Interview With The Lowcocks Tell us about your latest release In the process of releasing our new EP, titled “The Forgotten” on June 17 2025 (today!). Released the third single from this EP on May 20 2025. What was the recording process like? Was it in a studio or do you do it all yourselves? We’ve recorded at a few different studios, and now Ryan has a recording studio set up in his basement, where we did our most recent EP. Being our own producers gives us control over the timeframe as well as a bit less stress around recording times, since we’re not paying a studio by the hour. Our fate is in our hands, we can make what we want and ensure we are staying true to our values and intent, without worries about being under deadline or having contractual obligations to fulfill. Ryan also mixed this track, as well as the other three tracks from this upcoming EP, and said he enjoyed the chance to stretch his creative muscles and get into the guts of how recording works. How do you guys write the songs? Sometimes there’s events that happen in the world and you pick up your guitar and write about it, sometimes it’s a riff Ryan can’t get out of his head, or a tune Nick’s been fiddling around with, and we build a song around that…a lot of times there’s something going on emotionally or personally and Annie will say “write me something angry so I can scream about this” and the train starts rolling. A lot of our songs have a political bent, but we have songs about Annie’s scumbag ex- husband, kids in foster care, heartbreak, losing your virginity, police surveillance, fighting with your parents - there isn’t one theme we stick to, more whatever fits with the music and what we’re passionate about finds its way into the lyrics. What were your main influences while writing? All of us are big punk rock fans of course, and I know everyone says this, but our band’s musical influences are all over the map, which makes our music interesting and keeps us from getting stale. Nick, our bassist, is obsessed with funk, sludge, and (somehow?) also The Viagra Boys and Devo; Zac is mostly into folk punk and noise; Ryan brings in rockabilly/psychobilly, soul, and Motown; Anne tends toward 60s revolution rock and blues,80s hardcore, 90s riot girrrrl, and 2010s metalcore. As a band, we tend to bring in all of our favorites to our music; we probably have most musical similarities with bands like Amyl and the Sniffers, A Global Threat, The Distillers, and The Suicide Machines. What is your favourite song on the new release and why? Our newest song, “The Forgotten” was released May 20th; it’s the third single released from our upcoming EP, and we’re so excited about it! The song centers immigration detention centers, especially at the southern US border, and the experience of children who arrive without the safety of relatives. The experimental, non-traditional structure and discordant, brutal vocal lines reflect the incense subject matter, intentionally unsettling listeners without losing our signature energy - one of the things we’re known for. “The Forgotten” has been in the works for a while, and really started fermenting during Trump’s first term, when there started to be news coverage of people crossing the US/Mexico border. The idea of anyone being in a cage - but especially kids - was infuriating and heartbreaking, and Annie couldn’t help but make it into a song. How did you come up with the name of the release? It was a challenge trying to name the dang EP, so we decided to name it after a song because we couldn’t agree on a separate name. :D These are the real, visceral struggles we had to face, and such battles brought all of us much closer together. We didn’t set out to be inspirations, but we humbly accept the task. How did the band get together? The Lowcocks have technically been playing together since 2017…but it all started with a Craigslist ad. Both Ryan (guitar) and Annie (vocals) were looking for a project, and responded to the same ad asking for people interested in forming a punk band. Looking back, it feels almost like the old days, when musicians would connect through newspapers and end up creating magic. Like so many others, Covid killed the band’s momentum; the pandemic forced us to take time off to prioritize health, our families, and really wrestle with life. During this time, Ryan was connected with our bassist, Nick, by a bartender at his neighborhood bar; when our drummer dropped out due to health concerns, Nick brought in a drummer he’d played with in Bay City, Zac - and our current lineup was born. Although we were not really active for a few years, lots of songs came out of down time, which allowed us to come back strong and hit the ground running with our album Contender (released last fall). We’ve been writing and performing together for the past four years and having a great time doing it; We are having so much fun working on our EP and our new album; the four of us have really gelled and are writing more interesting music, experimenting with different melodic structures and lyrics, and making sure we’re being goofy enough in the process. Not to spoil anything, but one of our current songs in progress is named ‘Son of Danger Zone’ and we plan to film a music video playing it while ‘skydiving’ on a green screen…because we can. How did you come up with the name for the band? Ryan and Annie were drinking in his attic, throwing names down on a whiteboard, but nothing was really hitting right. In the midst of this PBR-fueled brainstorm, he brought up a guy he’d played beer league hockey with, who’d gotten a tattoo of a rooster hanging low by knee “so he could say his cock was hanging low.” As a female fronted band who loves a good dick joke, we couldn’t resist - and so, The Lowcocks was born. Whether we’ll get matching tattoos at some point…well, that remains to be seen. Have you got any gigs or a tour coming up where people can hear the songs live? We’re currently booking out into summer/fall, and have a few weekend tours throughout the Midwest scheduled. Our next gig is July 26 - Punk Rock Night @ The Melody Inn (Indianapolis, IN) The Lowcocks’ music is on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or wherever finer music is enjoyed; digital purchases are also available. Purchases of physical media, including cds, vinyl, and merch can be made from our website, www.TheLowcocks.com or at any of our live shows. We are on social media platforms as @TheLowcocks; our links are below: https://www.facebook.com/thelowcocks https://www.instagram.com/thelowcocks/ http://www.youtube.com/@thelowcocks What are your plans for the next few months? We are in the process of releasing new songs this spring, all as part of our upcoming “Forgotten” EP, scheduled for full release on June 17th 2025, and are looking forward to touring and meeting more people in more places! Follow us on socials (@TheLowcocks) on all platforms - it truly does make a difference. Follow and listen on Spotify. Buy merch so we can afford to keep recording and keep making cool shit. :D Come out to a show - or reach out to us about playing a show in your city! Interview With The Lowcocks

Interview With Nightbird Casino Tell us about your latest release Our latest single “Lynx” is in the mastering process and should be released sometime in the next 1-2 months. It’ll be featured on our new album, Commerce & Horse Polo, with a TBD release date sometime in the next six months. What was the recording process like? Was it in a studio or do you do it all yourselves? Well, we have our own recording studio so you could say it was both in the studio and all ourselves. All our music is produced by us – that is, James Moore and Kelly Hutchinson, otherwise known as Nightbird Casino . 90% of it was recorded in one of our home studios. One of our songs has a piece written for sixteen violins, that was recorded in Hungary actually, but most all of it was done here on the west coast of the US. How do you guys write the songs? A lot of back and forth – the two of us live in different states – Oregon and California respectively – so generally one of us will come up with a basic idea, maybe a chord progression or a riff or a beat – and we’ll send the file back and forth via email as we both add to it until eventually it becomes a song. Occasionally, we’ll have a Zoom call to hash out finer details. What were your main influences while writing? Radiohead and The Smile were big influences, and always have been Otherwise, it’s whatever we’re listening to at the moment. A lot of classical music, jazz, everything from Interpol to Korn to Modest Mouse to Aphex Twin. What is your favourite song on the new release and why? Well, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Lynx, our new single. That song’s been in the works for at least two years, maybe longer. It features the string section I mentioned earlier. It’s one of my rare songs that’s lyrically “about” a topic, rather than just a bunch of words that sound nice together. The song is based on a book called “Why Does the World Exist” – really amazing and worth a read – and a bad trip I had that drove those concepts explored in the book home. How did you come up with the name of the release? I don’t even remember. “Horse Polo” came from a conversation about how polo played in a pool is “water polo”, but polo played on horseback is just called “polo”. Why isn’t it called horse polo? I don’t remember how we stuck the work commerce in there but it sounds nice and maybe you could interpret it as a reflection on the superrich and how out of touch they are with the rest of us. It’s sort of an apocalyptic album, and the wealthy are insulated from that in a way. How did the band get together? We met in another band back in 2016 or 2017. We felt stifled creatively and decided to do our own thing. How did you come up with the name for the band? By writing a bunch of words on napkins at a bar and picking two that sounded good together. Have you got any gigs or a tour coming up where people can hear the songs live? Unfortunately we don’t play live as there’s only two of us. Our music works much better when it’s recorded anyway. What are your plans for the next few months? To keep recording and get this album finished.

Perpetual Paradox What is the album? I’d say Rust in Peace by Megadeth or Pain Remains by Lorna Shore. Let’s stick with RIP since I’ve been listening to that for longer. Why is it your favourite album? It’s just the perfect thrash album. It was way ahead of its time and the musicianship on it is astonishing. The whole album rips from start to finish. How does it make you feel when you listen to it? Just makes me feel like I need to pick up my guitar and practice and then go to a dive bar with my bandmates till the early hours. There’s a zeitgeist to it I can’t quite explain but I makes me feel like I’m there when I listen to it. How do you feel when you hear the songs from that album played live? I’ve seen Megadeth live twice and whenever a RIP track was play it was euphoric. Both times I saw them was when Chris Broderick was in the band and that man is an astounding guitar player. What is your favourite track and why? Probably Tornado of Souls, because of that solo. Yeah, THAT solo. tornado of souls megadeth

Interview With Dead Defined Tell us about your latest release My latest single ‘ Better off Alone ’ taps into a space we’ve all been where distance says more than words, and silence feels louder than the noise. It’s raw, it’s reflective, and it leaves room for the listener to fill in the gaps with their own story. ‘Better off Alone will be released on June/6/2025 (TODAY!!!) How do you guys write the songs? It usually starts with something I’m holding in, emotion, frustration, clarity, confusion, and I try to shape that into something people can feel. Sometimes it’s a riff that sticks, sometimes a lyric that won’t let go. There’s no formula, just moments that build until they spill out into a track. What were your main influences while writing? A lot of it came from what I wasn’t saying out loud. Life, mental health, relationships, things that shift how you see yourself and others. There’s musical influence from the bands I grew up on, but more than anything, this release was driven by personal turning points. What is your favourite song on the new release and why? Better off Alone has a certain weight to it. It came from a real place, one that was hard to revisit but needed to be confronted. It’s not about bitterness, it’s more about accepting where you stand, even when it hurts. That makes it hit different every time I listen back. How did you come up with the name of the release? The name just surfaced one day and stuck. It felt honest without needing to over-explain. Sometimes you realize that the silence after everything falls apart is where you actually start to hear yourself again. How did the band get together? Dead Defined has always been a solo project at its core, something I created as an outlet for everything I couldn’t really say out loud. While it’s just me behind the name, I’ve been fortunate to work with a few key people along the way, like Mike Dmitrovic, who helped shape the sound into something bigger than I imagined. But at the end of the day, it’s still a very personal ourney, just me, trying to make sense of things through music. Vertigo by Dead Defined How did you come up with the name for the band? The name came from a time when I felt stuck between who I was and who I wanted to be. Dead Defined spoke to that space in-between where you’re letting go of old versions of yourself but not fully sure what’s next. Have you got any gigs or a tour coming up where people can hear the songs live? Nothing official just yet, but I’m looking forward to sharing these songs live again. The right moment will come. I think when music’s written from that kind of raw space, it deserves to be played in front of people who can feel it too. What are your plans for the next few months? Staying creative and focused on what’s real. Releasing music that means something, reconnecting with the people who’ve supported this journey, and pushing forward without losing the core of why I started this in the first place. Interview With Dead Defined

Interview With Diipsilence Tell us about your latest release Hi DiipSilence here, thanks so much for having me! My latest single is titled “SAFE & SOUND”. It is a moody, cinematic electronic track that explores the contrast between fast-paced urban life and the quiet ache of memory. Glitchy breakbeat drums meet ambient textures and melodic restraint, creating a soundscape that feels emotionally suspended in time. The fast-paced drums mirror the scale and chaos of city life—living in constant motion, where every day feels like a race. But beneath that energy lies something softer: a longing for the past. For simpler days of blue skies, green lakes, and friends who once felt permanent. As the track progresses, it moves from nostalgia into quiet introspection. Even when the past feels close, there’s a realization that in the struggle to move forward and chase dreams, we often end up alone. There’s no dramatic heartbreak in this song. Just a kind of peaceful loneliness. A sense that maybe, even if people are gone, the fact that we still live under the same sky… might be enough. The memories, the warmth, the old dreams—they're still there. But they no longer need to be chased. What was the recording process like? Was it in a studio or do you do it all yourselves? Honestly, the whole recording process is very DIY — it’s a one-person operation from top to bottom. I come from a background in recording and mixing engineering, so I’ve always been hands-on with the technical side of things. Everything you hear was tracked, processed, and mixed in my own studio setup. For this track, the recording process was a little unconventional — there actually wasn’t any traditional recording involved. Instead of tracking live vocals, I used a virtual singer by Synth V, which completely flipped the workflow on its head. It was all about sculpting the performance digitally. It’s a different kind of performance, more like vocal sound design than recording in the classic sense. Diving deep into the nuances of a virtual vocal was something new and fun to me. It gave me total control — not just over the pitch and timing, but over emotion, inflection, even the "breath" between lines. Although no booth involved, there are tons of takes that’s using different parameters, I’ll still need to compare and comp to whichever take works the best. And of course, a lot of detailed editing to bring that voice to life. How do you guys write the songs? Every track I make starts with sound — not melodies, not chords, not lyrics, just raw sound material. I head out with a field recorder, capture textures from the real world — rain, traffic, rustling leaves, broken machines — then bring them into the studio and run them through the sound design process. I’ll pipe these recordings into modular synth like Morphagene/Nebulae to modulate parameters with random voltage or envelopes to extract movement and unpredictability. Sometimes I’ll resample those layers back into my DAW, sculpt them with EQ, saturation, and pitch-shift chains, then reintroduce them into the modular for feedback loops or reprocessing. A drop of water might turn into a glitched-out rhythmic bed, or a thunderclap might get stretched into a low-end drone that anchors the entire mix. The vibe I build from those textures sets the emotional tone — everything else rides on top of that soundscape foundation. What were your main influences while writing? My main influences come from both the natural world and the ancient one. I spend a lot of time recording soundscapes outdoors — wind through trees, distant thunder, birdsong — and those textures often become the backbone of my compositions. There’s something deeply emotional about translating those organic sounds into music. At the same time, I draw a lot of inspiration from classical Chinese poetry. The way ancient poets could express complex emotions and layered meanings using such simple, minimal language is something I really connect with. The philosophy -- saying more with less — is something I try to echo in my own work, both sonically and lyrically. How did you come up with the name of the release? My new track, SAFE & SOUND (无恙), is a blessing — both for myself and for old friends I haven’t seen in years. As we grow older, we slowly start to realize that the people we were once closest to often drift away. Life pulls us in different directions. But no matter the distance or the silence, I still carry that hope in my heart: that my friends, wherever they are, are safe and sound. How did you come up with the name for the band? The artist name “DiipSilence” actually comes from the meaning of my original Chinese name — it translates to "deep profound" or "deep silence". Have you got any gigs or a tour coming up where people can hear the songs live? Not at the moment! I’m more of a studio head than a touring artist, so live shows aren’t a big part of what I do right now. Plus, I’m in the middle of building out a new Atmos studio, so most of my energy is going into that. It’s kind of like nesting — getting the space just right so I can go even deeper with sound. Never say never to gigs, but for now, it’s all about the studio. What are your plans for the next few months? Definitely more music on the way! I’m currently knee-deep in building my Atmos studio, which is going to open up a whole new dimension for immersive sound design. I’m really hyped about where that could lead — not just in terms of tracks, but also experimental pieces and sound installations. Can’t wait to share what comes out of that space. Interview With Diipsilence

Album Review - Cougar - The Davidson Trio Check this old school power trio out I was told. And by god do The Davidson Trio deliver. If you think of old school power trios, who’ve you got? Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bogart Beck and Appice, Taste, Grand Funk Railroad, ZZ Top, to name but a few. Yeah I know there were plenty others but I’m thinking blues/rock power trios. So put all these bands into a food blender, and besides a lot of blood and guts what you end up with is The Davidson Trio . Lead by Owen Davidson and joined by Ben Bicknell on guitar and Ellis Brown on drums it is a formidable band. Ben Bicknell is one of those guitarists who takes his playing to another level. There is one track The Cure, which is a good rocking number but at the end it reminds me of the end of Skynyrds Freebird, and the interplay between the guitarists and the drummer. And there were three guitarists on that!!! You’re just thinking where can this go from here, but go it does, and when Ellis starts with a double kick drum, and the whole groove nailed to the floor by Owen, its all kind of breathtaking. Owen has a five octave vocal range, which he puts to the best use. He used to play with Uli Jon Roth and Rumour, and have a Glenn Hughes tribute band, called Black Country Community along with Ben Bicknell. And The Black Country is where they hail from, so in good company with Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Davidson has written eight really good and varied songs for this debut album called Cougar, which have been interpreted well by Ben and Ellis, and his vocals and bass playing cement the songs where they should be. Favourite two tracks for me are The Cure and Hold On where he really demonstrates his vocal range. Its out now – Cougar it’s called, and if you enjoyed the power trios I mentioned then I can guarantee this is for you.

Single Review - Cuban Son - Las Fenestras Told you he was a talented guy didn’t I, and here is again, - Pete Feenstra with some more collaborators – Simon Webster on drums and percussion, and renowned session musician, and Craig Marshall, a multi instrumentalist and indie producer. Together they have come together to produce Cuban Son as Las Fenestras. Now I can usually detect some influence on people’s writing, but this one has got me. It is totally original, unless you want to count The Buena Vista Social Club, which I don’t think we do as they were old people playing traditional Cuban roots music. It uses Cuban melodies and rhythms in the backing, but the story line in the song and the vocal melody is totally unique and off the wall. It is about revolutionary Marxist dictator Fidel Castro, whose buddy was Che Guevara.It is a nod and a wink to how principled the guy was in his socialist beliefs and how he held them to the end when time took over and he died of old age. Cubans loved the guy even if he was labelled a dictator. I bumped into a couple of Cubans in Camden market one Sunday afternoon and they came back to my flat for tequila and other things and they waxed lyrical about Castro, saying most people felt the same way. I think the lyrics put this across really well. There will only be one Fidel Castro and there is only one Pete Feenstra, a wordsmith of mega talent. (Amongst other things} Check these two singles out, you will be pleasantly surprised, unless you are a bat eating goth of course.

Single Review - Other People’s Eyes - Feenstra and Simpson Pete Feenstar wears many hats, he is a promoter, he is a DJ on Let There Be Rock digital radio station, he is a reviewer for Let There Be Rock blog and also much to my surprise he is a great lyricist and recording artist with Feenstra and Simpson. I became aware of this two singles previous to this new one, before I was writing reviews myself, and I loved them. The songs always tell a story Feenstra and Simpson have released 10 singles including this one which are all due to appear on forthcoming album Smash Hits. Seven of these ten singles have made the Mike Read Heritage chart, and the Netherlands Hit Tracks Top 100. And it’s not surprising as the ones I’ve heard are really catchy pop songs like they used to do in the old days, with real instruments and melodies and middle eight passages. As Sting said, a lot of songs by young artists totally bypass middle 8 passages and are just verse chorus verse chorus with no resolve. The middle 8 resolves the song and brings it around. For those of you who don’t know what a middle 8 is it is the bit in the middle where the melody and quite often the groove change, and then it comes back to either a verse or a chorus. So this here song is heavily influenced by the Beatles, but with good reason. Pete wrote the words about street buskers, of all types – musicians, people who stand like statues for hours on end, magicians, any body really who stands outside, demonstrating their talent, in the hope that somebody will put a bob or two into their hat, or guitar case or bucket. Pete was writing the song when he heard a rumour, an urban myth if you will, that Paul McCartney went busking, and nobody recognized him and he didn’t make much money, hence the reference to Macca in the chorus and the Beatlesque melody and middle 8. You see there was a reason I was banging on about middle 8’s. Anyway it is a fun pop single with a storyline, they make a fabulous songwriting team, and it’s well worth checking out, and buying.

Our Band By Hearts & Souls How did the band start? H&S started out as a bit of a lockdown project out of boredom really; random chance led to Paul Guerin [Black Eyed Sons/Down N' Outz/Quireboys] coming on board as our ongoing producer, and the band kind of grew organically around that. Who were the first members? It was Luke's [Smithson, lead vocals/guitar] thing originally, he'd recorded a song written with me [Tom Q, guitar/vox] with whoever was available during lockdown to just get something done. After Paul came aboard, the need for a more stable and permanent lineup was evident. Alan [Sullivan, bass/vox] had come aboard originally, followed by Jimmy Milne on drums and I came in shortly after, probably to bring the average age of the band down a touch. How did you all meet? We've all been in and out of bands with each other for years; Luke and I have been playing together about 20 years now, and Jimmy and I for maybe 15. Alan, Luke and Jimmy had a few things going a while back, so there was a lot of familiarity from the off. What was the first practice like? It's funny, as we'd mostly recorded the Nights Of My Days EP before studios and everything were properly open, so we'd already had a bunch of songs recorded before the full lineup was in the same room at the same time! It was good though, figuring out the best way of stripping those songs back to basics for a live setting, figuring out which harmonies were which again... Later, bringing in keys and backing singers was just easy by then, we kind of did everything backwards. We're a new band, but full of extremely experienced musicians, so it all felt like we've been doing it for years from day one. Where was your first gig and how did it go? We did a couple warm up local gigs at a venue very dear to us, small pub called the Duck N' Drake in our hometown of Leeds. Rammed that full, took the roof off of it! From there we went onto the HRH festival, which was a brilliant experience - we've done it again since, and had a few familiar faces from the first time round so I'm taking that as a positive! What was it like the first time you recorded a single/EP/album? After the lockdown material, after the line-up had solidified, we started working on songs that came more from us as a unit. I think a lot of our individual styles are more readily apparent on the newer stuff, and each time it's been an improvement - Paul's input has helped massively, and we've tried to do something a little bit different with each song. Working with Bob Munday (former Roy Orbison drummer) on our last single Anjalie was a blast, he's full of stories about some absolute icons. Telling me about drumming for Jimi Hendrix just before I recorded my guitar parts was a tactical move, I'm sure. What has been the biggest and best moments of the band ? We've had some great gigs, with the HRH slots we've done, opening for Wayward Sons was a great night as well! The best is yet to come with this band for sure, but being able to get our music out to everyone is first and foremost at present. Considering our first releases came out before we'd done much live stuff, seeing people singing along was brilliant! They knew the words better than I did. Signing on with Vintage Guitars, followed by being invited to play at the National Guitar Shows is an honour; I think if you're a rock n' roll band and you get asked to do something like that, you know you're doing something right. What has been the lowest and worst moments of the bands? The thing with musicians is that we're all a right bunch of headcases. Genuinely. Every single musician has got to have something wrong going on up there, otherwise it just wouldn't work. You put loads of contrasting personalities in a van together for an extended period of time, you'll get on each others' nerves - fallouts, spats, tension - it's all part of it. At the end of the day, once you're up there and playing, all that goes away. It's done, forgotten about - at least until the next time someone falls out. Just get to the next gig, it'll sort itself out. What is it like playing on a stage to fans? We're all working musicians, and the one thing I can say for sure - for me personally, I don't care if there's 10 people, 100 people or a 1000 - whatever. It's a rush no matter what, and it's always a great feeling. I love it, it's the reason I do it and if you can please half of the room then you've done well. Seeing a packed venue dancing and vibing to something you've helped create is something special. How does it feel when people tell you they are a fan of yours? It's one of the most rewarding things about being an artist of any sort. It's incredibly difficult to create something that's not just "alright, I guess" - I've done a lot in my time, but it never fails to make a difference to my day when someone goes out of their way to tell me we made a difference to theirs. What is the process of writing new music? There isn't one specifically - sometimes Luke brings in a fully written piece, sometimes there's more to be done - a lot of the time, the material I write is music only - I'm good with words, not so much lyrics! The real work with them comes in pre-production with Paul. That's where we'll really put it through the wringer, make the first lot of hard calls. We have high standards for a song to make it into the set, let alone to make it into the studio, so each one gets flattened and rebuilt before anyone's heard it. There's a lot going on musically with this band, so a lot of the effort goes into making sure nobody is stepping on anyone else's toes! Do you have a band ritual before you go on stage? Nah. We have our individual quirks, but generally speaking we can't wait to just get on and play. Other than the instruments you play, do each of you have specific jobs in the band? ie, who arranges gigs, who runs the social media profiles, who sorts merch, etc. Not in particular! As with everything with this band, whoever's best equipped to get it done will get it done. As a relatively new band, I'm sure things will pull together in a certain way in time, but for now it's just crossing bridges as we get to them. Hearts & Souls - Little While

Interview with Holon Tell us about your latest release The latest release is a single called “ Samsara ”, which dropped in December 2024. It’s the first taste of my upcoming two-part concept album called Love & Behold. It’s basically a sonic deep-dive into love, loss, and getting back on the feet again. All the existential spirals that come with being a human with feelings and a guitar. If you’ve ever had your heart broken and then tried to meditate your way out of it—this one’s for you. What was the recording process like? Was it in a studio or do you do it all yourselves? Yeah, this was a full do-it-myself-at-home situation. I built a home studio so I could avoid both human interaction and hourly studio fees. I recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered the track myself. It’s not because I’m a control freak… okay, maybe a little. The only exception is the drums, which are performed by Geir Anfinn Halland Johansen, who somehow still picks up my calls even after I send him grooves in 11/8 and say, “Just make it feel natural.” How do you guys write the songs? “Guys” might be a stretch—it’s mostly just me and my internal chaos. The process usually starts with me messing around on the acoustic guitar, singing some gibberish, and then frantically recording it before I forget the magic (or the mess—I figure that out later). From there, I piece things together like a sonic Frankenstein, sometimes tossing in some odd time signatures while hoping it doesn’t sound like three different songs playing at once. Even though sometimes that could be a cool effect. Lyrics come last, usually inspired by things I’m too emotionally repressed to say out loud. So naturally, I sing them instead ;) What were your main influences while writing? Musically? A strange but wonderful cocktail of Dream Theater, Radiohead, Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin, and the sound of my espresso machine firing up in the morning. Lyrically and emotionally, Love & Behold is heavily influenced by real-life heartbreak, personal transformation, and that weird phase where you’re somewhere between despair and clarity. Throw in a bit of Buddhist philosophy, and you’ve got the general vibe. What is your favourite song on the new release and why? Well, seeing as “Samsara” is the only song on the release—it’s a single, after all—I’d say it wins by default. But honestly, even if there were ten songs on there, it would still be my pick. It’s a track that’s really close to the heart. It dives into loss, change, and the uncomfortable - but-necessary process of letting go and starting again. Writing it was therapy for me. There’s something about how the song builds—from something fragile and intimate into something more expansive and layered—that still hits me every time I hear it. It’s personal, but I think a lot of people can see a bit of themselves in it too. How did you come up with the name of the release? The single is called “Samsara”, which is a concept from Eastern philosophy—the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It felt like the perfect title because the song is about those moments in life where everything falls apart, only to slowly reassemble into something new… usually while you’re still wiping off the emotional debris. It’s about grief, transformation, and the weird beauty of starting over, whether you want to or not. Also, let’s be honest—it just sounds cool. Mysterious, moody, and like something you’d listen to while staring out a rainy window and questioning your entire life. Which, coincidentally, is exactly how the song was written. How did the band get together? Well, the “ band ” is just me and Geir, my long-suffering drummer and occasional sanity check. Holon started after I’d been in several bands that kept imploding or disappearing at the same rate as my guitar picks. Eventually, I figured, “Why not just go full mad scientist and do everything myself?” So I did. Geir joined me for the ride, and he’s been throwing down killer drums ever since. No auditions, no drama—just grooves and good vibes. How did you come up with the name for the band? I found the word “holon” in a book by philosopher Ken Wilber, and it just stuck. A holon is something that is both a whole and a part of a greater whole—which to me is a perfect metaphor for music, people, emotions, and those really long prog songs that could be 3 tracks but insist on being one. Also, it sounded cool. I did find out there are a few other bands called holon out there - so might not have been the smartest move, but what the heck, now we’re all just a small part of a larger, mildly confusing digital holarchy ;) Have you got any gigs or a tour coming up where people can hear the songs live? At the moment, not yet. Holon is still mostly a studio-first project, and my current live rig involves me and a guitar. But I’m exploring ways to bring the songs into the live space—probably starting with acoustic or stripped-back sets, maybe even some intimate shows where I talk too much between songs. What are your plans for the next few months? Right now, I’m working on releasing more singles from Love & Behold while finalizing Part 1 of the album. There’s also Part 2, which is lurking in the background with a lot of half-finished tracks with more questionable choices. I’m also planning to ramp up live activity, get some merch out there, and maybe finally figure out how to use TikTok without having an existential crisis. So yeah—more music, more creative chaos, and hopefully more ears to hear it.

My Favourite Album with Smithy from The Fires Below What is the album? Queens of the Stone Age 'Songs For The Deaf' Why is it your favourite album? Not only are some of their best, well-known songs on this Album, it is a masterpiece that's over 20 years old and has stood the test of time.   The musicianship, writing and energy are at their peak, and the captivating radio concept that merges this saga together is unapologetic creative genius .  If you've not heard it, stick it on right now. How does it make you feel when you listen to it? As a whole, it feels like you go on a real journey, on a desert highway. The album is escapism, transporting your mind to some Americana road movie that you watch on repeat with pleasure. It has highs and lows, a lot of humour and creates a unique atmosphere that epitomises the band's origins that can't be replicated. How do you feel when you hear the songs from that album played live? Luckily, the band still play a lot of these songs Live simply because they are absolute bangers and their most well-known songs. If they didn't play 'No one Knows', 'Go with the Flow' or finish their set with 'Song for the Dead' at a gig then fans would feel a bit cheated. These days it takes a lot to get me in the moshpit, but I'll do it for QOTSA, I think last time I nearly lost a shoe, luckily I got it back at the end of the gig, otherwise the walk home would have been a soggy one. What is your favourite track and why? 'Go with the Flow' is not only my favourite track on this Album, it is also my favourite song ever. It is pure rock driving energy mixed with beauty and emotion. It has possibly the best ever music video of all time as well.

German metalcore mainstays Caliban deliver tried and true metalcore with latest release Back From Hell. For the band’s fourteenth studio album, Caliban are not pulling any punches although, for an act that has enjoyed such longevity, they still have the ability to throw in one or two surprises. Metalcore these days more often than not falls into the trap of same old, same old with so many bands sounding alike and trying their best to ride on the coattails of successful pace setters such as Killswitch Engage, Bleeding Through or Parkway Drive. It can indeed be argued that its metal’s most mundane and yet changeable sub-genre, with many a band embracing and adopting totally (and sometimes wholly unexpected) changes in their sonic output. But there are still some acts that retain their root sound, whilst still delivering a staggering blast that has you headbanging along and madly desiring to punch a wall. Caliban is one such band and, without seeming to seek so much of the limelight, are a band that fans of the genre really should be touting as one of the best out there by now. Back From Hell is the result of 2 and a half years of a creative honing and redesign of their sound, as the band have stated prior to its release. This absolutely doesn’t mean that Caliban have spent that time deciding what type of sound would propel them onto the radio charts or drag new swathes of fans that have so readily embraced Bring Me The Horizon or the aforementioned Parkway Drive- now selling out arenas on a regular basis. Instead the band have explored avenues that are still refreshing yet steadfastly sticking to what made the genre so satisfying in the first place. With proper opening track “Guilt Trip,” featuring Mental Cruelty, Caliban have set out exactly what they have in store for the listener with a riff and vocal approach that reminds one more of Behemoth than Architects and a blackened death sound that fits the band well as they clearly steer their sound in this direction throughout the album (more on this point later). The band embrace an aggression that perhaps many metalcore acts shy away from in recent times and this makes “Guilt Trip” and the rest of the record very pleasing to spend time with. None of this is to say that Caliban have suddenly left their more melodic side behind as each track features a catchy chorus that the band have expertly crafted to leave you humming along, long after the song is finished. The sudden shift from earth-shattering, pummelling beats could easily be too much of a jarring change if in the hands of a less capable band, but Caliban prove that they can easily show how it’s done by delivering punch after crunching punch with hardly a let up for air. And, as if to drive the point home, it’s the collaborations that really stand out. In particular, “Dear Suffering,” which features a guest spot from deathcore veterans Fit For An Autopsy, sets the pulse racing with a punishingly djenty riff that smacks right in the mouth. This collaboration is prescient as deathcore has experienced a bit of a revival of late, with a number of bands releasing praise worthy albums with Fit For An Autopsy being one of them. Caliban manage to steep their own sound in the waters of deathcore without it sounding naff or forced to exist where it does not fit. Title track “Back From Hell” featuring The Browning is another similar stand out as Caliban continue to wield the brutality of deathcore into something that lovers of all thing heavy can get behind. It is only toward the back end of the album that Caliban retain the more familiar sound of modern metalcore with the ballady “Solace In Suffer.” While providing for a perhaps well- earned respite from the belligerence of the previous ten tracks, the song has a well-crafted hooky vocal performance from singer Andreas Dörner overlaid with a crunching guitar riff that doesn’t seem to notice that the song is meant to be a more steady, emotional come down. This is where Caliban show that metalcore can competently be equal parts catchy and ferocious. For a band presenting us with their fourteenth album, there is no sign of a let up of intensity and Back From Hell can easily be a sleeper hit of the year with something for every fan of the genre.