-Interview- Take Over Soldiers (9/27/12)

Take Over Soldiers
Genre: Progressive hardcore
From: Clarion, PA
Facebook Page




1. You guys recently released the single “Hometown Anthem”. How has the response been thus far?

So far, the response has been for the positive. We wrote it in hopes that the listeners would hear the song and feel the message which they can relate to in their own lives. No matter what you do people are going to tear it apart, and try to tear you down. We wanted to let everyone know with this single, that we will look through negativity and find positivity in anything, but at the same time no one is perfect.


2. The “The Opening of a Mind” EP is being recorded in Nov. What can we expect from it? Who’s producing it? How many tracks can we expect?

With our debut EP you can expect a dark, angrier vibe than anything we have done before, yet the melody always finds a way in. The whole concept behind the EP is to see through the corruption of our Modern Society, develop a higher understanding, and know that it is not hopeless. Brette Ciamarra, of Studio 344, will be producing our EP, and the EP we be 4 tracks all together.


3. What can people expect from your live show? Any crazy show stories?

Expect us to be friendly, and talk to anyone. We love to meet new people, and we love when people talk to us. Expect TOS to bring the heavy and throw down, but also be as friendly as possible. We love people supporting the scene, and do not hold our heads above anyone else, period.


4. What’s the music scene like there in PA?

Honestly there are some sick shows that go on, in random areas. Clarion has no music scene at all, but Pittsburgh still keeps a scene alive. TOS is still relatively new to shows, so we still have to experience a lot of PA for ourselves yet.


5. What’s your favorite track to perform? What’s the favorite crowd track?

I think I speak for all of us when I say, “Maid To Get Paid”. This is the last track off our EP.


6. What’s your take on the whole hardcorecore scene in general?

Today it seems like there aren’t really any genre specific shows around. Regardless of the band, we get together and do what we love. A show is a show, and the bands we’ve shared the stage with bring a great vibe to every venue. So the scene is good.


7. Who are three bands you’d love to tour with?

It is tough to narrow things down to just three bands. The Ghost Inside, Counterparts, and Volumes are all great musicians and have a great message.


8. What’s your take on illegal/legal music downloading?

We understand it hurts bands or what not, but literally everyone does it. It’s like a virus, millions are affected but it can’t be cured lol.


9. What are you currently listening to?

Currently its a lot of Counterparts, Barrier, We the Gathered, and of course dub step.


10. What’s next for Take Over Soldiers?

Our upcoming EP, merch, and shows are what were most focused on right now. It’s all about the music and connecting to your listeners, so that’s what were goin to do.


11. Any shoutouts?

All our fans and friends that support us and our message. Shout out to Irikanji and Burn False Idols for being great homies and always having good times when we play.

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-Interview- Dear Karma (9/26/12)

Dear Karma
www.facebook.com/dearkarmaband
From: Little Rock, AR
Sounds like: Alternative metal




1. How did you guys get together and form? Who thought of the name “Dear Karma” and is there any meaning behind it?

The idea of the band was formed by the singer, lead guitarist and ex-bassist after jamming in their college dorm room. Soon after some searching for other members, they were contacted by singer/guitarist and drummer who were looking to complete their lineup. The five soon met up and after writing a song in one practice and decided to make things final. As time went on the band went through lineup changes, and recruited the current bassist and rhythm guitarist. The name came from a saying that is a takeoff of “oh cruel irony” which became “oh dear karma”. The meaning is stating something is ironic, the band decided to drop the “oh” feeling it was more powerful without it.


2. You guys shot a video last year for the track “Counterfeits And Clockwork”. How did the video shoot go and who directed it?

Honestly the shoot was a little chaotic. It was mostly that everybody on screen was new to serious filming. It was directed by my friend Thad Hickman and in return, I directed a music video for his band. Found Fearless – "Dreams Nails Scars".


3. How would you describe your live show? Any crazy show stories?

In a word “powerful”, each member of the band pours out their heart and soul on the stage, or in the lead guitarist words they are “venting.” The best story the band has to tell is when we had to play with a popular local band by the name of The Front Line. The venue was at a movie theater, where one of the theater rooms had been cleared out and a small stage was in place where the movie screen used to be. The event that we were playing featured many other artists, from all different kinds of genres so the room was packed. We were the 4th band to play, by the time the band before us was on stage the crowd was growing impatient with many complaints and lack of interest in the acts they had just seen. As the band was getting tuned a man came to the back stage area and demanded to know who was next. We responded and he asked us what kind of band we were and we simply answered “metal.” The man shook his head and then began to tell us that the crowd was bored and how he couldn’t hear any of the previous acts. “If yall are a metal band then I want to hear fuckin’ metal from the very first note”! He then did a rundown of our equipment and told us where to place our volume on all of our amps and sent us out with big expectations. Once the band began to play, the crowd exploded. We were the first to be heard all day, and the people loved the music. The greatest thing was that the band only knew about three of the people present, this was the first time this crowd had ever heard us. We were so loud that the venue actually had to shut us down half-way through our last song because we were the first band to be heard through the doors of the theater room we were playing.


4. Are you working on any new material? If so, when can we see a release?

What you call new we call old. We hope to have a full album by the end of the year. We have total of 18 songs 12 of which we hope to on our first album.


5. What is the music scene like in Arkansas?

The music scene is disjointed. Some bands support each other, many hate each other. The fans of bands are rarely loyal. Shows are hit and miss, making promotion through the internet the difference between life and death for a band. There are the rare shows where there is a great turn out but most shows top out at about 20 people on a good night.


6. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?

We are a metal band, however the word metal is the only common thing about our band. We fuse many different sounds together, which include blues leads, pop rhythms, jazz bass lines, thrash drums, and choral vocals.


7. What’s your favorite track to play live? What’s the favorite crowd track?

For the band, the song “The Face”, and for the crowd “Amber”.


8. Can we see another video shoot soon? If so, which track would it be for?

We will have to wait till the album tracks are done, but once that happens we hope to make a video to the track “The Face”.


9. What are you currently listening to?

All members are current listening their own influences in their own genre.


10. What’s next for Dear Karma?

To finish their upcoming album, and following up on many great contacts and lends that we have picked. One lead that comes from New York, that has the potential to propel the band up and out of Arkansas.


11. Any shoutouts?

We would like to give shoutouts to Matt Asher for recording us, our bros from, (Found Fearless, Mismanage, This Chaos Inside, Every Knee Shall Bow) and to everyone who has supported us!!

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-Review- Evil Twin Sister - Hello World EP (9/22/12)

Evil Twin Sister
Genre: Rock
From: Waukegan, IL
Facebook Page



1. Numbers
2. Forks & Knives
3. Alone
4. King Of The World
5. Evil Twin Sister

DOWNLOAD here

The opening track "Numbers" kicks things off with a modern rock vibe to it. The vocals have a very Snapcase/Grade/Rival Schools influence to it. The guitar solo is great midway through the track. "Forks & Knives" bring to mind more of a modern punk rock sound. The track is solid and the chorus shines bright on the track. "Alone" begins with a driving bass line, fast drums and kicks into an almost Kane Hodder type sound. The track has different elements that the band pits together naturally. "King Of The World" keeps the EP going like a semi-truck cruising down the freeway. The track is comparable to Mewithoutyou in its instrumentation and vocals. The closing track "Evil Twin Sister" sticks with the formula of the previous tracks. With this only being a 5 track EP and clocking in at under 15 minutes, we can't wait to hear more material from Evil Twin Sister!

Verdict:
Evil Twin Sister combines different influences of rock into their own style. From punk and grunge to metal and modern rock, these boys know how to make rock music theirs. Check them out if you're into any kind of rock music.

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-Interview- The Archivist (9/16/12)

The Archivist
www.facebook.com/thearchivistofficial
From: Brisbane, Australia
Sounds like: Progressive death metal




1. You guys are a fairly young band in forming last year. What have you learned in the past year and what have responses been thus far to your “The Archivist” EP?

The responses to our EP so far have been great! People really seem to be enjoying the variety in our songs, particularly “The Clarity Process.” As far as what we’ve learned, probably the biggest thing has been how to be more professional as a band, and treat it like a business. Not that we were ever just a casual band, but we have learned how to push our band in more of a business sense.


2. You guys have played shows with acts such as Veil Of Maya, Circles and Buried In Verona to name a few. Any crazy show stories?

Not too many crazy stories actually. I (Grant) remember tripping on stage the night we supported BIV. It wasn’t a devastating trip, but more like a trip that you do walking down the street and to hide the fact that you’ve tripped , you go into a brief jog…. Which is exactly what happened haha. Our VOM show was amazing though as they are one of our favorite bands, and to support them was an honor. They were all super nice and chill dudes aswell which was great.


3. The brand new shirt design is awesome, who came up with it and what was the inspiration behind it?

Thanks man! It was designed by a guy called Toni Midi who is an awesome artist that we found on Mintees.com. The shirt design was originally supposed to be a lyrical interpretation of a song of ours, “In The Peripheral; Part I”, but it changed slightly during the process. So whilst it is loosely based on the lyrics of the song, it’s not a word for word interpretation. But we are very happy with it!


4. How’s the full length coming? When can we see a release?

We are a little over 75% through the writing and structuring process, and have about three songs to go. Once we are finished though, we are going to go back through the songs and see if anything needs tweaking or some more layers added. We don’t have a release date yet, but we are hoping for the middle of 2013.


5. You guys have some shows coming up next month (October), what are you looking forward to the most?

Definitely Bastardfest is our biggest focus right now. We are playing with so many good bands, and to support Psycroptic will be an amazing achievement for us. They are a favourite band of ours and have had a big influence on a few of the members of the band.


6. What’s the music scene both locally and nationally like there in Australia?

The Brisbane scene is actually pretty awesome if you talk about the caliber of the bands. Bands such as The Schoenberg Automaton, Aversions Crown and Signal the Firing Squad are huge in their respective genres around Australia. Nationally the scene is looking bright also, but wherever you go you seem to run into the same problem of venues shutting down. A lot of heavy music venues across Australia have been closing down, and in Brisbane alone, we’ve lost at least five in the past year. So the scene is getting better musically, but less and less venues are getting behind it.


7. What’s your stance on illegal/legal music downloading?

That topic is kind of a double-edged sword I think. Because on one hand we really want as many people to hear our music as possible, which is why we made our EP “pay what you like.” But on the other hand, to be in a band or run any business you need to make money, or at least break even, and with illegal downloads it makes it quite hard. What I think a good solution to the problem would be is if people download an album, and they don’t like it, then just delete or don’t buy it. But if you like the album, or the band and want to support them, then buy it. Because at least that way the band you like will have enough money to go on tour and record new music. Genius idea I know! Haha.


8. What’s your favorite track to perform live? What’s the crowds favorite track?

I think we all have our own personal favourites to perform, but I know that two of them that we all enjoy are “In The Peripheral; Part II” and “The Clarity Process”. “The Peripheral; Part II” because it’s fast and aggressive, and “The Clarity Process” because it has so many different elements and sections to it. The crowd favourites would probably be “The Clarity Process”, “Sanctuary” and “The Fall”.


9. What are you currently listening to?

The Contortionist, Cloudkicker, Spawn of Possession, Cattle Decapitation, The Faceless, and Joe has been smashing the new Nile album.


10. What’s next for The Archivist?

First things first we have Bastardfest and are preparing for that. But after that we are looking to organize a Sydney and Melbourne tour and continue to write for the album.


11. Any shoutouts?

The Schoenberg Automaton, Down Royale, Humality, Aversion Crown, Brazen Bull and Signal the Firing Squad.

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-Interview- Capture The Rapture (9/15/12)

Capture The Rapture
www.facebook.com/pages/Capture-the-Rapture/173978812651922
From: Gainesville, FL
Sounds like: Indie Rock




1. You guys are just finishing up some new tracks. How are they coming along and when can we see a release?

September. We recorded all the songs on the “War Stories EP” about 8 months after forming, but decided to go back and have Carl Saff, in Chicago, remaster them all.


2. How would you describe your music to the average listener? How did the name “Capture The Rapture” come about?

We have been working on trying to nail that down...the best we can come up with is melodic garage rock. We can get heavy, there are definitely moments of pop, but sometimes our songs take us in unexpected directions, such as the Arabian Camel Jumping influences on Chrissy’s song, “Disguised as Sunsets”. Capture the Rapture has its roots in Becky tripping out on Nostradamus. We all liked the name, it is memorable, we hope our shows capture a moment of rapture; it plays on religious imagery and end of days themes as well.


3. With only forming a year and a half ago, what’s your goals in the next year?

We look forward to recording a complete album this year. We have plenty of new material that showcases the effort and growth we have experienced as a band. Touring behind the album, seeing new places, meeting new people, couch surfing, finding new thrift stores and whole food outlets along the way. We are applying to lots of Music Festivals next year and looking to play for larger crowds. We would love to finish the year off by playing out of the country. Also keep your eyes peeled for our new fashion line, Rapture Wear We decided that clothing and perfume are the best way to promote the band. It just makes sense.


4. What can people expect from your live show?

Laser Lights, Projection Design, Awkward Banter with the crowd, Dustin covered in sweat, Alexa practicing her moves like Jagger, Chrissy trying to keep her clothes on, and Becky asking her Pendulum if she is going to win the Publisher Clearing House Sweepstakes between songs.


5. How is the music scene there in FL?

Gainesville is eclectic. There are so many musicians, so many styles. We have played shows with electronica acts as well as hardcore punk, so you never know what you are going to get. The shows start late, and the line-ups are random.


6. What are you currently listening to?

Becky is rocking out hard to “The Power of Intentions” (self-help CD). Dustin headbangs to High on Fire and Pentagram, as well as secretly cries to Tegan and Sara while hiding in his closet. Alexa has been digging AWOL Nation, and Middle Class Rut lately, but some enduring favorites are old Modest Mouse, Jane’s Addiction and Pink Floyd. Chrissy loves to listen to a variety of sounds ranging from Billie Holiday and Johnny Cash, to Joan Jett & Kathleen Hanna, ending with some 2 Pac, and Notorious B.I.G. She knows it’s going to be a good day and she’s on the right track when a Madonna song comes on the radio.


7. What’s your take on illegal/legal music downloading?

Please download us legally or illegally.


8. You guys mentioned about shooting a video. Any word on what track and when we could see a release?

“Bitch Slap” is first up for the video treatment. In reality, it will take us until December of this year to get it done.


9. What’s your take on the current state of indie rock?

I like turtles!


10. What’s next for Capture The Rapture?

We are working on finishing some more intricate new songs, adding some electronica elements. Making a couple of videos and, of course, playing out often. Writing a concept album perhaps.


11. Any shoutouts?

Madonna, John Stamos, Cliff Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, Aaron Behrins (Ghostland Observatory) because Alexa would either like to be him or make passionate love to him. For real though, our Friends, Families and Lovers, as well as everyone that is into the band.

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-Interview- Neil To Aldrin (9/14/12)

Neil To Aldrin
www.facebook.com/pages/Neil-To-Aldrin/261007600583147
From: Vidor, TX
Sounds like: Melodic Metalcore




1. How did Neil To Aldrin get together and form? What’s the meaning behind the name and who thought of it?

Andrew, Jess, and I went to school together and shared a love for music. Josh came in way later on, but we're grateful to have the oppertunity to work with such a wonderful musician. I (Jay) came up with the band name. I thought of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men to ever set foot on the moon. They achieved something the world thought was impossible through hard work and dedication, and we wanted to recreate a similar story through our passion for music.


2. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?

Lots of harmonizing riffs, in-your-face drums, busy bass lines, and a mixture of clean/heavy vox.


3. How would you describe your live show?

Intense. We give 110% on stage. It'd be an insult for any perfomer to give any less.


4. What’s your favorite track to perform live? Favorite crowd track?

Everyone in the band differs on their favorite song to play, but we always get alot of positive feedback from the crowd on "Goodnight, Seattle", which is great because that song means alot to me, personally.


5. What’s your view on the current state of metalcore?

Very much alive. I believe that heavy music, in general, comes in waves. It's big in one generation, people lose interest, and now metal is almost as big as it was back in the 80's!


6. The artwork for the “From Ashes We Rose” EP is unique. Who came up with the design and what was the inspiration behind it?

Jay came up with the album art a while back. The children holding hands represent a bond that can't be broken. The long road that stretches towards the horizon represents a long journey full of tribulation that they will have to overcome in order to find where they feel they belong. The whole concept represents the band in some way.


7. What’s your view on illegal/legal music downloading?

Telling people not to download is like telling them not to breathe these days, it's crippling the music industry immensly, causing bands to tour more often to make a living due to the major decrease in hard copy sales. But we can't stop it. Downloading has become a part of this generation whether we like it or not.


8. What are you guys currently listening to?

Andrew - All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, Upon A Burning Body
Jess - Old Suicide Silence, Caliban, Memphis May Fire
Josh - Rihanna.. Usher..
Jay - New As I Lay Dying, Pierce The Veil, and Memphis May Fire as well.


9. What’s next for Neil To Aldrin?

We've actually already started writing the next record, and are aiming for a full length album. We have quite a bit of material written for this one already, it is definitely something that will catch anyone who knows NTA off guard. It's going to show a much more mature, angry side of the band. Instead of writing what we think people want to hear, we just started writing for ourselves. The newest member of the band, Josh, has contributed alot of this material so far.


10. Any shoutouts?

We want to say a HUGE thanks to Louis Moore at Elgin Audio for bringing the EP together, and Benjamin English (Invent, Animate) for performing guest vox on the record. Thank you to Jay and Jess' parents and Jason and Joyce Andrews for their efforts in helping us in the many ways that they have. Thank you to the friends, family, and fans for getting us to where we are today, you're support does not go unappreciated. I can't speak for everybody in the band, but I personally want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for blessing me with this passion for music and the oppertunity to play with such talented musicians. We'd also like to make a shoutout to anyone who's ever doubted us. Thank you for giving us an opinion to prove wrong. P.S. Yo, Tio Joker.. We did it.

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-Interview- Dismantling The Silence (9/9/12)

Dismantling The Silence
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dismantling-The-Silence/126129674119925
From: Motley, MN
Sounds like: Metalcore




1. You guys recently played with Attack Attack, We Came As Romans and City Of The Weak. How did it go?

The show went very well. There must’ve been 1,000+ people there, it was crazy. A couple of us had gotten the chance to walk around Milwaukee before the event and it is an absolutely gorgeous city... lots of beer, haha. I think one of us missed the exit for Milwaukee and almost ended up in Chicago.. but that’s a whole other story, haha. All in all we had a great time performing and watching some of the bands that we look up to.


2. What can people expect from your new single “#ProveIt”?

I would like to clear something up about the song since we are on the subject of it. In May we had said we would release the song this summer. Unfortunately it is being delayed a litttle due to the way we are writing this song. We are writing “#proveit” in a different style then we have ever written any of our music before. I will say that a 40 second preview of the song will be released in the coming weeks. As for what you can expect in the song itself would be more of an “in you face” style. Quite a contrast from “The Murder of Ali Mae”.


3. How would you describe Dismantling The Silence’s style of music?

I would describe it as just straight up metalcore. We really like that style of music, we find it very likeable and fun to play.


4. Any crazy show stories?

The craziest thing that’s probably ever happened at one of our shows was on December 31st, 2011. We were playing a new years party and our now guitarist Christopher wasn’t in the band at the time. In fact, I think it was the first time he’d ever seen us. Anyway, he was at the show and ended up straining a ligament in his ankle rocking out to us haha. That’s how we started to talking to him and got to know him and he eventually became part of Dismantling the Silence a couple months later.


5. When can we expect an album/EP?

We have a “game plan” for the future of DTS. The projected release date for a lengthy CD from us is late spring/early summer 2013. Hence the Summer 2013 tour. That is obviosuly a very long time to wait, but I assure you there will be other smaller releases from us between now and then.


6. How did the name “Dismantling The Silence” come about?

The name stems from a poem written by Charles Simic.


7. What’s your thoughts on the metalcore music scene in general?

I think it’s strongest point was the 2007-2010 era with releases like Attacks Attacks self titled album and The Word Alives Deceiver album. I feel it died down in 2011, but it is now picking back up with releases like Miss May I’s At Heart album, For All Those Sleepings Outspoken album and Everyone Dies In Utahs Polarities album.


8. What’s your take on illegal/legal music downloading?

As an artist I would complimented if someone were to take that much time and risk to illegally download our music. Buying/downloading it legitamately is obviously a more respectable way to go about it but some people just don’t have the means to do that. If you have the means to buy music you like then you should.


9. What are you currently listening to?

Dilan - Close To Home

Christopher - For All Those Sleeping

Griffin - Northland

Joe - Woe Is Me

John - After the Burial


10. What’s next for Dismantling The Silence?

I don’t wait to say too much haha but after “#proveit” is released there will be another release in early 2013.


11. Any shoutouts?

Anyone taking the time to come to a show, read this or listen to our music.

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