TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED: 21 Question Salute

By Johnny Orlando, Jr.

Highly touted as the future of death metal, does England’s Trigger The Bloodshed have the chops to match wits with Johnny Orlando, Jr., the World’s Leading Metal Journalist?

Vocalist Jonny Burgan took up the task and reveals some of what makes him tick, the ultimate goals of the band and why he’d love to date a girl with a fake arm.

1. When did Trigger The Bloodshed form and where?

Trigger The Bloodshed formed in the year 2006, the idea came together between Rob Purnell (Guitar) and Martyn Evans (Guitar) in a practice room based in Bath, after both acknowledging each other’s penchant for death metal.

2. What most inspires your playing and writing?

Playing live, our inspiration lies in precision and brutality, that which seems to have been lost within some modern death metal bands, we really push to be as tight as possible when we play. In terms of writing, we just like to write heavy fuckin’ songs, songs that will rip you up, but at the same time, songs that get you hooked, that you can listen to over and over again.

3. What is your next favorite type or genre of music, after metal?

Personally for me at the moment, underground hip-hop, some of the guys who live for it are incredible, not only with the way they place what they say, but the manner in which they do, and they are awesome lyricists.

4. What is your ultimate goal as a band?

Just to keep doing what we’re doing, playing sick as fuck shows with bands like Dying Fetus and Suffocation, and hopefully to be up there with them, as one of the bands you see live and you just think, fuck… That is incredible.

5. Are fake boobs on a gal a dealbreaker? How about a fake arm with a hook on it?

Fuck fake boobs.

A fake arm with a hook on it - all the way. Think about the crazy stuff you/she could do with that :O, you could zip wire almost everywhere, she’d be a badass pick pocket.

6. Give me a quote from your favorite movie.

“I’m gonna be a mighty king – enemies beware.” – The Lion King
The Lion King is best fuckin film ever. Not so much of a quote, but it should be allowed, and will be.

7. What movie quote do you hear too much?

None really, most of the quotes I hear are made up, like the story of the chicken man, he is an odious beast of man, who stalks, and rapes woodland found chickens.
“YOU JUST KEEEP ONNNNN CLUCKIN”

8. What is something you hate to keep in your pocket?

Pockets.

9. Are fish and chips really that popular where you live in the U.K.?

Nah, Thai food is better. And pretty much every other kind of food, except for fish and chips.

10. What is your favorite destructive natural force?

Toss up between volcanoes and earthquakes, their both pretty savage, I have yet to experience one though.

11. What were you doing the last time you used spray paint?

Spray painting.

12. How would having three distinct human sexes impact gender relations?

There were three in the bed, and the little one said, roll over… Roll over.

13. If you could fast forward to another year, what year would you like to see?

A year when the English government make a good, worthwhile, and lasting decision… just one, come on, it’s not difficult.

14. Does everyone in England really have a butler and a nanny?

No, unfortunately not.

15. They say everyone has their price, what is yours?

Too much to name.

16. What is the one word you would like to use more in casual conversation?

Pissflaps.

17. What unusual instruments would you consider working into future compositions?

A kazoo, or a didgeridoo, but Hate Eternal beat me to it.

18. If you were to write a song about me, what would it be titled?

I don’t think I could bring myself to write a song about you…I mean I don’t even know you…….

19. What the hell is a shepherd’s pie? Are there lady shepherds?

Nope, no lady shepherds, not to my knowledge, but shepherds pie is one tasty meal! Traditionally cottage pie, also known as shepherds pie, refers to an English meat pie with a crust made from mashed potato. It would usually contain beef or lamb and is very fucking nice. Go and cook one, it won’t disappoint…

20. Do you have day jobs? If so, what do you do? Do your employers know? Are they cool about it?

Not me, I’m a bum. But everyone else does, apart from Dave who goes to college. I think their employers know though, to my knowledge their fine about it, I mean, of course I’m sure they had the ole’ “Oh my god what is that horrible racket” conversation, but other then that everyone else who isn’t a bum seems to be pretty settled.

21. Last question: If you were told that you had 24 hours to live, what are the two things you would have to do before you die?

I’d probably chill with the people closest to me, my family, my girlfriend, and good mates, for one thing, then I’d try to kill myself via a very large drop, just to say I had the experience. It looks pretty cool too.

Thanks for the questions!!! There’s some pretty weird ones haha!!!

Trigger The Bloodshed’s latest release, The Great Depression, is available now on Metal Blade.

BELIEVER: IF THE MEEK GET EARTH, WE WANT MARS

By Johnny Orlando, Jr.

Believer hails from a region of Pennsylvania Joey Daub (Drums) feels says is probably best known for its proximity to the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, site of a headline-grabbing meltdown disaster in 1979. Daub recalls the eerie feeling that March day that they let school out commanding the students simply to “go home.” He arrived home to find the car packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Although the crisis was eventually averted and no casualties resulted, Daub’s surreal experience of cruising on his skateboard on the empty streets of an ironic pre-apocalyptic landscape still resonates today.

Instead of choosing to work for Mr. Burns, however, Daub and Kurt Bachman (Guitar/Vocals) formed Believer in the late 1980s and garnered an international following before calling it quits in 1994. Prior to the recent St. Patrick’s Day release of Gabriel, it has been over fifteen years since Believer’s last studio album, Dimensions, was issued. Joey Daub has shouldered increasing responsibility in the interim; however, his desire to make neck-breaking thrash has never faltered.

Believer’s resurrection after this extended hiatus was actually the result of serendipitous circumstances. It just so happened that Bachman moved back near Daub and was at a point in his life that he had the time and desire to get back together with Joey to jam. Even though more than a decade had drifted past since he had last hung out with Kurt, Daub felt as though it had only been “fifteen or sixteen days.” At the onset, Bachman and Daub had no real plans or expectations; however, it soon became apparent that they had a storehouse of new material just begging to be unleashed in what would eventually comprise Gabriel.

Back at the time Dimensions was released in 1993, CDs were king, cassette tapes were still widely traded and most personal computers buzzed along with 486 processors. Internet connections were strictly dial-up, frustratingly slow and any notion of downloadable songs was more a pipedream than an inevitable music industry game changer.

As products of this era, Daub and Jeff King (Keyboards/Programming) have fond memories and hold a personal preference for the packaging which accompanied the physical recordings standard in those bygone days. King especially looked forward to staring at the album cover and reading along with the lyrics, something that is not so easy to do nowadays away from a computer monitor.

Daub believes that album artwork and packaging is “even more important” in an ever-increasing digital age and that feels that Believer was committed to producing first-rate packaging to accompany and compliment the music of Gabriel. They called upon Eye Level Studios to create the album's artwork and were extremely pleased with the results. Inviting incredulity, Gabriel’s cover art is actually a photograph depicting a live model – donning horns and body paint – that was produced without the use of Photoshop or any other tricks. Believer feels strongly their fans deserve an enhanced music buying experience and have tried to deliver with the imagery for Gabriel.

As for genre labels, King just feels that these labels are “not very helpful” and Daub feels that having been originally marketed as “Christian thrash” provided some challenging situations in which they felt they had to prove themselves as proficient thrash outfit. Believer, however, prefers not to be categorized at all although they understand that some people may interpret particular lyrics in a particular way. Daub simply urges their fans to “think for themselves” when digesting a Believer track.

What Jeff King does not like to digest, however, is sauerkraut - eschewing his Pennsylvania Dutch roots, he refuses to eat it. Ever. And what else is there to know about these guys? Well, Joey Daub is forever thankful to Alexander Cummings and his ingenious S-trap flushing toilet that keeps the nasty flushed odors where they belong. King, upon reasonable inquiry, can give you the definitive reason why cabooses are no longer attached to the end of modern-day trains (apparently, cabooses housed maintenance personnel essential for smooth operation of the train. These maintenance functions are now performed remotely via computer, ultimately abrogating the need for the caboose.) Daub dreams of visiting Colonel Williamsburg, Virginia in period Amish attire. King would love to rid the United States of pesky centipedes. Joey Daub would cherish the opportunity to be a skunk for a week, strictly for purposes of revenge. Ever the gourmet, King loves to eat food straight from the freezer without heating it up.

And when the final hour is upon us, if the meek shall inherit the Earth, Believer wants Mars! Believer’s Metal Blade debut, Gabriel, is available now.
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Johnny Orlando, Jr. is the world’s leading metal journalist. www.metaljohnny.com

Razor of Occam: Drink and Thrash Till Death

By Johnny Orlando, Jr.

“Occam’s Razor” is the theory that the barest, rawest, simplest answer is typically the correct one. London’s Razor of Occum can be described accordingly as a band that, according to Alex Antoniou (Bass/Backing Vocals), simply wants to “drink and thrash till death.” So cheerio – pour me a pint!

Razor of Occam played their first show as an official band in 1998 and as inspired by Crocodile Dundee, Matt Schneemilch (Vocals/Guitars) and Ian Gray (Guitars) set off on their own “bushman invasion,” leaving behind the south Australian desert to conquer Europe in the form of a black/thrash outfit. Fast-forward eleven years and you will find Razor of Occam’s latest album, Homage to Martyrs, having been inspired by the lives and deaths of boundary-pushing secular scientists and thinkers that would never be considered “martyrs” in the traditional spiritual context.

Antoniou, in particular, finds these scientists and philosophers so fascinating due to the uncanny interplay of genius and madness inherent in their work and personas. In keeping with the spirit of Occam’s Razor, he subscribes to the trappings of parsimony and being able to express oneself “with the minimum use of words.” For instance, Antoniou, with no further explanation, refuses to eat maple syrup at breakfast yet loves Britian’s “vile” supermarket sausages cooked over an open flame.

Alex looks deep into various states of mind for musical inspiration. He feels that these varied states allow “riffs to expand and genuinely represent the mood the composer has been at that very moment.” He also looks to books for lyrical exploration and is genuinely curious as to why none of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft’s books have been made into a decent movie yet. Cthulu Mythos anyone?

So what else is there to know about Alex Antoniou? First, Antoniou likes to refer to himself as the “dodgy Greek.” If given a week to live as a woodland animal, Antoniou would jump at the chance to be a hibernating bear. He hopes to see the year that contact is actually achieved with extraterrestrials so he can witness the uncertain outcome. Interestingly, “running out of booze” tops his list as the creepiest thing he’s experienced in the woods. His favorite late night food is greasy kebobs - mainly because they are the only thing available in London after midnight. And finally, “Say hello to my little friend!” is Alex’s favorite movie quote. It’s hard to say for sure, but Tony Montana would either love Razor of Occam’s no nonsense attitude or would ruthlessly fill them full of holes for making his ears bleed.

Antoniou is not saying whether a North American tour is in the works for Razor of Occam but he has hinted that we might see Destroyer 666 on this side of the pond in the foreseeable future. Razor of Occam’s third full-length release and Metal Blade debut, Homage to Martyrs, is available now.
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Johnny Orlando, Jr. is the world’s leading metal journalist. www.metaljohnny.com

Rusty Eye: A Corroded Perception

By Johnny Orlando, Jr.

Aldous Huxley once said, "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." Rusty Eye is hopeful that exposure to their music will evoke such emotion or, at the very least, split your skull in half like a machete bisecting an earthworm.

Like so many other metal acts, Rusty Eye played its first show ever in 1995 at a school Christmas party in Mexico. Okay fine, maybe that is not a terribly common starting point, however, Rusty Eye has come a long way since that first performance - both literally and figuratively.

Rusty Eye decided to pick up roots and head to Hollywood, despite the hoards of loyal fans that comprised the Mexican metal scene. The band simply found the lack of music industry support for heavy metal to be rather disenchanting. The bigger Mexican labels had no appetite for real metal and would not consider signing a band that did not sing its lyrics in Spanish. These poseur labels mainly promoted boy bands “disguised as real rock bands.” And frankly, Rusty Eye feels that going back to Mexico “would be like going back to square one.”

As a threshold matter, Rusty Eye believes that the corrosion of perception that pervades life in this world is beneficial and affords the aware with “a new way of seeing things in a different reality.” In this regard, Rusty Eye draws on horror film imagery and Existentialism for inspiration and lays down a sound that is progressive, provocative and increasingly cited as “hard-to-define.” And that’s the way they want it. To wit, who else but Miss Randall would encourage a cannibalistic captor to continue devouring the flesh of her lower leg?

With this said, Rusty Eye is a band firmly grounded in the present. Yet, the one word the band would like to use more in casual conversation is “imagine.” Imagine Miss Randall sitting still for a tattoo session to complete her Dario Argento-inspired sleeve whilst she dreams of letting the horror master kill her on film. Imagine Phantasm’s Tall Man yelling “Booooyyyy!!!!” in your direction as your legs turn to jelly and prevent your escape. Imagine a world not run by God and money. Imagine metal music featuring violins and Indian tabla. Imagine a world where a road- weary metal band can actually be discriminating in their breakfast choices. This is Rusty Eye’s reality.

Rusty Eye is on the verge of breaking their fifth release, Possessor, which promises 13 signature tracks and an increasingly polished sound. The artwork for the album has been done by renowned artist, Joe Petagno, best-known for creating Motörhead’s iconic mascot Snaggletooth.

Keep an eye out for Possessor this spring as Rusty Eye continues their quest to express the inexpressible. In the meantime, you might run in to Rusty Eye hanging out at the world famous Rainbow Bar & Grill…just follow the trail of empty Casillero del Diablo bottles.

You can find Rusty Eye at :
www.myspace.com/rustyeye www.youtube.com/rustyeyevideos.

Napalm Death Interview

Barney Greenway has so much to say that it would be impossible to cut it into our usual 5 minutes, so we're releasing our Napalm Death show as a series of Bits O' Johnny. We'll be posting a new bit of this interview every day for the next week or so. Dig it! And be sure to snag your copy of Napalm Death's new album TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE.

Amon Amarth - Bits O' Johnny

A bonus bit of Johnny Orlando Jr.'s Antibiotic Resistant Metal Show featuring Ted Lundström and Johan Hegg of viking death metal band Amon Amarth. Recorded at the Chicago House of Blues during their winter 2007 tour with Sonic Syndicate and Himsa.

Genghis Tron Interview

An interview with Michael Sochynsky, Pete The Roadie and Hamilton Jordan of extreme electro-grind metalers Genghis Tron. Recorded at Reggie's Rock Club on the Chicago stop of their tour with The Red Chord and Baroness.