Therapy? Ensiferum Steve Niles Lucy Davis ... - Middle Age Shred

MM34Therapy?EnsiferumSteve NilesLucy DavisStrifeWintersunCharlie HigsonHistory Of The HawkFear FactoryGoodtime BoysThe SwordEric BrownBison BCMichael Biehn &Jennifer BlancBiehnTrail Of MurderTony ParkerThorunKarma To BurnGareth PowellWe’ll Go MacheteColumns,Features & Much,Much More…

Well, that’s it folks, the end of another year. As Christmas approaches, all that’s left tosay, is enjoy Mass Movement 34, have a great Xmas and Happy New Year! We’ll seeyou in March with Mass Movement 35…Tim Mass Movement, November 201234Editor: Tim Mass MovementDeputy Editor /Online Editor: Martijn WelzenReviews Editor: Tim Mass MovementSub-Editor: Ian PickensResident Artist & Cartoonist Dude: Jethro “Jethrobot” WallSite Design & Webmaster: Tim ‘Bunky’ DaviesMagazine Layout & Design: Tom WildingStaff Writers: Tim ‘The Impaler’ Schwader, Steve Scanner, George Tabb, Doug Crill, Liam Ronan, Brady Webb, Marv Gadgie, Mark Freebase.Contributors: James McLaren, Fiona Brennan, Sophia Fox, Chest Rockwell, Ian Glasper, Gavin Gates, Lauren ‘MM’ Barley, Tom Chapman, Carrie Bluer,Devon Morf, Paul Hoddy, Will Pywell.Subscriptions: If you want to subscribe to MM, just email us at info(at)massmovement.co.uk with the word ‘Subscribe’ in the subject field, and we’ll do the rest. It’s free and it’sthat simple. Mass Movement is free, but if you get the magazine via subscription, or download, could you please do us a favour? Could you send the magazine on to ten of yourfriends (use yousendit, it’s free and easy to use, and works in the background whilst you’re doing other stuff online), and then ask them to do the same (send it on to ten oftheir friends) and so on and so on. Remember, we actively encourage you to share each and every issue of Mass Movement with as many people as possible…MASS MOVEMENT MAGAZINE, PO BOX 193, BRIDGEND, CF31 9BN, SOUTH WALES, UKwww.massmovement.co.ukAll content and layout copyright Mass Movement & Tom Wilding (November 2012) and may not be used, copied or reproduced without prior permission

Drunk Hands’. That’s a lot of music to cover. Gonuts!PW: Yeah, I guess ‘13 Songs’ by Fugazi was theinspiration, and like I mentioned before, we wantedto release something other than just a Europeanversion of ‘Strong Drunk Hands’.CM: ‘Six Plus Ten’ worked as a title because it wasliterally 6 songs and 10 songs combined, and a lotof our songs have odd time signatures. The first tensongs are the more recent LP, and our first drummer,Matt Cook, is on the last six songs. We felt thegrouping of the two self-released records into onewas consistent enough across the songs, but differentenough from the previous releases to stand on itsown. Stressed Sumo did a great job combining thetwo into one CD.MM: In my review of ‘Six Plus Ten’ I classifiedyou as ‘post-post-hardcore’ because it seemed tofit. What do you think, and what do you call it – ifanything?PW: I guess we have us listed as post-hardcore onour Facebook page, but that genre is so vague nowand encompasses bands we sound nothing like. ButI do think we’ve taken from it and added some otherinfluences, so post-post-hardcore makes a bit ofsense.CM: That’s as valid and sensible a label as any othersI’ve heard. Post-hardcore as a label would be moreaccurate if this album was released in 1995. Now, Idon’t even know what that genre is.MM: ‘DM Barringer’. Holy crap. Floors me everytime.

PW: Thanks! Yeah, that one came together quicklyand we tend to change our set a lot but alwaysinclude ‘DM Barringer’.CM: That’s probably my favorite song to play live,actually. It’s the rare song that sounds good as thefirst song or last song in a set.MM: Then there’s ‘Number 13’. And, well, 14others – on ‘Six Plus Ten’ at any rate! Haha!PW: John wrote the music to that song, as well as to‘Number 12’… I joked that the next song he wrotewould be ‘Number 14’ and he gave me the stink eye!CM: That was actually pink eye that he gave Paul.MM: I hear the influences. Fugazi. Quicksand.Snapcase. Drive Like Jehu. Or perhaps that’s all acoincidence?PW: All of the above except Snapcase. I dig them,but never owned any albums. The other three arehuge influences for me.MM: Any stories about the old post-NYHC orpost-DCHC scenes that you want to share? Or theSDHC scene, which was pretty much post-HCfrom the start. Such a great time for music. Somuch creativity and passion. We’ll Go Macheteembrace all of that. (10 points if you get the wellintentionedpun in there!)PW: Personally, the San Diego scene in the early90s was my biggest influence. I would like to give ashout-out to Tanner, who is a band from back thenthat doesn’t get much love. Tanner’s singer/guitaristGar plays bass for Hot Snakes.CM: I came up going to tons of shows in Tampa andGainesville, FL. Lots of the post-whatever bandscame through at that time. Bands like Archers OfLoaf, Hot Water Music, Jawbox, and Fugazi reallywere at the center of what I was into back then. Nocomment on your Embrace pun.MM: How much of your mission statement as aband is looking backward to a classic scene andhow much is ‘this is OUR scene, OUR sound’?PW: I just play what I like and don’t claim anythingto be totally original. I obviously take a lot fromwhat I was into in the early 90s, but don’t limit mysongwriting to fit in any guidelines.CM: Of course you sound more like your influenceswhen you’re starting out, but Paul’s found his ownthing where, while you can hear his influences, thesesongs are definitely We’ll Go Machete songs, and areprobably more informed by our older songs than byour influences.MM: What’s going on with We’ll Go Machete?We live in the same town and I haven’t seen yourname in the ‘Austin Chronicle’ show listings. Is itme? Am I slacking? Or have you just been keepinga low profile at home?PW: You are slacking, ha, ha! No, we don’t playthat much… lately it’s been once every one or twomonths.MM: New album in the works? Tour?PW: We are working on new songs but we are farfrom a new album. We will tour whenever a good

opportunity pops up, but as mentioned before, weare busy with other projects.MM: The band is continuing onward at any rate,right?PW: Yes, albeit slowly!MM: So how about those other projects. Whichof you is in Ume? There’s a band with some buzzaround town. And outside of town.PW: Our drummer, Rachel, is in Ume, and that’sprobably the band we have to work around the most.CM: Rachel is touring with Ume a lot this year, butfortunately for us she’s rock solid, and when we play,there’s never an issue of missed practices affectingthe shows.MM: Then there’s The Gary, Killdeer, andSkyscratchers – according to your current bio. Iconfess to being unfamiliar with these. I dig Umeand I definitely dig We’ll Go Machete. WhichMachete does what in these bands? Compareand contrast them with We’ll Go Machete. Orsomething.PW: I play drums in The Gary – it is more likeMission Of Burma meets Guided By Voices. Johnplays in Skyscatchers, which is a bit poppier withSeaweed-like influences.CM: I play bass in Killdeer. It’s more on the poppyside, with mostly female vocals.MM: Back to We’ll Go Machete… the namecomes from a kick-ass quote by the fully kick-assLester Bangs (if you’re confused, kids, search‘Lester Bangs’ on Google and then come rightback, please): ‘We are jungle fever, beri-beri, MausMaus ravenous for each other after which we’ll gomachete and bar-bee-cue us some missionaries!’PW: Yeah, I got it from the collection ‘PsychoticReactions And Carburetor Dung’.CM: The context of that quote was that it was anunpublished ‘love note’ of sorts to a lady friend, andhe was describing the act of emphatic lovemaking inthe style of the savages as a way to woo her. Which,of course, isn’t really apparent in the name at all.MM: Any favorite bands or albums or films orcomedians or breeds of dog or species of insect you’dlike to gush about to our readers?PW: Go here: http://www.prfbbq.com/ [Editor’sNote: due to an extended lead time on publishingMM 34, the 2012 PRF Music Festival has alreadyconcluded.]CM: Austin bands: My Education have an albumcoming out soon that’s amazing. Woodgrain killsme whenever I see them, as do Cabra and Pswingset.Black Cock, Markov, and The Octopus Project areall worth seeking out as well. And Paul’s other band,The Gary, is probably my favorite band right now.MM: Hopes? Dreams? Inspirations? Fears?Conspiracies?PW: Nothing of note. I do hope we have not seenthe last of the 90s reunions. I’m not a hater.CM: Yes! Jawbox and Jawbreaker would be a greatreunions. Maybe Fugazi? More Quicksand shows?MM: Any special shout-outs or commentsdirected toward the good people of the UK andEurope – home base of Mass Movement andStressed Sumo Records?PW: The UK and Europe have been great to us, andwe hope to tour that way someday.CM: I would love to get over there in the next yearand do a quick tour. We’ll see if we can make ithappen.MM: I can’t thank you enough for your time. Thefloor is yours....PW: Thank you and we really appreciate you takingthe time to do this.CM: Thanks for the thoughtful questions and forliking the record.MM: Learn more about We’ll Go Machete at http://gomachete.com/ and at http://stressedsumorecords.co.uk and be sure to follow WGM at @gomacheteand Stressed Sumo Records at @StressedSumoRecand The Impaler at @impalerspeaks and MassMovement at @massmovementmag on Twitter.M M

An interviewwith...FEAR FACTORYDownstairs in Nottingham Rock City lies theband dressing rooms, and first thing I noticeis how different they now are… Gone are thedingy dark, rough ‘n’ ready rooms that adornedthe venue for so many years. Fear Factory mainman Dino Cazares sits grinning as I walk in,then jumps up to shake my hand and pleasantlyintroduces himself. He looks happy, and verypleased with himself…Dino: ‘Oh yeah… OH YEAH!’ Dino exclaimsjubilantly as I mention to him that on listeningto the new Fear Factory CD ‘The Industrialist’it takes me right back to the freshness of‘Demanufacture’, it seems like a rekindled fire, andwas I wrong to think this? ‘Yes, you are totally rightin thinking that. With ‘Mechanize’ we wanted totake it a little bit of a different place, we added somethrash onto it… then with this record Burton waslike… I think we need to take it back – classic FearFactory… and I was like OK cool, no problem; andthat’s where the writing process went. I mean we didtry and make the other releases a little different’ andDino agreed that it did take it back to the classic ’95sound. ‘Although we did try and keep it a bit moreorganic… ‘Demanufacture’ was definitely hi-tech andwith ‘Obsolete’ it was more…. big/epic sounding,and that also related to being our biggest sellingrecord ever! With ‘Digimortal’ the label was like“Oh yeah, you gotta write some radio friendly songs”and that’s when things kinda went south!’ burstingout laughing ‘So now were bringing it back!’ he isexcitedly proclaims…Dino seems pleased as well as excited at thepresent situation in the band, so casually I ask himabout the situation that transpired… how bothhe, and Burton had made the steps to workingtogether again? And who made the first move…?Dino: ‘Well Burton had a lot of issues with the othertwo guys… Errr… well, I don’t know if you’ve heardof a record called ‘Transgression’ that was donewhen I wasn’t with them, but things started to fallapart there, and there was a lot of drama and thingsgoing on… and Burt said “Y’know I think we mayneed to bring Dino back – to rekindle that fire” andthe other guys… well, it didn’t work out with theother two guys. I saw Burt when he was on tour withMinistry, and saw him at one of the shows and hejust said hi… And we started talking, and we weretalking on the phone for a few months and he thenasked me would I want to come back in the band?I honestly said, well I don’t know, I wasn’t sure… Iwasn’t sure if I was ready for that yet. I said well look,I’ve become friends with you again but I haven’tbecome friends with the other two… They haven’teven reached out to me, and Burton explained thatthey wouldn’t be doing that because they weren’twith him anymore… So I was like okay, fuck it… andthat’s how it all kinda got back together. Y’knowsome of it’s very relationship like and some of it’svery much like a baseball team or soccer team,

different players going to different bands. It justdoesn’t always work out…We laugh about ‘the state’ of the dressing roomsat Rock City… and what they’ve become! Howthey have changed in the last (almost) 20 years.Rock City being a real iconic place has some greatmemories, so how many times has Fear Factorybeen here?Bursting into fits of laughter, Dino tries to let out‘We have played here at least every record, everytime at least once’ he chortles ‘fuck knows…’ and wechuckle about some old school antics with some verygood friends of a Nottingham based record label –the parties and shenanigans. What went on betweenthe four walls of this world renowned venue. WithRock City being the only venue of its capacity in thecity, it has seen many classic bands travel across it’spremises and Dino is keen to find out more ‘so thisis the only place to play round here then?’ he asksexcitedly. ‘It’s much nicer now… showers… dressingrooms… and the club next door is fixed up real good’.We even chat about one of the doormen we bothknow who has been there for over 23 years, this evenadds to the clubs history. ‘Guess we love comingback here, and Nottingham is always a good showfor Fear Factory’.Much has changed in the music industry overthe last 20years, and I decide to ask Dino a fewquestions about Fear Factory’s former labelRoadrunner Records, and the current state ofplay ragarding them. Was he surprised by certainissues, things that had happened?‘Nope. No’ he shakes his head in dismay ‘it was onlya matter of time before the owner of Roadrunnerrecords was gonna do something like that, ‘cos hewas selling off a lot of stuff. Before it had got shutdown he had sold off half the label to Warner Brosand I remember Monty (Connor – senior A&Rfor the label) saying “look in another 10 years orso they’ll end up owning the whole thing!” Andobviously that’s what happened. I wasn’t surprisedwhen it did happen, but I just didn’t know when itwould happen. When Burt and I got back togetherwe weren’t involved with Roadrunner because theydidn’t want to re-sign the band, ha ha. They wantedto go more in a radio kind of direction; they weren’tinto so much of the heavier bands anymore. Well,now Monty Connor, who was working at the labelis now working with Nuclear Blast and they’vestarted a new partnership N.B.E. – Nuclear BlastEntertainment and I think he is gonna get the bandsthat have been dropped or are about to get droppedby Roadrunner!’ Now that kind of makes sense to mewith the whole Nuclear Blast thing which is going onat the moment . Changes are about to happen…So with all that’s going on, I try to find out thecurrent lifespan of Fear Factory – what does Dinosee happening?‘Keep going as long as we can’ he simplisticallyanswers ‘it’s not about one more record and just onetour, I’m gonna keep going till my legs fall off. We’realready working on the thrid album now. I mean Ihave Divine Heresy and Assesino and other bandsgoing on, but this is my thing, this is it, this is themachine that’s going right now’So Fear Factory is the priority?Dino confirms ‘I mean I can’t tell you what’s gonnahappen 10 years down the road, but this is a band,and there’s not a cut off point. Right now though it’sme and Burton who are the main two guys, we’ll seewhat happens… it could well be Matt and Mike onthe next record we’ll see how it works out’.I wanted to find out how those two came to beinvolved with the band?‘Matt we’ve known for years because of him beingin Chimaira, and he was looking for a gig and textme, and I said perfect timing as we need a bassplayer; and Mike was a guy we chose when we hada massive audition of all these drummers and Mikewas the best guy, so we picked him. We kinda reallywanted an unknown guy, cos the last album we hadGene Hoglan and errrm he’s such an in demandguy, with so much going on, and we couldn’t juggleso we thought why don’t we pick someone who hasnothing going on that way we don’t have to strugglewith fitting in a schedule. Now Mike’s got a goodgig, and being 30 he’s really up for it, and with mebeing 45 it keeps me on my toes nicely’ he openlyadmits.I’m pleased Dino has the guts and conviction to behonest about his age – quizzing me on mine, andthen discussing the ‘prime bands’ of our era. It’snot such a shock these days to hear of bands beingin there late 40s and 50s, people such as Ozzy andLemmy and Stephen Tyler proudly proving thereis no cut off age for rock and metal – ROCK TILYOU DROP BABY!‘My age is on Facebook’ Dino proudly proclaims ‘mybirthday is on Facebook’

Fair play to you Dino. Good man. Just before Dino is about to rush off for hisevening meal (a traditional dish of sausage and mash, the Tour Manager comes togloat with his plateful) we touch on the subject of the Download Festival and howF.F. found the return to hallowed ground at Castle Donington…‘I remember the weather dude… fuckin awful. The rain was so bad that they onlyopened one side of the stage’ I had heard rumours from backstage that day, thatpromoters were urgently meeting to decide whether they should cancel the daysperformances altogether and not jeopardise anyone’s safety ‘there were thousands ofpeople all on one side, while they were trying to lay straw to help irrigation on theother, and people were being held at the top of the field and when we started thefirst song they let them through and it was like a massive charge coming! Amazing towatch. The two bands before us played on one of the smaller stages, so basically wewere the opening band! It was a mud-fest that day, and we weren’t around the wholeweekend, but it has memories’.Dino is quick to tell me that tonight’s set will include newer stuff at the beginning,then halfway through it shifts to ‘Soul Of A New Machine’ era with some oldsongs to follow. Here’s a man who seems very happy to be where he is with hisband, and willing to talk about anything that crops up, without holding back. Iflike me you were a fan of ‘Demanufacture’ and before; then ‘The Industrialist’ willnot disappoint. They’ve struck a nerve that’s very close to that era, but have doneso without sacrificing any of the bands evolution…by Mark “Freebase” Fieldhouse M M

Now then gadgie...As a University student in the not spectacularly massive Chichester Institute of Higher Education way backin the early to mid 1990’s such treats that I would become accustomed to in Boston a few years later such aslive punk rock pandemonium were few and far between. Our SU was more akin to an attic for drunken teenagersto hang out in. Away from Mam and Dad type “off the leash” japery was more the order of the day than a thriving livemusic scene of any sort. The nearest we got to punk rock was when the DJ would play Rage Against The Machine followed by“Where’s Me Jumper?” and all the pile on inducing mayhem that would ensue yet for some reason we did seem to be over blessed inthe touring comedians calling in stakes. At least two or three times a term some comedian would arrive who was doing the dives and toiletsof the circuit in the hope that one day they’d make it and be on telly. Some did. Most of course didn’t but I remember one particularly abrasivefella who fitted the bill of angry little bloke who’s whole schtick appeared to be telling tales of misadventure in a most forthright and intimidating theaudience fashion. His describing of Middlesbrough as a place you are “lucky to get out of alive” tickled me immensely as I sat in the land of southern softiesbut that night opened my eyes to something much more entertaining: the concept of heckling.As the caustic comedy man went in to another audience baiting routine he pulled out some musical instrument that looked like the medeaval precursorto the guitar which had sat on stage for the last half hour and gave it a twang. Some wag stood at the bar hollered out “Ooooh! He can actually play it!” to which thetwanging tale teller lashed out with a veiled threat of “If you I chop that fucker in half I bet both ends will still live!” On the seething stand up went in to a sort ofsong showing that he could indeed play the instrument but “Oh no, my mistake, he can’t!” came back from the bar to a nervous round the room tittering. “I’ll giveyou that, that was a good ‘un” conceded our agitated artiste ... and so a seed was sown ... heckling people who are on a stage is great fun and of course, punk rockis all about taking away the boundaries between “performer” and “audience” isn’t it? I’ve heard of many ways that the crowd are involved in the “performance” ofa band before – one article I read in a zine explained how the audience had some secretly circulated instructions to behave a certain way every time Atom of Atomand His Package said or did a certain thing. The whole crowd in unison shouting or doing something whenever the poor fellow said “This next song ...” must haveappeared very strange at first and I imagine he felt like Brian in Monty Python’s church baiting classic The Life of Brian.In Boston. During the glory days of the world infamous Indian Queen, the ape like demeanour of the locals took this to new heights – Sports Day re-enactments,a Rugby scrum with a mannequin head, human pyramids, stool surfing ... the boundaries were never more blurred between performer and audience. It was theheckling however that has gone down as the stuff of legend and over the years I have encountered numerous classic lines that I would like to share with you dearreader now ... One of my personal faves, which is always appropriate, is the underwhelming compliment. As a band completes a song and the applause dies down,a hearty “Not bad”, “Quite good” or “Better than we thought you’d be” can always be relied upon for a titter or two as can the “We have merch for sale!” “Nothanks!” classic. This is similar to the faux confused punter act. At a gig in Leicester where some odd ball ska punk band were thrashing away I distinctly recall TheWhite Cider Warrior shouting “Oi Marv, I don’t think this is that singles night we were looking for!” and no, no it most certainly was not. The trick with a goodheckle is not to necessarily insult the band out right or get too personal ... but of course, when have rules ever applied to punk rock? Henry, a rather hirsute youngman who will known to most as the lead screamer with Nottingham noise-niks Army of Flying Robots or as the hairy fellow who organises gigs in the fair city ofNotting-on-the-Ham and makes vegan cakes for everyone. He’s nice like that and certainly didn’t deserve to be told rather rudely during a Robots set to “Shut upChannel 4 Racing face!” by erm, “someone”. Talking of facial furniture, Jos from the amazing thrash legends Seein Red was sporting a wonderful 70’s Traffic Cop‘tache when the Red called in at the IQ.

During a break in the set, so the drummer could change his arms or something, his attempts at communicating with the feral Fen folk were shot down when somewag came out with “Shut up Metallica face!” Picking on people’s appearances may seem a bit rude and when Blind Suburbia rolled up from down the road inWisbech one night they got the lot.Wisbech is a peculiar place over the border in Cambridgeshire and was a sort of sister scene to Boston at one point with bands and gig goers travelling over the fensat regular intervals to support each other’s back water fledgling punk scenes. This particular night Bombshell Rocks hadn’t turned up to a gig as they went straightto the airport instead of play a gig to about 50 people, many of who had travelled a fair way to see them. Maybe the IQ was too small for such a huge and successfulband as Bombshell Rocks? Ahem. Blind Suburbia still played their brand of 77 inspired punk but their drummer may still have sleepless nights about being called“Physics Metaller” all night! If you have wiry, long hair in a pony tail and combine it with glasses and a metal t-shirt you are asking for it right? “You’re onlyplaying Punk ‘cos you can’t play Metal” was a criticism levelled at the band after a SLF cover, which someone followed up with “I bet your drummer could playmetal though!” Occasionally it doesn’t all go one way though and I have to say the drummer of The Vibrators did me a treat at the Axe and Cleaver one night ...after they had closed their set, the small but appreciative crowd wanted more! Some long haired lout in the audience had obviously had a few too many NewcastleBrowns and shouted “Come on, play more! If you real punk rockers you’d play more”. Not impressed the skin pounder retorted with “If you were a real punk rockeryou’d get your hair cut!” That was good. I shut up and had another bottle of dog. They did play some more though ...The Axe and Cleaver hosted the odd punk bash, but rarely were the antics of the IQ tolerated there! The shouting at people merriment continued though ... a poppunk band called 4FT Fingers were playing there one night and attracted larger than normal crowd of spiky haired hooligans and studded jackets but their brandof Americanised pop punk inspired a whole host of verbal volleys directed towards them. “Our new CD is available for a fiver” we were informed. “Five what?Dollars!” was the sarcastic response from someone who I assumed would not be lining up with a fiver in their hand at the end of the set. Asthey carried on with their high energy blasts of poppity pop punk some outspoken oik shouted “You should jump and down a bit more!” and so they did. Only to betold at the end of the song “Stop jumping about so much!” We didn’t see them again in Boston.A band we did see plenty of were Grimsby’s Imbalance who in the early days of my Ape City promotions carry on did make the journey to Bosstown many timesonly to find the old “leave after our mates in the local bands play” curse had struck. On one such evening we decided to put the local band on last to lift thisdastardly curse. Vocalist Andy however, still felt the need to comment. “Does everyone leave gigs early in Boston so they go home and fuck their sister?” didn’tactually receive a response that answered his question but he was to “Fuck you fish and chips bastard!” We had a good relationship with the fish and chips bastardsof Grimsby and still do to this day. Another band that took on the IQ were Dublin’s premier exponents of homosexual thrash, the one and only Knifed. Mero is agreat front man and in a leotard, bondage gear and gimp mask get up terrified the younglings of Fenland on a number of occasions. Songs like “Wash Your Cock”;“My Cock Your Arse” and “Hetero Hell” summed up beautifully what Knifed were all about ... a rather confrontational to say the least front man, Mero and the kidsgave nor asked any quarter and battle began!After throwing a fist full of glitter out of a leather gloved hand at everyone the question was asked “Look at all this glitter! Are you queer or something?”Homosexual japery was all in good fun that night but one particular German singer took exception to the late, great Manboy Steve pretending to take him frombehind when he bent over mid song ... “Don’t make fun of homosexuality!” he screamed, seemingly incandescent with rage at our mesh capped chum. Steve simplyreplied “I’m not making fun of homosexuality! I’m just pretending to bum you!” Cue awkward final fifteen minutes of the set. Only one band that I can recallactually took it all personally and they were an hilarious metaaaallll band from Spalding that played once and made the school boy error of taking Cookie Itchy Bumseriously. “Stop playing Emo!” “We’re not playing Emo!” “Well just stop playing then!” Classic! You can’t beat shouting at people...Marv Gadgie

An interviewwith...Therapy?Northern Ireland has produced a number ofamazing musicians over the years, includingfavorites of mine such as Stiff Little Fingers, Ash,and – of course – Therapy? Andy Cairns (guitars/vocals) formed Therapy? with Fyfe Ewing (drums/vocals) in 1989, and has endured a few lineupchanges and a series of shakeups in the generalstate of rock ‘n’ roll over the subsequent 20-someyears but has never lost his faith in the band, norhas he lost any of his fire and passion for creatingoriginal and intense music. It’s now 2012, andTherapy? are rolling across Europe (and hopefully,soon will be taking their act back to the US) insupport of a smashing new album called A BriefCrack Of Light. In my review of the album forMass Movement 33, I stated that ‘Therapy? neverdisappoint, but they seem to be getting bigger,bolder, and better with each new album of the21st century’. I meant it then and I mean it now. Irecently was afforded the opportunity to chat withAndy Cairns about the new album and a wholelot more. Now, Mass Movement presents: AndyCairns of Therapy?Interview by Timothy ‘The Impaler’ Schwader

obnoxious riff. The jamming turned into somethingthat just clicked and we ended up staying until thelate evening when we put together a piece of musicthat I could take away and write lyrics for. Theinspiration for the lyrics came from two sources:the title from a line in the play by Tom Stoppard‘Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead’ andthe theme from UK comedian Stewart Lee. TheStoppard play looks at the adventures of two minorcharacters from Shakespeare and their banteringon the nature of life and living; and Stewart Leehas a unique way of deconstructing comedy andentertainment, laying it on a table, dissecting it andputting it back together that really makes you thinkabout the concept of comedy in the first place. Thiscan apply to anyone and how they carry themselvesin public life. We know how awful it is to feel underscrutiny from others in a day to day situation… andhow often have we watched the behavior of ourselvesand others, and all of a sudden a small movement – avocal tic, a cultural mannerism – can amplify thehuman condition in all its absurdity? Among thisit’s easy to feel lost and hopeless but also at timeswillfully belligerent – hence the lyrics ‘it’s not my jobto see the funny side but with a gun in your mouthit’s difficult to sing in tune’.MM: ‘Living In The Shadow Of The TerribleThing’. The album’s first single in the UK/Europe– and also the first single in North America?T?: ‘Living In The Shadow Of The Terrible Thing’was a riff and a groove that had been around forages. It’s like a mix of Fugazi, Bomb The Bass (‘BugPowder Dust’), and ‘Mirror In The Bathroom’ byThe Beat [aka The English Beat]. We would just lockinto the main riff and play it again and again becauseit felt so good. The title was something I’d writtenon a napkin in the middle of the night and I’d alwayspresumed it came from the book I was reading atthe time, ‘The Poor Mouth’. by Irish writer FlannO’Brien. It’s very like one of his quotes, however Ican’t find it anywhere so I must have jotted it downafter thinking about his writing. Anyways, it gotme on to the idea of our lives being defined by thisfull stop that we all face at the end, and how we fillthe time in between and deal with the actions andreactions that occur during the duration of a life.The main thing, for me personally, is the need topress on. The line for me in the song is ‘take awaythe future and the present collapses’, which is prettymuch how I think I’d feel if I lost the nous to presson regardless. The bass and drumming in this trackare immense. They both really dig in and the suboomph hits you right in the chest when it’s playedloud!MM: ‘Ecclesiastes’. Beautiful. Disturbing.Minimalistic. Complex. I referenced the bandBoards Of Canada in my review.T?: This was a weird one. It started out as a demowhich I’d done at home. Initially just guitar andvocal so it was a wee bit Will Oldham, which didn’treally fit comfortably with the rest of the stuffwe were doing. I’d been listening to quite a lot ofDarkstar, and they’d used Vocoder and made itsound like the loneliest robot in the galaxy, and thatreally clicked with me so I tried it on the chorus.Neil suggested going for an unusual gated drumsound that would almost combat the topline melodyand make the vocal even more alienated and itseemed to work. We’ve actually opened a show withthis song recently and it completely polarized theaudience – it took about 40 minutes for some ofthem to recover! It’s interesting you should mentionBoards Of Canada. My favorite tune of theirs is‘Basefree’, and although they weren’t a consciousinfluence at the time of writing the song, listeningback to ‘Basefree’ now I can see a kindred spirit withthe Darkstar tunes I was thinking of. This is what Ilove about music, the endless connections.MM: ‘The Buzzing’. I’m not doing this based onthe tracklisting, obviously.T?: ‘The Buzzing’ is my favorite tune on the newalbum. It started with me messing around with aswung, Greg Ginn type riff which I sent to Michael.Being a fan of black metal, Michael sent me backan MP3 of the riff with a more full-on drum track,which we then passed on to Neil, who took the beatand added propulsion. I had the title from an earlystage, and it comes from Samuel Beckett’s play ‘NotI’, in which consciousness is described as ‘buzzing’.The tune is unable to rest, a bit like the ‘phantomchatterbox’ of consciousness so we have the BlackFlag riff into black metal tremolo picking into a freejazzfreak-out into a dub section – influenced heavilyby Digital Mystikz – and ending in a Black Sabbathoutro. It shouldn’t work, but it all goes by in such ablur.MM: ‘Get Your Dead Hand Off My Shoulder’.T?: I was reading ‘Sinister Resonance’ by DavidToop, an amazing book. It was looking at therelationship between perception and situation, and

“I’m still in love with music, I stillbelieve in people, and I still have hope.”Andy Cairns, Therapy?

how sound can suggest different atmospheresthrough images – looking at a painting of someonemaking noise can play a trick of making you imagineyou’re actually hearing that noise. At the time, I wassuffering from insomnia. My mind was racing withparticularly unwelcome thoughts and I would findmyself out late for walks through deserted parts oftowns and cities. It’s also about trying to escape theshackles of personal history and move on. Often inthe middle of the night, on your own, the landscapearound you is silent but that silence takes on a musicand a language all of its own: footsteps, breath,deafening memories, power lines humming. It allmakes you realize that, until the grave, there reallyisn’t any such thing as silence. The music came outof listening to dub influenced music and how someof those records play tricks with the stereo field.There’s lot of percussive guitar scraping – influencedby Andy Gill – and echo abuse. This one has beinggoing down amazingly well live, which surprised usas it moves at quite a meditative pace.MM: ‘Before You, With You, After You’. This is mykind of ‘love song’.T?: The main riffs on this came after I’d beenlistening to a lot of Torche. There’s a grandmelancholy in their music that I can’t quite put afinger on, but their melodies really resonate andthey can turn sludge riffing into a thing of beauty.The lyrics, again, look at the need to go on, nomatter what the circumstances. Often it can feellike we’re alone in a primordial mud, being suckeddown, trying to feel our way into an imaginary light.We brought back the Vocoder for the chorus as wethought it added a poignant and disembodied airto the melody.MM: I described ‘Plague Bell’ as having a ‘viciousProng meets Gang Of Four attack’, which makessense to me as a listener and as a longtime fan ofall three bands involved (including, of course,Therapy?).T?: Originally, I’d come up with a riff based onthe synth stabs in a track called ‘Bad’ by electronicartists Kode 9 & LD [check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVE1_b-7DLg ] Itook the rough riff into rehearsals with Neil. It wasvery heavily swung and very unlike Therapy? at all.When I started jamming it with him it took on amore urgent rock vibe and the guitar chords becamemore rigid, less syncopated. eventually we added bitsand pieces – a Black Flag influence here, a Fugazitouch there – until it became the beast it is today.Neil himself did mention Prong when we played it,funnily enough, and I’m chuffed with the Gang OfFour mention. This track deals with memory – abit of a running theme through the album – andtrying to move on from constant ‘back in the day’nostalgia. The mind often plays tricks on itself; thoserose-tinted spectacles are tinted for a reason.MM: ‘Ghost Trio’. Feels like a single to me.T?: ‘Ghost Trio’ was an experiment to see how farwe could get on one riff. One riff with one notein it. When Michael added the melodic bass linewhile we were jamming it, I was able to fit a melodicmelody line over it and we were able to give it somekind of structure. The whole enterprise has an oddlypsychedelic feel, and this took even more shapewhen we added the lyrics, which were influenced bywatching the unfolding events of the ‘Arab Spring’on the studio television. The song talks aboutbreaking the chains of history – see, told you therewas a running theme! – something which I can relateto given my upbringing in the 80’s in a politicallyunstable Northern Ireland. When this one kicks offlive it really kicks off.MM: ‘Why Turbulence?’. That groove seems pureBlack Sabbath. The lyrics are pure Therapy?!T?: I had the title ‘Why Turbulence?’ for quitea while. When systems go into turbulence, noneof their normal laws apply. I had read that on hisdeathbed, the physicist Werner Heisenberg saidthat he had only one question for God: ‘WhyTurbulence?’… I began to think about how peoplethat have everything they need tie themselves inknots by concentrating instead on what they don’thave and cause themselves no end of misery in theprocess. The tune itself is another of those slightlyjazzy, riffy numbers that we’ve attempted over theyears – ‘Loser Cop’ (on ‘Babyteeth’), ‘He’s NotThat Kind Of Girl’(on ‘Suicide Pact – You First’),etcetera. When I was messing around with the riff, Iwas trying to imagine Duke Ellington played by CopShoot Cop or The Birthday Party.MM: That just leaves ‘Marlow’, which in myreview of the album I noted as having ‘burrowedits way so deeply into my subconscious that I’vewoken up with it playing in my mind for threedays straight now’. That still holds true every timeI play the album, which is often.

T?: Really? Wow, thanks for that – really flattered!‘Marlow’ is a bizarre one. I was in Cambridge, in thecity center, one afternoon when a bunch of Africanstreet musicians were playing. They were jammingaround a drone – lots of percussion and vocalglossolalia. I was intrigued by the drumming, so Irecorded about 5 minutes of it on my phone whileI stood watching them. Back home, I looped thedrums and started playing along and jamming withthem and eventually came up with the harmonicriff that runs continuously through the track.Over the course of the evening I had another fewbits and pieces that fitted in nicely, but there wasnowhere for vocals to go. I sent the three chunks toMichael, Neil, and Adam Sinclair (album engineer/co-producer). When we were in the studio, werecorded the three chunks separately but were stillunsure what to do with them. Towards the end ofthe album session, Neil and Adam spent an eveningarranging the parts into something resembling aninstrumental track. After that was finished, I addeda few processed vocal tracks and some sliced andstuttering guitar. This then became the track youhear on the album. It’s a very popular track witheven people who don’t get the album citing it as afavorite. We’ve played it live a few times, but it needswork to get it right. Hopefully on this forthcomingtour we’ll nail it. The title is a name of a character inJoseph Conrad’s ‘Heart Of Darkness’.MM: Can you talk about the lyrics on this albumat all? I’m not asking for explanations or deepermeanings – just a general sense of the motivationand mood… where they came from and/or whatkind of environment you were seeking to createfor the listener on ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’.T?: A lot of the themes seem to deal with memory,perception of memory, and how the past can bemisremembered. Also trying to move onwards andshake off the binds of history, past mistakes andregrets. Initially, the themes of the album were tobe dealing with absurdity in the modern world, butmost of that ended up on tracks that didn’t make thealbum.MM: And this one was produced by AndrewSinclair, yeah? What would you like to say aboutMr. Sinclair?T?: Adam Sinclair is the in-house studio engineerat Blast Studios, which is owned by our label, BlastRecords. He’s a young guy, a talented engineer andproducer – and a talented working drummer toboot. He helped out and co-mixed our last album,‘Crooked Timber’. Being younger and from adifferent musical background from us, he’s able toapproach the band with fresh ideas and not try andget us to sound like something we’re not or try andinfluence a more commercial direction. When wemention obscure references for sounds, he doesn’tblanche, he just gets on with it.MM: You’ve worked with Andy Gill (Gang OfFour) as well. I’m just going to get doubly fan-boyon you. Gang. Of. Four. [speechlessness broughton by awe….] Stories?T?: To be honest, I’m quite the Gang Of Four fanboymyself, and Andy Gill’s guitar playing was a hugeinfluence on me – all those percussive, harmonichits on T? records?! haha! – so I was nervous aboutmeeting him. My initial phone call with him –approaching him regarding working on ‘CrookedTimber’ – settled my nerves somewhat, as he wasaffable and very down to earth. A couple of daysafter starting work on the album we all decidedto go for a few beers after a hard day’s work andthen ended up later in the evening back in theband house, chatting. We had the iPod on in thebackground on shuffle and, rather embarrassingly,every 15 minutes or so, Gang Of Four would comeon! But he laughed and took it in stride. Storieswise,there’s nothing saucy or negative. He was apleasure to work with, had a great taste in wine, andwas incredibly open-minded about everything wewanted to do workwise. We hung out a little bit,but were on a tight time schedule. He was great atgetting across what he wanted and was instrumentalin making sure the guitars didn’t sound generic,the bass rattled, and the drums really kicked. Onefan-boy thing that surprised me, though. We did alittle bit of work in his own studios and I got to playhis own Telecaster. I was shocked by how light thegauge of his strings were! I thought he would haveropes on his guitar given the nature of his attackingplaying style, but like a true artist he achieves muchthrough deft strokes.MM: Therapy? is, in many ways, a sound in andof itself, but there is always room to shift and togrow. While ‘that’ guitar sound, for example,is present on ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’, there areother things going on. What I’m actually tryingto set up here is a discussion of gear. Can you tellus about the guitars, amps, pedals, and any coolstudio things you used here? Feel free to rambleon. Many of us are fascinated by this kind of thing.

T?: The majority of rhythm guitar was recordedusing my 90’s Gibson SG Standard through an oldMarshall JCM 800 and a Framus Cobra. The morepercussive and clean tones were done on my FramusAK 1974. There were a lot of Electro Harmonixpedals on the go, the Tube Zipper in ‘Plague Bell’,a Pog on ‘Living In The Shadow Of The TerribleThing’, and a Graphic Fuzz on most of the album.The ‘stuttering guitar’ on ‘Marlow’ was done with aBoss Slicer, and all the Vocodered and treated vocalson the record were done using the Electro Harmonixvoice box. The majority of the tuning is Drop Asharp. For the drums, we used the same techniqueAndy Gill had shown us on ‘Crooked Timber’ –namely, record the cymbals separately from the restof the kit. A copper mic was used a lot for backingvocals and for the main vocals on ‘Ghost Trio’.Michael did all the bass in about 3 and a half days.MM: Any chance you’re going to lug all thisfabulous gear over to the States again? I live inAustin now. I’ll put you up for a week if you’d liketo arrange a residency at Emo’s. Maybe SXSW2013? Something?!T?: We would love nothing more! Hopefully, nowthat the record is getting a release, we will have adoor open for us again. Let’s hope things can workout, it’s been waaaay too long and we’re itching toget back.MM: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this. Iwas living in Norwich in the late ‘90s. I had myschedule all sussed out for OzzFest ’98 – withplans to lounge about on the lawn with a sandwichand a cool beverage during Korn’s set. I arrived atMilton Keynes Bowl to discover that Therapy?had replaced Korn on the bill, so I was afforded nobreak – it was like Pitchshifter, Soulfly (with BenjiWebbe, couldn’t miss Benji!), Slayer, Pantera,Therapy?, Foo Fighters, Black Sabbath… I neededan extra 3 days to recover from the madness. Youkinda owe me! haha!T?: Fair play to you, mate! Norwich isn’t that farfrom where I live now, Cambridge. Sounds like youhad a blast. We were pleased to be asked to play.We’d toured the States with Ozzy a couple of yearsbefore and had got to meet Sharon a few times –crazy to think now that’s she’s a celeb in her ownright ‘n all, but she used to work her ass off on Ozzy’sbehalf and go on the road – so when she called ourmanager and asked us to step in for Korn, we agreedstraight away. Sounds like we owe you all right, if –or should I say WHEN – we get back to the States,the drinks are on us! Hey, you could even suggest –in advance, please – what tunes you’d like in the set ifyou make it to a show.MM: Ireland has produced a wealth of amazingartists over the years. There are a few questionsin here. How do you see yourselves in the grandscheme of Irish rock music? Can you tell ussome of your favorite Irish bands, and what theymean to you? And can you get the word out onany current Irish acts that have yet to be widelydiscovered by the rest of the world?T?: Northern Ireland is such a unique place in termsof music and culture in general. The recent peaceprocess has facilitated an upspring in rehearsalvenues, live venues, media, record companies, andbands. My formative years were partly shaped by theglorious sound of Ulster Punk – bands such as Rudi,Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones, The Starjets,and Protex. Recent bands that Therapy? are fans ofinclude La Faro, Axis Of, and And So I Watch YouFrom Afar. Robyn G Shiels is a great, picaresque,singer/songwriter; Boxcutter makes unusualelectronic music; and Mojo Fury, FightingWith Wire, and Jetplane Landing bring the noise.MM: Therapy? has been at it since 1989. That’san amazing run for any band. Yet you seem to begetting stronger and more relevant with each passingyear. 2003’s ‘High Anxiety’ seemed to be a turningpoint in some ways, and remains the Therapy? albumfrom the back catalog that I listen to the most. Pleasetell us that you’re just getting warmed up!T?: I’d like to think so! We’re all still so in love withmusic that there doesn’t appear to be an end in sightjust yet. I think we’re only really hitting our strideafter having had a new lease of life in the noughties.MM: Really, all of your 21st century albumsare representative of a band in its prime. Whatmotivates you? Where are the songs coming from?The energy, the passion?T?: It’s about keeping our ears open. Once you stoplistening, you’re finished, I think. So many peers ofours have switched off and only listen to what theythink is a (misremembered) ‘golden era’ and don’tbother to listen to other genres of music or newbands. I’m glad we’re all so open-minded and arestill listening. Nothing beats being slayed by a newdiscovery. recently I came across the amazing guitarfreakery of Nu-Kle-Er Blast Suntan, the gorgeoussongs of Arctic Flowers, the punishing beats of

Powell, and the exciting, discordant riffs of ApogeeSound Club – and my world is a better place for it.MM: Writing a setlist these days has to be adifficult task. I sat down to give it a go from afan’s perspective. Working backward from ‘ABrief Crack Of Light’ with just the songs that Ifelt HAD to be included, I had you playing for2 hours before I had even worked back as far as2001’s ‘Shameless’. But then there’s ‘Potato Junkie’and ‘ Screamager’ and ‘Meat Abstract’ and ‘SixMile Water’ and ‘Church Of Noise’ and….T?: I know, it’s crazy! We try and play for at leastan hour and a half, and often an hour and threequarters, but that doesn’t even start to cover it and itnever keeps everyone happy. We should start gettingfans to order their setlists in advance so that we takevotes and when we get to a town we play a set thatrepresents the Therapy? fans in that area’s particularhighlights from our albums.MM: Therapy? has a long history of stellar coversongs too, from Husker Du’s ‘Diane’ to Misfits’‘Where Eagles Dare’. Any comments on doingcovers, and whether or not that is still somethingthat interests you as a band?MM: Therapy? also has a long history of mergingheavy riff-oriented rock ‘n’ roll with industrialand electronic sounds – lots of remixes andcollaborations over the years, as well as theincorporation of experimental elements intooriginal recordings. Comments? Stories?T?: The remix thing was very trendy in the 90’sand as we had always included electronic music inour tastes, we were really up for getting people weadmired to remix our material. We never really gotto meet any of them though, just talked to them onthe phone. A lot of our hardcore fanbase at the timehated the remixes! Recently we’ve had quite a bitof stuff off ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’ remixed, and Imust say, it’s sounding fantastic! Hopefully that’llsee the light of day at some point. I’ve not really gotmany stories about remixing to tell, but I did playguitar on a David Holmes session – Holmes isthe Belfast musician, DJ, and also soundtrack guywho put together some of the electronic sounds onTherapy?’s ‘Infernal Love’ album – and ended upstaying in his house for two days, drunk, stoned, anddoing acid while various friends of his dropped byto say hello. I think at the end of it all we had about30 seconds of guitar that we used. I don’t even knowwhat the track is called!MM: Are there any favorite musicians, films,comedians, politicians, species of plant life, oranything else in the great big world that you’d liketo gush about to our readers?Patient X Therapy?T?: Covers always started through messing aroundand jamming in rehearsals. These days, with 13albums to make a set-list from, we don’t get as muchtime to play covers. Pity, it’s always a good way toswitch off the intensity and have some fun. You’vegot me thinking now. Mmm, what would be a goodcover to do...?

T?: My favorite musician of recent years is electronicartist Burial. It’s hard to describe his music but it’spart Lynch soundtrack, part ghost rave, all beautifulabstract sound. It brings me to tears. It’s like havinga haunted head – but being happy with it. The filmsof director Steve McQueen – ‘Hunger’ and alsohis most recent, ‘Shame’ – have really moved me alot and made me think about how people inhabitthis world and various ways they see and define thereasons why they are here.MM: Any hopes, dreams, inspirations, fears, orconspiracies you’d like to share or address?T?: Well, sorry about seeming to bang on aboutAmerica again, but I really want to get back overto play and see more of the place. Fears? Well, herein the UK and Ireland the gap between the havesand the have-nots is widening at an alarming level.Something is needed to redress the balance beforemore damage is done to future generations.MM: I can’t thank you enough for your time. Thefloor is yours. Pimp the product!T?: Folks, if you’re reading this, my name is AndrewJames Cairns. I’m a musician born and raised inNorthern Ireland. I grew up and tried to have asnormal a childhood as I could through the violentpolitical unrest that has come to be known as ‘thetroubles’. This is reflected in the mongrel natureof the music that Therapy? plays. I’m still in lovewith music, I still believe in people, and I still havehope. If you haven’t heard the band I play in calledTherapy?, please take a few moments out of yourhectic schedule to check us out. Our biggest-sellingalbum and the one with the catchiest tunes – if that’syour Bag – is called ‘Troublegum’, but if you wantto hear the sound of angry, young, and lost Ulster,may I suggest 1991’s ‘Babyteeth’. And keeping youbang up to date, our last two albums are fresh, fullof ideas – Mingus influenced riffs! Stravinsky timesignatures! Vocoder! – and they’re called ‘CrookedTimber’ and ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’.MM: Thank you, Andy. You’ve been amazing.T?: Take care and thank you so much for yoursupport – it means a lot to us! Hopefully we will getto the States sooner rather than later and it would begreat to see you when we do. All the best!MBe sure to visit www.therapyquestionmark.co.ukand www.blast-recording.com and www.mvdb2b.com for more information on Therapy?! Also followTherapy? at @therapyofficial and The Impalerat @impalerspeaks and Mass Movement at @massmovementmag on Twitter.

My Life In BooksGary McMahon’s fiction has appeared in anthologies in both the UK and US, including The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror and The Year’s Best Fantasy andHorror. He is the British-Fantasy-Award-nominated author of Rough Cut, All Your Gods Are Dead, Dirty Prayers, How to Make Monsters, Rain Dogs, Different Skins,Pieces of Midnight, The Harm andHungry Hearts. www.garymcmahon.com1. Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice SendakProbably the greatest children’s book ever written. I loved this as a kid and for some reason I love it even more now, as an adult. I buy this book as a gift for people – there are exgirlfriendsrunning around with copies. It makes the world a better place.2. Dracula – Bram StokerDracula was the first proper horror novel I ever read. I borrowed it from a school friend, who pinched it from his mother, when I was about 9 or 10 years old. This was just afterI’d been blown away by the 1977 BBC adaptation, starring Louis Jordan as the Count. I was much too young to understand a lot of the novel, but it rocked my world anyway. I’venever been the same since.3. The October Country – Ray BradburyI’ve loved Bradbury’s stories since my early childhood, and this collection was the one that really sang to me. It’s a virtuoso performance: the beauty of the imagery,the lyrical quality of his prose, the darkness at the core of stories like ‘The Lake’, ‘The Scythe’, and ‘The October Game’. It’s a small miracle of a book and I feel happyknowing it exists, that other people are reading it.4. Demons By Daylight – Ramsey CampbellThe first Campbell book I ever read, and still my favourite. The stories in this one showed me that it was possible to write horror in an everyday setting, using locationsthat were exactly like the ones where I lived. I stopped trying to write crappy King pastiche and began to evolve my own authorial voice. Somewhere along the line thegeography of the real world and that in Campbell’s stories started to look the same. Whenever I see an empty school at night or row of grimy terraced houses at dusk,the phrase “Campbell Country” enters my head.5. The Dark Country – Dennis EtchisonEtchison is one of the best short story writers I’ve ever encountered. He’s a genre unto himself. The rhythm of his prose, the tone of his stories, the economy of his writing,combine to create tales of rare class and subtlety. I read this book when I was still in my teens, and have been trying to learn from it every day since.6. Skeleton Crew – Stephen KingThis was the first collection of King’s stories I ever owned. I got it from the same second-hand book shop I’ve already mentioned, and remember taking it on holidaywith me in my early teens. For some reason, it was the only book I packed, and I read it several times, falling completely in love with the stores (and poems). Thebook has become totemic to me; my battered hardback copy is one of the few things I own that it would upset me to lose. Even the cover gives me goose pimples.

7. Pet Semetary – Stephen KingAnother King: another personal touchstone. This is, for me, the greatest horror novel ever written. Another purchase from Bargain Books in Sunderland, Iremember the first time I read this in great detail. My granddad had just died and my grandmother was in hospital. There’s been a spate of burglaries in thesheltered homes where my grandmother lived, so I stayed there for a couple of nights to keep an eye on the place. I took this novel with me to read. I didn’t sleepat all for three nights. I sat up with the lights on, reading the book, and was so scared that I was afraid to stop and turn out the lights. I would finally doze off whenthe sun came up, but until then I was terrified that my granddad’s ghost might come visiting…the situation was a unique demonstration of the power of fiction. Itwasn’t a story; it was real.8. Jesus’ Son – Dennis JohnsonReading this one was a revelation. The economy of the prose was something I was familiar with, but the emotional intensity Johnson packs into so few words tookmy breath away. Ostensibly a bunch of interlinked stories about a stoner bumming around with the people he knows, the book creates snapshot of disillusionedyouth in America in a specific era. I’ve re-read Jesus’ Son several times, and each time I find something new – and inspiring – in the slender volume.9. Elidor – Alan GarnerI can trace my love of a particular style of fiction – terse, dark, urban, gritty, beautiful - directly to Garner’s superb novel. The book left such a mark on me that I can see itsinfluence everywhere in my own writing. I recently embarked upon a re-reading of Elidor, and was delighted to find that it still had the power to move me.10. In Cold Blood – Truman CapoteI was late in catching up with Capote’s masterpiece. I only read it during my thirties, and didn’t expect to be so shaken up by the book. It’s a masterpiece of fictionalreportage. There are passages in this book that I read over again just to savour the rhythm of the prose. If I’d read this in my twenties it would have been animmediate life-changer. As it stands, the book still managed to alter my perception and made me re-evaluate my own writing. Books like this are rare. They must betreasured. M M

An interviewwith...H u n t r e s sHaving released their debut CD ‘Spell Eater’ onNapalm Records, the U.S. band Huntress wereon their first U.K. tour over here and tonight theywere stopping off for a gig at the Metal HammerHalloween Bash in London. I needed to find outif Huntress were just another female fronted bandhoping to draw people in by their singers goodlooks… but boy was I wrong, the music speaksfor itself and front-woman Jill was incrediblyarticulate and brimming with information, aswell as having a burning passion for what she hasput at the forefront of her life.Interview by Mark FreebaseWith an amazing stage presence I was keen tofind out if the name Huntress was as is, becauseof being female fronted?The softly but perfectly polite tones of Jill reply‘Well, no, I’m Pagan, and I grew up with a veryeccentric family and to me Huntress represents agoddess I worship, and she is the goddess of wildlifeand the hunt, so to me to choose the name Huntresswas just very natural, it represents all I stand fornature, the hunt, and Paganism and it’s pretty heavy

also… a good name for a metal band. That’s why Ichose it. I formed the band and had been searchingfor musicians for nearly a decade, I had started inopera, although I always knew that I had wantedto be a metal singer; even though my mother hadprevented me from doing it for so many years’ shecheekily grins ‘I was born with a big vocal range of 4octaves, so she was really sculpting that, and I grewup with theatre, but always wanted a darker sideof things, and that theme still runs through withHuntress. I infact came up with the name manyyears ago, and trade marked it also many years ago,but was searching in the meantime’ Jill passionatelyexplains.So how did Jill make that change from her operaroots? How did she make that change away to takea direction that her mother wasn’t keen on?‘By the age of 10 I started auditioning for operaand musicals, and by the time I was 13 I was heavilyinto metal. Suicidal Tendencies was my first rockshow, and I’ve always loved thrash. So I’d recordthrash songs in my friends basement, always doingthe operatic productions and musical theatre, so sheknew I had this burning desire to do this but shesaid “You’ll ruin your voice!” so I had to learn howto strip away the classical connections so that I couldmaintain that metal voice I really wanted. I’d say myclassical training is the foundation for my screamsthough! I think I’m blessed with the backgroundI had, as I don’t know if I’d maintain this style ofsinging night after night. I mean the longest streamof shows I’ve done is 30 days in a row; and errrm Ihaven’t lost it yet’ she thankfully proclaims.Now with a massive plethora of choice for femalefronted bands, does that breed any influences orsway the directional performance for Jill?‘To be honest, there’s only really one I admire; thatwould be Ann Wilson of Heart. So anything I drawfrom is mostly male singers because, y’know, my goalis to be sexless vocally’ Jill pauses for a split second,then smiles as she continues ‘of course I am also notafraid to show some skin, and I will draw you in withsorcery also as I’m a witch, and that’s what we do. Ifear nothing’ she openly admits. ‘As far as women,in metal, and getting recognition, I think that’sawesome, but I do feel that women shouldn’t haveany special attention, they need to earn respect, andthey need to do it like men do. It should all be doneon vocal merits, the vocal ability, not just “cos she’sa chick she’ll be good”, but of course women aregood to look at, you can’t fight it – DON’T FIGHTTHE HOTNESS’ Jill advises me, making mechuckle in agreement.Since signing with Napalm Records nearly a yearago, and being thrown out on tour right after therecordings were completed, Jill must have beenasked many different (and I’m sure, unfortunately,the same) questions regarding ‘Spell Eater’ so Itry and pry a little into her personal life and see ifshe’ll tell me something about the other side…‘Well I get a lot of questions about the craft,witchcraft, and the occult aspects of the music,so I’m guna tell you that I like cooking a lot. Ilove baking cup-cakes, and I’m actually quitedomesticated! I really don’t enjoy going out, I’mmore of a loner, so I love baking… and smokingweed’ she honestly remarks grinning like a Cheshirecat ‘and listening to Sabbath! That’s pretty muchme when we are not touring or rehearsing. I haven’tbeen able to do that for several months now, but tome it’s really important that you have another aspectto your life. Those moments that I get to just hangout with my dogs and be a normal girl are cool, butI am looking to conquer with Huntress’. So I ask Jillto tell me a bit about where she lives ‘This is weirdsituation, as just after we recorded ‘Spell Eater’ wewere given the opportunity to go out on Pagan Fest,even though we didn’t have an album yet, but I gaveup my house! I had a house with a couple of theband members and we just gave it up… I sold my car,I had a yard sale and sold all my belongings mostly,

anything left over went into storage, and I wasvirtually homeless with the boys for a good 6months, and only just recently we rented a roomin a house with a bunch of artists and we keep ourbelongings there and the dogs stay when we’rearound, we’re Nomads/Gypsies at the moment, wereally just live in the van or the tour bus. We wannabe on the road a lot. The only heartache is when wecan’t bring the dogs. They can’t come with us ontour in Europe, but back home in the states both ofthem tour with us; an English Bulldog named Attilaand a little Chiwowa named Party Time. We justlove animals, and again that ties in with the image ofHuntress and being Pagan’.I feel pretty privileged to have gotten thatinformation from Jill, and a chance to hear someof the ‘other side’, I appreciate her openness, butnow I wanted to find out a bit about the CD ‘SpellEater’ so hoping not to re-hash a question askedmany times before… but was there a conceptbehind the CD, the imagery, the witchcraft?‘Spell Eater is a little tribute to spells but it is nota concept album, although I would love to write aconcept album one day, it just came naturally to me.A lot of the album was actually beamed to me fromdeep space. I have spoken about this before, where Ihave visions and they kinda guide the song writingprocess for us… for example, one day I was walkingthe dogs in Los Angeles and everything went reallyquiet, except the ringing in your ears, and then I felta surge go right through my body and I spoke thewords spell eater… I don’t know where it came from,I don’t know why, but I picked up my phone andcalled Blake (the lead guitarist) and I said the nameof the album is ‘Spell Eater’ now go write me thesong! So a lot of the process works like that, I alsogo to the Tarot and ask for guidance. Huntress is allpart of the vision and the band members are eitherall in there with us or they’re not involved. I meanwhen I asked the Tarot to reveal one card that wouldbecome an epic metal song, it was the Eight OfSwords that chose us. It means self-imprisonmentwith freedom only obtainable if you chose to releaseyourself, so at that point I knew that I had to abolishall other ambitions – I was DJing, I was painting, Iwas working on other aspects of art and I just gaveeverything up and focused solely on Huntress. Thenwe decided this was the concept for the video, andwe put all of our money together and shot the videowith Simon, I knew it was guna be epic, but I hadno idea that it would cause the frenzy that it did!When it was released we had 9 labels fighting to signus! Napalm won out, as they shared the same vision,and I never thought that I’d be saying this, but it gotscary, I’m just glad we had a good lawyer. That sideof the music business is just frightening. We madesome awesome friends with label people we didn’tsign with, and they gave us some great advice, butyou know what; you never know what the futureholds and who you may work with in the future. Iseriously did not know what the fuck we were doing’Jill quite openly admits to me. ‘All of a sudden it justturned into a shit storm and with guidance from thegoddess things seemed to turn out really well. Somepeople may not realise but we’re such a baby band,and we’re really just starting out now, and for me I’velearnt so much already’.What is your ultimate goal musically then I askJill? What would you like to obtain?Spontaneously Jill answers ‘I want to be in my cronephase performing in Huntress, and that means oldwith long white hair, I actually want to embody thecrone but fully, I want longevity. That’s my ultimategoal to live this journey my entire life, and be an oldhag on stage’.With a gripping personality and a real sense ofsincerity Jill seems to be starting the journey well,a fan of true metal also, with Huntress drawinginfluences from doom/tharsh/trad/black metalgenres, if you like good metal miss them at yourown peril. Hammerfest in March 2013 willsee the band return to these shores, and withSweden Rock Festival also confirmed will itbe long before the likes of Wacken Open Airand Australia’s Soundwave Festival (as theband are hoping) follow suit?M

Featuring members from local Welsh bandsHellmoney, Struck a Nerve and Hunger Artistand one of the only non-American bands signedto Bridge Nine records, the Goodtime Boys lookset for bigger things than a weekly booking in thelocal pub. MM catches up with their bass player,Leigh McAndrew; a man with a finger inmany pies.An interviewwith...Interview by Ian PickensMain photo by Ryan MackfallTheGoodtimeBoysMM: Introduce the Goodtime BoysLM: I play bass and Kai who was in Hunger Artistplays guitar, Sam plays guitar, Penny does vocals andwe just got a new drummer; he used to be in Throatsand his name is Tom.MM: The line-up of the GTB has been quite fluidsince its inception hasn’t it? Were you there at thestart?LM: No, I joined in November 2011, Kai joinedsometime early last year and Tom has just joined sothe only original members left are Sam and Penny.MM: Has this lead to a change in the band’s soundover its existence?LM: Oh yes, they started off as a typical Hardcoresounding band; not straight-up Hardcore, justsimpler than we do now, and it’s become a lot moremelodic. The new ep we’ve done for Bridge Nine isreally melodic; there’s one song, I wouldn’t say it wasslow but it is really melodic compared to the first ep.MM: Is the release a double ep or an album;there’s seems to be reference to it as an ep by theband and an album by Bridge Nine?LM: Yeah we told them not to. They are using theterm double ep in all the press. It’s actually a 7”, 12”or CD. Side A of the 12” is five new songs and the BSide is five old songs re-mastered.MM: Do you consider it a summary of the GTBmaterial up to now?LM: Well that’s how Bridge Nine intended it. Theywanted to make more people aware of us. I meanwe only sold about 1000 copies of the first ep; wellmaybe not sold that many but only a few thousandpeople got to hear that ep so …MM: A thousand? That’s pretty good going…LM: Well combining the CD and record sales, itprobably is about a thousand but obviously BridgeNine want to open us up to people in America whohaven’t heard us yet. They wanted to put the old andnew together before we did the LP which we havejust started writing now.MM: You must be pretty stoked to have inkedthe deal with Bridge Nine; you have personallychampioned a lot of the bands on that label forquite a while now.LM: Bridge Nine has been my favourite label forgod knows how long now and funny enough themail-order guy told me the other day that I’m theirnumber one mail-order customer in the UK of alltime; so to sign to them was just mind blowing. Iwon’t really believe it until the records arrive?MM: Which is when?LM: Should be next week .MM: Are you going to be selling them on tour?LM: Yeah but we only get 150 copies of the 7” forourselves; because Bridge Nine do a lot of distrobusiness in the UK, you got Banquet Records and afew other record shops, they wanna give the recordto those shops as well as selling it online; but we’ll betaking 150 out on the Rollo Tomasi tour later thisyear.MM: You mentioned an album/LP earlier on; areyou planning to release that through Bridge Ninetoo? Have you signed up for a specific number ofreleases with them?LM: Yeah one album with an option for two more.The option is more on their sides than ours. The type

of music we’re playing – Bridge Nine is the label. Forme if your more metal tinged Hardcore then you’relooking at Deathwish Records; for what we do itsBridge Nine. It’s sorta like how all the Ska bands inthe 70s wanted to be on Two Tone; Hardcore bandswant to be on Bridge Nine.MM: They certainly seem to have monopoly ofbands at the moment, from old school acts likeAgnostic Front and DYS to newer bands such asDefeater, Ceremony and yourselves…LM: HaveHeart, American Nightmare…pretty muchevery good band in the past 10 years have been oneither Deathwish or Bridge Nine. But that’s just myopinion and I think we’re only the thirdnon-American band. You got Dead Swans fromBrighton, Milesaway from Perth, Australia and us.MM: You mentioned earlier that Kai was inHunger Artist; has he left or have they broken up?LM: I think so, that’s what he told me yesterday orthe day before. I think they’re all going their separateways.MM: Most members of the Goodtime Boysseem to have separate side projects going on;does that interfere with the writing, recordingand gig schedule of GTB or does that band takeprecedence? Are you still working with MattDavies inStruck A Nerve and doing Hellmoney?LM: Yeah Struck A Nerve is still going. It’s justfinding the time when I’m home and Ben’s home andMatt’s home. I was in A Thousand Arrows butwe’re breaking up ‘cos we did a European tour, webrought out an album; I think everyone just feels itsrun its course. One of the guys is getting married,and Gordon the drummer, who used to be in RagingSpeedhorn, has his van business and he tour managesHeights and I think he does something with FeedThe Rhino too, so he’s really busy and we never seehim so we going to do the last ever ATA show beforethe end of the year in Cardiff. The side projects don’tcause any friction with the GTB stuff. The drummerlives in Brighton, Penny’s always away driving bandson tour, Sam and I both have full time jobs and Kai…well Kai is Kai so we’re apart quite a lot.We’re talking about doing more writing on tour,getting some mini amps and taking them out on tourand that might be the only way. When you’re touringyou effectively have about twenty hours of downtimeevery day; so sleep for 8 and use the rest for writingand rehearsing.MM: What does the writing process entailfor GTB, do you all come in with riffs or doindividuals write entire songs? Do you work to thelyrics or do they get fitted in to the music?LM: Penny’s constantly writing lyrics and then Sam’salways writing riffs. We all write bits and pieces andbecause we all use iPhones we can record bits

and send them to each other. The other day Samrecorded a whole song he had written and set it toTom in Brighton, and Tom has some program onhis computer that allows him to ‘write’ the drumselectronically which he then sends out to everybodyand then we just put all the pieces together when wejam.MM: It’s such a different way to put songstogether compared to the old process of regularlypractising together with everyone chipping inbits and pieces and seeing what works… onething I have noticed which is reminiscent of thepre-digital age is that more and more bands arereturning to tape releases, and vinyl’s popularityis starting to surge too. Is it just nostalgia or is itsome kind of statement about digital technology?LM: I don’t know that its nostalgia because a lot ofpeople who buy vinyl probably weren’t around whenvinyl and tapes were common. They’re just easier andcheaper than CDs to make. Hellmoney have done3 of our four releases on tapes. They’re just easier todo and there’s that collectors element to them; andyou can always include a download code for peoplewho want that. I’ve got a tape player in my car andin my house so I play them quite a bit but I don’tthink many people do. I know a lot of people whobuy records and then just put them on the shelfbecause they don’t have a record player; but vinyl isnice because you have the artwork on a larger scale.Sam our guitarist does all the GTB art, he’s a graphicdesigner and he’s done such a good job on the 10”and the CD they did before I joined and on this newrelease…MM: It kinda reminds me of the artwork theyused to use on the old Dischord releases especiallythe various ‘Flex Your Head’ comp covers; nottoo sure what it is about them… the main reasonI’m not a fan of digital downloads is that it oftenmeans that people don’t give enough time to thewhole package; they just cherry pick songs forcomp lists and that doesn’t encourage bands tomake good albums just the odd strong track.LM: Yeah when I buy records I tend to buy a loadat the same time and then when I have time I sitdown and work my way through them; take in theartwork, the lyrics and the music as one package. Letthe record do what it’s meant to do rather than justlisten to bits and pieces on an iPod.MM: Do you listen to a lot of Hardcore? Do youstill find it exciting?LM: Oh yeah, there’s still loads of interesting thingsgoing on. When I did Hunger Artist with Kai itopened me up to things like Isis, Old Man Gloomand Pelican… stuff like that. Defeater, who are justincredible lyrically; they are addressing things thathave always been addressed in Hardcore but from astory-telling angle, almost like folk way. Converges’new record is going to be coming out soon. In fact itgot announced the same time as the Goodtime Boysep which kind of stole our thunder a bit .MM: Aside from the music are you stillpromoting Comedy Shows?LM: I’ve just done Heilig When down in Cardiffand that sold out two sets. I did Brendon Burns, he’sone of the best comedians around. I’ll be puttinghim on again. He’ll be back next year. I’ve been

putting bands on since I was thirteen, starting inthe Kings Head pub in Pencoed and in the Legion,local bands such as Rezmo, Losing Six Seconds,None The Wiser…those were the three main onesand some bands from Maesteg who’s names I can’tremember. These days Hobo’s seems to be the onlylocal place putting on shows. The GoodTime Boysare playing there with our friends Continents, fromGermany, next month . When the Tollhouse stopped putting on shows there was abig gap of about two-three years when nothing washappening. When it comes to music, al the ideals Ihave came from the bands that played the Tollhouse– Adequate 7, Five Knuckle – hard working bands.Adequate 7 used to play something like 200 showsa year; Howard’s Alias – all those bands CaptainEverything, Capdown, all those bands used to comethrough Bridgend; and all my ideas about how youshould do a band come from that.just going to try and write as much as we can over thenext couple of months. Bridge Nine are looking at arelease date of late next summer so we need to andhave it written by January/February next year andrecord it springtime.MM: Last Words or Parting Shots.LM: I just can’t think of any.MM: It’s probably that most difficult thing toanswer. Thanks for taking the time out to do thisanyway Leigh.MMM: You mentioned the tour with Rollo Tomasiearlier; it’s quite an extensive UK tour right?About two-three weeks? Are there any plans totour further afield? With Bridge Nine being anAmerican is there any chance of them stumping upthe money to tour over there?LM: It won’t be a case of them financing it; it’smore a case of logistics; they know people we don’t.We were looking at next spring but there’s a fewEuropean tours lined up for then that we’re probablygoing to do as we haven’t been to Europe sinceMarch with Pianos Become Teeth; so maybe we’ll belooking at the US later in the year when the albumcomes out round about this time next year. We’re

It was the 1930’s and America was in the throes of the GreatDepression. The lights of New York’s Broadway appeared a littleless bright during this era. But despite the doom and gloom of WallStreet failure, the motion picture industry had managed to offer thegeneral public a bastion from hopelessness.The movie theater was the one place that a person could go to beentertained.The truly larger-than-life, black and white images of celluloid iconstemporarily relieved the huddled masses from their depression, atleast for a few hours.Six years earlier, the silent screen had been augmented with sound.The audiences no longer had to imagine what their favorite leadingman or woman’s voice would sound like. Now, it was very loud andclear. Unfortunately, not every silent star made the transition tosound, and they needed to find employment elsewhere. Such wasnot the case for a young Canadian born vixen by the name of FayWray.Wray began her career in 1923 at the tender age of 16 with anappearance in a short historical documentary, and she wouldcontinue to find work as a leading lady in the 20’s. But the focus ofher 57-year career in movies would zero-in on the early 30’s, whenshe appeared in several, memorable films that would earn her thetitle of the original “scream queen.”SCREAMS UNLIMITED –FAY WRAYThe original sexy, super-lungedheroine of the silver screen.

Doctor X (First National 1932) marks the use of a two-color film process that predates Technicolor and gives the cinematography a pastel quality. Wray plays the daughter ofa doctor (Lionel Atwill) who runs a suspicious research facility dealing with cadavers. Her father, an eminent surgeon, quickly becomes the lead suspect in a rash of full moonmurders that seem to originate there. As the plot thickens, it becomes obvious that several of his colleagues are equally as suspicious of the crimes, but in typical Hollywoodfashion, the main culprit is not exposed until the final, five minutes.To flush out the villain, Atwill convinces Wray to lure the killer into a trap by securing her to a table in the moonlight. The plan works and the killer is identified as one of hiscolleges. It is during this sequence that Fay’s magnificent scream is unleashed, as she struggles to free herself from the restraints.In that same year, Fay was given the lead, along with her costar Joel McCrea, in an adaptation of the short story The Most Dangerous Game. She and McCrea are held captiveon a secluded island, and they become the prey of a bloodthirsty hunter. With great stride and strategy, the two manage to survive the perils and pitfalls of the chase and killtheir aggressor. Again, she gives the audience plenty of earsplitting screams along the way.1933 would also mark the release of a dozen films in which Wray starred including two with Atwill. The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), released by Paramount Studio,also uses a two-color film process similar to the one used by First Nationalthe year before.Playing the role of a reporter’s roommate, Wray’s character is less visibleon screen, but she makes the most of her exposure, especially in the finalclimax. She is the object of the evil curator’s eye (Atwill), and he intendsto make her a permanent addition to his collection by sealing her in wax.In the process, her trademark screams signal her lover and thereby savingher from certain corporeal, if not spiritual, immortality.The Vampire Bat (1933) is an interesting film that one again pairs Wraywith Atwill. The great Dwight Frye plays his usual stereotypical role as thecreepy, servile character, who happens to be, absent of his mental facilitiesHis unorthodox persona, and his fascination for furry creatures includingbats, makes him the key suspect of several Vampiric-like murders in a smallGerman village.Fay plays Atwill’s niece, and her lover (Melvyn Douglas) is the policeinspector investigating the murders. It’s soon discovered that DoctorAtwill is hypnotizing his manservant (Robert Frazer) to commit themurders by drawing out the victim’s blood and leaving two puncturewounds on the jugular veins; thus, making it appear like the work of avampire/bat. The purpose of the good doctor’s experiment is to use theblood to prolong the life of a beating heart in a jar.

But Frye, being the most likely suspect, is driven from the village andcommits suicide by jumping into a cavern hole. Thinking that the murderswould now cease, another victim is claimed. In the finale, Wray discoversher uncle’s nefarious activities, and he traps her in his laboratory in anattempt to kill her as being a witness to his crimes. Her screams summonDouglas to the scene and justice is served, as the manservant shoots thedoctor and then puts a slug in his own head.1933 would also mark the year of Wray’s most memorable film, one thatwould cement her in the annals of cinematic history as the world’s greatest“scream queen.” King Kong is considered to be one of the greatest top100 films in film history for it’s breakthrough special effects, and it’s iconicimages, especially Kong’s demise atop the world famous Empire Statebuilding while defending his love: the one and only Fay Wray.There’s not much to write about King Kong that hasn’t already beenwritten. It’s a monumental film. The two remakes in 1976 and morerecently in 2005 are well-intended projects, especially the latter film forit’s awesome special effects, but without the screen presence of Wray, theyboth seem to fall short as a cinematic experience. Not only did she screamher way to stardom, she also added that indescribable quality of sensualitythat only a handful of actors/actresses possess. You just can’t put a fingeron it. Whatever that quality is, it just is.Doug Crill

An interviewwith...Interview by Ian PickensCrushingly heavy riffs with grooves galore,Cardiff ’s instrumental Sludgemeisters Thorun areone of the most exciting acts to come out of Walesin recent years. Mass Movement gets low downand doomy with the band.MM: Introduce Yourselves...Keeran: I’m 30 years old and I’m one of twoguitarists in Thorun. I’m the second in line for thegrandpa award that’s currently held by our bassist.Mike: I’m the resident long haired guy playing drumsat the back. I’m 28 and I’ve been in a few projectsbefore finding Thorun.THORUNresulting in Thorun. I don’t think there was everany intention to link it to Norse or Tolkein folklore,that’s just an added bonus… well for me anyway.Neal: I think Keeran found it somewhere. I liked itbecause it was ambiguous. It’s also been a great helponline as it’s pretty unique.Keeran: It’s actually the name of an ancient Polishtown. The alternative spelling is ‘Torun’ (stillpronounced Tho-run). I can’t even remember how itcame about or who came up with the idea of using it.Maybe it was me, or maybe I’m just making that up.MM: Based on your sound I’d say Kyuss are asmajor influence; who and what else influences theThorun sound?Keeran: Kyuss and similar bands have been aninfluence on our sound but we’re all fans of differentkinds of music. I’ve been listening to heavy musicsince I was a kid. My main influence when I wasgrowing up was my Father, he’s been drumming forBudgie since the early 70’s so his musical taste wasalways going to affect what I was in to. The one thingwe all agree on when writing a tune is that it has tobe heavy and as interesting as possible. If we don’tenjoy it ourselves then there’s no point in playing it.Neal: The understanding when we got together wasgenerally ‘slow and heavy’. Since then it’s just how thefour of us fit things together. Generally things startwith a guitar riff and we hash it out from there. Forme, that’s it, heavy riffs, headbanging, having a goodtime!Mike: I’d say we’re heavily based in that kind of areaoverall, however, as I’m kinda new to this genre ofmusic I’d say my influences stem more from Metaland Death Metal, hard to believe I know but I’veNeal: I play bass and I’m 39! I’ve been around a bitso I’m older than the other guys.MM: The name Thorun, it’s caused a little bitof confusion; where does it come from? Is thereany reference to the Nordic God of Thunder ora misspelling of Thorin Oakenshield from theHobbit/Lord of the Rings?Mike: As far as I can remember it was a kind of‘name outta the hat’ scenario... we had several inmind and tried to come to a unanimous decision,

een listening to bands like Cannibal Corpse andslayer for a very long time. Hopefully some of theseinfluences have wound their way into our rhythms atsome point.MM: Have any of you been in bands prior toThorun?Neal: I played in a band called Shapeshifter that did afew local gigs in the mid 90’s, with the likes of PublicDisturbance. Just before Thorun was Witch Trialwith Elliot from Ironbird. They’ve all been StonerRock inflected, but Thorun’s by far the mostsuccessful all round.Mike: I’ve been in quite a few different projects overthe years, the most successful prior to this was a bandcalled Soulburn, a thrash metal outfit formed whenI was at uni in Oxford. Other than that I was amember of new metal/metalcore act Day in Decayfrom South Wales. I’m also currently working ona death metal project with some of the foundingmembers of welsh death metal legends Desecration.Keeran: I’ve been in two bands with Jonny;Myownriot and Anna-o. I also played with a bandcalled Arcus for a year or so before joining Thorun.Arcus was more of post-metal studio project thatseemed quite promising until things started fallingapart so I was grateful when the opportunity to setup a new band came along. I’ve never really been outof a band since I was a teenager.MM: When I spoke to you at your first show youmentioned the possibility of adding a singer to theband but this hasn’t materialised? Is this due to alack of good vocalists in South Wales, not findingthe right personality to fit the band or are you justhappy with the bands structure as it is?Neal: The consensus is to do without. Personally I’mopen to the idea, to give it more appeal and character,but singers often ruin bands, especially screamo-coretypes, so I’m happy to go with the majority.Keeran: I was (sort of ) open to the idea at the verystart but working without a singer has convinced methat we really don’t need vocals. The songs stand upon their own and people seem to dig it. I also like thefreedom of working without the hassle of anotherlayer. Singers are over rated!Mike: Personally I’m in the camp that thinks wedon’t need one. I really enjoy the challenge behindwriting tunes that are diverse and complicated whilststill trying to maintain the groove and flow thatour songs somehow muster. I think a singer couldpotentially wreck this dynamic... Besides, when Ilisten to our tunes I can’t see a place where a singerwould fit in.MM: Does it make it harder to write, rehearse,

and play songs live without lyrical cues?Keeran: Easier, on all three counts.Mike: Having been in both types of band (singer/no singer) I’d actually say it’s easier to write musicwithout one. You’re not constrained by the usualstructures needed to include vocals and you can playaround a lot more with the way the componentsof the tune fit together. Besides all this I love thedemocratic way we write tunes, even if it meansgetting red in the face occasionally.Neal: No, it’s a lot easier, as it’s one less person andmelody to worry about. The good thing aboutThorun is that everyone can count and play tight andcontrolled, so writing can be quite smooth.MM: The band has some interesting songs titlessuch as ‘Hipster Circle Pit’, ‘Look Mom! I Made aDeath Machine’ etc. Given the absence of lyrics isthere still a concept behind the songs that shapesthe music?Mike: In short I’d have to say no. The others mightdisagree with me on this one but for myself the tunealways comes first, then the title. I suppose some ofthem might be based on the feeling the song givesyou (‘Buried Under 15 Tonnes of Rubble’ being anapt example) but I think most of the names we’vecome up with have been wacky contributions thathave made us all laugh.Keeran: Some of the really stupid song titles off thefirst EP were chosen at random, most of them fromus just messing about and throwing ideas around.Neal tends to come up with titles that are related tosomething, he’s not as thick as the rest of us.Neal: For the ones I’ve suggested, I usually haveanecdotes to go with them, but the music alwayscomes first. It’s just handy if a tune sounds likeit fits the vibe. I like the ‘cheekiness’ of beingunconventional. It’s music, it’s supposed to be fun,but sometimes there are serious references, forinstance, ‘God Particle’ is obvious.MM: The band recently had a track featured on aMetal Hammer comp. How did that come about?Neal: One of the Metal Hammer editors contactedus and wanted to see if we were interested in beingon the cover mount, to which our response (afterthe initial disbelief ) was’ of course’. We tend tothink this might have come about after the recentDesertfest in London, but seeing as we didn’tactually play it we can’t be sure.MM: You’ve recently played London for the firsttime and your last show was on that awesome 4band bill with Karma To Burn – do you feel thatthe band is starting to ‘happen’ now? Do you havea plan of attack when it comes to Thorun or doyou just go with the flow?Keeran: We tend to go with the flow but recently

we’ve started to work on a ‘plan’. We’re talking moreabout our short and long term goals. I think we needto make sure our focus remains on the music; firstand foremost, the other non-music stuff has becomemore of an issue of late. I’m not sure if it’ll ever‘happen’ for us, mainly because of the type of musicwe play and the fact that we all work full time. Let’sjust wait and see.Neal: My primary concern is writing new andinteresting music. With the state of the musicindustry and the fact that we all work for a living,I don’t really know what could ‘happen’, but wewill consider any opportunities we get. We’re intalks with a PR organisation in order to get a morecohesive approach to the non-writing music side ofthings.Mike: I think the first year or two in Thorun’s beenabout coming together as a band and learning how toplay with each other. We’ve really taken things asthey come up until now but what with the offeringof bigger bills such, as the KTB show, and interestfrom National press we’re starting to look intothings like PR management and the potential of abattle strategy. Personally my aim is to keep writingmusic that’s interesting yet heavy. It would also bereally cool if we could play some festivals as well...something of a personal milestone for me seeing as Ihaven’t done it yet.MM: You’ve self-released two ep’s so far the EP2010: Reprise and Chorus of Giants; are youactively looking for a label to release your materialor are you happy to carry on handling thisyourselves? Any plans for a full length release inthe near future?Mike: We’re not actively looking no, but having saidthat if they come knocking they would certainly geta much better reception than your average windowsalesman. Being label-less allows us to take things abit more easily and we can write music knowing thatwe don’t have to churn something out on a deadline.With regards to releasing an album we’ll have to waitand see, I think the general consensus at the momentis to look at another EP.Keeran: We’re working on new material right now.Not sure if it’ll be another EP or a full length, we’lljust have to see. DIY is still the way forward but ifthe right deal came up with the right label then whoknows.Neal: Personally I’m happy to do what we do, it’sabout music for me, but we would consider any andall offers!MM: Although Thorun has a distinctly metalsound, you seem to have many of the ethics of ahardcore/punk band (releasing your eps for freeon bandcamp, booking and organising your ownshows etc.) are you influenced by the hardcorescene? Are we likely to ever here a Thorun take onthe hardcore genre?Neal: I’m a Metalhead, but I do favour the DIY/HC attitude. I mean, I’ll sell out to almost anyonereasonably ethical, I need the money! It’s easy to havea punk ethics or be straight edge when you’re 16 andlive with Mum and Dad. That said, I’m not perfect,but I believe what goes around comes around andyou treat people as you expect to be treated. It’s abig subject, but yes, personally I think our capitalist,multinationally-ruled, financial market-led, warmongeringsociety is bullshit. I like keeping thingsin house, but if we suddenly write the Stoner Doomversion of Dark Side of the Moon, we might need toupgrade! Er, and I’d also like to add in a phat generic

HC breakdown, just to show how heavy and twistedwe could play it, but the idea has so far been metwith blank stares!Keeran: I’m a control freak, Neal is a control freakand we all like doing things on the cheap. I’m notsaying we’ll never sign a deal because if the rightdeal came up and it made sense at the time then I’dtake it. I like the way we do things at the moment.The DIY ethics have been introduced by Neal andit’s quite cool seeing people download our musicwithout any outside involvement. As for Hardcore,I’m not too sure about that.Mike: I can’t really say I’ve had a big hand in theproduction of things like the website and showorganisation, I’ll have to tip my hat generously toKeeran and Neal on that one but it makes me happyto know that what we’ve created is still largely underour control. Quite a few bands are taking thisapproach as, unless you’re the next ‘One Direction’,interest from most labels is next to non-existent. Asfar as a Thorun HC breakdown is concerned I thinkwe’d all be up for doing something like that in oneof the songs because it’s unexpected in this style ofmusic.MM: Cardiff seems to quite a flourishing scene ofDoom/Drone/Psychedelic/Sludge metal at themoment? Is this due to the melancholic nature ofthe Welsh, boredom with a hipster hardcore sceneor just a natural progression towards this type ofmusic?Neal: A natural progression I’d say. A lot of bandshave been around for a long time. My first bandplayed with a very young Taint in Cardiff. Acrimonyare from West Wales. Both those bands madeclassic timeless music and got pretty established.There’s quite a wide spread of styles in Cardiff, butI think it’s common in most places with a bit ofa population. I have friends in most of the localbands and it’s just happened that in the last fewyears we’ve all managed to get our shit togetherand start something ourselves. Finding like mindedpeople to play with is not easy. Maybe it is a workingclass thing, we’re not bankers, we like music, beingcreative is fun, we want to play, so we do!Mike: Not actually hailing from Wales myself I’mnot sure I’m qualified to comment on the nature ofthe Welsh but I’d say there’s definitely somethingabout South Wales that inspires the scene that’serupted in the last couple of years... maybe it’s therain. Having said that though there are generally alarge number of really talented musicians here at themoment and I’m proud to say that I play with threeof them.Keeran: Cardiff used to be utter crap. The scene wasquiet and people just didn’t come to shows if themusic was even remotely different. Over the past fewyears, thanks to the likes of Spider Kitten, Atomckand Taint playing shows and driving the scene alongit’s really taken an upturn. Now there are a tonne ofcool bands, with differing sounds, playing Cardiff ona regular basis. The whole scene has grown becauselocal bands pushed it and it’s great to be a part ofthat.MM: What’s next for the band?Neal: Keep writing for the next release, get gigs, andsee what happens.Keeran: More gigs, another release and more of afocus.Mike: Write, Gig, write some more but above allhave fun... that’s why we (certainly I) do it first andforemost.MM: Last words or parting shots?Keeran: We’re a live band; we take pride in oursound. If you like the records then come and see usplay.Neal: Just to thank anyone that likes the band andanyone that’s paid for any of our stuff or to see a gig.I’m a fan too and I appreciate the cost and effort ittakes to follow music, so thank you.Mike: Just like Neal really... Thanks to all of our fansin the UK and abroad, I’m still amazed by it all reallyand chuffed that what we’ve made brings enjoymentto people all over the world. If our music fosters thesame enjoyment to those listening in as I get frommaking it then I can’t ask for more than that.M

Gareth L. Powell is the author of the novels Ack-Ack Macaque, The Recollection, and Silversands, and the acclaimed short story collection, The LastReef. He lives in Bristol, and has written for The Irish Times, SFX Magazine, and 2000AD. You can find him online at: www.garethlpowell.com1. Of Time And Stars by Arthur C. ClarkeI first read this book in secondary school, at the age of eleven, and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of a genre which had, up until that point, beendominated in my imagination by the space operas of film and television, such as Star Wars and Star Trek. The stories in Of Time And Stars were very different.A lot of people talk about science fiction having a “sense of wonder”. The stories in Of Time And Stars certainly had that, in spades, and many of them are nowconsidered classics of the genre. I particularly remember being blown away by two stories: in “The Nine Billion Names of God”, a computer is used to computeall the possible names of the almighty, even though a group of monks believe that to do so will spell the end of creation; and in “All the Time in the World”, anart thief is suddenly given the ability to “freeze time”, in order to pull the ultimate heist. Both stories posed intriguing questions, and both ended on killer twiststhat left my younger self reeling. This book was my Damascus moment, and I was never quite the same after reading it. I felt as if my mind had been literallyexpanded, and that the playground of my imagination had been broadened to new and infinite horizons.2. Biggles Of The Camel Squadron by Captain W.E. JohnsW.E. Johns wrote dozens of Biggles books, in a career that followed the fictional pilot from the dawn of aerial combat in WWI, through the inter-war years, toservice in WWII, and beyond. However, to my mind, the early books are the best. The stories contained in Biggles Of The Camel Squadron, along with BigglesOf 266, and Biggles: Pioneer Air Fighter, show James Bigglesworth as a teenage volunteer for the newly-formed Royal Flying Corps, flying unreliable biplanesacross the trenches in France, to spar with German aviators.As a kid, I always liked this young Biggles. He stood for fair play and gentlemanly conduct; but he also carried an air of world-weary cynicism that belied histender years. He fought against the Germans, but respected them, and treated them as human beings. To him, the war was a job he had to do, but not onehe relished. He distrusted cheap heroics, and, rather than simply fight his way out of sticky situations, he used his wits to keep himself, and his friends, alive.Although some of the descriptions of flying are quite poetic, at no point does Johns romanticize the War. During his years in France, Biggles loses a number offriends, and we see the toll this takes on him. Over the course of the stories, he changes from an enthusiastic boy to a jaded veteran. He’s brave and short-tempered, but also cleverenough to think his way out of trouble once he’s in it. Rather than the muscled heroes of the war comics that were popular when I was at school, Biggles was slightly built. Hedidn’t rely on his fists to get the job done; he relied on his intelligence and his skill with a plane; and as such, he was an appealing role model for a bookish young lad.My Life In Books

3. Have Spacesuit, Will Travel by Robert HeinleinI picked this book up about the same time I read the previous two, at around the age of ten or eleven, and I loved it. Unfortunately, I don’t think it has aged aswell as the others. It is very much of its time; characters use slide rules instead of computers, and the female character, although feisty, is still little more thansomeone for the hero to rescue and protect.However, the book appealed to me as a coming-of-age story. When the main character, Kip, tells his father he wants to go to the Moon, the father doesn’t givehim the money to do it; he doesn’t tell him how to get there; and he doesn’t try to discourage him. Instead, he simply asks Kip what he’s going to do to getthere. He makes Kip responsible for achieving his own dreams, knowing that the process of working towards them will be more beneficial than their actualachievement. Kip gets a job in a local drugstore. He studies hard. And, eventually, he makes it. Like Biggles, he uses his brain to get him out of some tight spots,and in the process, he becomes a man.4. The Ringworld Engineers by Larry NivenI was lucky that my local library had a well-stocked science fiction section and, as a teenager, this was probably my favourite of the books it had to offer. I musthave read it at least a dozen times. Set on an artificial hoop the width of the Earth’s orbit, the story takes the sense of wonder I’d found in Clarke’s stories andinflates it to mind-boggling proportions. The characters are exploring an object with a habitable surface area equivalent to a trillion Earths, spread out and laidside-by-side, and filled with floating cities, vampires, and carnivorous sunflowers. The sheer scale makes it hard to grasp, but Niven does a decent job of guidingus through it, showing it to us through the eyes of his characters.In Louis Wu, Niven also created a self-reliant, intellectual hero in the Biggles mould. Instead of violence, Louis used tools, reason and deduction to overcomethe seemingly insurmountable problems facing him. To him, the whole world was a puzzle to be solved. Given enough time, there wasn’t anything he couldn’tfigure out. This book literally changed the way I thought about the world, encouraging me to question the workings of everything I saw around me, fromdomestic appliances to society as a whole. After reading The Ringworld Engineers, I went on to read Niven’s stories of the albino space pilot Beowulf Shaeffer,which became a direct influence the first proper short story I ever wrote, which Diana Wynne Jones, (author of Howl’s Moving Castle and others) reviewed aspart of a local arts initiative to encourage young writers. I still have her handwritten notes. We met for coffee to discuss them, and she gave me some invaluablepointers that set me firmly on the path to becoming the writer I am today.5. On The Road by Jack KerouacI started reading On The Road at the age of seventeen, and it grabbed me straight away. To this day, it remains my favourite book. It’s a fast, sprawling epic, tellingthe story of Kerouac’s fictionalized adventures hitchhiking back and forth across America in the 1940s, and his relationship with his hero, the speed-freak carthief, Dean Moriarty. Famously written in a hurry, on one long roll of typing paper, the book hurtles forward at breakneck pace, chronicling the hectic, rootlesssearching of the narrator and his friend, as they search for love, understanding and purpose in an America of wide-open prairie roads, frantic New York jazz clubs,and dark, lonely nights. As Kerouac famously writes in the first few pages: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk,mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow romancandles exploding like spiders across the stars.” Beautifully written, and with an undercurrent of loss and profound sadness, this book evokes its time and place sovividly that after finishing it, I immediately wanted to read it again; and, two decades later, I still haven’t lost that excitement.

6. Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. ThompsonMy interest in Kerouac and the Beat Generation led me to discover this twisted classic of Gonzo Journalism. I picked up a paperback copy in the bookshop at myuniversity library, and read the whole thing in one night, unable to either put it down, or quite believe what I saw on the page.The book tells the strange, drug-fuelled journey of a journalist sent to cover a desert motorcycle race. Instead of covering the race, he holes up in a hotel room withhis attorney, gets drunk, and wreaks all kinds of drug-induced mayhem.Written with a savage wit, and fuelled by anger and paranoia, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas opened my eyes to the possibilities of fiction, showing me that aswell as being imaginative, you could also be cruel and satirical, and push the boundaries of taste and decency as far as you wanted – something I found it useful tobear in mind while writing my gonzo cyberpunk caper, Ack-Ack Macaque. To quote Dr. Thompson’s own personal motto: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”7. Generation X by Douglas CouplandAnother book I discovered at university, and one that spoke powerfully to me about what it was to be twenty something in the early 1990s: that sense that allthe good musicians were dead, all the good jobs were taken, and that all we really had to look forward to was the threat of nuclear war.Reading it again, a few months later, as a graduate working in a call centre temp job, I stronly identified with the main characters, all of whom have abandonedtheir “McJobs” and rejected the consumerist culture that they cannot afford, in order to search for some meaning and clarity in their lives. Like them, Idetested the wannabe yuppies who thought that wearing a tie and being a supervisor in a telemarketing team somehow made them somebody. I already knewI wanted to be a writer, but didn’t know how to go about being one. So I read Generation X and dreamed of escape: of a simpler life; of moving to the desertand spending my mornings watching the sunrise instead of commuting to work, to do a job I neither wanted nor cared about.8. Nova by Samuel DelanyDelany wrote Nova in his late twenties, and it retains that youthful swagger, unafraid to take risks, and unafraid to use gritty pulp space opera as a vehicle todiscuss serious literary themes, including the nature of the novel as a means of expression. That it manages to do all this, and still remain an enthralling andreadable adventure story is testament to Delany’s skill and enthusiasm.For me, Nova reinvented space opera, breathing new life and intelligence into what had become a stale and tired subgenre; and it was certainly a big influenceon my own novel, The Recollection, which I wrote to celebrate everything I love about science fiction.

9. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. BanksConsider Phlebas was a gift from a friend, and it began my re-engagement with science fiction as a serious literature. It took everything I liked about the genreand turned all the dials up to eleven. In terms of scale and action, it makes the Star Wars trilogy look like a disagreement at a vicarage tea party. There are huge,intelligent spaceships; battles fought in the gloom of underground railway tunnels; desperate fights beneath the whirling blades of liner-sized hovercraft; andcity-sized ocean-going ships crashing into icebergs the size of Europe. And it all takes place against the backdrop of The Culture: a post-scarcity civilisationwhere nobody goes hungry, and everyone has access to anything they need. The characters are as multi-layered, flawed and human as those in any mainstreamnovel. Even the supporting characters come across as real, breathing people, labouring under the burdens of their own hopes, dreams and failures.Consider Phlebas immediately became something to shoot for; a marker showing what science fiction could be if done properly: epic without being pompous;political without being preachy; and with prose and characters of comparable quality to the very best of modern literature.10. Burning Chrome by William GibsonI knew I wanted to write science fiction, but I struggled to find anything original to say. Then my wife brought me a copy of Burning Chrome shortly after wefirst met, and it hit me like a lightning bolt, completely blowing away the old fashioned 1950s and 1960s-style science fiction of Clarke, Heinlein and Niven.This book took the pristine future I’d been used to and rubbed its nose in the dirt. It took everything down to the level of the street. The characters wereflawed, selfish, and greedy, and out for themselves. And the whole thing was written in a stripped-down prose that taught me a lot about the value of brevityand narrative focus.In many ways, Burning Chrome had the same effect on me as the Velvet Underground’s first album. It managed to simultaneously remake its own genre whilestill loving and respecting its roots and influences. And, at that point, I’d read nothing else like it.Like a fresh breath of air blowing across smouldering embers, Burning Chrome rekindled my love of science fiction, and inspired me to get serious about mywriting. It was like the missing piece of the puzzle that linked together the other books, suddenly revealing what it was I’d been building towards all these years. It took everythingI knew and distilled it down, as if making homebrewed rocket fuel from the detritus of the past. Instead of big, thick books about brave space captains, Gibson’s stories werelean and hungry, and concerned with modern technology, and our relationship to it, and to each other in an increasingly baffling and secondhand world. Without it, I wouldnever have had the confidence to write the stories in my first collection, The Last Reef and Other Stories. If I had to point to one book that had had the biggest impact on thedevelopment of my writing style, it would have to be this one.M

An interviewwith...Interview by Ian PickensKarma To BurnStiflingly described as Stoner, ludicrously taggedas ‘Desert Rock’, West Virginia’s Karma To Burnbust out some seriously catchy instrumentalrock; heavy but so damn catchy you can actuallysing along to the riffs. Mass Movement quizzesguitarist William Mecum about his love of PeggyLee, and the cost of petrol in the UK.MM: Thanks for taking the time out to talk to usWilliam. Welcome to Wales. Is this the first timeKTB have played here?WM: No we played a show in Swansea in like‘99/2000 with a band called Sally from Birmingham.They didn’t stick around for too long. I think theywere a band for all of 2 or 3 years.MM: There seemed to be quite a long periodin KTB’s existence that you didn’t play the UKmuch, just one or two dates per tour, but youhave played two quite extensive tours in as manyyears…WM: Actually it’s been the last three years.MM: Are you finally starting to warm to the UK?WM: Well we speak the same language which is niceMM: Do find the touring costs prohibitive overhere, vehicle hire and petrol costs?WM: Yeah, yeah; but you know - it is what it is. Youhave to take the good with the bad, but especiallyin GB it’s pricey. Your pound is killing everyone. We filled up the van yesterday and it costus a hundred and ten quid… it’s like Jesus Christ…MM: How’s the tour going so far?WM: Well we played Monday, night, Tuesdaynight and now tonight and from what I understandtonight’s show is sold out.MM: Do you think the mechanisms for promotingshows have changed significantly from whenyou started when shows were mostly advertisedby flyers and now it’s more Social Networkinginvites?WM: It seems to me that it’s all about the internetnow. It’s not about face to face or flyers. I get agitatedwhen I don’t see flyers or posters and get told “wellit’s being advertised on the internet”; fuck all that,that’s not rock n roll, the Internet’s not rock n roll.MM: I noticed that the news section on the bandswebsite hasn’t been update since February 2012;I’m getting the impression you not enamouredwith technology?WM: As the Germans would say ‘Nein’.

MM: You don’t see it as being helpful?WM: Oh I see it as helpful it’s just not my thing…you know I’ve been playing in bands since 1986,maybe it’s the romantic side of me but it’s alwaysbeen about the flyers, the posters, word of mouth…that kind of thing.MM: Did you guys gravitate from the hardcore/punk scene?WM: Yeah I certainly did. I can say the same forRich but I started out playing in punk bands andthen some hardcore bands before KTB. I think Richplayed in more commercial type bands but I playedin some bands that opened up for bands like Fugazi,a lot of the DC Dischord bands... Uh Snuff, thatkinda thing. So to me, doing this is more a kindagrassroots thing; not the internet. That takes themysticism, the romance out of rock n roll. I wastalking to someone the other night about buying apiece of vinyl and there wasn’t any pictures of theband on the covers, and I didn’t really care I justlistened to the record you know, and maybe threeor four years later I caught a glimpse of one of theband. It wasn’t about trying to get to know the band,hang out with the band, have a beer with the band. Itwasn’t about the ‘access’ it was just about the musicyou know? I just don’t do the Twitter, the Facebook,I don’t even have a phone. I don’t do any of that crap.MM: Do you find that antipathy extends towardsnew bands too? Are there any new acts that inspireyou or do you tend to find yourself listening to thebands you grew up on?WM: Backwards, always going backwards. I thinkI’ve been going backwards since about 1994.MM: You mean discovering the bands thatinfluenced the bands you liked?WM: Yeah exactly. I mean no offence but there’sreally nobody new doing anything that interestsme. Maybe back in the mid-90s there were a fewinteresting bands but nothing in the past 10-12 years.MM: We used to run a regular item called Five toSurvive in Mass Movement; what five things doyou need to survive?WM: Five things that you really need in your life?Let’s see… maybe this isn’t in particular order butI would say women, always need a good woman;a good drink – always need a nice spirit; music ofcourse, doesn’t matter what style as long as it’s goodmusic,; friends and family. Oh and can I add in theodd cigarette.MM: Do you find it hard dealing with the ban onsmoking in UK venues?WM: Oh it’s frowned upon MM: Coming back to the music you need in yourlife, if you had to choose ten records that youcould listen to for the rest of your life, what wouldthey be?WM: Ten records, you mean like if I was stranded on

a desert island and I could only have ten records tolisten to?MM: Yeah that kinda thing.WM: OK so I’m stranded on a desert island. I canonly have 10 records and I have a boombox with onlyten hours of battery power left shit! OKRobin Trower – ‘Bridge of Sighs’ for sure, Black Flag– ‘Slip It In’, I’d probably go with ‘Sabbath BloodySabbath’, Peggy Lee’s ‘Greatest Hits’, shit let’s see,number five, I’ve got to put some AC/DC in here– probably ’74 Jailbreak’; for my not so good days Iwould have some Joy Division ‘Closer’ and then formy finer days ’Tres Hombres’ by ZZ Top, and thenI’d have to have some Sinatra ‘Greatest Hits’, Elvis‘Greatest Hits’ and the last one would probably haveto be something by the Damned.MM: That’s quite an eclectic selection there;Peggy Lee kinda stands out.WM: My favourite female singer of all time. The firstsong I heard by her was when I was about 12 yearsof age, and I heard that song ‘Is That All There Is’ kinda nuts, so I looked into more of hermusic and I had no idea that she had done ‘Fever’and all that stuff, but she has some really dark stuff,not the kinda stuff you would think, some of herlyrics are just weird.MM: As an instrumental band are lyricsimportant to you?WM: Well I’ve always said some of my favouritebands have singers . It’s just for us we’venever found the person to fill that void. When we’vetried out people vocally, me and Rich will just look ateach other and go ‘Mehhh I prefer it instrumental’.MM: You didn’t feel it worked with John Garcia?WM: That was fun but it just never seemed tomould. I can’t say anything bad about John, it justnever seemed to work; and he’s a really busy guy andthat was also a problem. When we do work withvocalists, it’s just at the end of the day; we just alwaysdecide to go back to basics.MM: Are you working on a new album at themoment?WM: Ahh we’re working on it. Working on a fewnew songs. I think if everything goes OK and wehave time to rehearse and write then expect thealbum to be out late summer/early fall next year.MM: Can you tell us anything about the newalbum?WM: It’s kinda like a back to basics; a bit moresludgy; playing at maybe the slower temposwhich we started out doing before we progressedto the faster riffs. Maybe a bit more spacey andexperimental…MM: It’s quite unusual for a band to tour withouta new release to promote?WM: We call it a T-Shirt tour . Shit youknow what I missed on that list of ten records? Igotta take a Kiss record on that island; can I geteleven?MM: Yeah I think we can let you get away witheleven.

WM: OK, I’m gonna go with ‘Destroyer’.MM: Have you heard anything by the openingbands tonight?WM: Well we’re doing the tour with Desert Stormwho are pretty damn good.MM: When I reviewed their album I thought theysounded very much like Clutch.WM: Yeah if had to describe them I wouldsay ‘Clutchy’. I haven’t heard the other bands tonight.MM: Thorun are kinda similar to you guys in thatthey just play heavy instrumentals with lots ofgroove.WM: Thor – as in the Norse god?MM: Thorun – Thor with an UN on the end.WM: Oh right, no I haven’t heard them yet.MM: The other band The Witches Drum arekinda more psychedelic. I think you’ll enjoy them.WM: When I was putting together the set list forthis tour, I was kinda going for the uh… slower stuffwe used to do. I don’t know if you’re going to see theset tonight but a lot of the songs on the set list are alittle bit more toned down, maybe not toned down…just geez… I don’t know… it’s just hard to describe…We just want to give people something that maybethey didn’t see on the last tour. This time we doinghalf a set of the newer stuff and half of the older stuffthat we’ve dug out from the grave. There seems to betrend where bands go on tour and they say ‘We’regoing on tour and we’re just going to be playing thisalbum’, it seems to work for some bands. We playedwith Helmet 2/3 years and they played ‘Meantime’backwards to start… They still do.WM: What? Play ‘Meantime’ all the way through?No way, that was 2/3 years ago.Jessi: That album was from about 20 years ago but itstill works.MM: I guess I’d better let you get ready toplay. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Iappreciate it must get boring answering questionsall the time…WM: Hey what else have I got to do Jessi: Stop drinking and get ready to play!WM: I heard the second part of that MM: I’ll just finish off by asking what’s next forKTB?WM: Rich and I were talking about doing a wintertour which will only be Greece, Italy, Israel andAustralia so I think that’s the next thing on the plateand then when’s that’s done at the beginning ofnext year we’re continue writing the new songs andthen, if we’re lucky, record in spring and then get therecord out for the late summer.MM: Last comments or parting shots?WM: Oh I don’t know. Buy Low Sell High MM: OK thanks again William. Have agood show tonight.WM: Thank you. Enjoy the show.M

Bison BC, the four piece noise metal combofrom Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada havejust released their fourth album via Metal BladeRecords. Titled ‘Lovelessness’ it reeks of pain anddiscomfort, but is that really the case? Is it builton suffering? Just what is going on in the minds ofthese Canadian rockers ? It’s time to find out…MM: The name Bison BC is real heavy, wheredoes it come from and what does it mean?‘When we got together around 2006, here inVancouver, I’d just split with my most recent band;and like every struggling musician here in VancouverI immediately went straight back out and tried to puttogether something else. The province that I grewup in had like an animal mascot, and it was bison,so I grew up around a lot of bison imagery as a childand it’s a very cool animal. The BC means fuck all…literally. It’s just something that someone thought wehad to put on to stop getting sued! I wish it wasn’tthere actually, I mean if you’re a fan of the band youjust call us Bison… Ha, ha’An interviewwith...Interview by Mark ‘Freebase’ FieldhouseMain photo by Bubba HamiltonMM: Talking about releases with a band you’renot too familiar with is always a great learningpoint, you can Google the info, but when you getto hear an artists perception, most times you canfind out a whole lot more, so James talked methrough Bison BC’s three previous albums…‘Our first release ‘Earthbound’ came out in 2007 andit was on a local label; basically our buddy Nick didit, the label was Forest Records. They usually put outa load of doom and death metal stuff, so it was a littlebit of a different shock for him, but he dug it and heput it out. It runs at just over half an hour, and to methat’s an album, a lot of people consider it an EP. butthink back to the days of vinyl… Then somebodyBISON BCsomewhere in the fucking magical world of metal,from Metal Blade Records got in touch with us and,erm, we signed some papers with them and we putout ‘Quiet Earth’ in I believe 2008 with them, afterwhich we toured our faces off (that didn’t seem tovex James at all, as Bison BC have always been aheavy touring band he explains enthusiastically).Then 2010 we recorded our last release ‘Dark Ages’again with Metal Blade and enjoyed life as touringmusicians do, it’s a great way to live and we enjoy itvery much. That brings us onto ‘Lovelessness’ andwe have a totally different approach to the world ofcurrent heavy music now…’MM: What makes it different?‘Well, you go out into this world with “Oh, wow wegot a record deal” James screams with delight ‘So it’sall great and we have this record label that I’ve beenlistening to since the early fuckin’ 80s and its like,mind boggling and they’re great but as the years goby you realize this shit still belongs to me, it’s stillmy music and still my direction and stuff, and yournot gonna be a multi millionaires just by gettingsigned. Now this time we also travelled to record,to Chicago for two weeks, which was great; but themain difference is we’re not touring this year. Thetouring cycle for this record won’t in fact begin untilearly 2013. Now that’s because I’m interested inthe longevity of this band, I wanna make a lot morerecords with Bison and these dudes, and so do they.We had an issue where people wanted to… kinda…erm… get to know their city again, to get to know

their friends and their loved ones, and their wivesand their families y’know…We needed some timeto catch up. So many goddamn failed relationshipscome off a lengthy tour, and things collapse in yourabsence so we took this year to get things together,and get our heads together and making sure we aretaking good care of our shit at home!!!’. ‘We won’tleave anyone in the lurch. We have broken thealbum / touring cycle to get things right, before wejump back on it. People have said “Hey man, you’rereleasing an album you should go straight out ontour now” but I dunno… I think this time let’s letthe label work and promote it for us and do it’s jobfirst, then we can follow suit, pick up the piecesand go do our job, like we’re supposed to, and in amuch better, much more relaxed frame of mind. Theimportant thing is when we’re due to do it, we go doit. Its been a heavy year, heavy for me, I had a bunchof good friends pass away, my dog passed away, I hada relationship crumble, another one begin, and Iwas just at Dan our guitar players wedding over theweekend, he got married – so it’s been quite a year,eventful, and I just wanna get things right’.MM: Where did the ideas for ‘Lovelessness’ comefrom and how do you approach writing?‘After we finished touring the last record, I was sickof the fuckin’ songs, ha, ha… So I would go to thejam spot and just start playing around and workingon riffs and it kinda starts from there. For this albumI actually started writing a bit early… June last year Ithink I probably got one song written and that wasbefore the last bunch of dates to finalize the tour.Then I pretty much wrote no-stop from Novemberonwards until we recorded in May. This was the firstalbum that I did all the primary writing for, I meanusually I do the majority but Dan will have a coupleof songs that were his babies, and generally thesongs he writes he will sing, vice versa for me. Buton ‘Lovelessness’ Dan actually didn’t do any primarywriting… and.. er.. so I did’ he chuckles. ‘BasicallyI wrote the songs and bought them to practice andeveryone irons them out; the arrangements etc that’sa collaborative thing’.MM: Tell me about the lyrics, are you responsiblefor them James?‘Yes’ he laughs ‘It’s usually some sort of broadsocial commentary about… well whatever… maybetouching on slight politics, y’know I’m a punk socertain topics spring up; I hate authority’ he laughs‘the world coming to an end, all that kinda bullshit.It’s definitely quite a bit more personal this time,things that have kinda happened to me, things thathave happened over the last year, feelings…, feelingssomething a meat head metal guy isn’t supposed tohave… fuckin’ feelings, it’s an emotional album! It’sstill violent and brutal, loud noisy and heavy but…it’s all of my fuckin’ heart. If there was any kind ofconcept regarding this album it’s about love, not“Baby baby I love you” but my feelings about love.Hence the negativity in the title! Nothing to do withthe band My Bloody Valentine – we are not rippingoff My Bloody Valentine as some blogs have printed’.Just because that said band has an album called

‘Loveless’ and the CD cover is red… some poor littleidealist kids do sit behind their PCs at mummy anddaddies house!!! ‘That’s funny’ laughs James.MM: So what do you want to achieve with therelease of ‘Lovelessness’? What do you hope Bisonwill gain with the release of this record?‘That’s a really interesting question for me actually,as I don’t have those thoughts… I mean I have thesethoughts, these songs, and we produce them and laythem down, as artists, you know what I mean? Thisalbum for me, as I said is just feelings, so if I wantto see or achieve anything it’s that I can come froma more melancholic or emotional place and havethat honest feel about it. I want to feel good aboutit, what we’ve said and done. I’d love to hear whatpeople think about it, I don’t care what they think,but I’d love to hear. The main thing for me is that it’scome from a real sincere place. I’m celebrating myforty eighth birthday this Saturday and I’m a dudethat age playing this music because I love it. Bottomline. I sure don’t make any money off this goddamnshit and I’m still not very cool’ he laughs longingly‘but I love it, and wanna use this music for thingsthat I feel strongly about’.MM:It’s great to hear James openly discuss age,and say fuck you to whoever sets up this bar of“what’s successful, and by when” . An honestmusician who lives life‘Yeah, I mean I am successful. I don’t know exactlyhow many records I have sold… probably not manyHa, ha… y’know what I mean? When I go on theroad, I’m lucky if I can send money back home topay for my rent; but dude, I have been all over theworld and I have met so many awesome peopledoing this, Jesus Christ, I am so fucking successful inachieving that – I have seen so many beautiful thingsalong the way, and bands… my god, I love it, and Istill want to do it. My personal success and longevityis so high. That comes back to us taking the year off. Iam not afraid to do this well into my 40s’.MM: What do you think is your biggestachievement James?He chuckles… ‘Wow! Erm… somewhere in theback of my mind there might well be a check list,but, I don’t know… signing to Metal Blade Records;Metal Blade was the be all and end all in my earlyyears, then it was going to Europe, then it was… wellit’s almost an impossible question; because it’s stillculminating into something. Travelling to record thisrecord in Chicago and recording on a soundboardlike we did – THAT is the high point in my life rightnow… how’s that?’MM: Being a man of simple tastes gives Jamesextra kudos, especially since his punk attitude, hishonesty and sincerity shine through. So breakingthe punk rock vibe I ask about Bison’s mostpopular territory? Where does he think it is?‘Hmmm well being from Canada, the biggest,y’know most segregated, lonely, fuckin’ country inthe world, we’ve toured this fuckin’ place every nookand cranky, to the smallest town etc, and we get a lotof respect in Canada because of that. It’s humblingto get that support. As far as America, well theNorthern big cities we do really well, and the WestCoast we do really well. But to tell the truth I justreally wanna play rock n roll and I don’t really givea fuck to be honest! I appreciate people going outof their way to get to know us – cause we’re all theway here up in Canada. I love the European fan baseto music their approach and the way they reach outto music. I look out and see people coming from alldifferent places, culturally or geographic and dudescoming to gigs in suits that have obviously just gotoff work etc, it’s great. I think that extreme musicis considered to be a more legitimate art form inEurope. Europe has been around longer and you’vehad more time to grow up’.MM: Since Bison started and since your firstrelease, how have you seen the music scenechange?‘Well I think the releases… I think it’s become morecompetitive, nobody is making any fucking moneyanymore, and the competition makes me sick becauseI grew up in a D.I.Y. very punk rock-do-it-yourselfworld, and me signing to this label is a very big dealto me. I honestly don’t care how many records I sell,I do it cause I love it, I think that competition andpeople scrabbling for money etc… it’s a shame. Imean Hydra Head just shut their doors, it’s sad; andthere’s only 1 reason – people aren’t buying records.That’s it! It’s just a different climate now, and if Iaccept that, and as long as I’m willing to do it andlove it I can… If I start to worry about how manyrecords I sell or whether I gotta stick to my day job,that I have anyway, that I make money off, then it’stime to call it quits. The business side of music is

something that has never really interested me. I meanhonestly I would someone rather buy my recordthan download it off the internet, but really… whenI’m 85 and on my death bed I’m probably gonna bemore glad that some kid got the music, even if it wasfor free!!! The fact that they actually got it, there’s agrander plan here man’.MM: Are we going to see Bison in the UK in2013?‘Fuck yeah! That’s what I’m really excited about. Wealways seem to hit there in the fall – so look for us inthe fall. We’re looking to go with somebody, I don’tthink we’re hot shit enough to go by ourselves yet,we wanna go with some buddies… we’re completelyup for riding off somebody’s coat tails right now haha…’I try to get some names; James asks:‘if I could use a time machine?? Well I’d travel backto ’83 and we’d tour Europe with Black Flag. Butpresent time, well the most fun we’ve ever had waswith our buddies Weedeater, so I’d have to say themagain. I’d go anywhere with them’.Until Bison BC hit these shores, and youto experience them in the flesh, I stronglyrecommend you check out their Metal Bladerelease ‘Lovelessness’ . It’s heavy, loud andextremely pissed off….M

SAVAGEInterview by Mark ‘Freebase’ FieldhouseAn interviewwith...Ask Lars Ulrich to name a handful of NWOBHMbands, and I guarantee that North Midlands boysSavage will be amongst them! Having just released theirinfectious sixth studio album (after a rather lengthyhiatus), I decided it was time to get the answers to somelong over due questions and to get to grips with some ofthe finer details of the band, both of which have kept theband going since it originally formed in 1979…MM: he inevitable question to one of thefounding members Chris Bradley (vocals andbass) is why did it all end? When did it all restart?And why????‘Well… the honest truth is… it didn’t end’ chucklesChris in a deep Mansfield accent ‘Errm it just didn’tget going again, if that makes any sense? Whenwe did the last album Xtreme Machine in around2000/2001 we played some gigs in the U.S., a bigfestival there, then came back to Europe where wealso did Wacken Open Air and then the plan wasto record another album, but we each experiencedvarious tragedies that got in the way I suppose…Divorces, bereavements, a couple of births in therealso! It just seemed like it was never the right time todo things until I suppose around 2009 when Mark(Nelson, drums) kinda kicked things off again andstarted talking about the making of Sons Of Maliceand within a year we had 16 songs written. So wethen started demoing and recording the stuff whenall the crap kicked off again…BUT we managed tokeep going through it all this time and we are herenow with our new album, Sons Of Malice, andthe plan is to keep putting up with it and continuedoing the best with what we got… We’re gonna keepon going, recently for example we just lost Andy’s(Dawson, guitars, and other founding member)brother Simon, who was the original Savagedrummer. That was a real shocker, especially as hewas only in his early 50s. It was through Simon thatwe got Andy, when I kicked the band off around ’78I had already got a guitar player and when Simonanswered the advert he came along with his younger,15 year old teenage, still at school brother andbasically I had to take them as a package deal!!! Ha,ha.. But as history proved that actually turned out tobe a fortuitous pairing; although Simon moved onabout a year later, but by that time Andy had reallyturned into some sorta whizz kid on guitar. He justplayed guitar all day long, that’s the honest truth hereally, really did develop and that’s where the whole

me and Andy thing started. We then spent a longtime looking for another drummer believe it or not!That turned out to be Dave Lindley who played onthe Scene Of The Crime compilation and the MetalFatigue compilation and the double A side singleafter which he quit. Then it was Mark Brown whoplayed on the first 2 albums, he was incidentally inone of the bands who were on Scene Of The Crime,but Savage have pretty much had all the good localdrummers! Mark (Nelson) was a pretty good friendof Andy’s and they’d been in bands together sortof between Savage, when we broke up in the mideighties‘86 to the reformation in ’95. But beforeMark we had a drummer on the next 2 records and itwas a guy that we’d tried to get in Savage many yearsbefore. Back before Dave Lindley, but we couldn’tget him to join! His name was Richard Kirk; and hedid the Babylon, Holy Wars, and Xtreme Machinealbums with us, then after for the live stuff, Markstarted playing with us, so he’s been involved withSavage since around 2000, although we haven’treally done too much because of the problems wesuffered… Just as we seemed to get over one, anothercame by. I’m 50 now, and with Andy being nearly50 I suppose we’re getting to that age where familymembers are… well things are gonna happen Isuppose. I often refer to this as the Spinal Tap thing,it seems that just as things start going right, thensomething comes along and kicks us in the bollocksagain’.That kind of sums up the commitment of Chrisand Andy, that kind of commitment shows howserious they are about Savage, and how much theylove what they do. We also chuckle about thehonesty of band members concerning their ageand how they won’t go anywhere nearthat particular subject… Bizarre really as youshould be proud to reach that half century mark inyour life. Savage certainly have nothing to hide…M: Was there any other Savage related bandsgoing on between Xtreme Machine and Sons OfMalice albums?‘Yes, Andy has always had stuff going on, Mark hashis bands on the side, and Kristian (Bradley, guitars)has his own band Metal Cross going on, apartfrom me, who did nothing band wise in between;it’s been only Savage for me, but there has been acontinuation from within’.

I joke that Chris has spent the last 5 years writingall the music and lyrics instead, only to be told hewas in fact at University, although I should stressthe fact he (Chris) has never been interested indoing anything other than Savage.MM: So with sixteen songs written and ready togo, how did you make the final track selection sand choices for the album?‘The songs were started about 2009, and by the endof 2010 we had them all ready. The actual idea was todo twelve songs for ‘Sons Of Malice’, but we couldn’tdecide and because of the quality of the stuff, so wehad to put thirteen on. But next year in Germany,there’s a double vinyl version of the album due outwith the extra 3 songs included’.MM: The question is, was it an easy album towrite…?‘It wasn’t hard actually, I think Andy will admit thathe had some ideas floating around for a couple ofsongs, from a couple of years before, ideas I suppose.Other than that we’d got together and said OK Ihave got this riff, lets try this etc, we bashed it outas a band like the old days. We tried to write thosesongs with riffs, melodies and hooks, and what weweren’t all into, we didn’t take any further. We comefrom that era where people write music and songs,as opposed to as much noise as you can make withsomeone screaming over the top, you know, whenyou can’t hear what they are saying’.MM: Andy now takes charge, as the words ‘riffs…and grooves’ are thrown around to discussSavage’s musical out-put…‘Well we write for ourselves firstly… and for me Isuppose; having a solid riff is quite easy actually, anda subtle groove comes also. I get big influences frombands that groove easily – Thin Lizzy, AC/DC andDeep Purple for example, it’s always been importantthat the drum parts and the bass parts gel well, and itall works together really. It’s kind of a natural thingI think, I love music I can groove to and dance toand that can be anything from a rock band to sayStevie Wonder. Ultimately for a rock band to powerthrough and get people nodding in unison is a goodthing’.MM: We both seem to agree that many of thenewer bands of today forget about ‘song’ contentand focus on other, unimportant points…‘There’s been some great stuff that’s come from the60s and 70s onwards, also I mean stuff from the90s that I loved would be Pearl Jam , Soundgarden,then there was Audioslave and Rage Against TheMachine, showing how the rhythm factor has reallydeveloped over the last 20 odd years. Some greatbands, but there’s also been a fair share of bad bands.Some bands have just gone for shear noise or poweror speed rather than hooks or song quality. Thereare a few bands that can do all that and make itspecial but it seems quite rare. For Savage, the mainhook starts with a riff, then the vocals and we kindabuild a bit on that to bring in the melodies and keepworking on it so it becomes more memorable. Rockfans remember great riffs, whether it’s Smoke On TheWater; or Burn, or something memorable like that.The way we think is that if you can get all thosecontributing factors together and make them work,then you’ll have something that will last’.MM: How has the music scene changed sinceSavage began Andy? Maybe in terms of musicitself, fans, labels etc… what can you tell us aboutits transformation?‘It’s changed massively! Obviously the internet hasmade a huge difference, but most of its impact isreally good, as the fact that we are able to put stuffout and do interviews and talk to people; makingcontact with anyone pretty much anywhere in theworld and not just relying on one or two magazines.Back in the day when we put the albums out youkinda had to sit back and wait, and if you gotsomething in Kerrang that would be it really interms of press. But the actual record industry itselfhas gone through a really rough time and possiblyscrewed things up for itself in a big way really. Thedownloading and internet stuff has moved so fast it’skinda devalued the whole physical product, peoplecan access what they like without paying for it, Ithink even the big mainstream artists are makingtheir money from gigs / festivals and merchandisingas opposed to albums and CD sales etc. We knowfor a fact that a lot of the sales for this new CD ‘SonsOf Malice’ is coming from illegal downloads thatwe can see from internet information. I suppose insome ways though it goes back to the old school wayof borrowing someone’s vinyl and taping it… likewhen we did the first albums and sales weren’t whatthey could have been, yet when we played in Europeeveryone seemed to sing along with the songs, sothey obviously had access to the stuff somewhere.Having worked with bands and trying to help them

with album deals, it was ironic to see as soon as aband got interest the labels started swarming aroundthem like sharks; and when a certain genre of bandgot signed they were quick to sign up loads of othersall sounding the same, so I think labels have toshoulder a lot of the blame regarding the demise insales. Unfortunately lots of labels have gone, they’vefolded due to spending lots of money on lots ofbands, and losing a lot of money. Hence not makingas much as they should with the break throughartists. I think there was too much of a ‘lets throw itat the wall and see what sticks’ attitude!’.MM: Has state of the industry made it easier orharder to put out Sons Of Malice…‘We wanted to do it on our own label because ofthe control thing, the fact that we’d always been atthe mercy of a label really, and the work that theyput into it. We can run this CD ourselves and reallyget a better return per unit; and the sales have beenreally encouraging at the moment. The state of thingsthese days, as mentioned before with the internet etcmakes it much easier, and our label folded around2001 and sold everything to Sanctuary/Universal soall our back catalogue is in the bowels of Universalsomewhere – making it sort of hard to access! Butthe fact that we didn’t have a label when we wereready to put something out made us decide we’ll doit all ourselves, which is hard work, but it definitelypays off !.Also I think music fans have a responsibility, aswhen they grow older they can get a bit more narrowminded, and they only wanna hear what they’vealready heard, and don’t wanna take any risks etc. Soit’s quite hard for new bands and new product,even established bands. You get a sense, that whenpeople hear the new releases that yeah, that’s greatbut we’ll still listen to (and prefer) the stuff you did20/30 years ago. It can be hard to push new materialinto a market that can be very set in it’s ways;especially with all the genres and sub-genres thatnow exist – not like 30 years ago when it was eitherrock and metal or it wasn’t! Having said that thealbum is coming out in India, which is a brand newterritory for us’.MM: What inspires the Savage sound… Howdo you get your ideas flowing? Where does it allcome from?‘For me it’s playing guitar endlessly. You keep playingand ideas come, it’s a difficult thing to describe really,you might hear something that you play along to andthen think how about if I change this, or do that… Ijust try so much stuff I suppose’.I ask Andy to throw some names around, someinspirational bands…‘It’s all the ones I grew up with Thin Lizzy, DeepPurple, Wishbone Ash, maybe not so much for me,but Sabbath and Zeppelin also played a part. I camefrom a family of five and grew up in a house whereeveryone listened to rock so you just kinda absorbedit all really. There were some bands that came alonglike Rush, which I never really got into, don’t knowwhy, and when Peter Frampton’s live album cameout, everybody at school bought it but I thought itwas too lightweight!!! So all that stuff floats aroundyour head and gets filtered, and you think of things,and when I’m happy I take it to the band. I try tocome in with maybe a couple of strong ideas ratherthan a whole load of bits to go through. So we’llsay, right this is what we’ve got to work with thisweek and use probably two or three ideas at a time.Basically I have to come up with riffs, it’s my job in

the band, and it’s what I do’.MM:After chatting about new bands and music,Andy admits most of what he purchases, are olderreleases that have been around for a while‘I did buy the Slash CD’ he chirps ‘But he’s beenaround 20 odd years also’A true, but scary fact – where has time gone? Anddid you ever think that you would see the daythat Metallica would be classed as a classic rockband…? I mean, the group that gave you Kill EmAll, Ride The Lightning, and Master Of Puppets.Who’d have thought it?Well they have been around as long as us, and theyprobably are the biggest rock band on the planet,we’re also very pleased to have that connectionto them. A lot of metal music has become harderand faster over the last 10/15 years and what wasconsidered to be extreme back then has now becomerelatively tame, in fact we were accused of being abit more hard rock than heavy metal with the latestCD, but in fact it’s much heavier than the pastreleases there is a lot more drop D stuff and it’s moredynamic but for some reason people seem to class the80s stuff as a lot more metal?!? AND IT’S NOT –it’s just because of “at the time…” scenerio’.MM: So you and Chris, your relationship over theyears, how’s that been?‘It just occurred to me the other day actually, we’vebeen playing together a hell of a long time… I was 15and Chris 18 when we started. We have neverbeen fortunate enough to have a rock star lifestyle,so maybe that’s helped us. The fact that we are stillmaking music after all these years just goes to provethat we do it for our enjoyment, because we love it.It’s possible that things could have been differentwith massive success, but we are still here’.There is also some new blood in Savage. KristianBradley has put time in with his own bands overthe years, spent a lot of time playing guitar andthe 30 year old was finally asked by ‘the old man’(Chris) to (as Deep Purple would say) come tastethe band and Kristian stepped up to 2nd guitaristduties.MM: So exactly how did Krtistian become a partof Savage?‘When they we doing the festivals back in early2000 (Wacken and the American festivals) Andymentioned to me then about possibly playing secondguitar, and we had a few jams etc and I think peopleprobably thought that I wasn’t gonna be ready topull off the festivals… in time really. So it never reallycame about, but then 3 or 4 years ago Dad (Chris)said we’re gonna do another album and we wantyou to be on it. So that was that and I jumped atthe chance. I had been playing guitar for as long asI could remember really, and I think the first guitarmy Dad bought me was when I was eleven and hadguitar lessons for probably a year/ year and a halfbut being a rebellious little twat I wanted to do it myway, and off my own back. So I kinda fell out of lovewith it for a couple of years to tell the truth, and thenone day (I was probably 13 or 14) I suddenly pickedup the guitar and started playing again, and gettinginto it, and then started in bands’.MM: Kristian, as the youngest member of Savage,what are your inspirations musically? Do theydiffer drastically with Chris and Andy?‘I grew up listening to a lot of the bands that my Dadwas into, Lizzy / Queen / Van Halen, obviously…but soon I discovered Metallica and Pantera, andI suppose the New Wave Of American Metal thatcame outa the States in the mid 90s, Korn, Deftones,Machine Head, then finding other bands, likeTestament and Black Label Society. My absolutefavorite bands are Metallica, Pantera and MachineHead’.

We briefly chat about Violence, and I expressmy passion for the first CD Eternal Nightmare,but Kristian openly admits he is not really a fan,preferring Rob Flynn’s Machine Head instead…‘I gave a few of the tracks a try, but honestly thought,No, this isn’t for me… I don’t know if it was theproduction or what. I mean I love thrash metal,and was in a thrash band up until recently, I loveTestament as I said, and Megadeth, but bands likeAnthrax, Forbidden and Exodus aren’t as close to myheart’.Maybe it’s our age gap Kristian, as I point outmy 12 years senior… Kristian is also keen topoint out the two latest releases he has a passionfor, Machine Head’s Unto The Locust, andTestament’s The Dark Roots Of Earth.‘Eric Peterson just riffs, riffs and riffs, fuckingfantastic guitar player!’MM: Being younger, I was also keen to hearKristian’s views on whether he though people’sperception of music has changed, is it becominga less appreciated, almost throw away commoditythat today’s youth don’t value highly enough…After much laughter and further musicaldiscussion, we finally get to the subject of livecommitments…‘In the UK, we’re playing Hard Rock Hell inPrestatyn in December (the successful sell outfestival which takes place in a holiday camp), andwe also play Moonlight Metal in Belgium. We’rewhoring ourselves about at the moment now though,as the time is right for us to get out there and get onthe road, so we want to get gigging again’.Savage seem raring to go again, and with a strongrelease in Sons Of Malice, they’re keen to make upfor lost time. From their first ever gig supportingWitchfynde in a local club, to their London debutshow opening for Mercyful Fate, and movingon with their first European date out of theU.K., Aardschock in Holland (with Venom andMetallica on the bill), this is a band with plentyof history and some great songs BUT ALSO AGREAT NEW ALBUM, so by all means, enjoythe past but don’t get stuck there…M‘Definitely. A lot of my mates that used to be intometal music have slowly lost interest or moved awayand become dis-interested in it. A lot of the oneswho are still into it only listen to the stuff they havebeen into for years. People don’t seem as keen to buythe newer releases and illegal downloads are, sadly,increasing’.

An interviewwith...HelstarFor those that don’t know; Helstar started life inthe 80’s, when metal was metal, and bands rockedhard. The old, old saying ‘rock n roll lifestyle’was lived to the max and then some by many,but several fell foul of it’s excesses, often withsevere consequences. Vocalist James Rivera hasridden the high wave of eighties excess and thereal desperate times of the nineties and now hisband Helstar are unleashing a new live record ‘30Years Of Hel’, through AFM, capturing both thelongevity of the group and showcasing a gloriouslive gig on home turf.Interview by Mark ‘Freebase’ FieldhouseMM: A while ago, some original membersreturned to the fold, so I wanted to find out howeasy it was getting these guys back in band andinvolved with Helstar…‘Well it happened by more of a fluke situation really,it came about by a friend of ours who ran a heavymetal TV show in San Antonio. It all kinda focusedaround the 20 year anniversary and release of the‘Remnants Of War’ album (originally released onCombat Records in 1986) and ironically Larryand Robin came out of retirement, they’d been inbands and had there things going on, but they had adifferent lifestyle now, it was pretty quick really

when we got back together, bearing in mind also thatit was the height of the Vicious Rumours activitiesfor me’ the raspy, dry throated James casually replies.MM: So whose idea was it to do this 30-year CD?‘Mine’ snaps James… ‘It came about as we had neverreally done an official live record, and with the 30year thing happening it all made sense really. WhenI was a kid I remember it was live albums that reallymade metal bands, I mean listen to Kiss ‘Alive’ itblows doors! Foghat ‘Live’ it rules, much better thanany of their studio albums. We knew a live albumwas where it’s at! Plus it gave us time to go out andtour properly without rushing into making the nextstudio album, it all just felt right timing really. It’s agreat package also as we are releasing it as a doubleCD accompanied with a DVD’.MM: As it’s a live record, was there much mixingor over-dubbing involved?‘Well… we took it and we mixed it better, you alwaysmix it better y’know; but nah, there was hardlyanything done to it. We knew we had one shot thatnight and we amped it up and gave it best shot. Therewas no re-recording of vocals or musical parts at all,all we did was make sure that the levels were right…as it was recorded dry and its never guna happenwhere you capture that complete sound live. We triedto make sure it was the same sound of what peoplehad heard being at the show that night’.MM: Was it your choice to use Houston, Texas asthe recording venue?‘It is our home town’ says James rather proudly,‘so it made perfect sense for us to do it there asthere’s no other place in the world we’re guna havea turnout crowd like that. People from 1982 werethere, along with their kids and families and differentgenerations; that kinda sums up the feeling, it wasawesome. Even Grandmas were there!!! Ha.ha’MM: Thity years is a massive achievement in termsof a bands lifespan. Many don’t last that long oreven want to get back together, so why, and how,do you think Helstar have managed to achieve it?‘I don’t know, maybe we’re just blessed… whenwe got back together in 2006 with this line up inparticular… Well, we were different people.. Inthe 80’s we were still maturing, we were far fromknowing what the hell we were gonna do with ourlives. It was just different with these guys since 2006.I mean I wasn’t sure what my future held, whilsteveryone else went off and got I.T. jobs etc I wasbouncing around from drug dealers couches to…well you name it; and of course when the 90s camearound and I really starved to death, and I was livinga really horrible life. Going through those thingsmakes you a different person and we understand eachother better now, I mean everyone is in their mid tolate 40s, and I’m half a century old… y’know thingsget understood. We really do feel like family and thatthe same blood is running through our veins. That’show tight we are, and we just have so much respectfor each other. Maybe that’s all it takes for a band tostay together – being respectful of every member’James’ honesty and sincerity is apparent. When heanswers, there’s a depth to his tone that onlycomes from someone opening their heart andsoul.MM: So after keeping the rock alive are you justthe singer?‘Ha Ha… No’ he laughs ‘The guys kinda put me upthere a little, as I was the one who kept it alive, andthrough my lifestyle that’s why Helstar is where itsat now. When we get drunk and fool around, Larryespecially gets a bit lovey dovey and starts all this“Hey man you’re a rock star, I love you” bullshit“Look at all this shit you’ve done, I’m proud, I’mproud” Ha, ha… and since we got back together allthese emotions and the sense of mutual respect havegrown stronger. Like I said we are blessed’.MM: Coming up in 80’s, it was kind of a magicaltime (especially for me, being 42 now) I was ateenager when Helstar was breaking, and havingbeen into Motorhead since 1981 I have somefantastic memories of that era. What do youremember most James? What was it like startingout back then?‘We were just a backyard party band to be honest.We didn’t really think about y’know …demo… let’sget signed and all that. Our big goal was to playsome of the clubs. Back in the 80’s, dude thoseplaces had no less than 500 people every Friday/Saturday night – they were standing in linesoutside the venues. We used to go see bands there,and we wanted to get some of that! The 80’s weremagical. There were downsides also though. Afterthe first record, we got ripped off by the label, themanagement etc, the whole classic rock n roll

story really. You don’t know what’s going on whenyou’re young and you’re up for getting’ it up the arsewith no vaseline not even a kiss or anything’James chuckles, but it’s a sad fate that befallsmany a musician‘We were out playing shows and partying so wedidn’t see it going on. But the funny thing is it bitesyou in half now’.The rough with the smooth…Unfortunately technical problems (i.e. my phoneline went faulty) and metal gremlins meant thatI had to cut shirt my chat with, James. I felt wecould’ve talked a lot more about the golden era,but to drown my sorrows and raise the spiritsthere was only one thing to do… grab a brew andslam on ’30 Years Of Hel’… LOUD! Rekindling anincredible past….M

MY LIFE IN MUSICSeb Montessi is the vocalist / guitarist with Lovecraftian Death Metal over-lords, Auroch…10. Slayer - Hell AwaitsSimply put, this is one of the darkest records to ever be put out. The vibe is inexorably evil and it stylistically sits on that line of black/death/thrash metal; when it was so oftenone and the same in the great old-school releases. Each song kills, and on a more micro-cosmic scale, each riff is master-crafted.9. Cryptopsy- None So VileA slab of total savagery that really showed me just how many options the fret-board of a guitar has. LeVasseur, along with the other Francophone master Lemay, absolutelyabuses the conventions and typical restrictions that even that great releases of the time sat within in favour of total chaos, guitar wizardry and audio molestation.8. Morbid Angel- Formulas Fatal to the FleshIts one of the records from the end of the 90s that is really worth noting, and beyond that its often overlooked in comparison with their early classics. Brutal, dementedly lowtunedand groovy as hell; its literally a modern day recitation of ancient Sumerian rites. Bow down.7. Inquisition- Into the Infernal Regions of the Ancient CultMy favourite totally traditional black metal record, and the best record from a band who has released naught but masterpieces! Some of the most inspiring Satanic lyrics andideology presented in music, with varied and diverse music to accompany it.6. Mercyful Fate- MelissaThe masters! The unbeatable duo of Sherman/Denner tops just about any other pair with their tasty solos and incredible riffing. Of course, King is at his absolute finest here.All Hail Satan! Yes Hail Satan!

5. Nile- Annihilation of the WickedIn my eyes this is Niles finest release; it took the bestiality of their first three dark, moribund records, and mixed it with the absurd technicality of the latest three records.Every song pummels and its got, what, three 10-minute-plus tracks? Exceptionally evocative guitar lines and a killer booklet of Prof. Sander offering great explanations intothe tracks make this the total package.4. Mithras- Forever Advancing LegionsHow Leon Macey remains to be one of the most underappreciated extreme metal musicians, more specifically guitarists, out there is a total mystery to me. Chops that rivalTrey Azagthoth, and monstrous blasting coupled with deadly riffs on display here.3. Morbid Angel- CovenantI dont even know what to say here that hasnt been said about Morbid Angels finest moment. Dave Vincent delivers devastating vocals and youve got Sandoval with thosewicked snare fills. Treys solos sound like a telephone ringing at times. Perfection. Undeniably evil.2. Kataklysm- Temple of KnowledgeWhat the fuck happened to this band? Anyway, this album crushes. Sylvain Houde is a maniac who belches, hollers and vomits forth light speed grind-growling madness withinspired lyrics. Severely underrated drum performance by Nick Miller and top-tier death metal all around. Mystical, beautiful and insanely brutal, all at once.1. Akercocke- Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go UndoneWhen I started to compile this list it was hard to place the others, but this one was a clear choice for me. No other album has resonated so clearly with me and inspiredme to such a degree. Brilliant and unique riffing abounds over the acrobatic drum performance. Unbound with a sort of South American brutality at times, and reserved,contemplative at others, like Rush meets Dead Can Dance.Aurochphotographs byMax Montessi

END MEANS TIME TO END ALL“The G Word”Back in December 1989, I got on a train from Ipswich and headed to the London Astoria for a gig. I was 20 and there was this new sound that the musicpapers of the day (Sounds was my choice of preference) were writing about. It came from a city in the US called Seattle. I knew nothing of the city (this waspre-Frasier and I’m pretty sure I didn’t know enough about THE FARTZ to link band and city at the time) but I did own a single called ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’that was released a year earlier by a band called MUDHONEY. They were from Seattle apparently. Peel had played it and the dirty guitars and sneering vocalscaught my attention.I then picked up an album called ‘Sub Pop Rock City’ that had a bunch of bands on, including MUDHONEY. “So, this is the new sound?” I thought tomyself. MUDHONEY stole the album along with THE FLUID, SWALLOW, GREEN RIVER and a fat, long-haired, greaser looking dude called TAD. Therest just seemed, to my Punk-attuned ears at least, a bit too close to Metal. “Grunge? Weren’t FLIPPER, THE STOOGES and even DICKS doing this yearsago - but better?” was my next thought.So, this gig’s going on - MUDHONEY is headlining. TAD is on the bill too along with another Seattle ‘Grunge’ band called NIRVANA. I dug out ‘Sub PopRock City’ again and there was a NIRVANA track. I checked it out once again but it didn’t make me wanna trash my bedroom like the other bands (that was

a benchmark of whether a band was particularly smoking or not for me whenI was a late teen). Still, I got my ticket knowing at least MUDHONEY wouldbe worth seeing.Little did I know then that this gig was one of those ‘historic’ moments. Irecently read a piece by Gee Vaucher of her days on the ‘inside’ of CRASS.She was asked about how it felt to be on the ‘inside’ of a defining moment inhistory (being in CRASS and spearheading the Anarcho Punk scene) andreplied her memory failed her because what is a defining moment now wasmerely life back then. That’s how I viewed this gig too; just another gig withsome darlings of the NME Press circus that will hopefully at least be worth thetrain fare and ticket cost.Anyway, this NIRVANA crowd opened the gig and were stunningly chaotic,raw, ragged and destructive in the extreme as they trashed their gear at theend. “What a Rock ‘n’ Roll cliche,” thought I in a fit of Punk Rock elitism.“I’ll see ya serving in Starbucks sometime if I ever get to Seattle.” TADfollowed and sounded more like BLACK SABBATH with Lemmy onvocals while MUDHONEY headlined. I recall some guys threw some of theMUDHONEY dudes into the incredibly dense and packed crowd but, in my eyes, the right band headlined. And they played ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’. NIRVANA didn’thave a song anywhere near as good as that.I saw MUDHONEY a few more times after that and each time the gig was a head-first dive into fuzzed-to-fuck guitars and killer jams. I saw NIRVANA again too...Move forward a couple of years and this dude outta SCREAM is now playing drums. The band has signed to a major label and released something called ‘SmellsLike Teen Spirit’. It’s getting played every-fucking-where. And you know what? It’s pretty good - the band delivered an unforgettable, raging performance of it liveon The Word and it even made it onto Top Of The Pops a few weeks later!! Apparently, there’s an album too, ‘Nevermind’. A couple of friends were driving to theband’s next London gig, so I scored a lift - I’ve never been one to turn down even a half-decent gig if free transport is provided! The gig was at The Kilburn Nationalwhich has always proven to be something of a Jonah venue for me. Every time I go, I/ we always get lost and this was no different. SHONEN KNIFE and CAPTAINAMERICA supported, neither of which we caught - although one band was playing on arrival but having a piss was a greater priority at the time due to that mostpleasurable past-time of guzzling beers in the car en route!! Then, of course, a bar stop for a beer top-up was required.Anyway, NIRVANA this time blasted. This was a very different band from the Astoria gig, this was intensely powerful and bowel-twistingly heavy, but without beingMetal and somehow being really accessible. And whatever the track was they finished with, it could’ve shat on most so called Hardcore bands at 20 paces.The drive home from that gig was a mix of virtual silence, rabid chatter of what a great gig it had been and, kinda contentiously, the rather smug, my-shit-don’t-stinkboasting of one of my mates who was enough of a hipster to drag two sceptical Punks (one of which was me) to a gig that left us rather lost for words.The days that followed were equally bizarre. This band, that had a grizzled, salivating previously unmarketable sound, started to appear all over the place. The nightafter the gig they played live on the Jonathan Ross Show and played THAT song that closed the set the previous night!! I sat there speechless - this rancorous, barbed,incinerating, sneering, noise-laden thrash was live on prime-time TV!! I got that ‘Nevermind’ album and discovered this song was ‘Territorial Pissings’. The albumthen went supernova; the band became just about the biggest on the planet.Of course, media attention maximised around Seattle. Grunge became huge - PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS.... I didn’t get that lot - theywere just Metal bands to me and I had no interest in that. The whole Grunge movement from here went over my head in one big Rock Star hyperbolic cloud. I neversaw NIRVANA again. I came to resent the fact that every dick-lick and his granny were wearing NIRVANA shirts but wouldn’t know FLIPPER or THE WIPERSeven if Greg Sage bashed them over the head with his SG while Bruce Loose pissed on their shoes. More to the point, dick-lick and nana didn’t fucking CARE about

knowing those bands.So what has lead to my musings about Grunge, NIRVANA and MUDHONEY? Well, I’ve just read a rather excellent book called Everybody Loves Our Town: An OralHistory Of Grunge that a fella by the name of Mark Yarm has compiled. It’s a massive 500-page look at the Seattle/Grunge/SubPop scene and interviews all the major,and many more minor, players of the day. It’s clear that Yarm either knows the subject inside out, or has done a massive amount of research so he could ask the rightquestions to get the kinda answers he does. It’s been hailed already as one of the best books of the year by the likes of Time. That kinda accolade usually puts me off, but it’sjustified here. I don’t think it’s too much of a bold statement to say that this is the be-all-and-end-all of analyses of the scene. It’s witty and depressing; tragic and comedic;intelligent and dumb; bitchy and sincere and incredibly well done. If you have but one album by any of the Grunge bands, you really need this book; I certainly look uponPEARL JAM with a new sense of respect that was totally absent before. Even if you don’t have any albums by those bands, its worth the cover price for yet more proof ofjust how nasty and self-centred Courtney Love is.I don’t wanna sound the cynical Punk Rocker, but, oddly, SOUNDGARDEN has reformed. Who woulda thunk it! And I know for a fact they still won’t write a song aswack-slack wearin’, swingin’ of the flippity flop, crack-smokin’, kitty strokin’ classic as ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’.Compiled to the sounds of:‘Piece Of Cake’ - MUDHONEY, ‘Unplugged’ - NIRVANA, ‘Gods Balls’ - TAD, ‘Step On A Bug’ - U-MEN, ‘Frenching The Bully’ - THE GITS, ‘Sweet Oblivion’- SCREAMING TREES and ‘Dry As A Bone’ - GREEN RIVER. And, as a finale, still the best track from the era, the eternally amazing ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ -MUDHONEY.Steve Scannerwww.scannerzine.com

An interviewwith...Interview by Mark ‘Freebase’ FieldhouseOrden OganGerman metal band Orden Ogan are set to releasetheir fourth CD, ‘To The End’ on AFM, and for thosewho don’t know too much about this spectacular fourpiece, I made it my mission to find out more about theconcepts behind the band, big European metal festivals,music production, and what exactly is going on in theirheads. It’s time for the UK to play catch up with one ofthe mainland’s best kept secrets…MM: What’s been happening since the release of‘Vale’ in 2008…?‘Well there is quite a lot to say, but I’ll do the best Ican’ the chirpy front man chuckles ‘We have beenon 7 European tours basically. We have toured withTiamat, and we’ve toured with Grave Digger, wewere also on tour with Freedom Call to name a few,and when we were out this much, you can’t do thatwith a regular day job also you know? OrdenOgan lost 3 members along the way, a co-founderincluded, but we are still all very good friends. Wehave worked very hard to make this dream of OrdenOgan happen and now all the current membersdon’t want anything to stand in the way. If you canget the right people its great and our new line up issimply awesome, we are all professional musicianswho only earn income from playing music. I alsohad a crappy situation for a couple of years, somepersonal situations and you could probably say thateverything that could go wrong did go wrong! But Ithink that is basically why ‘To The End’ sounds theway it does… The record is really hard, really fast, forus anyway; and that seemed to be my way of dealingwith all that went on. It was greatly inspirational’.MM: What made you want to play metal Seeb?How did you get into it? Through playing guitaror via family members?‘I studied popular music, and finished with a mastersdegree. I do sound engineering also and basicallyit was inspiring for me, and sounded great. I haveworked with folk groups, a sixties style band, an acapella group, and I even take inspiration from sometop forty music, but metal is where it’s at for me, themost enjoyment’.MM: Being a sound engineer, did you feel the urgeto work on the production of Orden Ogan, wasit an easy choice, or a tough call, to produce yourown band?‘I have worked on the last three releases and even‘To The End’ because it was an easy choice for me, Iwanted to do it and become involved in the situationand creating the sound as well as the music. It feelinto place really as I was always doing the demos for

us, and sorting out the equipment, so it was justnatural progression. Since my back ground assound engineer I had reached the point where I wasthinking… Okay maybe my skills are good enoughnow to do the full record.MM: Are there any other sound engineers whoinfluence and inspire you in what you do?Colin Richardson… and Any Sneapm two peoplefrom this island of yours that I think are two of thebest metal producers in the world. I draw a lot fromtheir work. The esthetic of the sound on ‘To TheEnd’ is directly between those two, I would neverbe arrogant enough to say my quality though ha ha’he cheerfully makes clear. ‘I really wanted to achievesomething from both those guys with that record.But I will say we are getting a lot of really goodfeedback to the label and lots of comments abouthow the production is sounding, so that’s promisingalso because it was a lot of work getting there’.Well I understand totally where these commentscome from as all eleven songs on ‘To The End’are classic metal tunes, backed up by a severelyimpressive production, Seeb seems to have donehis homework, which I quickly point out. Does hewrite all the time or does Orden Ogan write onlyat rehearsals? How do they achieve, musically,everything they want to?‘I never force it. When I grab a guitar and jamaround I just see what starts to come. I writeanywhere, anytime. These ideas are important for theband and I take inspirations from all around me as Isaid earlier. I can’t help it; I’m involved full time inmusic, luckily! Since I got my own studio I ambasically writing music all the time. I couldn’t eventell you when the process started for writing for thenew record as some of it I had from ideas a whileago… for instance the chorus for the song ‘To TheEnd’ I started back with ideas in 1999 I think. Thereis sometimes the spark, but then an idea can be puton the shelf and when the flame is burning the ideacontinues’.MM: The ideas behind ‘To The End’, do they forma loose concept or are they random situations andissues, or topical subjects for you, personally?‘There is maybe a lose concept behind the album, butthe songs really stand all by themselves. For examplethe track ‘The Ice Kings’ is about everywhere coveredin ice, a cold world while ‘To The End’ is aboutsomeone who is burnt on the stake – like a witch,it holds some sort of religious connotation. That’swhere the idea came from for the album, taking itto the end, we keep going as a band and really doingit for ourselves, but I suppose that then inspired thetitle. It sounds really strong and it’s our idea to takeOrden Ogan to the end’.MM: Who did you get your musical inspiration?Who are your metal masters…‘Blind Guardian when they released ‘ImaginationsFrom The Other Side’ that was a great record for meand also Gamma Ray ‘Land Of The Free’ and mycousin gave me all these tapes from Running Wild,that sums up my youth, but now a days I don’t listento a lot of that stuff, which may seem weird as I amdoing something a little similar with this band, albeit

a little darker I think. I have been told several timesthat ‘To The End’ is the record Blind Guardianshould have made after ‘Imaginations To The OtherSide’ so that is a big compliment for us; althoughI do believe Blind Guardian are a lot more leadguitar led than us, Orden Ogan tend to be more rifforientated and heavier, and the way the melodies arewritten is completely different to Blind Guardian’.MM: We come to the topic of Wacken Open Air…Every metal heads dream. How was it to play theprestigious festival in 2010?‘It was amazing. A really, really good time. It was theonly big show we did that year along with Rock HardFestival, and we played at a great time 10.00pm onthe Saturday evening, it was one of the smaller stages,that year they had just introduced the Viking camp,and we didn’t know what to expect, there was spacefor like 10,000 people in that area, and the guys fromour record label said that when our intro tape wasrunning they were almost not able to get into thatarea, it was so crowded! A fantastic experience, wealso filmed it with 5 cameras and it will be a bonusDVD with the CD. For those that don’t know us,areas we are not that well known in, it will showwhat we are capable of and it was a really killer show’.have one show at the o2 in Islington booked forDecember with Rhapsody , and I’m really excitedabout that as last time we played there with Tiamatthat was one of the greatest shows of all the tour.Great venue, good sound and good vibe also’.The UK has been a little slow in catching up withOrden Ogan, but now’s your chance to do theright thing and find out exactly how good theyare. ‘To The End’ is going to be released on CDdigipak (with a bonus DVD), as a special editionbox set, and on double vinyl. That kids, is metal…MMM: So what’s in store for the rest of 2012 and,indeed, 2013?‘I know there will be at least 2 more video clipscoming out, then there will be this European tourwith Rhapsody Of Freedom, there should also bea headlining tour around spring of 2013 and I’mpretty sure we will come back to the UK. We

Having seen The Sword on both their debut UKtour, and ‘In The Round’ at the O2 Arena in London(when they toured with Metallica), I was more thana the new CD ‘Apocryphon’ on Naplam Records.The sound of classic metal meets doom meets stonervibe has propelled The Sword around the world andhas left them standing on their own merits, for all togluttonously enjoy! Enter Kyle Shutt, guitarist andoriginal member…MM: So, tell us about the journey the bandhave been on since your debut record, Age OfWinters…‘Since .. Ahhh..Age Of Winters’, the cool toned Kyleeases into the question ‘Well, that was the band wereally were around 2004/2005, like a little Red Riverstreet band from Austin, Texas; and we recorded thewhole thing for free in our bass players house, it’s justreally gritty and basic and what we were at the time.But that album literally took us around the worldand we started growing up real fast! By the timewe had done that, and got home and started on thesecond album Metallica had already started showinginterest in taking us on the road with them;An interviewwith...obviously we thought they were half joking, butanyway we did the whole of their North Americantour and most of their European dates for about ayear’.I comment on the O2 show…‘Yeah, man that was a crazy show. It’s a big joint theO2, and for a band like us to play in the round wasa case of making it work, and as I said a case of usgrowing up real fast. It killed us on that tour man,y’know keeping up with a band like Metallica. Theyfly between shows every two days, but for us beingin a van or bus just trying to keep up with a monsterlike that just really burned us out. Trivett (drummer)more so than the rest of us, and then we came backand made the Warped Riders album, and we were allreally proud of that one, and again went back outThe SwordInterview by Mark ‘Freebase’ Fieldhousewith Metallica and played Australia, New Zealandand Japan and then came back to the States whereTrivett just lost it… He just didn’t show up for tour,it was pretty fuckin gnarly actually, so that was ahuge set-back, we just didn’t know what to do –when he played his last show we didn’t even knowit was his last show! But we got another drummerand carried on and spent the rest of the WarpedRiders tour learning even more. You know, I learnsomething new every day man. It’s all a learningexperience and teaches us to how we can run ourbusiness, we got some great management now, wegot a great new drummer, a great new album, a greatnew record label. All is great just now, so we kindagot rid of all the old stale stuff. We feel reinvigoratedand ready to go back out on tour now – it’s beenquite a trip’.When we discuss the fact that a band on theirsecond album end up touring with Metallica, Kylejust chuckles…‘Ha, ha… yeeer Lars would literally be telling us toour faces “Like we’re gonna take you on tour totally”and I’d still not really believe it, and I would be like‘Thanks, that’s nice of you, but bands like us don’tget tours like that! But he came through – I’ve got alot of respect for those guys ‘cause they really do careabout what’s going on in music right now, they careand really wanna support new bands and stuff likethat. They do catch a lot of flack sometimes, but I

don’t think it’s for any good reason’.MM: I remember seeing The Sword in my localvenue The Soundhaus in Northampton (before itwas bulldozed down!).How many times have youbeen back to the UK since then?‘I remember that venue, it was with Clutch right?2007 I think. We did the Metallica tour after, thenwe played the i-tunes festival and then we came backin January 2010, so it will be two years now since ourlast time there’.MM: The new album, ‘Apocryphon’, was thatan easy record for you guys to write with all thechanges you’ve been through? After all that hadhappened and everything you’d experienced? Hadyou been working on the songs for a while or…?‘We had some riffs and song ideas kinda layingaround, but after Trivett had left and we had ourtouring drummer Kevin, we weren’t sure what washappening so we didn’t wanna work on too muchto start out, and at the time we were getting readyto go out with Kyuss Lives! We knew we wanted totake out Jimmy as our full time drummer and so wetook him on and did one new song, did the wholeKyuss tour and then in January we wrote six of thesongs which were on there and worked on the otherfour until about May and got ready for the road inJune, so we could be ready for the studio afterwards.We write everything before we enter as we’re notone of those bands who can afford to take that time.We recorded in Baltimore which is a lovely littlecity, if you ever have the chance to go’ Kyle chucklescheekily ‘It’s just one of those cities where one streetis beautiful and then the next street over, you’ll getshot Ha,ha, it’s an interesting place’.

MM: How does the writing process start?‘Usually J.D. will come in with the song, or I’ll comein with the song, or have some riffs that we combineinto a song and we jam it out, and J.D. writes thelyrics last. It all seems to flow pretty fast really. Theold fashioned way as a band, it’s all collaborative.The lyrics are a lot more autobiographical this timearound, there’s no concepts surrounding them, itjust kinda flows from whatever. There’s no greatstory arriving from it all. J.D. writes great lyrics andI can relate to them a lot of the time, or find my ownmeaning. He’s never disappointed me so far!’I ask Kyle about whether or not he’ll be writinglyrics..Kyle smugly answers ‘ I used to be in punk andgrind bands, and I write funny lyrics, I can writethose, but they’re not at all what The Sword isabout’.MM: Where would you say The Sword drawsits main influences from? What’s your favoritemusical genre?‘Rock n roll man!’ Kyle bellows out. ‘When westarted this band it just seemed like there was noother rock bands anymore, just like big loud heavymetal bands, y’know, and we just started playinggood old fashion rock n roll. I grew up listening to alot of Queen, ZZ Top, and Pantera and just lived mylife going to see a lot of people play guitar. I supposewe all have that love of Led Zeppelin and BlackSabbath, and that the sorta vibe we have in common’.MM: Any new bands that you have come acrossthat you think create that vibe?‘Yep a couple for sure, Graveyard from Sweden. Theyare really knockin’ it out and we love them as peoplealso; we’ve played and toured a lot with them. Livethey really do come across with that old style. Alsoa UK band called Gentlemen’s Pistols, I love theirmusic’.I mention Bill Steer‘Yeah, I love what Bill is doing with them, and weplayed with them before Bill joined them ,and thelast time we pulled up for tour and we were like fuckBill Steer’s joined em!!! Holy shit! Heartwork is oneof my favorite CDs of all time; I just couldn’t believehe was in that band’.MM: What’s the local music scene like in AustinTexas? Is there much going on?‘It’s actually a very vibrant scene. There’s a lot ofelectronica stuff going down, not so much punkbands or rock n roll bands, but it’s good, everybody’sin two bands! Everybody knows everybody. There’s alot going down’.MM: Finally, what are the plans for the rest of2012 and 2013 – are you gonna hit the road?‘That’s what we do… Ha, ha,ha… We got 40 datesin the U.S. the rest of this year, then in Januarywe’re heading back to Europe; after that we’re doingSoundwave in Australia and hoping to hook up withSingapore and Japan, New Zealand also. You knowI’ve always wanted to play Hawaii, it’s one of the 50states that I have never been to; that’s a personal

goal of mine… and we really hope to hit the UK andEurope for the summer festivals’. We briefly chatabout UK stalwarts Orange Goblin, and hooking upwith them at Soundwave, how after 17 years they canfinally give it a go at a world tour and take more on(well done Goblin!). Avoid buying the $15 beers andstick to the free beer tent at the festivals!MM: Anyone you’re taking out on tour, or wannagive shouts out to?‘American Sharks, they’re just like a fantastic punkband in the sense of they’re old fast rock n roll, kindalike the Stooges and stuff like that. A great Austinband that people should check out. We’ve learned alot from Metallica and its hard touring in the States,especially with gas prices etc it’s harder than ever;almost to the point of sleeping in your van everynight. Back in the day when we were getting $100a night that was when gas was $1.90 and now itsupwards of $4 so you gotta look out for your friends,we’ve certainly had some help there’.Apocryphon is out now on Napalm Records.Rock n Rawl baby! Hell yeah!! M M

An interviewwith...How did you go about putting Trail Of Murdertogether…‘It all started the second I stepped out of TadMorose, and I fully expected Daniel to come alongwith me then, but he decided to stay a little whilelonger, and not make anyone cross! But in essencehe wasted about two years as he and Tad Morosedidn’t do anything during that time, and that was ashame; but then we hooked up and it started withDaniel and me. For the last three Tad Morose CDsit was pretty much Daniel and I who were writing,so we were comfortable together. Now because I leftTad Morose when I wasn’t happy with the qualityof songs (Daniel wasn’t also) I said – lets write allthe songs then we go look for someone else’ Urbanchuckles. ‘As I said Daniel wasn’t happy also, but theother guys were saying “No the songs are good, letsgo hit the studio” and I really didn’t want that again.Interview by Mark ‘Freebase’ FieldhouseWe thought we could present the other musicianswith the songs and ask do you like the songs? Andare you happy playing these songs? Rather than weform a group and we find out the drummer wantsto play thrash metal etc! When we got Pelle in wehad a spate of using another drummer for a shortperiod, so we wrote some stuff, Pelle got real busywith Morgana Lefay, and so with my friend Eric,we recorded some demos and in fact Daniel wasn’tthat happy with them as Eric was a more jazzy typedrummer, so we made some changes and waited forPelle and re did the songs. So the basic start of theband was us three before we made a decision on theextra players, we realised we couldn’t play all thisstuff with just three people. We wanted to make surethat we could all work together though, and also beable to tour together obviously. My only rule withTrail Of Murder is that everyone sings! If I wantAfter singer Urban Breed parted ways with his formerband Tad Morose, he set about starting something new.Something very new. After persuading Daniel Olsson,guitars (also formerly Tad Morose) to join him andrecruiting drummer Pelle Akerlind (from Morgana Lefay)the three piece started to write what would become TrailOf Murder’s debut album ‘Shades Of Art’. Having justreturned to the U.S. after a video shoot out in Bulgaria,I managed to get hold of Urban for a real down to earthchat about the making of ‘Shades Of Art’…to shut up for a bit, they can all do a good joband when the choruses come in it makes such adifference with range and power, and Daniel is alsosuch a really good main singer. I had to force hima bit, ha, ha. I always knew he could sing, but hewould always say “Nah, I just wanna play guitar” buthe is good, so I’m pleased’.That’s definitely cool vibe as some singers wantto hog the front spot, but Urban clearly wants tobring out the best in this band and utilize all andevery aspect of the people that he’s making musicwith…

‘Absolutely he states, if you think about it, if youtake a band where everybody can sing, that’s a greatbig buzz, I mean you step up to the chorus andeverybody joins in and that’s a punch! It’s a lot moreversatility rather than just one voice all the time’.MM: So is Shades Of Art a high point in yourcareer then?‘Most definitely, I have said this time and time again,Shades Of Art is the only album I have ever recordedthat I will reach out myself and put into the machineand play it because I just wanna hear it. That’s howpleased I feel. It’s kind of like what I aimed to dowhen I was 14! People may say this is stupid selfpromotion,but if you know me then you’d know Inever say anything unless I really do mean it. I am sohappy with this record, even my least favourite songon it, I look at and say – Man that’s a good song.Even though it’s my least favourite!’.To me, Trail Of Murder ‘Shades Of Art’ feel likea classic 80s metal band, but with a 21st centurycrispness, which keeps it fresh. I wondered howUrban would find, or react to my interpretation ofhis music…?‘Most definitely’ he agrees cheerily ‘I mean for me,my age, I’m straight out of the 80s, it’s where mymusical heritage comes from; that’s where I started.I take from all aspects of metal or rock but thatperiod was special to me, not saying that we want toproduce a full retro album, but influences are a greatthing. We haven’t tried to do a re-creation. For surewe have used today’s production and sounds, whichis why the CD sounds as you stated. My biggestinfluences from the 80s are definitely BruceDickinson Maiden, and Queensryche, you canprobably tell that’ he openly admits ‘for a coupleof years these guys ruled. I possibly even tried toemulate them also… but then thought to myself, heyno! I quickly realized that wasn’t a good idea. Thepast 6 years I think I have found out who I really amand why I am doing this and what I’m doing. Thatinvolves being me, but inspirations are important’.MM: What else influences you? Who, forinstance, is your favourite singer?‘I’d have to say Coverdale and Hughes in Purple…hard rock ’75 era. Those two guys are just the besttogether, the harmonies, the melodies, the range…it’s an amazing time. Modern day bands, I’d haveto say Black Country Communion, there you go…I just love Glenn Hughes voice!’ we both agree inunison about the qualities there.MM: You mentioned that the band centralisedaround a core comprised of Daniel, Pelle andyourself, how did you go about starting the songwriting? Were individual ideas bought in? Or didyou write as a group in the rehearsal room?‘For the most part, Daniel and I wrote a lot together.The chord foundation and riffs mostly come fromDaniel, then I came up with the melodies andlyrics… on occasion I would say can we take thismelody up here, can we change this chord position?To get a better punch line for my lyrics… or my vocalmelodies, but he’s very accommodating on thingslike that. It’s very much a band feel to this, it’s not acase of one guy saying here’s my song, its done thisway’.MM: Is there any concept behind ‘Shades Of Art’?‘The only concept behind this CD is that there isplenty of inner personal relations and situationsbeing bought up. Personal stuff, no actual topicalconcept or theme though. The closing track ‘MyHeart Still Cries’ is kind of personal, but it’s not, ifyou know what I mean… issues I can relate to. It’s justa bank of topics’.What’s on the schedule for Trail Of Murder nowthat the records been released?What’re your plans?‘In late November we intend to do a video shoot for

probably two or three songs, and then to tour afterthat. We are going to shoot down in Bulgaria andwe’ll start the tour down there also, and I’d really liketo end it there also if possible, as a kind of thank you.I get well looked after there. After a bit of probingUrban tells me ‘Probably the title track and ‘LadyDon’t Answer’ and maybe ‘Carnivore’ although I’mnot so sure about that…’ when I ask him for songtitles. I was also intrigued when he took time out tofind out what I would like to see as a video. ‘Whenwe tour though, we are going to play the wholealbum, I’m not sure if it will be as the CD is listed,but there’s not one song we won’t play live, we maymix it up night to night, we are not decided on thatyet; also we’re gonna throw in a few songs from ourpast I should imagine a Morgana Lefay song and Iassume a Tad Morose song or two! I personally don’tlike it when a band plays the same set night afternight, as you do meet people that have been to morethan 1 of the gigs on the tour. It’s important to me tokeep it fresh. We are ready to tour, I’m really lookingforward to it, and I think my time in the U.K. is wayoverdue also as last time I was there was in 2004 Ithink….’ He pauses for breath.What’s been the high point for you with the bandso far?‘Probably when I got my hands on the finishedalbum. That’s because as well as wanting to play it, Iwas involved in all the footnotes and layout etc. I puta lot of work into the whole idea, especially keepingall five of us happy’ he laughs infectiously. ‘Five guysin the band and everyone has an opinion, ha,ha, ha!’.Everything on the CD artwork has a meaning to it,there is nothing random on there’.M‘Shades Of Art’ is available through MetalHeaven.

Herder is not just a band, it’s an experience. A journeyto the deepest and darkest place of the human soul, ajourney that leaves you asking the same question thatmen have asked for millennia. Is evil always bad? TheDutch band explore the notion of evil, without everreally providing any answers about it’s true nature. Theyprobably don’t want to, or quite possibly even can’t. Itdoesn’t matter though, because in the end, this forceof nature needs to have that driving force to continuewriting the kind of songs that you’d kill your pets to. Theband is a collective of tormented souls and answered ourquestions as a collective, a rampaging beast hellbent ondestruction…MM: Why did you specifically chose Reflectionsas the label you wanted to unleash your music onthe world? It’s obviously a label known for loudmusic, but usually has a very… uh… civilizedapproach. It worked out very well in the end, buthave you ever had any doubts about the decision,and what have, if any, the reactions , positive ornegative to that decision been like?Herder: We have never had any doubts about Johanand Reflections Records. We’ve known Johan foryears and we go way, way back. Johan really lovesour music and that’s why he does it, not becauseit might make him some money. Of course therehave been reactions, both positive and negative. Thenegative reactions mostly came fromm the politicallycorrect side of the scene, and they tend to cry over,and about, anything and can never take things witha pinch of salt. Piss off with that nonsense! Herderstands for rude and heavy music, with a similarattitude. We might be a bit different from whatpeople usually expect from Reflections, but it’sworked out very well.An interviewwith...Interview by Martijn WelzenMM: I think Herder also stands for absolutefreedom. Freedom of art, music, and freedom ofspeech. Are there any limitations to what you wantto, will and can, say?Herder: A big mouth only serves its purpose if youcan back it up: “Talk the talk if you can walk thewalk”. Being obnoxious can be fun, but it has to servea goal, and that has really worked for us so far. Wehave kept everything in our own hands, from songwriting,to the studio, to artwork and merch, so wedon’t have to take a lot of things into account. Theonly people we have to keep satisfied and happy areus. So far, that’s worked out just fine.MM: Religion seems to be your biggest pet peeve.Why? Is that because it can be seen as beingHERDERresponsible,and mostly to blame, as a flashpointfor war and multiple other wrongs in this world?Or is just that you can easily shock religiouspeople?Herder: It’s not really that they are shocked easily,it’s more that they are oblivious to the real world,…but yes we loathe religion.MM: To what extent is Herder a celebration of thedark sides of mans nature; decadence, violence,bloodshed, greed, lust and selfishness. Is Herder asign of the times?Herder: Yes for sure! Herder is simultaneouslycelebrating and condemning these themes. It’s verycomplicated, but also an amazing contradiction. Weare six completely different people working togetherin a band, all with different backgrounds and certain

views on life. Sometimes we concur and agree, sometimes we’re on opposite sides of theargument, but we all have one thing in common and that’s to count down and to pushthe pedal to the floor.MM: And the crude, often bloody, image of Herder is that also an important part ofthe ‘show’? Or is that a simple demonstration of ‘we do what we bloody well please’?Surely it’s rubbed some people up the wrong way.Herder: Ah yes, we have made many friends and enemies along the way. Fights at shows,angry messages on Facebook or via email. People think our merch is to shocking and tryto lecture us about it… We couldn’t care less. We do what we want, sometimes jokingly,but usually with 100% conviction. We’re not afraid of anyone; we play rancid squats, weplay filthy pubs, we play decadent concert halls. We have, so far, besides a few incidents,been met with kind regards, warm feeling and good intention.The audience has never shown any discontent; what idiot would pay good money for ashow by a band they hate? You’d have to be a complete retard to do that wouldn’t you?I know a few other things I would gladly spend my money on; case of beer, package ofsmokes or some ‘eierballen’ (A typical snack from the North-East of The Netherlands –Ed.)MM: Thing is, within the hardcore scene, which Reflections is still an importantpart of, and where your roots also lie, the lyrics, or message, are very important. Isthere something of that nature in your lyrics? Herder doesn’t seem to be particularlyconcerned with earthly topics like politics or world peace…Herder: World peace, No… that’s something which we will, hopefully, never achieve.What else can we make news bulletins about? Herder does have lyrics with a messageor deeper meaning. Please read the lyrics; They’re not just about drinking / fightingand fucking… that is, unfortunately, what most people think. Like we said earlier, we’resix different personalities and everyone has a different view of this world and does careabout other things in life, and that’s what you can read in our lyrics. Don’t get me wrong;Herder isn’t climbing on any soap box but some words do have a deeper meaning and wecertainly have something to say.MM: It is often been said that music, and especially metal and hardcore, are anescape from the rat race, a release valve for aggression and frustration. Herder,however, seems to be a band that’s, almost literally, above and beyond earthlyconcerns. What does music, live or otherwise, do for you? Is it like an exorcism?

Herder: An Exorcism for some, an attempt tosummon to devil for others. Herder is above all arelease valve for everyone; in one way it helps youlet go of your demons, in the other, it just beats thework related stress. Aggression, frustration, pain andsorrow, but also intense happiness all play a key rolein this play that is Herder. After every show we’re allcompletely wrecked, not only by physically playingand giving it all that we have got, but also mentally.We all have our demons to fight and to summon.MM: With the particular style that you play I alsoimagine that, when writing new songs, you getcompletely lost in the music. How can you holdsongs at bay? Is a song really like an organism orcreature waiting to be tamed? On record you haveactual songs, but I imagine, in another setting,that it’s not always that easy…Herder: JB writes it all at home as demos, usuallyafter an evening of gin and tonics and spinning vinylwith Blitzer. Sometimes it’s already is a completesong, and even the leads of the demo wind up onthe eventual record. Sometimes it’s only riffs, whichget moulded into songs in our rehearsal room. Thebest songs are often written in half-an-hour andimmortalised on demo. You shouldn’t have to worktoo long on a song, if you can’t create a song in a fewminutes or even half-an-hour, how will it eventuallygrab you, or anyone else? Songs need a sense ofimmediacy or urgency…MM: So, expectations for ‘Horror Vacui’ yourupcoming release, are sky high. Have you triedmaking things even more brutal this time around?Herder: We are very pleased with the result; betterrecording, mixing and mastering. It did take a lot ofcigarettes, coffee and alcohol. It is different somehow,but JB had just that same amazing grin, if not bigger,on his face after listening to the new finished EP, ashe had with the first record. Above all, the full lengthwas recorded and mixed in under four days, becauseJB had to go on tour for three months. This time hehad more time to listen to the record after mixingeverything and he was able to add and delete parts.That made a major difference. In style I’d say the newis EP is slower and even scarier. These were songs thatreally fit well together, and not so much with themore up tempo song we’ve also finished, so these willwind up on any following release. The creepy feelingreally came out well on this EP. It also has to dowith the fact that after the demo and full length, wedecided to add a third guitar player to the band. Theolder material was written for two guitars, althoughwith many overdubs, we did manage to make thesongs suitable for playing live with three guitars. Onthe new EP we could utilise the full force of threeguitar players for the first time.The 12” is limited to 666 pieces and will never bere-pressed. So be quick. This slab of vinyl can onlybe ordered through Reflections records! www.reflectionsrecords.comM

My Life In BooksEric Brown sold his first short story to Interzone in 1986. He has won the British Science Fiction Award twice for his short stories and has published over fortybooks. His latest include the novel Helix Wars and the collections Ghostwriting and The Angels of Life and Death. His work has been translated into sixteenlanguages and he writes a monthly science fiction review column for the Guardian. He lives in Dunbar, East Lothian. His website can be found at: www.ericbrownsf.co.uk1. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie. This book changed my life. I left school at fourteen when my family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia. I’d neverread a novel in my life. I was bored one summer holiday, and my mother in desperation said, “Read this. It might keep you quiet.” A Pan edition of Cards on theTable. I read it and was spellbound from the first page. I finished the book and began reading it again. I find it hard to relate the revelation this piece of fictionhad one me: it was shattering. To be allowed into the heads of other people, albeit fictional characters, to be given a view of the world not my own... I knew, assoon as I read the book, that I wanted to be a writer. The very next day I sat down and began plotting my first novel. It was three pages long and featured a vicar,a retired major, and a tennis party.2. Sundance and other stories by Robert Silverberg. I read Christie religiously for months, and then while in Menzies bookstore in Melbourne saw the Corgipaperback edition of Sundance, featuring a bull-nosed starship by (I think) Chris Foss. I was captivated by the image and bought the book. It was another, evengreater revelation. If Christie blew my young mind, then imagine what Silverberg did. It’s not one of his best collections, I realise in retrospect, mainly featuringtales he wrote at speed in the fifties, but it contained a story called “The Overlord’s Thumb” about a planetary governor and a tricky alien-human conflict whichfired my imagination. Years later I paraphrased the opening paragraph in one of my own stories. “The People of the Nova”.3 & 4. The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine by H. G. Wells. I’ve listed these two books together because that’s how I discovered them in an ‘Opportunity’ shop– which is what they called charity shops in Australia back in ’75 (and might still call them today) – in Mordialloc. They were bound together in a Heinemann hardback,and I think it might have been a schools edition. Anyway, the books amazed me, especially The Time Machine. It was the first time travel tale I’d read – what an auspiciousstarting place! – and the very idea of time travel filled me with that tingling sense of wonder that SF is all about. I was very affected by one of the final scenes in the book,when the Time Traveller stands on a lonely shore millions of years in the future, surrounded by scuttling crab-like beasts, and contemplates the vast, red fulminating sun. Vast,red fulminating suns make guest appearances in my fiction to this day. I loved The War of the Worlds, too, and recall that I was very taken by the tripods. It was shortly afterreading these books that I set aside any idea of writing whodunits and concentrated on writing SF..5. The Father Brown stories by G.K. Chesterton. Around the same time I discovered Silverberg, I came across a Penguin edition of The Wisdom of FatherBrown, began reading it and found the prose too ‘hard’. It wasn’t what I was expecting from a detective story, being far too philosophical for my liking. A coupleof years later, however, I returned to the book and loved it – loved Chesterton’s rich, alliterative, declarative prose, his poignant descriptions of the Englishcountryside (which I lapped up as I was still in Melbourne, and homesick). I admired his turn of phrase, the way he used the language in a fresh and vibrantway. He’s still one of my favourite writers (I pastiched his style and featured G.K. himself in my novella Gilbert and Edgar on Mars) and I collect his work – amammoth task as he wrote a lot

6. Riotous Assembly by Tom Sharpe. It must have been around 1976 that I picked up this novel, Sharpe’s over-the-top satire on apartheid in South Africa. I was fifteen andknew little about the political situation there, and read the book as a comic novel about ignorance and racism. It was hilariously funny – the first funny book I’d ever read, andagain it blew me away. I haven’t read it since – I’m afraid to, in case it doesn’t live up to my recollections of it – but I recall being taken by Sharpe’s prose style, his long, complexsentences, and his intercutting between scenes.7. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake. Skip a few years and I’m back in England; I’ve read a lot more and written lots of unpublished rubbish. I’m in my earlytwenties. I can’t recall how I came across this book, and was surprised I liked it. I’m wasn’t too keen on fantasy (not that this novel is strictly fantasy, though that’swhat I read it as back then) and I preferred pared down prose to lush, descriptive prose. But I was taken by Peake’s descriptions, his rendering of the setting, hislarger-than-life characters, and the brooding sense of menace he builds up throughout the book. I fell in love with Titus Groan’s sister, Fuchsia, and was deeplymoved by her accidental death. I was captivated by Peake’s description of her, too: “She was gauche in movement and in a sense, ugly of face, but with how smalla twist might she not suddenly have become beautiful. Her sullen mouth was full and rich – her eyes smouldered.”8. The Drums of Morning by Rupert Croft-Cooke. This is the third volume of Croft-Cooke’s twenty-seven book autobiographical sequence entitled The Sensual World. He’sa sadly neglected writer who between around 1930 and his death in 1979 wrote over a hundred and twenty books, thirty-odd mainstream novels, the same number of crimenovels under the name Leo Bruce, and books on such diverse subjects as darts, gypsies, the circus, wines, cooking, and biographies of Wilde, Lord Alfred Douglas and Kipling,as well as poetry. But his lasting legacy is The Sensual World, a brilliant evocation of his life and times – concentrating on the latter. The odd thing is that although he wrote somany volumes of autobiography, he never once mentioned the fact that he was homosexual – partly of course due to the times in which he was writing, and partly because, as hewas at pains to point out, the books were less about himself than the places to which he travelled and the people he met. Croft-Cooke was a non-conformist, an eternal optimist,and eternally seeking – perhaps as a rebellion against his upper-middle-class upbringing – new and varied experiences. The autobiographies bristle with incident and lovingaccounts of the personalities, famous and otherwise, he encountered during his varied and peripatetic life. I came across The Drums of Morning in a junk shop in Haworth, WestYorkshire, for 30p. I read it quickly and knew that I had to find the rest of the series. Over the course of the next few years I began collecting Croft-Cooke’s books, and found thestory of his life, its many vicissitudes and few triumphs, a true inspiration.9. The Girl with a Symphony in Her Fingers by Michael G Coney. A few years later I discovered the excellent and neglected SF writer Michael Coney. I recall preciselywhere I found this fix-up novel. It was in W.H. Smiths in Bradford, on a discount table. I picked up the Elmfield Press hardback for 50p – and bought it because it was SF. I’dnever heard of the author, but the blurb sounded interesting. I devoured the novel and it remains one of my favourite SF novels. It’s not his best (Hello Summer, Goodbye orBrontomek! are technically superior novels) but it spoke to me. It’s a quite novel about Joe Sagar, a slithe farmer, on the Peninsula. Slithes are alien creatures whose shed coatschange colour according to the emotions of the wearer. Joe meets and falls for a young woman, has run-ins with the haughty and egocentric 3-V star Carioca Jones, and flies hissling-glider in the skies above the Peninsula. It’s a light read, and Joe Sagar is a wry, likable character who features in other uncollected tales set in the same milieu. This novel,and others by Coney, were the influence behind my novels Meridian Days and the series of novellas that comprise the Starship Seasons sequence.10. Helix by Eric Brown. This might seem a stroke of blatant publicity, but the book was a great influence on the rest of my career as an SF writer. I’d had a trilogy out withGollancz – the three New York books – which didn’t sell well, perhaps in part because Golly, in their wisdom, brought the books out over a period of five years. They thenrushed out The Fall of Tartarus, and promptly dumped me. After a period in the doldrums, I had what I thought a great idea for a big SF novel: a vast spiral of ten thousandworlds created by an enigmatic alien race as a haven for races on the edge of extinction. I wrote an opening chapter or two and a detailed ten thousand word outline, and sent itto various publishers and agents. To cut a long story short, no one wanted it. I was disappointed, to put it mildly. A couple of years later John Jarrold contacted me, knowing Iwas unagented, and asked if he might represent me, and if I had anything he might be able to sell. I leapt at the chance and sent him the outline of Helix. He thought it sellable,and promptly sold it to Solaris. It proved to be my best-selling book, with over forty thousand copies sold to date. I’ve recently written a sequel, Helix Wars, and hope to do morein the series. The moral of the tale: keep at it and don’t let the bastards get you down. Anyway: Helix, a big influence on my career. M M

An interviewwith...History Of The HawkWe have a reason to be very grateful We haveto be grateful that British band History Of TheHawk are only amazing musicians, and not asecret gathering of clairvoyants. Were ‘FutureRuins’ a glimpse of what lies ahead for us asspecies, we would surely die in terror, drownedby fear. The chaos and unbridled energy is whatmakes ‘Future Ruins’ one of the best recordsof the year. The turmoil and violence, as theinterview points out, is purposeful and hassprung, fully formed from the collective mind ofThe Hawk. They think as a collective force, andas such were interviewed as a collective force…Interview by Martijn Welzen

MM: Whenever I play any of the songs on ‘FutureRuins’, I can’t help thinking that you must havehad a tremendous job trying to keep the chaosunder control. How did you manage to shape theunbridled energy and create songs from it?Nathan: It’s a pretty natural process I think, there isnothing that is not organic on this record I believe,everybody just adds their layers and it seems to work.There is no major science to it!Luke: The elements of the songs are actually prettycarefully thought out between us, although creatinga chaotic atmosphere was our intention for manyparts of the record so I’m glad that it worked!Harper: I think we know what we want and so it’s acase of finding the chaos and pushing it as far as wecan. I love stuff not getting repetitive and so I thinkkeeping everything raw and fresh is key.MM: One other question that immediately cameto mind is about the title of your new record. Doesit mean that all what we have built will eventuallyfall to ruin, or is ruin in this case actually a verband will the future ruin things?Nathan: We struggled to name the new record, weall knew what we wanted to say, people live in shit,it’s not fun, or cool and it shouldn’t be glamorised!It’s not about some bold political statement. Thesongs are about living in Britain at the moment,we ain’t Bad Religion and I believe none of us havea right to tell people our word is gospel, it’s just arecord! Beckley came up with the name and it justmade sense!Beckley: Nath explained to me the themes thatwere running through the record and so I thoughtit would be good to think of a title that wouldrepresent the decay of a neighbourhood and how wecan be constrained by our surroundingsLuke: The title fits the apocalyptic tone of the recordnicely.Harper: We struggled to come up with a title andthis was the one that we all agreed on as it captureswhat the record is trying to say. To me, it meansI look around and whether things are new orold they’ll end up ruined, its human tradition toruin things. Such is life. Things are born and theyinevitably die. Am I being too deep here?MM: I’m curious about the future and whether ornot it’ll be a bad thing? So many films and bookshave tried to tackle the subject, and every so oftenpeople end up fulfilling their own prophecies.What’s your take on the future… should it remaina mystery?Nathan: The future is the future, personally I don’tdwell on it too much, we all strive to get that goodjob, meet that girl, and have a nice car, blah blahblah! It’s all relative I guess! In terms of the recordit’s a really fucking scary place to live at the moment,especially as there are massive cracks appearing inEurope which are surely going to have repercussions’here, Britain has paid £228 billion pounds intoEurope since the start and we’ve had just over half ofthat back!Beckley: It’s not important to know the future but

it’s important to be aware of the repercussions thatdecisions may have, and how they can affect theworld around you. Whether it is decisions youmake or decisions that are made far away from youthat affect your neighbourhood. But I suppose thatit’s easier said then done, to be aware all the timeis a hard thing. For me, I see this record not as avision of the future but just a look at some of theserepercussions.Luke: I’d say that those films and books youmention attempt to explore and express humananxieties and fears for the future through an artisticmedium; though I can’t speak for Nath’s lyrics Ithink Future Ruins is expressive in that sense.Harper: As I described with the inevitability ofliving things or things built/created by another livingthing we already kind of know the future. Nothinglasts forever. I don’t think knowing specifics of thefuture would be a good thing and it starts to becomea mind fuck the more you think of it, unless you’restoned or you’re Marty McFly.MM: To what extent does our future lie inscience… Songs like ‘ Hey Ghost, The Myth AboutScience Is…” and “Terraforming” seem to bepointing in favour of science…Nathan: It’s simple really; I don’t believe in god, Ibelieve in stuff that is proven! Don’t get me wrong,I have no problem with people who are religious, Irespect it even! But this is my outlet and I’m writingabout what I believe in, as somebody else wouldwith what they do, it’s not about hate, life is to shortfor that shit, just do and say what you need to makeyourself happy.MM: The style of music you play would suggest astrong, angry, and maybe even negative reactionto the world and how people treat each other, but‘Arab Spring’, suggests differently. Are your lyricsa mixture of both positive and the more negativeviews of, and about, our world?Nathan: It’s an angry record, we are not angrypeople, we’re not the kind of band who think“Yeahhh man, hardcore is angry, let’s be angry, that’swhat people want” the UK scene is full of bandslike that and it makes it hollow as shit and we don’twant to be a part of that. Arab Spring was about the99% in America, somebody was going on about itand I was like, “Hang the fuck on, why should I givea toss about what is going on thousands of milesaway when I’ve got friends who can’t even get a job”it makes me laugh how the media makes things likethat sexy, nd love how all the big celebs got, and get,involved, as they really understand what it is like tolive in poverty don’t they.Luke: Although the lyrics are angry, the musicalstyle isn’t necessarily drawn from anger, mostly wejust enjoy making loud horrible noises!MM: Linking both above questions… What areyour thoughts on how science can either enlightenus or will end up leaving us in some sort ofspiritual void? Do we need to have cold hard factsand a full understanding of the universe or arewe better off maintaining a belief in either a Godand, or, other unexplained phenomena?Nathan: I don’t even know what a spiritual void is?It’s not up to us to tell people how to think or what

to do, we’re just a band.Luke: As humans we’re naturally curious and excitedby new discoveries, I personally don’t feel negativeabout that. We’re in no position to tell people tobelieve in God or not and I don’t think anyoneshould knock people for their religious beliefs. It’sjust a case of what fulfils you personally.Harper: People will spend their lifetimes trying tomake sense of the world and when it comes down toit not one person has solved it yet. I enjoy readingabout scientific discoveries every now and again. Idon’t think there has been a new religious discoverysince scientology (cough)MM: Where do you think art, in your case music,fit in? Does it give way to something higher,almost spiritual? Are creativity, inspiration andfantasy the highest achievements humans canoffer?Nathan: It’s just music, we have a story to tell, wehave experiences to share, and it’s simple as thatreally.Luke: Art is a form of communication, a wayto transmit certain feelings from one mind outto others. With rock and roll it has a lot to dowith unifying the band and listeners through theexcitement and energy of getting caught up in themoment, namely the live show. I don’t really see it interms of what humans have to offer, just somethingto experience.Harper: I think escapism is popular in life as we all

like to escape the mundanity of some every daychores. Not sure whether it’s the highest thing wecan offer. I think people spend so much time aspiringto things that they forget to actually get things done,I’m as guilty as everyone else.MM: Seems that, getting back to your music, youalso have this idea of blending cold, hard and attimes almost machine like riffs and drums, with adesperately human (every now and then) feeling.Is that representative of the future of mankind, thestruggle between our biological, organic past andour computerized, industrial future?Nathan: Birmingham (the nearest city to where welive) 48% of the kids in living in some of the poorerareas of the city are living in poverty, child povertyin one of the biggest cities in Europe? How the fuckcan that be fixed with the Tories constantly movingthe goal posts in regards to benefits! So yeah, thesekids will grow up one day, and their future is not rosyat all!Adam: I don’t think as a band we would be verygood if instrumentally we featured those concepts, Ilike to think we write music very naturally and withenergy, I’d say it was actually a goal for me in thisband not to sound to machine like as I want us all toplay off each other.Luke: There isn’t a concept or statement built-in toour style, it’s just what happens when this particularcombination of musicians play together. I’m gladthat you’re able to interpret it in your own waythough, music should allow people to find their ownmeanings to it so it’s cool that you have!Harper: I think because we write organically thatnaturally our music will come across more humanthan some others that we may get pigeonholed inwith. I hope that people can relate to how we werefeeling when we wrote the record.MM: Does the cover of the record also linkin with that idea? When manmade structurescrumble to ruin; nature takes over. Whatever wedo, nature always seems to find a way of takingthings back. It might take centuries, but nature isvery patient…Nathan: There are some flats by us in a towncalled Brierley Hill, that’s proper England and theinspiration behind the cover and the record. Butyeah we won’t be around forever, these will be thebench marks of what is left behind.Luke: The cover imagines a familiar part of ourworld post-civilization. Landscapes like the onedepicted on the cover are generally synonymous withdiscontent and struggling, so in that sense the cracksalso take on a metaphorical form.Harper: I’m really pleased with how the artworkturned out. To me it represents that as you spendyour life with something or seeing something you failto see it ageing and decaying. It can take somethinglike a photograph or a painting to remind you ofhow things used to be.M

Again I am amazed by the power of music. Thedepth to which bands just dare to go, opening uptheir most private of emotions to a vast audience ofunknown individuals. ‘Cope’ the debut of ScottishWeCameFrom Wolves is filled with multiple links tothe musicians personal life. Usually it’s not very polite,to say the least, reading someones diary, but Kyle, onvocals and guitar, is just reading it for you, carried byintense music.MM: First off, I’m very curious how you came upwith the band name? It could have easily be thename of a black metal band. I’m always wonderingto what extend a band name is based on what styleof music one is going to play.Kyle: I’m a massive fan (nerd) of mythology. TheRomulus & Remus, creators of Rome story is aparticular favourite of mine. I don’t think thereis much black metal about it but I suppose it’s allperception. In terms of a band name dictating ordescribing the music you play, well i’ve never reallyAn interviewwith...subscribed to that but I can definitely see it withinsome genres, mainly the heavier ones. It sometimesseems as if a name can be used as a shock tactic orone up-manship but personally, the band names i’vealways admired or had any involvement in are usuallyinspired by something personal.MM: What also caught my attention is the tag‘post-rock’ often coined to describe your band.What does that actually mean? Personally I wouldsay you are rock all over, period. Is that somethingthe media / label came up with?Kyle: It’s something radio presenters and promotersattributed to us. I suppose literally it means “afterrock”...perhaps describing how bands tried to mix itup a bit from “straight up rock”, however genre’s andpigeon holes are always a tricky subject...take the firstWe Came From WolvesInterview by Martijn WelzenArctic Monkeys album, it was labelled indie but tome its a British punk/rock album akin to the Clash.To my mind post-rock is a genre synonymous withbands such as “Further seems forever”, “Movingmountains”, “As cities burn” etc and those are bandsthat we certainly are fans of and probably take ourhonest/emotionally attached lyrical style from.Certainly FSF were a great influence in my musicaleducation growing up and learning to sing and write,they also experiment alot with different sounds andhave big airy pieces without their work which isanother influence we have probably taken howevernot directly and definitely not in the same way, wehave many different styles and this is probably dueto the history of us all as players, we have played inhardcore bands, pop-punk bands, technical punkbands and metalcore bands but have all come to apoint where we realise the songwriting and strengthof the composure is far more important than howheavy you can make a song and how wild you cango on-stage, it’s fun, and we still get very into oursound and performance, but the most importantthing is that your songs are strong, honest and wellwritten. If all those boxes are ticked whilst writing asong then I don’t care which direction it goes in. Wearen’t afraid to step into any musical area should theopportunity present itself and it’s where the song fitsbest.MM: By the time this interview is being publishedyou just have released your ep ‘Cope’ through

Engineer records.Are all songs connected in some way? Feels like they all deal abouttry to cope with things happening in your life. The ‘Crosses’ we have to bear, and lifehaving it’s ups and downs etc.Kyle: Yeah that’s correct. I suppose it is a concept album, but without one sole theme...it deals with loss, disappointment, regret, guilt, love, anger (never hate), confusion,escapism, revenge, hurt BUT the important theme throughout every song is hope, copewith the hard times and have hope and faith there is better.MM: ‘For all Our Sins, We’re Golden’ does seem to stand out in that matter, whatcan you tell about that specific song?Kyle: I was going through a pretty rough time when I wrote that, without getting intotoo much detail there were ingredients in my life that were making a cocktail of anger,depression and confusion and this was all around a time that someone I love was havinga very hard time for different reasons. The song started as a letter re-assuring the recipientof my intention to be there and help to make things better however it also turned into anopen letter to myself, admitting that it was ok to be failing for the first time, and it was okto need some help. When your growing up as a teenager and in your early twenties youfeel kinda invincible...unfortunately that doesn’t last forever and the first time I realisedthat I felt pretty lost. John Lennon was spot on with “Help”.MM: To what extend is loneliness or maybe even feeling alienated part of ‘Cope’, thedrawing on the cover seems to suggest there’s also something to be ashamed of ?Kyle: Right again, very perceptive! I’m not sure it’s too much in regards to being ashamed,however loneliness and alienation are definitely large themes throughout the songs andthe artwork, also about realisation in conjunction with those feelings. Realising that thereis all this vast land of opportunities and experiences (symbolised by the large beautifulscenery the man is walking in) and this character is so blind to it all through anger,stress and ignorance and even more emphasised by the fact it’s a bag on his head, whichhe could remove at any time. It’s stubborn blindness, which represents some factors inmy life which contributed to the loneliness and alienation. people drift apart...it’s a factof life, but it’s important to always let people know what they mean to you but also topursue the path you feel is right for you, regardless of what others may think. Life is toshort too short to make do.MM: Just recently the video for ‘Cope’ appeared online. I’m struck by how powerfulit actually is. Is the story, in the video, about coping with loss? Will we all be dealt

some bad cards in life? Can’t love / friendship be everlasting?And do the story of thevideo and lyrics of ‘Cope’ follow eachother to the letter?Kyle: Thank you, I take that as a compliment. My good friend and director of the videoTom Mitchell had the initial idea that we should make a short film to go alongside thevideo, instead of the usual performance video of a band in a forest/warehouse etc etc...from there me and him sat and devised a plan for the story. I get very hands on with allthe creative aspects of WCFW so I wanted to be as hands on as possible, I found theperfect actors for the story we came up with and we mapped out the perfect locations inour home town to film the scenes, Perth isn’t a very nice place, it used to be a beautifulplace and touted as “Heart of Scotland” however an upward spiralling heroin problem, atown centre like a cemetery, high crime rates and nothing past 8pm for young people todo except drink doesn’t breed the best atmosphere for life, however it can be beautiful tolook at and we were blessed with perfect lighting, weather and the talents of Mr Mitchelland the actors to capture it. The song was written over a few years, but never pushed tobe finished I always just let it come on a bit every now and again until I had something.We nearly didn’t take it into the studio until we thought we should have a slower oneon the EP, and once we recorded it we were so glad we did! Lyrically it doesn’t matchexactly with the video, the song is more about wanting to go and make your life worthsomething, and wanting to have the support of the person you love to do so, but alsodeals with facing up to those who doubt you and the prospect that you may not succeedin what you are aiming for,but having the courage to pursue it regardless. However I don’tthink this takes anything away from the video and song as a pair, the emotion in the songand film are both equal and I spent a lot of time with the actors to make sure we capturedreal feelings and experience whilst they were filmed as we needed it to be as honest andtransparent as possible...I think the story resonates with a lot of people and takes us backto a that point in our life. I was so happy with the end result, having my song payed overthat and seeing the how it all played out...I’m not embarrassed to tell you it made mepretty emotional when I first watched the final version in my own time. I couldn’t haveasked for more.MM: So now your ep is out… I did notice however the first videos about therecording process started appearing on YouTube as early as August last year. Whydid it take this long getting things finally released? And have you maybe also thoughtabout making it a full-length?Kyle: It didn’t really take too long to complete once we got into the studio, we actuallyrecorded COPE in November 2011 so the videos you saw were just the usual preproductionsessions done before you go into a studio, to make sure you are all aware of

the parts each other will play and rough production ideas to take into the studio. So asI answer one question with “it didn’t actually take long at all” I guess you will wonderwhy it was finished in November and not out until the following September? Well wefinished up in November but our producer (Also Tom Mitchell...he’s a very talentedman...check outtommitchelproduction.com for Photography, engineering/production &cinematography of the highest degree) is a very sought after and busy man and bookingtime int he studio was one thing, getting mixing time and the finished product wasanother, this was a scheduled for a couple of months later and when that was done weresponded to the labels who had asked to hear the finished tracks, we waited a couplemore months to make sure we had the right people to help us develop and grow as a bandthe way we saw fit and then Engineer got on board, who have been fantastic with justthat. from there we needed to plan in mastering time, Video filming and editing sessions,release show plans and tour (along with all the review, interview and press opportunitiesthe management and label had to organise) so really...there hasn’t been a moment wastedand it has all come together well for the release date.MM: Having said that, are there already new songs written? If so anything you cantell about that?Kyle: Yes, I’m constantly writing. Although not as conventionally as others i’m sure. Iwait till a melody comes to me...it can be anywhere, at my desk, on the way home fromthe shops, in the middle of the night (that’s the worst as I NEED to get up and record itas i’m afraid i’ll lose it) I record these melodies simply by humming into my voice memoand from there I sit down and write guitar around it, I then add melody to the next partetc etc and then start to think about what I’d like to discuss within the lyrics. Every songI have ever written has been done this way. We have finished off two songs I have beenworking on for the last few months now and will be debuting them at our release showand full UK tour in Oct, they are called “The Cons And Pros Of A Roman Nose” and“An Elephant Never Forgets”. I also have strong melody ideas (chorus, verse and roughlyrical direction) fro around 12 other songs, with chords, hooks and possible bones ofanother 4 or 5 more...it’s just finding the time just now to properly develop some more!our goal is to push the promotion of this release as much as we can and maybe aroundNovember/December get into the studio and either do 2/3 as a single release or another4/5 for a new EP...unless we are asked to record a full length and given the means to dothat. I wouldn’t be worried about that, there is more than enough in the tank and I’mexcited about the prospect of doing that soon.MM: I have talked to many be different bands about what music can carry theemotion you would like to portay. Do you think your style is ‘needed’ to get these

emotions across which are this close to home?Would you be able giving a song a overtly politicalcargo, without changing style?Kyle: As I discussed earlier, we aren’t afraid to followa song into whichever direction it naturally movesinto, the chords I play are big, open chords with alot of room for looping lead parts which Greg duallyobliges to. And I repeat, as long as the essence of thesong was honest, it was a progression from our lastwork in terms of quality and we were all happy withthe outcome, we would lend our writing to anything,I think the style we are playing just now is probablyjust the next step up from acoustic in terms ofraw, emotive songwriting...they started off on theacoustic, with no concrete plans to formulate theminto a full band environment so we just took timeto layer them into that. I’ve been in heavier bandsbefore where I am screaming to the point of scarringmy throat and tasting blood, the lyrics and feelingof my vocals where still as emotive as they are today,it just took a different guise. It’s more to do withthe writer, if you have something you want to say,you will find a way in every style, so to answer yourother question yes I believe we could tackle politicalsubjects within our music...I’m just, perhaps therewill come a time...but the thoughts that come to meat this moment in time are of a more personal nature,I’m still growing as a persona and there is a lot thatI need to iron out and figure out about life beforeI start trying to tell other people how they shouldthink or feel.MM: So what is next for WeCameFromWolves;first Scotland, then the rest of the UK and thenthe world? Would you like to take thing to thenext, professional level, or is that hardly possibleanymore with the current state of the musicbusiness.Kyle: 100%. We aren’t delusional or blind tothe problems the industry faces, I studied musicbusiness at college for a year to give me a betterunderstanding, and basically it’s about establishingbonds with people, not bullshitting them. If youare honest and work as hard as possible, it can bedone. if people like what your doing and you canmake them feel welcome to be a part of it, they candirectly help you to live that life by investing int heband, be that through word of mouth, coming toa show, purchasing your music and letting othershear it or wearing your t-shirts etc. Not many bandswill ever get a massive advance on a deal now, but itis definitely still achievable to work as a musician,tour, make your living through good products yourfans want to purchase, and give them a fantasticproduct int he form of your performance andmaterial...I believe it it very important for a bandto give everything for their fans these days as theyare the ones who will directly decide wether youcan live from your passion or wether you need to goback to humdrum a full time job along side it. It’snot an easy life, we all work full time and have bandcommitments every night (2-3 rehearsals a week

varying from 2-5 hours at a time, any number ofshows per week, emails, merch upkeep, songwriting,social media commitments, meetings, interviews,etc) all alongside trying to have a life in terms ofseeing girlfriends,family and friends. it’s also veryhard for those people as if we have a call to go and dosomething that will be of benefit to the band, otherplans have to be broken. but they understand andsupport us 100%, when you have invested so muchpersonally into achieving your goal, people can seewhat it means to you. We want to live as a band,from our music for as long as possible, but if thatwere even just for a short period in our life then atleast we could say we achieved what we set out to andgoing into a stale rat-race environment again wouldat least not be as damaging as you could say you hadlived. Tour wise we are in talks with a great agentwho we feel can take us to the next stage and therehas been preliminary talks with some European andAmerican shows, although still very early to confirmanything. personally, I’d love to play a lot of festivalsnext year and visit Japan and Australia as a band, thecrowds seem so appreciative of touring bands overthere as it is such an effort to get there, we will workhard to continue our progress but if it doesn’t go anyfurther than where we are now, we will still be in agreat position to make and perform the music welove.M

My Life In Music1.) AC/DC High Voltage - I remember listening to this album on my older cousin’s floor, just plainmesmerized by the raw energy of the sound and the songs. And the cover with Angus, the tongue andlightning bolt; that was and pretty much still is, what I think is cool about rock to this day.2.) Smashing Pumpkins - Gish - This album has more cool psych guitar stuff going on than anythingfrom the time. Pure balls guitar, with crazy weird sounds and energy. Jimmy Chamberlin at his finest aswell.3.) The Who - Live At Leeds - This is the best live album ever I think. Pete and the guys are just ripping, pissed off, killing it, on every tune. So much feeling it hurts.4.) Muddy Waters - Hard Again - This is just some bad-ass, Chicago style, Johnny Winters produced, nasty blues. Muddy’s comeback album I think? The grooves here are justgigantic.5.) Alice in Chains - Dirt - I saw these guys at one of my first concerts, on the “Dirt” tour and Layne and Jerry were unbelievably cool. Mixing rock star-ness with thumbing theirnose at even the notion of it. The real deal; was awesome. Great tunes, great dark energy from Seattle.6.) Guns N Roses Appetite For Destruction - This is a must have. The blueprint for all that’s cool, marrying punk and rock in one bastard of a baby that will influence anyonewho digs rock from it’s moment forward.7.) Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street - Another vibe album. Sounds good no matter what mood you’re in. Whether naughty or nice is your goal, this album will get you inthe mood.8.) Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat - This album and energy really brought in the punk rock aesthetic to me. Art, drugs, droney riffs and Andy Warhol, allmixed up in a drugged-out experimental scene. Uber-cool. Always.9.) Black Sabbath - Masters of Reality - I remember listening to the album over and over, in the summer I decided to devote my life to music and screw any normal type ofexistence. I figured out every riff and note on this album and just played along to it every day for 3 months.10.) The Ramones - Rocket To Russia - Just everything that’s cool about punk rock right here. Short, catchy, raw, nasty, pure bubbleguml in a razor wrapper.by Adam Arling - Guitars - The Last Vegas

An interview with...EnsiferumInterviewby Tim Mass MovementThere are very few bands that I completely lose my shitover, that leave me gibbering in a mess of fanboy joyand musical ecstasy, singing along to every word whiledancing around like some kind of half crazed crack headafter a ten pipe binge. Ensiferum are one of those bands.Whether you call them epic metal, battle metal, folkmetal or Viking metal, there’s no denying the incrediblemajesty, power and beauty of the music that Ensiferummake. Music that’s constantly evolving and changing, andas they readied themselves for the release of their latestopus, ‘Unsung Heroes’, MM spoke to bassist Sami Hinkkaabout all things Ensiferum…MM: I guess first it’s time to play catch up. Sowhat have you been up to between the releases of“From Afar” and “Unsung Heroes”?Sami: Shit loads of gigs. That’s pretty much it really,I’m really busy with that. Then of course there’s thewriting process… The way we write music we’re reallyslow and in that way we always have songs that arenot ready. We have four or five songs right now forthe next album already, but some of these songs westarted back in 2005. This is what we look forwardto; we’ll do some tours then maybe start to puttogether some demos for the next record in thespring.MM: When you write a new record, what comesfirst, music or lyrics?

Sami: It actually comes together pretty naturally in theend. These songs get together and they are going tobe the next album. When we start working on songsI already have emotions that I want to get out in themand I usually build it from there. But I have to say musiccomes first in general because I’m the only one who hasthe raw ideas in my head. I also then bring lyrics togetherwith the music when I bring it to the band. I tell themthey can also bring lyrics and we can work on it togetherbut they just say “ Nah.. you just do it” they’re crazy.MM: On the new album, there seems to be a linkingnarrative between each song almost like a conceptalbum. Was that something that you were consciouslyaiming for…Sami: It’s not really a concept album but afterwards whenwe recorded the album and we were looking at the songsI noticed that many songs actually talk about change inthe really wide meaning of the word. All the lyrics areinspired by real life; it’s always a great challenge and a funchallenge thinking up metaphors to write the lyrics in theright style. So it’s not really a concept album; personallyI think that if you’re going to do that you need to haveall the lyrics and the stories laid out first already beforeyou do the music. Actually it would be really good todo an album that way, with the lyrics first, I know thatsome bands do it that way and it’s a really interesting wayto approach it and something I’d like to do one day butit certainly wasn’t the case with this album. Never saynever, maybe one day I’ll just roll up and say, hey here’sthe story, lets make an album.MM: Focussing on the lyrics, you mentioned the ideaof change as a constant on the album; what kind oflyrical themes have you explored on this record thatare different from previous albums?

Sami: I don’t like to explain my lyrics too much as amatter of principle. I want every listener to find theirown meaning in the lyrics. It’s like art in general; ifart is interpreted too much, people can’t see beyondthe interpretation to find their own truth or anythingpersonal.MM: The new video for ‘In My Sword I Trust’ seemsto utilise a sort of ethereal stop motion interwovenwith the bands performance, which almost lendsthe video a sense of family…Was that something youwere aiming for or was it a by-product of anotheridea?Sami: Yes. Personally I don’t like to make music videosnormally. It’s like a real Hollywood project to get itdone and I want to concentrate on our music. For thisone we teamed up with a great director who has done alot of really good work with other bands and he askedif I had any ideas about what I wanted and I said thatyes I did have one or two ideas so I told him and heused them; of course he used them in a very artisticway.. of course he’s the director and I’m just a bassplayer you know?MM: I think it captures the essence of the songperfectly…Sami: Thank-you. I like it also. I think it’s the firstvideo I’m really proud of .MM: Why do you think mythology, history andmetal go together so well?Sami: That’s a really good question and I wish Ihad a really intelligent answer for that. Maybe it’sthat history keeps repeating itself and people findsomething that they can relate to. Really I have noidea.MM: What is it about history and mythology thatappeals to you as a person?Sami: I think it’s as I get older I become moreinterested in my whole heritage and roots. For me, themore I learn, the more I understand how the smallerdetails in history could have changed things that havean effect hundreds of years afterwards. I think it’sreally interesting and adds a different perspective onlife. All those little decisions you make every day haverepercussions long into the future. It’s intriguing.MM: How important do you think it is forindividuals to have a good sense of their history andculture; where they’ve come from and, ultimately,where they’re going to end up…?Sami: I think it’s important to be aware of your roots,although it’s not the only thing to determine who youare but they are a big part of it and understanding itreally gives you perspective and understanding. Butyou can cling too much to it but I think it’s important.There is not just one way to live this life and who amI to tell people how to live it but it works for me andis reflected in my personality and who I am today. Itgives you an understanding of other people and wherethey come from.MM: I know you’ve probably been asked this athousand times, but how have Ensiferum changedor evolved since you became a member in 2004?Sami: Of course the line-up changed completely andthe founding member is the only orginal member.So there was a natural change that came with that.Everything else has just been a natural eveolution.It’s part of the decisions you have to make every day inlife, whether you give up a regular job to devote time tothe band, long tours away from home from months ata time. It’s understandable that this kind of life doesn’tsuit everybody. It’s a tough life but luckily the line-upwe have right now is incredibly stable. When we wererecording unsung heroes we were all living together inthe same house for the whole time and it really was likefamily.MM: Have you been surprised by the reaction to therecord so far?Sami: Actually yes. I think it’s a more difficult albumin a way; more challenging. We wanted to push ourlimits on the whole thing and try different things. Asa band we wanted to become better composers andexpress ourselves. In the end it all comes back to us;we have to stop thinking about what other people willthink of it and just make sure it’s right for us. It’s whenyou’re too much up in your head that the songs areshit in my opinion. But I’m really surprised that thereaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Of courseyou can’t please everyone so that shouldn’t be the goal.With an album you have to listen several times beforeyou really get into it properly. We cut out a lot oftracks from the last album which was over the top withthe number of tracks and everything, and with all thearrangements. We cut down everygthing that wasn’tnecessary. We wanted it to be as organic and rawsounding as possible. We cut down all the keyboardsand all the orchestrations to make it just pure guitar.It’s a clearer album in a way.MM: It’s definitely the album you’ve beenworking toward, you can almost chart the musicalprogression between records…

Sami: That’s nice to hear because that’s how we feel also. There is no point repeating yourself album after album, you have to move on. Even if you make something shit, itsokay, you can make a better one next time. You have to stand behind every note and believe in it.MM: What’s next for you guys?Sami: We have just officially started the European tour. It’s really nice to see the reaction to the new songs. We have a lot of plans for touring the world on every continentnext year so a busy time for us. There will be a full territorial tour with a couple of weeks in the UK then to another region and working round in that way. When we have timewe will work on new songs until the circle of life begins again with the new songs. M M

You remember what I said about Ensiferum? Well, thesame is also true of Wintersun, another of the few bandsthat cause me to collapse in a fit of metal delight, andthanks to Fate and the divine wisdom of the Gods OfMetal, after a long, bleak eight years, Wintersun havefinally released their new record, ‘Time I’. But it getsbetter, as they’re also due to release another new album,‘Time II’ early next year, and just as this incrediblenews was finally beginning to sink in, guitarist Teemucalled Mass Movement HQ to talk about ‘Time’andWintersun…MM: It’s been eight years between Wintersun andTime; was the new record a difficult one to makeand why has it taken so long?T: It’s because in many ways we are a different bandthan first went out first of all. The first one was madeby Jari and Kai; Jari played most of the instrumentsand Kai played drums. When we started laying downthe tracks in the studio it was 2006, but I guess thedelay was partly down to orchestration because wedidn’t want our old sound so much.MM: The new record has been split into twoseparate releases with Time II being releasednext year. Why did you decide to split it into tworecords and was it a difficult decision to make,separating the overall project into two records?T: The initial idea was just to make one album. Afterwe had recorded all the songs at all time we came torealise that we would have to make some really hardsong choices to make a single album so we came upwith the idea of splitting it into two albums. Thisreally solved the problem as the play time was thenaround 85 minutes. We felt there were some bigInterview by Tim Mass Movementsongs to digest and it would just be too much tolisten to in one sitting so we make the decision toseparate the releases.MM: With the albums being called Time 1and Time II, I’m guessing there is some kind ofcommon musical theme linking both?T: There are a lot of different songs and sounds onthe two albums but they are definitely linked with acouple of melodic themes; Japanese chimes featureon both as well as big layers of orchestration and theyshare the same production feel which is differentfrom the Hollywood movie soundtrack lightheavyweight sound of the first one.MM: Is there a linking lyrical theme or did youexplore different lyrical themes with each song?An interviewwith...T: Each song has a different theme, but they areall linked by this general theme of time. They areabout universal human feelings: love and hate anger,happiness and so on. Unlike the first one there aren’treally clear stories in the songs but I guess it’s moreuniversal so people can make their own versions ofwhat the songs actually mean.MM: What’s your approach to writing? Do youthink that musicians should constantly pushthemselves or do you think the creativity shouldjust flow in a straightforward process?T: That’s a good question. I think it’s important tobe in constant self development and to push andchallenge yourself. I can only speak from personalexperience but for me I think that’s important. Isuppose there is something to be said for letting thecreativity flow naturally, I guess that’s what happensin the first instance with Jari when he first comesWintersun

up with the songs; but in Wintersun’s case we thinkit’s important to work with that raw material andreally develop and push it to take us further.MM: It’s a common belief that an individual isthe sum of his influences; so how do you thinkthe things that have influenced Wintersun havemanifested themselves in Time?T: Because 99% of the music is written by Jari, it’smostly his influences that come out but of course weall have an input one way or another. Everyone hassomething to offer and we tend to come fromthe same music in some ways but everyone hassomething unique to bring and we somehow pull ittogether. If someone in the band discovers some newgreat stuff or old great stuff they come in and share itwith the band so we all come together in that.MM: If someone wasn’t familiar with Wintersun,how would you describe the bands sound?T : Melodic, kind of melancholic music with widerange of influences from different genres anddifferent cultures. I’m not a big fan of genres myselfbut I understand that it helps as a broad measure ifsomeone is looking for a particular kind of sound.With that in mind I’d say we would definitely comeunder heavy metal but we don’t really sound likeother bands. We’ve started using this term “EpicMetal” now as it kind of describes the band: bigbombastic and epic.MM: What are your favourite musical momentson Time 1 and Time II?T: On the first one it’s the four part song the Sons ofWinter and Stars, because it’s a very bright song inthe way all four parts fit togther. I’m grinning awayand really enjoy this one big song structure really, andit’s really fun to play live. On the second part, at themoment my favourite could be a song called Stormwhich is probably the most demanding song we haveto play out of all our songs. It’s really fast and thereare a load of classical influences including Vivaldi.MM: With the impending release of both records,you’re obviously going to be touring a lot; doyou think Wintersun is primarily a studio or liveband? Which do you prefer?T: I like both. I think everyone else prefers to be inthe studio, which I guess is why we’ve not been ontour so much. But I’m really pleased to have theopportunity to go out on more tours, do the studioin between, yes, but with both records coming outwe’ll be touring until the end of the year and then goback in the studio to work on new stuff after that.MM: If there’s anything you’d like to add, or say,now’s the time…T: I hope everybody will give the album a chance andreally hope you all like it. M

An interviewStrifeInterviewwith...MM: I’d be good to get the most obvious ofquestions out of the way first. When and why didyou feel it was the right time to get Strife back intothe studio again? You’ve been playing shows onand off since 2010 right?Andrew: We have been off and on over the years…Mostly playing one or two local shows every year.Back in 2010 we got offered to play the ParisExtreme Hardcore Fest with Agnostic Front andSkarhead. This prompted a lot more offers and weplayed California’s premier HC fest, Sound & Fury,that year followed up by and East Coast tour withDeath Before Dishonor. 2011 brought us to Japan,South America, Europe, and Mexico. We all got veryinspired by the live shows, and we thought that if weby Martijn Welzenwere going to continue to play that we should writesome new material. Songs that were more true to theband where we are in our lives now, and new songsthat we would be excited about playing.MM: What struck me most about ‘Witness ARebirth’ is how it’s more closely linked to yourfirst two albums than ‘Angermeans’ How doyou look at ‘Angermeans’ now? With mixedemotions? Was it the reason that Strife have beenso quiet on the recording front for such a longtime?Andrew: We were really in a different place whenwe wrote Witness A Rebirth then when we wroteAngermeans. We approached Angermeans with theidea that we didn’t want any sort of box put around‘One Truth’ (1994) and ‘In This Defiance’ (1997) wereregarded almost as blueprints for hardcore in the midninties. Los Angeles based Strife, responsible for bothof these lessons in Hardcore, gave the kids somethingto think about under a thick layer of pounding,incredible music. With ‘Angermeans’ (2001) the fierce,uncompromising machine known as Strife came to agrinding halt, as the band seemed to lose their focus.Having been on and off since then, and playing only veryoccasionally, no-one would have given more than a fewpennies for the band’s future and no-one would ever havedreamed that the band would regroup and redsicver theirfocus and passion and in doing so craft a masterpiecelike ‘Witness A Rebirth’, their recently released returnto form. Guitarist Andrew Kline told us all about Strife’scomeback…

were going to continue to play that we should writesome new material. Songs that were more true to theband where we are in our lives now, and new songsthat we would be excited about playing.MM: What struck me most about ‘Witness ARebirth’ is how it’s more closely linked to yourfirst two albums than ‘Angermeans’ How doyou look at ‘Angermeans’ now? With mixedemotions? Was it the reason that Strife have beenso quiet on the recording front for such a longtime?Andrew: We were really in a different place whenwe wrote Witness A Rebirth then when we wroteAngermeans. We approached Angermeans with theidea that we didn’t want any sort of box put aroundus or the songs that we wrote… It was definitely alot more experimental and different. Unfortunatelythe production is lacking on that album. We workedwith producers and engineers that worked on hugerecords from bands like Green Day, Blink 182,Marilyn Manson, and Dave Matthews band, butthese guys had no real understanding on how tocapture the sound and energy or a hardcore band.We were really focused when we wrote Witness ARebirth. We all knew exactly what type of album wewanted to write, what we wanted the production tosound like, and I really feel that we were successful inachieving that. Witness A Rebirth is a fast, straightforward, and powerful, in your face hardcore album!It doesn’t stray from the path or our traditionalhardcore formula; because that is the album wewanted to write.MM: As it’s been so long since you’ve released anynew songs, does it, in some way, feel like yourdebut all over again? You have had much moretime to write and re-write songs and to test themlive, without the pressure of a label….Andrew: Definitely. We approached the release andpromotion of this new album as if we were a brandnew band. Sure we’re a name that many hardcorekids are familiar with, but we really wanted toconnect to the new kids. The writing process on thisrecord was a lot different as well. The first time I everplayed these songs live was with Igor in the studiowhen we were recording them! We did a ton of preproduction and revisions, and I feel like that playeda huge part in making this record what it is.MM: I’m interested in knowing what you thinkthe state of hardcore is currently like? It’s gonethrough some tremendous changes, both sociopoliticallyand because of the state the entiremusic business is currently in. Is there a need now,more than say five years ago, for a band like Strife?A band that can demonstrate and show thathardcore is still relevant?Andrew: Right now, I think that hardcore is in areally great place. There are a ton of really great band.Bands like Backtrack, Take Offense, Alpha Omega,Rotting Out, Bitter End, Touche Amore, Ceremony,Title Fight, Xibalba, Down To Nothing, Terror, andmore that really get me inspired and enthusiasticabout hardcore. There are also a bunch of kidsputting on shows, doing ‘Zines, and getting involvedto help hardcore grow. My goal with this record isto awaken some of the older hardcore kids and helpthem see that hardcore is not dead! I want to exposethem to some of the great newer bands that are reallykeeping the hardcore spirit alive, and I want to helphardcore grow in a positive way. On the flipside, Iwant to show the younger kids everything that I loveabout hardcore, and let them know that there areways that they can make hardcore a better place foreveryone. If I can do that, then I have reached mygoal with the new album.MM: I’m intrigued by the song ‘Never Look Back’,as although ‘Witness a Rebirth’ is a new, and freshsounding Strife record, it is linked to your past.Can you actually have a future without lookingback? You shouldn’t dwell on the past, but, justas with Strife, your past has helped to shape yourcharacter…Andrew: ‘Never Look Back’ is a song about peoplethat think that their best days are already behindthem. You can’t be stuck in the past and hung upon your glory days because you will never grow as aperson. This song is about acknowledging the pastthat shaped you and moving forward to create newmemories! ‘Witness A Rebirth’ definitely links withour past, but instead of dwelling on our heyday in the90’s we are creating new memories and a new future.MM: ‘Torn Apart’ also seems to link with yourpast. Is it related to the criticism you receivedwhen you stopped referring to your band as beingstraight edge?Andrew: ‘Torn Apart’ is a song that addresses theviolence and negativity that has been very prevalentin the hardcore scene. I feel that punk rock andhardcore is a place for all of the outcasts to go andfeel like they can be themselves, and feel like they

have a home and a community. We should not befighting each other, and talking shit over the internet,and all of that high school bullshit. If you really wantto make hardcore grow and make it a really greatplace you need to put your foot down and help stopthe violence and the tough guy bullshit. I truly feelthat it should be “us against the outside world” andthat we can “stand together free from hate”. Hardcoreis a very powerful force, and like Raybeez said“United we stand, divided we fall… You got to keepthe faith”…MM: One of the songs is called ‘In This Defiance’,which was also been the title of one of youralbums. Just curious why you used the word‘Defiance’ again? Do you hate the way peoplealways conform to the general consensus withoutquestioning the norm? Would you say beingdefiant is what is still at the punk rock heart ofStrife?Andrew: The song ‘In This Defiance’ is aboutstanding up for what you believe in. I think the coreof punk rock and hardcore is about being defiant, it’sabout being yourself, it’s about being a free thinkerand not letting society or anyone else dictate yourthoughts or beliefs. So many people sit complacent,and live as if they are only waiting to die. ‘In ThisDefiance’ is a call to fight for what you believe in, towake up and be aware, and it’s about acknowledgingthat your voice means something and that yourefforts can truly make a change in this world.MM: As these questions are being written atthe time of the elections in the US, I’m curiousabout how you can still be defiant in a countrywhich has two very large, political movements?And according to more than a few folks, thedifferences between both aren’t that big. Do youfollow movements like Occupy, who do strive fora change?Andrew: I think everyone in the band has their ownview of politics. I personally exercise my right to voteand I feel that my vote and my choice is important.Beyond just voting for the president, there are somany important Propositions on the ballot, that Ithink everyone needs to use their voice. Proposition37 was about the mandatory labelling of GeneticallyModified Food and prevents processed food frombeing labelled “natural”. This Proposition DIDNOT pass, and only by a small percentage. I feel thateveryone has the right to know what they are eatingand what is in their food. I am very sad that this didnot go through. I personally think that the OccupyMovement is a positive and inspiring movement. It’sgreat to see millions of Americans standing up forwhat they believe in and to help shed light on theeconomic inequality in our Country.

MM: Are your lyrics also about empoweringpeople? Being defiant often means you’re alonein fighting for what you think it right, while inmost societies being popular and loved is still thehighest goal…Andrew: Our lyrics are meant to inspire and alsomeant to empower. It all starts with one. If wecan inspire or motivate just one person, then wehave done our job. I think songs like ‘Face YourFailures’ and ‘Life or Death’ are some of the mostinspirational songs on the album. ‘Face Your Failures’is about picking up the pieces when you have beenknocked down, and about not admitting defeat. ‘Lifeor Death’ is about not letting the weight of the worldhold you down. When you hit rock bottom, and youare all alone, you have the choice to give up or youhave the choice to fight back and get through it.MM: Strife has always been, at least for me, aband who try to make us think. Not so muchabout a concrete message, but in the sense thatyou provide food for thought. Recently the worldhas become much smaller and information is nowmuch more readily available, but do you thinkwe’ve really made any progress as far as knowledgeand compassion are concerned?Andrew: It is definitely a lot easier to getinformation these days. But it is also a lot easier tospread misinformation as well. It’s more about siftingthrough the information to find the truth, and thenacting upon that.MM: Does ‘End Of Days’ link in with theprediction that the world will come to an end onDecember 21st? It will come regardless, and we,that is mankind, have only ourselves to blame…Andrew: ‘End Of Days’ definitely touches on theidea that the world will come to an end. It’s kindof like a self-fulfilling prophecy, mankind’s greed ismuch more powerful than the urge to do the rightthing for humanity is. The signs are all around, andwe can either acknowledge them or ignore them.MM: I wondered if ‘Witness a Rebirth’ is sortof related to ‘End of Days’ or maybe also ‘Lifeor Death’. I initially thought the title of the newalbum was about the band, but it could also beabout the rebirth of civilization or a personalrebirth…Andrew: The title ‘Witness A Rebirth’ is not aboutthe return of Strife. It comes from the song ‘CarryThe Torch’ and it is about taking everything that welove and everything that we learned about hardcorefrom the bands that came before us and passing thatdown to the new generation. It is about the rebirthof the true spirit of hardcore and about the bands,labels, and kids that are the new generation.MM: You’ve always had guests on your albums,and this time it’s Billy Graziadei, Scott Vogeland Marc Rizzo. How did you get in touch withthem? Why did you feature them on the songs thatthey’re on?Andrew: All of the guests on the album are not onlylong time friends, but also musicians from bandsthat we love and respect. Sid and I actually did backup vocals on Biohazard’s album ‘State of the WorldAddress’, and we have known Billy since then. Heappears on the song ‘Never Look Back’ and I knewthe second that I wrote the music for the part that heappears on that I wanted him to sing on that part. Ihave known Scott Vogel for many years… Since theSlugfest days, and up until now. Despair andHatebreed actually played the record release showfor ‘In This Defiance’ back in ’97 at The Barn inRiverside. Terror is one of my all time favoritehardcore bands, and Scott is a great friend. I knewhe had to be on the record, and he fits perfect on theshort hardcore blast that is ‘Look Away’. I met MarcRizzo when I was on tour with Cavalera Conspiracy.I was working as a drum tech for Igor on their lastUS tour and Marc and I quickly became friends. Hewas an old HC kid and even saw us in Newark backin like 96 with Warzone. We hung out all the time,and he said that he would love to be a part on thenew album. He is an amazing guitar player, and helaid down a great lead on ‘In This Defiance’.MM: Your new album’s going to released ondifferent continents by different labels. Is therean advantage in doing that? Is that a good wayof working with labels in these troubling andtroubled musical times?Andrew: 6131 Records is releasing the record inNorth America and worldwide digitally. We alsoare releasing the record with Holy Roar in Europeand the UK, Dogfight Records in Australia, CausticRecords in South America, and Townhall Recordsin South East Asia. Releasing the record on differentlabels internationally not only makes the recordmore readily available in those territories, but it alsomakes the record a lot cheaper and more accessiblesince it is no longer an import. We are excited to seethe outcome, since the is the first record that we havereleased this way.MM: Will you be heading towards Europe anytime soon?Andrew: We are working on some European datesnow! Stay tuned! Thanks for the interview, and wehope to see you on tour soon! M M

Seb Montessi is the vocalist / guitarist with Lovecraftian Death Metal over-lords, Auroch…http://auroch1.bandcamp.com/album/from-forgotten-worlds5. H.P. Lovecraft- Through the Gates of the Silver KeyNot a book, per se, but one of Lovecrafts weirdest and most overlooked tales. A driven and intricate plot with heavy emphasis on blasphemous, exploratory thoughand metaphysics. Racist, fast paced and unique, its a strange ride through and one of the best Carter tales.4. Robert Nye- FaustWhile it may not be the original, and therefore may not hold the same weight on religious commentary as was relevant in the time of the setting, a good argumentcan be made for this being the best literary Faust. It is both hilarious and utterly profound all at once.3. Carlos Ruiz Zafon- Shadow of the WindApparently this book has sold very well since 2001, but its odd as I never meet anyone who knows it. Anyway, brilliant post-civil-war fiction presented in the classicSpanish magick-realism style with undertones of Devilry and magnetic characters makes this a masterpiece. Few books make me feel as whimsical.2. Mark Handsel- The ZelatorThis book is an absolute must have for any interested, whether new-comer or well-versed, in Hermetics. Rosicrucian and astrological principles form the basis of this,and the lessons are many. This book entirely changed the way I think.1. Arturo Perez-Riverte- El Club DumasRiverte is absolutely monumental here, crafting a tome that in part pulpy action-fiction, and in part dogmatic and satanic. Hidden symbols and messages abound forthose who would seek them. An excellent and fascinating piece of literature that I reread often.My Life In Books

Interviewing Charlie Higson is very much likemaking… No. I’m not going to do it, I’m not goingto utilise a catch phrase that has nothing to do withCharlie’s career as an author in order to try andestablish some sort of common ground in order to easeyou in. You don’t need to be eased in. This is CharlieHigson, one of the most recognisable faces to havegraced the millions of television screens that exist inand throughout the length and breadth of the UK.Having achieved mainstream success via the cathoderay, Charlie also established himself as a successful (andbloody good), best selling author thanks to both YoungJames Bond and The Enemy. On the eve of the releaseof , the quite frankly brilliant, ‘The Sacrifice’, the fourthinstalment in ‘The Enemy’ series, I caught up withCharlie for a chat about his latest novel, ‘The Enemy’,his previous books, Zombies, 007 and, the agentprovocateur himself, Swiss Toni…An interviewwith...Charlie HigsonInterview by Tim Mass MovementMM: You’re about to launch the fourth book in The Enemyseries. For those who haven’t read the series, how wouldyou describe The Enemy and the story so far withoutrevealing any spoilers?CH: The idea of the series is that there is a disease that hitsthe planet that only effects people over 14. They becomeso badly infected that they begin to act like the classictext book zombie. The books are about various groups ofchildren around London scavenging for food and shelterwhilst desperately trying not to be eaten by marauding gangsof diseased adults. There are a group of kids near Hollowayand they set off for somewhere they hear is a safe place –Buckingham Palace and on the way they get split up and acharacter ends up on the wrong side of town; so in this, the

fourth book he sets off back across London in searchof his sister.MM: So how does The Sacrifice differ from TheEnemy, The Dead and the Fear?CH: The series is an on-going story but each bookis reasonably self-contained. The books sort of goforward and backward in time a bit…MM: How do you think the evolution of theseries so far affected the way you approached theSacrifice in terms of both story and characterdevelopment?CH: I originally envisaged it as a trilogy and Iplanned it out as a trilogy and had it all workedout; but as I developed the books I realised thatI had a lot of other stuff I wanted to write aboutwhich required it to be expanded to a seven bookseries which meant I had more space to work oncharacterisation and story. I suppose with this fourthbook I had to start giving some information aboutwhat the disease was and how it works, I think theaudience wants to know that.MM: Were you at all influenced by this huge newwave of zombie film and literature?CH: I first had the idea about five years ago to writethis series, to write a horror series. I figured if Icould really, really scare the kids, they would alwaysremember where they were when they read thatbook and always remember reading it. I sat done andwondered which of all the horror nonsense, whichscared me the most? And what always scared me whenI was a teenager was zombies. I remember watchingnight of the living dead which freaked me out in areally big way. They’ve been popular since Dawn of theDead really but that’s part of the fun of it. So I supposeI was on the front end really of all this wave of zombiesstuff. They were around, and they were popular, mykids were into it through comics, then it just sort ofexploded about the time my books came out so itlooks a little bit like I was cashing in on a lovely wavebut it was just lucky timing. As you know it takes along time to bring a book out. And I’ve wracked mybrains because people keep asking me why are zombiesso ubiquitous now? And I don’t know, maybe its justthat things become popular because they’re popular..and it seems to be that teenagers, and adults too forthat matter, just love the idea of zombies. There arezombie walks, zombie costumes, Halloween now is fullof zombies. I went down to a local cinema the othernight and there are about four upcoming kids horrorfilms coming out on the animation front. Zombiesfeature heavily in most of those films because they arecompletely ubiquitous now and I don’t really knowwhy. One theory I had the other day is that we actuallyare living in times where there is this general feelingof doom and gloom and things going wrong, that theplanet is falling apart because of global warming andthere is nothing we can do about it. Perhaps makingup stories about monsters who can be stopped is a wayto deal with the helplessness of not being able to doanything about the real world. It’s a small theory butI’m working on it.

MM: So, James Bond and Zombies, you mustpinch yourself sometimes. Did you ever dreamwhen you were growing up that you would be soclosely involved with the worlds of espionage andhorror?CH: Well no I never realised that I could have acareer writing horror. Whatever has happened to mehas been pure chance. I’ve never had a career planor a career path. When I was at school there was nosuch thing as media studies, I didn’t know anyonewho was a writer or an actor or who worked intelevision or anything like that; but I was luckyenough when I went to University, I met PaulWhitehouse there when we did our degrees.Eventually, after working as a decorator for a fewyears, people I’d met started working in TV so I kindof tagged along with that really. It had never beenanything I thought I might do, but then it started togo quite well, to take off. Then with these books aswell it was purely by chance, I was approached by awriter who asked if I wanted to write some books forkids. It was fantastic to be offered to do somethingcompletely new for a year as a kids writer. I’d alwaysloved horror and thought I might write somethinghorror based one day, but to do it for kids was greatfun.MM: Did you find it difficult to make thetransition from writing for adults to writing youngadult fiction? Are the rules different for eachaudience and genre?CH: No, not at all really. And kids don’t like to bepatronised. I’ve always been a fan of that Americanway of crime writing: very stripped back, very directand quite colloquial and there aren’t huge long pagesof description. That was the style that worked for mewhen I was a kid, so I knew immediately that I woulduse a style to reflect that.MM: Have the film rights for any of the booksbeen optioned?CH: The area of James Bond film rights areincredibly complex and have for years been fraughtwith legal conflict and it’s all tied down. The onlyway to really access Bond rights is through an actualnovel. So any film rights, exploitation rights oranything really is automatically owned by Eon, so Iknew from the start that was always going to be trickyif not impossible. When the books came out everyoneincluding Speilberg seemed to want to make a filmof it; in fact the only people who seemed not to wantto make a film of it were Eon themselves and theyautomatically owned all the rights. With the Enemyseries I’ve been holding out. To do these stories youneed a proper budget. We’ve all seen ITV and BBCtry o do a post apocalyptic series but they’ve neverreally had the budget to do it properly. The books arefor young teenagers; and the fact of the matter is thatyou can get away with a lot more in a book than youcan with a film or on TV. My books are quite grownup. They’re very scary and violent and if you were totry to do that on film and stay true to the book you’dbe looking at an 18 certificate and there is no way itwould be accessible to the kids who follow it. There’s achallenge there. Could you do a pretty full on zombiestory and keep it at a 12 certificate.MM: Sorry Charlie I have to ask. Could you betempted, if you were offered fine wines and Belgianchocolates to return to the role of Swiss Tony fulltime?CH: I love playing that character and it only came atthe end of the Fast Show so it wasn’t one of the onesthat had been around for as long as some of the othersand hadn’t got as stale as perhaps some of the otherones. I really loved doing the sitcom but it never quite– it was always designed as one of those mainstreamBBC1 type programmes but we never seemed to breakout of the confines of BBC3. I was thinking recentlythat we should think of a film idea for it. I loveAnchorman, I’ve seen that so many times and I thinkthere are a lot of parallels between the characters butwe’ll have to see if we come up with a good enough

idea.MM: What’s next for you Charlie?CH: I start on the next book in the series it’s neverending, and I’m popping out to South Africa to startfilming on a new Miss Marple….M

GRABASS CHARLESTONS“Dale & The Careeners”LP/CDHOT WATER MUSIC“Live in Chicago”3xLP / 2xCD+DVDPURITY CONTROL“Coping” 7”WORN IN RED“Banshees” LP/CDSHORES“Leavening” LP/CDSTOP BREATHINGLP/CDPOST TEENS“The Heat” 7”CREEPOID“Horse Heaven” LP/CD

10 books/artwork that have inspired meIt’s interesting that you should ask writers for books and artwork Tim, because according to my (notstrictly scientific) research the majority of writers are inspired by music. From interviewing writers I wouldsay that seven out of ten play music while writing, and some go so far as to make up play lists specific tothe book/series they are writing. As for me and the other two writers out of ten, we are inspired by visuals.I find the source of creativity fascinating.When Sting wrote An English Man in New York, the inspiration came from spending time with gay icon,Quentin Crisp in New York. Crisp was born in 1908 and was defiantly homosexual in a time when thiscourted violence and abuse. Sting’s song about alienation contains these lines:It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile,Be yourself no matter what they say.What amazes me is that Sting could take the emotion roused by his time with Crisp and turn it into musicand lyrics, which evoke a similar emotion in others.I can’t speak for all writers but I am motivated by an emotion, springing from something I’ve seen, orsomething I’ve read or heard about. This emotion will resonate strongly with me, sometimes for years.Eventually, I’ll find a way to explore it through story. I admire Sting’s ability to take an emotion andexplore it through music and lyrics. For me the natural response is narrative.We make sense of the world through narrative. Eg. When he did this, they responded with that, which ledto what has happened now. We teach children important things through narrative. Eg. The Boy who criedWolf. The underlying meaning of a story is easy to recall because we connect with the characters.Growing up in my house we had no music, and almost no books or art. We lived at the poor end of asea-side tourist town, fibro shacks, surf, sun and sand. I was desperate for something beautiful, somethingwonderful that made me feel uplifted. I craved what Tolkien described as eucatastophe. It is that powerfulpoignant moment, when you feel uplifted by what has gone before.So books and art were and still are for me, windows to the wonderful...by Rowena Cory Daniells

1. Daybreak by Maxfield Parrish. This painting hung on the wall of my grandparent’s living room and I first noticed it when I was five or six. The painting was hung very high behindglass which reflected the light so I couldn’t see the image clearly. All I could catch were glimpses of something wonderful, a window to a place of beauty and mystery. I wanted to know the storybehind it but could not convey what I meant to my family, who would not have understood anyway. I wanted to go there and explore that world.2. The next most powerful thing I saw was a documentary on Auschwitz. It was screened on a Saturday afternoon, after the cartoons without warning and I was about ten years-old. Thesight of bodies being bulldozed into mass graves was shattering. I had no filter. These people were my family, my brothers and sisters. (I’m not including an image for this as I still find it toodistressing). That documentary led me on a lifelong search to understand why people persecute other people and more fundamentally, how they can do this to fellow human beings. WhenI had my secondhand bookstore, I read everything I could lay my hands on about this topic, including books on the persecution of the Jews, American Indians and Indigenous Australians.Among those books was Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee. I will never forget the quote from Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce people. ‘I will fight no more forever.’3. When I had my bookshop I read a book before lunch, one after lunch and one after dinner. I loved the dry humour and humanity of Fritz Leiber, particularly his Fafhrd and GrayMouser stories. One of my favourites is Lean Times in Lankhmar, which appeared in Swords in the Mist. In this story, Fafhrd and the Mouser are out of work and down on their luck, and haveto take steady jobs. The Mouser becomes hired muscle for a thug, who shakes down priests. (What is delightful here is that the Mouser puts on a bit of weight and acquires a little pot belly thatrests on his thighs when he squats down.). Meanwhile, Fafhrd becomes an acolyte of an obscure god known as Issek of the Jug. Due to Fafhrd’s musical training, the god acquires a following andstarts making money, which leads to conflict with the Mouser. The ending is a scalding commentary on organised religion.4. Around this time I also discovered Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. It was wonderfully obsessive, and steampunk before the term steampunk was coined. Even now, when I catchmyself slipping into obsessive detail I think I’m getting a bit Gormenghast.5. When a book on the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood came through my shop I fell in love with the artwork. Its combination of tragedy and beauty appealed to me. This is The lady ofShallot by Waterhouse. The painting is based on a poem by Tennyson.6. Also around this time I discovered Joanna Russ, and read everything I could find by her. Back then the mainstream world was dominated by bland middle-class white male stories. InJoanna Russ I found a writer who saw the world differently. Picnic On Paradise is the story of Alyx, a thief from the distant past who is accidently transported to the future where she has toescort modern people on a journey through a dangerous alien world. Naturally, Alyx feels a sense of dislocation and there is only one person in the group she can relate to, a young man whorefers to himself as the machine. Russ contrasts the civilised modern person, with Alyx the savage and asks us which is more honest.7. This list would not be complete without mentioning the artwork of Frank Frazetta. His work has influenced so many people. I have several books on him and have spent many hourspouring over them. With Frazetta’s work the barbarian is very close to the surface, and is portrayed as both violent and beautiful.8. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I first read this in school at the age of thirteen. Back then I identified with Piggy, the boy who was ostracised. I read it again in my mid-twentiesand this time I identified with Simon, the mystic. When I re-read it in my thirties I identified with Ralph. The book disturbed me because it revealed what lay under the thin the veneer ofcivilisation. A while ago I had to venture into the streets near the stadium after a major football match. Drunken men hung over verandas and gathered on corners, revealing a frighteninganimalistic pack mentality.9. In contrast to this is the artwork of Leyendecker. A gay man, who came to America as a small boy, he managed to encapsulate middle-class America in his covers for the SaturdayEvening Post. I love the artwork he did for the Arrow Shirt advertisements.

10. Limiting this list to ten has been very difficult. I would love to talk about the artwork of Mucha who is synonymous with Art Nouveau, but I think I should select an author. It is aterrible thing to make me choose between so many. In the end I’ve decided on Saki because of his wonderfully acerbic wit. My favourite of his stories is Sredni Vhashtar, about a young boy whois punished for his own good by a petty female relative and how he takes his revenge. Saki’s stories could be described as the conflict between nature and civilisation.Having compiled this list, I think I have found the core of what fascinates me and drives me to write. It sounds very trite when reduced to this—we are capable of great beauty and refinement,yet we repeat the same terrible mistakes, driven by ignorance to inflict violence on each other.I did my Masters in Arts Research on discrimination and persecution. The research I did for the degree (and have done all my life) was what drove me to write The Outcast Chronicles. I nowknow why we persecute others and I know how it erupts but I don’t know if we will ever be able to stop it. I write about the conflict between male and female, between us and them because thishttp://rowena-cory-daniells.com/

GEORGEEven with the world recession going on, countries on the brink of financialdownfall, and all that crap, somehow, it’s been a great year for cool stuff.Especially if you are giving gifts this season....if you can afford too!I guess that kind of figures. The gifts I like are mostly in the“entertainment” field, and what else can you do when your house is underwater,you can’t find a job, your wife or husband is frustrated to the point of no sex, andif you have kids, they hate you?You have FUN. Like seeing movies like the new James Bond flick,“Skyfall”, or if you’ve got a girlfriend or wife, you see the new “Twilight”, eventhough it goes against every male bone in your body.You also listen to a lot of great music and play lots of great video games.So let’s start with the music!Jello Biafra, from “The Dead Kennedys”, has a new band called “TheGuantanamo School Of Medicine”. Well, not that new. They just put out their thirdrelease, and it’s a doozy. Called “Shock-U-Py!”, it’s an E.P. with a few tunes that tie intothis whole world financial crisis, the “Occupy Wall Street” thing, and just how lameThe President Of The United States as turned out to be. “Barackstar O’Bummer” is agreat title for a song, and a good tune as well. As are the other songs. Jello has alwaysbeen the Nostradamus of Punk, for-seeing the future with crystal clear vision. Withthis band, he is no different. He sees what’s going on now, and what’s coming downthe pipe. Remember how he sang about the future oil wars in the Middle East, or theerosion of our civil rights with songs like “I Am The Owl” or “Bleed For Me” way backwhen with “The Dead Kennedys”? He’s at it again, and he isn’t wrong. Pick up thisdisc on Alternative Tentacles, or on iTunes, or whatever it is you kids do these days.Me? I wish I had it on vinyl. Then again, then I’d have to have a working turntable,big stereo speakers, and a larger place to live. Never mind the 1969 Mustang orOldsmobile 440, along with the custom painted van with the “Heavy Metal Magazine”fantasy painting on the outside, and the green shag carpeting on the inside. Oh, andthe eight track player and the cheerleader.TABB“George always uses ‘The Tabb”...

What? It’s 2012? Never mind. You’d never understand.Also out is the new Toy Dolls album, “The Album After The Last One”. These English Punk Rock Masters Of The Ridiculous are back at it,playing tunes that will having you chugging pints and singing along to silly tunes about loose girls, band members’ mothers, and,bad backs, of course. In fact, “Sciatica Sucks” may very well be the best punk tune I’ve heard in years. It’s easy to sing alongto...(Sciatica sucks! Sciatica Sucks!), and oh so true! And their song, “Credit Crunch Christmas” hits the nail on the head.Especially for this gift guide. Get this album and smile, it could be worse. You could have learn that you “Don’t Drive YerCar Up Draycott Avenue” or have “Decca’s Drinkin’ Dilemma”! Four Pints, this one gets!Then there’s the new “Dethklok” album. You know, those heavy metal dudes from Metapocolypse. Murder Face hasnever been better on the bass, nor has Nathan Explosion ever sang with more of a Satan Growl. And those Swedes onthe guitars? Heavy Fuckin’ Metal! And Pickles keeps those skins beating away at speeds that would make that guy whojumped from that balloon in space dizzy! The songs are heavy and retarded, just like they should be. I’m sorry, I meant “special”. Heavy andspecial. Urrgh!In the great video games department, this has been yet another banner year!First of all, check out “Johnny Hotshot” for Nintendo’s amazing 3DS. For those of you who don’t know, the 3DS is Nintendo’s latesthandheld device with two screens, one of them in 3D. Without the glasses! Whoa! I’ve never seen anything so freakin’ cool! It’s likelooking through a “Viewmaster”, but not.Anyway, the games and short films they show on the damn thing via Wi-Fi are incredible. I just can’t wait for them to start releasing 3Dporn! Boobies in my face! Yes!Oh, where was I? Oh yeah, “Johnny Hotshot”! It’s a fun little downloadable game that’s a fun shooter. You load and reload your sixshootersand lay waste to bad guys at the saloon or in the desert. It takes some skill, which makes the game last longerand more fun, and I actually do feel bad when I kill one of those civilians who look like Laura Ingles or her dad. Fun for the whole family, andreasonably priced, too!Also for the 3DS is a brilliant remake of the N64 classic, “Star Fox”, built from the bottom up. Now your ship floats in outer space and yourlasers actually seem to fire at enemies that seem distant and badass. And of course, besides the “Super Mario” games that are more addictive thancrack, is the remake of the best Zelda game, ever, “Ocarina Of Time”. Again, built from the ground up, this game really does show it’s timeless, hasthe best story, ever, and even after playing it again for 82 hours, for not one second was I bored! And if you haven’t played these titles yet, you are infor treats of a lifetime. Just because some games are brand new, doesn’t make them better than some of the older classics that still stand up today asgroundbreaking and wonderful. Definitely “The Wizard Of Oz” of video games.Then there’s the new “Call Of Duty” title, “Black Ops 2”. This time, you fight in the recent (or distant) past, and the near(or distant) future of 2025. Depends on how old you are and how you feel about things. 1989 seems like yesterday to me, and 2025 mayas well be a lifetime from now. But that’s just me. An Old Punk Rocker, and damn proud of it, too. In fact, I just joined AARP (AmericanAssociation of Retired People). The reason? So when people ask me what I do, I tell them “I’m retired”. It’s easier then trying to explainthat I’ve played the Punk Rock for years and write about it as well. Plus, when you get it after turning fifty, you get all sorts of seniordiscounts. Like cheaper movies, glasses, and shit. But the fuck if I’m gonna eat dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon for the “Early Bird Special”,while having to put my dentures in a glass of water. Ewwwww.Anyway, why isn’t there a WWANRPR? “World Wide Association of Never Retiring Punk Rockers”? I’d certainly pay the $15 dollars a yearI do for the other thing, even if it just gave me discounts to shows or records and stuff. Don’t laugh; you’ll be here soon enough! So, besides theusual campaign in the new “Call Of Duty” and the great and ever getting greater multiplayer maps, there are new Zombie Maps and games! And this time their evil eyes

glow blue! Scary! And fun! If you don’t get this, you’ll never be real video game nerd. Sorry.Also check out “Dishonored”. You play as a bodyguard/assassin named “Corvo” who has to avenge the death of a queen and wonderfulmother to her Princess, Emily. The title has a great narrative, and wonderful ways to kill people. Like with swarms of rats tearing their flesh apart,cross-bows that shoot arrows through their heads, and the ability to move so swiftly you can decapitate bad guys before they know their head is on theground looking at their standing, confused body. Awesome! Nice graphics, too.And let’s not forget the new 007 title, “Legends”. In this new James Bond game, you get to play as the newdouble O agent, Daniel Craig, re-living some of Bond’s greatest adventures like “Moonraker”, “Goldfinger”, “GoldenEye”, and yeah, “Skyfall”. Whilethe controls do feel a bit stiff, and the stories already well told, it’s really nice and nostalgic to revisit Odd Job or Jaws, and be James Bond, and kick theirasses once again. And there is nothing like that feeling of shooting out that jet window and watching that fat fuck, Gold finger, get sucked out the tinyhole. Fuck him. Kill him. And boy, does it feel good!From Jabra, an electronics company that makes cool shit, comes the “Solemate Portable Bluetooth Speaker”. Put simply, it’s aloud-as-fuck stereo speaker that fits in the palm of your hand, picks up the Bluetooth waves put out from your cell phone orwhatever, and blasts music or any type of sound loud enough to rattle your neighbor’s brains. It’s awesome. I use mine as mycomputer sound set-up as well as a party speaker when pals come over to drink and listen to my playlists on my cell phone. It also hooks up withBluetooth televisions to give your surround sound that will rival what you hear in movie theatres. I normally don’t review or plug stuff like this,but if you are looking for a portable speaker system in 2012, this IS it! Also great for the car, picnics, or that van with the “Heavy Metal Magazine”painting on the side with the green shag carpeting. Oh, and it plugs in to outlets to charge, or via USB to your computer. Easy, fun and loud.Probably the best gift I’d ever get for any holiday. I mean, besides a blow-job from Angelina Jolie, which I’d never get anyway. She could neverhandle my manhood, nor my super-natural strength. I’d probably impale her, or squeeze her head shut like a grapefruit. She just looks like she’sthat fragile. Now Claire Danes the way she looks on “Homeland”, well, that’s another story! If Carrie didn’t bite it off, it’d be a lot of fun! And I’dfeel bad about Amy Pond from Dr. Who. She already has to survive with Rory without the aid of The Doctor. But that new chick that’s set to replace her as the companion,maybe! Hubbub Hubba! She could try and tame my Tardis any day of the week!Finally, there is the new line of kick-ass leather goods from a new company called “Volume & Tone”. My fiancée, Elena and I, have created this company which willblow everything else out of the water. For good. Volume & Tone. (www.volumeandtone.com)We make the most fierce and fashionable men’s leather accessories on the planet. With Elena’s fashion know-how (she’s helped launch multi-milliondollar brands in the bag world like Kate Spade, BCGB, Rebecca Mink off, Max Azria, Jill Stuart, Herve Leger and the like), she’s the real facebehind the face. The line is nothing short of brilliant, and sets the bar for the new “Must Have” men’s accessories of the 21st Century. We haveeverything from luxury guitar straps to wallets to leather cuffs (an “adult” version of those punk rock spikes you wear around your wrist) to themost firkin’ rocking key fobs you ever saw! And, most items have our signature “pick pocket” so you’re never without your handy strummingtool ever again. Check out the “Magnum” guitar strap, created and named after the famed Dead Boys bass player. Made from fine Italian leatherthat’s then perforated and finished by hand, Jeff tells us he’d never leave home (or get on a stage) without it.Then there’s the “11 With Studs”, the perfect leather cuff to wear to any occasion, and makes the perfect holiday gift. Especially if you’re buying it for yourfavorite guy as a surprise. Oh, check out the “Iggy” key fob. This rockin’ accessory easily clips to your pants or belt loop to make you the hit of the punk rock parade. Wehave lots of other cool shit to check out as well. So go to the website. And, of course, there is the “Tabb” guitar strap. It’s my signature strap that is actually Johnny Ramona’ssignature strap. I figure if you are gonna steal, might as well steal from the best!Have a Great Holiday Season!GEORGE

Jeff Magnum (Dead Boys)wears‘The Magnum’GEORGE TABB

An interviewwith...Interview by Tim Mass MovementMM: Which came first for you, punk rock orcomics?Steve: Punk rock. Actually no, because I read comicswhen I was a kid. I was playing in bands when I was ateenager, so my two lives overlapped.Steve Nilesnew bands you had, like we did, a totally new soundand it was just this big joke. All of a sudden the oldbands just sort of faded and all the new bands likeRites of Spring and Grey Matter, then later Fugazi,and it was incredible you know because it was justan explosion. We were as excited about it then as weare looking back at it now. It was a really cool, crazytime, there were gigs virtually every weekend. It was areally amazing time.I’m going to keep this simple and straight to the point.Steve Niles played in two of my favourite bands in theeighties, Gray Matter and 3, and now he writes two ofmy favourite, ongoing, books, ‘Criminal Macabre’ and’30 Days Of Night’, so when I found out that he wasplanning to cross both titles (the books that is) over, Iknew I had to speak to him. Luckily, as well as being anincredible writer (not smoke blowing kids, it’s a fact),Steve is also an incredibly nice guy and having sortedout schedules, it was time for me to speak to one of thenew Masters Of Horror. Here’s Steve…MM: Was it difficult making that transition andthe decision to move from music to writing?Steve: Not really. In so many ways – the way I do itat least, I try to do everything myself – it’s very muchthe same. It was something I used to do to show tomy friends I never thought of making money from it.Then my friends, who later on went on to be Fugaziand Foo Fighters went off and made mega moneyfrom it…MM: You were in Gray Matter during theRevolution Summer weren’t you?Steve: Yeah…MM: So what was it like being part of the DCscene at that time, and how do you think itchanged things?Steve: It was so strange then. It was like punk rockhad hit a rut, and what nobody realised was thatthe next step was getting political. At that time,everybody had new bands, and if you didn’t haveMM: When you made the transition to comics,what drew you to horror? You seem to havechosen the medium rather than the traditionalworld of capes, meta’s and the standard allAmerican hero types…?Steve: I always wanted to tell stories. I wanted tomake movies; I used to make Super 8 movies with myfriends, but it got incredibly hard to make movies as Igot older because I just wanted to make them better.Then I experienced one of those moments when Ijust looked at my storyboards and looked over ata wall of comics, and it was one of these momentswhen I just slapped my forehead because I hadn’teven thought that I could do something like this,something that I loved so much. Luckily I came tothis in the mid eighties at the height of the explosionof all those indie companies. This was good forme because I knew how to do something myself, Ididn’t know how to approach publishers so it kindof happened that way. The punk rock thing reallyhelped out the comic thing. I just loved the medium,it’s just a great, great medium, but it did choose me.As for horror, I just love the genre and thinking

about it, it makes the characters really honest. There’sno room for bullshit when you’re being chased bya monster. I don’t fully understand what it is I loveabout it, I just love being scared and I love scaringpeople…MM: You’re crossing over two of your mostfamous books: 30 Days of Night and CriminalMacabre… Is that something you’ve wanted to dofor a while, bringing those two separate worldstogether?Steve: It’s something I never really thought about ittill about six months ago when I had a deadline andI had to do two scripts in one day and I suddenlyrealised how McDonald in Criminal Macabre isalways talking about the coming monster wars andhow it’s always growing and there are always newattacks, sort of like in the X-Files with the alienconspiracy, it’s always there. Then in 30 Days OfNight I had this total shift in the characters wherethe lead character, Eben, just decides he’s going tobecome an evil fucking vampire, no more trying tobe nice; and he wanted to start a war with humans. Ithought “Oh my God, these two series are headingon a collision course” so I called IDW and DarkHorse and asked if I could do it. It’s such a coolthing to have two different things that you own, withtwo different companies come together like this. Ihave high hopes for that one.MM: I wanted to ask you about Creator OwnedHeroes, because you’re a driving force behind itand it seems like it’s very close to your heart. Doyou think the future of comics is creator ownedor do you think the status quo with the bigpublishers will remain in place? And where didthe idea for Creator Owned come from?Steve: Basically there was me Jimmy Palmiotti andJustin Gray – they are my writing partners – wewere at a comic convention in Baltimore, me andJimmy, and we had tables next to each other and weboth had lines all weekend but they didn’t overlapat all. We talked about it and wondered if we didsomething together if we could possibly bring ourtwo audiences together. But me and Jimmy don’tactually do anything that different, so that’s wherethe idea came from.. If we combined audiences,could we get to more people and bring moreattention to what we were doing? As we movedforward we started talking about making it more like,not a magazine, but more like social media wherethere would be lots of titbits about what we weredoing, what we’re reading, talking to other creatorsand just putting some time into this thing. It was justluck.MM: It kind of brings to mind the whole DIYethos from the 80’s. Do you think that ethos fromthe punk scene has influenced the outlook youhave in, and on, the comic world?Steve: Yes, absolutely. The thing about it that peopledon’t realise is that all these people who createdthese amazing properties that are making millions ofdollars don’t get any recognition and certainly aren’tmaking much money. So part of the idea behindCreator Owned Heroes is creating awareness ofthat. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea to go off and workfor Marvel and DC, but just be aware of what willhappen to what you create for them. They need tounderstand that there is a different dynamic in theworld of creator owned comics, and if somethinghappens to a character you created, the creatorbenefits too. Unfortunately history has proven toooften for that not to be the case. People mistake myenthusiasm for being anti Marvel and DC but that’sjust not the case. Those guys have nothing to do withwhat this is about, but there is more than one waypossible.MM: You’ve also started something with BrettGurrewitz – Black Mask Studios?Steve: Yeah, we’re moving pretty slow with that,with Brett and also with Matt Pizzolo, becausewe’re trying to work out the financing. But it’s avery simple concept. You know Brett runs EpitaphRecords and it has a very different audience and anaudience that may have some interest in comic booksso what we really want to try to do- we’re not tryingto reinvent the wheel – but to get comic books infront of people who may not realise they even likethem. This is another thing I’m always harping onabout. I grew up in a time where there were comicseverywhere, it was before the direct market andliterally you couldn’t go to a store without therebeing a comic rack there. So I often got draggedout by my mom and sisters to go shopping and so Ideveloped a sixth sense for spotting the spinner racksand I would gravitate to it. That’s something that wedon’t have any more, as you can only get comics inspecial stores so people have to make an effort. Andyou know what happens when you ask people tomake an effort – they don’t show up. So Black Maskis just a way to get comics in front of more people.MM: So talking of which, on your site you’reoffering the complete ‘Edge Of Doom’ for freedownload. Why did you make that decision?

Some people may think it’s counter productive for a writer to give their work awayfor free.Steve: I don’t see how (I’m 100% behind Steve on this, if you make something readilyand easily available or people, it automatically draws them toward it and it could bethe thing that changes their lives, makes them a tiny bit better, but better nonetheless– Tim) . With that property, it was always one of my favourites, and when it came outit sold okay, but it didn’t sell great so it’s one of those ones that just kind of passed by.But it was a good, complete little project that deserved a wider audience, and makingit available as a free download makes it a great way to give people a whole story as asampler. Most of this stuff is available on bootleg sites anyway, so I kind of think, ifsomeone’s going to be giving away my work for free, I want it to be me. I had a greatconversation with Neil Gaiman about this a few months back. He’s had a positiveexperience with piracy, if you look at numbers; more of my stuff is pirated than sold,with him the numbers are reversed because of giving people free samples. What adaunting task it is to walk into a comic book shop for the first time and choose a book.Hopefully, by doing this we’re making the job a bit easier.MM: You mentioned films before, in terms of you making them; but now thatpeople are adapting your work how do you feel about the films of your work thathave appeared so far?Steve: Some I love, some I don’t, but the one thing I learned from being in Hollywood,and I didn’t have this perspective before, is that the same hard work goes into the worstmovie. I’m a lot more reluctant to really slam anybody’s movies because I may not likewhat they did with all of them, but like I said, people worked really hard on them, andif I’m not out there slamming them, people really like these things. People come up tome and say they like the DVD sequel to 30 Days Of Night is better than the theatricaloriginal ; I don’t know what happened, but mostly I just think I‘ve been very, very lucky,especially with 30 Days Of Night. I haven’t watched it in years, but all I wanted wasa good, solid horror movie, and I think I got a flavour of that. And to make a scaryvampire movie… You’ve got to go back to Near Dark or the black and white version ofNosferatu to find really scary vampire movies. So they did well. I’m very happy. It’s beena strange ten years, lots of ups and downs but overall I’m very happy.MM: Which of your books is your personal favourite, and is it the same as yourreaders’ favourite?

Steve: That’s so hard because I have Macabre and 30 Days Of Night, those are two hugeones that I’ve literally been writing since I was a teenager. But if I had to pick one,one that changed me and my approach to how I write, it’d be Freaks of the Heartland.When I originally wrote it, it was heavy with captioning and lots of description andcharacter stuff. Then when Greg delivered the first pages I literally scrubbed out all thecaptions except the first panel and the last panel. Because the drawings were so goodand the expressions on the characters’ faces were so perfect that it made all my internalmonologue redundant. I’d never had anything like that happen before. So that’s one ofthe ones that stands out, mostly because of Greg Ruth and what he did.MM: Tell us something about the books you’re currently working on...Steve: the big one is that I’m doing a sequel to the Frankenstein novel which is mindblowing on so many levels to me. It’s coming along slow, we’ve got the second issuecoming out now, and the art looks so gorgeous. Also I’m working with Wes Craven nowon a project of his called Coming of Rage. I’ve got Confusion at IDW which was one ofthose little projects that I did on the side last year and people just seemed to dig it, so alot of stuff. Those are the big ones right now.MM: If you had the chance to write any books in comics, what would it be?Steve: My first instinct is Hulk or Batman, but I wrote a cartoon for the Spectre a fewyears ago and I really fell in love with the character. He’s perfect because he’s a cop whois also a vengeful spirit, so two of the things I loved to work with. So that’s one I’vealways got on my radar..MM: So what’s next for you Steve?Steve: I’ve got a new series coming out for Dark Horse which hasn’t been announcedcalled Breath of Bones and it’s a big departure for me. You could let your kids read thisone, it’s a World War II monster story. Then I have to keep all the other things going aswell. It stems from being a freelancer who doesn’t have enough work; now that I do havework I’m scared to say no to anything because I’m honestly worried it will run out…M

My Life In Comics1. Brian Coyle2. Jeffrey Kaufman3. Lee Robson4. Tony Parker

1Bryan Coyle is the co-creator and artist of Babble, available soon from Com.X www.comxcomics.com1. Transformers (UK)Fair warning that my list seems to comprise mostly of comics that revel in someone’s misery, and my first experience of a real WHAT moment camewhen, at the end of the story #32, one of the Dinobots makes the ultimate sacrifice. Being robots, the cynical reader might assume there is a loopholeor two by which he could survive being killed off, especially as his “death” comes at the end of a story in which we see Transformers can survive asnothing more than a severed head, but the story addresses that cynicism when it tells you “nuh-uh, that guy was ATOMISED”. This was mindblowingto my younger self because Transformers was the shovelware of UK comics and seeing an actual downer ending in its pages and Grimlockbeing sad was surreal - Grimlock is a dinosaur and a giant space robot with a laser gun, he shouldn’t have to be sad.2. Power PackInitially a goofy sci-fi adventure with scary alien monsters, Power Pack later transformed into this bizarrely melancholy strip about how miserable itwas to be a lower-class kid in the 1980s, which was probably why it was thought to be a perfect fit for reprint in UK comics anthologies like Returnof the Jedi and Thundercats, where I would encounter it years later thanks to unwanted stacks of both comics found in local charity shops. New Yorkmay have been where all the regular Marvel superheroes lived and thus was a handy hub for potential team-ups with Spider-Man or Thor, but JuneBrigman and Brett Breeding’s artwork made it look like a terrifying place.3. EAGLENot to denigrate 2000ad or its legacy, but I always preferred Eagle, probably because compared to its big brother, Eagle centered on working-classkids instead of stubble-y grumps in space. Cthulu on a BMX, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast as a mystery-solving stuntman, Superman in adeath mask, transforming space robots (!), children kidnapped and forced to play real-life computer games to the death - Eagle just threw crap at youlike there was no tomorrow (a distinct possibility as most UK comics were made on the assumption they might be out of business in a month’s time)and even though I can admit a lot of it was total pony, there was a ton of absolute gold in there, too.4. 2000ADThough I preferred Eagle, 2000ad has its fair share of genre-defining moments that writers in various media are still strip-mining and pretendingthey thought up themselves - for instance, long before Terra Nova convinced you that time-travellers escaping a dystopian future by living in dinosaurtimes was a terrible idea, Flesh made it look like a good one. Often overlooked is that among the robot wars and grim lawmen, there’s also lots ofaffectng stuff that will haunt you forever, like the death of Glyph in Halo Jones, disappearing crab babies in Hell Trekkers, all of Ro-Busters: TheTerra Meks STOP STARING THERE IS JUST SOMETHING IN MY EYE DAMN YOU, and for some reason, even though I bloody hated thestrip at the time (though apparantly not as much as the people writing it), the suicide-by-star of Ace Trucking’s buffoonish leading man Ace Garp hasalways stuck with me.

5. Scream!Scream! was Eagle all over again, except with horror as its central theme rather than adventure. There was this one strip - Monster! - created bygrumpy Northern troll Alan Moore which was about this mentally-retarded hunchback accidentally murdering people each week because he doesn’tknow his own strength, and the next week blurb at the end of each episode was something like “MORE GRAVES FOR THE GARDEN” becausethe hunchback’s nephew would bury his victims in the back yard until he eventually ran out of room so they went on the run in the least fun roadtrip ever. Grim and gripping stuff, sadly short-lived as the book only lasted 15 issues but then it was merged into Eagle, which I was reading anywayand that meant more money for sweets, so even in failure Scream! was completely awesome.6. (Secret Wars and/Spider-Man and) ZoidsIt surprised me that this book was misery incarnate even though a lifetime of reading UK comics should ideally have given me an inkling of whata UK Zoids strip would be like even if any sensible person would think “they are robots and also dinosaurs and also live in space” and assume thatZoids could only ever be the greatest achievement in the history of comics, but there’s this one mini-arc that is essentially a paradigm for the strip,where two old Zoids go on this arduous journey to the robot version of Shamballa to escape the neverending war that consumes their wasteland of ahomeworld, only for their “Shamballa” to turn out to be an unending afterlife of constant battle from which they can’t even die to escape it, so Zoidswas literally about being trapped in Hell, but not as a wink-wink subtext, it was the actual text of the comic.7. Dragon’s ClawsDragon’s Claws is a 2000ad strip but longer, and with more fights, and then suddenly there was a Transformer in it talking smack and looking for aruck when Death’s Head showed up. The first team-up between Marvel UK’s premier anti-heroes happened in Dragon’s Claws #5, but all they didwas wail on each other until one party was dismembered, burnt to a crisp and buried alive, and this was my first taste of inter-company crossovers so Iassumed that it was a paradigm of Marvel’s team-ups to the point that when I actually read an issue of a comic CALLED Marvel Team Up, I couldn’tunderstand why Wolverine and Spidey weren’t whacking each other with cars for twenty pages, and for me Marvel’s greatest failing is that they havenever published a comic called Marvel Dust-Up where instead of just talking talking talking, two heroes from the Marvel Universe go around settingeach other on fire or trying to cave the other’s head in with a brick, which is exactly what I wanted to see in a team-up thanks to Dragon’s Claws andDeath’s Head just being so awesome that they couldn’t be in the same room together without the apocalypse happening.8. Judgement on GothamThis is kind of memorable for all the wrong reasons. Let’s be clear, this is not a BAD story by any stretch, it’s just that this Dredd story has Batmanin it so it must be great, right? Sadly no - it’s a passable Dredd outing at best, but has always stood out in my memory as one of the biggest let-downsof my young life, even though there isn’t actually anything wrong with it (and it is drawn by Simon Bisley) - it’s just that there are literally thousandsof better Judge Dredd stories, almost all of which were written by one or both of the two writers of Judgement on Gotham. I have thus alwaysremembered the disappointment of this story only being “good” instead of “mind blowing”. FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.

9. Superman #9 (vol.2) - Metropolis 900Superman fights the Joker, because the Joker got bored in Gotham. Meanwhile, in the backup strip, Lex Luthor ruins someone’s life over breakfast,not only just because he can, but because this is how he rolls. Metropolis 900 is a fantastic filler strip that firmly establishes Luthor as an evil rottereven if he didn’t have Superman to rail against.10. Detective Comics 608Unlike most of my comics which would come to me through charity shop bundles, I remember reading Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle’s run at thetime because they were selling the comics in newsagents and Detective Comics was the family comic book that was picked up with the newspapers.It was my first “proper” US comic book rather than a UK reprint of some sort, and I’m probably imagining because of that alone that it was the lasttime the title was consistent and enjoyable for any length. This two-parter where Grant and Breyfogle create a fantastic anti-Robin is probably myfavorite story from the era.2Jeffrey Kaufman is the author of the original graphic novel,’Whore’1. I was ten when this book came out and read it over a hundred times. All of these heroes fighting one guy and it wasn’t Galactus. AdamWarlock and Thanos both died. A hero and a villain dying in the same book, I just couldn’t believe it happened. This book threw 15 heroes andone villain at me. It was just so much to process that I think my ten year old self was completely blown away by it. Courage, death, victory, loss,happiness, sadness and too many more feelings to discuss. Loved it!2. Brubaker told a fantastic story. He tooks Bucky(Winter Soldier), Namor , The Vision and the Young Avengers and created one of the beststories ever using some of Marvel’s most mediocre characters. He made me like Namor. This is a character who has been one dimensional sincehis birth yet Brubaker brilliantly made him likeable. For the future Marvel should only let him write Namor’s dialogue. It is so tough writing forcharacters that are basically backup characters but Brubaker handles it perfectly. The scene at the cemetery is the best. After reading this book, Irealized how much better I needed to be.

3. One of my first comic books ever. I was seven when I read this book. I don’t remember what this book was about but this book and theoriginal spider-man cartoons permanently hooked me on comic books and superheroes. I think this book today would be below “all ages” in that itwould be okay to read it in the womb.4. I was able to get the signed version of this book when it came out. This book was an event. Most people will mention Spawn issue one, butthe 2.5 million copies that this book sold was the precursor to that. Todd McFarlane’s artwork for this book and it’s iconic cover helped boost theindustry to greater heights and heralded artists making them as important as the character. I really believe before Todd that artists and writers wereconsidered backstage help. What Todd’s work and achievements did was give artists and writers the credit and financial security that they deserved.Did this book also continue to promote gimmick covers that ran rampid for years? Yes, but this work I believe is his best .5. Anti-heroes like The Punisher set the tone for all my characters including Jacob Mars and Tempest .The Punisher brought about the modernanti-hero celebration. Amazing Spiderman #129 didn’t push it, but it was the vehicle that opened the door to it. While the 1986 Punisher fiveissue mini-series defined the character, like The Incredible Hulk 180-181 that created Wolverine, without ASM #129, we wouldn’t even have thecharacter. I write my characters with flaws and try not to lock them in to a specific moral code or rule. The popularity of The Punisher made itpossible to create a main character who can be interesting without having to be morally perfect.6. First off, I am a “What If ” addict. I was personally a fan of Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider. I think that a character can get in a rut and justseem boring. That’s what happened to Spider-man. He got married and spent a lot of time complaining. A comic book allows us to escape our lives.It isn’t supposed to remind us of it. We live vicariously through these characters sometimes, so they have to be dynamic and exciting. Hell, we’retalking about Spider-man. Yes, he does have problems, but he’s also exciting and that’s what was missing for a couple of years. Ben Reilly remindedus of what was missing from the character and that was Peter Parker’s social life. I still miss him and hope someday Marvel brings him back. I mean itwas really a weak death.7. This feels a little self-serving since this is one of my own books but trust me when I say it did effect me. Totem Issue One was the first book Iever wrote, but wasn’t published first. That was Ant Issue 9 over at Image. After writing the script, I never read it until five years later. After reading it,I was reminded of what being new to the industry and being hard headed gets you. It was a cute story, but I was trying to write my own Spider-manand didn’t understand the rules. People still come up to me at conventions and tell me how much they liked Totem, and wonder if I’ll ever bringhim back. I do understand the charm of the book, but I know I could have done better if I rewrote it today. I tell people that just to be a competentwriter you have to fail early on. I don’t really think of Totem as a failure. I just wish I would have done a better job.8. Ninja Turtles issue 1 was beginning of the most lucrative independent comic book characters of all time. Kevin and Petercreated these guys in their basement and made it possible for all of us to dream that someday something you create can become huge.I’ve had the opportunity to interview Kevin Eastman. His life in comics should be written someday. This book wasn’t even printedon the right sized paper and still became huge. Good for them, and maybe someday good for me. Every time I think of this book,I smile and think that climbing this mountain may be worth it. For me, producing my own books and not having the opportunityyet to work for the Big Two, is like running through never-ending walls of Jell-O. This book is a constant reminder to me that there’s

9. This four issue storyline made a real impact on me. The Joker has always had a darkness. When he killed Jason Todd’s Robin, I just wonderedhow Batman could continue down the road of putting these murderers back in prison instead of killing them. I know he has a line but come on.Does Gotham exist in a state that doesn’t have the death penalty? Being a Fanboy myself, I’m aware that Robin was killed in a foreign country butI’m sure that country had a death penalty. Being a lawyer, I’m also aware that D.C. brought him back so the death penalty in this case would havebeen unwarranted.Getting back to my point, I loved these books. It reminds me that there are people out there like me who might need a morelogical conclusion, which is what I shoot for in my own writing.10. Being in the military a long time ago, you would assume Army Comics would be my favorites like Sgt Rock and others. The early UnknownSoldier runs were my favorite. The character drove through everything without looking back. The sadness this guy carried existed in every panelwith me. This was a tragic story wrapped in an action war comic. That’s was what I loved about it. I know I’m breaking the rules by not picking afavorite issue, but it was the totality of this man’s story that made it great. Some heroes have solid reasons for what they do. This guy had nothingelse but the job…No alter-ego…Other than pretending to be other people, he had nothing else. This was the monster challenge that most the writerson this series handled to perfection. Other than Spiderman and Batman, if I had an opportunity to write for an existing character, he would be it.3Lee Robson is the writer and co-creator of Babble available soon from Com.X www.comxcomics.com1. Asterix & Cleopatra: I’ve owned a hardback copy of this since I was a kid. I can’t remember where I got it or who gave it to me, but I do rememberbeing completely captivated by what I was seeing on the page in a way that comics I’d read before (like The Dandy and The Beano et al) had nevermanaged. Uderzo’s art was – and still is – amazing; it’s packed with so much detail, and, even now, I find myself marvelling at it and finding things I’dnever noticed (and whenever I see or hear the name Julius Caesar, I immediately think of Uderzo’s version). Combined with Goscinny’s script (albeit theEnglish translation from Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge), and all the jokes and silly character names, it blew my tiny mind.2. Transformers UK: Bit of a cheat this one, considering it’s actually the series rather than an individual issue, but… Like a lot of the Marvel UK comicsof the time, his was mainly reprints of the original US series, but they ended up reprinting material faster than the US were publishing it, so UK talentsstarted to create their own stories that weaved around the US stories – and actually proved to be infinitely superior. Whereas the US comics were clearlywritten to shill the toys and not much else, the UK originals had intelligent stories about leadership, loyalty and corruption. They took the cast of theanimated movie and built a whole, time winding storyline around them that featured demi gods and time travel, and actually culminated in reality itselfbeing brought to the edge of destruction. And the US version were running stories like “The Carwash Of Doom” and something with the Decepticonsrunning a holiday resort on a private island. I remember actively skipping the US reprints when I saw the Jose Delbo art, because I just found themso dull and sometimes patronising. But when I saw the crisp, clean art of Geoff Senior or Barry Kitson or Will Simpson, I knew I was going to getsomething that actually entertained me, something that was going to respect my intelligence and added dimensions to these characters that made mecare about them.

3. Detective Comics #617: This was the comic that really made me sit up and take notice of American comics in a completely different way. TheBatman I was seeing here was about a million miles away from Adam West, but also a completely different entity to the Tim Burton version I’dseen in the cinema. Here I was looking at a Batman who was lithe, menacing and almost demonic, and a Joker who was playful and charming,yet had absolutely no concern for the lives of those around him. For me, it was the perfect encapsulation of those two characters captured on thepage and pretty much defined Batman. I started to take notice of the writers and artists off the back of this, too. I found this issue in a newsagentsway back when they were actually available to buy in those places, and I took to Detective Comics far more than the main Batman title; whereasMarv Wolfman and Jim Aparo’s Batman run had a solid, old school feel to it, Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle’s Detective felt fresh and almostotherworldly, and it still feels that way now.4. Dragon’s Claws: Again, this is a series rather than a specific issue. Dragon’s Claws was one of the handful of original titles released by MarvelUK and it was, basically, completely awesome. Simon Furman’s scripts were razor sharp and Geoff Senior’s art brought a dynamism to it that madeit read like everything was happening in fast forward. You had Dragon, the ex-leader of a team in “The Game” (think of The Running Man withoutArnie and a decent script) who’s forced out of retirement and then has to pull his team back together to work for a shadowy government agency. Iremember that the Claws’ main rivals in the “The Game”, The Evil Dead, were introduced in the second issue and then killed off before it ended, andit struck me that this was a comic where literally anything could happen – which was proved when Death’s Head turned up in issue five after beingdumped in that timeline by The Doctor (yes, that The Doctor). It was a brilliant series that deserved to run a lot longer than its 10 issues.5. Flex Mentallo: If I’m asked, nine times out of ten, I’ll say that Flex Mentallo is my favourite comic series ever. I remember picking up the originalcomics on a whim for around 50p each from a back issue bin (this was back when no one cared about the series). I knew very little about it, otherthan something I’d read saying how brilliant it was, so I bought them and read them. And I was completely blown away. I literally had no idea whereGrant Morrison was taking the story, but the final page of #3 just made my brain melt and had me clambering for the final issue to see how it wasall going to end. For all of Morrison’s trademark weirdness, it was surprising and heartening to see that the story had a sense of hope and magic at itscentre – something that seemed absent from a lot of the stuff I was reading at the time.6. Justice League #2: I first became aware of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League through reprints in the UK Superman comic from LondonEditions (which was also reprinting John Byrne’s Superman). At the time, I didn’t really know who any of these characters were, apart from Batman,but Kevin Maguire’s art just grabbed my attention immediately and I found myself fascinated by who these guys were and how they interacted. Ieventually tracked down the individual issues, but #2 stood out almost immediately, largely because of J.M. DeMatteis’ dialogue, but mainly for thescene with Doctor Fate and The Gray Man and the line “He tilts his grey head, spreads wide his grey cloak and rises into the grey sky. I hate him. Andeven my hate is grey.” There’s something about the elegance and simplicity of it that resonated with me and made me realise that comics aren’t alwaysjust about guys in tights battering each other.

7. Secret Wars/Spider-Man & Zoids: I have to confess, my memory of the Zoids UK comic strip is fuzzy, but I do remember the storylines aboutthe humans who crash landed on the planet and Silverman, the android who turned on them and then, basically, hunted them down. Somethingabout the reveal of him not being human and then his hatred for the ships captain, Heller (and the fact they couldn’t kill him!) just buried itself inmy brain and left me freaked out – especially the final confrontation between the two characters. After Heller literally beat Silverman to pieces, Iremember feeling relieved that it was all over and the this thing was dead, but then, in the final panels, there’s a narrative caption from Silverman andhis severed arm begins to twitch…8. Judge Dredd: Block Mania/The Apocalypse War: I’ve had a pretty rocky relationship with 2000AD down the years, I’ll admit. There’s beenperiods where I’ve devoured it voraciously, but there’s times when I’ve barely been able to muster the enthusiasm to pick it up. As a consequence, I’velargely taken in 2000AD through reprints and collections, including the re-coloured Quality Comic reprints from the 90’s. I picked up the completerun of The Law Of Dredd dirt cheap and educated myself on the character and his world. I came to Block Mania completely innocently and thoughtit was just going to be another one or two part story like the ones that had come before. But then it just carried on and built up and built up until Ididn’t have a clue where it was going or what was going, and then it exploded into The Apocalypse War. Suddenly, Mega City One was nuked, theJudges were scattered and Dredd was leading a resistance against the invading Russians (it was very much a story of its time) and I was completelygripped from start to finish. Those moments of confusion and wonder at what Wagner and Grant were doing really stuck with me and made merealise that the best writers can really pull the rug out from under you.9. V For Vendetta: After The Killing Joke, this was my first real exposure to Alan Moore. I checked it out of the library, thinking it looked cool,and took it home, but I wasn’t quite prepared for what I was about to read, though. This’ll sound really wanky, I know, but V For Vendetta left meemotionally drained - I literally felt like I’d experienced every emotion known to humanity across the course of the story. No other comic or book hasever left me like that, and I’ve never actually been able to read it through a second time.10. Action Force #36: Like Transformers UK, Action Force – the UK equivalent of GI Joe – was a mixture of original UK material and reprintsfrom the US. Where Larry Hama tried to inject a sense of realism into GI Joe and make it a decent war comic, the writers on Action Forceconcentrated more on the small cast of characters they had to play with and injected some of that trademark British bleakness into it. We werepresented with characters who weren’t as clear cut as their American counterparts, who operated very much in the grey areas, giving you morallyambiguous stories that, frankly, you probably couldn’t get away with today. Part of that was the relationship between Flint and Destro; both of themwere written as people who were prepared to cross lines to get what they wanted and it became fascinating to see how far they’d go. This issue wasa major turning point, with Flint essentially ready kill Destro in cold blood. I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t do it, but the fact the story had ledto this point and they’d got away with presenting it in a licensed comic based on a toy line is actually pretty amazing, especially by today’s far moretightly controlled standards.

4Tony Parker is currently illustrating R.I.P.D: City Of The Damned for Dark Horse Comics www.darkhorse.comwww.tonyparkerart.com twitter.com/TonyParkerArt Facebook.com/TonyParkerArtI had to cheat at the 10 comics, and make almost all of them graphic novels or series. I’m a huge fan of extended story arcs, and the characterdevelopment they can allow. As with all arbitrary lists, I’m sure that these will change the moment I send it in.10) Ultimates Volumes 1-2- Bryan Hitch’s art and Mark Millar’s writing merge wonderfully here. It deconstructs and analyzes classic characters,and has a great sense of tension and scope. Everyone is realistically grounded, and have a full emotional spectrum. Team building wasn’t an awkwardmerging of characters, but more organic. Captain America is truly a man out of time. The stealth assassins are badasses, and characters feel guilt forevents done. The highs and lows are dynamic, and delightfully placed. The alien battle of Phoenix also has personal appeal, since I live there. Hitchdid research, and used landmarks that exist, not a brown New York. This obviously brought it home for me.9) Seven Soldiers of Victory- I love what Grant Morrison can do with characters that may not survive to the end of the story. That first issue blewme away. Stunning art and great writing introducing a motley cast of characters, then doing something that doesn’t happen in western comicshappens. Morrison then continues along with the story, weaving separate characters together brilliantly. This is a case where it’s better to read thetrade than the individual issues. The art is beautiful throughout, capped by JH Williams III’s final chapter, where he emulates all the previous artists,perfectly merging the story to a sublime ending.8) Nth Man- This was a little known series from Larry Hama back in the day. READ IT NOW. Yes, it’s cold war dated, but worth it. The premisemay sound silly. It’s WW3, and CIA ninja John Doe has to free his ninja master from a high security Moscow prison. There are no nuclear weapons,because the world’s first psychic made them inert. It may sound silly, but the execution is brilliant. Within pages of each character’s introduction, Iforget they may have a cheesy name, and was ingrained to the character themselves. The book came from Marvel, and the characters in the book readMarvel Comics in the book. When the psychic exercises his power and dons the costume of Galactus, it’s not a terrifying devourer of worlds, but anincredibly powerful but wildly emotionally stunted man. It seemed that they had to cut the story short at the end, but they thankfully were able tocomplete the story. Find it if you can.7) Planetary-Wonderful deconstructionist fiction. Cassaday’s art is brilliant, and Warren Ellis’s story is incredibly fun. I was drawn in to the bookwithin the first two or three issues. I love the concept of visiting all these modern myths with these tour guide heroes. Not knowing which genreor favorite characters would be showing up next month was a great appeal. They also had a new cover and cover logo/treatment for each issue. Thismay have made it difficult to pick out of the rack when it may have actually shown up, but is far more successful as a full series. No matter how darkit may have got, there was also an underlying thread of hope. Cassaday’s art, composition, and storytelling totally made the series. Brilliant and onlynecessarily detailed, while allowing room to breathe.

6) Lone Wolf and Cub- I proudly own the entire series. I was smart enough to get them when Dark Horse rereleased the series. It’s far easier to get themonce a month, versus trying to get them all at once. That being said, get them. It’s my favorite long form manga. Others may be prettier, more detailed, or amore complete story, but none are as complete of a package. The father/son dynamic is a great, but the pacing is better. They spent an entire issue with twoswordsmen staring each other down, playing out the fight in their heads. This would be mind numbingly boring in any other book, but it’s a master class inpacing here.5) Promethea- This started as a deconstruction an analyzation of the Wonder Woman concept, but Alan Moore got bored with that and turned it in to ametaphysical trip. Thank you Alan Moore. JH William’s was turned loose on this, and allowed to experiment in ways that other companies wouldn’t allow.Unique and dynamic metapanel composition? Check. Varying rendering styles and media depending upon story? Check. Nailing it every time? Check.Alan Moore weaves a complex narrative, where the metaphor interacts with the characters, and forces the reader to think in new ways. Every issue pushesboundaries of what can be done in the medium.4) Watchmen- Yes, it’s on the Time 100 top novels of the 20th Century, but only #4 here. The others have more of an emotion impact on me. That beingsaid, this is the perfect graphic novel. It shows that the medium’s not a half assed book with pictures. It shows what can be done with it. Moore andGibbons perfectly pace the story, from the overall arc, down to the individual pages. They dictate how the reader paces through the story. Moore fleshesout the story with what would now be called back matter. The magazines, leaflets, excerpts and other traditional print media placed at the back of the bookallow for additional facets of the story to be told, and characters to be fleshed out. Other writers may have just added extra blatant exposition, but theyshowed what can be done within the media. I have multiple loaner copies of this, just in case.3) A Contract With God- I have nearly the entire Eisner library of graphic novels, as well as an original newspaper insert from the 40’s. I picked thisone because it’s my favorite story of his. Everyone else talks about him being the creator of the modern graphic novel and the splash page. I love theartistic nuance that he brings. Every time I try to study his sequential art, I end up reading the story within three pages. I’ll try to focus on his metapanelcomposition, his specific rendering, line weight and usage, and his expressions. No matter what, three pages later, bam. I’m reading it again. He was sotalented he could force you in to the story without you having any say in it. I was also lucky enough to be able to meet him and shake his hand before hepassed away, and was nominated for an Eisner, so that has an emotional effect as well.2) Sin City-Big Fat Kill -”Sometimes standing up for your friends means killing a whole lot of people.” That was plastered on the front cover of the firstissue. After that, I was hooked. I couldn’t look away, and I didn’t want to. This was my first Sin City book, and I fell in completely. The stark art style. Thegritty setting. The tragically beautiful women. These things alone broke my nose with their intensity. Then the story kicked in. The impact of the firstissue cracked a few ribs, and I was pissing blood for days after. When I read the first plot twist, I lost my breath. I desperately gasped for breath through thewhole series. By the time the final issue ended. I wasn’t the same. I would never be the same again.1) Uncanny X-Men #248-This is the only single issue on the list. This was my gateway drug. I still remember getting the issue at a 7-11 (Conveniencestore) in Fairbanks, Alaska. The art changed my life. Before then, I had done some sketching and doodling, but never thought of it as a career. After it, Iwas copying every Jim Lee drawing I could find. His women were stunning, and his men dynamic. The energy seeped off the page. I went from someonewho had only read the Star Wars Comics, to someone who was getting a fix every week. I pictured myself as one of the X-Men when at the gym. It showedme that comic artist was a real job, and a job that I wanted. It completely changed my life. Because of that book, I am now a professional graphic novelartist.

When you get offered the chance to speak to MichaelBiehn (the guy was in ‘Aliens’ and ‘Terminator’) andJennifer Blanc Biehn, you don’t turn it down, and soon the back of their latest film - their first together,‘The Victim’, and via a transaltlantic phone line inlate September, I found myself speaking to Michaeland Jennifer about ‘The Victim’, independent film,Hollywood and more…Oh, and if you get a chance to see ‘The Victim’, makesure you do. You won’t regret it….MM: As the producer of, as well as one of themain leads, The Victim is obviously a labour oflove for you. How difficult was it to bring it to thescreen? What were the toughest challenges youfaced from inception to final edit?Jennifer: First of all I think I found something thatI really wanted to do, that I thought was a greatconcept, plus I have a very busy brain so it helps forme, it works for me to be producing as well as acting,to be spread thin because I think I work well thatAn interviewwith...way. As for bringing it to the screen, Michael has hadto work his arse off to be honest, because it’s hard toget people to watch an old time movie, they alwaysconcentrate on blockbusters. So we kind of did theKevin Smith tour with it, went to festivals, got somegood reviews on it then people started taking notice.Then Inca Bay got involved and now it’s just fantasticbecause through social media and through festivalsand the support of the fans it got a lot easier, but ittook a while.MM: The title sort of has a double meaningbecause Mary is the original victim, then there’sthe sub-plot concerning the missing women, thenHarrison refers to life in general and says that youcan go for what you want and grab it by the ballsor spend your life being a victim. It suggests thatall the characters in the film are victims and thateveryone is a victim of life itself…Jennifer: It’s interesting that yousaid that because I have to tell youthat this was my feeling about thatand people always miss that. Thisfilm is a little more sophisticatedthan you’d think, so people oftenmiss that. Some people thoughreally get it and the fact that you’vejust picked up on that – to methat’s what it’s always been about,I think for Michael that’s what it’salways been about. The decisionsthat people make aboutMichael Biehn &Jennifer Blanc BiehnInterview by Tim Mass Movementsex make them a victim, women being victims havingto use their sexuality to get by, and I agree, everycharacter in that movie is a victim of circumstance.MM: It’s referred to as a Grindhouse film but it’sa real character driven piece, so I was wonderinghow you managed to walk that fine line so it didn’tfall too far into either camp?Michael: I think that when I described this movieas a Grindhouse movie, I’d sort of labelled it thatfrom the very beginning, it was because I’d workedwith Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino sobasically I think of a Grindhouse movie as nothingmore than a really low budget exploitation movie. Ithink that in this situation, I took a small amountof money and decided to make the movie thatautomatically makes it a Grindhouse movie. To meit’s no different to what we used to go and watchin the sixties and seventies and called B movies.We’d go down to the drive in movie and our parentswould want to watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof andthat would start at eight, but at six, when it hadn’teven got dark yet and the kids were still out playing,they’d put on a movie and it would be a biker moviestarring Vic Morrow or something like that, andthat would be a grind house movie. It’s kind of likea Roger Corman movie, he kind of worked in thatarea – low budget and exploitation. With this filmthere’s more of a thriller feel, it’s probably got a bit

more plot than some of those movies do, but I tried to have fun with this and make a real movie. So that’s why I did allthis stuff like “not based on true facts” at the start of the movie, just to let people know that we don’t take ourselves tooseriously, we don’t have any money, we’re just fun. We quote Quentin Tarantino movies, we quote Clint Eastwoodmovies, the character I play is basically my most famous character, in the Terminator movie, its just fun, a fun movie.There is a serious side to it as well of course, because basically the whole of humanity are complete slaves to sex; itdoesn’t matter how powerful men are women control sex and can use their sexuality to create a different situation forthemselves, whereas men will spend 30 years building up their influence and reputation but throw it all away for ablow job.MM: Was it difficult for you to make the transition from actor to actor/director?Michael: What was difficult about that was that I’d had it eight days, and began shooting it in 3 weeks. Usually whenpeople tell me they have the money, they don’t have anymoney, I say OK, I’ll work on the script you have then don’tthink about it. Then all of a sudden the cheque cleared and Iwas stuck having to do a page one re-write – it was originallywritten by a kid and was called The Victim and it did havea loner in it, a kind of Saw like killer, it was a kind of Sawlike film and it was kind of written like a Novella – it wasthe first screenplay he’d ever written. So once the chequesstarted clearing it was clear it was the real deal. So we did preproduction,crewed up, did locations and everything without a script at this stage and started shooting in threeweeks. So we did the practical stuff in the day and I wrote the script at night. So from clearing the cheque tofinishing the film was 5 weeks because we shot the film in 12 days. We did 45 set ups a day, and the thing is thatwhen we were making it, it never dawned on me about the power of the media and the power of film, that thismovie would be reviewed by the New York Times. I thought it would just slip over to Netflix and be a bit of fun.But it’s gotten so much attention that I’ve spent the last year with it because people liked it so much I realisedthat I could make some money off it, and I never in a million years thought it would be the case with this. It wasjust some fun. I had friends and family working on this film for free.MM: One of the things that struck me was that Annie and Kyle aren’t typical heroes, they are more likeanti-heroes. How do you ensure that the audience identifies with both of them?Michael: When you first see Annie at the beginning of the film it’s just in a couple of flash backs and she’s nodifferent from a lot of women we know, not evil, not criminal, young girls getting by, what they are doing is nodifferent to what go-go dancers were doing in the 60s and 70s, they are just getting by. Kyle was always supposedto be a character that you just don’t know. He’s out in the woods, he’s reading and he’s obviously trying to change

himself and he’s just trying to get away. He’s just a guy who is stuck in bad circumstances like you or I would be until he gets that crow bar out. There’s something aboutmovie making where you think “I wouldn’t get a crow bar out and torture that guy” but he does so is he a serial killer? I think in the sequel the stick man opening tothe film would be Kyle saying “No I’m not a serial killer, I know all about these guys I know what they do, I’m not like them”. I meant that to be more ambiguous thanit turned out to be…I wanted it to be a real question mark: is he or isn’t he? I think it turned out pretty much the way I wanted. But the thing that happens to Kyle isthat he drawn into through a sexual situation and that’s the overriding theme really. You know about all those sexual scandals in the sixties, I know Val Kilmers first wifeplayed that beautiful Christine Keeler in ‘Scandal’ and politicians and anyone in a position of authority, they just don’t know what to do with themselves with a prettygirl around.MM: At the end of the film did you leave that door open for Annie and Kyle to return on purpose?Michael: I was joking when I said about the stick man, but if this movie is successful I already have a whole sequel mapped out in my head, where I want to shoot it andeverything. If I had the money and it was all in place, I’d basically like to do what Jim Cameron did with Alien, kind of like a walk through a dark house and every once ina while something jumps out at you then turn it into a full on action movie.MM: With such a small cast and crew I’m guessing there must have been a lot of fun on set – what was it like working on the film?Michael: I think that most people had a lot of fun doing it. Myself I’m quite a passionate person about my acting alone and I was described as a drill sergeant and a ravinglunatic by a journalist of the set so I’ve worked with Jim Cameron, I’ve worked with Michael Bay, I’ve worked with Billy Friedkin and if you take all three of those guyson their worst day I was worse than them put together. But we were having to do 45 set ups a day. It was all about the process for me and nobody quit, nobody got fired.There’s a bonus feature on the DVD that follows the making of the film and I think it gives you a really good insight into what it was like making the film. We shot it dayfor night so we didn’t have to light it and it was 12 hour days and we ran from set up to set up.MM: The Victim is proof positive that you don’t need a big budget to make a great film. Do you think that days are numbered for the big budget overblownblockbuster films?Michael: The thing about the massive overdone films is that they have these great marketing machines behind them – I have a son and he’s nine and he sees trailers andadvertising and I take him to see these films – anything he wants to see, always have always will, I don’t care what it is and it’s the $100million they spend on marketingthat makes my son say he wants to see something, and that’s okay. They need to have those huge budgets to make any money. I don’t think it matters what the film isas long as they spend that money to market it. That’s not to say that there aren’t a lot of big budget films that aren’t a pretty good effort as films, but when you’ve madeAliens 1,2,3,4,5,6 then it’s let’s start again 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and so on I just don’t think – when you first do a movie there’s something magical, like Pirates of the Caribbean,when that came out it was truly magical and a lot of fun and it’s really hard to replicate that it’s hard to make a good movie and when you get Pirates 1,2,3,4 I think itmakes it difficult to keep the quality consistent. Or what I consider to be good. But then what do I know, what does Michael Biehn know about anything, it’s not aboutquality it’s about money. It’s always been about money.MM: How would you describe The Victim to someone to make sure they picked it up or went to see it?Michael: I would say it’s an exploitation movie and that it is meant to be fun and something that you go to and don’t take too seriously. I tell people when I introduce thefilm to leave their phones on you know? It’s just a movie, just a bit of fun, there’s really not that much to it. M M

Interview by Tim Mass MovementMM: How did you initially become involved with thefilm?LD: How did I become involved? I auditioned! I was sentthe script and I love comedy horror – actually horror is myfavourite genre of film – and with this, when it was funny itwas really funny and I just liked it.MM: If you had to describe “Some Guy Who KillsPeople” to a potential audience, how would you describeit?LD: Pretty much just as funny and scary. It’s quite goryactually. I love horror film then when I watch things thathave flashbacks that are – I wouldn’t describe this film likethis by the way, or I wouldn’t have done it – you can havesome scenes that are torture like and make me feel reallyuncomfortable. But this one is funny and scary.An interviewwith...LucyDavisFrom ‘The Office’ to the film set of ‘Some Guy Who Kills People’, Lucy Davis’s career isdefinitely on an ascendant trajectory. Mass Movement caught up with her for a brief chaton the publicity trail as she was busy promoting her latest John Landis produced film…MM: You have all these wonderful damaged charactersin the film and it’s almost like a weird take on a modernlove story that happens to feature a few rather grislymurders…LD: I love any film where the central characters areessentially misfits; people who aren’t generally accepted butreally have something to say. In so many films they are just asidekick, and it’s nice for them to get a story of their own.MM: There’s a theme with Ken learning to live again andnot let his future be overtaken by his past; reject his pastand move on – much like Stephanie really because she’smoving on from a failed marriage…LD: You’re right yes. I read somewhere that the past is notthe lock but the key –we all have a choice whether we look

at what happened in the past and decide you don’t have a future or you can lookback and decide to learn from it.MM: What was it like working with Barry Bostwick and Kevin Corrigan andwhat was the mood like on set?LD: Barry is really funny and a really great guy; Kevin is really quiet, very nice, aswas everyone on the film so it was quite a dream to work on actually.MM: What’s next for you Lucy?LD: I have a film coming up, a drama and when I get back to LA I’ll finish upwork on a pilot I’ve been writing for TV, a half hour comedy. I’ve been workingwith a beautiful cast – I can’t actually assign roles for this obviously but I’ve calledpeople up and asked if they can help me out reading for studios and producers andit’s been great. So that’s the next project I’m working on. M M

Injured EyeballsBy Jasper BarkThis month I’d like to look at the actual craft of writing horror comics. In particular I’d like to concentrate on therelationship between the writer and the artist and my experience of writing scripts for someone else to draw.From the outset I have to say that, at the very least, an artist is a full collaborator in any comic story the writertells. In truth they are often more than just a collaborator. I know many writers will talk about how the poor‘pencil monkey’ is just there to “fulfill their vision”, but an artist does a hell of a lot more than that. They not onlyadd a huge amount to a writer’s vision, they drag it kicking and screaming into reality. It takes a lot longer todraw comic than it takes to write it and there are a lot more pictures on a comic page than words (if you’re doingit right). So who do you think is doing all hard work? This is primarily a visual medium so you need to show theright amount of respect to the person handling the visuals.The other thing I need to say from the outset is that I will probably be dropping a few of names over the courseof this article. The more cynical among you will no doubt think that I’m trying to bolster my opinions bytrading off the reputations of artists far more successful than me - and you’d probably be right. While those ofyou who don’t read many comics will probably just wonder who the f*** I’m talking about. That’s the problemwith a niche subject like horror comics. Andy Warhol famously said that in the future everyone will be famousfor 15 minutes. He reckoned without the world of horror comics however, where you can be famous for aslong as you like, but only to 15 people.Although Walt Simonson (Clang! that’s the first of many) once cautioned me about comparing comics tooclosely to that other visual narrative medium - film, it’s a useful analogy with which to consider the roles ofthe writer and the artist within comics. The comic writer plays the same role as the screenwriter and if theyhave a really simpatico relationship with the artists they might be considered a co-director. Usually however,the artist is the director, as well as the cinematographer, the scene designer, the special effects expert, thelocation scout and every single member of the cast. While a good script is crucial to a good comic, a goodwriter knows where his or her responsibility to the finished strip ends and the artist’s begins.To elaborate on this point we need to look at panel descriptions. Apologies to those who already know this, but comic scriptsare generally made up of two components: a short description of what’s happening in each panel, including what the characters are doing, where they are andhow they feel about it, and the dialogue and captions that will appear in that panel. There are two schools of panel descriptions, the Alan Moore school and the John Wagner school (no this isn’ta name drop because I’ve only briefly met both men).I, like most writers, started out in the Alan Moore school. This is partly because Alan Moore’s work had such an impact on the field of comics, but mainly because more of his scripts areavailable to read so most of us learned from copying him. I had the good fortune to be mentored early on in my career by Miracleman artist Garry Leach (Clang!) and to a lesser extentWatchmen artist Dave Gibbons (double Clang!), both of whom quickly beat the budding Alan Moore out of me.The difference between the two schools is detail. Alan’s panel descriptions are full of detail but give the artist very little room for their own ideas. John’s panel descriptions are short and to thepoint leaving the artist a lot of scope.(Cont...)

Here’s an imaginary panel from an Alan Moore Dredd script (he didwrite one or two):PANEL 1:Okay, we focus on DREDD in this panel andit’s pretty obvious he’s not in a good mood. His face is twisted into asnarl and his body language radiates menace and the threat of physicalviolence. The streetlights over head are flickering and cast him in a redlight, The lawgiver in his hand is firm and pointing upward suggestingthe sort of erection he probably gets just before meting out the type ofphysical justice of which he is so fond. Just off panel, we can’t see it, butthere is probably another crime going on and DREDD is torn betweenarresting the perp in hand and stopping the other crime he can see.Perhaps this sets off memories of other difficult choices he’s had to face.Maybe he thinks of his clone brother Rico, I don’t know, but suggestsome of this dilemma in his form and stature.DREDD:DROKK!This is an actual panel description written by John Wagner:PANEL 1:DREDD:DREDD - grim.DROKK!If you think about it, everything the artist needs is there in John’sdescription. It also gives the artist far more room to bring his or her ownideas to the panel and to creatively engage in the telling of the story. It’salso a lot quicker for the writer to write and the artist to read. Garry andDave told me they used to skim through Alan’s scripts with a highlighterand pick out three or four words per description. That’s right, all thoseaward winning scripts that changed the medium forever were onlyquickly scanned by the artists because of their unwieldy length.I started my professional career as a comic writer, so when I came to writeprose I had to learn to put more visual description into my stories, as Iwas so used to the artist covering that for me. Many authors who writecomics for the first time seem to have the opposite problem. Letting goof the control can be difficult for them, and they feel the need to micromanagethe artist quite unnecessarily. Several of my artist friends haveshown me scripts from novelists that make the Alan Moore pasticheabove look as terse as the John Wagner script. Seriously I kid you not!If you’re reading this and are just about to write your first comic script,might I politely suggest that you don’t need to describe every knot andswirl in the bark of every tree in the forest where your characters findthemselves. In fact, you don’t need to describe the trees at all, or sendreference material. The artist has probably seen quite a few trees already.

The last thing I’m going to cover before I run out of space is the difference in the way that writers and artists tell stories. An artist will often begin a story with a seagull hovering over the NewYork harbour. The seagull will then fly past the Statue of Liberty before wending it’s way between the sky scrapers of Wall St and catching an updraft that takes it into a seedier part of townwhere it alights on a window sill. We push through the window beyond the seagull into the office of a PI. The PI spends several panels scratching his head and polishing his gun before puttingit in a drawer in his desk. There’s a knock at the door. We focus on the beads of sweat on the PI’s forehead. He gets up and puts his hand on the door handle, leaves it there for three panels theneventually opens the door. Beyond the door are shadows, out of which a sultry blonde steps, but she takes six panels to do so. She takes another six panels to enter the office and sit down in frontof his desk. Finally, the dialogue starts.A writer will start with this panel description:PANEL 1:We open in a PI’s office in a seedy part of New York city. There’s a knock at the door, the PI gets up from behind his desk and opens the door. A sultry blond saunters inand sits behind his desk.Upon reading this the artist will despair over the fact that there are nine such panels on the page and each panel contains so much action that it should, in all fairness, be six separate panels. Atthis point the artist puts down the script and picks up a bottle, pretending for the next two days that they don’t need the money so badly they can’t get out of drawing the f***ing script.As you gain more experience writing comics, you learn to strike a happy medium between these two (only slightly exaggerated) approaches. To give the artist a bit of a lead in to the story and tocurb your tendency to cram far too much action into one panel.This is especially important when writing horror comics because the best horror always depends more on the reader’s imagination than the writer’s powers of description. The horrors they see intheir mind’s eye will always outweigh anything you put on the page. For this reason you need to have faith in your artist’s talent and imagination and let them put just the right amount of detailinto every panel.Showing respect for your artist’s talent is the best way of showing respect for your reader’s discrimination. It’s also the best way of scaring the pants off both of them.M M

The Confessions Of Dorian Gray:Behind The Scenes With Scott Handcockand Alexander VlahosAs the countdown to the release of ‘The ConfessionsOf Dorian Gray’ entered it’s final phase, I caught upwith writer, director and producer Scott Handcockand Dorian Gray himself, Alexander Vlahos, to talkabout the trials, tribulations and challenges of reimagining,and bringing to life, one of literatures mostfamous fictional characters as a reluctant hero for theages, and what we, the audience, can potentially expectfrom the series. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,may I present Mr. Scott Handcock and Mr. AlexanderVlahos…Interview by Tim Mass MovementMM: So Confessions of Dorian Grey – where did the idea for the series come from?Scott: It was one of these things where we slightly bemoaned the fact that there was never anything original, itwas always spin-offs. We wanted to do something new that would attract a younger audience. I’ve always had athing about horror, and have always loved old horror fiction since I was a kid; and I’d always loved Dorian Grey.Then about the time when the film came out I thought to myself that he was a really interesting character in hisown right, and I started to think about how that story would conclude and that was the seed of how the idea wasborn; to see what adventures he would have and how he would react to them through time. So we did a pilot tosee how the story would unfold – not that we told anyone that this was what we were planning - but it convincedus that there were places to go with it.MM: Given Dorian Grey’s literary fame how easy or hard was it to cast the role? Did you have Alex in mindfrom the beginning, or did you stumble across him?Scott: Over the years we’ve been aware of him and he’s done a fair bit for BBC Wales. We first cast him in 2010and it was when we were coming up with the plan for Dorian Grey and we were actually thinking of him forsomething else we were working on. We went out for dinner and there was just something about the way he talksand holds himself, his charisma – he’s an incredibly charismatic actor that you just can’t help but be charmed by.We thought “He’d be great for that Dorian Grey thingy” of course at this point thinking it would just be a oneoff. Then by the time the series was commissioned, Alex was off doing films television and all sorts and we didn’tthink he’d want to come back and do this; well, I knew he wanted to, but I didn’t think he would be able toliterally find time to fit it in around his work in Cardiff. But he bit my hand off as soon as I mentioned it.MM: How did you originally become involved with and in “The Confessions of Dorian Grey”?Alex: It all started with being part of the Big Finish audio dramas with Scott and Gary. I did a couple of one ofspecials; there was a Galifrey episode where I played a Dracula type time lord thing, and after that I was askedback to do the Dr Who game with Gary directing: “The Gunpowder Plot” which was the BBC Dr Who stuff.After that Scott had this idea of doing a Benny Summerfield episode – a spin off of Dr Who – where I playDorian Grey; that Dorian Grey is a real person and the portrait is a real thing in this world and he doesn’t dielike he does in Oscar Wilde’s book. When we were doing the recording of that day, Scott came up to me and said“this would be great for a series” I just though yeah, yeah; “We’ll get in contact with you” he said and that was

about a year and a half ago. Then literally about 3-4 months ago he rang me up saying “Your agent’s going to get in touch with you, we’ve drawn up a contract it’s going to bea five part series of Dorian Grey”. I was surprised as I thought it was one of those pipeline dreams of Scott’s that would never come to anything. People always say to you “Ohyeah we’ll do a series of these” and I always think: I’ll believe it when the contract comes in. Then it just happened like that. I got a phone call from my agent and he sent mesome of the early scripts and it had a really good feel right from the beginning. I felt blessed really and humbled that he was thinking of me in that way and managed to pulloff a series. Of course at the time I hadn’t been cast in that way before and I don’t consider myself to me a name actor at all, I’m an at work actor, striving to keep continuouslyin work, because in this profession you go from job to job. So knowing that he was relying on me and hoping to pull off a series was like – well people don’t know me – it’s notlike Nicholas Briggs when he does Sherlock or Lisa Bowerman who does Benny Summerfield or the Dr Who’s where you’ve got Sylvester McCoy, you’ve got Paul McGann,you have all these great actors, people want to listen to them; they’ve been on the telly and they are named actors. I’m there thinking there’s me, an actor in this audio andpeople won’t have a Scooby who I’ll be. Then luckily, timing wise it’s all worked out because I ended up getting Merlin which is great for me as a brand really because Merlinhas such a large fan base that it sort of worked out best for everyone really that I’m in that and it will hopefully pull up the series as well.MM: With the character, because he’s so rooted in literary history, did you have a definite idea of where you wanted to take the character and how you wanted him toevolve from his meeting with Wilde, or did the writers have some leeway, the opportunity to take the character wherever they wanted?Scott: One of the important things about Dorian Grey both in the novel and in what we’ve done here is that the attitudes don’t really change. He doesn’t grow emotionallyand he doesn’t mature that much. So the situations he can be in are very adult, but he doesn’t respond in an emotionally mature way. He’s still just into himself and whateverhe can get from a situation. This makes him a perfect antihero because he can be incredibly kind and thoughtful in one situation and he can just turn with no warning intosomething quite dangerous, just because it suits him to do so. I think that because he has that attitude, because he has no emotional maturity, because he’s just out enjoying lifeand what it has to offer, it contrasts with stories of these weary immortals who are so tired of living for ever and just want release. Dorian has moments of that, moments wherehe is wallowing in self pity, but it’s over quickly and he’s back to himself again. That makes what we’re doing very exciting because there is no axe, there is no baggage.MM: So how did you approach playing Dorian because he’sseen as an entirely unsympathetic character; a man driven byselfishness and desire – a typical anti-hero. How do you givehim a sense of humanity and make him likeable?Alex: Well that’s the thing with being an actor really. Whetheryou’re playing a villain or someone who is loathed or loved youneed to find an in – a way in – for you to approach the character.For me, I did my research and I read the book, watched thefilms and for me, you have to believe in who he is and why he iswho is and why he’s there, you have to believe it or the audiencewon’t believe it. So for me, reading the book and doing myresearch- and especially when the scripts came in – it’s all fromhis perspective so Dorian, the way the episodes are written is asDorian telling his story. Dorian comes across in the episodes asbeing very understanding of what he considers to be his affliction–a curse he put on himself yes, but an affliction – I don’t knowit’s weird but for me you have to completely believe in your

character’s wants as an actor or, as I said, if you don’t believe it your audience won’t. So he is an antihero yes,but he’s also a hero and the way the series is written is brilliant. Episodes, each on their own the writers talkabout him being a low person. He has very likeable traits; there is an element of comedy –dark comedy – butthere is also an element of humbleness as well. Stories of Dorian falling in love – and it’s true love as well –then there is also Dorian being a right bastard as well, but he doesn’t come across as an anti-hero or like theDorian we know from the book who is very unsympathetic. What I tried to do as an actor was to try to lurethe audience into thinking he’s a good guy and hopefully that will come across in the series, that’s my aim.MM: Was there anything that you thought would be specifically off limits for the writers, places youdidn’t want them to go because it wouldn’t fit in with the way the character was originally developedand his lack of evolution as a human being…Scott: I’m trying to think if there was anything I ruled out… I think there was one suggestion that he mightbe sleeping with very young girls and we quickly said “ No, no, no, no, no” that was somewhere we didn’twant to go. Fundamentally though, if a writer can justify their actions in the context of the story then theycan take it wherever they want to go, as long as it’s tasteful.MM: Did you have an established story arc of ideas before you went out to commission writers for eachchapter or did the story develop with each writer?Scott: I think originally, I would have loved to write each and every one and I didn’t have the time andultimately I wanted them to be a success. So I approached a bunch of people and dropped the storyline into them and every single one of them surprised me. That was even more exciting because I was in the sameposition as the listener in the end, being surprised by twists and turns and experiencing it for the first time. I gave people storylines but I don’t think I really told people whatto write, they could go to whatever time period they wanted and they chose some pretty iconic settings, it was a bit of a free for all.MM: Grey is acknowledged as one of the first counter-culture icons; the antithesis of the popular view of the Victorian gentleman. So is it more fun to play the rascaland the rebel rather than more conventional characters?Alex: Yes completely. I’m blessed with a part like this. Yes it’s audio, but it would make a bloody good TV series as well. People are intrigued by people who have faults. It’slike Dr Who – the doctor is not perfect and the same with Merlin; Merlin has his faults and people like that, people don’t like perfection. I was lucky because they let me runloose on the character and let me bring things to it that weren’t on the page. I’m thrilled as a young actor that I’ve had the opportunity to do that?MM: Does being the lead make you feel an extra sense of responsibility and pressure or does it provide an additional sense of motivation and drive?Alex: Both. Like I said, when they told me about it I went “WHAT?” Could I take this by the neck on my own? Like when I’ve done episodes for Big Finish before it was alot easier finding your place because there are a lot of actors there and your part may be quite small so you find your place and your level in the group. With Dorian, when yourealise that you are 80% of the script it’s huge. I have to be honest I really enjoyed the studio days, there were really intense and we pretty much finished four or five episodesin two days, and it was up to me. I basically lived in the studio. It was like: feed and water the actor and put him back in the booth, but as an actor you don’t want to getcomfortable and you don’t want to rest on your laurels. I had to greet people in the studio which is something I’ve never done, usually I’m the one being greeted by the actorswho are running that episode. Now suddenly I’m in the studio greeting the actors – older actors, younger actors, and work with them. So it is a bit of both to answer yourquestion, it is a bit of worry and it is a bit of fear. It’s the unknown I suppose, whether this is going to be successful and whether I can pull it off. Then it’s the joy of having thechallenge and thinking yes this is brilliant.

MM: These stories are fairly unusual for Big Finish, in that they are all stand alone half hoursScott: We decided very early on, that as part of the attempt to find a younger audience for big finish thatwe would make these download only. Because of that, I just got to thinking about how I listened when I’mbumbling around. Actually it’s quite hard to fit in an hour drama when you’re on the bus or walking the dog,it takes a bit of time; whereas a half hour is a much neater duration to pick up and try out. Also it means wecan offer each episode at a nice little reduction. Each one is £2.99 where it would be much more for a wholehour. People can dip in and out, pick up the odd one and hopefully enjoy it. And for this kind of story, halfan hour is a nice pacey, atmospheric duration.MM: Was it challenging to try to tell the stories in 30 minutes when you’re used to having so muchlonger to expand?Scott: I think the challenge of writing in half hours effected Joe Lidster the most because he’s so used towriting for Big Finish and having an hour, or writing for tv and having half hour two parters with things likeSarah Jane and he was running out of time. So I just told them to keep it simple and not to over-complicatethings and we got some really quite nice scripts out of them.MM: How if at all do you think Dorian’s character evolves during the five chapters, or parts, of theseries?Alex: So much. His change is the thing. Because we have the convention that Scott set up that he is everpresentand eternal, he sees so much from the 1900s to the present day – you always think about things likewhat if I’d been there to see that moment – the fall of the Berlin Wall, the assassination of Kennedy –but he’sseen all of this. Do you know what I mean? He’s seen every landmark and every occasion from that period of time. That has to show on him as a person, so Dorian in episode5 is a very different character to Dorian in episode 1. He’s almost, over the supernatural by that point, he feels like he’s seen everything, so for me it’s about bringing that sortof fatigue in the world. In episode 1, Dorian is still trying to figure out what’s going on with him, why he isn’t dead. He’s visiting Oscar (Wilde) and he’s trying to figure outwhat his life is going to be like. He’s still trying to understand that this is going to be it. He’s going to be alive for ever. He could get killed in bombing in the Blitz, he couldthrow himself off a bridge, it doesn’t matter, and he’s always going to come back. Once he realises that, there’s something great about the scripts. I think there’s a pivotal pointin episode 3 when there is a turning point. He realises that he is alone and he’s going to have to embrace life rather than moan about it. There is a sense in the first couple ofepisodes that he feels this affliction, this curse and he blames everyone around him. When he gets to the end of the series he’s come to terms with that now and he is literallya much more grown up Dorian than he was at the start. It’s like in life, you go to nursery, primary school, comprehensive and university and all that time you’re developingyour character. By the time you get out of university your character’s pretty much formed, and that’s what happens over the five episodes of Dorian Grey. One of the thingsthat was most difficult is that because we recorded things out of order it was tricky for me to figure out which point we were at. The question I was asking Scott quite a lotwas “Scott, ah, tell me what happened just before this?” I was like: Where are we? Who am I ? What are we doing? My brain was a little bit fried by the end of it. I had to getmyself into a place where I’m thinking “how would I feel now if I were eternal? If I had this incredible supernatural thing going on meeting vampires and all this other crazystuff then suddenly you had to deal with this aspect of life –tricky. As an actor you cry for these challenges you beg for people to give you these kind of opportunities.MM: Which of the five stories do you think gives you the most insight into Dorian’s character and lets you see the man and not the myth?Alex: All of them really. When I got all the episodes through they came not in order. So I’m reading episode three first, then reading 4 then 1 and you pick your favourites: Ireally like that one, I’m not too sure about that one. Then when you read them again in order it’s completely different. It’s like: I never realised that scene would turn out that

way! So to answer your question not one of the episodes has a complete picture of Dorian, you get a little snippet here or there and by episode 2 hopefully we will havecompletely changed how you think about him, but if anything we’re keeping the audience guessing as you find out more and see a more complete picture – you might think “Ididn’t think he would end up like this!” but it’s all a part of Dorian growing up – not getting older – but growing up and building as a character and a person. For me there is atrait that is the theme of the episode. It may not be very clear to the audience, but for me I think each episode showcases a different element of Dorian’s mind. So we’re seeingDorian in love – proper love; then we’re seeing him with Oscar, with respect, then in 2007 with crazy clubbing. Dorian in a party in 1900 and then Dorian in a nightclub in2007, that’s fun to play. How Dorian sounds in a nightclub is really funny and great fun to play.MM: Did you find it quite daunting stepping into the big chair for this series; producer, director as well as writer?Scott: Everyone kept asking me what format I wanted, how it was going to work, which kind of put the pressure on me to write an episode, quickly so I could kind of showhow it could be done and how the series was going to work. Actually in terms of producing and directing, I’ve been producing some shows and some directing so it wasn’tmuch of a leap. It kind of made sense with the five stories, and I was the person who knew it the best and how to bring it together. We had a few troubles bringing togetherour Cardiff branch and it was daunting but we just had to get it done.MM: Before they come out, what titbits can you give us about each of the five stories?Scott: The first story is Dorian Grey in Paris where he meets Oscar Wilde on his deathbed and it’s a nice claustrophobic story told in Oscar’s hotel with Babylonian demonsand a lot of Oscar Wilde. We got Steffan Rhodri for Oscar, he’s a brilliant Welsh actor and when he came in he just blew us all away really. He absolutely nailed it. We’dworked together before so that was a nice bantering atmosphere. The second story is what I call the Sapphire and Steele adventure, all about ghost and spooky music halls andtaking place at the height of the London blitz…MM: That one was truly terrifying…Scott: That’s interesting… We’ve got this brilliant young girl who is brilliant at playing thisvulnerable gothic young girls who can then become quite malevolent, so that will be a very creepy,scary story. What can I say about the third one that doesn’t give anything away? We’ve got KatyManning in it playing a blast from Dorian’s past. Gary Russell came up with the idea for theChinese folklore and mythology because when he was a kid he was brought up in Singapore andknew a lot about the local folklore – magical dragons going round Singapore in the 60s, it seemedlike an appealing story for Dorian. Katy knew Gary so she agreed to do it and she came in andplayed it absolutely straight which was brilliant. My story, the fourth story pits Dorian against adifferent type of supernatural; a man, a lot like him – very charismatic, everyone flocks round himand I think it’s quite clear very early on he’s not what he seems, he’s an immortal like him. In someway it’s a love story in a totally non physical way. The love each other absolutely but there is not hintat all of anything even vaguely sexual about it, but it’s something that Dorian just doesn’t do withanyone else so it’s interesting to see how he deals with that; with that sense of terror he feels whenhe has to face his own humanity. The final episode, Charlie, is probably one of the most bonkersscripts I’ve ever read and certainly some of the most adult contend we’ve ever had to do. I rememberwhen he pitched it to me: set in 2007 just before the credit crunch, Dorian Grey just before thecredit crunch, being a banker, doing coke, living precariously which goes back to the original routesof hedonism in the source material. I think with this one it’s a very different kind of scare. There is alovely ambiguity to it where you are never quite sure what’s real and what’s not.

MM: Hopefully confessions will get a second series. If it does, how would you like to see Dorian develop?Alex: Well, I think that what’s great about the concept for this series is that he can do anything. He’s not a time traveller so there are some limits in terms of the time betweenwhen he was born and now. I’ve given Scott a couple of ideas I had where I was thinking “wouldn’t it be fun to see him in this situation?” which Scott duly agreed to. If it doesgo to a second I’ll be over the moon, privileged and honoured. We have a great ensemble cast and as much as I love doing the confessions the way Scott has set it up on myown mostly, but I’d love to have more of an ensemble cast. I think Scott came up with this brilliant idea of doing a musical which will be hilarious. That’s what’s great aboutthis series the possibilities are endless…MM: There’s also going to be a Christmas special isn’t there?Scott: Yes, this was an idea I had about Dorian Grey meeting Sherlock Holmes. Nicholas Briggs is coming up to Cardiff to record his encounter with Dorian Grey. When wefirst met Alex he was really into everything Sherlock Holmes and he’d loved Holmes v the Ripper so the idea of doing Dorian and Sherlock together was really exciting. It’s aproper Victorian Christmas mystery and a very Christmassy script.“The Confessions Of Dorian Gray” is out now, and is available from Big Finish Productions www.bigfinish.comM

‘Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same’, a brand new retro ode to fifties B-Movies (think ‘Plan 9 FromOuter Space’, ‘Teenagers From Mars’ etc.) Sci-Fi meets relationship drama finally gets a DVD release on November26th, and in the run up to it’s release, the Earthlings at Mass Movement decided it would be kind of fun and cool toask the director, Madeline Olnek and the main cast, Jackie Monahan, Susan Ziegler and Lisa Haas about the filmsthat changed their lives… So without further ado, folks, prepare for blast off…My Life In FilmJackie Monahan1. When I was 5 my Mom let me watch Amityville Horror with her. The opening scene depicts the father shooting all the young children intheir sleep, blood splattering everywhere. I was terrified and asked if this could really happen. She replied “it says it is a true story.” I wasnever the same and terrified of my father who growled often, had a terrible temper, and had guns2. Natural Born Killers was amazing to me. I loved the laugh track to the horrific scene with Rodney Dangerfield. I also loved how they madefun of the world creating heroes out of serial killers. Yet there was a Romanticism to Mickey and Mallory. I also loved seeing awoman kick ass3. Life is Beautiful- I loved this for somewhat the same reason as NBK, showing how important it is to make light of horrible situations. Ifyou can find a way to laugh about anything it erases the pain.4. Kill Bill. Made me take tae kwon do- Kung Fu was not in my hood, which saved my life. Another story entirely5. Codependent Lesbian Space Alien- I got to be in one of the greatest movies of all time and definitely the greatest lesbian movie of all time.That’s not my opinion, just repeating what I have heard and read.6.& 7.One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest along with Frances. Both of these movies changed my life for the same reason: it made me terrified thatit was possible to be MISTAKEN as insane and given a lobotomy!!!!8. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane- Made me fall in love with Bette Davis and buy every movie she ever made.9. Female Trouble- In Providence RI a small town Director put me in a bunch of local commercials that aired only in RI. He said I was meantto be in a John Waters film. I didn’t know who John Waters was so I rented a movie and fell in love. I felt normal for the first time, validatedthat there was someone out there as weird if not weirder than me.jump cut10. Sunset Boulevard- For every reason. Knowing not to hold on to the past and to keep striving to grow, to evolve. It was one of the first darkcomedies and I was riveted the moment it started.

My Life In FilmLisa Haas1. “Brazil” – I love that film can capture realism as well as fantasy and I love how director Terry Gilliam uses the medium to do both. Hisartistic aesthetic is fantabulous and funny. This film was way ahead of its time and reflects the repugnant values of western capitalisticculture.2. “What’s Up Doc?” – This movie is unbelievably fucking funny.3. “28 Days Later” – Someone told me this movie would flip my shit AND THEY WERE RIGHT. I am also extremely impressed by thecreation of the Zombie’s movement and the psychological effect the visual of this movement has.4. “Boys Don’t Cry” – I picked this film for the performances and the director’s dynamic and yet simple visual and textual choices for tellingthis story.5. “The Host” – I will never forget this film’s heart, horror, comedy and delicious looking meals.6. “South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut” This film is freakishly smart and funny.7. “District 9” – I cannot get this film out of my head because of the inventive creation and performances of the aliens, not to mention thesocial commentary and the lead actor Sharlto Copley’s performance.8. “High Anxiety” – If I had to pick only one reason why this film is on my list it would be because of Harvey Korman’s performance.9. “Precious” – This movie has unforgettable performances by the entire cast.10. “The Producers” – This films over-the-top, offensive parody is so brilliantly delivered. All the performances are fantastically funny withendless laugh-out-loud moments.jump cut

My Life In FilmMadeline Olnek1. STRANGER THAN PARADISE. When I saw this beautiful, profoundly moving and singularly humorous black and whitemovie I was blown away. I was in my early twenties and it was during the horrible Reagan/Bush years; subversiveness was somethingthat you could only see in the dimly-lit performance spaces I frequented in New York’s Lower East Side. I had never seen this kind ofsensibility on screen. I remember thinking, “If a movie could be like this, then I would like to make one.” I had the honor recently ofmeeting the filmmaker Jim Jarmusch when “Codependent” was nominated for a Gotham Award, and I was so flummoxed, all I couldsay was “I have your DVD!” (For the readers, it is in the Criterion Collection).2. I SHOT ANDY WARHOL. Is it possible that a movie based on the true story of the mentally ill woman who shot Andy Warhol could alsobe funny? A brilliant film, and for me, the one that captures the true feeling of weirdness of being a lesbian, assassin or not.3. HAPPY TOGETHER. I went through a period where I would watch “Happy Together” every night before I fell asleep. You canwatch Christopher Doyle’s cinematography a million times before you can even name the shots, since the effects of it are so powerfulon you, you are not even sure what you are seeing. Also, the narrative is spellbinding: a rocky romance between a gay couple fromHong Kong, who go to Argentina to visit a waterfall.4. HIDING AND SEEKING. This moving documentary is about an Orthodox Jewish father who is proud of his adult sons fortheir faith, but is worried when they start echoing views of religious extremists to be suspicious of the non-Jewish world. He takesthem to Poland to find the family who hid their grandfather during the Holocaust and saved his life, to show them the incrediblegoodness of these Christians towards their family. When I walked out of the theater, I thought about how many bad Hollywoodmovies I had seen where millions of dollars had been spent, and here I had seen something that looked like it had been shoton a home video camera and the Hollywood movies couldn’t hold a candle to it. It was an important lesson to me to never letproduction values become more important than the story you were attempting to look at.5. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (In Italian, i.e. the non-dubbed version). A simple fable (as it calls itself ) about love and what we will do for it, andthe power of imagination to transform our existence. Roberto Benigni’s movie was inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid,” which isanother movie about an adult and his child sidekick trying to fend for themselves in terrible times. The heart in this film is huge.6. THE GOLD RUSH. Charlie Chaplin’s working methods, painstakingly creating his movies on camera, take after take, made comic timingthat’s still as funny 100 years later.7. MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. I saw Monty Python over and over when I was 12 years old, and-- along withmany other people I knew-- could recite the dialogue from memory. The structure of this film gave each of the amazing Pythonmembers in it a chance for a “star turn” in a storyline of substance. Setting the film in King Arthur’s time has made it ageless in a waythat other comedies can only envy.

8. INLAND EMPIRE. David Lynch is acknowledged as a master of the hauntingly surreal, but not enough has been written abouthow laugh-out-loud funny his films are. I love this movie as much as his higher profile film, “Mullholland Drive.” “Inland Empire”includes a brilliant cameo from the great Grace Zabriski, who plays a demented & psychic busybody neighbor, as well as a theaterpiece that features an ironing rabbit.9. A MIGHTY WIND. A group of folk musicians from the 60’s have a reunion at Carnegie Hall. Christopher Guest shoots hisimprovised “mockumentary” comedies and then takes an entire year to edit them (an inspiration to me in my year-long editingprocess for “Codependent...”). I also admire the way he assembles an incredible cast of comedians and performers and has a stockcompany of sorts (something I’m lucky to have as well for my movies and plays).10. NIGHTS OF CABIRIA. I think this is Fellini’s greatest film as it does not deal with a jaded subject matter. Some of hisother movies are about decadence, but I took “Nights of Cabiria” as an incredible combination of Fellini’s formal knowledge offilmmaking and his brilliance in centering a movie around Giulieta Masina’s amazing performance. A great example of how aperformer can give a movie meaning.dissolveMy Life In FilmSusan Ziegler1. White Christmas – As a preteen I discovered this film one night around Christmas. I was by myself and it was on TV. It was likediscovering a secret. So perfect: the songs, the dancing, the romance. I fell in love with Rosemary Clooney.2. Tootsie – This is the first film I consciously studied when I decided to become an actress.3. The Godfather – Story, story story…. acting… design…. Did I say story?4. The Godfather II – That damn story thing again… The scene with Robert DeNiro’s Don Corleone and his wife when he brings home thepear… one of my favorites.5. The Big Lebowski – I can’t stop watching it…6. Pride & Prejudice – the 6 hour A&E version – This version actually captures the book, because it ‘allows’ itself the luxury of 6 hours to tellthe story. A great cast. Alison Steadman and David Bamber are delicious… as is the discovery of Colin Firth.

7. The Women – 1939 version – I don’t think I really need to explain this choice, do I?8. Let The Right One In – Swedish version – This film is beautiful, haunting and uncompromising.9. La Femme Nikita – the French version – This film made me feel powerful…. and that I had options.cut10. Near Dark – Just damn fun.It Ruined My Life...“What’s the one thing that changed your life completely, how did it affect you and why did it change your life?”Luckily, nothing has ruined my life. Actually, my life is pretty amazing! I live in both LA and New York City and I am given theopportunity to travel the world with both my stand up and movies. I have an amazing partner and the best of friends.What has tried to ruin my life is Math. I almost didn’t graduate high school because of trigonometry, which was mandatory.I had totake algebra twice, then geometry and finally trigonometry. These three classes almost triggered me to have a heart attack at 17 yearsold. In college the same routine continued with math being required to graduate. They added insult to injury, however, and addedscience to that!I did almost die, which would have ruined my life, by falling off a cliff in Yosemite park, but my dad caught my arm. I almost diedbecause my grandmother made me pajamas sleeves to tight and I was turning blue. I almost died because I had an allergic reaction tochicken pox. I almost died because I was choking on a burger and my parents ignored me so a stranger had to grab me to administerthe Heimlich maneuver. I could have died because my parents left me alone at age three in a condo without electric socket covers norcabinet locks, but I survived and thrived!!!Nothing can ruin someones life when they have the attitude of what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. I hope nothing has ruinedanyone’s lives who is reading this. So please don’t read this while crossing the street , near the edge of a building, or driving.Jackie Monahancut

It Ruined My Life...“What’s the one thing that changed your life completely, how did it affect you and why did it change your life?”When I quit smoking. I’m not kidding. I can’t really say that it ruined my life, but it certainly changed it. I hated the addiction part,but I loved smoking. I never miss a chance to sit next to a smoker.Susan ZieglercutThe Review...Approaching Madeleine Olnek’s homage to the 50’s cult b-movie, CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME, isquite a surreal experience, similar I am sure to how one feels whilst actually watching the film.Although in black and white, the characters in this quick, witty, clever comedy fill the screen with colour as the audience follows aset of lesbian aliens from the planet Zots who are sent to Earth to fall in love and have their hearts broken by fellow humans. Thereason for this, we are told, is because they feel too many emotions back on their home planet and they are slowly killing the o-zonelayer, which keeps them safe. Perhaps this is Olnek’s own chance to talk about current scientific issues, but it appears to be about asimportant to plot as the trees are in Shyamalan’s THE HAPPENING.When we gradually find ourselves on Earth, we are introduced to stationary shop worker, Jane (Lisa Haas) who leads a very quietand solitary life, with nothing very exciting happening to her. That is until she meets and falls in love with a space alien, Zoinx(Susan Ziegler). As well as Zoinx, two other aliens, Zylar (the hysterical Jackie Monahan) and Barr (Cynthia Kaplan) have come toEarth. One of the highlights of the film is the dating sequence during which Zylar and Barr meet a variety of women on first dates,these moments stand out throughout the film as really strong comedy, but it’s just a slight shame that they don’t consistently appearthroughout the film.Another strong element of the film are the ways in which Olnek strongly suggests the 1950’s style; from the foil space ship to its use oftechnology throughout. As well as this, the style of comedy used throughout the film in inherently ‘cheesy’ and yet you forgive the filmof this very quickly because of the verisimilitude that the world is set within. From showing your love by touching your partner nose tofeeling emotion around cheesecake; the film is filled with these oddball ideas, which are quirky and yet cute.During these stories of the aliens, there is also a side story following the two men in black (Dennis Davis and Alex Karpovsky, who iscurrently in HBO’s GIRLS) who are secret agents in search of extra-terrestrial life on Earth. Most of their scenes hint that the youngeragent may actually be an alien himself, but their conversations only add to the Lynchian affects throughout the film. He asks bigquestions about life, but the film does not suggest any major answers.

All in all, CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME is reminiscent of films like CONEHEADS and MARSATTACKS! and hugely succeeds in making an audience laugh and is a fresh look at the alien-falls-to-Earth film, worth a look.Available now from-Amazon: http://amzn.to/PUKVHGPlay: http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/35602001/0/Codependent-Lesbian-Space-Alien-Seeks-Same/ListingDetails.htmlMartin CrisisWe’ve for three copies of the DVD and T-Shirts to giveaway to anyone who can answer the following question…Q. What planet do the lesbian aliens come from?Send your answer along with your name and address to info@massmovement.co.uk .It’s first come, first served, so get mailing!

REVIEWS

AudioBooks

Bloodquest: Prisoners Of The Eye Of Terror – Narrated by David Timpson, Performed by Tim Bentinck, Saul Reichlin, Gareth Armstrong & ChrisFarbank & Written by Ben Counter – CD / Download (Black Library www.blacklibrary.com)There’s something, no matter what the setting, about a good old fashioned, rip roaring adventure yarn that gets my adrenaline pumping, makes my bloodflow that little bit quicker and causes every neuron, synapse and nerve to fire faster. Make no mistake, stylistically, ‘Prisoners Of The Eye OF Terror’ is anadventure story, a tale of honour and redemption that’s cut from the same cloth as ‘The Four Feathers’, both tales revolving around facing near impossibleodds to restore what was lost with the central character seeking to redeem himself in the eyes of his friends and brothers. Instead of being set in the Sudanand featuring the British Army, natives, muskets and blades, ‘Prisoners Of The Eye Of Terror’ is set on the demon world of Eidolon, and features spacemarines, creatures born of the warp, bolters, chain swords and unmitigated amounts of brutal violence. Having lost one of his chapters sacred relics, CaptainLeonatus of the Blood Angels and his comrades in arms, have been exiled by their brothers, unable to return until they find what was lost and restore their honour, a quest thatmeans more to each of them than life itself, and it’s this quest that takes them to Eidolon. And it’s on Eidolon that they find themselves re-paying an old debt, it’s on Eidolon thatthe Angels battle daemon gaolers and it’s on Eidolon that they face betrayal at the hands of those they trust the most. Leonatus in his determination to seek that which he lost,almost has an air of melancholy and tragedy that’s reminiscent of the ancient heroes of folklore and mythology, and is driven by the same sense of purpose as Jason, Odysseus,Beowulf and Heracles, a man whose fate is not his own to decide, and it’s this powerful characterisation that drives the plot and pace forward at an incredible speed, delivering, inthe process, one hell of a story. Hail Leonatus, a true hero of the Emperor… Tim Mass MovementGarro: Sword Of Truth – Performed by John Banks, Toby Longworth & Ramon Tikaram & Written by James Swallow – 2xCD / Download (Black Library www.blacklibrary.com)Nathaniel Garro, former Death Guard, shadow bound agent of the Sigillite and his sworn comrade in arms, the Psyker and former Ultramarine Tylos Rubio, return to the battleonce more to root out destroy the enemies of the Emperor, wherever they may be lurking. In the ‘Sword Of Truth’, those enemies may be lurking in a fleet of ships that hasappeared on the edge of the Solar System, but then again, the fleet may just what they claim to be, loyal marines and civilians fleeing the terror and destruction that follows inHorus’ wake as he gradually builds his forces before turning his attentions toward Terra. Recruited by one of the Emperors Custodians at the behest of Malcador The Sigillite,Garro and Rubio must determine exactly who the mysterious fleet answers to, The Emperor or the traitor Horus, and as they attempt to find the answer, they find themselvesdescending into a nightmare of true and false allegiances, a nightmare in which nothing is what it seems to be, a nightmare in which only the fidelity and honour of a Marinesword can be believed, and in which Oaths sworn to chapters now mean nothing. James Swallow’s latest Garro story is his best yet, a twisting, turning tale in which tension isused as a blunt edged weapon, battering the listener one way and then another, as the betrayal unfolds and the war for the future of the Empire finally arrives in the Solar System.The cast are, as ever, superb, particularly Toby Longworth as Garro, ensuring that the drama, characters and conflict are brought to combat ready life in a beautiful cacophony ofviolence, blood, honour, belief and pain. ‘Sword Of Truth’ is Garro’s finest hour… Tim Mass MovementIris Wildthyme: Series Three – Starring Katy Manning, David Benson, Chris Allen, Scott Handcock, Dolly Oladini, Tony Coburn, Tom Rees-Kaye, Marcus Hutton, Roger Parrott, Stewart Bevan, Sophie Melville & Written by Cavan Scott, Guy Adams and George Mann – 3xCD /Download (Big Finish Productions www.bigfinish.com )What can I say that hasn’t already been said about the temporal adventuress who wanders time and space in an old double decker bus, drinking,carousing and righting universal wrongs with her best friend, a diminutive talking stuffed panda with a penchant for gin and scantily clad girls andpossesses a rapier wit and murderous ability to humiliate and castigate anyone and everyone who crosses paths with the pair, that is Iris and Panda.Truthfully? I don’t know, but I’m going to jolly well give it a shot anyway, so let’s begin shall we…. Thus time, Iris and Panda find themselves caughtup in an elaborate mind swap scheme just as the world on which they’re trapped is about to be destroyed in an unconventional manner by one of theold one a being from the beginning of time, then find themselves caught up in extra dimensional shenanigans with a thirties style paranormal pulpinvestigator and an amateur aristocratic occultist whose meddling in the black and fiendish arts has smashed a hole in the fabric of reality and finally,in a wonderful pastiche of a well known television staple, Iris and Panda have to solve a series of murders in a rural English countryside, murders that defy terrestrial logic andmay or may not, if only Iris can remember, involve a lost weekend in Jersey. Funny, engaging and constantly entertaining, Iris Wildthyme gently makes fun of the conventions onmodern entertainment and culture, both alternative and mainstream, while embracing it a d clutching it tight to it’s comedic chest, and in doing so has created a series that’s bothunique and utterly addictive. Katy Manning and David Benson are fantastic as Iris and Panda, forging an incredible, almost lovingly dysfunction relationship between the twolead characters which lets the audience throw caution to the wind and dive into each and every tale with the same reckless abandon and sense of fun as Iris and Panda. Bloodymarvellous stuff, now chop, chop old chap, mines a large G&T, the bus is about to depart and only a fool would miss it. After all, Iris is at the wheel… Tim Mass Movement

Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes Collection 5: 1967 – 1969 – Starring Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury & DeborahWatling – 15xCD / Download (AudioGo www.audiogo.com/uk)This history of television, much like history as a whole, has followed a crooked path full of potholes and bumps, a path that has caught even themost popular of shows unawares. Take Doctor Who for instance. The BBC once saw it is a throwaway series, and convinced that there was nodomestic repeat market for it, wiped or junked a lot of classic stories. If only they’d been able to foretell the future, the rise of the home video andDVD markets, things might have been a lot different, but idle wishes that revolve around all the still lost episodes being discovered in some hiddenTV vault aside, at least the soundtracks to all of the missing shows still exist, and thanks to AudioGo re-releasing them, we can at last experiencesomething that we never thought we’d be able to, the legendary missing and lost episodes. Volume Five, collects the last of these episodes togetherand all the stories present in the collection are Second Doctor tales, covering the period up to, and including his penultimate story, ‘The SpacePirates’. Taken as a whole, the stories are great, ‘The Web Of Fear’, in which The Doctor, Victoria and Jamie once again face the Yeti and TheGreat Intelligence, this time in the London Underground, is a particular favourite as it sets the tone for the future of Doctor Who, allowing it togradually become darker, more daring and much more frightening. Oh, and it also introduces a certain Colonel Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart tothe Whoniverse. As I’ve already said, it’s a personal favourite. Both ‘The Wheel In Space’ (which also introduces new companion Zoe) and ‘The Invasion’ (which has also beenreleased on DVD, the missing episodes having been animated, and introduces UNIT to the show) find the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe facing one of their most deadly foes, TheCybermen, the former on a space station in the far future and the later in sixties London, both great stories, full of tension, excitement, plot twist and turns, with ‘The Invasion’being a sublime lesson in the art of the slow burn, gradually increasing the nervous excitement until it explodes in an orgy of gunfire, missiles and death as UNIT face theCybermen in battle. ‘The Web Of Fear’ is a surprisingly effective eco-thriller, which I suspect, given the nature of the monster rising from the depths of the ocean to take over thehuman race, actually works better as an audio production, as it allows the audience to focus on the story rather than the creature, and the story is, believe it or not, rather goodindeed and far ahead of it’s time in the ideas that it explores and utilises, emphasising as it does, the need to establish some sort of balance between technological evolution andthe welfare of the planet. ‘The Space Pirates’ is a an old fashioned, square jawed hero, nineteen thirties cliff-hanger type space adventure in which The Doctor and his companionshelp find, fight and defeat a band of marauding intergalactic pirates, prove a mans innocence and reunite a daughter and her long last, previously thought dead, father. It’sentirely predictable, but also thoroughly entertaining. Lastly there’s ‘The Enemy Of The World’, which is okay, a so-so political thriller, and if you can excuse Patrick Troughton’smoustache twirling accent (he plays the villain as well as the hero in this particular tale. Neat little plot twist huh?), you’ll enjoy it for what it is, a slice of fun hokum that’s a lotmore enjoyable than it should be given the premise and set up. All in all, it’s another fantastic collection that’ll you spend days listening to and will, inevitably, return to time andtime again. This is the history that dreams are made of… Tim Mass MovementDoctor Who: The Acheron Pulse – Starring Colin Baker, James Wilby, Joseph Kloska, Jane Slavin, Chris Porter, John Banks, ChookSibtain,Carol Noakes & Written by Rick Briggs – 2xCD / Download (Big Finish Productions www.bigfinish.com)There’s something special about the middle act of trilogy, and its often regarded as being the most important segment, the central space in whichanything can, and most likely will, happen. Don’t believe me? What about the revelation of parenthood in quite possibly the most famous middleact of all time? Did you see that one coming? No one did, because even The Beard gets a little crazy now and then, and talking about getting crazyin the middle, ‘The Acheron Pulse’ does a pretty good job of sticking to the second act blue prints, upping the ante before the curtain finally falls inpart three. The Doctor (old Sixy this time), having been waylaid as he always is, returns to the Drashani Empire determined to keep the promise hemade to Tuvold at the end of ‘The Burning Prince’. However, three decades have passed and the little girl he swore to look after is now the Empress,an Empress whose Empire is at war and gradually being whittled away, piece by piece by The Wrath and their Warlord leader, Tenebris, whose allconsuming hatred for all Drashani fuels his brutal, unrelenting campaign of attrition and destruction. The Doctor arrives during a trade missionwhich the Empress is attending in secret, and as negotiations begin, The Wrath and Tenebris arrive, and all hell breaks loose. With the DrashaniEmpire on the verge of extinction, the Doctor struggles to discover who and what Tenebris and The Wrath are before they can turn their ultimate weapon, the dreaded AcheronPulse, on the heart of the Empire and extinguish its light forever. It’s all systems go time with ‘The Acheron Pulse’, a tale of revenge, political machination and manipulation, loss,redemption and sorrow that’s fuelled by near constant action and a blistering pace. Okay, so the big reveal and secret is fairly obvious to anyone familiar with ‘The Burning Prince’,but you know, it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t spoil the story, in fact, if anything, it increases the tension as the expectation mounts as the finale draws ever nearer. ‘The Acheron Pulse’is the perfect middle act, and having raised the game to a fevered level, I only hope that the final act, ‘The Shadow Heart’ can capitalise on its predecessors successes. I await itsarrival with baited breath… Tim Mass Movement

Doctor Who: The Empty House – Written by Simon Guerrier & Read by Raquel Cassidy – CD / Download (AudioGo www.audiogo.com/uk)The Empty House? That title is more than a little familiar, as it’s also the title of the story in which Holmes returns from “the grave”, but that’swhere the similarity begins, and ends, as The Doctor, far from returning from the land of the dead, only narrowly avoids (look, it isn’t a spoileras you know as well as I do that The Doctor isn’t going to die, and as we know how she ends her days, it’s a pretty safe bet that Pond will make itthrough to the end as well) booking both Amy and himself one way tickets to the country beyond the veil as the events in ‘The Empty House’unfold. After being forced to land, either through a lightning strike or collision, our favourite Timelord isn’t sure at this point, in Hampshire in1927 in one of the worst storms in living memory, The Doctor, Amy and Rory, stumble across a crashed spaceship (which cements the collisiontheory in The Doctors mind), and having explored it, decide to set off in search of it’s crew. In the meantime, Rory has disappeared, and whilstsearching for him, The Doctor and Amy find an apparently deserted cottage. Except, Amy can hear Rory’s voice, can feel that he’s there, in thecottage with them, and what happened to the inhabitants of the cottage? And the crashed ships crew? And will whatever happened to the othershappen to The Doctor and Amy as well? And why can Amy see Rory through a window, see him guarded by monsters with very big guns? There’sa showdown on its way and unless The Doctor ca figure out what’s going on before it happens, things are going to get very, very messy. ‘The Empty House’ is a pretty straightforward Who story, that feels more like a classic series tale rather than a new series one, but maybe that’s what makes it so much fun, the fact that Simon Guerrier mashes oldand new together, forcing them to get along at pen point, which unsurprisingly, they do. Ger along that is. In fact, they get along rather well, leaving me slightly bereft when it allended, in my opinion, a little too soon. Still, that’s the thing about travelling in time, you can go back and do it all over again thanks to that nifty little invention, the play button.Now bear with me, I just press here, and we’re off… Tim Mass MovementDoctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: The Last Post – Starring Caroline John & Rowena Cooper & Written by James Goss – CD / Download (Big FinishProductions www.bigfinish.com)It’s heartbreaking knowing that, due to the untimely death of Caroline John, ‘The Last Post’ will be the last of the Liz Shaw Companion Chronicles. Caroline, and Liz’s, voicewill be missed by fans everywhere, and her passing has left a hole in the lives and hearts and family, friends and fans alike. She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.Knowing that this was Caroline’s last performance as Liz, I approached ‘The Last Post’ with caution, not knowing how I’d feel about it, or whether I’d enjoy it or not given that itwill forever be known as Liz Shaw’s final adventure. That’s a heavy burden for any production to carry, but the show, as it so often has, must go on. The play, as I’ve come to expectfrom Liz Shaw tales, is a rip-roaring affair, a devilishly well thought out and plotted conspiracy drama involving multiple murder, secret government committees and incredibletechnology that as well as introducing Liz’s mother, evolves slowly, spanning almost the entirety of the time (and riffs on the original TV series throughout it’s duration, which is alovely and very welcome touch and adds both a sense of history and time to the tale) that Liz spent with The Doctor. Superbly written and performed, it’s a wonderful testamentto Caroline John, and the icing on a legacy that will endure for years to come. Goodbye Liz, we’ll miss you… Tim Mass MovementDoctor Who: The Visitation – Written by Eric Saward & Read by Matthew Waterhouse – 3xCD / Download (AudioGo www.audiogo.com/uk)I don’t know who or what is choosing which Target novels to adapt for audio, but I’m becoming slightly worried by “their” choices, as they’reconsistently picking some of my favourite stories. A lesser fellow might find himself descending into paranoia, constantly looking over his shoulder to seewho was following him, listening intently for the tell-tale beeps and clicks that would indicate he’d been bugged every time he made a phone call, and ifhe was properly crazy, he may even be tempted to go down the tinfoil hat avenue in a vain attempt to prevent his brainwaves being scanned. But, I’m nota lesser fellow and I’m not crazy (honestly), so I’ll just thank fate and the Universe for the good fortune for letting me lose myself in ‘The Visitation’ fora few hours. ‘The Visitation’, for me, was one of the stronger stories in the Fifth Doctor’s first series, as The Doctor, trying to get Teegan home, lands inHeathrow three centuries too early, and, along with his companions Adric, Nyssa and Teegan, becomes entangled in a plot hatched by the survivors of acrashed alien ship (who have subjugated through mind control, or killed, all the local “primitives’) that if successful, would see humanity wiped from theface from the earth. It’s a fast paced, well written and plotted, fun combination of two Who staples, the historical and fantastic, delivering a perfect mix of history, monsters andadventure, features one of the most creative (in my opinion) endings in the shows history, and works as well on audio as it did on television. It’s also given me an overwhelmingsense of joy to know that the most cherished and well read of all my Target novelisations, has, thanks in no small part to the dramatic, inventive and energetic delivery of the storyby Matthew ‘Adric’ Waterhouse, been transformed into one of the best (easily in the top five) classic Who audio books that the BBC and AudioGo have released. Marvellousstuff, absolutely marvellous… Tim Mass Movement

Doctor Who: The Wheel Of Ice – Written by Stephen Baxter & Read by David Troughton – 8xCD / Download (AudioGo www.audiogo.com/uk)A brand new Second Doctor story written by Stephen Baxter? One of my favourite authors crafting a new novel about, and centred around, oneof my favourite characters, and one of my favourite incarnations of said character? Sometimes, just sometimes, Fate and the Universe conspire toallow a collision of rare and beautiful fortune that ultimately results in the creation of something incredible, something breathtaking, and as DaveBowman once said, “Something wonderful” And ‘The Wheel Of Ice’ really is wonderful. It’s a tale that spans six billion years, involving ancientalien artefacts, artificial intelligence, first contact with an extra terrestrial intelligence encased in a story about the first mining colony in the orbitaround Saturn and the political and corporate realities such a venture would entail and involve, and the colonists, their relationships and lives,whose duty it is to ensure that the colony actually works. Or at least, did work until two species, separated by time and space different in everyconceivable way, finally meet (and not by coincidence….) on a moon orbiting a gas giant which in turn is orbiting an insignificant star in a tinybackwater galaxy, a galaxy that’s just one of billions in the Universe. Honestly, I would love nothing more than to explore the minutia of a DoctorWho adventure that’s a good old fashioned Science Fiction story, that makes the fantastic seem almost real through the foundation of ideas, concept and theory that lie at theheart of ‘The Wheel Of Ice’, all of which are explored through the medium of a fantastic, gripping and highly emotive, and emotional, story. But I won’t. This time folks, I reallydo mean it when I say I’m not going to offer any spoilers, mainly because I don’t want to ruin a single moment of this incredible story for any of you, but also because I’m afraidthat if I start talking about ‘The Wheel Of Ice’, then I just might not be able to stop. So, I’m not going to place myself in temptations path, and that way I wont get bogged downin detail and you won’t get bored by my incessant rambling and babbling about the disparate, interwoven and connected elements that make ‘The Wheel Of Ice’ one of the bestWho stories I’ve stumbled across in a long, long time. Bowman was right. It really is something wonderful… Tim Mass MovementDoctor Who: Voyage To Venus – Starring Colin Baker, Trevor Baxter, Christopher Benjamin, Catherine Harvey, Hugh Ross, CharlieNorfolk & Juliet Aubrey & Written by Jonathan Morris – CD / Download (Big Finish Productions www.bigfinish.com)It’s about damn time. I’ve been waiting for this day for many a moon, waiting patiently without complaint I may add. What day you ask? Why, theday when Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot finally get to travel in the Tardis with the The Doctor, that day sir, that day, and I’m as pleasedas the glue on Billy Shatner’s wig that it’s arrived! ‘Voyage To Venus’ begins as the last series Jago And Litefoot ended, with Henry and Georgeventuring off to parts unknown with the Doctor in his marvellous machine, except we now know where they were headed, Venus. Arriving onEarth’s nearest neighbour in the far future, our heroes are promptly captured by Venusians, taken to their floating city, become embroiled in allmanner of political shenanigans and are then caught up in war between the Venusians and the original inhabitants of Venus (I know it soundsconfusing, but it isn’t, it’s all part of this wonderful ode to the golden age of science fiction), which, while new and decidedly rum territory for theVictorian vanquishers of supernatural and mysterious villainy, is all in days work for The Doctor. ‘Voyage To Venus’ is a wonderful steam-punkcombination of it influences, namely Edgar Rice Burroughs, Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon and HG Wells, a love letter to nearly forgotten talesof rockets ships, mysterious planets, ray gun wielding arch villains and daring do, square jawed hero’s, that’s played for fun, and is, without a doubt,overwhelmingly enjoyable from beginning to end, capturing both the essence and spirit of the halcyon era of a genre that was ultimately responsible for Doctor Who. By gad itwas worth waiting for and no mistake. Encore I say, encore! Tim Mass Movement

Books

Avengers: X-Sanction – Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuiness (Marvel / Panini)Imagine standing on a cliff edge, knowing that if you jump, there’s a good chance that you’ll land in the sea, and that the moments between jumping andentering the water are some of the most exciting that you’ll ever experience, and that if you walk away, it’ll jus be another point in your life, a short blip intime, on that you probably won’t even remember in a couple of weeks time. That’s how, after reading it, I feel about ‘X-Sanction’. On the one hand, it sets thescene for Marvel’s latest, and according to reviews, greatest major event, ‘Avengers Versus X-Men’, as Cable hunts down and attempts to punish The Avengersfor something that they haven’t yet done, but will do, something very, very bad, which puts the entire future at risk. Something that involves Cable’s daughter,Hope. Something that Cable, rapidly succumbing to the Techno-Virus that always been a part of him, is determined to stop before he does. Stop, that is, orif you prefer it in more simple terms, before he dies. Oh, and I’m well aware that I’m using the word ‘something’ a little too much, but as this is a spoiler freezone kids, sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Still with me? Good. As I said, as a skirmish that leads into a full blown battle, it’s a great book, andwho doesn’t want to see a tooled up Cable going toe-to-toe with Captain America? That’s one of those dream fights that you discuss at length over a pint or five. So, yeah, in theseconds between cliff and water, ‘X-Sanction’ is damn fine read, but when it comes to the eventual stroll, there’s not really enough to maintain the casual readers interest. Thestory, due to the nature, of the book is little light, and the flitting between time lines can be a little confusing, and if you have no intention of rabidly devouring ‘Avengers VersusX-Men’, then maybe you should walk away, as there’s nothing for you here. If, however, like me, you can’t wait to see Marvel’s premier teams beat the living hell out of each other,then kids, ‘X-Sanction’ is essential reading. What are you waiting for? There’s a war on it’s way… Tim Mass MovementBesieged (Book one of the Outcast Chronicles) Rowena Cory Daniels (Solaris)Without a doubt one of the best opening instalments of a trilogy I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The backdrop is absolutely beautiful, Daniels has createda brilliantly described world that’s incredibly easy to get lost in, superb races, Mieren referred to as True Men, T’en a race of silver haired six fingered and toedgift empowered humanoids, feared and hated by the hugely more populated Mieren and the Malajune, a copper haired half blood sub-species subservient to theT’en , also hated by Meiren.The politics and hierarchy within all of the races is complex and very deeply set, and the history that fuelled the political system is explained throughout,without confusion or distracting the reader from the tale being told. The real beauty of this novel though, lies in the authors skill and ability when it comes tobalancing everything from the ruthless, power hungry King Charald of the Mieren race to the innocent, compassionate Imoshen of the T’en race trciling downto characters only used very briefly, subtle hints leading me to believe that they’ll assume a much larger role in the coming novels, through to events and thegrowth of individual characters and the influence of their environments and described upbringings. Everything you could ever ask for in a fantasy novel is here in abundance. Myonly two pieces of advice would be to firstly, take note at the beginning of some chapters when the year is mentioned as at some points, Daniels skips years, this does help the paceof the novel greatly instead of bogging it down with unnecessary description that’s of no importance, and secondly, clear a large chunk of time to read ‘Besieged’ because once youturn that first page you really won’t be able to put it down… Gav.Shadows Of Treachery – Edited by Christian Dunn & Nick Kyme (Black Library www.blacklibrary.com )History shapes destiny, forges the future and is, as a wise man once said, written by the victor. But what would history be without war? The history of our species is littered withthe corpses of the fallen, soldiers and civilians, men, women and children, sacrificed on the altar of conflict so that the freedom of the victorious can be maintained. But if historyis written by the triumphant, who in defeating their foes malign them for all eternity, as all who wage war do so in the belief that they right, and that being the case which of uscan actually say with any degree of certainty that the right side always wins? Thankfully, there is no such conflict for the reader when it comes to The Horus Heresy, the far futurecivil war waged between forces corrupted by the Dark Gods of the Warp and Chaos and those loyal to the Imperium of Humanity, as this is a war that rages between good andevil, and even if the lines that separate the two occasionally blur (as they do in Dembski-Bowden’s ‘Prince Of Crows’, which humanises the central characters, gives them soul,purpose and meaning and makes you root for the bad guys), the line always exists, separating both sides and ensuring that the only way the war will end, is in victory. No peaceaccords, or ceasefires, victory earned the old fashioned way, soaked in blood and earned on the field of battle. ‘Shadows Of Treason’ chronicles tiny segments of the Heresy, briefsnippets of battle and glimpses into the lives of the men who wage the war, whether it’s Dan Abnett’s incredible ‘The Lightning Tower’, which explores the mind set, character,belief system and motivational drive of Rogal Dorn as he prepares to face the armies of Horus as they advance on Terra, the aforementioned, ‘Prince Of Crows’ ( a personalfavourite), what happened to Corax and the Raven Guard on Istvaan V, the first real encounter of the Heresy (‘Raven’s Flight’), the shifting allegiance of the Mechanicum (‘TheKaban Project’) or the tale of the Battle of Phal, when the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors tired to burn each other from the heavens ( ‘The Crimson Fist’), each story completelyimmerses the reader in the war for the soul of humanity, burning the names and deeds of each and every warrior, regardless of the side they’ve taken, deep into the readerscerebellum. The future takes shape as the Universe burns, make sure you book yourself a ringside seat and lose yourself in ‘The Shadows Of Treachery’… Tim Mass Movement

Terra Tempo: The Four Corners Of Time – David Shapiro, Christopher Herndon & Erica Melville (Craigmore Creations www.craigmorecreations.com)Wow. Okay…Wow. Folks, bear with me a minute, as you know, it’s not often that I’m at a loss for words, but ‘Terra Tempo: The Four Corners Of Time’ hasknocked the wind out of my sails and then some, so bear with me while I try to regain my bearings and explain why it’s hit me for six. ‘The Four Corners OfTime’, the second Terra Tempo title (I know, I know, how on Earth did I miss the first?) charts the continuing adventures of Jenna, Caleb and Ari, three childrenwho, in the previous adventure ‘Ice Age Cataclysm’ stumbled across a map that allowed them to travel back in time to the Ice Age, and while on holiday inArizona, discover another map of the Colorado Plateau, a map buried for 200 millions years, that allows them to travel up to 500 million years into the past,and while travelling through time and the gradually evolving landscape, they stumble across the truth about the maps. A terrible truth they find themselvesentangled in. The maps were created, used and exploited by two rival groups, one interested only in learning about the Earth, its creatures and environment,motivated solely by the acquisition of knowledge, The Geosophists, and the other, an organisation whose primary goal is exploitation, exploitation of the planetand it’s resources, motivated solely by greed and profit, the Treasure Hunters. Having discovered the origin of the maps, the children find themselves caught up in a race against,and through time, as they desperately attempt to escape, and protect their map from, the Treasure Hunters. Sounds great so far doesn’t it? Well, boys and girls, that’s only half thestory, as author David Shapiro has also managed to cram the book full of incredible information, detailing geological development and history, dinosaur, mammalian and plantevolution, Native American mythology and folklore and near forgotten hero’s of historical American literature and art. And this is where I sort of became stuck, trying to find away to best convey just how good ‘The Four Corners Of Time’ is, what a unique experience diving into and submerging yourself in its pages is, and the best I can come up withis this. Imagine if Herge had written ‘Look & Learn’ , if he’d allowed Tin Tin to become the central figure in that magazine, and later on, compendium, if he’d been allowed todo that and had been guided by a think tank of geologists, botanists, palaeontologists and pulp adventure writers, then the finished product, that would have been the ‘The FourCorners Of Time’. Don’t be constrained by what you perceive as normal folks, try something a little different, something outside of the established patterns of the four colourworld and spend an afternoon with Terra Tempo. Like the best of us, it’s very different, but it’s also very, very cool… Tim Mass MovementDoctor Who: The Child Of Time – Jonathan Morris, Martin Geraghty & Dan McDaid (Panini)Change, believe it or not, is good. Without change, Doctor Who would have died a lonely, quiet death toward the tail end of the sixties, loved by many, butmissed by few, it would have disappeared into the cold hard night of television history as William Hartnell, unable to play the role anymore would haveeventually been forced to, whether he wanted to or not, retire and thus the Doctor would also have been forced to retire. But someone, somewhere, a figurewhose name is known by people far more knowledgeable about the Whoniverse than I, considered the concept of change and how it could be applied toDoctor Who, and in doing so, invented the idea of regeneration, a physical change that could pass the role of the Doctor from one actor to another and thusallow the show to continue unfettered. Which brings us to ‘The Child Of Time’, the first collected (from the pages of ‘Doctor Who Magazine’) volume of theEleventh Doctor’s adventures, and having emerged from a full days immersion in it’s pages, I can, with full authority freely declare that we’re off to one hell ofa start! This time around, the creative reigns for the arc that the book is built around, ‘The Child Of Time’ were handed over to Jonathan Morris, a hero of theWho Franchise, steeped in, and having written a lot of, Who history and canonicity, so the strip (the stories are strip based, appearing in the magazine and then compiled in orderin the book) was in good hands. And right from the off, it shows in the superior story telling, establishing the Doctor and Amy before subtly starting to build the overall story,starting in ‘The Golden Ones’, which sees the return of the woefully underused and forgotten Axos, an arc which pits human against machine in thousand year war whose onlypurpose is to guarantee the survival of a cosmic super-being with god like powers, a war that can only be stopped and prevented by one man. The Doctor. This is The Doctor ashe should be, beamed directly from the recesses of the cathode ray to full comic glory, saving the Universe, time and time again, in the downtime between series. See, I told youchange was good. Geronimo! Tim Mass MovementTreacheries Of The Spaces Marines – Edited by Christian Dunn (Black Library – www.blacklibrary.com)Five years ago, almost without warning, I was drawn back into the Warhammer 40,000 universe with a vengeance as I tentatively, unsure of what waited for me within it’s pages,started reading ‘Duty Calls’. By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked, and sought to immerse myself in the vast, and ever expanding, history of a future built on and aroundconflict, warfare and constant battle, a future that offered little hope for a species that had spread itself across the Universe in the vain hope that it might be better out therethan it was, and is, here. Here, in the pages that comprise ‘Treacheries Of The Space Marines’, are the tales between times of the warp infested, chaos marines who turned theirback on Humanity and sought to topple the Emperor from his palace, and in doing so, confined him to the Golden Throne. Here are the stories of planetary sieges set to drawout ancient enemies and settle old scores (‘The Long War’), of a quest to vanquish a foe who doesn’t exist (‘We Are One’), of stories told to win shining trinkets (‘The MastersBidding’), vile sorceries and the price the tainted are willing to pay to possess them (‘Bitter End’) and so much more. These are the tales of the darkest of the future warriors, thosewho are driven, consumed and fuelled by demons and monsters, and are both strangely alluring, and thoroughly addictive. Once you’ve sampled the raw power of the blackestofferings, as soon as the first page is turned, you’ll forever become a slave to the warp, immersed in its power, ugly beauty, blissfully submerging yourself in the stories that make upthis volume. You have been warned. Let Chaos reign… Tim Mass Movement

Ultimate Comics The Ultimates: Two Cities. Two Worlds – Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribic, Sam Humphries, Luke Ross (Panini /Marvel)The Ultimates. Just the mere mention of the team name makes me grin from ear to ear, and shake my head rhythmically like a nodding plastic dogas I’m transported to my happy place. Heck, I even forgave Jeph Loeb for his best forgotten Millar follow up, and did what was best for everyone. Iforgot it. Until just now. Damn, Bear with me…There, it’s gone again, back to the happy place. Where was I? Oh yes, The Ultimates. Right, folks, strapyourselves in, because ‘Two Cities. Two Worlds’ is where things start to get good. Really, really good. With the Ultimates all but out of action, Capmissing in action, Iron Man and Thor not really seeing eye with Nick Fury (You get it? Seeing eye, Nick Fury? One eye… Oh come on people, get withthe program), the re-appearance of, and ongoing “war” with, Reed Richards and his super-advanced City (whose rapid expansion has all but obliteratedEurope) populated by the Children Of Tomorrow, the director of SHIELD, Hawkeye, Falcon and Black Widow turn to the only people they can forhelp, the Eternals and Celestials of Tian, a plan that sets the peoples of both cities on a collision course that can only end in all out conflict. Soundspretty darn good so far right? Hold on kids, we’re going around the tracks a second time, because there’s more… With Fury supposedly MIA, Flummmakes a power play, assumes direct control of SHIELD and throws the Hulk into the mix, blackmailing the gamma powered demigod into attackingRichards, a plan that spectacularly backfires, leaving the US with no choice but to launch an all out nuclear attack on Reed Richards. A course of actionthat, again, backfires with devastating results for America, meaning that it’s left up to Thor, Sue Richards, Tony Stark and a sentient brain tumour to savethe day, and the world. Lightning fast pacing and water tight plotting ensure that you’re barely left time to breathe as this, the second volume of Ultimate U Ultimates (collectingissues seven through twelve), hurtles along at breakneck speed, slapping you into focus as it gallops toward its ultimately (I know, I know, this is no time for puns..) satisfyingconclusion that closes the door to this chapter and opens a portal to the next. Bloody marvellous… Tim Mass MovementUltimate Comics X-Men: His Will Be Done – Nick Spencer, Carlo Barberi & Paco Medina (Panini /Marvel)One of the things that I love about the Marvel Ultimate Universe is the fundamental way in which it operates, the way in which everything andeveryone is connected, the way in which each and every characters actions effect the Universe as a whole and the way in which every individualaction impacts on everything and everyone. It’s an incredible hive of interconnected characters and stories that just keeps expanding (rather like ReedRichards City and the Children Of Tomorrow) and drawing you further and further in. This is comic nirvana, manna from four colour heaven, and‘His Will Be Done’ is the latest offering Mutant centric offering to fall into the laps of the Earth bound faithful. The second volume (collecting issuesseven through twelve) of the Ultimate U X-Men explores the repercussions that the revelation of the true genesis of the X-gene, focussing on CampAngel and the inevitable mutant uprising that follows the news of the origin of mutation, the camp becoming a microcosm for the rest of the world, asdiffering ideologies within the “revolution” lead to sides being taken and bridges being burned, as violent, decisive action replaces the safety of inaction,the “Camp” collapsing in the fire of revolution. But that folks, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as ‘His Will…’ opens the tangled web that’s being weavedbetween the White House, SHIELD and Tian with a certain fiery, all powerful telepath spinning the strands and charts the return of not one, butthree (yeah, that’s right, you read the correctly) of the legendary major league X-Men villains, albeit in Ultimate form, returns that just happen tocoincide with the new generation of Sentinels turning on America, launching a devastating attack that literally divides the good old US of A. What arethe chances that both are connected? Betting starts here kids, but you’d be a fool to put your money on anything other than dead cert. Oh, and the lastcouple of pages, the mention of a certain number and the last panel reveal, well, it had me salivating and left me desperate for more, shivering in anticipation. It’s time to join thefaithful and assumed your rightful place in the congregation folks, because once you’ve been exposed to the all powerful glory of Ultimate X-Men, you’ll be a believer, just likeme. May his will be done… Tim Mass Movement

Whatever Happened To The World Of Tomorrow? – Brian Fies (Abrams Comic Arts)There was a time, not all that long ago, when the future was seen as something beautiful, a time that held the keys to not only our individual freedom,but also offered our entire species freedom, the freedom, to maybe, one day, roam the stars and reach out and touch the unknown. During themid twentieth century, despite the horrors of war and conflict, there was still a sense of optimism about the future, about the promise it held, and‘Whatever Happened To The World To Tomorrow?’, starting with the World’s Fair in Queens in 1939, and ending with the final Apollo mission in1975 ( a joint venture with the Russian Soyuz programme), explores the four decades in which humanity made more technological leaps forwardthan in any other period in our history. Using a father son relationship, and the way that the inevitable generation gap shapes and moulds perspectiveand ideas, and a comic within a comic (‘Space Age Adventures’, that mirrors the central characters relationship) sub-plot similar to the way Mooreused ‘Tales Of Black Freighter’ in Watchmen, to explore the social, political, economic and technological history of the period, Brian Fies, paintsan endearing, beautiful and heart felt picture of a world, that at some point in our lives, we’ve all longed for, a world in which our drive to create andexplore outshines and outweighs our base desires, a much simpler time when belief in the future was all that it should have taken to make it happen.‘Whatever Happened…?’ is an incredible journey, a voyage through the halcyon days of the space programme, a time when it really seemed like wewere bound for the heavens, and reminds it’s reader that even though humanity is capable of great destruction, greed and selfishness, we’re also ableto set that aside and work together in order to build the elusive future that we were promised less than a century ago and even though we may not have the future that we werepromised, at the end of the day, the future is an unwritten chapter and it’s up to us to determine how the story either ends, or carries on indefinitely. A wonderful way to spendan afternoon, and thoroughly recommended to the dreamers and those who still believe that our destiny lies out there… Tim Mass MovementWolverine And The X-Men: Regenesis – Jason Aaron, Chris Bachalo, Duncan Rouleau, Matteo Scalera & Nick Bradshaw (Marvel / Panini)Following ‘Schism’, and the seemingly irreversible deterioration of Wolverine and Cyclops relationship, it’s back to school time in what feels like a brandnew start for the X-Men. Okay, so we all know that comics are rebooted on a regular basis in order to ‘mix things up’ and ‘keep them interesting’, butplease don’t confuse a starting point with a reboot, as writing ‘Regenesis’ off as just another reboot would be a serious mistake, a mistake you really, reallydon’t want to make. I’m not a huge X-Men fan, and though a lot of the newer runs on the book, story-lines and arcs have made me rethink my position,up until now, there hadn’t really been one of those bottle lightning moments, I was still just a casual, rather than confirmed, fan. Yeah, you read that lastsentence correctly. Up until now. See, ‘Regenesis’ just changed everything. It’s made me sign on the dotted confirmed fan line in blood, ink and all thoseother weird fluids that contracts demand. The beauty of this book isn’t in the major stories, the Brood invasions, dealing with the Hellfire Club, copingwith school inspectors and trying to find a way to keep the school afloat, no sir, as much fun as those stories are, this books real strength is in the tales thathappen between the stories. The way the relationships between the students, and teachers, unfold and in the subtle, and not so subtle, ways in which eachof these relationships changes the characters involved, and how each of the characters in turn deals with a world which hates them now that they’ve finallyfound a place they can call home . The history of comics is filled with insane plots and plans, and Wolverine running a school is a crazy idea, but it’s justcrazy enough to work, and as the school goes from strength to strength, so do Kitty Pride, Iceman, Beast and the new generation of students, who’ll eventually become the nextX-Men. Will this book last beyond its initial run? I don’t know, but I certainly hope it does, as ‘Wolverine And The X-Men’ is off to an incredible start. I’m a believer… Tim MassMovement

Film & DVD

Alcatraz – The Complete Series (Warner Home Video)“On March 21st 1963, Alcatraz officially closed. All the prisoners were transferred off the island. Only that is not what happened. Not at all.”Ahoy LOST fans! Ahoy generic American cop show fans! LOST and Fringe mastermind J.J. Abrams presents for your delectation his third helping ofTV fayre. This sci-fi lite / cop show stars Sarah Jones as detective Rebecca Madsen, a (hang on – this is new) streetwise, cynical but unashamedly hot copwho we first see investigating a case connected to an inmate of the infamous Alcaraz prison who died 30 years ago. Her investigation and connection tothe prison leads her to work with an unlikely ally: awkward genius, comic book author and Alcatraz officiando Dr. Diego ‘Doc’ Soto (played by LOST’sJorge Garcia: cue scenes of food related shenanigans), while a government agent named Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) tries to intervene and stop herinvestigation. As Madsen and Soto team up, the mystery of Alcatraz is revealed: inmates that were not transferred, as our stentorian-voiced narrator atthe start of the show intimates. They simply vanished 50 years ago and are now roaming the streets of San Francisco. And they haven’t aged. As Hauser,Masden and Soto form an uneasy alliance and look into the history of Alcatraz and government cover-ups, they discover that this one prisoner is just asmall part of a bigger threat connected with the prison in Alcatraz. Ok, so first things first. Be aware of the fact that FOX has cancelled Alcatraz after justone series. Too swift a move perhaps, as after a plodding and formulaic pilot episode, the series becomes something more than just a ‘returned criminal of the week’ show. Abramsdoes great layered TV, ensuring each layer complements and builds on from the previous, like a televisual trifle. He also paces characterisation and each emerging layer well. SamNeill has real gravitas and presides over every scene he is in, though whether his presence has grown with age or if he happens to be acting equivalent of the one eyed man in theKingdom of the blind remains to be seen (note: the ‘Big Bad’ in Alcatraz is played by the same guy who was Oliver Barnes in ‘Neighbours’. Make of that what you will). And, thisbeing Abrams, each new layer finds the viewer asking a whole heap of new questions. Why is Rebecca Madsen linked to this? What happened in 1963? How come so many ofHauser’s current team were also working at Alcatraz in 1963? And how have these prisoners reappeared, not a day older, fifty years after the closure of Alcatraz? Is this somethingto do with a wormhole? Time travel perhaps? Are the prisoners in purgatory? Hasn’t that been done before J.J? Perhaps had Abrams been given another series or two, questionscould have been answered (ideally, quicker than they were in LOST), and we would have been satisfied. Now I just wish I had ordered the cheeseboard. Much more satisfyingthan trifle.However, this reviewer does give the show a thumbs up. Behind the hoary clichés and seen-before characterisation there is some good stuff here. The central premise is anintriguing one, the characters become more complex and, as a result, more likeable as the series progresses and as characters’ timelines twist and mingle, the show becomes a farmore complex beast than one would initially assume it to be. The down side of this does mean the show suffers from ‘The Farscape Effect’: it’s great for the committed fan, but notfor the casual viewer who wants to dip in and out of the series. I popped downstairs to use the loo quickly during one episode without remembering to pause the show, and as aresult managed to miss a couple of important plot twists in the 2 minutes I was away. I do have one other niggle too: namely the ‘Alcatraz 1960’ captions shown during flashbackscenes set in the prison just before the disappearances. We know this is a flashback scene, as the cold, blue wash that coats the camera , Chuck Berry songs and prison wardens indated uniforms does kind of give the game away. That being the case, there is no need to signpost it. It’s a reasonably intelligent show, so please be prepared for your audience tobe reasonably intelligent as well! Bex FerridayBones Brigade: An Autobiography (Vans)There was a time, before my knees gave out, back in the mid to late eighties, when Thrasher was my bible, when Pushead was my musical guru, when I spent hours staring atpictures of skaters like Christian Hosoi and Duane ‘The Master Of Disaster’ Peters desperately trying to figure out how they did what they did so that I could do it too, and whenthe Bones Brigade were my heroes. These guys, they made everything seem effortless, they made skating beautiful, and when you watched them in action in ‘Future Primitive’ and‘Animal Chin’, their passion and love of what they were doing became infectious, they made you feel like you could conquer the world with nothing more than four wheels, a pairof trucks and a board. It was, and for me still is, an incredible time, one of those brief periods when I was a teenager when I was actually happy, when none of the shit mattered,all that mattered was getting out, getting rad and pushing it the same way the Bones Brigade guys did. Then my knees went, and after I cracked the bottom of my spine, I couldn’tskate anymore, and it became something I used to do, a faded and cherished memory that I didn’t dwell on in case it made me angry, and up until I sat down this afternoon towatch ‘Bones Brigade’, it was a period of my life that was still in turmoil, but having watched this incredible film, it’s a part of my life that I’m now at peace with. Watching TonyHawk, Rodney Mullen (who just so happens to be one of the most incredible people given voice, trust me, the man is simply incredible), Steve Caballero, Mike ‘Mr 540’ McGill,Lance Mountain (still the goof off, and still funny as hell), Tommy Guerrero and (director) Stacy Peralta talk about the team from their formation through to their inevitabledemise, hearing the guys I used to (and part of me still does) hero worship talk about growing up as skaters, making the transition from teenagers to adults as the industry theywere a part of died and was reborn through back-yard pools and ramps and the advent of the skate video (does anyone else here remember video?), watching them skate again,listening to their tales and those of their peers, it’s nothing shirt of breathtaking. The film is beautiful, capturing the era perfectly, the music, the atmosphere, every single frame issublime, and about halfway through you realise that this film, this documentary is a journey and labour of love, intricately crafted by the blood, sweat and tears of the guys whowere there and experienced it first hand, a journey that I felt incredibly fortunate and lucky enough to be able to make with Peralta. It’ll make your heart sing with joy and yoursoul soar, it’ll make you laugh and it’ll definitely make you cry, but it’s also a wonderfully inspired and moving film that serves as a fitting testament to the team and individualswho forever changed the face of skateboarding. Magnificent… Tim Mass Movement

Dragon Wasps (Chelsea Films)I’m a sucker for creature features and B-Movies about mutated insects and animals turning the tables on humanity, turning the hunter into the hunted andupending the food chain, making mankind the delicious snack that every giant, slavering genetic freak and biological monstrosity craves, so when ‘DragonWasps’ arrived, I cherry picked it, prepared the chips, dips (but no chains and whips, that’s more of a Sunday evening thing, don’t you think?) and beer and satback to enjoy the latest low budget shocker from Chelsea Films. You know what? It’s not bad, not too bad at all. Okay, so some of the acting is a little woodenand over the top, the characterisation is run of the mill, the origin story is a little cheesy and under developed (which leads me to think that there’s going to bea sequel or more interconnected movies all of which will be born from the evil corporate shenanigans that lie at the heart of ‘Dragon Wasps’) and in places thelack of budget becomes glaringly obvious as the FX that bring the giant fire belching, armoured creepy crawlies to life don’t quite hit the mark, but that said,‘Dragon Wasps’ (thanks in no small part to the lead performance from the ever dependable Corn Nemec) is a still a lot of fun. Don’t take it too seriously, accept it for what it is,a low budget B-feature, the kind of film that created the video rental market in the eighties, and you’ll have an absolute blast watching this film. It’s not trying to make any kindof social comment or judgement, it’s just a flick that wants its audience to have fun, and believe me, if you just kick back with snacks and booze, and switch off your brain, fun isexactly what you’ll have… Tim Mass MovementMonster Brawl (Momentum)Ladies and gentlemen, worm and germs, roll up, roll, for the smack down of a lifetime, the brawl for all that’ll make all men feel small, as all manner of nasties, aliveand dead hit the ring to feel the sting, to slap the crap out of each other until a winner emerges, a king of the ring, the be all and end all of the monster kingdom,the one and only winner of the Monster Brawl. Filmed and presented in the style of a classic Pro-Wrestling pay-per-view, ‘Monster Brawl’ is a trip back to thehalcyon days of low budget B-Movies, a retro style blast from the past in which eight monsters (including Frankenstein’s Monster, Witch Bitch, The Mummy,Lady Vampire, The Werewolf and more) fight to the death in a round-robin style contest. If you’re expecting big things, forget it, and don’t bother, but if you’relooking for a fun flick to pass a Saturday Night with a couple of beers, some pizza and your mates, then you may have just stumbled across your golden ticket.Plus, where else are you going to see Jimmy Hart show off his verbose dexterity while monsters batter the hell out of each or Kevin Nash go to toe to toe withFrankenstein’s Monster? It’s a Saturday night special that finally answers that age old playground question, who’d win in a fight? Frankenstein’s Monster or the Werewolf. Placeyour bets and let the brawl begin… Tim Mass MovementSinister (Momentum)I am, truth be told, not really a fan of films that revolve around the supernatural, metaphysical or entities from the other side. Actually, that’s notreally true, I like the subject matter, however, the subject matter doesn’t like me. Blood, guts, gore and more I can take any amount of, but ghosts,spirits, poltergeists and demons? They scare the hell out of me, but that’s why we go to see these films in the cinema isn’t it? To be scared damnnear out of our minds, to be terrified and frightened, to lose all sense of reality and start confusing the fantasy that we’re seeing on the big screenwith the mundanity of everyday life. To be shocked into thinking these things could happen, that they might happen, that they have happened.Like it’s famous predecessors, ‘The Exorcist’, ‘Poltergeist’, ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and to a lesser extent, ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Sinister’ doesexactly that, it does exactly what a good horror film should. It terrifies you. Ellison Osborne (Ethan Hawke), a true crime author desperate to writeanother bestseller, moves his family (unbeknown to them) to a house where a family of four were recently murdered by being hung, a family whoseyoungest daughter, is still missing. Convinced he can solve the crime, that he can succeed where the police have failed, nothing and no-one will stop Ellison from discovering thetruth and writing his new book, a book that he’s sure that will set his family on the path to easy street. At least, he was convinced until he stumbles across a box of home movies,a box of old 8mm films that show the murder in all it’s grizzly glory, and as he settles down to watch the old films, he realises that it’s not just the one murder captured in film,these movies contain multiple murders, all linked together. The more Ellison investigates, the digger he deeps, the closer he gets to the horrible, awful truth, a truth that oncediscovered, can never be forgotten, and it’s a truth that neither Ellison nor his family will ever escape from. Blending elements of ‘8mm’, ‘Cigarette Burns’, ‘Poltergeist 2’ (theREALLY frightening one) and ‘Insidious’ together with a original and chilling take on supernatural horror and fuelled by an incredible lead performance from Ethan Hawke ,‘Sinister’ is the most fun I’ve had being scared since Carol Anne invited the TV people to come play, and it’s a film that’ll stay with you for a long, long time. I think I’ll be sleepwith the lights on tonight… Tim Mass Movement

The Aggression Scale (Anchor Bay)If ever there was a competition, one of those big pageant type affairs built around overblown pomposity and ridiculous, self-congratulatory speeches for films that are made upof two, separate and wholly distinct halves, then ‘The Aggression Scale’ would end the night wearing a crown and carrying a big bunch of flowers while being guided towardthe throne of ultimate victory. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad film, in fact, it’s just the opposite, and apart from a strange lull in proceeding about twenty minutes inwhere it seems to lose to it’s focus, dwelling on unnecessary back story when it should have spent more time on character development (Owen for instance, is he mute because he’sautistic? Because of the things he’s done or had done to him? Or is his resultant condition due to a combination of all three? And Bill, perfect opportunity to further examine hischaracter, how what happened to Owen affected him and how it led to him meeting Maggie, and thus becoming Lauren’s step-dad, instead of focussing on the fact that Laurenis a dysfunctional teenage filled with angst. Hell, all teenagers are dysfunctional and filled with angst, its part and parcel of puberty), it’s a first rate slow burn thriller that endsin a glorious explosion of unmitigated violence. It’s a basic enough idea, mob boss gets out of prison on bail needs to flee the country, so sends his hit-men after the legitimateemployees who ripped him off and stole his money while he was in the big house, but, rather than follow that well-worn path to its tired conclusion, ‘The Aggression Scale’throws a glorious spanner in the works. What if, while dispatching the honest civilians, said hit men stumble across someone crazier and far more prone to psychosis than theycould ever dream of being? That’s exactly what happens in ‘The Aggression Scale’, a film that steadily builds it story of death and wanton murder in the first half, and then eruptsin an orgy or brutal, inventive mayhem in it’s closing act, as the tables are turned and the “innocent” give the ‘guilty’ a taste of their own medicine. Unpredictable and oftenshocking, ‘The Aggression Scale’ is both a challenging, yet strangely rewarding twist on the revenge sub-genre made famous by films like ‘Death Wish’, and it’ll both haunt, andfascinate, you in equal measure long after the final credits have stopped rolling… Tim Mass MovementThe Arrival Of Wang (Saffron Hill & Pecadillo Pictures)Hidden away, locked in a remote corner of their mind, every Science Fiction fan has at some point created and crafted their own first contact scenario fantasy, filling in the blankwho, what, where, when, how and why with their own fevered ideas and dreams. It’s an integral part of genre fiction, the idea of reaching out to an alien civilisation or having onereach out to us, and each and every one of us (the us being Science Fiction fans) has dreamt of the moment when it finally happens and what it’ll be like. However, I’m pretty surethat 99.9% of us didn’t envision the scenario played out in ‘The Arrival Of Wang’, where the first meeting between species born under different stars meet in a dark interrogationroom in the basement level of government building in Rome. Nor did we imagine that said alien would chose to communicate in Mandarin Chinese, we always assumed, in ourarrogance, that English would be the chosen medium of communication, but as Chinese is the most commonly spoken language on Earth, it’s only logical that it would be thechosen method of communication. A simple, original and obvious idea, yes, but then, all the best ideas are aren’t they? Simple, obvious and original, the holy triumvirate fromwhich all the greatest works of fiction and film are born. Wang, the alien, needs to be interrogated, but his interrogator, Inspector Curti, doesn’t speak Chinese, and so brings inan interpreter Gaia , and whist the Curti assumes the worst and believes that Wang is the scout for an alien invasion, Gaia believes that Wang is simply what he claims to be, anambassador of peace, seeking only friendship. It’s this conflict between the two ideas, that of Curti and that of Gaia, that fuels the film, and as the tension inside the interrogationroom increases, the tension in the film gradually builds and builds as the audience wonders who to believe, desperately wanting to trust Gaia’s judgement but having seen enoughSaucer films to know that these things never end well, and as it hurtles toward it’s “shock” ending, ‘The Arrival Of Wang’ plays it’s cards very close to it’s multi-tentacled torsountil the final act, ensuring that the journey from opening credits to final reel is hugely enjoyable. Does he come in peace, or to shoot to kill? Ask Wang… Tim Mass MovementThe Raid (Momentum Pictures)Remember the excitement, thrill and the nearly overpowering adrenaline rush that you had the first time you saw Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung andTony Jaa in action? Remember the first time that you saw each of the aforementioned stride across the screen, their speed, precision and charisma instantlyendearing them to world wide audiences. You do? Good, then prepare to feel it all over again with ‘The Raid’, and get ready to add the name Iko Uwais to thegolden hall of Martial Art Greats, as he owns the film from beginning to end, through a combination of his incredible screen presence and jaw dropping skill.The story is straight forward enough, a squad of twenty tactically trained police officers are sent to take back a tower block, floor by floor, that has fallen underthe control of crime lord and his minions, arrest the big boss and thus demonstrate that the law can’t be bought. With the element of surprise on their side, themission is straight forward enough. At least it is until they lose their advantage and the whole heavily armed block turns on them. From that point onwards, thename of the game changes, the mission changing to one of escape and survival, and as the squad is gradually whittled down, and the truth about their mission isgradually revealed, the mission changes again as the overwhelming urge to survive transforms into a burning desire for revenge. Bloody, brutal and frantically paced, ‘The Raid’ isa wonderful tribute to the halcyon glory days of Martial Arts and Action cinema, relying on physicality rather than special effects, but at the same time has an overpowering senseof individuality, creating something new and unique through the fusion of its influences and breathtaking sense of style and storytelling. It’s an incredible journey, one that you’llwant to repeat time and time and time again… Tim Mass Movement

Zombies: A Living History (History)I’m a sucker for zombie films. Not the blood variety with the pointy fangs, cloaks and Eastern European accents, no sir, not me, I’m more the traditional type of sucker, the mark,the guy who has to have and has to watch any and all zombie related product. Which is kind of strange as I don’t like blood and I’m not particularly keen on seeing people eatenin different and interesting ways, and I’m not exactly a fan of the apocalypse scenario, a theme that seems to intrinsically linked to every other zombie film released in the lastdecade. What I like is being scared, and the idea of the Zombie, the unrelenting, unthinking monster devoid of humanity, trapped by the eternity of living death, driven by ahunger for flesh that can never be sated terrifies me, and it’s good to make a friend of fear, so I ended up becoming best buddies with zombie films in all their gory glory and bloodsoaked facets. However, after having spent a couple of days with, and multiple repeat viewings of ‘A Living History’, what was once a hang out, watch and enjoy relationship withundead shockers, has now become a little more intense, as all the ideas that fuelled, and gave a reason for the existence of the protagonists existence in, just about every zombiefilm are explored, explained and examined over in great detail, whilst the history behind zombies, fictional, historical and social is also scrutinised in relation to the modern loveaffair with the shambling brain munchers. Informative, clever and amusing (the occasional vignettes that pop up detailing Zombie combat and how to take on the undead inhand-to-hand combat are worth the ticket price alone), ‘Zombies: A Living History’ is an alternative look at the horror that Hollywood has taken for granted, that delivers astep-by-step guide to surviving a potential zombie holocaust. Which is unlikely to happen. Well, okay, maybe not unlikely, but it probably won’t happen according to ‘A LivingHistory’. So, until probably becomes definitely (which is almost always does), kick back and indulge in the social and cultural history for splatter-heads on offer, and who knows,you might just learn how to avoid becoming an entrée in the inevitable undead banquet. That’s got to be worth an hour and a half of anyone’s time right? Tim Mass MovementSome Guy Who Kills People (Koch Media / Grimm Entertainment)It’s an easy equation for me. If I see the name John Landis attached to a film, then odds are, I’m going to enjoy it, but this time, things were a little different.Don’t get me wrong, I loved the film, but it’s slightly different territory for Landis, which is probably why he sat behind the producer’s desk and let JackPerez ride in the director’s chair. See, if what you’re after is a blood soaked, slasher style revenge comedy that owes early eighties video nasties like ‘TheExterminator’ a couple of beers, then ‘Some Guy Who Kills People’, is the perfect film for you. However, if you’re more into films that feature a cast ofdysfunctional, damaged characters thrown together in a blackly humorous soap opera like critique of modern life, in which they all learn to finally live,and to live again, through the relationships that they forge with each other throughout the duration of the film, then ‘Some Guy Who Kills People’ shoulddefinitely be in your top ten must see movie hit list. Confused? Don’t be. See, Jack Perez manages to balance both in his film, which is essentially the storyof Ken. Ken, following a spell in the local Mental Hospital, a “vacation” paid for by his torture at the hands of the High School Basketball team and hisinability to cope with life following that event, works in an ice cream bar, selling tubs and cones to all and sundry, and lives at home with his mother whojust so happens to be dating the local sheriff. It’s a quiet life, but it suits Ken and he’s happy. Well, as happy as it’s possible to be after a spell in the nuthouse.But like all things, Ken’s quiet life doesn’t last very long, as he discovers he has a daughter and bumps into Stephanie, a girl who won’t let him say no to her, and things start to lookup for Ken, he starts to live again, through his developing relationship with Stephanie and his new found purpose, being a dad. And that’s when the people whose antics put in theloony bin in the first place start dying in all manner of nasty ways. Has Ken flipped? Is revenge more important to him than love and how long will it take the Sheriff to figure outthat his crazed serial killer might just be the son of his main squeeze? If you want the answers to these questions and more, and believe me, you really do want to see the answers,then you need to set aside a couple of hours, sit back and enjoy ‘Some Guy Who Kills People’. Who knew murder could be this much fun? Tim Mass Movement

Music

Autopsy Boys – Def Elements CD (0605 Records)My introduction to these bad boys from Leeds, UK, came in the form of the single ‘Rich Kids Playground’, which I rather enthusiastically described as a ‘just-over-2-minutelongblast of frenetic energy… [and] a deeply satisfying slab of sing-along punk rock that will fit perfectly onto any (read: every) old-school mixtape that I’ll be making for thenext dozen years or so.’ The track’s deft mixture of vintage hardcore beatdowns (think: Sick Of It All), post-hardcore lead vocals and melodies (think: Into Another), and thrashmetal riffing (think: Anthrax) and soloing (think: Slayer) is just plain sick. I can’t get enough of it. In fact, I now realize that I missed a reference point the first time around,one that applies to the entire album and should be kept in mind by fans of seriously heavy and important music: Hank Shocklee’s Bomb Squad, specifically the genre-busting,groundbreaking sounds utilized on those early, indispensable Public Enemy records. And that, I should think, lays a suitable bridge to cross into a discussion of the album as awhole. ‘Def Elements’ is full of surprises. If this album were a person, I would consider this person to be – what’s the PC way to put this? – ‘unstable’. Do I mean that in a positiveway? Boy howdy, I do! ‘Def Elements’ begins with a spoken-word intro called ‘Last Day Of School’ – and concludes with a comparable outro called ‘End Credits’ – that combinehorrorcore hip-hop beats and synths with Sabbathian guitar riffing and… none other than the man, the myth, the legend that is Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia. So there’s enoughof a reason to purchase at least two copies of this album – one to collect and savor forever, and one to cover in glue before inserting into the music-playing device of your choice soyou can have it playing always, always, always for a long, long, long time. In fact, anyone who is as fond of the works of Blag The Ripper as I am can form a partial picture of whatAutopsy Boys are doing here by revisiting Dwarves’ 2004 classic ‘…Must Die’, which merges the band’s unique brand of out-of-control punk fury with hip-hop, synth-pop, andOrange County pop-punk. Autopsy Boys, naturally, are their own band. And they mix a lot of thrash, hardcore, and even grindcore into their own non-stop party mix (aka ‘DefElements’). And they do it well. And they keep the beats heavy. And they keep the riffs sharp. And they keep the melodies flowing. And they’ve created a strange, exciting recordthat needs to be heard to be believed. The Impaler @impalerspeaksBad Brains – Into The Future CD (Megaforce)Let’s get one things straight before we start. Yes, I am a HUGE fan of the Bad Brains, have been for two and half decades, and I make no secret of the fact that they’re one of mytop ten, all time favourite bands. So, yeah, I’m probably a little biased, and yeah, I’m probably going to fixate on the good rather than the bad when it comes to anything bearingtheir name, but, that said, I’m also acutely aware that their halcyon hardcore days are way behind them, a thing of the distant past and that their last album, ‘Build A Nation’,wasn’t anywhere near as good as it should have been and didn’t exactly set the world of fire. Which brings us to ‘Into The Future’, the latest album by the seminal DC outfit.First of all, if you’re looking for a record of raging, anger and energy fuelled lightning fast punk rock anthems, then folks, this isn’t the record for you, as (and I think I’ve alreadymentioned this haven’t I?) those days are long gone, and that isn’t where the Bad Brains are at, musically, emotionally or spiritually, these days. However, they have dipped backinto their recorded legacy for inspiration, as ‘Into The Future’ bears an uncanny resemblance to the late eighties Brains, melding some of the rockier moments from ‘I AgainstI’ (think ‘Sacred Love’ and ‘Re-Ignition’) with the solid vibe and feeling that ‘Quickness’ was built on and around. And yeah, before you ask, of course there are the occasionalreggae moments. Hell, it wouldn’t be a Bad Brains record without reggae would it? So, no, it isn’t their defining moment, nor is it their best record, but it is the best damnBad Brains record since ‘Rise’, and for a band who have been around for thirty five years, that’s one hell of an achievement. Welcome back guys, we’ve missed you… Tim MassMovementBison B.C. – Lovelessness CD (Metal Blade)The Canadian ‘downer’ four piece return with their fourth release, a heavy as hell six tracker that’s meant to break your face and snap your neck! As the wailing metal guitarsof ‘An Old Friend’ cut through, topped with the intensely insane vocal delivery, I can’t help but dig the feeling of wallowing in selfless pity. Think Neurosis but with up temporiffage and beats changing leading to bombastic noisey chaos, a heaviness conjuring hypnotic groove… Then ‘Anxiety Puke’ hammers an old school DB/punk feel with a Crowbarheaviness; with the fast opening pace slowing down to the obese Bison vibe, but still smothered in a metallic twin guitar riff. The ambient beginning of ‘Last And First Things’ justimpacts the overall heaviness as the song gets moving and as it rings out a cry of “Fuck off ”, which just sums it all up really! Heavy as fuck, but with a droning groove that oozeswith ease from the bands sound. ‘Blood Music’ draws on an insane groove with melody; easily the most accessible song but angry as fuck. With ‘Clozapine Dreams’ it’s up tempodrumming and an aural vocal assault pushing out the punk influences (without leaving the metal behind), musical breakdowns and beat changes a plenty. Whilst ‘Finally Asleep’is the deep sludge doom closer encompassing the dual guitar metal barrage. Bison BC leave you with a stoner/doom/sludge/punk/metal soundtrack that will hypnotically drawyou into their heaviness. Mark Freebase

Burning Love – Rotten Thing To Say CD Album (Southern Lord)Not content with blagging all the best in the world of stoner, death and sludge metal, SL have now decided they want all the best hardcore bands too; and to kick things off –Burning Love – and ye gods it’s been a while since I’ve heard a hardcore album that delivers as much as this one does. Visceral and oozing the kind of relentless energy that PoisonIdea possessed during the ‘War All The Time’/ ‘Feel The Darkness’ period, RTTS is a perfect combination of hardcore and metal, not crossover, oh no - there’s no attempt to fita particular genre here and when vocalist Chris Colohan spits out ‘I can live without the praise of trustfund punks’ it could almost be Jerry A at his most antagonistic. Standouttracks – the biting ‘No Love’ and current 7” ‘Karla’ – but quite simply this is consistently one of the best albums I have heard this year. Absolute no brainer – get it. IanBury The Hatchet - …It Was Never Enough CD (S-a-N PR)I love the name of this band, and UK five piece Bury The Hatchet sound every bit as brutal as their name suggests. The gentle intro instrumental gives off an almost placid feel,but lulls you into a false sense of security, it’s just a ploy to increase the harshness of track two ‘But We Still Keep Moving’. A frenzied attack of metal beatdowns and melodicparts tear around in between frantic drum beats and shredding riffs. Bury The Hatchet don’t let up. With guitar parts that drift between hard edge riffing and melodic catchiness,the tone of aggression is emphasized by the sincere, but harsh, vocal style. However memorable choruses demonstrated by the likes of ‘Protest’ keep you listening, desperate formore. Then the thrash intro of ‘0411’ suddenly bounds into a metalcore-ish technical overture. The more I listen, the more ‘…It Was Never Enough’ becomes a grows on me…Mark FreebaseCircle II Circle – Full Circle: The Best Of… CD (AFM)Full on power metal featuring Zachary Stevens, the ex-Savatage frontman.This compilation of 32 songs comes re-mastered and features ‘hits’ from the five studio CDs Circle II Circle have released, and also include single b-sides and rare bonus tracks(live and acoustic versions) to give you a fuller flavor of what they’re about. Brutally honest, well delivered metal songs with guitar licks and solos that will leave rockers singingalong to the anthemic choruses. Zach’s vocals are delivered flawlessly adding a melodic but harsh edge to the cutting riffage that leads these tunes. ‘All That Remains’ gives youclassic metal overdrive; ‘Blood Of An Angel’ with its acoustic intro, mellows your heart and soul; whilst ‘Against The World’ delivers a real heavy groove, alongside ‘Redemption’with it’s cutting, pounding melody. There’s been a massive surge of ‘honest’ metal and rock over the last couple of years, but believe me, Circle II Circle are one of the bands thatyou really need to check out. Mark FreebaseCradle Of Filth – The Manticore And Other Horrors CD (Peaceville)Having been around for four decades, with three of them spent in and around both the Metal and Punk / HC scenes, I’d like to think that I’ve seen my fair share (and then some)of bands from, and at the forefront of, both genres and folks, I’m here to testify at the dark altar of Cradle Of Filth, that there are few bands who can compete with Suffolk’smost twisted sons, either live or in the studio. Most who try, are left for dead, eviscerated and staked out for the crows to feast upon. In a purely musical sense, of course. Whichbrings us to the bands tenth studio album, ‘The Manticore And Other Horrors’, and at a time in their career when most bands would be content to coast and trade on their pastglories, Cradle have thrown caution to the wind and delivered one of the hardest, darkest and most incredible records of their career. Sublime tales of things from deepest recessesof mythology, fantasy and the furthest corners of the collective species psyche are wrapped up in a beautiful cacophony of metal glory, with just a hint of eighties UK HC bandslike Extreme Noise Terror and Unseen Terror in the non-stop, pummelling riffing and skull shattering blast beats and rhythms, that saturate the listeners subconscious withdreams of things forbidden and an irresistible urge to thrash, head bang and throw the claw toward the Northern sky. This is exactly how metal should sound in the twenty firstcentury, beautiful, brutal and grandiose in concept and delivery, crushing its enemies before whilst revelling in their lamentation and sorrow. The Filth have returned… Tim MassMovementDepartures – Teenage Haze CD (In At The Deep End)I’m not entirely comfortable with Departures. Thing is, with most IATDE bands, like History Of The Hawk, Gallows or Send More Paramedics, I’m totally blown away bytheir interesting musical take on things, but Departures does not have that particular twist. It’s amazing noisy, emotional hardcore with the incredible touches of desperation andDepartures do know how to get under my skin, but it’s not as unexpected as it with the rest of the IATDE stable, as I know these songs. I instinctively feel the direction every songis heading in, and Departures know their way to my heart. So that’s what I’m not to comfortable with. How the hell do an English band, I’ve never heard or met before, knowwhat I’m feeling? I can feel James’ broken and desperate vocals as if they were my own. I can see how the flow of a particular song goes as if I were Neo himself, and Departureswere my own personal Matrix. It’s so strange when, having scratched that melodic hardcore surface, your own life stares back at you. Departures will show you your soul, on asilver or black vinyl platter, whichever medium you prefer. Even your dark side, the one you’ve been hiding from everyone, isn’t a secret anymore. Your personal audio-mirror ishere, it’s called ‘Teenage Haze’… Martijn Welzen

D.O.A. – We Come In Peace CD (Sudden Death)‘We Come In Peace’ is as much a declaration of D.O.A.’s mission on this, the band’s 14th studio album of all-new material, as it is a way to identify this collection of songs byserving as the album’s title. Always a fiercely political band, D.O.A. have upped the ante here by jumping headfirst into the fray of the messy and chaotic shit-storm that is today’sless-than-stable worldwide political environment, tackling the financial crisis, the Occupy movement, shady dealings by top officials, systemic bigotry, and other important issues– both those that have been ripped from the headlines and those that have been culled from buried stories and the underground press. Musically, ‘We Come In Peace’ is possiblythe band’s most diverse effort to date – but also its most cohesive. In the thirty-year span from their 1980 debut ‘Something Better Change’ to their brilliant 2010 release ‘Talk-Action=0’, D.O.A. adapted their sound to the changing times, ranging from the furious hardcore perfection of 1982’s ‘War On 45’ to the more subtle punk of 2008’s ‘NorthernAvenger’. Here, though, frontman Joe Keithly and crew tackle the full history of that indefinable beast called punk rock with a stunning end result. Lead-off track ‘He’s Got AGun’ is The Clash reborn for the 21st century, and for my money is every bit as exciting and essential as anything in the legendary Londoners’ catalog. Tracks like ‘Boneyard’ and‘Man With No Name’ are thick slabs of psychobilly tempered with elements of Enrico Morricone’s much-loved Spaghetti Western soundtracks with the ghost of The Vandalsdancing on the edges of the madness. ‘Dirty Bastards’ raises the Celtic street-punk flag high, and comes off like just as much of an homage to the Skids (oh, how I love that band!)as to more recent familial agitators like Dropkick Murphys or Flatfoot 56. ‘Do You Wanna?’ features Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent and is a glorious reminder of the powerand danger of early 80s American (and Canadian) hardcore. ‘Bloodied But Unbowed’ pays tribute to the full history of D.O.A., and manages to tip a hat to everything from TheClash to Dead Kennedys in the process… which affords an excellent segue to mention the insta-classic ‘We Occupy’ with Jello Biafra on co-lead vocals. Add to that the vintageUK ska bounce of ‘War Hero’ (yes, it’s a cover of the Toxic Reasons song!), the stirring acoustic take on their own classic protest song ‘General Strike’, and the thrash-tastic rompthrough The Beatles’ ‘Revolution’ and a picture of what this album is all about should start to come into focus. The number of musical acts out there vying for attention is legion,but D.O.A. is LEGEND and ‘We Come In Peace’ is undeniable proof. I wouldn’t call this album ‘punk for the new generation’, because D.O.A. haven’t reinvented the wheel here.I would – and will – call this album ‘punk for every generation’, because D.O.A. have crafted a timeless and incredibly important album in ‘We Come In Peace’. Letting this oneslip by unnoticed would be akin to giving up on life, giving up on the dream of making the world a better place, giving up on the spirit of punk. I urge you: don’t give up. Givepunk a chance. The Impaler @impalerspeaksEnsiferum – Unsung Heroes CD (Spinefarm)Whether you like it or not, metal bands are currently producing the most original, inventive and exciting music in the entire alternative spectrum, and right at the forefrontof this incredible metal charge, you’ll find Ensiferum. They are in my opinion, quite possibly the greatest metal band, so far, of the twenty first century, combining originality,technicality, infectious melodies and power in equal abundance, and they have an innate, unnerving ability to write songs that fill your heart and soul with an overwhelming senseof joy, a feeling that forces you to sing-a-long and leaves you with a desire to drink, feast and enjoy life to its fullest. By now, you’ve probably guessed that I’m a little biased whenit comes to Ensiferum, but that bias isn’t without foundation, which sort of brings us to ‘Unsung Heroes’. The release of a new Ensiferum record is always cause for celebration,as they have consistently grown as a band, with each new record surpassing it’s predecessor in each and every single way , and ‘Unsung Heroes’, their fifth studio album, maintainsand follows their established tradition. However, this time around, they’ve allowed themselves the freedom of exploration, and have expanded their folk and traditional influencesand elements, and rather than release a record of metal anthems featuring the fore mentioned influences, ‘Unsung Heroes’ is a glorious combination of metal and folk in equalmeasure, both being built around and using traditional song and musical structures, creating a record of intricate metallic beauty that both embraces and beats the listener withiron fists wrapped in chain mail. Incredible. Absolutely incredible… Tim Mass MovementFlatfoot 56 – Toil CD (Paper + Plastick Records)I had to take a couple of deep breaths before starting this review, to keep me from hyperventilating while furiously putting a stream of thoughts onto the page. In that spirit, letme start with a few thoughts on track 11 of this 13-track album: ‘This Time’. Lyrically, this song awakens my emo side with its heartfelt depiction of the pain of latch-key kids.Musically, this song calls to mind the glory days of posi-core, when 7 Seconds and Gorilla Biscuits and the much-beloved Redemption 87 were actively giving us all the confidencethat everything would be all right, seven inches of vinyl at a time. I’m an album guy, not a song guy, so for me to hear a song in the midst of an album and stop everything torewind and listen to it – seven straight times – before getting back into the groove of the album as a whole… well, there is something special about that song. ‘This Time’ is theanthem – well, my choice anyway, because this album is chock full of anthems. Flatfoot 56 would fit perfectly on a day spent listening to melodic hardcore – heavy emphasison ‘melodic’; these guys know their way around a hook like a team of guitar-wielding Jedi knights – like Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Turning Point, Bad Religion, and Dag Nasty,to reference five favorites of mine in an attempt to describe the band’s basic blueprint in terms of comparisons chosen with the best of intentions. Have I mentioned the Celticelements? Flatfoot 56 set themselves apart from all the bands I’ve referenced above, and from all the other bands on the scene today, with their songwriting and musicianship andoverall approach – meaning that this band has its own thing happening, and they excel as the clear leaders of this one-band-scene called Flatfoot 56 – and a key element to thatoriginality is this amazing amalgam of the aforementioned melodic hardcore with traditional Celtic folk influences. Would it be unfair to offer comparisons to The Pogues or

Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphys? No, not as such… but I don’t feel that it would be entirely accurate either. Sure, there may be a few recorded moments here where Flatfoot56 dip into the Irish Punk 101 handbook – ‘Toil’, like its predecessor (‘Black Thorn’) was produced by Johnny Rioux of Boston’s Celtic punk champions Street Dogs, after all –but my mind wanders more toward thoughts of folk-punk troubadour extraordinaire Billy Bragg, as the songs – lyrically, structurally, thematically – reveal a level of maturity anda sense of place, of purpose, of understanding that seems at least one step removed from the angry-and-rebellious-youth nucleus of punk rock. The Bawinkel brothers – Tobin(vocals/guitar), Kyle (bass/vocals), and Justin (drums/vocals) – and two multi-instrumentalists, Eric McMahon (bagpipes/guitar/bass drum) and Brandon Good (mandolin/guitar/vocals) are Flatfoot 56. And Flatfoot 56 have shown with ‘Toil’ – featuring, as I mentioned above, anthem after anthem: ‘Strongman’, ‘I’ll Fly Away’, ‘Live Or Die Trying’,‘The Rich, The Strong, And The Poor’, ‘Brother, Brother’, ‘Winter In Chicago’, ‘This Time’ (‘This Time’!), the title track – that punks can grow up without getting old, withoutgetting tired; that punks can not only maintain relevancy but actually increase it tenfold or more, with a collection of songs that I daresay equal those of Bob Dylan or Steve Earleor Bruce Springsteen, a collection of stories set to music that tell the stories of ordinary people struggling to find their places in the world and not just exhibiting the courage andconviction to do so but also providing a lighted pathway for listeners to do the same. The Impaler @impalerspeaksGeneration 84 – Regardless Of What Is Right CD (Funtime)What do, at first glance, contradictory bands like Death By Stereo and BoySetFire have in common? An amazing singer. Pure hardcore, yet melodic and diverse front-men whoare seemingly, not of this world. Singer Teun Van Aerschot is cut from the same cloth as the aforementioned frontmen. I just love it. The music is sunny fast punk rock, but thesinger lifts everything to a different level, and the band knows how to make each and every part of their sound work. The drums are amazingly tight and lay a steady foundationupon which the other parts build, topped off with the vocals acting as an intricately, carved and beautifully constructed roof. Maybe it was this that also made me think about NoUse For A Name at times as well, as Generation 84 also have that same fire and power. Generation 84 are yet another gem that’s been prised from the vault at Funtime Records…Martijn WelzenHelstar – 30 Years Of Hel CD (AFM)Capturing a hometown gig in Houston Texas is how Helstar celebrated their thirtieth anniversary; I’d have loved to have be there. The last 30 years… where’ve they gone?? Theeighties were a pivotal point, and so much amazing music came from that era. Opening track ‘Angels Fallen…’ creates a pounding vibe, the excitement stokes up, and an almostthrash edge comes across; but it’s a classic metal assault all the way through the 20 songs offered here. James Rivera’s vocals sound like he’s possessed by a screaming beast of purepower, and he seems to milk the metal with ease, commanding the precise riffage behind him effortlessly. There are just too many tracks to pick any classics out, but if you’re aHelstar fan, you won’t be disappointed, and if you don’t know them (but love Testament and Judas Priest) you’d better check them out - heavy metal at it’s finest with blazingguitars and cutting solos. What a package! 2 x CD and DVD release…. How can you go wrong? Mark FreebaseHerder – Horror Vacui 12” (Reflections)Dear Nature,In the name of Dutch band Herder I would like to apologize for stealing your thunder. You’ve always been the main instigator of horrific phenomena, but I’m sorry to say thatas of now, Ebola, The Black Death, Tsunami’s and earth quakes will have to step down from their rightful position on the throne of most frightful disasters. ‘Horror Vacui’ hasbecome mankind’s biggest fear. In its vicinity nothing, not even light or sound, can escape, let alone survive. The six songs are an unearthly outlet of anger and pure evil, unrivalledby anything you, with your infinite wisdom accrued through billions of years of existence, can throw at us. We would like to thank you for your display of such majestic tricks, andfor striking fear into previous generations but we have to decline any further invitations to the world’s demise, as we, that is the whole of humanity, now only fear one force. Themighty Herder.Sincerely, Martijn WelzenHistory Of The Hawk – Future Ruins CD (In At The Deep End)Forget about the story of a mechanical eagle which supposedly landed on the moon in 1969. 2012 is the year of the Hawk. Damn, how intense can one band be? ‘Future Ruins’ isthe band’s first full length, released shortly after their EP, ‘Ocean’ and comes only one-and-a-half years after their inception. Noisy, chaotic rock this amazing, shouldn’t be possiblefor five young English lads to come up with and create. This is wonderful madness. With whips and fierce looking dogs, with mighty fangs, the music is barely kept under control,History Of The Hawk look to the very edges of where the beauty of music borders on the end of all we hold dear. Twisting like Refused, grinding like Converge, and yet groovinglike Fugazi, under a thick blanket of unholy razorsharp screams. The intensity almost becomes too much at times. I’m glad this review is from the download, as if I’d had the vinyl,it would surely have crept out of its sleeve at night to kill all who stood in its way and murder me in my sleep. One of the best, and most violent records, of the year. Humanitybeware, History Of The Hawk are here to ruin the future for each and every one of us, and it’s this ruined future that I’m looking forward to with a smile on my face…Martijn Welzen

Isis - Temporal CD Album (Ipecac)Fourteen unreleased, rare or remixed songs over two CDs and a DVD of official videos to boot. Isis helped to define the kind of experimental eclectic ‘metal’ pioneered byNeurosis, and now the domain of Baroness, Old Man Gloom and Capricorns; with expansive musical pieces running the gamut of Psychedelic Space Rock, Ambient Stonergrooves, Prog, Goth and Metal. It’s easy to lose yourself in Isis; indeed I literally lost track of time while listening to this album, such is the hypnotic beauty of the music. Includescovers of Godflesh’ ‘Streetcleaner’ and Sabbath’s ‘Hand of Doom’. Essential. Ian PickensJFA – Speed Of Sound CD (DC-Jam Records)‘Speed Of Sound’ was released in the summer of 2010, so this review (written in the spring of 2012) may seem a bit late for the party but this is JFA so it’s never too late to showup, grab a Solo cup for the keg, and drop into the pool wheels first. In full disclosure, I did pick this album up upon its release and have been listening to it steadily for the pastyear and a half – so I am intimately aware of just how good it is. And is it good? Boy howdy! Prior to the release of ‘Speed Of Sound’ JFA had not recorded or put out any newmusic for a decade or more, but the band continued to play shows on a fairly regular basis. I was lucky enough to catch them in April 2008 here in Austin, and that was withoutquestion one of the most amazing shows I have ever attended – new material be damned! So, ‘Speed Of Sound’… what’s it all about and how does it compare to the classic JFArecordings of the early ‘80s? The band is a little older. The playing is a little better. The vocals are a little deeper. The lyrics are still about skating, good times at Mad Gardens andthe beach and the local pools, hating hippies, eating sweets (‘I Hate Chocolate Cake’ is the new ‘Cokes & Snickers’), and… well, what else is there? Musically, this is JFA: theband that invented Skate Rock. So the big bass sound, the surf guitar, the explosive blasts of punk fury tempered by excursions into instrumental surf-jazz – it’s all there. Standouttracks for me include the aforementioned ‘I Hate Chocolate Cake’, the angry political insta-classic ‘Do You Know This Man?’, the vintage punk stompers ‘Party Like The Amish’and ‘Sponsored Guy’ (the latter of which calls to mind the untouchable Fearless Iranians From Hell), the indescribable ’16 Hippies’ (OK, I guess it could be described as anupdated take on Black Flag’s ‘TV Party’), and the pleasingly nostalgic ‘Can’t Go Back’, but the whole album is rock-solid JFA through and through. It’s not like me to presentmy opinions as absolutes (yeah, and it’s not like me to utilize sarcasm even when no one gets it either…), but I’d feel remiss if I didn’t state for the record here that everyone whodoesn’t buy ‘Speed Of Sound’ and support JFA is a sorry excuse for a punk rocker and should be ashamed of themselves. The Impaler @impalerspeaksKatatonia – Dead End Kings CD (Peaceville)See, you don’t have to be a hollow shell of a human being to make radio-friendly music. Modern musicians beware, Katatonia are doing the way it’s supposed to be done. You canfeel an almost, translucent, foundation, to which the Swedish band has added some rock, tiny bit of metal and loads and loads of emotion and integrity. Music, it doesn’t matterhow strange, catchy or mainstream it is, there has to be an emotional core. On this, their ninth full-length, the days of death- and doom metal are long gone and because of that,it’s easy to compare them to Anathema. Personally I don’t always understand where Anathema is going, whereas Katatonia is like a sun-lit beacon in a paranoid world. It’s epic,cinematic and absolutely amazing. Martijn WelzenLoudness – Eve To Dawn CD (Frostbyte)For me personally Loudness was always about the two classic 80s records ‘Thunder In The East’ and ‘Lightning Strikes’. Nothing really seemed to hit the spot after that… Well,not until I put ‘Eve To Dawn’ in my CD player!!! With three out of four original members (sadly original drummer Mumetaka Higuchi succumbed to liver cancer in 2008) it’sa crisp reminder of the 80s glory days, but with a 21st century freshness. Minoru’s vocals are incredibly strong and fire up the delivery of the songs, helping them hammer hometheir sharpness; whilst Akira Takasaki’s shredding is still unbelievably precise. Fret board frenzy and a metal scream that cuts through the air combines to bring songs like ‘ComeHome Alive’, ‘Survivor’, ‘Gonna Do It My Way’ and the bouncing ‘Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!’ right into the realm of fist banging sing-a-long mania; whilst opening musical piece ‘ALight In The Dark’ is meant to distract the listener from the heaviness and metal assault of ‘The Power Of Truth’…? A complete band rejuvenation or just a damn fine record thattrue metal-heads will love? Whatever; with the intensely mesmerizing sound and production on offer, Loudness have turned out a beast of a record in ‘Eve To Dawn’. MarkFreebase

NOFX – Self Entitled CD (Fat Wreck)In the interests of honesty and clarity, I think I should admit up front that I love NOFX. Always have and always will. They’ve been a staple part of my musical diet since 1989,and some of the best nights of my life have been spent at NOFX shows. Hell, I lost a job, had to break into my own car and found myself on one of the most bizarre road tripsin history in order to see the band, and they were, and are, worth of every second of hurt, embarrassment and financial woe that it cost me. Shit, I would have paid a hundredtimes what I actually had to, and I still would have considered it a bargain. But, much as I love NOFX, I can’t help but think that for the last decade and some change, as far astheir albums were and are concerned, it kinda felt like they’d lost their way a little, like they were releasing albums because they felt, for some reason or other, that they had to,and as such the last four records felt more like they each had an EP’s worth of great songs rather than the ‘All killer, no filler’ records that the band had built their reputation onthroughout the late eighties and nineties. However, that was then and this is now, and now, NOFX are back and they’re back with a vengeance and then some. ‘Self Entitled’ isthe best record NOFX have put their name to since ‘So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes’, cranking the volume, speed and power to eleven on opening track ’72 Hookers’,keeping the accelerator mashed to the floor until the final chords of closing song ‘Xmas Has Been X’ed’ have finally faded. Fat Mike’s overtly funny and sometimes heartbreakinglysad, world weary, cynical vocals and lyrics are carried by the furious, punchy, catchy as hell one of a kind tunes that the band were once famous for, and thanks to ‘Self Entitled’will be again. This is NOFX at their finest, reclaiming their crown, flipping the bird at the world, having the time of their lives while inviting each and every one of us to join theparty. Goddamn it guys, thank-you, invitation accepted and hella appreciated! It’s bloody great to have you back… Tim Mass MovementNuclear Death Terror – Chaos Reigns CD Album (Southern Lord)Crusty D-Beat with Death Metal overtones particularly around the vocals. Ten originals (six tracks from their first two vinyl EPs and four new songs) and a faithful take onCeltic Frost’s ‘Morbid Tales’. There are only so many adjectives you can use to describe this stuff and most of them would apply to this Danish five piece. It’s fierce, ferocious andunrelenting. Think Black Breath, Wolfbrigade et al. Ian PickensNeurosis – Honor Found In Decay CD Album (Neurot)Much anticipated release from San Francisco’s’ sonic pioneers; their first studio album since 2007’s ‘Given to the Rising’. Neurosis don’t make easy-to-listen albums; they demandthe listeners attention; this isn’t an album to be played in the background or split-up in an mp3 playlist. HFID is a testament to the album as a coherent concept; somethingto be experienced as a whole rather than chopped into disposable bite sized pieces. The reward for the listener’s dedication is a heady mix of tribal drumming and sludgy riffsinterspaced with Hawkwind-esque space rock, dark, atmospheric ambience and an overwhelming sense of anguish. The graphics that accompany this release are stunning, belyingthe fact that for Neurosis the visual aesthetic is just as important as the sonic one. Standout tracks, ‘We All Rage In Gold’ and the incredible ‘Bleeding The Pigs’ which sees theband easily match such classics as ‘Lost’ and ‘Souls At Zero’. A welcome return. Ian PickensOrden Ogan – To The End CD (AFM)The classic trad metal intro instrumental of ‘The Frozen Few’ sets the pace and standard for this epic record. I’m telling you upfront that Orden Ogan offers something a littlespecial to the melodic power metal genre… The up-tempo power and fast guitar riffing add an energetic approach to the hard but melodic sing-a-long anthems present on ‘ToThe End’. Seeb Levermann’s vocals have a slight gruff edge, but this only adds to the strength of the sound, giving a more metal touch to the whole vibe. The big production soundthroughout the record (handled by Levermann himself ) compounds the overall products amazing ability to keep you hooked. Now there is obvious Blind Guardian referencesand influences, but yet Orden Ogan play it harder and faster but yet with more melody! There are plenty of big choruses and dramatic vocals making for an epic metal soundtrackespecially during Euro-metal masterpiece ‘The Things We Believe In’. The almost thrash intro of ‘Land Of The Dead’ shows Levermann and (second guitarist) Tobi are deliveringa fresh metal sound for the 21st century. There is a softer moment on the ballad ‘The Ice Kings’ where you are left to breath for a few minutes, but even when hearing parts likethe end of ‘Dying Paradise’ and the shredding is intense the overall brilliance of melody and speed are married. With the digipack version also comes with Orden Ogan’s blindingperformance at Wacken Open Air 2010 it’s a metal heads must. Mark Freebase

Oiltanker – The Shadow of Greed LP/Crusades 7” CD Album (Southern Lord)Sixteen tracks in half an hour; like it. Oiltanker are definitely worshipers at the alter of Discharge, Doom and Extreme Noise Terror but fair play gems like ‘Last Words’ and theslightly more metallic ‘Consume and Grow’ get the blood pumping despite the lack of originality. Southern Lord seems to be cherry picking the best of the D-Beat/Crust bandsat the moment and more power to them if this is the quality of the releases. Ian PickensPigs – You Ruin Everything CD (Solar Flare Records)If Pigs had just released the third song on this album – ‘Massive Operator Error’ – as a single, I would have been obsessed enough with the band to name them one of the bestnew acts of 2012. That one song so passionately revisits the glory days of NYC post-hardcore ala Quicksand all by itself that I would’ve been left with no choice but to fall in lovewith this mysterious new force on the noise-rock scene. Thankfully, Pigs – Unsane bassist Dave Curran (guitar/vocals); producer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and all-aroundbad-ass Andrew Schneider (bass/vocals); and he’s-done-some-serious-shit-so-just-look-him-up-already drummer Jim Paradise (drums) – didn’t stop with that one song, despiteits gloriousness. They added nine additional songs, and I would’ve been even happier if they had kept adding more. There’s the caustic Prong-as-played-by-Fugazi ‘Give It’, whichopens the album. There’s ‘Whitewash’, which forges an Unsane-ish beatdown to a vintage NYHC groove that calls to mind Sick Of It All. There’s ‘Small c Celebrity’, whichblends a WWI-era wartime march approach to the drums with a pretty melody played on clean guitars that lasts long enough to instill a false sense of security before slamminginto a brutal attack on the senses with unearthly screams layered atop a massive wall of riffs and thumps that seem to signal the end of life on earth. The influences here are variedbut clear, not to mention easily traced: Schneider has been an integral part of recordings by bands like Cave In, Keelhaul, Scissorfight, Milligram, Puny Human, 5ive, and Pelican,while Curran’s involvement with Unsane stretches back to 1994. Do the collective members of Pigs understand hardcore, experimental noise-rock, and other key componentsof the heavy end of the musical spectrum? Boy howdy, they do. It’s easy to get lost in one aspect of ‘You Ruin Everything’ or another, too – the circus-freak drum acrobatics ofParadise, the moodily expressive guitar playing of Curran, the punishingly heavy bass grooves laid down by Schneider, or the bone-chillingly intense vocalizations of the twosingers, individually and together – but not for too long. Sure, the stringed parts have more bite than a thousand buzzsaws caught up in a tornado and the smashed parts exudethe power and complexity of synchronized thunder, but the way Pigs puts it all together is indescribable. There is something holy about the decidedly unholy racket capturedon ‘You Ruin Everything’, something perfect yet unmistakably deranged. Listening to Pigs is like having a dream from which you don’t want to wake up. A beautiful, sinister,nightmarish dream. The Impaler @impalerspeaksPropagandhi – Failed States CD (Epitaph)Is there such a thing as progressive punk rock? If there wasn’t before ‘Failed States’ was released, then there sure is now. I sort of tuned out of listening to Propagandhi after theyreleased ‘Less Talk, More Rock’, because there were just to many bands and too many records, and unfortunately Propagandhi were one of the bands that fell off my radar. Whichis a damn shame, as ‘Failed States’ is an incredible record, sort of like Rush meets Tragedy meets seventies proto metal ala Sabbath and early Priest that’s heavy on melody, tunesyou can sing-a-long to. Protest music for thinking punkers, open minded metal heads and the disenfranchised and forgotten generations who dare to believe in a better future.Remarkable, absolutely remarkable… Tim Mass MovementSatan’s Wrath – Galloping Blasphemy CD (Metal Blade)Never judge a book by its cover!!! Don’t let the CD artwork make up your mind! Satan’s Wrath, the two piece from Greece shamelessly present an old school sound and vibe thatmany a band would be dead jealous to recreate. The early black metal vocal style delivery sits nicely upon the cranky guitars (that mix riffage and soloing to a classic blend) anda solid drum beat for foundation. There’s an undeniable groove to the songs here on ‘Galloping Blasphemy’ that makes them memorable, (something that a lot of new extremebands seem to forget). The 9 tracks on offer here give us song titles that say a big fuck you to all the posers. The instrumental album titled song has an almost Iron Maiden guitar/drum vibe ~ maybe a freakily satanic ‘Transylvania’ feel to it??? Satan’s Wrath are re-capturing that late 80s feel and pissing on all others! You loved Mercyful Fate and (early)Bathory… you’ll dig Satan’s Wrath. Mark Freebase

Serpentine Path – s/t CD (Relapse)While I am not a huge fan of the death metal vocal style in general, I am well-versed enough to recognize and understand that it can be employed in varying shades ofobnoxiousness, and sometimes to great effect, as it here courtesy of Ryan Lipynsky, who is best known in the underground world as not just the vocalist but also as the guitaristfor the much heralded (though now sadly defunct) doom trio Unearthly Trance. In fact, Serpentine Path is Unearthly Trance (Lipynsky just provides vocals here, while DarrenVerni and Jay Newman continue their roles as drummer and bassist, respectively) – with the addition of Tim Bagshaw on guitar. Yes, that Tim Bagshaw (are there others?!).He of Electric Wizard and Ramesses. When it comes to metal that is truly extreme, truly sick, truly punishing, and still completely engaging and listenable, it seems to me thatit generally comes from one of three key places: New Orleans (Eyehategod come immediately to mind), Japan (Church Of Misery, for example), or the UK (mentioning IronMonkey and Electric Wizard here should be sufficient). Sure there are outliers (Grief was from Boston, Buzzov-en were from Wilmington, North Carolina), but as a general ruleit seems fairly well-trodden. While I was never a head-over-heels fan of Unearthly Trance, I was never against them in any way, either. I always had, in fact, a real appeciation forwhat they were doing. And what the three members of that band, with the addition of Bagshaw, of course, are doing now as Serpentine Path is… well, it’s actually awe-inspiring.The way that the ‘normal’ metal riffage found on the opening few measures of a track like ‘Obsoletion’ lies next to the impossibly slow guitar mangling that is the entirety of‘Beyond The Dawn Of Time’, for example, is admirable, sure… but it is more than that. It’s damn near genius. And while Lipynsky does throw a dash of death metal into the mixwith his throat, he isn’t swallowing the mic and he doesn’t go for a cartoonishly ‘evil’ sound; he simply grunts and growls in the fashion of Cronos (Venom) or Mike IX Williams(Eyehategod) – and he does so sparingly, allowing the hypnoitic rhythms of Verni and Newman, and the dazzling guitar-work of Bagshaw (wait until you hear the bastardizedIommi-isms throughout ‘Aphelion’!) to carry the bulk of the load. The Impaler’s verdict: Serpentine Path has crafted an album that I can turn to when the heaviest, slowest,nastiest thing I could think of otherwise just won’t do, and when the world feels bleak and lonely, that is a very, very good thing indeed. The Impaler @impalerspeaksSetback – Step Up Your Game CD (Crash Course)When listening to Setback two abbrevations immediately spring to mind, ‘NYHC’ and ‘DIY’. That’s what this band has always stood for, since their inception in 1991. It’s on themetallic side of Madball and Agnostic Front and gives way to the frustrations that are part and parcel of life for the common man on the streets of Queens, and even though theband have already been around for 20+ years, this is their first full length on their own label Crash Course Records. And it’s the DIY attitude and will to presevere that makes ita hardcore record through and through. It’s not about originality, but what’s in their hearts, and that attitude comes across incredibly well, which is never easy when you cross theborder out of hardcore’s natural habitat, the small stage, and enter the recording studio. Recommended. Martijn WelzenSister Sin – Now And Forever CD (Victory)Coming from Victory records I didn’t expect much really, as the glory days of their 90s roster (featuring Warzone, Cause For Alarm, One Life Crew, Earth Crisis, Strife etc)are long gone since they took the path of washed out emo/pop releases late 90s onwards. But Sister Sin’s release has made me sit up and listen! ‘Now And Forever’ is 11 tracksof pure old school rock/metal fronted by the amazingly strong vocal talents of Liv Jagrell; her style shows a no holds barred, powerful, direct delivery standing her ground andtopping a sound these Swede’s fire out – chugging guitar riffs and drum stabs infused by an almost 80s metal backing. Powerful choruses, old school backing vocal chants, properheadbanging metal (the type you hoped to see on T.V. shows such as ‘Entertainment U.S.A.’ and early 90s MTV). Sister Sin even have that classical lyrical sling and aren’t afraidto use kick ass wording amongst the lyrics. Liv is definitely up there along the female greats Doro and Lita, and standing side by side along with new formidable talents such asCrystal Viper’s own Marta Gabriel, dare I use the thrashers favourite term…. ‘The Big Four’…? Closing track (and only) ballad ‘The Morning After’ has a real depth and passion,and due to Liv’s vocal delivery a real power and feel. Honest rock/ metal with a real strong sound for the future, whilst grabbing the best from the 80s; Influences are a good thing,as there is very little originality in music these days. Mark FreebaseStrife – Witness A Rebirth CD (Holy Roar)Strife are back. The real Strife that is, not the strange, watered down, version that recorded the “final” album ‘Angermeans’. ‘Witness A Rebirth’ is the natural follow-up to ‘OneTruth’ (1994) and ‘In This Defiance’ (1997) – it’s pure early nineties hardcore, which was then often called new school, with sharp metal edges, breaks, sing-a-longs and typicalStrife mosh parts. and above all Rick Rodney’s angry vocals. The way the songs are written and performed, you’ll feel like it’s 1995 all over again. It’s amazing for all of us whowhere there and experienced the rise of not only Strife, but also Earth Crisis and Snapcase, and I’m curious about whether or not today’s HC kids will be steered towards theintense hardcore of Los Angeles based Strife. I hope so. They won me over again... Martijn Welzen

State Funeral – Protest Music 7” (Artcore)Six tracks of melodic punk rock with articulate and clever lyrical wordplay; not a million miles away from vocalist Welly and drummer Glenn’s previous band Four LetterWord but with an added bit of vitriol that belies an increasing frustration with the state of the UK, a population with blinkers on and a punk scene dominated by cliques andegos (‘Between Punk Rock and A Hardcore Place’). There’s also a few off kilter noodling guitar bits on ‘The Third Estate’ which remind me of the Die Kreuzen/Void school ofHardcore without wandering into metal territory. Nicely packaged with graphics and lyric booklet which reminds me of 80s style 7” Hardcore releases. Comes with a patch anddownload code for those who need such things. Free with Artcore Issue 30 or you could chase Welly for a copy via the Artcore zine website. Ian PickensTerror – No Regrets No Shame: The Bridge Nine Days CD / DVD (Bridge Nine)There’s one small, yet very important, detail, not mentioned on this particular release.That is, it was filmed back in 2003 in Corona, California. 2003 is important, as at that pointTerror was a new band, with only some demos and the great ‘Lowest Of The Low’ under their belt. Scott Vogel, who is also interviewed on the DVD, speaks about the dreams hehas; releasing a full-length and touring Australia and Japan. We now know all those things came true, due to the band’s amazing work ethic and that the 2010 album ‘Keepers OfThe Faith’ is by far their best release to date. So now back to the Showcase Theater in 2003… Funnily enough… the DVD is cool, and a must have for the (old) Terror fans, withall the old songs one can go nuts about. On CD it doesn’t work that well, the sound quality isn’t good enough to calling it a proper live album. I need to have the images to gowith it, the crowd going wild, Vogel getting the people in a frenzy, like the true, legendary frontman he already was at that time. As an added bonus you get the bands HeadlineRecords in-store performance. Man, am I glad it’s not my record store. The performances are raw and in your face, the way hardcore was meant to be. I love it! Martijn WelzenThe Bones – Monkeys With Guns CD (People Like You)Raise your hand if you are not familiar with The Bones. If your hand is in the air, it sucks to be you. But wait… The Impaler is here to help! And it’s easy. Painless. Visit www.bonesrocknroll.com or the People Like You Records website or Amazon or iTunes or wherever it is you like to buy music to support independent artists. Buy some records by TheBones. That’s it. Quick. Simple. No tears. Why, you may be asking yourselves, should we do this? Because The Impaler says so? Well, while that actually is a very good reason, let’sgo ahead and say ‘no’ for now. Let me give you some reasons. The Bones play rock ‘n’ roll. More specifically, The Bones play RAWK ‘N’ ROLL. The Bones are from Sweden – andwe all know that Swedish bands rock. It’s an inevitability of life that The Impaler has come to accept, and I suggest that you do too. The Bones have been tearing up stages aroundthe world since 1996. Every one of their albums is bad-ass. The Bones play raucous, rowdy, catchy-as-hell rawk that is equal parts big-riff rock, street punk, and melodic glampunk. How about a few references to get you in the right frame of mind? New York Dolls, Backyard Babies, Black Halos, The Hellacopters, Born To Lose, US Bombs, LowerClass Brats, Cock Sparrer, The Wildhearts. Add an undeniably direct KISS influence for good measure. Get it? Find the band’s ‘Burnout Boulevard’ record and give ‘StraightFlush Ghetto’ a spin or two (or sixty). Make more sense now?! It damn well should. So now that the newbies are prepped, let’s get everyone back into the same room and startover. Is everyone familiar with The Bones? Hell yeah! Of course you are! Did you know that they have a new album – ‘Monkeys With Guns’ – out now on People Like You? Youdo now! And this one just might be the band’s biggest, nastiest offering to date. From the opening moments of ‘Bones City Rollers’ – when a cassette can be heard being insertedinto a vintage snap-case player and ‘those’ melodic vocals kick in – to the closing moments of ‘This Hound Dog Rocks’ – when the chorus is echoed by horns until fade-out andthe cassette can be heard clicking to a stop and being ejected (brilliant!) – this album rocks. Rawks. It rolls, too. Tracks like ‘Shooting Blanks’, ‘Concrete Cowboys’, ‘Dead HeartBeats’, ‘Die Like A Man’, and ‘One Louder’ were forged in a fire of pure adrenaline, filled with rumbling bass, massive riffs, hotshot solos, and the thickest, sickest, coolest piled-ongang vocals ever committed to tape. I’ve had ‘Monkeys With Guns’ for over two months now and if it were possible to wear a groove into a digital file in the fashion of wearinga groove into a slab o’ vinyl, I’d already be in the market for a second copy. I can’t stop spinning this record, and it’s taking every bit of self-control I can muster to sit still longenough to actually write these words when I want to be on my feet, letting the music move me. The Bones. ‘Monkeys With Guns’. Seriously. The Impaler @impalerspeaksThe Adicts – All The Young Droogs CD (DC-Jam Records)There is only one appropriate way to describe ‘All The Young Droogs’, the 10th studio album from The Adicts and their first for DC-Jam Records – making them label-mateswith JFA! – and it is this: it’s real horrorshow. The original lineup of Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren on vocals, Pete ‘Dee’ Davison and John ‘Scruff ’ Ellis on guitars, Mel ‘Spider’ Ellis onbass, Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison on drums, and Dan ‘Fiddle Dan’ Gratziani on piano and other instrumentation is still in place – 30+ years down the line! – and kicking ass. Arethere noticeable differences between the styles of, say, 1982’s manic ‘Sound Of Music’ and this album? Of course there are. The key difference is the level of maturity displayed on‘All The Young Droogs’, from the songwriting to the performances. Is this a good thing? Boy howdy! You bet it is. The manic energy – the sped-up tempos, the snarling rage, thethematic quests for fun and a good take-out meal after a night of partying – found on The Adicts’ earliest records has been replaced by a steady mid-tempo swing and an ‘it is whatit is, and what a ride it’s been!’ attitude. The title track, of course, is a tribute to ‘All The Young Dudes’, that ubiquitous classic written by David Bowie and made famous by Mott

The Hoople. Here, The Adicts take the general structure of ‘Dudes’ and shake it up with a slinky reggae-influenced beat and an insatiable chorus sung by a group of children –which is brilliant in and of itself – but keep the tone and feel of Mick Ralphs’ and Ian Hunter’s riffs intact, even sneaking in a reimagining of the opening notes of the original soloat one point. Brilliant. The influence of Mott The Hoople, David Bowie, and other classic British rockers like T. Rex, is clear throughout the album, but is that really anythingnew? I don’t think so. It’s just easier to pick them out with the material here than it has been in years past. Tracks like ‘Rage Is The Rage’, ‘Love Lies Bleeding’, and ‘Catch MyHeart’ are firmly rooted in the spaced-out glam rock of the aforementioned bands, yet are as distinctly The Adicts as anything else in the band’s repertoire. For ‘classic’ Adicts,though, look no further than ‘Horrorshow’ – in which Monkey dips into the deep past for a vocal performance that absolutely could have been recorded in the early 80s whenthese droogies were all about aggression – or the gang-vocal barnstormers ‘Stomper’ and ‘Battlefield W1’, both of which feature hooks so insatiable that I’m actually at a loss forwords to explain just how deeply rooted into my brain they’ve become. On the subject of insatiable hooks, there are two tracks here – the keyboard-driven arena rocker ‘Wild’and the chugging-riff slow-burner ‘Stop The World (I Wanna Get Off )’ (the latter of which features a Mick Ronson styled guitar solo that is nothing short of spine-tingling)– which rival anything in rotation on the only radio station that I can trust to turn to for music that actually matters to me, Little Steven’s Underground Garage on Sirius/XM.Talk about The Greatest Songs In The World! ‘All The Young Droogs’ is rounded out by two additional tracks, which are far from sleepers. ‘My Old Friend’ has the feel of vintageMadness – with no horns – and ‘To Us Tonight’ is a straight-up pub rocker in the style of Cock Sparrer. How great is that? Um, pretty damn great. In fact, if I had to sum up ‘AllThe Young Droogs’ in one word it probably wouldn’t be ‘horrorshow’ at all; the word I’d choose is ‘legendary’. The Impaler @impalerspeaksThe Karma Heart – Come Alive EP/CD Album (RockHeart)www.facebook.com/thekarmaheartThree tracks of gutsy straight ahead rock with strong female vocals which at times remind me of Pat Benatar at her ballsy best. TKH manage to walk the fine line betweencommercial and credible, with all three tracks potentially gaining radio airplay and reaching a wider audience, without sounding as if they’re trying too hard; The title track isparticularly catchy, bubbling along with some tasty Big Country-esque guitar licks and a powerful vocal performance from Jenn Cherene For fans of Paramore. Ian PickensThe Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – Between The Ditches CD (SideOneDummy)Oh man, I love stumbling across bands like the Reverend Peyton and his crew, hard working, get out there and play each and every damn night bands who let their music do thetaking and leave everything else to the media darlings and celebrity junkies. Jaw dropping catchy as hell blues meets country with a big old healthy does of folk and traditionalthrown into the mix for good measure that’ll have you humming along and dancing in next to no time. I swear, ‘Between The Ditches’ has been the soundtrack to, and for, mydaily existence for the last two weeks, and it’s going to be fulfilling the same duty for the foreseeable future, as it’s brightened up every single day and helped to put a smile on myface, which ain’t exactly easy to do at the best of times. Here’s to happy days and The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, long may they both last… Tim Mass MovementThe Sword – Apocryphon CD (Napalm Records)Now you could be a completed imbecile and write The Sword off as being a total Sabbath clone… or you could sit and listen and make up your own mind. The band from Austin,Texas U.S.A. returns with their 4th release and a definitely solid sound. I won’t deny the influences of Sabbath or Zeppelin (neither will the band) but it’s just a picking of thegreats and I’d say also taking parts of the Melvins and even Slayer with it. The sound now seems a more direct and stronger rooted vibe (since debut release ‘Age Of Winters’ in2006) of groove ridden doom and stoner rock on the 10 tracks featured here on ‘Apocryphon’ even with the closing title track adding a little spice with it’s psychedelic twistedintro. Drummer Trivett has been the only casualty on the trip so far; probably helping the band to hone it’s stronger sound; hence keeping regular members in tow. To create thewhole ‘rock’ feel, the band recorded mostly on analogue equipment, and worked with producer J.Robbins as they took great inspirations from his work on Clutch releases ‘RobotHive/Exodus’ and ‘Strange Cousins From The West’. Now I could tell you stand out tracks, but to be honest from the opening chords of ‘Veil Of Isis’ right through to the closingecho of ‘Apocryphon’ it’s the type of CD you’ll be inspired to play right through from start to finish anyway…Mark FreebaseThe Witches Drum – Future Kings of an Empty Throne CDEP (Self Released)First recorded outing from the five-piece Cardiff Kings of Psychedelic rock and despite the rather quiet production it certainly lives up to their impressive live sets. The spaceyweirdness of opening track ‘Watch The Freaks Lose It’ sounding rather like Monster Magnet on even more Acid than usual with vocalist Fry sounding particularly like DaveWyndorf (which oddly he doesn’t live). ‘Filthy Habits’ and ‘Fishin’ For Ships’ sees the band go for more of a 70s blues-rock feel, with some fine guitar riffery. Live favourite andmushroom soundtrack ‘Climb Aboard the Bus of Devotion’ closes proceedings by dragging you back in the cosmic head-wreck that is The Witches Drum with its looping bassline and almost Doors-esque feel. Great cover art too. Excellent stuff. Ian Pickens

Toy Dolls – The Album After The Last One CD (Secret Records Limited/Shakedown Records/MVD Audio)One thing I am not fond of doing is ranking thing, making lists of favorites and things of this nature. If pressed, however, I could be persuaded to come up with a list of 10 ‘desertisland’ discs, 10 albums that I simply could not live without because they hold special meaning to me and I still play them today as obsessively often as I did when I first got them– and most of them were, in fact, released at least twenty years ago. One record that definitely makes the cut for this list of mine is ‘Singles 83/84’ – yeah, it’s a compilation ofsorts, but anyone wanting to haggle over matters such as that can piss right off where this one is concerned – a collection of seven early singles that introduced me to Toy Dollsback in 1985, when it was possible to buy records solely based on how interesting the cover looked, which is what I did. Here we are, nearly 30 years later, and Toy Dolls remain akey component of my life – not just as an influential part of my musical evolution but as a band that gets multiple spins on my home and car stereo on a weekly basis. week afterweek after week. I never get tired of this band. How could I?! That voice – that voice! – and that frantic, squeal-happy, Chuck-Berry-on-steroids guitar sound which immediatelysignifies that the one and only Olga (aka Michael Algar) is, indeed, in the building (or at least in the grooves of the record… you know what I mean!). The bouncy, smashy, happyrhythm section – currently, I believe, being provided by Tom ‘Tommy Goober’ Blyth (bass) and Duncan ‘The Amazing Mr. Duncan’ Redmonds (drums) – that no other band onearth could hope to replicate… or even keep up with. I’ve got every album, and at least five different retrospectives covering the band’s recorded output over the past thirty-plusyears. I love ‘em all. When Olga seemingly put the band to rest after 2004’s ‘Our Last Album?’, I felt like a fairly sizeable chunk of my heart had been ripped out. But now, here in2012, Toy Dolls are back with the aptly named ‘The Album After The Last One’ (which is brilliant in its own right). The album begins with an intro not dissimilar to the classic‘We’re Mad’ (which appears on ‘Singles 83/84’, for those keeping score) before charging into the fray, all cylinders firing on double-time, with a slew of instant classics like ‘CreditCrunch Christmas’, ‘Molly Was Immoral’, ‘B.E.E.R.’, ‘Don’t Drive Yer Car Up Draycott Avenue’, ‘Dirty Doreen’, ‘Marty’s Mam’… oh hell, they’re all smashing, every single last oneof them! The album concludes with a trio of treasured Toy Dolls tracks – ‘Fiery Jack’, ‘Cloughy Is A Bootboy’, and ‘The Sphinx Stinks’ – performed acousticly by Olga, whichis a real treat and no mistake. If you’ve never heard – or even heard of – Toy Dolls, this album is as good a place to start as any. If you’re a fan, run – don’t walk – to your localindependent record shop and pick this up today. You won’t regret it. You also won’t sleep for a week, because ‘The Album After The Last One’ contains more energy than a case ofRed Bull. And it’ll all be worth it, believe me! The Impaler @impalerspeaksTrail Of Murder – Shades Of Art CD (Metal Heaven)Trail Of Murder may just seem like another metal band but shove the CD in your stereo and crank it up for a full on metal fix! The Swedish five piece consist of singer UrbanBreed (formerly of Tad Morose) and ex Morgana Lefay drummer Pelle Akerlind (both had worked previously in local band Bloodbound) and adding former band mate /guitarist Daniel Olsson bring a real pure 80s metal feel to the sound of ‘Shades Of Art’. The professionalism and quality of guitar licks and leads balances out the amazing Dioesquevibe vocal delivery of Breed, think Queensryche song melodies, although faster…? There is a harder edge to Trail Of Murder’s sound than most basic 80s metal bands(note the emphases on METAL not rock), the pomp commercial edge is less prominent, maybe the melodic but gruffer vocal finish by production from Jonas Kjellgren (SonicSyndicate and Scar Symmetry fame) adds to this confirmation. All twelve songs here are executed with a precision that most metal musicians would be well jealous of; ‘Shades OfArt’, ‘Lady Don’t Answer’, ‘The Song You Never Sang’ and ‘My Heart Still Cries’ could all be Rock City classics. Don’t believe me – well trawl YouTube. Mark FreebaseVision Of Disorder – The Cursed Remain Cursed CD (Candlelight)It’s been eleven years since ‘From Bliss To Devastation’, and the world has changed quite a bit during the past decade, both politically and musically. So the first question thatneeds to be answered is this; Is there still place, out there and in here, for Long Island veterans Vision Of Disorder? They do have one thing on their side though, during theirfirst tour of duty, which lasted from 1992 to 2002 the band was about a decade ahead of their peers. The way they incorporated metal, hardcore and their patented sinister dancegroove made them one of the most progressive bands I’ve been privileged to hear. Given that, ‘The Cursed Remain The Cursed’ is a bit strange. The sound is totally from 2012,but on the other hand, it’s angrier and more hardcore than any previous VOD release. However, in a world where so many bands are trying to blow each other out of the waterby being MORE progressive, it’s like a breath of fresh air when a band actually steps down, and back, a bit. Vision of Disorder have put all their anger and frustration into ‘TheCursed’ without making it overly complicated. The band are once again swimming against the current, the environment which suits them best, and has helped them to createhaunting, intense, one of a kind, music. Incredible. Martijn Welzen

WeCameFromWolves – Cope MCD (Engineer)Another prime example of how powerful music can be without going completely in one direction Strong, hard hitting rock, with post hardcore and emo touches is what theScottish wolves bring to the table. It’s only five songs, about the hardships in life, just a snack to wet your appetite, but boy oh boy, does it wet your appetite, leaving you beggingfor more… Martijn WelzenWorld War IX – Bender Royale CD (www.worldwarix.com)How do you feel about vintage American punk? I’m talking about the stuff that is angry and fun at the same time. I’m talking about early Black Flag, Circle Jerks, AdrenalineO.D., Rich Kids On LSD (RKL), Flag Of Democracy (FOD), Mucky Pup, Spermbirds, Murphy’s Law, et al. I’m talking about guitars plugged straight into amps with no effects,lots of gang vocals, groove for days, beats that just keep on beating. Yeah, me too. Rejoice! World War IX is here for you. For me. For us. For punk. Underground comics fansshould be familiar with Justin Melkmann, who has captured many of the bands adventures in the uber-cool black and white comics ‘Earaches & Eyesores’. Melkmann also playsguitar in World War IX, so his perspective is more than sound. (Yes, the pun was intentional. It works on several levels, don’t you think?!) The rest of the band – Filthy Phill onvocals, Brian ‘Chinatown’ Jackson on bass, and Jon on drums – may or may not be involved in the visual arts (I don’t know) but they sure as hell know their way around punkrock. World War IX has been called ‘the best trashy punk band in NYC’ by no less than Chuck Foster from ‘The Big Takeover’, and I find no evidence to refute that claim on‘Bender Royale’. In fact, I’ve been trying to make my fingers type some words to serve as this review for well over an hour now but keep getting lost in songs like ‘Sore Winner’(track 1), ‘Keyboard Commando’ (track 2), ‘(We’ve Gone) Hollywood’ (track 3), ‘Oi Revult’ (track 4), and ‘Bender Royale’ (track 5)… wait, see, now I’ve just gone and gottenlost singing along to the title track again (‘let’s get drunk!...’) and simply listed all 5 of the indispensible tracks on this gem of an EP. I’m trying to establish that ‘Bender Royale’ is abad-ass record, that World War IX is a bad-ass band, and… well, probably something else, but it would be a lot more fun to point the speakers out the window, crank the sound upway too loud, tape down the ‘repeat’ button, and see if I can get the neighborhood squirrels to join me in an old-school circle pit…. The Impaler @impalerspeaks

fin.See you next year!