Answers provided by Matthias Behringer, Vocals, Guitar

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

A: The band name basically says free from hostility. We all think that the world would be a better place if everyone coexist in peace. Not anyone is ment for each other but treating anyone at least with respect and considerate behaviour should the bare minium everyone should try to achieve. Throughout the years we had many members, but the current constellation is only about 1 to 2 years old now. We all live around the same are and met new members mostly at other small concerts in the are. Gugge and Stefan are the only members from the original band 8 years ago. I (Dias) started as a bassist about 5 years ago and Johannes replaced our lead guitarist. After our past vocalist Merlin and Stefan decided to leave the band I still wanted to write songs, so I and Gugge tried to keep the band alive. I wrote about 4-5 songs and showed them to Stefan, since we were still in contact. He also had about 3-4 songs ready and we decided to try again and started puttings songs together for a whole album. We were glad that Johannes was still around and happily took place as the new bass player, since he’s way better at playing bass then me.  After all songs were done, we found out that I overdone myself with the vocals and it was nearly impossible to sing the songs on my own. So we tried to find a second vocalist for playing the songs live and found René, who was working with Gugge at a small festival called Mammut Festival in Königsbrunn.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

A: Oops, I already kind of explained it in my last answer… We’re all from the same are in a 50km radius. Gugge and Stefan were there from the start, I and Johannes were found through social media by just getting hit up and we found René at a small metal festival called Mammut Festival, were he used to help out in his spare time. It was vey hard finding good musician, since we searched about 1 year for a vocalist and almost gave up, whiche the main reason I took care of the vocals.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

A: There are a bunch of inspirations but my basics are Avenged Sevenfold and System of a Down. For me they’re just writing fantastic songs. They know when and how to use their instruments to make them work the best in each song. Besides that Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan and Daron Malakian are really good at feeling the music and let people participate in their enjoyment.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

A: Absolutely, yes! I always wanted to be a musician and tried to form a band from a young age. Since I hadn’t many musician friends I learned every instrument by myself started recording at the age of 18. Like I said before, it’s really hard finding good and ambitious musicians around the are, so I’m very happy I got invited to play with Void of Animus, who were my first step into a hard working band.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

A: I don’t listen to many bands, so this is going to be narrow minded… Of course there are a LOT of Avenged Sevenfold and System of a Down, but the newest songs are Saw by Orbit Culture, Kick Back (the theme song of Chainsaw Man) and Nothing to me by Tezura, a smaller band from our are, but this song is a banger!

Do you sing in the shower?

A: Sometimes, but I’m more of a thinker. Most of the time I just get lost in my thoughts, which is not good for my water bill and the environment, unfortunately.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

A: We want to focus more on releasing new songs and videos, instead of playing live. So we’re already working on new stuff to keep up with the game next year. We will release 1 or 2 music videos this year and 3 – 4 new songs in the new year.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

A: We haven’t finished a new song yet, but here is a lot of material that hopefully helps us reaching our goal with releasing 3 – 4 new songs next year.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

A: There are some big venues in Munich, we all would love to play at. Unfortunately most of them have a really bad acoustics. My favourite place would be Backstage in Munich. It’s a smaller venue, but all my best concert experiences were there.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

A: There are many contesters for this title. You might not expect this answer, but I have to chose Pink Seasons by Pink Guy aka. FilthyFrank aka. Joji. This is some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard and I love it. Just because it sounds dumb to the usual listener, doesn’t mean that it’s bad music. Maybe also because I’m a kid of the early youtube era and it followed me through my best years.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

A: I don’t why, but Snowman by Sia is my latest comfort song. But I don’t feel ashamed about any of the music I listen to, I’m also a big fan of Lady Gaga too.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

A: If we could have the System of a Down from the early 2000s back, it’s all it would take. I love the watch the live videos from 2000-2002, the live enery is unmeasurable insane.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

A: I think it was a LaFee album back in the early 2000s. It sure is somewhere at my parents house, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to relisten it.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

A: It still sounds absolutely surreal if someone says they’re a fan of my music. Anyone one you keep making my days by just listening to my music and maybe leaving a comment on a video or reel on our social media. It’s my biggest motivation to keep myself going, because I don’t like doing stuff for myself. I get mor pleasure by making other people happy and if they’re happy, I am happy.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

Facebook: /voidofanimus

Instagram: @voidofanimus

YouTube: /@voidofanimus

TikTok: @voidofanimus

My personal instagram: @mad_dias

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

A: I thank YOU for taking YOUR time and the reader who is reading this right now. I hope I answered all the questions to your satisfaction and if you want to know more about us, we’re happy to meet and talk to you at our concerts or through social media. Thank you for listening to our music, it means the world to us.

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

The band was originally formed as a one-piece death metal act under the temporary name of Hollow Again. I wanted to create a project that was a throwback old-school death metal sound inspired by Bloodbath. Once the lineup was solidified, we worked together to create a fitting band name. We wanted Disciples of the Void (also the name of our debut release) but it was taken, which is understandable as it’s a great name. We worked through various combinations of words having to do with entropy/esotericism/etc and ended up on Ethereal Void. It has a good ring to it.

Logan began contributing to the songwriting shortly after the band’s formation, and would eventually fully take over that role (as well as guitar of course). Nemesis was added later on to fill in the lead guitar position.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

We’re all from Southwestern Ontario, though the way we structure our workflow, it wouldn’t particularly matter. We do almost everything remotely, with the exception being the recording of rhythm guitars which is done in person (but could be done remotely if we didn’t have that convenience).

We all met via Kijiji (like Craigslist here in Canada) at different times. Most of the time you just find weirdos, but sometimes you find someone amazing!

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

For many years, my favourite band would be Dimmu Borgir, but recently it’s an artist named Azari. In both cases, they really don’t influence the sound of the music. I don’t personally listen to a lot of death metal on my own time.

Given Logan is the one writing the songs now, his answer makes a little more sense, citing Meshuggah, Gojira, and Lamb of God as influences to the writing in this project, but I don’t believe any of us really listen to the sort of music we make in Ethereal Void; generally, we’re more melodic across the board.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I wanted to get into science, but I have dyscalculia which made it excessively difficult. Music was the compromise because you only have to count to 8. It’s all of the logic, with none of the math (and also none of the contribution to society but can’t win ‘em all I guess)

Ever since I was a teenager I did always want to be in a band, yes. I was just never social enough to get there until several years later.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

I’ve recently made a change to my consumption habits in my life, so the biggest artists for me right now are Azari and Sumia. I’ve been trying to expand and find genres that resonate with me, but I’m very much in the midst of that process, so I don’t have too much additional.

If you want a much more on-brand answer, Carcinogenesis by Viscera kicks a ridiculous amount of ass. It’s probably the last metal album I really REALLY got into.

Do you sing in the shower?

Only when I need to practise, or when something is stuck in my head to a dire extent.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We have begun work on a new album which has a very strong vision and is a bit of a departure from Gods of a Dead World in both sound and theme. Realistically since all of EV’s members are also in The Design Abstract, we will be finishing up TDA’s new release first, as well as the new Loremaster album.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

You know, normally I would have said yes. Generally, by the time I’m writing these interviews, the next album is already halfway done. However, due to the aforementioned changes in my life, our musical output has been greatly reduced. I suppose Projekt Technophage has material ready to go, but that hardly counts.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Oh, I’d be content just playing at the Opera House in Toronto. So many bands I loved growing up came there, it always seemed like THE ultimate goal, even if it was shooting a little low.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

I suppose I’d have to declare Death Cult Armageddon by Dimmu Borgir my favourite album still, even as I expand away from that genre personally. I think it’s a masterpiece and unparalleled compositional genius.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

I’m pretty open about everything I listen to. If you checked out Azari when I mentioned her earlier, you probably were a little caught off guard. I will admit for a while I listened to Motionless In White but didn’t tell anyone I did because the fanbase was so cringe. For the longest time I really, genuinely did only listen to metal so I didn’t have anything worth feeling guilt over.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Scar Symmetry solo headline with Christian even if they don’t get along anymore.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

“With your own money” is such a saving grace to this question because I remember the first two CDs my mom got me and now I don’t have to tell you what they are.

If memory serves, it would have either been Define the Great Line by Underoath or Summer of Darkness by Demon Hunter. Both choices hold up and I fully support Christian-teen-me’s choice.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

I appreciate you making what I feel is a fairly bold assumption, but if indeed you are correct, I think a simple “thank you” is in order. It’s not been easy getting this music out there, so any and all fans are deeply appreciated -and even dare I say- loved.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

The only official social media for this band specifically is our Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EtherealVoid

anything we work on will be on our Bandcamp (Abstrakted Records consists of all the projects myself and/or Logan work on)

https://design.bandcamp.com/

you can follow a lot of what goes on with all our bands on my personal Instagram as well:

https://www.instagram.com/voiicide/

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Go to your local animal shelter and buy 1-3 cats, then name them things you wouldn’t normally name cats, then message photos of them to us via the links above. That’s an order. Thank you.

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

I am aware that VVON DOGMA I is the least catchy name ever but, it needed to be. It’s an expression that I created that signifies ‘the second incarnation of an entity’. Be it the body that dies and frees the spirit of the world going from 20th-century capitalism and nature-controlling mindset to, hopefully, something more sustainable and wise in the 21st, or just a personal revolution. It’s the larva to butterfly concept if you will. We dropped the Communion EP back in 2017 and then life happened so it’s slowed everything down. I wrote The Kvlt of Glitch with Kevin Alexander, drummer extraordinaire and we hit the studio.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

All from Montreal yes. I tried to get this band together for years and it finally just materialized in 2017 when I started playing with Kevin Alexander. He referred me to Yoan MP for a solid rhythm player and I collaborated with my ex-Unexpect pal Blaise for the production aspect and that’s how it came about.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Hmm… Deftones, Meshuggah, Mars Volta, Dillinger Escape Plan, Animal as Leaders, Unprocessed, Igorrr, James Blake, Radiohead, Iglooghost, and about a ton more… I’m trying to reconcile the world of modern metal and electronic music basically on this record, which gives it its industrial/sci-fi vibes…

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

Well, I am old. I’ve been in bands since 1998 so, it’s just something that I’ve always done, yes. I had my busy touring years and now it’s more of a passion studio project that is starting to see the day.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Aahh.. I dunno… you tell me… here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0bpnCWmazv1QH0SlNM2fXA

Do you sing in the shower?

Nah… in the car…

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We’ll be looking into starting to book some shows for the end of the year. If any promoter reads this… give me a buzz… let’s talk. I also want to make a remix ep that would be straight-up electronic music… Just to see where it leads…

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

The Kvlt of Glitch is the new full-length record that just dropped on May 5th… Available in full on Bandcamp.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Well, that’s not gonna sound very modest but, I can confidently say that I played most dream venues when we opened for Dream Theater with my previous band Unexpect back in 2009 so… I don’t have much left on my list. However, I never played the Metropolis here in Montreal… That’d be nice.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

You’re aware that this is an impossible question right ?

Radiohead – Ok Computer
Ben Frost – By the throat

Deftones – White pony

Mars volta – Deloused in the commatorium

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Most of what I listen to would be considered guilty pleasure by most metalheads…

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

I’d bring back Dillinger Escape Plan from the Dead and put them on a bill with Igorrr and Mars Volta and… well all of my fav really… but there would be 3 stages… one for rock music… one for electronic and one for experimental/noise… with Ben Frost and emptyset … An orgy of great weird music from all genre… for music lovers more than metalheads.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

Barely my own money because back in the mid-90s we had a thing called House Columbia and they would ship you like 12 CDs for like a penny. I think I got like Type-o-negative’s October Rust and all the Cranberries albums and the Mortal Kombat soundtrack (lol the 90s) and Marilyn Manson’s Antichrist Superstar and a bunch of stuff.. I probably have some of those but all the best stuff was stolen from my car years ago when we still carried cds.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

If you picked up the record on Bandcamp I thank you to infinity. This album has been living solely in my head and on my computer for way too long and I am stoked to finally be out of my hands and in the ears of people around the world so… if you did pick it up, drop me a note.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

https://vvondogmai.bandcamp.com/album/the-kvlt-of-glitch
https://www.instagram.com/chaothbass/

https://www.instagram.com/vvondogmai/

Youtube.com/@vvondogmai8596

Vvondogmai.bandcamp.com

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Rock and roll.

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

Band name: Shon (guitars)- I was drawing in a notebook looking for letter combinations that looked visually appealing. And I like the idea of everything withering.

History:

[Shon] The project started in 2010. I was traveling a lot for work at the time and writing songs and recording them in my hotel room with a small interface and Logic. At the time, I was really into the symphonic metal and folk metal influences coming out of Europe. Composing and arranging music became my sole focus from that point forward. WHYTHRE remained a solo project till 2012. I met an opera-trained singer named Jeran Michaels. The two of us released the full-length album “Hel’s Hollows” in 2015. After several years of unsuccessfully trying to piece together a full line-up, we started playing acoustic shows locally to try and get our name out.

I was wandering around Capitol Hill during the 2015 Pride Weekend, and heard a dude, Adam Chambers, playing some Children Of Bodom melodies on his guitar while busking. My lady friend lit a joint for us to all share and we exchanged info. From that point, we started a musical partnership that really defines WHYTHRE to this day.

[Adam] I met Shon while busking late at night during Cap Hill Pride 2015. He gave me a link to Hel’s Hallows. I got home from busking and made some food at 4am, listened to the album & messaged him to say I was interested in joining Whythre. We jammed a few days later and have been working together ever since.

Members:

Adam Chambers (Vox/guitar/synths) – As a kid, I started on piano, then moved onto guitar. I grew up in Chicago and had both metal and electronic music playing in the house from a young age. There’s a lot of Midwest history in both those genres and that was my starting point for creativity. When I took guitar lessons I got extremely lucky in that a Berklee School of music professor was spending the summer in Chicago and just so happened to be teaching lessons at the little corner music store near home. That helped immensely.

Shon Petrey (guitar/synths) – I started picking up the guitar in junior high, loved thrash metal, and kept up with it. Eventually, I started writing, then got sucked into the mixing/audio realm so that I could make my creations come to life the exact way I imagine them.

Eric Close- Eric is a go-to bass player known in the local area from several classic thrash metal, black metal, and death metal bands including Coven, Belt-Fed Weapon, In Memorium, and others.

Steve Fournier- Steve has been in several bands in and around the Seattle area for the last 25 years. I’ve toured and recorded with bands such as  Inmemorium, Aggression Core, Castdown, Faustus, and Himsa to name a few. I have been a drum instructor at the Seattle drum school for the last 15 years.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

We are from Seattle, WA in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The metal scene here reflects the native forests, nature, and constant rain. There’s a lot of the year where it’s raining with little to no sun….it makes for some great metal musicians.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Adam- Influences – Sinergy, Alice Cooper, Bloody Cumshot, Angel, Anaal Nathrak / Make Them Die Slowly

Shon- Children of Bodom, Devin Townsend, Megadeth, Hans Zimmer, Hypocrisy

a shared love for Children of Bodom is how Adam and Shon met. Here’s that story…

[Adam] I moved to Seattle in 2014 and knew I wanted to dive into the music scene. Seattle is the kind of city where you just have to meet people in the moment or through a social circle.

I busked on a corner in Capitol Hill outside of Neumos for a few months. I figured I’d do that until I met the right people/music situation. I met a lot of musicians but nothing really clicked. While busking during Pride 2015, my drummer friend was taking a break and I started playing metal riffs…While playing ‘Bodom Beach Terror’ there was a guy and girl that posted up within earshot. It was Shon and a friend. He introduced himself, and we all shared a smoke and traded contact info. Shon had just released a full-length (Hel’s Hallows) with his project called Whythre. I remember getting home that night and making myself some mac n cheese at 4am and listening to the album. I sent Shon a message that I would join the project right then.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

Shon- As a kid I wanted to be a running back for the Cowboys, but playing metal is pretty good too.

Adam- Still not really sure what I want to do, but certainly enjoying this metal thing with the WHYTHRE fam. Glad we’re finally putting out ‘Impregnate My Hate’ and extremely stoked that people seem to think it doesn’t suck. There was a sign over the cash register at a rehearsal studio I used to go to that said ‘practice more, suck less’….that’s always the goal!

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Adam-here are some artists I’m currently enjoying-  Danava, Century, Sinergy, the Initial D soundtrack, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Diamond Rio, Octave One

Do you sing in the shower?

Adam- Fuck yeah, sing everywhere all the time. It’s nearly summer, the season of driving around barking out death metal with the stereo on full blast. All about those awkward stop-light interactions where you keep the growls going and everyone looks at ya like you’re fucking looney.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We’re full steam ahead on releasing ‘Impregnate My Hate’. Everything this past year has been leading up to this moment…from filming a live music video (Scorchbreath) to working with artists on two animated lyric videos.

The new album “Impregnate My Hate” and all the new merch is available on our Bandcamp:

https://whythre.bandcamp.com/

Follow us on social media to keep up with live/ touring situations

https://facebook.com/whythre

https://instagram.com/whythreofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@WHYTHREofficial/videos

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

May 26th! Impregnate My Hate!

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Shon – I love eating popsicles, so there should be a popsicle festival where we play. This festival would have all my favorite popsicle vendors and our green room would have a sick freezer stocked with the best popsicles in the world. At this festival, WHYTHRE would unveil a special pill that makes you immune to brain freeze so you can eat more popsicles faster than ever.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

Shon- Children of Bodom / Follow The Reaper

Adam- This changes all the time, currently have Manowar ‘Loud as Hell’ and Sinergy ‘Suicide By My Side’ on constant rotation

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Shon- Lady Gaga

Adam- Anything from Dance Dance Revolution or 90’s Eurobeat a la the Initial D soundtrack.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Roope-era Children of Bodom & Sinergy lineups

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

Adam- Yeah, Sum41 All Killer No Filler. The tatted/ pierced cashier at Best Buy gave 10-year-old me a fist bump and nod of approval lol

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

We appreciate anyone who supports our tunes. Thank you!!

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

The new album “Impregnate My Hate” and all the new merch is available on our Bandcamp:

https://whythre.bandcamp.com/

https://facebook.com/whythre

https://instagram.com/whythreofficial

https://www.youtube.com/@WHYTHREofficial/videos

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Thanks for having us! We want popsicle endorsements, please! Fuck gear, fuck labels. Also, they should put jokes back on the popsicle sticks.

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum

Answers by Dany Levesque, guitar player and founder of the band

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

We come from a French part of Canada; I wanted a band name that worked in French as well as in English. At the time I was looking for a name I was reading a lot about science, especially about Physics, general relativity, black holes, all that kind of stuff. That’s how the name came to me, an interest in physics and the need for a bilingual name.

Band members are Justin L’Italien Dubé (drums and piano), Simon Desjardins (Bass guitar), Alexandre Labrie (Vocals), Mathieu Duguay (guitars and orchestrations), and me, Dany Lévesque (guitars).

We all had studio and live experience and, soon after we formed the band, we had an offer to join PRC Music, our late Label. We released 2 albums with PRC before it closed its doors during the pandemic, Asylum in 2016 and Lighthouse in 2018.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

The 5 of us are from the cold Northeastern part of the Province of Quebec. We knew each other for a very long time and decided to form a band because all our other projects were dead or not going very well. Our vision was to create music that would have dynamics and a strong melodic side while retaining the essence of what death metal is. After our first album, we decided to add orchestrations to our sound. Mathieu is a music composer, and we all love movie scores and symphonic black and death metal, so it was natural for us to go this way.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

We’re all into different genres of death metal and that’s what has shaped our sound. Alex our vocalist is into death core and black metal; Justin our drummer is into orchestral black metal and prog metal bands; Simon our bass player studied jazz guitar in school but comes from the death core scene; Mathieu our guitar player is also schooled in jazz guitar and is into punk rock, old school death metal and tech death. I come from the thrash metal school, but my interest now gravitates toward death and black metal. Most of us are also huge fans of movie scores and this is a major influence in our music.  

The Asylum, our first record is more of a traditional death metal album. Lighthouse, our second album has orchestrations and much more melody to it. As the years went by, we were influenced by many bands, but I would say that the ones who really had an impact on us for the writing and the production of our new record ‘’The Future Remains in Oblivion” were Shadow of Intent, Septicflesh, Lorna Shore, Dimmu, Fleshgod and…. Hans Zimmer.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I started playing the guitar only for fun and because I’m a huge fan of music in general. But you meet people who have the same passion and get together with your instruments and after a while, you want to find a drummer to jam Slayer and Pantera songs. Like many musicians, my first band was playing covers in clubs but nowadays my interest and motivation are 100% driven by the magic of creating original songs and playing them live for our fans. I don’t have any interest in playing something else than originals, the creation process, the studio work, or playing our own songs live on stage, this is what’s interesting to me. There is nothing as much satisfying as creating something original from scratch with people that you love and have a musical connection with.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Black and Death metal bands are what is on my current playlist, bands like

Nordjevel, Aeternam, Lorna Shore, Gaerea, Carach Angren, Shadow of Intent, Corps Fleur, Fit for an Autopsy, Septicflesh, Asarhaddon, ColdWorld, 1914, Cradel, Darkthrone, Immortal, Burzum, Mephorash, Der Weg Einer Freiheit, Hate, Afsky, Akhlys, Sorcier des Glaces, Drudkh, Second to Sun.

Do you sing in the shower?

Of course, some Depeche Mode and a few songs from my favourite 80’s rock band White Lion. Sometimes I just try to find a strong melody by singing in the shower or when jogging, some of the best stuff I have written came to me when I was training or taking a shower. I try writing with no instrument in my hand, this way I come up with different stuff than what your habits or muscular memory would have you play on the instrument.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We’re putting an album out this summer and are going to tour Canada from September to December. In 2024 we have plans for playing in the US and Europe.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

Our new album, The Future Remains in Oblivion is coming out June 9. The songs are still melodic/orchestral but much more aggressive and some of them have a black metal influence. Our goal was to create songs that would have a greater impact on our live shows, aggressive songs work well live. We feel the album is a good combination of aggression/melody, and ugliness/beauty.

It is a conceptual album and there is a build-up in intensity and emotion that goes along with the storyline and the lyrics as you go from the first song to the last one.

Some of the songs are riff-oriented and some others had the Orchestra and melodies written before the drums and the guitars. We wrote all the lyrics before the music to make sure that it would fit the feel and emotion of each song/part of the story. When we start writing a song, we know exactly what feeling and emotion we are aiming at, it’s a good way to push ourselves creatively and write thoughtful music.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Wacken would be great, or maybe the 70 000 tons of metal cruise.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

My answer could be different in a week or two but, at the moment, my favourite albums are The Stars are dead now from the band ColdWorld, Reysa from Asarhaddon and Modern Primitive from Septicflesh.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

The album Black Celebration from Depeche Mode, I’m a huge DM fan. The Faceless covered a DM song that is called Shake the Disease, the best metal cover of a nonmetal song I ever heard.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

It would be an impossible festival with Death, Nevermore, Pantera, Burzum, Darkthrone and Mayhem with Dead and Euronymus.

But more seriously, I can think of two very different shows I would put together. One would be Devin Townsend and Steve Vai and the second one would be Shadow of Intent with Lorna Shore and Septicflesh.

The best show I’ve ever attended was Hans Zimmer with his live band and a full-on orchestra in 2017, I would pay a lot of money to see that show again.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

I don’t remember exactly which one but for sure it was either Maiden’s The Number of the Beast, Def Leppard’s Pyromania or Accept’s Restless and Wild. It could also have been Shout at the Devil. They are all stored in a box somewhere in my garage.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

I’d like to thank all the fans who support us by listening to the records and coming to our live shows, but I would also like to ask your readers who never heard of us to give a serious listen to our music, especially Lighthouse and our new record The Future Remains in Oblivion. At this moment the challenge besides offering quality recorded material and live shows is to have people’s attention. It is so easy nowadays to go from one band to another on Spotify and listen mostly to the big bands and hits. I’d be grateful to those who would take their time to listen a few times to our new record so they can really get into it. I know this is not how it goes now but in my opinion that’s the only way to fully understand and appreciate an artist.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

Here is Vortex Linktree, it will give you the links to our social media, music videos, digital platforms and website:

https://linktr.ee/vortexband

Vortex.band

Facebook.com/vortex.band.ca

Instagram.com/vortex.band.ca

Twitter.com/vortexband

Youtube.com/@VortexBand

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

I thank you for your interest in Vortex. As I mentioned earlier, getting people to know about us and listen to our music is a real challenge, you are helping in that matter, and it is much appreciated. There is good music from lesser-known bands out there, I encourage the fans to look for new talents, there is so much to be discovered…

This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members? Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

The origin of the band name come from my adolescence where I was obsessed with horror books. I loved to read Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Stephen King, Clive Barker and others. The idea came from Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith where some of their heroes and sometimes even they used to turn their names backwards. So, Silkof come from Sofoklis and grove I don’t even remember it’s been so many years. This wasn’t a band name back then but my nickname as I used to write horror stories for school competitions.

Regarding the history of the band there is not much to say. From a young age I wanted to play music. My dream was to make a metal album related to mystical ideas and stories based on Carlos Castaneda books. Slowly as my readings and practice changed to eastern philosophy and meditation so did my interest for my metal album. Regarding music Death Construction has riffs and passages collected from many years of playing the guitar. There are some riffs I came up with 15 years ago and others more recent.

Nikos the Constructivist was the first guy who I collaborated with to write the song Death Construction. He is a very cool guy who like metal and guitar playing and singing as well. We were friends from Greece but we found ourselves interacting musically in the Netherlands. He has released some nice songs online you can check him at https://theconstructivist.bandcamp.com.

Kriton is also a friend who evolved from a drummer also to a very good music engineer in Greece. He lives in Thessaloniki and he works as a music engineer. He was the guy that opened my eyes on recording and mixing music. His help was very crucial in some songs of the album. You can find him on facebook https://www.facebook.com/kriton.qrtsis/

Vaggelis is also a drummer who lives in Thessaloniki. This guys is a maniac with metal drums and he also plays the guitar. His skills and drum knowledge uplifted the songs of the album greatly. He also plays drums for other bands as a session drummer. I was introduced to him for another friend in order to help me with my songs. You can find him on facebook https://www.facebook.com/vaggelis.drums

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

It’s difficult to pick some artists/bands as favourites as I like so many of them. When I was 15-16 I was more into classic metal like Metallica, Iron Maiden, Manowar and power metal. Slowly I turned more to thrash and death metal. The turning point regarding death metal was Projector from Dark Tranquillity. It was introduced to me from a friend called Giorgos when I was studying in Serres. This album made me get used to death  metal vocals since it is a mixture of great clean vocals, melody and heavy vocals and riffing. From then on I started listening more Swedish metal and thrash death. My influences are many but I could narrow them down to  Dark Tranquillity, Nightrage, Rotting Christ, Evergrey, In Flames, Nevermore, Tool, Megadeth and who knows what else.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

As I mentioned above it was my dream to play metal music since I was a kid but this wasn’t my only goal/ plan. Playing music was and still is a hobby for me. It is  the time where I relaxed from other more “strict” activities like studying or working.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Savatage – The lost tracks

Bury Tomorrow – Portraits

Gus G – Quantum Leap

Hypocrisy – Worship

Do you sing in the shower?

No, but I sing in the car. Coming from work takes me 45’ every day so I use this time to practice vocals.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

The plan is to relax, play and be creative for this and the next year.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

No, I don’t have anything ready to be released since my first album have just been released but I have started working in new material.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

I have no idea. I haven’t given attention to play venues.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

If I had to choose one it would be Youthanasia from Megadeth.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

I listen to various things but I don’t feel guilty. I enjoy listening to synthwave a lot. It takes be back to the 80’s. Ace Buchannon is my favourite synthwave artist. I also love Stephan Micus. He is a great musician.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Hetfield and Loomis on the guitars, Lombardo on drums, Mikael Stanne on vocals and Demaio on the bass.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

Yes the first albums I bought were Shades of God from Paradise lost and Chapter VI from Candlemass.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

Thank you guys for your support. Always try to make yourselves better more serene, creative and free.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

https://silkof-grove.bandcamp.com/album/death-construction

https://www.facebook.com/sfssfs

On youtube search for Silkof grove channel

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Thank you

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

Hello guys it`s been a pleasure for me being here. The name was taken from a dream of mine that was very inspiring for the band`s name. The band consisted in 2019 by me and Dimitris Sakkas and already counts 3 albums. The various members are three. I am the maim composer, founder and lyricist of the band , Dimitris Sakkas is the producer who is doing all the arrangements and Jason Tsolakis is the vocalist.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

We are all from Athens and especially with Dimitris Sakkas we are very good friends for many years. We were all having the same love and expectations from music so we decided to create a band with my compositions.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

I have many favourite bands especially from heavy metal music , but I`ll tell you 3 of my favourites . Iron Maiden , Therion , Sepultura. (totally different styles ).I used to listen to that music since I was a kid so it has literally created a good base in my music memory.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I never had any plan and especially in music. I just have the need to share my compositions with other people and that’s the main reason that I created a band .

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

This time of period my favourite album is scorched by Overkill and the last two albums of Septic Flesh , but my all time favourite was always Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden.

Do you sing in the shower?

I don’t sing even in karaoke parties .

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We have already began the recordings of our next album. We love to share our music in albums and etc and our plans are remaining on composing.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

I have already answered to that to the previous question. Hopefully we`ll have our next album released within 2024.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

To be honest I do not prefer playing live for personal reasons. My nature is to compose cause I feel like that. But if I had to give you an answer I could choose the most simple and friendly spot just to get the satisfaction of sharing my music.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

As I said before (for one more time) my all time favourite album is “ Seventh son of a seventh son” by maiden, which is also my favourite band.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

I have many guilty pleasures as a person but not in music for sure. Ps. I love music and that means that I am listening to many different kinds except metal.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Iron Maiden . I do not think that I have to say something else (laughs).

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

It was 1992 as far as I can remember and it was “Fear of the dark”. Of course when it comes to music I always keep all my CDs and Vinyl Records.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

Out of music…  Respect everyone as respect your selfs guys …

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

You can find our music on Spotify , YouTube , Bandcamp and Alcyone’s Records website.

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

The pleasure was truly mine. We are going to share more music for you and we want to say huge thanks for all the support that we have taken so far!! We promise that we ll do our best for our forth album to be better than all the others!

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

Oooh, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked about “the origin” of the band name before, so this may be, “an exclusive”!  The short answer is, that I took the band name from a song of the same name that I’d written for my previous band, Apathy, back in the early 1990’s.  An adaptation of that same song actually made it to the debut Creation’s Tears album, Methods To End It All, and we had Sarah Jezebel Deva (previously of Cradle of Filth) lend her voice to it.

Now, here’s the “exclusive” bit, because you asked about “the origin”.  I was maybe about 17 or 18 years old when myself and my good friend (who was the other guitarist in Apathy), spent an entire night sitting beside a lake, surrounded by a forest, at the end of a long lane, in the arsehole of nowhere, in what was still a very troubled Northern Ireland at that time.  Let’s just say we were both fairly well intoxicated.  We spent the whole night talking and much of that conversation was us expressing teenage angst; insecurities, problems with girlfriends and issues that tend to affect you at that age.  The rain absolutely poured down, I mean relentlessly, that entire night, as if to set the tone for that discussion.  Every time there was a pause in the discussion, there was just the sound of this torrential rain.  I tend to write music and lyrics based on emotive, personal, real-life experiences, so that night inspired the lyric, “Creation’s Tears echo in the silence.”  A few years later, when I needed a name for my new band, Creation’s Tears seemed to fit.

The history of the band; well, it’s patchy.  I managed to pull some local lads together in summer 2002 to form Creation’s Tears and we quickly played our very first gig in October of that same year as the support act to Vader, Krisiun and Decapitated on the Belfast date of their tour.  We went on to play a handful of local gigs thereafter, but when two of the members relocated, we split in 2004 / 2005.

After the split, I stopped playing guitar for a few years and then in early 2009, I got “the itch”.  I hooked up with my lifelong friend and bassist Ian Coulter who had previously played in Apathy and Creation’s Tears.  Now in my early thirties, I told him that I wanted to achieve my teenage dream of going to record a few songs with a top Metal producer in a country where the process of recording Metal music is really understood.  Northern Ireland isn’t really reputed for churning out too many Metal classics (that’s not to say that there aren’t any gifted producers here, it’s just that Metal albums aren’t something that many of them are well versed in producing), so I had “Metal powerhouses” like England, Sweden or Germany in mind. 

We didn’t yet have a drummer, so we started to advertise in the record shops and on some internet forums looking for a drummer here in Northern Ireland.  The ads yielded no positive results – it was just fruitless, so I decided that we needed to “dream big”.  Ian (the bassist) and I, sat down and started to listen to our favourite Metal albums.  During that listening process, I remember saying to him something like; “if you could choose any drummer…?”  The name that we both agreed on, was Lee Morris, who had played with Paradise Lost on what I’d consider to be their finest album, Draconian Times.  Lee’s drumming on the opening track, Enchantment, had always really grabbed me musically.   

Social media was a lot more primitive in 2009 than it is today and I didn’t know Lee Morris personally, so the job of tracking him down wasn’t easy.  He had essentially disappeared from the heavy music scene following his departure from Paradise Lost, but luckily for us, we found out that he was teaching drum lessons at a music store in England.  I managed to get Lee’s mobile number and I gave him a call.  Keep in mind that for me, this is one of the drummers that I idolised in my teenage years, so the call was a bit of a fanboy moment for me and I’d imagine Lee thought I was a deranged stalker.  He asked me to email him the Creation’s Tears demos, which I thought was him politely telling me to, “fuck off”.  Much to my surprise, he liked the demos and he agreed to play on the recording with us.    

Ian and I started looking for a studio and producer.  Our goal was to record an EP – we hadn’t considered doing a full album at that point.  Listening to the production on loads of our favourite albums, Sweden and the mighty duo of Jens Bogren and David Castillo (who produced the likes of Opeth, Katatonia, Sepultura, Soilwork etc) became the obvious choice.  Jens Bogren suggested that we make a full album and when a man of that calibre makes a suggestion, you tend to listen. 

Within a year of me recounting my teenage dream to my friend Ian Coulter, we were in the studio realising the dream and I’m proud of that fact to this day.            

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

The early line-up was all from within a 30 mile radius here in Northern Ireland.  The latter line-up with which we recorded the album comprised of myself and Ian (both from Ballymena in Northern Ireland) and Lee Morris who lives across the sea in Wigan, England.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Well, for me personally, it all started with the Metallica song Sanitarium.  That’s the song that got me hooked on Metal.  I think Hetfield definitely influenced my playing and singing.  I also like twin guitar harmonies so albums like Heartwork by Carcass and Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son by Iron Maiden light me up.  Then there’s the more morose stuff like Paradise Lost’s Icon and Draconian Times albums as well as the earlier Anathema stuff like Pentecost III and The Silent Enigma. 

How have they influenced my sound?  Hmm – I think that I started jamming along with the more accessible Metal albums of my generation by bands like; Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth and that was more about playing fast, “rocking out”, turning everything up and getting rid of frustration.  I remember being highly impressed by Paradise Lost when Icon was released – I’d never heard anything like that before.  That made me think that slow and mid-paced is cool too.  Then a bassist I know introduced me to Anathema and I was just intrigued by the sadness of some of their melodies – that really changed how I thought about music.  I think I have borrowed influences from all of them in some way or another. 

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

Since I reached my mid-teens, I think I had the ambition to be a Metal musician.  I almost became a musician but then I ended up becoming a mediocre guitarist and a fairly average singer instead.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

I’ve turned into that cynical old bastard that I hoped I’d never become, so I’m always harking back to the classics like Master of Puppets, South of Heaven, Rust In Piece and suchlike.  Recently I’ve been revisiting HIM’s Love Metal album, Ghost’s Impera album as well as Confessor’s hugely underrated Condemned album. 

Current playlist – as past few days the latest Ne Obliviscaris song Equus – it’s 12 minutes long and it’s had several spins.  There’s also a couple of tracks from Sleep Token getting more than one spin, Sepultura’s Quadra album, Mors Principium Est’s Seven album, Hate’s Erebos album and a couple of Gary Moore tracks – a mixed bag really.

Do you sing in the shower?

Not really nowadays.  I like to take a good long shower as it’s one of the few places in my house where I get the freedom to listen to the music I want to hear.  So, I go there for half an hour, crank up my Bluetooth speaker and rock out to something heavy! 

Elsewhere in the house my 8 year old son has Raining Tacos on high volume, or my good lady is chanting along to Lewis Capaldi – there’s no hope for either of them! 😉

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

Sadly not right at this moment, but I keep telling people to “watch this space” and I do really mean that.  The band has been on a long hiatus.  Just a couple of months after we released our debut, Methods To End It All album (over 12 years ago), I collapsed in Dublin and never really recovered from that.  I just about physically managed to get through a couple of gigs but we’ve been on hiatus since 2011.  I was diagnosed as having suffered from a Stroke and Epilepsy with damage to my central nervous system, so life really has changed a lot for me since Methods was released.  I’m now part of a medical recall though and there’s a big question mark over the diagnosis, so I have some medical investigations coming up this year.  Having said all of that, the itch to write and record is definitely there, it’s just more a case of whether or not I’m physically able; you folks know how physically demanding even singing a Metal song is let alone delivering a full album or a live set.  I do remain hopeful though.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

I’ve an iPhone full of ideas if that counts?

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Can I be a bit presumptuous and pick three venues? 

One would be the main stage at Donington – also a teenage dream. 

Another would be London’s Hammersmith Odeon as it was once called.  In my formative Metal years, I had a VHS tape of Metallica playing there on the Justice tour, so Hammersmith Odeon has always been on my radar. 

It would be nice to be able to play Belfast’s Ulster Hall.  I’ve seen so many great bands there, it’s visually stunning inside and it would be amazing to be successful enough to be able to play there to a home crowd.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

It’s hard to choose just one – I like so many different styles of Metal.  If you were to force me to have to listen to a handful of albums on repeat every day for infinity though, and you told me that I couldn’t choose Master of Puppets, then I’d maybe go for HIM’s Love Metal, Cradle of Filth’s Dusk and Her Embrace, Dark Tranquillity’s Damage Done and Anathema’s The Silent Enigma – I’m sure I’ve left out something equally awesome, but I’m thinking on my feet here.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Hmm, songs; my son recently discovered Elton John’s big hit, I’m Still Standing – gotta confess to loving that one myself as it was one of the first 7” records I owned when I was a child.  Dolly Parton, Jolene – who doesn’t like that one? – that opening guitar lick is outstanding!  Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson, Nothing Breaks Like A Heart – Miley’s voice is like a warm mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night.  There ye go, it’s all out in the open now.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

Fantasy stuff, but, the classic Slayer line-up with Jeff Hanneman RIP and Dave Lombardo.  I’d also have the classic Megadeth line-up playing; Mustaine, Nick Menza RIP, Marty Friedman and Dave Ellefson.  A 1980’s incarnation of Metallica with Newsted / Burton RIP.  Dusk era Cradle of Filth to stir shit up.  Anathema playing either The Silent Enigma or Judgement album in full.  Creation’s Tears would be jamming in the car park for you folks arriving. 😉 

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

I remember it vividly.  It was in late October 1988 that I went to the record store, Uneda Disc in Ballymena, to buy Metallica’s Master of Puppets album on cassette.  That album changed my life!  I’ve moved house a few times since the 80’s, but I believe it’s still in a box of cassette tapes in my attic – sacrilege, I must bring it down.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

It’s a cliché to say it, but Creation’s Tears has some of the best supporters that any band could ever wish for.  The number of friendships that I’ve seen people form through a mutual love of our music really blows me away.  Thanks to each and every one of you for sticking with us throughout such a long period of inactivity.  To every single one of you who has reached out to see how I’m doing and for all the messages asking us when we might record a second album, these really do not go unnoticed – it really does mean a lot; it’s humbling, it’s encouraging and it helps to keep me strong.  I really do hope we deliver more music to you again in the future.  Sincere thanks to you all.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

We’re definitely not as active as we should be, but we’d love your support and I really am hoping there will be some positive news in the not too distant future, so please join us now and be the first to know about it, at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/creationstears

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/CreationsTears

Instagram: creations_tears

Twitter:  @CreationsTears

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Thanks to you folks at The Metal Asylum for your support, passion and enthusiasm.  Did I say passion?…I meant PASSION!  People like you really do help to keep our Metal scene alive, so your support is invaluable.  Thank you for continuing to spin those Creation’s Tears tracks.  It really is my hope that I’ll be sending you some new music soon!  Cheers!  

Photo credit:  Ryan Ball. 

Instagram: shot_on_iphone_uk

This interview is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

 – I originally formed the band in September 2004 when I was a junior in high school. We went under various names in the early days, but the one that stuck, Immortal Sÿnn, came about in 2005 when the bassist at the time and I were driving around town. We were listening to the fight album, War of Words, which contains the track, “Immortal Sin”. We thought it sounded like a cool name so we went with it as a band name.

 – The current line-up consists of me, Tony Z on guitar and backing (some lead) vocals, Duel Shape on lead vocals (occasionally guitar and keyboard), Brad Wagner on guitar and vocals, Axel Berrios on drums (occasional lead vocals), and Sean Ryan on bass

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

 – Brad, Sean, and Myself are from Colorado – Evergreen, Firestone, and Denver, respectively. Duel hails from Bridgewater, South Dakota, and Axel is from Chihuahua, Mexico. I met Axel through an ad on Craigslist, and we met Duel that way as well. Brad was working at Home Depot at the time we needed a new guitarist. I have to go in there all the time for work, so that’s how I started talking to him; though, he has been in the music scene for quite a while and I did meet him briefly in the past through that. Sean was friends with Brad and jumped on bass through him.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

 – My personal top five are: AC/DC, Metallica, Megadeth, Black Sabbath, and Pantera; however, I listen to artists in dozens of different genres, and enjoy a plethora of music from the first written record of music up to the present. I try to incorporate a little bit of everything that I hear into our songs while sticking to our style of thrash mixed with NWOTHM.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

 – Although I have had multiple plans throughout my life and still have some of those plans in mind, being a musician has always been at the top – ever since I first saw the “Johnny B. Goode” scene in Back to the Future when I was four.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

 – As of this writing I am going through Dokken’s entire discography. I am currently on their album, Erase The Slate.

Do you sing in the shower?

 – I did when I lived alone.

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

 – We are currently planning our summer tour of the midwestern US, and hope to be in the Wacken battle of the bands again. Hopefully we will have a new EP out in the coming months as well.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

 – As previously stated, we are hoping to release a new EP this year, but will, at the very least, have at least two new singles.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

 – Red Rocks seems to be the priority for many people – us included – and it’s only a few miles from us!

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

 – Not really, but since 2005, I find myself always returning to Screw It! by Danger Danger.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

 – I don’t consider anything I listen to a “guilty pleasure”. People are WELL aware of the stuff I like, and I make no effort to hide it. Google my name and the Taylor Swift trial in Denver back in 2017 to see what I mean ;-p

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

 – I never cared for this question every time it is asked because it is way too subjective, and most people place artists that no longer exist. However, I’ll say that anything we are a part of is already the greatest show.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

 – I have no idea.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

 – We hope to make an even bigger splash in 2023, so let us know what you’d like to see from us!

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

https://www.immortalsynn.com/

https://synnstore.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6KrryVxqB0q7iBcM82vQ10?si=IliKyv38S_CM1owJb6Lyog

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/immortal-s%C3%BFnn/1053685692

https://www.facebook.com/immortalsynnmusic

https://www.instagram.com/immortalsynnband/

https://twitter.com/ImmortalSynnCO

https://www.youtube.com/immortalsynnband

https://soundcloud.com/immortalsynn

https://www.reverbnation.com/immortalsynn

https://odysee.com/@ImmortalSynn:7

https://rumble.com/c/c-1356374

https://www.bitchute.com/channel/9B3y98AptK5V/

https://www.last.fm/music/Immortal+S%C3%BFnn

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

 – Thanks for giving us the opportunity to speak with you!

This interview is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

We started in 2004 the first version of Bloodrunner. Me (Neal) and some friends I knew since I was a kid. We were known as Exotoxn then. In 2006 we solidified the lineup you hear on Total Annihilation which was me (Neal) Matt Wensel, Mike Lerman, and Kyel Hickey. Kyle named the band which I have no clue where he got it from. I never asked honestly. Sounded badass though. We were together until 2010 and we all went our seperate ways. During COVID I got sober and decided to get the origianl lineup back toghether. I asked them all but they were busy with other things and all passed. I said fuck and went on a mission to find good musicians. I went through some people then came upon Rob and Jeff who play on the single Wasting Away we were a band for about a year from 2021-early 2022. Then the mission began again and finally found a solid group of dudes with Yair Vera, Lara Daniel, and Irving Masvidal and thats who you hear on the Brainchild single.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

Irving and I live in the suburbs and Lara and Yair in the southside of Chicago. Throgh mutual friends and Facebook is how we all meet.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

Well when it comes to metal my top two are Metallica and Megadeth and Judas Priest hovers over them like the metal gods that they are. The twin ryhtm has always made me hard (wink wink).hahaha

The musicality, the attitude in all 3 of them and of course Robs vocals. Man to sing like him would be amazing.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

Yeah! Since I was a little kid I’ve been singing and dancing to random music. Playing air guitar with a light saber. I finally got my first guitar when I was 10 years old and by 13 had it in my mind I had to start a band.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

I started a new one a few days ago and so far its new shit I’ve been checking out like Maneater by Burning Witches, Standing By The Sea by Husker Du and Seeds to Sow by Scowl.

Do you sing in the shower?

No

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

We want to release an EP hopefully by spring and definitly tour!

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

We just released a new single called Brainchild on 12/01/22. Its fuckin badass.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Hmmm I would say definitly Wacken idk you can call that a venue if not then Solider Field that would be amazing!

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

…And Justice For All by Metallica. Its just to damn good.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Uhm I guess you can say Michael Jackson is one hes an amazing singer and dancer when it comes down to it.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

I would put the lineup as my top 5 bands of all time. Metallica, Megadeth, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, and The Rolling Stones.

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

It was ReLoad by Metallica. I think my older sister has it now. Im not sure. I might of sold it also.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

Thanks for all the support, check out our social media pages for all updates and hope to see all of you at shows in the future!

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

We have a link tree with every link attached to it which can be found here

https://linktr.ee/officialbloodrunner

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Horns up! 2023 should be a heavy one!

This interview is purely the property of The Metal Asylum