The first Winter NAMM since 2020 made a full-force grand return, as brands and bands alike gathered in Anaheim, CA in January 2024, for the familiar course of networking, jamming, and musical merriment. Metal Magnitude was there to capture it all, enjoying the full musical atmosphere, but keeping a keen eye out for anything that stood out in the Rock and Metal spaces. Naturally, we were pleased to find plenty.
The NAMM Show 2024 at Anaheim Convention Center
Before NAMM officially began, the 7th Annual Metal Hall of Fame Gala set the tone for the busy week, celebrating the iconic musicians and members of the music industry who have secured their place in the history of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Metal Magnitude was on the red carpet to cover the event, and you can check out the coverage here: https://metalmagnitude.com/metal-hall-of-fame-2024-feature-and-red-carpet-interviews/.
The first day of NAMM kicked off strong, with plenty of exploring to do – but first, it was time to meet up with some metal musicians. Metal Magnitude stopped by the ddrum room to interview Chris Kontos, who had plenty of great things to say about his connection with ddrum and his recent arrival to the Forbidden lineup:
Next door in the Dean Guitars room, Wayne Lozinak of Hatebreed shared details on his new signature guitar with the brand:
Over in the Peavey room, Adrian Vandenberg showed off the revival of his classic signature guitar, made with some modern upgrades, and shared the latest in his world of Vandenberg:
NAMM would hardly be complete without the She Rocks Awards, a yearly tradition by this point in its 12-year run so far, and a fantastic night honoring women in music. This celebration is always so much fun, and 2024 was no different, this time with the ceremonies thoroughly integrated into NAMM itself by taking place within the Convention Center, and hosted by classic Pop Icon Susanna Hoffs, with Red Carpet interviews by Lyndsey Parker (She Rocks Awards 2022 Honoree – Metal Magnitude had the chance to interview her and many others during the 2022 gala, which you can watch for a quick throwback here! https://youtu.be/h9VrulbWeK8?si=njZHob84-rVTGvC7)
Honorees for this evening were: Jamie Deering (Deering Banjo Company), Laura Karpman (Multimedia Composer), Melinda Newman (Billboard), Lindsay Love-Bivens (Taylor Guitars), Sylvia Massy (aka, “The Radiant Being”, Producer), Holly G (The Black Opry), Kelsy Karter (Kelsy Karter & The Heroines), Britt Lightning (Vixen, Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp), Bonnie McIntosh (I Prevail), Lindsey Stirling (Electric Violinist/Songwriter), Debbie Gibson (Pop Icon).
Later that night was another celebration, this one purely metal, with the 10th Anniversary of Metal Allegiance. The Core 4 was joined by a rotating lineup of surprise guests, and you can check out Metal Magnitude’s coverage of the event here: https://metalmagnitude.com/metal-allegiance-at-house-of-blues-anaheim-2024/.
Heading into the weekend, there was plenty of gear exploring to do, with both planned and surprise interviews along the way. Geezer Butler was a special guest to be found at the Ashdown booth, signing his book, Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond.
We spent some time at the Vega-Trem booth, where we found Søren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Mike Tramp) giving a performance of tracks off his instrumental album, Guilty Pleasures:
After the interview, Søren was kind enough to do an interview about his music and connection with Vega-Trem:
We also had a few moments with Cody Henderson of Dazzle Guitars, who spoke about his guitar building career and work with Joe Perry:
Fans of the J-Rock scene will easily recognize “Samurai Guitarist” MIYAVI, who stopped by the Donner Music booth with drummer Anthony Paul Lopez for a quick showcase:
Next up was one of metal’s favorite YouTubers, known for his work in a variety of bands, including The Chug Project, Feared, and The Haunted, in addition to his solo instrumental music, and as a Producer, Personality, and the Founder of Solar Guitars. Ola Englund appeared at the XVIVE booth for a four-song performance, followed by an interview with Metal Magnitude:
We ran into Mixi and Merritt of Stitched Up Heart, who also stopped by the XVIVE booth to see Ola:
Ryan Roxie could be found all throughout the weekend at the Hughes & Kettner booth, and he explained his connection with the brand, as well as the latest in his world of Alice Cooper and podcasting:
Phil X closed out the XVIVE booth, which made for some tricky timing as the showroom was starting to close down and shut off the lights – luckily, we had a moment for a few brief Bon Jovi updates from Phil:
Naturally, gear is the focal point of all of NAMM, so we stopped by the TonePros booth to talk with Brian Devereaux, TonePros Sound Labs International rep and Owner/CEO of Marquis Distribution, specializing in wholesale guitar parts distribution, and Fred Kowalo, who is an established guitar and bass tech, working with the likes of Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, Dream Theater, and more:
Rand Rognlien of MusicNomad also gave us some insight into the brand’s work with the Rock and Metal worlds and how their products can benefit players:
Roaming the showroom naturally leads to some cool finds, and here are a few booths that caught our eye.
Minarik Guitars always has an eye-catching booth, with unique guitar shapes.
ESP displayed the Desert Eagle on loan from George Lynch, supplemented by a full room of ESP/LTD guitars and basses.
Ernie Ball Music Man showcased their Custom Design Experience, alongside their known models.
Ibanez is always reliably connected with the Rock/Metal world, including through their display of signature guitars from Steve Vai, Tim Henson and Scott LePage of Polyphia, Joe Satriani, and Paul Stanley, as well as the EHB series multiscale basses.
Cream Guitars’ display certainly popped, as probably the most unique one on the floor. Cream is an up-and-coming brand known for their highly customized and aesthetically loud designs, which also come through with solid tone.
Aristides Guitars has become a staple booth at NAMM by this point, showing off their modern designs that are well-suited to the Shredders and Heavy players.
It was great to have NAMM back in its familiar form, with another Winter NAMM already on the horizon for the second-to-last week of January 2025.
Follow and subscribe to Metal Magnitude on social media for more Classic and Modern Hard Rock and Metal content, and keep an eye on out for updates on NAMM 2025 and beyond!
January 25th, 2024, Anaheim wrapped up the first day of NAMM festivities with the 10th Anniversary of Metal Allegiance at House of Blues. This was Metal Allegiance’s first gathering at House of Blues Anaheim since 2020, making their return all the more grand alongside the 10th Anniversary celebration. The event was sponsored by Dean Guitars, ddrum and Heavys Headphones, with openers Dieth, Held Hostage and Quor.
The Metal Allegiance lineup has reliably consisted of “The Core 4” – Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson, Mark Menghi, and Mike Portnoy – from the start, but as Metal Allegiance is known for their live lineups of surprise guests, you never know who might make an appearance at their shows. Special guests this night included: Chuck Billy (Testament), Bobby Blitz (Overkill), John Bush (Armored Saint), Chris Poland (Megadeth, Kings of Thrash), Phil Demmel (Machine Head), Doc Coyle (Bad Wolves), Brann Dailor (Mastodon), Gary Holt (Exodus), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Hel Pyre (Nervosa), Troy Sanders (Mastodon), and Wayne Lozinak (Hatebreed).
Chuck Billy, Bobby Blitz, John Bush, and Troy Sanders led the rotating vocalist lineup throughout the show, sometimes teaming up for covers, like when Billy and Blitz performed “Hellraiser” (Ozzy Osbourne) together. Some other covers that made the setlist were “Wrecking Crew” (Overkill), “Kill The King” (Rainbow), and “Wake Up Dead” (Megadeth), as well as plenty of Metal Allegiance original tracks, including “Bound By Silence”, “Can’t Kill The Devil”, “Mother of Sin”, and “Pledge of Allegiance”.
Not just one, but two members of Mastodon took the stage for this show, Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor. Plus, Wayne Lozinak of Hatebreed was in town, promoting his new signature Dean Guitar, which he showed to Metal Magnitude at NAMM here: https://youtu.be/WFOn9YiZTuI?si=cXhF9VzynEXaNt0r.
After an incredible 16-song set full of the constant energy of a dizzying lineup rotation of legends, the final encore brought every performer back on stage, for three iconic covers of “Damage, Inc.” (Metallica), “Damage Case” (Motörhead), and “Iron Maiden” (Iron Maiden). Before that, the main set closed with a reminder to “Pledge Your Allegiance” to Metal Allegiance, and keep coming back for more.
January 24th marked another successful year of the Metal Hall of Fame, taking place in Anaheim, CA the week of NAMM 2024.
The Metal Hall of Fame is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to forever enshrining the iconic musicians and music industry executives responsible for making Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music what it is today. Founder and President of the Metal Hall of Fame, Pat Gesualdo, launched the concept back in 2017, celebrating the history of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal while also benefiting the music-based nonprofit Drums and Disabilities, providing the healing art of drum therapy. The organization continues to direct the proceeds from Metal Hall of Fame events to bring free music programs to help special needs children and wounded veterans in health facilities and community centers.
2024 Metal Hall of Fame Inductees and performances were as follows:
Eddie Trunk hosted the event in addition to his role as an inductee to celebrate his 40th Anniversary in the radio industry, along with returning co-host, Musician and Personality Cathy Rankin. 2018 Inductee, Munsey Ricci, Founder and President of Skateboard Marketing Ltd., returned to the stage for the 2023 Awards to induct Raven, and now for the 2024 awards to induct New York Hardcore Legends Biohazard. New inductee Mick Mars and past inductee Carmine Appice both made video appearances in place of attending.
In classic Metal Hall of Fame fashion, the evening featured special guest performances, including London and Deconstruct, and closed out with an All-Star Jam, which ranged from the Hard Rock side with performers like Keith St. John, Joel Hoekstra, Sean McNabb, Ken Mary, and Becky Baldwin; to the Thrash side, with the members of Kings of Thrash, including David Ellefson and Chris Poland, plus so many more.
Metal Contraband’s Chelsea was on the red carpet interviewing some of the inductees and guests. You can check out the interview footage at the link below. Red Carpet guest interviews feature:
Mike Tirelli; Bjorn Englen; Becky Baldwin; Sean McNabb; CC McKenna & Hunter Havok (Death Dealer Union); Carlos Cavazo; Nadir D’Priest & London; Derek S. Abrams; Joel Hoekstra; David Ellefson, Jeff Young, Fred Aching, Chris Poland, Chaz Leon (Kings of Thrash); Sebastian Bach & Suzanne Le Bach; Sage Stevens; Jack Gibson; Giuliana Amaral; Joe Fraulob, Ash Hades, Bobby Real, Tom Frost (Deconstruct); John 5; and Miljenko Matijevic, plus some Red Carpet Closing Photos with Pat Gesualdo, Cathy Rankin, and Eddie Trunk.
The Metal Hall of Fame is always a fun night, and you never know what special guests are going to show up. Congrats to the whole Metal Hall of Fame team for a great 2024 event!
Stitched Up Heart recently released To The Wolves, their latest album via Century Media Records. I had the chance to speak with frontwoman Mixi just before To The Wolves was released, about the making of the album, the creative process behind the music videos, and more. Check it out below.
Credit: Clean Capture Magazine via MixiOfficial Instagram
Chelsea here, excited to be joined by Mixi from Stitched Up Heart. How are you doing today?
I’m doing awesome. How are you?
Doing great, thank you. I’ve been listening to some of the hints of To The Wolves that we’ve been getting. It’s the third album from you guys, coming out on Another Century Records. Stitched Up Heart has grown so much so quickly, so congrats on the completion of your third album. Just start off with your feelings right now that the album is just about to be released.
Yeah, we’ve done a lot of growing and still a lot more room to grow. I got all the emotions that you would get when you’re about to show people all of this work that you’ve been doing behind the scenes. And, you know, the lyrical content for me is coming out of places that I don’t usually talk about, so I sing about it. And I feel like it’s just a lot of emotions, good energies, nervous energies. I’m just really excited. It’s been about a year since we’ve been done with the record. So actually having people hear it is interesting because it doesn’t exist yet to most people, yet I’ve been listening for a year. So it’s going to be really exciting, and I hope people like it.
Definitely. I mean, people are already loving what we’re hearing so far, the three singles and music videos that are out. But yeah, that must be such a fun feeling to be holding on to it for a year, and then finally just kind of release it out to the world.
It is, it’s so weird. It’s like you created all this stuff, and visuals and photos and videos and everything. And I was very focused on the visual aesthetic of the whole record with the lyrical content in mind. And so, it’s like one giant art piece that’s slowly being like, you know, shown and eventually revealed to the world. And so it just…I’m passionate about it.
That’s excellent. I can hear the passion in your voice about it already. So can you tell me a little bit more about this lyrical content and where that kind of came from for you?
Yeah, we were watching a lot of vampire werewolf movies. Let me just start with that. Can’t tell at all. But we were watching a lot of Underworld, and I wanted this record to be fierce and more of like…I guess I was feeling aggressive and I just wanted it heavier and I made everybody do that. *laughs* We were just very much in an aggressive headspace, and visually I kept pulling from different monsters like vampires, werewolves, and imagining the human emotion, the emotion of the monsters that we kind of have inside of us. They’re out for blood or they’re out for vengeance or whatever, I usually tap into a lot of human emotion. And I think that this was the more aggressive side. So the beasts and the monsters. I don’t think we’re all angels. And so I just felt like being authentic about the fact that yeah, I got a little devil on my shoulder too.
Definitely. And that fits right in with the genre, of course, of rock and metal. But it’s also an interesting thing to explore, especially when you’ve got a lot of horror movies floating around you too, I’m sure.
Yeah, I was really into Underworld and it was, I just kept playing it over and over, like all the movies over and over. I hope that they write another one, but it’s perfect timing with all of what’s going on with Wednesday coming back, and bringing back that dark goth kind of thing and The Crow and Beetlejuice, and I just feel like it’s a great time to love the darker aesthetics of the horror and stuff like that.
Absolutely, and for all three of your new videos you had the same director, I noticed, Tony Aguilera, who has done some very cool visual art also along that dark goth kind of vibe, so how did you first connect with him?
Well, it was actually kind of weird. So he’s in Arizona and I think that the label and management knew of him, and he just happened to be available during that time and we wanted to shoot as many music videos as we could with a certain budget. And we were like, all right, we’re going to put out like a week. We’re going to write, I wrote four music video kind of structures in three weeks. We had a week to shoot all four of the music videos. And it’s, I mean, I don’t know if you know, but planning a music video usually takes months and months, but he was just like, no, you could come in like in the morning and we’ll shoot a music video.
Just dig right in. *laughs*
So yeah, he’s a super artsy creative guy. And he likes to play with a lot of camera angles, and different lenses, and broken glass and like…stuff like that makes it really cool. So he also did our photos as well, and we loved the photos so much that we decided to give them the music videos, and I’m so glad we did.
Yeah, some great results there, and it’s cool that you guys are also involved hands-on. You said that you wrote the structure, do you have a storyline in mind or just maybe a general aesthetic in mind when you’re getting into these?
Yeah, so you know you have the performance parts of the music video, which I feel like you need to have that in the heavy music. And then a little storyline that kind of goes in with the lyrics, and since I kind of understand my lyrics more than anyone, I tried to just come up with the concepts and just storyline/performance, storyline/performance, storyline/performance. And then Tony just worked his magic and really brought what I was trying to explain to him to life. We only talked to him the night before we were about to start everything. I didn’t get to go over anything. So the fact that it came together as amazing as it did, we’re very lucky.
That’s great. It’s kind of like one of those things where the stars align and it all just plays out.
Exactly, it was perfect. So Tony Aguilera, if anybody’s in Arizona, that guy rules.
Awesome. So the most recent single and music video we’ve seen is “Immortal”. I love the style of the song – musically, like Alternative meets Heavy Metal meets Metalcore, it’s just a great blend. So can you talk about some of the ideas behind that track?
Oh, yeah, it’s so much fun. That song is so much fun. We just, we really wanted to push our boundaries of how heavy we could go. There’s never been a song that I almost predominantly scream the whole thing. So we just wanted to try and see what would happen. And I’ve been working on my screams and trying to get the lows and the highs and the mids and different placements, and so with that song we were just like, “All right, let’s go as heavy as we possibly can”. I mean, I’m sure we could go heavier, but this was as heavy as we’ve gone so far, so maybe this is the segue. But it’s like one of my favorite songs, because it’s just so much fun. And I think “Possess Me”, our guitar player is very much into the Industrial world, and he loves Black Metal and Death Metal, and we just wanted to bring all of that together. And I do understand that, yeah, it’s kind of weird to be in a metal band and throwing synths in like, programming and stuff in there as much as we like, but that’s just what we like. And at the end of the day, we’re never gonna make everybody happy, so we have to make ourselves happy and write what we like, whether or not somebody doesn’t like synths. That’s the music, don’t listen to it then. *laughs*
Exactly, right? That’s part of it, that’s part of your style. *laughs* In general, I think you guys use melody very well because every track, no matter how heavy it gets, manages to have a hook, a catchiness that’s memorable and something that people can sing along with at shows.
Yes, I feel like for me personally what I like is, I really like a lot of screaming with a catchy melody that you can sing along with. I feel like there needs to be for me what I personally like. I feel like having, even if it’s just the chorus or it’s just a bridge part or something, you know, some Killswitch Engage kind of thing, where you sing and scream. I love hearing the dynamics of that. And, you know, from the belting to the soft vocal to just dynamics in general, personally, I like, and having something that’s memorable, like a melody that’s memorable, that you’ll be humming it later and be like, “Oh, it’s stuck in my head”. And that’s when you know it’s a good song, you know?
Definitely. Although at live shows, I’m sure you also hear peopletrying to scream along with the screaming parts. I know I hear that in metal shows a lot.
Yeah, it’s great. Should put the mic up to their mouths. We all sound amazing in the car.
Yeah, that’s when the best vocals come out, right? Well, it’s good practice anyway, when you are a vocalist, it’s definitely good to just scream it out in the car as much as you can.
I do. I actually, that’s how I’ve been working on my screams a lot lately. I was listening to a lot of Motionless In White. I was listening to a lot of old school Asking Alexandria and stuff like that to just work on…My vocal coach is just a singing vocal coach. So she helps me with that end, which I still have work to do. But when it comes to screaming, I feel like if you try to emulate how they’re doing it, it’s gonna sound different with the microphone, live and stuff, but if you can kind of try to feel where their voice is when you’re screaming, you can kind of sense where the placement is. And so if you can pay attention to it, so you can learn just by singing, screaming along to your favorite band.
Definitely, and if you have the foundations of getting that singing training and coaching, you can make sure you’re not also hurting your voice along the way while you’re trying to get into those screams. You’re not forcing it, you’re using your own techniques and just kind of expanding it.
Right. And I’m the worst when it comes to being technical, yeah, I’m so bad at that. I’m the worst, like a vocal coach’s worst enemy, and it’s like, “Great, I gotta teach this girl how to sing?”. Just joking aside, but no, you can get yourself in some trouble with the screaming and with especially all those dynamics, the high notes and the belting and stuff all together if you don’t take care of it and do it properly.
Well, I also wanted to ask you about your choice to sing and play guitar for your live shows as well, especially since for a lot of the music videos, the focus is more on you as a vocalist. So did you always do both singing and guitar, or did one come before the other for you?
Yes, I got my first guitar at 15 years old, got lessons and everything from my dad. And I learned, you know, some basic stuff on the guitar and started writing songs in my bedroom. I was too nervous to play them out in front of people. So I would like, you know, force myself three nights a week to just go to open mic nights in Florida and just play acoustically in front of people. And it was nerve-wracking because it didn’t come naturally as far as playing and performing in front of people, but the writing was always there. So I just had to force myself and the more I did it, the more it kind of turned into a separate person that goes on the stage, versus me who’s awkward. And then when the band started, everybody’s so good. I mean, it’s like metal guitar. It’s not like power chords and the stuff that I would play, open chords and things like that. And so I wanted the guitar parts to be more intricate. So I just kind of backed away from that for a while. And I realized some of the songs are not that difficult to play on guitar, and sing and play at the same time. So as long as I don’t have to switch guitars, I don’t have to retune everything like crazy, then I can sing and play at the same time. It’s really not as hard as I thought it would be.
I mean, it definitely comes across as intimidating as well. And I feel like drums have always looked intimidating to me too, because you’ve got all limbs working at once. It’s like anything where we have to focus on multiple parts of different instruments, it could definitely be challenging. But you definitely pull it off, it doesn’t seem challenging when you’re doing it.
Oh, thanks. Well, the songs that I play are pretty easy, but *laughs*, but I’m never going to play “Immortal”, I’ll practice it till the day I die, and I’ll probably never play that one live.
That’s okay, you’re just focused on your screaming for that one, you’re good. *laughs* So also, I want to talk to you about the production side because Kevin Thrasher from Escape the Fate produced To The Wolves, and now you guys are going on tour with them soon. So tell me about the connection there, and what do you feel he did for the band as producer?
Oh my God, so our management is Powerline Management, and Escape the Fate’s under the same management. So we kind of grew slightly friends over the pandemic because we were on Twitch and streaming and stuff. And Kevin is, you know, he’s producing for Machine Gun Kelly and he just did Gwen Stefani’s new single. Like he’s…definitely kicking some butt out there in producer world. So he cleared out his schedule for two days and we went over there, and we wrote two songs, “Taste for Blood” and “To the Wolves” really fast. We bounced off each other so fast creating those songs as far as the structure, the skeletal structure of it goes. And then we were talking about features, and I brought it up to management like, hey, why don’t we just have Craig on it? I mean,Kevin’s on it. So then, together, it’s Escape the Fate pretty much, like half the band. And Craig was totally down, which we both didn’t expect, because he just did a bunch of features. So it was super, super cool of him. And then he came in and did the music video, and now he’s taking us out on tour. And I’m like, “Dude! I owe ya, big time”. So yeah, he really went to bat.
That’s great. I mean, I’m sure he appreciates you guys’ talents, and realizes that you’re a good band to be helping to bring up on the way there as well. So I also saw some pictures on the Stitched Up Heart Instagram that you guys met Danny Elfman the other night, and he’s such an icon. That must have been such a fun show, just wanted to ask you about that.
Oh my goodness. That was so random. So, our guitar player is very much into film scoring and composition, and television and trailers and music in film. And Danny Elfman is obviously one of his favorites. His sister’s an actress and she is dating this director that is really good friends with Luis Guzmán, who’s the dad on Wednesday? And he got tickets to the show, but he couldn’t make it, so he asked him if he wanted the tickets, and it was last minute. Yes, of course. We’re going to the show. But, we didn’t realize it was like, VIP backstage, all the things. So we were sitting next to crazy cool people, I don’t know what any of them do, but they look like they do stuff. And it was just a wild performance. I mean, Danny Elfman is just ripped now. He just turned 70. The man is just swole and tattooed to the brim and grew out his hair. Like, he really took that pandemic seriously and killed it. He killed it. Like, if I can do that at 70, that’d be sick. And then we just ended up backstage, and the publicist for Luis came up to us and she was like, we didn’t know what to do. I don’t want to talk to Danny. I’m so awkward. Why would I just go up and talk to the guy? I need people to approach me because I’m just, I don’t know, weird. And she’s like, “what are you doing over here? Danny’s right over here, come talk to him”. And I’m like, “okay!” And then the weird thing is this – our guitar player, Merritt, before we were on our way there, I was like, “what would you say to Danny if you met him?”, not thinking we would actually meet the guy. And it’s like I predicted it.
I was going to say, you must have known, some part of you knew that was gonna happen.
It was so strange. And it was like, he hadn’t played in 30 years, performed live. So it was super cool. And we both didn’t know what to say. I started talking to him about tattoos, because he’s all inked up now. And I would have talked to him for hours. I feel like we could have hung out, but there were so many people that wanted his attention. I couldn’t take the whole night from him, you know? So hopefully we’ll meet again.
Well, that’s still fun though. You had an experience, you got a story now, and you got to hang with Danny for a while. So that’s cool.
So cool.
So back to today and upcoming, To The Wolves, what’s up next for Stitched Up Heart right now?
We are gonna get out there and tour, probably as much as we possibly can. If it was up to me, I would be out every single day in every single state and city in the world and country. And I just wanna be out there on the road right now. I miss it. And yeah, that’s the plan. Just get out there and play these songs.
Good stuff. Well, it’s definitely something to look forward to, and right now we’ve got three amazing singles and music videos to enjoy. We’ll look forward to seeing you guys out on the road!
Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much for chatting with me.
Thanks for joining me today, I appreciate your time.
Nonpoint is heading to the release of Heartless, their new EP set for the fall of 2023 via the band’s own label, 361 Degrees Records. I spoke with Nonpoint frontman Elias Soriano about the latest happenings with the band. Check it out below:
Chelsea here on the phone with Elias of Nonpoint. Thank you for joining me today.
Howdy!
How are you doing?
I’m wonderful, how are you doing?
I’m doing awesome. And you’ve got a lot going on in the Nonpoint world. Got some killer new music to talk about, so I’m excited to dig right in. So let’s start with “A Million Watts”. Of course, that’s at the forefront for Nonpoint right now as the latest single and music video, so talk to me about what brought Nonpoint to this point and this track.
Well, this track was our party song. We wanted to have a good time. The last couple runs have been really fun, we’ve been having amazing tours, amazing times with the other bands on our tours. It’s been such a family atmosphere, literally for the last year. It kind of leaked out into the song and we really just wanted to have fun with the song, hence why the video is so much fun. People know us backstage and around the touring scene to normally be walking around with smiles on our face and normally we travel together as a band. We hang out quite a bit, so seeing that normally makes people go, holy shit, look at these guys. These guys are actually friends and they actually like to hang out with each other. So “A Million Watts” has that kind of come join the fun, have a good time with us, come out to the show kind of feel to it, and it translates.
That’s awesome and, absolutely, it translates into the energy, the music video, and just the energy of Nonpoint overall. I mean, you guys have been together for a solid amount of time, so I think liking each other is definitely important for that longevity, but also just appreciating what you do and having fun.
Yeah, it’s a good time. It’s a good time, and I guess this song is all about being grateful of that.
Earlier this year you also had the track “Heartless”, sort of a slightly different vibe, but it’s still part of the upcoming EP out on November 17th, so can you talk to me about the ideas behind that one?
Yeah, “Heartless” was still down the line of the Emerald Cities concept that has carried over in both EPs. “Heartless” is a deeper dive into that tin-man character. What he’s going through in his head, all of the imagery of, you know, the day-to-day life, suburban idea model, all the cars are basically Pantone or, you know, tan, black or blue, and all the houses are the same color kind of feel that, you know, kind of makes you feel like something that’s comfortable and that you should be going after. There’s so much life and everything that you’re also having to get through to get to that. And then a lot of those people, they get there and they’re not as happy as they thought. So that’s really where the whole Emerald Cities vibe and that whole concept is actually starting to tie up with the song “Heartless”.
Got it, that makes sense. And then also just kind of tying into the actual EP, is there going to be a sense of that running theme going through it?
Yeah, at least through the end of the EP, there’s a couple other songs on it. I mean, I could drop the names of them here. I really don’t mind. We have a song called “Golden Gloves” and another song called “Wannabe King” that are both touching on that same Emerald Cities thing. “A Million Watts” is really a standout song that just kind of came to us that we couldn’t help but release.
That’s great. Yeah, of course. It’s got plenty of energy and it felt like the right time to you guys to release it, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that specific concept, but I think it’ll definitely be a good vibe, and also to kind of break up the tone of Heartless and give it a new kind of energy.
Absolutely. It just fits because it’s part of the story and perfect to the timeline right now, for sure.
So Heartless is, of course, coming out on your own label, 361 Degrees Records. So can you tell us about what gave you guys the initiative to start your own label and just how everything’s going with it right now?
Everything’s going really great with it, actually. It’s getting easier to drop stuff, and the team is a great team. We have a good plan ahead, we definitely set up marketing and set up you know plans and make sure there’s things like touring and things like that to support it. So we’re still working like a regular business would under the major label model but we’re just doing it through a distro partner and through our own funding, and it makes things very fluid, makes decisions easy to do and easy to make, makes things like cross promotion and backpacking things and bootstrapping things together, like touring and releases, and things like that a lot easier for us. It works well for us and we’re definitely lucky that it does.
That’s awesome. It’s definitely really important to be able to just kind of reign over your own domain and do things on your timeline and when you feel is right. And also to be able to, like you said, backpack onto other things, and reach out in terms of tours and organize things your own way. Did you guys just kind of figure that out?
Yeah, it was collaborations. Yeah, we had to figure all that out. We had a million questions that we came into this asking. Luckily, we had the right people around us that were caring enough of us that allowed us to get the real answers and then based on those answers and what we were willing to invest, we just started to make some hard decisions.
That’s great. Do you feel you know what you’ve learned by handling a label yourself besides being on a label over the years? What do you feel like are some lessons you’ve learned now that you’re kind of taking the reins for yourselves?
I don’t envy the labels and I really respect them. People should take that the most out of this conversation. The amount of workload, the number of cogs that it takes to make something like this actually happen and work well, it takes a lot of hard work, so hats off.
Definitely agreed here, for sure. You’ve also been working with Chris Collier as the engineer, so can you tell me about that experience, and what do you think he brought to the table in studio?
Well, producer/mixer. Rob is engineer or co-engineer on some songs, I don’t know which ones are which, but I know these last couple he basically engineered. But yeah, Chris Collier is definitely one of those new cogs and he was like a really gigantic cog that for some reason fit right in the middle. And it literally locked in with every other tooth of every other cog that was surrounding it. And he helped us kind of glue some of our musical ideas together in a way that made them sound fresh and exciting to us. So, you know, we really lean on Chris, really for his opinion. You know, he’s sort of our Rick Rubin right now. We really respect his opinion and his perspective. And he’s a player, man. He plays every single instrument and does it amazingly, and that gains a lot of respect from all the players on this side of the field. It’s a valuable partner to have.
Definitely. So, outside of the Nonpoint world, about a month ago, a video surfaced of you with the band Taproot, featured on their new single “Favorite Song”, so how did that connection come about?
Yes, and that “Favorite Song” is…actually I’ve got to give credit where credit’s due, Steve was talking about me on socials and I wasn’t getting the messages, and my guitar players saw a reel on Instagram of him talking about trying to get Elias on this track. And I’ve been trying to get on a Taproot track for 23 years now. So, I immediately jumped on Instagram, reached out to Steve, got in touch with him, and he sent me music and I immediately got to work.
So it worked out on both ends because you guys both wanted to work together, and it just came together at the right time.
Yeah, for real. It was great. And then, you know, they’re doing a couple of shows with their comeback here in the Midwest, and I live up in the Midwest right now. So it’s easy for me to just bounce right over and play. We shared the stage together at Taste of Madison for the first time in years, over a decade. But we got to play the song there for the first time. It’s great.
So you also just got off the road from a crazy tour with Mudvayne, Coal Chamber, Gwar, and Butcher Babies. That’s one hell of a lineup with you guys in there too. So how was that on the road?
That was one of those family tours that you know, “A Million Watts” was really all about. It was great. We know 90% of the people that we were touring with, we became, you know, dear friends with a whole new group and slew of people and bands, you know, between Coal Chamber and Gwar, we knew them in passing, but really never got to be as close as we were. You know, I was close to Dez for a couple shows in Australia while we bounced around on Soundwave together. We became acquaintances there, good friends, and then kind of lost touch for about a decade, and then ran into each other again on this tour. And then I ended up becoming dear friends with all the other players. Mikey is one of my dear friends. I almost talk to him daily. Same thing with Meegs and Nadja. It was a great, great tour. Their entire crew, everybody. It was a nonstop family atmosphere. The parking lot parties on all the days off, and Roadie Friday, all of the end of tour antics and good times, the pictures were insane. Lots of hugs, it was a great, great tour.
What great energy, and I love the positivity that you have overall, just talking about who you’re working with, what you do, it’s a great energy that you bring.
Well, it’s got to be, got to show some level of gratitude when you get to wake up and do what you love.
Absolutely. And yeah, I feel like that’s also kind of one of those things that happens when you’re in a band that’s so established and so appreciated. Things kind of cycle back around. You reunite with people, you develop new bonds. There’s all kinds of great positivity that can come out of that as well.
Yeah. Well, I mean, it’s understanding that your story is going to change. And being around for 23 years, it always hasn’t been a climb up. There’s been dips, and deep dips, and valleys, and ups, but this has been my only job for the last 23 years, it’s all I’ve done, and that’s a blessing. I take care of my family. My wife is a stay at home mom with my daughter, homeschooled, and we get to travel. My daughter has been to over 20 states and she’s 12. You know, she’s seen Megadeth five times before she was, you know, four years old.
Raising her right.
Yeah, yeah. What I’ve learned is you really can’t compare your life to anybody else’s life. And it goes for everybody that’s listening right now. You have to find the value in what you’re doing and the happiness that you get out of your life, because of the life that you live, because of the job that you have, because of the apartments and the neighbors, all these things that you are just there living around, that’s your environment. You’ve got to find what you love about it so that way you’re waking up every day with the right state of mind. If there’s something else that you want out there, you’ve just got to put your mind into it and go.
That’s awesome advice and, you know, all you can ask for as a musician as well. I mean, just being able to have fun, also make a living, also being able to have your family and the whole package there. And of course, it’s not always easy. It’s not a steady road, like you said, of just having that consistently. But the gratefulness, and just understanding the little victories along the way is super important.
Yeah, always, always be thankful.
Definitely, and just keeping on the topic of tours as well, I mean, since you just got off the road and now you’ve got the Million Watts Tour coming up, can you talk about what led to this lineup?
It came together real fast at the end. Sumo was definitely down to do it again, H.E.D. came in very late into the game and we were excited because we wanted somebody else that, again, it’s going to bring that party vibe, because that’s what this whole tour is gonna be about. And you know, they got the same kind of bounce and groove that we got. Same thing with Sumo. And then when we heard VRSTY was down, it was like, you know, last box checked. And we were ready to go. Those boys are amazing to hang out with and play with, especially for an entire tour. And then across the board, the entire lineup is insane when it comes to music values. So we’re just happy that we got a ticket that as soon as people walk in, they’re going to have good music all the way up until the end.
Absolutely, that’s perfect. So you do collab with bands a lot, like we’ve been saying, you featured vocals on Taproot, and then Fear of Water is another band you had a recent feature with. So in general, what are some bands that you’re really digging right now that we’d find on your playlist?
I’m a really huge fan of a lot of the young bands coming up right now, and luckily I befriended a few of them on Shiprocked where we really got to hang out for a couple days, repeat the camaraderie and the brotherhood and sisterhood. But Dropout Kings, outstanding bands, just amazing people to be around. The Nova Twins, I’ve watched them literally explode over the last few months. But not even the last few months, just the last couple years. Those girls are just oozing talent and so much fun to watch. And they have amazing songs. The new Skindred is just a testament to what everyone else considers a legacy brand, like they consider our band a legacy brand. But for some reason, always feel brand new. So a lot of British bands, right? I’m into a lot of British music right now. Yeah, it’s funny because I’m really into…I think it’s Drill, which is British rap. Just a lot of good music coming up from every single genre coming out of the UK for sure. And then when it comes to bands here, your bands like your Bad Omens, your Dropout Kings. Yeah, just good bands to watch live. I’m excited about the future of music.
And again, with the positivity, I love that you’re looking forward to the future of music and finding really cool niches of it and everything, whether it’s coming from here, or international…it’s always good to keep your mind open with different music. Well, this has been awesome getting to know you and what’s going on with Nonpoint right now. So can we wrap it up with what’s on the horizon for Nonpoint?
Yeah, like you said, the release of Heartless comes out in November. We have the A Million Watts Tour that already has two sold out shows and a third fast on its heels, and it hasn’t even been a week, so I would just suggest to everyone, if you’re in any of those cities, get your tickets now and then we’ll see you guys in the new year. We have a bunch of great shows that we’re about to announce that we’re very excited to be a part of, and then there looks to be a future of a second leg of the Emerald Cities tour, and possibly another small leg of the Million Watts tour, so you’re definitely going to get a chance to see us live. Everyone asking if we’re coming to your city, I would say most likely.
Great stuff to look forward to. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me today.
Richie Faulkner recently released Horns For A Halo, the debut album from his new band Elegant Weapons, via Nuclear Blast Records. Metal Magnitude’s Chelsea spoke with Richie Faulkner about the formation of this supergroup of a project; bringing classic influences and artists to a modern sound while recording with Scott Travis, Ronnie Romero, and Rex Brown; all about the Gibson Richie Faulkner Flying V Custom; plus an update from the Judas Priest front.
Sermon released their second album, Of Golden Verse, this spring via Prosthetic Records. Metal Magnitude’s Chelsea spoke with Sermon frontman, known only as “Him”, about following up on Sermon’s debut album Birth of the Marvelous, introducing the band to the world, working with James Stewart (Vader/Decapitated) and Scott Atkins (Grindstone Studios – Cradle of Filth/Vader/Benediction), genre exploration, and songwriting methods.
Vinnie Moore recently released his latest solo album, Double Exposure, via his own label, Mind’s Eye Music. This is the first of his solo work to feature guest vocalists, including former members of MSG, Riot, and more. I spoke with Vinnie about the making of the album, producing his own music through his own label, how he became known as a guitar authority, working with Alice Cooper, the latest on UFO, and more.
Joined on the phone here today by Vinnie Moore, excited to talk to you about your new album Double Exposure, so thank you for joining me today. How are you doing?
I’m doing great, thanks so much for having me on. It’s good to be talking to you.
Awesome. So of course I’m super excited, Double Exposure is an awesome record, and it’s not your first run at a solo album of course, but it has been the first in a few years. So to start things off, what brought you to this album as we hear it today?
The album started during the lockdown time frame, and you know, I was basically at home. All the shows that we had planned were kind of canceled or postponed or whatever, and you know, I just got bored and thought, I need to do something to keep busy and be creative. So I came up with a scheme to release an instrumental EP, 6 songs. And so I recorded some stuff, and that was pretty much how it started. But as I was listening to the songs, I started hearing vocals in my head and singing along with them. I got this idea like, “Hey, I could get some of my singer friends and maybe do two versions of each song – one with a singer and one with the guitar singing”. So this kind of dual album/dual song thing kind of popped into my head. It wasn’t really planned, but you know it just kind of happened and I just kind of rode with it.
Cool, and I love the way you phrase that, “one side with the guitar singing”, that, of course is what you’ve kind of always done with your instrumental. It was also a first to find vocals on your solo album, so my question on that is, how did you arrive at the lineup of vocalists that you did? I mean, did you have the songs first, and decide which song fit which vocalist, or did you already have some people in mind while you were writing?
Well, the songs were written and I actually, once I got the idea that I would like to do vocals on the songs, I pretty much started, you know, jotting down some lyrics, and I sang on everything myself. Because I always have a lot of melodies in my head, so I might be sitting around doing the instrumental thing, and get a vocal in my head, and you know, start recording and just like lay down a vocal. I presented each singer with both versions, the one with me scatting with my temporary lyrics, and the ones with just the music. And told them, you know, totally get creative, do your own thing, or listen to what I’ve come up with. But yeah, to go back to your question, it did take some thought. These were all friends of mine that I knew that I always wanted to work with, but some thought went into like who would be right for which particular song. For instance, like “Hummingbird”, there’s obvious, like…That’s gonna be Keith Slack. He’s a Texas guy, he’s got that southern twang and that big husky voice, and I just knew he would be right for that because it had a southern kind of vibe to it. And, you know, just kind of put some thought into it and just chose who I thought would be right for each song. There was no real right answer like, every one of these guys would have been good on any of the songs. But, I kind of tried to tailor it to each guy specifically.
Yeah, that makes sense, kind of just feeling the style and the vibe and which one seems suited to – because, of course, like you said, they could have handled any one of them but it’s like, which one was best for them as an individual, which is cool.
Exactly, that’s right.
You mentioned the genre there as well, because of course it is, a rock record fundamentally, but I like that there is a little bit of layering of genre. There’s a little bit of a southern, you know, twang here and there, and then you’ve got the blues element, which a lot of people seem to be picking up on the blues element of it as well. Was there any specific idea in mind with genres? Or you were just kind of experimenting and seeing what came up as you were writing?
I just kind of let it flow, you know? Without much thought. And I’m into so many different styles of music, so many great things out there, and I’m just like, inspired by all of it and, you know, I just kind of let it come out, when I’m writing. I try not to think too much and have a plan, I found that if I think too much, it doesn’t come out as good. You know, let it happen, so to speak. Put a guitar in my hand, whatever happens happens, wherever the road leads, you know, it leads, and I follow it, just follow the inspiration. A lot of my early Southern influence came out on this record, that probably hasn’t come out a lot in the past, like on “Hummingbird”, for instance. So yeah, it’s just go with the flow for me, and not think.
That’s good, I mean I think a lot of artists can tend to do that. If they set out with something too specific in mind, like, “I want to write in this style, this genre, this particular sound”, you can get kind of caught up in that thinking you have to fit into a mold. So it definitely is better to just let it flow, you have a certain idea and then say, “All right, let’s see where this goes”, just start playing and jamming and messing around.
Right, especially since it’s a solo record, and not a band scenario. Pretty much, can it be experimental and really do anything I want, whereas if there was a band such as UFO, we have a collective, like, style, you know? And there’s a certain area you have to stay within, like a certain boundary for that. So…kind of more boundary-less.
Definitely, that makes sense, yeah, UFO has a certain kind of expectation to itfrom the fans as well. You expect a UFO record to sound a certain way, and then, you know, if you come out of left field with a full-on southern record, people would be like, “Huh. Okay, that’s different” *laughs* So, I agree there’s an expectation, but it’s cool to be able to do it yourself. And I noticed that it came out on Mind’s Eye Music, I’m sure it’s no coincidence that that shares the name with your first solo album. So is that your own label, Mind’s Eye Music?
Yeah, definitely my own label, I just, at a certain point, it made no sense to try to do solo instrumental records on record labels anymore, and I just thought I could do better for the record myself. Having my own label and releasing it that way, and being more in control, and then also I could make whatever record I wanted without having to get any feedback externally. So it’s worked out well so far.
That’s awesome, and congrats on that.
Thank you.
Do you do your own production as well, or do you work with anyone else to help with production?
I produce it myself, and you know, I usually find a good engineer to record the drums and to mix it, and that helps out as well. But I’m the overseer of the whole creative process.
That’s awesome, and yeah of course, it’s like you said, it brings you that extra level of control to it. You can just make it whatever you want to make it, and then promote it out there in the world as, you know, “This is fully mine, this is my music, my creation”. I specifically wanted to ask you about the track, “Breaking Through”, because that really stood out to me, and I like that track a lot, and I feel like it’s such a unique instrumental tone going on there. And to me it almost resembles, like, dual guitars with yourself, I like the layers in there. So I want to ask more about the ideas and the work behind that one.
Thank you. There’s harmony guitars on that one, and I used to do lots, tons of harmony guitars back in the old days, like especially on the first couple records, and you know, I guess there was…some of my Brian May influence was coming out, or whatever. I’d harmonize almost all the melodies within the song, and then I just kind of broke away from that, I felt like I had to move away from it, and do something different. But for this specific song, I knew, I was hearing in my head that I wanted to harmonize the melody, and I had a specific idea, I want to go a fourth above. And then I started experimenting with this plugin, Harmonizer, and I ended up adding 2 harmonies to my melody, one higher and one lower. Back in the old days when I did harmonies, I’d actually track them both. So I’d track my melody, and then I’d go back and add the harmony to the melody, play along with it. In this case, both harmonies, the higher one and the lower one were actually there while I was playing the part, so it kind of inspired me to do some different things. And it just sounded massive when I was playing it. I think I came up with a couple cool things because the harmonies were there as I was tracking and playing.
I like it a lot and that’s interesting about the technology element of it – which is really cool because it kind of helped you, you know, assisted you in the song writing, and I like the idea that you’re embracing the technology. Because occasionally, musicians who have come from more of a classic or an analog kind of…origins and background prefer to stay that way. And it’s cool that you’re embracing the technology in the sense of what it can add to your songwriting. Kind of takes some of the extra work and extra recording time away, and lets you focus more on what you’re actually writing and coming up with.
Yeah, anything that inspires you and makes you go in a direction that you initially wouldn’t have gone in, is a really cool thing. Like, I was using this program, I guess it was like almost 10 years ago, more than 10 years…called Asset, where I was listening to different loops, and that was inspiring me, and I came out with this record called To The Core, and if you listen to that you can hear even influences from techno music. I was following inspiration from loops and whatnot, which was different, and fun, and exciting at the time.
It seems like you’re very open about your gear and technology, and things that you use as well, like…You’re not somebody who’s trying to keep major trade secrets and things like that, it’s like, when people ask you about gear, you’re willing to tell them what you work with, what you like, your plugins and pedals, and programs and everything that you use. Which is cool as well, that you’re very open about it.
Yeah, I don’t mind sharing information at all, because I’m also at times on the other end of things where I go, “Hey, how’d you get that sound, man?” And it’s always great when people tell you how they’ve achieved certain things. I still wanna know how Jeff Beck did some of the things he did.
Aww, yeah. It would be great to ask him. You’re not only a great player though, but you are considered a guitar authority in your own right, with good reason, for a majority of your career. I mean, with the guitar clinics and columns, etc., when did you first realize you like the teaching side of guitar too?
That’s something I never considered doing, that sort of was offered to me and I was scared to death at first, to be honest, like I don’t know if I could do that. I’d rather be on stage with a band. And I went out and tried it, and I got good at it, and I realized, “Hey, I can do this”. And it was good exposure for my music and my playing, so it turned out to be a really good thing. When I was in the studio recording The Mind’s Eye record, which is my first record, I had Tommy Aldridge on drums, and he had just done a Hot Licks instructional video, and he told them about me, recommended me, and then I started talking to Hot Licks, Arlen Roth, and I ended up doing that instructional video because of Tommy’s recommendation. That’s something I never considered I would be doing either, it just sort of happened and you know, I went with the flow.
I mean, that shows the humble side of you as well. Whenever somebody is an authority in a subject, they usually don’t feel that way. I mean, they’re like, “Oh, I’m just doing this, this is my thing, this is what I do”. And when other people are seeking advice, you don’t feel like you are the “supreme authority” on it, but people do see you that way, out of your instructional aspects of what you do.
Yeah, I mean, I’m not an authority on anything. I’m just learning as I go along, and happy to pass on anything that I’ve learned, and there are some things that like, I’m reluctant though. I get protective of, like, certain licks or something that I think are really…I know I came up with on my own, and there have been times where people have said, “Hey, how’d you do this?”, and I’m like, “I don’t know, what part are you talking about? I’m not sure”. I’ll avoid talking about it, and I feel selfish, but yeah, for the most part I’m pretty open.
No that’s fine, you have every right to have certain things that are unique to you, and you protect those secrets, and that’s totally fine. And if anything, if somebody’s trying to figure it out, they can just work a little harder to listen closely and figure it out themselves, you know?
Exactly, yeah, like I did when I was a kid, like we all did. There were no instructional videos or YouTube, you just listen to the record over and over again, you know, picked up the needle, and try to figure it out the best you could.
Exactly, and some people could you know certainly do with doing it that way these days, instead of trying to take shortcuts and everything.
Yeah, nobody wants to use their ears anymore, like, kids just want to get tablature. But I mean, it’s great that tablature is available, and can help you learn things faster, but there’s something to be said about using your ear and learning things. You know, it helps develop that whole thing.
And to me, I feel like it’s more satisfying that way when you do figure it out yourself. I play guitar as well, I mean certainly not on any level close to you, but just in general, you know, I play a little more casually, and there was a newer song I was listening to that I was trying to find some tabs or, something that someone had put out there for it, and there was absolutely nothing out there for it because the song was still pretty new. And I ended up just doing exactly that, just putting it on a loop, listening over and over, figuring out the notes, and it was just a lot more gratifying and satisfying to be like, “Okay cool, I play this now because I figured this out myself from just listening to it by ear”.
Right, you feel like it’s rewarding at the end when you’ve done it.
Exactly. So another thing I do want to touch on while I have you is, of course, touching on the UFO front. I mean, we’re all pretty aware of what happened last year with Phil’s health, making the official farewell show last summer but, you know, some people are still questioning whether it really is a farewell for UFO, whether there might be more music recorded in the future…Is there anything you can share for updates on how Phil’s doing, or anything with UFO?
I know he’s doing a lot better, he’s feeling good, he’s in good spirits. We text almost every day, and we were texting yesterday, and it’s usually joking, to be honest with you. Sending one another funny memes and videos and what not. I think he would like to do more, and it’s probably just a matter of him just kind of making sure that he doesn’t push the limits too much. He just needs to feel that everything’s okay, and, you know, that he’s not risking anything.
Of course.
I think that it could happen next year as long as he feels good about things, but I really don’t have an answer at this point.
Of course, definitely just good to know that he is in better health and spirits all around, fans will of course be thrilled if anything new comes out, but of course the priority here is his health and making sure he’s all good, so that’s totally understandable.
Yeah.
The other thing I’d like to touch on real quick is to talk about your time with Alice Cooper, because he happens to be one of my favorite artists as well, and the Hey Stoopid record is also one of my favorites, I love that it became this collaboration with so many guest artists on there. So, can you take me into the recording studio for that album, and what did you personally take away from that experience?
Man, I heard about him having the guests on the record, and I was asked to be a part of it, which was kind of an honor for me, you know? It was amazing. I live like 4 hours drive from the studio, which was in Bearsville, New York, Bearsville Studio. I drove up there one winter evening, I think it was in January, spent the night, got up the next morning, drove right to the studio. They had given me the 2 songs in advance, “Dirty Dreams” and “Hurricane Years”, and I just went in and knocked them out, you know? I think it took maybe 6 hours, and then we all went out to dinner together, and said our goodbyes, and I drove home that evening. So it was pretty much “Wham bam thank you ma’am”. But it was a lot of fun, that’s the first time I met Alice, and having him there in the control room while I was recording stuff going, “Hey maybe you could make it more like this, or you know, get a little more sloppy and sleazy, or whatever” back from him was like, totally cool.
That’s awesome, I love that, and that’s funny, that feels appropriate for Alice’s music too, that kind of feedback.
Yeah, it was almost like, well…I played one of the rhythm tracks, and he was like, “you obviously know the song, but maybe you’re playing it too perfectly, maybe you could just swap it up a little bit”. Very cool.
That’s great, yeah, I feel like that comes from that instrumental guitarist element, you are very precise with notes and that sort of technical aspect of it that I guess certain kind of rock is like, “Listen put some attitude into it, too”, which is funny.
Yeah, there was attitude, but I think you just kind of, the more you play, you get more proficient and better at it.
So coming back to the present day with Double Exposure, it’s a great record getting lots of attention, I know everyone’s happy to hear something new from Vinnie Moore, so tell us what’s on the horizon for you now.
I want to get out and do some shows, I have some stuff shaping up for Europe in September, and working on some USA stuff, and I don’t know exactly when that’s gonna be. And then I want to get more of a band together instead of the solo artist thing, you know, with a band name, and make vocal records and go out on tour. Especially since UFO was coming to a halt, I’m going to need another band to kind of replace that.
We’re all looking forward to seeing what you come up with next, so thanks so much for taking the time to talk me today, Vinnie, this has been awesome.
Oh thank you, I totally appreciate it, thanks so much.
Lacuna Coil released Comalies XX, a 20th Anniversary modern update of the iconic 2002 album Comalies, Fall of 2022 via Century Media Records. Shortly after the release, I spoke with frontwoman Cristina Scabbia about reimagining the record with a new perspective, Cristina’s interest in pop culture and Lacuna Coil’s Batman comic collab, the Lacuna Coil holiday track “Naughty Christmas”, and more.
Queensrÿche recently released their new album, Digital Noise Alliance, and I spoke with guitarist Michael Wilton about the making of the album, their tour with Judas Priest, and more.
(Photo by Larry Marano/Getty Images)
I’d like to start off by asking you what inspired this album and felt like the right time to release it?
Just like most bands, we were waiting for it to be safe to travel with the immunization and shut-downs and all that. We had just gotten off our last tour when the government shut everything down, so we were just like every other musician wondering what was going to happen. Basically, when it was deemed safe to travel, that’s when this whole thing started, we had a meeting with the band and the producer, Zeuss. That’s when we started what we call “think tank sessions”, where we’d all fly into a certain spot and just start experimenting and coming up with ideas, and Zeuss would archive them, and that’s kind of how it got started. We decided that this album would be better served by everybody being in the recording room and contributing ideas, rather than doing the whole email thing. I think that was something that we hadn’t done in a while, and lo and behold, it turned out to be so efficient and I think we decided to come up with all new ideas, which is not regurgitated songs from the past or anything like that, this is all pretty much improvised. Most of the songs started from a guitar riff, and they were just built up into a song. This is kind of like what we did back in the early ‘80s, before technology, cellphones and internet and all that, we would get together in a room and show each other riffs, ideas, lyrics, and everything. So we did this with Digital Noise Alliance in a modern sense. I think it just gravitated the whole energy of the recording.
We had, I believe, three or four of these big Queensrÿche get-together think tank sessions, and each time, we’d come in with ideas and just start writing and compiling and building, and we were starting to get on a roll. We were starting to see that, “Wow, this was really working cool”, I’d record a riff, and Zeuss would tell Casey Grillo to put a drum beat to it, and Todd would come up with a melody, and Eddie would come up with a bass part. You know, so we got this momentum and it was so efficient, we were coming up with probably three to five songs a day. We got to a point where we had like, 22 songs, and we had to cut it down to 11 or 12 songs, and that’s when we started to microscope the whole recording and start moving to where we actually start printing. I think the whole idea behind this was just, “let’s let this flow, let’s let this just be organic, and create as we go”. And Zeuss goes, “Michael, do you still have those old Marshall heads that you recorded with?” and I said, “Yeah, they’re in my closet”, and he says, “let’s bring them, let’s record that”. So we set up, I brought six of my Marshall heads in, and I think those things just have such personality, that we would combine different amplifiers, they all have different sounds and everything, and it gave it that whole unique, vintage-y feel in a modern situation.
Absolutely, that’s awesome. And it sounds like there definitely was a lot of great creativity flowing, I mean, 22 songs sounds like you’ve already got another album on deck, which is really cool. But yeah, so many bands did have to go the whole remote writing and recording style, like you said, emailing back and forth for the past few years. So with DNA, that must have been great to get back to your roots in a sense and create everything in person and feel that creativity.
Right, I know, it’s just a concerted effort that we made. Once it was safe to fly *laughs*, it was like, “let’s do this”.
And of course you mentioned the classic gear there as well, your Queensrÿche guitar tone and sound was unique in the 80s and it’s unique today. You seem to be someone who’s very open about discussing your gear, what do you think has been the most unique factor to your guitar sound over the years? Something that stands out as a favorite, or a key piece of your tone and sound?
I’ve endorsed ESP guitars for decades, and I think that has a lot to do with it. And I think the amps that I use to record, and I think it’s just kind of the way that I attack my playing, and how I do what I do. Which is, not try to complicate things, just let things flow and just kind of go with whatever ideas in my head. I’ve got Zeuss by my side archiving, and I’ve got the guys giving me thumbs up or thumbs down. I really can’t describe how I play, other than I just do what I do. I write what’s in my head, streaming through my brain.
Well, you do it well. You’ve mentioned Zeuss a couple of times, you had worked with Zeuss on the last two Queensrÿche albums, so was it just natural and par for the course that he would come on board for this album too?
Yeah, there’s such a trust that’s built. He’s efficient, he knows our style, he knows our personalities individually, and he’s a fun guy to be around. He’s great to hang out with as well. So obviously, we give him first shot when we’re doing a record, because everything that he’s done has just really been so outstanding. We hope to use him on the next album, whenever that happens.
You mentioned that you had so many songs ready for this album, do you think you’ll end up carrying forward any of the songs that you ended up with, or do you want to start fresh for the next album?
I don’t know, we don’t preplan, when it’s time to do the next album, we’ll make that decision and it could be something completely different, who knows.
I also want to ask you about the single, “Behind the Walls”, because of all the singles that came out, I feel that one stands out to me the most because it’s a very intense song, it’s heavy, but it has such a classic, quintessential Queensrÿche vibe and tone to it. I’d love to hear more on the making of that track specifically.
Right, that song was in the first batch of writing. It’s a riff that I wanted to make powerful, I think that it was something that just kept building and as we put layers on and built the process, Todd came up with great lyrics. We were just in a stream of creativity, right? So we didn’t know that this song was going to have such an impact until we did a video for it that was on YouTube, and it kind of took off, and it was like, “wow, okay”, and consequentially, we’re playing it now on the Judas Priest tour. So it’s great and it kind of fits with the songs we’re playing, and it’s something that the fans are enjoying, but the song has taken on its own life, it’s really a lot of fans’ favorite song off this album.
And that’s awesome, because that is something that can happen in that stream of consciousness/creativity that you were saying, not necessarily something you’re thinking too hard about, not over-calculating the sound, you’re just like, “you know what? This is a good vibe and we’re going to roll with it”, and it ends up being a hit in that sense.
Exactly, sometimes there’s just energy in a riff that needs to be unleashed *laughs*.
Definitely. And of course you mentioned the Judas Priest tour, you guys have been touring almost non-stop, with a few breaks here and there, but pretty much for most of the year, with Judas Priest. Can you first talk about that tour and how everything’s going with that creative energy, but also about your connection with Judas Priest, and what was your first experience ever touring with them?
I think that was back…I may be wrong, don’t quote me, but back in 2007, I think we toured with them. So that’s the beginnings of meeting the guys and everything. And this year, after the pandemic, it was a great opportunity to springboard back into the industry and get on the spring tour with Judas Priest. When they announced a fall/winter tour, we said we were available, they picked us again, and we were grateful for that, and it’s going great. This tour that we’re on right now is going to go until December 1st and then probably going to take a bit of time off, maybe do a few fly gigs, and then 2023, end of February, we have a Digital Noise headline tour already booked, so that’s going to be fun. I know they’re already booking shows in Europe again, so that will be great to get to Europe again. So we’re going to be busy for the next few years on this album.
That sounds like you’ve got a ton of stuff on the horizon for Queensrÿche. Another thing I noticed about DNA, there’s been several special vinyl editions of the album coming out, and I’m sure that was something you did when the classic Queensrÿche albums were coming out. Now it seems it’s back to vinyl again, so I’m curious about your thoughts on that?
Oh, I love LPs, I love vinyl records. I think it’s very cool. I have a turntable at home, although I haven’t tried to play the color vinyl yet, I just play the standard black ones, but they sure look cool, I love them.
I’m also curious because you mentioned the connection between Priest and Queensrÿche, and something the two bands have in common is that dual guitar factor, both guitarists working together on layering and building while still showing each one’s style. That’s something you do in Queensrÿche, but lately you’ve had a returning guitarist with Mike Stone, so can you talk about him being back in the band, and that dynamic?
Yeah, that worked out great for us, because when Parker retired, we were possibly considering going the audition route, but Eddie still had Stone’s phone number, and just on a whim, gave him a call. And he said, “Sure, I’ll help you guys out”. So he’s been with us, he knows most of the songs, so it was a no-brainer. We brought him in to do some recording on Digital Noise Alliance as well, so he’s back with the band in full force, everybody’s digging it.
Another thing about DNA, we were talking about the single “Behind the Walls” and how much that really resonated with everyone who’s heard the album, but for you personally, what did you feel was the track that really stood out to you the most when you finished that flow of creativity and took a step back and looked at what you guys made?
I think probably the song, “Forest”, because it was so different from the other songs, because it was probably the last song that we wrote. I just like listening to that and how we created something a little bit different.
I think the whole album is definitely something different, it has a classic Queensrÿche vibe while still being very new, very modern, and fits in well in 2022. I think you guys came up with something awesome, and you’ve got some great stuff on the horizon for Queensrÿche, so thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.
Thank you for having me, thank you for supporting Queensrÿche, and tell everybody to support live music because the bands need their help.
Scaphis is a Death Metal band out of Melbourne, Australia who recently released their second album, “Dissected & Fermented”. I spoke with vocalist Spyke Jagerkrieg (who joined us by audio) and drummer Lance Vegas about the new record, their formation and experiences as a band, and more. Check it out via the Metal Magnitude Official YouTube Channel below:
NAMM 2022 is a wrap, and it was good to be back. Leading up to the NAMM show, many were concerned as to whether or not it might be able to return at the same level of an event that NAMM is known to be. While I will admit it may not have been a full-scale NAMM with business entirely as usual (especially due to many artists of all genres being in the midst of summer tours), it certainly fulfilled its purpose as a gathering spot and metaphoric musical playground for merchants, musicians, industry, and more. Overall excitement and enthusiasm to be back at NAMM in person once again was enough to create a collective buzz that you could feel, and you might even be able to hear if not for the cacophony of instruments playing throughout the halls – no complaints on that here.
Before NAMM officially began, a very special event took place in Anaheim – the 10th Annual She Rocks Awards. Founded in 2012 as a networking breakfast by the Women’s International Music Network, the She Rocks Awards has grown year by year into an incredible awards show that honors leaders and trailblazing women in all genres and areas of music, from musicians to engineers, educators to execs, media to manufacturers, and more. She Rocks 2022 also featured a silent auction, with a portion of proceeds going to the NAMM Foundation, as well as helping to fund the Women’s International Music Network.
I had the immense honor of covering the Red Carpet for this event and speaking with honorees and participants this year. The red carpet interviews can be found on the Metal Magnitude YouTube Channel here, with Featured Honorees and Guests: Lyndsey Parker (Red Carpet Host and Dreaming Out Loud Award), Katie Daryl (Co-Host), Meredith Brooks (Trailblazer Award), Carmen Vandenberg (Bold Star Award), Yvette Young (Inspire Award), Mindi Abair (Co-Host/Guest Performer), Laura Whitmore (Founder of Women’s International Music Network/Co-Producer of She Rocks Awards), Leslie Gaston-Bird (Champion Award), Sherri Chung (Spirit Award), EveAnna Manley (Mad Skills Award), Julie Robbins (Powerhouse Award), Kerry Fiero (Motivator Award), MILCK (Vision Award), Command Sisters (House Band), Janet Robin (Guest Performer), Laura Clapp (Guest Performer/Past Honoree), Christina Torres (Guest Performer), Heather Youmans (Guest Performer), Tenille Arts (Opening Act), Shira Yevin (Founder of Gritty In Pink), Jennifer Jo Oberle (Guest Performer). Two additional awards for the evening: the Warrior Award given to Myki Angeline, which remained a secret until it was unveiled to her as a surprise during the show; and the Legend Award, to Dionne Warwick, who was not present for the evening due to a tour overseas, but recorded a video sending her love to She Rocks. It was an exciting night of fun and musically diverse performances – everything from Country, Pop and Rock ’n’ Roll, to Jazz, a Dionne Warwick tribute, Progressive Rock guitar, and a Meredith Brooks-led shredding “Bitch” jam to close out the night.
Photo Credit: Kevin Graft
Backtracking a little to the morning of the She Rocks awards, the NAMM goings-on all started with NAMM Media Preview Day, which gave an early look at a handful of products to be featured at the NAMM Show. It seems that multi-scale (also known as the “fanned frets” style, where each string varies in length and tension to make for easier downtuning and versatility, among other perks) is a guitar style and design that we’re seeing more and more of these days. I was able to get some time with Ernie Ball Music Man engineer Drew to talk about the new Tosin Abasi collaboration known as Kaizen: https://youtu.be/EIfUog_QpYg. I also heard about the latest metal-oriented bass innovations from Ibanez with rep Scott Miller, who gave the specs showing why the unique features of the new (soon to be released) BTB605MS and BTB806MS are ideal for a player of the heavier genres: https://youtu.be/udhg49aWBNw.
In the absence of some of the major brands such as Gibson and Fender, who usually have entire rooms to themselves, there was more space for up-and-coming, boutique, and independent brands to stand out. However, for those still seeking the household names, especially in the heavier genres, there was plenty to be found. A prime example would be the ESP guitar room, a haven for metal fans, displaying playable signature models from the likes of Kirk Hammett, Glenn Tipton, George Lynch, Gary Holt, Max Cavalera, Tom Araya, and more, including the ’87 reissue series. The room was framed with an impressive “James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett” display right outside, showing a piece of the legacy of these two metal icons who have been working with the brand since 1987.
Ibanez had their solid share of floor space in the main showroom once NAMM officially began, where Steve Vai’s “The Hydra” was on display. I heard about the innovation of this fascinating anomaly of an instrument some time ago, so my reaction to seeing it in person couldn’t be more than standing and staring for a few mintes while thinking, “…it’s real”. I don’t think I need to explain why…just look at it (and listen to it in action too). Though The Hydra took front and center stage, Joe Satriani’s JS2GD guitar also drew quite the crowd with its standout gold design, as did Nita Strauss’ JIVAX2, alongside Steve Vai’s PIA35th Prototype and new PIA3761C. Plenty of Ibanez Signature artist guitars were featured, including Mike D’Antonio (Killswitch Engage), Fieldy (Korn), Sharlee D’Angelo (Arch Enemy), Jake Bowen (Periphery), Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth), and more. Ibanez also showcased a wall of their Iron Label series, specifically designed with technical proficiency and metal shredding in mind.
Aristides Guitars had a prominent presence, where Timo Somers could be found once again manning the booth and sharing insights on his preferred guitar brand just as he did at NAMM 2020. S.I.T. (“Stay In Tune”) Strings is known for their frequent collaborations with artists in the rock and metal genres, who tailor their signature strings to their preferred gauges and styles. Some featured artist signatures at the S.I.T. booth included Willie Adler of Lamb of God, Karl Sanders of Nile, Wayne Lozimak of Hatebreed, Richard Z. Krupse and Paul Landers of Rammstein, Zach Myers of Shinedown, and Rusty Cooley. Blackstar Amplification primarily showcased their new St. James, marketed as “The Lightest 50W Valve Amp In The World”, and featured guitarist Carmen Vandenberg – a She Rocks honoree and the first woman to design and release her own signature amp – with her new CV30. During a walk through the Yamaha room, I also spotted a wall devoted to Yvette Young, an innovative musician and another She Rocks 2022 honoree.
The Haunt
I encountered a band known as The Haunt doing a signing at the Highwire Daze booth – hailing from South Florida, their sound is a Rock/Hard Rock/Alternative blend with a Gothic vibe and aesthetic, and they most recently toured with Mongolian Hard Rockers The Hu (who have featured artists Lzzy Hale and Jacoby Shaddix on some of their tracks, and also covered Metallica’s “Sad But True”). You can check out Metal Magnitude’s interview with 3/4 of The Haunt – vocalist Anastasia, guitarist Maxamillian, and drummer Nick – on the official YouTube Channel here.
Graham Bonnet’s signing followed at the Highwire Daze booth, which also drew a sizable crowd. Dianthus made an appearance later that day, the band featuring talented twin sisters who are paving their path with a unique brand of progressive metal – I recently interviewed drummer Jessica Parry for Metal Magnitude.
Chaos & Carnage 2022 Official Poster
The Chaos & Carnage Tour was something I’d been looking forward to seeing, and it was the perfect event to wrap up a day of NAMM. With a 7 band lineup, it felt more like one day of a festival than just one show, and “Chaos & Carnage” could not have been a more perfect name for this night of brutal Deathcore showcasing a plethora of talented modern metal musicians.
Distant brought the best of their Dutch Deathcore to the table setting an intense tone right off the bat, while Unique Leader labelmates Signs of the Swarm kept the mood and the pit going. Angelmaker is a band that I’ll admit I wasn’t too familiar with before this show, but one live set from them was enough to make me a fan of the dual-vocalist doomy deathcore that had the room headbanging within a minute of their first song. Winds of Plague is generally considered Deathcore, but the symphonic yet thrashy elements of their sound bring in a little more of an old-school metal sound – with no shortage of circle pits.
Lorna Shore took to the stage next, and for most in the room, it was their first time experiencing the band with new frontman Will Ramos, who’s been taking the metal world (particularly the internet) by storm with his unique and powerfully versatile vocals since “To The Hellfire” was unleashed in 2021. Bassist Michael Yager is also new to the band as of 2021, and brought his best 5-string performance to the stage. Carnifex was another highlight of the night for many, and it was my first time seeing them live even though I’ve been listening to the band for years, interviewed Scott Ian Lewis via phone in the past, and may or may not have had “Graveside Confessions” on repeat for a week or so after the single came out because it’s just that good. Suicide Silence arrived to close out the night, and this particular night at House of Blues in Anaheim – featuring new and classic tracks alike – was a unique one, as the show was recorded for a future release. Chaos & Carnage was worth every bruise from the pit (that might also be the reason why I don’t have much in the way of show photos or footage to share from this one…), and is high on the list as one of the best metal tours of 2022.
Later on in the NAMM weekend, I also stopped by Vola Guitar, a brand where Michael Keene of The Faceless has made a home with his signature guitar known as “The Keene Machine”. Vola had a few models on display that were ideally suited to players with shredding in mind – you can check out the Vola Metal rundown with Greg Lienhard, VP of Operations at the company, here: https://youtu.be/msZnqN0qjVk.
Another notable presence was that of Tsunami Cables, which is not only known for their highly durable and long-lasting cables for instruments, microphones, and speakers, but bassists of any genre may favor their latest preamp innovation, the V-15, designed by Bruce Egnater with a classic sound in mind, inspired by the heritage B-15. Not too far from Tsunami’s booth was Arachnid Cabinets, which may not yet be a household name, but they are for Gary Holt – Arachnid is part of his gear of choice for the road, and the rig pictured far left is Gary’s actual road setup.
On the tech side, JackTrip promoted their timely technology designed to connect remote musicians, enabling everything from one-on-one lessons to group rehearsals and band jams, with low-latency high-quality audio even through standard video chatting programs. Cloud Microphones demoed their ribbon microphones and mic activators, which enable an extra boost in gain and sound quality when recording or performing. Allen & Heath stood out in the American Music and Sound section of the live sound room, with new and innovative takes on the classic analog technology they’re known for, such as the dLive console, which has become one of the most popular and widely used digital consoles in the audio engineering world, and the brand also offered live sound training sessions throughout the weekend with renowned engineer and instructor Mike Bangs.
Other than the gear and gadgets one can always find on the showroom floor, NAMM had no shortage of interesting and engaging programs discussing the present and future of the music industry, including pro audio, live sound, music publishing, and promotions, in addition to concerts from new and established artists on outdoor stages all around. Anaheim and the surrounding area is always known for the shows and events that pop up at NAMM time – the She Rocks Awards and Chaos & Carnage were the notable events for me this time around, and surely there will more of the kind returning to the area for the next NAMM and beyond.
NAMM 2023 will be a spring NAMM, already scheduled for April 13th-15th, building up to a full-scale return to Winter NAMM on January 25th-28th, 2024. Follow and find more on NAMM via: https://www.namm.org.
Dianthus recently released their sophomore album Realms via Deko Entertainment, and I spoke with one half of the twin sister duo, drummer Jessica Parry, about the making of Realms, her background and influences as a musician, producers the band has worked with, and their venture into the comic world. Check it out below.
First of all, congratulations on the release of Realms – I want to start off by digging into the overall ideas of what’s on Realms, and the big picture of how the whole concept came about.
So, of course, the album artwork for Realms, it kind of tells the story already in that picture – this album is very conceptual, there’s a deeper story behind it, and we also are going to explore it in other mediums as well. It’s very fantasy and mystical-based.
Are the lyrics driven by the same fantasy and mystical ideas?
They definitely are. We also have some interludes too that kind of take you to that place. There’s a lot of synth and piano, so we play a lot on that.
The title track was revealed to us last year, before the album came out, with the music video for Realms. This is an awesome track, and very interesting because it has progressive, heavy vibes, not your standard 4/4 rock ’n’ roll time, but still very catchy and memorable without that structure. Can you talk about what went into that track?
Yeah, it was very exciting for us to write this album, and Realms was actually the first song we wrote for this record. We had lots of ideas going into it, and we wanted to write a song that kind of captured the entirety of our sound, so the synth, guitars, drums, it’s kind of like that standalone track that describes us well.
Now, “A Space In The Silence” is a more recent single we’ve heard, with another music video. It’s similar but has more of a modern melodic metal vibe, can you give us some behind-the-scenes on that one?
It was fun working on that song too, because the way it came about, we were working with our producer Steve Evetts, and he really helped us simplify certain parts where we wanted the melody to shine, so the chorus has that more simple feel with the drums. We wanted something people could sing along to live, easier to catch on to. The production was really fun, and the music video too, it takes you into that fantasy place as well.
Absolutely. You’re often called Progressive Metal by people who are getting to know you guys, it seems to be a term they hook in to, but do you put yourselves in that category, do you identify with that genre?
I actually do, and sometimes people think that we’re more pop with our vocals, but as far as progressive metal, that suits us better than progressive rock. We have the heaviness of metal, and there’s definitely odd time signatures going on, so that definitely describes us better.
That’s the thing, the time signatures are what grab people – they hear that and it’s like, “Oh, we’re getting into some Progressive territory”, which is cool.
Exactly! Yeah, thank you.
I want to ask more about your personal background, Jessica, as a musician, like what made you pick up the drums to begin with, and of course you also sing, not all drummers are singing and doing harmonies while they play – just want to know some of your inspiration with that?
I never thought I would be a drummer growing up, it’s kind of crazy how it all happened, but I started off with classical piano at age 7. My sister and I, we always wanted to be in a band together, especially since rock music was fun, we wanted to do a band, and I actually said, “it would be cool to play drums”, and that’s actually how I got into drums. I was influenced by lots of bands – Rush, my dad loved them, so that’s how it all happened.
That’s funny, you evolved from piano to singing to drums, so now you’re just doing all three at once.
Right, right! And singing, too, that came out of nowhere. My sister and I, we made songs together, and naturally live, I just started picking up backing vocals.
So when you say that you write the songs together, is that both music and lyrics all together?
Yeah, it’s teamwork together. The song itself, the structure, we usually start off with that, and then the lyrics and vocals come later.
Especially if you’re both working together on lyrics, I can see how that comes into play with you both singing as well – you’re contributing the words, the story, and the message behind the song, so you’re telling that story at the same time.
Right, it’s a process that works well for us, because we’re definitely music-based, we love coming up with that first and creating a good thing for the lyrics to sit upon.
Definitely, and I love to hear that you have a lot of classic influences in there, Rush – I mean, Neal Peart is a huge inspiration for many drummers, and I can see that’s where your progressive influence comes in.
Oh, for sure, and he was the lyricist, too, for Rush. I actually love writing lyrics too, so I relate to him a lot.
Awesome. What are some other tracks beyond the singles that really stand out to you on the album?
The last track on the record, it’s called “Secrets and Promises”, and we don’t currently have a music video for it yet, but I think that’s another fun heavier song from the record. I would describe it as a pirate metal kind of feel with the drums, and I would say it’s a lot of triplets, as we call them. Very groovy, pretty upbeat.
Now, when you say that you and your sister learned your instruments growing up, were you self-taught, was it anyone in your family, or did you take formal lessons?
We took formal lessons with the classical piano for over ten years, but also, at the same time, we were getting formal lessons in guitar and drums at a rock school academy. That really helped us get used to being in a band with other kids our age, and now we’re kind of just taking things from YouTube and self-teaching, learning things on our own now.
And I’m sure you’re getting opportunities to learn from other artists now that you’re getting more out there in the industry.
Yeah, there’s so much to learn at our fingertips now with YouTube and other platforms – every day is something crazy online *laughs*.
*laughs* Absolutely. I’m also curious, because sometimes when people come from a classical background, that’s a very structured, strict way of doing things – you’ve got your sheet music to play things the way they’re written and that’s that. So going from that to a band setting, where a lot of it is open and free, and jamming until you find the sound as you go along. How was that transition?
It was really fun. For me personally, going from classical piano, which, yeah, is a lot of theory and dynamics…going into drums, I felt like I had more space to breathe, more freedom if you will, because there’s not actual pitched notes going on. I still play a lot of the piano too, but with drums, it’s another fun side to music that I just release.
And I see that you do a lot of covers on social media too, so I’m curious, what’s the process of picking those out – do you just get in the mood for a certain song and say, “You know what? I’m going to cover this now”, or is it long-time favorites that you’ve been building up to?
Sometimes it’s just based on feeling – I’ll have short bursts where I’m listening to a certain song and I’m like, “Wow, I didn’t realize how cool the drums were”. It’s like a revisiting thing for me, and manifesting certain skills, that I can actually record certain parts that I didn’t think I could years before. It’s just fun to see my progress and see how other people feel.
You definitely get a different insight on music when you learn new instruments, I’m sure you’re able to notice exactly when the drums are hitting what, you kind of tune into it more.
Yeah, that makes sense because when you revisit other songs, you have more of an appreciation for it. You can also experiment with your own style, different drum fills, it’s cool to find your own thing.
And that’s where covers can really shine through, because you’re putting your own touch on it. It’s fun to do covers paying tribute to the original artist, but it’s great to put your own spin on it as well.
Definitely, music has to be fun in the end. You’ve got to make sure you’re having fun, and a good challenge is always good too.
You mentioned working with Steve Evetts as a producer as well, and he’s done a lot of metal for sure, but he also has some alternative and other genres under his belt as well – what do you feel his touch brought to the Dianthus sound?
Definitely his experience with other bands has helped us mold our sound too, he’s worked with pop-punk bands like New Found Glory – actually, at the same time as recording our album, he was working with these other pop-punk bands too. He has such a good ear for radio-ready songs, and coming into the process, we had all these crazy technical ideas, and he kind of calmed us down at certain parts to simplify and let the music take over.
That’s pretty funny, you had all these crazy progressive ideas and he’s just like, “All right, guys – tone it down”.
Right, if you want to reach more people, they have to understand the song, and you can’t get too crazy at certain parts.
Some progressive metal – and, what am I saying, some Rush – can get really crazy and out of hand, but sometimes even their craziest songs were radio-friendly, as long as you’ve got a hook, a melody, something that people can grab onto.
That is true, yeah, there’s always a flipside to everything.
That makes sense with his pop-punk/alternative background, that makes things very melodic and catchy, and that helps explain why you have that “almost drawn from pop” sort of song structure…but it’s not pop, of course, but just the structure of a memorable, catchy chorus that people can come back to.
And another thing to add to the reason why we kind of calmed down at some parts – it was something we never really tried before, so we were open-minded because our first record was definitely very progressive and we wanted to try simplifying certain parts, and seeing how people would react.
Right, and of course, your previous album, Worth Living For, that was produced by JINXX from Black Veil Brides, can you talk about evolving your sound with him?
Yeah, well, to start off, Black Veil Brides played a huge part in inspiring the Dianthus sound, very melodic, kind of bright at some parts. So working with him hands on was super cool. My sister was able to come up with a lot of great guitar tones, certain riffs, we had harmonies, guit-armonies, going on. So it was a really cool thing.
You also signed to Deko Entertainment in the past couple of years, so I wanted to ask about that experience and how that connection first came about?
We love Deko Entertainment, and we love the team we have now. It actually started from creating our Realms album, because Steve actually knew one of the team members from Deko. So naturally, when we were having our songs mastered, it went to someone who kind of knew of Deko, so that was how we got connected.
You mentioned having this fantasy world of Dianthus and Realms in other forms, so what is this I’m seeing about a Dianthus comic book to go with Realms? You’re giving me a throwback to when Kiss came out with comic book characters when they first came out. Talk to me about that project?
Definitely, it was an idea from one of our team members at Deko. He kind of suggested they’d be cool to kind of dive deeper into the story of the albums, because there’s only so much that you can tell through music, that you need that extra visual to supplement the storyline. We never started any comic books before – we’re not too much comic book junkies, but we love the idea of doing it, and plus we know the whole scene in comics is pretty huge, so it’s pretty exciting. We think it will definitely help the fans understand the concepts more for sure.
You’re talking about the visuals of the band, through the comics and music videos, but I feel like the fashion and general aesthetic is part of the visual for your live show as well. You have the Victorian Goth appearance that a lot of symphonic metal bands tend to do, but without being a symphonic metal band yourselves.
It’s kind of interesting, yeah, we’ve always loved the Victorian style, and combining that with metal, we think it has a really cool intrigue. Plus, Victorian has a lot of black clothing and kind of fanciful wardrobes, so we just like the look of it. We kind of want to become characters in a way to really tell our music better.
As a drummer, do you have any go-to gear or brands that you work with that you’re particularly fond of?
Yeah, as far as drumsticks, I always use Vic Firth even since I picked up the drums, it was the main brand that I really gravitated to. So they’re great – I love Zildjian cymbals too, especially the darker kind of K cymbals, those are pretty good for our sound, and I play Tama drums.
What about the flower of Dianthus did you identify with that made you say, this just feels like the right band name?
It’s actually interesting how the band name came about – my sister was looking through different plant and flower names, and then she came across Dianthus so of course we had to look up an image of it, and the flower itself has kind of rough edges, but it’s also very bright. Plus it sounds kind of metal, people don’t really know that it’s a flower, so it seemed natural to choose that one as our name.
It does feel like a natural name for a metal band – when I looked it up and actually saw flowers come up too, I was like, “wait…what?” *laughs*
*laughs* It is a funny surprise there.
But it is mostly content about you that comes up when you put “Dianthus” in at this point, so you’re overcoming the flower results in Google!
*laughs* Exactly, I told my sister that maybe we should tweak the spelling or lettering, but I think it’s cool.
Another exciting thing that I see coming up for Dianthus is that you have some support slots for Angel at the legendary Whisky a Go Go and Count’s Vamp’d, two very well-known venues in the rock world, have you played either of those before?
Well, we’ve played the Whisky before, but Count’s Vamp’d in Vegas, we’ve always wanted to play there, so we’re very excited that we’re finally playing that place in June.
Awesome. I also want to ask a little bit about Jessica outside of the music world, and what else you’re into?
For sure, I’m definitely an artistic person, I’ve always loved to sketch and draw, but in my free time outside the band, I like to create graphics. I like to do a lot of the posters, actually, so it all comes back to the band in a lot of ways, I love designing graphics. I also love to go antique shopping, my sister and I love to do that – it’s therapeutic for us.
That’s fun, and I feel like that also ties right back into the band since you have the vintage Victorian aesthetic. Even if it’s something that’s a hobby, you still end up using it for the band.
Right, *laughs* it all comes back to the band, it’s always art-based.
To wrap things up, what’s on the horizon for Dianthus at this point?
We’re excited to be continuing to play shows here in the area – we’re based in Riverside, CA, so we’ve got some shows coming up, and also in the summer with Angel on June 10th and June 11th, so keep an eye out for those dates – and those tickets are available now.
Awesome, thank you so much for your time today, Jessica!
Once Human just unleashed their new album, Scar Weaver, to the world via earMUSIC, and I had the chance to speak with frontwoman Lauren Hart about the making of the album and videos, how she started her journey of metal vocals, her involvement in animal rescues, and more. Check it out below.
Congratulations on the release of Scar Weaver, it’s an absolutely incredible album – just to start off, how are you feeling now that it’s out? Excited, relieved, exhausted, where are you guys right now?
Oh, I’m excited and relieved. We’ve held onto this album for quite a while because of the whole world shutting down, we wanted to release it even a year before it actually got released, so we’re just super grateful that it’s out. I’m really excited about the response, and looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks of it.
Well, I’ve been listening to it, even up to just a few minutes before speaking to you, it’s absolutely a killer album, I’ve been loving the singles that have been coming out, and you guys really have some awesome stuff on your hands.
Thank you.
Now, this is Once Human’s third full-length album, and it’s got everything, it’s brutal but meaningful, and I just want to start kind of general before really digging into it, moving from Evolution in 2017 to Scar Weaver now, how did you first approach constructing this new album?
Well, there’s a massive difference in the music writing this time around, so Logan was on tour with Machine Head doing the 25th Anniversary Burn My Eyes reunion, and when he came home, Max Karon, our lead guitarist, had written ten full songs for the album, and they were done. And Logan thought they didn’t need to be touched, so this whole album musically was written by Max, and then I’ve written all my lyrics. But previously, music was written as a collaborative effort between the three of us, so that’s one of the biggest things is you really get an inside look at Max’s brain and his emotions, and he was allowed to be 100% himself in the writing. So that’s Scar Weaver.
That’s really cool, and also kind of explains why, like you said, you guys kind of had this on hand already for a while, but you just couldn’t release it, because you went into it with ten songs ready to go.
Yeah, we did, we were ready a while back, but then when we were sitting in a house, in a studio, for this whole time, things did get changed and songs were rewritten just because we had the time. And I, of course, took my time with the lyrics because I’m a perfectionist, so time is not a good thing for me *laughs*, I need deadlines.
So if you had all the time in the world, you’d probably end up changing it a hundred times, right?
I’d never be done! It’s never done!
Well, you got it done, though! It’s locked in, and it is where it is now, so you can’t change it now.
*laughs* No, I know, I’m happy with how it came out, I always am. Once it’s delivered, it’s done, but I’m really happy with how everything turned out, no regrets at all.
Awesome. Lauren, you are notably one of the most powerful vocalists in metal today, and of course, everyone notices the growling vocals alone which are so impressive, but it seems like you’re including even more clean vocals than ever before, which are every bit as powerful. So what drove the clean vocals for this album?
100%, it was the touring that I did with Kamelot for two years prior to this album. I grew a lot with them. Before touring with them, I was still very unsure of myself when it comes to clean vocals – a little bit insecure, I guess you would say. I always felt very confident in my screaming, but the cleans, I was staying in my safe zone a lot in previous writings, and not really exploring things outside of my comfort zone. So Kamelot really threw me into the deep end, and I had to sing songs that Alissa White-Gluz and Elize Ryd from Amaranthe sang, and it’s a completely different genre, style, but then doing it every night on stage, I really grew into my own voice and discovered my own voice from that. I wouldn’t call it extreme confidence, but I did overcome some fears, and I think that really shows on the new album.
Absolutely, it’s a great infusion of the clean vocals – it doesn’t distract from your incredible screaming vocals, it’s kind of peppered in to have something a little bit different. So that also makes me wonder, when you first started becoming a vocalist, did you start from screaming right out of the gate?
Yes! Okay, so the first time I ever heard a woman screaming was The Great Kat, you know, but I wanted to be a guitar player, and she sort of screams a little bit on her album that I listened to. But then when Wages of Sin came out, I heard Angela Gossow screaming, and at first, I thought it was a guy, and when my friends were like, “no, this is a girl, here’s her photo”, I was like, “this beautiful, amazing woman is screaming on this album?!” I just felt so inspired to go in and try it. It was my boyfriend at the time, now my ex, I was a teenager, after his band would be done rehearsing, I would go in and ask, “Can I please just play with you guys on the microphone? Let me scream and you guys just free jam or whatever?” and they would let me and I would always come out of that tasting blood and screaming completely wrong. There was no YouTube to tell me how to do it. But yes, I always was into screaming. And by the way, if you taste blood you’re doing it wrong! I didn’t know what I was doing back then, but then I grew and I learned. I took some theatre classes which taught me how to breathe, project and speak right, which is what I now use in my screaming in order to not injure myself. Also, I’ve been recently working with a vocal coach as well, that’s really helped me along with the screaming. So the cleans came a lot later for me.
I love that, I feel like that’s a unique journey for you – a lot of people do just dive right into it, but usually there’s maybe a little bit of a singing background, or they took a few lessons here and there then discovered their screaming voice, but you were just like, “I’m just going to jump right in and scream like everyone I was inspired by”, which is cool.
Yeah! It made me feel something, you know, it just felt so good listening to it then actually getting on a microphone and doing it felt, almost therapeutic in a way. So I got hooked on that.
Well now everyone is hooked on the sound of your voice, so I think it worked out.
Thank you!
Of course! Digging a little more into Scar Weaver, I wanted to ask about the music video for “Erasure”, because you’ve been saying lately that that’s one of your favorites, so can you talk about what made that video so special for you, and some of the process behind it?
I just love the visual. So that area where we did all the extra footage with, I call her “Lady Death”, the black dress stuff…that was shot at Red Rock Canyon, and that’s a place that we would hike very frequently. I posted a lot of photos up there, and a lot of people were like, “You guys should do a music video up here”, so we did. And we made the poor videographer hike up a mountain to get those shots in the middle of summertime in the desert. So, props to him for doing that! But the message of the video as a whole, director Robert Graves really made it come to fruition. It’s about blood diamonds, and I think he really paints the image so beautifully and painfully about the story that the lyrics are painting here. These things that are going on still to this day, basically, how humans, their rights are stripped away and they are enslaved and tortured for the sake of these rocks that, ironically, are given to people as a token of love. It’s a very emotional video to me, and I feel like the director Robert Graves did a really good job of putting it together.
It’s an important message, like you said, and it’s also visually very impressive. I definitely think it made a lot of sense to put this in the setting of nature…and Red Rock is awesome, by the way, I’ve been there myself, it’s a beautiful place and crazy impressive, so, good choice.
Yeah, it really looks like a diamond mine. It was crazy. This is Red Rock in Nevada, you’d never expect it, down the road from all these casinos is this gorgeous nature *laughs*.
Exactly! But the nature was there first though.
True, very true.
You mentioned hiking, and I notice from your social media that you’re big on fitness and hiking – is that something that’s a lifelong passion for you, or something you’ve discovered in more recent years?
No, I remember my dad would bring my brother and I to the gym as kids, and I think it all started then. It was like this family event and I enjoyed going there with him, and back then they had these funny little bikes where you could see your bike going on the screen and my brother and I would race each other, it was a fun little time. But I never stopped going to the gym, I was constantly there, and hiking has been a passion of mine – the hikes in Australia are the most beautiful hikes you would ever imagine. There’s so much nature to explore and an animal around every corner, so I’m hooked on hiking and I’ve been really lucky to explore parts of Switzerland and Germany and so on while on tour. It’s really just where I find myself, and find peace, and refresh my brain, is when I’m out hiking in nature.
That’s beautiful, and really important to be able to find that inner peace, whatever environment you feel that in. Coming back to Scar Weaver, another thing that people can’t stop talking about is the collaboration with Robb Flynn on “Deadlock”, and that’s such a cool track. Your voices work together so well on it too. Can you talk about how that collaboration went down in terms of the writing, recording, just making it all happen?
Well, I’m really grateful it did happen, and I don’t think it would have happened if it wasn’t for the end of the world. And it’s one of those things that restored hope in me that good things can happen in the worst of times. And I think it wouldn’t have happened because Rob simply wouldn’t have had the time, he would have been on tour, he would have been super busy – so he had the time to sit down and do this with us and I’m so grateful. We didn’t expect him to say yes – Logan immediately thought of Rob for this track because of how it sounded. I guess you could say it has some Nu-Metal-type riffs in there, we just really heard a voice like Rob’s singing on it. We asked, and Rob really loved the track, and said, “yeah, let me try something”. He sent something back to us, I had already written a chorus prior to sending it to Rob, but when he sent it back, my chorus was gone and his was on there – and it mopped the floor with my chorus, he put me to shame! Now, I can’t even remember mine, his was so much better. Rob knows how to make those hooks, and then we didn’t expect him to say yes to doing a video with us, but he did. Then this amazing video came out of it too, and then we were able to play it together on stage when we were on tour with Cradle of Filth. That was so much fun, it’s been a massive dream come true, and I’m really glad people like it.
Absolutely, it’s a killer track. Don’t knock your own songwriting, of course, you definitely come up with some awesome stuff yourself. But sometimes that is part of the nature of collaborating, sometimes your ideas kind of get knocked out of there, but you’re still happy with what comes out at the end.
I know, I’m just such a huge fan of Rob, and I’m a huge fan of Machine Head, so of course I’m just going to fangirl out on anything he sends, especially if it’s on a Once Human track, it’s like, “Oh my God, this crushes!”
Great job on both you guys’ part, and of course, everybody involved, the whole band. Which brings me to ask – personally, I really loved the “Cold Arrival” single, I was fascinated with that one when it came out, I think I had it on repeat for a couple of days at least.
Oh, thank you.
It was just epic and powerful, so of course I want to ask about your ideas and the songwriting behind it, but it also kind of leads me to ask about production as well. All the songs on Scar Weaver sound amazing, but “Cold Arrival”, there’s just something about it, the tone and everything that comes through – the vocal layering of clean and growls together, just everything. I just wanted to ask about the process behind that song and what you guys put into that.
Well, I can only speak for the lyrics here, because Max did the writing of the music on this song. I know that the chorus was a standalone riff, the main part where I scream “cold arrival”, that was a riff without a song around it at first, and I told Max we have to build a song around this. And we used to say, “can you write something around this Danny Elfman riff?” *laughs* It had this Danny Elfman-type sound. So that’s really all I can say about the music because Max wrote it, I don’t want to speak for him. But lyrically, the song is about a friend of ours that died in 2020. He was our fitness coach in spin class and became a friend to the three of us, Max, Logan, and I – we would all go to his spin class nearly every single day, and a lot of times it was just us in the room. Jared would play metal music for us, he let us borrow his spin bike for the tour – he was just a really great guy, and really young, really healthy. He just died unexpectedly and it really did a number on me. I was not expecting it. I think everybody sort of prepares themselves with their grandparents or something, you understand what’s going to happen in the near future, you prep yourself. But this was a very young man, just suddenly gone. It was also my very first experience with death, so I did a lot of my grieving process in the lyrics, it’s a very sad song. It’s difficult for me to listen to it because of that.
Well, I’m very sorry for your loss. It hits hard, something like that, and especially someone so young, so I’m very sorry to hear about your loss. I guess the consolation is having that creative outlet for yourself, that you were at least able to pour that grieving into making something amazing out of it – sonically, lyrically, everything that you could draw out, and hopefully help yourself feel better in the process.
Yes.
Something else I wanted to ask you about, “Eye of Chaos” seems to be a fan favorite from Evolution, I feel like a lot of people tend to refer to that song and video as a great example of the sound and image of Once Human overall. I was wondering if there were some Once Human songs that are band favorites, or personal favorites for you, Lauren, that you feel represents you the best.
Well, definitely “Eye of Chaos”. That one, I think, a lot of people love, and a lot of people that are learning screaming apparently like to choose that one. So it’s really special, it was also – going back to one of your first questions, sort of what helped me come into my own as a writer, and sort of when the penny dropped and I was able to connect lyrically with something that happened in the world. The lyrics to that song had come together a lot like “Erasure” lyrics, it was something that had happened in the world that I learnt about and felt really compelled to write about, something that affected me deeply. “Gravity” is another one I feel fans really loved. It’s hard to say on Scar Weaver just because I really feel like we know what hits people the hardest when we play it live, and we have yet to play these songs live. But what I’ve been hearing is “Cold Arrival”, “Only In Death”, but yeah, I think definitely “Eye of Chaos” would be the one.
I think it will definitely be exciting to see what people gravitate toward once you get out there and play Scar Weaver live. Outside of the music world a bit, I saw from your Instagram that you recently got involved with an animal rescue organization, and you definitely have a lot of animal-related posts, so I’d just love to hear more about this, your involvement and love of that.
Well, I’ve only just discovered Animal Tracks, I was just there last week – it’s an animal rescue in LA, and I was invited by my friend Jess. Yes, I have a history of being involved in animal rescues and working as a veterinary technician in Australia. I’ve really devoted a lot of my life to animals, and do whatever I can. It’s something I’d like to do more of, that’s for sure, I would love to spend more time at Animal Tracks, and if anyone out there is listening, you can go check it out. There’s a fundraiser as well, if you’re interested in saving some animals and giving them a nice, new home. A lot of these animals come from – either they’re retired circus animals or surrendered pets that people realize, “oh, I can’t have this wild animal in my house”, or injured wildlife in general that end up here. And it’s really sad to see all these wild animals in cages, but at the same time, where would they be without this place? Animal Tracks, I saw, really provided good enrichment, they pair the animals up or put them in groups so they’re not lonely – everybody needs a friend – except the solitary animals, of course. I really thought that they did a good job, and I look forward to spending more time here and doing what I can.
Awesome! That’s great, and it’s easy to hear that you have a genuine interest and passion for this. I’m an animal lover myself, so I totally relate. This has been really awesome getting to know more about you and talking about the new album today, so I’d like to wrap it up with a little view of what’s on the horizon for Once Human?
Hopefully, we tour and we don’t come home for a really long time. I guess it’s just up to the world to see if that happens. We’re releasing, unfortunately, in unknown territory, so we will have to see. But that’s the goal, and hopefully we can make that happen.
Well, everyone is waiting for it to happen, so hoping for the best over here. Thank you again so much for your time today, this has been awesome talking with you, Lauren.
