Interview:Masakari

It seems that this year is going to be ending in full interview power and I couldn't be more happy about that fact, since this really reminded me how much I enjoy talking to bands and "meeting" new people. In any case, thanks to Luka for connecting me with the amazing "Masakari" and thanks to Joe for answering the questions. Hope to see you guys on the road some day! Definitely check out this interview, it's an excellent read.

1. Hello friends! First, I would like to say thanks for taking your time for this interview. Please, introduce yourselves.

Hey my name is Joe and I play guitar. The rest of the band is Tony (Vocals), Greg (Guitar), Adam (Bass) and Jon (Drums)

2. "Masakari" is a Japanese battle axe as far as I know. Tell me why did you pick that name and is there a specific story behind it?

Honestly, as most bands will probably tell you, we spent a long time trying to come up with a name and we just kind of like how it sounded. Plus it had a cool meaning, and it was an added bonus that is was Japanese because we tend to be Japanese fanatics.

3. Aside of the name, your music is influenced by several Japanese bands. What managed to draw you close to that music in particular?

Cleveland has always had a closeness with the Japanese scene. Every popular band I can think of from Cleveland from "H100s", "9 Shocks Terror" and even "Integrity" had heavy influences from Japanese Hardcore. We just all fell in love with bands like "Death Side", "Gauze", "GISM", "Judgement" and "Bastard" (amongst many others) and haven't stop jamming those records since we first heard them.

4. Next to Japanese hardcore punk, can you tell me which bands and styles inspired you to create music?

Probably most apparent is our influences by American crust/hardcore bands, most importantly "His Hero Is Gone". It is no secret that we craft our sound off of what they were doing. Their records are flawless and we try to take the intensity in their records and filter it through our own creative writing abilities. We aren't that unique and we don't care to be. We try to write music that we would want to listen to. Other influences come from all over the place, but I would have to say that pretty much everything coming out of Germany has a huge personal influence on me. Next to "His Hero Is Gone", I think "Perth Express" has the strongest impact on me. What they did in such a short time is something that will never not impress me.

5. When did the band form and how did the idea to create a project such as "Masakari" arise?

"Masakari" formed in 2006, we originally started writing epic sounding crust. After about 2 years of doing this, and realizing we weren't very good at it, we decided to strip things down, play faster, heavier and write much shorter songs. We scratched all of our material and started fresh with all new songs. 5 of the first 8 songs we wrote formed the first 7".

6. Your most recent release is a split LP with the German band "Alpinist". How did that collaboration occur?

It actually happened rather quickly. The last day of our first European tour, we were hanging out with Timo (Alerta Antifascista) and talking about records/listening to records when he mentioned that we should do a split with "Alpinist". Of course we jumped on the idea because at the time "Alpinist" was on constant repeat for the majority of the band. Originally we didn't think anything would come of it, but about 3 months later we began the planning process...

7. Can you tell me something more about the split itself? And some interesting bits and pieces about your previous releases?

The split represents, to me, the most important material we have written so far. It is the first proper release with Adam on bass, as well as being the record I am most proud of lyrically and musically. I think it really represents a growth we went through as a band. The first 7" is actually a funny story too, because we actually recorded it 2-3 times prior to the recording that can be heard on the record. We just originally couldn't find the sound we wanted. We were extremely meticulous with the recording process and we can't be happier that we decided to do it the way we did.

8. "Masakari" releases always featured some very interesting artwork, so who creates it?

Everything we have released has been created by someone new, and we like it that way. The original 7" was created by "KENNTWOFOUR", the repress of the 7" is a piece of art from Gustave Dore with a drawing
from "Halseycaust" in the insert, the LP is by one of my favorite artists Sugi, the "Sleep//Rot" 7" was designed by myself and the split artwork was drawn by Alex CF. We like that every release looks a bit different but still maintains the dark aspect that our music also has.

9. You have also toured with "Alpinist" recently. What were your impressions about the said tour and are there some plans about doing a European tour with them? Do you enjoy being on the road?

The tour with "Alpinist" could not have been more fun. They are one of the most real and down to earth group of people and we completely connected with them. I wish I could tour with them every time we hit the road. We actually are currently in the process our planning a European tour with them that will begin in July 2012 and end in Augsust! I think being on the road has its disadvantages, but overall I couldn't be happier than when touring. Touring is one of the most exhilarating experiences and I anticipate starting immediately when tour ends.

10. Which was your most memorable "Masakari" show?

That is a hard question, there have been so many, but I think I have to say that playing Maryland Death Fest will probably always come to mind. There is nothing like being on the same bill as so many bands
that are completely amazing, and so many bands that we grew up listening to. It is one of the most well run festivals I have ever seen and I only hope to be able to play again!

11. I noticed that you are dog lovers, loving pit bulls in particular. What is the situation in your hometown when it comes to organized dog fights and is there a discrimination of pit bulls? I am asking since here there is such a situation, the government even wanted to ban the holding of this race of dogs at one instance. I would like to hear your general thoughts about this matter, about dogs, fights and all those bastards that revel in something like that and earn money from it.

Dog fighting doesn't seem to be huge in Cleveland, but I know it happens, what is more common are assholes who think that the dogs are only good as pieces of jewelry. They walk their dogs with gigantic chains and clip their ears, all so their dogs look menacing. We as a band are absolutely disgusted by this. 3 of us own pit bulls and we understand their true nature, which couldn't be farther from the menacing nature in which people like that and the media would like others to believe. As far as bans, the city of Cleveland, where we live, actually recently just revoked any discrimination laws against them. Now we can freely own Pits without dealing with the bullshit laws that just recently existed. However, many cities in America have these laws still and a lot of cities do outright ban them, including a suburb outside of Cleveland, actually about 2 miles from where I live.

12. Back to music subjects, tell me something about your local scene in Cleveland. Are there many active bands and venues, any fanzines? Anything in particular that you love or hate about the scene?

I always have a love/hate relationship with Cleveland. Cleveland's scene is hit or miss, it will have its moments of greatness and then moments of absolute horrific-ness. All in all it is my home and will always be important for me. We have tons of great bands (check out "Grin and Bear It", one of the best fast hardcore bands out there period) and two solid punk venues ("Now That's Class" and "The Tower 2012"), which is a lot more than most cities have so I can't complain.

13. Since you have been touring a fair bit, what are your impressions about diy music on a more global scale? Do you enjoy what the diy bands of today are doing?

I'd have to say that no one knows how to handle DIY punk ethics better than European punks. The treatment of bands, the political ideology, etc.. is just on another level. I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to know that no matter what, every show on tour we will be fed and have a place to stay is just about the greatest thing. In America DIY punk is awesome but still has a little ways to go. Touring Europe really had a positive effect on us, because since we have been modeling the shows we book after them.

14. Tell me something more about your own experiences with diy ethics. Do you find some elements tough on the band and, in contrast, do you consider that the diy approach creates a more intimate relationship between the musician and the music?

DIY purists may not consider us DIY since we released the CD on "Southern Lord" but everything we have ever done has been within the DIY community. We can't exist as a band without that community. We are happier playing small punk houses/venues than big clubs, and while we still have fun playing some big shows here and there our home will always be inside the DIY community.

15. Any thoughts about diy music and the internet? Do you consider the internet being a valuable tool for underground bands? And do you follow some specific blogs or webzines?

The internet is double-edged. It makes it so easy to share our music with the world, and it has helped us reach the people we have reached, and for that we are grateful, but it also makes the music community over-saturated and I think that it causes some people to feel that they can pick and choose what bands to listen to based on superficial reasons, rather than base bands on their music. The internet though has really allowed an exchange of free music globally that we can't be more behind, we have said this time and time again but will continue to say it, we love having people download our music and think that digital music should always be free. For internet sites check out "CVLT Nation", "Crustcake", "Brooklyn Vegan" and "Toxicbreed Funhouse".

16. Time for you to ask something!
What are some Serbian bands that I should be aware of?…and what is the political state of Serbia like, does this infiltrate the punk scene?

I have been asked this first question numerous times before and I always end up listing the same bands, so I guess that makes them really good! My favorite band is definitely "Dazd", which everyone needs to check out, apocalyptic crust/punk at its best. "Reflections of Internal Rain" are also worth the note, playing an extremely fast and melodic crust/hardcore combination. You should also check out "Went", if you are into mellow postrock/acoustic/low-fi music. And definitely the newly risen band from Novi Sad, "Furtive Forest", an emotional hardcore act which just released their first recordings and I managed to miss their gig a few days ago so they probably hate me now. Those bands are active, but there are lots of projects worth the note from the past, like "Ground Zero" and "Unison".
As for the political state of things...I don't really like talking about stuff like that here, you can check my tumblr page for a look at my (a)political opinion of things. But generally, what I consider most disturbing about the state of such things in Serbia is the amount of media manipulation and similar bullshit, which is too subtly influenced by politics. If it weren't for the internet, we would probably be like living in caves. But the sad thing is that the majority has fallen to such manipulations and it actually results in people being overtly stupefied and younger generations turning horrible. There are political aspects that seep through into music and stuff like that does manage to inspire some bands here, but they usually end up being not my cup of tea, so to speak. 

17. Aside of "Masakari", are the memebers of the band associated with some other music projects, both past and present?

Yes currently we all have side projects I am also in "Wind of Death", "Little Sister" and "Trespasser", Tony: "Gasmask" and two unnamed projects, Greg is in a new also unnamed project, Jon: "Wind of Death" and both unnamed projects with Tony and Adam is also in "Heartless".

18. Since you are all young in the band, are there some schools or jobs next to music related work? Some hobbies even?

Currently Tony, Jon and myself are pursuing degrees, while Adam works a series of jobs and Greg works full time. Other than working music takes up a lot of time, but I think we all have hobbies that we like to do, for me I love seeing films.

19. The year is almost over. Do you have some music releases which marked this year for you? Or are there any overall favorite records you would like to recommend?

This is coming from me, but my favorite releases this year are Heartless' "Hell is Other People", Ghost's "Opus Eponymous", Alpinist's side of our split, Midnight's "Satanic Royalty", Hungry Lungs' 7" and
Dead in the Dirt's "Fear" 7".

20. In the end, I would like to thank you again for doing this interview! Any final messages for the blog readers?
Can't wait to get to Serbia, and stay in contact!

Interview:Panopticon

This is probably the interview I was most excited about doing (I guess Luka also shares my thoughts about that) and it finally arrived. Austin took his time with the answers due to his various commitments, but the wait definitely paid off. Excellent interview, definitely check it out, big thanks to Austin once again!

1. Hello Austin, how are you? First I would like to thank you for taking your time and doing this interview. Please, introduce yourself.

Thanks for the interview! My Name is Austin Lunn. I play everything in "Panopticon".

2. When and how did the idea to create "Panopticon" arise? And why that name? As much as I know, it is a prison.

I had just quit a band I had been working with for years and was living with a friend who is a recording engineer (his name is also Austin Lunn...weird huh!) and we had some spare time one day to record, so he recorded me playing some raw black metal. Every now and then we would record songs I wrote and eventually we had enough for an album. I put the album out myself (under a DIY record label we decided to start) with hand screened packaging and xeroxed booklets (the wrong ones were printed...FULL of typos and spelling errors! Ha.) It was just intended to be something for me and my friends, nothing serious...and then it started getting more attention and grew from there.
The name is from Jeremy Bentham's architectural model. I think it is a good metaphor for society. How through the illusions of the media and our own lazy ignorance we police ourselves.

3. Is it hard working as a one man band? Thus far, what have been your experiences concerning that, both good and bad?

No. It is really fun. It is a good way to be creative, to release stress and have a cathartic outlet.I love doing a solo project. It has pushed me to learn recording, learn new instruments, try new things.

4. Tell me something about your local music scene. Is there anything particular that you love or hate about it?

There are a lot of doom bands here at the moment. Generally our scene is pretty small (in regards to metal). I love Louisville just because of the people. I don't really go to shows a lot anymore...I am married with a child on the way, a professional brewer and musician, so my time is pretty eaten up. But when I get the chance to go to gigs, I do enjoy it.

5. And what are your thoughts about this kind of music on a global picture?

I think people take black metal way too seriously. Music is an outlet, not a holy grail or an idol we worship. I don't really even consider "Panopticon" to be a purely black metal band. I would like to think it is just metal, but it has so many stylistic ties to black metal...but that is the point, it isn't about fitting in, it is about creating what you feel and want to hear.

6. For now you have released several albums and a few splits, tell me something more about your work thus far.

I just released a new album "Social Disservices" and I have a new one, "Kentucky", on the way. Both are concept albums about things I care deeply about. It was good to explore them fully and I hope folks enjoy the records.

7. When we talked you mentioned that you are currently working on a new album. I also see that some songs are already done, so when can we expect the album in its final form?

Everything is done, SD is out but "Kentucky" won't be out till Spring.

8. Do you have a circle of people around you who work with you or do you always work alone? As much as I heard, you have guest appearances on your records, even a member of the legendary "Amebix" was present on the last album.

My friends hang out some times while I am working. Some times they will assist in engineering. I like to have guests, usually friends like Jack (from "Seidr"/"Kôlga"/"Giant Kind"), Johan ("Austaras") or Rob (from "Amebix"). I think recording with your friends can be a special thing.

9. Tell me something more about the things that influence the sound and form of "Panopticon"? 

"Weakling", "Emperor", early "Dark Throne", "Amebix", "Neurosis", "Death", "Sepultura", "Gorguts", "Hypocrisy", "Opeth", "Katatonia", "Bathory", "Docc watson", "Townes Van Zandt", "Johnny Cash", "Flatt & Scruggs", "Pete Steele" (the bluegrass musician, not the Type o guy), "Tater Tate", "Godspeed You Black Emperor", "The Apple Seed Cast", "Mono", "King's x", "Camel", "Pink Floyd", "Neil Young", "Crass", "My Dying Bride", "Control Denied"...the list goes on and on...

10. On the previous album there are a lot of refferences to the highly influental movie "The Seventh Seal" by Ingmar Bergman. You also have the final scene of the movie tattooed on your arm. Tell me something about your thoughts concerning that movie and how much did Bergman actually influence your work and in what way?

That film is my favorite film. I struggle with mortality and spirituality a lot since my Ol' Man died, and I think Bergman really addressed those issues in a way I can understand. It is an intense film, and the OTSOM album kind of coincides with it.

11. On several photographs I saw that you do ink print screening on wooden boxes for "Panopticon" releases. You also do patches and shirts, so tell me something more about that? How much is this aspect of "Panopticon" important to you, since this way of crafting is slowly dying due to modernization?

I have always been very DIY. I grew up in that scene. I think it provides a personal touch to the band. At this point, the project has gotten past me being able to keep up with the demand, so I do less and less DIY things...but most often, when you get a "Panopticon" shirt, I silk screened it. So that is kinda cool, if it is something you care about. It is nice to make connections with the bands you like. I know I get excited when a record or something has a story or connection behind it.

12. You are also involved in several other music projects, can you tell me something more about that?

"Seidr", my doom band. I have a band with Jack called "Kôlga" and some other projects in the works. I also do session gigs.

13. Aside of music, do you have some other hobbies?

Yeh. I am an avid out doorsman, Fly Fisherman, I like traveling, gardening, brewing beer (but that has become my job, so I guess it isn't a hobby anymore). But mostly I like to spend time with my family.

14. You are an anarchist and a pagan. Could you tell me your thoughts concerning these two ideologies? How did you actually get entwined with these ways of life and what makes them appealing to you?

I think there is a difference between political and spiritual. I have an interest in history. I think there is a lot to learn from the past,and both of those concepts, paganism and anarchism, have a rich history that is at our fingertips. I was exposed to classical anarchism at a young age and the love for liberty and autonomy has always rung in my ears, and as I soul search, various forms of paganism seem to be where I fit in the world. It is personal, intimate and private. It isn't a schtick or a gimmick, it is just an aspect of who I am.

15. I wanted to ask you about the runes and Thor's hammer. Here, the surrounding is a bit conservative when it comes to those things, so if you are seen with those kinds of markings you are immediately tagged as a national socialist. Tell me something about that when it comes to your local environment, is the situation similar or not?

Those are ancient symbols that existed long before any of this political bull shit. I hate the fact that people are assuming that some one who bears those marks is one way or another politically. Spirituality and Politics are two different things.  Thor's hammer is a fertility symbol, a symbol of life and strength, not a symbol of hate. The runes brought wisdom to men (according to the lore) and the ability to communicate, divination from the gods...these are things that are a part of an ethnic culture and sacred, not something to just be slapped around for the sake of posturing, right OR left. It is my hope that people will be aware of the power in symbolism and not misuse it.

16. I am always interested in hearing what do my interlocutors listen to in their free time. Which releases in the past year grasped your attention the most? And what are your all time favorites?

"Falls of Rauros", "Blood of the black owl", "Fauna", "Warning", "Townes Van zandt" ,the new "Wolves in the Throne Room", "Death" and "Songs:Ohia" have been my playlist lately.

17. Time for you to ask a question!
What was Carl Sagan's pen name when he wrote about Cannabis usage?

A pretty interesting thing to ask, if I may say so. The pseudonym was "Mr. X", of course.

18. What are your thoughts when it comes to diy music and the internet? Do you have some particular blogs or webzines which you actively follow?

I have blogs I like to follow just because they put up new bands I haven't heard yet. But I am not much of a blogger type.

19. At the moment, what are your plans for the future with "Panopticon"?

I have a few splits to prepare for...but honestly, I want to work on "Seidr" for a bit and then maybe record a folk/bluegrass record. So "Panopticon" may chill out for a bit. Who knows!

20. In the end, thank you so much once again, hope you enjoyed the interview. Any final message for the readers?

Thanks to all of ya'll. I appreciate the folks who might see me at a gig and drink a beer with me, or the people who write me letters from the heart, and all the folks who pick up the records and listen to them. Thank you all so much. I appreciate everything you do for me, and I hope I can repay you with music in the years to come.

Thanks again for the interview.

Interview:Resurrectionists

Finally, the streak of Luka and me having no luck with receiving answers from bands is broken, thanks to this wonderful interview with "Resurrectionists"! Extremely happy that we got the chance talk to Björn and Lars, once again thanks for your time! Hope you boys and girls enjoy the read, it's been a while since the previous interview.

1. First I would like to thank you for accepting to do this interview. Please, introduce yourself and the rest of the band.

We are Björn , Sabine, Nils, Jojo , Lars and with us are most of the time Leia-Mae, Amelie and Jasmin.

2. A bit of a classic opening for the interview, so tell us the story behind the formation of the band.

L: Well , we discussed this a few times now. It seems like Björn had the idea to do another band and since he knew me and Sabine from being in bands together before and actually being in a band at that time with Jojo he just brought everyone together. the funny thing is - no one really know why and how Nils got involved - seems like he heard of it and showed up during the first practises and simply stayed in the band hehe...

3. Why did you choose the name "Resurrectionists" and what does it mean to you as a band?

B: “Resurrectionists” were people, who dug out recently deceased to sell their corpses for medical research. First of all the name sounded appealing to me and it is not too common. Plus nobody came up with a better idea. So you see there isn’t really a deeper meaning behind the name.

4. One can hear a score of genres and different soundscapes in your tunes. How would you describe the music you create and what are you biggest influences?

B: On how I use my voice my influences are more in the death and black metal genre. Basically I would describe us as a punk band or if you need a specification a grindcore band. On a show flyer we were once described as “steamroller”, what suits pretty well I think, hehe.

L: Personally we all have different musical tastes that range from old death metal to mid 90s emo - musically we are influenced mainly by grindcore/powerviolence and emoviolence... We love blast beats, but also this melancholic touch of bands like "Uranus" or "Orchid" and the heaviness of bands like "Buried Inside" or "Planks" to name a more actual one :)

5. Your lyrics are written in German, so tell us something about them. Who usually writes, what are they about and what inspires you the most?

B: Sabine and I are writing all lyrics for "Resurrectionists" and we always try to include English explanations to our records.  I would say my lyrics are more general and misanthropic. They tend to be dark and bleak and mostly with a negative outlook. I’m more influenced by literature or just by watching the news than by any other band.

6. You released a demo, an LP and several split records. Tell us a bit more about those releases, did they all have some specific ups and downs as far as recording went? Which one of those are you most fond of?

B: All of our records are somehow special for me, but both songs and sound on the split with "Lich" I like most. You are always happiest with your newest output, right!?

L: This is hard to tell - I really like the 12" because Stefan created this awesome artwork for us. And even though the recordings aren't the best that we have done, the atmosphere of the sound fits pretty well to the rest.

Then again I love the people and music of all our split partners so far and couldn't be happier with the choices we made!

7. The mentioned splits were with "Battle of Wolf 359", "Lich", "Merkit" and "Arse Moreira". How did all of those happen?

L: We have met the "Merkit" guys when they were on tour in Europe the first time and I really admired their passion about what they're doing. They definitely have the heart on the right spot and are working hard to contribute to and enrich the diy-punk scene (now with their new bands, zines and labels). It made perfect sense to me to ask em for a split release... same for "Battle of Wolf 359"... I know Sam and Derek for quite a while now and we're good friends... and it was obvious that we have to split a release with their new band "Lich" as well :)

8. Are you currently working on some new material? In general, what are your plans for the future?

B: I’ve written a small concept on atheism and right now we are writing songs for this. It might be released as a seven inch, but we will see what future brings.

L: We'll be touring with "Thou" for a week in June and play some festivals next year... we'd love to record for a bigger vinyl output, but I m really slow with writing songs at the moment...   

9. Some readers probably don't know that you also run a diy label called "React With Protest". Give us some brief info about it, with which bands you worked, records you released thus far, etc.

L: Sabine and I started the label 10 years ago with our friend Fabian as an attempt to support friends and our own bands... the first release was a compilation 12" called "About Life In A Dead World" that featured mainly local bands and bands we were involved in at that time... Up to now we've been part of 60 releases - you can find a list and more infos on www.reactwithprotest.org 

10. Similar to question number eight, what are your plans for the label at this point?

L: At the moment the BEAU NAVIRE/ REPUBLIC OF DREAMS split 7" is at press , planned is: TITAN 2x12", LENTIC WATERS / PLANKS split 12" and a new TEMPEST 12" before summer 2012...We just released the HUNGRY LUNGS 7" last week...

11. Being involved with label work and having a band, what are your experiences with diy ethics?

L: It works! We met and still meet a lot of awesome individuals and collectives that make it go on. Sometimes you get the impression that it s a real small core of activists, but then you meet someone else and you realise it's maybe just yourself that circles in the same periphery all the time...  If there wouldn't be these three letters involved I'd be just a metalhead with "extreme" political views I guess...

12. "Resurrectionists" features former members of "The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra" and "Arsen AKA König Der Monster". How do those people feel when they compare their involvement with those ex-projects and the current one? Is the process of creating music dramatically different in some way?

B: The process is the same since Lars is the main (or should I say only) composer in "Resurrectionists" as he was in "The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra". The rest is slightly different, because we are older and more experienced now, plus, when we play shows we always travel with Lars and Sabine's kids.

L: It was different with Arsen cause most of the music was written by at least three people but as Björn said already it's not a big difference to T.A.T.O.... since I'm not really the best guitarist I'm pretty happy we found another awesome drummer that can make the shit work ;)

13. Are band members involved in other music projects at the moment? I know that some play in "Ding Dong Dead", but the band went through some changes, correct?

L: Yes . Almost all members of "Ding Dong Dead" are now in "Lentic Waters" and we are sharing the same drummer. I am playing bass in a new band called "Republic of Dreams" with two of the loveliest people in the world... We recorded for a split 7" with "Beau Navire" which should be out in early January.

14. I'm interested about the scene in your hometown. Are there a lot of active bands, zines, venues where gigs take place? Is there anything that you love and/or hate about it?

L: Sabine and I are from the deepest countryside. We don't have a scene at all. The next town with a scene would be Mmünster... The most active band I know from münster is "Alpinist"...  These guys are also involved in a concert group that sets up shows in different locations there.

15. Similarly, what do you think about the scene in Germany as a whole? Do you have some favorite bands which you would recommend to the readers?

B: Everything changed a little over the years, but I think the scene is still vital and good. Bands worth checking out are: "Hungry Lungs" (!!!), "Planks" (although I think everybody knows them by now), "Alpinist", "The Gentle Art Of Chokin'", "Republic of Dreams", "Lentic Waters"…

16. Do you have some particular thoughts regarding diy music and the internet? Are you actively following some blogs or webzines?

B: Every now and then I stop by at the “Red and Anarchist Black Metal” blogspot, but not on a regular basis.

L: There s a nice blog about older canadian hardcore/metal/emo bands called howcantheyintendtoheal.wordpress.com that I've been following for some time ...

17. Time for you to ask a question!

What's the diy scene like in Serbia? Recommendations (bands? labels? groups?)

I've been asked this question before and have been bashed by the locals for my answer, since I (and a lot of other people, in fact) am quite bitter about the situation here. The scene is extremely weak, to none existent, in Belgrade at least. Novi Sad, the second biggest city, started building up a really nice scene and I predict some interesting projects bursting from there in the future. Bands which I would recommend are "Dazd" (in my opinion, probably the best band hailing from this soil, killer apocalyptic crust), "Reflections of Internal Rain" (whom you maybe already know), "Went", "Ground Zero", the Novi Sad newborn "Furtive Forest"...to name a few. There are several active zines and I am also considering to turn "Natures With No Plagues" into physical, paper media. I'd also like to point out one group of people doing a zine and booking shows based in Novi Sad, going under the name "Rebuild Collective".

18. Aside of work regarding music, do band members have some other hobbies, jobs/attending schools, sports, etc.?

L: Sabine is also working at an organic store and I'm mainly caring about the label. Björn and Nils are studying and Jojo works with kids at school.

19. Are members of "Resurrectionists" interested or support some kind of activism? Human/animal rights, ecology, etc.?

B: I think all of us are interested in left wing politics including animal rights, etc. to a certain extent, but none of us is an activist.

L: Most of us are part of a bimonthly vegan brunch group that supports different projects through donations...  I guess some of us would like to be more active, but through a mixture of being busy and lack of local activist groups that we feel comfortable with it has not happened so far...

20. The year 2011 slowly draws to an end. Which releases left a mark on you this year? And what are your all time favorites?

B: I’m a little lazy now and will just name the bands.

All time favourites: "One Eyed God Prophecy"; "Union of Uranus"; "Chokehold"; "Orchid"; "The Swarm"; "Emperor"; "Dissection"; "Entombed" (early); "Behemoth"; "Neurosis"; "The Cure" + the ones I forgot

2011: "Wolves in the Throne Room"; "Chelsea Wolfe"; "A Storm of Light"; "Tempest"; "Dead in the Dirt"; "The Devil’s Blood; "Anaal nathrakh"; "Rwake" + a few more

L: I got to know and fell in love with "Tempest" this year. Awesome new angry, dark and heavy Canadian band which will tour europe in 2012! "Thou" blew me away at Cry me a River Fest - couldn't  stop listening to random stuff of them for weeks. "Veloz", "Hungry Lungs", "Beau Navire", "Lich", "The Gentle Art of Chokin'", "Planks", "Lentic Waters", "Black Cobra", "Zann" are bands I enjoyed over the year as well...  plus a bunch that I can t think of right now. Forgive me I'm getting older...  

Classic: "One Eyed God Prophecy" -  s/t 12", "Jeromes Dream 10"",  "Orchid" - Chaos Is Me 12", "Acrid" - all of it, "Chokehold" - Content with Dying 12", "Union of Uranus" - Desaster by Design 12", "Infest" - mankind 7", "Earth Crisis" - Destroy the Machines 12", "Hellnation" - At War with Emo 5"

21. Once again, thank you so much for doing this interview! Do you have a final message for the readers of this blog?

B: Visit: leichenraeuber.blogspot.com there you can find all our records for free download. Thanks for your interest!!

L: Blogs are great - just make sure you give something back if you like it! Go to shows - show support! Keep the underground vital and alive!

Thanks for your interest.

CN Roundhouse Kick & Distinct Cult - Tour update

Less than three weeks until these two bands hit the road, so get ready. They still need some help with a few dates and some have yet to be absolutely confirmed. Check out the list and see if you can help them out. Dates are as follows:

25.12. – POL – Ruda Slaska @ Adk Berza[http://www.myspace.com/ataksilesia]
26.12. – POL – Lublin @ Tektura [http://www.tektura.wordpress.com/]
27.12. – SK – Need help
28.12. – RO – Cluj Napoca @ La Gazette[http://www.lagazette.ro/]
29.12. – RO – Sibiu @ Bohemian Flow[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bohemian-Flow-ArtPub/175956317326?sk=info]
30.12. – RO – Brasov @ Ground Zero club [http://www.facebook.com/ground.zero.club]
31.12. – RO – Bukarest @ Underworld [http://www.facebook.com/underworld.ro?sk=info]
01.01. – day off
02.01. – BUL – Plovdiv @ Puzzle [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock-Club-Puzzle/129083057220?sk=info]
03.01. – TUR – Istanbul
04.01. – GR - Need Help
05.01. – GR – Athen
06.01. – GR – Volos @ Riot Squat [http://www.riotsquat.wordpress.com/]
07.01. – GR – thessaloniki @ Biologica [http://biologicasquad.blogspot.com/]
08.01. – SER – Novi Sad
09.01. – HU – Ajka
10.01. – AUT – Graz @ Sub [http://subsubsub.at/]
11.01. – CZ – Need help

You can get in touch with "CN Roundhouse Kick" through their site found here and with "Distinct Cult" via their myspace page here. In the meantime, I will most likely review and put their tunes up on the blog, just so you get a quick glimpse at what awaits you on a live show. 

Smallish updates

I really haven't been in the mood for writing these days, since my mind has been preoccupied by some other interesting things, but I'll get back on track in a short while, especially since a number of packages arrived at my door. In the meantime, I took the time to edit some reviews I did at the start of this blog, since I have discovered a lot of typos and pics gone missing. Going to filter the entire blog this way, so it might take some time. Additionally, interview questions have been sent to the band "Resurrectionists", so hopefully that will break the chain of failed interviews I have been faced with in the past couple of months.
Also, just wanted to draw your attention toward a new update on the "Tigersuit Zine" page. Merch has been added as a way to raise some money for the printing of issue number four. Go and check it out and get in touch if you are interested in those cool "Tigersuit" bags!

Battle of Britain Memorial - The Aftermath Of Your Bright Beings (2011)

http://battleofbritainmemorial.bandcamp.com/

Just a quick note before the actual review, since I forgot to mention it in one of the previous posts. All you boys and girls from bands which have, in the past months, sent me a request for being posted here will be written about, even without the previously mentioned physical consent. I don't want to bother you people now with that and will carry the responsibility if some troubles occur. But, bands which in the meantime have already sent me something via mail, like this band and "The Canyon Observer", will go up front a bit, just not to make them wait. Worry not, no one will be neglected and I am really thankful to everyone interested in being on this blog.

"Battle of Britain Memorial" is a four piece act hailing from Toulouse, France. Initially a trio which came together in April 2009, the band expanded its ranks with one more member in the following October and it became their final setup. The band first appeared to the crowd in May 2010 and their recordings saw the light of day one year later, when in May 2011 they released "The Aftermath Of Your Bright Beings". And yes, once again French music manages to highly impress.
This album is truly a beast which succeeded to trample over me upon the very first listen, lashing out a combination of post rock, post metal and screamo. Packed up with six songs and almost forty minutes of music, the tracks are truly massive and composed in such a way that they completely consume your attention. The thing that really intrigued me at first was the fact that every band member has equal amounts of time under the spotlight and everything seems balanced. When I say this I don't just mean the ability of the listener to hear and enjoy every tone when the entire band plays together, but rather instances when a particular instrument steps up and becomes dominant. The perfect example is the opening track, "Welcome to Rapture", which begins with some eerie and atmospheric guitar playing. Later, when the song progresses a bit, one gets the feeling that the drums become the leading instrument, while at the end you get to hear the bass being alone and carrying the song toward the end. This exhibition of certain aspects of the band is present throughout the album and is perfectly executed, since it doesn't sound forced upon, but rather ultimately flowing. Of course, the same goes for the vocal performance which sometimes literally drags the tunes with a forceful command. Swinging between singing so gentle that it seems more like humming at times and a raspy, violent scream, the pinnacles of the verbal sections are quite powerful. I must admit that I really enjoyed the vocals, since the voice is somehow filled with a lot of tension and emotion, the listener having the feeling like it is about to crack any second. Additionally an interesting thing is the use of audio samples which definitely play an important role in this release, because at times they are pushed so much up front that it seems like they are the fifth member of the band.
"The Aftermath Of Your Bright Beings" is a concept album in its core and the flow of the idea is quite good. There is a certain trait of metamorphosis while you listen, since the overall feel of the album changes from aggressive at the beginning and leaning to a more gentle side toward the end. It is not an actual change of style, but much rather a mood swing. Thanks to this, a specific experimental aspect can be sensed in the music and "Battle of Britain Memorial" makes good use of it. Constant tempo changes, the already mentioned tone domination, shifts in mood and the application of samples really paved the way for a high dose of variation when it comes to song composition. Furthermore, this is all enveloped with some excellent production and sound quality thanks to Jérémie Mazan, guitarist of "Nephalokia".
In the end, what to say other than "check this band out". If you are into some music similar to "Rosetta", "Envy", "Time To Burn" and "Arroyo", but crafted in a style contributed solely to "Battle of Britain Memorial", you will not be disappointed. I'd like to thank Jérémy from "Blue Wave Production", the label/booking/promotion from France, for contacting me and for sending the lovely cd, which sadly suffered some damage thanks to a careless postman. You can get in touch with "BWP" via the label's myspace page here and also visit the band's official website found here, where you can download this release. Enjoy!

Distro update

Yeah, so these days I am extremely hooked with listening to "Agalloch" and "Nest" and just can't make myself listen to something else that needs to be reviewed. Until then, I updated the distro section with some new stuff. Remember that although the list is in Serbian, feel free to get in touch even if you are from another country and we will work something out. Some new records are yet to be added, so I will update the list again in the following days.

Gig review: Ghone, Aidan Baker, Nadja

Alright, this is a review of a gig to which I was seriously looking forward to in quite a long time. Usually when my brain has that much time to ponder about an upcoming show, I kinda get myself in an over-hyped mood and my expectations are set really high. What happened a few nights ago managed to blow those expectations to oblivion and amaze me beyond words. This was magnificent.

The event happened last Sunday, more precisely 13 November 2011, yet again in "CK13", Novi Sad. Shows just keep popping up in that town that it seriously makes me consider moving over there, if anything to save money I would usually spend to travel to the city. But going back to reality, after some geek action on a "Werewolf: The Apocalypse" session on Sunday, I set off on the trip around 6 PM, catching the train which was surprisingly not late. To my sadness I was travelling alone, so the time during the ride was spent reading some anarchist material I managed to amass, drinking tea and finally arriving to the station somewhere around 8 PM. The gig was supposed to start in one hour from then, so I took a longish slower walk through the city to reach the venue, though the bone piercing wind outside wasn't that pleasant and it actually made me more tired than the walk itself. Arrived, bought ticket, stood in the corner because I was the only person attending alone and probably looking weird, found a neat place near the very stage and somewhere around 9:30 PM the gig began.

"Ghone", a one man project from Greece was the first to create music that night. All his equipment (and that of "Nadja") was set on a little table on the stage, everything being illuminated by one single small lamp, the rest of the lights above the performer being shut off. The audience was slowly getting quiet and "Ghone" cut through the silence with sharp tribal like drumming, with slow and eerie pauses between the beats. The melody was slowly building up and completely entrancing, the sound further expanded with guitar playing. No, not with a pick or with fingers, but with a drum stick. The entire scene where you see "Ghone" enveloped in darkness and using the guitar almost as a violin, creating the most horrific and weird sound was amazing. That entire part of his set was ultimately chilling and grim, tension constantly building up and the sound getting bigger and bigger. What was truly excellent was the progression of the performance, since that eerie tone was slowly transformed into a mellow, gentle and soothing post rock-like melody. It was unbelievably relaxing after all those weird tunes and "Ghone" took his time to set the audience once again at ease. Yet it was a trap, since after all the beauty we were faced with came the darkness once again and we were smashed with some aggressive sections which served as a crescendo moment to end his performance.

After a small pause and a change of light, Aidan Baker got up on stage, taking his guitar and succeeding in taking the crowd for an extremely interesting ride. Repeatedly striking the strings with his palm, Baker created a soundscape which is really hard to describe, but astounding to behold. Watching and listening as he slowly weaved a complex sound construction with constant changes on the pedal knobs and different ways of stroking the strings, managed to make me imagine scenes from the book "Neuromancer". As if flying through the Sprawl, the mood invoked was, personally for me, somewhere between grim and seemingly hopeful. Like I wrote above, extremely hard to describe, but equally mind twisting at the same time. When the crowd was almost completely enveloped in the sound, Leah Buckareff slowly got on stage. She took the bass and masterfully adapted and melded with the ongoing melody created by Baker and thus "Nadja" was formed.

Up until this point, my enjoyment and general entrancement was at its peak constantly, but from the moment Leah joined the stage, the borders of my perception and amazement were penetrated and definitely acquired new heights. What managed to stun me beyond words was the overall perfect combination of both the audio and visual elements, their entire performance like a theater play rather than a regular concert. The sound was indescribable. As the flight through the Sprawl took an unexpected turn, the audience became faced with an enormous cage of sound, nowhere left to run away from it. The vastness and the gigantic proportions of the tones were constantly increasing, literally as if dozens of atomic bombs were detonated around the venue and a work of art being created around you at the same time. While I was standing there in the front row, everything was shaking, my whole body feeling the sound crawling over me at one point, chest pounding and at the peak of everything my left ear felt a short, slashing pain. Meanwhile, the video performance was astounding. Amid the total chaos of distortion and noise, Leah and Aidan were calm, slow moving and gentle, everything crashing around us yet they remained ultimately serene. Their hands were moving above the pedals on the table and masterfully crafting the sound around us, looking like they were slowly picking fruit rather than creating the explosions attacking the crowd. I have been into drone for some time now and seeing such sound being created live was extremely inspiring. The amount of audio manipulation, the overall skill performed by the musicians and various tricks displayed seemed just unbelievably entertaining and once again, purely inspiring. After their performance, there was so much ovation and cheer from the audience, the venue being full by the way, that both Aidan and Leah went off stage with smiles on their faces.

Reading what I wrote in this review, I can't help but realize how short it is, yet being quite descriptive at the same time. It is simply a result of me experiencing this show as something truly artistic and like nothing I saw before. Thus the review itself is a closer expression of the thoughts brooding in my head, more personal than it is usually the case and far less technical. It was an amazing gig and definitely one that deserves to be in my top 3, simply because everything was perfect. "This is beautiful. This is art."

It's more like a message to you

As a wise comic book man once said "with great power comes great responsibility" and it seems that the saying can be applied to blog running as well. Looks like this little moth blog acquired quite a fine dose of fame, so to speak, thus recently it has been under the watchful eye of labels and non-band entities. It might sound like a cool thing and it is to some extent, but as the above written quote says, there are some rather unpleasant issues that came along as well.

Namely, in the past few weeks I have received a couple of emails criticizing me for reviewing and posting download links of some bands without the "consent of the respected label", which was quite weird to me. I had to battle my way through things, saying that the bands asked me to review/post them, forwarding emails back and what not, everything being quite frustrating. Luckily after several of those eerie and extremely unpleasant moments and maneuvers I held my ground and the reviews were saved. I seriously don't know what is wrong with the reviews and uploads, maybe those people think that I'm profiting from this in some way and taking glory points away from the people who put out the records with blood, sweat and tears or whatever such nonsense. I'm writing all of these reviews/interviews/tour announcements/everything because I find enjoyment in this and have met a lot of wonderful people through the blog. A bunch of times a band/label would ask me to review them and later not only do they not spread the word about the said review, but much rather fail to even say thanks for the write-up, yet I don't mind, since I'm doing all of this out of pure enjoyment. In fact, the vast majority of everything posted on the blog (something like 90%) was posted per band request and not my own personal pick, which I'm thankful for since I found a lot of amazing bands this way and consider their wish to be here a compliment to my "work". A couple of times I already ranted about blogs and diy and passion and other shit associated with everything in this type of music, which I won't do now since I'd end up writing an enormous wall of text of hate and education and would sound like a pissed off man waving his walking stick and would be just repeating myself.

So, because of all these people who fail to understand the machine that works behind this blog and underground music in general, I'd like to kindly ask all of you something, so that you help me out with not having to battle angry and insulted people in the future. Please, read on:

If you are a solo artist/band/label/whoever and are interested in being reviewed on "Natures With No Plagues", PLEASE send some form of consent toward me, but NOT just in digital format. Send anything, be it a letter asking for a review with a drawing/love letter/band picture/poem/joke/palm print/nude pictures/song tabs (this would be so cool), a cd-r with burned tracks, promo material, real label consent or the actual official release on tape/cd/vinyl/floppy/VHS which you desire to be reviewed, anything as long as I have some "proof" that someone in fact wanted something to be posted up here. Anyone interested can contact me from now on through my email and ask for my address, so that we can further talk about whatever.

I feel completely stupid for having to post this, but I just don't want to have my own experience with spreading my thoughts on digital paper about something I really love get ruined by other bitter people. Lately several bands have actually sent their cds and whatnot toward me on their own right, so I think that setting up these "rules" is nothing out of the ordinary, just making everyone safe, sound and keeping this flowing.

And for those who have been insulted by my review without their respected green light and those infuriated by this post, I recommend listening to this.

Love,

Stefan.

Downfall of Gaia & Vestiges - Winter 2011/2012 USA Tour

Yes, these two amazing bands are gonna be conquering the States this winter! The whole tour is pretty much sorted out as much as I see, so this is here just to give you a heads up in case you didn't know that they will be playing in your area. Be sure not to miss out on a gig if you have a chance to attend!

27.12. MA/NY - TBA
28.12. Baltimore, MD - The Compound
29.12. Washington, DC - TBA
30.12. Richmond, VA - Strange Matter (w/Balaclava)
31.12. Rock Hill, SC - The Courtroom
01.01. Asheville, NC - The Get Down (w/Autarch)
02.01. Baton Rouge, LA - Here Today Gone Tomorow (w/THOU)
03.01. Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn (w/ Dead to a Dying World)
04.01. Denton, TX - TBA (w/ Dead to a Dying World)
05.01. Nashville, TN - Little Hamilton Collective (w/ Dead to a Dying World, Sky Burial)
06.01. Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Roboto Project (w/Complete Failure)
07.01. NY/NJ - TBA*
08.01. Philadelphia, PA - TBA*
*only Vestiges

Recently I traveled with "Downfall of Gaia" on their Eastern European tour, so check out my reviews of those gigs h e r e, just to prepare your mind to be blown away if you go to a show. Also, I did interviews with both "Vestiges" and "Downfall of Gaia", which you can check out here and here. 

The Canyon Observer - Chapter I: The Current Of Her Ocean Brings Me To My Knees (2011)

Bandcamp

I took a few days to rest from writing, since all those gig reports really took it out of me. It is always strange how even the slightest breaking of the writing schedule can make me extremely lazy, so a couple of days turns into a week. Time to roll up the sleeves and dive into the keyboard.

"The Canyon Observer" is a quintet coming from Slovenia, bearing sounds ranging from post metal to sludge and a slight touch of post rock. There isn't much information about this five piece online aside of the rich gig list they have behind them, playing with bands like "Russian Circles", "Rosetta" and "City of Ships". The thing that enraged me was the fact that they actually had a show in Belgrade some time ago, but of course I didn't know about that, retarded "promoters" from this city striking again. Anyway, the first blog post the band made hails from February this year, so I presume that the formation of the project occurred some time prior to that. This release, however, came out in October and it is the first recorded material of the band.
"The Current Of Her Ocean Brings Me To My Knees" brings us four songs with roughly half an hour of music, so get ready for some long and epic tracks. At times when bands have those six plus minute songs, tracks often bear repetitive tones to fill the void and max the length, but the first thing that I noticed while listening to "The Canyon Observer" was the amount of various sounds implemented per title. Something new is constantly happening in a given song, be it a sudden melody shift, a vibrating gentle guitar section or just outright aggressive mayhem, most of the times without any riff or part being repeated.  Only the final track, "My Will", drags along an incredibly massive and reckless repeating sound, but it serves its purpose so well, creating a really heavy sludge atmosphere which the listener dares not to question.
The thing that I really enjoyed with this band is the clash of those violent and soothing parts. There is even a third element floating around, a sort of atmospheric trait which acts as a bridge between the above mentioned sections. It is extremely enjoyable how you are being bounced between the three moody areas, especially since you witness that audio evolution and buildup. The first track, "The Lingering Scent Of Her Divinity", is a perfect example of the harmony and shifting nature of the band's music and just a perfect intro into the album. The slow and mellow buildup at the start of the song takes its time to grow, with tribal-like drumming, a superb background bass line and some elegant guitar playing. But past the second minute, the music suddenly changes and crashes down onto you, with the addition of the vocal leading the collapse in the form of something between a scream and a growl. Once the short explosion of aggression ends, the atmospherics reach their peak, with even the vocal being transformed into a singing one. Until the end of the song you are being thrown between those various mood changes and that trait is omnipresent and persistent even with the rest of the tracks. If I were to quote some of their possible music inspiration, I'd say that there is some quite heavy "Isis" influence being heard in their tunes, which I consider to be an enormous plus, being able to recognize that. Of course, the cool thing is that they managed to carve their way and create something that is solemnly contributed to them alone.
All in all, I really enjoyed this first chapter of the story which "The Canyon Observer" wants to tell. There is quite a lot of potential being heard in their music and I definitely look forward to hearing something more from them. Hopefully they will come to Serbia again for a show and maybe even do a big tour over the rest of Europe, so keep your eyes open. You can get in touch with the band through their tumblr page found here. Be sure to check their page out since it has both the gig dates and some pretty sweet live footage. Enjoy!

Gig review: 12xu, Old Growth

Wow, quite a lot of gig reviews this month. Indeed, this was a month full of great concerts and some I will even fail to write about, that being the "Went" show I attended a few days ago. Thought about writing some words for that gig, but I was completely wrecked that night and basically fell sick due to a weakened immune system, so my time was spent in pain, despite the band kicking in its usual fashion. I'm basically still in bed and recovering, so I'll keep even this review short, but I just had to mark it on the blog in any way possible since the bands definitely deserve it.

The gig took place on last Tuesday, namely 25 October 2011, in good old "CK13", Novi Sad. Initially this was supposed to be a house show set up in a practice room by my friend Vuk, but once the local guys from Novi Sad heard "12xu" they were so infatuated with their music that they decided to back him up and organize the gig in a proper venue. I, of course, was happy to see the band play wherever, but I was thrilled that they are booked in one of the best venues in Serbia after all. I won't be talking about the venue here again, since I recently covered how awesome it is in the "Downfall of Gaia" gig review, found some lines bellow this post. Once again the venue proved to be a flawless place to host a gig, yet the only thing that was lacking in contrast to the "Gaia" show was the number of people. There was not a lot of time to promote the show properly due to the sudden change of plans, plus it was a working day, so in the end there were twenty something people, if I recall well. In any case, my friend and I arrived an hour or so earlier, yet the time flowed fast ever since I threw my gaze onto the distro brought by the bands, resulting in insane amounts of drooling, staring, touching and generally pondering about what to buy from the amazing batch of records. If my wallet was deep enough, I seriously think that I would just purchase the whole damn box filled with vinyl. In the end, a hard decision had to be made, so after the gig I walked out with two "Daitro" records...which was kinda funny since I had my "Daitro" shirt on and a button as well, so I looked like a complete fanboy. Not that I ain't!
Onto the show itself, "12xu" jumped up on stage first, grasped their instruments and took the audience for an amazing ride. Their whole set was just an enormous emotional bomb being detonated with wave after wave of extremely melodic and passionate tunes flooding over the venue. Ever since I first heard their material from the "Single Series" I tried to imagine what would their show look like, because the tunes seemed to be overtly driving and fast, rushing so much that your brain needs some time to figure out what just happened. Needless to say, the trio made out of ex-"Daitro"/ex-"The Flying Worker!" members completely overcame my expectations and put an unbreakable seal on my love for their music. They mostly played songs from their newly released LP, which I am yet to take a listen to at home, so sadly I can't accurately comment about which songs were played. Additionally, since my brain was ultimately stunned I can hardly recall which songs from the "Single Series" were included in the set, but as much as I remember "Oregon, Place Du Pont" and "Des Voix Qui Reasonnent" were performed. It was just so incredible witnessing them live and being completely carried away by the music, so much that once their audio claws stopped slashing I realized that my mind was so relaxed that it didn't pay attention to details. At one point Julien was even complaining and making fun on his own account about how his throat hurts and can't properly sing, but to me everything seemed beyond perfect. In the end, the band wanted to get off stage, but the amount of cheering just didn't want to let them go so easily, so we got a bonus song. All in all, amazing performance, one which I will definitely remember fondly.
After "12xu" it was time for "Old Growth" to leave an impression on the audience...and they carved the most positive of marks. To be honest, I briefly took a listen to them back in May when the tour was announced, so I didn't have any particular thoughts about their music and last Tuesday I wasn't aware in the slightest of ways how much I would be shaken for my lack of an opinion. So the three guys got up on stage and after some pretty sweet jokes, about woodland rain perfume and how the crowd is composed of the prettiest people they ever saw, the jam began. It all started in a slower fashion, mid tempo tunes with a sound of old rock and some interesting vocal performance, yet I needed some time to adjust my ears to something slower than the storm which was following "12xu". As their set progressed, their music somehow evolved, getting a bit heavier and faster, at times reminding me of a rock version of some of "Kylessa" work, roughly said. Their songs were extremely long, bearing several repetitive tones, yet being highly complex and detail oriented. I was standing there in front of the stage and literally enjoying and analyzing their tunes at the same time and simply providing that ability to the listener is an unbelievable merit of the band. As I mentioned above, I didn't listen much to the band prior to the gig and the song names are unknown to me, but it is remarkable how specific riffs and track sections got stuck in my head, being highly impacting and inspiring in the moments when I heard them live. I was trying to find some of their albums online, but aside of their splits with other bands my search proved futile...shame on me for not buying their records. In any case, the entire set was purely entertaining and just a huge enjoyment to watch. The last song was worth the note, since the guitar player played it without one string which previously broke. After the show when I was raiding the distro, my friend and I talked to him and he additionally said that he was way out of tune as well, so the song was horrible. In my opinion, the entire set was beyond great despite the technical difficulty, especially in the end when they managed to pull out a good song in face of various issues. The dude was so friendly and being overtly surprised that we came from another city just to see them play and in the process making fun of my shirt in front of Julien, which was additionally funny because of the bought records. In any case, I said how impressed I am with their music, so now I really hope this review reaches the eyes of "Old Growth" somehow.
All in all, great night and an amazing gig. I was really happy that I met some new nice people and also grabbing some time to talk to Julien again, to whom I previously had the privilege to talk to after the "Daitro" concert in Belgrade in 2008 and the "Baton Rouge" interview...which means he should definitely come back with "Baton Rouge" so that I can say I saw all his bands! And bring back "12xu" and "Old Growth" again, this show sparked an enormous wish to see these bands play again some day. Thank you all for a lovely show!