Music
Long-running occult-obsessed death metallers Goreaphobia are releasing their second full-length, Apocalyptic Necromancy (Dark Descent), next Tuesday. But you can hear the album in its entirety here, right now. Bassist-vocalist Chris Gamble (left)—who formed the group in 1988 alongside guitarist Alex Bouks (who's also in Incantation)—fills us in on the song below the album. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
REVOLVER You've been a band for over 20 years, but this is your second release. What is it about this lineup that has been so productive?
CHRIS GAMBLE Over the years, time has given us more focus and patience, and I think each of us have grown musically and have learned to utilize our influences better. Which means everyone is involved in writing the songs. We've never had this chemistry before, since the band started in 1988 and through 1992, in those four years everything was new and exciting. Everyone had energy but no focus. It was more of an "every man for himself" thing; there was more going on around us than we could handle. We didn't have the right people around us business-wise either. We also had members in the band that didn't really belong.
Since Alex and I reformed the band in 2004, we had already been through the trial-and-error process, so we became a well-oiled machine and have the right focus and energy and the right people involved. Having Jim Roe join us on drums and VJS playing guitar, it's become the right combination to play live and write songs. Each of us can feed off of that. It became very strong and obvious that this lineup is the pinnacle of Goreaphobia's musical style and direction. When we did the 2009 summer tour with Master it was very successful for us with our debut album "Mortal Repulsion". And now here we are with a new record label, higher energy, sharper focus, and a new album, Apocalyptic Necromancy. Timing is everything.
What does the album title Apocalyptic Necromancy mean?
It's an occult process based on my theory, practice, and belief of what I call "The Nine Stages of Korr Necromancy," which is something that didn't come from any book, teaching, or articles. It came from my own emotions and mental energy working on an occult operation through abstinence from everyone else's influence. The title sums up all of the songs and the best, well-rounded title for the concept musically. Aggressive, raw, pure and to the point.
What are you proudest of about this new album?
The most obvious thing is the high focus and energy between the four of us in writing this album. It's four individuals feeding off of each other's energy and influence instead of just two people. We're letting fate take its course. And because of the collective consciousness of all four people, my lyrical concepts have become deeper, darker, and with more intense emotional content. Just with that, it makes me feel that after all these years that this band has really come alive and we have a whole new life and universe to explore creatively. I look forward to our third album.
What has inspired you for the lyrics on the new album?
In the two years passed since Mortal Repulsion, I've spent a lot more time doing what I enjoy in my personal life. Which is occult practice and theory, a retrograde into all the things I've learned in the last 20 years. Rethinking everything from aggressive, pure, dark, emotional energy. This is how I see the world, the people in it, and the violent interaction and discontent within the human race. Spending those two years going back to the process of sigil magic, talismanic magic, magic squares, elemental divination, qliphothic practices, voudon gnostics, and any known ancient culture's practice in communing with the dead and the lasting effect it has on the human psyche. Animal totems, shape-shifting, astral-projection, consumption of blood and human flesh. I'm basically taking everything I've mentioned and reintroducing it into society this day and age. I think of these things in these stages, which all leads to the inevitable belief I have that the human race is parasitic and the end result of this is the success of the universe will be the extinction of human influence. The rest is for other people to decide what they get out of the lyrics. The greatest part I've learned about magic and the focus, purpose, and energy that it presents is that it can always let an individual reinvent themselves through other eyes living and dead.
What does "Rust Worms and the Noxious Fevers They Bring" refer to?
To me it's the final collapse of humanity. Leading an individual to realize the final result of their interaction on this earth with people has become parasitic, toxic, grueling, and noxious. Deep in the heart, mind, and soul it carries on forever, like a decaying worm, endlessly gnawing and squirming through the universe. Humanity has become a poison in the universe.
Your music obviously has strong occult overtones. What is the most interesting thing to happen to you while practicing the occult?
There's too much to mention. Everything is interesting about it for me. What I have experienced, from the beginning of learning and interest with having ideas, I started testing myself with a lot of theories based on pioneering occult practitioners and writers in my own view of what's important. I think when everything is explored, if you are interested in it when you come out the other end, no matter what the outcome or result, you take the time and focus, the spiritual energy involved to pursue it, you should always find enlightenment. Black or white magic, dark or light, for me it's all one color: silver. Breaking yourself down to a primal lone existence of what's considered non-being and rediscovering yourself, and from that you rebuild yourself. You create your own magical universe, which I think of as freewill. Here's a magical quote that I like to say, taken from one of Kenneth Grant's books: "Every man and woman is a newborn star in the universe to shine, to glow, to give enlightenment of your own light. Be free in the darkness of the universe and explore with light." I could go on forever, but I won't. As I was told from my occult advisor back in 1990, one of the best arts of the occult is to explore everything with no rules, under no one's total influence, discover everything by your own freewill. Never copy everything. Rethink, relearn. Your results are always rewarded when you do things as a sole individual in the magical universe. No one person can ever have the same result as another. Explore and enjoy it. Watch what you come up with.
Hardcore punk group Krum Bums are releasing Cut the Noose (People Like You) on August 23. Below they are premiering the song "Injection" from the album. Frontman Dave Tejas fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
REVOLVER What's this song about?
DAVE TEJAS This song means many things to different people. For me, at a time in my life, this was about addictions and solutions… figuring out a way to get what you want, but also realizing you can never have it.
Which part of it did you come up with first?
Trae [Martinez, guitar] actually came up with the line, "I want injection." The inspiration is that everyone in the band was going through fucked-up times in our lives. There were problems in our personal lives. And, if you wanna know, there were struggles in the band. We were struggling with ways to keep it together and not self-destruct.
Was this an easy song to write or record?
This wasn't an easy song in any way. It was a song about coming to terms with your own insecurities and for lack of a better term, having to "man up" to them. It was hard in more ways than one for me… And then they made me fucking try to sing…woof.
Thrash-influenced death metallers IKILLYA self-released their debut album, Recon, earlier this year. Below, you can listen to and download their first single, "…And Hell Followed With Him." Also, vocalist Jason Lekberg fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of the song in the comments.
REVOLVER What's this song about?
JASON LEKBERG This song is thank you letter to anyone who has ever stood in the way of you achieving your dreams. To anyone who has ever attempted to use you to achieve their own goals, or simply people that have told you can you can't achieve yours. It many ways, it's very similar to how we feel about the overall band name meaning, as well.
The opening lines, "18 seconds to sunrise, and I rise," talk about one of my favorite times of day. Even if you've been up partying all night, the last few seconds before sunrise are always calm. It's that feeling of being focused on a goal. It's the few seconds of calm right after you've chosen to destroy your opponent, and right before you actually unleash hell on them. Maybe that's too Zen, but I find that to be one of the most empowering moments in life.
Which part of it did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
I'm trying to remember which of the sections we had first, but I honestly don't. This is one of our older songs and we are notorious for playing a song live and then tweaking it so this one has been worked over a few times. This was one of the first songs where we really began to find our voice as a band. Some of the earlier stuff had been more straightforward, but this was where we really started creatively feeding off each other and taking a few left turns. Lyrically, it's a song that has remnants of stuff I've been working on for years, but overall was inspired by my experiences growing up in Indiana and even some once I moved to NYC.
Was this an easy song to record?
This was one of the first songs that we did with [producer] Josh Wilbur, and there was a pretty intense conversation about some of the structure, but I'm really happy with the end result. He really knew how to push us to get the best we had to offer and we can't thank him enough for that. As a band, we love the creative process so I think we'd second-guess ourselves if it was too easy. Hell, we second-guess ourselves either way!
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
The feedback has been amazing. Last week someone posted on YouTube that it has one of the most catchy hooks they've heard in metal in a long time. We have been totally blown away by how positively people have responded. Huge thanks to them, and thanks to you for taking the time to check us out!
Stoner rockers Saviours are releasing their new album, Death's Procession (Kemado), on September 6. The video below is your first taste of the the album, as well as its artwork and the covers for its attendant 12-inch singles, "Crete'n" and "The Eye Obscene," which come out in August. The song in the video is "The Eye Obscene," and you can download it right below the video. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
Download the single, "The Eye Obscene," below.
Photo by Andrew Moran
Five Finger Death Punch unleash their highly anticipated third album, American Capitalist (Prospect Park), on October 11. Leading up to the record release, the band will appear on the cover of the next issue of Revolver, out on newsstands on August 16. FFDP are also very excited to share with Revolver readers the debut single off American Capitalist, "Under and Over It." So crank up the volume on your speakers, hit play, and be one of the first to bang their head to the new song! Then read below what FFDP vocalist Ivan Moody has to say about the track, and let us know what you think in the comments.
REVOLVER What's "Under and Over It" about?
IVAN MOODY This one is about the rumors and gossip that go on everywhere—especially online. It's comical to see how much crazy, ill-informed shit people will post as news and when they're trolling around message boards. In today's day and age, speculation and bad info can just fly around the internet and catch fire—even when it's completely false and unfounded. Funny shit.
Which part of it did you guys come up with first?
The music happened first. The guys wrote this killer riff and the music for the chorus that was undeniable, and it just spoke to me. Once the music was written, the lyrical concept just flew out of my head from seeing all these crazy rumors and it all just fit.
Was this an easy song to write?
I'm going to contradict myself here, so get ready. I've always felt like songs should never be easy—it's a gift to be in the position we're in, and you really have to work hard, dig deep, and put every drop of blood into a track that you can, so that it's brutally honest and true. However, this track was a rare moment where the lyrics just flowed out of me. It all came together so perfectly. Once I had the concept, the track took on a life of its own and really came together.
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
I guess we'll find out soon enough!
Mastodon will release their fifth album, The Hunter, on September 27. They've previously released a teaser (below), and now their song, "Black Tongue," has leaked. Check out a studio update from the band on page 20 of the July/August issue of Revolver, out now and available here. Listen to that below, and let us know what you think of the track in the comments.
Update: Now with the official video.
Mastodon, "Black Tongue"
Mastodon, The Hunter teaser
Hard rockers Seven Day Sonnet are currently on tour with Sevendust and Adelitas Way in support of their new single, "Hapless," which you can hear below. The song was produced last year by Johnny K (Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Pop Evil) and will be on the group's as-yet-untitled full-length, due later this year via Big Time. Frontman Benjamin Franklin VanBuskirk fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
REVOLVER What's this song about?
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN VanBUSKIRK Well, "Hapless" is a sad song with a sad story behind it, so I'm just going to dive in. A couple of years back on a major holiday, a good friend of mine decided to take his own life. We, his friends and family, knew he was having some problems, but never expected him to take things to that level. He did it in such a manner that it could not be taken a cry for help and there was no way he would survive it...
It was particularly cold that winter. I don't know if it was the combination of the cold and and the memories but sometimes when you are writing you let yourself wander to the darker places inside your head—there is a lot of creativity in there. It seems that a lot of people get very depressed during the holidays for a lot of different reasons and I wanted to have those people be able to relate with "Hapless" as a song and at the same time share my story and gain some closure.
Which part of it did you come up with first?
The music came first. I was writing some guitar riffs and I stumbled onto a really emotional yet heavy chorus, and I knew that I had to keep working on this song. That same night I had pretty much finished a very rough version of "Hapless" without any vocals; just a skeleton of guitar and some programmed drums. The inspiration was the cold and sadness of a brutal Chicago winter.
Was this an easy song to record?
It was a pretty easy song to sink my teeth into. Emotionally I had attached myself to the song, and because of that I never had any problems belting out the notes with all the feeling I could give. However, because of my emotional attachment, it was harder to deal with the changes that were made to the song in the studio. Like I mentioned before, I felt that writing this song had given me a bit of closure on the whole ordeal. That closure can keep you very motivated not only to finish but to have it be the best it can be.
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
It's an amazing feeling to play a concert hundreds of miles from home, in a place you've never been, and have a crowd of people you've never met sing your lyrics with you—absolutely amazing. I have had a lot of people tell me that it has helped them get through some really tough times. As a musician and a songwriter, the number one goal is to have your music truly connect with people, and when it does, there are very few things that can top that feeling.
SEVEN DAY SONNET tour dates
July 26 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
July 28 - Greenville, SC @ The Handlebar
July 29 - Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
Aug 12 - Syracuse, NYC @95X Sausage Fest
Aug 15 - New York City, NY @Gramercy Theater
Aug 16 - Hampton Beach, NH @Wally's Pub
Aug 17 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
Aug 18 - Lancaster, PA @ Camelian Theater
Aug 19 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Aug 20 - Ft Wayne, IN @ Headwaters Park
Aug 21 - Toledo, OH @ Headliner's
Aug 23 - Huntington, WV @ V Club
Aug 24 - Lexington, KY @ Buster's Billiards
Aug 25 - St Louis
Aug 26 - Bettinford, IA @ The Uptown
Aug 30 - St Paul, MN @ Station 4
Sept 1 - Mustigon, MI @ Club Envy
Sept 2 - Indianapolis, IN @ Birdy's
Thrash-metal crew Battlecross are releasing their debut album, Pursuit of Honor (Metal Blade), on August 2. But here is your chance to hear the entire album a week before then. The group fills us in on the album (which is available for preorders on Amazon and iTunes) below, but don't forget to tell us what you think of it in the comments.
Unfortunately, the time we had to stream the album is up. But you can still buy it at the links above!
REVOLVER This is your debut album. What are you proudest of about it?
BATTLECROSS Everything about it! Honestly, we just wrote what we felt and wanted to hear. Proud of how we worked together to make this record the best it could be. Five minds pushing and breaking the boundaries, there can be some tension, naturally. Yet there's no mistaking the chemistry between us. We're proud that we've taken this huge first step with Metal Blade, and there's plenty more to follow!
Your vocalist, Kyle Gunther, joined your group last year. What did he contribute to the songs you already had?
Kyle was the missing link, the cherry on top, the icing on the cake. From his low growls to his dying-seagull screams, he has added and continues to add power, aggression, consistency, and confidence to what we assumed were already polished songs. Kyle pulls the crowd close with his zeal and stage presence, and we push them back with our intensity, like the ebb and flow in the Sea of Metal. The addition of Kyle to our lineup made the BX puzzle complete.
Your band uses a lot of war imagery. Have any of you ever served in the Armed Forces?
None of us have ever served in the Armed Forces, however we are proud of our troops and stand by our country. The war imagery is intertwined into the band's image because, by coincidence, a "battle cross" is a modern version of a fallen soldier memorial. That fact mixed our message of perseverance, power, and persistence holds a lot of water when you can relate it to the armed forces. We stand by our commitment to our band, just like loyal soldiers do to their country.
What are the origins of the Gumby mascot on the shirt (pictured left, click to enlarge)?
"Gumby" is actually Kyle's nickname. He's tall, lanky, and quite flexible—surely, the ladies love it! In high school, the guys on the basketball team gave him the name, reminding them of "Gumby," the Claymation character, and it has stuck ever since. Really, that's about it.. No epic story, no tragic tale, just our singer's nickname. Actually, the closest thing we have to a mascot would be Zombie Gumby—Kyle's face, zombified—the face that graces the front of our best-selling shirt! We asked our Producer and Recording Engineer Josh Shroeder to sketch us up a shirt design and voila, Zombie Gumby was unborn.
Death-metal stalwarts Dying Fetus released their limited-edition covers EP, History Repeats…, this week. Here is your chance to hear that release, in its entirety, right here (the day they embark on the Summer Slaughter tour). It includes covers of songs by Dehumanized, Napalm Death, Broken Hope, Bolt Thrower, Pestilence, and Cannibal Corpse. Vocalist-guitarist John Gallagher fills us in on the album below. Let us know what you think in the comments.
REVOLVER Dying Fetus have covered Napalm Death and Integrity in the past, but you haven't done that many covers lately. Why did you decide to do a covers EP?
JOHN GALLAGHER Well we don't want to build a career on doing covers because I think too many covers can start being cheesy. With History Repeats... the band and I wanted to give our fans something special to hold them over to our next full length due to come out in April 2012 And it's always good to remain active and record as much as possible because each time we record and visit the studio we learn more about refining our sound.
How did you pick the bands and songs that you covered?
We wanted to do some songs that we have listened to and enjoyed over the years. I have always been a fan of Broken Hope so I wanted to do one of their songs and also to commemorate the passing of Joe Placek [the band's singer who committed suicide last year]. "Gorehog" seemed like a suitable cover because of its bruality and slam. "Unchallenged Hate" from Napalm Death has always been a classic to us and fits with our style so I thought that was a suitable selection. The Dehumanized's "Fade Into Obscurity" cover demonstrates the sound of the mid '90s New York Slam genre. We used to play alot of New York gigs with these dudes back in the day and had many good times. "Unleashed Upon Mankind" is just a killer death metal song with a memorable main riff so we thought that would be a ripper. The Cannibal Corpse song was recorded in 2001 for a Cannibal Corpse cover album which never came out so we threw that and the Pestilence song on it as a bonus. The Pestilence song was originally on the War of Attrition CD [Dying Fetus' 2007 album] as a Japanese bonus track.
Did any songs "almost make the cut?"
I wanted to do some more hardcore covers from Blood for Blood, Madball, No Innocent Victim, and 25 ta Life, but we didn't get a large enough recording budget from Relapse to do them all. So I thought it would be best to just go with some good solid death-metal songs. In the future I might approach a hardcore label to do a hardcore tribute album but it's just a thought at the moment.
What's your favorite cover another band has done of a Dying Fetus song?
That's a good question, I've heard some good covers of "Kill Your Mother, Rape Your Dog" and "Grotesque Impalement" but I can't remember the name of the bands who did them. Just kinda ran into them on YouTube and whatnot. It would be cool to see a glam band do a cover of our joke song "North Forest Trolls of Satan" I bet Steel Panther could do a good job with that.
Synth-heavy metalcore group Iwrestledabearonce are releasing their highly anticipated second album, Ruining It for Everybody (Century Media), on July 26. Below, check out the world premiere of the song "Deodorant Can't Fix Ugly" off the record. Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Steven Bradley fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of it in the comments!
[audio:http://www.revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/03-Deodorant-Can_t...|Titles="Deoderant Can't Fix Ugly"|Artists=Iwrestledabearonce]
REVOLVER What's "Deodorant Can't Fix Ugly" about?
STEVEN BRADLEY The lyrics are all about organized religion and questioning things as opposed to following them blindly. Musically, it's all about covering a shit-ton of genres and then finished up with amazing gospel choir guest vocals!
Which part of it did you come up with first?
Truth be told, one of the riffs from that song is something I wrote at John [Ganey, guitar]'s house literally a decade ago! Maybe even longer, because I'm 26 and I'm pretty sure I wrote that hanging out there before I could even drive! It's the riff underneath the vocals, "Why should we believe in something we can't see." I totally forgot about it and somehow remembered it one night, and we decided to throw it in there because somehow it was never used before. The rest of the song came together while we were finishing up writing for the new album, and it just has a few ideas that we've never used before in songs and wanted to make sure got put on this record.
Was this an easy song to write?
Definitely an easy one... It poured out of us really, really quickly one night. I have no clue why, but sometimes we get lucky and it works like that!
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
Well as of right now, only our friends and management/label have heard the song... and obviously they're all liars and have told us they love it. Honestly though, the choir part at the end is one of my favorite parts on the new album and is something way different, even for us, and I really hope people think it's as great as we do.
What's the worst smell that's ever passed your nose?
The simple fact that you have to ask means that you have never stepped foot in our van. I'm pretty sure someone ripped up the upholstery, put down a layer of dog shit, and reupholstered it. Pretty impressive, really!
Iwrestledabearonce Tour Dates
Date City Venue
The All Stars Tour:
7/22 McAllen, TX Las Palmas Racepark
7/23 San Antonio, TX Backstage Live
7/24 Dallas, TX The Palladium
7/26 Louisville, KY Expo Five
7/27 Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
7/28 Chicago, IL Congress Theatre
7/29 Detroit, MI Royal Oak Theatre
7/30 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
7/31 St. Paul, MN Station 4 Outdoors (Lowertown Music Festival)
8/2 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
8/3 Montreal, QC Olympia
8/4 Reading, PA Eagle Theatre at The Sov Center
8/5 Poughkeepsie, NY Civic Center
8/6 Fitchburg, MA Marriott Trade Center
8/7 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
8/9 Baltimore, MD Sonar
8/10 Richmond, VA The National
8/11 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
8/12 Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
8/13 Orlando, FL Plaza Live
8/14 Pensacola, FL Seville Quarter Party Plaza
8/17 Tucson, AZ The Rialto Theatre
8/18 Scottsdale, AZ Venue of Scottsdale
8/19 San Diego, CA Soma
8/20 Anaheim, CA The Grove
8/21 Las Vegas, NV Rock The Block
8/23 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
8/26 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
8/27 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
Solo Dates:
9/16 Anchorage, AK Club Millennium
9/17 Anchorage, AK Chilkoot Charlie's