Interview Under Fire Podcast

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The music in the beautiful country of Portugal is widely known for their artistry in classical, folk, fado and rock/blues genres. In addition to that awe, we bring you the heavily praised and influential metal band Moonspell from the capital city of Lisbon. Frontman Fernando Ribeiro joins IUF today to talk about the growth of Moonspell's impact throughout 3 decades of dark and gothic metal extraordinaire. Now approaching the 30th anniversary of the band, Fernando remains humble yet proud that he has reached this point in his career, with plenty more left to achieve. The new album “Hermitage” is the band's latest offering and their 13th chapter in the catalog, and we ask Fernando on how important it is to stay musically true to themselves yet still expand on that established sound. 13 albums is not an easy feat to accomplish, but here they are doing what they do best – and they do it well. From the heavy and atmospheric tones, to the ethereal patterns and melodic grooves, it's promised to not only be another favorite for the Moonspell fans, but for all the metalheads around the world. Tune into our episode with Fernando and buy/stream Moonspell's newest gothic epic titled “Hermitage” out February 26th on Napalm Records.

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From metal, to pop, to rock - Award winning Dutch singer-songwriter Anneke Van Giersbergen has composed many different genres throughout her talented career, and this time around, the acoustic genre couldn't feel more at home for her. We get the opportunity to speak with Anneke about her newest record “The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest” and how this album was everything she never knew she needed to write. This album proved that she is no stranger to the graceful and bliss acoustic structure, as it allowed her to tap into a whole different dimension of herself while her growth for musicality continued to mature. She describes how the “...intense years bring you a lot of wisdom” prior/during the writing process of this album, and that many different sorts of influences came into the light. Without struggle, there is no act of perseverance – and that reflected onto the album title. Culminating 23 albums in Anneke's career, she sees these as chapters throughout her life, but it's no time to just sit back and dwell on the past – as there are many more left to contrive and formulate in her bright future. A great episode in store for you here. Tune in now and make sure to buy/stream Anneke Van Giersbergen's new album “The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest” out February 26th via Inside out Music/Century Media Records.

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32 years of death metal brutality from the mighty Cannibal Corpse, we are joined by guitarist Rob Barrett from the band. The upcoming album “Violence Unimagined” will be the band's 15th in their decorated catalog, and for Rob, he talks about how the band has stayed on that level of consistency for decades. Gore, death, torture, cannibalism, zombies – it's been those thematics which have caught on and worked for them and the dedicated fanbase as far themes and lyrics are concerned. No need to change anything if it's been what they are best known for, and boy, they do it with perfection which is unmatched by others in the field. Rob talks about the recently known “Sixth” member, guitarist Erik Rutan, who is now an official member of the band. Erik Rutan also recently produced the bands four other records, and it only made that much more sense to Rob and the rest of Cannibal Corpse to finally make him an authentic member. We also ask Rob about the live experience, and what he misses most about touring the world throughout his career. What made Cannibal Corpse so impactful was also their live presence they exhibited on stage, and the energy they fed back to and from the audience was unlike any other. Tune into this episode with Rob Barrett, and don't miss Cannibal Corpse's latest heavy hitter “Violence Unimagined” dropping April 16th on Metal Blade Records.

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Musician, author, and businessman Sean Dowdell joins IUF today to talk about his latest work with his band, Grey Daze. Grey Daze are an American rock band formed in the early 90s – best known by being fronted by the late Chester Bennington, who at the time went on to join one of rock's most prominent bands, Linkin Park – which also resulted in Grey Daze breaking up in 1998. Sean, who is a founding member and drummer from Grey Daze, was also one of Chester's most beloved friends. Sean talks about the legacy of Chester, and how the two planned to keep the band going shortly before his passing in 2017. After a couple of years of recuperation, Sean decided it was important to fulfill Chester's wish not only for himself, but for everyone who loved him. This then transcended into the back-to-back releases of “Amends” (2020) and “Amends...Stripped” (2021), where the latter is an acoustic EP of its predecessor. Sean, and the rest of the remaining members of Grey Daze, got back together and hand selected a compilation of tracks while re-recording them along with Chester's vocals from the past – completely re-imagined as if Chester were still alive today. Aside from his desire to play the music he has so much passion for, it doesn't stop there for Sean - as he also talks about his successful tattoo business and his own books which were published throughout his career. A powerful episode to digest in this edition. Tune into our conversation with Sean now and make sure to buy/stream Grey Daze's latest EP, “Amends...Stripped” out now on Loma Vista Recordings.

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In this episode, we are joined by one of the pioneers of viking metal – Einherjer. Hailing from the vast lands of Norway, it's always been business as usual for frontman Frode Glesnes. The upcoming 8th album “North Star” is a return to form for the quartet, and this includes the likes on releasing music once again under the label, Napalm Records (their last under Napalm was the debut album from 1996). Not a bad reunion if you ask us. Frode also dives into his experiences on producing the record himself in his own studio called Studio Borealis – which provided a level of comfort for him and his bandmates knowing they had full control over how they wanted this beast of a record to sound. Not only that, but the themes centering around Einherjer's lyrics are mainly Nordic Mythologies, and we get the opportunity to ask Frode about how important that element is to him. After decades of playing the music they love, it's only fitting to stick to what has worked during that timespan, and they do it well. Tune in to this episode now; You can buy/stream Einherjer's new album “North Star” getting set to unleash February 26th on Napalm Records.

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Resiliency. It's in her DNA. We get the opportunity to chat with the lauded yet humble English singer-songwriter, and an advocate for positive mental health – Lucy Spraggan. In the span of a decade, Lucy has had quite the journey, which includes: Performing in Open Mic shows across the U.K. in her early days, her mind-blowing and impactful X-Factor appearance, touring the World while being an ambassador for mental health/rebuilding yourself, and last but not least, having 6 albums under her decorated arsenal of music. She has accomplished so much and yet the growth of her personal and musical aspirations is at a constant. Lucy tells her in-depth story between her maturation within the light and the darkness; From the bottom to the top, it serves as a testament to her growth which shaped her into the person she is today. At the time of this interview, she is nearing 19 months of sobriety – which also paved the way as an influence on herself while writing her newest album that is set to drop soon, titled “Choices”. From indie pop to folk pop and acoustics, this new album showcased a whole new dimension of talent inside Lucy's songwriting abilities. “Choices” surround elements of self-confidence and self-realization – and at a time of where the world is sitting, it's an album that we need. It is definitely a snapshot of where Lucy is at a certain time in her life, looking back. Join us on this extraordinary conversation of resiliency, and make sure to buy/stream Lucy Spraggan's new album “Choices” releasing February 26th on Cooking Vinyl.

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This is an important yet exciting time of the year for the Scottish progressive metal quintet – Dvne. On the verge of releasing their 2nd studio album “ Etemen Ænka”, we sit with guitarist Dan Barter as he walks us through his personal experiences on creating an album of the year contender in metal music. The irony in all this galore is the releasing of the album in the same year of the sci-fi feature-film of the same name titled “Dune”, which the band also takes their name from. This feels as if it was no coincidence, as Dan describes that a lot of the influences within his band are derived from the world of Science Fiction. Aside from the blended fusion sounds of titanic heaviness, ambient atmospheres, and headbanging grooves within Dvne's sound - it also carries along lyricism surrounding dystopian themes and grand narratives, which is a story told by the band in an epic fashion you will not want to miss. Tune into this episode now with Dan as he takes us on a journey through the wormhole and make sure to buy/stream Dvne's newest record “Etemen Ænka”, out March 19th on Metal Blade Records.

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Seasoned guitarist Marko Tervonen from the Swedish death metal outfit, The Crown, is our guest in this episode. Having been playing in the band for 30 years, while undergoing different lineups, name changes, and breakups – Marko is more than grateful that The Crown has overcome many hurdles in it's storied timeline before releasing the new upcoming 10th album, “Royal Destroyer”. Many topics explored in this in-depth back and forth conversation with Marko, from the live concerts played worldwide to the pandemic and to the new album and beyond. Marko talks about the hard work that went behind the new record and how it feels as if this new chapter is exactly what he and his bandmates needed. It's an interesting thought on how things just have a way of working themselves out, and The Crown are not shaken by any adversities thrown in their direction. “Royal Destroyer” is pure, raw, and in your face; It's everything you want in a death metal album. 10 albums in, and they haven't lost a beat. Tune into this episode with Marko now and make sure to pick up the new album from The Crown out everywhere March 12th on Metal Blade Records.

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We begin Season 6 of IUF with another majestic voice in heavy metal – frontwoman Emma Zoldan from the Norwegian band Sirenia. Before joining the symphonic metal quartet, Emma has made a career singing at various operas in France for many years – and this proved to be an amazing learning experience before taking the lead in Sirenia. The band is about to release their 10th album, but this will be Emma's 3rd since she joined them. At the same time, for Emma it seems she's been with the band from the start. The chemistry and the bond she has developed with fellow bandmates Michael, Nils, and Morten couldn't be more sound. Emma talks about the new album “Riddles, Ruins, & Revelations” and the recording process that had a level of convenience due to Morten Veland taking the helm of production. As the writing and conducting grew for the record, Emma was able to provide her own talented elements that shaped the record into what it sounds like today. Tune in now as Emma dives into all these amazing stories with us and be sure to buy/stream Sirenia's new album “Riddles, Ruins, & Revelations” dropping February 12 on Napalm Records.

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One of the more graceful and profound voices in metal today, Simone Simons, joins the IUF podcast to talk about the newest album from the Dutch symphonic metal band, Epica. The eighth and new record “Omega”, went through such a diligent recording process from top to bottom. Simone talks about that experience despite the ongoing worldwide pandemic. She recorded her vocals remotely from the Bader Studios while working with renowned producer Joost Van Der Broek, who also brought in the likes of the City Of Prague Symphonic Orchestra to play such a vital role in Omega. Simone also describes life outside of music, and how it was important to stay invested within many quarantine-induced months – from spending time with her family to updating her detailed blog titled SmoonStyle, which is full of amazing tips and information from cooking to makeup to her own photography. There's so much more to Simone than the music life, so make sure to tune into this episode as she goes into many of the interests that feed her creativity within the band. Buy and stream Epica's new album “Omega”, out February 26, 2021 on Nuclear Blast Records.