Interview With Brandon Mitchell (Swallowed By Apathy) 2

Just a few months ago Brandon Mitchell had moved away and left Swallowed By Apathy behind. The other member (Kevin) credited for writing on Dysgenesis picked up the pieces after Brandon left and was going to continue the project. Just days ago things took a sudden turn when Brandon decided to take the band name back and sever his involvement with Kevin. In this interview we get Brandon's side of the story and get some new info on what is to come in the near future from Swallowed By Apathy.

Foul Feast: There seems to be a disagreement in terms of how much input Kevin had in the writing process of Dysgenesis. Give us your side of the story.

Mitchell: It's simple. I wrote the record while living in Newark, 3 hours away from where Kevin lives. I sent him the tunes to work on his bass parts until I could get up there to track in his studio. Other than that he wrote the lyrics to "Journeyman of the Lucid" and "Cynical Transparency". As far as vocal melodies for those two go, I came up with them myself. While he did program the drums on "Dysgenesis", I was there to translate what drum parts I thought would fit because I play drums myself and wanted to make sure it wasn't impossible to achieve for live shows.

FF: What caused the sudden change of heart? Why not take the band name with you when you first split ways with Kevin?

Mitchell: Well, when I told Kevin I needed to home with my family he flipped out. I was under the impression we would put Swallowed By Apathy to rest for awhile. Out of respect for him I didn't want to just kick him out and take shit elsewhere, I figured it was only fair. Later on he decides to get this childish attitude and say "I'm doing it without you." His tone of voice was basically like "fuck you". I mean this was minutes before I went home. I don't know if being rude to me made him feel manly or what but I'm not one to be talked down to. His father basically made me leave immediately and although I payed for half of the discs I wasn't allowed to take my cut. I financed the mixing entirely out of my pocket as well as other things we needed for the band. I had a job while living up there and Kevin made to effort to follow up on his applications. Working long days were stressful but I still came home energized and ready to rehearse. Kevin always had an excuse as to why he didn't want to practice. It seemed as if rehearsing the same song over and over got old to him. I have a lot of live experience so I wanted to get everything as tight as possible. Kevin had never been in a band in his life before Swallowed By Apathy and live shows didn't seem to be a priority. To me giving the audience my best is everything. Swallowed By Apathy isn't meant to be a studio project. I formed it with the goal of playing live and that is what I intend to do. If you must know about my change of heart, it was losing my Grandmother to cancer on Thanksgiving. It's changed the way that I view everything now and the only reason I didn't take Swallowed By Apathy back sooner is out of respect for Rob and Conor (who isn't with the band anymore). I worked too hard to have someone take it away and get the glory for my blood, sweat, and tears.

FF: Will you be using any of the material that was written when Kevin was still a part of the band on the upcoming release?

Mitchell: After the record was finished I immediately began to write because I am always full of ideas but Kevin didn't want to work with me. What I had worked on before I left Cleveland was constructed purely by me. I got some good material out of that time frame but the stuff I have been working on since I came back home is more evolved.

FF: How do you feel about Kevin's new project Aethereal Inception? Do you wish him the best in his future endeavors?

Mitchell: I was unaware until you had mentioned it. He still has yet to restore my admin rights on the original Facebook page so fuck him. I don't wish him any luck but at the same time I don't wish him harm. I more or less just don't give a shit one way or another. I'm thinking about my band at the moment.

FF: Are you and Kevin still on good terms after all of this?

Mitchell: Nope.

FF: Has a new line-up been considered yet?

Mitchell: A new line-up is already in order. Josh Chilcote is our new guitarist and we back as far as Junior High School. He was actually the first drummer of Swallowed By Apathy and did session work on our 2010 demo. Him and Steven (our new drummer) also play in Vultaria which is a death/thrash band that I was with for almost 2 years. I released 2 EP's with them and I'm looking to have Vultaria play with Swallowed By Apathy any chance that I get because they are insane live. Josh is normally a front-man so for this it's kinda new to see him focusing purely on guitar. He also played bass for the band Only Flesh who are currently label-mates with Goatwhore on Rotten Records. The guy has a wicked stage presence, a professional attitude, and live experience out the ass. Not to mention he knows how to have a good time. Steven is without a doubt the most talented drummer I have ever worked with and I'm willing to bet ever will. He's a blast beat machine and soaks up new techniques like a sponge. He's a really diverse musician and I'm looking to bring his black metal influence into the band a bit. I guess the real "new" guy is Ryan Boggs. He is handling bass duties and is levels ahead of anything Kevin could do with the genre. I hate watching Ryan play because he actually shits on most guitarists I've played with and he uses his fingers. lol

FF: You've been in bands previously in that area, any chance we may see some of the people you have worked with before in Swallowed By Apathy?

Mitchell: haha! This question has already been answered but yes. You will be seeing them! As a matter of fact we are getting ready to do a photo shoot so you can actually see them.

FF: How is the new stuff going to differ from what we heard on Dysgenesis?

Mitchell: More clean vocals! I'm not going to sugar coat it. lol Most bands say, "Oh it's going to be the heaviest thing we've ever done." or something really cliche. It's going to be the most melodic thing we've done yet. It's going to be musically much heavier and very dark at times. But I have a lot of ability as a singer that needs to be displayed on this record. It's not going to be a massive departure from what we've already done. It's just going to be a logical step forward and I'm making it a bit more progressive. The catchy choruses will be there as always. The record is going to be called, "The Oracle of Disarray" and some song titles are, "Death Will Pave Our Way", "Trinity", "Unworldly Entity", "Mark My Words" and "The Imminent Question". I just gave away a good amount of info on that but I can tell you there will be no instrumentals, covers, or filler tracks. It's all going to be full songs and I'm shooting to have about 13 tracks recorded between now and late 2012. Expect an early 2013 release! We're hitting the studio in January to record a new single so keep your eye and ears out for that! Also we will be playing live a lot in 2011! We'll have some hometown shows as well as shows in surrounding states so who knows, maybe we'll be in your area.

FF: Do you plan on keeping Chris Clancy involved in the project at all in the future?

Mitchell: This time around we are recording in our hometown with a guy by the name of Joe Wahl at his home studio. He has the tools to mix and master our record just fine as well as a degree in music recording. We'll be in good hands! haha I love what Chris did with the first record but I wanna try something different this time around.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Mitchell: http://www.facebook.com/swallowedbyapathy is our new Facebook page!!! "Unlike" the old one and "like" the current link because that's where all the current and up to date info is. Oh and keep supporting FoulFeast because he's got tasty reviews and cool info on unsigned metal acts. Hopefully this covers everything!

Interview with Wilhelm Lindh (The Gardnerz)

The Gardnerz just recently had their debut full-length The System of Nature released via Abyss Records. The album definitely makes The Gardnerz a standout act in a style that is all too often filled with dull, uninspired music. Here we talk to guitarist Wilhem Lindh about the album, the history of the band, and what the future holds.

 Foul Feast: Tell us a little about how The Gardnerz came about.

Wilhelm Lindh: It all started in the summer of 2008 when I came home from a stint in Florida where I had been studying for a semester. Since I had not played guitar seriously for six months, I had to get the poison out. I got in contact with and old girlfriend about starting a band playing something similar to old katatonia but with a more death metal touch. The idea was to have female vocals but that didn't pan out. And after searching for about a year for another female vocalist I gave up that idea and went with a dude. And since then I have had some different members. But since I joined forces with Francisco Martín on bass and Niclas Ankarbranth on vocals I have had a solid foundation. The drummer situation has been the tricky part, on the system of nature Joan Pablo Donoso played session drums and now we are working with Vedran Bencic as our new drummer.

FF: I'm sure you get this often, but what is the meaning behind the band name?

Wilhelm Lindh: You are correct, that question arises often, but that is sort of the point. The main idea came from pre Socratic philosopher Epicurus, who talked about how all you need to be happy in life is a garden, some good friends and simple food. He also talked about how it is virtue to live a simple life. He was a very interesting guy. So from him I got "The Gardeners", but I thought that sounded a bit prententious and also there were many bands with that name. And also if you googled it you got something like 9 million hits. So I dropped on e and changed the s for a z for good measure. We have gotten a lot of shit for the z but I like it, it is a reminder that you shouldn't take everything to seriously. I guess I should point out that the z is taken from Swedish dance music, think mellow country music with really cheesy lyrics. In those bands it is commonplace to replace the s with a z.  Take a listen to this kick ass band http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGGum5OP_zo&feature=related!

FF: The album was mixed by Dan Swanö, how did you guys get into contact with him?

Wilhelm Lindh: Actually the album was mastered by Mr. Swanö. our bass player Francisco had been in contact with him for some reason that I don't remember but he had asked if it would be possible for him to master the album, and he said yes. So I emailed him and set it up. I must say that it was a real pleasure to work with him, he did it really fast and the result was killer.  

FF: When did writing for The System of Nature begin?

Wilhelm Lindh: It started in the summer of 2008, that was how I started the band, just writing songs. My idea was to do a demo in the fall of 2008, but since I didn't have the members I just kept writing. When Francisco joined the band he insisted that we should do a full length album instead of a demo. So that is what we did.  

FF: Did the writing process seem to flow naturally?

Wilhelm Lindh: Yeah I think so, with this band my idea was to do whatever came to my mind. Since I have always felt a bit limited in my previous bands, having had members who not wanted to do the same thing as I or had the ability to play some of my riffs. So just having myself in the band while I wrote most of these songs, I could do precisely what I wanted. And I wrote a few riffs to as exercises, writing stuff I couldn't play so I had to practice and get better. And now with the guys I have in the band I can continue doing it since I know that they can handle whatever I throw at them.

FF: How did your deal with Abyss Records come about?

Wilhelm Lindh: Dan from Abyss records wrote me after finding us on myspace. We were talking with him and another label and we decided to go with Abyss since they had better distros and such. Dan is a really great guy as well so I'm glad we went with Abyss.

FF: The sound displayed on your debut manages to maintain an aggressive feel that is typically lost when blending death metal with doom. Was this something you set out to do or did it just come naturally?

Wilhelm Lindh: Well as I wrote earlier the idea was to mix our style with female vocals, since in my mind most metal bands that have a female as a vocalist have a tendency to be really polished and kind of lame (as for most music these days). I felt that I wanted to do something dirtier, and when I had to give up that idea and go with a male vocalist (not that I'm disappointed about it, Nicke is a amazing singer and a great dude) I just kept it the same way. So Answer your question I would say it was a natural thing.

FF: What influences you most musically?

Wilhelm Lindh: As for bands the top bands are Katatonia, Bolt Thrower, Acheron, Broken Hope, Death, old Nile. I wanted to do slow and heavy stuff but to try to not do it the same as most people do it, you know a few slow power chords and the just riding those chords. I like allot of brutal bands but I have always prefer when the drumming is more down tempo. So I wanted to have some fast riffs but with a more groove oriented and doomy tempo on the drums.

FF: re there any reoccuring lyrical themes on the album?

Wilhelm Lindh: There are a few songs that are antireligious, and the rest are me venting various things that annoy me or that I think should be more talked about. We have songs about: our consumption crazed society, Sweden's sordid part in the field of racial biology, tabloid journalism.

FF: Do all of the members of The Gardnerz have previous experience in metal bands?

Wilhelm Lindh: Yes we have all played in a few metal bands, we are in or have been in Toxodeth, Tristitia, Kanatran, Vandöd, Pandemonium, Insomnis, Savage Harmony. There are more to mention, but my memory lets me down.

FF: Are there any tracks on The System of Nature that stick out to you the most?

Wilhelm Lindh: The first one I wrote was The art of suffering, so that one for sure, I also really like how that one came together, I think everyone added some killer stuff to it. Maybe it's time also turned out really good, good mix of harmony and brutality. Confusion as well, I really like the vocals on that one, and my clean guitar solo is one of my highlights.

FF: How has the album been recieved thus far?

Wilhelm Lindh: It has mainly gotten good responses, allot of people has given it really good feedback. And since we have got it officially released is a big pat on the back for me.  

FF: Do you guys gig often?

Wilhelm Lindh: We have never played live with this band. Since we didn't have a drummer for a long time we couldn't play live. But now when we have Vedran we are trying to set up some shows, but that is not the easiest thing to do. But hopefully we will do some shows next year.

FF: Has there been any thought put into the next release yet?

Wilhelm Lindh: Yes we are planning to put out a ep next year, we have ten songs written but we thought it would be better to do an ep. And the new songs are keeping with the same style as for the system, some might be bit slower and longer but, if you liked the system you will like the new songs as well.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Wilhelm Lindh: Thanks for this interview! And for those of you who haven't heard us head over to www.thegardnerz.com were you can listen to the entire album.
Cheers
Wilhelm

Interview with Dave Gregor (Morta Skuld, 9MM Solution)

We are pleased to post our latest interview with Dave Gregor, former vocalist/guitarist of death metal veterans Morta Skuld! After a long period of inactivity Morta Skuld have released a compilation of their demos through Relapse Records and Gregor is looking to get back into the heavy side of music. In this interview we discuss a little of Morta Skuld's history, the demo compilation, and what Gregor's future holds in terms of music.

Foul Feast: How did you guys get into talks with Relapse about the compilation?

Dave Gregor: Well we didn't, my lawyer (Eric Greif)  was at Relapse and mentioned what we were doing and they agreed to release it.

FF: With the recent compilation getting some attention is there any chance we may see a new Morta Skuld tour or possibly new material?

Gregor: Right now it's early in the game and we really can't say. We all have commitments and jobs, it's not easy to leave a job that pays your rent and bills and child support or home payments. I'd like to see some new material and J and I have been talking about  using some songs we wrote that were never recorded, but again too early to tell.

FF: When you guys were putting out these original demos were there many other extreme metal bands or any kind of scene to speak of in the Milwaukee area?

Gregor: Oh hell yeah, the scene had some great local acts tearing it up. We all felt that something cool was happening and that we might be part of something big so to speak, in our local area.

FF: What caused Morta Skuld to quit putting out material after Surface?

Gregor: We went on the road to support that record and are drummer at the time was having his first kid and his first home. And after our opening night for Slayer we went to FL and when we got there, he got sick and just slept, we took him to the hospital and got him good and full of liquids and he just refused to play. Even two songs and he just wouldn't do it. We came home lost label and everything. We still wrote after that in hopes of bouncing back.

FF: Was there any Morta Skuld material written post Surface that never got released?

Gregor: Yeah about 3-4 songs and they were geared with a Morbid Angel type of  sound.

FF: How do you feel about the current state of metal? Do you think the scene is stronger than it was in the early/mid 90's or do you feel it has been cheapened by the Internet?

Gregor: I think it is at it's  weakest form, it's not about the music at all and the business could care less about the bands and their evolution. How can they continue and make good music and sustain the way of life to bring new music to life. I don't feel the Internet is the issue, it's people, they know to not steal music or to buy it.

FF: You recently put out a great video for the track "Prolong the Agony". Was this the first video ever done for a Morta Skuld track?

Gregor: Yes it was and after 21 years of the song being out too, I didn't really know what to do, I have been a guitar player in 9mm Solution for the last 8 years, so it was strange and now that I know the song again I wish the whole band could have filmed with me. But at that time there wasn't a line up at all.

FF: Were the demo recordings cleaned up at all for the compilation?

Gregor: Indeed they were, Jef cleaned up and we just re-mastered the rest. But I feel the original demo's still sounded good. But the outcome does sound a lot better.

FF: Is 9MM Solution still active?

Gregor: I'm sad to say no, the band broke up after a festival show in our home town. We had put out two albums and did a tour. Just like MS we took each other for granted and let the differences get between us.

FF: What can we expect to see musically from you in the future?

Gregor: I'm not sure but it will be heavy that is for sure, maybe some new MS stuff, and if 9mm ever would happen again that would be fine by me. However I'm finding my way home with the MS project.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Gregor: For sure, please support your bands go by there Cd's and go to the shows, we didn't build this by itself or ourselves, it was and always will be the FANS, thank you for this interview and go buy the album people, Cheers.

Agga Interview

Here is an interview with the sole member of one man black/thrash metal band Agga. In this interview we discuss the future of Agga, mythology, and many other things. If you haven't already check out Agga's music here http://soundcloud.com/agga40

 Foul Feast: Is Agga the first musical project you've been involved with?

Lord of Babylon: It's the first serious project outside of random jams with various buddies. I've been making music for awhile, but a big portion of the material was sloppily made stuff on a Tascam 4 track recorder using pre programmed drum beats on a Casio keyboard. I'm slowly rerecording the older stuff I'm more fond of, Flight of Suhgurim is one example of this.

FF: Most of your music deals with Babylonian and various forms of mythology. Is this something you enjoy studying and learning about in your personal life as well?

Lord of Babylon: This is very much a part of my everyday life. I've always felt if one is going to use mythological themes for their lyrical subject matter there should be a real personal connection of some sort as well otherwise it's just bullshit. I started out in my teen years being into some basic Satanic stuff but once I read the Simon Necronomicon I found myself very much drawn to that way. Granted the Simon Necronomicon is an incomplete look into a far more complex Mesopotamian mythological pantheon it does provide one with tools to begin the work. From there I learned about Aleister Crowley and found the more work I did with the Necronomicon the more I understood Crowley's writings. In time I began to come upon more actual subject matter dealing with historical Mesopotamian lore and began cross referencing the historical/archeological information with what is in the Necronomicon and found this to be vital in fully understanding the various systems/pantheons from Mesopotamia. As far as I have found, all the mythologies/pantheons are interconnected on varying levels but to see those connections helps put the missing pieces in place. It is most definitely a work in progress but an enjoyable effort.

FF: How important is the atmosphere to you on an Agga release?

Lord of Babylon: Very important. I'll go and listen to many bands and when there isn't ANY atmosphere I tend to get bored quick. Most of the guys I used to jam with never really took into account atmosphere and were more concerned with "cool riffs" but not using those cool riffs to evoke something, a soundscape if you will. Creating an atmosphere isn't an easy endevour but I feel its worth the effort once you can effectively communicate something to the listener. Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the in your face metal stuff for its pure power but that can get old fast.

FF: Has your influence shifted much since the last Agga album?

Lord of Babylon: I have to say yes. I've found myself listening more to thrashy stuff the last year or so. As far as black metal is concerned, I find myself enjoying the thrashy stuff more than your overly symphonic "epic" stuff, ironically. I guess listening to the overly symphonic stuff for many years has finally caused me to get burned out on that sort of music. Like back in the day I'd listen to some Therion, Emperor and Tiamat non-stop but these days all 3 bore me to death and instead I'll jam me some Absu (Third Storm.. and The Sun of..) or Gehennah (Hardrocker) and stuff like that. Sure, there isn't alot of what one would typically consider "atmosphere" in that stuff but in my eyes I say there is tons of emotions going on. Its a more active emotional release than what one typically associates with atmosphere. Emotions are varied so to create atmosphere one must access all the expressions of emotions from its manic peaks to its depressive valleys.

FF: What can we expect to see in the future from Agga?

Lord of Babylon: Good question, hahaha. I kind of go where I'm supposed to go. Sorry for the totally cliched answer there but it's the truth. I will say this, I am in process of applying the mythological concepts to real world happenings in order to give more life to the lyrical concepts. I find mythology was just an in depth description of the society who created the particular mythos so trying to find its core principals and applying it to modern life can be an interesting working.

FF: How do you go about writing a song? Is there a certain instrument you always start with during the writing process?

Lord of Babylon: I typically start off with a very basic drum track that is separated into individual measures. Then I begin the guitar process, slowly constructing the rhythm section, two tracks for this. After this I construct the actual drum tracks (using another drum program) to fit with the rhythm section. Once I feel this has been done to satisfaction, in comes the bass lines, since I like to have the actual drum tracks in place before doing the bass lines. Lead guitars and vocals come in after all this dependent on their need at that part of the song. So in short it truly is constructing a song from the ground up. It's a really cool feeling seeing a song manifest from random riffs and sounds. This is what I mean by kind of going where the song is taking me rather than have a rigid plan in place.

FF: Do you ever plan on branching the project out a getting together a full line-up?

Lord of Babylon: I'd LOVE to eventually get a group of guys together to play live, but everyone seems to want to play brootul death metal or some form of Pantera/Shadows Fall boring commercial metal worship. Also, drummers are a pain in the fuckin ass, seriously! They seem to want to dictate too much of the goings on and it invariably turns into the drummer wanting to change things to some sort of progressive music angle. I've found drummers care less about atmosphere and more about playing complex shit to impress everyone. Yawnnnnn

FF: Are the any bands in your area playing a style that is even relatively similar?

Lord of Babylon: Nope, not that I know of at least. I really wish I was around back in the early 90's as Tampa isn't too far (2 and 1/2 hrs) away from me and I think things would be a bit different. All the local metal I've noticed around here is of the commercial metal variety or death core sort. This is why I concentrate my efforts online as the scene around here (Naples/Ft Myers) blows ass nuggets.

FF: Any final thoughts?

Lord of Babylon: Other than fuck poser metal and hail true underground metal that is full of passion, real anger, and other assorted real emotions... I can't think of anything. Perhaps goto http://soundcloud.com/agga40 and check out both the 2008 self titled album there and the 4 newest songs. Also thank you jugchord07 for the interview, I enjoyed it. It's weird being on this end of the interview, haha. Keep up the good work man and everyone, turn your back on the poser rockstar wannabe metal out there. Metal is a lifestyle, not a hipster trend!

Interview with Brandon Mitchell (ex-Swallowed By Apathy)

Brandon Mitchell just recently made the decision to part ways will Swallowed By Apathy shortly after the release of their debut full-length. In this interview we discuss why he left the band and where he is going from here.

Foul Feast: First off I'll address what is probably on everyones mind, what made you decide to leave Swallowed By Apathy?

Brandon Mitchell: I left Swallowed by Apathy simply because I was living 3 hours away from my closest friends and family. As much as I enjoyed the whole experience the distance had taken it's toll on me. I had not anticipated such an amazing following or response to the album and I will cherish every second that I spent in the band. It was my baby, I had the band formed before Kevin joined and I watched a small idea grow into a reality. After Kevin joined a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and we worked as a team. I am happy that they will continue to carry on the legacy but I know that because of the fact I wrote 95% of the guitar parts and my vocal melodies it will have a different vibe. I can tell you from working with Kevin for a year and my time spent with Conor Sullivan that it will still be very solid and progressive musically. Conor fucking rips dude. lol After all I would expect nothing short of greatness from those two. Rob is an insane drummer and I think with him in the fold they will explore new territories. I have no regrets simply because we accomplished so much in little time. I need a little break from music but I will definitely be releasing stuff in the future. I want to make it but as of right now I need to be with family and friends.

FF: Are you happy with how Dysgenesis came out?

Brandon Mitchell: Oh absolutely, as an artist I feel that there are always ways to grow and improve so sure I may have done things differently but in the end we put it out and crafted it to be the best it could at that time. I'm thrilled by the support I have been shown and hope that people continue to support the band.

FF: Do you have any ideas of what you may do musically in the future?

Brandon Mitchell: Oh definitely, I got plans for the future. I can tell you I have always wanted to front a power metal band and fully intend on displaying my ability and range as a singer. I've been approached the past few days about getting involved with some new artists but at the moment I am taking a breather.

FF: Is there any chance of you and Kevin doing anymore music together?

Brandon Mitchell: Kevin and I are still on good terms so I would never say never but I think it's best we go our own ways and branch out with different people. I have learned a lot from him and I sure as hell influenced him so we will take what we learned and apply it to the future.

FF: What is going to happen to the material that was being written for Swallowed By Apathy that hasn't been released yet?

Brandon Mitchell: We'll considering I wrote everything on guitar and we haven't fully pieced anything together, I plan on working most of it into future projects as it is slightly more evolved and I am proud of it. It's good shit and when it gets released you will enjoy it. I am sure of that.

FF: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Brandon Mitchell: Just a big thanks to everyone who has supported me through everything and when I get back on my feet with material you will be the first to know.

Interview with Tormentor of Bone Fragments!

Bone Fragments is a black metal band from the US. They recently released their second full-length Too Gruesome To Be Real. We had the chance to discuss the history of the band, the process of making a Bone Fragments album and much more with Tormentor (one of the two founding members). Enjoy!

Foul Feast: If you can, explain a litlle about how Bone Fragments formed.

Tormentor: Bone Fragments formed in 2006. At that time, it was just Phthisis and I. Our first demo was a four-song clown-themed black metal stint (Circus Maleficus) with two guitars, a drum machine, and an 8-track tascam in his basement. The initial idea behind the band was to fuse our two favorite things: black metal, and weird clown/circus music. Since then we've expanded and sort of ventured into other horror-esque themes.

FF: Too Gruesome To Be Real is in a sense, a concept album, where did the inspiration for this concept come from?

Tormentor: I've really gotten into the idea of concept albums because we are huge King Diamond fans. I love how he can tell a story with the lyrics and create the perfect music to match, so that's what has really inspired me to write lyrics that way. Our first full length, Dark Amusement, was a true concept album. We didn't really want to do that again, but the songs on Too Gruesome carried a similar vibe, so we wanted them to relate in some way. We knew this was going to be our "castle" album, so we decided that each song would represent some demonic being inhabiting this castle. Kind of goofy, I know, but it lends itself to a lot of creativity in the writing process, which makes it more fun.

FF: Bone Fragments has always had a unique sound, is this something that you strive to achieve with each release?

Tormentor: I don't think we set out with the intention of making an album weirder than the last, but we don't like to do the same thing over again. When the writing process starts we say, Ok, what sound do we want to achieve this time? I think we're just as surprised by the result as everyone else is. It has a lot to do with what kind of music we are listening to at the time, and what "mood" fits the time period. We've started talking about our next album, and I think it's safe to say it will be something we haven't done before. It's hard to establish any sort of fan base because our style doesn't stay the same. Like, we have some people who love Too Gruesome, but we also have a lot of people who have been following our stuff since Circus Maleficus and are disgruntled by the new album because it's not as raw. We never really plan out what we're going to do, it's always an adventure haha.

FF: The band started as a duo and has grown to a full lineup. How has this changed the writing process?

Tormentor: It really hasn't changed anything. The core of Bone Fragments is still the same - Phthisis primarily writes the music, and I do the lyrics. We kind of decide together how we want the sound to be. We both have a vision for the music, and together we make it take form. Then we share our ideas with the others who help us to round out the sound and bring it to completion. They pretty much let us do whatever crazy shit we want haha.

FF: How important is atmosphere to you when it comes to music?

Tormentor: Atmosphere is everything! When we do a CD, we are completely engulfed in that CD until it comes to completion. And when people listen to our CDs, we want to make sure that they are experiencing what we experience. Also when it comes to listening to other bands, we think the atmosphere is what either makes or breaks a CD. The music should make you feel something that you have never felt before, or take you to a mental place that you haven't been in a while. A rich atmospheric CD can be a total mind fuck.

FF: The album art on Too Gruesome To Be Real looks amazing, how did the concept of the Octobunny come up?

Tormentor: Haha, well, the song was originally just called Clawtooth, and was supposed to be about a demonic guardian beast prowling the woods outside the castle. As is typical metalhead style, one day we were having a super boring and nerdy conversation about how the plural of octopus is octopuses or octopodes, and I stupidly blurted out "Clawtooth the Octobunny". Anyway, it stuck, and we ended up corresponding with an artist in the U.K. (The Misnomer - awesome work check her out!!). We sent her some song titles to draw up some sketches, and she ended up coming up with the kickass pictures of the Octobunny and Dr. Slaughter, both of which we used in the booklet. Why a bunny? I don't know, we like them. We actually got a rabbit mid-way through making the CD and named him Goblin.

FF: Have you been pleased with the feedback you've received for the album so far?

Tormentor: Our feedback has always been very mixed, and we can appreciate that. Overall, I feel that Too Gruesome to be Real hasn't been as well received as Dark Amusement, but that doesn't bother us too much. Like I said, each album is going to be different from the last, so it isn't going to discourage us from doing the next one. It's funny because a lot of reviews from our earlier albums said the music had potential but the poor production held us back, and on Too Gruesome we really made some strides production-wise, and some people complained that we had lost our raw, unfiltered atmospheric sound. We just hope that people can see in our music what we see in it - a journey to a place more interesting than the bland existence that we live in, no matter how weird the music may be.

FF: Have you guys had the chance to do any shows since you've formed? It must be hard to find a lineup that your odd sound fits well with.

Tormentor: Yeah, live shows are pretty much impossible. We would love to do shows, definitely, but we would need some serious backup. Our recordings are very layered, with Phthisis on about three layers of guitar, plus keyboards, and I do bass and a layer of rhythm guitar. Without all the parts, the songs would't sound right, so we would need to look into getting a couple more people on guitar. I hope that in the future we can work something out to be able to do some live shows.

FF: Has any thought been put into the next Bone Fragments release yet?

Tormentor: Yeah definitely, we have been thinking about it, but we tend to have a long time between releases, so I don't expect to start any recording on it until next fall. Too Gruesome kind of burned us out, because we wanted everything to be perfect. We might try to do a old-skool style throw back EP to our earlier stuff before we do another full length. It's hard to tell - once we get involved in a CD, it will consume us until we finish it.

FF: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Tormentor: Well, I guess just that we know our stuff is kind of weird, but we want people to know that our music is very important to us. It is not a joke, it's just a way for us to escape and express ourselves, just like any other form of music. We really like feedback, love it or hate it, we like to know what people think. Thanks so much for the interview and review!

Interview with Digestor (Ghoul)

Ghoul is back again to release their first full-length in over 5 years! Transmission Zero is getting released November, 8th on Tankcrimes and even after being together for 10 years it is evident when listening that all of the energy is still there. We had the chance to ask Digestor a few questions about the new release and the future of Ghoul. 

Foul Feast: How are things in Creepsylvania?

Digestor: Cloudy with a chance of MURDER!!!

FF: You guys just recently kicked off the tour in support of the new album, how did that go?

Digestor: We were recently kicked off the tour?! Why weren't we notified?! Oh, for fun. We actually have not left for tour yet. We leave Oct 12th.

FF: What other bands can we expect to see joining you on this tour?

Digestor: We're going out with the legendary Gwar, Every Time I Die, and we will be joined on the last couple shows of our leg of the tour by the stellar Warbeast.

FF: Has Ghoul ever done a big tour like this?

Digestor: No, the biggest tour we've been on was a tour of the Schlitz brewery. We were kicked off that one too, incidentally. Hey, if they don't allow swimming in the fermenting tanks they should put up a sign. I'm not a mind reader.

FF: Explain a bit how Transmission Zero differs from the past Ghoul releases.

Digestor: It has a different cover, different lyrics, and a different title, but I have to admit it has a lot of the same riffs. Again, I kid you! It's certainly a good companion to Splatterthrash, but I think the music is more aggressive this time out, and there are a few curve balls thrown in there that people will have to discover for themselves.

FF: Who did the amazing coverart for Transmission Zero?

Digestor: A wonderful artist named Bill Hauser who has done work for many, many other great bands. We were so lucky that he agreed to work with us after only three hours of hooking him up to a car battery and electrocuting his bathroom area. Mainly we were lucky because the battery was about to run out of juice when he agreed. If only he had the willpower to hold out a few more minutes he could have avoided this whole mess.

FF: A few years back you did a split with Brody's Militia, do you plan on doing any splits in the future? And if so who are you wanting to do it with?

Digestor: I believe there is a split planned in the future with a certain band on a certain label. I can't elaborate any further, as I signed a non-disclosure agreement and I take those things really seriously.

FF: Do you have a favorite track from the new album?

Digestor: I really like them all, but if I had to pick one I'd go with the title track. That and the secret track. Oh, I gave away the secret! Me and my big mouth...

FF: Do the hoods help with your thrashing abilities? I'm just trying to wrap my head around the mystique behind Ghoul.

Digestor: I'd like to wrap your head around something... The hoods only serve to hide our hideous visages. The cocaine is what helps us thrash.

FF: What kind of shenanigans was Ghoul up to during the 5 year break between albums?

Digestor: A little of this, a little of that. Hiding from cultists, burning down orphanages; you know, the usual.

FF: How did your deal with Tankcrimes fall into place?

Digestor: One day we were loping through the catacombs and saw one of his "Tankcrimes" stickers stuck on the skull of a small child. This showed an impressive lack of taste, respect, and common sense. We knew right then that he was our kind of clod. Though he's a bit of a recluse and more or less stays off the grid we managed to track him down, and after a lengthy and detailed description of what we would do to him if he didn't put out our albums he agreed that it was a good idea.

FF: What was your biggest influence musically going into this album?

Digestor: The last Ghoul album. We don't get a lot of new music in Creepsylvania.

FF: Any final words?

Digestor: If I have one life to live, let me live it as a blonde!

Interview With Rico Unglaube (Goregast vocalist)

In this interview Rico Unglaube discusses a bit about the new album, his label FDA Rekotz, and their upcoming split with Fondlecorpse among other things. These guys have been playing death/grind for awhile now and are a force to be reckoned with in the metal scene. 

FF: If you can please explain to the readers a bit about the history of the band.

Rico Unglaube: Yes I can. Goregast has his origin in 1993, under the name of DISTRESS. 2 demos were released in the mid 90's, then in 1997 or 1998 we put the band on ice. In 2004, the band was heated again with some new musicians. Therefore, we change the name into GOREGAST. 2006 the first album, "Viva el Animal", 2007 "La Revancha" and now number 3 "Desechos Humanos". Our current line up: Torge Ließmann on drums, Rico Krause and Steve Kleinert on guitars, Ronny Thiel on bass and me, Rico Unglaube on vox.

FF: What made you want to start the project back up after seven years?

Unglaube: In 2004 the former guitarist, later bassist Jörn Böttcher called the band back to life and asked if I
want to sing again. I had nothing better to do, so I said yes.

FF: The new album is being put out from your record label F.D.A. Rekotz. Do you plan on putting out future Goregast releases on your label as well?

Unglaube: Principle yes, a label will always work with a good band will always hold the band. But if a bigger
label makes a better offer, if the band can achieve more, then I do not mind when there are elsewhere Goregast releases in future.But next year comes a split with the great dutch Death Metal clan FONDLECOPRSE out on FDA Rekotz.

FF: How has the response to the new album been so far?

Unglaube: The album will be released in 2 weeks so there's not so much response yet, so far some reviews and interviews are flown in, from different countries. Each one very good, full points or almost full points and a lot of warm words! An absolutely fantastic start.We are very pleased.

FF: Do you have a personal favorite track from the new album? Whether it be one you had lots
of fun making or one you just enjoy the most.

Unglaube: The favorite songs are changing again and again. But personally at most I like the rotten old school death metal songs as "Desechos Humanos" or "Honor The Dead". We have a good mix of fast and
slow songs, something for everyone. For example "Puerco de Dinero" is a fast, brutal Grindcore crusher, also one of my favorites. You see, somehow I like everything.

FF: Have you had a chance to play any of the new songs live yet?

Unglaube: We have played most of the songs live to see the reactions of audience. They were well. Since last week we have a new drummer, who will now be incorporated first. Up from late October/ early
November, we can play the entire album and previous albums on the stage again.

FF: Does the album have any reoccurring lyrical themes? And what does Desechos Humanos
translate to in English?

Unglaube: "Desechos Humanos" means "Human Waste". The whole album is about human disease. The songs are about many things that affect people. Sadists, murderers, boring workerholics, rapists, etc..
Every song is about a different theme, but overall, everything relates to the human disease.

FF: Having three albums finished now do you feel the writing process has gotten any easier?

Unglaube: The songwriting is even more easily from album to album. But we select much more. Songs that we do not want to take on the album, we throw away. Quality rather than quantity.

FF: During the track "The Boozer" there appears to be a little tribute to the band Cancer, or are
my ears just decieving me?

Unglaube: The text is about a drunkard, he's suffering from cancer. When I wrote the text, I also remember to Cancer's C.F.C. and thought that it could be viewed as a kind of Cancer tribute. I have nothing
against it, because I like the early Cancer very much.

FF: Are there any plans for a tour after the album drops?

Unglaube: Hopefully we play festival shows next year and a tour through Spain in spring and later also one
through Germany. We are more than open to play everywhere.

FF: Since the band reformed years back there has been very few lineup changes, is being in
Goregast a pretty laid back experience?

Unglaube: As we have found again in 2004, were Me and Joern, the only founding members. Rico K., Josch
and Steve played in a other band before. Joern left the band in 2005 and was replaced by Ronny. 2 months ago, Josch the drummer left the band after 7 years and was now replayced by Torge. But you're right, I could say we have a stable line up over the years.

FF: Thanks for the interview, is there anything you'd like to add?

Unglaube: Thanx for the interview, for your interest in GOREGAST, thanx for your support ! All the best for
you and your Zine !! Everybody who's interested in our new album, in the band or whatever can write to fda-rekotz@gmx.de or visit us on Facebook or www.goregast.de . Also check out our
record label: www.fda-rekotz.com
- VIVA EL ANIMAL -

Interview with Ken Padilla of Impaled Offering

Impaled Offering is a three piece band from New Mexico that plays a sickening blend of grind, death metal, and black metal. They were just recently signed to Pathologically Explicit Records and they plan on putting out their debut full-length soon. In this interview we discuss the history of the band, DIY merch, and many other things with the band's guitarist Kenneth Padilla.

Foul Feast: How did Impaled Offering come about?

Ken Padilla: Impaled Offering came about, shortly after I saw Ben Segural(Drums) Playing with his old band Virulency. I was extremely impressed with his skills, weeks after that show, he left Virulency. Right away I got in contact with him. The 1st time we jammed was at my friend Dom Dimas of Torture Victims house after a Warbringer show, we just messed around with random jams to test one another out, the guys from Warbringer thought we had been a band for a while, that basically told us we had something and to continue jamming, shortly after we picked up Joseph Chavez on Bass and Vocals. Joseph picked up the songs quickly and was more than a perfect fit. Thus Spawning Impaled Offering

FF: You guys recently got signed to Pathologically Explicit Recordings, how do you feel Impaled Offering fits in with the rest of their roster?

Ken Padilla: Well that's a hard one cause ,now we have to prove our work, due to the wicked line up Pathologically Explicit records contains , I mean fucken Gortuary is on it, Flesh Throne, Iniquitous(mike smith of Suffocation drums for them), Human Rejection and more............ I guess the way we do differ is we are the only Progressive blacken Deathgrind band on the label.

FF: How long had you been together before the label picked you up? And had you guys been in contact with any other labels before this?

Ken Padilla: We where a active band for about 9 months before we got picked up, so it was a pretty quick process from being local to signed ,Especially for a New Mexico band, not many labels look this way. Yeah we did send a lot of facebook links and demos out to various labels, the only one that actually talked to us 1st was Severad Records, but it didnt go through. Maybe a month later we contacted Pathologically Explicit Recs and Fernando offered us the deal. All I gotta say is thanks to the awesome extreme scene we are part of, all the cool peeps we have networked , or worked with. Without such a down to earth scene we would have never got so many fans and friends in such a short time.

FF: In the past you guys have made your own merch, now that you are on a label is that going to change or are you going to keep going the DIY route?

Ken Padilla: Our merch sich was crazy and still is at the moment, we just made a one color screen printer and printed very limited shirts and patch’s(and now our screen printers dead), so we will be getting merch help from the label, and hope to have merch on the labels site and at shows soon. I believe we will continue doing a lot on our own once we get more revenue

FF: How has the demo been received so far?

Ken Padilla: So far we haven’t got any thing but awesome feedback on it, and none of the feedback has been negative so far, the only thing we personally where not happy with was the quality of the recording, but it gets the idea out for now

FF: It's clear when listening to the demo that you guys aren't afraid to break barriers and you can't really be boxed into one particular genre. Is this something that plays a role in the writing process for Impaled Offering or does it just come naturally?

Ken Padilla: Well its a bit of both sometimes, due to the riff, tempo ,and genre changes. The riff writing itself comes naturally , putting the puzzle together that’s the more involved process. The way we approach every song is by not letting any riff sound the same or even use the same patterns, make sure it flows, and never repeating riffs in a song. I also have had a philosophy for a while, on the sound I want to create, I believe death metal should create chasms of sound that replicate transcending life and death , it's chaotic and savage but at the same time contains a certain elegance. So it's not just about being brutal, our writing style calls for a certain amount macabre, dissonant and tech tones.

FF: The plan is to have your first full-length out in 2012 according to the labels site. Has the writing process for the album started yet?

Ken Padilla: The album itself is ready to go to the studio, besides two songs in need of lyrics, we plan on releasing an album with 7 fully written songs, 5 on the spot grind tracks(we play 4 made up on the spot grind tracks every show to involve fans and friends on vocals), and 3 sound scape tracks. The only thing holding us back now the money to go record in a real studio, we plan on recording either at Arcane Studios in Arizona, or the the studio Noisear recorded Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

FF: Within your short time together you have already had a chance to share the stage with some brutal bands, is there any show that comes to mind that stood out the most?

Ken Padilla: I helped Cephalic Carnage run their Vapor fest 2011 in ABQ , due to the fact that they had to cancel coming down, and it was awesome meeting Disgorge US, and Rottenness of Mexico, there where also 7 other local acts on it that all killed it. But in general House party’s are the funnest to play cause they're so personal, and the energy’s right there in your face.

FF: Is the metal scene down in New Mexico strong?

Ken Padilla: The New Mexico scene is starting to build up, but it is still very weak. We have some wicked bands out here (Noisear, Torture Victim, Suspended, Dread, Laughing Dog, Intoxicated,Echoes of Fallen, Daemonius) and a hand full more, the bands mentioned back each other as much as possible. But the problem with New Mexico is a lot of bands say they wanna do it but don’t put in the effort, or make contacts, and also hate on every other band in town instead of making a strong scene

FF: Is doing a tour after the full-length release something you could see happening?

Ken Padilla: Yes we really want to get one going, at the moment our friend Joe Tapia bassist/vocalist of Noisear (Relapse Rec) wants to help us book a tour in the summer of 2012, due to the tons of huge bands and venues the guy knows . He has been a huge help in getting us connects and a great mentor to me personally, so I send mad props out to him, he will also be doing guest vocals on the album.

FF: Are any of the members of Impaled Offering in other bands that are active at the moment?

Ken Padilla: At the moment no, but we do play and listen to a vast variety of genres outside the the Extreme scene, just to keep our mind fresh and creative, such as jazz(not elevator)Folk,Classic rock, Bluegrass,Underground hip hop, World musics, Classical ect................

FF: Any final thoughts?

Ken Padilla: Just want to say support your local bands, the scene , throw any deathcore albums you may own in the trash , and pick up some real shit, grind, crust, punk, thrash, death metal, doom, metal, black metal ect.... get out to shows staying at home and just buying albums don’t support touring bands or the scene in general. Also shout out to all the Tyrants we hang with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reign Of Vengeance Interview

Reign Of Vengeance's new album "Disemboweling Swine" was released July 7th, 2011 on Brain Damage Music. In this interview we get Tommy Gibbons and Marshall "Fucking" Beck's thoughts on the new album, the drummer situation, and horror among other things.

Foul Feast- Could you tell us a little about how the band came about?

    

Marshall- REIGN OF VENGEANCE was originally started by Mark Kozuback from Vehemence and myself with the intentions of doing one concept album "Revenge By Bloodshed" and not performing live shows. After Mark's departure, Tommy and I decided to carry the band onwards and write another album.  REIGN OF VENGEANCE has since written and recorded the"Disemboweling Swine" album and has done many extremely brutal,bloody, gore packed live shows.

FF- Paulicelli recently left his spot in the band as drummer. Did you guys part ways on good terms? Also, how are you going about finding a replacement?

Marshall- Yes, we are still on good terms with Paulicelli.  Samus is an extremely busy guy.  However, we would still drink beers and chill with the dude if we ever crossed paths.  The band is simply moving onward for its own progress.

FF- How have things been going in terms of doing gigs lately?

Marshall- We have been doing well with that up to this point but not as steadily as planned.  It will be much easier to perform and tour constantly once we have our new and fully committed drummer.  When we do get ourselves onstage we put on the most bloody and intense live show in death metal that I'm aware of.  

FF- How does the experience in this band compare to past or current experiences in other bands?

  

Tommy- Well first off this is a pro band no local yocal bullshit!....... I guess what I'm trying to say is most local bands want the rewards without doing the work. They want to get paid when they bring no one to shows and they think if they become local heroes it makes them bigger than everyone else. Working with local yocals was a pain in my ass. They never wanted to tour, never wanted to pitch or help out in anyway. It's pretty pathetic.

 FF- When did the writing process for Disemboweling Swine begin?

Tommy- I'd have to say about a year and a half to two years ago.

FF- A good portion of your music is very complex. When writing the record was it more of a group effort or did everyone write their own parts?

Tommy- I wrote the song structures, pre-productions, and formats. Then Nick and Samus came out and recorded their parts around the structures. 

Marshall wrote the lyrics and concepts.

FF- Do you like how the album has turned out and the response it has gotten so far?

Marshall- We are very satisfied with how the album has turned out.  That is all that matters. We do not care about the response.

FF- What are you hoping to achieve with this project in the next couple of years?

Marshall- We look forward to touring extensively and writing more music.  Those are the plans, those are the goals, they will be met.

 FF- I've read that one of your "Band Principles" is fun. Is fun something that you feel is lacking in the modern death metal scene?

Marshall- The point of making music is for personal enjoyment.  Unless you are a pop artist with a million dollar budget and expecting a million dollar paycheck there is no other reason to make music.  REIGN OF VENGEANCE takes itself very seriously when it comes to the creation of our music and the ability to put on a technically sound live show.  When we as individuals stop enjoying what we are doing then there will be no reason to continue. Death Metal does not get the bills paid, it is that simple.  

FF- I noticed you guys are on Brain Damage Music, are you all big horror fans?

Marshall- Yes, that is why we are signed with Brain Damage Films/Music.  BrainDamage Films is the world's largest distributor of horror movies and as THE horror movie death metal band we figured the alliance was perfect.  Having also helped launch countless very well known bands with their "Traces ofDeath" soundtrack REIGN OF VENGEANCE knew that Brain Damage Films/Music would be able to effectively assist in getting the band's goals met.

FF- What are some of your favorite horror flicks?

Marshall- I could go on for hours... Instead, I'll give you some must see and easily obtained mainstream horror films/movies in different sub genres.  There is a lot of really bad horror out there but you cannot go wrong with the listbelow.

Comedy Horror- "Dead Alive"

Shockumentary- "Traces of Death"

Show-  "Masters of Horror"

Exploitative-  "Cannibal Holocaust" 

Realistic and Disturbing-  "The Girl Next Door"

Old School but Updated (much like the music of REIGN OF VENGEANCE)-"Hatchet"

Supernatural-  "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch Project 2"

FF- Any final thoughts?

Marshall-  No. That is efficient.

Interview With Swallowed By Apathy

Brandon Mitchell and Kevin Czarnecki of Swallowed By Apathy took the time out to discuss a few things involving the band and where it is headed. 

Foul Feast- Tell us a little about how Swallowed By Apathy came about.

Brandon- Basically after leaving my other band Vultaria, I wanted to do something different that was more of my style, which is progressive metal. So me and my old drummer Blaine began writing material with a good friend of mine named Brandon Ball. We met Kevin at a Death Angel show and he came in to track bass and eventually became a prominent member. Blaine and Brandon exited the band and Kevin and I were just kinda left to carry it on. Since then, we have been working on better material and have been self-sufficient with the recording process.

Kevin- As Brandon had mentioned, I met him and the original lineup of SBA at a Death Angel show. We had just kinda hung out and we really hit it off. Basically I was brought in and just tracked my bass. At the time, the original songs we had done were done at a studio in Newark, OH by a friend of Brandon's, but now I record everything the band does. Not only am I the bass player, but I produce and program everything for the most part. I had never really been in a band before, a serious one at least, so I'm extremely happy with the way SBA has progressed throughout this short time we've been around. We're doing a lot more than most bands do in their first year of formation.

FF- If I'm remembering correctly you recorded the EP as a two piece. Are there any plans of getting together a full line-up?

Brandon- We are still working on that. It's really rough with the nature of the music, because a band is like a marriage and with having such a particular sound we want to make sure that who we bring in clicks with us musically.

Kevin- Definitely. It's necessary for this band to move forward. We want to start playing shows and getting out there more, but like Brandon mentioned it's really hard to find someone who clicks with you. I was fortunate enough to meet Brandon, who actually lives 3 hours away from me, at that show and we click perfectly musically. Sure, there are disagreements, but it's simply just like a family and whoever we bring in needs to click with us not only musically but there needs to be a good chemistry socially. Infact, we just put Egor Sadovnic into the band and he'll be playing guitar along side of Brandon.

FF- How is the new album coming together thus far?

Brandon- The new album is going fantastic. We've put a lot of time into the writing process and we're being extremely picky in making sure that every instrument is played as cleanly and clearly as possible. We learned a lot from our last EP and this is a defining moment for us. I think that people will really see that when it's released. From the artwork to the lyrics it's very deep and well thought out.

Kevin- Let's be honest: as good as it's going, it's also a huge bitch. I'll be totally honest with you, when we recorded the EP I knew what I was doing but at the same time I knew nothing. When it came to mixing, I went through such a learning process and so many failed mixes before I got something I was satisfied with. I'm not saying I'm the next Andy Sneap, but damn if I didn't do a decent job for what I had and the things I knew. Going into this album, I know all the mistakes I made when we originally recorded the EP and I'm equipped to fix them now. I'm having a lot of fun and releasing this will be my biggest accomplishment thus far.

FF- For those not aware, what does the title "Dysgenesis" mean?

Brandon-"Dysgenesis" to me represents the flaw in society, or mankind as a whole. Genesis is obviously an origin or start of something and the title represents how man is natural prone to error. With the state of our world and the nature of the material it is very fitting. Originally the album was going to be a concept record inspired by my mother's experiences with mental illness . As we got further into the writing we realized that we had much more to say and I think the concept idea would have taken away from the versatility of the material. With this title it represents the theme but it doesn't limit our topics.

Kevin-Well the textbook definition is basically to be born with a malformed organ, and based off of our previous album title and how it dealt with mental illness, I wanted to not stray too far from that subject so when I thought "Dysgenesis", I automatically thought malformation of the brain. I've always personally liked lyrics and themes dealing with society and the flaws of mankind, so this really excites me. The artwork really reflects this, because when I designed it I wanted to make it seem like someone was trying to seek salvation from the pains of his/her own human mind, and the use of the hands of an infant really helps portray the idea that finding ourselves and dealing with the corruptions and flaws of life are a lifelong struggle and that no matter how stubborn people may be, we all need a little help and that's where the second hand reaching out for the one emerging from the ground came into play. The cool thing about it all is that it leaves room for the listener to determine what they personally think it means and that's always something I look for in music.

FF- How did you end up getting in touch with Chris Clancy (of Mutiny Within) for mixing and mastering the new album?

Brandon- Ironically Mutiny Within had played at the Death Angel show where Kevin and I had met. lol I talked with Chris periodically throughout the night and I was shocked by how passionate he was about the music and he had a very humble attitude. Meeting him was a huge honor and so for him to be as kind and outgoing as he was made a huge impact. I kept in touch with him through Facebook and as we began planning the album we realized that mixing is expensive. Chris not only offered us a great deal but he actually expressed excitement about working on it. It's definitely necessary to have someone who understands your music and can give you the best sound possible. He actually wants this to be of great quality and he puts a lot of effort into what he does.

Kevin- I mixed the EP to the best of my abilities, but I know I'm NO where near ready to mix and master an entire full length album so I decided to shoot Chris a message on Facebook. I knew he mixed for bands but the deal he offered us was one we couldn't shoot down so we decided to work with him. We've sent him stuff already and what he's sent back sounds so phenomenal and I think everyone will be really surprised.

FF- How do you feel your music has progressed since the recording of the EP?

Brandon- I would say we put more thought into writing good songs overall. Sometimes when writing progressive music it can be easy to lose sight of the catchiness and hooks. We want to not only write challenging music but also music that will click with people and stick in their heads. We have been really good about not adding unnecessary parts and so forth. I also think the songs vary from one another a great deal so that the listener can differentiate every song from one another. I hate when albums start strong and then material just kind of runs together.

Kevin- Brandon wrote all the guitar parts and what not, and judging by what he's written I'd say the writing has matured so much since the EP. The transitions are fantastic and everything flows great. Seeing it all come together with drums and what have you not is something that never gets old to me. There's much more of an excitement with the album, even more so than with the EP. Each song is definitely unique to one another. The cool thing about it is you can tell it's us by each and every song but we are able to put a spin on everything. You'll hear some death metal, some jazz, some melo death, some power metal, some folk metal, it's all there and that's really what I love.

FF- Obviously you both draw influences from a wide variety of artists, but is there anyone that sticks out the most in terms of inspiration?

Brandon- Into Eternity is easily my favorite band. We actually got our band name out of line in their song "Paralyzed". That band opened so many doors for me and I've taken a lot from Tim's guitar work. There isn't anyone out there who has even a fraction of the skill those guys have. Musically, they are not only technical but they are catchy and write carefully. Death, Nevermore, Martyr, Quo Vadis, Trivium, and Mutiny Within are also some of my favorites. There's also a band out there called Chaos Divine from Australia. They are excellent and unfortunately not as big as they should be. I took a great deal of influence from them while writing 'Dysgenesis'.

Kevin- As Brandon said, I'd say Into Eternity is definitely one of the big influences. For me, I take a great deal of influence from Death, Control Denied, Martyr, Nevermore, Divinity, Obscura, basically all the same stuff as Brandon. My bass work has been compared to that of Steve DiGiorgio, one of my biggest idols, and I'm aiming to really push it to the next level on the album.

FF- Have you guys played any gigs yet?

Brandon- Not yet unfortunately. When we had the originally line-up we planned on gigging a lot but until we find a solid drummer it isn't possible. That's why we are putting a lot of time into writing great material so that we can assemble a live line-up and put on a great show every gig. I've had a lot of experience in past bands and I know the potential of what SBA could do. I just want to make sure we deliver the most professional live show we can.

Kevin- No gigs but I'm really excited to bring SBA into the live environment. With Egor in the band now, I think we'll be able to make it happen a lot quicker than anticipated.

FF- How is the metal scene in Cleveland?

Brandon- I'm just now moving here so I don't know too much lol. I really like The Dagger Rebellion. They are probably my favorite unsigned progressive band and they make Ohio proud. I also like Stoneking from up North. They play progressive death metal, they have a unique sound as well.

Kevin- The Cleveland music scene is great. I mean, sure, it has its shit like every other scene, but I'm pretty happy with it. You have The Dagger Rebellion, Salt the Wound, Ruled by Reason, all these great bands. Not to mention Chimaira and Mushroomhead. Definitely a lot of potential and talent.

FF- Any final thoughts?

Brandon- Quadtracking guitars sucks. It's going to be the death of me. lol Other than that, support the local bands because it's rough trying to be heard. Also if you want something don't let anything stop you. I hope everyone out there picks up "Dysgenesis" when it is finished and continues to spread the word.

Kevin- It's been a really shitty, tedious process and it seems like we haven't even broke the tip of the iceberg yet, but when this album comes out, you'll all be extremely surprised and satisfied at the results. Keep supporting us and spreading the word!

Stoic Dissention Interview

Big thanks to Zachary from Stoic Dissention for taking the time out to do this interview!

Foul Feast: How did Stoic Dissention come about?

Zachary: Stoic Dissention started with the end of Dave and my other band Acheronian Dirge coming to an end.  Both of us felt our musical journey shouldn't end there so we started looking for other musicians with similar tastes and ideas.  Luck greeted us with meeting Isaac and Kelly at a show their other bands Centimani and Kasigation were playing as they both were interested in the twisted aspirations that would become Stoic Dissention. Also forunately Isaac's roommate was Peter who joined as our drummer and thus we had a full line-up.

FF: When did the writing process for Senium start?

Zachary: Senium was started in September of 2010 and finished by November 2010.  It was a very fluid process with the writing of the demo hince the short time it took for the actual writing process.

FF: The demo has a playtime that is more suited for a full-length release. Has going the extra mile on this release paid off?

Zachary: I believe it has.  We've had very good feedback so far which makes us proud and glad. Of course the length itself was the product of the natural flow of the songs to help convey what we wished conveyed.  I think if we made the songs any shorter or longer something could have sounded off.  Less organic and not nearly as manical. 

FF: How have gigs been thus far? Are there any that you played that stand out in particular?

Zachary: We haven't played to much as of yet.  That will be changing in the very near future as we have shows booked almost to the end of the year already.  Out of the shows we have played I think when we played with Stonehaven stood out the most.  All the bands played well that night and it was the highlight to hear such amazing feedback from many of the people in attendence. 

FF: Where does the group draw inspiration from when it comes to lyrical themes?

Zachary: My source of inspiration for the lyrics are drawn from many sources from the esoteric to the macabre to books I have read.  The Senium demo has some unusal themes to it lyrically such as Apotheosis and Astral Projection, but also in the cases of "The Thought of Them" it deals with a more fantasy theme.  Its more or less about being drugged and tortured but being aware whats going on but not being able to do anything about it.  I try to find unique and different things to write about if I can.  I think theres already enough bands out there singing about Satan, anti-christianity, gore and politics that I figure I don't need to being apart of it. 

FF: What are some of your biggest influences musically? 

Zachary: There is a lot so I'll only go into it a little so here goes: Deathspell Omega, Esoteric, Ahab, Cathedral, Emperor, My Dying Bride, Shininh, Bethlehem, Summoning, Burzum, Mono, Sunn O))).  The list goes on and on. 

FF: What does the title "Senium" refer to?

Zachary: The technical term is "The final period in the normal life span."  To me it deals with death and the mentality of the unknown that is soon to come.  The anxiety, despair, and curiosity that I believe would be there in the final throes of life.  The moments before there is the acceptance and closure to what we are losing in death.

FF: Are there many other metal bands in your area?

Zachary: There is a relatively good scene here.  Bands like The Flight of Sleipnir, Velnias, Zombie Hate Brigade, Weaponizer and Vision of Mara to name a few.  Check them out if you can.

FF: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Zachary: I'd like to thank you and everyone out there supporting us and the underground scene in general. Also people can contact me at ZSalmans@hotmail.com for copies of the demo and other merch.

Cheers

Zachary 

Entrenched Interview

Today we have an interview with Charles Snyder of Entrenched. This New Jersey duo plays war themed death metal that destroys anything and everything in it's path. 

Foul Feast: Tell us a little about how Entrenched came to be.

Charles: Well me and Sean have been friends for about 7 or 8 years, we had been in a few bands on and off before but nothing ever too serious, but in the fall of 2009 he came to me with the idea to make an old school death metal band.  After a few weeks of talking about it we started to jam on some ideas and Entrenched was born.

FF: Is war a fascination of yours or is that just something you choose to use as a lyrical theme?

Charles: I'm probably fascinated more with it than I'd like to admit, if I was indifferent to it I wouldn't be able to really get behind it as the creative theme for the band.  Having some interest in it I think helps us to write more interesting lyrics.

FF: You are currently unsigned, have you been in contact with any labels since Preemptive Strike was made?

Charles: Nope we haven't talked to any thus far.  We're still waiting on that, hopefully some will like the album and give us a shout.

FF: You also have Michael Mullins on the album playing a few solos. How did he get involved with the project?

Charles: When we started laying down guitar solos we decided we wanted someone to play some more, I'm not sure how to say it, shred-esque solos on the album.  Mike is actually one of my friends who I've known for many years and I knew what he was capable of on guitar.  So we gave him a call to see if he'd be willing to lay down some tracks, he agreed, came in and proceeded to record some sick solos.

FF: Entrenced has been compared to greats like Bolt Thrower and Hail of Bullets, are you happy with how the response with the album has been so far?

Charles: Yeah that's an honor for us, to even be mentioned with such names is unbelievable.  I have to be honest its slightly surreal.  The album has been getting a lot of love which makes us happy you know.  That's really what it's all about, getting our music heard and enjoyed by others, its pretty awesome.

FF: Have you had the chance to play any shows yet?

Charles: Not yet because we're still only a two piece, we don't really wanna sell our live show short by playing without a bassist and only one guitar.  We've been on the lookout for members but have come up empty up to this point.  Down the road we may just get some session musicians if we really can't find anyone willing to play in a serious band.  We'll see what happens but we'd love to get out there soon.

FF: Were there any tracks that were recorded that didn't make the cut for the album?

Charles: No we decided to use all our material available.  The recording took quite some time, I think we spent so much time on it we felt we had to use everything.

FF: Have you planned anything for future releases or written any new material yet?

Charles: Yeah we started writing for an EP we plan to release in a few months time, a few songs in the works, nothing concrete yet.  Nothing usually gets finalized until its recorded so parts are always changing.  Should be good though, at least we hope so.

FF: How long did the writing process for Preemptive Strike last?

Charles: The writing process really only took a few months, maybe from September to November in 2009.  After that we had all the songs done, at least the basic skelaton of the songs.  Once we started recording, we'd find places we wanted leads or solos.  Actually the vocals weren't even discussed until everything else was done, we kind of filled in the vocals wherever we thought they'd sound good.

FF: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Charles: Thanks for the interview man we appreciate it.  Be on the lookout for some new merch, we're hoping to get some shirts and stickers to unleash upon the masses, stay informed and check us out at www.myspace.com/entrenchedusa and www.facebook.com/entrenchedband