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Latest edition of Sonic Shocks featuring reviews of Shining, Fukpig, Acephalix and Necro Deathmort

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April edition of Sonic Shocks with a Hammerfest review, interview with Dripback and a Dope Body review

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January/Feb issue of Sonic Shocks with a review of Run, WALK!

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December issue of Sonic Shocks with reviews of Asking Alexandria, Retox and Nick Stutsman

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November issue of Sonic Shocks with reviews of Supersonic Festival and a retrospective look at Breaking the Waves

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October issue of Sonic Shocks containing interviews with Slabdragger and Zombi in the run up to Supersonic Festival and an article on Extreme Cinema

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Issue 3 of Sonic Shocks, containing an interview with Gold Kids and a review of Hevy Fest

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Issue 2 of Sonic Shocks, containing a nifty review of Antares

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First issue of Sonic Shocks, featuring several reviews by yours truly and a feature on Holy Roar Records

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Harvey Milk @ The Hare and Hounds (Originally published on www.sonicshocks.com)

HARVEY MILK

Birmingham Hare And Hounds - 22nd May 2012

Review by Matthew Tilt

It’s a rare enough event to catch the incredible Harvey Milk live in the UK; to catch them on Harvey Milk Day is something that puts the average mind at the risk of exploding. It seems pointless discussing and debating what genre these Georgian boys fall into because in the live setting they fit neatly into some heavy, nasty and obscure corner of jazz.

You’re all looking at me now; wondering what the hell I took before I saw Harvey Milk but I assure I know what I’m talking about here. You see, escaping from the heat and into the top room of the Hare and Hounds I stumbled into the venue a little disorientated and I stood staring wide eyed at the three piece on stage, each riff creating a monolith of feedback that literally shook people in front of me.

The advantage of seeing the band literally working like cogs in front of you, is that you see where each song starts, and every time it started from the slightest thing and built up around this idea creating something that seemed simple, deceptively so because in reality it was something that carried a complexity that kept all three in time and in sync with each other.

Creston slips his inimitable voice into crevices and cracks in the music; wailing like a shaman or crooning before he rocks out in sudden, almost improvisational blasts of good, solid classic rock. There’s no such thing as a perfect set, but it’s hard to think of a better one. Half the time they don’t even need to speak because the crowd stay transfixed throughout, only daring to move when the speakers roar with the openings of a new song, and never daring to disrespect something as rare and as beautifully ugly as a Harvey Milk performance.

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God is an Astronaut feature (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Interview with Torsten Kinsella (God Is An Astronaut)

Having just toured the U.S., and sold out most of their 13 shows, God Is An Astronaut’s vocalist/guitarist Torsten Kinsella is clearly in a good mood. He jokes about mosh pits in New York, which at their shows are “a little bit rare”, and talks about the more “youthful feel” they’re currently bringing to the stage since the inclusion of Michael Fenton on drums.

There’s more cause for celebration as headliner Devin Townsend (“it would be great to get him on our next record, you never know”) has been singing the band’s praises, something that will no doubt encourage a few more people to check them out; not that Torsten is worried about pressure. “We’re going to go in with the intention of putting on the best show of the festival,” he states calmly “…I think [people] will be pleasantly surprised with how heavy the music is; it’s not like the record, which had a more ambient feel to it. Live it’s pretty furious.”

Talks of the best show on such an eclectic and talented line up might smack of arrogance if it wasn’t coming from a band who have been perfecting the craft of the live show over the years, a band who were part of the reason MTV brought the ‘120 Minute Show’ back. Taking the focus off the visuals which dominated GIAA concerts before (“people were saying it’s really cool but we’ve seen it before…and I thought it was taking away from us as performers), and now only having short films for certain tracks and more ambient pieces. Not to mention the aforementioned inclusion of Michael Fenton and the hiring of keyboardist Jamie Dean which has “lifted the shows to a new level” and an increase in energy and enthusiasm on stage rather than, by his own admission, concentrating on how tight they are as a band all means they’ll bringing one hell of show to silence any doubters.

Making sure their sound is as faithful as possible; the band will also be bringing their own sound equipment, something Torsten takes very seriously as part of the band doing their own thing. “I think the only way you can make money these days is if you have everything: the publishing…” touching upon the fact that the band own Revive Records, “…and the live shows.” It’s this insistence on bringing their own equipment that drives the band through their heavy touring schedule, which includes dates in Belgium and Holland before flying over to Leeds. “Financially it makes the most sense to play a few shows before we come out. We bring our own front of house engineer, our own stage tech…it’s an eight man crew, including the band. We just need to do a few shows to actually pay for the equipment we take on the road.”

Obviously the aforementioned Revive Records has allowed the band the freedom, both musically and within the live setting, to do what they please. “We enjoy been able to put out whatever we want…and for us this is the future of the music industry, it’s completely independent. We get paid every month so you can’t really beat that, and that’s the way forward; complete independence.”

Beyond their own furious, multi-sensory attack and their continuous work as a completely independent band, Torsten gives his thoughts on the bands playing this year and the festival as a whole: “I’ve heard a lot about Altar of Plagues…I stuck on one of their songs and it was really, really good…Ulver as well, I’m looking forward to seeing them”. As for why the festival seemed perfect for GIAA? “I think it’s a great idea, it’s something that sorely missing in Ireland. A lot of fans over here just don’t get catered for, and it’s unusual because it’s so stylistically diverse; a lot of festivals are just an indie festival or a metal festival so it’s very rare to get a festival like this.”

-matthewtilt

http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/post/10688893299/4-god-is-an-astronaut

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Ulver feature (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Interview with Kristoffer Rygg

It was no doubt a shock, despite the eclectic nature of Damnation Festival, when Ulver were announced; considering the band’s outspoken stance on the metal world and their distinctly non-metal output over recent years coupled with the fact that they only started playing select shows two years ago. Talking on the phone with frontman Kristoffer he brings up the fact that they were wary of Damnation in 2010, and why they are playing it this year.

“We were quite eager to not make too many metal appearances. It has been quite a long time since we’ve had anything to do with metal so I guess we would have felt like strange birds in that context. We also have quite a big production so we need the premises to be right logistically and you guys swayed us this year!”

Not afraid to talk about their separation from metal in further detail he moves onto Ulver’s progression as a band saying how they have “no idea of anything been perfect” and describing each album as a “station” and that they would “rather leave a place than stay and create the perfect painting”; metaphorically covering the band’s desire to continuously change rather than be known for one perfect, genre piece.

Of course by embracing change in a band, you must also accept how the public perceive you something this enigmatic vocalist is very open about. “It’s something we’re definitely defined by” he admits, “I don’t think we’d have a audience today if we hadn’t had that initial success as a metal band, but on the other hand you start think it’s like a stone in your shoe…like maybe if we didn’t have it we’d have a wider range.” Of course it’s his own perception of his music which Kristoffer has been equally outspoken about although he does relent about his past material:

“I hadn’t listened to the first album [Bergtatt – Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler] for years and, for some reason, I listened to it a few months ago and I was thinking ‘Wow, this is amazing’ because of it being water under the bridge. I could appreciate it and understand, for the first time, what people liked about that stuff.”

With Ulver’s finally playing outside of London, on such an eclectic line up, with a live set that includes improvisational pieces (something considered by the frontman as the “true form of live music”), and what seems like a softer view on his past material there is doubt that Ulver will add yet another stellar performance to Damnation’s rich history; not to mention the fact that they join Godflesh and Decapitated, both of whom Kristoffer considers “cool”, it seems only right to end on his opinion of this year’s Bonfire Night festivities:

“[Damnation] feels like a real labour of love.”

-matthewtilt

http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/post/10764718998/5-ulver

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Shining feature (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Starting out as an acoustic jazz quartet twelve years ago, it would be hard for anyone to predict that Shining, (not to be confused with the Swedish black metal band) would be playing the diverse, yet definitely metal orientated, Damnation Festival. Luckily multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jørgen Munkeby was on the phone to talk us through how the band ended up here. “We were into metal before we started studying jazz, and because of this non-jazz background we always attracted an audience from outside. We also played in rock clubs, so even though I could never have imagined the band ending up where we are now it feels very natural.”

  He’s also quick to point out that Shining still play in many venues outside of the metal world, as well as festivals that are less diverse, and isn’t afraid of not fitting in. “I’ve learned not to be skeptical about more narrowly focused festivals. There are more than enough people who are open minded and interested. The problem is that they are not introduced to new things because the media of afraid of introducing it. At least that’s my view.”

  They’re also no strangers to some of the bands on the line up, especially headliner Devin Townsend who they toured with back in March, and have recently announced their support slot for one of his upcoming London shows. “It was very nice playing with him in Finland. All the guys in the band are great guys; they have the same interest in music as us. I also think a lot of their audience would suit us and vice versa. They’re also neat and tidy!”

  Working with someone like Devin, who has never been afraid of progression, as well other like minded bands such as Enslaved; Jørgen reflects on how much the people around him have influenced Shining’s path. “My main influences are changing all the time. There was a time when everything was John Coltrane, just 60’s and 70’s acoustic jazz and then current composers. I had a lot of years where I was rediscovering metal music, and incorporating it into my music. A lot of bands have been an influence on me: Enslaved, I would also say The Dillinger Escape Plan has been really important. The kind of bands that are doing something like what we are doing. What is important is their willingness to expand their boundaries. They might have different styles and come from different places to us but what is the same is their approach to music”

  Their most recent album Blackjazz ended with a little surprise, a cover of 21stCentury Schizoid Man by King Crimson, something they had worked on and used since 2007. After talking so openly about his wide array of influences, why was this track the one they chose? “We were invited onto a radio show, and the idea was that we would go on and present one of our influences. I asked the guys if they had any ideas and our guitar player was a huge King Crimson fan. We listened to some songs and we ended up covering that song. It became a standard part of our set list, and then with the idea of Blackjazz we thought it could provide some kind of anchor. It would be interesting to hear what the King Crimson guys think of it.”

And as for any other possible cover versions in the future: “I have considered doing a covers album but I haven’t had the time or energy to follow that up. There are loads of songs I would like to cover, but we would probably have to rework them a lot. A lot of Muse tracks for example which would have to be made harder.”

  The possibility of a covers album aside, Blackjazz showcased a sound that was more akin to Shining’s live shows. Jørgen goes on to talk about the reasons behind this. “The transition from the studio to the stage has been easier, and it’s a truer representation of the band…on the old songs I felt the need to rearrange and pull them into the Blackjazz soundscape, which was difficult because I was in a different place when I wrote those songs. The old songs didn’t come to life like the Blackjazz material did.”

  After the critical success of Blackjazz in 2010, work has turned to a live CD/DVD which is approaching completion, “it just needs to be programmed into the DVD”, but unfortunately our conversation happens 24 hours too early to find the official release date though he does let one thing slip: “Damnation will [probably] be the world premiere of the release.”

  At this point Jørgen notes that Damnation is full of spectacular live shows this year and discusses why Shining should be on everyone’s list of bands to see. “I’ve always said that ‘we stand on the shoulders of giants’ and that we are part of a huge set of bands who have the same attitude, but we do have something special. We’re jazz musicians, we’ve spent over ten years tweaking and learning and that’s a very big part of our music. A lot of bands come from metal and move into jazz, but we come from the other side where both jazz and metal are something we’re confident with. I think this makes us special, the fact that we are in the middle. It might not always sound like jazz, but it’s an approach, the way we play our music.”

  The interview ends on a rather down note as Jørgen tells how he’ll struggle to see any of the bands playing. “I always have so much stuff to do. Preparing myself and sorting out my equipment, because I play a lot of instruments. I also have to keep everything together. I do all the interviews, I’ll be the tour manager but I would like to see as many as possible. Ulver, Devin Townsend. I’d like to see the whole line up, but unfortunately I probably won’t see a single band.”

Matthew Tilt

http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/post/11322573998/7-shining

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Decapitated feature (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Decaptited’s Damnation set will be a special one. It’s a 2011 U.K. exclusive and therefore their first show on these shores since releasing the awesome Carnival Is Forever. A furious comeback from a band who have suffered enough tragedy to rightly hang up their hats, and yet with a new line up and the aforementioned crushing album under their belts, this Polish behemoth is back on track and ready to destroy Leeds. We had a quick email with guitarist and founding member Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka about the album, and their upco

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Xerath interview (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Interview with Rich Thomson

We thought that it would be a good idea to grab Xerath for a few questions about their upcoming Damnation appearance, but they proved harder to pin down than initially thought. We eventually tracked them down to China, and gave them a good probing.

First off, if you could describe your sound and give a little background to the band for the Damnation-goers who may not have heard you before?

Sure! Well i think “Orchestral Groove Metal” ticks all the boxes. We like to tune low, write catchy grooves and heap a bunch of epic orchestration over it! This all began as an experiment 4 years ago in a bedroom, and has since turned into full live touring band!

Congratulations for ‘II’, which you released earlier this year, how do you feel your sound has progressed since your acclaimed debut ‘I’? What have the reactions to the album been so far?

Thanks! Well we feel II is alot more focused than I. I was just a collection of riffs here and there which just about managed to work as a cohesive whole. But with II we really dug into what Orchestral Groove meant to us, and tried to really nail down a style of our own. We realize we take influence from many genres and bands, but we feel II is definatly its own beast! The reactions have been fantastic were pleased to say. Most have commented on the progression from the first album in a very positive way so were super stoked about the press surrounding II.

Your musical style is very progressive and hard to pin down, you even asked the fans to describe it for you, but as individuals do you have similar tastes? How does this affect the writing process?

Yes we all have similar tastes! We are all of course huge fans of metal but we listen to a wide range of music between us from classical, funk, pop, fusion, soul etc. Just about anything really! We try to take influence from everything we listen to. Good music is good music in our opinion.

The video for Reform: Part III is essentially a short film, mixing a coherent storyline with clips of you playing the song; you’ve also mentioned in the past that film scores have had some influence on your music. How important is this cinematic element to the band, and what film scores/films/directors etc. do you feel have influenced you the most?

The cinematic element is very important to us. Just as important as the riffs! The orchestral elements are as much a part of the music as the guitars/drums etc. Reform Pt. III doesn’t necessarily accompany the video in the sense that it’s a soundtrack, but it does provide a visual representation of the violence and brutality in the music. In terms of influences, some of our favorite film composers include James Horner (Aliens), John Williams (Jurrassic Park), Hanz Zimmer (Inception) and Vangelis (Blade Runner).

What can people expect from a Xerath live show? What do you think will make you stand out at Damnation?

Our live shows definitely have a lot of energy. We try to get everyone watching us banging their heads and having a good time! Thats why along with the orchestration weve made sure to include plenty of (we hope) badass riffs and cool grooves that you can certainly move around too! I think the epic backing tracks combined with the crushing heaviness will make us stand our this year!

How does it feel to be playing Damnation Festival this year?

Great! Its a festival thats been on our list for a long long time so were hugely proud to be part of it :)

Who are you looking forward to seeing?

Shining, The Dev, Decapitated and Ulver for sure!

What is it about Damnation, do you think, that attracts such a large audience and rich selection of bands?

I think metal fans these days are very open minded and crave a diverse selection of bands to see at festivals. Damnation always puts on an eclectic range of bands so no wonder its a successful show!

What can we expect from Xerath in the future? Is another album already underway?

Yes were always writing but for now we are concentrating on bringing II out on the road. As i write this im sat in a hotel in Shanghai, China so make no mistake, we will be taking this album everywhere!

-matthewtilt

http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/post/11576221511/8-xerath

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Decapitated feature (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Decaptited’s Damnation set will be a special one. It’s a 2011 U.K. exclusive and therefore their first show on these shores since releasing the awesome Carnival Is Forever. A furious comeback from a band who have suffered enough tragedy to rightly hang up their hats, and yet with a new line up and the aforementioned crushing album under their belts, this Polish behemoth is back on track and ready to destroy Leeds. We had a quick email with guitarist and founding member Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka about the album, and their upcoming set at Damnation.

He jokes about why they chose Damnation for a U.K. exclusive – “good money!” – before going on to talk about his past experiences with the festival. “I played two years ago with Vader and I’ve got good memories of that time. Also this year’s line up is incredible! Devin, Ulver, Godflesh! It’ll be great to play with all those bands.”

With so much praise been heaped upon the new album Vogg is understandably positive about how the album has been received, he comments “I saw so many good reviews for the album and when we’re on tour I can see that people like the album and know the material,” he goes on to talk about how British crowds have reacted to the reformed line up, “We did a tour with Kataklysm last year. The London show was the best; so many people and there was such a good reaction to the new line up.” He also touches upon, the sadly departed, Vitek’s part in the writing of Carnival… and what it has been like playing the songs without him.

“It’s different. Not just in the playing of the songs, but everything. He was my brother and my best friend; it’s hard to live without him.” Another change within the line up when it came to writing the new album was the inclusion of Jarosław Szubrycht, who wrote the lyrics; although Vogg is quick to point out that it was, in no way, a strange experience having someone from outside the band play such a huge role. “Why would it be? He’s been my friend for years and we played in Lux Occulta together. He can write lyrics like no one from the band, he’s very original and his lyrics are difficult, that’s why we asked him.”

All these factors: the hurt and loss, the fresh blood must have been ample inspiration for the album, but for a band like Decapitated, whose entire back catalogue has been hailed as a series of classics, there must have been certain pressures on Vogg. “To be honest I never think about it. I always try and make the best music I can and I don’t think what people or the record label will say.”

Decapitated have never had a problem with the transition of their furious material to a live setting, but the recording of Carnival Is Forever has made it even easier to portray the brutality live, especially with the live kick drums, as opposed to triggers which make the whole thing easier. All the experiences, the new album and, of course, a back catalogue that has amazed and inspired in equal measure means that Decapitated will be bringing a furious live show to Leeds this year. In the words of Vogg: “We’ll try to bring the best show we can, full of new shit and old classics. The line up is strong and people should come away very satisfied and happy.”

-matthewtilt

http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/post/12028842123/12-decapitated

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Chthonic feature (http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/)

Chthonic are one of the rising stars in black metal. Their latest album Takasago Army has been both critically and commercially successful and their aggressive shows have ensured that they are a live favourite across the world. Catching up with bassist Doris she’s full of excitement for Damnation Festival and praise for the U.K. fans that have supported Chthonic.

“We love to play the U.K! the fans are incredible and they always give really impressive responses. We played at some festivals like Hammerfest and Download and we did a headline tour in 2009. The U.K must be one of our favourite places to play.”

Of course they’re not just a band of immense talent, Chthonic base their music around Taiwanese folklore and history while several of their members are political involved in their home country. Being so immersed in a culture that few members of their western audience will be fully aware could have presented a problem, but Doris insists that it hasn’t. “We only put historical stories and Oriental mythology in our music; our political activities are mainly in our personal lives.

“When you watch a film, you just watch it and enjoy it, though it may have a strong political message. Most people don’t notice it, and we’re not bothered from where the film is from if it’s a good story.”

The historical input is notable in the video for Broken Jade, which mixes classical Oriental painting with live clips of the band. “The background to the story is based on the Pacific War and the Japanese Imperial Army, which included Taiwanese soldiers. No matter what those soldiers volunteered, or were forced, to do they gradually found their identity; without belonging to anyone or any country.” Doris notes, “It was the director’s idea to mix the animation and live clips. We found a great animator as well as a traditional ink painter to cooperate to create the video.”

It’s only since 2005, however, that U.K. audiences have had the chance to appreciate Chthonic. Seediq Bale, their first album to be released here, was actually their third and the only other recordings from before this to be released was the previous album Relentless Recurrence, which was re-released in 2007. With two albums unavailable, through the normal resources, to western audiences, does it ever propose a problem when it comes to building a set list? “The only old material we put in our recent tour was from Mirror of Retribution (2009),” she points out, “we love our new songs much more than the older ones!”

Enthusiastic about their upcoming set with Damnation, which falls in the middle of a tour with Damnation mates Turisas, Doris appears confident. “We have a more fierce and powerful performance than ever before. It’ll be the first time we’ll have brought a lot of the songs from Takasago Army to the U.K. which contains a lot more Oriental folk melodies. It’ll be very interesting for your ears!”

You can’t help but get caught up in Doris’ enthusiasm when she talks about the upcoming shows, and if you’ve seen Chthonic live then you’ll know this enthusiasm is just as contagious during their performances. Bringing with them a rich source of history that most modern bands lack will see them fit perfectly within the eclectic line up that Damnation holds this year…and if you need any more convincing…

“Remember this Taiwanese sentence and we will roar these words with you: ‘SaLang Sa Ba Sa Ji Bai’ and we will tell you what that means on the stage!”

-matthewtilt

http://damnationfestival.tumblr.com/post/12201988049/15-chthonic