An Odd Amount of Questions with Ron Jarzombek
Ron Jarzombek (via MySpace)
Let me just begin by saying – I play guitar, and if there’s one guy I wish I was good enough to emulate, it’s Ron Jarzombek. This interview was a labor of love for me, as I’ve been big into Spastic Ink for a while and certainly loved Blotted Science (which happens to be the main focus of my questions) in addition to Watchtower and Ron’s strictly solo releases. The fact that I requested an interview through MySpace (of all media), received a willful reply, sent my questions back, and now I have all the answers is a testament to not only how hard this dude works but also how down-to-earth he really is. He’s the kind of guy you want to have a drink with whether there are guitars around him or not.
Because this interview was so special to me, I decided to do more than 10 questions; it took me longer, but it was absolutely necessary. I hope you enjoy reading it.
10 Questions with Scarve
Scarve (via Metal-Impact.com)
I recently got a chance to interview Scarve while they had some downtime, and honestly it was something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. These guys may be hiding in the shadows of some other big names out there right now, but since 1993 Scarve has been creating a unique sound that is hard to imitate and rarely duplicated. In my mind, this band was the rightful heir to Cynic’s throne (on Focus, at least). France is experiencing a “boom”, if you will, in terms of interest in metal, so it would be nice if Gojira could stop hogging all of it and hand some over to Scarve. Read below to find out more about the band’s two founding members, Patrick and Dirk, and why Scarve is where it is today.
Walt Disney Presents: Fangaysia
Demi Lovato (via JuniorCelebs.com)
NOTE: I also thought about “The Hunchfuck of Notre Damn” for the title, but it honestly didn’t fit the subject matter. What a waste.
If for some reason you happened to catch “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” last night , and I don’t know why you would (you might as well have watched “Late Night with Craig Ferguson” while you were at it), you may have seen one of Disney’s newer teen slut role models (Miley’s old news) getting interviewed by the SNL reject. Her name is Demi Lovato, and no, she isn’t legal until next August. I’m sure someone will start a countdown before then.
So everything’s going fine until Jimmy asks Demi about her musical tastes, which he meekly describes as “pretty heavy”. He then struggles to stammer out the word “metal” like a little kid saying “heck” around his parents for the first time, ready and waiting for the network spanking to come at the first iteration of music not starting with “N” or ending in “ickelback”. Fortunately for him, Demi doesn’t listen to metal much anymore aside from a few bands.
10 Questions with God Dethroned
God Dethroned (via MySpace)
If you haven’t caught wind of God Dethroned recently, you’ve been living under a rock. They’ve been all over the media in support of their newest album Passiondale, and it’s getting great reviews. Bassist Henk “Henke” Zinger was kind enough to give us a little more insight into the band, the album, and much more.
10 Questions with Eating Infinity
Eating Infinity (via MySpace)
In a world where everybody has a death metal band (or at least a band they think is death metal), some people want to take things to the next level. For lead guitarist/songwriter Mark Hawkins and vocalist Baked Blake of Floridian newcomers Eating Infinity, the challenge isn’t getting to the next level (musically, they’re already there); what’s difficult is getting other people to join them. Hoping not to go the way of Anvil, this band is showing all the talent and promise necessary to make it big – but in a world where deathcore is king, usurping the illegitimate throne is no easy task. Learn more about these guys now before you end up getting surprised by them in the future.
10 Questions with Pete Peterson
Pete Peterson (via MySpace)
MySpace is full of stay-at-home guitarists trying to get people to listen to their music. Most of them are nothing to write home about, but every now and then you come across somebody with chops who is also willing to take risks. The latter scenario is what introduced me to Pete Peterson, a skilled musician who takes a metal-fused-with-everything-else approach to songwriting a la pre-sobriety Devin Townsend. He’s also a pretty damn intelligent fellow (see the more esoteric posts on his blog: mooktank). Check out his tunes if you’re starving for something new amidst today’s veritable sea of metal conformity.
10 Questions with Destrophy
Destrophy (via Flickr)
For a lot of people, the only notable metal band from Iowa to break into the mainstream was Slipknot. That is about to change. Destrophy has been impressing local and out-of-state crowds for years now, including opening for Korn and Disturbed recently. Since the time of this interview they’ve signed a multi-record deal with Victory Records. Don’t let their apparent affiliation with nu metal bands discourage you from listening to the music – it’s killer. Big things are coming their way, and you ought to know a little about them before they pop up and surprise you one day. Destrophy mastermind Ari will fill you in.
10 Questions with Exmortus
Exmortus (via MySpace)
The new wave of American thrash metal has given birth to a lot of tribute bands. While that can be cool, metalheads have to really dig through some of the muck to find bands with original sounds. Exmortus is one of those bands. They throw thrash, death, and neoclassical shred into a blender and whip up their own unique flavor of the aggressive music we all know and love. Exmortus’ drummer Mario was kind enough to answer our 10 questions, so check them out below and then listen to the music.
10 Questions with Seven
Seven (via MySpace)
Meshuggah is an often copied, never duplicated kind of band. They influence a shitload of new metal musicians, but the fact is that so many of them can’t find their own voice with that sound. One band from Illinois is doing a good job of breaking away from the pack: Seven. We got a chance to catch up with Brad Tuttle and rest of Seven recently for an interview. Check it out!
10 Questions with Almost is Nothing
Almost is Nothing (via MySpace)
If you’re tired of breakdowns being the norm (like me), then you will enjoy this band. They take the best of modern melodic death metal and give it a traditional heavy metal/thrash spin, resulting in music that metal fans won’t feel embarrassed listening to. You probably don’t know about them, but if you do, here’s your chance to get to know them better.
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AUTHORS
Chris Catharsis
dasher10