Music
Francesco Artusato, guitarist for deathcore group All Shall Perish, is releasing a CD of instrumental music, Chaos and the Primordial (Sumerian), today. In celebration, he is premiering the song "Quantum Tunneling" right here. He fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of the song in the comments.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/QuantumTunneling.mp3|Titles="Quantum Tunneling"|Artists=The Francesco Artusato Project]
REVOLVER Which part of this song did you come up with first?
FRANCESCO ARTUSATO I came out with the main theme first, just playing around with a scale—a D Lydian Dominant scale just to be more specific—trying to create a couple of catchy and powerful melodies. After I had the two main themes of the songs determined, I started orchestrating and arranging the different sections I had in mind and soon after I had pretty much the 75 percent of the song done.
Was this an easy song to write?
This one was probably one of the easiest songs to write and record due to its more straightforward structure. I wanted to write a very spontaneous song that was easy to listen to and that it would flow naturally.
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
Most people think this one is one of the most energetic and driven songs on the record. It has a very positive vibe, too. It's fun to play and has a couple of very catchy themes.
What do you like about playing instrumental music?
It's generally very creative, usually more challenging, too, because the attention is not directed towards the vocalist anymore, but in this specific case, towards the guitars the entire time. Sometimes this take on my instrument is very fresh and it lets me push musical boundaries in a unique way.
What's the worst part about working with a vocalist?
There's not really "a worst part" about writing with a vocalist, it's just a different approach overall. Vocals become the main focus and so the music needs to give the priority to that aspect. It requires different skills and that's why I love switching between working with a vocalist and without. And of course we are talking about collaborating with a vocalist who is easy to work with…very rare sometimes.
What is your favorite instrumental metal song?
"Paradigm Shift" by Liquid Tension Experiment. I fell in love with that song instantaneously. I love that entire album and that is probably one of the reasons why I started playing guitar. Nobody sounded like them when that record came out and I still think nobody can sound like that. A very influential progressive rock–metal project overall.
Having toured with the likes of Black Veil Brides, Alesana, and Escape the Fate, horror-inspired alt-rockers Get Scared are dropping their debut album Best Kind of Mess (Universal Motown) on July 12. Until then, the band is happy to share a new song, "Whore," just with us. As soon as we heard the title, we liked it. Then we listened to it, and we liked it even more. Crank up the volume, blast this shit, and read below what guitarist Johnny B has to say about the track.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/05Whore.mp3|Titles="Dakota"|Artists=Get Scared]
REVOLVER It almost seems silly to ask, but what is "Whore" about?
Johnny B The song is about those people that try to get what they can out of you. We're basically calling them out, saying, "I know what you are." We're not necessarily calling out promiscuous women, but just bad people in general.
Which part of it did you come up with first? What was the inspiration?
As with most of our songs, it starts out with one riff. In this case, I remember we were in the studio and we had a drum beat down and we found a riff and it felt very rockin', so we made vocals to fit to it. We wanted something with sass or anger and we thought, Let's just fucking get pissed off and call people out. It fit the song, the feeling and the riffs, so it accidentally came together as what it is.
Was this an easy song to write?
Yeah, it was probably one of the easiest songs we've done cause it came together really easily—just a good rock song that easily came together—and we were all stoked on it…so hell yeah!
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
Really, really positive feedback—it's actually my mom's favorite song, which I think is funny. In our group of friends, it's one of people's favorite songs. People always say we should write more songs like that. People like it when artists call people out in their lyrics—we've gotten really good feedback from the song.
Death's classic 1991 death-metal album Human was reissued yesterday as a deluxe two-CD edition via Relapse. On it, they restored the band's cover of Gene Simmons' Kiss classic "God of Thunder," which originally was a bonus track for Japan only. Check it out below.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/09GodOfThunder.mp3|Titles="God of Thunder"|Artists=Death]
Evan Brewer, bassist for tech-metal group the Faceless, is releasing a CD of instrumental music, Alone (Sumerian), next Tuesday. In anticipation, he is premiering the song "Vertigo" right here. He fills us in on the song below. Let us know what you think of the song in the comments.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/6Vertigo.mp3|Titles="Vertigo"|Artists=Evan Brewer]
REVOLVER Which part of "Vertigo" did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
EVAN BREWER Like most songs I make, this track just started with the first riff and kind OF went from there. I never really go into a writing process with a specific intent or inspiration. It's really undefined and random....whatever happens just kinda happens.
Was this an easy song to write?
The song was easy to write, but quite difficult to record. I don't really force a writing process so all my music comes out fairly smooth. Getting the ideas to translate to tape is not always simple especially when the ideas are complex.
What do you like about playing instrumental music?
People tend to naturally gravitate towards the vocals, so not having a singer forces people to examine more deeply the details of the instruments. I like that.
What is your favorite metal instrumental?
Probably the Animals as Leaders album. It's just right up my alley.
Today Canadian hard rockers Danko Jones drop the deluxe reissue of their 2010 full-length, Below the Belt. The new edition comes with two bonus tracks, "Guest List Blues" and "Rock N Roll Proletariat," and the entire acclaimed "Below the Belt" music video trilogy, featuring guest appearances by Lemmy, Elijah Wood, Selma Blair, and others. Below, check out the previously unreleased B-side "Rock N Roll Proletariat," read what singer-guitarist Danko Jones has to say about the song, and let us know what you think in the comments.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/13RockNRollProletariat.mp3|Titles="Rock N Roll Proletariat"|Artists=Danko Jones]
REVOLVER What's "Rock N Roll Proletariat" about?
DANKO JONES Despite the song containing a five-syllable, $10 word in its title, it's not about anything too deep. It's just an assertion of hard rock's working-class ethic. You learn very fast that real rock and roll isn't about cocaine, limos, and stadium shows but rather loading in and out of the van during snowstorms and playing urine-smelling waste dens called "rock clubs." I kinda like that though.
Which part of it did you come up with first? What was the inspiration?
The chorus with the lyrics and the song's title came right away. Musical inspiration was certainly from AC/DC and the pre-chorus is an obvious tribute to ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man." The outro of the song, where I say, "Are you ready?" and then laugh, is also a little homage to Joe Elliot and Def Leppard's "Rock Of Ages" outro... I use words like "tribute" and "homage" because it can sometimes aid in evading possible lawsuits. Lyrically, the song is just the age old theme of infusing a little punk rock ethos into a bloated pampered established hard-rock tradition.
Was this an easy song to write?
It wasn't too hard. I don't remember us hemming and hawing over parts too much, but once I used the word "proletariat" in the song's title, I knew it was a loaded word and tried to steer the lyrics away from making too much a sociopolitical statement.
Why didn't it make the album originally?
I don't know! Every time someone hears this song, they have to ask why it didn't make the record. We should've put this song on the album and, because we didn't, it's starting to keep me up at night. I fucking wish we did now. Fuck!
Boston, Massachusetts–based post-hardcore outfit Ice Nine Kills take their name from the ultimate weapon of mass destruction in the Kurt Vonnegut novel, Cats Cradle. Their new music video, for the song "The People Under the Stairs"—off their 2010 album, Safe Is Just a Shadow (Red Blue)—is inspired by another piece of art, Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds. Watch the clip below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Chimaira are releasing their latest album, The Age of Hell (eOne), on August 16. In anticipation, the band is premiering the 10th song on the album, "Trigger Finger," right here. Frontman Mark Hunter fills us in on the song, which you can download from iTunes here, below. Let us know what you think of the song in the comments.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/10TriggerFinger.mp3|Titles="Trigger Finger"|Artists=Chimaira]
REVOLVER What's this song about?
MARK HUNTER When life presents you with a fork in the road, sometimes the choices you are forced to make mentally drain you. When those moments occur and you feel threatened, sometimes you have to bring a gun to a knife fight.
Which part of it did you come up with first? What was the inspiration?
We wrote the music one day and the lyrics and vocals another. Life inspires us.
Was this an easy song to record?
Pretty easy. We spent more time talking about it then working on it. [Laughs] Considering all of the crazy shit that's happened to Chimaira, it should be no surprise that we were on fire in the studio.
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
Fans got a sneak peak when they saw it live last month or the YouTube bootlegs. Thankfully, the response seems to be overwhelmingly positive. I think the world is ready for some new Chimaira.
Photo by Todd Bell
Our friends in Eyes Set to Kill are currently busy working on their highly anticipated fourth album, White Lotus, which isn't due out until August. But they're so stoked on the new material that they wanted to share a song with their fans. So here you have it, hot out of the studio and exclusive to this site: ESTK's new track, "The Secrets Between." Crank the volume, blast the song, read what singer-guitarist Alexia Rodriguez has to say about the tune, and let us know what you think in the comments.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/TheSecretsBetween.mp3|Titles="The Secrets Between"|Artists=Eyes Set to Kill]
REVOLVER What's "The Secrets Between" about?
ALEXIA RODRIGUEZ I have made a lot of mistakes in relationships, so in this song I wrote about keeping secrets from my significant others in the past. I am always scared to be honest through lyrics but always find a way to get them throug and I feel like this song is the best representation of tha fact.
Which part of it did you come up with first? What was the inspiration?
I came up with the chorus guitar riff first and that instantly sparked a melody. I always write melodies before lyrics. "The Secrets Between" was inspired by drunk mistakes, desperate measures, and lonely times I experienced on tour and have vowed never to repeat.
Was this an easy song to write?
It was fun to write because I drew a guitar riff from our EP [2006's When Silence is Broken, the Night Is Torn] into this song as the main riff. I love reinventing songs. This song was—according to me—the best rendition of our EP track "This Love You Breathe."
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
We have gotten a lot of good feedback about how heavy and catchy the song is. The only bad feedback was from my boyfriend who thought I was keeping secrets from him and putting it in this song.
Metalcore stalwarts August Burns Red drop their highly anticipated new album, Leveler (Solid State) on June 21, and today they've released a new track, "Division," online. "'Divisions' is a chaotic dirty track," explains guitarist JB Brubaker. "It's dark lyrically and Jake [Luhrs, vocalist] absolutely shreds his vocal chords on this song—I think it is one of the most diverse and strongest vocal performances he has ever given. This song also has the weirdest timed breakdowns on the entire album. We dare you to figure it out!"
Crank up the volume, blast the track below, and let us know what you think—about the time signature of the breakdown and what every other thoughts you have—in the comments.
On June 14, Brooklyn's A Pale Horse Named Death drop their debut album, And Hell Will Follow Me (SPV/Steamhammer), a dark, crushing melodic effort that suggests Alice in Chains and Type O Negative. The latter reference makes particular sense considering that the band is the brainchild of Sal Abruscato, the founding drummer of Type O, as well as the current skinsman for Life of Agony. Previously, we premiered A Pale Horse Names Death's song, "To Die in Your Arms"; now we're proud to unveil another track, "Pillhead." Abruscato, who sings, plays every instrument, and wrote all the songs on the record, fills us in on the tune below.
[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/09PillHead.mp3|Titles="Pillhead"|Artists=A Pale Horse Named Death]
REVOLVER What's this song about?
SAL ABRUSCATO "Pill Head" is about a person who is addicted to pills, and taking pills is the only way they can deal with life. A manic depressant that won't leave their bed and just pops pills over and over to just get by.
Which part of it did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
I came up with the main chorus music first, then the verse and bridge music. I had a rough melody but it all came together as I wrote the lyrics and fine-tuned it.
Was this an easy song to record?
Yes, it was easy to record... I had everything done and all we had to do was re-record it. Vocals were a bit harder, especially in the bridge.
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
So far its been great. It's one of our favorite songs to perform, and I am pleased on the positive feedback so far.