Manilla Road - Mysterium [Shadow Kingdom Records, 2013]

Manilla Road - Mysterium [Shadow Kingdom Records, 2013]

Release Date: February 1^st, 2013

  

The legends of Heavy Metal from Wichita, Kansas are back with their new “child”. The new record of Manilla Road is named “Mysterium” and it is the first one with the bands new drummer, Neudi and their new bass player Josh Castillo. Manilla Road are a band that really leaves you wondering about their upcoming releases, because they can really easily jump from theme to theme and from style to style, a thing that costs you some fans but also gains you some others. The fact is that the band has been delivering Heavy Metal for a little more than 35 years (with a small break) and they’re also one of the first and most important bands of the underground scene, still recording, still giving great gigs, still around in every sense of the word. And that alone says a lot.

The first thing I notice about their new record is that it has a lot of aggressiveness, much like their bands previous record “Playground Of The Damned”. Actually, the post-2000 Manilla Road, sound like their constantly changing their style. Their sound throughout all their latest releases is really hard to describe with just a label. It seems like they try to blend all the elements that the band had presented in their past releases, from epic to thrash and from prog to much darker riffs and melodies. “Mysterium” takes off exactly where “Playground…” left us. Bryan’s vocals are much smoother and more similar to Mark Shelton’s and at some points; I could say that it is somehow hard to tell which one is singing. Josh and Neudi have also done a very decent job on the record, considering that this is their first recording with Manilla Road. “Mysterium” is one of those records that grow inside you, like most of the bands releases. After all, Mark Shelton is not a musician who is recording cheesy stuff for the big arenas, but only for the true lovers of Heavy Metal music. What I also like about this record, is that it has a lot of groovy riffs which also blend perfectly with Bryan’s vocals. Mark Shelton voice sounds somehow mellow in songs like “The Battle of Bonchester Bridge” and “The Fountain” (which I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live), but instead of leaving you with a sad feeling, he leaves you stronger and with more hope towards anything. Much like the song “Art Of War” in their previous album.

Finally, this is a fine release from Manilla Road and much similar to their previous one, with a much better touch on the production though. It is a very heavy and solid album, with faster as well as darker moments. Bryan Patrick and Mark Shelton are beyond great throughout the record. I’ve come to terms with the constant changes in the band’s style and I like almost all their releases so far. Many fans tend to judge new albums by instantly comparing them to the masterpieces of the band which is wrong. Every album has something else, something new to say. I think that in this record the band combines every single style that they’ve played during the past and the outcome is indeed very good.

Tracklist:

01) The Grey God Passes

02) Stand Your Ground

03) The Battle of Bonchester Bridge

04) Hermitage

05) Do What Thou Will

06) Only The Brave

07) Hallowed Be Thy Grave

08) The Fountain

09) The Calling

10) Mysterium

Manilla Road Lineup:

Mark Shelton – Guitars, Vocals

Bryan “Hellroadie” Patrick - Vocals

Josh Castillo - Bass

Neudi - Drums

Contact Links:

http://www.manillaroad.net/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6207831666/

Links with review posted:

https://www.facebook.com/Neudi666/posts/590236727660191
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=162380903909389&id=222505821165293

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Helloween – Straight Out Of Hell [Sony Music, 2013]

Helloween – Straight Out Of Hell [Sony Music, 2013]

Helloween is one of the greatest chapters, if not the greatest, in the German heavy/power metal scene. They’ve been around for nearly 30 years and they’re still very productive and energetic. Their previous album “7 Sinners” was actually among the best albums that the band has released during the last years, and I really didn’t expect that they could easily repeat such an accomplishment.

I wasn’t all that impressed with all the albums that came after “The Dark Ride”, but their previous album, as well as their latest release “Straight Out Of Hell”, really grab you from the face from the beginning until the end. “Straight Out Of Hell” starts with the song “Nabataea”, a classic Helloween song, which also has a very interesting videoclip and continues with the song “World Of War”, a fast paced song with a slightly more modern feel to it. The next songs are “Live Now!” and “Far From The Stars”, two songs with very strong melodies and powerful vocals. The guitars and the vocals of Andi Deris, are the two most distinct things throughout the record. The next song “Burning Sun” is another shining example of this combination. Also the keyboards have a strong presence in most songs. The next song “Waiting For The Thunder” is the classic Helloween slow intro-explosive riffs-cheesy verse. And here we are, reaching the middle of the record, to find a power ballad named “Hold Me In Your Arms”. Very nice ballad indeed, but I wanted a little something more. The next songs are the classic ‘weird-ish’ Helloween songs “Wanna Be God” and “Asshole” with an instrumental piece between called “Straight Out Of Hell”. The next song is called “Years” and it is really a very special and sentimental song. It really grows in you. The record ends with “Make Fire Catch The Fly” and “Church Breaks Down”, two of the heaviest and fastest, as well as the most meaningful songs on the record.

Andi Deris has brought a lot of himself in the band and that is more than obvious to anyone who has observed his career throughout the years. Actually Helloween is a BAND in every sense of the word, on studio and on stage as well.

Closing up, the band sounds fresher than ever in their latest release. This is definitely an album, not only for the hardcore Helloween fan, but for every fan who loves a good power metal release. I’m a big fan of old-school Kiske/Hansen Helloween, I also love their 90s releases as well as the works of Andi Deris besides Helloween. Having said that, I believe that this is one of the bands best releases.  

Tracklist:

01) Nabataea
02) World Of War
03) Live Now!
04) Far From The Stars
05) Burning Sun
06) Waiting For The Thunder
07) Hold Me In Yout Arms
08) Wanna Be God
09) Straight Out Of Hell
10) Asshole
11) Years
12) Make Fire Catch The Fly
13) Church Breaks Down
14) Another Shot Of Life (Bonus Track)
15) Burning Sun (Hammond Version) (Bonus Track)
16) No Eternity (Bonus Track)

Helloween Lineup:

Michael Weikath - Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Markus Grosskopf - Bass, Backing Vocals
Andi Deris - Lead Vocals
Sasha Gerstner - Rhythm & Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Daniel Loble - Drums

Contact Links:

http://www.helloween.org/
http://www.facebook.com/helloweenofficial?ref=stream

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ENFORCER - Death By Fire [Nuclear Blast, 2012]

ENFORCER - Death By Fire [Nuclear Blast, 2012]

Release Date: February 1st, 2013 (Europe), March 5th, 2013 (North America)

Having seen Enforcer in an explosive live performance and also, having nearly melted their first two albums, I was more than honoured to do a review on their upcoming third album entitled “Death by Fire”.

At first I was expecting something similar to their first two albums, which are both masterpieces of classic Heavy Metal. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. “Death By Fire” grabs you from the throat from the very beginning and won’t let go until you’re dead! And Death is what this album is all about, quoting vocalist and guitar player Olof Wikstrand “The album title refers to the most horrific ways to die… all lyrics on “Death By Fire” hold the same theme throughout the record: death - in all different shapes.” The record starts with a small instrumental keyboard piece called “Bells Of Hades” which kind gets you in the mood for what is about to follow. Then all hells breaks loose! “Death Rides The Night” is a classic bang-all-the-way Enforcer song. “Run For Your Life” has the perfect blend of riffs, melodies and high-pitched vocals that we love in Enforcer. “Mesmerised By Fire” is a another classic high energy song with even more aggressive vocals. During the middle of the song, there is a killer part that really adds a lot to the whole mood. “Take Me Out Of This Nightmare” is by far one of the best Enforcer songs ever written. The whole band really giving their best self, their heart and soul really went on this one. “Crystal Suite” is a great instrumental piece, in the style of old Iron Maiden but still, keeping the originality and freshness of Enforcer. The next song is called “Sacrificed” and it’s like the record is starting all over again. Melodies, screams and riffs all mixed together in an actual Heavy Metal Bomb! Along comes the most epic song of Enforcer called “Silent Hour / The Conjugation”. It is the only song that I will not analyse at all, I’ll only say this. It is indeed an EPIC composition and I could easily hear it 100 times in a row and not get tired of it. The record ends with “Satan” (he he he) one of the fastest songs ever written by the band. After all the horror of death that is present in the record, a scream shouting “Satan take me away…” is the best way to end it.

The album is less than 40 minutes, in the spirit of every classic Heavy Metal record, from Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, to Slayer and Manowar. It also helps the sound quality in the vinyl format, because when the duration is longer that 19 minutes on each side, the sound is losing it’s quality. That is all folks, keep an eye out for this record when it comes out, it is one of the best Heavy Metal albums of this year.

Tracklist:

01) Bells Of Hades

02) Death Rides The Night

03) Run For Your Life

04) Mesmerized By Fire

05) Take Me Out Of This Nightmare

06) Crystal Suite

07) Sacrificed

08) Silent Hour - The Conjugation

09) Satan

Enforcer lineup:

Olof Wikstrand: vocals, guitar

Joseph Toll: guitar

Tobias Lindqvist: bass

Jonas Wikstrand: drums

Contact links:

www.enforcer.se

https://www.facebook.com/enforcerofficial?fref=ts

Download is a substitute, support real music and buy some records!

Skull Fist Interview – Riding the Beast with Jackie Slaughter…

Skull Fist Interview – Riding the Beast with Jackie Slaughter…

Prologue: I like Skull Fist and I can not lie! They’ve been among my favorite bands since I first heard them back in early 2010 and I was lucky enough to see them live in 2011 at the Up The Hammers Festival in Greece. Jackie Slaughter, founder, mainman and eh-man of the band, shares a few dirty words with us just one day before the band departs for their tour in Brazil.

Hey Jackie! What’s up dude? Your album “Head öf the Pack” was released last year and as far as I’m concerned, it is among my top 5 best albums for 2011. How did it went?

That's funny because it was recorded in pretty much 5-6 days hahaha well it was done over the span of 2 weeks we had little money to produce it so had to work on it at this studio after hours. Which means an hour here, an hour there haha it was still fun as hell recording though. We got drunk. Jammed out funny parts. Recorded some really funny stuff that we of course never released haha.

You are one of the bands that are really serious when it comes to their outfit. You don’t see that in many bands nowadays. What’s the philosophy behind that?

Outfit has never been a concern for me. This is just what we wear and what we look like. I don't like looking like all the other sap's here in canada. It's fuckin rad when you walk down the street and everyone is staring at you with that stupid look on there face hahahah. So we dont dress the part. We are the part!

Your song themes are mainly Metal, Metal and well… METAL! It would be a little dumb to ask about your inspirations. Which bands do you look up to?

None. Everyone and every band did there own thing and I want to do my own thing. I don't need to get inspired from what other bands have done. I make up my own inspiration.

What is a normal day in the camp of Skull Fist like?

When were NOT on tour or something it's hard to say. All of us live on opposite sides of the city so we only get together to jam or drink or go out to party. When were off tour we still rehearse about 4 times a week so we still hang out alot but everyone is off doin there own thing. I go skateboarding with Jonny. Casey eats chips and drinks redbull. I never know what the hell that guy is up to. Last I heard he was _______ girls in his __________ ___________. I cant fill in those answers since it would get him in trouble. I usually go running and shit. Jonny likes going to random bars he's never been to hahah.

How is it like being a metalhead and metal musician in Canada ? Is there a metal scene? Do you get to see a lot of shows, hang out in clubs, etc, or is it all just work, work and more work?

I've seen quite a few heavy metal clubs come and go since I moved to Toronto. 6 years ago now. The metal clubs never last or they slowly fade away into obscurity. It sucks but theres just not alot of metalheads in Toronto. Not to mention, most of them are broke ass and cant afford bar beer. And then again, lots just hangout at home and dont go out often. The thing is we dont get lots of awesome concerts in Toronto so not too many people go out and pretty much all of the metalheads in Toronto are all in bands. So everyone's always scattered about playing gigs or some shit! There definitely is a scene here. It's just not huge. I don't get to see tons of shows at least not lately since weve been touring a buttload this year but I did get to see Exciter without Beehler the other day. That was still rad. I played tetris and got free shots hahahah

Heavy Metal. What does it mean to you?

The only music that stands strong and maintains a perfect woven relationship with Musical Mastery and Lyrical genius!!! It's really the only music that empowers those that need power, I think thats what makes it so intense for people. We base our lives around this whole style of life and Its totally possible. Heavy Metal covers every aspect of life and teaches you shit from how to react to assholes and how to appreciate the large and the small things in life. Fuckin well spoken music it is!

Last year you’ve had several lineup changes. Actually, you were the only member left in Skull Fist from the original lineup of the band. How did that affect the band?

To me, there is no original lineup, because every person that someone thinks is part of the original lineup has been surpased by another. Bottom line is this. I started the band in 2006 and I write all the shit. Shred and Alison were on the E.P. and Now Jonny and Casey are on the Album. Before the release of the album I had went through shitloads of different guys and girls that had helped and hindered the fist along the way. Whatever the hell anyone would like to call the original lineup they can do. Doesn't matter to me haha All I know is Jonny and Casey are on the 1st album. And the next. And the next. Hopefully all the way to the end!  

The classic Heavy Metal sound is gaining more and more fans, unlike the 90s. Bands with the old school sound are on the loose once more! Also there are several new releases in vinyl! Do you believe that the classic sound is here to stay, or is it just another trend among fans?

I think its peek in the coming years will be a trend. As is just another trend. But then again, EVERYTHING is a trend of some sorts peeking for a number of years or only months. Heavy Metal peeked in the 80s only to have 75% of fans give up to join the grunge phase followed by the super heavy tunes phase. It's easy to know who will stay and who will go though. The true will always keep the spirit alive no matter what. I do say all the vinyl repressing is nice though. : ) 

This is one of my fav questions. Is the internet a “blessing” or a “curse” for music?

You can argue both points over and over but in the end it depends on from whos perspective. It completely destroyed the magic of searching hunting and borrowing or waiting for release dates and the glory of riding the bus to the record store and finding magic albums or bands youve never heard of before. Going to friends place and seeing albums you never even knew existed. New band photo's youve never seen before. lyrics PRINTED!!!! This is all for the listener. But then again, i'ts 10 times easier to discover great bands, as long as you can maintain the sense of wonder. Which unfortunately I dont think too many people can do. For the musician, it's by far the best thing that ever happen. I can't imagine having to search phone books or some shit or mailing people in different countries trying to find out which magazines in other countries could potentially do a review of our cds. Or calling club after club and mailing cds waiting months on end to find out of a venue will book you or some shit.  

Speaking of the Internet, what happened to that video sensation of yours with the killer-milk-carton? I’m really missing that little guy…

Total drag man. I loved that video too! But because it shows my damned penis on camera youtube took it down. So now its a goner. I'm working on blacking on the schlong shot though! It could potentially be back up in the next few weeks! 

What is it like right now in the world of music industry? Do you live of your music?

You'd be surprised some of the guys in big bands I've met that work full time jobs. Damned surprised. These next few years will decide who stays and who goes because very soon everyone will realize there is no money left in this! Once again only the true will be left!

Let’s suppose that a young musician from Canada who is just starting is asking for your advice. What would you tell him?

Wanna make it? Goodbye social life! That's the number one first step. Either you go and play video games at your loser friends place or grab your guitar and fuckin rock.

Are there any new bands out there that you enjoy listening to?

I'm going through everything Paganinni every wrote right now. Just finished Chopin haha
the last two months have been a break from straight heavy metal. Although I had been listening to MX from brazil and the few new Angra albums that came out after the 90s. New bands. hmm.. ohh! Evil Invaders from Belgium haven't heard the full EP yet just a song. Awesome. Check it!. Katana from Sweden. New Bullet album Full Pull. Listened to it with Jonny in the fist van a few days ago.

Do you believe that a band should retire after a certain time period? Have you ever seen a one of your favorite classic bands live and were disappointed after their show?

In the words of Canada's president Mr. Young. Its better to burn out than to fade away. If you can't rock like you did then don't rock at all. I think a huge amount of bands that I never thought would are losing a lot of credibility right now. It's a good thing alot of new great bands are going to replace this shit.

Greece and Germany are two countries that really praise Heavy Metal. What’s your best memory from those countries?

Greece. Up The Hammers. I don't remember much. But I do remember disappearing and everyone telling my band I got arrested and was in Jail. Best 5 days ever. I ate soo many damned Wrap things and serious amounts of ouzo. Some of the funniest guys and chicks I've ever met that I still talk to! I will masturbate with Tzaziki sauce the second I find out I'm going back. Which will be this year. For sure. Germany. You all know what im thinking. I love you, but fuck your fizzy water! In Germany the beer is so strong and never ending that sometimes the BEER DRINKS YOU. I've never been drunker than I have in Munich. I had some of the funniest nights in Germany though. Long stories. Weird situations. Rad parties. And rad friends! But man. I guess I never really think about countries. It's all the same shit. Being a metalhead is like a universal language! Everyone understands how to rock and how to party hahaha.

What’s the latest of on-the-road stories of The Fist?

People ask for stories all the time but almost all the stories we have are offensive. I just cant share those kinds of stories in print. When we get loaded together this year and we will we can talk about them. It'll include stories of mass pukings. Women who turned out to be men. Bar fires. Bar fights. Mothers with extremely young daughters (dont take that the wrong way hahahah) Poncho Piss. Well cover all the different spectrums of weird shit hahaha.

Your next tour is in Brazil right? When do you plan to visit Europe again?

We record the new album this year. Can't say when. Can't say when it releases just yet. Can't say when well be back. But it will be this year for sure.

When should we expect your new album? What are your future plans?

Can't say just yet. But were going to announce this very damned soon! We did a fuckload of touring with this last album and with the next one were going to do a fuckload more. Stay on the road. In the words of Motorhead. KEEP US ON THE ROAD!

Ok Jackie, that’s all, I’ll leave the last word up to you.

I'm taking a crap right now. It's 2 am. I wasn't tired so figured I'd shit and answer this interview. So when you read this, know that at the time I was dumping... isn't that neat?

Check out the band:

www.skullfist.ca

www.facebook.com/skullfisted

Next Skull Fist Tour:

https://www.facebook.com/events/485891278090198/

WIDOW Interview - Taking Hold of the Night with Chris Bennett...

WIDOW Interview - Taking Hold of the Night with Chris Bennett...

Prologue: Widow is real sensation of Horror and Heavy Metal from the U.S.A., banging for more than 10 years in the classic sound of Heavy Metal music! With 4 fulllength albums and countless live shows, you can easily say that they're keeping more than just "busy". Chris Bennett, founder and frontman of the band, takes a little time off his busy Christmas schedule to share a few words with us.


Hello Chris and welcome, thanks for finding time for the interview.

Thanks for having me Elias!!!

Would you care to share with us a short bio of the band?

Widow was formed in 2000 here in North Carolina. We really were formed first of all because we loved traditional metal, and to have fun playing locally around NC. I would never have believed that we would have released four albums and played in different countries around the world. I'm so grateful to have had that opportunity. We've really devoted our lives to heavy metal, and it means a lot that people appreciate what we do!!!

You’ve had a lot of lineup changes over these years. How did that affect the band?

Yes, the band really started around me, John E Wooten, and Joshua Pantke. Johnny was on guitar then. We had numerous drummers, and a couple of bass players after Josh left the band in 2009. We even had a female singer on the album On Fire, which was cool, but we just had a lot of differences with her. But, Johnny switched to bass, and honestly the line up of me, Johnny and Peter Lemiuex on drums is the best we've ever had. We sound the best as a three piece, and we are devoted to playing as much as we can. Peter has been here for six years, and we get along great and just have a blast together!!!

Despite the fact that you guys are touring all the time, you also have released four great albums in the last nine years. You’re definitely overactive with the band right?

Oh, thanks man!!! I never turn it off, that's for sure! I'm living this 24/7! The last few years have been the busiest for us. We got mentioned in magazines all over the place that we are a big part of the New Wave of Traditional Metal. I'm so happy that new fans are getting exposed to this type of music, it's really cool. But, we've been playing this style for a long time, and we would do it whether it's popular or not! I love this music, and to the real fans of metal, this is a lifestyle! But, when all this New Wave stuff came about, we got a lot of touring opportunities, and that rules! We've played around the US, Canada, Germany, and Japan this year!!! It's really awesome! As far as the albums go, we have worked so hard on all four of them. I really think we worked the hardest on Life's Blood though, our newest one. It took a few years to get that one done. But I think it's our best, and so far people around the world seem to agree!!!!

What do you enjoy most about touring and playing live?

My favorite thing about touring is meeting people who are big fans of metal, just like me. People that truly live for this stuff! I love to be a part of their scene and life for just one day! It's really cool! It was so shocking to me, going to Europe and Japan and seeing SO many metalheads, it's paradise there!!!! Canada really is like that too. The US scene is really getting better and better too! On our last US tour with White Wizzard and Icarus Witch, it was amazing to see so many people supporting this music. You probably couldn't have done a tour like that a few years ago! It was so much fun!!!!

“Life’s Blood” is your latest album and I can easily say that it’s among my top-5 Heavy Metal albums of 2011. Tell us a few things about the album and the response that it got.


Thank you so much!!! It really got the best response of any Widow album so far. What really happened with the album, is that I wanted to get rid of the excess, just have a stripped down, straight forward album from start to finish. Just focus on the songs, not so much guitar or whatever. I really think it worked, and our best songs were created from that. I love all our albums, and at the time that was the best we could do. But I felt we needed to make something way beyond what we had done before. Several different magazines listed in it their best of 2011 lists! I really appreciate this, it means a lot to see that after working so hard on the record!


I really love the artwork in “Life’s Blood”. It is way different from the artwork on your previous albums. What inspired it?

We wanted to have some sort of character sum up the entire album, and we came up with "Lady Twilight", which is the first song on the album. We got this German artist, Timo Wuerz, to do the artwork. This guy is absolutely incredible! I thought his rough sketch was good enough to be the cover hahaha! I love his work, and he really brought her to life. I felt we had the best songs we had ever had, and I knew we needed our best cover to go with it! Thanks to Timo, I think we got it!!!

I like all your albums and strangely, I’ve heard them backwards. First I heard “Nightlife”, then “On Fire” and last “Midnight Strikes”. I had always wondered why I hadn’t heard of you before. Was the press kind on you all those years?

Well, in the US maybe not so much at first with Midnight Strikes. It was so different at the time, and I think people thought the sound was "dated". But on the other hand, their were also people who to this day think Midnight Strikes is our best album! But, on all the albums we've always gotten mostly positive press, and the fans have really always supported us since the beginning. It amazes me, and makes me so happy! With Life's Blood, it was pretty much unanimous around the globe that the album was great! That was hard for me to believe, I was expecting some people to bash it hahahaha!

More and more bands with the “classic” sound are getting a warm welcome here in Europe nowadays. I’m not sure that I can say the same about the U.S.A. though. How do you see the Heavy Metal scene now?

Well, the US is tricky. It is hard to break through here with people. You just really have to tour here constantly to make a name for yourself. But just like in Europe, there are die hard metallers here too! Over the last few years we've been out on the road, I've noticed lots of younger kids getting into true heavy metal. It really does my heart good to see them getting into bands like Angel Witch, Warlord, and Diamond Head! Man, we just played with Raven, and the show was packed! It was so awesome!!! This music makes fans for life, so I know that no matter what, it will last! And we will stick around too!

Nowadays more and more bands, old and new, are rushing to become part of the Internet and Social Media. Do you believe that this is a good or harmful thing?

I'm a little older, so I used to be part of the tape trading underground. I would write and receive letter from people everywhere! It was hard work, but it was so rewarding! It seems that the internet has allowed everyone the ability to do this same thing, only much easier and faster! So I don't think it's a bad thing. I think it exposes a lot of people to bands they might not have heard of, and that rules!!!! But . . . it also floods the scene with tons and tons of bands that maybe haven't developed yet. We worked really hard in the beginning of Widow to develop our sound. So when we did finally release an album, we were ready to rock haha!!!!!


Your albums are a little hard to find and if I’m not mistaken, you’ve rereleased your first album “Midnight Strikes” with a slightly different title right?

Yes, it's called Midnight Strikes Twice! It's got our demo on it also! And, it has a live concert you can watch on your computer from 2004 with Josh on bass and the drummer from Midnight Strikes Tim Heisman. The album was out of print, and their was a real demand for it to be reissued! That is awesome, and I'm glad that people who missed it got a chance to hear the album. Like I said earlier, their are people that say it's our best album! I think it's great, but On Fire and Nightlife are all cool for different reasons. Just like Life's Blood, each one shows where our heads were at during that time. And I can assure you, we will always play songs from each album live. I know people like different albums, and I know how awesome it is when you go to a show and get a song from that album that you love!!!!


Tell us a few things about your influences as a band and as a musician. What inspires you mostly to create?

My biggest influences are bands like King Diamond, Metallica, Van Halen, Ozzy, Priest, Maiden. Also, bands like Crimson Glory, Queensryche, Leatherwolf, and Warlord! Also bands that we don't sound exactly like, but still inspired me are Slayer, Venom, the Ramones, the Misfits, Skynyrd, KISS, Thin Lizzy and Def Leppard. I love so much stuff man, I've been inspired greatly by Dokken, Ratt and hair metal bands too! I love everything from Thrash, Death and Black Metal to Motley Crue! I also love 80's pop music, like Michael Jackson, Prince, and Pat Benatar! I think having a wide range of influences is the best way to have a unique sound.

Most bands that deal with horror themes in their lyrics are either packed with a ton of keyboards and female vocals or have a certain dress code or both. How d you manage to combine horror with classic Heavy Metal?

I am such of fan of the classic horror movies, like the Exorcist, Phantasm, the Omen, etc. I wanted to get that feeling into a traditional metal band! We play almost always in minor keys, and I really felt the two went together well! And you're right, a lot of bands have the dress code or whatever! I don't want to follow any rules man! Widow is just ourselves! I can't be any other way!!!!!!

Are there any new bands that you’re currently listening to?

Most of the new bands I love I'm lucky to call them friends! We've toured with Cauldron, and their new album is great! We were in Japan with Skull Fist, and they blew me away live! They are killer too! And I had not really heard White Wizzard when we went out with them, and I went out and bought both of their albums and loved them! They are awesome too! I'm also way into Municipal Waste, Icarus Witch, Ghost, Twisted Tower Dire, Hellfueled, Midnight, Slough Feg and High Spirits! I recently discovered a Swedish death metal band called Vampire that I really dig! Some of these bands aren't that new haha, but I love them anyway!!!!

What does the future hold for Widow? Any plans?

We've got some touring that is lining up for 2013, and I'm really excited about that! Keep in touch with us on facebook at www.facebook.com/widowtheband or at www.widowusa.com and we'll make some announcements really soon!!! Also, we've demoed songs for a new album that we will record this year! I'm really excited about it!!!! Hopefully we will record it by summer and it will be out not too long after that!

You have a show planned in Greece on the 9th of March 2013 at the “Up The Hammers Festival”. How does it feel to play in Greece for the first time? What should we expect from Widow?

I am beyond excited to get to Greece! It's somewhere I have always wanted to go, the country is so beautiful! And I've heard it's one of the best places in the world for real traditional metal! Manolis, who puts on the fest, is such a cool dude and I really appreciate him giving us the chance to play there! I've got a lot of friends over there, and I just can't wait to get there and party with everyone!!!! It will rule I can tell you that!!!!!!!!!!!

Let us finish this interview by sending a message from Widow to the Greek fans.

I want to say thank you for supporting Widow, and I cannot wait to meet you guys in March at Up the Hammers!!! It's gonna be a party we'll never forget!!! Cheers everyone, see you at the bar . . .

(Widow has a show planned in Greece on the 9th of March 2013 at the “Up The Hammers Festival”)

Up The Hammers Festival links:

http://www.up-the-hammers.gr/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/UP-THE-HAMMERS-FESTIVAL/513660118657434
https://www.facebook.com/groups/upthehammers/
https://www.facebook.com/events/196520220453518/