Artist Interview | Page 43 | Revolver

Artist Interview

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Black Veil Brides are currently in the midst of "The Black Mass 2014" tour with Falling in Reverse, Set It Off, and Drama Club (see dates on Facebook). Today, BVB have teamed with Revolver to premiere their latest music video, for the song "Goodbye Agony" off their recently released self-titled album. Check out the clip below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

Black Veil Brides' highly anticipated fourth full-length—which was produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, Mötley Crüe) and is the band's heaviest and most metallic effort yet—is available now via iTunes and the band's webstore.

MORE BLACK VEIL BRIDES: Check out pics of Andy Biersack and other rockers in Halloween costume, including members of Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Mastodon, Attila, Lacuna Coil, Trivium, and more:

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We caught up with Slipknot's Corey Taylor backstage at Knotfest and talked to him about the making of the new album, '.5: The Gray Chapter,' and how it feels to have finally released the band's first record since Paul Gray's death. Watch the interview below and let us know what you think in the comments.

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photograph by Corey Taylor with 'Fear Clinic' director Robert Hall and star Robert Englund

By Fred Topel

Slipknot have appeared in a movie before, the 2002 remake Rollerball, in which the band performed. But the group's singer Corey Taylor makes his acting debut in the horror film 'Fear Clinic.' Taylor appears out of the mask, playing an orderly named Bauer.

'Fear Clinic' premiered as the closing-night film of the Screamfest Horror Film Festival, and Taylor was in Hollywood to see it for the first time on Wednesday, October 22. The film stars Robert Englund as Dr. Andover, who uses a machine he invented to simulate his patients' fears with the ultimate hope of curing them. Fiona Dourif, Thomas Dekker and Angelina Armani play some of Dr. Andover's patients.

We spoke with Taylor in the front of the empty movie theater, awaiting the premiere later that night. The same week, Slipknot's latest album .5: The Gray Chapter dropped, and Taylor spoke honestly about putting together a new collection of songs after the passing of bassist and band co-founder Paul Gray.

REVOLVER Does appearing as an actor in a film compromise the mask of Slipknot performances?
COREY TAYLOR [Laughs] No, technically, since it's a horror movie. That's my exemption clause. As long as somebody's wearing something prosthetic-like, I think I can get away with it.

Had you wanted to act for a while?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. I got little tastes of it here and there when I was making the videos and what not, but it's just something I've always wanted to do. Luckily this came around and it gave me the chance to see if I was any good at it, and I still don't know because I haven't seen the movie yet. So I'm pretty stoked.

Is the character of Bauer much of a stretch for you?
Bauer is a little bit because I had to tap into my inner creep basically. The thing that triggered it for me is in the script he's described as being "rapey." So I grew a gnarly mustache and gave myself a very weird haircut, just kind of played it like that and based it off of some characters I'd grown up around and just made him weird. I don't know if it's in the film, but I was doing a scene with Fiona—so imagine me with a mustache and I'm doing my very best to creep her the fuck out. I do this thing with my tongue and just if I were a super douchebag, that's what I would do just to creep people out. It was kind of easy to tap into that. Just basically what would I not do? Then I did that.

When musicians cross over into acting, they tend to be much more scrutinized than other actors. Is that a daunting prospect for you?
No, not really. The only thing that I can compare it to is when you release a new album, because the only thing that people really have to go off of is what you've released before. So when you try to put out new stuff and revamp the catalog as it were, you're going to run into obstacles where people are like, "It doesn't sound like this. It's supposed to sound like this." [My response is] You didn't write it. It doesn't matter. For me, acting in a movie is kind of like that where people might expect me to be a certain way or whatever. It's just like, well, you didn't play the part so shut up. If I'm not happy with my performance, that's one thing. If other people aren't happy with it, it doesn't mean that I didn't do a good job. That's the only way I can look at it.

Bauer isn't really the one who's facing his fears, but did you connect with the premise of the movie: this doctor who's trying to help people find a way to conquer fear?
It's something I write about, especially in my lyrics. Growing up the way I did, you kind of had to learn to just deal with the things that terrify you. For me, that's basically what I've built my whole life on. Everybody has that fear of something. For me, where most people might've been daunted by charging into different situations or being presented with situations that might make you uncomfortable, I just kind of run in and I just kind of do it. It's something I definitely could relate to even though it wasn't something that was built into the character. I think Bauer is way more afraid than he lets on. I think there's a scene that shows that in the movie, but it was good to play against that and be that insecure guy who's all gruff up front. Then when the proverbial shit hits the fan, he's shown for his true colors. I liked the fact that I could take myself out of that and make the character be that way.

Doesn't one of the characters say that we're not supposed to get rid of fear, that fear has helped us evolve over centuries?
Yeah, and it's something I agree with because anyone who's ever been in combat or been in situations where they're forced to be brave will be the first to tell you that they were as scared as everybody else. It's what you do with that fear. Can you use that to be strong? Can you use it to stand up and protect? Can you use it to be a better person? Can you use it to break new ground? Fear is something that is so ancient in us. It comes from before we could communicate. It was being in situations where we were the hunted. Now where we kind of think we're at the top of the food chain, we still have that kind of inherent fear, and it puts us on our guard and it helps us get through different situations and it helps us avoid different situations. So I think it's very important to have that kind of inner alarm system that lets us know, when you feel fear, maybe you're in a situation that you shouldn't be in. It's how you handle that situation afterwards. Do you succumb to the fear or do you try to rise above it?

It's the same with sadness. The goal isn't to never be sad. It's that when you experience something painful, you have the tools to deal with it.
Exactly. It's the old saying: You can't have one without the other. A lot of my writing is about duality. You can't have light without the dark. You can't have happiness without the sadness. You can't have strength without fear. It's those balances that help us stay human. I think if we try to cut one out, the other one will inevitably overcompensate and it might drive us mad.

Are you also moving behind the scenes in film-making, writing, and directing?
I don't know if I want to direct to be honest because I'm not as tech savvy as most people are. Clown is a really good director and I know he's working on some different projects. Me, I'm much more interested in the writing, telling the story on the page and then seeing how someone conveys that. I'm actually co-producing a feature. We just finished the first bits of preproduction on that and hopefully we'll break ground on that next year. I'm also working on my first script, which may suck, but who cares? I've kinda got that bug. I've been a movie freak since I was young. Movies and music have been the two things that have moved me through life. Just entertainment in general, but now that I've gotten a taste for it I want to do more of it, on some level.

What kind of films would those other two be?
Both horror but they're both very different horror movies. The one that I'm producing is much more of a psychological demonic thriller I guess is the only way I can really describe it. If it comes out anywhere close to where I see it, it's going to be fantastic. Then the other one that I'm writing is actually a horror comedy. It's almost like Halloween meets Clue, the movie. It's got this crazy slasher thing going on but then the people involved, there's just a lot of quick dialogue and smart, witty, idiotic weird shit going on. I'm almost done with that. I've got about 80 pages done. I've got some really cool ideas for that if I can get that off the ground. If I get to help with the casting, I want to cast theatrical people who understand dialogue and the way dialogue relates to people, especially in a scene where it's quick and you're feeding the scene as much as you're playing the scene.

The Slipknot album is the band's first new music since Paul's passing. Is it automatically different because it's missing Paul?
Anything without him is going to be different, but at the same time, the great thing about this band is that it is loaded with talent. Even though we missed Paul in the studio because he had such a natural way of looking at music differently than we did, we had all learned so much from him that we were able to try our hand at looking at the Paul method basically, which was basically looking at a riff and going, "Well, how do we make that different? Let's try it here. Ooh, what about this?" Just listening to melodies a certain way that really was one of the things that set us apart. So I think because we had learned so much from him, we were able to use his method and that in turn made us feel like his spirit was with us when we were making the album.

Do you think making this album has made the band closer?
I think it was an important album for us to grieve, definitely. There's a lot of grieving on this album. It was important in a way that once we got into the studio, we finally started talking about it, about how his death had affected us. That led to us just talking as friends, which we hadn't done in a long time, you know. Because we're so different that it's hard for us to find something in common sometimes. Then after losing Paul, we were able to realize that all this time we'd been taking each other for granted, we'd forgotten why we enjoyed making music together in the first place. You can be different but that's kind of part of the specialness of this band. I think now that we've done it, the future is open. We'll see what happens.

Was there one song on the new album that was the most emotional or difficult to write?
There was a handful of moments that were really deep, kind of on all parts of the spectrum. "Skeptic" was just about screaming in a celebration for Paul, because that whole song is about him and his spirit. Then "Goodbye" was very, very melancholy. That song is about the day he died and all of us sitting in my house together. It was the first time that we had all been in my house and yet we weren't. It was just an insane sadness that I tried to capture that. The last track, "If Rain Is What You Want," that was just about pushing back against the "glass-case culture" is what I call it, because it seems like everybody is kind of looking in on you and judging, deciding what you should be feeling and if you don't feel that way, then you're judged again. So that was our way of breaking that glass and being like, "Look, just when you thought you knew what we were going through, you don't. We're going to feel this whatever way we want to feel it, not the way you think we should feel it."

One thing that never seems to go away is, whenever something violent happens, someone blames music and movies. Will we ever be able to tackle the root of disorders that cause violence when people keep getting distracted by music and movies?
No, because I don't think we'll ever reach a point when we can accept the fact that maybe we had something to do with it. Or, I don't think we'll ever reach a point where a parent can accept the fact that there's something wrong with their child. Those are really the two things that play into it. You can blame movies and music as much as you want. People have been committing weirdness for a very long time, long before my music was here, long before movies really were the "root of all evil." It's a culpability issue is really what it comes down to. Until parents can realize that maybe there's something wrong with their child that would drive them to do something like that, I don't think we'll see that day.

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Revolver's own Stephanie Cabral was on hand to catch all the action for Suicide Silence and The Black Dahlia Murder's co-headlining stop on October 23 at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California. Check out the photos she captured for us below–you can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

 

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The Los Angeles based hard rock unit 9Electric recently released their new EP, 'Control.' Today, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere their new music video for "Goodbye." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

Vocalist Ron Underwood said, "Here's the concept: A detective follows a series of killings in the Red Light District. Call girls are dropping like flies and he soon realizes that there might be two killers. Is It coincidence? Are they working together? Throw in a twist at the end and we're having some fun.

"The song is actually written from the point of view of someone who is about to, or has just killed their ex. It's a final goodbye in that sense—but we wanted to get away from the obvious, literal depiction. I felt that conveying broader ideas would create a more visceral impact, so I stuck with loose symbols of seduction and betrayal. Naturally, dead hookers came to mind.

"I really dig noir and grindhouse films for their dark, gritty aesthetic and subject matter—harsh lighting and harsh language. Both are very expressionist at the root, and I've always been drawn to that side of art. In music, hard rock is the parallel. I'm really happy I got to mix and match inspirations across each medium and create this little world.

"To stay true to the aesthetic, I shot primarily with a 1954 CinemaScope lens that I actually bought from a grindhouse theater that was closing. It's horrible to focus and weighs more than most modern cameras, but it has all the distortions, quirks and bitchin' lens flares I was going for. I love that shit."

To get 'Control,' visit iTunes. For more on 9Electric, follow them on Facebook.

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Cleveland, Ohio's occult death rock conjurors Ancient VVisdom released their new album, Sacrificial, today, and below, they've broken down the record, track by track. Check out what they have to say, and for more info, follow them on Facebook.

This is the breakdown, track by track, of our new album, 'Sacrificial.' We recorded in Austin, Texas, at the Diamond factory—our friend Travis Bonner who runs a sick studio there. We had the privilege of having Paul Logus master our album. He's done some amazing work: Clutch, Steel Panther, Anthrax, Notorious BIG. If you're not familiar, look him up.

These songs are inspired by LaVey's philosophy, the current state of the world we live in, the temple of set, and a number of my own personal philosophies, fantasies, realities, and life experiences. I have been writing this album over a number of years and it has become more than just a hobby for me. It is what I put my time and energy into thus it has become a meaning to an otherwise seemingly meaningless existence.

Embrace the chaos... Enjoy...

Side A
"Rise of an Ancient Evil"
A somber acoustic interlude explodes into series of heavy crashes and harmonizing guitar riffs. This is the invocation of set, the Egyptian god of disorder. A chant that calls upon the spirit of the old ones ushers us into the realms of the underworld.

"Chaos Will Reign"
Another light acoustic intro into our heaviest material to date. Our tribute to the great Bathory, 'Nordland II' actually. I love that record. It's heavy and melodic, rock and roll and metal. My brother Michael came up with guitar parts about a year or so ago, and the song has been developing ever since. The content is an apocalyptic philosophy. All life is in a state of decline. All things on this earth fall to disorder. This is the understanding and acceptance of entropy. Embracing that which will destroy us all. In the end chaos will reign.

"Blood Offering"
A catchy groove with an equally catchy riff. Sing a long backing vocals and a big AFI type of breakdown. The ultimate sacrifice of self. A sacred statement to the world that transcends from ancient times to now. There is power in the blood that has written the pages of human history and it will shape our future to come.

"The Devil's Work"
This song kicks in with our drummer Mitch Morris on the floor tom and snare, guitar, and bass riding one note, almost hypnotic sounding pace and tone. An almost Alkaline Trio sounding melody with my most sinister of lyrical content I've ever written. The devil has always represented the darkness in humanity. In the devils work I become the physical embodiment of evil. There is one purpose in this life for me, to do the devils work.

"Blind Leading the Blind"
I think we were listening to a lot of KISS when Michael and I wrote this song. It has an almost Ozzy Osbourne-type of vibe. Vocal harmonies matched with a nice guitar lead with fantastic tone. The lyrics are about a world gone mad with misinformation, we are led like sheep to the slaughter. I show my general disdain for the misinformation age we live in and give my advice on how to cope with it.

Side B
"Worm Ridden Skull"
Kicks in heavy with punchy cymbal grabs, then drops into a half time chug. I sing about how the mindless masses with their lack of imagination are ruining everything and how little I tolerate it. I see right through the face, right through to the brain. If I don't like what I see, there is no connection. Crunchy guitar riffs, backing vocals with a couple of Celtic Frost "Ughhh's" to step up the evil vibes.

"Sacrifice"
Smooth soothing bass and drums lead the way with a Danzig-like intensity. The guitars drop in with vocals and the ceremony has begun. I call upon the the bearer of light to come forth from the abyss and the power of the left hand path. There, in the mind of every human being, is the enlightening of all the ages, the ultimate sacrifice.

"City of Stone"
I'm a huge fan of classic metal—Dio, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate—so for this song I wanted to pay tribute to that sound Ancient VVisdom style. It has that pace that is easy to bang your head to and a ripping guitar lead during the bridge. The lyrics were inspired by a trip I took with [Integrity's] Dwid Hellion to Toward Castle in Scotland, I believe. We were looking for the castle because it linked back to his family lineage. When we discovered the castle ruins it was breath taking. I felt the presence of the ancient grounds we were walking on. It inspired me to write this song. Places like that have power and hold energy, I believe. Do not fear mortality.

"We Are Damnation"
Guitar leads this one in with a warm crunchy tone, then the song takes off into the realm of the damned. The world is heading towards disaster and mass destruction is our fate. We see the signs yet we can do nothing to solve the problems. So destroy everything and let chaos take take it's course.

"High into the Black Flames"
This is our outro track that calls out unto the spirit of the black flame of enlightenment. A heavy instrumental that takes us higher into the realms of the unknown. An empowering ending, enjoy this sacrifice.

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"Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge" is the first taste from Marilyn Manson's forthcoming album set to arrive in early 2015. You can listen to it below and download the track at MarilynManson.com.

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The 2014 Knotfest festival, which is taking place this weekend in San Bernardino, California, can be streamed below Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26, 1:30pm-12:30am each day.

You can view the complete performance schedule right here so you don't miss your favorite bands' sets!

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Suicide Silence have launched an innovative new app for the Apple OS and Android that is a direct, two-way channel of communication between the band and their fans. Check out some images of the app below.

Powered by DiscipleMedia, the App enables users to receive all breaking Suicide Silence news first, listen to the band's entire discography including exclusive music, watch live video streams, see exclusive photos, have access to upcoming pre-sale tour tickets and special band merchandise, and enter app-only contests. Users can also friend, message, chat, comment, and "like" with other Suicide Silence fans, one-to-one or with group messaging.

The app takes band accessibility to a new level and gives users an experience as close to "all access" as possible. In doing so, it takes the idea of the "fan club" into the digital interactive age. Really, the app is mandatory for Suicide Silence diehards. You can get it here for iOS and here for Android.

As an added incentive for those who download the app within the first 24 hours, Suicide Silence & Disciple Media will randomly select three lucky winners who'll receive a special Suicide Silence merch pack that includes a limited edition vinyl version of the latest album, You Can't Stop Me, two posters, a laminate, and guitar picks.

Guitarist Mark Heylmun comments, "This new Suicide Silence app is a game changer—and I hate that term. This isn't the same old band app with the same old crap. This gets you guys—our fans!—closer to us and us closer to you. My favorite thing about it is live streaming where we can show you what we're doing wherever we are, either playing a show or just hanging out. This app is everything Suicide Silence. Check it out!"

Vocalist Eddie Hermida adds, "I hope you are all ready to tune into our day to day lives, everyone. We will be waiting for you!"

The free, one-month trial launches today and, in December, fans can subscribe for $2.99 / £1.99 / €2.69 per month to retain the exclusive features or opt out to use its basic functions for no charge.

Benjamin Vaughan of Disciple Media, who are powering the app, says,"We're really excited to work with Suicide Silence on their new app. It's going to be great! They're such a forward-thinking band who want to share exclusive content and get closer to their fans via mobile. We can't wait for the app to be out there for Suicide Silence fans to experience."

See the prize merch pack and screenshots of the app below:

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Slipknot just released their highly anticipated comeback album, '.5: The Gray Chapter,' to rave reviews, and they celebrate this weekend with Knotfest, featuring over 25 bands including Hatebreed, Carcass, Killswitch Engage, Anthrax, Volbeat, Five Finger Death Punch, and of course Slipknot themselves. Amid it all, we caught up with frontman Corey Taylor to discuss the new album, Slipknot's new members, and the state of rock and metal.

REVOLVER It's amazing that in an era that barely recognizes metal, you've stayed at the top of the public's consciousness with what's essential an extreme-metal record. Do you feel like you're subverting from within?
COREY TAYLOR Yeah, basically. We're using the tools to beat the system. I think it's something the world sorely needs right now. And for better or for worse we are at a point where we have a lot of attention. The fact that we are re-introducing a lot of fans to brutal heavy metal in lieu of a lot of indie hipster stuff, blatantly pop music, and hip-hop is really significant. I love the fact that we're piercing that veil and shoving reality down people's throats.

Was there a learning curve to get your new bassist and drummer up to speed?
Obviously, there's a learning curve because there's a way that we do things that you have immerse yourself in to understand. You can't teach it, you kinda have to live it. But those guys were fans, so they'd been following us and watching us for a long time. So when the time came to figure things out, they stepped up to it while keeping their own identities. It has been really cool watching them come together and seeing how the aesthetic is really affecting them. Jamming with them has been a lot of fun.

You haven't officially announced who they are, but tattoo comparison has made it pretty clear that the new bassist is Alessandro "Vman" Venturella, who is in the band Krokodil and was a guitar tech for Mastodon and Coheed & Cambria. Were you pissed that this came to light?
It wasn't something we'd even thought of and it didn't even occur to us until it hit. I was like, "Aw, man. C'mon." But the funny thing is, I was doing a radio interview and I was laughing about it. And then the story got picked up by all these media outlets that implied I was incensed, angry, and outraged. No, not really. If you listen to the interview, I'm laughing my ass off. It just goes to show you, in this TMZ world, people are gonna pick up something just so they can make a story out of it. It would be nothing for me to make an argument out of it, but at that point it was like, "Man, who gives a shit?"

Why try to keep their identities a secret?
To me, it's more about the collective. It's more about the group than it is those individuals. And people don't know for sure all the details, which is part of the fun of it, too—keeping people on the edge of their seats.

How do you feel about younger and more accessible metal bands like Asking Alexandria and Black Veil Brides? Is what they're doing healthy for the metal industry or is it a disservice to the music?
No, I think it's definitely healthy. It's just another way of our genre evolving. I've never believed in that mindset of, "Well, it's not heavy enough to be heavy metal." I'm like, "What are you talking about? If the music gets you to feel something and it's that style, then what's the matter with it?" So I applaud these younger bands that are trying to find their own voice and make their own way.

On the flip side, death-metal cookie-monster vocals were once totally over-the-top and now most new metal bands seem to growl instead of sing. So screaming is no longer extreme.
There are still some great bands that can scream and sound brutal, so it depends on who's doing it. As long as there's quality, you can have all the quantity in the world. But if you're not saying anything then it doesn't matter. If a band has content and they're saying something real and poignant then those bands are going to transcend that. It doesn't matter what you're doing, it's all down to how you do it. I think the bands that do it really well are the bands that have great writing, are passionate, and can keep doing it at that level. I don't think it's passé so much. Obviously, it's almost cliché at this point, but if there's a message there and something that feels real and you can get behind, you can use any style you want to get your point across.

Gene Simmons recently declared that rock was dead. Are you the ones keeping rock alive?
"Skeptic" beat Taylor Swift on the songs charts on iTunes. That's a pretty big fuck you to the pop world. So if rock's dead than this corpse is walking around smacking people.

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