. In 1988, he started Age of Fire which performed in South Florida but also New York and New Jersey for 6 months. Eventually their writing style of collaboration morphed into the Village Idiots which finally disbanded in 1993. During the 80s, Greg was a fan of the mix of metal and classical music, artists like Randy Rhoads, Van Halen, Savatage and Yngwie J. Malmsteen to just name a few. After the Village Idiots disbanded, Greg moved to Virginia in 1993. At that time Greg pursued classical guitar and to date has written over 20 books of sheet music (see Les Productions D’Oz) including orchestral works (see J. W. Pepper), over 20 CDs, wrote music for TV, Film and Video games (pickup music for the Zojoi series Sherlock Holmes: The Consulting Detective ) but has found his home again playing his style of heavy metal but adding musical elements he has picked up along the way. Greg also sits in with jazz and blues musicians locally and spends time on stage with the contemporary band Vibe Riot, whose palette is reggae, funk, blues, and rap. 

Michael Heck is a multi-instrumentalist and producer from Charlottesville, Virginia. Mike first met Greg Brown when they worked together at a local music store in the late 90’s. Though Mike enjoyed the music of a number of metal bands prior to that time (Metallica, Pantera), it was Greg who was largely responsible for exposing him to a broader palate of metal: Nevermore, Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickenson, Queensryche, Helloween, King Diamond, and countless others. Greg’s relentless desire to ensure that Mike was exposed to as much awesome metal as possible shaped his musical tastes for decades to come. Mike began on drums in his high school drumline, learning guitar and bass guitar from friends during high school. He began recording and producing music on his cassette 4-track in high school and has been honing his instrumental and recording skills in the 25 years since. Years later, when he offered to work with Greg on some Age of Fire material, a great collaboration was born, and Mike happily took over bass duties in the group. 

Laura Viglione is a vocalist from Charlottesville. She began her singing career in high school choir, later joining the Richmond rock band Laden Angel in the mid 2000’s as a keyboardist and backing vocalist, then forming her own group, Supervixen in 2015. Greg has long admired her voice and knew she’d be a great fit for metal and when working on the new Age of Fire album realized he had some songs that were perfect for her to sing and expand on the ground work that has been laid out before. 

Together they form Age of Fire. Look for them where ever music is streamed and downloaded as well as retail stores and on the stage in support of their latest CD, Shades of Shadow! 

https://youtu.be/x_sS88gamSo

Hedon (SWE) - Presents their next upcoming release and their album cover!

 Hedon (SWE) - Presents their next upcoming release and their album cover!

Death/Thrash/Black Metal from Sweden!

Listen;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC4l-zVBkLA

 INFO;

https://www.downfallrecords.com/hedon-swe/ 

In co-work with Pagan Art!

Pre-order MCD + VINYL + CASSETTE now; downfall_records@live.se

Join our news /PR list:

http://eepurl.com/bFLwoD

-ASK for Wholesales and distribution terms!

/MIKE

-------------------------------------------------------------

www.downfallrecords.com

webshop:

https://downfallrecords.8merch.com/

merch store:

https://stores.merchprint.se/produkter/downfall-records/

--------------------------------------------------------------

Promotion:Metal Coffee Promotion (usa)

+

-NEW distributer for Sweden; Bengans!

https://www.bengans.se/sv/artiklar/labels/downfall-records/index.html?

I ANSWERED QUESTIONS

 

Wes Moose Jaques “Moose”

Metal Coffee Promotions
The Metal Times
September 2020

Interviewed by:
Laura Williams
Vinyl Lollipops

Laura:
Please tell us a little about yourself, Mr. Jaques.

Wes:
I am an introvert, very quiet guy who loooooooves music. I have much to say but usually, I keep my opinions to myself because they would not be approved of by many. Instead of being bothered with it, I just stay quiet.

I played in bands, guitar, bass, and drums. I’ve been in the recording studio, on the road and I have a broadcasting degree. I love radio, long walks on the beach, and Drew Barrymore?

I don’t know really what to say. I’m a dude that Iives in Oklahoma City with my family, my dogs, and my ever-growing music memorabilia collection.

Laura:
How long have you been working in the music scene?

Wes:
I guess if you include the bands I’ve played in since I was 16, it’s been a while. Being in a band does not constitute one in the biz. Very unpopular statement there. I do not know if I am in the biz, am I?

What I do is so anti biz, the biz has torches and pitchforks out for me. I started in radio to go against the grain to be like no other DJ and well, that was not well accepted.

I started writing music reviews for The Metal Observer, which at the time 2001-ish was still located in Germany and only did reviews in German, well until me. I started The American Office of TMO and a few years later ended up at Wacken with full press credentials lol, it was hella cool.

So, I guess it was 2001 when I got stamped with being “IN” The Biz.

Laura:
Do you have a favorite music genre?

Wes:
Yep! Jazz, I am a total jazz nerd. When I’m not grinding like a cracked out mad person listening to Discordance Axis, I enjoy Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and the likes.

Laura:
Your support of the music scene is very much appreciated! What’s coming up for the rest of 2020?

Wes:
It’s s good to hear that. It is a lonely thankless job. So thank you.

That is a good question. If I am blessed enough to have the business to keep me busy. Metal Coffee will continue to deliver killer PR! I’ve also launched Incipio Records 2 and bands are now recording. First bands are hush, hush right now. Wink, wink.

Laura:
What is the best way for bands to contact you for more information?

Wes:
Follow this link and send me a PM:
https://www.facebook.com/METALMOOSEOK

Laura:
Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?

Wes:
Oh yeah, here are the things I do and how to get there:
https://www.facebook.com/METALMOOSEOK

www.themetaltimes.com

www.metalcoffeepr.com

www.themetalmoose.com

Laura Williams
©Vinyl Lollipops
All Rights Reserved.

TATTOO U : Tomi Cassandra

 Tomi Cassandra 

1. First off thank you for taking the time to speak to the metal times.

please tell us your name and what you do for a living.

My name is Tomi Cassandra and I am a tattoo artist! 

2. So obviously this is an interview regarding tattoos, let's talk about your art and why it is important to you.

Art has always been important to me because everyone has a means of expression, mine was always art. Though outwardly I have lots of friends I always felt like a lone wolf and I found art to be my best friend and a way to feel like I expended my extra emotion. As a teen we harbor loads of emotions so to have a healthy way to express them was very important to me in my formative years. 

3. What made you want to get a tattoo? And how many people told you not to do it? And did it make you think twice?

I always looked up to people specifically women with tattoos because I relate to women’s struggle like in the 90s how it was said to not be ladylike to have tattoos. I got my first one at fifteen and went buck wild. I was never really a lady more of a tomboy so anything that made me less ladylike was my favorite thing. 

5. What was your first piece? how did you pick it out and was it done professionally(where) or underground? (where)

My first piece like I said was when I was fifteen my friend's dad did tattoos out of his house with what seemed like fifty chihuahuas  (I love chihuahuas) I got a butterfly which my mom suggested. I still don’t like it because it was very much not me. I quickly went back and got a full chest piece, my mom was not amused when she realized I was wearing sweaters in summer and found my chest piece. 

6.were you scared about the pain or the consequences more?

None of the above. If you want something then those things shouldn’t hinder you from having what you want. Like I relate tattoos to children because it’s a decision that lasts a lifetime. And it’s very painful to go through but the outcome is what you should focus on. 

7. How has your art hurt or helped your career or has it hindered anything that made you wish you didn’t have it?

Art always helps with tattooing that’s like saying someone is a chef but thinks food is hindering their ability to grow. 

8. Are you about a story with your pieces or are you just into cool art? In other words, does your skin tell a story

I have many tattoos I consider “bookmarks” but they aren’t specific to the memory usually. When moving on in my life I don’t feel like I should immortalize the memories  if they’re supposed to pass rather reminisce and move onward. 

9. Is any of it about extremity pain/pleasure or is it more expression

Expression always but the pain is a rite of passage. I, however, have trouble tattooing someone’s comfortably if I know they’re in a lot of pain. It’s important to know your boundaries and not push your body past it’s limits. That is an agreement and respect between the artist and canvas. 

10. Is there an end game? When do you think you will be finished

I don’t ever want to be finished. This job keeps you on your toes and you can constantly learn. If you’re already planning an end game maybe you’re not as passionate as you think about your job. 

11. What is your number one favorite tattoo and why?

 

This is a big question because I love lots of styles but black work and black and grey realism are my favorite by far. 

12. How do you feel about getting a partner’s name or initials? Is the curse real?

To each their own I have a few exes tattoos that we got matching but never names. I feel like people should live in the moment and make mistakes and love hard because at the time it’s what makes them happy and I’ll be here to cover it up if it goes otherwise. 

13. Do you have and if so are you willing to admit you have a barbed wire band tat?

No I don’t. And I don’t think thats in the table got my future.

THE TIMES COMPLETLY NON SERIOUS INTERFIEW WITH Acherontia Styx

 1.Thanks for taking the time to talk to The Metal Times! You have a new album out, Tell us about it!

The album is called "Shadow And Flame". It's a Tolkien reference to The Balrog. We all love a bit of fantasy and sci-fi, plus the term rings true on our material. Theres a lot of red hot Death Metal rage on this album, but a lot of dark emotion too. 

We started writing the album immediately following the release of "Your Possible Pasts" last year, after bringing in Adam and Jake to complete the lineup.

Having a full lineup has really helped as that EP was just written by me and Paul. The drummer we worked with back then only brought negativity into the process, which really hindered what we wanted to achieve. 

With this, it's all about enjoyment. If one of us wants to try something, we try it. It's why we swap up writing, singing and composition roles all the time, creativity knows no bounds. 

2.Where was it recorded? Is all the material new?

We have carried one track forward from last years EP, "Eyes Of Glass". That track got us a lot of good press and support and was the only track that's strong enough to compete with the new stuff. 

Similarly "Dressed In You" was written in it's entirety about 8 years ago, but never released. We figured now would be an ideal time to unleash that on the world. 

As with any writing process, sometimes you bring forward riffs, lyrics, patterns etc that you've been toying with for years, sometimes even decades but never used. There's a few riffs like that in the songs and a few sets of lyrics that have been dragged from the depths. 

3.What is the biggest difference between your last release and the new one?

Variation and emotion are the probably the two biggest differences from a thematic perspective. That and it's just infinitely heavier. Adam does our production and the guy has brought out a phenomenally heavy sound. 

As i mentioned before, if we want to try something, we just go and do it. There is no "I'm the vocalist so I sing everything" for one thing. That's literally the reason I transitioned from Bass to Vocals many years ago, I was sick of working with people like that

There's definitely no "We can't play or say that, because it's not Metal". Can you imagine the state of modern music if groups like The Beatles had put boundaries around their creativity and their roles within the bands? We're all multi talented and multi instrumental, so we use that to make sure that we have the best fit. 

4.Are you signed to a label? , If so which one and how did they help or support the process?

Dwarrowdelf Records was initially formed by Paul, as a means of distributing his Dinenthal material. Last year with Pauls agreement, I took hold of the label in name to try and expand our facilities out to include Merch, PR, Videography, Post Production and expand our roster. We have all these facilities in place, meaning we are our own support network. 

Naturally the pandemic has put a lot of the expansion plans on hold, especially the plans to expand the roster.

5.What has been going on with the band between albums? Did you tour?

Getting ourselves in a position to be able to gig was the primary concern. Obviously with current world events that's completely off the table now for the forseeable future which was really unfortunate. 

In some senses though, it's proved our writing method, as there was a lot of bouncing ideas back and forward on emails involved in our writing due to us having families, kids etc. That's a method that all bands are having to adopt now in order to stay creative, we already had that communication down and refined.

6.Do you have any new members?

8Yes, after the release of "Your Possible Pasts" we parted company with our original drummer and drafted in Adam and Jake on guitar and drums respectively. Those guys have been gigging together since they were kids, so their chemistry is absolute dynamite. It was an old project of theirs that I was also involved in that yielded the song "Dressed In You". 

As well as bringing a huge amount of talent and diversity to the sound, Adam is also an excellent studio producer. Having a different methodology in the mix to contrast against Paul has led to an evolution in the sound that we're extremely happy with. 

7.Who produced the new album and how did they effect the album?

Yeah, as mentioned above Adam and Paul are responsible for the production. Essentially, Adam deals with the mixing and production of the music, and Paul produces and mixes the vocals, which are then brought together for Adams final mastering. They both have an amazing ear for sound. 

8.Some like to record naked or in the dark with candles , Did you have any strange studio practices?

No, totally boring I'm afraid. Beers and cups of tea is about as weird as our recording sessions got. 

9.Of course tell us where to pick up your album and how to learn more about you.

We have all the relevant download channels and social media. Naturally due to their artist support, we'd prefer people to download via bandcamp. Not being able to generate funds from gigs had stalled up a physical release, so there's a couple of merch links below too. 

https://dwarrowdelfrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC77g7oZ_ZYxt0jev0oDRhnw

https://www.facebook.com/officialacherontiastyx/

https://www.teepublic.com/en-gb/user/dwarrowdelf-records

https://www.cafepress.com/profile/dwarrowdelf_records

10.What is your plans now that the new album is out?

To get people to listen to it! 

We're extremely proud of the quality of the material on this album. Each of us has been active in music since we were kids and we all agree that this is the best stuff any of us have put out. 

AN OLD SCHOOL ALBUM REVIEW featuring MURDER VAN

 On this episode of An Old School Album Review, we're discussing MURDER VAN.

https://www.facebook.com/naVredruM/

We spoke with the band prior to this review here's what they had to say:

1. Tuning?  

MURDER VAN tune to C# standard so everything is a step and a half down from standard 440.    

2. Bands you have played with?   

We have played with Nasty Savage, Deathcrown, Wormreich, we've played a few shows with Neverfall from Greenville S.C. the majority of our shows have been in or around Atlanta with the other bands in the local Metal scene.   

 3. Accomplishments?  We formed the band in March of 2018, went into the studio to record our full length debut only three and a half months after forming the band. I admit it now that I rushed things, really trying to push the band, and the result came out  a bit rough. We released it ourselves with no label backing. But, the album went on to win Metal Addicts album of the year 2019.  We thank a strong Atlanta Metal Scene for putting in the votes and for all of the support that we have received in our short existence. The response and support have been awesome. We have been included in a few compilations Metal Hammer Portugal #16, Slowly We Rot #15 from Romania. We have received great reviews from numerous Metal publications as well as a positive feature on Metal Injection.    

4.Goals?  

The current pandemic has been a huge set back in achieving some of the goals that we have set. I really wanted to release new music before the end of this year. The writing process is almost complete and we are hoping to release a new album in early 2021. We are wanting to do some proper touring and play some festivals. We are also interested in considering offers from labels.   

 5.Funny / Weird story about the band?  Our first out of state show was weird and looking back was funny, at the time I didn't think it was funny. We went down to Jacksonville FL. We were excited to be playing out of town, looking forward to putting on a good show. We were more than a little miss led by the details of the event. When we pulled up I asked DethRay if we are at the right place.. We were in a parking lot under an interstate bridge. There were probably 30-40 people around, street kids, skaters, and a few homeless guys. There was ONE extension cord coming off of a power pole about 50 feet away. I have played in some strange places but I will never forget when MURDER VAN played Jacksonville under the highway... I also make sure DethRay doesn't forget it either......  -SKRAW-

LETS GET TO THE REVIEW:

I'll admit I hadn't heard this band before..

And when I noticed them come up through the pages of MCPR I liked the name MURDER VAN.. so I opted for them this week. Well what a pleasant surprise because this band absolutely brings it!!!

Heavy handed riffs in the downtuned style provide the backdrop for an absolutely smashing album. Not to mention the beating the drum kit takes.  And they do all this as a 3 piece!!!

I was immediately impressed with the first song out the gate.. AT DUSK.

I imagined a violent packed house of bodies hitting each other.. this was just super good. There's great pinch harmonics throughout the album and solid pumping bass lines.

WEBS OF DISCONTENT  has great breakdowns and DEATH RIDER really hit hard. Pretty much 5 minutes of destruction on that one.

FEAD HOOKERS featured extreme picking and time signature changes as well. It was pretty much a never ending onslaught all the way to CREEPING NUCLEAR DEATH and I bet this band is amazing live. They are NOT your average house band.. just absolutely brutal from start to finish I feel like I was punched then kicked.

Bringing pain through the vocals is a hard thing to do but they pull it off well. 

BOTTOM LINE:

If you want a nose bleed, listen to this album..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81EbuD0LPJs&t=205s

FOR ALL THINGS MURDER VAN PLEASE FOLLOW THEM HERE:

https://www.facebook.com/naVredruM/

https://murdervan2.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fukinmurdervan/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLmPOoMyURhk_fyfaZ75jOA

*note.. The Band Repent is interested in playing with you..