Issue 24

CONTENTS 02 – Contents 04 – JUDAS PRIEST / HALFORD 08 – MANOWAR 12 – Music Reviews 14 – BEATALLICA 16 – Movie Review 17 – BELTANE 21 – ANNIHILATOR 25 – AUCKLAND LP (AND CD) SLAUGHTERAMA © 2007. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ENQUIRIES: Phone - 021-146-6477 E-mail - [email protected] Website - www.slaughterhouse.co.nz Skype - slaughterphone Mailing Address Slaughterama Zine P.O. Box 12-978 Penrose Auckland 1642 New Zealand

Greetings readers, Welcome to the METAL GOD issue of Slaughterama! This issue has been a while coming, but we're sure you'll agree that it was worth the wait – just look at the featured bands!!! Slaughterama is now accepting donations to help keep us going, so if you'd like to show your support for the zine, please mail well concealed cash to the mailing address shown on the left there, or you can use the new pago service (www.pago.co.nz) – all you need is a bank account and a cellphone. Forward your donation to 021-146-6477. We are also happy to advertise absolutely anything for dirt cheap, so if you have something you would like to advertise, from your band's next gig to a product or service, simply email [email protected] and we'll work something out. Also, make sure you check out the latest edition of Slaughterhouse TV - Episode 4 - posted on the net at www.youtube.com, which has videos from most of the interviewees in this issue.

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As I write this, the Slaughterhouse website at www.slaughterhouse.co.nz is down. Our hosting ran out, so stay with us, and keep checking back; it should be up again shortly. Sorry about that!

CIRCULATION

We are currently looking at getting Slaughterama set up on Trade Me for those of you who have trouble getting your hands on a copy, whether they're all gone when you reach the store or you simply live in an area of NZ not serviced by the zine. The price is yet to be decided, but will probably cost a small donation plus postage. DVD copies of Slaughterhouse TV may also become available as an addition to the zine, but this may be a while off. In the meantime, please sign the petition on the internet at http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.c gi?METALTV to help get the show aired on ALT TV. See ya next issue!!!

Hard Copies – Approx 500 Internet – Unlimited availability

ZINE CREATED BY

BRENDON WILLIAMS Editor

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ADVERTISING

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here on the new Judas Priest record, due to come out early next year, a fantastic Metal opera based on the life of Nostradamus. But I had a chance to step out for a little while to talk to you guys! So I'm still pouring out the Metal after 36 years! So, first of all, tell us about the new Halford record.

Who needs an introduction, when we talk about Rob Halford, the legendary vocalist of the almostmythological British dinosaur JUDAS PRIEST? The man who like no other brought a great deal of input into the development of Heavy Metal as a whole. PRIEST is arguably the originators of the style, the first band to use so many ideas that became an unwritten law for thousands of Metal bands in the years to follow. So, without any further hype, here's our conversation with Rob Halford, the Metal God.

How are you, Rob? Great! It's about midday here in San Diego. What time is it there in New Zealand? Very early, it's 7 AM here... Oh, good grace! Lovely day there? Beautiful, absolutely fantastic. Quite different to my home town of Birmingham, where it was pouring down with rain for last two or three weeks. What are you doing in San Diego? This is kind of a home away from home for me. Of course I'm still a Brit, I have my roots, friends and family back in the UK. I'm working

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It's a great moment for me, guys. As you know I stepped out of Priest for a while, and I really needed to fulfill my solo ambitions. I've been away from Priest for over 10 years, and now I'm back with the band that I love more than anything in the world. But I'm also able to still focus on my solo work when time permits. My new album, “Metal God Essentials, Volume I” is an overview of what I've been doing with my solo activities in last 10 years or so. It's quite an unusual release, because it not only covers my time with the Halford band, but also the time I spent with Fight in the mid-nineties. It's gonna have some live tracks, some re-mixes and a couple of new tracks that we put together with the Halford band. The really cool thing is that it's got a bonus DVD with videos and “behind the scenes” footage as well. We live in the reality world these days, don't we guys? So you can't do anything without the camera on your back. I also have my own little Metal company, called Metal God Entertainment. So it's an enormous amount of activity going on in my world.

You are probably the man to ask this question: Heavy Metal has been around for a long time, it went through so much progression, and you were there at the very beginning. How do you feel about Metal now?

computer on. But now I really welcome and embrace this invention!

It's incredible. As you said, it's been in the world of Rock'n'Roll for over 30 years and of course the roots of it came from the UK. When we started all these years ago it was the brand new sound and it was very original in the early days. So we had to work really hard playing all the clubs and the pubs, live and sleep in a van for months at a time, taking the music all over Europe. And it's a hard slope, because if you believe in something, you can't expect the rewards to come instantly. So this love of Heavy Metal started three decades ago, but now, as you pointed out, the style is so incredible and diverse, with every type of Metal for whatever taste you might need to fulfill. I look at it now with a great deal of joy and satisfaction, and the future looks great as well, which is the most important thing.

It's wonderful! This title was put to me by the fans and I never could answer where it came from. I think it must have some connection to “Metal Gods” track from “British Steel” album. I definitely wouldn't be as pompous as to call myself a “Metal God” but the fans gave me this title and I really appreciate this gesture.

So do you like what's going on in the world of Metal these days? Yes, I'm trying to keep updated and up to speed with this incredible invention, the Internet, which has become very important to all of the recording industry and media for getting the message out. So that's what I do, I'm a bit of a web-junkie. I like to get onto the Youtube and MySpace and the halford.com website, which is a huge portal for everything Metal, not just me. And that's another thing about the Internet – it's 24/7. So I really welcome this invention. I really couldn't figure out what Internet was when it came out. I'm an old bloke, you know! (laughs) And it took me half an hour to figure out how to turn the

Rob, how does it feel to be referred to as “Metal God”?

You've been in this music for all these years and you must've experienced all parts of the rockstar lifestyle. So what is still the most exciting part of being a Rock and Metal singer? Primarily for me it's actually writing the music. I'm still getting the biggest thrill and kick out of meeting up with [guitarists] Glenn [Tipton] and KK [Downing] and starting out with nothing but at the end of the writing session having this great piece of Metal music which could live forever. The creative process is wonderful! And another biggest kick is standing on stage in front of all these crazy metalheads, I mean the energy and the affection that you get back from these people that support you is the part of the bigger picture, because it's the driving force – the fans give you the inspiration and the stamina to keep going. Which brings me to a never ending apology... WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T WE PLAYED NEW ZEALAND YET?! Haha we were eventually getting to that... You know it's really frustrating, I'm talking to you guys about Priest and my solo work and it's like

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“yeah, Rob, you doing all this babbling, so why don't you come and play for us instead?” And actually while we were in writing sessions for “Nostradamus” we were talking about places we still weren't be able to visit and New Zealand tops the list. And I can assure you, we will do anything in our power to come and play for you next year! Glenn and KK will get the earful - “come on guys, it's not good enough to sit watching Lord of the Rings, we gotta go and play for metalheads in New Zealand!”

what the music sounded like. And I think it's just a fluke really, that we kind of invented that style. Now you see somebody walking down the street with a black t-shirt and wristbands n'all, you know he's probably a metalhead, he likes the heavy style of music. And with the hair, for me it's not that

Let's talk about the solo thing a little more. What's in it for you? Is it the other side of Rob Halford, something you're unable to do with Judas Priest? Yeah, I mean, the reality is I can switch off my solo activities in a heartbeat, if I decided to make this choice. The fact is I don't wanna do it, it's an important thing for me as a creative person, as an artist. You know, it's like living in a house – you can never spend a whole day in the kitchen. Which is a wonderful place. I'm a food addict. (laughs) But if you go to a living room it's a different vibe, different atmosphere. You go to your back garden – there's a different feel there. For me it's all about living life. Life is short and precious. What's it like watching your old videos, Rob? There's some interesting stuff there! Oh my lord! My waist is a little bit bigger than it was 20 years ago. (laughs) It's wonderful, because when you watch the videos, you're obviously flipping back in time. You can imagine the day when you were shooting – for example “Breaking the Law” in Soho in West London in an old closed down bank. I remember that day very vividly. I think it's very important. Besides the music, if you have a visual recording of that moment in time, it's very valuable. I used to have hair, and now I don't! (laughs) And a very nice pair of jeans that I can't get into anymore. That's just life and everything it brings about. You were always doing something a bit different from the stereotype, not only with your hair, but pretty much all along... Yeah, I think to a certain extent the imagery is very important. I mean, people always thought of Priest inventing that style with leather coats and pants, and the wristbands and all. That to me is an extension of

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important. What relevance has it has to the actual music? And so the hair got progressively shorter. The only hair on my head now is on my chin. So, yeah, I think the image is very important for any band, because you're trying to portray the sound of your music. So when Judas Priest first came together, did you know you had something very special there? I think it's important to believe in yourself and I think that when we started there was something in the air, something magical. When I first saw Glenn and KK working together, it used to send shivers down my back. So how did you come up with the name “Judas Priest”? You know, there are so many different stories to that

question. The one that always comes to mind is the song by Bob Dylan, where he talks about these characters Frankie Lee and Judas Priest. I joined the band when the original singer [Alan Atkins] was departing the band and the name was already there. I remember going to see Judas Priest in the early original line-up, just out of curiosity. I heard about the band and people were saying “you should go check them out, because there's something special about them” so I went and saw them. I remember them as a four-piece, with only KK on guitar. So, for whatever reason this name was chosen, I think it worked well. As a legendary Metal musician, what advise could you give to people who only just starting in music? I think the best piece of advise anyone could give is being truthful and honest. If you're a musician, you should want to be a musician. This isn't about getting a fancy car and a fancy house. You'll never get that if that's your only goal in music. First and foremost it's being with like minded people, and beyond that, trying to do something that will push out among everything that's going on around you. And it's really important to confront obstacles that come around. You can only grow stronger from doing this. Like that ridiculous suit? [Judas Priest were sued in the '80s by the parents of two teenagers, who attempted suicide, one succeeding in blowing his brains out with a shotgun, and the other one trying the same but ending up severely disfigured for 3 years before dying due to the effect of his painkillers. The prosecution argued that Judas Priest incited their deaths with the song “Better By You, Better Than Me” - editor] Yeah it got thrown out. It was such a bizarre case! It was the first of its kind for Heavy Metal, wasn't it? It was. Firstly it raised the whole issue of understanding of so-called “subliminal messages”. My definition of something subliminal is that you're not aware of it, you know. And that's what the case hung on. The people who took us to court were very misguided and they really didn't have much of a case to stand on. I think it was a great tragedy, those two boys who lost their lives were hardcore Metal fans, loved Judas Priest. But they came from a very dysfunctional, abusive family background. They were

dependent on booze and soft drugs, but they were just kids who were going through a lot of turmoil in their lives, and what they needed was love and care that a family should give, but they didn't get that. But this court case about the subliminal messages and the things that we allegedly put in our recordings, which we absolutely did not do – it was a crock of bull. And we had to go to court and stand up for ourselves. We had a wonderful display of support every day we went to courthouse – every morning, 5 days a week for a month – from the metalheads outside, you know, cheering, holding banners and everything like that. It was absolutely amazing. There was a documentary made – an award winning documentary, called “Dreamer Deceiver” - which takes you into that courtroom and you can hear and see some of the most remarkable things. But it was very tough for us. No band wants to be accused of making music that kills people! We said, if we wanted to put a subliminal message into our recordings, we'd say “Buy our records.” It's mad, I know. But Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson went through this as well, and they are wonderful people and great friends of mine! Marilyn Manson is apparently the Antichrist... (laughs) Yeah... Particularly in Metal, there are all these perceptions, because the music is quite dark and sinister, but at the same time all music is fantasy. I mean, the message may have a lot of strength, but music is just about letting yourself go, escaping the worries of the world and just getting some good feelings out of it – going to see a band or listening to [a record]... To accuse music of being potentially destructive – it's just crazy. It doesn't make sense in my mind. And “Stained Class” is a great record! [The album on which “Better By You, Better Than Me” was originally released – editor] (enthusiastically) I love that record, yeah! In fact I was on a plane back from Canada just the other week and I was listening to it on my iPod. And I completely lost myself in this album! I haven't listened to “Stained Class” in years, and there's some brilliant stuff on that album! And you forget that, because as I said, you can't live on your past achievements, you gotta look into the future, but it was a great moment – to sit back in your seat at 30,000 feet and listen to this music that I haven't heard in ages! g

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you happy with it? If I fucking wasn't happy with it, I'd still be in the studio working on it. I'm really thrilled with it. It's our first concept album, and I told people this – you gotta listen to it from beginning to the end. It's a story, it's like a book. You can't pick up a book, start with chapter 5 and start reading it. You've gotta start with chapter one and read the whole story. Manowar. Their fans gave them the title “Kings of Metal.” Some disagree that they are Kings, and haven't ever liked them or anything they stand for or represent. However, fans of the band commonly believe that Manowar are the truest embodiment of Heavy Metal; the music, the lifestyle, the brotherhood, etc., and question whether anyone who doesn't like the music is really a true Heavy Metaller. The staff here at Slaughterama represent the latter. Among the biggest Manowar fans in New Zealand, we are happy to bring you our exclusive second interview with Eric Adams of Manowar, the Kings of Metal!

How are you doing, Eric? I'm doing fantastic! I'd be doing better though if we were down there playing! When are you coming over? When we can find a promoter with a set of balls. Hey, we're touring machine, we're ready to go! I'll tell you what, bro, if I was ever going to go there, my bow and arrow would be with me! [Eric is wellknown for his passion for bow-and-arrow hunting – editor] Are you going to Australia any time soon? Not in the near future, unless we get some promoters to get us down there. Shit, if we were that close, I'd fly down there myself! What about Japan? Have gone there this year? Yeah, we played Japan. We've done 5 or 6 shows in Japan. We really should've done it then. Well, the new album “Gods of War” is out. Are

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Everything in the booklet is written with runes. It's one hell of a mission to get through it! (laughs) You know, we're are the band that's not afraid to do something different, something new. And we decided that this is a whole new idea, this is a concept album, and it's about the Gods of war, [particularly] Norse gods, so we thought, let's do it in runes and freak people out! And there's fans who'd say “What the fuck is this?” and also fans who'd say “This is the coolest fucking thing!” And they can go through this whole thing and figure it out. Or you can go online and read it in English. So how was the response from people? Have

you heard many opinions about the album? I've heard good opinions, and I've heard bad opinions. And to be honest I listen to no opinions. I listen to the people in the audience who buy the tickets and the t-shirts, and buy the albums and speak to me after. It's interesting, cuz I spoke to fans before the show and they was apprehensive about the album before they saw the show. And it all came together with them. They said it was the most spectacular fucking thing they've ever seen. About 50 yards from the stage we had these Hollywood wind tunnels, blowing wind at the audience. So when there's the sound of wind and the gathering storm,

you have to follow everything. Like Loki – we had to learn how he was sly and changed forms. The story of Odin, how he lost an eye to gain wisdom. It's all the part of this concept thing. And when people see the show, they see Odin hanging from the tree, it's really cool! It's fucking incredible! And by the end of the show... I'm not bullshitting you, brother, I'm not the one to lie and throw you no bullshit... at the end of the show when I sing “Hymn of the Immortal Warriors” you see the warrior going to Valhalla, and we take the entire audience to Valhalla at the end of the show... And I'm looking at the crowd and I see people just... in tears! And they get it. They get the whole storyline. It's very-very cool! Last time we spoke with you it was a few years ago, you were talking about an idea to get all Manowar members – past and present – on one stage for the show. And what do you know, it happened! And you can see it on “The Day the Earth Shook” DVD. Tell us about some of the highlights of that experience.

they not only could hear the wind, but also see the wind and feel the wind! Well, “Gods of War” is all about the Norse mythology and apparently it's the first of a few concept albums you're planning. So what Gods are you gonna do the next album about? I don't know. We could write about Roman or Greek Gods – I don't know. The beauty about it is that we can pick a country, pick a nation and study their mythology and legends. How much research usually goes into an album like this? An awful lot! There are critics who read books about mythology and see if you followed the legend. And so

From the very early rehearsals it was the most exciting thing. Walking into Valhalla and seeing Ross [The Boss; guitarist] standing there... It was like “Hey, man!” It was like he never left. Walking into the rehearsal room and there's Donnie Hamzik [the original drummer] there playing drums. Holy shit! It was the coolest thing in the world to have all these members there. Dave [Shankle, former guitarist], Rhino [former drummer] – everyone was there. And we kinda sat in a circle looking at each other, and it was the coolest fucking day ever! In fact the day before this Earthshaker Festival we were rehearsing “Battle Hymns” and everybody was making mistakes, fucking up. But then we said, “It's gonna be fine, don't worry about it. Just listen to your heart, get up there and play, the fans are gonna dig it, it's gonna all come together.” And it did! We were dealing with the hydraulic lifts for the drums that night, and fire on stage and fireworks after the show... But it was just really emotional night for everybody and it was great for the fans. It was once in a lifetime thing, it's not gonna happen again –

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that's why we recorded it for the rest of the world to see. Now, on “Gods of War” the fans definitely can hear the change in the sound – a hell of a lot more operatic and epic. Is Manowar ever gonna go back to a stripped-back sound, like “Hail to England” and “Sign of the Hammer”? You know, I can't tell you. I don't know yet where the next album is taking us. I just don't know that. I know that we play from the heart and it's gonna be whatever is created at the time. Right now we're in “live-mode”. We're thinking of what we can do on stage, we're not thinking about the next album right now. Well, there's been a bit of transformation from the stripped back sound of “Louder than Hell” to “Gods of War” with this really big sound. How did this change come about? You know, it's just Joey [DeMaio; bassist] playing guitar and me singing – that's how the song starts. And then the song demands what it demands in terms of instruments. The four of us get together, we all sit down and say “This is a rough idea that we've got for this song, let's put it together.” And then the song is born. And when we put the instruments down – there's four singers, four drummers, four bassists and four guitar players there, and everybody is taking part in it. I don't know, the songs kind of dictate themselves. Last time we talked, you mentioned that a book is being written about Manowar. So, how's that coming along?

Well, I've already done my interviews for it. The guy who's writing the book already approached me and I've already done my interviews section. I don't know how far along he is on that book, but it's the history of Manowar and there's a awful lot to write about. People are usually divided into two groups – those who love Manowar, and those who hate the band. There are not too many around who are neutral towards Manowar. Why do you think this band creates such strong emotions in people? There's a very simple answer to that: because we play TRUE FUCKING HEAVY METAL. We always have, and by “True Metal” I mean songs played from the heart and not from the wallet. People may not agree with it, but you know what? I don't listen to critics, I don't listen to journalists, I don't listen to anyone except for the people who stand in line for the tickets, in the rain, in the cold, in the snow, and people out there who scream out all the words of all the songs. Those are the fucking people, and the ONLY people that I listen to. Cuz those are the people who pay for the records. Heavy Metal is for the people who dig it, and if you can't handle that then go listen to fucking Bon Jovi or something. Go listen to something else, but don't take up the room in the Manowar audience, because there's people out in the fucking parking lot who couldn't get in because the show's sold out. We wrote songs about it for a long time and we mean it: get the fuck out of the way if you're ain't into the band! So, do you have anything to say to people who think that Manowar sucks? Yeah, I do. Go buy your rap music. I don't give a

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fuck, I really don't. I guess my answer is, if you're not into the band, don't buy our fucking albums! If you're not into the band, don't come to the show. Cuz you're just gonna get in the way. This band cares about its' fans more than any other band in the world. I want you guys to write this. Can you write this for me?

on tour and we needed the bikes. And they were swamped and couldn't do all four bikes in time. But yeah, that's a cool show!

Ok.

Nah, they do! (laughs) I'd love to have my next bike built by those guys, I really would! They're cool.

I want you to let the people out there know that this is the fucking band that gives away two Harley's to the fans. Two fucking Harley's that we build we're giving away to the fans. This is the band that writes songs strictly for the fans. This is the band that invites fans on stage to play THEIR INSTRUMENTS! This is the band that is giving one of Karl's [Karl Logan; guitarist] personal guitars to the fans. What other bands do that for their fans? This is the band that offers festival dates for €10 a piece. That's nothing, that's peanuts. That's just to pay for the grounds and the security. These other festivals are charging from €80 to €125 a ticket! I say, spend your money on beer, party down and have a great fucking time at the Manowar festival! There's no other band that cares for their fans as much as we do and I defy anybody to challenge that, I really do. This is how we survived – our fans! In a world where people are constantly pirating music a band can not survive if it don't have fans. And our fans understand that if they want this band to survive they've gotta come to the shows, buy albums and t-shirts. It's not like we have houses in Hawaii. We're pumping this money into concerts and festivals and records. This band is all about giving back to the fans, and it always has been. Right. Well, about the Harley's you're giving away... Are we ever gonna see the guys from the program “American Chopper” build a Manowar bike? You know what, they were the first people we approached, long before they were on television. But they couldn't do it, because we needed them very fast. We were going out

Maybe they just don't have balls big enough to build a Manowar bike?

So you're off to Europe now... What does Eric Adams pack into his luggage? Handcuffs. (laughter all) You think I'm kidding? You think I'm joking? Are you? I'm not joking! Let me tell you something. I went to the rehearsals for the last tour and I pulled up and there was a cop car there. I was like “Fuck, what is it, too loud?” It was in Germany and it was a German cop car. And there's a police person standing there in a uniform. So I went there to introduce myself – she turns around and introduces herself! She's been a fan of the band forever and she heard of how the band always talks to the fans but didn't know how to meet us. And she found out that we're rehearsing in the area that she patrols. So she thought she'll get to see us if she was in uniform. And I said, “Well, that works...” you know... She ended up clinging on to me for like 5 or 6 days straight while we were rehearsing, and at the end of it she said she wanted to give me a gift and she gave me her handcuffs. German police issued handcuffs! And they're with me in my luggage. I'm proud to say they've been used a few times. (laughs) Did you ever want to settle down, have a family, all the regular stuff? Yeah, some day when I've got nothing better to do, I guess. But this is Manowar, brother. I take every day as my last. And one day I'm gonna be right! g

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MUSIC REVIEWS AS WE FIGHT Midnight Tornado Dockyard 1 2006, CD I got sent this album by a friend and fan of As We Fight, and whenever someone is passionate about a band I can't help but get interested. This is a good example of the current Metalcore sound. Personally, I'm not a fan of this genre of Metal, but I have to give credit to the way the music is written, performed and recorded – all very well done. So, taking that into account, along with the fact that the fans are very much into what the band is doing, it surely would be wrong for me to try and rate the album simply because I personally don't find anything to relate to in their music, so I will leave this one without a rating and recommend that everyone check it out and form their own opinion, or read a review from a Metalcore fan.

MUNICIPAL WASTE The Art of Partying Earache Records 2007, CD The leaders of Thrash revival have released a great album here. I hunted this disc down as soon as I viewed that album cover! I mean, that has to be one of the best, if not the best cover art of the year. But getting back to the music, it's fast, no nonsense Thrash that gets the job of kicking ass done quickly, efficiently and noisily. This band is essential listening for fans of D.R.I., Nuclear Assault, Anthrax... you get the idea. Set your alarm clock with Municipal Waste and wake up in the mid-eighties!

nnnnnnnnnn (9/10) Review by Brendon Williams

(NOT SCORED)

Review by Brendon Williams

DEVIN TOWNSEND Ziltoid the Omniscient Inside Out 2007, CD Wow! Here we have a unique concept album, with a cool sci-fi Metal sound which is also one of a kind. This record is nothing short of brilliant. The songs are long, but so well written that you don't even realize. The singing is superb, and the keyboards and other elements build a sound-scape of musical eliteness! The storyline revolves around (from what I can gather) an alien who is attempting to claim all of the coffee on earth! Sounds ridiculous, but it's fun, and that makes it an even more enjoyable listen. I would normally attempt to compare the CD to something to give a better idea of the overall sound, but in this case the music is so original that I can't. Go listen!

nnnnnnnnnn (10/10) Review by Brendon Williams

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W.A.S.P. Dominator Demolition 2007, CD A return to glory for W.A.S.P.! Dominator should have been the album that followed K.F.D. Instead we were subjected to some not-so-great material, with overly rehashed ideas, and disappointing effort. So if getting political was needed to get Blackie all fired up, then so be it, as the reward is this record. On the plus side, the songs are written in such a way that if you don't care about the political side of things, then you can ignore those messages as they are presented very subtly, normally in such a way as to offer many meanings to the lyric, giving the listener the freedom to pick their own interpretation. And on the negative side... well... there isn't one! If you're a fan of W.A.S.P. When they were at their greatest, then guess what? They are back to DOMINATE!

nnnnnnnnnn (10/10) Review by Brendon Williams

MUSIC REVIEWS SIGH Hangman's Hymn The End 2007, CD Sick and twisted (but also very dynamic) avant-garde Black Metal from Japan, of all places! Spooky melodies, strange moves and effects – all in all, very interesting! It's a mix of Arcturus, Wintersun and a soundtrack to “The Grudge”, with keyboards, chorals and symphonic arrangements. More proof that Heavy Metal is far from dead and is still able to create something unique. I just can't find anything wrong with this record. One of my favorite albums this year.

nnnnnnnnnn (10/10) Review by Max Thrasher

CLAWFINGER Life Will Kill You Nuclear Blast 2007, CD Swedish Hard Core veterans drag along another masterpiece - controversial and politically incorrect, but at the same time very powerful and convincing. If you're not that easily scared off by the rap-read lyrics, this album just might open new horizons. This stuff is certainly not for everyone, but if you're open minded enough, I think you could get it. It's heavy, it's clever, and it's very well written and executed. I guess, just like caviar, you either love it or hate it. But you HAVE to try it.

nnnnnnnnnn (9/10) Review by Max Thrasher

THE CLAN DESTINED In The Big-Ending Bard To Verse 2006, CD An outstanding record from the former Skyclad singer Martin Walkyier. Six years after we last heard of him, Martin introduces the new line-up with James Murphy (Testament, Death, Obituary), Les Smith (Anathema, Cradle Of Filth), Iscariah (Immortal) and fellow Skyclad drummer Jay Graham. Everything here is of the highest quality: the music, the lyrics, the production – everything! This is the sort of record you, as a Metal fan (and an intelligent human being), simply can't afford to miss, doesn't matter what kind of stuff you're into. Absolutely essential.

nnnnnnnnnn (10/10) Review by Max Thrasher

ENTOMBED Serpent Saints Candlelight 2007, CD What can you say about these guys? They are a legendary band, one of those whom many other tried to copy and follow. However it's Entombed who stuck through the years with their unique blend of “Death'n'roll”. They're definitely one of a kind and this new album is yet more proof. Entombed are back to their “Wolverine Blues” sound, and even though the songs got a bit longer, the sinister taste of old is here, alright. Guaranteed to strike a chord with fans of this great band!

nnnnnnnnnn (8/10) Review by Max Thrasher

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What do you get when you put the Beatles and Metallica together? Beatallica, of course! Here is our exclusive interview we did with the guys just before the release of their new album “Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band”.

their music. It is all good fun. This particular year Jaymz and the original guitarist Krk were playing Metallica. Krk, being a huge Beatles fan, thought it would be funny to play "For No One" the way it would have appeared on say Garage days Re-revisited. So these two picked 6 more tunes, made a 7 song CD and gave it to their friends as a joke. And this was all they ever intended it to be. But a guy named David put the material online and dubbed the band Beatallica. He did this without the knowledge of the band members and before they knew what was happening the world took notice of their little joke and Beatallica was born. Have any band members from either the Beatles or Metallica ever contacted Beatallica with

Please tell us about what Beatallica is all about, for those people who haven't heard of the band before. Beatallica is what we affectionately refer to as a mash up band. We play Beatles tunes in the way that we think Metallica would play them. The core of all the music is Beatles based, but the words and the music are all Metal! It is hard to describe really you should just listen. You guys have a new album coming soon! What is the best way to sum up the new record? I would call it the next step, a new level. The production is better and the band is tighter and all the songs are either new or have very different arrangements. This is the best Beatallica product ever. But I might be a little biased. How did the idea for Beatallica originally come about? And why a coupling of these particular 2 bands? Well as I understand it, the two original founding members played a local show we do every year in Milwaukee called Spoof-fest. This is a show where local musicians get together and pick a band to spoof. They dress like the band and play one set of

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feedback or comments? Yes actually Metallica has been asked about us in interviews which completely blows our minds. And Larz has been in contact with us when we had some

How do you manage to put the songs together? Brick by brick my friend, brick by brick. Please describe a concert experience

typical

Beatallica

Lots of head banging, lots of band/audience interaction and lots of fun. We usually have some crazy new thing we are doing so it is best to not ever miss a show if you can help it. You can never really tell what we are going to do next. What's next for Beatallica? Has the band considered touring New Zealand at any point? Wow New Zealand sounds great, when can we leave? Actually we just got back from a European tour and we do have some other shows planned for some far away places so anything is possible. If the question is "how far can Beatallica go?" then I would answer "farther than you think" Where can people stay up to date on the latest developments with the band? That's easy www.beatallica.org ...just go to the news page or the forum there and you will find everything you need to know and some things you maybe wished you hadn't. Your last minute message to the NZ fans? Also, anything else you'd like to mention that hasn't been covered? trouble with Sony and was instrumental in helping us survive through the giant crush of legality. Larz pretty much saved our asses and we are very thankful for that. No word from the Beatles at this time. So you've had copyright problems? Yes there were some questions raised by some people, but everything has been worked out for now. We have to get permission for each song and it can be difficult. There are some songs that we recorded for the new CD that we couldn't use because we couldn't get permission. But maybe someday...

Damn you guys sure do live in a beautiful country. I hope we can come and see you real soon. Lets see those horns!!! Ohhh yeah!! g Check out Beatallica's brand new album “Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band” - out now in all good record stores!

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MOVIE REVIEW gives wings, it is love. Review by Brendon Williams It had been over 10 years since an animated Asterix film had been made before the release of 'Asterix and the Vikings' and the wait was well worth it. With a budget of $26 million US, this is the most expensive European cartoon ever produced, and it looks exquisite. The big name voice actors did a good job, and although they are Americans (some people prefer the genuine French accents only - ala 'Asterix in Britain'!) they carry the story very well. I must also note that the movie was drawn in the English language, so the speech looks very realistic. However, if you are one of the previously mentioned French enthusiasts, you will be happy to hear that the DVD edition also contains French audio with English subtitles as an option.

“The Vikings are coming!” Directed by Stefan Fjeldmark, Jesper Moller Starring (voices) Sean Astin, Brad Garrett, Paul Giamatti, John DiMaggio Summary by Claudio Carvalho After another raid in an empty village, the chief of the Vikings Timandahaf misunderstands the explanation of his advisor Cryptograf that "fear gives wings to the dwellers" and believes that fear actually makes the villagers fly. They decide to chase the champion of fear in Gaul to learn how to fly and make them invincible warriors. Meanwhile, the nephew of Vitalstatistix, Justforkix, is sent from Parisium to the Gaulish village to become a man and Asterix and Obelix are assigned to train the youngster. The stupid son of Cryptograf, Olaf, listens to a conversation of the coward Justforkix with Asterix and Obelix and kidnaps him. While returning to the Viking village, Justforkix meets Abba, the daughter of Timandahaf, and they fall in love for each other. But the Machiavellian and ambitious Cryptograf plan to marry his son Olaf with Abba and become powerful. In the end, Asterix realizes that it is not fear that

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So all in all, Asterix fans are really being spoilt of late, with 2 live-action titles already released (and a third on the way), along with the unexpected release of this brilliant addition to the animated film series (the eighth animated feature!) 'Asterix and the Vikings' is a respectful nod to the book 'Asterix and the Normans' as well as including new characters and scenes to extend the story and develop the universe, immersing the viewer. There is something in 'Vikings' that will appeal to every age group and nationality. The same universal appeal as the comic books. g RATING:

nnnnnnnnnn (9/10)

on our myspace site for anyone that cares to look. The band has Satanic themes. Are you, in fact, Satanists, and if so, how do you choose to practise Satanism?

Here we present our interview with NZ's Beltane! I think that the following extract from the band's website will start the interview quite nicely. Enjoy! “Black Metal from New Zealand? Stranger things have indeed happened! The REAL DEAL!! Black Metal with Atmosphere, Spirit and Integrity. One of New Zealands earliest bands of this genre, while the sound has progressesed somewhat, it's still how Black Metal should be played - Dark Fast and with eerie melody.”

Please give us a brief overview of Beltane. Baphgirl: Beltane has been a long-standing project of Xan’s which I never thought I’d actually be playing a part in. Since becoming a member of Beltane, I feel it has shifted from being largely dominated by Black Metal, into what we’ve been calling ‘Gothic Industrial Black Metal’. Xan: Beltane is unlike most bands as there is a much greater focus on creating something new for the more discerning listener rather than the typical cookie cutter approach that most bands seem to employ. Although the base of the sound is in the Black Metal realm, many additional elements have been incorporated, so Gothic-Industrial-BlackMetal seems to be appropriate. Another thing we do is make a far greater effort to incorporate unseen essences into the music. I won’t go into the history of the band in this question as there is a detailed timeline available

Xan: Our variety of Satanism is an advanced form that incorporates a lot more Occult experience than other forms of typical contemporary Satanism and also certain elements that would almost be considered to have Pagan leanings, although we don’t view it like that. Our practices are often and varied. Aspects of Beltane are directly involved in this, in contemplation and in the field. The problem with Satanism in Metal nowadays is that it’s usually viewed as a joke, which unfortunately in 99% of cases it is. We don’t use Satanic symbols to impress people or upset cris’tins (but we’re delighted if it does!), rather it is an expression of who we are, how we have been for many, many years & would still be even if we totally abandoned our interest in Metal or even music. By ‘we’ in this particular answer, I am referring to Baphgirl, Myself & to most of the ex-members! There is a true Occultic depth to our material that few bands achieve and it’s there for our listeners to get more from being into us than they would get from a typical band with their passé gore & cris’tin devil themes. Baphgirl: I feel that if I wasn’t a Satanist, yet still in Beltane, a lot of the potency would be lost, or the balance would be uneven at least. It’s much stronger having a focused force. I think Anton LaVey would be pleased with what we’ve done. You apparently record your music in forest/natural areas... What are the reasons for this, and are there any disadvantages? Xan: Although it sounds like a cliched Black Metal thing to do, the reality is that very few bands have attempted it and no others do it on a regular basis as we do that we know of. The idea is to capture the influence of the place, to create a spiritual

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connection to the entities of the environment and to evoke a strong thoughtform into the surrounding area. When recording it can also add a certain urgency which is often lacking when one always has recording possibilities at their disposal and does not need to make the most of what would otherwise be expensive minutes. This was started around 97 or so by Dyrk & I but we didn’t do many recordings, mainly jamming. We had three levels of setups, the simplest being an acoustic guitar and a hand drum which we would use when we went on long treks up hills and suchlike. The next level up was gear we could carry to places that were maybe five or ten minutes from the car and possibly two trips. This comprised of an electric guitar through a Peavy practice amp modified to source power from lantern batteries and the essentials of a drumkit. When we could get to places completely by vehicle we used a more elaborate setup with guitar through a Marshall Quad & vocals went through two horn speakers which we usually mounted up in the trees! This was run off the vehicle’s starter battery, which meant we had to be careful as the car had an automatic transmission & we didn’t want to get stranded with a flat battery!! The drums were usually a full 5-piece kit. When we had these kinds of practices they were very much like inside ones & we would practice songs and work on new ones. Most of '2015 S.P.I.K.Y' was done this way at a firebreak we called Diabolous in the Hira Forest. In 2003 we reactivated the outdoor sessions using the drumtracks, which made the setup quite simple, and we could use more compact and easily transportable gear. We started recording these times. These recordings were done in various ways but the best was the time we were at a place called Irongate in the Hira forest, 9 years after and 2 days before the original 'Rehearsal April 5th 1995' recording. Vocals were added at the Maitai Damhead on the 9th anniversary itself. This recording has not been released. After this we grew tired of just making recordings influenced by the energies of the places we played, so then we sought the essence of these loci for creating new material. This is how songs such as 'High Spring Moon' and '666 Anno Sathannas' were created. Summer Solstice 2004 began our Seasonal Recordings. On the site of the Blackmetal Sabbats of 98 and 99, in the Maitai Valley we recorded live some songs and selected five of them to be the first seasonal release, 'Summer Solstice Live 04’. Since

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then we have recorded at every Solstice & Equinox. This year, owing to marked changes in the location and lineup of Beltane led us to combine the Summer Solstice ’06 recording with the Autumnal Equniox ’07 one to form the full-length Album release of ‘Jera’. This has been very effective & well received so we’ll probably do more like this in the future, though some will be released still as M.C.D. length seasonal releases. Baphgirl: As I understand it, the outdoor recordings capture the energy and essence of the surroundings and add a touch of magick to our songs. They are done at times when natural energies are about to peak or transfer. It’s something different than just laying down tracks at any old time. My first outdoor recording with Beltane was on the Autumn Equinox 2007. We were in Palmerston North so we recorded at the old cemetery there, by the I-Cross. Everything was up and running smoothly, but at the time the only disadvantage was we were on the menu for the sandflies and mozzies! Our Winter Solstice recording was done in the hayshed at the farm we live at. It was a terrible windy Winter Solstice eve and the doors made an awful racket of banging and crashing, but they weren’t too distracting. We had trouble with the inverter, so the laptop had to run off it’s own battery which meant that we couldn’t muck around, and as we had known ½ of the songs less than a week, we had to really focus to get them done as quickly and without too many fuck-ups. We managed to get everything done only minutes before the laptop battery died. The band is a 2 piece outfit, also with outside contributions. How is having a 2 person band working out? Xan: It’s working out quite well. It’s easier to organise things & travel especially since we are also Partners in a broader sense too. Plus it means that the ideas and energy are more concentrated, rather than being diluted by half-assed members. This is important for the Satanic & Occult aspects of the band. However it can be hard for people to accept in certain Metal circles and we have been referred to as a Black Metal equivalent of the White Stripes, which is kinda retarded. Baphgirl: (Especially since the White Stripes have a drummer!!) My involvement in Beltane has never been with anything but a 2-piece. I like the balance and ease of co-operation Xan & I have together, both musically and otherwise. Personally I think that

if we were to have another member, they would affect this balance, so if that eventuates it had better be in a positive way! How did the choice to play with a drum machine instead of a live drummer come about? Xan: Well we don’t use a drum machine per se. It’s drumtracks that we perform live with. These are produced in varying ways, some are complete song recordings of a live drummer, a few are programmed but most are made from loops usually of real drums, often from people that have played in Beltane, some that aren’t and some loops from archaic and state of the art drum machines. We are very into receiving beats from dummers everywhere that are into contributing stuff, whether that be recorded in someones ‘A’ room studio, on a simple dictaphone or indeed programmed. These are assembled to form new arrangements or fitted to an existing song that needs one. There’s a story behind it that’s worthy of being told…. In 2003 I decided to reactivate it as a live concern as I had met a bassist, Kvathairein through a mutual silly Thrash Metal band we were both playing in that deserves to stay obscured. Dyrkyn had expressed some interest in resuming drumming duites so on the strength of this we accepted an offer to play at the Darkness Gathering ’03 which was held in mid October. Around late September it was realized that Dyrk was not going to be a part of the lineup. We still wanted to do the show and considered it may be possible to use drumtracks mostly made from recordings of Dyrk. After a test run at Mt Chamboard we knew we could play tight but we didn’t know how it would work live. It transpired that in early October the leader of the silly Thrash band had organised a tiny tour. This turned out to be merely Nelson and Dunedin, and an ideal

opportunity to test Beltane live with drumtracks before the Darkness. So we schemed our way onto the bill saying we had this DJ and live act called ‘Satannel Soundsystem’. The two gigs went fantastically well for us and at the Dunedin show we did reveal to the audience that S.S. was infact Beltane!! The silly Thrash band didn’t fare so well however and playing last, ended up playing to people that were only hanging round to meet me and Kvath. We were both fired from the silly Thrash band upon our return to Nelson…hehe oh and the silly Thrash band’s leader was actually the DRUMMER! When a keyboardist left in early 2006 we tried a drummer once more in the form of an enthusiastic and talented albeit arrangement-forgetful 15 year old whom we dubbed Mystian. This lineup lasted long enough to learn a few songs and record a drumloop that became ‘Autumn’s Slave’ before it was learned that Dyrkyn was dead keen on taking up the stool again. 2006 was a pretty good year both live and recording wise but song creation slowed way down largely due to Dyrkyn’s somewhat finicky attitude. No outdoor songwriting sessions eventuated until early Spring when I, with Kvath in attendance, wrote the music which became ‘Her Spring Eyes’ using a new drumtrack in an abandoned adventure playground in the Moutere Valley of Nelson. Dyrkyn lost his motivation after November’s ‘High Spring Tour’ of the South Island. He did his famous ‘isolate himself from the scene’ trick for the final time. He was briefly replaced by another drummer, who also played for Beltane for a short time in 1996 when Dyrkyn first pulled this stunt. Baphgirl: The last time Beltane played with this replacement drummer was in Wellington in December ’06, and even though Xan was the only source of the melody as Kvath had gone wayward sometime before the gig, things still sounded solid. A

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few weeks afterwards, Xan discovered I had a bass guitar lying about which hadn’t been used in nearly 10 years, so he taught me a few songs and we jammed a lot while he stayed up here with me, using a CD of drumtracks. Not long past the new year, I found myself being the replacement bassist in Beltane, and there was to be a gig happening in Nelson in Feb. We both headed back to Nelson in order to practice with the drummer. I knew three songs (well, 2 Beltane songs – 'Emily' and 'North Sun' – and a cover of Venom’s ‘Countess Bathory’), so we thought we could go through these a couple of times with real drums and get a link established with the three of us and then continue to rack up more songs for our set. Unfortunately this was not to be, as the drummer’s main priority was P and methadone instead of practicing for any length of time, and he displayed a startling lack of enthusiasm. Before we headed back north, however, promises were made by him that he would practice hard out and be competent at eight songs within the few weeks before the gig. A lot of shit happened during this time frame that shaped the fate of Beltane forever. We hardly heard from the drummer; even though the communication lines were open, and he was reminded about the gig, but there seemed to be minimal interest on his part. It was then that we decided to use drumtracks as a backup plan, due to the looming possibility of not having a real drummer on the night. Inevitably the drummer did fail (and yet was so hurt after finding out we’d played without him!), and the drumtracks succeeded and since upgrading from housing them on a laptop where they tended to skip, to a compact, solid state device, we haven’t looked back. Your first full length album is available now. What is it about this album that you are most pleased about, and where is it available for

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purchase? Baphgirl: What I’m most pleased about is that I got to debut on bass on Beltane’s first full-length album! Overall I think that ‘Jera’ has a good sound and feel, and is well presented, and that’s not just any random skull on the cover!!

Xan: Yay that we’ve finally got proper printing on the C.Ds!!..haha. The post production on Jera was rather extensive and it was good to see it completed. I also consider it a significant step up in audio production quality to the previous releases. It is available in Wellington at Real Groovy, Palmerston North at Gothic Gifts and Checkers Records in Nelson. It can also be ordered through our website or myspace with a credit card, or cash/cheque by mail order to Beltane, c/- 94 North Road, Nelson for $20NZ which includes postage. What is the career highlight for Beltane so far, and what are your goals and aspirations for the future? Baphgirl: The main highlight for me was watching ‘Jera’ grow steadily each day as Xan worked on it while I wasn’t around during the day; when I came home something new had developed, like Xan had laid some more tracks down, or altered the sound, or

tried some random effects. Also the recording we did at ‘Pat’s House’ at Kelvin Grove cemetery for E.O.S was exciting too. Ultimately I would love nothing more than to ditch my job and do Beltane full-time with Xan, as well as other music business pursuits, now the opportunity has presented itself for us to make the most of it. After September we’ll be taking a bit of a break from playing gigs, which seems a shame because we’re getting into the swing of things, but we’ll be back after we’ve introduced our demon-spawn to this plane and he’s grown a little.. maybe he’ll be a future replacement for the drumtracks! We’ll still be continuing with the seasonal recordings though. Xan: I don’t know if I can choose one thing here. For the old lineup the 94-95 period was a magickal time for Beltane but playing with Impaled Nazarene and at Satanfest ’99 was wicked as. Meeting Baphgirl in person for the first time when we played Bodega in Wellington last year was fantastic too of course. The seasonal recordings & outdoor rehearsals are always special. For the future I think, to play enough shows and move a decent amount of C.Ds. That, combined with establishing our label, Satanica, to be enough to make a living..…that’s a big priority & we’re getting closer to that all the time. I would also like to work with more contributing musicians and not just for recording but for live appearances as well.

Where is the best place to stay up to date with Beltane on the internet? Our Myspace seems to be the centre of operations these days so just go there. http://www.myspace.com/darkgodbeltane We occasionally update the old website too. http://www.angelfire.com/band2/beltane Send email to [email protected] Thanks for the interview. Anything else you'd like to add? Baphgirl: Buy our stuff! It’s really great! Cheers!! J Xan: Everyone that purchases a CD online or by mail order gets to be part of our Seasonal Elite myspace which is basically a forum for deeper discussions about our releases, Satanic viewpoints, certain secrets of Beltane etc. It also features, on occasion, songs from rehearsals that are not available elsewhere. It is also simple for anyone to sell our CDs on their own website or myspace for good remuneration and almost no effort. If you are interested in doing this, let us know and we’ll send you the details…g

Are you looking at coming to play in Auckland, or any other parts of NZ anytime in the near future? Baphgirl: We are definitely looking to play in Auckland, hopefully before our cut-off date of September 11, but if not, then we will certainly be up there some stage next year. Because we are now based in the North Island and centralised, nowhere is too far out of reach really. We will still occasionally play in the South Island too. Xan: We have shows booked in Hamilton on Aug 11th, Nelson on Aug 17th and in Wellington on Aug 24th. We’re also working on dates for Napier and Wanganui. Just check on our myspace page for latest details.

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Annihilator was started in Ottawa, Canada by Jeff Waters in 1984. He wrote and recorded the song "Annihilator" (different than the track of the same name released on the 1994 album, King of the Kill), with singer John Bates. This original version of "Annihilator" was released on the 2005 album Schizo Deluxe. Waters has frequently changed Annihilator's line-up, throughout its run, and performed as lead vocalist himself between the albums King of the Kill and Remains. We spoke with Jeff recently to get the latest news, and answers to the questions on everyone's minds...

Actually Cory [Beaulieu; Trivium guitarist] really helped us without even knowing it. I mean, he knew that taking us on tour would expose us to a whole new audience, but what really helped was that Cory called me up near the end of the recording of this record [the new Annihilator album, “Metal” - editor] and said “Can I play a solo on your record?” I was near the end of the recording phase with all the solos done, and I said “Wow, that would be great to have you on the album.” So I quickly thought of a song he could solo on and deleted a part of my solo. Next morning I woke up thinking, “Well, that was easy. If I got Cory there, maybe I could have Alexi Laiho [Children Of Bodom] or Michael Ammott [Arch Enemy],” 'cuz they're friends of mine and they like my music. So I took Cory's idea to the extreme, called up a whole bunch of friends of mine and stacked the whole record with guests. Well, while we're on it, what do you think about all this new Heavy Metal? You know, I could comment on it and most of it is positive, but really, I guess my track record with

So what's new with Annihilator these days? I just came back from Europe, we were supporting Trivium over there... Straight away a question: how come you're supporting Trivium? Shouldn't it be the other way around? You see how I led you up to this question? (laughs) Well, if you go about how long we've been around – sure, but it's not how it works. It's based on record sales and popularity and we never were as popular as some other Metal bands. We've been around for a long time and then a band like Trivium comes along and has big success real quick, which is good for them of course. But we're selling less records than them so of course we should be their support act. I'm kinda lucky that I've got that tour, because Trivium have a lot of popularity in places like the UK where they play to four – five thousand people every night. It was a huge bonus for Annihilator to play in front of those 15 to 20 year old Trivium fans. We actually sold a whole lot of records doing that tour. So you think it sort of opened Annihilator to new fan base?

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Annihilator shows that I love '80s Metal, and that's sort of what I do. Offers to join other bands and make soundtracks for video games – all these things come along and dangle a bit of money in front of my face and say “Hey, you wanna be rich?” It's always tempting, but if I die today I can say that I did what I wanted to do and didn't follow trends. We had a bit of fame and success, especially in the early days, and you know, it goes to your head pretty quick, no matter who you are, it's just how out of control does it get? And I was very lucky – I only became a drunk! (laughs)

bands got their influences from. Rush was a great Canadian band... Oh yeah! Actually, looking back now, I'm sort of wondering why I never got more attached to Rush, since they're such incredible musicians! But that's kinda cool - I'm finding a lot of older music that I skipped over. During my “Slayer only” phase I went through, I skipped a lot of great music, because back in 1986/87 if you were into Slayer and bands like that you weren't really allowed to like anything else. You were considered a poser. Ok, let's fast forward to 2007 now and talk about your new album “Metal”. That's a pretty ultimate title for an album...

Annihilator is one of the biggest Metal bands to come out of Canada. What was the Metal scene like when you started? It was big. I mean, there was never a lot of bands coming out of Canada, compared to Europe or the States, but what did come out of Canada was usually original and unique, because we got hit by European AND American music, which developed a different sound. When we started, Metal was big here, just like everywhere else in the world in the 80s, but we had some really groundbreaking bands, who didn't get any credit – bands like Razor, Anvil, Exciter, Voivod... they all sold some records and they all... probably got ripped off by the record company. (laughs) The masses just forgot these bands, while Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Exodus took off. And ironically, that's where a lot of those [American]

It sounds quite serious and pretty bold to call your album that, but hey, Judas Priest didn't take it! They deserved it more than me and they didn't take it... so I took it! When the album was finished, I sat down, looked at the list of guests on the record and thought: “Holy shit! How did I pull that off?” There are so many great Metal musicians there, so the title sort of springs to mind. I had some young bands and fans saying “Who are you guys and what gives you the right to call your album “Metal”?” and then when they do a little research and Google it on the Internet or whatever they do... and they see that we've got 12 albums of Metal songs, then they shut up and take it back. (laughs) Annihilator never changed their logo, unlike many other bands. Have you deliberately resisted modernizing the band? Yeah, I guess to me it's a sort of a symbol, like yeah, it's still there! Even though it's taken a beating it's still there. I remember back in 1993, we just put out the record called “Set the World on Fire” and we got dropped off RoadRunner. Not because it didn't sell well, but that was the time when unless you were playing Metal like Biohazard, Sepultura and Pantera,

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labels would not sign an 80s Metal band. They were dumping everything connected to the word “Metal” off the label. And I remember one of the nameless guys at the company telling me that if I wanted to keep the deal I'd have to sound like Pantera. And I was thinking “Wow! That's fucking INSANE!” And I watched bands totally change their style, their name, their image and try to re-shape themselves into something new. It worked for a few bands, like Machine Head, but most bands failed, because you see it and go “Nope, that's not real”. But I just said, screw it. I'd rather not have a record deal. And I think that's what kept me going, I just stick to what I like. One of the songs from “Set the World on Fire”, “Phoenix Rising” was mixed at Bryan Adams' home studio. How did you end up there? Yeah... That probably woke him up every morning! (laughs) Nah, actually it probably kept him sleeping. We mixed it in Bryan's basement in Vancouver, Canada. I wrote this song for my aunt who passed away from cancer. So yeah, I just went there to mix it and met him. It was really cool, he's a great songwriter and obviously a very talented and famous dude. For me it was quite an experience to go into the lifestyle of the rich and famous, see what it's like for a couple of days and then go back to my normal Metal reality. Annihilator went through five different vocalists throughout the years. What's going on there? Why is it always a new singer? You know, when I started my little career here, I wanted to jam more than one night a week. I wanted to go to our jam space four or five nights a week. And it was always very difficult to find even one guy who would do that! Of course I wanted to party and drink, and you know... girls n'all, but I had this plan that if I practice a lot and get really good, I'll get a record deal and then I'll have all the booze and all the chicks I could ever dream of! But because a drummer didn't show up, or bassist, or the singer didn't write the lyrics, I had to learn how to do it all myself. And all that stuff was the basis for what I do with Annihilator. I would eventually own my own studio and produce 12 records with my band. But most of the time I would want to have a different singer. I know it's a really shitty idea for the fan base, but I can tell you for sure that if I kept the first 3 singers it would probably be the end of my career. They were great for one classic album, but I think we

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would have still lost our deal and be over two or three albums later with the same singer. I think these changes helped us and the proof is in the fact that we're still selling records after all these years. Another question about collaborations: you wrote a song for Joacim Cans [the vocalist of HammerFall] solo album. That song “Forever Ends” is really great. Why didn't you use it with Annihilator? I've got a pile of songs that I didn't use. “Forever Ends” is a typical Annihilator ballad, but Cans called me up and asked me if I have any songs he could use. I said, “Sure! You want a ballad or you want a rocker?” He said “Ballad!” I actually have another version recorded before Joacim did it. I've got a few CDs of old ballads and songs that I wrote during the years. I have them in sections here in my studio – here's some Thrash, here's some more progressive stuff, here's some Blues and Jazz... Now, your drummer, Mike Mangini was here not so long ago, doing a drum clinic... Yeah, he was probably taking some lessons there. The guy needs to practice! (laughs) So when is the whole band gonna come over? Yeah, Australia and New Zealand and a few other countries we just can't get to. We've been asking promoters “Can we come and play?” and they're like “Oh, I don't know, I don't know”. This time we're lucky, we were offered a few shows in Australia around the end of September, and it's always been my goal to get to that part of the world, even without Annihilator. Well, thank you for doing this interview, Jeff. Would you give us a last minute message to the fans of Annihilator who will be reading this interview? Well, peace, love, happiness, Heavy Metal. Hope to see you soon. Check out our new album “Metal” 'cuz it's pretty cool. Lots of neat names on it too, some wicked guitar soloing, some cool Mike Mangini drumming, some decent Metal songs, made by people who really, truly love Metal. And we hope to catch up and hang out with you on tour! g

AUCKLAND LP (and cd) A short history of Metal in record stores over the past decade or so. By Brendon Williams I remember when I was 15, and my mother was kind enough to take my brother and I shopping in town on Saturday mornings. Back then I was into two types of store; comics and music. If you're as old as me (I'm a grand old 28), you may remember the two dream shops right beside each other on Lorne Street. There was Mark 1, which was the excellent shop that these days you could compare to “Heroes For Sale” - it was similar in many aspects, but excellent for the fact you could buy all kinds of weird clearance comic books, role playing games, figurines and other crap dirt cheap. Often it was possible to come out with a bag of all kinds of great junk for under ten bucks. And then, you could wander next door into music paradise. Corner Records was a killer store. They had a Kiss pinball machine and a massive three dollar LP section. And the records in those bargain bins were absolutely mind-blowing. The selection of Metal alone was a crash course in music education, one that I will always be grateful for. I used to pull out about 2 or 3 records every week for approximately a year. The thing that surprised me the most is that none of the albums I would eye up to purchase at a later date (I could only afford about ten bucks worth at a time) got snapped up at all, so I literally got to buy anything and everything I wanted. With the rise of grunge at the time, all I can say is that I guess Metal was well and truly dead in NZ at that stage, or people just couldn't bare to play LPs anymore since CDs were getting cheaper... either way, I benefited from the lack of demand, picking up full length albums from such bands as Holy Moses, D.R.I., Killer Dwarfs, Bonfire, Motley Crue, Warlock, Vain, Cinderella, and a bunch of other more hard-out bands like Gargoyle, Holocaust, Virus and others too numerous to list here. Anyway, as LPs finally died off almost completely, Corner Records shut its doors. I'll always remember that Marbecks on Queen Street were also selling off most of their vinyl at that point with Real Groovy seeming to be one of the only stores not showing signs of flogging off their records. So this became the place I liked to buy music from the most. There was also the record store on K Road right near the

Queen Street intersection (the name escapes me) which hung in there for as long as it could as well. I think it was the rebuilding of that corner that fucked them in the end, the poor bastards. And town for me lost its magic for quite some time after these closures. Apart from a visit to Real Groovy now and then (which I still view as NZ's ultimate music store), there weren't many places for a Metal fan to go and browse. Plus the Internet was well established at this point, so people were using amazon.com to order in the weird and wonderful. Borders was a breath of fresh air; I'll always remember going in for the first time and seeing the top selling CDs and DVDs upstairs, thinking to myself “what a shit selection” - until a minute later when I discovered the stairway... anyone who lives in Auckland and has been downstairs at Borders will tell you it's quite impressive. Massive, maze-like and with a rather good selection of books and music (Metal included of course), it drove the point home that big business had well and truly taken over the little guy when it came to music retail. Since then, the Warehouse has really opened up its selection also, and friends are often telling me about the CD they got cheap as. I must admit I've picked up a few gems from the big red shed now, as you probably have as well, reader. Which brings me to the new kid on the block in Auckland. A big business in Australia, soon to appear all over the place in NZ – I'm talking about JB Hi-Fi. Going into this store recreated for me the overwhelming feeling I got when I first set foot into Real Groovy Records around 15 years ago. The place is big, there is loads of cheap stuff, and it really carries an international selection, with plenty of overseas imports on the shelf. When it comes to shopping for Metal albums in Auckland check out Real Groovy, JB Hi-Fi, Borders, and possibly Marbecks in Queens Arcade, and you still haven't found what you're after, then importing the CD is probably your best option unless you can find it on TradeMe or something. So I've seen the fall of the small guy and the rise of the giants in music retail, just like many others my age. Kinda sad watching the little businesses fold, but at the same time the shopping experiences offered by the likes of Real Groovy and JB Hi-Fi pave the way for great consumer opportunities. g

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