Sonic Perspectives

What happens when you record a bunch of know-it-all prog nerds on a conference call? You get yet another episode of Talking Perspectives, back for the second edition of the new year. On Episode 21, regular panelist Jordan Blum and Talking Perspectives founder Nick Andreas join host Gonzalo Pozo to discuss the virtues of mixing genres, their most anticipated albums of 2019, and the upcoming album by a little band called Dream Theater that you may have heard.

Stream or download the episode to hear a good, maniacal, hour-long chat between three passionate music fans. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast to be notified about the upcoming episodes, as well as any other content we publish on a near daily basis.

The post TALKING PERSPECTIVES: Genre Mixing in Metal and Prog-Rock / Most Anticipated Albums of 2019 / Dream Theater New Album (Episode No. 21) appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Frontiers Music SLR is known for building new bands/projects featuring musicians of outstanding quality and who come from unique backgrounds. After an intense brainstorming session, a dream team of renowned metal musicians including Tim “Ripper” Owens (ex-Judas Priest, Iced Earth), Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death etc.) and Mark Zonder (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord) was born and put together under the direction of renowned LA-based producer Roy Z (Bruce Dickinson, Halford, Tribe Of Gypsies).

Called SPIRITS OF FIRE (after the title of one of their songs), the band completed work on their debut album which is set for release today. Guitarist Chris Caffery said about the record: “I wanted to write songs that Judas Priest, Savatage, Testament, and Fates Warning fans would like. But, I wanted them to have a personality of their own as well. To give it a vibe that was SPIRITS OF FIRE! I grew up listening to Judas Priest and spent 30 plus years working with Jon Oliva and Paul O’Neill with Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Many years playing Criss’ music. These influences for me came naturally! Especially because I’m a fan of all of our bands!”

Caffery sat down with Sonic Perspectives restless collaborator Rodrigo Altaf and they discussed at length about the composition process of their debut album, the immediate plans for Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the chance for a future Savatage reunion, and Chris’ other endeavors. Listen to their chat below, or subscribe to our Podcast in several platforms to listen and be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on daily basis.

The post CHRIS CAFFERY Talks New Band SPIRITS OF FIRE: “Working with Roy Z was Entertaining, Creative and Very Metal” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

ROTTING CHRIST were the first Greek band to break out from the underground and make their impact felt worldwide.  In a signature style honed by 30 years of toil and triumph, the quartet has delivered heavy metal thunder so epic that it could have been forged by the gods themselves. Band’s front-man Sakis Tolis proved to be a jovial and introspective fellow when he chatted with Sonic Perspectives Texas Bureau Chief Gonzalo Pozo about his love of life, love of metal, and Rotting Christ‘s slamming new offering The Heretics, out February 15 via Season of Mist. The Heretics was recorded by ROTTING CHRIST guitarist George Emmanuel at his studio Pentagram and mixed by Jens Borgen (AMON AMARTH, AT THE GATES, ARCH ENEMY, and more).

Additionally, ROTTING CHRIST have announced new European tour dates together with MOONSPELL this fall. The massive rampage kicks off at the Markthalle venue in Hamburg (DE), and continues to wreck havoc throughout 22 more countries before a final curtain at the Backstage in München (DE). A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.

“Everywhere you go,” Tolis stated, “there are metal-heads, and Rotting Christ will be there”. “Even in Turkey,” he stresses, demonstrating his commitment to the metal cause by routinely performing for the Anatolian neighbors whose nation waged war against Rotting Christ‘s native Greece as the Ottoman Empire collapsed. Turkey, Tolis reminds us, “once treated us as enemies.”

And that’s the great paradox of metal in a nutshell: uniting Greek and Turk, skeptic and believer, Arab and Jew, where diplomacy often fails. Curiously, where fellow Mediterranean metallers Orphaned Land have used the love of religion to unite warring factions, Rotting Christ have used skepticism and outright hostility to religion to achieve the same ends. Yet another paradox.

Tolis was such a joy to interview, and was so full of memorable and even poetic quips, that even the hardened skeptic typing this was surprised to hear such musings from a guy whose band is called “Rotting Christ.” τρελαίνεται!

The post ROTTING CHRIST’s Main-man SAKIS TOLIS Talks New Album: “Metal Has No Borders” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

It’s no secret that we at Sonic Perspectives love FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – we recently published an interview with their guitar player Michael Gilbert, and a glowing review of their upcoming album, The End of Chaos, which is promising to be one of the greatest metal releases of 2019. And now, expanding even more our reach and getting more insight into that album and the creative process around it, we had a chance to catch up with Flotsam‘s prolific drummer Ken Mary.

Ken‘s name may not ring a bell at first listen, but if you’re a metal fan, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard him on the skins in an album you admire – the list of bands he’s been a part of include Chastain, Impellitteri, House of Lords, Fifth Angel, and the “Raise Your Fist and Yell” era of Alice Cooper. Ken has worked as a drummer, producer, engineer, singer, record executive and writer on over thirty-five albums that combined have sold over five million copies worldwide, in genres from heavy rock to choral music.

Sonic Perspectives collaborator Rodrigo Altaf caught up with Ken and they discussed Flotsam‘s  new album and the upcoming and tour, and reviewed all of his career in a lengthy conversation that you can find on the link below. Listen to their chat, or subscribe to our Podcast in several platforms to listen and be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on daily basis.

The post FLOTSAM AND JETSAM’s Drummer KEN MARY: “Metal is Where the Envelope is Being Pushed Drumming-Wise More Than in Any Other Genre” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Since their formation in the late 90s, the Faroese band Tyr has faced a number of obstacles, not the least of which include finding personnel in their sparsely populated country. From their early days as a pagan-hearted progressive metal band to their current seafaring savagery, Heri Joensen and his horde of heathens have held their heathen hammers high, and they’ve not been shy in disavowing a certain subset that’s misguidedly embraced them.

Tyr‘s forthcoming album Hel hits American shelves on March 8, 2018 via Metal Blade Records. With Hel, the band provide even more irrefutable evidence that they stand at the vanguard of Scandinavian metal. Their eighth full-length is a collection of ruthlessly melodic and irresistibly compelling progressive folk metal that will immediately resonate with any who have followed the band at any point over the two decades of their storied career. Guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen says “I really feel we’ve realized the vision we set out to create all those years ago, and as I listen through the album, I am satisfied with every aspect: the epicness, the intricacy, the melodies and harmonies, and the sheer heaviness of it. I love the whole atmosphere of it”

While prepping to sail seas in warmer climes, Mr Joensen was good enough to have a chat with Sonic Perspectives Texas Bureau Chief Gonzalo Pozo. As usual check out their conversation in the video below, or subscribe to our Podcast in several platforms to listen and be notified about new interviews and contents we publish on daily basis.

The post TÝR Frontman HERI JOENSEN on Nazi Fans: “If You Know How to Read, You Know We Do Not Support to the Right Extremists” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Drummer virtuoso John Macaluso is a name that will be familiar to anyone following the melodic metal scene for the last 20 years. One of the most in demand and hard working drummers to ever grace a stage – with a catalogue of over 200 albums spread across numerous different genres – Macaluso is a workaholic who has played with countless bands: starting his career with American power-thrash metal band POWERMAD, he also worked with TNT and RIOT, before founding the groundbreaking ARK with Tore Østby and Jørn Lande. He went to on collaborate with a zillion other artists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, James LaBrie, Dee Snider and even temporarily replaced Jason Rullo in SYMPHONY X in 2013.

Returning with the first Talking Perspectives episode of 2019, Gonzalo Pozo, Rodrigo Altaf, Jordan Blum and Joel Barrios joined Macaluso for a chat which spanned over an hour. Always a personable and humorous character, their conversation turned into a talk between friends, covering anecdotes from John‘s years with Yngwie, Ark, his new bands Stone Leaders and Tripsonic Order, his upcoming tour with Tomorrow’s Eve and much more.

Listen below, and of course, don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast to be notified about the upcoming episodes, as well as any other content we publish on a near daily basis.

The post TALKING PERSPECTIVES: Career Retrospective with JOHN MACALUSO (Episode No. 20) appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.