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Editorial
Busy times here at Slaughterama HQ - this issue has some great interviews as always, but the new ambitious project for us is House Of Noizz TV which we are in the process of filming. We have very little resources and very little cash, but a lot of enthusiasm, and that is what we will need in order to get this bastard onto the silver screen! The plan is to screen the pilot episode on Triangle TV, and also Stratos (a digital channel for everyone with Freeview and Sky Digital). From there we can shop this evil little bugger around and try and get some sponsors on board in order to make more episodes! If we succeed, we will end up with a regular show. If not, well perhaps we will utilise youtube instead... This issue contains the debut of a new column writer for Slaughterama, Ultimate Metal Dude. Mr. Dudes opinions are inflammatory, egocentric and harsh, therefore any sensitive readers would do well to steer well clear. He is an imaginary character created by an anonymous contributor, so any feedback to the author can be sent to him directly at ultimatemetaldude@gmail.com or by visiting his blog at www.ultimatemetaldude.com. Well also be happy to forward any comments, praise, questions, death threats, etc. to his email. House Of Noizz radio is now down to half an hour, from 10PM Friday nights on Aucklands Planet 104.6FM. Max went on a holiday just after our 10th birthday show, and we agreed that House Of Noizz needed to be rebooted and remade into a faster, more energetic show. After consulting our bank accounts we decided to try the half hour format, and it has worked a treat. We now bring the absolute cream of the crop every week, so you can be sure you are hearing the finest Metal that the Planet has to offer! Slaughterama has noted (among many other magazine titles) the loss of Groove Guide, the free weekly street press which recently joined forces with Real Groove magazine in order to solidify and present the best quality free NZ music publication available. Distribution of the mag was great, and it is sad to learn that due to poor advertising revenue, the decision has been made to pull the plug on the mag. Being a street publication ourselves, we understand how hard it is to pull in advertising coin, and often work to a financial loss. Lastly, we remind you, our readers, that theres always up to date information on houseofnoizz.com, which will include information on the screening dates of House Of Noizz TV when they are available. Until next issue, Stay True!

Brendon Adam Editor

fter laying proud claim to being the heaviest band on the lineup at this years Camp A Low Hum, and sharing the bill with Melvins and High on Fire on their recent New Zealand visit, Beastwars are releasing the demon from its cage in the form of their untitled debut album and a potent five stop nationwide tour. We spoke with the band to find out more... When I heard your bands name for the first time, I hadnt yet heard your music, and it conjured up thoughts of Transformers and the music associated with old action cartoons; guitar solo filled power metal type stuff. So I went to your Bandcamp page expecting something which sounded like Lion performing on the 1986 Transformer soundtrack, and obviously discovered something altogether different. So I guess the question is, is the bands name based on the nineties animated series (Transformers: Beast Wars) at all, and if not, how did you come up with the name? I thought that the name Beastwars was something that just came to me but I must have subconsciously absorbed it many years ago. Were all a little old to have watched the show but I guess that just shows the subliminal power of advertising. I love the name - and I think that without whatever peoples memories of the TV show are it suits the sound of the band pretty much perfect. What are the main messages and ideas behind the music of Beastwars? To survive the end of days then evolve and transend. The idea is simply to make heavy powerful music. Basically just to obey the Riff. The Riff is god. The only Beastwars song I have had the chance to listen to so far is Damn The Sky (which can be heard at http://beastwars.bandcamp. com). So is this song the most accurate representation of the bands overall sound on the album? Well they all have a heavy vibe in common. Damn the sky is a good starting point because its the opening song of the album and the journey starts from there. Theres death and war and destruction and chaos from there on in. It gets pretty sludgey so bring your gumboots.

The bands sound appears accessible enough for rock fans, and heavy enough for metal fans. What crowd do you enjoy playing to more? The rockers or the metallers? Without trying to generalise I think some metallers when they first hear us might not think were metal enough but come around when they hear a few songs and pick up on where were coming from. Weve been described as paunch metal - because were old bastards who like to keep it slow haha. Interesting to hear that your debut album will be coming out on gatefold vinyl. I think most bands would love to release an album on vinyl, but dont have the funds, opportunity, or connections to do it. A couple of questions here: Are the LPs being produced locally? How expensive is the exercise of creating actual records these days? And in your opinion is it actually a viable option for bands to begin releasing on vinyl on a regular basis once again? There have been a few headaches along the way making the vinyl but when I heard the test pressing for the first time it was all worth it. The songs sound different and seem to have more character, depth and warmth. The vinyl is being pressed in America and the guy who mastered the CD version of the album also cut the lacquer which the finished record is pressed from. We offered the vinyl and some other merch for sale on www. facebook.com/beastwars666 and were able to fund the album through that and a little bit of luck on the horses. If you think you can presell 100

copies of your album and your fans are willing to wait 6 weeks for it to arrive then your band can afford it. It is one of my most rewarding musical experiences hearing our album coming out of the spinning black abyss and I would recommend that feeling to any band. Anyone whos keen can get in touch with us through our facebook for contacts who to go through or anyone who wants to buy a copy of our vinyl. What are the bands plans for after the upcoming tour? Weve already started writing the new album so were thinking about how well be recording that. Heading to Australia for a few shows is on the cards and also a New Zealand tour later in the year with our good buddies Razorwyre. Thanks for your time. Any final messages for the readers of Slaughterama? Obey the Riff and long live the beast! g

In honor of the release of HELLs lo uclear Blast USA caught up with HELL guitarist & acclaimed metal producer Andy Sneap to ask ten questions about Human Remains which was a whopping 29 years in the making. How exactly does HELL have a tie-in with Metallica? Im presuming you are referring to them talking about covering a Paralex track when they were thinking of which songs to use on the Garage Days EP. Lars [Ulrich] mentioned it a while back. Paralex [in whose ranks were two original members of HELL] released their much sought after White Lightning EP - on green vinyl, no less! - and were also featured on the compilation album [NWOBHM: 79 Revisited] that Geoff Barton and Lars compiled a couple of years ago. So thats all, really. HELL existed for such a short amount of time after their inception in 1982. What led to the bands rapid break-up?

The band signed to Mausoleum Records back in 1984/85, who then went bankrupt. This happened over a one year period of the band being kept in limbo and by the time it had all fallen through, band members were in debt, disillusioned, and disinterested. Kev Bower quit to be replaced by one of Dave [Halliday]s guitar students Shaun Kelly, but a year later they disbanded and unfortunately in early 87, Dave Halliday took his own life. How did the aftermath of Daves death play out, leading up to today? After Dave died, everyone went separate ways. Kev totally gave up on music as did Tim Bowler [drums]. Tony [Speakman, bassist] kept playing in local bands. I met both Tim and Tony again about 10 years ago and of course, wed always talk about old times and the band. It was only when we managed to find Kev three years ago through his son being into metal and liking bands Id produced that we had this crazy idea of recording the old material. We didnt really think what we were doing at the time, it was more like an old boys convention

where wed have a few beers and record a bit at a time when I was available. But it really brought us all together again and has actually been a tremendous amount of fun. I think the results speak for themselves. David Bower, the new lead singer, is actually quite theatrical, both visually and with his voice. We found him at under the same roof as Kev. Davids actually a professional actor/lunatic who has appeared in a few of the UK soaps and also Othello in London with the comedian Lenny Henry. By nature hes a tenor, but we got him down to do the voice over in Plague And Fyre. Its when I got him to sing some backing vocals I realized the missing piece to the puzzle was right under our noses. His brother Kev is the guitar player and hed also seen the band maybe 15 times back in the day, so he knew exactly what the band was all about. Are all the tracks on Human Remains all the original songs from back in the day? Yes, they are all from the 80s. A few tiny tweaks arrangementwise to streamline them a little bit, but in general, they are very true to the originals. Its surprising to know you guys didnt get carried away with your old boys convention and write new material for this one! No, not on this one. The next album will see 50% old and 50% new. Theres a lot

more to come and we have big plans for that already. Like I said earlier, Kev gave up on music and now hes rediscovered it; the ideas are really flowing. I also have a huge stock pile of riffs and ideas and Dave Bower is also a talented guitar player. Tony has a couple of ideas he keeps mentioning too, so I think we are well into album 3 by now. Youve been around long enough to see

What I tried to achieve on this album was an honest recording of these songs. We took almost an old-school approach, no cutting and pasting, heads-down, see-youat-the-end, but still obviously as tight as we could get it. People have commented on the production being more organic than my usual productions, but really its down to the song writing and style of playing than anything Im doing. Ive worked on and off on the album over the last three

There are people who really dig the album who werent even born when HELLs first demo was recorded in 1982! The reaction to the album is quite humbling, actually. We knew it was good but had no idea how people would take it. Its always a bit of a nervous time when you release an album but always very satisfying when the opinions across the board are universally positive. It just confirms we have done the right thing, which after all the hard work, upset, and time gone by for these guys, is a truly wonderful feeling. What do you think is the appeal of NWOBHM bands in todays scene? I think the scenes getting a bit saturated with the new stuff. Labels are partly to blame. I think schedules have become too predictable, so people hark back to the old days where it was more about classic song writing rather than the latest hair cut and 7-string single note riff. Back then, in the 80s, people really believed in metal; it really came from the heart. I wont put another HELL album out until we are 100% happy with it. Bands are too rushed these days and I think it doesnt help bands develop. Its nice to know youre guitar and will soon to again with HELL, as its since your other band, recorded or played live. back playing hit the stage been a while Sabbat, has

the evolution in music production really evolve. How would HELLs original demos stand up to the full albums standards of today? The demos were mono; the albums in stereo Im not kidding, either. We could get into the whole analog / digital debate.

years. Basically, whenever I had a spare weekend, Id call the guys up and say Right lets get to it. If you combine all the time up, including the mix, its probably taken 10 weeks. There wasnt really any difficult points; the hardest bit was saying Thats it, its done, because an album is never finished.

Deep down, I always have been a guitarist. Its just that Plan B kinda worked out for me. I must admit, Im pretty bored with sitting on my ass in the studio all day, so now Ive been given the chance to do this. Im 100% in; its fun. It may cost me some money and a couple of albums I could have done, but you know what? I dont care. Playing to me is priceless. g

morphis are one of Finlands finest exports. Their music is truly unique, and their status is legendary. We were happy to talk with founding member Tomi Koivusaari about the bands history and their upcoming album The Beginning of Times. So the first Amorphis demo tape was done with the help of Timo Tolkki, who was early into his career with Stratovarius. What was it like working with Timo, and have you kept in touch throughout the years? Yes, we knew Timo before; we had some of the same friends and we met a few

times at some house parties and so on. I remember us staring at his guitar playing; he was sooo fast! I think first Stratovarius album was just out around those times. So when Timo formed TTT studio, it was an obvious choice to us because it was very cheap, as Timo was still studying the whole studio thing. We have seen each other once in a while during the years; hes cool guy! I remember when we recorded that demo, we wanted to have a shitty guitar sound ala Death Metal, and we had a Fender bass combo for that. Timo didnt like the idea, as he had just invested big money into his guitar-rack, and we didnt want to use that, it sounded too clear to us. So there was a little arguing about that, but we won! The studio was almost

in the countryside, and there was some free grazing big dog who wanted to eat us everytime we went or left the studio. Im glad were still here! It is not often that a band forges an altogether new sound in Metal, but it became clear to everyone (who wasnt already aware) that Amorphis were pioneers when Elegy came out in 1996. Did you know while you were making the album that it was going to have such an impact? I think it was same thing with Elegy as with Tales from the Thousand Lakes, we were thinking that either this is going to be a flop, or something new. But those

records just turned out that way naturally; we wanted to have other kinda influences as well as just Metal. We just didnt care about what people were thinking about it, we just trusted ourselves and wanted to create something that pleased us, (still do). Elegy still sounds somewhat fresh to me. Of course at the time some fans were waiting for another Tales album and were a little bit like What The F..k, but afterwards they got used to the fact that we had done quite different albums compared to each other in the past. New Zealand is a similar nation to Finland in many ways, but Finland has

embraced Metal, whereas it remains rather underground here. How do you think your nation came to appreciate Metal so much, and what is it about Finland that has made it such an important contributor to Metal with so many important artists and albums? In the 80s there was a lot of Finnish bands in the disco and rock scenes who

tried desperately break outside Finland, but never did, as those bands were awful, really. Then in the early 90s some Metal bands (well Amorphis, Stratovarius, Waltari, Senetenced etc.) started to have succes and tours outside Finland, but the media still wasnt interested; they made huge news about some RNB band that played a gig in New York to 10 people and so on. But after Him, Nightwish and others,

the media finally had to admit that Metal bands from Finland were doing much better than any other, so I dont know, suddenly they just realized that metal was selling the most in Finland and bringing the biggest audiences to gigs. Also bands had to realize here that being original and unique and not just copying others is very important, so there is lot of unique stuff coming from Finland these days. Our long winter might have something to it - that

young guys are spending so much time with their instruments. In NZ the weather is slightly different! Tell us about the upcoming album The Beginning of Times Its a quite natural follower to Skyforger, though we concentrated more on the arrangements and songs structures this time. Last summer we realized that we already had about 17 new songs, so we started to record them at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki between tours and gigs last fall. Marco Hietala produced the vocals in his own studio in Kuopio in January - February 2011. Again Mikko Karmila mixed it. The lyrics are still based on Finnish mythology, and it is the longest record in our history; there is 13 songs, so it might need a few more listens than its predecessors. Still, I wouldnt call it a difficult album. Some songs have a more progressive touch than others. The band has been around for about 20 years now, and with the release of The Beginning of Times you will have released 10 studio albums. This is an impressive run; are you at all surprised that Amorphis has been going this long? If somebody would have told me 20 years ago that we would still be going, I would have laughed! I never believed it might take us this far. But we have had good spirit and so much inspiration to write music and tour different places, so it just happened. As long as this is fun and we still want to make our best record and not just do records to get to tour and play old stuff, we will continue. It has become a lifestyle to us, and I cannot imagine doing

any other job other than being involved with music. I do feel really privileged that we have old fans still following us, as well new fans. Im sure we will be here for a while! When Amorphis explores new musical ideas, how do the fans react? Is it difficult to go for something which sounds new and interesting as opposed to something comfortable and fitting to your more signature sounds? We have always written music for ourselves in the first place, so in that way I feel like we have been loyal to our fans as well. But it is funny, in the past we have done very different kinds of albums, and someone was always complaining about new record, cause it sounded different. Now that our line-up has been stable, and we sort of found our own sound, some people are complaining that we dont change enough.. But there used to be more of an edge in the Metal scene than nowadays, especially after this long career people have gotten used to different influences in Metal music than there was 15 years ago. It is very interesting and fun to make big musical changes, but at the same time never have to change to focus on that sound. It is also very rewarding to have a sound and refine it more and more, and when it starts to be boring, turn in a new direction.

Any plans to come to New Zealand? We have seen a couple of Finnish Metal bands down here; Lordi came down a few years back... I really wish!! There has been some talk about it once in a while, but I dont know whats happening in our agents head. Im sure we will come someday, if there are enough fans of ours over there!

he most violent of all fighting games is back with a vengeance! Forget the last few mediocre installments; Mortal Kombat 2011 (the 9th game) is back to the side-on (2D) style, with more bloody violence than ever - so much in fact that the game is currently banned in Australia!!! For serious players I highly recommend the purchase of the Tournament Edition fight stick (pictured) along with the game. It is a great quality stick, extremely sturdy (made of wood!) and with a real arcade feel. A great centerpiece! The only downside to the stick is that while the button layout is perfect for Mortal Kombat, other games will require remapping. But it truly is a beautiful piece of equipment and you can pick it up by itself for just over $100 here in New Zealand. All up, with awesome x-ray attacks, 2 on 2, plus tonnes of other kool modes, MK9 with the fight stick are must have additions to your gaming collection. GET OVER HERE!!! mmmmg Brendon Adam

Any final messages to the NZ Amorphis fans? Hopefully Ill see you down there soon. I hope you enjoy the new album. Push your local venues to call our agent to book a show! Thanks for your time, Tomi! Thank you! g

movie review

Scream 4
It has been over a decade since the last Scream movie came out. After all of the classic slasher franchises burnt out for a while there in the nineties, Scream reinvigorated the genre, so what is the latest movies purpose? The answer appears to be to acknowledge technologys place in modern society and explore how a demented killer could use these new gadgets! 11 years ago, social networking was nowhere near as good as it is today, and the tools that the general public have access to such as smart phones, ultra portable cameras and internet steaming have come a long way. The good old fashioned phonecall just doesnt cut the mustard like it used to when it comes to inventive ways to kill people! Scream makes fun of itself (perhaps a little too often) throughout the movie and is nice light entertainment. The next generation of slasher fans should hopefully catch on, and hopefully this film, along with all of the classic slasher reboots (Halloween, Friday the 13th, N.O.E.S, Texas Chainsaw, etc.) will do enough to secure the genres continuation for many years to come! mmmgg Brendon Adam

LAKE OF TEARS Illwill AFM 2011 You never know what to expect from these guys, but this time theyve outdone themselves. After a couple of mellow Pink Floyd-ish albums, enter Lake of Tears 2011 with what could easily be their most bizarre album to date. Gone are the ballads and melancholy - Illwill is full of balls-to-thewall evil Metal, in vein of Slayer, Exodus, Metallica and even Black Metal outbursts of Bathory! Altogether it sounds like it shouldve been recorded in 1994, right after their Death Metal debut. At the same time its still absolutely brilliant. Yet another gem in the outstanding discography of the Swedes. mmmmg Max Thrasher

AVANTASIA The Flying Opera Nuclear Blast 2011 A brilliantly packaged 2 CD - 2 DVD set, capturing the one-off tour of Europe, Japan and South America. The CDs and the first DVD feature live performances at the Wacken and Masters of Rock festivals, while the second DVD contains an interesting little film, documenting the tour and what went down behind the scenes. As I understand, theres also a 2 CD only version, but youre definitely better off forking out your $70 for the whole box. Fans will love it! mmmmm Max Thrasher

SIXX AM This is Gonna Hurt Eleven Seven Music 2011 The second album from Nikki Sixxs side project. Like the debut, this album is full of (dare I say it) hip, modern sounding, commercial rock *gag* yet it surprisingly still manages to be heavy enough to satisfy Motley fans. Like any album associated with Nikki, the songs are very catchy and well written. It was a smart move to produce an album as radio friendly and accessible as this, while still being heavy enough for Metal fans to enjoy as easy listening. Some really catchy tunes here. mmmmg Brendon Adam

VAINS OF JENNA Reverse Tripped Deadline Cleopatra 2011 Vains of Jenna are back with another album already - this time the whole disc is stripped back, mainly acoustic covers of old school stuff such as Elton Johns Yellow Brick Road, The Mamas & The Papas California Dreaming, Bob Dylans Blowin in the Wind etc... Most of the songs stay very faithful to their original counterparts, (possibly too much so), but where there is a change to the original formula, it unexpectedly works (like ripping the main riff out of Smoke on the Water?!) Overall, really cruisy stuff, like having the band over to your place to perform with acoustic guitars on a hungover Sunday morning. mmmgg Brendon Adam

DEMONAZ March of the Norse Nuclear Blast 2011 One-time member of Immortal, Demonaz brings his new band with Ice Dale (Enslaved, Audrey Horne) and Armagedda (I). Not overly complex, but cold and powerful Metal, which somehow reminds me of later Satyricon. All in all, if the names of the above bands ring a bell, you wont be disappointed. Recommended! mmmmg Max Thrasher

CRUACHAN Blood on the Black Robe Candlelight 2011 If you think the wait between Nokturnal Mortum albums is way too long, here's something to keep you company. FolkBlack (in this order), and very convincing at that. Very melodic, with cool hooks, fiddle and punishing guitars. Reminds a lot of last two Nokturnal Mortum records - same savage sound and delivery. Very cool, don't miss it! mmmmg Max Thrasher

KISKE / SOMERVILLE Self Titled Frontiers Records 2010 I only just found out that this album existed even though it was released last September. Anyway, from a Metal standpoint its a rather mellow duet record. Lots of people seem to really like it, but I didnt really want to listen to Amanda Somervilles singing with Kiske; at certain points I was wishing she would shut up so I could listen to Kiske alone. But even Kiske wasnt pushing his voice to the Helloween heights, so while its a good album it wasnt really what I was looking for. Instead its a nice filler until the debut Unisonic album (his new band with Kai Hansen). mmmgg Brendon Adam

HAVOK Time Is Up Candlelight Records 2011 This is the second major label release from the Colorado thrashers. These guys have been around for a few years now and are part of the classic thrash revival which bands like Municipal Waste spearheaded. This is a great quality thrash album which doesnt pretend to be anything its not, and as a result it is a ripping powerhouse. mmmmg Brendon Adam

tWA RN

INGt

From a festering pile of MOLTEN STEEL comes ULTIMATE METAL DUDE.

My purpose: to pass EXTREME commentary on all of the current happenings on planet Earth. To say the shit that others dont have the balls to say. To be the most infamous fictional figure in society since Jesus Christ. Just because Im wearing lipstick doesnt mean I cant kick your ass!

www.ultimatemetaldude.com
The following article was written by a fictional entity. Slaughterama wishes to inform readers in advance that while we published this piece we do not necessarily agree with the viewpoints of the author. Therefore if you do not have a sense of humour, cannot handle critisism and aggressive, arrogant opinions, then we suggest that you do not read any further. Cheers, The Slaughterama Team.

NZ MUSIC AWARDS METAL CATEgORy

What has Metal done to get the attention of the press in this country? Not much! So is it any surprise that Metal is not recognised as a category in the NZ Music awards? Metal Bands should be out there creating controversy and making the media take notice of them. Journos are always keen for a juicy story, and wont bother covering another regular looking and acting group of dudes making an ok sounding album. Why? Because its BOOOOORING!!!!! Nobody wants to watch / read about boring crap! Metal musicians in this country need to ask themselves Am I interesting enough to be approached by the media? I already have the answer for 98% of you. NO FUCKIN WAY! How about you stop dressing like a commoner, acting like a regular person and put some decent effort into creating media interest in your band? Forget the idiots (including the ones who also happen to be part of your band!) that dont want any media attention because they think its more true and proper to be underground and only be a household name within their own household. Fact is, their mum will buy their record, but thats about it. Instead, do something, and sack the moron/s in your band who wont strive for success! The easiest way to get attention these days (as always) is to look like a freak, so become the ultimate version of your vision, and become unashamed, attention seeking, attention getting whores. Whats your look? Is it full leather and spikes like Manowar/Judas Priest? Monstrosities like GWAR? Personality reflecting characters like KISS? Big hair, mascara wearing trannies like Poison? Corpsepaint wearing

THIS ISSUES TOpIC:

badasses like Immortal? Or better still, something completely original yet equally over the top? The good news is that international level Metal already has the most extreme looks in music, so go buy/ make the shit you need to make it happen, and DO IT! Start turning up wherever the mainstream news medias cameras are, whether its a music-related event (NZ Music Awards anyone?) or even something gay like the Easter Show and take a plan along to make the story about you instead of a big fuckin pumpkin some homo grew. Once weve got a dozen or so bands more over the top and interesting than Lady Gaga, putting as much creativity into their image and catchy songwriting as their musicianship, then NZ Media (and possibly international media too) will not only take notice, but well get a fuckin music revelation in this country which will no doubt include recognition at the NZ Music Awards, as noninclusion would create a much more significant outcry from the general public than the current murmurs from the fringe. The only thing stopping you, the musicians, are the attitudes and unwritten rules of being a New Zealander. All that Tall Poppy shit. You know the stuff Its all about the music, not the image Metal isnt supposed to be commercial Its my band; Im not going to do what other people want I dont want to be famous, this is just artistic expression for myself and close

friends If I get famous its not fair to all the other hard working Metal bands I gig with All my friends in the scene will think Im a sell out if I change my band in order to become more popular you know, all that BULLSHIT. Same tired old crap they roll out when they say that they dont even want Metal to be a category in the NZ Music Awards. Oh yeah, and while Im rolling out the blatant critisism, why not dial down on the crap generic Death and Grindcore and make some more catchy accessible stuff with big choruses? Bands who are interesting to look at and are also listenable by the average punter will be the first to get the media interested. You think your band fits the bill as being a t t e n t i o n grabbing? Well, if thats the case I should already be reading about you on the front page of the Herald due to an outrageous publicity stunt, but if you havent got that far yet, send me your bands photo and a link to some music and Ill tell you what sucks about your band without sugar coating it the way your parents, mates, and friends in the scene always do. Oh yeah, and anyone who cant handle my words and wants to come to Ultimatemetalville to smash my face in for turning some heads with my straight up undiluted opinions, dont forget just because Im wearing lipstick doesnt mean I cant kick your ass! g

SLAUgHTERAMA MINI pOSTER - ISSUE 39