Interviews



The Bucketlist With MIRRORED IMAGE! [Video]

In this series we pose the age old questions to a wide array of music lovers. As fans of music most of us keep a mental list of active bands we want to see live that we haven’t yet seen. The Bucketlist brings to you those lists of your favorite artists and why those bands mean so much to them.

 

Mirrored Image is a 4 piece band based in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. There isn’t a huge rock scene in the area that is better known for country and bluegrass artists, but Mirrored Image is looking to change that. The Kentuckians boast a true alt rock sound with amazing melodic vocals. The band has a sound that the music world has truly been missing. They have a 90’s alt rock inspired sound but with their own modern twist. Mirrored Image is made up of vocalist and songwriter Dylan Belcher, guitarist and backing vocalist Mark Chaney, drummer Evan Compton and bassist Elijah Purvis. Mirrored Image’s debut album ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ released in April and the band has been making a name for themselves ever since. The easiest way to describe their sound is to say its 1 part Oasis, 1 part Nirvana, and 1 part Blur and then shake forcefully. They have the songwriting power and vocal harmonies of Oasis, the rawness of Nirvana and the explosive energy of Blur. The band’s debut album kicks off with the song “Mask” and its an incredible starting place for the band showing off everything they have to offer in one track that ends with incredible intensity. They mix things up and every track stands out for a different reason. Though they may remind you of iconic rock bands from the past they truly have their own unique style of music and writing. Several of the tracks on this album quickly get stuck in your head and you have to revisit them just to sing along. This debut by Mirrored Image will leave a lasting reflection on you. Continue reading

MISERY SIGNALS’ Ryan Morgan Talks About “Yesterday Was Everything” Documentary!

Photo Credit: Erika Astrid

Misery Signals are just a week away from releasing their documentary “Yesterday Was Everything” which was filmed and directed by Matt Mixon. Misery Signals was born out of tragedy. 7 Angels 7 Plagues was on tour with Hamartia and Compromise. Two members of Edmonton-based hardcore band Compromise were tragically killed in June of 2002 in a horrific automobile accident on Interstate 20 near Heflin, Alabama. Jordan Wodehouse, 19, and Daniel Langlois, 20, were killed. A drunk driver caused the accident that took their lives and injured others in the process, it was unfortunate for those who had passed but for the others injured, they were lucky enough to have a personal injury lawyer springfield il by their side through this difficult time. Compromise vocalist Jesse Zaraska and Kyle Johnson, Ryan Morgan of 7 Angels 7 Plagues went on to form Misery Signals. Ryan’s brother Branden Morgan was added as the drummer, and Stuart Ross on rhythm guitar. The band released their debut album ‘Of Malice and the Magnum Heart’ in 2004 and it was an instant hit among hardcore fans. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the release the band embarked on a tour in 2014 with the original lineup of the band. The “Malice X Tour” consisted of 8 tour dates in both Canada and the U.S. It should also be noted that the director of the documentary Matt Mixon was the vocalist of 7 Angels 7 Plagues, his familiarity with the band and the circumstances the band was formed under made him the perfect person to not only film the reunion tour but also to pose questions to the band about the tragic accident and the circumstances in which Jesse left the band in 2006. The documentary certainly depicts the band in a very fragile state as the tour begins. It not only captures the current state of the band and touring with its original members but also reflects on the tragedy that first brought the band together. “Yesterday Was Everything” releases on June 30th and will be available for purchase or streaming on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon. This is a documentary that will rank very high not only for fans of Misery Signals but music fans in general. A great documentary that captures pure raw emotion, overcoming obstacles and a reigniting passion amongst musicians. Continue reading

The Bucketlist With KILL YOUR RADIO Host Pat Smith!

 

Kill Your Radio may be on syndicated radio but their show far exceeds the radio strength of Whitesburg, Kentucky 88.7 WMMT station. Kill Your Radio is the ONLY show based in the state of Kentucky that plays ONLY hard-rock and heavy metal music with their main focus being on current music from the afore mentioned categories. Founder and host Pat Smith along with the rest of his crew started doing a podcast. After a few months the guys finally got their formula worked out and began airing Kill Your Radio weekly. Soon they began covering events (Rock on The Range, Orion Music + More, Fandom Fest, Scarefest, ETC.) and interviewing some of the biggest musicians and actors in entertainment today. The guys were soon featured on internet radio and garnering audiences of over 250,000 worldwide, but the dream was always to be on syndicated radio. Pat has really built the show up into a widely known hard rock and metal destination. He plays music and shoots the shit and often has big names in metal as guests on the show. You can check out the show on 88.7 locally in Eastern Kentucky, or you can listen online here Tuesdays nights from 9pm til midnight (EST).  Continue reading

Interview With TRICKY LOBSTERS Vocalist\Guitarist Sarge!

Copyright: Christian Thiele

 

On June 23rd, Tricky Lobsters will release their new album ‘Worlds Collide’. Formed in Germany around 1996, this band has spanned the genres with their sound throughout the years. Tending to be unknown outside of their native Germany, they still enjoy quite the substantial following back home. After four years of wadding in the waters, the Lobsters have returned to shore with a western-driven face off in an epic clash of stories, riffs, and drama on ‘Worlds Collide’. The power trio consisting of Sarge (Guitar/Vocals), Doc (Bass/Backing Vocals), and Cpt. Peters (Drums/Backing Vocals) come at you with thunderous rhythm sections that take shape song after song. Continue reading

The Bucketlist With LILLAKE Guitarist Steven Funderburk [Video]

Photo Credit: Dania Perez

Lillake is a musical project created by Founder and Owner, Nico Santora. The debut album entitled ‘Become’ was written and recorded between March – November of 2015, and released on July 19th 2016. Lillake has a unique sound that is sometimes put into the doom genre, but they also have these amazing rhythmic beats and melodies that may be influenced outside that genre. The and recently went on tour with Goatwhore and Crowbar and is about to embark on yet another huge tour with Megadeth. The band’s current lineup features veteran musicians Nico Santora (Suicidal Tendencies, The Faceless) , Eric Moore (Suicidal Tendencies, T.R.A.M., Bobby Brown) , Alex Vazquez (Abiotic), Steven Funderburk (Wretched, Through The Eyes of the Dead). To say this is a super group is an understatement. Everyone in this band brings something powerful to the band. The band is currently working on their sophomore album prior to kicking off this upcoming tour cycle.  Continue reading

Interview With BYZANTINE Vocalist/Guitarist Chris “OJ” Ojeda!

 

On July 28th, Byzantine will release their new album, ‘The Cicada Tree’, via Metal Blade Records. Heralded as the most underrated band from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal Movement, Byzantine has slowly gained a cult-like following after releasing 5 genre-bending albums. 16 years underground, it’s finally time for the world to hear Byzantine! For a first preview of The Cicada Tree, a new video for the single “New Ways to Bear Witness” (featuring a cameo by Skeletonwitch’s Dustin Boltjes, as well as ex-Byzantine drummer Matt Wolfe) has been launched online. Directed/edited by Holly Siders, the filming of “New Ways to Bear Witness”. The band has an upcoming headlining tour as well as a nationwide take over with Sacred Reich starting in September. Continue reading

An Interview With Trey Williams Of DYING FETUS

DYING FETUS are on the verge of releasing their new eighth studio album, ‘Wrong One To Fuck With‘, which comes out this month on 23rd out via Relapse Records. The new album is one hell of a sonic demolition and DYING FETUS are on top of their game as of now. Previously, we reviewed the new album ‘Wrong One To Fuck With‘, and if you are a fan and planning to buy one copy of it then you should go ahead and read the review here, to get a mild idea what the big picture looks like. Trey‘s drumming has been at an all time highest in this record just like any other Fetus record since he joined, we all know how punishing he can be on the kit. On that note, I recently caught up with Trey Williams and had the honor of interviewing one of the best death metal drummers in the modern day scene. Keeping it short and simple, this is how things went down in the interview. Continue reading

The Bucketlist With FIT FOR A KING’S Ryan Kirby!

 

Fit For A King is an American Christian metalcore band from Texas that formed in 2007. The band released two independent EPs in one self titled in 2008 and 2009’s ‘Awaken the Vesper’ and they released one independent album, ‘Descendants’, in 2011. Then, Fit For A King released four studio albums with their label Solid State Records entitled ‘Creation/Destruction’ (2013) this album really kick started everything for the band and gave them the recognition they deserved. The album sold more that 3,100 copies in its first week of sales. Billboard charted ‘Creation/Destruction’ at No. 175, No. 17 on the Christian Albums chart, and No. 6 on the Hard Rock Albums. They then released  a re-recorded ‘Descendants’ (2013), ‘Slave to Nothing’ (2014) including the single “Slave to Nothing” featuring Mattie Montgomery of For Today. The last album the band released came in October of 2016 with ‘Deathgrip’ it was produced by Nick Sampson.  Thought this album was in the same style that the band had been playing for almost a decade they were noted as one of the bands truly holding the metalcore scene together. They had earned their rightful place in the genre and respect from their fans and other bands came with that as well.  Continue reading

An Interview With Sylar [Video]

Sylar have been dominating the music scene lately, not only with new tracks but also with their killer performances on stage. The band formed in 2011 and quickly started pumping out material. They released the EP ‘Cutting Ties’ in the same year as their formation, and followed it up with another EP in 2013 titled ‘Deadbeat’ produced by Caleb Shomo (of Attack Attack!). Sylar then released their debut album ‘To Whom It May Concern’ a year later via Razor & Tie. This is the album that truly got the bands feet firmly planted in the music world. With powerful and emotional tracks like “Prescription Meditation’ the band put a little bit of themselves in each track. The New Yorkers went on to sign with Hopeless Records and one up themselves releasing ‘Help’ in August of 2016. This would give them one of their biggest hits thus far in “Assume”. The album charted as high as 8th in Heatseekers Albums in September of 2016 on Billboard.  Continue reading

An Interview With Kathir Aryaputra Of RUDRA

Kathir Aryaputra – Vocals and Bass(RUDRA)

Hailing from the island country of Singapore, RUDRA is one of the top titans in the Asian metal scene. Formed way back in 1992 RUDRA play an exquisite variety of extreme metal where they infuse Indian mythology and classical instruments to their songs, also being one of the first ever bands to do so, which have earned them the fame of being the creators of the ‘Vedic Metal‘ genre. Following suit, many other bands like fellow Asian counterparts DYING OUT FLAME of Nepal, and even in the western country of Czech Republic CULT OF FIRE has taken up this new genre, whose lyrics and theme revolve around ancient Hindu philosophical scriptures(Vedas) and the whole aesthetic of it. Blending indigenous cultural music and theme in the nerve of black and death metal has brought them to a significant global attention, with their albums sold in Europe and the US as well, much of which has been welcomed in a positive approach. RUDRA has successfully been a dominant force in this part of the world with a mass underground cult following. The band has released eight full length studio albums as of now, with their latest being ‘Enemy Of Duality‘ released back last winter in the month of December, 2016 out via Indian record label Transcending Obscurity. The album has seen a lot of positive reviews and has been an instant hit in the Asian metal circuit. You definitely need to check them out if you haven’t already, and maybe get yourself a copy of ‘Enemy of Dualityhere. Recently I have had the honour to chat with Kathir Aryaputra, the band’s frontman, who’s also the lead singer and bassist. It was a very cool opportunity to have this interview going because RUDRA is one of my favourite bands out there and definitely kicks ass. Here is how things went down with Kathir Aryaputra of RUDRA. Continue reading