Creating A Universe

On this episode I am joined by Swedish Vocal Maestro David Åkesson, an esteemed music teacher both in academia and as a private mentor to many of Metal's greatest vocalists. He has also appeared on over 25 phenomenal metal albums, specializing in creating backing vocals and choir arrangements in which he is able to sing the entire range. David, therefore, has a great amount of wisdom and experience to share with us and I feel privileged to have gotten to sit down with him to discuss it all. There are so many inspirational take away's from this one, it's really an insightful and informative episode. If you're a vocalist yourself, then it's a must listen, as David shares some of his best knowledge and experience on the matter. He also takes us through his process for arranging and recording, which as a producer/composer was deeply insightful for me! We get deep at times, discussing mindset, legacy, & stoic philosophy. All in all it made for a rather impactful conversation that gave me a lot to think about. I hope it will provide you with a similar moving experience too ❤️

You can check out David's links here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 - Introduction & Synopsis

01:09 - Meet David

02:03 - Projects

11:33 - David's musical journey

23:20 - An impressive legacy!

24:43 - Working in the industry

32:52 - Vocal recording workflows

40:49 - Wisdom from teaching

52:06 - Intermission

52:16 - More teaching of a teacher

59:35 - Vulnerabilities of vocals

1:05:10 - Procrastination

1:08:03 - Can anyone sing?

1:17:31 - Final thoughts and advice

On this podcast episode I am joined by the viking Swede Mr. Gustaf Hammarin, hailing from Gothenburg with his Industrial Thrash Metal band 'Mindistry'. Gustaf is a great guy and a hell of a character that has already been making a meaningful impact on the Love Anarchy Community & Collective. As the sole member of Mindistry, Gustaf released his debut album 'Katastroftankar' in 2022 with Swedish lyrics. He is currently working on a re-release in English & has tonnes of material in pre-production for future albums. As well as his official releases, Gustaf posts many fun musical clips on social media, including metal versions of famous songs and theme tunes from movies and series. He's a super approachable guy and very fun to chat to, so I recommend giving Mindistry a follow on Instagram and sending him a message! In the meantime, check out this discussion, where we covered everything from Gustaf's music & process to pop culture, life, & experiences with mental health. Note that this warrior is not for the faint hearted - but beneath his tough exterior is a heart of gold! I hope you enjoy our chat ❤️

Check out Mindistry's links here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 - Introduction & Synopsis

01:50 - Meet Gustaf

05:52 - Re-releasing In English

17:06 - LOTR Religious Experience

28:12 - What inspires Gustaf?

38:17 - William attempts to speak Swedish

40:20 - Song Challenges

46:18 - Mental Health

49:59 - Talking about the album

50:40 - Staying Unique

52:40 - Talking Tanks

55:08 - Who did it first?

57:43 - Live Shows

59:25 - Musical Journey

1:13:43 - The DIY Approach

1:24:54 - Bringing People Closer

1:30:36 - Lessons

1:32:58 - The LovAnaverse

1:43:10 - Follow Mindistry!

On this episode I am joined by Frontman of Canadian Power Metal Band Lycanthro, James Delbridge. James is a charismatic young man with a powerful voice, paired with killer guitar and songwriting abilities to boot. His rising presence in the grassroots metal community can be felt through the growth of his Wolven Metal band Lycanthro, who as well as releasing classic thrashy power metal anthems host a live-chat series on Instagram called 'Wolfpack Live'. The show takes on a rather similar format to this one and James makes for an engaging host, getting to meet and chat with a diverse range and talents from all across the metal scene. I find James' energy to be inspirational and am very confident in his ability to succeed. Therefore, it was an absolute pleasure to get to chat with him on this show, to unpack the different elements of all that he does and get some excellent advice on how to navigate your way through such a community. We also touch base on other projects James has been involved with, such as his work as a film composer & his appearance in Gideon Ricardo's Woods of Wonders The Metal Opera. This was a lot of fun and there is a lot of great nuggets to take away from this one. I hope you enjoy checking it out! ❤️

Check out Lycanthro's links here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 - Introduction & Synopsis

00:45 - Meet James

02:08 - All About James

03:37 - Who Are Lycanthro?

16:19 - Becoming More 'Pro"

19:31 - The Production Process

23:56 - Pale Rider BTS

25:12 - Evolving As A Band

31:42 - Play The Right Shows For You

34:46 - Lessons Learned

44:17 - You Have To Want It!

46:49 - Networking

51:24 - Observations On Promoting Differences

58:32 - Influences

1:08:38 - Finding The Balance

1:09:17 - The Swedes

1:14:10 - Operatic Metal

1:16:10 - Playing An Elf

1:18:50 - More Networking Opportunities

1:22:01 - New Collaborations

1:29:18 - Workflows

1:38:10 - Handling Criticism

1:40:00 - Creating A Song

1:56:06 - What's Next?

2:02:01 - Scoring Music For Film

2:17:41 - Closing Sentiments

On this episode I am joined by classic metal head Spike Francis, a singer, songwriter & guitarist bringing to life all things metal in his animated musical web-series project: Spike's Guitar Camp. Spike gives us an extra special treat, sitting down with me in full face paint from the cockpit of his flying V spaceship. You certainly don't see that every day! We had such a fun conversation about all aspects of Spike's past, present & future - the former of which was spent as a legit rock star, playing guitar for the legendary Dee Snider in the 90s, as well as having his band managed by Nikki Sixx & Tommy Lee of Motley Crue. Spike's experience has taught him a lot about life & the music industry and it's given him a lot of unique perspectives on the world. It's a real pleasure to have Spike share that with us and this episode was a hell of a lot of fun to record! I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation just as much ❤️

Check out Spike's links here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 - Introduction & Synopsis

01:08 - Spike's Guitar Camp

03:37 - What Motivates Spike?

07:20 - Leaving Mercenary Behind

12:32 - Tele Talk

13:00 - Playing With The Stars

15:53 - Life On The Road

17:00 - Short Form Content

18:26 - The Modern Music Scene

24:50 - New DIrections

33:50 - Live From A Spaceship

35:19 - Spike's Image

36:34 - Spike's Influences

43:44 - Spike Describes His Sound

50:05 - Touring

51:48 - Writing Influences

53:25 - Tim Henson

55:00 - Guitars With More Than 6 Strings

1:03:39 - Heading To YouTube

1:05:42 - Guitar Talk

1:08:46 - The Curse Of The Endorsement

1:12:27 - New Bands

1:20:36 - Advice For New Musicians

1:27:24 - The Problem With Oversaturation

1:30:22 - Cartoon Narratives

1:34:41 - Re-Visiting The Classics

1:37:23 - Career Highlights

1:52:46 - Kiss

2:03:50 - Final Remarks

On this episode I am joined by multi-talented minimalist Brit, Theo Watts, who joins me from his base in Brighton, on the South Coast of the UK. Theo is a fascinating individual who spends much of his time working as a session musician, performing functions & depping gigs across a wide range of instruments & genres. He also writes & produces his own original music, as well as taking a hands on role in the projects of others. Although, despite his phenomenal talent in music, it does not end there! Theo's first love was in film, where he's nurtured a passion for cinematography from a young age. He has a wonderful cinematic style to his content & applies this to the music community by producing wonderful videos for upcoming artists. Featured among the range of those Theo works with is Archie Caine, a fantastic Symphonic Metal singer who also featured in Gideon Ricardo's Woods of Wonders Opera. But today the focus is on Archie's multi-faceted drummer, Theo - who balances an ever growing stack of talents with a minimalistic approach to life. Does that sound like a paradox to you? You'll have to listen to find out how this rather intriguing individual works! And no doubt there will be some valuable takeaways for you. Enjoy ❤️

Check out Theo's website here & Instagram here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 Introduction & Synopsis

01:19 Overview of what Theo does

2:15 How Theo got into Film & Music

5:00 Discussing Film & Theo's background in it

11:12 Theo's move to Brighton

12:30 Theo's musical journey

20:20 Overview of Theo's work & releases

31:37 Different genres & Imposter syndrome

39:11 Learning Sax, new instruments & alternate pitching

48:54 Minimalism - lifestyle, mindset & creativity

1:11:00 How we met mutual friends & connections

1:15:17 Working with Archie Caine / their gig with Stefani Keogh

1:24:03 The upcoming Prog band Azure

1:27:16 What Theo is working on now / goals for the future

1:31:19 Mental health of musicians & artists

1:42:11 Where to find Theo / Closing sentiments

On this episode I am joined by experimental US metal trumpeter, Mr. John Heckathorn. John is a rather intriguing individual with interesting thoughts and philosophy. This is profoundly reflected in his somewhat avant garde musical style, which fuses Progressive Metal with Classical & Jazz Trumpet. It's safe to say that I certainly hadn't heard anything quite like John's music prior to listening to Antediluvian Projekt and I thoroughly recommend everyone to check it out - even if it's just to see what you think of this very unusual musical style! John has an album and an EP out with Antediluvian Projekt with plenty more to come. Here I got to chat with him all about it, from his background, to his process, to his philosophy - and so much more! I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I did having this conversation ❤️

Check out John's links here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 Introduction & Synopsis

01:02 Overview of John & Antediluvian Projekt

02:08 John's musical journey / style & influences

13:20 Trumpet, Classical & Jazz

19:47 Antediluvian Projekt releases & progression

25:33 The Antediluvian concept, story & philosophy

31:07 The Trumpet as the hero / Star Wars soundtrack

36:57 Music production & mixing

42:45 Discussion on AI technology (art, music & beyond)

54:34 Return to production & mixing / live drums & programmed guitars

1:08:31 Playing drums & discussing social media content

1:12:14 Discussion about the philosophy & approach of music

1:21:41 Singles vs albums & lessons from releasing music

1:35:47 John's ultimate vision / film making & technology

1:43:10 What's next / where to find John / closing sentiments

On this episode I am joined by Galactic metal-head Luke Robinson, a British solo artist creating a mind-boggling blend of Symphonic Melodic Death Metal, with elements of Power Metal & Sci-fi added in for an all-in-all bombastic cinematic experience. Just my kind of thing! What's cool is that Luke and I both live in parts of Yorkshire in the UK, so he's by far the Geographically closest guest I've had on the podcast so far! Being a similar age and from a similar background, we have a great deal in common, from our memories of getting into music all the way to our big interests and what we're creating now. I had a lot of fun getting to chat with Luke about it, as well as all the ins and outs of his project and process. Be sure to check out FInal Blast, as Luke has just released an incredible album & EP back to back! It'll make for the perfect companion to this episode ❤️  

Check out Luke's links here: https://linktr.ee/lukerobinson_finalblast  

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services: https://flow.page/loveanarchy  

Timestamps:

00:33 Introduction & Synopsis

00:58 Overview of Luke & Final Blast

08:43 The Final Blast Sound

13:29 How Luke got into music

22:00 Luke's biggest musical influences

23:53 Movie & video game soundtracks

28:30 The concept behind Final Blast music

32:32 The collaborators on Final Blast

42:18 Mixing & music production

1:00:46 Luke's writing process

1:09:03 The new album & EP

1:19:15 Music videos / Advice for musicians

1:26:24 Discussion on the Swedish band Ghost

1:42:27 Yorkshire life & metal bands

1:46:00 What's next for Luke & Final Blast

1:50:23 Closing sentiments

On this episode I am joined metal maestro Oha Cade, mastermind behind the Valcata collective. Originally from Ireland, Oha now coordinates the creation of his Progressive Symphonic masterpieces from his home in New York, working remotely with an incredible cast of musicians and singers. We join Oha at an exciting time, straight off the back of the release of the new Valcata single 'Paralyzed', featuring Stefani Keogh & Marcos L. Peñate on dual vocal duties. This astonishing new track follows 2021 single 'Tower' & 2019 debut album 'Valcata' - a sci-fi metal opera in which fans of Ayreon will delight. I really enjoyed getting to sit down and chat with Oha, we got to talk lots of exciting topics, from musical theatre to the ins and outs of how he runs his project. I really hope you find something of value in this conversation, I know I did! ❤️

Visit the Valcata Website here

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services - go here

Timestamps:

00:33 Introduction & Synopsis

01:09 Overview of Oha & Valcata

02:58 How Valcata Started

05:50 The debut metal opera album released in 2019

14:43 Oha's journey as a vocalist

18:33 Discussion on musical theatre & Oha's main influences

31:46 Discussion on classical music & opera

40:52 Oha's musical journey from getting started to Valcata

50:30 Oha's move to New York & what the family think of his music

55:22 The Valcata writing & production process

1:11:37 The 2021 Valcata single 'Tower' & Jacob Hansen's mixing

1:16:57 The brand new single 'Paralyzed' / Stefani & Marcos

1:25:30 What's next for Valcata

1:34:14 Oha's writing & production services

1:35:37 Closing sentiments

On this episode of the podcast I am joined by Vampyric Gothic Metal artist Laura Vargas, otherwise known as The Inferno Doll. Laura is wonderfully talented vocalist and performance artist originally from Chile, now based in Canada. Her love for all things dark and vampyric manifest creatively into her solo project The Inferno Doll, brought to life through her debut album Dollmination (2015), the EP Sacrifice (2020) and the music videos that accompany them. We get to hear from Laura at an exciting time, as the brand new single 'Renfield' from her upcoming album has just been released. This new material promises to be her most vampire inspired yet, based primarily on the definitive literature of Bram Stoker's Dracula. It was an absolute pleasure to get to chat with Laura about her fantastic music, her fascinating background, and of course... All things vampires! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did ❤️  

You can check out Laura's links here: https://linktr.ee/theinfernodoll 

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services: https://flow.page/loveanarchy 

Timestamps:

00:33 Introduction & Synopsis

01:32 Overview of Laura & The Inferno Doll

02:22 Vampire inspiration & how the song 'Renfield' came to be

06:55 How the concept & stories around The Inferno Doll have evolved over time

12:45 The progress of the upcoming album

15:05 The recent Lacuna Coil cover with Sam Astaroth & Cody Johnstone

16:12 Deep dive into discussing vampires

26:09 Laura's musical style & influences

34:37 The writing & production process for The Inferno Doll

40:26 How Laura would like to approach live music

42:40 Laura's international fan base & community

46:27 Laura's theatrical flair & The Inferno Doll music videos

58:02 Laura's musical journey & past with the band 'Sacramento'

01:05:00 Laura's position on touring & friendship with like-minded musicians

01:06:32 Eve's Apple - An ex-community of female metal singers

01:11:20 Summary of Laura's discography

01:13:52 Laura's message to listeners & closing sentiments

On this episode of the podcast, I get to chat with symphonic metal maestro Nathan Gross from Ontario, Canada. Nathan is a wonderfully talented composer, producer & keyboard wizard who contributes to many fantastic projects - most prominently Age of Athena, Haven Dream & Blood of Indigo. Of course I already had the pleasure of speaking to Alex Centorame from Blood of Indigo just a few episodes ago, which was a particularly great episode. So to now get Nathan’s perspective, as well as hear about his personal story and all the other amazing projects he works on was a real treat. We especially got in depth later on about composing & music production, so for anyone interested in those topics - this episode is for you! Anyway, I loved getting this chance to hang out with Nathan and I hope you enjoy listening to our chat ❤️  

You can check out Nathan's links here: https://linktr.ee/nathan_gross 

For all Love Anarchy links including socials, music, blog & services: https://flow.page/loveanarchy  

Timestamps:

00:33 Introduction & Synopsis

01:06 Overview of Nathan & the projects he's involved in

12:10 Pushing musical boundaries / staying creative

14:50 The metal scene in Ontario

17:17 Alina / Snowmaiden & their project Haven Dream 3

34:35 Producing & mixing symphonic metal

46:35 Segue into Blood of Indigo & composing the orchestral suite 'Memesis'

52:20 Nathan's first band Age of Athena & their debut album

1:02:09 Return to music production & mixing (from a modern composers perspective)

1:25:50 Ambient music, soundscapes, automation & soundtracks for film

1:55:53 What's next for Nathan / Haven Dream's upcoming album about mental health

2:05:26 Nathan's music services under Studio Grandiose

2:08:33 Classical music & Improvisation

2:14:24 Closing sentiments