Noisecreep

Gorefest's Ed Warby Chimes In With the 11th Hour

Aaron Small — 2009-11-30T20:00:00+00:00

Gorefest and Hail of Bullets drummer Ed Warby has traded death for doom in the 11th Hour. The slower tempo and change in musical direction heard on the band's debut disc 'Burden Of Grief' can be attributed to "Playing guitar basically," Warby tells Noisecreep. "I've liked doom metal since the early '80s. A friend of mine was into tape trading and he introduced me to Trouble, Nemesis and Candlemass; I was totally into it. But playing drums in a doom metal band never seemed that interesting 'cause it's so slow. I like being flashy and doing crazy fills. So I never really considered playing doom metal as a drummer myself.

"But then a couple years ago, my sister bought me a Squier Strat Guitar starter kit with a little amplifier. She sensed that I wanted to venture out as a musician. I just started riffing and wrote a couple tunes for La Muerte, the Gorefest album. For ['Rise to Ruin'], I wrote quite a lot of tunes. In the meantime I'd met [vocalist] Rogga [Johansson of Edge of Sanity, Paganizer] on the internet. He's a computer buddy; I've never met him [in person]. We get along real well in cyberspace. He asked if I wanted to do some doom in the vain of Winter; really ugly, slow, grey doom metal."

11th Hour Drummer Says Band Is 'Very Dark But Very Non-Gothic'

Aaron Small — 2009-11-26T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview, New Music

"It's a very naked, out-there thing for me," Ed Warby, best known as the drummer for Gorefest and Hail of Bullets tells Noisecreep about his new band, the 11th Hour. Naked in the sense that Warby plays all instruments heard on the 11th Hour's debut album 'Burden of Grief': guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. In addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, Warby sings the clean vocals, while Rogga Johansson (Edge of Sanity, Paganizer) provides the death grunts.

"I've sung before -- but behind closed doors. I used to do demos in Elegy, one of my first bands. We had a really lazy singer who wouldn't deliver when we needed him to. So I would come up with the vocal lines. I also sang with a band called Tempter for a while, but I didn't really enjoy being the singer, up front with just the microphone. So I kind of gave up on that. But for this, the lyrics were getting pretty personal. I did the vocals on the demos, and Rogga thought it sounded really good. I was half considering getting another singer involved, but he said I had to do it myself."

Wednesday 13 Launches New Band, Gunfire 76

Aaron Small — 2009-09-17T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview, New Music

On Oct. 6, Wednesday 13's self-reinvention will come to fruition, as 'Casualties & Tragedies,' the debut album from his new band, Gunfire 76, will hit store shelves.

"It's stripped back a lot more. This is pretty much just a rock 'n' roll sort of thing," Wednesday told Noisecreep. "I'm still citing all the influences I did with my solo stuff. My favourite bands are still Kiss and Alice Cooper. But the image thing has painted me into a corner where it just kind of sucked sometimes. I couldn't do what I wanted to because I'd get pigeonholed with this whole gothic thing. That's really been a bummer for me over the past couple of years. There's been tours I've wanted to do with other big bands, and it comes back that they saw my picture and assumed I was 69 Eyes or some kind of goth band; it's nothing like that.

Wednesday 13 Reviews Rob Zombie's 'Halloween II,' Views KISS as Superman or Batman

Aaron Small — 2009-09-10T11:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

Although horror rocker Wednesday 13 has left the ghouls and goblins behind with his new band Gunfire 76, that doesn't mean he's turned his back on slasher flicks. The North Carolina native recently went to see Rob Zombie's 'Halloween II'.

"I wasn't a huge fan of the first one that he did," Wednesday told Noisecreep. "I liked the first half of it -- the building of the characters and the dialogue. This one seemed a little rushed to me. I'm not going to pick a movie apart. I paid $10 to get in, if there's one awesome scene to make it worth the $10, I'll walk away and won't bad-mouth it.

"So the movie was going on, and I thought I was going to bad-mouth it 'cause I didn't like it at all. Then there was one kill scene that was worth the price of admission -- he actually stomped the guy's face into nothing. He did it like four times!"

Firebird's Bill Steer: 'Grand Union' Is All About New Lineup -- and Beer

Aaron Small — 2009-08-14T08:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

When guitarist/vocalist Bill Steer isn't grinding genitals or fermenting innards in Carcass, he opts for blues-based classic rock in Firebird. In fact, Firebird has just released its new album, 'Grand Union.' Although the title may seem simple, there's actually a triumvirate of reasons behind it.

"That was a phrase that had been kicking around my head for a long time," Steer told Noisecreep. "I think it probably started when I moved into my flat in Hackney, [London]. I was basically living on a corner that faces one branch of the Grand Union Canal. Also around that time, one of the pubs I was visiting quite regularly served a local beer called Grand Union. And the third aspect was just that this is probably the best lineup Firebird's ever had. We're a lot stronger than we've been in the past. So in a sense, that was a grand union also."

Speaking of the lineup, 'Grand Union' is Firebird's fifth album, yet it features the band's fourth bass player, Smok Smoczkiewicz. However, that depends on how you want to look at it, according to Steer.

'Less Is More' for Firebird's Bill Steer

Aaron Small — 2009-08-12T10:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

Sometimes simple is better. And while that adage didn't apply to guitarist/vocalist Bill Steer's previous bands, Carcass and Napalm Death, it's certainly apropos for his current musical focus, Firebird. Just look at the artwork adorning their new album, 'Grand Union.'

"I always feel like less is more, actually, with cover art," Steer told Noisecreep. "It seems like these days, everybody knows somebody who does a bit of graphic design on a computer. Like musicians overplaying, a lot of designers over-design. Just because they can do something, they will. I just wanted a really basic statement. Some of my favorite sleeves are in that vein. If you look at the second James Gang album, 'Rides Again.' Things like that jump out at you. That was kind of the thing we were aiming for."

Brian Fair of Shadows Fall Goes Track by Track Through 'Retribution'

Aaron Small — 2009-08-03T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview, Exclusive

On September 15, Shadows Fall will release their brand new album, 'Retribution.' "We definitely let it rip on this one and let every influence show," vocalist Brian Fair told Noisecreep. "After 10 plus years, you get the confidence to not worry about letting it all out there. You get a little selfish, too. This is what we need to hear right now." More than a month before its street date, 'Retribution' is dissected song by song:

'The Path To Imminent Ruin' - "It's basically an intro with acoustic guitar interlude based on a few of the melodies from the song 'My Demise,' which comes up next. We've always been into those little pieces that sort of set the tone and bring it down a notch, so when it actually kicks in, it's that much more overwhelming. It's a cool, eerie piece. The title says you're on your way to destruction. They busted out some really vintage, old school nylon strings as well as some old Taylor acoustics to get that really nice, almost chamber music overtone."

Sweet Cyanide Is All About Tainted Tylenol and a Haunted Studio

Aaron Small — 2009-07-20T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

Formed out of the ashes of Crashbox and Moment Theory, New York City's Sweet Cyanide "definitely tried to avoid any similarities to the other bands," according to vocalist/guitarist Sal Scoca told Noisecreep recently. "We all lost a little bit of hope in those groups and the sound we were putting out there."

Currently leaning more towards the glam scene, elements of David Bowie, T-Rex, The Beatles, Stone Temple Pilots and Gilby Clarke can be found in Sweet Cyanide's self-titled debut. "I'm just a music lover," Scoca says. "In each song, I tried to touch a different style. It doesn't get more sincere than that. We just wanted to do what we like. Honestly, this is the first project I'm 100% in love with every aspect of it, and I guess it shows."

Online Guitar Lessons With Glen Drover

Aaron Small — 2009-07-20T10:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

Canadian guitarist Glen Drover, who has played in Megadeth, King Diamond, Testament and Eidolon, is offering online guitar lessons. Available in 30 or 60 minute sessions; potential students need to have Skype or MSN installed on their computer along with a web cam that has a built-in microphone.

"I've worked with all kinds of different (skill) levels. There's no specific level that's mandatory to sign up," Drover told Noisecreep. "I've been teaching for years and just recently expanded from in person to live online lessons as well. It's been great." For both teacher and student, online vs. in-person lessons "are really not that different. It works the same. I've met some really cool guys online. You can communicate the same. It's equally as productive online as it is in-person, as long as you have a good Internet connection and a good quality web cam."

Chris Caffery Goes From Music Man to Record Mogul

Aaron Small — 2009-06-15T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

After stints with both Black Lotus Records and Locomotive Records, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery opted to take the do-it-yourself route for his fourth solo album, 'House Of Insanity.' He formed his own label, Face The Music Records.

"Just when you got too busy to handle anything else, you go and take on your own record label," Caffery told Noisecreep. "What I like about it is, the fact that I'm learning a little bit more about the business all the time. Eventually, as you get older - in 10 or 15 years - I'm not going to be on stage. But I'm going to want to be in the business in some way, shape or form. So by doing this, especially at a point in time where the business is changing so much every day, I'm not only learning what to do for myself, but what to do in the future. It's been a lot of work. I've got to be honest with you; sometimes I look at myself and think - what the heck did you do? But I'm actually able to get things done better on my own. So far, even through just the initial digital and presale release of House Of Insanity through my website ChrisCaffery.com, I've outsold what my previous label did with 'Pins And Needles,' without even doing a radio campaign or any kind of ad campaign; just on my own because I care about it."

Chris Caffery: From Megadeth to Madonna to Bob Marley

Aaron Small — 2009-06-10T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview

'House Of Insanity' is the new solo album from Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery. On it, he traverses thrash, pop and reggae.

Former Megadeth guitarist Glen Drover makes a guest appearance on 'The Fleas'. Caffery told Noisecreep, "Glen and I are really good friends. I'd played a solo on the one Eidolon CD (The Parallel Otherworld) with Glen and (his brother, drummer) Shawn. There was actually a point where, if I'd had a little better budget, I was considering going to Canada and working with Glen and/or Jeff Waters (Annihilator) to do the CD. But the way the business was, the time and money I had to do 'House Of Insanity,' I decided to do it myself. I had a particular feel and sound in my head for this part at the beginning of that song with the guitar harmonies. I wanted something that was very much in that kind of a realm, that I knew Glen could do. I sent him the track and when he sent it back, it was absolutely perfect. When he did it, he obviously spoke for the song. He wasn't just wailing. I told him I wanted a melody that would recur at the end. What I had in my head, I wouldn't necessarily have struggled to do, but it wasn't exactly my style. Glen's a brilliant player and the Drover brothers are two of my favourite people in the world. So I was really proud to have him on the album."

Chris Caffery: 'There's No Reason Why Savatage Should Not Be Playing Now'

Aaron Small — 2009-06-04T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview, Design

Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Savatage guitarist Chris Caffery recently released his new solo album, 'House Of Insanity.' The cover art (at left) depicts Caffery - in a ragged straightjacket - standing in the pouring rain in front of a spooky looking house. In the front yard of that house is a tombstone with a wreath and gargoyle.

"I had a different cover of a house that was a weird, alive version of The White House," Caffery told Noisecreep. "It was kind of neat but the whole thing about this record was, this is the record I did by myself." In addition to singing lead vocals, Caffery also played guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards and guitar synth. Furthermore, he self-produced, recorded, engineered and mixed the 13 songs. "The reason I called it 'House Of Insanity' is I literally was going frickin' crazy recording and writing this album. I spent so many hours, by myself, doing this thing. I was literally going nuts. When I got in touch with this graphic artist Rory about doing this, he just came up with it and it really fit."

Old Man's Child: How Mobile Phones Inspired New Album

Aaron Small — 2009-05-22T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Interview, Metal Minutia

Dimmu Borgir guitarist Galder has resurrected his side project, Old Man's Child, and recorded a new album, the band's seventh, entitled 'Slaves Of The World.' Available on Century Media Records, the follow up to 2005's Vermin is being touted as Galder's "darkest and most hateful album to date."

When asked about the title, 'Slaves Of The World,' Galder told Noisecreep, "It's a title that goes very well along the lines of previous Old Man's Child titles (In Defiance Of Existence, Revelation 666: The Curse Of Damnation, Ill-Natured Spiritual Invasion, etc.). The theme of OMC hasn't exactly had a positive view on the world, as we know it today. So that's the main idea, but it's also a 'point of view' so to speak about today's life and how we are slaves of modern society and evolution. If we forget our mobile phone at home, we almost feel 'helpless' if you know what I mean. We have sort of forgotten the main elements of living, which is in the long run, in my crazy head at least, living in harmony with nature and the elements around us."