Rising from the primordial seas of the local metal scene is a new band that has recently gained the attention of many. Megalodon is a five-piece, eight-string slinging experimental groove metal band hailing from Cape Town.

Their recent debut show at Metal4Africa’s Summerfest ’12 was highly praised, with a full house of head bangers showing up to see them. I myself was excited to see them perform their polyrhythmic grooves to my eager ears. Megalodon were one of the few bands to get some serious attention and I was very surprised to see the M4A stage area chock-full with an outstanding influx of a crowd. I guess they had gathered a substantial interest through their demo releases.

Since they are most likely the first gigging band to use 8-strings and polyrhythmic grooves, you would be quick to think that they are simply ripping off another band that starts with the letter M. This is certainly not the case because it is clear that they have their own sound and it’s building up a force which cannot be denied. Their sound can be described as thick and laden with “the boomy”, due to the use of what sounds like the bass tuned an octave down from the guitars, as well as heavy power chord usage which most 8-string players avoid; both techniques being quite unconventional.

Megalodon can tick off many boxes which categorise them as a djent band. If you haven’t heard already, on the circuits overseas there is a growing trend some of you might know as “djent” and is what some Meshuggah-esque bands call their genre or sound. Some of these groups just sound like deathcore, while others have a very unique take on the idea-bending genre known as djent.

Djent, is in itself a literal guitar sound as well as being a scene, and many see it as a genre. Meshuggah are seen as the forefathers of this sound and there is a rumour that Fredrik Thordendal (guitarist of Meshuggah) originally coined the term. Although in the USA, a guitarist by the name of Misha “Bulb” Mansoor apparently made the term “djent” ever so popular on the internet. His “djent” band, Periphery, has become extremely successful; at least in the US and European scenes.

The trend started a few years ago, in which an official djent website had spawned and many aspiring home studio owners created and shared their own versions of this kind of metal. The trend is very similar to nu-metal and such things before; it is quite disposable and is creating a huge rise in mediocre one-man projects and boring bands that are trying to coast in this popular trend. Djent is a fun word to throw around; especially when a band is clearly influenced by Meshuggah but it is extremely vague and doesn’t do any band justice as a genre label.

I implore the readers to excuse all that which you have heard before, this local monster known as Megalodon is not just another “djent” band; keep an open mind and be ready for the innovation they bring us. Local metal bands aren’t getting enough of our support as metal fans and a band like this that brings something so fresh to the table needs our support.

Listen to Megalodon’s latest track, “Omnipresent Authority Figure” below and check out their other tracks through their Facebook page

Megalodon – Omnipresent Authority Figure by Megalodonza

Wednesday the 28th of March saw Fleshgod Apocalypse hit Cape Town on the fourth date of the eight day Detonation Tour 2012 and Metal4Africa was there to chat to Cristiano Trionfera (guitars) and Paolo Rossi (bass) about the tour, the band’s music and how they got where they are today.

Metal4Africa: Hi Christiano and Paolo, welcome to Cape Town and thank you for taking the time out to answer some questions! First off, I have to ask, what has your experience been of South Africa so far?

Christiano: Man, it’s been great! This country is a very different place to tour. For now we’ve been pretty much to all of the “normal” continents, Europe and North America, and now with a chance to be here you see very different things, cultures, and of course it’s something that is new to us which is overwhelming.

M4A: On that subject, have you ever played anywhere as obscure as South Africa? Or, out of the way of the normal Europe, America deal?

Paolo: We’re planning to play a lot of different places and until now South Africa is the most unusual part of the world.

M4A: Were you aware that there was a metal scene in South Africa? Or that there were metalheads on the African continent and in this country?

Christiano: We actually knew about some bands… We knew about Bile of Man because we met their previous bass player in London a couple of years ago, he came to one of our shows and he told us about South African metal so we kept in touch through Facebook and he in introduced us to Valentina (the tour manager). So yeah, we knew about what was happening here.

M4A: Aside from Bile of Man and Bleeding Spawn, who you’ve been jamming with, have any of the support bands stood out for you? Who sounded really good or put on a good performance?

Christiano: There are a lot of good bands here, man. We played with a couple of young bands, you know, young guys with such a fresh attitude.
Paolo: They looked good! Things here seem to be very active.
Christiano: There are many local bands… Personally I love the two bands we are touring with. They’re very good and are writing very good music; for example, Bile of Man have a great singer, I love his attitude. It’s very, very tight. And Bleeding Spawn have a great bass player! I couldn’t watch every set on the tour but I caught a couple of songs here and there, so when I listen to their albums I’ll be able to hear it all.

M4A: Now to move away from South Africa and on to matters more Fleshgod-related. There’s a very noticeable shift in sound between your first album, Oracles, and then Agony. It’s got a lot bigger, a lot more symphonic sounding. Was this a logical progression for the band?

Paolo: Definitely, it felt really natural. From the beginning we wanted to reach a higher level. Before writing Agony, when we were thinking about the album and how to progress in our sound and we had different ideas. So we explored, I would say. And it was pretty much a step forward for us.

M4A: When it comes to the symphonic influences: Where do they come from? Are they from specific composers?

Christiano: That would be, uh… the famous ones? (laughs) Mozart, Beethoven.
Paolo: It’s not specific composers, I would say it’s more a specific period, that romanticism. We feel like it’s more a death metal influence on symphonic music way of thinking.

M4A: What about the introduction of clean vocals? I don’t recall there being clean vocals on Oracles and then it came to the Mafia EP and followed through to Agony. Why go for that? Especially in death metal where clean vocals are frowned upon.

Christiano: We tried this experiment and it turned out very well, so why not stick with it? We tried this new attitude on the record and we love it, people seem to enjoy it. It’s an unusual element for death metal.
Paolo: We compose, write and play music we like.
Christiano: For us it feels normal, that’s the main point. We don’t like to have genre boundaries so we can switch from a very slow song like “The Forsaking”, that is quite a ballad, to a very fast and complicated on like “The Oppression”.
Paolo: Yeah, we like to experiment and we like to take ourselves somewhere new.

M4A: How do you guys write songs? Do you all bring something to the table? Do you sit and jam through riffs?

Christiano: No, no. Actually it’s our drummer, Francesco (Paoli) who has the main ideas and on Agony he started writing with the other Francesco (Ferrini), who is our piano player, because we wanted to start with the symphonic elements, trying to think of all the instruments that are part of the ensemble of the orchestra. In the studio is where you find the little differences, the last moment changes from all of us.
Paolo: At that point there is a lot more interaction. And I take care of the lyrics!

M4A: There seems to be a lot of metal coming out of Mediterranean Europe at the moment. It’s normally been Britain and Scandinavia and now all of a sudden there’s been this spring of bands from the lower end of Europe. Can you talk a little about the Italian metal scene and are there any underground bands there that we should check out and keep an eye on?

Paolo: Yeah, there are a lot of bands!
Christiano: We’ve got a lot of bands. Our brothers in Hour of Penance… They’re good and they’re doing their first US tour…
Paolo: They’re actually there now, along with The Black Dahlia Murder and Nile so they’re turning out pretty well.
Christiano: Hour of Penance is probably the first name that comes to mind… We’ve got Iconoclast…
Paolo: They’re trash, modern thrash metal…
Christiano: The Modern Age Slavery…
Paolo: We’ve got a lot of good bands actually…

M4A: And how developed is the scene in Italy; if you were to compare it to the South African Scene?

Christiano: I was talking to the guys in Bile of Man yesterday, I think, and it seems to me (personally, at least) that South Africa is like what Italy was maybe, I would way, five or ten years ago. It’s just a matter of structures, you know what I mean?
Paolo: Italy’s not a very big scene but it is growing. But, you know, we are in Europe and so it’s easier for us to communicate with the other scenes and all the underground work… the bands, the organisers, the event teams, management teams, radio, zines, webzines… there’s a lot of structure. And that’s what’s happening here and it’s good to see that there’s a lot of people working to make it happen.

M4A: Lastly, based on your experience as a band that has “got out there”, that has toured and has people all over the world buying your CDs, can you give any advice to local bands down here?

Christiano: It’s all about working as hard as you can!
Paolo: I would suggest going outside your own country. If you don’t go out and visit other countries and play all over the world people will think you are nothing in your own country and we experienced that. We had to go out, touring Europe and North America, then we come back home and it’s like, “Okay. Now you’re a great band”. It’s reality. For many people they need to see that your band is not a joke band.
Christiano: Yeah, you’ve got to take it seriously but at the same time you still need to not have an ego about it because what we do is not easy. You’ve got to convince the people and you’ve got to work it out really, really hard. Work as hard as you can and you’ve got to realise that if you want to do this, that’s what you do. The music is very important but it’s not the only thing, if you really want to make it.

M4A: Thank you for your time, guys and I hope you have an absolutely killer show!

To say that the coming onslaught of death metal was breathtaking would be an understatement. Fleshgod Apocalypse brought their A-game and their performance (as well as the support bands’) was nothing short of spectacular! Many thanks again to Paolo and Christiano for answering our questions and kudos to Valgar Entertainment for bringing down such a great act!

Stay tuned for our full review of the event next week!

The Detonation Tour continues tonight at Tin Cups in Witbank, Gauteng and then tomorrow at Milano’s in Vereeniging, Gauteng! Don’t miss out on seeing The Mad Orchestra live and in the flesh (godapocalypse! Sorry… – Ed)!

Dominic Vorster, Bleeding Spawn‘s bass guitarist, thinks that the stereotypes in Middelburg have greatly contributed to their success as a band. “The knee-length-socked-men,” he refers to the Afrikaans farmers in the area, “Are here but the stereotypes are what fed me! Oppression leads to anger and anger leads to death metal. Being in a metal band here in our town is seen as underground and people don’t really like the whole look and image. That’s why we have learnt to not care what people think or say, but rather take that negative energy and feed our music with it. We have overcome the hardest parts of being in a death metal band in a small town, and now it’s our duty to feed our fans with the anger and oppression that we see.”

The band has labelled their brand of death metal as “futuristic” due to their unique sound. Dominic explains what makes their sound unique: “Seven string guitars, the six string bass, super-fast drumming and dual guttural vocals which in this era of time is seen as low end music/metal. But what gives us that edge is our song structure, the complex diversity of each song we have is the same, but all have unique blends that make it sound futuristic.”

Apart from music, the band finds music inspiration in zombie and gore movies, amoung other things.
“The best death scenes are acted through underpaid actors are great ideas for lyrical themes,” Dominic says, and adds; “Marvel and DC comics – imagination is the key to capture a good story.”

Bleeding Spawn might be musically unique, but like many other death metal bands, their name is not one that everyones grandmother would approve of, yet the band feels their name is the molten brand which tells you what they are about.
“In my opinion with a band like Cannibal Corpse the name says it all – death, gore and horror. They don’t beat around the bush. They use their name to illustrate exactly what they are about, which also becomes a household name for their fans and for listeners. I wouldn’t be impressed if I hear a band name like Prostitute Disfigurement only to find out they play Backstreet Boys covers.” Thus Dominic thinks a band’s name, as much as it’s music, classifies them.

This weekend, the band will kick off their national tour with international death metal band, Fleshgod Apocalypse. Dominic thinks they’ve come a long way from their first live performance. “Our first gig was in our hometown on Halloween and until this day I will not forget it. It was the most nerve wrecking thing I have ever done. Lots of people pitched up and I knew we had to bring it. The show was a success and it was the best feeling that I have ever experienced. As it was our first show ever; we didn’t have much stage experience. The performances on the tour will show that we have learnt a lot about what to do and what not to do.”

The other members of the band are just as excited for the tour.
“It’s going to be an eye-opening experience playing alongside guys of their calibre, but I think it’s going to be an epic party at the same time. We are all super nervous and excited and ready to represent South African death metal as best we can,” says guitarist, Gary Parkin.

Fans can see Bleeding Spawn and others playing with Fleshgod Apocalypse from tomorrow in Gauteng, Pietermaritzburg, PE and Cape Town. For more information, visit the Detonation Tour website.

For a band who thinks “Humanity is a disease that deserves to be wiped out,” and whose opinion is that “Human nature can be an asshole,” Pretoria based death metallers, Bile of Man, have become an inspirational local band. The inspiration lies not in their steadfast opinions of humanity, but in their deep understanding of both the business of music and the professionalism which comes with climbing the ladder of success. These traits are what set Bile of Man apart from many others.

While their almost five years of existence has brought on many member changes, it has also brought good management and a firm fan base. This has proven its worth, as Bile of Man is days away from touring with one of the world’s youngest and most successful death metal bands, Fleshgod Apocalypse.

Although very excited about the upcoming Detonation Tour, the band sees this as more of a learning curve. “Giving the South African metal scene and bands enough international exposure is not something that will happen after one tour with an international band or even with any traditional rhino horn muti.” Bile of Man is of the opinion that a band is a business and locals need to start accepting that fact. Their sound advice for band-business success is confidence, originality and motivation. “If there isn’t something that separates you from the other thirty-five thousand other bands in the world, you will get stuck in your mom’s garage and eventually give up playing,” is the general consensus from the band. They also have a deep respect for other musicians and give sound sobering advice at the same time.

In their business spirit, Bile of Man shared that they are working on a new album. “What works for us is to try and conceptualise the central theme of the album. After which we write the music and then add accompanying lyrics.”
The bands key sound is the biggest objective for the new album, much like Behemoth, Origin and Nile; Bile of Man want their sound to be deep set in every song they write. They do, however, avoid denouncing and promoting religion both on stage and in their lyrics; “…it has been done before, it is a never-ending battle with no resolve, people differ and they all choose to believe something different, deal with it. We have more pressing matters to deal with in life, like war, human errors, monopolies ceasing all opportunities to effectively use your hard earned money, death, politics and neighbours. We will not be caught in the fire fight where people disregard our music for our subject matter being objectively written to be aimed at a certain direction of faith. We will write about subjects closer to the human process than religion. If we write about religion it will have to be something factual, of which there is little real evidence.”
“We don’t understand why it is so important for people to be a part of that fight. If you don’t support religion, great, you can probably carry on without ever worrying too much about it, you don’t believe in any religion after all, if you have faith in a deity, great, just don’t shove it in our face, it would be great if people could just let it go.”

Death metal fans can be rest assured, Bile of Man will not be taking on dubstep with regards to their sound any time soon. “As Bile of Man, the furthest we will go is to get a guest vocalist to come and tear a stage up with us at some point, and bands that come to mind are Bleeding Spawn, Bloodbeast, Suiderbees, Killatoria, Theatre Runs Red and more. But collaboration is something that needs to be given a lot of brainstorming, because there is always the danger of it becoming ‘corny’ or ‘lame’.”

Fans can see Bile of Man and others playing with Fleshgod Apocalypse from 23 March in Gauteng, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. For more information, visit the Detonation Tour website.

And as for the sobering advice – Bile of Man guitarist, Bennie Burger, suggests that instant relief from being drunk is splitting your head open. As close to between your eyes as possible. It almost guarantees you walking in a straight line.

Most metalheads hailing from South Africa are frustrated with the fact that there are no radio stations dedicated to metal and hard rock music in our country.  Long gone are the days of Barney Simon’s ‘Night Zoo’ on 5FM where one could get a modest dose of local or international metal, and even Radio 2000 showed a sign of promise during the mid-2000s when they started airing some daring material.  However, they and other radio stations of national significance had such shows quickly stomped out by government pressure asserting that national assets were no longer allowed to serve the interests of ‘exclusive minority’ groups.  Given the stance of government, it comes as no surprise that a private metal station based in South Africa has been started and is quickly growing in popularity.  Voice Of Rock Radio launched as an online station and webzine dedicated purely to metal and hard rock music – and is even sweeping in fans from around the globe!

Frank launched the station as a professional means of conveying that South Africa indeed has a growing and genuine following of heavier genres such as metal, and to provide a dedicated station for the craving fans.
“The aim is to bring the best mix of both international and local metal music to both South African listeners and to listeners from around the world,” says Frank.  He goes on to explain that Voice of Rock also hopes to stop fragmentation of the metal sub-culture and therefore includes all subgenres of metal, hard rock and classic rock in its playlists – a listener can expect to hear anything from Slayer, Cannibal Corpse and Metallica to Foo Fighters, Bullet For My Valentine and AC/DC, and even Cape Town’s very own Cold Hand Chemistry, for example.

The station, which broadcasts 24/7 all year around, relies primarily on word of mouth and social networking at this point and has grown from a mere two hundred listeners per month to an impressive figure of 4,800 listeners, and continues to increase.
“Of course, these stats are nowhere near yet what commercial FM stations have. But, for a metal-only webcaster, these stats are really quite amazing considering that we have not yet spent any substantial amounts on marketing, sponsorships or live events,” Frank told us.  Voice of Rock is regularly represented at many of the top international metal festivals where they have conducted interviews with top artists such as Slayer, Twisted Sister, Opeth, Turisas, Alter Bridge, Firewind, Thin Lizzy, Apocalyptica, Alice Cooper, Doro, Nevermore, Helloween, Rob Zombie, Dimmu Borgir, As I Lay Dying and Children Of Bodom.

Besides all the international big names they have brushed shoulders with, Voice Of Rock also features selected local bands on their playlist to allow our artists to be heard by an international audience. One of the latest featured broadcast events of note took place in January this year when Voice of Rock hosted an exclusive album radio premiere for local hard rockers Sabretooth, streaming the band’s debut album in its entirety with track-by-track live commentary by the band members. Some other artists that have been features include: Crow Black Sky, Terminatryx, Strident, Juggernaught, SacriFist, A Walk With The Wicked, Machine OEM, Chromium, Sindulgence, The Warinsane, Knave and others.

As far as future plans go, Frank explains that they are currently working on a complete site revamp and are aiming to steer away from the traditional webzine style and focus much more on the station, introducing a subscription model that, in return for a small monthly membership fee, will give members access to amazing exclusive features such as browsing the entire Voice of Rock library as well as submit song requests in real-time directly from the site, dedicate songs to friends and many other features. 
“Our radio player was recently revamped and now displays accurate, comprehensive meta data for each and every track played. Included are: cover art, country or artists origin; direct link to the artist’s wiki or website; year of release and, of course; the track, artist and album titles. Our player is extremely detailed in every aspect and there is nothing quite like it anywhere out there as far as we are aware.” 
Frank also went on to tell us that while the radio stream is near CD quality, they are keeping it at a low bandwidth of 64 Kbps which ensures that a listeners monthly internet cap is not too far compromised. He also promises that with the completion of the new site, they will also launch a series of weekly shows our of which we can expect an exclusively metal show. In a final word, Frank says more info will be announced soon and it will be massive!

At M4A, we feel that this is certainly a step in the right direction for the South African metal community.

To listen to Voice of Rock radio right NOW, follow the link here: http://www.voiceofrock.com/radio/

And you can also find them lurking on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/voiceofrock

WHY DOES MY RECORDING / ALBUM SOUND LIKE ASS?!

I’ve heard this question a lot over my decade of recording experience and have asked it myself over the years. Even though I am still young in terms of producing, recording and mixing, I have picked up on a few fundamentals that have drastically improved my recordings, each time slaying a new frost giant of sound in my way to becoming like my idols Andy Sneap, Daniel Bergstrand, Collin Richardson, Jason Suecof and yes, even Bob Rock.
By following not only the bands these people produce, but the producers themselves, I have learned and accepted a standard of quality which sounds different for each producer, but at the same time they are all on the same level. They all have “that” sound. So let us look at some mistakes bands make when they enter the studio that cost them a lot of time and money.

1. Setup your old ass grandpa’s guitar for the correct tuning and put on some shiny new strings

I don’t care how big your band is and who you’ve played with. If you rock up with a guitar with dirty old strings, I’ll charge you for the day and send you the fuck home. Don’t waste yours and my time. Old strings sound bad on recordings. They are dull and lifeless, and unless that’s the sound you’re going for, I would refuse to record that. Also ask the producer or recording engineer if you could leave your gear (especially drums and guitars) overnight so they can acclimatise to the recording environment which will reduce tuning issues when you actually start tracking the songs.
To be honest, in recording terms, your strings could be dull after a week of recording (depending on how many thousand takes you had to repeatedly play something,) they will probably still be good for live performance, but unfortunately you are recording and when the strings start sounding bad, you have to take them off. The next tip will help you preserve your strings as well as save you some studio time.

2. Use a metronome when practicing alone

Many bands think that because they have been together for more than a year or have played more than 150+ shows that they can walk into a studio and rip out a riff in 2 takes; it’s something closer to 300 takes that you’ll be doing. Once that red light goes on, even the best guitarist or drummer in the word gets recording syndrome. (Rooi liggie sindroom vir die manne wat nie engelski verstaan nie.)
The problem is that even though you guys can play a song together with a lot feel and vibe and pull it off live, that does not mean that you are playing it correctly. Unfortunately, music theory teaches us about time signatures and tempo. Especially those death guys that like to grind their axes, like they are trying to power a whole city with their awesome death tunes of evil! If you’ve got a metronome, use it! If you have access to a program like Guitar Pro or some tablature reading program that can play back in MIDI, put the metronome button on and jam with the track. You will notice that your picking consistency will improve which will boost your confidence when playing guitar. That confidence is the difference between a good album and a great one.

My tip would be to practice your songs with a metronome everyday for at least a month before you go into the studio. That way you will spend less time recording, which in turn means you pay less on a daily studio rate and save your strings from going dull after each song. Unless you’re Lars Ulrich and have the cash to moer through a snare drum on each take.

3. Schedule a pre-production session

This is so easy and saves tons of time. Contact the studio or engineer and schedule pre-production time. Usually they don’t charge as much, because you’re only recording to hear what it sounds like and not the final product. Just because your monster tone setting sounds super spiff in your garage does not mean it translates well over a microphone which then gets thrown over studio monitors.
I personally prefer to use digital gear like the Axe FX Ultra, Pod XT Pro and the Pod HD300 to get my tones. The reason for this is:

1) The humidity of the studio can have an effect on your strings (read above) as well as how your amp sounds from one day to the next. The sound that is coming out your cab pushes the air which is being recorded with the diaphragm of the microphone, (when the humidity rises there are more water particles in the air and that affects the sound on a tiny level, as a result, having your whole band there in the live room sweating and breathing can in theory change your tone from song to song.)

2) Because I work in my flat, I don’t want to piss off my tasteless neighbours with your awesomeness! With the digital gear, I can just save a band’s settings and recall them on the fly with no worry that the tones will change because of erratic weather conditions. (Damn global warming, why don’t you like the brutals!)

My tip for recording guitars / bass would be to create a tone that responds the way you want it to. It has to feel right even thought it isn’t sounding completely right. In the mixing stage, you are going to place the guitars in the mix, depending on your style of music, by using frequencies and dynamic processing. You also want your tone to have slightly less gain than you would normally use live, because this helps bring out mistakes and improves the clarity and note definition.

Conclusion

If you just apply these few tips, you will already be saving butt-loads of cash as well as producing professional, better sounding recordings.

Stay tuned to hear me rant about mixing, soon!

TENT

Yes, we all know you need shelter for the early hours of the morning, but is a tent really your only option? Yes and no! Look, tents take up space, and unless you plan on being at the festival for all 3 days, you probably won’t need one. People camp in packs, so if you have a sleeping bag, you could sleep under your friend’s gazebo (it won’t eat you.) However, if you plan to have the full festival experience (the one that includes latex,) a tent may well be a necessity.

NOURISHMENT (the chewy kind)

Yes, you’re going to need food at a festival and thankfully, they have food stalls! Why trek around with a cooler box, if all you need is a wallet? Simple; convenience! Food stalls don’t all operate after 4AM, and let me tell you, nothing beats having a bite after a night of partying! With that in mind, take some bread, maybe a brick of cheese and lots of water and smaller, packets of snacks. This is usually enough. (Or, you know, hunt a weaker festival attendee and feast on their flesh!)

POISONS

No, not the kind you dip a blow-dart in to silently take out your enemy agent, 47 style! I’m talking everyday poisons; smokes, booze, caffeine, etc. Always take enough smokes to last you for the entirety of the festival. Double your daily consumption should suffice.
Don’t over estimate you booze intake, 4 cases of beer is heavy! If you have to (or are allowed to,) take booze with you and opt for hard-tack. Vodka, whiskey, rum, etc. Two bottles, which is still a lot, weighs a hell of a lot less than tons of beer! Also, as
for mixers, take lemonade, cola, orange juice, tonic water, and anything else that catches your fancy.

Finally and most importantly: Caffeine. Yes, it is magical stuff. It keeps you going when your soul says “Stop or I’m leaving!”
but coffee usually isn’t an option. The solution? Energy drinks. Monster, Redbull, Play, Rockstar, etc. Really, it’s down to personal choice. But everyone needs that boost of energy at some point!

DARKNESS

That may seem a bit dramatic, but what I mean by this is shade. Summer festivals in particular get fucking hot, so invest in a hat and sunglasses. Personal favourites include a sombrero and aviators. And don’t forget to bring along your sunscreen! Preferably SPF50 or higher.

EMERGENCY KIT

I’ve been to festivals where the First Aid tent was shit, so go prepared!

It should contain:
Bandages and plasters
Antiseptic cream
A rehydration agent
An emergency anti-hangover kit or two (I prefer headache pills, Berocca and crème soda. Drop the Berocca in the crème soda, and take 2 headache pills with it. Hey, presto! Ready to rock and roll.)

And as mentioned, take tons of water. Water is useful, water is life…

One more thing, the line-up:

Know the line-up, which stage, what time slot, and which day. What’s worse than missing your favourite band? Missing them because you had the day and stage wrong and having to withstand bands that aren’t to your liking. KNOW THE SCHEDULE! Most festival organizers will have them ready at the gate, so grab one!

Oh, and the tips don’t stop here! Follow us on Twitter for more: https://twitter.com/M4A_RTRSA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003253117931

Where you will get up to the minute updates from the METAL4AFRICA crew at Rock the River!

See you there!

Well, we at M4A are delighted to see that Synergy Live, otherwise regarded by many a metalhead as a commercial jock-fest, is opening up to wider diversity with organisers latching onto some harder acts. We feel that this bodes well for the future. So it was for this reason; this and that Sabretooth are poised for the launching of their self-titled debut album, that I ventured out from my lair in the distant mountains to visit Sabretooth and find out a bit about the who, why, what and how. A thought which struck me, as I drove down the dim streets of an industrial warehousing district on the approach to their band room, was that Sabretooth has been relatively quiet within the typical “metal circles” of late. I decided to make this a part of my enquiry. I arrived to the sounds of double-bass drumming, chuggy riffing, and somebody’s guitar wailing out a lead solo – comforting sounds for one such as myself. The guys gave a warm welcome. So as not to disturb them too long from practise, we leapt straight down to business.

Intent on learning where the band had been lurking since I last saw them on the M4A Stage at Ramfest in March this year, I began with “where the hell have you guys been?” It was interesting for me, albeit slightly disturbing, to have learned that the Sabretooth band has found themselves somewhat distanced from the local metal scene of late. It would seem that since the band has taken on their new vocalist – who is not a screamer or growler – that many other bands on the local circuit now prefer to shy away from them as being “not metal enough”. The sentiment seems reinforced throughout heavy metal of today; so much so that it can be seen even in some titles such as one popular global website called: nocleansinging.com – and it appears to be filtering through all sphere’s of metal. I’ve heard of another great local band, Moment Of Clarity (who also have been quiet since Ramfest earlier this year), who have been on the receiving end of similar criticism.

Ryan Swanich, the band’s bassist, told me “although we have a clean-singing vocalist now, and we had a screamer before, the music has always been written with clean vocals in mind”, to which other members in the band all resounded in agreement, “and having Mauri join has opened up doors which allow us to play a lot of the stuff we had always set out to play. This doesn’t mean that we are not still metalheads ourselves, or that we don’t enjoy other metal bands. Our music just reflects another approach”.
Nikolai, who plays keyboards, also pointed out “as soon as there’s clean vocals, a lot of people are, like, ‘but this is not metal’, yet what metalhead out there would deny a band like Iron Maiden?”

One thing is clear, however, and that is to say that Sabretooth are going places with or without the blessings of the greater metal community. It has been proven by their appearance at many gigs and festivals over the last year that people of all musical tastes can enjoy some heavy music if it has a point of accessibility to it. In the case of Sabretooth, that accessibility can be summed up as a combination of sensibly written music with enough musical skill and flash, coupled with vocals where people of all sorts can clearly listen to and identify with the lyrics – a claim which few metal bands can make. But the point of this article is not to debate the credibility of who deserves to be called “metal” versus those who may not. The genre tends to reinvent itself every couple of years or so, and an older generation always grinds its teeth at a younger who muscles in to declare obsoletion. In the case of Sabretooth, this is the opposite since they are a younger generation seeking to propagate something of a revival to a sound which their own peers have written off as ancient history. Well, at least there of those of us who do remember; and to us, Sabretooth are a welcome breath of fresh air to the local metal scene regardless of how they get “branded”.

I wanted to hear about how Sabretooth came to be holding such a prestigious slot at this weekends Synergy live festival. As it turns out, although the festival has generally been focused on soft-core generic rock, jock, and electro-cock acts since their inception, they’ve begun to see value in adding some harder-edge bands. This shift can be largely attributed to Sabretooth themselves! The band has actually performed at the last Synergy Live as an upcoming act on a secondary stage, but they did so well in bringing the audience to life that organisers could not ignore them. Dean, who is wingman to co-founding member and guitarist Charles, explained: “playing Synergy was cool for us because it was a first time getting into a gig that was not specifically metal, and it proved viable. People got into [the music] immediately and the area livened up more than during any band which had played that stage prior to us”.

Apart from the 20:00 slot on Friday night at the Synergy Live Main Stage, Sabretooth have made some headway in other areas as well. I could not help but to notice the Monster Energy Drink cans cluttering up the place, and one of the members donning a peak cap bearing the three-clawed logo. Apart from being “fuelled” by the energy drink brand, the newly struck endorsement has also landed Sabretooth on the line-ups for a number of other interesting shows of late (which accounts for our not observing the band in the usual metal circuit for the latter half of 2011). With all the pieces falling into place, timing could not possibly be better for the band to release their debut album – and Hey, Presto! Here it comes. The band has been working slowly, progressively and with determination over the period of a year. But the hard work and perseverance is about to manifest itself in the release of their self-titled album in early 2012 for all of the world to behold. Keep an eye on M4A for the review when it is released!

Listen to Sabretooth’s brand new track off the upcoming album, “Holding On” below:

Each year since we began this project in 2006, we’ve seen a lot of comings and goings. This year of 2011 was no different, and we can already see into 2012, there being some interesting twists in the tale of the local metal scene. Admittedly, I’ve been hearing a lot of people offering a very bleak perspective on how they view the current state of things, and I have to admit that I cannot really relate to what they are feeling. Having come from the days where we metalheads had literally nothing, I have been keenly observing the development of the local scene over the last decade. It has had its ebbs and flows like anything else out there, but generally it appears to me to be doing quite well; especially considering where it has come from over the last ten years.

One thing that I do feel has shown huge decline since before we started the M4A project back in 2006 is within the actual bands – their managerial creativity. In the days when there were absolutely no venues that regularly catered for metal, we witnessed a lot of creative thinking and the scene had this amazing underground vibe with gigs taking place in some of the most obscure places. When you went to the gigs which were so few and far between, you would always see people you had never seen before. It was an adventure! With the occurrence of venues opening their doors to metal, that changed a lot. You suddenly had more localized scenes, and often that tends to lead to a sense of stagnation. Stagnation in the social worth of those local scenes and stagnation in the way bands tend to do things – which is usually very repetitive as they simply role with the “easy” method of playing a show. Hence, came the rise in popularity of festival-styled events. Although this kind of event does not always (or hardly ever) favor the bands, it has definitely created something of a “buyers market” for the metalheads entertainment options in general terms. Whiplash has always been a date of significance on the Cape Town metal calendar. Today, I believe Whiplash is quite possibly the countries longest running annual feature. Although it has only begun to take on a more “festival” approach as of more recent years, it has been running since 2002. In 2007 we bore witness to two more annual features which have prioritized themselves on just about every average Joe-Metal’s calendar: the bi-annual SummerFest / WinterFest concept, and the annual Ramfest. Amongst metalheads, and probably more specifically amongst the legion of bands that have emerged over the last few years, these events have become the most hallowed of the local community. It would do everyones sense of metal-morale great harm if we were to lose any of these from our annual planning.

Yet there looms a widening feeling of threatened demise. There are metalheads aplenty who speak of abandoning Ramfest for a number of reasons – most of which I personally find to be ill-founded; many speak of doom and gloom, that there is a reduction in the scene. It is true that Ramfest is not a metal festival. Nor will it ever be. Those who set out to create the festival never had Wacken Open Air on their minds when they began. Yet, as some of them were avid metal fans themselves (along with enjoying a plethora of other genres as well,) they incorporated a metal component into the first festival in 2007 and have continued to do so right up into the announcement of In Flames as their headline act for 2012. The Ramfest organizers liaise closely with us at M4A to bounce ideas and gather opinions. They turn to us because of our accomplishments with our own SummerFest and WinterFest shows, and they trust our judgment on many matters. In return, we offer them our loyalty and services in recognition of the great work that they are doing in parallel with that which we are doing. Although we’ve enjoyed having our own M4A Stage at Ramfest in 2010 and 2011, our two visions have never been to create conflicting or competing events. We have our vision, and Ramfest have theirs, and both have a role to play in our local community. At this juncture there is something of an outcry that Ramfest is now offering only a one-day “Coke-Fest” styled event. We at www.metal4africa.com ask for calm. Do not turn your backs on this great event because you think you are being robbed of something! Rather, see it as the opportunity that it is and hold onto the trust that all has been discussed in great detail and care taken before any decisions were made. Let’s focus on what is changing on the 2012 calendar that is actually giving more to the community – including what has become of the coming years Ramfest.

- Ramfest: Now endeavors to provide the international entertainment that others have failed to provide. It means the loss of a weekend camp-out in March, but not without alternatives.

- Rock The River: 2012 says good bye to one weekend camp-out festival, yet it says hello to a brand new one. Rock The River over New Years is as of this year hosting a metal stage with full weekend camping. This has taken a lot of dedication from a popular live venue’s owner, none other than Antonio Manuel of ROAR. He has also been in touch with M4A in leading up to this.

- Whiplash Open Air: So not only do we have one weekend camp-out festival, but we now have two! Scheduled for April, this annual event is looking to take on a new life-form, since there is clearly a high demand for a quality full-weekend experience. Although there may appear to be a disruption in annual planning (since Whiplash usually occurs in December,) this is to ensure that there is no chance of a clash between events considering that Rock The River is only two weeks after. This also means less pressure on the wallets of local metalheads.

- Metal4Africa: Don’t forget that with SummerFest’12 (28 January 2012) and WinterFest’12 (28 July 2012), it is still very much business as usual.

Therefore, the state of metal in Cape Town in 2012 is looking pretty good! You’re getting way more than you’ve bargained for, and this is only just the beginning. I’d like to hear a very big round of “FUCK YEAH” with horns lifted in the air! For those of you who have felt the pressures of uncertainty, I hope that these revelations put some bounce back into your step and some spring into your neck as you’re gonna need it in the pit! For those of you in bands who are bummed that you might not get to play Ramfest, all of your submissions are presently in consideration for Whiplash Open Air. There is no threat of demise in 2012 – only the promise of opportunity.

For more information about In Flames at Ramfest 2012, click here.

What prompted the name change from Heathens to Wildernessking? Was it a gradual
evolution or a sudden decision?

We understood that a name change would be beneficial to the band, and perhaps necessary, after we released the “Morning” single. This was the first song we had recorded as a four-piece and the recent addition of a second guitarist had given us the opportunity to focus more on our songwriting, as we were now able to layer our sound more effectively. This introduced us to new atmospheres, dynamics, and even melodies which were previously unobtainable while adopting our usual “plug-and-play” approach.

A few of us had thought about a possible name change in our own time, and when the suggestion was finally raised, the process was a quick one. Everything clicked. Under Wildernessking we have the chance to embrace new musical and non-musical elements, and express them in ways which seemed restricted under our old moniker.

Obviously the new name evokes nature and is a lot less aggressive-sounding than Heathens. Has this change of attitude filtered into the music?

In our opinion, the recent material is probably more aggressive-sounding than anything we have previously written. The change in identity has definitely filtered through and affected our band, enabling us to sharpen our musical direction, while concentrating more on the band’s aesthetic and artistic output.

As far as the natural aspect is concerned, the new songs are more organic and free-flowing in comparison to our work in the past. We approached the songwriting on this album in a new way and it seemed to play a vital role in helping us create our sound.

Can you mention your influences and how they affect the band’s writing? What is the writing process like?

We agree that there are a few bands who have collectively inspired us to form the foundation of our sound, and while we might appreciate similar bands, we each have wildly different personal influences when it comes to the instruments we play, and how we approach our individual role in the band. Those personal traits add an interesting
factor to the songwriting, and often steer us away from a direction we would have initially taken in the song.

The writing process is a collaborative one. The songs are formed around a musical idea, whether it be a pre-existing riff or a mental image of the song’s flow.

Based on the new material played at recent shows, Wildernessking still sounds unquestionably Black Metal but without the image traditionally associated with it. What prompted the band to approach such an orthodox genre in this way?

We definitely try to draw influence from various strains of black metal but as a South African band, we can’t embrace the imagery traditionally associated with this genre, as it seems foreign to us.

South Africa has its own landscapes, natural beauty and unique heritage to explore. In our band, that is where the bulk of our inspiration comes from. Emulating the imagery synonymous with traditional black metal would inhibit us from telling our own story, one which celebrates the land, and the times in which we all live.

Is there any particular philosophy behind the music and lyrics?

A philosophical backdrop exists, encapsulating an appreciation of and respect towards nature, with a heathenized and misanthropic undertone.

Your style of black metal has evolved primarily in the US. Why do you think this is, what bands originated it, and most importantly does it belong in South Africa?

We’re big fans of the atmospheric black metal movement that has risen from strength to strength over the last few years. However, the contrasting influences within our band, at times, draw us away from this particular sub genre.

The “Morning” single, although atmospheric in nature, hints at the rockier aspect of our sound and what is to come on our debut full length.

We can only hope that our style of music resonates well with the people here as Wildernessking will always be a South African band.

What can fans of the band expect on the full-length? How will the material differ from Heathens’ releases?

The material is more focused. It was written during 5 months of pre-production between November 2010 and March 2011, and granted us the opportunity to really flesh the material out, letting our musical instincts dictate the outcome of a song.

Our debut album, The Writing of Gods in the Sand, is a result of us exploring different avenues, both musically and lyrically. Because of this, the songs vary in mood, pace and structure.

Once the full-length is released, will fans still be able to hear Heathens material at live shows?

We really enjoyed playing as Heathens, and we don’t want to distance ourselves from that chapter in our musical history, but we also want to embrace this newly refined phase of our band. We plan to continue playing the old material at shows, although not very often.

Can you touch briefly on your distribution deal with Antithetic Records? How do you think working with a US based distribution company will affect the band?

Shawn from Antithetic Records contacted us after hearing the “Morning” single and expressed his interest in working with the band. We were very excited to be involved with this US based label and could only see it affecting the band in a positive manner.

Subsequently, the deal has enabled us to reach a wider audience, as our upcoming album will now be available worldwide on both CD and vinyl.

Where do you see Wildernessking going in the next few years?

We have been working hard on The Writing of Gods in the Sand in order to create the best possible representation of Wildernessking. Our next chapter begins with the release of this album, and where this might take us we do not know.

How does your time with Heathens/Wildernessking differ to fronting your previous band, The Horror Cast?

It’s a completely different experience as I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in the writing and arrangement of a song, rather than only coming aboard for the vocal and lyrical phase of the process.

Handling both vocal and bass duties has been an interesting challenge, yet one that has been fulfilling.

Is it true that the song “River” is about your dog?

No, although they are both called River, I wasn’t the one who suggested the name for my dog. Just how I thought it was a fitting name, I also thought it was an appropriate song title that complimented the others on the album. That’s the extent of the connection, although many ties exist between our band and personal life.

Thank you for your time and all the best with Wildernessking! We will be watching intently.