Apocryfal Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We founded the band in 2009 and the line-up hasn't changed since PV joined the band in 2010. We have published two records and there is definitely more coming.
A specific genre is hard to define but we have been calling it assaulting death metal, and any fan on death metal in general should definitely give it a try.


2.So far you have released new ep's, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings?

We have never intentionally tried to create any specific type of music, the style has mostly developed on its own. Ravens was definitely more straight forward, brutal and fast and has a more old-school sound.
Aberration of Mind on the other hand has more of a blackened death sound with a little more variety and more complex compositions, although the original face smashing mentality is still present.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

On "Ravens" MCD, lyrics revolved more around death and those who have been part of it. It’s a furious celebration of a certain doom, which we are all binded to.
PV does our lyrics and his main inspiration for the lyrics are religious texts. Non-fictional books have a big role in the process as well. Subjects are chewed through and gullible interpretations of subjects are avoided.

The Aberration of Mind EP's lyrics revolve around subjects of beliefs. Themes consider religion and problems around them. The album starts with a verse from Book of Lamentations sung in Finnish. Contra tells you a war story, which is justified by peoples trust in their own Truth. Mother of all revolves around Lilith based on Judeo-Christian scriptures.
Some apocryphal texts suggest that Lilith was also a wife of Adam, hence the name - Mother of All. We didn’t want to make a traditional text about worshiping the demon. We rather wanted to implant the frenzy of a fanatic believer into the text. The title track tells you a story about a man, who really wants to believe but cannot find the Truth, even that he knows what he is supposed to search. Its a tale of growth in a sense, and you can also see this as a story about a man who's faith is fading. The last track, A Theist, sums the album up and its a very essential part of the album lyric-wise.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Apocryfal'?

It comes from the word "apocryphal", meaning "Of questionable authorship or authenticity". I spotted the word in high school and it both sounded like a great name for a band and also kind of reflected my views of religion.


5.What are some of the best shows that the band ha splayed so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

The best show we have played was without a doubt at Steelfest Open air 2014. We got the chance to play there by winning a demo competition and had the honor of opening the second day for such bands as Vader and Primordial.

Stage performance-wise, we just go with the feeling. We don't plan our performance and rather just focus on playing, doing whatever anyone feels at the moment.
We have been described as energetic, and we mostly try to have a great time playing and reflect the passion to the audience.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

There are a few shows coming up in the spring, the dates should be confirmed soon.


7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yes, we are looking for a label. There has been some discussion with some small publishers, but so far nothing conclusive has been achieved.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?

We have received generally good reviews everywhere, rating mostly 4/5 or so. Some people have also ordered our merchandise abroad and we have got mostly positive feedback.


9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Bassist JV is working with his solo project and drummer JS also plays in Prayed And Betrayed on the side.


10.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We are working on new material for a full length album. When it will be released is a more difficult question. Creating the songs is the easier part, but there is of course the financial side. We have no interest in half-assing the album and raising the money that it requires to make a good sounding album is going to take some time. To give a rough estimate, it is probably going to happen in 2016.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Our music is a mix of various metal genres. There are too many influencing bands to name and our musical tastes vary quite heavily, but the greatest inspirations have come from death metal, both old and new, with some tastes of black and thrash metal.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I personally study IT in the university and a great chunk of my free time spires around various topics in the industry.
Other members' interests vary from fishing to literature.


13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

I'd like to thank everyone who read this, you are the power that keeps real extreme metal scene alive.
If you got interested, our music can be downloaded for free at http://apocryfal.bandcamp.com/ and there is some merchandise for sale if you want to support us.

Gorelust Interview

QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY JEAN BEAULIEU - VOCALS



1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

Since the recording of the album WE ARE THE UNDEAD we finally took a break from the production process. The music writing began in April 2013. We recorded the album in the summer 2014. So it has been a long stretch. It was kind of complicated since we all lives apart and far from each others. From 6 to 14 hours drive-boat…We all have our lives , jobs and families so planning and doing  everything was not an easy task. We had not been together since 1996.


2.You have your new album coming out in February, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The goal of doing this was to keep the 90’s underground spirit and we believe that we succeeded. Presently, most of the bands that claims to be old- school mostly use triggers, samples and modern productions tricks. Sure they got the blast beats but how really old-school they are? I mean, it is ok, it’s cool, but for us our goal was really to return back to a old-school-underground production. You like it or not. We are not trying to change the Gorelust sound. We did the follow-up to Reign of Lunacy but 20 years later. So it goes in the same direction than the 1995 album. The songs are a little more thrash-influenced. But it is still death metal with shocking lyrics.


3.The band was broken up for 16 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision the reform?

We got to remember that the band splitted in 1996. We were very young and we were building our lives, our futures. So i quit the band to go study sound enginneering in Montreal. 5-6 hours drive from Rimouski. The band quit a few months after my departure. There was also the fact that back in the days, internet was not yet established in everyone’s lives. We were a french speaking band in a isolated little town.  It was not an easy task to get your band name out there. We did a lot of gigs with big major bands and we did an album that got distributed in the international metal underground. For us, only that, was quite a accomplishment.

We decided to reform because of our passion to do music together. To do this second album that we were planning in 1996 but never got the chance to do. Seeing support on the internet was also a great motivation to do it. This is the real reasons. The passion for death metal music and our love and respect for the Gorelust’s fans.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

I wrote all the lyrics myself. These are coming straight from my mind. I did them the same way i did Reign of Lunacy. They are horror stories. Violent and shocking. I’m not writing to do social or political statements. I’m wrote them in the 90’s death metal horror themes vein. Some peoples think that they are anti-christian lyrics. Which is false. I respect everyone’s beliefs.

Every time i talk against some religions it is against their abuse of power. Or some priests sexual crimes. Like in « Rape the rapist ».   These have different meanings. And most of the titles can be interpreted differently. I mean the titles suggest something but the texts are about something else. Kind of tricky to interpret. The song « Decapitate the holy whore » is not about chopping the head of Mary Magdalene. Hehehe.. It is about revolting against an abusive religion. The holy whore in this case is actually the religion organization itself.

I must confess that in the Reign of Lunacy period there was some reference to satan and devilish stuff. But i wrote them at 17 years old. Did not understood everything and was listening to too much Deicide ! hahaha…


5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gorelust'?

Oooh.. Back in 92-93 the first idea was to call the band Bloodlust. But finally the guys found out that it was already used. So the gutiarist, Jeff olivier, found the name Gorelust. The goal in those days was the find a violent catchy name. Even today i still think that this is a great classic death metal band name.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Last time we played on a stage was in 1996. So it has been quite a while. Gorelust’s performances were known to be energetic and brutal. The guys are great musicians really. We did a lot of cool shows. The band played with Cannibal Corpse during the Tomb of the mutilated tour. With Deicide during Once upon the cross era. A few gigs with Gorguts – Erosion of sanity.  With Cryptopsy – None so vile and a few also with Suffocation – Pierced from within. Among many others, Dying Fetus, Malevolent Creation… Many great shows !

7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?

There is no touring plans. Maybe a show in Rimouski our hometown. Maybe Montreal. But even this is not sure… We will see how it goes…




8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your reunion by fans of death metal?

Gorelust is an underground band. We have a pretty cool following and peoples who know the band were really cool and happy about it. The facebook page is getting a lot of new « likes ». This is so great. All this would have seemed completely impossible a few years back. Man…i still can believe it. I had not talked to the guitarist for something like 12 years. Even the Pascal (bass) and Francis (bass). I saw them like maybe 1 time in 10 years. For my voice, when i began doing the demos for the new songs. It was my first time doing vocals since 1996. This is crazy !!


9.Are any of the band members also involved with any other musical projects or bands these days?

Oh yeah… Except for me, the others Gorelust’s members have played in many bands in the past years. Presently there is Francis (drums) who is playing in Spirit of Rebellion. A band from our hometown of Rimouski. He is also playing in a Ozzy-Sabbath tribute band with Martin (guitarist).

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We don’t know if we will do another album. If we do it, we will do it in the Gorelust style. Again. This is who we are. We play death metal. I don’t even call it brutal death metal. I don’t like all this categorizations. For us it is just « death metal ».

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

For Gorelust’s is obvious that we took our influences in the early death metal scene. We came just a few years after the birth of it. In 1992, 1993. Death metal was in his early stages. We came from this period. There is also a lot of thrash influences, the old Forbidden, Exodus… As for our musical tastes is range really wide. From rock to extreme music. Just don’t try to made me listen to techno music or others drums looped electronic stuff.. Not for me.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Got a lot of interests in movies, international movies. Can’t live without nice food and great wine. Trying stuff.  And travelling is also one of my favourite thing. I plan to return to Europe soon…

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I want to thank you for your interest in the band and your support. This is a true underground band and we love every fans and really appreciate all support. All the new « likes » on Facebook means a lot to us. Making an album 20 years later was quite a ride and it is so great to see younger peoples who understand and appreciate it. This is death metal in his purest form. In the early 90’s vein. Raw production and sound, horror themes, true dedication to this style. Keep it brutal, Keep it real.
Jean Beaulieu
I

Kevlar Skin/Transmigrator/Eclectic Productions/2014 CD Review

  Kevlar  Skin  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  brutal  and  technical  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Transmigrator"  which  was  released  by  Eclectic  Productions.

   Movie  samples  which  also  appear  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  as  well  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  direction  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  sound  as  well  as  a  great  amount  of  growls  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  to  speed  up  a  bit  and  brings  in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats.

  The  songs  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  with  the  faster  sections  bringing  in  elements  of  grindcore  and  at  times  the  vocals  get  more  guttural  while  the  focus  is  more  on  a  traditional  style  of  death  metal  growls  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  brings  into  the  music  are  very  melodic  and  technical  sounding  while  still  able  to  compete  with  the  bands  brutal  musical  style  and  on  some  of  the  tracks  the  rhythm  guitars  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  the  bass  guitars  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  leads  at  times.  

  Kevlar  Skin  plays  a  style  of  death  metal t hat  is  very  brutal  and  technical  sounding  and  also  brings  in  the  speed  of  grindcore  and  the  album  is  brutal  from  beginning  to  end  and  there  is  never  a  soft  or  weak  moment  to  be  heard  anywhere  on  the  album,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Genetic  Engineering,  Altered  States  Of  Mind  and  Death  Themes.

  In  my  opinion  Kevlar  Skin  are  a  very  great  sounding  brutal  and  technical  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Dawn  Of  A  Nation" "Self  Proclaimed  God"  "Voluntary  Extinction"  and  "Rebirth  From  Collapse".  8  out  of  10.

  

Cyhyraeth/Servant To The Fire/2014 CD Review

  Cyhyraeth  are  a  band  from  Texas  that  plays  a  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  album  "Servant  To  the  Fire".

  A  very  hard  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  along  with  some  deep  death  metal  growls  as  well  as  some  high  pitched  screams  and  the music  has  a  very  modern  sound  to  it  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  solos  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  in  more  melody  along  with  a  great  amount  of  talent  and  skill  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  singing  female  and  male  vocals  and  clean  playing  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  songs  start  bringing  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  Cyhraeth  takes  a  very  modern  style  of  melodic  death metal  and  mixes  it  with  thrash  and  a  touch  of  groove  metal  to  create  the  sound  that  is  presented  on  the  recording,  the  production  sound s very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Cyhraeth  are  a  very  decent  sounding  melodic  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "As  The  World  Burns"  "Confliction"  "Aftermath"  and  "Final  Relapse".  7/5  out  of  10.

     

Haddah/Through The Gates Of Evangelia/Beyond Productions/2014 CD Review

  Haddah  are  a  band  from  Italy  that  plays  a  very  melodic  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Through  The  Gates  Of  Evangelia"  which  was  released  by  Beyond  Productions.

  Dark  and  tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  the  intro  the  music  goes  into  more  of  a  melodic  death  metal  direction  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  growls  and  screams  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  also  add  more  melody  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  after  awhile  the  songs  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  In  certain  sections  of  the  recording  you  can  hear  some  elements  of  groove  metal  while  the  faster  sections  also  add  in  blast  beats  in  some  of  the  tracks  and  as  the  album  progresses  some  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  an  influence  of  metalcore.

  Haddah  plays  a  style  of  melodic  death  metal  that  is  influence  by  both  the  old  school  and  modern  variations  of  the  genre  and  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  groove  metal  and  metalcore,  the production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  epic  tales  and  mythology  themes.

    In  my  opinion  Haddah  are  a  very  decent  sounding  melodic  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  7th  Autumn"  "The  War  Of  Wars"  "Live  Your  Existence"  and  "Thoth".  7/8  out  of  10.         

NilExistence/Existence In Revelation/2014 Advanced promo Review

  NilExistence  are  a  band  from  new York  that  plays  a  very  extreme  and  brutal  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2014  advanced  promo  "Existence  In  Revelation".

  Horror  movies  samples  start  off  the  first  track  and  a  few  seconds  later  the  music  goes  into  a  brutal  death  metal  direction  along  with  some  growls  that  also  takes  the  music  into  a  faster  direction  along  with  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melody  being  mixed  in  with  the  brutality  along  with  a  good  mixture  of  slow  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  the  solos  and  leads  in  the  song  are  very  dark  yet  melodic  at  the  same  time.  

  The  second  song  which  is  also  a  9  minute  track  starts  off  with  a  very  heavy  and  dark  sound  that  also  bring s in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  a  good  amount  of  growls  and  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  at  time s you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  the  song  also  switches  back  and  forth  from  being  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  and  towards  the  end  of  the  track  a  small  amount of  keyboards  are  added  into  the  music  before  returning  back  to  a  more  heavy  and  brutal  death  metal  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  some  solos  and  leads

  NilExistence  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  is  very  heavy  and  extreme  and  also  avoids  following  any  of  the  modern  trends  that  have  watered  down  the  genre  over  the  years,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  violent  themes.

  In  my  opinion  NilExistence  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy  and  extreme  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  promo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "The  Quietus".  8  out  of  10.    

Slup/Dramatorgie/Bizarre Leprous Production/2014 CD Review

  Slup  are  a  band  from  Czech  Republic  that  plays  a  mixture  of  old  school death  metal  and  goregrind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Dramrtorgie"  which  was  released  by  Bizare  Leprous  Production.

  Electronic  music  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  brutal  death/grind  direction  along  with  growling  vocals  and  high  pitched  screams  and  after  awhile  the  music  gets  more  faster  along  with  some  guttural  vocals  and  blast  beats  and  after  awhile  the  music  brings  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  You  can  hear  a  lot  of  old  school  death  metal  element s in  the  bands  musical  style  and  at  times  the  music  also  incorporates  some  melodies  and  at  time s you  can  hear  some  modern  elements  of  deathcore  being  added  into  their  old  school  death/grind  sound  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  songs  also  incorporate  a  great  amount  of  groove  and  brutality  and  some  of  the  later  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  samples.

  Slup  goes  back  to  the  90's  style  of  death/grind  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  groove  as  well  as  update  the  sound  with  some  deathcore  elements  and  guttural  style  growls  to  give  the  music  a  more  modern  feeling  while  also  keeping  around  an  old  school  style,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in t heir  native  tongue  and  cover  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Slup  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  old  school  death  metal  ans  goregrind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Prst  v  klade"  "Hoven  se  nezbavis"  "Viva  Lila"  and  "Jen  zeny.cz".  8  out  of  10.

    

Apocryfal/Abberation Of Mind/2013 EP Review

  Apocryfal  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  very  dark  and  heavy  form  of  death  metal  with  a  blackened  touch  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2013  ep  "Abberation  of  Mind".

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  guitar  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  deep  growls  that  evoke  a  demonic  feeling  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  some  melodies  in  their  music  at  times  and  after  the  intro  the  music  starts  having  more  of  a  modern  death  metal  feeling  while  the  fast  parts  and  blast  beats  bring  in  more  of  an  old  school  Swedish  feeling.

  Throughout  the  ep  there  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  as  the  ep  progresses  black  metal  screams  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  musical  style  sticks  mostly  to  a  death  metal  direction  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  ep  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to t hem.

  Apocryfal  plays  a  style  of  death  metal  that  incorporated  both  modern  and  old  school  elements  along  with  the  darkness  of  black  metal  to  create  their  own  sound,  the  production  sound s very  dark  and  powerful  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  Death,  Mythology  and  Religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Apocryfal  are  a  very  great  sounding  dark  and  heavy  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Contra"  and  "A  Theist".  8  out  of  10.      

Gorelust/We Are The Undead/PRC Music/2015 CD Review

  Gorelust  are  a  band  from  Canada  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  brutal  form  of  gore/death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "We  Are  the  Undead"  which  will  be  released  in  2015  by  PRC  Music.

  Horror  movie  samples  start  off  the  album  before  adding  in  heavy  guitars,  drums  and  growls  and  after  the  intro  those  3  instruments  take  over  and  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  brutal  90's  death  metal  sound  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  they  also  bring  in  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  adding  high  pitched  screams  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  At  times  the  band  adds  evil  sounding  melodies  in  with  the  brutal death  metal  sound  as  well  as  adding  in  solos  and  leads  that  bring  back  the  Florida  style  death  metal  sound  of  91  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  do  they  part  to  add  to  the  brutality  of  the  songs  and  as  the  album  progresses  you  can  hear  some  grindcore  elements  and  the  early  90's  take  on  slam  death  metal  being  added  into  the  songs  at  times  while  one  of  the  alter  tracks  also  brings  back  the  horror  movie  samples  of  the  intro  before  making  a  return  back  to  a  brutal  sound.

  Gorelust  goes  back  to  the  90's  and  brings  back  the  brutal  gore/death  metal  sound  of  that  era  as  well  as  showing  a  different  side  to  old  school  death  metal  than  some  of  the  bands have  seemed  to  forgotten  about,  the  production  sounds  very  old  school  yet  very  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  violence,  gore,  and  anti  christian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gorelust  are  a  very  great  sounding old  school,  brutal  gore/death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rape  The  Rapist"  "We  Are  The  Undead"  "City  of  the  Cannibals"  and  "Wretched  Life".  8  out  of  10.    

One Step Beyond Interview

Interview with Matt

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

Greetings. In this time we’ve been recording another album. It’s taken a long time between finishing The Music of Chance and having it released. It was a drawn out and frustrating process with very little opportunity to feel that the band was progressing, so to create some momentum I wrote another album. I’m very excited by it and feel it’s our most accomplished work yet.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also hoe does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

The axis of our musical style is extreme metal. Death, black, thrash, grind and doom all feature heavily. But crucially, if we feel a song benefits from a passage drawn from a non-metal genre, then we’ll incorporate that too. As with all our albums it’s also important that no two songs are alike. Most extreme metal albums can be casually heard as 10-12 versions of what’s essentially the same song, which is fine. Many of my favourite albums do this, but it’s not my intention for this to happen on a One step beyond album. Ideally all our songs sound distinctly different to each other, but retain a coherent identity.

I think this album differs from our previous in that it’s a little more driven by the guitars. It’s certainly more layered with guitars. Previously most songs were written bass first, this time it was guitar first. The bass is still an integral bridge between the drums, guitars and vocals, but it doesn’t lead things as much as before. Also this is our first album with a live drummer.


3.The band has been around since 1997 but so far there are only 3 full lengths, an ep and a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the gap between releases?


Both The Music of Chance and Beyond Good and Evil suffered long delays between completion and release. For Beyond Good and Evil it was initially a financial issue, but then our founding guitarist Jeremy Lammas passed away in a car accident. We lost a great friend and band mate, which seriously halted our momentum for some time. The Music of Chance had a long recording process. I used it as an opportunity to learn how to record and mix an album. This meant it was a much slower process than just booking into a studio for a couple of weeks. There was a lot of re-recording, mixing and re-mixing. Trial and error basically. This was followed by a long wait for artwork. Fortunately I think the wait was well worth it!


4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?


Lyrically we try to keep things eclectic and unique. If we’re singing about common themes, we hopefully do so from an uncommon perspective. For The Music of Chance the lyrics
 share the themes of chance and co-incidence and how they can impact the average persons average day. Contexts we use for this include addiction, gambling, relationships, upbringings and more. It’s often very much every day, everyman, relatable stuff, but hopefully written with a particular insight that you wont find elsewhere.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'One Step Beyond"?


Well I’m a huge fan of the band Madness. When I was trying to name the band I read the track listings of all of the hundreds of cds in my collection at the time, documenting any title that might translate into a decent band name. The Madness song One Step Beyond was the last name standing. As for the meaning, I prefer for that to be a subjective decision for the listener. Whatever it means for the listener is what it means.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

It’s been a while since we’ve been on stage. Our last show was good. We supported Nile and Hate eternal. The crowd were kind.

On stage we are very honest. No posing. No make-up. No masks. It’s just us, as we are, playing our music and displaying whatever energy it naturally provokes in us. We aim to play tight and with precision, but to move around a bit too.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

Nope. Nothing currently. We are auditioning guitarists with an eye to some more shows in the near future, but writing and recording is the priority.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of eath metal?

Mostly positive beyond our hopes. Of course when you like to mash a funk passage into a death metal song some people will take offense. But many kind things have been written.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?

For me it’s been almost exclusively One Step Beyond for a few years now, though currently I am recording bass for the death metal band Intellect devourer, which also features members of Stargazer and Mournful congregation.

Justin is playing in a few other bands currently. He does a porn grind band named Bukkake, their demo has just been released. A death/thrash band named Brutaliate and a long running war metal band named Slaughter thou, who have a few releases out.





10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

It’s tough to say. I don’t want to contrive a particular direction. We will always be predominantly an extreme metal band and we will always draw inspiration from an eclectic variety of bands and styles.

At some point, with the right players on board, I would like to include some more improvisational passages, especially live. I think this can be the most honest form of musical expression and for me that’s a desirable trait.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Countless bands have influenced our music. The bands that intitially made me want to play extreme metal include Napalm death, Death, Suffocation, Bloodduster, Carcass and more. The bands that made me want to write unique and varied material include Fishbone, Frank Zappa, The Clash, Living colour and Infectious grooves. All those bands would release albums where every song had its own independent identity. More so than the average band.

As for current listening, the list is long and always evolving. Just this week my ears have been indulged by Godflesh, Gridlink, The Melvins, Vakula, Lykathea aflame, CV313, Smith and mighty, Augustus Pablo, Napalm death, Dying fetus, Suffocation, Cormega, Jedi mind tricks, The beta band, Canibus, Grave, Decapitated, Aril Brikha, Repulsion, Sigh, Dawnbringer, Insomnium, Warning, Black twang, Cult of fire, Model 500 and much more.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

I’ve been formally and informally studying brewing for a couple of years now and I love craft beer, the modern American and traditional Belgian styles in particular. I’m very passionate about cinema. I watch films from any country, any era, popular or obscure. It’s an incredible art form. A real melting pot of so many other forms. I read. Literature, educational, magazines, what have you. I’m a sports junky, mostly cricket and EPL. I’m awake at 3AM to watch Liverpool play. In between albums I also like to indulge in some gaming. PC mostly.

Outside of music Justin loves gaming too. He also practices MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He’s been at it for a few years and holds a blue belt with 2 stripes. He’s currently a silver medallist in state level competition.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the interview mate and thanks to those who read it. Cheers.