An epic South African power metal band. Yes. That they are.

Headbang Today  ferociously swung its hooligan hoop, casted it around this musical demon’s whiplashed neck and then roped ‘em in for an interview with South Africa’s loudest site… Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you STRIDENT!

Strident are: Deon van Heerden – Vocals and Lead Guitar; George van der Riet – Rhythm Guitar and Sex God; Niell Schoeman – Lead and Rhythm guitar; Piet Delport – Bass and Backing Vocals; Christian Burgess – Drums of Doom; Daniel Volgraff – Keyboards and groupie handler.

Interview by: South African metal’s savior… Scream

Headbang Today: Hell, we haven’t done an interview since MotherFUDD!  Which leaves me feeling a bit… rusty? Behold! ‘Strident stands as South Africa’s defender of true steel, willing to live and die for their brand of heavy metal, in all its cheesy glory’

Or so you say. SA’s defender of true steel, I agree, but ‘cheesy’ glory?  During our informal conversation not too long ago, you told us tales about how you were off to conquer Ramfest… Do tell us more! How did that go down?

Strident: Ramfest was one of those experiences that will go down in Strident’s history for sure, not just the gig itself which was mind-numbingly epic, but the whole vibe around the Metal4Africa stage was blazing 24/7, you could really see and hear the effort and passion put into it by Patrick and the boys. Standing backstage and hearing our name being chanted by the rowdiest crowd we’ve ever had was quite an experience. Also there was some groupie action which is always a sign of a good show.

Headbang Today:  Now, despite the fact that you are conquering ‘on all fronts’, I see that the band as a whole are influenced by gods such as Manowar and Iron Maiden. It’s possible (but unlikely) that one of these band members mated with one of your parents back in the day and thus, resulted in the birth of demigods… aka the members of Strident! Who are your individual musical influences?

Strident: Anyone who revels in the sheer bombast of epic, guitar-driven music. Queen, Manowar, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Blind Guardian, Kamelot and the like – bands with a keen sense of the theatrical, and the balls to do something different.

Headbang Today:  We vowed to make 2010 the biggest year for Headbang Today and the bands involved, but lately we’ve been caught doing all sorts of random shit that really has had nothing to do with anything important at all… (Except for our Underground Kings tournament, of course.) You, on the other hand, have been gigging here and there (Stages Of Brutality), with some dudes called Bile Of Man and Ridarre Av Koden… At least you’re a tad more productive than what we are. What’s next on the cards for Strident?

Strident: Well, we have the Bludjinn Metal Festival at Muzone coming up the 29^th of May, and then we’re going to do this little thing called recording an album in June/July. We’re also awaiting the completion of our music video which will quite literally re-arrange people’s faces with its sheer audacity. It will hopefully be done in time for our album release for a double-sucker punch of awesomeness applied directly to the face.

Headbang Today:  What does your brief, interest-revealing list of ‘Battles, Odin, Metal and Epic Things’ exactly consist out of? Elaborate!

Strident: Well, you see, we love all things bombastic and outlandish in nature – which is why we play Power Metal – and there are few things more epic and bombastic than battles, Odin and Metal. In other words, our lyrical interests encompass legendary tales of bravery, our love for metal and its ever-lasting legacy, the spirit to fight for what you believe in and just generally awesome things like zombies and pirates. We run the full gamut in that regard. There are too many damn emos walking around feeling sorry for themselves; for us, music is about passion, about feeling like you’re standing on top of a mountain, and if you can’t make people smile, you should become a stock-broker.

Headbang Today:  Enlighten us of Strident’s stances towards the following groups:

• Self praising rappers
• Self enriching record labels
• The elderly
• Your neighbors’ minimal tolerance for metal music

Strident: Self praising rappers: “Taylor, I’m really happy for you, and I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.”

Self enriching record labels: Well if they’re self enriching they don’t need artists now do they? So screw ‘em.

The elderly: There are a surprising amount of awesome old people, a bulk of them being musicians from the 60’s onwards, and Christopher Lee definitely taking the Most Epic and Badass Old Person Ever crown. Piet’s mother has been to pretty much every Strident show ever, and doesn’t blink twice in a moshpit. The elderly were young and riding motorcycles when Metal was born, so respect.

Neighbours: Aside from the occassional police summons and cranky asshole, we’re on tentatively good terms with them. The “baby-eater” shirts we wear don’t hurt, I suppose.

Headbang Today: When can we expect a full length album from Strident?

Strident: September, Odin willing. We’ve already written around half of the second one, so we’re aiming to get the sophomore one out in mid-2011. The fans have been very patient, and it will be rewarded.

Headbang Today: For those that have not heard or seen Strident on stage before, tell them a bit about your on-stage antics and what they can expect.

Strident: We give our all for every show – if the energy isn’t there, what’s the point? It has to be entertaining – it is a show, after all. I think the performative element is lost on a lot of bands. If you’re just going to stand staring at your instrument people might as well put on their ipods and dance in front of the mirror. We have a bit of choreography in the sense that we try and rock the fuck out in unison and get the feeling of the song across. We also had a sword that we would hand out to trusted fans in the first row at the start of a show – that is until it got stolen at ROAR recently (where else?) We have the crowd sing along to parts, and mostly they sing along on their own which is pretty awesome. We’re not averse to throwing in the occasional cheesy joke, either. It’s all a part of making the fans feel like a part of the show and getting that feeling of brotherhood and community going.

Headbang Today: So, you will be celebrating your two year anniversary at Bludjinn, A venue which undoubtedly has one of the biggest stages in South Africa – For bands! I’m sure a lot has happened in the past two years. Tell us about your best and worst gig so far… We dig crazy stories!

Strident: Well now, we haven’t really had any bad gigs per se; interesting ones, yes. We did a show last winter in a barn in Milnerton during the most apocalyptic storm ever. Our old drummer, Marcel, wrote his car off on the way to the gig, but he still rocked up and played: that’s metal. Our first gig was, naturally, our least polished. We had the most un-metal front man ever (who was given his pink slip around 20 seconds after the last chord), and then there was the infamous “George vs Guitar” incident which we quickly turned into a literal joke before it became an embarrassing one, and that’s all you’ll hear about it.  Our show in PE recently was also quite a memorable one, the people there are seriously hungry for real metal. They all knew the words and were singing along – power of the internet, eh? Ramfest was probably our most debauched show, plus we had the best sound ever, first proper moshpit at a Strident show (power metal, remember), people getting punched in the face, people getting naked in front of the stage, underwear thrown on stage, plus a german lass who *really* liked our um,  stuff, ahem.

Headbang Today: We now approach the end of this interview, and we hope you have enjoyed it as I certainly have. So we now unleash our final question! If Strident were an animal, what animal would it be and why?

Strident: A 6-headed Tiger-Bear-Shark-Dragon hybrid that breathes acid fire and feeds on the blood of emos. Because that’s just fucking badass. Also, we hate emos.

SO DO WE!

Vengeance Resides is a Durban based metal band, consisting of four guys passionate about music.

The band formed early 2009 when Nic Hagan (Vocals, Guitars), Andrew De Croes (Guitars) and Leon Deyzel (Drums) started jamming together.
With Nic’s brutal low and screeching high vocals, Andy’s technical guitar riffs, and Leon’s solid double bass drenched drums, there was instant chemistry.
Gareth Fraser later joined and added a new dimension with his thrash/jazz bass playing.
Playing a mix of thrash/death they captivate the audience with an intense live experience.

In short, Vengeance Resides are:
Nic Hagan – Vocals & Guitar
Andrew de Croes – Guitar
Gareth Fraser – Bass
Leon Deyzel – Drums

Interview by the official voice of South African metal – Scream!

Headbang Today: Welcome to South Africa’s heavy metal portal! Let’s have a very swift round-up and get to know you dudes: Each member tell me, what influenced you and currently inspires you to do what you are doing in the band.

Vengeance Resides:

Leon

My musical influences started from an early age when I got hold of some of my brothers death metal tapes, such as Benediction, Malevolent Creation and Obituary to name a few. I was captivated with metal drumming, especially double bass drums, so I got myself a drumkit and started bashing away. Currently my musical influences include Strapping Young Lad, Behemoth, Therion, Testament, etc.

Gareth

When I was young some of my parent’s friends were muso’s and when I saw them on stage it always gave me the feeling of wishing to be on stage like them, just jamming to the masses. My inspiration comes from purely just hearing a metal riff on guitar with drums and just listening to the raw power and ferocity of it all. It makes me just wanna jam man!

Andy

Well I’ve always been drawn to the guitar. I knew I wanted to play from the age of like 8 but I only went and bought one about a year after I got into metal, which was when I was about 13. These days I listen to a lot of Lamb of God but I’d say I get inspiration from a lot of different bands and genres of metal.

Nic

Hearing heavy metal for the first time inspired me to want to play guitar and vocal in a band.

Headbang Today:  Have you gigged anywhere else besides Durban? If not, are there any plans to do so in the near future?

Vengeance Resides:

Leon

We’ve played at Red Door in Pietermaritzburg for the From the Dark festival. We have also recently played at The Black Dahlia in Joburg and (believe it or not) Cool Runnings in Mellville. It was awesome to see Bile of Man rip up the stage with us at both these venues. We saw some amazed/scared faces at Cool Runnings which is always cool for us.

Gareth

Yeah, we’ve gigged in Joburg. It was awesome and truly an eye-opener for us and showed us how cool the music scene is over there. We hope to go back in August. Hopefully do a few gigs in Cape Town by the end of the year or beginning of next year.

Andy

We did our first Joburg tour at the beginning of March and really enjoyed it. We’ll definitely be going back later this year. There’s also a few shows lined up for the South Coast and in Pietermaritzburg so we’re looking forward to that.

Nic

Yes, we have played in Joburg and Pietermaritzburg and we would also like to go to Cape Town someday.

Headbang Today: Nic’s vocals are pretty awesome. How do you maintain your growling heaviness and how do you warm up before a show?

Vengeance Resides:

Nic

Lots of Beer and biltong!

Headbang Today: As for the outstanding guitar work and solid rhythmic drumming, tell us a bit more about the writing processes involved when coming up with new material.

Vengeance Resides:

Leon

There isn’t any formula set in stone that we use, however the basis usually starts with rhythm guitar and drums. Andy and Nick will have a couple of ideas for riffs, and then Leon will add lay down the options for the most suitable drum patterns. Gareth will add his flavor of mayhem to it all and the vocals follow last. When it comes to changeovers and songs structures the band will usually sit together and discuss some ideas and choose the best ones. Basically we all work together as a band for each song and there is no dictation from any band member.

Gareth

Well Andy and I often sit down and he plays a riff for me that he’s been fiddling with at home then I put a bit of input into it and we add whole new riffs eventually turning it into a song. Leon usually starts adding drums in the mid way of laying down the guitar work. After that Nic comes up with the vocals, and then we pretty much have a whole new song.

Andy

We have a few different methods. Sometimes one person will come in with a couple of riffs and we’ll make a song from it. Other times someone will bring in a song and the rest will add on their parts and some stuff we’ve come up with just by jamming and trying out ideas we might have had.

Nic

We get together and bring riffs and let the magic happen.

Headbang Today: When can we expect a full-length album from Vengeance Resides?

Vengeance Resides:

Leon

Well, we are looking at recording a couple more songs before August 2010. We would say early 2011 for a full length album. If we had the money we would do it now as we already have an established repertoire of songs, more than enough for a full length album. Any sponsors out there?

Gareth

I really hope it’s soon as we have enough songs to create a full length album.

Andy

Realistically we’ll probably start putting together an album at the beginning of next year. In the meantime we’ll hopefully have an EP together by the second half of this year. Our main focus is that it comes out sounding awesome so we’ll probably have to be a bit patient with it.

Headbang Today:  Which moral boundaries would each individual band member be willing to cross in order to share a stage with Lamb of God one day?

Vengeance Resides:

Leon,

None. I can’t give two shits about jamming with them. My moral beliefs are too important.

Gareth

As for Nic, Andy and Leon I cannot answer but as for myself I’d suck Robert Mugabe’s cock for a chance on stage with L.O.G!!

Andy

Fuckin’ name one dude!! Haha yeah not too many ey. They are my favorite band ever. Leon likes to give me a bit of stick about it but yeah, you know drummers, that’s what they do.

Nic

I would sell Andy’s BMW

Headbang Today:  The turritopsis nutricula jellyfish is able to cycle from a mature adult back to an immature polyp stage a limitless number of times meaning that it appears to be impossible for it to die of old age. Would you be willing to pose as guinea pigs for an experiment that’ll involve you being injected with this jellyfish’s substances in the attempt to become immortal?

Vengeance Resides:

Leon,

We are already immortal. Ever watched Highlander? Well, we are from the clan “ Metal up your ass”

Gareth

Yes I would as the jellyfish can still turn old if it wants to therefore I could turn old when I want to after being injected, so I can be alive as long as I want and accomplish all my goals. Once I’m done with my goals I can be old then die.

Andy

Depends, would I have to go live in the ocean after that? I’m not a bit fan of the beach. Besides everyone already knows to become immortal all you have to do is kill the Highlander…

Nic

Oooo, yeah!

Headbang Today:  We’ve asked ‘The Hollow’ this question before and due to a slight disbelief on our sides, we need to ask this again: Are Durbanite headbangers the most ferocious breed of metal heads in the country and why?

Vengeance Resides:

Leon

No they are not, they prefer to drink beer and smoke weed outside the venues than rather than supporting the local bands. Are you listening Durban? Get your fucking asses to the mosh pit next time.

Gareth

I can’t say. I’ve seen crazy motherfuckers in the crowd before yet I also see calm and collected metalheads that love listening to the music.

I think there’s a crazy bunch of metalheads everywhere you go in SA.

Andy

A few weeks ago I probably would have said yes, but since Joburg I’m not so sure. Let’s just say I came back with a few bumps. It’s hard to say for sure where the craziest mofo’s are, but a pit in Durban is by no means a safe place to be.

Nic

It’s 50/50. Metalheads are metalheads, it doesn’t matter where you go.

Headbang Today: When can we expect Vengeance Resides to perform down here in the most beautiful country in the world… Cape Town?

Vengeance Resides:

Gareth

I personally hope by the end of this year, beginning of next year.

Andy

Haha Well I spose we’ll have to see if our passports are up to date. We’re really keen to come to Cape Town, mostly likely when we do come it’ll be for a festival.

Headbang Today: Your sickest gig ever was when…

Vengeance Resides:

Gareth

Man there’s so many but probably Metal4Africa with mind assault. That gig was insane!

Andy

For me it would defiantly be the Metal 4 Africa gig at Burn. We even had the dudes from Mind Assault moshing to us. Was an awesome show!!

Nic

Metal 4 Africa

Headbang Today:  You’ve recently jammed with Jo’burg death metallers Bile of Man. How did that go down?

Vengeance Resides:

Leon

Bile of Man is one intense brutal/extreme metal band. Their style is a bit different than ours (understatement), but it was awesome jamming with them. They are fucking nice guys and we will definitely be collaborating with them in the future.

Gareth

They scare the shit outta me but they’re an awesome band. Probably one of the best death metal acts to ever come out of SA.

Andy

Was great! I hadn’t seen them before so I was just happy to finally watch them. They’re a really cool band but also cool dudes to hang out with. Rehan the vocalist was the first person to buy a Vengeance shirt so we were stoked!

Nic

It was fucking awesome and I hope to do it again

Headbang Today: Any final words?

Vengeance Resides:

Gareth

Stay in school kids haha! If life’s ever getting you down, put on your favorite metal bands cd, have a smoke and a beer and let the good times roll!!

Andy

Rhubarb

Nic

K-k-k-k-k yeah! (In the words of Dr. Rockso, the rock and roll clown)

As you headbangers may have noticed, MotherFUDD 2010is definately this year’s biggest metal hype. MotherFUDD is going to be epic, not because of the world record that will be set, but because of the awesome talent that will make the festival. Sathern is one of the awesome talents that will be performaing at MotherFUDD 2010… And here’s their interview with us!

Sathern Are:

Nick de Beer & Josh Chettiar – Guitars

Sven Madlener – Drums

Neville Shield– Keyboards

James Shorten– Bass

Interview By: Scream

Headbang Today: Welcome to Headbang Today. What’s it like to be so awesome?

Sathern: Thanks for having us. Well we don’t really see ourselves as being any different from those who come to our gigs and support us. We are just a bunch of guys who share a common passion, which is making music. Our goal of course is to get some heads turning (and banging), so if you think we are awesome we take that as a huge compliment!

Headbang Today: You are said to have a vigorous and strict method of songwriting. Tell us a bit more about the processes involved in writing a song for Sathern?

Sathern:Well Nick and Josh (guitarists) write the songs and being somewhat perfectionists they don’t necessarily settle on the first couple of riffs or melodies. We like to take as much time as possible on material and really find something that fits perfectly with the theme or concept we might be trying to convey in that particular song. If you take ‘The Burning Inquisition’ for example, out of the 15+ riffs and melodies only about 2 repeat. This is because we wanted to give the song a progressive feel and that required a lot of material to be written and then sifted through and arranged methodically.

Something you will notice in our music as well is the wide assortment of keyboard effects and sounds we use. We have, on average, a mixture of about 4 effects in a song that range between Strings, Choir, Piano and Organ. So writing these piano solos and arranging everything along with the traditional instruments falls under this strict method of song writing.

Headbang Today: How often does the band come together for jam sessions and tell us a bit more about what usually goes down at these metal-filled sessions…

Sathern:

Well twice a week mostly. Maybe more if we have a big gig or festival coming up in which case we practice as often as our schedules allow us to. As for what goes on; metal, beer, and of course lots of South Park.

Headbang Today: Your music rests upon the fine lines between black, melodic death and power metal. If you could sum these sub-genres up into your own category and give it a name, what would you call it? (use Sathern creativity)

Sathern:

Experimental melodic Space-dragon metal (for the joke of it).

Headbang Today: The burning inquisition is a beautiful instrumental song filled with musical twists, turns, melodic guitar work, double pedal raping and other instruments… Vocals are rare, if not completely absent. Do you intentionally focus more on the instrumental aspects of your songs than the vocals?

Sathern:
Well to a small degree yes, because vocals are only added after the tracks are written and recorded. This however doesn’t mean vocals take the backseat in our music, but in that specific track, given the progressive nature and intent of it, we definitely focused on the instrumental aspects the most. In other songs, we try to give each the time it deserves.

Headbang Today: When can we expect an EP or full length debut album from you? (A copy better get sent this way for a review!)

Sathern:

Probably towards the end of the year. We will send you two copies – how does that sound?!

Headbang Today: If you had to shoot a music video for your song Asterion, what would the music video be about? (I can visualize two gigantic fire spewing dragons battling each other in the dark skies…)

Sathern:

Well if your replace dragons with ‘The Elder Gods’ from the writing of HP Lovecraft, you got it pretty much summed up.

Headbang Today: What can we expect from Sathern at MotherFUDD 2010? (anything whack in mind?)

Sathern:

Well we have Dwayne from Sacrifist helping us out in our vocal department (we unfortunately had to part ways with our vocalist late last year) which is going to blow everyone away. We also have a few covers thrown in from some wicked bands, so yeah it is going to be fun.

Headbang Today: Who’s your most favoured band out of the MotherFUDD 2010 line-up?

Sathern:
That is a tough one, but probably Erebus.

Headbang Today: Last but not least… Any plans on coming down to shred Cape Town to pieces anytime soon?

Sathern:
We are definitely planning to hit Cape Town as well as Durban soon, so watch out!

Headbang Today: Any last words?

Sathern: We would like to thank Yvonne for organising Motherfudd and promoting us, Max and Wendy Madlener, Yamaha for our drummer’s sponsorship, the bands that have supported us in the past like Bile Of Man, Warthane, Erebus, Riddare av Koden, Historical Screams, Empery, Dwayne from Sacrifist for agreeing to help us out in the vocal department at MotherFUDD, and of course HEADBANGTODAY.com. You guys rocks!

See you at MotherFUDD!

Metal 4 Africa’s metal minded Darkfiend joined us as a guest writer to interview a couple of  MotherFUDD’s most talented bands. AoA are one of them!
Interview by: Darkfiend (from the all inspiring Metal 4 Africa.com)

DF: Hi Guys. It’s great to have this chance to interview one of what must be South Africa’s most extreme metal acts. Please introduce yourselves.

AOA:

Van: Hi I am Van666 guitarist and vocalist for Architecture of Aggression.

Anton: I’m Anton, drummer and vocalist for the band

William:  Will here, I’m the bassist for AoA. Also do a lot of the production of intros, outros etc.

DF: You guys have been on the scene for a long time now. You’ve played pretty much all over the country and beyond, and rumor has it that you’ve been banned from some number of venues for all sorts of reasons. But first things first: Let’s talk briefly about the origins of the band. Did this all start with two kids growing up and wanting to play music, or did the journey begin later in life when Van and Anton began crossing paths with other like-minded thinkers?

AOA:

V: We’ve been on the scene for 15 years now. We got banned from performing at Zeplins night club in Pta. back in 2005 after our Manifest Destiny CD launch for being too controversial. It started with two kids growing up and wanting to play music. Our dad got us into playing music. Looking back it was a way for him to keep us home and out of trouble and finding a way for us to focus our teenage anger and energy in a positive and creative way.

A: Yip, it kept me off the streets and out of trouble! I was a real juvenile delinquent!!! Our dad was a muso, so we grew up spending Saturdays at band practice. Think that’s where the seeds were planted and it was helped along with my dad actively encouraging us to make music

DF: On the topic of “thinkers”, it is evident that Architecture of Aggression has a very specific view-point on religion which we’d not like to get too much into now (we want people to acquire your new album for that), but we’d like to learn more about the relationship between the actual music and then the message behind it? Would you say that your musical inspiration stems solely from this specific message you convey, or do you write about other stuff too?

V: We usually develop our musical ideas and lyrical/concept ideas separate from each other and then combine them in the end. We love to play music and usually have a 10 min jam before rehearsing our songs, which we also record and gives us a lot of ideas for new songs. We also love reading and researching topics of interest to us. So our music is not solely inspired by our message, but also at the same time our music is the means by which we express our  views on life.

A: We deal with a lot of inequities of our civilization, from the ancient to the modern! Our new Album focuses solely on religion and how it spreads and what evil it inflicts. Our previous album (Democracy: Consent to domination) dealt with the topic of politics with a smattering of religion thrown in there. The next concept might well actually deal with Ancient Civilizations and their origins! You never know what to expect from us! Education through Death Meatl! Lol

W:  It is certainly a “pet hate” but not at all our only inspiration. Our previous album, Democracy: Consent to Domination, dealt with the global political system and how it’s rigged. 9/11 being an inside job etc… People tend to focus on our anti-religious stance because it’s so controversial but the reality is that we draw influence from all sorts of stuff we see that’s wrong with the world. Personally I’d like to do an album on the monetary system. That’s my biggest grudge at the moment.

DF: Your strong viewpoints must pick up a lot of flack from various sources, although I’m sure that there are many who flock beneath the AOA banner simply out of principle, or for the enjoyment of the music for music’s sake. Do you feel that your standpoint on global affairs has hindered your path forward as professional musicians, or is this band more about a quest of spiritual or self-realization for you guys? Maybe I’m missing the point completely!

V: South Africa is still very conservative on many levels compared to Europe and other first world countries especially on the subject of religion. We are part of a revolution that wants to free this country of its past shackles and I guess our unpopular viewpoints and statements has made things more difficult for us especially when it comes to sponsorships, printing merch and playing certain festivals. But at the same time controversy creates interest.  Things are getting better and easier as a new open minded generation emerges thanks to the internet and free flow of information.

A: Mmm…. good question! I don’t think it’s hindered us much seeing as we are already in an extreme genre and it has provided us with great, albeit unexpected press coverage! If a venue or fest don’t want us to play there, then it’s surely the wrong venue for us! Still waiting for a call inviting us to play at a church! heh heh heeee

W: Everyone in the music scene wants success. Sure. And from that perspective, our stance on religion, for example, has certainly slowed progress. That’s fine. Success is not why we do this. We do it because we love what we do and we believe utterly in it. So yes- its more of a quest than about being in a “band” and being famous.

DF: Tell us a little more about the new album and what listeners, old and new, can expect.

V:  Musically I think it is our best work to date. It is the fastest ,most aggressive and progressive music we have ever written. We are very proud! Lots of  crazy riffs, solos, bass lines and drums. We like to challenge ourselves. It is also a great concept album dealing with  Monotheism and it’s negative influence on the world both past and present.

A: What Van said! It is definitely our most expansive work to date, from concept, music even the artwork! Including intros, interludes, keyboards, spoken word pieces and an outro!

W: Technical brutality!!! Its the best thing we’ve done hands down. It is more than a concept album, it is quite literally written as one work. It deals with monotheism, more specifically Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

DF: It has been interesting to note that you are quite happy to invite people to download your album for free. This seems to be quite a point of contention amidst various musicians from all genres these days, but we see more and more artists giving in to making their music available for free. Can you tell us a little about you decision?

V: Being a artist from a third world country and stuck smack in the middle of the world with lack of funds it seemed logical to make our music available for free down load and available for an international audience to enjoy. We read a book on this subject that suggested and convinced us that this is the way of the future and in our best interest. Historically most band have never made much out of CD sales. The record companies do. Bands make money from  touring. How do you tour when people don’t know your music? Easy, give it away for free and create interest.

A:….and to the muso’s so dead set against it!? As soon as you’ve sold one album, you can bet your ass it’s available for free download somewhere on the web and you have Fuck-all control over this! Rather give it away at your own terms. Plus people love free shit!

W:  We recorded this album out of our own pockets as a personal investment. We are not looking to make that money back. And we want people to hear it. Consequently it costs us nothing for any one to copy the zeros and ones. But it does cost us to print CD’s. So you aint getting those for free! Honestly, if someone doesn’t want me to listen to their music unless I pay for it, I don’t want to fucking hear their music. There is a very strong movement towards having your music available for free on line and I do believe that if artists and record companies don’t adapt they will be left behind. Property is theft.

DF: Have you been touring the album as yet, or any tour planned to promote it around the country?

V: Now that we have finally launched our new album we can start focusing on touring it. Join Architecture of Aggression on face book for updates.

A: We definitely want to hit the whole of S.A. and the neighbouring states (Botswana, Namibia even maybe Mocambique)

W: We are planning to tour in April and May. Can’t wait for that. Touring is one of the biggest rewards for recording an album. We love touring and we’re damn good at it.

DF: Can you list just a few of your favorite tour adventures to date, and some of the more interesting bands or peopleyou’ve met along the way?

V: One of the craziest tours we did was The Domination tour with RHUTZ in 2006. Complete debauchery and mayhem! Playing Windhoek and Botswana was great! New cultural experiences. We love playing new towns and countries. South Africa has great talent and I enjoyed most of the bands we have had the fortune of playing with.

A: “Domination” felt like the Pantera home videos! I’m just glad we survived! I know this sounds Gay coming from a metalhead but one of the best experiences I’ve gotten from touring is seeing this beautiful country in it’s entirety! All the weird and wacky little towns, gorges, gulley’s, mountains, oceans etc. Okay Hendrina doesn’t really count but it was Interesting!

W:  Touring Botswana. That was eye opening.

DF: Tell us about the upcoming MotherFudd Festival: What slot are you playing, and what do you think of the line-up?

V: Mother Fudd is always a blast with great bands, fans, stage, sound and lights! As Metal as it gets. We are playing at 23:00 pm on Friday 12 March 2010. Great line up!

A: I’m glad we’re playing the Friday! So we can drink, party and rock out for the remainder of the weekend!

DF: This will not be your first MotherFudd by any means or measure. Are you planning anything special or out of the ordinary to keep old supporters invigorated, or do you have a set act that you wish to follow?

V: We have almost 30 songs to choose from so every time we play Mother Fudd our set is different. People can expect to hear lots of the new material mixed up with some classics.

A: Ditto

DF: These days, there are a lot of “festival events” going down. In your long history, would you say that SA Metal as reached it’s prime?

V: No not it’s prime yet. Lots of room for growth. I have a Spanish friend living in S.A. that told me our scene reminds her of their local scene 10 years ago. Spain has a very big and strong Metal scene nowadays with lots of local and international bands touring there. The Metal scene is stronger that ever and still growing. I expect to see more festivals and new bands in the future as well as lots of the old festivals getting more Metal acts on the bill as well as more international acts touring our country.

A: We are far from being completely professional here but getting closer every day of every month! The S.A. Metal Scene has yet to fully explode….. But that day is going to come and great things are going to happen!

W:  Most definitely not! It will have reached its prime when we have bands like devil driver, Cryptopsy and Dying Fetus touring here regularly and opening for our acts over seas! Think Big for fuck sakes.

DF: We seem to be living in a time where the internet makes all things possible. This is great for the self-interests of an individual, but does not always necessarily serve to the benefit of a greater good. In the context of SA metal, we have witnessed many fly-by-nights in terms of would-be promoters, record labels, agencies, festivals and such. With the years that you have spent as an active entity within the local scene, you must surely have developed some insight. What has aroused your interest in recent times that can be seen as positive developments within local metal as an “industry”?

V: Where to start? When we started there where only a hand full of Metal bands and half didn’t know what they where doing.. These days there are hundreds if not more and the quality and skill of a lot of the younger bands are amazing. Also there are a lot more venues and festivals these days for new bands to play. Because of the internet you can now down load lessons from your favorite players at any time and advertise your band and gigs to a much wider audience. Local Metal recordings have improved a lot in the last couple of years, and lots I feel are of international quality. Turn outs of both sexes at Metal shows these days are amazing. Back in the day it was only guys and one or two scary chicks! Lol.

A: stay away from record labels, they only exist to fuck you! Unless they can give you proper distribution etc. But from our experiences, in this country, DO IT YOURSELF!!!!

DF: Which was the last band you saw live that was really impressive?

V: Carcass at Witchfest 2008.

A: Azrail, Bile of Man and Dean Crescent

W: Rhutz!

DF: If you were given the choice of any band from any country that you could do a hometown gig with, who would it be and why?

V: Cryptopsy from Canada! I feel that they are probably the best extreme metal band with some of the best chops on the planet and we could learn a lot from them as musicians and as a band. They are true innovators!

A: Failing that…. Death (R.I.P. Chuck)

DF: So besides a hometown show with Cryptopsy, what other milestones are the Architecture of Aggression crew aspiring towards?

V: Constantly touring the world with the best bands in the business and making new albums that are always better than the previous ones and bettering our selves as musicians, challenging and inspiring each other.

W: Writing music!!!

DF: Anything you would like to add that we have not yet touched on?

V: No.

http://www.aoa666.com

Emperium is a Black/Death metal band that is currently rising from the darkness of Johannesburg South Africa. Brutal vocals and heavy riffs… need I say more?

Interview by: Scream

Emperium Are:

Stan Vagionakis – Rhythm / Lead Guitar
Dylan Meiring – Lead / Rhythm Guitar
Jacques Mynhardt – Vocals
Justin Nel – Bass
Cameron Zuccarelli – Drums

Headbang Today: Okay, to kick this interview off, we’d firstly like to acknowledge the fact that you’ve got some decent heavy shit on your Myspace page… and also obviously a lot more to offer during your live performances. Since you’ll be playing at MotherFUDD 2010… we would like to know which song out of your set will most likely get the masses to headbang ferociously alltogether? Is it even possible that you have a song that’s heavier than The Sapien Holocoast?

Emperium: Thanks for the compliment! Oh yes we do! For sheer ultra-brutality, we offer “Victory”, but for fuck-heavy-head-banging, we suggest you listen out for “The Earth”.

Headbang Today: To be dreadfully honest, I personally haven’t heard of Emperium before up until this interview. On behalf of all the other lost souls that haven’t heard of you guys before, I’m going to have to ask you tell us a little bit more about yourselves. Your biography is lenthy, as is any respectable band’s. But a brief introduction will suffice nontheless.

Emperium: We are 5 fairly different guys that obviously share a love for music and entertainment. Pushing the limit and doing the best we can, while always having a blast, is critical. Our main challenge is to allow every member to bring in their own style and preference. This way we keep it personal and dynamic. Between the 5 of us there is NOT ONE international band we all like. We’re from varied backgrounds but we’ve coalesced into this beastly unit that is Emperium. And we are opinionated like bastards.

Headbang Today: Have you Headbanged Today? As Bile Of Man stated, headbanging should be like having your cup of coffee in the morning…

Emperium: Agreed. Banging head in traffic – just this morning!!! It’s like Prohep for the soul.

Headbang Today: When can we expect a debut album from Emperium?

Emperium: Well we are in the process of putting the very last finishing touches to our EP. Once that is launched I am sure an album will be on the cards. Then as soon as Cameron has recovered from his shoulder operation we will continue writing new songs, and when they’re ready, we will unleash our latest dose of whatever it is we unleash upon the unsuspecting public…

Headbang Today:How often does Emperium get together and tell us a bit about what usually goes down at your jam sessions…

Emperium: Rehearsals are scheduled weekly. Sessions include song conceptualising, riff-and-lyrical tennis, paralleled with fistfuls of jibe and then it’s FULL FUCKIN METAL.
Majority of the time this is followed by a socially lubricated braai. We are all good friends outside of the band, so we see each other quite often. Jam sessions should be relaxed but productive.

Headbang Today: Your sickest gig ever was when…

Emperium: The first proper blood-spilling mosh-pit may have been at the Black Dahlia, however some serious blood-letting occurred at a fest recently, leaving the stage drenched in blood. One of the most brutal shows was in, of all places, Rustenburg. We played face-to-face to loyal home-town fans at a Hockey Club that was packed wall-to-wall. It ended with blood on the cymbals. Let’s admit that we have come to rate the success of a show to litres of blood lost.

Headbang Today: Tell us a bit about the groupies in the black/death metal scene… is it true that they smell like cookies?

Emperium: Our girlfriends are probably a frontline defence against groupies. But were there cookie-smelling ones, surely we’d have to give ‘em a sniff for the sake of social-science. Shouldn’t they smell like beer or whiskey though?

Headbang Today: When will we have Emperium down in Cape Town?

Emperium: We have heard great things about the CT audience, so as soon as we have our full members list back and kicking we will definitely be there. We were actually in the planning stages of a tour to the Cape, but due to circumstances we have postponed til later this year hopefully.

Headbang Today: Being a part of a festival as immense as MotherFUDD 2010, nerves are bound to quiver in its own wake… What are your pre-show rituals on an individual basis? How do you fire yourselves up before hitting the stage?

Emperium: Most of us don’t seem to get nervous at all. It feels like we walk on stage play 3 fucking notes and then the set is over. Everything is so saturated with high energy that nerves dissipate instantly. A good warm up is vital though. Maybe have a drink. Once we are all fired up, and the crowd is going berserk, it’s just awesome! We love watching live metal bands, so we are stoked performing live!

Headbang Today: What can the headbangers that’ll be attending MotherFUDD expect from Emperium?

Emperium: 1. A high-octane performance. Alot of headbanging. Good energy. And a VERY sweaty vocalist. Note: Breakdowns are not included.

Headbang Today: Last but not least, it’s a well known fact that a lot of bands don’t initially succeed due to the harsh nature of the world’s metal scene(and music scene for that matter). If you could give a piece of advice to any young band out there, what would it be?

Emperium: If it ever stops being fun, LEAVE! Metal bands in South Africa should play for the right reason, for the love of the music – from there everything will follow. Jumping on a bandwagon and doing it for money and minge, is not the right way to go. There is some serious talent, but there’s also a lot of pretentious shit going around. To us, it’s survival of the sincerest.

Headbang Today: Any last words?

Emperium: We’re really amped to be playing MotherFUDD and looking forward to meeting alot of interesting people that love Emperium.

Scream got hold of Agro to touch on a few topics regarding South
Africa’s most awesome annual heavy metal festival known as MOTHERFUDD 2010 which Agro is headlining for once again!

Agro Are: Clifford Crabb-Vocals, Shane Pennicott-Guitars & Backing
Vocals, Robbie Riebler-Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals, Nick
Vassilev-Keyboards,  Wez Hitchin-Drums

Interview By: Scream

Headbang Today: Hello Agro! A very metal welcome from Headbang Today!
You’ve been a headlining act for MOTHERFUDD for how many consecutive
years now?

Agro:6 or 7 now, cant realy remember!?

Headbang Today: MotherFUDD 2010 is going to be epic with an awesome
list of top-notch South African metal bands that will be performing.
Which band do you guys look forward to sharing the stage with the most?

Agro:I support and respect any band that supports the metal cause and
motherfudd!!!

Headbang Today: So there’s going to be a shit-load of headbangers
banging their way into the history books. A definite first for South
Africa. Reveal to us but one song that you are planning on playing for
the masses to viciously nod their heads to and why do you think this
song will get them banging?

Agro: Yvonne and her team are still working on that, however, I do
believe that she is busy putting together a ‘motherfudd ALLSTARS’ band
for the night to perform the song, featuring members from sacrifist,
chromium, all forlorn, A.O.A. and more!!! Should be awesome!!

Headbang Today: Words out that you’re back in the studio recording
your 7th long awaited album… How is that going?

Agro:the album is done! We will release it at motherfudd with the
official street date reliese on 15 march!!! So motherfudd patrons will
be the first to get the new album and DVD,

Headbang Today: Will you be playing some of your new songs at MotherFUDD
2010?

Agro: for sure!!

Headbang Today: As Headbang Today’s headbanging headquarters are
located here in Cape Town, when can we expect Agro to be coming down
to rock us Capetonians into oblivion?

Agro: sure!! Its been a while!

Headbang Today: Tell us about the best gig you’ve had so far as well
as the biggest crowd you’ve played for? Do your nerves still get the
better of you before doing a show or is the stage indeed your home?

Agro: biggest crowd…50 000 at wacken in germany…best gig, ummm, too
many to mention,erm?! Proberbly the last gig we played!

Headbang Today:  Are you planning on giving countries abroad a visit
anytime soon to display South Africa’s heavy metal talent?

Agro: for sure!! We are booked for a festival in Bosnia in june, Just
busy with the logistics to see if it will be financially viable and
based on that we will make a decision to tour the entire eastern block.

Headbang Today: With so much heaviness purely flowing throughout
Agro’s veins, do you think you can go even heavier than what you are?
Is that humanly even possible?

Agro: good question!! Time will tell though.

Headbang Today: What’s a typical jam session for Agro like?

Agro: loud!!!

Headbang Today: Ever thought of doing unplugged versions of your songs?

Agro: no!!

Headbang Today: Tell us a little bit more about what the band is
usually up to before hitting the stage… any pre-show rituals that
‘MotherFUDDERS’ should be aware of?

Agro: Just leave us alone before the show as we all need to get mentally
prepared and deal with PGT (pre gig tension) but during and after the
show we become public property and drink and have fun with as many
people as possible!!!

Headbang Today: What is the best part of being a band member of Agro?

Agro: musical freedom! Being a part of the music genre that is more
important to me than food and water!!!

Headbang Today: So, now rumour has it that you will be performing with
an orchestra at MotherFUDD as well. A first for any South African
metal band… Who are you working with there? Do tell us more!

Agro: the STAR FIRE STRING ENSAMBLE!! Yeah, we are the first to do it in
SA and I we can do it more often as it has been a great challenge for us
musically.

Headbang Today: Any last words?

Agro: 2010 is gonna be a huge year for us! We release our greatest hits
cd and dvd next week as well as a new full leangth album later in the
year with tours and all that stuff!!

Metal 4 Africa’s metal minded Darkfiend joined us as a guest writer to interview a couple of  MotherFUDD’s most talented bands. Reverend Henry Kane are one of them!

Interview by: Darkfiend (from the all inspiring Metal 4 Africa.com)

DF:      Hi Guys.  It’s a pleasure to be having this opportunity to chat a bit to Reverend Henry Kane, just prior to the mighty MotherFudd Festival.  Are you all excited?

RHK: Thanks so much for the opportunity, much appreciated! Yeah we’ve all heard it’s an epic festival and we’re beyond stoked to be a part of it and share the stage with so many talented bands!

DF:      Please excuse my rudeness!  How about a round of introductions before I go blundering ahead?

RHK:  On vocals is Ryan Kietzmann, lead guitar is Cameron Smith, rhythm guitar is Lloyd Beckett, on bass is Iain Cook and our ‘’old’’ drummer is Chris Graham.

DF:      Ok, so MotherFudd is just around the corner, and you are joining a pilgrimage of metal bands to perform up North.  Can you tell us who else from your neighborhood is going up?

RHK: As far as we know we are the only Durban band that’s on the bill, so we will be flying the Durban metal flag high for all to see during the show. There are some really talented bands in Durban, so it is a privilege for us to perform at such a prestigious event.

DF:      It’s always nice to play in front of new people, but sometimes it can be daunting if people don’t know your music.  Do you expect that many of the Durban punters will go along to MotherFudd as well – to represent a united front of sorts?

RHK: We’re hoping there will be a few familiar faces to represent the Land of the Long Green Leaf, but we love playing to new crowds and people, that’s what gives us the motivation. Getting a good response to our music is the best feeling as musicians. It gets boring playing to all the same people time after time, as is sometimes the case.

DF:      It looks like your band is really gearing up to join the ranks of those bands who enjoy national recognition.  We’ve seen you in your home stomping grounds of Kwazulu Natal, and in Gauteng, and even as far off as Cape Town for Whiplash at the end of last year!  Where else has Reverend Henry Kane toured that we’ve missed?

RHK:  Nowhere else as yet, but we’re always looking for new venues to play around the country. We want to play some shows in PE and Bloemfontein, heard good things about the venues and crowds, and we’re always up for a thrash afterwards! We said when we started the band that we don’t want to sit in our home town all year and play once or twice in Gauteng or Cape Town. Getting away is the best for us!

DF:      Have you been making this all happen yourselves, or has there been some help along the way?

RHK: There’s been a shit load of help from various parties in the scene, and we really wouldn’t have come as far as we have without them. Our biggest help has come from Barry and Delia Drewett and we want to give a big shout to them for all they’ve done for us and the rest of the bands! A special mention to Azrail (RIP) who’ve always hosted and organised for us in the Cape. However we do make a lot of it happen ourselves, applying to festivals, organizing travel arrangements, studio time, merch, etc. and generally managing the band ourselves.

DF:      The road is a fun and different lifestyle that most people will never know.  Can you fill us in on your single greatest triumph and pitfall that you have experienced whilst touring?

RHK: Our single worst moment was our first ever show in JHB at Asylum. We were plagued with gear issues (our own gear and venue gear) and we were a three piece for 80% of the show, added to that we were playing to about 5 people, it was the worst show we’ve ever done so far. Our greatest triumph was doing a couple of kick ass shows in Cape Town last year in July, surviving the party, flying back with the worst hangovers of our lives and seeing all our gear come back in one piece!

DF:      Have there been any bands that you saw on your travels that you would like to take home to do a show, assuming that you are currently holding a winning Lotto ticket and can afford to have “friends” over?

RHK: We’d love to have Azrail, Mind Assault and Day Turns Night from CT; All Forlon, Warthane, Bile of Man and Erebus from JHB. From Durban, Contrast The Water, Theatre Runs Red and Pledge Defiance. That would make for one crazy pit!

DF:      Let’s hear a little more about hometown, Durban.  How long has Reverend Henry Kane been active in the Durbs scene, and what bands share a similar timeline?

RHK: We’ve been around for two years now, our first gig was March 2008. A band that shares a similar time line are our good friends and bunch of crazies Theatre Runs Red (sick band), although they did start about 6 months before we came along, they are the closest band that is still around today.

DF:      Would you say that the Durban scene is unique, if compared with what you experienced in Cape Town and Joburg during you travels?  Please go into a little detail about your views.

RHK:  We wouldn’t call it unique, as the metal scene in general is pretty unique in its own twisted way. Durban is a lot smaller than the other two major centres, but the scene shares more in common with Cape Town than Jozi. There are a load of bands in JHB and from what we’ve seen and heard, there are big divides in what is ‘’scene’’ or ‘’core’’ and what is ‘’metal’’. We’ve heard of gangs, fights and other crazy shit that goes down in JHB that just doesn’t happen in Durban. There is always going to be some rivalry between bands, but that can be a good thing as it pushes bands to progress, but there can be bitterness and jealousy that does come up every now and then, we’ve been on the receiving end of some of it. It’s a pretty mellow scene generally, and everyone knows everyone, so there is a good camaraderie between the bands. The support at local gigs could be much better for all the bands though.

DF:      Since about 2007, we have picked up on a growing buzz about metal, especially after years of living in a wasteland of nothingness in the late 90’s and the first half of the 2000 decade.  What has cropped up in the South African metal scene excites you the most at present?

RHK: One thing that has grown are the amount of festivals, venues, shows that are geared towards metal, the support for metal is growing slowly around the country. Although there are still those fucking morons who petition against our ways, we will overcome that and metal will continue to grow as far as we see it. All the kids are getting into whichever shape or form you want to call the scene now, which is always a positive. Start them young the lil’ ones!

DF:      Most local metal bands seldom survive longer than approximately 3 years, we’ve noticed.  Obviously, there are huge challenges that need to be surmounted and many just don’t have what it takes to persevere.  In taking a look at the current situation, do you feel optimistic and confident that Reverend Henry Kane will be making music for a long, long time yet?

RHK: There are a few things that we feel optimistic about currently. We’ve had no line-up changes since we started, so it’s a close bond we have in the band, but it’s very important because we don’t keep changing members and playing the same songs all the time. Our music has progressed dramatically since we started and we’re writing music that we never thought we could a year ago, in our band it’s all about progress and forging ahead and trying new things. Our support base is growing day by day; we’re seeing more people in front of us at each show which is a good sign.

DF:      Have you have any recorded material available as yet?

RHK: We are currently putting the final touches of our debut album entitled “Baptised in Blood”. It’s been a big learning curve for all of us, they’re lessons we’ll take into our next endeavor. We have two unmixed tracks from the album on our myspace and facebook pages to give a taste of what can be expected. Go listen! www.myspace.com/rhkband

DF:      When can we expect a release?  Tell us about what you have in mind and how you plan to overwhelm your followers and convert the masses of unsuspecting hordes?

RHK: We’re looking at a mid-year release. We’ll keep the plans close to our chest!

DF:      What else would you like to say, now while you have the spotlight attention?  Choose any topic close to your hearts.

RHK: Just wanna say thanks to our sponsors, Bavaria Beer, Skintrade Tatoos, Elixa energy drink and Marshall Music Hillcrest. They’ve all helped us out in our various times of need! Also, to all our fans for all their support and belief in us as a band, and a big thank you to Yvonne for what should be a brutal festival. Shot for the interview DF, hope to see you all at the Fudd!

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Marco: Not everyone has read the biography on your website, so let’s warm up the interview by asking a question those lazy people keep asking: How’d the band form and what inspired the mix of comedy and hard-rocking metal?

Josh: Rob and myself (Josh) have always had a ridiculous sense of humor, as well as a love for heavier music. Adding our sense of humor into our music actually comes as no surprise to anybody who has known us for a long time. That’s just who we are.

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From a recent change in band members to headlining at one of South Africa’s biggest heavy metal festivals… From being play-listed on London’s Total Rock Radio to actually planning a UK tour, it is guaranteed that Chromium is one of South Africa’s most unstoppable bands. We’ve kidnapped the members of Chromium (including their new guitar slashing vocalist) and sadistically interrogated them, empowering our metal-hungry minds with the eardrum-popping excellence of Chromium’s musical plans and gigging intentions for 2010!

Interview By: Scream

Chromium are: Justin du Preez – Guitars and Vocals
Jared Gunston – Guitars and Vocals
Hannes Matthysen – Drums
Shaun Pearson – Bass Guitar

Headbang Today: Welcome back to the headbanger’s crib and a special welcome to Justin for having his first interview with Headbang Today as an offifcial member of Chromium! You’ve just had a show with UK metallers, Seven year Kismet! How did that go down?

Chromium: Hey Scream, well its hard to find the words to describe the JHB tour with SYK, but all i can say is it’s one of the most fun things we’ve ever done, and besides just touring with the guys we hung out with them on their off days and really got to know the guys.  I dropped the guys off now now at the airport as they are on their way to do Cape Town this weekend, and i’m gonna be sad when they leave.

Headbang Today: Now with your next gig being at MotherFUDD 2010, tell us what headbangers can expect from Chromium – Which one of your songs from your set do you think will get the entire crowd to viciously nod their heads to?

Chromium: Shame we’re really throwing Justin into the deep end huh? J  We’re playing a few new tracks off “Confessions Of a Hero”, World Of Lies and I Wait should get them going nicely!

Headbang Today: This is a question for Justin! You’ve just recently joined the band a month or so ago… How have you been fitting in and tell us a bit about what  you’ve been up to personally to prepare yourself for Chromium?

Chromium:  Well as in my previous interview I was explaining how nerve wrecking it was to hit the stage (not club but out door festival )

with a band as big as Chromium. I am sure there were skeptics out there and there are probably still a lot of them, although as we played each gig I began feeling more and more confident within myself and within the band.

Like I always say, you can’t please everyone and at the moment all I care about is pleasing the band. If they are happy with me I couldn’t care who has what to say. My purpose in the band is to play every song and every gig to the best of my ability and of course blow the living crap out of each fan.

Personally I would say I have been through quite a unique change this past month. I have decided that this is my dream and I am honored playing with the band. I am giving up my life here in PE to do this “band” thing and I am willing to give it a 150% man and there is no turning back now!

Headbang Today: Spill the guts! When can we expect a new release from Chromium?

Chromium:  What i can tell you, is we’re doing pre production on the third album, still adding more and more material to our DVD and currently working on a few live clips, etc… so there’s lots coming your way real soon!

Headbang Today: You’re still planning to hit the stages in the UK? How’s all that going and what about the international tour are you looking forward to the most?

Chromium:  UK Dates are 98% confirmed, I’ve been shown on a map where we’re going and it’s literally all over UK, the fact that we can do this as a band, and experience a new culture of metal heads excites us.  Being in a bus for just over 2 weeks and being on the road and dirty is what i’m looking forward to.

Headbang Today: What do you look forward to the least and why?

Chromium:  Carrying the equipment J hehe, we are yet to find people willing to roadie our stuff, the heads and cymbal stands are heavy damnit!  Oh and the 14 hour travelling time on the plane!

Headbang Today: Name some of the bands that will be supporting you over there.

Chromium:  “Circle Of Rage” not too sure on the rest just yet!

Headbang Today: You’ve also got a live DVD set for release sometime this year. Give us an inside scoop and reveal a little something about it to us… Any special features we can look forward to?

Chromium:  Well, its gonna be packed full of live performances, music videos, studio footage, making of the video stuff, LOTS of goodies!

Headbang Today: We can only imagine the hellish schedule ahead for you guys. As with most bands, the members have day jobs to maintain… Is that also the case with members of Chromium? And if so, how do you go about telling your ‘boss’ that you need a month off to go rock the shit out of UK headbangers?

Chromium:  its a tough one i’ll admit, but the guys are usually up front with their bosses and things just seem to be working out.

Headbang Today: Back to the MotherFUDD topic. Would you consider Chromium’s music to be moshable? If so, do you think that you can get the crowd to fire up moshpits larger and more vicious than that of Hatebreed’s?

Chromium:  hmmmm, our music is defiantly something you can rock out too, and some tracks such as “i wait” get a few circles going.  Hatebreed is heavy, i wouldn’t wanna take em on! hehe

Headbang Today: Tell us about each of your individual pre-gig rituals before you hit the stage.

Chromium: Justin: Be nervous as shit  (helps with going crazy when you get on stage)

no drinking (ok maybe a shot or two and lots of water)

Vitamin B tablets (Thanx to Chris from Knave)

and just eventually letting everything in your mind go……………….

Hannes: I drink max. 3 beers.

Jared: A good dvd at home such as Unearth or Killswitch Engage, a few casual beverages and a shot or 2 of Sambuka, takes the edge right off!

Headbang Today: We wish you all the best for MotherFUDD 2010 and we hope that the crowd will headbang just as hard to your music as we will! Any last words?

Chromium:  Its been great man, this ride has only just begun.  I know it’s hard to explain this correctly, but now with the international tour in place our band is only truly beginning right now.

CHROMIUM, PEOPLE! CATCH THEM AT MOTHERFUDD 2010!

www.motherfudd.com