Where Did Mary Go?

When she attended Back to the Beginning in Birmingham as a fan, the star-studded farewell concert organized to celebrate Black Sabbath, Becky Baldwin thought it would be the last time she would ever see any of the performers in person and felt a need to bear witness to their greatness in her own backyard.  After all, Sabbath was one of many bands on that legendary bill that inspired her to pick up a bass guitar and pursue music in the first place.  Though it was the last time Ozzy Osbourne would perform alongside his original bandmates before his passing, Becky was wrong about her assumption: it would definitely not be the last time she’d ever see any of them.  Though she had no idea at the time, a few months later, she would be face-to-face with riffmaster Tony Iommi in a studio in England, listening to demos of his new solo album, and being asked to lay down a bass line to complement the track.  Iommi had been drawn towards her playing due to her similarities with Geezer Butler and her proximity to the recording studio, and the rest is history, as she completed work on his latest solo album, From the Dark released on October 23rd. While some may say that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, being sought out by a metal legend to play with one of the bands you loved and looked up to as a young musician, that’s not exactly the case in Becky’s experience as it had actually happened once before.  A few years prior, King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann were trying to find a replacement for Joey Vera for upcoming Mercyful Fate tour dates and came across Becky’s social media channels.  They sought her out at Bloodstock that same year by having the festival staff post her name on the displays around the grounds.  When she was finally found, she was ushered backstage to speak with King, and after the shock wore off, ultimately ended up joining the band for their 2022 tour dates before becoming a permanent member of the group in 2024.  She is set to perform on the first new Mercyful Fate album since 1999, tentatively set for release next year. I had a chance to speak with Becky about all of these things and more, including:the backstory to her selection to play on the new Tony Iommi solo record, the pressure of meeting him and being put on the spot to play along to one of his demos, her personal contributions to the album, the opportunity coming only a couple of months after attending Back to the Beginning, and the difficulty of keeping her participation secret for a year.playing Black Sabbath songs in Birmingham in tribute on the anniversary of Ozzy’s death, the story of her joining Mercyful Fate at Bloodstock after a festival-wide search, meeting King Diamond backstage, ultimately joining the band for tour dates in 2022, and her experience with Dave Grohl came backstage at a North American show.an update on the new Mercyful Fate album slated for release in 2027, a new Fury song out with a symphony orchestra today to commemorate 10 years of Lost in Space, the influence of Metallica’s S&M and Garage, Inc. on her musical taste, and how Cliff Burton was and is an inspiration for her to this day.reflections on her rapid ascent within the metal world, gratefulness for the opportunities she’s been afforded so far, and humility when considering what’s next for her.   Though fortuitous would be an understated way to describe the opportunities she’s had in her career thus far, Becky’s old-school playing style and chops she developed in her main outfit Fury, who have a stellar catalog of their own, alongside a humble attitude have gone a long way towards making her the go-to bassist for these legends of the metal game.  Where the next chance will come from is anyone’s guess, including Becky’s, but if history thus far has been any indicator, the sky may not even be the limit at this point.

Though the paths of their careers have led them to the ends of the Earth playing in their respective bands, when it comes time for Down to reconvene, every road leads back to NOLA.  And while the Crescent City is where each of the band members to a man will tell you they’re from, and it’s where their fabled first writing session occurred in the early ‘90s, that’s not just a reference to the place they call home.  The attitude and ethos of Down as a band hasn’t changed since their legendary first record NOLA was released in 1995, which was spawned from a simple jam that led to their legendary demo that was copied countless times over before anyone even knew who was even in the group.  From that very first time, Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity), Kirk Windstein (Crowbar), and Phil Anselmo (Pantera) got in a room together to play, any subsequent gathering of these musicians ignites a creative spark led by a very simple guiding principal: following where the riffs and grooves take you. Pat Bruders (Crowbar, Goatwhore) joined the four aforementioned musicians for the first time in 2011 to replace Rex Brown on bass, and took part in recording what would become the pair of Down IV EPs released in 2012 and 2014.  Following a decade without one of these storied writing summits, driven largely by obligations with their primary bands, the fivesome finally gathered last year to become what would be Volume V, the fourth full-length album in the band’s discography and the first new music released by the band in twelve years when it comes out on November 20th through Nuclear Blast Records.  Borne from jam sessions, the record is another monumental achievement that only adds to the mystique of one of the most reliable, celebrated, and indispensable metal bands around, adding to their sludgy, southern lore.Ahead of the release of Volume V, I had a chance to sit down with Pat Bruders to discuss the new record, plus a wide variety of topics, including:what it took to coordinate the schedules of everyone in the band to write the new record, how those two sessions went, the continued influence of bands like Black Sabbath on their music, and how each track on the album has its own distinct personality.how King Diamond on guest vocals went from a pipe dream to a reality, how Pat developed the bassline for “Merciful Fate,” Phil’s role in arranging songs, the somber tribute to Ozzy Osbourne simply titled "Ozz", and the progressive nature of the record.how everyone in Down will be pulling double-duty at the Great NOLA Trendkill, Pat’s plans with Crowbar including an upcoming slot opening for Slayer, and trying to pinpoint the origins of John Crowbar.reflections about moving to New Orleans, becoming aware of who Down was, and eventually joining the band in 2011, expressions of gratitude for being able to play in the group, and our future plans for a couple of beers.   No matter where the road out of New Orleans leads them, each and every one of the five musicians that comprise Down know where home is.  Before any of them were anybody, they were friends jamming in a garage there, looking for the ultimate riff or the definitive groove that told everyone what they were all about and where they were from.  That same sentiment remains the gold standard, whether we’re talking geography or debut records, with Volume V being overwhelming evidence of both.  Maybe it’s best to let the boys do it their own words, if I can paraphrase from A Bustle in Your Hedgerow as a closing argument: The power of the riff compels us!

Growing up in Mississippi during the 1960s, Ty Tabor can’t recall the exact first time he was exposed to the blues because in that era and setting, that style of music permeated so much throughout every setting that he knew it before he was likely conscious of it.  Born into a musical family, Tabor played bluegrass from a young age with his mom and dad, which gave him a peek into the world of blues and greatly shaped his playing from an early age.  Though he’d be more likely to pinpoint the moment he first heard the Beatles, the blues played a large role in shaping his first experiences in music, and eventually, his signature tone and sound he’s developed on the guitar in King’s X, his solo work, and other musical collaborations.  It’s no surprise then that he’s recently collaborated with Carmine Appice, who he first met during a tour with Blue Murder and Billy Squier, on Cactus’ recent Temple of Blues recordings over the last few years, the most recent of which features Ty playing slide guitar on a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “300 Pounds of Joy.” But these last few years, despite being able to tour with King’s X on their new record Three Sides of One (2022) and participate in such collaborations, have not been easy for Ty.  A very serious car accident on the way to the studio to complete work on a new solo record in 2022 left him with a traumatic brain injury.  Beyond the significant physical injuries he suffered, perhaps the most devastating and long-term issue he faced afterwards was an inability to create new music, which was the driving force and purpose in his life since those early days in Mississippi.  As Ty recounts it, this sudden loss of ability led to frustration and uncertainty, as his passion and livelihood was in question.  Only recently has he come to a place where he’s finding himself able to create once again, nearly four years removed from the event that drastically altered everything for him.  I had a chance to catch up with Ty to speak about this event and his new collaboration with Carmine Appice, plus a number of other topics, including:his first experiences with the blues growing up in Mississippi, how playing bluegrass from an early age influenced his guitar playing, how the other guys in King’s X turned him on to Cactus, and the group’s tour with Blue Murder and Billy Squier.what it was like playing slide guitar for the first time in years on “300 Pounds of Joy,” the entertaining video shot for the song, his longstanding relationship with Carmine Appice,  and memories of recording the Guitar Zeus album. his collaborations with Derek Sherinian and John Myung from Dream Theater, a story about Dug Pinnick and his influence on the release of Ty’s solo album Shades, the car accident that changed everything for Tabor while recording the follow up to it, and how he is finally feeling his creativity return recently.tentative talks about new King’s X material, why “Mississippi Moon” was never released as a single, a plea to play “She’s Gone Away” live, an explanation of Ty’s stage outfit, and reflections about his relationship with Dug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill and King’s X longevity as a band.Now that the worst is hopefully behind him, Ty seems to have a more optimistic outlook on the future of all his projects.  With the creativity flowing once again, fans can look forward to him putting the finishing touches on that solo album he had been working on when things went awry, and when the time is right, hopefully a new King’s X album.  In the meantime, he’ll be continuing to do what he does best, which is writing, singing, and playing some of the best and most underrated music the rock and metal world has heard alongside his brothers Dug and Jerry.  And I’ll be there to see them every time they come around town. 

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Dave Lombardo, especially if you’re reading it here, is undoubtedly his iconic drum work for thrash metal legends Slayer on their groundbreaking, seminal albums throughout the 1980s.  And that’s for good reason – those records revolutionized thrash in a way that still resonates throughout the metal world today.  But to think the story of Dave Lombardo as a drummer starts and ends with crushing double bass and playing over 200 beats per minute is to misunderstand him as a musician and his incredible repertoire beyond that insular realm. While Dave acknowledges how important his work in Slayer was and still is, his career since then has been driven by one simple feeling: that he is more than a metal drummer.  From a young age to the current day, Lombardo has immersed himself in a wide spectrum of musical genres that have influenced his playing and piqued his interest when deciding what projects to pursue.  When the rest of the world was tuning in to grunge and nu-metal, he found himself more drawn to the world of industrial music, which opened up a whole new world of musical possibilities and collaborations.  A meeting with Mike Patton backstage at a Faith No More show sometime in the 1990s also led him further from traditional rock and metal and has led to more experimental playing, first in Fantômas, then Dead Cross, before performing with Mr. Bungle.  As the years have gone on and his experience has broadened, Lombardo has strayed further and further from what would be considered mainstream metal playing, refusing to be confined by those traditional strictures.  And that’s exactly how he wants it to be.This history explains a little bit about how Dave ended up involved with two projects that have released music this month.  His collaboration with Welsh sonic architect Lustmord dropped on October 2nd through Ipecac Recordings, a monolithic sonicscape accentuated carefully by Lombardo’s percussion.  His drum work on Dead Deities by Satanic Planet, an industrial-tinged outfit feating Lucien Greaves of the Satanic Temple, was released on October 30th through Relapse Records, and shows yet another face and evolution of Lombardo’s incredible skill.  I had a chance to speak with Dave about these two releases, plus a number of other topics from his legendary career, including:how he met Lustmord at a Fantômas show through Buzz Osborne, what the process of creating The Pulse of Atoms was like, whether this was the most challenging record of his career, and the similarities between it and Dave’s solo album Rites of Percussion.the new Satanic Planet album Dead Deities, how and why Dave became involved in the project, the amount of times he gets asked to perform on different tracks, and how he balances such a busy schedule.an upcoming like performance with composer John Zorn and keyboardist John Medeski, his revelation about finding industrial music, why he thinks he and Mike Patton work so well together across several different bands, and his reaction when Glenn Danzig called him to drum for Misfits. his admiration for Clive Burr and the early Iron Maiden albums, an unconfirmed anecdote about Reed Mullin, when the guys in Slayer realized they had created one of the best records of all time with Reign in Blood, and how that realization may have coincided with a riot outside one of their concerts.reflections on how he will continue to pursue new avenues of music and what he would like to accomplish in the rest of his incredible career.Dave has stated in the past that one of the main reasons for varying his musical endeavors was to avoid being pigeonholed as solely a metal drummer.  Though he’s weaved in and out of Slayer’s orbit throughout the years and kept one foot in the metal world, a lot the bands and projects he’s chosen to join, too voluminous to mention here and stay within my word limit, have firmly shown his dedication to a wide array of musical genres outside of the norm.   To paraphrase the man himself, he’s vowed to never retire because playing drums and creating music is what he was put on Earth to do – and when you’ve made some of the most incredible and immortal music the planet has ever heard, the rest of us should be thankful for that eternal presence behind the kit.

When the boys from Blind Channel were starting out in Oulu, a city seven hours north of Helsinki, dreams of becoming an internationally successful band, lead vocalist Niko Vilhelm recalls how many people around them told them not to do so because it would never happen.  Rather than be discouraged, the group set their sights on accomplishing their lofty goals, with a common aspiration amongst most people who start a band to become the biggest one in the world.  And after filling stadiums throughout Europe, performing on Eurovision, touring North America and Japan, and receiving their first platinum record, Blind Channel are doing quite well at proving their northern madness goal of conquering the world may not as far off base as some may have once thought. Despite their rapid ascent in recent years, aided by smart songwriting and promotion, the group made a conscious decision to hit the brakes on that pursuit.   After a long, successful run in 2024 supporting and promoting Exit Emotions, Blind Channel imposed an indefinite hiatus for all band activities except for one, which is perhaps the most important of all: writing music.  Without constant touring and media obligations, and set deadlines of any kind, the band embarked on a journey to write viewing themselves for first time for as artists, as opposed to merely delivering a product for consumption.  During this time, however, founding member and co-vocalist Joel Hokka left the band amicably to pursue other opportunities, causing a realignment of responsibilities within Blind Channel and adding another degree of difficulty.  Despite the additional hurdle, the results from their newfound approach were quite fruitful, with Niko even revealing that for the first time band members were openly speaking about liking and disliking certain songwriting styles and approaches.  The results of this rejuvenated approach to not only music, but themselves, after that indefinite hiatus is Painstream, the group’s sixth album that will be released on October 30th through Century Media Records.  Ahead of its release, I had a chance to speak with Niko about these things, and much more, including:the reasons for their indefinite hiatus in late 2024, the relaxation and inspiration he felt from returning to Oulu during that time, the departure of Joel Hokka and how it affected the group, and how they knew it was time to return.how Painstream became their heaviest album to date, the lyrical theme revolving around pain and how he came to write about that topic, how they examined it from a number of interesting angles, and the importance of the album’s tracklisting. a new perspective in the band of approaching their work as art as opposed to a product, their rare double single that was released in August, collaborating with Aaron Pauley from Of Mice and Men after a case of mistaken identity, and Niko’s feelings on his development as a metal singer.a brief discussion of his rap background and an Eminem cover, Blind Channel’s recent performance at the legendary Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, tour plans for North America, and reflection about the group’s global domination goal in light of their recent hiatus.Niko was a pleasure to speak with and very reflective about the band’s journey to this point and what the future holds.  Though they’ve gained a bit of perspective over last couple of years by hitting pause on their conquest of the rock and metal universe, when asked about whether or not their goal of becoming the biggest band in the world, Niko supplied a succinct, affirmative, and emphatic response: “Hell yeah!”

During a rare heavy metal show in coastal Norway, an 11-year old Ivar Bjørnson’s dream of playing in a band took a fateful step forward, as opportunity seemingly fell from the sky for him while watching Witchhammer perform at Slaktehuset in Haguesund.  Or, maybe it just seemed that way from his vantage point.  As the story goes, Grutle Kjellson, four years Ivar’s senior and his bandmate of over 35 years now, took a dive from the stage that night and landed directly on top of Ivar.  Shortly after this unexpected surprise meeting, the two would start creating music in a death metal outfit called Phobia before gravitating towards the burgeoning black metal scene in Norway.  Renaming themselves as Enslaved at the strong suggestion of Demonaz from Immortal, Grutle and Ivar ingratiated themselves within the local scene, eventually befriending musicians in the bands that have now become synonymous with the legend of the second wave of black metal.   One of these musicians was Mayhem’s guitarist Euronymous, the owner of Helvete record shop in Oslo and Deathlike Silence Productions record label, whom Ivar had looked up to as a teenager in a flourishing new music scene.  When presented with the group’s Yggdrasill demo in Helvete, Euronymous not only signed the group, but gave feedback to a young Bjørnson about the group’s sound and his guitar techniques.  Though Enslaved never fully subscribed to the true black metal ethos, the elements from black metal incorporated into their sound are evident still today.  Despite that, even from the early days of the band, Enslaved’s sound and approach to music differed from their brethren in the scene in terms of progressive nature, including their use of synth.  A heavy '70s prog influence and an attitude that nothing was too off-the-wall to include has been a hallmark of the band from their first records, and that principle has continued to guide them to the modern day. As Enslaved prepares to release their seventeenth studio album Mið on October 30th through Nuclear Blast, their sound has evolved many times over since those early days, but to those that have been with them from the start, those early sounds that harken back to Hordanes Land or Vikingligr Veldi are still very much present.  Ahead of its release, I had a chance to speak with Ivar about the new record and a number of other topics, including:the writing process for Mið and how most of the album was borne in the studio, the two prepared tracks and how they guided the theme of the record, the meaning of Mið and how it relates to the central musical and lyrical themes contained within, and how the two indigenous guests on the record help the depth of those themes.Ivar’s involvement with Fire in the Mountains Festival both as a musician and curator, the writing process for “Spirit Helper” alongside Blackfoot elder Kevin Kicking Woman, and the delicate nature in which he approached the collaboration.how the second half of “Mountain” may have been written half consciously, the importance of Bergen and Oslo in the story of Enslaved, hanging at Helvete with Euronymous and having his approval as a young guitarist, and an anecdote from his first time drinking underage with Ihsahn from Emperor. reflections about his relationship with Grutle after working together for so long and how his younger self would feel about all that Enslaved have achieved in their career.During the course of our conversation, especially when reflecting on that desire that drove the members of the band before they even formed, Ivar noted that that passion for music is something that’s crucial to keep in mind even now after the band has established themselves as one of the premier extreme metal bands to ever emerge from Norway.  When speaking about his relationship with Grutle, he compared it to gaining a brother, and was thankful for his patience with him from an early age, crediting him for seeing what he could become.  Their brotherhood has been quite prosperous together, and Mið continues the legacy they’ve built for Enslaved over the last three and a half decades.   And to think, if not for a fateful stage dive in 1989, it may have never happened at all. 

At the depths of his battle with alcohol and other bad habits, Kenny Hickey recalls isolating himself in his garage drinking with an acoustic guitar, developing the riffs and song ideas that would become Silvertomb’s second studio album, The Interpretation of Nightmares, due out November 13th through Steamhammer.  Though he recalls this as a perhaps the darkest period of his life, he’s thankfully on the other side of it now some years later living a sober life.  The results of his labor during that timeframe, however, give an up close look at the battle he was waging mentally during that time.  In fact, the title of the album, a play of Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, is based on a nightmare Kenny had while going through all this in which he was on his knees and someone executed him with a bullet through the back of the head, which he claims to have felt before waking up in a cold sweat. While trauma and anxiety permeate the record lyrically, the compositions that accompany Kenny’s cathartic words alternates between doomed out riffs and beautiful, light acoustic passages that create a standout doom metal album that infuses Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and maybe even some latter-day Radiohead.  Of course, Kenny is no stranger to the genre, as the riffs he and his bandmates created in Type O Negative for two decades always had a doom metal feel, mixed with the goth sound that departed frontman Peter Steele adored.  In the years since the group ceased operations following Pete’s passing, Kenny has played in a number of other groups on the doom spectrum, including Sun Don’t Shine with Crowbar main man Kirk Windstein and Seventh Void alongside Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly, who also plays in Silvertomb. Ahead of the release of The Interpretation of Nightmares, I had a chance to catch up with Kenny to talk about the album, plus a number of other topics, including:the reason for the long break between records for Silvertomb, the depths of his alcohol addiction and how the record was written during this period of isolation, the nightmare that fueled the first song on the record, and why some of the song titles have two names.how the band came to choose Lido Beach for the location for the “Graves in the Sky” video, how the band’s sound has progressed since Edge of Existence into more adventurous territory, plans for Silvertomb to tour on the new record, and how Kenny was unexpectedly performing “Bury Me in Smoke” by Down on stage at Jones Beach recently.the working relationship and friendship between Kenny and Johnny Kelly, the dynamic in Type O Negative of making fun of each other to keep everyone grounded, an anecdote about how Peter Steele would make Kenny sing parts of songs Hickey deemed too lame, and how TikTok has given Type O new life on the internet.reflections on Peter Steele and his willingness to leave Brooklyn, what Kenny would want people to remember about Pete, the possibility of any Type O Negative tribute shows in the future, his feelings on being able to share the deeply personal The Interpretation of Nightmares with the world at large, and some local Brooklyn talk.Kenny was a pleasure to speak with and more than generous with his time and answers.  On  “No Way to Live,” the lead single from the new album, he wails, “I’ve looked for answers in places where no one returns” to open the song.  And he would know, having seen the way things went for his dear friend and bandmate many years ago.   Though the material he created for this record may conjure some negative headspaces, it serves as a reminder of that place that he’s worked so hard to avoid ever going back to, and is a testament to the cathartic power of channeling those emotions into a permanent, beautiful work of art. 

Metal fans might be hard-pressed to find someone in the realms of heavy music with a more diverse and impressive resume than Insomnium’s Ville Friman.  Though many may know him for being an original member and songwriting force for the Finnish melodic death metal masters, as well as one of their clean vocalists, some may be surprised to learn that despite the tremendous skill he displays in all those facets, music isn’t his main gig.  With a doctorate in evolutionary ecology, Friman’s primary focus is being a professor of microbiology at the University of Helsinki, or leading research teams and writing scholarly articles based on his research in the field.  These days, it’s only in his limited spare time that he’s composing the incredible riffs or reflective lyrics you hear throughout Insomnium’s well-celebrated catalog. Due to his academic commitments, Friman’s contributions on previous albums may seem less than in the past, where he was one of, if not the predominant songwriter for the band’s early, classic albums.  His contributions on Heart Like a Grave and Anno 1696 pale in comparison to the volume he delivered on the group’s earlier works, but that’s since changed since moving back to Finland recently after being a member of the faculty at University of York in England for many years.   On Netherworlds, the band’s 10th studio album due out October 16th on Century Media Records, Ville seems to be firmly back in the saddle with his bandmates, penning two of the lead singles from the record, and by his own account, participating much more actively in the songwriting process now that he and his bandmates are back to residing in the same country.  The results are fantastic as usual: melancholic yet optimistic lyrics inspired by old literature, crushing and catchy riffing, beautiful acoustic sections, and the high-quality melo-death the world has come to know Insomnium for, with some new twists and turns mixed in for good measure.Ahead of the release of Netherworlds, I had a chance to catch up with Ville about all this and more, including:the “best of” approach to songwriting the band took for Netherworlds, what fans can expect from the rest of the album based on the first three singles, the meaning behind “Arch of the Sky” which Ville composed, and the centuries-old song Insomnium chose for their first ever proper cover.the artwork for the record designed by Travis Smith, a discussion of classic Opeth albums and how they influenced Insomnium, the reason for fewer contributions on the previous two records from Ville, why it’s not possible for him to tour with the band currently, and how the addition of a third guitarist in the group came to alleviate that issue.the band’s collaboration with Amorphis members on “The Hour Grows Late,” how they came to perform on the song, their upcoming tour of North America with them, and a recent performance at a Medieval castle in Finland.the unexpected answer to a question I posed about the mixing of In the Halls of Awaiting at Astia-Studio with Anssi Kippo, the Edge of Sanity inspiration behind Winter’s Gate, whether or not scientific principles can be useful in music, and what Ville hopes to achieve in two fields he excels in moving forward.Though Ville rarely has time to tour anymore, and will only occasionally join the band on stage when his schedule permits, his passion for songwriting is evident when speaking to him.  That passion is on full display on Netherworlds, which is another classic addition to an already sparkling catalog that Insomnium have created over their nearly thirty years in existence.  The day remains to be seen when Ville will be able to join the band on the road, an experience he laments not being able to enjoy anymore.  These things happen when you’re teaching the finer points of microbiology by day and writing catchy-yet-somber guitar melodies and lyrics by night.  But as long as there are more songs to be written, especially if they’re rockin’ (and a bit depressing), you can expect to be hearing from him in both of his fields of excellence for the foreseeable future. 

If there’s a testament to the old maxim of doing one thing and doing it very well in today’s metal world, look no further than Amon Amarth.  After briefly exploring more classic metal tropes in their early demos, the group made a conscious decision to focus their lyrical content on Norse mythology and history, which set them apart in early 1990s Sweden the melodic death metal was expanding rapidly to global recognition.  Though record executives warned the band about the potential pitfalls of pigeon-holing themselves in such a way, Amon Amarth was steadfast in their belief in their overall vision for the group’s sound and aesthetic. That belief was challenged early in their careers when faced with difficulty breaking through to mainstream success after the group’s first three releases on Metal Blade Records.    When entering the studio for Versus the World, the members of Amon Amarth were prepared for it to be their last record if it didn’t reach the level of success they deemed necessary to make music their full-time careers.  In fact, the band approached the album as if it would be their last and the result was a pivotal release in their discography, as the dark, angry, melancholic, and classic album from 2002 ended up moving the group onto the upwards trajectory they’ve been climbing since that record.Fast forward to the current day and Amon Amarth have evolved into a worldwide sensation, headlining shows and festivals around the world and releasing albums to critical acclaim over the last quarter of a decade.  Incorporating these Norse and Viking themes into their live show at the suggesting of their label, which also began shortly after Versus the World, has gone a long way in making Amon Amarth’s live show a must-see event.  This evolution continues on the group’s 13th studio album, The Allfather Awakens, which will be released on October 2nd through Metal Blade.  Ahead of its release, I had a chance to catch up with guitarist Johan Söderberg, who joined the group shortly after the release of 1998’s Once Sent From the Golden Hall, about the new record and a number of other topics, including: the different writing process the group used for The Allfather Awakens, treating each song on the record as if it was a single, and the first-ever all acoustic offering from the band.how he gave frontman Johan Hegg the lyrical idea for “Eight Legs of Thunder,” the Wild West-themed video for the song, the nod to Breaking Bad contained within it, and a hilarious comment on the band’s official page.whether or not the band intentionally writes songs they know will work in the live setting, the evolution of rowing in the crowd, and the importance of the band’s stage show to their success.playing Jones Beach Theater with Pantera shortly after Ozzy Osbourne’s death, Amon Amarth’s upcoming all-Swedish tour with Soilwork and Orbit Culture, how the group has never toured with Soilwork before, and the band’s proximity to the Gothenburg scene in their early days.the crucial role Michael Trengert and Metal Blade Records played in the band’s rise to popularity, the importance of Versus the World as a turning point in the group’s history, how he rates drinking beers in a lake in the United States, and reflections on Amon Amarth’s accomplishments to date and how they seem to continue to improve on every record.Johan was a pleasure to speak with and very gracious with his time.  It’s clear that he is grateful for the opportunities available to him playing with Amon Amarth, especially when discussing that make-or-break moment when the band considered abandoning the band once and for all when writing their fourth album.  Though difficulties and doubts will creep in to any young band’s thoughts without immediate success, Amon Amarth’s unwavering belief in their vision of what they wanted the band to be had led them to where they are today: when you think Vikings and metal, you think Amon Amarth.  The Allfather Awakens further cements their ascent at this later stage of their career, and ensures that they sit upon the Hliðskjálf as the undisputed rulers of the waves. 

Japanese black metal legends Sigh have become synonymous with some of the most creative, eccentric, and truly avant-garde metal releases over their thirty-six years in existence, but according to band leader Mirai Kawashima, it never would’ve happened without help from halfway across the globe.  After starting as a band playing Venom covers and then starting to create a brand of black metal inspired by the ‘80s thrash he loved, Mirai began sending demos to any record label he knew existed in the world.  A copy of that demo would wind up in the hands of Euronymous, the now infamous and departed guitarist of Mayhem, after he found it amongst Dead’s possessions after the lead singer committed suicide in 1991.  Scorn Defeat, Sigh’s 1993 debut album, would be released through Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions a few months after his own demise at the hands of Varg Vikernes, the culmination of many events that brought to metal world’s focus to Norway and the music of the second wave of black metal.Without that tape being found at Dead’s place, Mirai says that Sigh would’ve just been another demo band and his life would look very different now.  Their mythical status in the genre is a testament to Mirai’s willingness to push boundaries on what can be encompassed under the umbrella of metal.  Incorporating instrumentation and sounds that are traditional in Japanese culture, alongside lyrical content echoing horror films and themes of death, has transformed Sigh from the more-traditional group you hear on Scorn Defeat to one of the most truly unique metal bands that are still active today.  In recent years, the focus of Sigh’s music has become intensely personal, with Mirai’s lyrical content on both 2022’s Shiki and their newest record, Goh-Ka, focused intently on his own mortality.  Due out on September 4th through Peaceville Records, Goh-Ka’s artwork and themes are based largely on Kuso-zu, a series of Buddhist painting depicting the nine states of a human body’s decomposition through death to encourage meditation on the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death. Ahead of the release of Goh-Ka, I had a chance to speak with Mirai about this latest evolution of Sigh, along with a number of other topics, including:the multiple meanings of the album’s title and it’s relation to Shiki, explaining the concept of Kuso-zu and how it permeates throughout the album’s lyrics and artwork, and his original plan to write a long-form song related to Kuso-zu before deciding to break it up into pieces.the shift from using English as the primary language for vocals to his native Japanese, the lead single’s sinister lyrics, and how he finally got his long-time friend Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth to play on a Sigh song.how Frederic LeClercq from Kreator and Dragonforce fame came to contribute to the last two albums, where the band is pushing into new territory on Goh-Ka, and the group’s recent appearance at Fire in the Mountains on their first U.S. tour in 18 years.the cultural significance behind Sigh’s stage show and how it was partly inspired by KISS and Mercyful Fate, the huge role Venom played for Mirai in his early years, and his experience performing with Mantas and Abaddon in Japan.the story behind Euronymous finding the original Sigh demo, being encouraged to burn churches by Varg Vikernes, reflections on how long Mirai will continue making music, and why 2030 might be the perfect year for Sigh to call it a day.Mirai was very gracious with his time and a pleasure to speak to about the evolution of Sigh and the history of the band.  Though death has been a theme throughout the band’s career lyrically, it seems that after being at it for close to four decades has caused Sigh’s frontman to reflect even deeper about his mortality and it becomes more of a reality.   Using music as his outlet, he has created another incredibly unique work of art where he pushes his band further into more creative and outlandish instrumentation that come together beautifully as something that can only be described as a Sigh album.