Artist Interview | Page 19 | Revolver

Artist Interview

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Welcome to Revolver Magazine's "World's Loudest Podcast." Tune in every other week to hear the latest news, music and interviews with special guests from the world of hard rock and heavy metal.

Episode 14, presented by eOne, DW and Zoom, is hosted by Zeena Koda (formerly of Sirius XM's Liquid Metal, currently of boxxtalk.com) and Revolver's Chris Enriquez. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

Here, we catch up with Pop Evil to talk shocking moments from the band's career including how their guitarist smashed his nose and dolls made with real hair. Then, we chat with High on Fire's Matt Pike about embracing the "dad bod," sobriety and aliens.

 

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Last month at the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, Revolver hosted backstage interviews. Check out our interview with Clutch's Neil Fallon below, where he talks setting beards on fire, weird neighbors, secret stashes of GG Allin records, and more!

For more on Clutch, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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Virginia-based prog-rock act Shumaun will release their new album, 'Shumaun,' on November 13. So we caught up with Frontman Farhad Hossain to talk about the debut album, moving away from solo work, immortality, and more.

For more on Shumaun, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

REVOLVER How did this solo project turn into a full-fledged, collaborative band?
FARHAD HOSSAIN It was during my time in my last band Iris Divine that I decided to do a solo project. I wanted to incorporate my non-hard rock/metal influences and just write everything on my own. I had no intention for it to be a real band and was content with it being a studio only project. When I started writing the record I'd say that music related close to bands like The Shins, Young the Giant, and Pink Floyd, with electronic and world music influences as well. As time proceeded I was feeling a bit distant to Iris Divine. The collective atmosphere in the band at the time was not very inspiring due to some internal personality issues. I found myself in the middle of it all, and after a while I think I just checked out. This eventually led to my departure from the band, which left me band-less. It's at that point when I felt that I needed to morph my solo project it into a full functioning band.

I asked a few friends to join me to help take my ideas and bring them to life in a live setting. We had Tyler Kim on guitar, Jose Mora on bass, Nouri Hacene on keyboards, and Tanvir Tomal on drums. Tanvir left Iris Divine a couple months after I did so I knew this project could benefit from his unique style of drumming. Nouri eventually left the band to pursue music in Los Angeles. This left a big void that we needed to fill since the music was very synth heavy. After a year of searching for a replacement and having no luck, I decided to scrap the whole project and started over again with all new material.

By this time I had left Iris Divine for a year and all of those hard rock, metal, and progressive rock influences started to come back to me again. I used that inspiration to write all of the new material that is now on our debut record. All of the music and lyrics for the record was written by me since the idea began as a solo project, however the band has since become much more collaborative.

MORE SHUMAUN: Shumaun Premiere New Album, 'Shumaun'

Let's talk about "Miracles of Yesterday." What's the real story behind this song?
"Miracles of Yesterday" is one of those songs that has metal, progressive, and world music influences in it, but somehow came out as a nicely wrapped pop song. Travis Orbin (Darkest Hour, Periphery) is the drummer here, and his approach to the song was very creative, especially on the verses.

In a nutshell, the song is about breaking away from all of the boundaries the physical world has in place for us, and experiencing enlightenment through meditation, self-discovery, and the abandonment of the ego to reach a higher state of consciousness. It's about experiencing a place where time is not linear, so the word "yesterday" has no implication to what has past or what is behind us. The "miracle" is referring to the concept that everything in this universe is connected and a part of a single source. I relate my understanding of these concepts to how we can interact with our physical world beyond the limitations of the tangible nature of our bodies in order to make the world a nicer place.

Let's do the same for "Ambrosia," the first single.
"Ambrosia" is probably the heaviest song on the record. It also consists of Travis Orbin on the drums, and just happens to be one of my favorites. Lyrically the song is about the internal conflict of the self, or in ways the battle of the id, ego, and super-ego. It's about trying to make sense of a spiritual path by eliminating all aspects of human innovation that tend obscure those paths. However the path does not have to be spiritual in nature, it's all up to interpretation.

In ancient Greek mythology "ambrosia" is referred to as the drink of the gods that provided immortality to those who drank it. Its Sanskrit equivalent is "amrita," which translates to "immortality." I use the concept of this drink as a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment that we sometimes try to attain, especially at times when we find ourselves at our lowest, when everything around us is falling apart.

What are Shumaun's plans for 2016? Will you bring the band to the road or is strictly a passion project?
The plan for 2016 is to continue to support our record by playing out as much as we can. We are definitely a live band, and we get most of our joy from playing live. We plan to hit the road in the spring or early summer with some short regional tours on the east coast of the States. We also plan to start writing for album No. 2, and I'm really looking forward to that.

faith no more

In their heyday, Faith No More were known for some of the most insane shows on the rock circuit, with maniacal frontman Mike Patton holding nothing back, regularly risking life and limb, both his own and his audience's. Since their 2009 reunion, the band — older and somewhat wiser — has been notably less wild in their onstage presentation, though the shows have still been extremely high energy and fully captivating, just a little more, you know, safe. That isn't too say that Patton hasn't come away with a few bruises — particularly to his pride. 

When we caught up with bassist Billy Gould backstage at the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, he discussed the reception to the group's triumphant comeback album Sol Invictus, what it's been like touring in this second iteration of the band, and more. He also shared a very amusing story of one of the group's more humiliating recent live experiences. "Couple shows ago we did, something extremely inappropriate happened to us," he told us. "We were playing and Mike did a stage dive and he landed ... Nobody caught him. Landed like 12 feet. He limped back onstage. We thought he really hurt his back. And it was quiet. Somebody else [shouted], 'You're old!' That was really inappropriate." Watch the full interview below.

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photograph by Robb Duchemin

Daytona Beach, Florida-based extreme metal act Culture Killer will release their debut full-length, 'Throes of Mankind', on November 27 via Metal Blade. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere their new song, "Exterminate Filth." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

To get 'Throes of Mankind,' visit Metal Blade's webstore. For more on Culture Killer, follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

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Frederick, Maryland-based teenage rock act Bad Seed Rising are currently touring with Ghost Town, Dangerkids, Palaye Royale, and Sounds Like Harmony. Here, for Revolver, they will be providing updates from the road via video that will give you a behind-the-scenes look. Check out Part 2 below and let us know what you think in the comments!

To get Bad Seed Rising's new EP, 'A Place Called Home,' visit iTunes. For more on Bad Seed Rising, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
 

 
Tour dates:
11/11 | St Louis, Mo. | Firebird
11/12 | Minneapolis, Minn. | Skyway Theatre
11/13 Dekalb, lll. | House Cafe
11/14 | Chicago, Ill. | Bottom Lounge
11/16 | Detroit, Mich. | The Shelter
11/17 | Toronto, ON | The Mod Club
11/18 | Montreal, QC | La Sala Rossa
11/19 | Philadelphia, Pa. | Voltage Lounge
11/20 | Worcester, Mass | Palladium (Small Room)
11/21 | New York, N.Y. | Webster Hall
11/22 | Baltimore, Md. | Ottobar
11/24 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Altar Bar
11/25 | Cleveland, Ohio | Grog Shop
11/27 | Nashville, Tenn. | Rocketown
11/28 | Atlanta, Ga. | Masquerade
11/29 | Charlotte, N.C. | Neighborhood Theatre
12/1 | Orlando, Fla. | Backbooth
12/2 | Ft Lauderdale, Fla. | Culture Room
12/4 | San Antonio, Texas | Kapones
12/5 | Dallas, Texas | Gas Monkey
12/6 Houston, Texas | Warehouse Live
12/8 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Pub Rock
12/9 | San Diego, Calif. | SOMA
12/10 | Anaheim, Calif. | Chain Reaction

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Avenged Sevenfold
In November, 2010, Avenged Sevenfold performed at Holt Stadium at Joint Base Balad, in Iraq. It was just one of many USO performances for the band, who all have a strong connection to the military. As frontman M. Shadows told Revolver, "I think everyone in the band has had someone that's served in their family." He went on to say about the troops, "they're dedicating their lives and their time to be over there, so we figured we could go over there and entertain them. It's the least we could do while they're in harm's way."

Five Finger Death Punch
In 2010 FFDP embarked on a USO tour in Iraq, footage of which can be seen in their "Bad Company" video. They went back for another short tour a few years later. The band has always been outspoken of their support for the military — the video for "Wrong Side of Heaven" was part of a campaign to bring awareness and help to veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other post-war struggles. This clip shows the band playing "The Bleeding" for troops in Baghdad.

Disturbed
In 2008 Disturbed took part in Operation Myspace, a concert held in Kuwait to honor U.S. military soldiers. The show, which was broadcast online, also featured the Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Simpson and Filter.

Korn
In 2012, Korn traveled to Germany to perform a series of free concerts at US military bases to celebrate Independence Day with troops. This video recaps their trip. "It's so cool to be able to come and honor all you guys for your sacrifices to our country. It's a privilege," says guitarist Brian Welch in one scene.

Drowning Pool
Drowning Pool have done multiple USO tours over the past decade, including playing in Baghdad on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Bassist Stevie Benton said, "It occurred to us that since these men and women were putting their lives on the line for our country, the least we could do was bring them a rock show and a little taste of home while they were stationed overseas.

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Last month at the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, Revolver hosted backstage interviews. Check out our interview with Beartooth's Caleb Shomo and Kamron Bradbury below, where they talk shocking fan moments, how Shomo accidentally drank urine, van slides, and more!

For more on Beartooth, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
 

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Corpse Flower Records, in cooperation with CV Comics, released 'Morbid Tales: An Illustrated Tribute To Celtic Frost,' a mega 155-page comic with illustrations and illustrated anecdotes from a varied bunch of metal musicians/authors and edited by  illustrator Mark Rudolph. Today, they have teamed up with Revolver to premiere a companion record, 'Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost,' which features covers from Phil Anselmo, Child Bite, Municipal Waste, and more! Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

To get 'Morbid Tales: A Tribute to Celtic Frost,' visit Corpse Flower's webstore.

Track list:
Child Bite w/ Philip H. Anselmo – "The Usurper"
Persekutor – "Procreation Of The Wicked"
Acid Witch – "Cherry Orchards"
Temple Of Void – "Os Abysmi Vel Daath"
Municipal Waste – "Nocturnal Fear"
Hayward (featuring Scott Kelly and Jason Roeder of Neurosis) – "Jewel Throne"
Coffin's Slave (featuring Scott Carlson of Repulsion) – "Dance Sleazy
Evoken – "Dawn Of Megiddo"
Flexi Bonus: Coffins Slave – Hellhammer's "Reaper"
 

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Last month at the Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, Revolver hosted backstage interviews. Check out our interview with All That Remains' Phil Labonte and Aaron Patrick below, where they talk about the most shocking fan requests, if Labonte is ever wrong, how Patrick is adjusting the the band, and more!

For more on All That Remains, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
 

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