Interview with Jeong Hyeon-seok of Mara!!

Special thanks to Shin Won-jae (신원재) and Hong Ji-yoon (홍지윤) for all their hard work in translating!!

https://www.facebook.com/ThrashMara

http://cafe.daum.net/Thrashmara

WULF: I have been to a couple shows in Seoul, but I am still new to the Korean metal scene. What is your opinion on the scene here? How does the metal scene in Seoul compare to the scene in your hometown, Busan?

Hyeon-seok:  In other countries (especially in Western cultures), heavy metal is respected as one popular (or not) genre among various other types of music. However many Koreans still have a prejudice about this kind of intense music. I think it’s still too early for most Koreans to accept heavy metal as a special genre of music. We heavy metal musicians also need to make our music have its own Korean style, and not just copy songs from Western bands.
The most noticeable differences between Seoul and Busan are cultural factors. Compared to Busan, for example, Seoul has more stages and spacious facilities that can accommodate many people. Moreover, a number of various festivals are held annually in Seoul, and they attract diverse audiences.

WULF:   As far as I can tell, it has been almost 10 years since you have released any new music!  Is this true?  When are you going to put out some new stuff??

Hyeon-seok:   In addition to existing songs, we always try to show our own style to audiences every time we're on stage. Thanks to the compilation album "MM" (Metal Man, split with Niflheim, Notrash, and Exodus of Contemporary, all metal bands from Busan), and our unusual mini-album ("I Don't Fear to Be Died"), we won some fame as a heavy metal band.
With pressure to make our first album perfect, however, we are still hesitating to release it. We will practice harder, and finally release a perfect studio album for our fans. Currently we are trying to make our music better by performing concerts and recording a demo.

WULF:  Tell us a bit about your band's history.  Who are you?  Where does your band name come from?  How did your band get started?  Why did you decide to play metal?  Were you inspired by any older Korean metal bands?

MARA

Hyeon-seok:  A young boy who was a big fan of Kwang-seok Kim and Huyn-sik Kim (Korean folk singers) fell in love with a guitar sound one day. A growling engine, a clap of thunder, and even the sound of rain sounded like the intense tone of the guitar for him. After that, he started devoting himself to playing the guitar everyday. That became a starting point of ‘MARA’.
Mara means a demon, the personification of temptation in Buddhist mythology. Although I wasn't a Buddhist, I was really interested in Buddhism at that time, and also I thought that the word, Mara, could reflect the struggle for overcoming extreme anger and isolation (loneliness) that I was feeling. That’s the reason why I named our band ‘MARA’.
Like other players, I practiced the guitar at first by listening to and copying songs of Iron Maiden, Led Zepplin, Judas Priest and so on. Especially, I felt a magnetic attraction to the playing style of Marty Friedman (of Megadeth).
I believe heavy metal is the most effective way to express our emotion(sadness and anger). The sound of heavy metal still makes me excited.

WULF:   How would you describe your music?

Hyeon-seok:  MARA’s own music. Once we started writing music, we try to avoid listening to other heavy metal songs to find out our own style. Therefore, I can’t compare our songs to anything.

WULF:  You are scheduled to play at the upcoming Hellride Resurrection of Death Party in early October.  What can the audience expect to see during your performance?  What are you hoping to accomplish?


Hyeon-seok:  Since the vocalist of Silent Eye, Seo Jun-hui (and the former president of WASP club) matched us with Death Party, we have participated in every show up to now. It has given us many chances to play on various stages.

Also, we are quite pleased to take part in this party again. We hope that it will be a meaningful concert for the audiences, and also we wish not only big fans but people who are not interested in metal music to be fascinated with our music at Death Party.

WULF:  Could you tell us a bit about your lyrics?  What are your songs about?  Is your music inspired by any particular books or movies?

Hyeon-seok:  Through the lyrics, we want to convey our attitudes towards meeting Death. I can sum up our all lyrics in a sentence, “I’m not afraid of death, but I might be sad.”
The scene from the movie, 'The Crow', that shows a crow's stare in the darkness provided an inspiration for our work, and then I could organize MARA’s thought (philosophy) after reading Dante's 'Divine Comedy'.

WULF:  What are your plans for the future?  Any new music, tour plans, or maybe even a DVD??

Hyeon-seok:  Standing on larger stages, attracting more audiences, making/releasing memorable songs, etc. We are hoping to achieve these goals in the future. Additionally, contributing metal music which will thrive someday is also one of our dreams.
We will surely produce a remarkable outcome (new album, DVD, etc) within the next year! To achieve it, we are always doing the best we can.


WULF:  That's all the questions for now!!  Thank you so much for doing this interview!  Any final comments?

Hyeon-seok:  I could look back on MARA’s 10-year-life during this interview. Especially, while answering your second question, I could realize that it is also important for us to produce visible results while continuing to make music. We really appreciate you giving us a chance to look both back and ahead.



ORIGINAL INTERVIEW
Original Interview:
1. 저는 서울에서 몇 번의 쇼를 봤었는데 여전히 한국의 헤비메탈의 모습은 생소합니다. 한국의 메탈의 모습에 대한 당신의 생각은 어떻습니까? 당신의 고향인 부산과 비교해 봤을 때, 서울의 헤비메탈의 모습은 어떻게 다릅니까?
┗개인적으로 한국메탈의 문제가 아니라 일반대중들이 메탈을 바라볼 때 가지는 선입견이 문제라고 생각한다. 다양한 매체에 의한 자유로운 문화가 자리 잡고 있는 외국에 비해 국내는 많이 좋아지긴 했지만 대중들이 받아들이기에는 아직도 시기가 이른 것 같다. 물론 밴드들도 외국밴드를 카피하는 듯한 메탈에서 벗어나 좀 더 한국적인 메탈로 대중들에게 다가갈 수 있는 다양한 시도를 해야 할 필요가 있다고 생각한다. 서울과 부산의 차이는 역시 위에서 말한 것처럼 문화의 차이라고 생각한다. 부산에 비해 서울은 좀 더 많은 무대, 페스티벌, 다양한문화를 수용할 수 있는 공간적인 여유가 있기 때문에 관객들의 폭이 넓다. 하지만 서울보다 메탈팀이 적은 부산은 밴드들이 힘을 모아 열심히 하고 있는 중이다. 소수의 부산 메탈메니아들 역시 언제나 큰 힘이 된다~!

2. 제가 알고서 말할 수 있는 한, 새로운 곡이 발표된 지, 어연 10년이 다 되어갑니다. 언제쯤 새로운 곡을 발표할 예정인가요?]
┗새로운 곡이라기 보단 앨범발매를 말하는 것 같은데 기존의 곡과 새로운 곡, 또 다른 색깔의 마라를 보여주기 위한 다양한 시도를 매번 공연 때마다 하고 있다. 부산메탈연합 “MM"컴필레이션앨범과 국내에선 생소했던 미니싱글앨범으로 마라가 알려지긴 했지만 정규 1집이라는 무게감에 망설이고 있다. 조금 더 신중하게 준비해서 완벽한 정규1집을 보여주고 싶다. 현재는 공연활동과 데모녹음으로 내실을 다지고 있다.

3. 당신의 밴드의 역사에 대해 좀 말해주세요. 당신은 누군가요? 당신의 밴드의 이름은 어디에서 따 온 이름인가요? 당신의 밴드는 어떻게 시작하게 되었습니까? 당신은 왜 헤비메탈을 하기로 했죠? 혹시 한국의 예전 헤비메탈 밴드에서 영감을 받았나요?
┗김광석,김현식(포크송)을 좋아하던 한 소년이 어느 날 헤비메탈을 듣고 전자기타소리에 빠져들었다. 버스엔진소리, 천둥소리, 빗소리에서도 전자기타소리가 느껴졌다. 그 이후로 소년은 미친 듯이 기타연습에 열중했고 그때부터 MARA가 시작되었다 MARA는 내안에 자리 잡고 있는 사악한 악마라는 뜻의 불교용어이다. 종교가 불교는 아니지만 불교사상에 관심이 많았고 내 자신이 품고 있는 극한의 분노와 고독, 그리고 그것을 극복하기위한 자신과의 싸움이 잘 표현된 용어라고 생각했기 때문에 “마라”라는 이름을 짓게 되었다. 여느 헤비메탈 연주자들처럼 나 역시 처음엔 Iron maiden, Led zepplin, Judas priest등의 음악을 듣고 카피하며 연습했다. 특히 Megadeth의 Martin adam friedman의 연주에 매력을 느꼈다.  나에게 헤비메탈이란 , 사람이 가장 슬프고 분노할 때 표출할 수 있는 극한의 감정표현이다. 메탈사운드는 아직도 날 흥분시킨다!

4. 당신이라면 당신의 음악을 어떻게 비유하겠습니까?
┗마라만의 음악이다. 곡을 만들기 시작한 순간부터 다른 헤비메탈은 가능한 듣지 않고 나만의 색깔을 찾기 위해 노력했다. 그렇기 때문에 마라의 음악은 다른 것에 비유할 수 없다.

5. 당신은 10월 초에 Hellride Resurrection of Death Party에서 연주하기로 일정이 짜여 있습니다. 청중이 당신의 공연을 보는 동안 어떻게 할 것이라고 생각하십니까? 당신이 이루고 싶은 것은 무엇입니까?
┗예전 WASP클럽 사장님이자 현재 Silent Eye보컬인 ‘서준희’형과의 인연으로 매번 Death Party에 참여해 왔는데 그 계기로 서울에서도 많은 공연을 하게 되었다. 10월 5일 다시 시작되는 Hellride Resurrection of Death Party에 참여하게 되어서 기쁘게 생각한다. 마라에게도 뜻 깊은 공연인 만큼 관객들에게도 뜻 깊은 공연이 되었으면 좋겠다. 메탈매니아들뿐만아이라 호기심에 찾아준 관객들도 메탈음악의 매력을 느낄 수 있는 계기가 되었으면 좋겠다.


6. 당신의 가사에 대해 말해줄 수 있나요? 당신의 노래는 무엇에 관한 것입니까? 당신의 노래가 어떤 특정한 책이나 영화에서 영감 받았습니까? 당신의 미래의 계획은 무엇입니까? 어떤 노래나 투어공연, 혹은 DVD라도 소식이 있습니까?
┗가사를 통해 하고 싶은 말은 죽음을 마주하는 자세에 관한 것이다. 모든 가사의 내용을 한소절로 표현하자면“죽음은 두렵지 않다. 다만, 슬퍼질 뿐이다”정도가 될 것이다. 마라의 색깔을 잡는 것은 영화“CROW”에서 어두운영상속에 펼쳐지는 까마귀의 또 다른 시선이 도움이 됐고 마라의 생각을 정리하는 것은 단테의 “신곡”이 도움 되었다. 음악하는 사람이면 당연한 생각이겠지만 좀 더 큰 무대, 많은 관객, 기억에 남을 만한 음반을 제작발표하는것이 미래의 목표이다. 그리고 새로운 멤버들이 좀 더 안정을 찾아서 분명 다시 한 번 찾아올 메탈의 부흥에 기여하고 싶다. 공연은 항상 하는 것이고 내년엔 기필코 만족할만한 결과물(음반, DVD)을 보여줄 것이다~!그것을 위해 현재도 연구하고 공부하며 데모녹음을 계속하고 있다.

7. 이것이 현재까지의 질문입니다. 이 인터뷰를 해주셔서 매우 감사합니다! 마지막으로 하실 말씀 있으십니까?
┗이번 인터뷰로 어느덧 10년이 지나버린 마라를 다시 한 번 되돌아보는 계기가 되었다. 특히 두 번째 질문을 받고 음악을 계속하는 것도 중요하지만 눈에 보이는 결과물도 중요하다 는걸 다시 한 번 느끼게 되었다. 날카로운 질문에 감사하다 ㅎㅎ
메탈이란 장르가 대중적이지 않다는 것은 누구보다 잘 알고 있다. 하지만 메탈음악이 좀 더 부흥하기 위해 모든 메탈인들이 힘을 모을 수 있었으면 좋겠다.
마지막으로 인터뷰할 수 있는 기회를 주어 감사하다.

Extreme Fecal Impaction - Music from the BOWELS of Hell!!

This post is dedicated to Anson the Ornery.

A fecal impaction is a solid, immobile bulk of human feces that can develop in the rectum as a result of chronic constipation." - Wikipedia

Sounds pretty metal to me.
This is going to be a short post since the team here at MI are busy compiling some cool stuff for you that we'll post in the near future, but I just wanted to put this out here:

Have you noticed that almost every gore-themed metal band is either death metal or grindcore? Obviously, extreme violence involving various bodily functions lends itself well to DM and grind's music and overall aesthetic (and wouldn't work for say, something goofy like power metal or black metal), but what about doom metal? Obviously we've all experienced countless times where the perfect soundtrack to our time in the toilet would have been "Rampage" by Mortician or pretty much any song by Disgorge (from Mexico, DUH), but I'm sure we've all been there when the musical equivalent to a brutal dump is less Abosranie Bogom and more along the lines of, say, Wormphlegm:

Not only do I feel like this song perfectly captures what I would imagine to be the blueprint to Gore Doom as a metal subgenre, but it's literally the best soundtrack to my favorite movie of all time, (80s version) Conan the Barbarian (besides the actual OST, of course). I can't remember exactly how I synced it up in the past, but I remember even my friends who aren't metal fans had a blast with this...highly recommended as a follow-up activity after drinking 20 Miller High Lifes with your bros while watching Road House completely naked in the summertime.

Anyway, Wormphlegm is definitely the closest I think we'll get what I'm talking about in this post, although they do have lyrics that touch on the concept of going #2 on their 2001 demo "In an Excruciating Way Infested with Vermin and Violated by Executioners Who Practise Incendiarism and Desanctifying the Pious", but this involves the complete opposite of constipation. Also, with band members touting stage names such as "Conqueror Worm Grubgorge Pestilent Diarrhoeator" and "Apostatic Excrementor", these guys obviously have an anal fixation. If only they hadn't split-up in 2006 maybe they could have realized the errors of their ways and noticed that as far as bowel movements go their sound is much more suited to someone feverishly attempting to relieve themselves rather than just singing about diarrhea like every other gore metal band. Sigh.
Seriously though, I think someone should seriously consider it... at least for one demo. Similar to my idea of a one-off split 7" consisting of metal bands whose lyrical themes involved being frustrated over not being able to decide on which sex or gender is more sexually desirable (a post for later, maybe?), I really think a one-song, 30-40 minute long demo entitled "Music from the Bowels of Hell" by the world's first (constipation-themed) Gore Doom band, Extreme Fecal Impaction, could really be cool!! I think it's a subtle variation (constipation) on a subject (poop) that's been completely unexplored in a genre that's obsessed with its cousin, diarrhea. I know blast beats best fit the image of a a mammoth splatfest, but we shouldn't ignore the imagery that funeral doom can bring to the table (or toilet).

Just think about it-- a gore/doom metal filled with tortured vokillz of agony, extremely down-tuned guitars, samples of bodily fluids and documentaries detailing bizarre medical anomalies, crushing bass, and drums to make your ears bleed as you beg for some kind of a release.  Who knows, at the end of the 45-minute long dirge you could finally have 13 seconds of really brutal, disgusting, sloppy grindcore (which could thematically be interpreted in several ways). For those of you starting a metal band, this could be the gimmick that rockets you to fame and fortune (or at least semi-notoriety on metal-archives.com).  Anyway, just wanted to put it out there!

With a little bit of work, this would make a great album cover!!

Bonus: I mentioned them earlier, but although Abosranie Bogom are really bad I've always felt like they had pretty brilliant song titles. Some of my favorites from the 2003 masterpiece "Coprotherapy" LP:
"Satisfaction From Sipping a Glass of Steaming Stool"
"No, That's Not Chocolate, My Dear"
"The Fear of Flushing"
"Shit Xmas Mince Pies Metal Poser Obliteration"
"Anal Miscarriage"
"Pregnant With Turds"
"Clinical Death of an Excrement"
"Archaeological Excavations of Prehistoric Faeces"
"Castration of an Uncircumsized Excrement"
"Anal Dentist"
"Genetic Engeneering of Faecal DNA"
"Eternal Constipation"
And to end, one of my favorite song titles EVER (from their 1999 "Isus Pokritiy Ponosom" demo):
"Someone Crapped"

Extra Bonus: One time I was driving around smoking weed with Tony D. AKA Tony Bologna and even though he wanted to listen to Dream Theater I just was not having it, and insisted on putting on "Enema Bulldozer" by Cock and Ball Torture:
Tony was so grossed out that he had to go home because he literally felt nauseous after the song was finished. Mission accomplished, CBT!!

Phew!! Now I'm starting to feel grossed out after typing all of this! Here's some Dragonland to "clear the air":

Hellride: Resurrection of Death Party 2013!!

After a bit of silence, the time has come to make a couple announcements!!  Prepare yourself for a series of interviews that will further probe into the mysterious depths of the Korean heavy metal scene, with a focus on some of the bands performing at the upcoming HELLRIDE: Resurrection of Death Party 2013 here in Seoul on Saturday, October 5, 2013!!   It's going to be a great show, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of what the Korean metal scene has to offer.  The last time I tried to do interviews for Asia Metal Fest it was on too short of notice for many of the bands, so this time I'm a bit more prepared.  

Also, I'm planning on doing some interviews with bands/artists from the Kansas City/Lawrence/Topeka area.  I'm not homesick, but I want to get a better idea of what's been going on there these past couple of years and feel like surely there are some tales to be told!!  Stay tuned!!

Interview with Mors Principium Est!!

  Interview conducted via email, May 2013.

https://www.facebook.com/MPEofficial
http://www.morsprincipiumest.com/


WULF:  OK guys, it's been 6 long years but finally a new album has emerged!! "...And Death Said Live" is easily one of the strongest melodic death metal album to come out in a long time. While we here at Malicious Intent have really enjoyed listening to it, how has the reception been for the album on your end? Also, how have people reacted to your cover of Backstreet Boys' "The Call"? :p
MPE:  We have had really great reception from the fans, of course you lose a few people because it is not the "original lineup" but the majority of people love the new material, and the fact that we could carry on with the same style, and improve in some areas. Many people thought it wasnt possible for us to write this record, but we proved a lot of people wrong, and came out with a great album. We were really lucky working with Thomas 'Plec' Johansson in Sweden when we recorded, he really captured our vision, and gave us the end result we were looking for. 'The Call' is only on the Asian release, so many people actually haven't heard it!


WULF:  There's tons of stuff going on on the album, including guest guitar solos from Jona Weinhofen (I Killed the Prom Queen, ex-Bleeding Through, ex-Bring Me the Horizon) and Ryan Knight (The Black Dahlia Murder, ex-Arsis)...how did this come about? Are they personal friends of the band?

MPE:  Yes, they are both personal friends of ours, and also fans of MPE, so it was a natural thing for us. We wanted to include a couple of guest artists, and having these guys was great. Ryan is an amazing player, and has been a huge fan of Mors for a long time, so was really excited to play for us, he gave us an incredible solo too!

WULF:  The album art is really cool. One of my favorite types of metal album covers is that medieval-esque woodcut style...I was also surprised to see that it was done by Jan Yrlund! I'm not too familiar with most of his music or artwork, but "Dim Carcosa" by Ancient Rites is one of my favorite metal albums ever!! Why did you decide that he was the right person for the job? Also, I'm not sure if I understand the concept behind it... I felt the album to have a really positive, exciting vibe to it ("...And Death Said Live", i.e. the band has cheated death and is back with a vengeance!) but the cover to be pretty grim, almost a black metal album cover. What was your reason for this?

MPE:  We had an idea in mind with the concept (and yes you're right on that) and we had a style that we liked, but we really let Jan suprise us, and this was the first thing that he sent us after we talked with him and we loved it. It worked out great. It wasn't conciously aiming for 'black metal style' but we had an idea and a style in mind, and this was the result.

WULF:  Obviously there's been a ton of drama regarding MPE and guitar players...how did you finally end up hooking up with Andhe Chandler (from New Zealand!) and Andy Gillion (from the UK)? I know on your website it said that you were looking for people to audition via the internet, but what made you finally decide on these two guys? Have they relocated to Finland, or is MPE now an international band?

MPE:  From the website, Andy joined the band first, then 6 months later Andhe joined. Andhe has been living in Finland for a year now, and Andy is still living in the UK, just flying to Finland for rehearsals before gigs etc. We had over 200 applications for guitarists, but picked the best two that not only could play, but were able to write MPE material.

WULF:  For me at least, one of the best characteristics of MPE's signature sound are the epic, atmospheric keyboards. However, it's my understanding that the band hasn't had an official keyboard player for years...which begs the question, who handled the keyboards on the new album? Are you going to have a keyboard player for future live shows, or are you going to use samples? Also, just out of curiosity, are you looking for a keyboardist or do you feel like nowadays it's no longer necessary?

MPE:  We're using samples for the keyboards live. While sometimes it would be nice to have a keyboard player there, it also brings lots of other "problems" as far as having to take an extra person on tour, and everything becomes more expensive etc. We are playing to click tracks with the keyboard samples, so that our live performance still sounds like the album does. Andy took care of the majority of the keyboard programming on the new album.

WULF:  Really random question, but Mikko Sopola (drums) is one of the founding members and has played on all of the albums except "Liberation=Termination", where the drums were handled by Marko Tommila...why was this?

MPE:  Mikko was going through some personal things here, and didn't have the time to concentrate on this album so he wasn't available then, so Marko filled in to get the record done.

WULF:  For your upcoming Japanese tour, it looks like Andy Gillion won't be able to make it and is instead being temporarily replaced by French guitarist Kevin Verlay. What's the story behind that? Is Verlay going to be a permanent replacement? How did you find him? Will Gillion be able to make it to this upcoming show in Seoul (Asia Metal Fest 2013)? Also, is it a conscious decision to not work with Finnish guitar players since they seem to be such bad luck for the band? :p

MPE:  Andy is the best man at his friends wedding, so cannot make the Japan tour, as the wedding is right in the middle of that. So when looking at getting someone to play for us, we were talking to the guy booking our tour, and his brother had previously played bass for Aborted, and had uploaded a cover of a new MPE song on youtube. So i checked him out, talked to him a bit, and when we get back from Korea he's coming to Finland to rehearse with us before we hit Japan. Gillion will be with us in Korea though! And for the upcoming Finnish gigs also.

WULF:  One of my favorite things to ask bands is for book or movie recommendations. Is there any specific literature or film that has inspired your music or lyrics, or just your life in general?

MPE:  As far as lyrics go, i guess influence comes from everywhere, but we had some sections based on Greek Mythology etc, I'm a big fan of horror / dark films, but I'm not sure if any of that comes in as an infuence as such. The new Evil Dead remake is fantastic, some great scenes that pay homage to the original, but a new take on that classic film.

WULF:  Obviously there's Asia Metal Fest 2013 coming up here in Seoul along with a Japanese tour (congratulations by the way!) later this year. Do you have a huge following in Japan? Also, are you planning on playing any other dates in Korea? It seems like such a long way to travel just for one show!!

MPE:  We just have the one date in Korea, then we are taking a couple of days to explore Seoul. We have a great following in Japan, and we can't wait to get there. Both of our Tokyo shows have sold out already, and we get to see quite a bit of the country for all the other gigs, and playing with Origin and Aeon, it should be a blast!

WULF:  What are you hoping to accomplish with your performance at Asia Metal Fest 2013? Have you played in Korea/East Asia before? What can your fans expect to see at this upcoming show? Also, do you like Korean BBQ?? The food here is killer!!

MPE:  We have heard many things about Korean BBQ!! We are looking forward to trying out the food, and seeing Seoul. Korea is a place none of us thought we would ever get to, so we are very excited. It is also our first time playing in Asia, so lots of new experiences, and actually our first show this year. So it should be a great time. We're playing songs from every album, not just the new material, so we hope everyone enjoys the show.


WULF:  Are there any other tour plans in the works right now? What does the future have in store for the band? Any plans for a DVD, future albums, etc?

MPE:  We have a couple of festivals lined up here in Finland, and a Japanese tour. We had a great European tour lined up but the headlining band wasnt gathering enough interest so that was cancelled unfortunately - our booking agent is looking for some more gigs for us for Autumn, so we hope to be on the road again soon. We have started to look at new material for the next album, so we'll see what happens, no DVD plans yet - but it would be nice to do a music video.

WULF:  Any final words or comments for the fans?

MPE:  We really hope you can make it to the gig, and enjoy our set. This is our first time in Asia to play, and we're really excited, thank you for having us! (Can't wait for this Korean BBQ!)

Interview with HADES The Violet!!

Interview conducted via email in May, 2013.

https://www.facebook.com/HADEStheViolet

WULF:  Thank you so much for doing this interview! Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourselves?  Who are you? What does your band name mean?

HADES THE VIOLET:   We are a Korea-based Hybrid Gothic Band called Hades the Violet.  The band name has two combined meanings: Hades, as you know very well, is the god of underground in greek myhology and he has a power of darkness, but also sad sensibiliy following to his love story with Persephone. Basically our music is much similar to this contrary image of the God. The color of viloet, which is followed to Hades, has a mysterious and beautiful image and this is the image that our band wanna add up on our music.


WULF:  How would you describe your sound? What other artists are your biggest influences?

HADES THE VIOLET: There is no specific musician who effects on our music. We pursue the sensibility of opposite extremes : Masculity of powerful and fast rythme of drum, guitar and bass and Femininity of beautiful, but sad melody of vocal and keyboard.

WULF:  Can your recommend to us any specific films or literature that are especially influential in the creation of your music?

HADES THE VIOLET:  More or less, our music has been effected by fantasy novels, gothic arts or greek mythology, not by any specific film nor literature.

WULF:  You are playing a gig at the Asia Metal Festival 2013 here in a few days.  What can your fans expect to see from your live performance? What are you hoping to accomplish?

HADES THE VIOLET:  As we already mentioned above, we would like to show the harmony of power and beautiful, and gloosy perfomance.

WULF:  What are your plans for the near future? Any more shows, or perhaps a tour?  Also, are you going to be releasing any music?

HADES THE VIOLET:  We are currently producing our EP and as soon as this will be completed, we are planning to have a solo concert.   After that, we will have a concert in Japan.

WULF:  That's all the questions for now!! Any final comments?

HADES THE VIOLET: Our music is based on Gothic Metal, but we would like to be a band which shows its own color of music and isn't stereotyped. We hope to have your support and interest on our music. Thank you!

Asia Metal Fest

Because I'm a master procrastinator, I've decided to wait to the very last second to announce that Judge Dredd and yours truly will officially be attending ASIA METAL FESTIVAL 2013 in Seoul!! Should be a great show whether you're a diehard metalhead or just curious, I highly recommend you check it out!! At the very least you can just get drunk with us for two nights back to back!! However, because we've received SO MANY emails from people begging us to cover the show, we've decided to try and help out by getting our hands dirty and doing some interviews with a few of the bands playing the show (as well as an after-show wrap-up if we're not too lazy). Stay tuned!! :D

Grim Brew, TRVE Brew

Ever since I started going to Metal shows at the age of 14 or 15, I've noticed the extent to which beer and the consumption thereof has played a part in the Metal experience.  With the surge in interest of craft brews and homebrewing in the last 10 years, I've noticed the subtle ways in which Metal has creeped into the craft brewing world, as well as vice versa.

TRVE Brewing, based out of Denver, Colorado, is one of the young examples of this growing phenomenon.  I recently had the pleasure of talking with Nick, owner and head brewer at TRVE Brewing, via e-mail, about Metal and brews.

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Judge Dredd: Let's start with the basics. What's your name? What is your job title with TRVE Brewing? How did TRVE Brewing come into existence? How did you initially become interested in brewing beer? How did you first get into Metal?

I'm Nick, owner and brewer at TRVE.

I'd been homebrewing for about 4-5 years before I started writing a business plan, and about six months in I finally decided on the theme. I'll be the first to admit that it came to me after visiting Kuma's Corner in Chicago. I had one of the best burgers of my life sitting next to some grandma while they were blaring something brutal like Cryptopsy. I knew Denver needed something in the same vein.

I've been a metalhead since I was fifteen. I'd been playing drums since I was eight and when I heard the intro to Death's "Sound of Perseverance" it blew my brain out the back of my skull.

Judge Dredd: I've noticed that most, if not all of the names of your beers, reference Metal albums, songs, or bands (Sunn O))), "Prehistoric Dog" by Red Fang, 'Diotima' by Krallice, "Tunnel of Trees" by Deafheaven, etc.). Is this a theme you will continue? Do you decide on a name just by whatever you are currently listening to, or is the thought process a bit more involved than that?

This is definitely a thing that'll continue. All our beers will always be named after albums or songs from bands we think are killing it. We kinda broke the system a little bit with our new Double IPA - Nazareth - since it's a quote from a song instead of a title, but the gag still works.

The naming kinda works both ways. I could be listening to something and think a beer would be great to name after it, or I might come up with a beer and hunt around for a song that fits the style.

Judge Dredd: Continuing this theme a little bit, my friends and I often describe non-Metal things (like novels, movies, dish soaps, etc.) according to different Metal sub-genres. For example, I would say the movie 'Roadhouse' with Patrick Swayze is Technical Sludge/Southern Metal with some 80s Thrash influences. Using this system, what sub-genres of Metal are pilsners, IPAs, stouts, hefeweizens, and Belgian ales? Also, what is overall the MOST Metal style of beer in your opinion? Why?

There're countless ways in which metal and beer are similar. I definitely associate certain beer styles with different sub-genres of metal. Stouts are like doom, IPAs are like stoner metal, a hopped-up American pils is kinda like grind.

I don't think that there's a style of beer that's the MOST metal, just like there's not a sub-genre of metal that's MORE metal than any other. It all depends on what you're in the mood for.

Judge Dredd: In a video interview with Billy Broas (of billybrew.com), he asked you about the name of the brewery, and I really liked your response. You mentioned that it's in part about making fun of people who take themselves too seriously, and of course, I immediately thought of the many many Metal elitists who sometimes take themselves and Metal way way too seriously. Could you elaborate on your response for our audience?

A truly exhausting aspect of the cultures of both Metal and Beer is the insane amount of elitism that pervades the dialogues in both circles. A person's palate and a person's ear are their own, and are totally subjective. I named the brewery TRVE as a jab to folks who I inevitably knew would come in and talk down to us and act like they know better than we do. As predicted, we definitely get the occasional kvlt warrior coming in disappointed that we have beer that isn't swill and working bathroom doors.

Judge Dredd: As someone who has dabbled in homebrewing, I know that picking the right ingredients for a new brew is of the utmost importance, and that it can take a long time to perfect a recipe. How do you go about picking the hops and other ingredients for a new brew? How long does it take you to perfect a new recipe?

To be honest, I've gotten REALLY lucky in that I used gut instinct to come up with some of our recipes and they turned out damn-near perfect. Stout O))) and Hellion both haven't changed at all since their initial batches since we honestly can't think of a single way we'd want to change them.

Tunnel of Trees is another story entirely since I've been continually tweaking it from day one and am only just now really happy with it. One of the best aspects of our small system and unexpected popularity is that we rip through batches really quickly and are able to make a lot of tweaks to recipes. It's also given me a lot of time to familiarize myself with our system enough to know how certain ingredients or processes are going to change the end result.

Judge Dredd: From what I understand, craft brewing is especially popular in Colorado (New Belgium, Left Hand, and Great Divide just to name a few of the larger ones). Why do you think this is? Also, do you feel there is a lot of competition as a result?

We had a strong start 15-20 years ago with the big wave of craft brewery openings in the 1980s, all of who you name above were a part of. These dudes and ladies paved the way for little guys like us to get open by enlightening a ton of people to great beer.

Craft beer as a whole at this point is not at all about competition, or if it is it's very friendly competition. We're out at other breweries whenever we can be and other breweries are stopping in here all the time. Since craft beer as a whole only JUST surpassed 5% of the entire beer market, it's very much still an "us versus them" mentality with craft beer fighting together against the big three.

Judge Dredd: From what I can gather, it looks as though you only sell your beer at the brewery, or takeaways via growlers. I know the brewery is still very young, but are you looking to eventually expand to regional distribution in the future, or do you prefer to keep the business local?

I still haven't really decided how far out I want to take this. There's a certain degree of beauty to the simplicity of what we're doing - we brew beer and listen to metal, and that's it. The upcoming battle for shelf space in liquor stores in Colorado (and around the country for that matter) is about to get brutal, and I'm not sure I want TRVE to be a part of that.

Judge Dredd: For many Metalheads, it seems as though beer and Metal go together like peanut butter and jelly. From all the way back to Iron Maiden's collective, herculean ability to down thousands of beers on a tour, to the present where one has bands like Municipal Waste getting their very own beer produced by Three Floyds Brewery. Do you think there is an inextricable link between Metal and beer? If so, why do you think that might be? Additionally, do you think that relationship has changed at all as craft brews have gained in popularity?

I like to think that part of the appeal of metal is the escapism of the whole genre, and part of the reason humans have loved booze for six thousand years is that it makes them feel unlike their normal selves. That desire to get away from reality is present in both domains.

Why beer though? My guess is that it's cause beer's always been the working person's drink, and metal's always been the music of lower/middle class working folk. It's a natural fit.

It's unfortunate that the dominant beer of metal is the macro-lager. I know not every hesher's gonna want to drink craft beer, but I'm hoping I can get some of them to try something different than a Banquet or Peeber once in a while. Seems to be working so far!

Judge Dredd: In our hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, we have a brewery called Free State Brewery. In the past, employees and customers alike have commented on how Free State brings the community together and encourages the exchange of ideas. What part do you think your brewery plays in the Denver community, or even just the Denver Metal community? How would you compare the Metal community with the craft brewing community of Denver? Are they mutually exclusive?

The cool thing about the crowd at our brewery is that it's the weirdest mix of people imaginable. A couple of my metalhead friends were in the brewery for one of our beer releases and were amazed at how many "normals" there were in our taproom. I love that part of what we're doing. We expose the bangers to good beer and the normals to great tunes.

Judge Dredd: What would be your advice to someone who wants to start homebrewing or even start their own brewery?

If you're gonna start homebrewing, dive the fuck in! Don't get all neurotic about every little aspect of a brew day, and don't overanalyze what's happening at every moment. It takes time to tune yourself in to how things should progress so in the beginning I can't stress enough that you just need to chill the fuck out and brew. Focus on good sanitation and proper fermentation temperatures and your beer will be perfectly good, if not great.

If you're one of the thousands of people looking to open a brewery these days, all I can say is get ready to have your ass handed to you day after day. It's a shitton more work than you're imagining.

Mostly I would just recommend being different. Don't just be another boring brewery blending in with all the others. If you do something fun and original, you'll kill it.

Judge Dredd: Any last words?

Drink beer and worship the riff!


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Visit the Trve Brewing website here.  If you are in the Denver, CO area, then you can visit their brewery at this location:

227 Broadway #101
Denver, CO 80203