"some music was meant to stay underground..."

Interviews

To date, we have conducted 276 interviews. If your band is available for an interview, feel free to contact us and we'll see what we can do. Here are our latest:

Photo of Chrome Division

Band Photo: Chrome Division

Interview With Bjorn Luna Of Chrome Division

Chrome Division is a hard hitting rock and roll band with a heavy metal edge that focuses on all those things that make rock music so much fun, namely Booze, Broads, and Beelzebub, which just happens to also be the name of the band's latest album. Although the band is composed of members from more extreme outfits such as Dimmu Borgir and The Kovenant, Chrome Division has its own distinctive style that has been crafted specifically to get people taking shots and singing along. The band's bassist Bjorn Luna recently answered some questions about Chrome Division and their new album. Read the full interview...

"The Atomic Clock" Gene Hoglan Interviewed

Branded the most brutal metal drummer of our time, Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II, has been consistently acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. His highly technical precision of playing increasingly fast and challenging tempos, with extreme accuracy, earned him the nickname "The Atomic Clock." He is best known for his works with the bands Death, Strapping Young Lad and Testament.

Completely self-taught, Hoglan got his first drum kit when he was 13. He began his music career in the early 80s, playing drums during concert sound checks for legendary metal band, Slayer, and working as their lights engineer on tour. He also formed the well known thrash band, War God, with Michelle Meldrum. At the end of the same year he was asked to drum for the thrash metal band Dark Angel, and wrote most of the lyrics for their next three albums. He achieved even greater notoriety during the 1990s playing with Death, recording an album with the thrash metal band Testament, and making the acquaintance of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Devin Townsend, forging a lasting friendship. He has since recorded several albums with Townsend, both as part of the speed/industrial/death metal band Strapping Young Lad and Townsend's solo albums.

Hoglan recently played on "The Dethalbum," for Adult Swim's animated TV show, Metalocalypse. "The Deathalbum," debuted at #21 in the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting death metal album in history. He just finished touring with Dethklok, selling out shows in every city. Hannah and I got to sit down with Gene and discuss the Dethklok tour, various percussion instruments he's created, and the recent loss of his dear friend Michelle Meldrum. Read the full interview...

Photo of Dethklok

Band Photo: Dethklok

Dethklok Co-Creator/Vocalist/Guitarist Interviewed

The co-creation of comedic geniuses Brendon Small (creator of Adult Swim's Home Movies) and Tommy Blacha (writer of Late Nite with Conan O'Brien and Ali G), Metalocalypse is the most brutal metal cartoon to date. The show is about the metal band Dethklok, the most famous and influential band in the world. So influential, in fact, that Dethklok fans commit mass suicide when Dethklok album releases are delayed. Regardless of knowing that thousands of people die at Dethklok concerts, the fans still attend for the mere opportunity to be a part of history. Dethklok is held as the twelfth largest economy in the world (just above Belgium). Meanwhile, a secret government organization strategizes tirelessly to thwart Dethklok's rise, but keeps their efforts low key, so as to avoid a massive revolt by Dethklok's fans.

Hannah and I had the opportunity to witness two live performances by Dethklok: at The Nokia Center in NYC, and the TLA in Philadelphia. Most, if not all, of the shows on the tour were sold out, and every piece of merchandise was sold (only one box of merchandise was left for the last show of 4000 people). The band, consisting of lead guitarist and vocalist Brendon Small, rhythm guitarist Mike Keneally, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Gene Hoglan, played in the dark affront a giant projection screen which played clips from the Metalocalypse cartoon (with lyrics so the fans could sing along). The band incorporated interaction with the cartoons on the screen, including intervals where the band would leave the stage and the audience was left to watch the cartoon for a few minutes until the band returned. The cartoon excerpts were witty leaving the fans laughing, and cheering the band on as they would return to the stage.

This Adult Swim cartoon band has a following that is unsurpassed in death metal. We were lucky to have the opportunity to sit down with Brendon Small, co-creator (and most of the character voices) and Gene Hoglan (legendary Metal Drummer). We asked Small what he thinks about metal, how this idea was conceived, and how it feels to be the voice of the most popular cartoon death metal lead vocalist (Nathan Explosion) in the world. Read the full interview...

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