Artist Interview

Trivium have premiered a new song and music video, "Silence in the Snow." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

The track comes from the group's new album (and follow-up to 2013's 'Vengeance Falls'), 'Silence in the Snow,' which will be out on October 2 via Roadrunner Records.

Frontman Matt Heafy said of the song:

For those of you wondering, this song was written for 'Shogun,' and is basically almost the same as it was, so 'Shogun' fans rejoice; didn't like 'Shogun'? You may not dig this. But know that since I was 12, I wanted to be a great singer I screamed, because I couldn't sing. I am proud and excited to finally be able to do what I love the way I love.

Don't love it? Our old stuff still exists. Love it? Awesome. I love both sides of you all regardless.

Screaming is easy. Singing is hard. I've always been a fan of what's harder. If you love the old stuff — listen to the old stuff, it's still there and we still play it live.

We always want to evolve and make what we want to make. You can't say many other bands can say that. They do what they think people want or are told to; we do what we want every time. And we love our TRIVIUM supporters worldwide.

Since Revolver's June/July issue was supervillain-themed, when we caught up with Motionless in White backstage at Rock on the Range, we asked them about villains, superpowers and so much more! Check out the video below!

The following is an excerpt from Revolver's August/September issue–which is on newsstands now and available for purchase in our webstore. Here,We Came as Romans vocalist Dave Stephens talks the groups' chugging cover of Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" off of Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 6.

by Chris Krovatin

REVOLVER Alright, we have to talk about this Taylor Swift cover. How much shit did you guys take for it?
DAVE STEPHENS Whenever you do those covers someone's gonna hate it. But in the end, the video has close to four million plays. I think one of the comments at some point was that [the listener] hoped that we and all our families get executed in a gas chamber.

Yikes! Is it hard to stay close to your fans when you get comments like that?
The fact that people were that upset over it means that there are people on the opposite side of the spectrum who absolutely loved it. And in this day and age, with Twitter and Instagram, we're so accessible as it is. So we take it a step further—we do as many signings as we can. We spend a lot of time at our merch table. If we're playing a 2,000-capacity room, we can't meet everybody, but we're going to meet as many people as we can.

Has there ever been talk of Swift joining you guys onstage to perform?
That would be amazing. Every single dude in the band has a massive crush on her. As far back as 2008, Andy [Glass, bassist] made it look like she was tweeting at him. He made it look like he was dating her. Everyone believed it. It was so funny.

You could set up cameras filming the front row as she comes out. Catch those stunned expressions.
Dude, I don't even know if we could keep it together.

The following is an excerpt from Revolver's August/September issue–which is on newsstands now and available for purchase in our webstore. Here, Disturbed frontman David Draiman talks their new album, getting back together after a hiatus and marijuana's effects on songs.

by Richard Bienstock

Another notable thing about "The Sound of Silence"? "When I cut the vocal, I had just finished tracking another song, and it was the end of my work day," Draiman says. "I was exhausted, and I wasn't expecting to have to sing anymore... so I took a nice hit off a big fat bowl." He laughs. "Then Kevin played me the arrangement and he said, 'You wanna try singing to it?' And I was like, 'I just got high! I'm stoned off my ass!' But I wound up getting back in the vocal booth for two hours, maybe more. Just vibing and going on feel."

An interesting fact, given this story, is that the song immediately following "The Sound of Silence" on Immortalized is "Fire it Up," a big-beat ode to marijuana that actually opens with the sound of Draiman taking a healthy bong hit. "Yeah, there was a big fat bowl before that one, too!" he says. The song, which features lines like "When I need to spark a bit of inspiration and the melody feels like it's trapped inside," is, according to Draiman, an accurate reflection of his own relationship to the sweet leaf. "You know what? Ninety-five percent of the songs I've written in my life, I've written them while high. That's the god's honest truth," he says. "I'll have a very skeletal musical idea in my head, and then I'll light one up, go in the shower and let the steam kind of build up...it helps me relax, and I can see the gaps. I can see the holes in the rhythm and the melody and I'll know where I can go, and what the possibilities are. It helps me be able to perceive every- thing a little bit more clearly. So I figured, 'What the hell, let's write a song about it!' And Danny had this riff that had a real funky bounce to it and that was so different. So it was, 'Okay, let's try this...'"

In addition to being one of the more lighthearted tunes in the Disturbed canon, Draiman also points out that the song "is fun. Yeah, that's me saying it: There's a song on this Disturbed record that's fun. And that's all right. Metal can be fun." He laughs. "And god knows there's certainly enough people out there that appreciate the enlightening aspects of smoking marijuana..."

If Draiman sounds like he's in a particularly good headspace these days, it's because, well, he is. He's happy to be back with his bandmates, especially Donegan, who, he says, "I'm very grateful to have as my songwriting partner. We're fortunate to have found each other." Furthermore, he's insistent about the fact that the band's hiatus wasn't a smokescreen to hide some deep-seated issues within their ranks. Rather, the members are and always have been great friends, and it really was just a matter of wanting some time off. "Getting back together was always part of the game plan," he says. "It was never in doubt. The only question was, How long?"
 

The following is an excerpt from Revolver's August/September issue–which is on newsstands now and available for purchase in our webstore. Here, Pop Evil frontman Leigh Kakaty talks the meaning of the new album, 'Up.'

by Dan Epstein

"'Onyx' came from such an angry place," Kakaty explains. "I was dealing with a lot of issues, like my dad passing, and being in an independent band trying to do everything on our own; there was a lot of negativity last time around. We were so pissed off, and we were taking everything out on the music and on the record. Which was cool—but then all the success hit us in the face, and we were like, 'Wow, we don't have to be so mad anymore!' This time around, we looked at ourselves in the mirror and realized, 'Where's the fun?' Damn, I thought that's why we got into this business in the first place!

"One of my favorite bands growing up was Rage Against the Machine," he continues. "When I was pissed off, and I wanted to break something, they were my band! I loved them, but when I was in a good mood, I wasn't listening to Rage Against the Machine! Different bands gave you different moods, but I love when a band or an album can take you through all these different emotions—bring you to your knees and make you feel vulnerable, but at the same time give you the positivity and confidence you need to take on life's challenges. I wanted this album to be that kind of experience for the people who listen to it."

According to Kakaty, the album's title is essentially a mission statement. "We want to write songs that connect with people all over the world," he says. "We're trying to get where the grass is greener. The name 'Up'—it just seemed like what we're trying to do, man. Calling the album that is a reminder to ourselves, like, 'Look, you gotta get up in the morning and get on that tour bus. I know you're sick of eating bologna sandwiches, but you're gonna eat 'em for another year, so get the fuck up! Go bring it to those fans. Who cares if you don't have pyro or stage props? Bring it to 'em, man! Let's go! Let's do it! Let's get up!"

The following article is from Revolver's August/September 2015 issue. It is available for purchase in our webstore.

by Jon Wiederhorn

Since joining Blessthefall for their second album, 2009's 'Witness,' vocalist Beau Bokan has endeavored to inject genuine emotional turbulence into the band's music. Now, six years down the line, his group is thriving, he's happily married to electro-pop singer Lights and the couple has an 18-month-old daughter. In other words, Bokan isn't feeling too emotionally distraught these days.

So, for Blessthefall's fifth album, 'To Those Left Behind,' the singer based his lyrics around themes pulled from his favorite revenge and horror films. To add some emotional heft, he also tapped into the personal feelings of loneliness and despair he experiences while on the road.

"When I'm away from my family, I actually go into this crazy depression," Bokan says. "It's so upsetting to think that that something I love so much, like music, takes me away from something I love even more. Dealing with that allowed me to reach the really dark place I needed to be in for these songs."

Guitarists Elliott Gruenberg and Eric Lambert started writing songs for 'To Those Left Behind' about a year ago. By May they had 18 new demos ready and headed to Rochester Hills, Michigan, to record with Joey Sturgis at 37 Studios.

They narrowed that batch down to 11 songs for the album, and Bokan describes the result as a "natural evolution" from 2013's 'Hollow Bodies,' but with more electronic samples, pianos and strings. "Joey's so good at making that stuff sound tasteful," Bokan says. "The guitar tones are so heavy and the music is so frantic that when the interludes come in, they give the listener a moment to breathe."

While the members of Blessthefall were finishing up the music for the album with Sturgis, Bokan was in Los Angeles working on vocals with producer Erik Ron.

"He made me do parts over and over until I felt like my head was going to explode," Bokan says. "But he got the best stuff out of me that I've ever done. I think if something on your record wasn't absolutely miserable to do, you haven't grown as an artist."

Look for 'To Those Left Behind' this September.

The Black Dahlia Murder will release their new album, 'Abysmal,' on September 18 via Metal Blade. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere their new song, "Receipt." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

To get 'Abysmal,' visit iTunes or Metal Blade's webstore. For more on The Black Dahlia Murder, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Since Revolver's June/July issue was supervillain-themed, when we caught up with Unlocking the Truth backstage at Rock on the Range, we asked them about villains, superpowers and so much more! Check out the video below!

The following article is from Revolver's August/September 2015 issue. It is available for purchase in our webstore.

by Dan Epstein

"There's a lot of riffing going on in there, that's for damn sure," says Dave Mustaine of Megadeth's fifteenth album, which is currently taking shape in a Nashville studio. "There's a lot of solos, a lot of pounding drums and bass. I knew from the start that I wanted to go back to my roots, and I wanted to make a thrash record."

Much has changed for the legendary thrash band since the release of 2013's 'Super Collider,' most notably in the lead guitar and drum departments. Longtime Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson remains in the fold, but guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover both quit the band in November of last year, amid rumors that Mustaine was going to reunite the classic 'Rust in Peace' lineup with Marty Friedman and Nick Menza. Replacing Broderick is Kiko Loureiro of Brazilian power metal band Angra, while Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler has recorded the drum tracks for the as-yet-untitled new album.

"When Chris and Shawn left, it saddened me a little because they didn't say goodbye," Mustaine explains. "They were pissed, because they'd gotten word that people wanted the 'Rust in Peace' reunion. And frankly, I didn't; I was happy with those two guys. So when they left, it was like, 'It isn't going to be easy to replace them!'

"We haven't found a permanent drummer yet, but finding Kiko was really a mind-blower. It was the first time since Marty Friedman joined the band that I was really intimidated as a player. He's such an amazing talent, and he's been coming in with all of these fresh ideas."

Adler, a diehard Megadeth fan, also wasn't shy about bringing his own musical vision to the table. "Megadeth is Megadeth," says Mustaine, "and the songs will kind of tell you where they go. But there were several times while we were tracking where Chris would say, 'I think these parts should go like this, because that's how my Megadeth is.' I was like, 'Yeah, I like that 'my Megadeth' stuff!'"

According to Mustaine, the band has recorded 15 tracks, including "Tyrannicide," "The New Emperor," "Poisonous Shadows," the two-part opus "Conquer... or Die," and covers of Budgie's "Melt the Ice Away" and Fear's "Foreign Policy." "I'm having a little bit of writer's block with the lyrics," he admits. "I've got lyrics to nine of the songs written, but the music's so good that I'll write something and go, 'Well, that doesn't live up to the music.'"

At press time, neither the album's title nor its release date have been set in stone. "The first title I had was 'One Fucked-Up World,'" says Mustaine, "but then I was like, 'Well, that's probably not gonna work at Wal-Mart!' Like every Megadeth record, we'll probably pick a title on the way to pressing it. "As for the release date—uh, soon?" he laughs. "I'm trying the best I can, but I don't want to rush it. This thing is turning out to be what I've wanted to do for a long time."

Chris Krovatin is the author of Heavy Metal & You, Venomous, and the Gravediggers series. He is a contributing writer for Revolver and a good-natured pain in everyone's ass. This column represents his opinions–and probably only his opinions.

Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival featuring Slayer, King Diamond, Hellyeah, The Devil Wears Prada, Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, and more

July 5 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, C.O.

• Climate: Chilly, windy, grey.
• Chance of rain: 90% in the late afternoon.
• Outdoor festival prayer: Oh, Lord Dionysus, bless this day so that no gear malfunctions or extreme weather jeopardizes this festival.
• Climb up to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Winding, seemingly endless, suspended over the tour buses.
• General crowd consensus: Slayer.
• Shameful admission: I swore that Slayer at Madison Square Garden would be my last Slayer show, but here I am.
• Security attitude: Surprisingly cool and upbeat. But I'm originally from New York, so maybe I'd just poorly conditioned.
• Location of the Victory Records Stage featuring Jungle Rot: Not available at this stop in the tour due to venue restrictions.
• No Rot: Denied.
• Nostalgia: The past Mayhem Fests I've been to in Jersey and P.A. that have had multiple stages, vendors, signing booths…
• Sad state of affairs: There is something that New Jersey does better than Colorado.
• Time when rain begins: Approximately 4:10.
• Time spent putting waterproof shields on stage lights: 15 minutes.
• Amphitheatre concert prayer: Please, Dionysus, make strong the metal of this lighting rig so that a stage light does not fall and murder King Diamond.
• First band onstage: Thy Art Is Murder from Australia.
• Sounds like: Core-oriented death metal with thrashy tendencies.
• Title bestowed on crowd by frontmant CJ McMahon: "You cunts."
• Smart move by CJ McMahon: Leaping offstage, running into the audience, and performing his first song via wireless mic from on top of the sound tent. Immediately, the whole crowd loves him.

• Level of worry felt that McMahon would slip, fall, and kill himself during his first song: Medium. But a deathcore singer better know what he's doing in terms of climbing all over shit. Part of the job requirement.
• Types of beer slung by vendors at Red Rocks: A surprising assortment of decent ones! Worst is Dale's.
• Reason this reporter can't partake: If you've ever driven the back roads that lead to Red Rocks, you know not to drive them with any level of alcohol in your system.
• Increase in rain: Sporadic, but nasty. Ponchos are coming out.
• Next up: Whitechapel from Knoxville, T.N.
• Sounds like: Core-oriented death metal with gruesome tendencies.
• Percentage of Whitechapel's tour budget allotted for black button-down work shirts: 32%
• Cool tour idea: Whitechapel playing the spots in Whitechapel where the canonical five victims of Jack the Ripper were slain.
• Worst dancing of the night: The deathcore kid next to me in the seashell necklace who did a lot of that shuffle-jumping and crab-squatting.
• Ho boy: And now he's taking off his shirt.
• Least favorite audience member: The dude in front of me who begins the day nice to everyone, then gets drunk and then repeatedly starts shoulder his friends like he wants to fight.
• Percentage of concerts where the reporter has seen a guy like this: 77%
• Number of people this dude threatens to fight: Two
• Chances this dude will be dragged out of Red Rocks screaming obscenities: 85%
• Nerd moment of the day: Realizing that all these people are wearing The Devil Wears Prada gear and not clothing featuring the Black Lantern ring.
• Other option: Maybe The Devil Wears Prada are the nerds, and I'm just savvy.
• Now, we have: The Devil Wears Prada from Dayton, O.H.
• Sounds like: Death-oriented core metal with fashionable tendencies.
• Enthusiasm shown by audience: Considerable. Obviously these guys are mainstays with younger metalheads.
• Concert truth: It is hard to fully dislike a band when you're catching them live and everyone's having a great time.
• Chances Meryl Streep listens to The Devil Wears Prada: 286/1.
• Fun fact: I've actually been to Dayton, Ohio, and spent a night chatting with Juggalos outside a downtown club while bummed fed me countless Camel Crush cigarettes.
• Number of cities this reporter has experienced like this: nine
• Weather check: Rain has abated and the sun is coming out. There's a small section of rainbow floating in the distance.
• Hopeful prayer: Dionysus, god of revels, keep this weather going for the rest of the night.
• Crowd drunkenness: 1.5 sheets to the wind. No one's passed out or puking, but there's a ton of stumbling and some terrible jokes.
• Amount of weed smoked: Surprising. They threw people out left and right at Clutch/Mastodon; today, they don't seem to care.
• Home stretch: Hellyeah from T.X.
• Sounds like: Pantera and Mudvayne jamming together, pretty much.
• Notably cool stage decorations: Hellyeah's twin banners reading 'SANGRE' on either side of the band.
• Crowd response: Loud! I had no idea Hellyeah had so many diehard fans.
• Conspiratorial fact: They say that is you place certain photos of crop circles against those of the pyramids, they're spaced in the exact same way and pattern as the lines in Vinnie Paul's mustache.
• Tiresome stage banter: Frontman Chad Gray's second tirade about the power and importance of heavy metal. The first one was heartwarming, but now, you know, we get it.
• Amount of King Diamond's stage set-up used for his set: The whole thing! The inverted crosses, the light-up pentagram, the staircases, the haunted house backdrop! I'm impressed.
• Time spent chasing blown-away haunted house backdrop: 15 minutes.
• King Diamond's prayer: Lord Satan, let not King Diamond's stage set-up malfunction in such a away as to harm the dude, his crew, or his band.
• Now we have: King Diamond, from all over Europe.
• Sounds like: Halloween metal.
• Reporter trivia: I have never seen King Diamond outside of Colorado.
• Percentage of crowd that was alive when any of these songs came out: 41%.
• Crowd response: Universally positive. Everyone loves some Satanic falsetto.
• King Diamond' cane budget: $25,000.
• Best classics of the night: "Tea" and "Evil."
• Sadly-missed new classic: "Shapes of Black."
• Interesting choreography of the night: King Diamond spends a lot of the show lurching down the stairs and hanging from the wrought iron. It's less like he's a Satanic master as much as he's a phantom haunting his stage set.
• Stoney thought of the night: What if King Diamond never survived his battle with heart problems, and he is in fact a ghost trapped to his stage set-up, who can be summoned when a metal band plays "The Candle"?
• Pros and cons: On the one hand, King Diamond would be dead. On the other, he might want it this way.
• Number of chants of 'SLAYER' begun during band interim: 12.
• Percentage of audience on its feet: 96%.
• Number of Slayer tattoos seen brandished before the set: Three
• And for our main course: Slayer from the Bay Area.
• Sounds like: Satan laughing as you eternally rot.
• Amount this reporter liked new single "Repentless" when he heard it on YouTube: Eh, pretty good.
• How it sounds live: Fucking phenomenal.
• Coolness of new projections: Amazing. It's nonstop Slayer imagery—skulls, knives, the Devil, and that fucking logo.
• Chances Kerry King has a professional head polisher: 3/1.
• Awesome opening move: They play a song chronologically from the four most recent albums—the title track from Repentless, "Hate Worldwide" from 'World Painted Blood, '"Jihad" from 'Christ Illusion,' and "Disciple" from 'God Hates Us All.'
• Classy move: Repping their latest material. Slayer have played so many 'Our classic album in its entirety' tours. Good for them, loving their new stuff.
• Stoney, but genius idea: Someone should put together a latter-day Slayer tribute album. Bands can only perform songs from 'Divine Intervention' and later.
• Belief in Slayer: Restored, hard.
• Polite follow-through: Praise be to you, Dionysus.

All photos by Azara Golston.