Interview with Christopher Bowes from GloryHammer, Alestorm

I had the unique pleasure of interviewing keyboardist extraordinaire, Christopher Bowes from GloryHammer and Alestorm fame. His keen insight into the state of Pirate metal, Theatrics, and all things metal in general was eye opening.  We touched on a lot of topics in our brief phone call. 

First let me say that Gloryhammer is a very well produced catchy album. What is the percentage of writing that you do versus everyone else in the band?

     "Everyone writes. I write about 75% of the music. I let the guitarist make the riffs. I know what a power chord is but that is about it as far as guitar goes. "

So you allow each musician to input what he can.

     " It's not an ego driven solo project where I can show off my keyboard skills. The music comes first."

How do you approach a new tour? 

    "I try to do very little. Try to forget about until the night before the tour starts. Then I just shove a couple of socks and pants into a bag and get on the bus. I've done so many tours it's second nature to me now."

And the band?

    " This band has never toured together before so it's a little more stressful. But at the same time it is exciting. We might do a little more prep work than usual."

GloryHammer has such a catchy power chord driven how to its sound. How do you plan on transferring that style and audio to the stage?

     "Really want to take the story from the album and give it a full theatrical production on stage. Crazy lights, sword fights onstage. That sort of thing."

This album captures a kind of knight and sword concept in both visual and sound. You other band, Alestorm, created a pirate metal vibe. Where do you see the next album going in terms of direction?

     "Probably the same style for the next album. This one was more medieval fantasy, knights, dragons and wizards. The next album will be set in the distant future, spaceships, aliens and also wizards. We have a concept mapped out for at least seven albums. The story with recurring main characters will travel thru time."

Any plans to play the states?

     " We would love to play the states. No reason that it's not gonna happen. Should be doing some festival tours, maybe a UK headlining tour by the end of the year. I want to tour this band a lot."

Any place you have not played but would like to?

    " Been to a lot of places around the world. Japan would be cool."

    

     Gloryhammer has a unique power metal sound and their passion for creating a metal vision is apparent in Christopher's responses. He shares his vision of what metal should encompass with the world. Any fans of catchy, power chord driven, metal should check out his band GloryHammer and also Alestorm.

--MetalRising

    

GLORYHAMMER - Tales from the Kingdom of Fife

Very rarely in an industry over crowded with false metal bands, does a new band rise and raise its metal flag high into the air. Atmospheric and epic in nature, Gloryhammer has set a course for metal destiny. Long have we labored under the false collar of fake metal. Here, there is a true sound. A truly powerful sword and shield response to all contenders to the throne of metal.

 I find my favorite track is "Anstruther's Dark Prophecy", and "Angus McFife". The musicianship is complete. All parts channel together to create a fire of metal power. But truly this whole album is one of the best I have heard in a while. The production, the orchestration, the songcrafting....amazing.

     The keyboards dominate through each song but in a way that this guitarist doesn't seem to mind. It is rare that I appreciate the influence of such a keyboard driven song. But this is epic in its form. The band swells around the keys as they hoist their sails high and drive this metal ship of symphonic orchestration into the heart of all who doubt. All the instruments from the voice to the drums are superior and well played but I think I would like to hear just a little more guitar solo work.
"Magic Dragon, and "The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee" have this insane hook that just wraps you in and squeezes your mind. This is powerful potion driven power precision.

 "Silent Tears Of Frozen Princess" is the ballad and it's beauty and artistry takes your breath away. I found myself swept across distant glens and could almost smell the cold, blackened waters of the ancient loch below me.

 "amulet of Justice", simply a headlong power anthem complete with this incredible interplay between the drums and keys.  Dragonforce and Hammerfall fans rejoice for more friends have now entered the battle. Let us stand together and face our foes on this bloody, sonic battlefield.  The ten minute dynasty that is "The Epic Rage Of Furious Thunder" shall be the music our forces ride out into the mist driven dawn hearing. The sound of pounding hooves and whistling steel shall mix with the awesome power of Gloryhammer. Hail! You don't listen to this band, you embrace it, you inhale it, you become a knight of the armies of the Gloryhammer. My sword is ready...is yours?

10 horns up (Stay tuned for an interview with the band tomorrow!)

--MetalRising

A Letter to Trevor - In Memory of Trevor Bolder

When I volunteered to write this little piece I underestimated the difficulty I would have in doing so.  It's never easy when a musician you look up to passes away.  We mourn for the great loss to the  music community, and ultimately we mourn for the loss of a part of ourselves – the music in our lives.  When  Elvis died, thousands of people lined the streets outside Graceland.  They were grieving  for the symbolic death of their extended childhoods as much as for the death of the multimillionaire who was a complete stranger to them.

But that's just it – we don't see these musicians as strangers.  We listen to them on our stereos,  mp3 players, watch their videos on YouTube, see them in concert, and sometimes are lucky enough to get to shake their hands after a show (or in my case give them a peck on the cheek).  We think of musicians as being a part of our lives, as some  sort of extended family.  In the last few years, with the popularity of social networking, we are even privy to the most intimate of details from those that choose to share their lives with us: to their thoughts right after getting offstage, to what they're having for dinner.

Is that why I'm so upset that bassist Trevor Bolder passed away? I only met the man once,   I was hammered and may have babbled like an idiot (which he dealt with in a very gentlemanly fashion). From what I remember of that encounter, he handed me a pick (even though he was from the old school of finger pickers) and  PROMISED he would be back in NY very soon.  “I won't miss you,” he said, as we stood outside the club on a crowded New York city street, “I'll be back with Heep next year and I'll see you then,”   As I type this, I'm trawling through songs on Spotify from Trevor's varied career, and what are some of my favorite “bass moments”.  Please bear in mind I am not a bass player, I just play one on Facebook.

With David Bowie:
Queen Bitch (From Hunky Dory)
The song starts off with a breathy count off by Bowie, then an acoustic guitar before going into the first verse with Trevor's thunderous Gibson EB-3 laying the foundation down, counteracting the vocal melody.  The song escalates as Mick Ronson's metallic guitar comes blasting through, but Trevor's holding it down, steady, with a few sweet runs thrown in but never losing the groove with drummer Woody Woodmansey.

Moonage Daydream (From the Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars)
The song starts off with a thunderous riff from Ronson, then the chorus is  a bit more mellow but still there's that fat, unmistakable sound of Trevor's melodic bass.  You kind of get the impression he was told what to play, but every once in awhile pulled out a tasty little run as if saying “screw you, I’m showing off my chops” And I don't mean the famous muttonchops he was known for at the time!

Panic in Detroit (From Aladdin Sane)
I've tried to keep it to just 3 Bowie songs, but it wasn't easy.  I had to include this song. I was obsessed with it years ago when they used to play it at a now defunct bar in NYC called the “Continental” in between bands.  There's so much going on in this song, the multilayered vocals, the different types of percussion, but all I hear is Trevor's driving bass

With Uriah Heep
Sympathy (From Firefly).
Picking only 3 Heep songs is proving to be a lot more difficult than 3 Bowie songs, as I much more enjoy this type of music.  Firefly was the first album Trevor recorded with Heep. It was also the band's first with singer John Lawton.  There was a deliberate shift in sound, to me the band is more aggressive.  On this track, keyboardist Ken Hensley plays dueling lead guitars with Mick Box.  But even with the beautiful Thin Lizzy like harmonies, there's Trevor, who by now switched to a Fender P-bass.  There's a lot of “galloping” in this song, and Steve Harris would be lying if he didn't say Trevor was an influence on his playing – even down to the model of bass

Free and Easy (From Innocent Victim)
To this day, when the band play this song live, Mick Box introduces it as “ranked as one of the greatest heavy metal songs” . This song is up here for personal reasons.  At shows the band invites females to come up onstage and “head-bang”.  When I saw them in NY I was unwillingly dragged onstage by a few girls I had just met.  I hid behind Trevor for the entire song, and when it was over, seeing my red faced mortification, he quietly thanked me for coming up onstage.  I never forgot that. 

Nail on the Head (From Into the Wild)
I had to include something from the most recent album, and sadly Trevor's last with the band.  This track has been maligned by Heep purists, but it's my favorite on the album.  It's a straight froward AC/DC style 4/4 song but with the trademark Heep harmony vocals and omnipresent keyboards.  Trevor’s bass really kicks in at the first chorus and DOMINATES for the rest of the track.  His playing during the verses is sparse but you know he's there driving the whole track.  During the bridges and guitar solo he lets loose.

Well there it is.  I'm sure people more qualified than I would have a different, more thorough list. I left out the tracks he did with Wishbone Ash, the Cybernauts and the Spiders from Mars because I'm not familiar with them.  I don't know technical terms for what notes he played, what chords he used, I barely know bass guitar makes and models.  But that's my imperfect little tribute to the late Trevor Bolder, the pride of Hull, Northern England.

--Rys

Louder than Bombs - What Resonates

Beautiful and yet clashing, this is punk at its core with some extremely catchy moments sandwiched between some noise chords.  The album starts with a semi-generic punk rock song in Haunted.  In fact, when I first started spinning the record, I almost didn’t review the guys.  It’s not that the song isn’t good, it just wasn’t particularly unique. 

However, the band follows it up with No News is Good News, which hooked me immediately.  From the unique guitar rhythm and drumming to the awesome vocals, (which remind me of Lower than Atlantis) this song opens up an amazing album. 

Very moody and consistently moving forward, this album encompasses all that is good about punk music.  While there isn’t really any screaming, the singing is angry, and the vocals push right to the edge, like they’re about to break.  They never do, and the whole sound comes together.  The chunky punk bass and frantic guitar work add a sense of chaos to the whole workings.  This is a raw sounding band, with beautiful parts strung together in a chaotic and raw way. 

My favorite cut on the entire album is the song Tense.  It’s driving and the energy stays up for the entire duration of the piece. 

This is the type of music that translates really well live.  On the album, it tends to fall into a category of tedium that usually keeps me from reviewing a band.  There is very little in terms of variety here, and the band lacks dynamics.  It’s pretty much a one-trick pony.  It’s a great trick, and they perform this genre of punk/pop very well. 

That’s not a damning statement by any means.  They are very consistent with their work.  With excellent and passionate vocals leading the way, What Resonates is worth a listen if you’re into solid punk in the vein of Lower than Atlantis, Dropkick Murphys, or Bad Religion, with a little twist of Thrice or Thursday. 

The professor grades this out to a solid B+. 

--The Professor

DOOM IN JUNE III MUSIC FESTIVAL - Manilla Road, The Skull, Karma to Burn and more

DOOM IN JUNE III MUSIC FESTIVAL

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

The Cheyenne Saloon in Las Vegas

 

DOOM IN JUNE MUSIC FESTIVAL returns for the third time on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 with some of the coolest names in Doom, Stoner Rock and Metal. Thirteen bands are confirmed for over twelve hours of live music at The Cheyenne Saloon (3103 N Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130).

Performances include THE SKULL featuring former TROUBLE vocalist Eric Wagner and bass player Ron Holzner offering the best of Trouble; legendary ‘80s cult favorites MANILLA ROAD; instrumental power trio KARMA TO BURN, ANCESTORS, New Mexico’s LAS CRUCES, CASTLE, SNAIL; Monster Magnet guitarist’s Ed Mundell’s new band ULTRA ELECTRIC MEGA GALACTIC; Las Vegas' female-fronted doom four-piece DEMON LUNG -- who will celebrate the event as a record release show for their highly anticipated debut album on Candlelight Records; a couple San Diego area bands DALI’S LLAMA and ALBATROSS OVERDRIVE and two promising locals opening the day - MEGATON and SPIRITUAL SHEPHERD.

Doors are at 1:00 pm. Pre-purchase tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com. ; Rooms are available at The Fiesta Rancho Hotel/Casino which is located very close to the Cheyenne Saloon and offers affordable accommodations.

For more information email salemrosemusic@aol.com or visit Doom In June III on Facebook at www.facebook.com/doominjune. Event sponsors include Fly PR, Heavy Planet, Planet Fuzz, Doom Metal Alliance, All That Is Heavy Shop and Hellride Music.

WEAREOFF - Objects In Motion

Becoming a teenager in the early 1980s was a cool time, lots of different styles of music on the radio, if you lived in or near a large city, and luckily I did. That helped to influence and shapes my tastes that still hold to this day. New wave, I love it.

WEAREOFF bring me right back to the days of my youth with their take on new wave that has none of the cheesiness and insipidness that a lot of people think of when they think of new wave. This band plays the early style of music that reminds me of Danse Society and the early gothic / synth styles that had a lot of texture and emotion.  The ability to play that style and make it sound fresh and interesting and not a copy of that style is a very hard thing to do and they pull it off masterfully.

The songs flow together to become a cohesive whole that get a smile on my face as soon as I put the first song on, and carried it right to the end of the album. The songs have the emotion and atmospherics that drew me in and swirled around me, taking me back to the good times that I had way back when I was younger and made me wonder why more bands don’t play this style anymore, then it hit me, most turn it into parody or a cheap imitation of a certain band and don’t put their own touch into their music, these guys do.

The songs range from faster and dancey to slower and more melancholic, but they all have one thing in common, a sense of love and excitement that pushes the songs into the realm of great. The band takes the new wave sound and gives it the push that makes it sound interesting and new again. The gothic type new wave stays on the more new wave side and doesn’t have much to do with modern gothic music and for that I’m glad, no morose, obtuse lyrics and no pretentions either. Every song on this album was a winner and there isn’t one that I could recommend more than another, that’s the sign of a great album.

I’m so thankful that I got a chance to hear this band from Hamburg, Germany, and now I’ve got a new favorite band because of this album. Take a chance, give it a listen and enjoy ten songs that just get better with each listen.

--harleytexas

https://www.facebook.com/WEAREOFF

Black Star Riders - All Hell Breaks Loose

I've lost count on how many times I've had to change my opinion on Thin Lizzy over the years. When I was in high school I would only listen to the kick ass songs on their albums like "Warriors," "Suicide," "Emerald" and so on. I'd complain loudly about the not heavy jams as sounding like "fuckin' Springsteen." (I did the same thing with UFO). That's why Live And Dangerous (and Strangers In The Night) were the ones I liked the most. I made mix tapes from their albums deleting all the songs I didn't like so I could rock out non-stop. Later on when their albums were reissued on CD I started listening to them in their entirety and I realized that the non-heavy rock songs were pretty good! Even better was that they weren't Springsteeny at all! For awhile I wasn't that into the first 3 or 4 albums that much, but then they grew on me, too. Same with the last 2 or 3 albums. Before I knew it I had just about everything and liked it all except for a handful of songs. Not bad for a band with a dozen studio albums.

When it was announced that Thin Lizzy's touring line up was going to start recording new music I wasn't really sure I wanted to hear it. Mainman Phil Lynott's been gone for a long, long time and has achieved full on legendary status. Guitarist Scott Gorham's done a great job of re-establishing the name Thin Lizzy and reminding everyone they deserve a place up there among the very best classic rock bands. Unfortunately, classic rock radio only ever plays "The Boys Are Back In Town" but that's another story. When they decided to not release new music as Thin Lizzy but as Black Star Riders that got my attention. I became much more interested in hearing it, while trying to avoid the new records by Black Sabbath, The Stooges and Black Flag. What really sealed the deal was meeting singer Ricky Warwick and guitarist Damon Johnson for an interview with New Jersey free paper The Aquarian. Not only are they really cool guys but they're the two biggest Thin Lizzy fans I've ever met. Damon saw them in Alabama in 1979 opening for Ted Nugent. One of the few shows they did as a three piece on the Black Rose tour after Gary Moore quit and before Midge Ure filled in. Pretty fuckin cool!

Anyway, All Hell Breaks Loose is a solid hard rock album that will make most Thin Lizzy fans happy. The title track opens the album and picks up where they left off 30 years ago on albums like Thunder & Lightning and Renegade. Heavier than their classic 70's albums but not full on heavy metal. Scott and Damon are a great guitar duo and there are plenty of trademark harmony lines to let you know who wrote the book on this kind of playing. Ricky's vocals are definitely Phil influenced but he's not trying to imitate him. He's from Belfast, which gives him a lot of extra credibility. "Bound For Glory," "Kingdom Of The Lost" and "Bloodshot" have a strong Celtic rock vibe that would have fit in on Black Rose. They even use the same kind of vibraslap percussion effect on "Kissin' the Ground" that was used on "Ballad Of A Hard Man" from 1975's Fighting album. Very cool. But my favorite song is the last one on the album called "Blues Ain't Bad." It has a killer groove like "It's Only Money" or "Johnny The Fox" and some great solos from Damon that remind me of Snowy White's work with Thin Lizzy.

I've done it the hard way. I'm here to tell you that if you're a Thin Lizzy fan, give Black Star Riders a chance.

--Woody

http://blackstarriders.com

"Bound For Glory"


interview with Scott Gorham and Ricky Warwick

Stonebirds/Stangala - Double Feature: Kreiz-Breizh Sessions

StoneBirds - Game Over is a track of straight forward stoner rock riffs with a lot of screaming vocals which I like quite a bit. There is some nice layering of fuzz on the guitar sound that once it hits stays at a constant thrum along with a slower, driving drum beat. The vocals are pleading and coarse and the call and answer effect is quite epic. It stays thick and dirty even in the jam parts. I look forward to hearing what they have to offer in the extended space an LP. I’m pretty sure it’s a single’s job to pique interest and it accomplishes just that.

Stangala -Konk Kerne starts out a fairly punk driven rock track, dirty as hell and sort of uptempo and plays out with urgent shouted vocals for a few minutes until the bridge which unleashes SAXOPHONE and normally this is where I would go running but these guys manage to make it sound necessary and not at all eighties, maybe more of late seventies punk. Not that this is a punk track necessarily. It stays heavy enough throughout to stick this somewhere in the stoner rock genre, just on a more chipper jazzy side of the ledger. A lot of fun, this would be really good live. All in all it’s a nice taste of what’s to come from these french rockers.

--Plague Rat

Reissue of Corsair's debut EP Alpha Centauri Drops July 8th on Shadow Kingdom Record

Another magnificent CORSAIR reissue, Alpha Centauri, is scheduled for release through Shadow Kingdom Records on July 8th.  Quietly arriving onto the scene in 2010, Alpha Centauri is CORSAIR's first EP and constitutes the foundation of what would be in the coming years a classic Progressive Rock / Heavy Metal band. Heavily rooted in the sounds of classic 70's Rock and Metal, the EP has splashes of just about every 70's band you can imagine, from Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie to Black Sabbath. CORSAIR didn't really lather up on the Thin Lizzy sound until later, but the debut EP is a unique and quality product in its own right, attributes upon which Shadow Kingdom Records always places the highest value.  Stream Alpha Centauri at shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alpha-centauri 1. Skykrakken  2. Black Ships  3. Last Night on Earth  4. Space is a Lonely Place  5. Starcophagus

Born out of the hot embers of Charlottesville, VA's Black Sabbath annual tribute band, Mass Sabbath, Corsair formed in early 2008 with the purpose of writing progressive rock that would transcend space and time. Having endured the intensive training of of Mass Sabbath and most recently, Spinal Tap, Corsair has emerged with calloused fingers and a united, unbending will to unleash new found guitharmony powers onto the world of rock. Think Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden and King Crimson. Paul Sebring Jordan Brunk  Marie Landragin  Aaron Lipscombe Visit CORSAIR on Facebook, ReverbNation or at www.skykrakken.com. www.shadowkingdomrecords.com  shadowkingdomrecords.bandcamp.com  www.facebook.com/ShadowKingdomRecords

In the Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad

Ok, I’m going to gush for just a second here. 

I freaking love this band.  Atmospheric, dark, progressive, gorgeous, and all around well-thought-out, A Fair Dream Gone Mad feels honest, fresh, and unique. 

Shades of radio rock here, metal there, acoustic rock here, and indie rock there… this band touches on many different categories of music.  Without feeling as though they’re trying to do too much.   

The musicianship here is top notch.  The guitar is consistently playing gorgeous harmonies over the top of the smooth vocals.  “Beneath these Falling Leaves” is a great track to listen to if you’d like to hear the musicianship of the band. 

There are hints of jazz in the guitar here and there.  While the guitar work and vocals are gorgeous, the band rocks a very aggressive drummer. It works here.  He brings the music together and makes it feel consistently heavy, even if the guitar work is often the type of soft “dark rock” that can be seen at times in some softer Tool/A Perfect Circle records.   

This is a very accessible band, and I could see them popping up on major tours throughout the country.  “All the Pieces” is a track that will get you moving.  With a beautiful guitar riff over chugging guitar and heavy drums, this track takes me back to the 90’s when I listened to the old Finger Eleven and Mushroomhead albums. 

In fact, old Finger Eleven may be the closest comparison.  The dark music, the somber vocals, but the accessibility all leads to a really enjoyable listen. 

Big time A here, and I can’t wait to see what direction this group heads.

--The Professor