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DEVIL’S ISLAND featuring Cairiss

Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil’s Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It’s not your average desert island and we’ll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.

This week when we arrived at Devil’s Island we find Cairiss sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil’s Island?

Find out now…

Welcome to The Razors’e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don’t worry about it’s name I’m sure it’s not as bad as that would suggest.

You’re marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn’t live without. Which album did you each chose and why?

Ethan – Watershed by Opeth because it’s got everything you could want

Martin – Alien by Strapping Young Lad because it’s really angry, and I’d be really angry so that fits

Lydia – Voyage of the Acolyte by Steve Hackett because you need some prog in your life

Freya – Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain because everyone loves feeling deeply sad on an island

Connor – Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi because something needs to counteract the sheer misery we’d get from Ethel Cain

Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster of one album cover. What album cover do you each choose?

Ethan – Dance of Death by Iron Maiden

Freya – Metal Magic by Pantera

Martin – As Ink in Water by Asira

Lydia – Melting Sun by Lantlos

Connor – The White Album by the Beatles

There’s also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What’s your tipple of choice?

Ethan and Martin – White Russians

Connor – Espresso Martini

Freya – Protein shakes

Lydia – A nice cuppa tea

Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?

Ethan – 3 Inches of Blood tanktop, it’ll be hot!

Freya – Mesmerise System of a Down shirt that’s over 20 years old

Connor – Taylor Swift hoody for those cold nights

Martin – Devin Townsnend mug because of the hilarious typo on it

Lydia – Wacken OA lighter from 2008

You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?

Someone who could a build a boat would be better than any of us

There’s a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?

Martin – Tokyo Warhearts by Children of Bodom

Lydia – Live at Blues Alley by Eva Cassidy

Ethan – Rebirth of Dissection by Dissection

Freya – Live at Pompeii by Pink Floyd

Connor – Alter Bridge Live at the Royal Albert Hall

You’re getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?

Bruce Dickinson because he has a plane!

You’ve been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There’s only one thing for it… which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?

I guess whoever dies first..

Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?

Freya – Serj Tankian

Martin – Steven Wilson

Lydia – Phillip Glass

Ethan – Mikael Åkerfelt

Connor – Phil Collins

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post DEVIL’S ISLAND featuring Cairiss appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

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Bloodstock Bound: CHUG

As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.

Today we chat with Chug

Please introduce yourselves.

Hey! We are Jacob and Doug from CHUG! We’re two mates (yes, just two) from Cheltenham!

How would you describe your sound?

We’ve got a hardcore nu-metal thing going on, shoved through our wall-of-noise two piece style. We are dedicated to the endless pursuit of groove.

How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?

We won our Metal 2 the Masses competition for Cheltenham! Shout out to The Frog and Fiddle for being the heart of the Cheltenham scene, and to all the bands that took part.

How tough was the competition this year?

It was VERY TOUGH! It was our first year and we kept looking at the poster with all the bands and thinking “jeez we’ve got a lot of work to do”. The final was in the middle of the late June heatwave, so we thought we were only going to be playing to the judges, sweating it out in the back. But no! A sold out show, every band bringing their A-Game, it was a real privilege to be a part of. We think every band on the bill deserves a spot, but we’re so glad we have been given the opportunity!

What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?

It’s the biggest thing we’ve done as a band, it is still really crazy that the incredible members of our local scene got us here. We are going to do everything we can to ensure we make the most of this opportunity and put our everything into playing the best show for everyone that comes to see us! We are all about energy and so to have the chance to perform to a festival crowd and all cause havoc as one big, metal family is going to be as much fun for us as it is for you!

For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?

Two guys making the heaviest, grooviest noises they can. Expect stank-faces, mosh pits, sore necks and more groove than you can shake a reasonably-sized stick at!

What day are you performing?

We are on the Sunday!

What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?

Mantis Defeats Jaguar (previous M2TM winners), Carpenter Brut, Sepultura, Lamb of God, Northlane, Vended, The Scratch, Graphic Nature and also everyone at the New Blood Stage!!

Playing the New Blood Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?

We are just going to keep this train a-chuggin! Play as many gigs as we can to as many people as we can, release our EP later this year, meet every cool new person possible, and have all the fun in the world!

Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?

We unfortunately can’t camp with you wonderful lot because when we found out we’d won, all the weekend tickets were already sold out! But we are definitely going to be touring all the campsites over the weekend, giving out CHUG goodies and hoping to meet as many new friends as possible who will come and throw down with us!

You’ve gotta keep hydrated at Bloodstock, what is your drink of choice for the weekend?

For me, Doug, unfortunately it’s a very boring pint of water (unless anyone has some peach soju on hand). Jacob is much more exciting and will try every beer under the sun, and then have a whiskey to make sure he plays extra well! (Only give him 1 though)

See you at Bloodstock in a few weeks!

See you there! We hope everyone’s festival prep goes well and you have the best weekend all year!

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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Charleston, SC-based death metal quintet Homicyde premiere a new single and music video by the name of "Puppet to Disease", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

German metalcore band HALF ME have unveiled their latest single “Fear Is The New Belief” alongside a Chris Hesse-directed music video. The track marks the third offering in a recent run of singles from the group. North American fans may get the chance to catch it live this fall, as the band will be joining thrown, Norma Jean & BOLTCU… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

There’s no faking a life like rock’n’roll lifer Sami Yaffa’s. From the righteous sleaze of Hanoi Rocks to the streetwise snarl of the revived New York Dolls and beyond with Michael Monroe, he’s lived it.

Now he’s back, this time alongside singer-guitarist Rich Ragany (The Digressions) and The Loyalties’ drummer Simon Maxwell in the newly formed The Sideshows, burning brightly with the release of their self-titled debut album.

You exhibited some of your abstract paintings in Stockholm last year. What does art give you that rock’n’roll doesn’t?

Peace and quiet! It’s kinda the opposite. I rotate between rock’n’roll and painting. When I run out of ideas, I start painting, and when I get tired of that, I go back to music. They feed each other in a weird way.

How did The Sideshows come about?

Rich is an old friend of mine who I’ve known since my New York days. He then moved back to the UK and I heard he’d started making music. He started turning up to Michael Monroe gigs, and he told me he was still writing songs. I had just finished building my studio and I wanted to see what it sounded like, so I asked him if he wanted to do some demos. And the first two songs sounded fucking fantastic! We thought: “We have something here. Let’s make a whole album.” We banged it out in a week.

Your studio is in rural Spain. What kind of effect did that environment have on the making of the album?

I think rock’n’roll lives inside of us regardless of the surroundings. I’ve recorded in every major studio in the world, but what it boils down to is the less disturbances from friends and family you have, the better it is. You can zone in on the work and really enjoy the experience. And also not to having to think about the clock all the time helps.

How would you describe the soul of The Sideshows?

We’re suckers for good songwriting. We want to get the rock’n’roll spirit in there – we want it to be loud and we want it to be obnoxious, but at the same time we want it to be good. Rich kept sending me demos that he’d recorded in his bathroom – we thought of putting them out and calling them The Toilet Tapes. And speaking for myself, my spirit hasn’t gone anywhere. I try to listen to new music all the time, but because of modern technology it’s become a little too perfect. I like rock’n’roll to have a little bit of dirt and some drunkenness and the element of surprise.

Is there anyone that you’d still like to play with that you haven’t done yet?

There are a lot of brilliant musicians out there. I’m a huge Tom Waits fan, but I think he’s probably retired by now. And I love Nick Cave’s stuff. As you can see, I’m just naming old guys. But there is a band from Helsinki called Lovers Left Alive who are fucking great. They give me hope.

What’s next for The Sideshows? Will they be playing shows soon?

We’re planning live dates for the fall in the UK, Finland, Spain and Germany. We’re going to continue with this, and we’re already talking about the next record because this is so much fun. The reception we’ve had has been really great.

The Sideshows is out now via European Phonographic.

Album Review: Horrid Mass – Nauseating Ecstatic Degeneration

Reviewed by Matthew Williams

You only have to look at what the band and album are called to know that what you are about to listen to is going to make your ears bleed, and I’m happy to report that Milwaukee’s finest have produced something worthy of their name. Formed in 2022, the trio consists of Nick Lewis (Bass & vocals) alongside guitarist Tony Capadilupo and drummer Spencer Powers, and they’ve unleashed merry hell with their debut album.

Following on from their 2023 EP “Formless Dread”, they have crafted eight new songs in total, beginning with “Worthless Mote” as they forge a well-trodden path of bludgeoning and atmospheric blackened death metal. There are no airs and graces, no excuses, just heads down hostility from start to finish, as the trio experiment and push the boundaries further on the opening track and you get the expected rush from the sheer brutality of the music.

There’s a slow, menacing build on the next song “Writhe” before the vociferous vocals explode over the crushing and truly mental drum sound. The bass line does come through here alongside the melody, but it doesn’t hide the fearsome nature of their overall sound. “Execration” is the longest of the tracks, at nearly 7 minutes, and they create a nervous tension around the narrative, with terrifying guitars and severe vocals. If you want a song to turn up loud and scare the neighbour’s with, then this will do just fine.

You are then hit with two shorter tracks, “S.H.E.D” and “Cruelty” of which the former should end up on some sort of psychological thriller soundtrack as it leaves more to your imagination than it probably should due its chilling content. “Loathsome” sees them return to the longer format with another intimidating piece of music, as it’s initially slow and ominous but has elements where the trio just go crazy and more severe.

The band were aiming for “a total descent into filth, chaos and sonic ruin” and they’ve achieved that with great aplomb, typified by the unsavoury “Violent Ascent” which is my favourite track on the album. The riffs are sinister, the vocals are vile and the drums are dramatic, to create a darkened ambience that will stay forever, as they end with “Congregate” which starts passively, lulling you into a false sense of security, before their primitive, barbaric sound takes over to complete the aural attack.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: Horrid Mass – Nauseating Ecstatic Degeneration appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Influential industrial metal band Ministry premiere a new single and music video titled "Burned Out", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. It’s once again the apparent end of the road for the band, with frontman Al Jourgensen seemingly set on following through with his promise to conclude the group after one final studio album. … Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Pain Of Truth have shared a new live video for their 2020 track “The Test“. The performance features a guest appearance from rapper Denzel Curry, while the original studio version of the song featured King Nine. The collaboration took place this week, July 22nd, at Proyecto in Los Angeles, CA. After gaining crossover attention with his Rage … Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com