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.

Beneath the fading lights, in the darkest alleyways, even gutters of the local music scene, an underground movement of quality and aggressive music looms and lingers, as an answer to the trends of more popular musical sub-cultures. Heavy metal is unfavourably reputed for so many reasons, blatant ignorance being the most common. This is tragic, as the local talent within this sprawling genre is immense yet resounds in venues that seem like empty halls.

A Walk With the Wicked - Photo by Werner Ryke

Sabretooth - Photo by Robin Bernstein

Crow Black Sky

Heathens - Photo by Janine Megan

Certainly, this steam engine of resistance and non-conformity can only go unnoticed for so long. Whether you like it or not, South African Heavy Metal is headed in an upward and ultimately strong direction. Shun by most and revered by a few, there is no denying the brilliance of some (and I do mean some) of our inter-local (see what I did there?) bands. Yes, great Heavy Metal is on the resurgence in our tenderly small scene, and oh what a relief it is.

Catch A Walk With the Wicked and Heathens, joined by Suiderbees at Mercury Live in Cape Town on the 21st of May 2011 for the triumphant return of metal to Mercury’s stage!

Werner: Drinking Rank: Third, because Louis is a daemon and Fred apparently is better than me. Keyboardist and backing vocals.
Ruan: Drinking Rank: Fourth. I get drunk the fastest… Guitarist vocalist.
Louis: Drinking rank: First. I don’t know how… I play bass.
Fred: Drinking rank: Second. Just because the other two are useless and Louis is an alcoholic… and, I play drums.

M4A: Currently in SA you are among one of the only non-instrumental folk metal bands, although there are other bands that have similair concepts. You play “The Real McCoy”, so to speak? For a genre that is usually limited to Scandinavian countries, would you think that folk metal can come from more obscure places?

Werner: It doesn’t really matter which country you come from, the music is still the music.
Ruan: I think yes. If you can play music get drunk and enjoy it, I’d say go for it!
Louis: I would say absolutely if you have the spirit you have the spirit.
Fred: I personally don’t think a country definitely doesn’t limit you to a certain type of music genre. What ever inspires you, whatever you can relate to. Technically speaking, being a folk metal band from S.A we are supposed to play boere music, or Zulu music for that matter… And were not doing that.

Werner: It gives you energy and empowers the music you are playing. It makes you feel like a viking…
Ruan: I think you feel ready for battle! We are on a battle, technically, for music and I think it looks pretty cool too. Not to go into the looks department but you feel like Odin is blessing you going into battle.
Louis: It makes you feel like real warrior, ready for battle. We all have a unique design and it never comes out the same.
Fred: The warpaint gives the crowd an idea of what they are about to see before we start. For instance: someone goes on stage wearing tight jeans, and he looks lame, then you know the band is going to be deathcore and you will go stand outside… But if you see warpaint and kilts, you know you will see something interesting. It captures the crowd before the first chord.

M4A: You have one specific drinking song (a cover of Alestorm‘s “Wenches and Mead”) you play. Tell us a bit more about what ensues after Werner anounces those first few words?

Werner: “When I say wenches you say mead! Wenches! Ahhhrg Ahrrrg Mead!” Basically it gets a really awesome crowd interaction, everyone is usually drunk, so it’s awesome how the crowd responds to it.
Ruan: I always want to start with “Wenches and Mead” but Werner usually beats me to it. The crowd really interacts to it, as Werner said. Everyone just starts going crazy.
Louis: Jollificated (is that even a word? – Ed) drunken debauchery…
Fred: We had few instances were Werner actually messed it up a little bit, you know where he’s supposed to say “Wenches and Mead” he ended up saying, “Menches and Weed”. So whenever he says that, you know he is a couple of beers ahead of you.

M4A: You guys have played currently to date nonstop since youve started in December 2010? Yet allready now there is rumours of a tour? Any specific place outside Pretoria and or johannesburg you would still like to play?

Everyone: Cape Town and Bloemfontein
Fred: …and Sweden.

M4A: And now by end of the week you are also playing among some Durban fellows. Theatre Runs Red and Contrast the water? You have already played along Erebus, although this will be one of your bigger shows that you will have played.

We’re very keen to have them play the show after hearing raving reviews from fellow metalheads. We expect a brutal band and cannot wait to rock out with them. – Sashquita Northey, owner of Emalyth on Balyios

Werner: It’s definitely an honor to be asked to play an Emalyth show. I’m in awe and the fact that it’s along with really established bands, most of which opened for Ensiferum.
Ruan: There is actually quite a few people, fans attending this show, brilliant to see South African people standing to ground and supporting proper music, and not some other pop culture show.
Louis: It’s an honor, me being a fan of Theatre Runs Red. Hell yeah!

M4A: Also are there any specific artists locally that you would still like to share the stage with?

Werner: Warthane and Strident. We can relate to them (Strident); it’s jolly. That’s why we really want to go to Cape Town to try organize a show with them!
Ruan: Strident and Riddare av Koden.
Louis: Strident, because power metal in my roots!
Fred: Erebus, Agro, Warthane and Autumn Sun.

M4A: You have already produced an EP, and several singles. Does Fred doing the engineering make the music more personal? As it is you the artists playing the instruments, recording and mixing and mastering the music.

Werner: It’s definitely more fun to have your band member recording on your material. I trust Fred working with music.
Ruan: Its fun having your friends there at the studio, not like having some randomer. It’s more personal and we can contact each other on progress.
Louis: Any crazy studio moments you would be able to laugh or curse, we’re all bloody brothers, and sounds come out great. Fred knows exactly what we’re going for.
Fred: To me it makes my job much easier as a sound engineer. I know the sound, I know the guys and what they want. I’m actually a really good engineer too…

M4A: What is the biggest inspiration which has contributed to you as a musician musically?

Werner: Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir as a band.
Ruan: Alexi Laiho as an artist, Children of Bodom, Norther, Eluveitie, Ensiferum and Alestorm.
Louis: Manowar, death metal with a slight thrash influence, Cruachan, irish and scanidinavian folk.
Fred: Generally progressive metal. Opeth, Dream Theater. Martin Lopez from Opeth is my main drumming inspiration.

M4A: Are there any international act you would like to play with?

Werner: Ensiferum, Korpiklaani, Amon Amarth, Dimmu Borgir or Nightwish.
Ruan: Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom and hopefully Manowar (before they die).
Louis: Manowar and Cruachan.
Fred: Opeth, Dream Theater, Between the Buried and Me, Children of Bodom and Ensiferum.

M4A: Which is the show you have enjoyed the most so far?

Werner: Black Dahlia Thornfest’s Battle Final! The crowd was epic! It was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had, and it’s always about the crowd. Shows get better with a better crowd.
Ruan: It was the best! Everybody played brilliantly… The way crowd responded makes you proud, like “Hey, we are actually doing something right”.
Louis: Same show, but something that did stand out was the chanting of the crowd at the end of show when they would were about to announce the winner an uproar chanting our name. “BALYIOS!”. To me, witnessing that was just so fulfilling.
Fred: For me it was our debut show at Schivas. All our friends got to hear our music for the first time and the feedback we received afterwards was great. At the Black Dahlia show, some core bands ends up having 5 more votes. Because of that we apparently lost… Greatest gig, biggest disappointment.

Werner: Violin, orchestra (Real orchestra, not MIDI orchestra), choir, tinwhistle, genuine accordion… Or a chanting dynamic choir, will especially work in new stuff we are writing and even in our older work.

M4A: Frederik has done vocals before, is there any chance we might get to hear the banshee again?

Fred: Yes! There are a lot of group vocals we recorded in studio, and we would like to recreate that feeling in a live environment.

M4A: What are your expectations for this weekends show? Anything special we can look forward to?

Werner: A brand new single which hasn’t been released yet at all, which is still currently in the mixing process. It would also be the first show we are playing this new song, we are really proud of it and confident based on how it has come out so far. It’s a new song for fans, diehard fans can expect this to liven up the setlist.
Ruan: Definitely the new song. It’s little bit more on the melodic side, true Balyios-type sound, kickass melodies, crunchy riffs, headbanging…
Louis: Bring fans and be sure to have enough beer.

M4A: Anything else you would like to add?

Werner: Keep it metal!
Ruan: The only good thing with “core” in is when it refers to porn.
Louis: Metal is like an apple. Nobody likes the core.
Fred: Do not pitch up at our shows sober. And if you do, don’t expect to leave sober. Do not listen to core!!

Balyios‘ music can be streamed at their Reverbnation page.

Balyios are set to perform at Emalyth’s “Creatures of the Dark” this weekend alongside Theatre Runs Red, Contrast the Water, Erebus and All Forlorn.

“I can’t not do this,” were Cliff’s own words to me. The latest line-up includes only the front man, Cliff, as an original member since 1993, and with Robbie on bass coming up as second longest-standing member since 1996. But with Wez (since 2008) on drums, and the full rhythm section in tact, the band had a solid foundation on which to rebuild after the 2010 departures of Shane and Nic. The remaining band members quickly built up and trained a potent arsenal of replacement musicians to colour in the gaps, even strengthening to include a second guitarist, something that has been absent from Agro since 2006.

“All the naysayers and posers,” said Cliff to Metal 4 Africa, “Will have to deal with Agro for many more years.”

Such news makes my heart glad.

With the coming of Crow Black Sky’s debut album launch this  Saturday (18 Dec, 2010) at ROAR in Observatory, Cape Town, we thought it a nice opportunity to have a chat with the guys and introducing them to our readers who have not yet caught the band live.  Besides introducing this relatively new name on the scene to you, we wanted to also acquire a little insight into what can be expected from the album, ‘Pantheion’.

Down in the deep South of the Cape Peninsula.

In an old quarry overlooking False Bay with the waves crashing on rocks below, I met up with Stephen and Gideon of Crow Black Sky, not far from one of the lads home.  It was a moody and beautiful setting, yet harsh at the same time.  From the conversation that followed, I realized it was actually an ideal place to discuss the bands upcoming album.  I was lucky enough to get a preview in the car driving over, so had an idea what to expect before writing this piece, but I’ve not yet had the chance to listen to it in finer detail so as to deliver a full review.  You can be assured that this will follow soon, however.

The band was started in 2009 by the core members being Stephen, Gideon, and Kean, and took a little shaping with some members moving through before settling with Ryan added on vocals along with Lawrence on drums and a third guitarist, Chris.  The band did a short bout of performances in later 2009 before slinking off into the underground to begin work on the album, only resurfacing again for an appearance at M4A WinterFest’10 and some rare appearances between – focus remaining on the album.  Thus, we arrive now at the present day.  “The writing, recording, and production of this album has been one hell of an ambitious and exciting undertaking”, said Gideon, the bands guitar-vocal dual maestro.  As it turns out, the guys have gone about the recording by first physically building and setting up the recording environment, and then by using it to write some interesting and original material.  From my side, it is nice to listen to a band live who just gets on stage and kicks ass, but it is a rare priviledge to listen to a band who wrote songs with a specific ‘idealism’ in mind, and in the studio – and then having to take it to the stage and recreate the essence of the songs written.  In this regard, I have been very excited about Crow Black Sky.  Especially since seeing the effort that went into pulling off the live set at M4A Winterfest’10, and the fact that they nailed it!

“Our approach to writing is concentrated, vast in scope, and quite unusual to say the least,” continued Gideon, “although ‘metal’ encompasses the majority of styles represented within the songs, there are also highly detailed acoustic, oriental, piano and orchestral compositions.”

Besides the 3 live guitarists seen at Crow Black Sky’s shows, I was pleasantly surprised by how they managed to also incorporate all of the elements described here with the cunning use of backing tracks.  Stephen and Gideon went on to describe their songs as, “a drift between foreboding despair, crushing victory, godless arrogance, composed humility, lost love, magnificent power and heartless betrayal” again bringing my mind to the emotions evoked by being in such a powerfully beautiful place (in the quarry) – yet tainted by the harshness of mankind in his hour of hunger and greed.  Yet, here we sat, able to appreciate both.  The lyrical content heads off in similar directions, based on such things as historical battles, ancient cataclysmic events of both earthly and mythical proportions, the idea of love abandoned in favor of duty, and the individuals pilgrimage into dark inversions of ‘faith’.

The band intends to perform the album in it’s entirety for the launch.  “it’s likely we’ll never perform some of those songs live again,” said Stephen, the bands bassist.  I was not surpised to hear this, having noted that two songs on the album were over 10 minutes long.  The band is planning also for the release of a music video to the track entitled ‘Stars Of God’ in the first quarter of next year, followed by a tour to Johannesburg in support of Kataklysm in May.

In the meantime - album launch party details

Crow Black Sky have arranged for a two-part launch party allowing for all ages in the earlier part of the day, and then more performances for over-18 only in the evening through to late at night.  Supporting the launch of ‘Pantheion’ are listed with times below.

The launch party will also feature a wet T-Shirt competition, a merch stall, discounted prices on Crow Black Sky merch and drinks specials.  For full details and time slots, visit the facebook event at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153766321323461

For those of you unable to make the event, M4A will be posting a review of the album soon – or you can listen to the album preview online at: http://www.crowblacksky.com

Saturday 18th December 2010 at R.O.A.R (above Gandalfs)
The show will be open to under-18′s from 4pm-8pm

Timeline/Bands:
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15:00 – Doors Open (All Ages Show)

16:00 – Lord Have Mercy
16:30 – Forgive Us Not
17:20 – Red Carpet Murder
18:10 – The Impalement Theory
19:00 – Imperium Of Man

20:00 – Doors Close (All Ages Show)
______________________________________________________

20:45 – Doors Open (Over 18 Show)

21:00 – Infanteria
22:00 – Reverse The Sands
23:00 – Crow Black Sky
00:00 – Wet T-Shirt Competition
00:20 – Imperium Of Man
01:20 - The Plague
______________________________________________________

Prices: (Specials will be running for the entirety of the event)
R30 – Entrance
R70 – Entrance and CD
R70 – Entrance and T-shirt
R110 – Entrance, CD, and T-shirt (Special)

Thereafter:
R60 – CD
R60 – T-shirt
______________________________________________________

One of our (M4A) longtime allies, Laney Amplification, were kind enough to tour a certain Swedish ‘freak’ guitar legend through some of our larger cities in October of 2010.  The tour manifested itself in a series of free freaky guitar workshops which hundreds of people attended from throughout the cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, and was presented by none other than Mattias “IA” Eklundh of the band Freak Kitchen.  Although Tyrannic Assault Photography (Pretoria) was unable to supply us with any pictures from the tour, Andre Venter did manage to scoop an interview on our behalf.  Photo’s supplied by the distributors of Laney Amplification, RSA, and interview by Andre Venter.

Mattias @ Mercury Live in Cape Town

Mattias “IA” Eklundh – post SA tour interview

AV: First off, please tell us something about yourself that people don’t hear often

IA: I like to chop wood, believe it or not!  This morning I was out in -20 degrees celcius at 5:30 AM.  I am jetlagged from current visits in India and China, hence the ungodly wake-up hour…

AV: How has your stay in South Africa been?

IA: Absolutely stunning on all accounts!  I’d love to be back as soon as possible.  Good people showing up every night to listen to freaky music.  I’d really adore bringing Freak Kitchen to South Africa.

AV: Where did the name ‘Freak Kitchen’ and ‘Freak Guitar’ arise from?  Is there a hidden meaning or story behind this?  Tell us, please.

IA: Not really.  Freak Guitar sums up pretty much what I do and doesn’t tie me to any musical genre.  In can be anything.  I am heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and when I put the band together around four million years ago, I think Zappa’s ‘The Dangerous Kitchen’ was lurking somewhere in the dark corners of my mind.

AV:  Tell us a bit more about the Guitar Camp you started.  Where did this whole idea start from?  Was it difficult getting sponsors or funding for this project?

IA: The camp is funding itself.  No sponsors except Laney providing us with fine amplifiers for practicing.  It is a summer highlight and I adore pretending to be the guru, sitting on my guru chair, showing everything I got for three weeks.  The Freak Guitar Camp makes you get your shit together, so to speak.  If you can’t play, there is no way to sit on that chair in front of gifted players from all over the world for three weeks, I’ll tell you that.  Hope to see lots of South Africans in the Swedish wilderness 2011.

AV:  Also, this is something everybody is wondering about. *laughs* What is your thing with dildo’s and vibrators – do you perhaps have a secret fascination with them?  They’re everywhere even on your website.  Where did this whole idea arise from?

IA:  You got to out something out there and for some reason I thought the dildo’s (one size fits all, mind you.  No sexism here) fit right in.  You do what you do.  I don’t think too hard.  I am too old to do anything about the way i am (thank God).

AV:  Do you get paid each time you say that you play Laney Amplifiers, or that you are sponsored by them?

IA:  I get paid very well, thank you, and have been living on my music for 22 years.  I did have shitty, poor dog years in the beginning of course, but kept on ‘growing my own moustache’ year after year before suddenly it all turned around and money came.  I live a comfortable life and have the best possible job a guy could have.

AV:  Some of your most memorable moments as a guitarist?

IA:  Many, many.  Surviving the Beethoven Triple Concerto was something of an accomplishment where Jonas Hellborg and myself performed with a beefy orchestra.

AV: Looking back, what would you say has been your pride and joy concerning your work since ‘Mr. Libido – Sensually Primitive’ (TSP, 1997) up to now in 2010?

IA: Every album release is like giving birth – well, since I am a male person, what do i know – but… you know what I mean.  I always try to do my utmost for each record and that’s all you can do.  Listening back to each one of them I knew what I was going through at the time and they all make me proud, although i may blush every once in a while.

AV: Who has been the artist you have always wanted to do some colab work with?

IA:  I would have loved to be in Frank Zappa’s band, for sure. I was glad to hook up with his some Dweezil, and join the fabulous ‘Zappa plays Zappa’ show recently.  Lovely.

AV: Favourite Swedish saying?  And please give us the Swedish and then translate to English.

IA: “Skulle du vilja ha lite surströmming Kanske?”  Would you like some fermented Baltic herring, perhaps?

AV: Who designed your famous sketches?  They are very well resemblant of you and quite comical.  Where do the ideas come from?

IA: My dear friend Anders Nyberg who is a genius and will certainly work together with me for Freak Guitar – ‘The Smorgasbord!”  He’s stunning, just stunning.

AV: Your favorite artist that has stuck with you since that very first cassette or vinyl you bought?

IA: Kiss, Frank Zappa

AV:  Any word of advice you would like to give aspiring young guitarists who would like to pursue a career of the solo/studio artist?

IA: Pretty much what was stated before: to grow your own moustache!  Do your own thing.  That’s the only way.  Let yourself be influenced for sure, but don’t copy.  Hanging in there despite the sometimes harsh planet.  Never give up.  I know you can do it.

Also see:

http://www.metal4africa.com/2010-08-mattias-eklund

http://www.freakguitar.com

Your 5c worth…

If you attended one of these workshops, missed them completely, or would love to see Mattias back in South Africa… have your say in comments below

I remember the first Whiplash very well.  Metal bands were scarce in Cape Town during those years, and most were nu-metal, so only 2 bands were booked for Mercury Live (Cape Town) – Corruption Of Virtue and Ill System.  “We wanted the different sub-genres together,” said Dave, “and we also went to Zeplins (Pretoria) that year where we had more bands: Ill System, Crystal Dawn, Tyburn and Rhutz”.

“For 4 consecutive years,” Dave continued, “Whiplash remained at Mercury Live, hosting 3 or 4 band line-ups including the likes of My Shade, Toyland, Sacraphyx, Arcana XXII [from Namibia], Six of Nine, Related, To the Grave [later The Horror Cast] and a new upcoming band called Mind Assault”.  Dave pointed out how over those four years at Mercury Live it became apparent that the venue was struggling to cope with attendance and the demand for more bands on a line-up.  “We decided to move the show and based it on the legendary Lollapolooza Festival where the show roams to different locations” Dave told us, thus bringing us to the last few years where no two Whiplashes are the same.  I enjoyed listening as Dave recounted each event and it’s respective line-ups of 8 years.  Especially since in more recent years the number of participating bands has exploded up to as many as thirty.  Since 2006, the event has occupied The Tafelberg Tavern,  The Assembly, Klein Libertas Theatre, and then last year moving to be spread over two venues in Durbanville simultaneously – The Corner Bar (which was over 18 only) and Kunskaffee (all ages) over two days.  Being the observant character that I am, I had to enquire about the constant changing of size and proportion of the event, and if it was deliberate owing to lessons learnt or fingers burnt.  “Yes, the sizing is deliberate as well. Each Whiplash is designed according to the economy as well,” replied Dave, referring to some moves that left members of the public jumping to their own conclusions.  “In a nutshell, it suited everyone to scale down as the South African economy [and worldwide actually] was under tremendous stress and it would be just plain stupid to host a WHIPLASH at a large venue when people couldn’t even pay their accounts. In 2009 we decided to use two Durbanville venues and hosted the show over a Friday and Saturday. This cut the entire performance roster of WHIPLASH into 4 parts and may have looked like attendances were down, but we actually had our biggest attendace ever.  I don’t think this will be done again as it was too ‘over the place’ – people travelling from one venue to the other [as the venues were very close] under the influence and so on.”

Thirty bands were hosted at that Whiplash!  This year, Whiplash will be hosted at Gandalfs, and including all three floors. “This will make the show more central again, and accessible to the Southern Suburbs”, said Dave.  Irrespective of where the event gets held every year, we’ve also noticed a few reoccurring names that appear on the line-up.  “There are many reasons why some bands play repeatedly,” said Dave, “the obvious example being Mind Assault who are now playing their sixth Whiplash.  Every year they offer a different theme and have a great performance.  Also, we like to pinpoint bands who have released material recently as it helps to accommodate them to promote sales.  Whiplash always has a massive merchandise stall.  We try to accommodate touring bands from up-country as well.  This year you can see Skinflint from Botswana who will also have a new album available”.  The full line-up for Whiplash 2010 is A-Z:  Architecture of Aggression (Pretoria), Bulletscript, Ing, Mind Assault, Sabretooth, Skinflint (Gabarone), Stellitius, Strident, SuiderbeeS, Reverse The Sands, and Warthane (Johannesburg).

Final word from Uncle Dave

“I’d just like to thank the bands, the punters, and everybody involved in the metal scene for standing together and keeping it there. On www.subterania.co.za we are offering FREE banner space to any South African band, so please contact me on dave@subterania.co.za for specs. Also, I’d just like to add, please invite your friends to the show on facebook – http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=197068361896 and the details are also available on our site www.subterania.co.za.  If bands want to sell Cds and merch on www.subterania.co.za, please contact me – our site is receiving a massive amount of traffic and we ship worldwide now. We are also listing our SA catalogue on various major international music archives and every little bit helps”

Other Whiplash info

Saturday 11 December @ 299 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town.

3 venues!  ROAR – GANDALFS – PANDEMONIUM

Starting from 13:00 through to the early hours of Sunday morning – R40 gains access to all areas.

11 Killer bands, non-stop DJ’s with best of Rock, Alternative & Metal + a MASSIVE merch stall (CD’s, DVD’s, Clothes, Collectables, etc…)

Remember any of these?  Why not post your favorite Whiplash memory below…