Issue 21

CONTENTS 02 – Contents 03 – News 04 – Interview GAMMA RAY 06 – Advertising 07 – Interview DISCIPLES OF ZOLDON 10 – Music Reviews 12 – Article ULTIMATE METAL TRIBUTE 2 13 – Advertising 14 – Movie Review SHOCK TREATMENT 15 – Win Free Stuff 16 – Interview SUFFOCATION 19 – Article DRAGONFORCE 22 – Advertising 24 – Mini Poster CATHEDRAL All material contained in this publication is protected by copyright. No material is to be reproduced under any circumstances without the permission of Slaughterhouse Productions.

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STOP THE PRESS!!! GET THE TRAMPOLINES OUT! DRAGONFORCE ARE COMING! That's right; DragonForce are playing a show in Auckland on May 17 at the Powerstation. In my opinion, it's the live event of the year, and everyone who attends is in for an unbelievable, unparalleled show. Kiwi metal guitar virtuoso Sam Totman and his troupe of elite, extreme Power Metal musicians will surely blow the roof off the Powerstation with the fastest, most mindblowing Metal event NZ will see in a long time! If you don't know of DragonForce, do yourself a favor and check out www.youtube.com, and do a search for DragonForce to see a couple of their music videos. Even if you don't like Power Metal, I'm sure you'll be surprised at just how much you'll enjoy this unique band... there's no secret why they are one of the biggest Metal bands in the world right now! As you'll see from reading this latest edition of Slaughterama, it sure is the time for touring! Check out the other awesome bands coming over, like SLAYER!!! And Suffocation (who we have presented an exclusive interview with in this issue). It's a busy time for us here at Slaughterhouse H.Q. With all of the awesome acts coming to this part of the world (including those going to Aussie but unfortunately missing NZ, such as Suicidal Tendencies and Vince Neil), there is a barrage of activity happening in the world of Metal. Anyway, have a wicked couple of months, and start saving for concert tickets! This is the busiest run of international tours I've ever seen.

THANKS TO

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BRENDON WILLIAMS Editor

NEWS IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

(news current at time of printing) DRAGONFORCE are playing a show in Auckland, New Zealand at the Powerstation on May 17. Make sure you get your ticket as soon as they go on sale!

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li joined guitar legend Steve Vai during the song "Reaping" at the Ibanez Jem 20th anniversary show on January 20 at the Key Club in Hollywood. The two guitarists traded solos along with Vai's band consisting of Tony MacAlpine (guitar/keyboards), Billy Sheehan (bass), Dave Weiner (guitar) and Jeremy Colson (drums).

HATEBREED are playing a show in New Zealand on March 5th at the King's Arms in Newton, Auckland.

Floridian death metal stalwarts DEICIDE were detained on January 25 in Innsbruck, Austria for.... bank robbery. DEICIDE drummer Steve Asheim got up early this morning to make a trip to the bank to deposit some money from merch sales when the bank staff became suspicious of his appearance and the fact that much of the money was marked with red dye. Staff immediately called the police, who swiftly arrived and took the DEICIDE drummer down to the station, suspecting that he had been involved in a recent bank robbery in the area and that he was handling stolen banknotes. Questioned for a number of hours, Steve explained the banknotes were legitimate proceeds from touring, and that he had a leaky pen in his pocket which was responsible for the money's discoloration. Innsbruck police were eventually forced to release Steve without further charge.

MANOWAR's new album, "Gods of War" is scheduled for release on February 23 in Germany (February 26 for the rest of Europe and April 3 for the USA/Canada). "Gods of War" is MANOWAR's first entry in a cycle of concept albums; each a tribute to a different war god.

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has inked a deal with Frontiers Records for his classic rock-opera project, "Saana - Warrior of Light". According to a press release, "Saana - Warrior of Light" will feature "seven characters and numerous musicians (including Tolkki himself) who will collaborate in this ambitious project. The result is a unique sound, unlike anything ever heard before… from soaring majestic heights to soft and gentle moments and everything in between. It also tells a very dramatic tale. g

SUFFOCATION are playing a show in New Zealand as part of their Australasian tour on February 17 2007 at The Studio in Auckland. SLAYER are playing a show in New Zealand on April 21st at the St. James Theatre in Auckland.

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If you try to dig down to the roots of Power Metal, this probably is as far as you can go. Yes, bands like Maiden, Priest and Deep Purple were the main influences for the first Power Metal bands, but influences nevertheless. If you try to trace Power as a style, Kai Hansen stands at the very beginning. As a teenager he founded the Hamburg legend HELLOWEEN, the band that originated Power/Speed Metal as we know it now, took it to the top of popularity with “Keeper of the Seven Keys” albums, and then quit his own creation in 1988 to continue into faster and heavier direction with his new band, GAMMA RAY. Almost 20 years (and 8 studio albums) later, Gamma is still going, and remains avant-garde in Melodic Metal. Kai still is one of the most influential guitarists, songwriters and singers in the world of contemporary music.

did sequels to their previous albums. The trick to doing this is that it's a big challenge, because it's very hard to live up to people's expectations and make them say, yes, it's as good as the Part 1 or even better. We've taken this challenge and we're trying to do it that way. And what we've got so far is very cool, very good and fits perfectly to Part 1. Of course it's different songs, but the vibe is there. This kind of special feeling that was on the original “Land of the Free.” Are you planning on inviting guest musicians again? I think it's the thing that belongs to this record. I'm trying to get Michael Kiske to sing a song again. We've got one song that is so perfect for his voice. The chorus is a real Michael Kiske chorus, and we try to get him to do it. Anybody else? Hansi Kursch? Yeah, Hansi... I have to check with his time schedule to see if he'll be able to do it. Would be nice to have him on again, especially for the choir stuff. We'll try to get him there and unless he's in America or somewhere else, it should work out.

A conversation with Mr. Hansen could be virtually endless, so here are just a few questions we had the time to ask.

Alright, so what's new with Gamma Ray there, Kai? You went to Australia in December, but not New Zealand... Yeah, I'd love to come and play in New Zealand, but I think this Australian thing is sort of a test in a way. We've been waiting to go to Australia for a long time, and it's not easy for a band to go there and not put a shitload of money in it. But I'd love to go to New Zealand anyhow, I'd even exchange it for some holidays! You've also got the new album coming out, “Land of the Free, Part II.” Could you tell us more about it? We've been thinking about doing an album like this for a long time. There's been quite a few bands that

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Kai Hansen

When are you planning to release the album?

How have you broken through that barrier?

There is no definite release date yet, because we have to finish it, but I hope we can release it before the [European] summer 2007. Let's see if it works out.

There are various ways to avoid it or go through that barrier. One is to forget about your musical ambitions and concentrate on writing a good song. Or maybe not concentrate on writing a song, but just play guitar and enjoy it. Play whatever comes to mind and try not to think that you have to write a good song. Or go and jam with other people, or just stay away from music for a while and recharge your batteries. Just stay away from music and don't touch the fucking guitar! (laughs) With me it happens like, I'd sit in my car and then suddenly – clang! - here's an idea! And it's really good! And i have to pick up my guitar and I'm back in again.

Now, let's talk about the latest Gamma Ray album, “Majestic.” Looking back at it now, are you happy with it, is there anything you'd like to change? I still love the album, but I have a feeling that it didn't go down too well with the fans. I guess in a way it was too experimental, not typical Gamma Ray. It was a kind of more aggressive, bitter and dark album and didn't have this cheerful and joyful element to it that's normally in the Gamma Ray stuff. I think in parts these progressive elements were hard to swallow. Maybe we had too many different parts and things going on there. That's another reason we decided to do “Land of the Free, Part II,” because then we have a good frame to work in. We have a concept – musical and lyrical – that we can follow. So we have no musical ambitions to fulfill and we can concentrate on writing just good songs. Out of the entire Gamma Ray catalog, what's your favorite album? Oohh.... In a way I think it's “No World Order.” Ok. Kai, you've written so much music during the years. Did you ever had a writer's block? Did it ever happen to you?

Do you think there's place for alcohol and drugs as far as songwriting goes? [chuckles] Well... you know.... Alcohol is definitely a factor that gets you a little loose and stuff... I think I never wrote a good song when I Gamma Ray was totally drunk. But I've made some good vocal performances! (laughs) But there are some things that came out of a little booziness. On “Silent Miracles” EP there's this song “A While in Dreamland” when Dirk [Schlachter; then guitarist, now the bassist of Gamma Ray] and I were sitting in the studio and having some Whiskey, and he started playing a piano and I started singing along to it, and that's how it came up. And when I wrote “Space Eater” [from Gamma Ray first album, “Heading for Tomorrow” 1990] I think I was completely stoned. It's a great song though! Yeah, it's a good song! (laughs) g

Oh it happened! (laughs)

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remaining quite silly. I think this helps make the project very unique. There are a few other acts that pull this off well, I think Strapping Young Lad would be an important one.

Almost all of the music relating to such genres as Black Metal, Melodic Death and Death Metal is religious or touches on religious issues. It is extremely common for such bands to support God or Satan in some way. DOZ is a satirical project that supports a fictional deity – ZOLDON. Zoldon is the God of Heavy Metal and is opposed to everything which is good and morally just. His goal is to eradicate peace and happiness. The Disciples of Zoldon are responsible for reflecting Zoldon's musical style and proclaiming his character and intentions. We spoke with Luke “The Reaper” Brimblecombe, the man who maintains “the Disciples of Zoldon” as his own solo music project, to find out more about DOZ.

Please give us a brief rundown on DOZ, for those who have not heard the music. The Disciples of Zoldon is a satirical heavy metal project, the lyrics are about the God of Heavy Metal: Zoldon. This is a joke, of course there really isn’t a ‘God of Heavy Metal’, but the focus of this project is to make really enjoyable music that is based on a joke. There have been two full length albums and an EP so far. The idea is to make fun of a lot of stereotypes not just in metal, but also in ‘pulp fantasy’ and especially in religion. As a former Christian, I quite enjoy having a laugh at the expense of religious worship music – having said this, I do have some respect for religion, and also I don’t ask anyone to agree with my (sometimes not very obvious) point of view. The more time I have put into this project, the more ‘serious’ the music has become. It’s turned out that I really like the contrast between the music being really formidable on the one hand, and yet the theme

Soul Reaper Why did you make the decision to be a (mainly) solo act? A few things, for starters I’ve had a bad history of being in bands. I’m very particular about what I’m going for, and haven’t really worked well with people when it comes to doing music. I can do it, but sometimes there are problems. Being a solo act means I can do exactly what I want to do, and I think I have the raw creative ability to be able to get everything done on my own. Also, it’s much quicker (and therefore cheaper) to record when it’s only me. Your latest album, "Unto Thine Darkness, Death Doth Deliver" contains portions of video game compositions (mainly from the Final Fantasy series), as well as a version of a composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. Tell us the reason why you decided to pay tribute to these particular musical works in your own music. I partly wanted to add amusing and unusual elements to the album. It was quite surprising that barely anyone actually found these parts amusing at all, I guess I have a very different idea of that to most people. The Bach piece is in there because I was

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jamming on a lot of classical pieces while coming up with the album, and I thought it would make the track that follows it start in a surprising way. Funnily enough, I very nearly cut it from the album altogether. When someone comes up to me and tells me they really liked it (something that has happened a few times), I’m quite surprised. As for Nobuo Uematsu, he’s my favorite composer of all time, and the piece I covered was from Final Fantasy 7, my favorite video game of all time. I can’t get enough of this guy’s work, that’s something I can’t really explain. Most of my friends can’t understand the value of his compositions but he does have a very big fanbase. What is it that you ultimately hope to get from making music? And what do you hope your listeners get out of your songs? Making music is the thing that I’m most interested in my life at the moment, and I like to think that I do it for the sake of it. The only kind of goal I can think of is achieving a very big discography. But it’s better to think of making music as a process – I will get an idea for a song or album, and I’m always in a state of realizing it on a recording. There will always be the stuff I’ve done, the stuff I’m working on, and the stuff I have yet to do. I can tell you right now that I have the next three DOZ albums planned out already! I hope that my listeners like my stuff enough to want to really consider it and enjoy playing any of the CDs more than once. I would like people to have a laugh at the stuff I’ve done, but if they don’t get it, hopefully they will still enjoy the unusual song ideas. The next DOZ album is said to be a shift in musical style, more toward a pure technical Death Metal direction. What elements of the current sound will still be identifiable on the next record, and will there still be the ambient, doomish breakdowns throughout many of the songs? Interesting question. Technical Death Metal is my favorite genre of music, and I’ve really been promising myself that I will do an album in this genre at some point. If you look at my favorite bands: Nile, Hate Eternal, Necrophagist, Meshuggah (the odd

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one out), they are pretty far away from the music I actually produce sometimes. I will be dropping some elements of the current sound temporarily for the next album. This means no huge layers of string synth, only two tracks of guitars (rather than four), possibly removing the effects from my vocals, and no ‘filler’ tracks, just 10 songs each which will be ‘competing with the others' so to speak. Yes there will be a few doom breakdowns, but these will be short and to the point. Originally I wasn’t planning on including any, but the Dark Lord has a way of making them show up anyway ;) There appear to be a lot of layers to the DOZ sound, with most of the music being performed by yourself. Have you ever "overdone" a song, then had to go back and strip it back back? How do you judge when a song is complete? DOZ is a very maximalistic project. This means that the songs often sound overdone intentionally, to give the really grand, majestic feeling – this is because of the theme! Zoldon is so evil that it literally is ridiculous, the music is meant to mirror this. A song is complete when I stop working on it, simple as that. The first album and EP never had all the things done to them that were necessary, but even so I still consider them complete. The latest album was complete when I felt I had run out of money and was sick of working on it. I usually have an idea in mind when I write a song, and I stop working once this idea has been realized or achieved. Although DOZ is known as a satirical project, the "Unto Thine Darkness..." CD doesn't mention it, nor are there lyrics printed in the booklet for people to find the humorous material. Also, the music itself also does not appear to the new listener to contain any comedy. Why is the humor so subtle, and with the new album said to be much more serious, have you considered dropping the satirical content altogether? One reason why DOZ doesn’t sound like a joke project is that a lot of very serious Metal really does

sound a lot more stupid than DOZ. I don’t want to name names, but if you do a thorough survey of underground Power Metal, Black Metal and Death Metal bands, you’ll find that most of the lyrics and song ideas out there make DOZ seem like a credible project. The other thing to keep in mind is that the really direct humor of DOZ is in the first album. The design of the latest one was really on the back of the first (and the EP). The first album really sets up Zoldon’s character and intentions in much more of an obvious way, so if you’re familiar with that, the new album makes much, much more sense. If you haven’t already, I suggest going back and listening to ‘War on Peace and Happiness’ and the EP ‘Recruit them from the Tombs’ (all downloads available free on the website, www.solvere.co.nz/doz). If I dropped the comedy altogether it would have to be in favor of some other project, but I don’t want to do this. Here's where we ask your musical influences, but let's make it more interesting. Name 5 musicians the god Zoldon would align with, and 5 that he would destroy. Well, that really wouldn’t be asking about my musical influences, funnily enough, so I better split up my answer. He would probably align with guys that are all about ‘True’ Metal, possibly from Immortal, Manowar, maybe Slayer? I definitely think he could align with Eric Rutan of Hate Eternal, considering his lyrics. Speaking of lyrics, High on Fire have some pretty ‘Metal’ stuff in there as well. Zoldon would be forced to destroy those who use Metal in the name of peace and justice, so that would unfortunately not bode well for certain Power Metal bands. I don’t think I need to mention them. Despite all this, my real influences are the Death Metal bands I mentioned earlier, plus Doom Metal bands Swallow the Sun and Forest Stream. I’m also starting to listen to a lot more post-rock, but this isn’t impacting my music much (yet).

this question. It should be out before the middle of this year, so make sure you check it out. Any final words? (This is where you advertise you website and make any other comments that the questions didn't cover)... Some people ask me why my music is free. The reason it is free is that having people listening to my stuff is more important than making money from it. It’s true that I’m really running at a loss, but it’s not something I can’t bear, even as a student. I myself download other people’s music, so I think that mine should also be free in this way. As for mailing the CDs to other cities in NZ, and even other countries, this costs a little bit but is still worth it to get exposure. Because I don’t play shows, I really have no other way to advertise myself except the Internet and word of mouth. My next CD will cost a small amount of money (for the actual hard copy, it will still be free to download from my website) but this will mainly be for me to reinvest into the music to make it better. My dad is helping me out financially so I also feel that I should give something back as well. To anyone out there that is enjoying DOZ, I would like to remind you that there is quite a lot more material than people realize, if you read the website carefully, and there is a lot more to come, so watch this space. The website: www.solvere.co.nz/doz If you want a copy of ‘Unto Thine Darkness, Death Doth Deliver’, e-mail [email protected] Also, thanks to Slaughterama for the review last year, and to House of Noizz for the radio play! g

If there was a scripture (or bible) of Zoldon, how would the first few lines read? The next DOZ album is called ‘Blackened Theological Tome’, and may provide some hints to

Luke

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MUSIC REVIEWS MANOWAR The Day The Earth Shook: The Absolute Power Magic Circle, SPV 2006, DVD Here we have the ultimate Manowar concert captured on DVD. On July 23 2005, the band headlined the Earthshaker Fest. Accompanying them was a 200 piece choir and orchestra, as well as every member of Manowar – past and present. The previous members got to play small, 2 song sets with the band during the concert, then, during the finale all 8 musicians came up on stage for the most awesome finale I have ever seen. As with any Manowar release, this is an easy 10 out of 10. The DVD also has a whole bunch of extra stuff including guitar clinics and other footage from the fan convention.

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Brendon Williams

RHAPSODY OF FIRE Triumph or Agony Steamhammer (SPV) 2006, CD I've got to admit that I've never been a big fan of Rhapsody, or as they are now named, Rhapsody of Fire. I've always found their music just a bit too far over the top. This new album appears to tone it back a little, all round. It's still undeniably Rhapsody, but it's a little more accessible to a more mainstream audience. Hardcore fans may not like the album as much as earlier stuff because it doesn't hit the same extremities, but I think that there's some really good music in there. Worth a listen.

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VARIOUS Have A Brutal Night – World Wide Compilation Corpse Fire Distro / Neverheard Distro 2006, CD Have a Brutal Night is a unique compilation disc of the best in world-wide underground Extreme Metal. The countries covered in this disc include Mexico, Bolivia, The Philippines, Jordan, Chile and more - in other words, a bunch of Metal from countries you'd be lucky to have ever sampled Metal from. Many are album / EP cuts, so the quality of the recordings are quite good as well. Recommended for anyone wanting a selection of Metal on one disc from all across the globe (18 tracks in all). And the price is right as well, as the CD is available on mail-order for $6US directly from Neverheard Distro themselves. Email [email protected] to arrange your own copy.

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Brendon Williams

NIGHTWISH End Of An Era Spinefarm 2006, CD This is a review of CD only version of the “End of an Era” release. The package normally comes with the 2 CDs plus a DVD, but they released a limited number of CD only versions. Firstly, I must inform you not to waste your time buying this CD only version, because upon hearing the concert captured here you'll have a strong urge to see it as well. The performance is awesome, and the “Phantom of the Opera” cover is brilliant. It is a benchmark performance for Nightwish which will make finding a suitable replacement for Tarja that little bit more difficult.

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Brendon Williams

MUSIC REVIEWS INCANTATION Primordial Domination Listenable 2006, CD Old-school Death Metal – that's what Incantation are known for and that's exactly what they deliver on their latest album. Just like their previous albums, “Primordial Domination” is fast and brutal Death, in vein of Malevolent Creation and Suffocation – not particularly groundbreaking, partially repetitive, but sure to please the fans of the genre. Some pretty cool sounds here, like “The Fallen Priest” and “Lead to Desolation,” and if that's your cup of tea, I'm sure the new Incantation won't disappoint.

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Max Thrasher

IRON MAIDEN A Matter Of Life And Death EMI 2006, CD Whatever these guys do, they are still one of the greatest Heavy Metal bands of all time. Here on the new album Iron Maiden once again deliver their traditional galloping Heavy Metal, with great performances and arrangement. However things did change during the years and although it's still the same band that recorded “Powerslave” and “Somewhere in Time,” “A Matter of Life and Death” is much more serious, with slower and longer songs. Actually I think the only problem I have here is that the songs tend to go on and on long after the point has been made. It's still a great record, but not an instant classic as many other Maiden albums. Yet you might want to give it more than one listen – I'm sure it'll grow on you.

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Max Thrasher

WEDNESDAY 13 Fang Bang Rykodisc 2006, CD Undoubtedly one of the strongest albums of the past year and generally a great rock'n'roll record. Wednesday 13 returns with his second solo effort, filled with ripping guitars, cool lyrics and kick-ass attitude. This music is difficult to categorize, but if you like Motley Crue, Motorhead, Ramones, and Wednesday's previous band Murderdolls – expect similar stuff. Hard to pick best tracks here, but if I had to choose, I'd say it's the opener “Morgue Than Words,” heavy “Faith in the Devil,” “Happily Ever Cadaver” (traditionally about digging up dead people) and the drinking anthem “Too Much Blood” (“In my alcohol system”). The album is mixed by Bob Marlette of Alice Cooper fame and the sound of Alice's later albums is very strong. All in all, really, really kicking! Strongly recommended!

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Max Thrasher

AHAB The Call Of The Wretched Sea Napalm 2006, CD My Dying Bride, anyone? There's a funeral in town with the new album of Ahab. This is very slow, very heavy, growling Doom with a crushing beat and murderous guitar sound. While everybody around seems to take part in a “who can do it faster” competition, Ahab certainly take things slow. All of the songs are around 10 minutes long with never ending riffs, acoustic guitars and keyboards. The problem here is that I can't actually think of an occasion to listen to it - it's just way too monotonous and depressing. For fans of very early Tiamat, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Anathema, etc, etc. Personally, I think if I listen to it any longer, I'll either fall asleep or kill someone.

nnnnnnnnnn Review by Max Thrasher

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With the “hellectric” energy still in the air from the September sell out show Ultimate Tribute Promotions are proud to announce:

And this line up is even more “brewtal” than last time! THE ULTIMATE METAL TRIBUTE 2 is headlined by veteran tribute act NARCOSIS, who will perform an hour and a half set of METALLICA covers.

Wanganui's NARCOSIS are without a doubt New Zealand's premier METALLICA covers act. Period. These guys are so close to the real deal that you’d be forgiven for thinking you were back to the late 80s when METALLICA was at its finest. These “mulleted” guitar heroes look, act and most importantly sound identical to the METALLICA of old. NARCOSIS put the metal back into METALLICA.

MEGADETH covers act DFH also join the lineup from Wanganui and shred the tightest MEGADETH covers you will ever hear. There have been many MEGADETH imitators over the years, but as soon as these madmen hit the stage they become MEGADETH. These guys are a must see and will not be playing in Auckland again this year, so this will be your only chance to see ‘em. Viv (vocals/guitar) says to expect “tight leads, a hard heavy show, with a good variety of Megadeth from Peace Sells, Rust in Peace, Countdown and Cryptic Writings... the bastards will have a sore neck in the morning haha!”

And if that wasn’t enough for the black clad armies out there, the almighty DJ SLAYER has returned to top it all off. DJ SLAYER plays SLAYER and only SLAYER between sets. If you want to see this show, then you must arrive early. There are a limited amount of 400 door sales and the last THE ULTIMATE METAL TRIBUTE show sold out before 9pm – Event is R18.

Next on the bill are Wellington PANTERA covers act, THE GREAT SOUTHERN SPITROAST. These shredders headlined the last show and proved to be as bone crushing as PANTERA ever was and ripped the stage apart with a killer set of amazingly close reproductions. THE GREAT SOUTHERN SPITROAST blew the locals away with their savage stage presence and wicked technical ability.

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This is the ULTIMATE METAL TRIBUTE of 2007.

IF YOU AIN’T THERE – YOU AIN’T METAL!

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MOVIE REVIEW on its own, quite independent of RHPS due to the very different storyline, and although it's less of a phenomenon, “Shock Treatment” is equally deserving of its cult status. The colors used in the film are very bright, contrasting and comic-book like. Visually, it reminded me a lot of Dario Argento's classic horror film “Suspiria”, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was more than a coincidence that both movies' leading ladies are the same person (Jessica Harper). Looks like Mr. O'Brien was rather inspired by Mr. Argento's work. The main thing about this movie which really stands out to me is that it was so far ahead of its time. Essentially, it's about reality television, but was made a couple of decades before “Survivor” or any of the other reality shows had even been thought about. And it amazingly makes a strong social commentary on the fake-reality of such shows. People who enjoy weird films late at night should check this out. Fans of RHPS will also find the movie interesting, but should be advised not to expect RHPS part 2. As another tag-line for Shock Treatment said, “It's not a sequel, it's not a prequel... it's an equal”.g “Trust me, I'm a doctor.”

RATING:

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Directed by Jim Sharman Starring Jessica Harper, Cliff De Young, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn Summary by Corey Semple Following 6 years after The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a musical continues the adventures of Brad (Cliff De Young) and Janet (Jessica Harper), now married, back home in Denton which has been turned into a giant TV station. Residents are either participants or viewers of the shows. Brad is imprisoned in "Dentonvale", the local mental hospital while Janet is to become a huge star. Who is trying to woo Janet away? Review by Brendon Williams Shock Treatment is a continuation of the story of Brad and Janet from the cult movie hit, the Rocky Horror Picture show. It is still a musical, it still uses the same town and a few of the same characters from Rocky Horror. But this film pretty much stands

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“Your condition is critically grave”

WIN FREE STUFF

Not too many bands are credited with pioneering or defining an entire genre, but that's certainly the case for Killswitch Engage when it comes to the melodic mixture of metal and hardcore that is their signature sound. Often copied, but never equalled, by untold scores of other bands, that combustible blend is once again delivered with unparalleled results on the band's new album, As Daylight Dies, in stores now.

Win the new Killswitch Engage album, “As Daylight Dies” WINNING IS EASY Simply e-mail your name and postal address to us at: [email protected] and we'll put you in the draw.

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it looks really cool down there in New Zealand. I've been looking forward to going there my whole life. When you play overseas, do you use your own instruments or do you use what's provided?

Prior to the arrival of the cult New York metallers SUFFOCATION to Auckland (the band is playing on Saturday, February 16th at The Studio) we got in touch with the guitarist Guy Marchais and asked him a few questions. Here's what he had to say.

First of all, Suffocation is coming to New Zealand for the first time. So what can New Zealand expect from Suffocation and what does Suffocation expect from New Zealand? Well, from Suffocation you can expect a brutal as show. Expect us to play our best and we also don't hide in our dressing room and we don't play rock stars. We hang out with our fans and we like the fans to be a part of the show. The crazier and the more fans are into it at the show, the better we feel playing live. Actually what we expect from New Zealand is a good time. We look forward to going there. I see things on TV about New Zealand and I'm looking forward to experiencing something new, something I haven't seen before. What kind of things did you see on TV? One thing that I can think of right now... You're gonna laugh... what the hell is the show called? “Wild Boys”? Did you ever see that show? I saw them over there on one of the episodes and

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We usually use what's provided. We try to give them a list of what we need, but we bring our own guitars and the drummer brings his own pedals and his snare and cymbals. The new self-titled album “Suffocation” was released last year. So what's the reaction been so far and also, why did you call it “Suffocation”? The reaction has been very good so far, we got a lot of good press. And we called it “Suffocation” basically because... we wanted to. (laughs) That was it really, there's not too much meaning behind that. This is your second album with the band. Have you followed Suffocation before that? Well, believe it or not, when the band first formed it was me and a friend of mine who put the add out in a newspaper, and we formed the band with Frank Mullen [vocals], Josh [Barohn, bass] and another drummer, and we called that Suffocation. Then we

got Mike [Smith, drums] and we started writing “Catatonia” [a song off the “Human Waste” album] and I quit the band back in 1989. Why? Well, I had some weird reasons. I quit and started another band called Pyraxia. So I've known them my whole life, all these guys. There's been a long break between Suffocation albums, between 1998 to 2004. Why did that happen? The band broke up in 1998. Frank moved to Las Vegas with his wife and kids and he was doing the “married life” thing. But as the time went on, he was getting a divorce and moving back to New York. So he got in touch with Mike and Terrance [Hobbs, guitars] and said he wanted to do the band again. Doug [Cerrito, guitars] didn't want to do it and they asked me if I wanna join. And that was it. What about other NY bands, like Anthrax and Manowar, did you go see them when you were younger? Yeah, in mid-eighties I was into the whole Heavy Metal thing, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden. But I went the heavier way, I was totally into Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer. And then I went heavier and heavier. Then S.O.D came out and then Death... From that point on I was into whatever I could find that was the heaviest. Then around mid-nineties I went onto other music, I was expanding my musical taste, like Frank Zappa, David Bowie, stuff like that. At what point in your life did you actually pick up music? I just turned 16. I was into Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest... It was 1984-85 I think. I just wanted a guitar and I wanted to be able to play it. Suffocation is one of the oldest and probably one of the most influential Death Metal bands. So why did you choose to play Death Metal? I don't know... I don't think I actually chose to play Death Metal. I think Death Metal chose me. As I was learning to play guitar and was getting better at it, I always wanted to be one more crunchier, one more

heavier. I was taking the mids out on my amplifier and that was this early Death Metal sound, especially the NY Death Metal. To tell you the truth, the first time I heard Death Metal vocals on the first Death album, I really didn't like the vocals at all. But I loved the music and everybody out there who first listens to Death Metal says that they don't like the vocals but they love the music. And that's how I felt too. So, listen to the music and read the lyrics and I guarantee it'll grow on you. It's not just growling, it's so much more. What about the lyrics? Are you trying to communicate something through the lyrics or is it sort of another instrument? Well, Frank's voice is definitely an instrument. His voice definitely stands out from other Death Metal singers, and the lyrics... they are good to read along with when you're listening to the voice. Me personally, I'm not really a lyrics person. I don't write lyrics at all. I write vocal patterns and the melodies but I never really follow the lyrics myself. Do you think the lyrics are important for a Death Metal band? Yeah, I think they are important. Especially if you wanna be a successful band, you need to have good lyrics, something you can read along with, know what they're talking about. Being into it for almost 20 years, what do you think about Death Metal of today? I think it went a lot of places already. There's been Death Metal with the deepest vocals, then Death Metal with the fastest guitars, Death Metal with the most technical guitars – it kind of went everywhere; been pushed to every extreme. But I'm sure there's something in Death Metal that hasn't happened yet. Right now with Suffocation, we're just gonna write what we're gonna write, just what we're feeling like right now. But I think for a while now Death Metal bands have been trying to go faster. And I think from the fans' point of view, I think they want more song writing capability. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. I like Necrophagist and Decapitated, but I think fans need a little more than sheer brutality. So, being a musician, what parts of the job do you really like and what parts do you find

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irritating? For instance, doing interviews? (laughs) Interviews aren't that bad, really. I hate doing written interviews, I'd much rather do it in person. It's not like we're lazy or anything, it's kind of like, gotta do your homework. The fun part for me is playing on stage or hanging out after the show. Recording an album is not a fun part though. Recording an album is a lot of hard work. You've gotta do it in a certain amount of time, and repeat the same song over and over – that part is boring. I also don't like flying, actually. I don't look forward to the flight to New Zealand. I think it's gonna be like 20 something hours to Australia... If it was up to me, if I had the money to support this band, I'd make us take a ship everywhere. (laughs) I love doing the US tours, because we don't have to fly anywhere, just take the bus. So besides music, do you have any other hobbies? I have a bunch, really. I love still photography and also I'd really like to film one of the band's videos. Also... I like playing darts and I like fishing. You should go fishing in New Zealand then! There's some big fish out here. Yeah, I'd love to do that. If I have time, I'll definitely go! And also I like everything electronic. I'm on the computer all day long – designing something with Photoshop or writing programs. Ok, let's get back to music. Did you ever want to change anything in the sound of Suffocation, and do you feel pressured to keep following the same route to keep the fans happy? You know, there is a certain style that we write and play. And it kind of comes, it just happens. But every time we wanna try something new we try

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to look at it from an outside view. And if it's not us it's not happening. Like I don't think we'll ever cover another band's song. Like this is Suffocation, we play our own music. But if it the band and the song that really influenced you and you want to pay tribute to this band... Right... Well we thought about it and we decided if we wanted to show people what influenced us, we'll just play the song before we go on stage. I think it would be really sick if we actually played a Slayer song or something like that, but I really don't want to give Slayer that recognition that we're playing one of their songs. I mean we tried to contact them so many times and arrange a tour with them, and basically what they say is that they don't wanna tour with us, because we're the same kinda music as them. Well, that's probably a bit of a compliment, too. Yeah but I'd much rather be complimented by them if they asked us to tour with them. And before we wind it up, what's your last second to the New Zealand fans? Ah, come to the show, hang out with us. If you're reading this and you haven't heard about Suffocation before, come check us out. And if you have – definitely come down! g

W

ith the NZ tour announced not long ago,

DragonForce are set to be the first international Power Metal act to hit our shores. The anticipation of music fans is extremely high. This upcoming concert is noted by the Slaughterhouse team as the most important live event this year, as it will decide if New Zealand has a Metal scene strong enough to support Power Metal. If you go to one concert this year, make it DragonForce! You will not be disappointed. With that in mind, we present a biography of DragonForce, with a close-up on their most recent album, 'Inhuman Rampage'.

Combining the primal force of power metal with hardearned musical proficiency, old-school thrash and generous quantities of muscular melody in a unique style that they call ‘extreme power metal’, DragonForce have established themselves as THE heavy metal band of the past year.

‘Sonic Firestorm', then 2006's 'Inhuman Rampage' – has seen their fan-base escalate in quite dramatic terms. Meanwhile, the European metal press have swamped the band with almost universal reams of adulation. "DragonForce are getting bigger. Prepare for the onslaught," Kerrang! warned. "DragonForce are as metal as f**k," roared the UK’s Metal Hammer, "They’ll be enormous." Writers and magazines from France, Greece, Finland, Sweden, Holland, Japan, and many more wasted little time in falling under the band’s spell. Perhaps the best summation of all these accolades was Rock Hard (Germany)’s prediction that: "DragonForce could become the first British metal band in ages to reap respect from all over the world." Against all the odds, DragonForce have singlehandedly revitalized Power Metal in their homeland of the UK, awarding credibility to a genre that till their arrival was regarded was little more than a joke. Instead of watering down the style of music that secured such a position of prominence, DragonForce have gone further over the top than ever before with 'Inhuman Rampage'. It is faster, bolder and heavier – yet still as boldly stirring and distinctly hummable – as anything they’ve attempted so far. "We’ve come up with the ultimate formula," proudly

The summer of 2005 saw them sharing festival stages with Iron Maiden, a sell-out headlining tour of the UK generating scenes of pandemonium. Intensive bouts of touring to accompany the band’s three albums to date – ‘Valley Of The Damned’ in January 2003 and the following year’s

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declares Herman Li, one half of the band’s unstoppable guitar army. "Combining intensity, chaos and melody, with all the DragonForce trademarks, it’s something that’s never been done before. "For us, this is the next evolution in the DragonForce sound," he continues. "I’ve never heard an album that sounds like ‘Inhuman Rampage’ – the title says it all! " The eight-song album was recorded at Thin Ice Studios in Surrey and guitarist Herman Li's own studio in West London, some of its guitar sections recorded in hotel rooms while the band wound up the tour for ‘Sonic Firestorm’. Track titles like ‘Through The Fire And Flames’, ‘Operation Ground And Pound’, ‘Revolution Deathsquad’ and ‘Storming The Burning Fields’ leave the listener in no doubt of DragonForce’s malicious intent, and more importantly their aversion to climbing the ladder of popularity by selling out. Winner of the Dimebag Darrell Best Young Guitarist award at Metal Hammer UK’s Golden Gods, Li and his six-string partner in crime Sam Totman have never sounded hungrier nor eager to prove their worth. From the start of each song to its exhausted finish, notes fly from all angles. The album ends with its sole ballad, ‘The Trail Of Broken Hearts’, though as Totman quite rightly points out: "We still managed to squeeze three separate guitar solos in. "However, shredding for shredding’s sake has never been among the band’s intentions. Although keen to squeeze as many notes as possible into certain songs, this time the pair has experimented with various new textures and sounds. "We wanted to keep things interesting, and there are sections of certain songs that will remind you of video games," grins Hong Kong-born Li. "Many people will hear them and assume they were made by keyboards. That’s completely wrong. All those parts are done on the guitar." Which isn’t intended to under-value the superlative contribution of Vadim Pruzhanov, who co-wrote several of the album’s songs (including ‘Body Breakdown’), is credited along with Li and Totman as a co-producer and whose dazzling keyboard runs are as daring and provocative as anything performed on guitar frets. A Ukrainian by birth, Pruzhanov is fast becoming known for lengthy and insane solo excursions during the band’s live shows and has really come into his own on ‘Inhuman Rampage’. On the other hand, vocalist ZP Theart is already regarded as the glimmering pearl in DragonForce’s

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crown. Far too many European power metal acts are faced up by singers with the merest grasp of English diction. South African-born, Theart is the real deal – a stomping, roaring, beer-swilling frontman who fronts the band with passion and wit. Alongside Li and Totman, Theart was a co-founder of DragonForce. The trio met in London in September 1999, using the name DragonHeart for their initial two years of existence. Quick to realize the possibilities of the Internet, the band posted a set of demos at their website (www.dragonforce.com) and were rewarded not only by half a million downloads, but the interest of Sanctuary/Noise Records. Early support UK spots with Halford, plus the timely recruitment of a superior rhythm section molded a professionalism to match their commitment, and before too long the group were placed on the launching pad of international success. The sextet toured Europe, South East Asia and the Far East to promote the debut album, and before too long, critics were queuing up to praise DragonForce’s fusion of modern melodic power metal, the energy of speed metal and the confident, in-your-face delivery of bands twice their age. From day one, the band’s goal was to establish an identifiable style all of their own. To an outsider, the lyrics may seem to tell otherworldly tales of swordwielding warriors occupying distant battlefield plains, but strip away the fantasy imagery and a message of modern-day positivity is right there beneath your nose. But most of all, DragonForce’s success is attributable to playing ability and perhaps their most under-played asset of all – a skill for composing ultra-memorable, rabble-rousing heavy metal anthems. ‘Inhuman Rampage’ offers indisputable proof. Check out DragonForce's latest release, 'Inhuman Rampage'. And enjoy the concert in May! g

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