Mental Interrogation: The Return

Last year, I started trying to interview a band every week in the Mental Interrogation. Unfortunately, towards the end of last year, I wasn't getting enough bands interested in taking part, and with other personal issues, I stopped doing these interviews. But I feel that February is the month to relaunch this weekly grilling of bands!

The thing is, I would love us to have some new questions to ask, and I would LOVE if you, the readers of Metaholic Music, would have a think about what you'd like the bands to answer! You can give us as many ideas as you want, and we'll pick out the best ones to ask the bands every week. Just respond in our comments (at the bottom of this, there is a "comments" thing for you to click on).

I would like Metaholic Music to be as much YOUR metal blog as it is ours, and I personally would like to have as much input from our readers as possible!

We have got the first band lined up for the first Interrogation of the year, but if you are interested in taking part, then please send us an email to:

metaholicmusic@live.co.uk

Thanks a lot guys and girls!

Mental Interrogation with Sanctum Incendia

Who? Ben Smith of Sanctum Incendia

Myspace: www.myspace.com/sanctumincendia

How long have you been playing together? Fraser (drums + backing keyboard) and I played in a band called WERG several years ago, but needless to say, we sucked. Majorly, majorly sucked. Sanctum Incendia have been together in its current state for about 8 months, with Rhianna (vocals) joining us about 5 months ago. We don't have a bassist, but y'know we don't REALLY need one with a good keyboardist! (Which we have!).

How did you meet? We all met through our local church (Yeah we're all Christians, but before you even think about judging us for that you should listen to the music! You might even like it!)

What kind of gear do you use? I (guitar and growl vocals) use a Vintage guitar, tuned to drop C. Not sure of the model, but it's spiky, red, awesome and has a floyd rose tremelo! Which is fun, but not useful for much in the way of rhythm. Trying to work it into the solos of our new stuff though! Matthew uses two Yamaha keyboards (plus stands) and Fraser uses one Yamaha keyboard. He also uses two drum kits, which we fused together in a rather awesome manner! One of them's a Peavey, and the other one is a Yamaha. The drum kit is pretty awesome too, we tune the Toms to a C minor arpeggio to give really interesting sounding fills. 5 TOMS!!! Plus two bass drums, a myriad of cymbals plus our own invention. A 'Clank' cymbal that we made from an old high hat. It's ridiculous!!

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? 'Fallen' by Evanescence is what really got me into the whole heavier side of music. That was really the launching point where I found out that everything is better, louder!

What was the last album you bought? 'The Butcher's Ballroom' by Diablo Swing Orchestra. You should check them out! They're a pretty funky mix of different genres that works spectacularly.

What do you think of downloading music? It's a great way to find good bands that mainstream stores don't stock. I especially love what Google have done with Youtube, making all music accessible to anyone with a computer. It's great that you can hear of a band and find it on there!

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? Musically? Bach and bands like Nightwish, After Forever, Kamelot are big on the influences list.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? Avril Lavigne... To change the rubbish music she records now into something awesome! I actually liked her first album... So I'd spend my day as her in the studio, and she'd wake up and realised she'd released a metal album, and people actually liked her music again! She might take a hint, you never know!

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? I'd be very very bored probably. Being in a band takes alot of time and investment, which is good as it gives you something to work at every day rather than mulling around being a stereotypical teenager.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? Definately Europe, Finland, Germany and that sort of thing. The metal from there is the best mainstream metal around at the moment. We really need to give the Scottish metal scene a boost! Anyone up for organising a Scottish metal fest? Any bands that know of venues, or venues that know of bands and want to do something like this, seriously get in touch with us to get it going! There's demand, all we need is the opportunity!

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? Sweet.

What’s your favourite movie? Not sure. An interestin one I watched a while ago was 'Strings'. I generally like 'weird' movies. Thriller, horror, whatever. Amusement factor is a big one. A brilliant movie I've watched recently is the Scarlet Pimpenel. The acting is so ham-fisted that it makes it an absolute classic!

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? That would be Wishbone Ash in December of last year me thinks.

What do you have lined up next? We have a gig on November 8th, in Evanton. Just a small gig but we're happy to play anywhere! Also awaiting response on a series of support gigs for venues up here next year too.

Why should people check out your band?
1. We mix the best of classical music and metal into one melting pot, resulting in a unique and excellent sound.
2. We've got lots of inspiration left, currently got a 25 minute set perfected (5 songs) and working to expand our list of perfected songs to an hour or more.
3. I just wrote 2 new songs over the past week, which really gives you an idea of how much raw material we have to work with. Expect some fresh recordings at some point in December for sure!!
4. When everyone else finds us, you'll be able to say "Yeah, well I knew about them before you!" and own them. Which is always fun!

Mental Interrogation with This Weary Hour

Who? Eamonn and Seán of This Weary Hour

Myspace: www.myspace.com/thiswearyhour

How long have you been playing together?
Eamonn: The band started over a year ago, but a full line-up hasn’t been secured until fairly recently.

How did you meet?
Eamonn: Seán and I are from a small town, so we always knew each other in some respect.

What kind of gear do you use?
Seán: I play an Aria (have to check the model). I find it has a deep, round sound ideal for the music I play. With regards to amplification I am currently using one of the Vox Valvetronix models which I can get some great tone out of, however the various effects built into the amp seem somewhat of a gimmick so I'm planning to move onto something more old-school. I feel a lot more comfortable controlling my sound using my feet. At the moment I use a BOSS DS-1 pedal, which to be honest I find isn't great by itself, but I recently acquired a RAT which when used in conjunction with the BOSS can bring fuller, thicker crunch or fuzz (or whatever you are into) to the overall tone. Nice and brutal is what I aim for in terms of distortion.

Eamonn: This is my first band, so I’m a little behind in the gear aspect of things. Until recently, I basically borrowed what I needed from friends. I did pick-up a lovely Shure SM58 vocal mic last weekend and I’m very happy with it so far. The rest of the lads are busy acquiring various gadgets and guitars, and it’s all pretty expensive, so I guess I’m lucky in that respect.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band?
Seán: I think that music in general has inspired me to be in a band. It was after TWH was conceived that we discovered our common influences. Mastodon's Leviathan probably had the most crucial effect on both myself and Eamonn. It has totally transformed how we observe and write music.

Eamonn: I have to agree with Seán there. It was through Leviathan that we found how similar our beliefs about music were. From there we introduced each other to loads of bands and musicians we wouldn’t have been exposed to normally, and eventually we started thinking that it’d be great if we could write stuff of our own. I think that we initially focused on doom because there’s a lot of freedom there and it’s a very honest form of music.

What was the last album you bought?
Seán: Sick of it All - Scratch the Surface.

Eamonn: I actually picked-up a few LPs the last time I went music shopping. I think it went something like: Moss – Sub Templum, Esoteric – The Maniacal Vale, Jex Thoth’s self titled debut, NIN –The Slip, and Grand Magus – Iron Will. So yeah, a nice helping of doom - or doom inspired – stuff.

What do you think of downloading music?
Seán: As with most musical controversies, there are positives and negatives. For fans of actual physical releases, like me, the whole thing has totally forced designers to push the boundaries of artwork, packaging etc. so we are getting far more intriguing record sleeves and CD cases these days. I think fans of independent labels and smaller bands enjoy this artwork and are more willing to pay for the product.

Eamonn: For me it’s quite simple: I love buying CDs. I love buying records. I think people are really missing-out when they don’t have the whole package, not to mention the drop in bit-rate and all that. I have been guilty of downloading music, but mostly because it’s an incredibly easy way to preview a band I’ve never heard before. I always end-up buying the stuff I like eventually.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence?
Seán: My strongest musical influence is and always will be Rory Gallagher. He has explored so much ground within his music, both lyric-wise and genre-wise. I will always think of his songs as the purest and most honest anyone can be exposed to. He never played the same song twice and he was all about feeling. That's real music and I'm all for it. He's greatly missed.

Eamonn: The first real band I saw live was My Dying Bride. I might have been young and impressionable, but the emotion that (front-man) Aaron Stainthorpe showed in his performance has had a lasting effect. I’ve encountered plenty of other amazing performers since, but Aaron originally set the standard for me.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why?
Seán: This is quite a difficult question because most of the bands I would have really liked to have been a part of have broken up. If anyone is familiar with the hardcore punk group Minor Threat they will have heard the name, Ian McKaye, vocalist and founder of Discord Records. I would love to have been in his shoes for a day back at the beginning of the American hardcore scene. If not McKaye, then any member of Electric Wizard! A jam with the Wizard would be an honour.

Eamonn: This would probably change for me every month, but right now I’d say anyone in Neurosis. I’d imagine performing live with those guys would be a wonderfully intense experience.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Seán: If I wasn't in TWH I see myself spending more time as a solo musician. I would have various guises to facilitate my interest in the other genres of music which I would play.

Eamonn: I’m a Fine Art student, which is proving to be very time-consuming, so I definitely wouldn’t be idle. But then, it was while working on stuff for TWH that I re-discovered my interest in art ...so I’m a little unsure when I think about it.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment?
Seán: As a fan of both European and American heavy music, for me, there seems to be a bit more quality metal coming from the States lately. When I first heard Mastodon a few years ago I began to realise this. From there I discovered bands like Converge and Neurosis, and through them, found a wealth of other groups, each new one completely different to the last. However, I think it’s noticeable in TWH that we take influence from these bands as well as our European heroes like My Dying Bride, Electric Wizard and Cathedral, to name the most prominent.

Eamonn: Right now I’m looking to labels, rather than geography for good music. Rise Above, Profound Lore, etc, have been putting out some great releases over the last while. I also think Ireland has a great underground metal scene that is oft over-looked internationally. This is starting to change though, and I hope it continues.

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet?
Seán: Sweet.

Eamonn: I would never give up an entire kind of food! You can’t make me! (MI - Ah my plan has been foiled!)

What’s your favourite movie?
Seán: If I had to choose a favourite it would be Donnie Darko.

Eamonn: A tie between “4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days”, “Mulholland Dr.”, “Apocalypse Now” and “Aliens”. Special mention to Star Wars, of course! ...I like too many films!
What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)?
Seán: Buddy Guy. Blues will always be my favourite form of music.

Eamonn: My friend, James from Altar of Plagues, recently started a 2-piece noisecore side-project, called Snails, which I recently witnessed causing havoc in a local pub. In terms of big names, the Graspop festival would be the latest event I’ve been to.

What do you have lined up next?
Seán: We hope to begin playing shows very soon.
Right now, we are in the process of finishing new material, which should be released before the end of the year. I think the upcoming songs will be somewhat of a departure from what we did on 'The Shadow of Time'. Not only have our inspirations changed but we have been joined by three new members, each with a variety of styles that will definitely have an impact on our music.

Eamonn: Yeah, the demo was a bit of a shot in the dark for us. I’d never been in a band before, and Seán was relatively new to this sort of music, so we were kind-of sticking to tried-and-true patterns and basically playing it safe. Considering the circumstances, I’m quite proud of it and the response has been great. I’m highly critical of it too, though. I want us to go much further with the new stuff. Now that we’ve had some time to soak in everything and have a clearer idea of the direction we’d like to follow, I believe that we can just let loose and write material that feels natural to us. We’re definitely going to revisit and expand on some of the areas we’ve already flirted with, but I know we have the potential to go way beyond that as well. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Why should people check out your band?
Seán: Behind all the dark and heavy aspects to our material, I think this band is about making honest and original music, qualities that is more and more lacking with metal bands today.

Eamonn: As Seán said, honesty is important to us. In the long run, we hope our material will be meaningful and somewhat cathartic. We try to take influences from everywhere. We’ve had an encouraging start, and we’ll definitely be striving to make the most of it in the future.

Mental Interrogation with Ascend the Shadows

Who? Ascend The Shadows.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/ascendtheshadows

How long have you been playing together? We have been playing together since october of '07, so not even a year.

How did you meet? We have all gone to school together for most of our lives.

What kind of gear do you use?
Rob - Peavey 6505+ tube amplifier, Dean Razorback DB, Monster Cable, elixir strings, and dunlop picks.
Kenny - Crate Combo, Jackson DXMG, Monster Cable, GHS strings, and Dunlop Picks.
Tyler - Tama 8 piece Imperialstar, Vic Firth Sticks, Zildjian Z Custom Cymbals and DW 7000 Kick Pedals.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band?
Rob - Paranoid by Black Sabbath
Kenny - Rust In Peace by Megadeth
Tyler - Toxicity by System Of A Down

What was the last album you bought?
Rob - Devildriver - The Last Kind Words
Kenny - Bullet For My Valentine - Scream, Aim, Fire
Tyler - Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

What do you think of downloading music? We feel that it isn't respectful towards the musicians who spent their time and money to make these albums.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence?
Rob - Tony Iommi
Kenny - Dave Mustaine
Tyler - Lars Ulrich

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why?
Rob - Robb Flynn of Machine Head, mainly because every song on the Blackening was amazing, I would love to play each one of those songs every night with such an amazing band.
Kenny - Matt Heafy of Trivium, mainly because Matt is an amazing guitar player and Trivium is one of my favorite bands, and I can't wait to see them live on tour in October.
Tyler - Joey Jordison of Slipknot, because overall, he is a great musician, he can play drums amazingly and play guitar and bass, and that's extremely impressive.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Generally we would all be paying more attention to high school and probably be playing football on our high school teams.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? At the moment, we would have to say the southern states, and somewhat of the west coast with such bands as Machine Head, Trivium, Lamb Of God, Slipknot, and As I Lay Dying.

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? We all agree upon savoury, we all love food like steak and chicken, mostly hearty food.

What’s your favourite movie?
Rob - The Hulk, the second one it was intense.
Kenny - Troy, its an awesome movie, that I can watch over and over.
Tyler - Crash, because "it's so true to life"

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)?
Rob - The Black Tyranny Tour with Machine Head and Arch Enemy
Kenny - Ozzfest '07 with Ozzy and Lamb Of God
Tyler - The Black Tyranny Tour with Machine Head and Arch Enemy

What do you have lined up next? We are planning on recording a couple of new songs, playing more shows, and attending the Trivium/All That Remains tour.

Why should people check out your band? First of all, people might find it surprising that we are all still in high school, some people still don't believe it. We have a unique mixture of influences that makes our metal very diverse. We're from the same state as Hatebreed, Connecticut.

So, check us out on Myspace, www.myspace.com/ascendtheshadows.

(We are not a three piece band, we have a bassist lined up, he's currently learning our songs. Refer to the Myspace page for updates).

Mental Interrogation with Plug of Midnight Realm

Who? Plug, guitarist of Midnight Realm.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/midnightrealmuk

How long have you been playing together? The band itself has been together for around 2 and a half years now, but we’ve only just recently found a full time line-up.

How did you meet? Strangely enough over Myspace, because of today’s technology it’s much easier to find people with relative interests at the click of a button. Robb (our bassist) has been a friend of mine for a while now and he agreed to join, And we quite literally found our drummer in the gutter outside our local pub (long story).

What kind of gear do you use? We use a range of instruments and equipment, because there’s 6 members in our group each of us has a different set up, I wont bore everyone with details, if they want to know they can always ask us, were always online haha, but to cut a long story short, Stephen (guitars) plays a custom shop 7 string, I will soon have my Gerlach custom shop 7 string, Robb plays Ibanez Basses, Al (keys) plays Yamaha and Sam our drummer plays
Trick drum pedals and Roland drums.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? Most definitely, there are 2 that really stick out of in my mind. Firstly Wintersun by Wintersun, Jari Maenpaa is my idol and hero; the guy completely changed my perspective of the music scene and what you can do with a guitar and the will to play something. Secondly it has to be the album Synchestra by The Devin Townsend Band, I bought it on a trip to York a couple of years back and it actually changed by life, it’s the only way I can express what that album meant to me, however, it is an album you have to listen from start to finish without stopping, so if your going to buy it then get ready for a whirlwind ride of polka and birdsong!

What was the last album you bought? Holographic Universe by Scar Symmetry. F**king fantastic album I would recommend it to anyone. (MI - I can second that one!)

What do you think of downloading music? Downloading music has both its pros and cons. I’m completely happy with people downloading music as long as its not complete discographies, full albums or they do it for any sort of financial gain. It's common knowledge now 99% of people have illegally downloaded, or been in contact with an illegal audio download at some point. It’s the price we pay for living in a technological world. And as much as music and record companies can b*tch about everyone doing it, it's helped them a hell of a lot over the years. Being a musician myself I know that it can cost if everyone downloads your music and doesn’t buy it. It can break a band before they have even got into their prime. However, many people download music as a taster of what the album is like, and if they like the music then they go out and buy a full album, and if they don’t then they delete the tracks. I have no problem with that whatsoever.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? Either Jari Maenpaa or probably my father; I’m indebted to him for going out and buying my first guitar and amp for me. If it wasn’t for him then I wouldn’t be doing what I do today.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? Hmm, probably Paul Gilbert, because who hasn’t wanted to wear a space suit and play guitar?!.... No just me then.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Teaching, I still hope to do it one day, I took ceramics and I'd like to go back and teach children the skills I learned when I was their age. I’m currently in the middle of doing a degree in Glass and Ceramics, so if something doesn’t happen with the band then who knows!

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? The south of England. There seems to be a ton of bands that are really getting into their progressive and experimental music and it’s always good to see. Either that or Canada, there’s a lot of fantastic bands like Threat Signal and Paeredoks that are coming through and even though some of them are really young their musical maturity is astounding.

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? I’d rather swap my eating for constant napping, I'm currently trying to break the world record for it.

What’s your favourite movie? Anchorman - 60% of the time… it works all the time.

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? I went to Glasgow to see Anaal Nathrakh in February, I know its been a long time since I’ve been to a live show, I’ve been too busy with music haha.

What do you have lined up next? Well, I’m currently getting ready to go for a nap, then I should be recording vocals with Midnight Realm for our new EP, after that I’m going to be practicing like hell in a new hardcore band that’s just started. Futures looking bright!

Why should people check out your band? Because if you don’t you could miss out on the greatest thing you never listened too, plus that and I really need a lady friend.. so if any attractive females in the north of England want to come and stop by and say hi feel free hahaha!

Mental Interrogation with Rob Pease of Adust

Who? Rob Pease, vocalist of Adust.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/adustband

How long have you been playing together? We started jamming together at the end of 2006 but we became ADUST and started to write music at the start of 2007.

How did you meet? Dave, Dan, Matt and myself all went to school together so we have known each other since we were 11, we met Guy through Dave as they were already friends, we asked him to play guitar with us and instantly we knew that he was what were after.

What kind of gear do you use?

* Hughes and Kettner, ENGL Amp heads
* Marshall Cabs
* Hughes and Kettner Bass Amp
* ESP Ernie Ball Music Man Guitars
* Seymore Duncan Pickups
* Shure SM58 Beta Microphones
* Pearl Drum Kit
* Paiste Cymbals

That's about the main bulk of it.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? Well, we all love different kinds of music but the one album I distinctively remember us talking about constantly was Metallica's Black Album (MI - That's the self titled one people). It's seriousy amazing how fresh that album sounds even today!!!

What was the last album you bought? I bought Exit Ten's new release 'remember the day' and WOW...... what an album, seriously talented bunch of guys!

What do you think of downloading music? It's kinda spiralled out of control now, illegal downloads I'm obviously against, I think its unfair how a band can spend thousands and thousands to record an album and not be able to make any money back! On the other hand I guess if people want to download your tracks then they obviously want to listen to you so look on the bright side!

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? Musically, Dave our guitarist, I think he is one of the main reasons we all decided to get this band going and I believe is is the main reason we are doing so well.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? Hmmm, good one... probably trade places with James Hetfield, mainly because he would have to take my place and the rest of the guys would get to hang out with him!

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? I'd probably be playing golf, not very rock and roll I know but not a lot of people know but I was registered with the PGA a few years back, I used to play of a handicap of about 2 or 3

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? Definately Birmingham, especially the underground scene, nearly every gig I go to I come back blown away by how talented some of the bands are!

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? Savoury, I like crisps!

What’s your favourite movie? Anchorman, I'm a big comedy fan and that film made me laugh out loud so many times!!

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? 36 Crazyfists at the Birmingham Barfly, supported by Exit Ten, great gig!

What do you have lined up next? We have a few gigs coming up, check them out on our website, we are also hard at work writing new songs and they are sounding awesome, even if I do say so myself!

Why should people check out your band? In my eyes our music is very interesting with a lot of tempo changes so you wont get bored and you don't have to worry about it getting repetative, also Dan has a lazy eye and that's worth checking out!

Mental Interrogation with Farzad of Ventox

Who? Farzad, rhythm guitarist/vocalist of Ventox.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/ventoxmetal

How long have you been playing together? Norman and I started the band in 2005. Our current line-up exists for a little more than one year now.

How did you meet? Norman and I went to school together. We became big Metallica fans at the same time and some time later decided to found a band. We found our bass player Markus on the internet. I knew our drummer Kave since we were children. We spent a lot of time together when we were kids but then we lost contact for some reason. In December 2006 we had our first gig at a birthday party. Driving back home and after having a car crash, basically a rear-end collision with our two cars, I finally met Kave again after a very long time at the entrance of our rehearsal "bunker". That was destiny. Because half a year later our drummer left us and we asked Kave to join us. Some days and rehearsals later he was in the band.

What kind of gear do you use? We use Ibanez, LTD, Gibson and Edwards guitars, a Dean bass and a Sonor drumkit, which belongs to the band we share our rehearsal room with. Furthermore we use Marshall amps/cabinets and Vox effects.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? Basically all Metallica's albums and other Bay Area thrashers have inspired us.

What was the last album you bought? In my case it's St. Anger a long time ago.

What do you think of downloading music? If you download (illegaly) music from bands, that already have great success and plenty of gigs worldwide, it's not that bad in my opinion. They will survive it. But try to support the underground. Those bands haven't sold millions of albums and don't have 10 gigs per month. They will be very pleased if buy there CDs, merch and stuff. So they probably can cover their travelling costs, if they (for example) had to travel a long way in order to play a show, for which they earned no money/fee, which happens often in the underground scene.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? James Hetfield. For Norman there are Alex Skolnik and Kirk Hammett I would guess.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? James Hetfield and Mark Knopfler because they are brilliant.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? I don't know, maybe professional wrestling.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? From Hagen, Germany, of course.

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? Savoury BIG TIME.

What’s your favourite movie? I'm not so into movies, but i like funny stuff (e.g. Ready To Rumble).

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? Dream Theater with Symphony X as support.

What do you have lined up next? We'll publish our first EP called "Swingin' Neckbreaker" on August 23rd. On this day we'll have a record release party with three other bands at the Kultopia in our hometown Hagen, Germany.

By the way you can check out our EP recordings in our Myspace player:
www. myspace. com/ventoxmetal

Then we hope to get and play more and more shows to spread our music all over Germany and hopefully one day in Europe and the whole entire world!

Why should people check out your band? Because our songs have great riffs, electrifing solos, powerful vocals and oh, by the way, if you visit one of our shows we'll break your f**kin' neck! And to say the least, there will be NO WAY you can avoid us or keep us down!
ATTITUDE, ENTERTAINMENT, VENTOX!!

Mental Interrogation with Justin Warrick of Bleed The Sky

Who? Justin Warrick, guitarist/backing vocalist of Bleed The Sky.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/bleedthesky

How long have you been playing together? The band lineup has changed since the formation in 2003 but this line up has been together almost 2 years!!

How did you meet? My last band REV was actually opening for Bleed, we became really good friends/drinkin buddies outside the band and then Kyle left the band, and they called me up!!

What kind of gear do you use? Right now we are using Peavy 6505+ and a VHT Pitbull.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? I have always been a music fan and couldn't think of anything else I would rather do, so I can't think of one album that made me want to be in a band cause there were several, all the way back to Shout At The Devil, Motley Crue, Out of the Cellar, RATT, any Metallica record up to and including the black album, Guns N Roses, always great, N.W.A., and well lets face it anyone who ever picked up a guitar or a mic or sat behind a drum kit with the purpose of playing heavy music has to bow down to the ALL MIGHTY PANTERA!! R.I.P. DIMEBAG=G.O.A.T.!!!

What was the last album you bought? CLUTCH!!!!

What do you think of downloading music? It is what it is, it aint never gonna stop now, but just remember all those artists that you love can't afford to make the music you love unless you buy it!!!! It isn't being greedy or anything but we have bills too and it costs money to go out on the road and put out records!!

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? Dimebag on so many different levels!

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? No one I LOVE MY BAND!! METAL!! But if I had to probably Justin Timberlake, not really a musician though, so I could spend some of that money and hell you have all seen the a*s that dude pulls!!

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Tattoo artist.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? From your stereo as long as it is playing Murder The Dance (the new Bleed The Sky album) which is out in stores TODAY (16th June in the UK)!!!! Ha ha ha no really there is a bunch of new bands out there like Horse Called War from OK City, Stenmm from NY, Carbid outta Austin TX, Lead Burns Red out of San Diego CA, Heat Fix outta OK City and so on and so on there is always great music out there, you just gotta realize that is not always what the media tells you is good!! (MI - and that's the reason we started Metaholic Music!)

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? Savory, steak and tators all the way!!!

What’s your favourite movie? Anyone that makes me laugh, but I also like a good killin movie too!!

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? Heat Fix in OK City.

What do you have lined up next? We will be touring soon, we have about 48 days booked right now so stay tuned to our Myspace and we will have those dates up soon!!

Why should people check out your band? You shouldn't unless you like METAL and/or sexy long haired dudes that drink and smoke a lot!! Ha ha! Murder The Dance, the new record from Bleed The Sky is out in stores June 10th (in the US, June 16th in the UK), that is today by the way, GO BUY IT!! See you all out on tour soon!!!

Mental Interrogation with Oli Walkers of Smokescreen

Who? Oli Walkers, drummer of Smokescreen.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/smokescreenuk

How long have you been playing together? I’ve been in the band for six years at the end of September, however they were together for a year before I joined.

How did you meet? We met at school. I don’t know how but I remember talking to Sam first, probably because he was in my year and we had mutual friends. And I knew Kiddy (ex guitarist) from playing football with him before and again having mutual friends. I honestly cant’ remember how I met Tom properly (sorry Tom!) but my first memory of him was playing at a school gig and he was soloing like a motherf**ker on his knees at the front of the stage. Then he threw his pic into the crowd.

What kind of gear do you use? I use Pearl Export drums, Remo Emperor heads, Zildjian and Istanbul cymbals, Tama Iron Cobra double bass pedal and Pro Mark 2B sticks; real men’s sticks haha!

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? Probably something like Slipknot’s self titled. I grew up on the nu-metal scene (and proud of it!) I remember seeing them on TV and thinking "holy s**t these guys are amazing!" I’d never heard anything like it. I wanted to make as much noise as these guys. Joey Jordison was a massive influence and still is to me. Then when I eventually did join Smokescreen, they introduced me to heavier stuff which they played like Pantera, Metallica, Slayer, Rage Against the Machine etc etc.

What was the last album you bought? Testament – "The Formation of Damnation" (MI: good choice!). It’s a hell of a good album! I got home about six o’clock tonight, and haven’t stopped listening to it. I’m on my sixth listen through already, it’s that f**king good!! Will probably take me a while to change to something else. All these old thrash bands who are still making albums today are sounding so good, especially with the production techniques used, it makes it sound so much heavy than they did in the 80s when the whole scene came out. Exodus’ "Atrocity Exhibition" is next on my list!

What do you think of downloading music? I used to be dead against it and would never download anything and would give anyone a stern look if they said they downloaded an album. Recently I’ve changed my mind because that and file sharing is very useful, you’ve got to move with the times. Myspace especially has done a hell of a lot for the industry as a whole. I don’t technically download music even now, I just ‘borrow’ some files off someone, but it’s all good, it means I can check them out, give them a listen through and decide if I like them and then I will buy the album in most cases and go see them when they next tour.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? My mum. Overcoming cancer and always being there for me and passing on little nuggets of priceless information on life. She has worked in the industry as well in her time and has worked with some pretty amazing people and has some stories to tell. And my dad of course for always supporting me and anything I do.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? It sounds a bit cliché but probably Lars Ulrich. Just to see what it’d be like sat behind the drum kit behind a stadium full of people rocking the f**k out to some of the greatest metal songs ever written. And to see what he does with all that money!!

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Working in the industry. Music is my life and I want to be surrounded by it in anything and everything I do.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? I reckon the Bay Area in San Francisco. I mentioned it before but Exodus and Testament have released some amazing albums lately. Machine Head as well with "The Blackening" last year, one of the best metal albums for a long time, possibly the "Master of Puppets" of our generation. However England is producing some good sounding s**t too, Speed Theory, Panic Cell… us? Haha!

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? Sweet! Any day! I have such a sweet tooth it’s unreal. I probably wont have any teeth left in a few years.

What’s your favourite movie? City of God. Or 300. Or Blood Diamond. Or Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It’s too hard! Next question!

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? Was a local thing in Brighton called Comm:unity for my housemate’s birthday. There was this awesome ska/experimental band called Bad Science who were so so good! They really impressed me, I might actually go see them again next week.

What do you have lined up next? I was supposed to be going to see Skindred on Friday but we’re playing a showcase gig to Monster Energy drink instead in Newbury which was set up by our management, so I can’t. Skindred are one of my favourite bands and they are amazing live, please noone tell me how good they were because I’m gutted I’m missing it! Then Bruce Springsteen on Saturday in London (no hate mail please), then 36 Crazyfists, Iron Maiden, Reading Festival and Clutch through the summer.

Band wise, this show case gig on Friday, then more writing and more touring throughout the next few months to get out some new s**t. I’m looking forward to Dragun Festival in July, gonna be a day full of metal with a bunch of cool a*s bands to rock out with. Plus a burlesque act a couple of slots before us which I can’t wait for! Check out our Myspace page for links for tickets for that one. (MI: Yeah get yourselves along people!)

And finally...

Why should people check out your band? People should check us out because we’re helping flying the flag for British metal which people don’t seem to care as much about (MI: excuse me?!). And also cos we love the good times and to share some brews, so come down to one of our gigs and share one with us!

Mental Interrogation with Erick A. Green of Inbryo

Who: Erick A. Green, drummer and manager of Inbryo.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/inbryo

How long have you been playing together? Well, the line up you see right now which is Ivan (guitars), Erick (drums-vocals), Johnny (vocals), Efren (bass), Geovanni (guitars) has been together for just about 4 years.

How did you meet? Well the majority of the band knew each other from high school, except for me, we found each other over the internet when they were searching for a new drummer, they contact me via e-mail, then we decide to meet at a mall in Arlington, TX, right after that we went to the practice space and the connection was instant, we know what we wanted on music, writing etc.. I knew this was the band I was looking for and they knew I was the drummer they had been looking for too, I will never forget that.

What kind of gear do you use? Well let’s see:
Johnny : Shure mics.

Geovanni : SCHECTER Guitars, Crate amps and cabs, Ernie ball strings, Shure wireless set, Krogh tuners BBE Sonic maximizer.

Ivan : ESP & LTD guitars, Mesa Amps and Cabs, Digitech, Boss, D Dario strings, Shure & Behringer wireless set, Krogh tuners BBE Sonic maximizer.

Efren : Ibanez, Yamaha & ESP Bass guitars, Peavey Amps, SWR cabs, Sennheiser wireless set, Krogh tuners BBE Sonic maximizer.

Erick : DW pacific Drums, Iron cobra Pedals & Hit Hat, Zildjian Z Custom Cymbals, Gibraltar hardware, Pearl Rack, Vic Firth Sticks, Shure wireless head set microphone.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? Actually there are a couple but I can say the most impacting was the black album from Metallica (MI: their self titled album)..

What was the last album you bought? “Sworn To A Great Divide” from Soilwork.

What do you think of downloading music? I don’t think it's that much of an issue it's free promotion for bands, yeah it hurts a little bit on your sales, but hey you are not paying for distrubution and promotions when someone downloads your music and show it you their friends for free you know. Besides I know there are a lot of people like me out there that, yeah we know that we can download the music, but you don’t get the album cover, the artwork, a good quality CD.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? Joey Jordison, drummer from Slipknot, Chris Alder, drummer from Lamb Of God, Andy "Andols" Herrick, drummer from Chimaira. I can say this are my major influences and inspirations on my drumming.


If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? Joey Jordison, because he is my number one inspiration as a drummer, the band Slipknot is my major inspiration as a musician and because I know a couple of their songs on drums by heart.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? Something relate to music, art, drawing comics, I think something to that stent, besides my ordinary boring job!

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? Always will come from Sweden no doubt about that the have a mystic magic for metal over there, I mean look, Soilwork, In Flames, Meshuggah, etc… Do I need to say more? (MI: I think we get the picture)

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savory or sweet? Sweet always, because there is not such a thing as too sweet.

What’s your favorite movie? Transformers, tops every movie ever made!

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? The Family Values Tour here in Dallas, TX. I actually had the chance to go backstage because of a friend, I actually had the chance to meet the guys from Trivium, Fieldy from Korn, and got to check out the crowd from the stage when Atreyu were playing and when Flyleaf were playing too, it's cool to see over 5 000 people screaming in front of you, bad a*s experience!

What do you have lined up next? Well we are working on the writing of the new CD which is going to be call, “Distorted Liberties” and I think we are going to start self producing the CD in about 2 or 3 weeks. We are expecting to have the CD ready for the fall! As far as shows, we've got one coming up next week in Kilgore, TX at the Side Pocket Lounge, this is a fan fair where we get to distrubute, promote and play a show for all audiences. The show has been announced on MTV, VH1 & SPIKE TV, so if you are local please come and check it out! We will be playing Saturday May 24, 2008 and we are going on stage around 6pm, but the show starts earlier than that…. So be there!! (MI: Yeah make sure you get yourselves along!)

And finally...

Why should people check out your band? We are the most devastating hardcore metal of our region! An entire new breed of metal, a band with an innovative style that sets them apart from the average.

Combine five different backgrounds, five different live styles, five different minds, influenced by a wide variety of music styles. Johnny Franklin on vocals, Efren Mendoza on bass, Erick Green on drums, Geovanni Munoz and Ivan Soto on guitars and you get Inbyro! A new band that’s crossing over any traditional Texas metal music, fast, powerful, brutal, dynamic, violent thrash riffs, unique percussion, pummeling bass playing and an impressive on-stage performance that creates a blend that is hard to miss!