Interview Under Fire Podcast

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An amazing fact about the Swedish symphonic power metal band, Therion, is that they were first rooted in the sounds of death metal. 17 albums and 3 decades later, the evolved sound you hear today is a testament to their maturity and growth. Vocalist Thomas Vikström joins IUF today to show us a deeper look into their newest album “Leviathan”, and how this album is a culmination of everything the band has endured up until now. Thomas himself has also grown as a musician throughout his storied career – from fronting bands like Candlemass, Stormwind, and Dark Illusion – he still believes he has much left to put out into the world regarding his artistic talents. He and Therion have experienced so much already, and with the newest album, it serves as another new chapter to add to an already cemented legacy. Listen in now and make sure to buy/stream Therion's new record “Leviathan” out now everywhere on Nuclear Blast Records.

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Shredding the guitar chops for over 20 years, Marta Gabriel of Crystal Viper possesses a passion unmatched. We get the opportunity to speak with the Polish artist as she prepares for the 8th album release within her heavy metal outfit. When it comes to writing and conducting music, Marta has a drive within her that stems from influences like HP Lovecraft and Iron Maiden. The new album, titled “The Cult” is a representation of everything she has built up towards during her career – and we dive into more of those countless experiences from touring the world, collaborating with other talented musicians, and the amazing fan experiences she holds dearly to this day. Even though she has been away from the stage a lot as of late just like other musicians, it only means more music for her mind to unleash onto the world, and she has plenty left to create. 8 albums isn't an easy accomplishment, and now that she realizes how far she has come, it only provides more motivation for her to keep growing – personally and artistically. We have a great episode in store for you with our conversation with Marta, listen in now and make sure to buy/stream Crystal Viper's newest album “The Cult” setting to drop January 29 on Listenable Records.

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We welcome back frontman Johannes Persson from the Swedish metal group Cult Of Luna. After dropping their “A Dawn To Fear” masterpiece in the latter part of 2019, 2020 allowed them to flex their skills a little further. The new upcoming EP, titled “The Raging River” comes as an encore and a companion piece to the recent full-length, and this includes releasing it under their newly owned established label by the band, called Red Creek Recordings. The band states, “It has been created as a safe home for our art, but we wanted to do more and offer our experience, expertise and network to the artists we love and believe in.” Johannes talks about the creation of the label alongside the influences and ideas that went behind the new EP. Cult Of Luna looks forward to the day live music can return to the forefront, so as of now – they will still be manifesting creative work behind the stage, because it's what they do, and they do it with passion. We also ask Johannes about his experience in bringing in American singer-songwriter, and musician, Mark Lanegan to perform guest vocals on a song on the new album. It's almost as if it feels like a dream for the band to have worked with such a distinguished artist; So take it from us, it's a song you will not want to miss. Tune into this episode now and make sure to buy/stream Cult Of Luna's new EP “The Raging River” dropping February 5th, 2021 on Red Creek/Metal Blade/Season Of Mist Records.

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For the first time in the history of one of heavy metal's most prominent publications, Decibel Magazine, an all-female band has been featured on the cover – and that is of thrash metal powerhouse, Nervosa. We are joined by vocalist/frontwoman Diva Satanica as she talks about the new album with the newest lineup that she is also a part of. If there was a way to kick start the new year on a positive note, this is it. Diva tells her journey from her experiences performing in other bands such as Bloodhunter and Outreach before joining Nervosa. Even though the band as of today has yet to perform in front of fans with the new lineup, Diva describes the chemistry that the four of the girls have built during the recording process of the new record. “Perpetual Chaos” was written and recorded all in 4 months – it was an intense undertaking. This new chapter in Diva's music career is one she looks forward to presenting to the world, with a fire that's burning at its brightest. Metal saved her life, and we get the opportunity to dive into those details with her, all the way from her influences to her personal goals. The future is bright for this thrash metal quartet, listen in to our conversation with Diva now and make sure to buy/stream Nervosa's newest heavy hitter “Perpetual Chaos'', out now everywhere on Napalm Records.

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One of the more influential and fundamental artists in the world of modern rock/metal music, Devin Townsend, joins us today on IUF. From fronting the highly lauded bands like Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Project – Devin has collaborated with a countless amount of other talented bands/musicians throughout his decorated career. Now that the live concert experience has been on hold for nearly a year, we ask Devin about his touring perspectives that he appreciated the most. One noticeable element about Devin was the presence and passion he always left out on the stage when it came to performing; It was something anyone at any show would remember. The relationship between the artist and fan cannot be overlooked, and Devin speaks out on how much he has valued that over the years. And lastly, we also talk about the quarantine concerts he managed to pull together during the first stages of the pandemic, and how he raised money while donating the benefit proceeds to hospitals and health services. Devin is always striving to make a positive impact within the community – no matter the size. His energy and motivation just seems to be unmatched, and that's a good thing to serve as an inspiration where many have pointed out about him. With new music now on the horizon, Devin looks forward to this new uncharted chapter in hopes of continuing to bring his passionate work out into the world once again.

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We welcome guitarist Adam Zaars from Swedish gothic metal outfit, Tribulation. The 5th and newest album “Where The Gloom Becomes Sound” is set to drop soon, and Adam talks about the stages of the hard work that ensued from the writing process, themes, and the production to bring this album to the surface. Not only is this a follow-up to their 2018's Grammy Award winning album “Down Below”, but this also featured a lineup change just after the completion of the record. Many other challenges were faced - before, during, and after the making of Tribulation's latest masterpiece. Adam talks about how well the group has stayed together and built chemistry over the years, regardless of any hurdles that may have been thrown their way. Influences are also a big part of what makes Tribulation who they are, and this album featured many of them that can date back years and years ago. We dive into plenty of those ideas with Adam, including putting him on the Hot Seat which showcased his knowledge on the band's own lyrical content. Listen in now and be sure to buy/stream Tribulation's newest album “Where The Gloom Becomes Sound” releasing January 29th on Metal Blade and Century Media Records.

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Going on over 3 decades of death metal brutality – vocalist Martin van Drunen from Dutch quartet Asphyx is still doing what he does best, and that is creating music while belting out one of the more memorable screams in metal. Whether it's with Asphyx, Bolt Thrower, or Pestilence, his drive for performing hasn't skipped a beat. We talk to Martin about Asphyx's 10th studio record “Necroceros” getting set to drop soon, and how the studio production dates back as far as 2019, even though time has flown by in a blink for him. What makes Asphyx so memorable is the live presence Martin and his bandmates display on stage, and the energy is entirely different as opposed to performing music via livestream – which is what they are now planning to do after the new album drops. Making the best of this worldwide situation is the road to be on at the time being, and Martin plans to bring a similar energy to the fans who can still enjoy Asphyx in a different version in the comfort of their home. It's a commonality within the music artist in today's world where technology is vital to get the fans involved for a livestream. Martin talks about the whole outlook for himself, Asphyx, and the rest of the music world with us in this brimful episode. Tune in now and make sure to buy/stream Asphyx's new record “Necroceros” unleashing January 22nd 2021 on Century Media Records.

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Crank up your stereo for this one - It's about to get heavy, cold, and soul shattering. We welcome an artist from our very own local area here in Fort Worth, TX, frontman Chad Green of death metal quintet, Frozen Soul. We speak to Chad about how insane the long road to dropping their new record was envisioned, and even though it's the debut album, it feels as if it took 17 years in the making for it to come to the surface. Well worth the wait. Chad dives into his upbringings and influences, including stories about his relationship with the late Riley Gale, another local artist who fronted the band Power Trip. Chad went through many personal and artistic battles, and has taken in the music industry experience first hand to realize that the hard work is just getting started. At the same token, there are many rewarding parts of this entire experience where he realizes can't be found elsewhere. Plenty to discover in this episode about one of the newer heavy hitters that's about to take the metal music world by storm – or rather, a violent and furious blizzard – get it? Tune in now and make sure to buy/stream Frozen Soul's earth shattering debut masterpiece “Crypt Of Ice”, out now everywhere on Century Media Records.

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We are joined today by one of the more decorated and influential heavy metal guitarists to date – Michael Schenker. On the year of his 50th anniversary, he is preparing to release a record that will be etched in metal lore. The new record, appropriately titled “Immortal”, will feature many of metal's finest musicians as they join forces with Michael's talents. Michael also recalls many of his most memorable touring experiences throughout his career, whether it's playing with Scorpions, UFO, Ratt, or his solo work. He stays humble – yet he appreciates his storied journey where many have compared him to the likes of Dave Mustaine, Randy Rhoades, and Kirk Hammett. Tune in now as Michael talks about the other artists he collaborated with to bring the sound of “Immortal” to the surface, and how co-producing with lifelong friend Michael Voss served as a building block to the newest chapter in his life. The new Michael Schenker record “Immortal”, drops January 29, 2021 on Nuclear Blast Records.

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From Pantera to Cattle Decapitation, and from Misery Index to Pig Destroyer - We have an episode for the books to open up 2021. We welcome John Jarvis, Adam Jarvis, Derek Engemann, and Mark Kloeppel from the band, Scour – minus lead vocalist Phil Anselmo. If you know your history, all of those aforementioned musicians have cemented their place in the extreme heavy metal music realm. Having been playing in different bands before Scour existed, we had the chance to speak with this talented and unique music roster on how their current group became to be. Sure, you can label the term “Supergroup” in their direction, but it's not what they are about. As my conversation unfolded with them, the commonality here was that these were friends coming together to do what they love doing most – and that is playing music with a passion unmatched. The history between the 5 go back a long way and we discuss the experiences each of them have taken in during that timeline (Oh yes, we got tour stories). Now with the newest release of their 3rd EP titled “Black”, the Scour Boys also talk about the collaborations they brought in with other well-established artists like Erik Rutan, Pat O' Brien, and Jason Momoa – All of which have guest starred in the tracks within this relentless brutality of a record. This is how you close out a year full of mayhem, which at the same time opens up so much potential and positivity into the next. Let Scour be your escort into 2021 as they also talk about bigger and better goals for each of the members going forward. Pick up their newest EP, “Black” out now on Housecore and Nuclear Blast Records.