ANJ Interview (Blistering.com)

ANJ
By: Rei Nishimoto

Russia is hardly known as somewhere that would produce heavy metal music. The country is better known for its vodka and importing its athletes and the music scene is best known for producing 80s hard rockers Gorky Park and female pop act T.A.T.U.

ANJ is an up and coming modern metal band out of Moscow who is beginning to make some noise. Started by frontman and guitarist Anatoly Zhuravlev in 2003, he began writing music on his own. He was a guitar prodigy in his teen years and became Russia’s only Schecter Guitar endorsee. He later wrote satirical songs with such titles as “Gorbachev,” “Power to Destroy” and “Prophecy,” fusing that with his elaborate stage shows.

The band has released three full length recordings in Russia, and has found them appearing on various music fests across Russia, as well as 2006’s Finnish Metal Expo in Helsinki and 2007’s Download Festival in England.

In 2008, Zhuravlev recorded new songs in Los Angeles with producer John Travis (Kid Rock, Buckcherry). He recorded songs with guitarist Levon Sultanian (formerly of Onesidezero and Abloom) and drummer Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour/ex-Soulfly).

ANJ utilized the services of Sultanian and former Candiria drummer Ken Schalk (later replaced by drummer Dmitry Sachko), as well as the live members, guitarist Oleg Izotov, and bassist Nikita ‘Niki’ Simonov for a Gigantour date and As I Lay Dying in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band recently completed a US tour supporting Yngwie Malmsteen.

Zhuravlev (through a translator) spoke to Blistering.com about the band’s history, being a metal band from Russia and conquering the American market.

Blistering.com: Please tell us about the history of the band.

Anatoly Zhuravlev: About four, five years. The band or crew now, it’s about over one year.

Blistering.com: Is this your first time playing in America?

Zhuravlev I played in Milwaukee before. I also recorded in L.A. a music video called “Mikhail Gorbachev.” You can find it on YouTube.

Blistering.com: How are American audiences different than playing in Russia?

Zhuravlev Sometimes I feel like there’s no difference and other times there are bigger differences. I’m actually in the process to find a connection with the audience.

Blistering.com: I read that ANJ has played various European festivals in the past. How did you get onto those festivals? Did you build a fan base over there first?

Zhuravlev I am working hard and doing my best to get over there. Because we’re doing something original, they like that.

Blistering.com: A lot of people are unfamiliar with the Russian music scene, especially the heavy metal scene. How is the Russian metal scene today?

Zhuravlev Metal is not very popular. That’s why I am trying to get outside of Russia to find an audience. There’s nothing there so that’s why I’m looking for foreign audiences.

Blistering.com: Your lyrics are in English. How difficult is it to write lyrics in English when it is not your native language?

Zhuravlev There are Americans that help him [writing in English]. Actually those texts are adapted.

Blistering.com: Do you ever feel that when you are getting the idea down in Russian that it gets lost in the translation into English?

Zhuravlev Some of those songs completely change when you translate them into English. The meaning is totally different from what it meant in Russian. Some of those songs stay the same and mean the same.

Blistering.com: You mentioned recording some songs in Los Angeles. How was it to work with an American producer and American musicians, and how different was it compared to how you normally record music?

Zhuravlev Like when we recorded the music video here in LA, “Mikhail Gorbachev,” he got a lot of positive emotions. But with the songs, I think it’s about the same recording here [as in Russia]. With the technology today, the whole world seems the same. Anyways we’re trying to adapt for American audiences. For Russian audiences, we’re going to have to do this a different way. It’s a different mentality and a different culture. You can’t use the same thing. It won’t work like in America. Even the albums are different.

Blistering.com: You recorded the song “Mikhail Gorbachev.” Tell me about the song, including what the point you were trying to get across in the song.

Zhuravlev It’s a humorous tale. You have to look at your past with a sense of humor. It’s not trying to make fun…a lot of intellectual people in Russia recognize it as a good song and a good music video. It’s not making fun, but an easier way of telling the history.

Blistering.com: Do you feel that through your music you are bringing positivity to Russia when there is a lot of negative press right now with what’s going on there?

Zhuravlev I wouldn’t put it that way. The government won’t pay me for that! That’s not my point to do that. It’s cool to be in America. For every band there, it’s their dream is to tour in America. I don’t have any ambitions to change the view or stereotypes of Russia.

Blistering.com: When you started ANJ, what bands did you listen to that inspired the sound?

Zhuravlev: Creedance (Clearwater Creedance Revival), Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne. It’s stuff that everyone’s listening to - no one too famous.

Blistering.com: Are you recording a full-length album any time soon?

Zhuravlev We already have a few songs written already. A full album will be done in a few months.

Blistering.com: Any final words?

Zhuravlev (without the translator) Ladies and gentlemen, ANJ is coming…!

www.myspace.com/anjkill

Beneath the Massacre Interview (Blistering.com)

Beneath the Massacre
By: Rei Nishimoto

Beneath the Massacre is one of the many bands coming out of the rising Montreal metal scene within the past few years. Joining fellow scensters Despised Icon, Ion Dissonance, Neuraxis and Cryptopsy, they have built a following through extensive touring. Their latest record, Dystopia, continues that brash style of technical death metal that pushes the extremities of that sound. Fans have growth more familiar with them touring with Suicide Silence and Necrophagist.

Vocalist Elliot Desgagnes talked about the new record, life on the road, and their background that developed them into what they are today.

Blistering.com: What different approaches did you take on the making of Dystopia?

Elliot Desgagnes: We had to write it on the road because we were constantly on the road for the Mechanics of Dysfunction promotion. It was me and the guitar player (Christopher Bradley) mostly writing music all the time and we hoped we had enough songs. That’s why the release of the record is out a year and a half after the first one. Writing-wise – I think everyone’s had a word to say about the songs, compared to maybe to the previous one. On this one, we all worked for it.

Blistering.com: Much of your lyrical content is based on social decay. How much has the themes of your songs changed over the years?

Desgagnes: Yeah totally. Dystopia is more about the disasters upcoming. I would say it’s a big question mark. It’s a lot of questions that I’m asking, like how I would ask it to the world I’m living in. There aren’t many answers. It’s the opposite of Mechanics of Dysfunction, where I was bringing up like a problem with a solution. This one’s a bunch of questions I threw in there.

Blistering.com: Where did you get the interest in this theme? Are you into conspiracy theories like the 9/11 theories?

Desgagnes: I don’t believe in that many conspiracy theories. There are some, but I’m not the one who believes in these conspiracy things. I think it is way simpler than this. It’s capitalism. It’s the mass consumption of the society we’re living in. It’s bringing us nothing but war, conflicts and the bigger gap between the rich and the poor. A reason for all of these wars and all of these problems…the social problems are so obvious. It’s almost funny that people don’t understand yet.

Blistering.com: Musically, for a band together for such a short period of time, you have quite the crushing sound with such highly technical parts put together. Does it take a while to piece together your songs, as much of it is quite complex?

Desgagnes: Our songs are definitely complex. I think it’s a sound that we got from…it’s weird because we’re such good friends. There are two brothers, the guitar player (Christopher Bradley) and the bass player (Dennis Bradley). I’ve known them forever. I was their neighbor when we were kids. It’s like a bunch of brothers that we knew what we were always trying to do. So when we write music, we don’t question ourselves whether it sounds like us, because we know it will. There are a lot of bands I hear them say, “I don’t know if we do it this way or that way, but it doesn’t sound like us.” We don’t ask ourselves questions about it because we know what we want to do, how we want to sound, and just do it.

Blistering.com: Has everyone in the band been playing in bands prior to Beneath the Massacre?

Desgagnes: Beneath the Massacre’s coming from the ashes of another band we used to have. I was playing bass and at this point we needed a new singer. I grabbed the mic instead of playing bass. At this time, we found our sound and that we were starting something with a new bassist with new members. We’ve always been playing music for a long time. Justin (Rousselle) started playing drums…I don’t know how old he was but it’s been a while. We’ve been musicians before Beneath the Massacre. We’ll be musicians after Beneath the Massacre.

Blistering.com: Being from Montreal, the Canadian metal scene has exploded with bands like Cryptopsy, Despised Icon, and Ion Dissonance. With the exception of maybe Cryptopsy, did you all come up the scene together? Were you familiar with each other?

Desgagnes: We all met when we were at shows. With our ex-band, we did Ion Dissonance’s first show. I met the guys in Despised Icon after shows. The dudes came and saw me and said they were amazed. Ever since, we kept contact and they’re good friends of ours. We went to Europe together. I think it’s the music. It’s about going to the shows and the music we love made us friends. I do realize there are a lot of good bands. I’m pretty proud of the Montreal music scene. The last Neuraxis album is amazing. I know Ion Dissonance is writing a new album right now. So is Despised Icon.

Blistering.com: What is it about the Montreal metal scene? Is it sheer coincidence that all of these bands came up at the same time and got noticed at the same time?

Desgagnes: In Montreal, we’re there for the music first, unlike a lot of places we go. Bands are not there for the music. They’re there to look cool on stage and impress their girlfriends. For us, we’re there for the music. I think Montreal has a huge respect for musicians. No matter what gender they are. Right now, we’re on tour with Suicide Silence, Architects from the UK, Emmure and After the Burial. Architects sounds nothing like any of those bands. So in some places in the States, people would watch them like ‘what are they doing?’ People loved them in Montreal because they’re great musicians. I think places are more open-minded about music. There’s going to be some good bands coming out of these places.

Blistering.com: When you started Beneath the Massacre, what were some of the bands that helped shape your sound?

Desgagnes: Bands like Death, Dying Fetus, Suffocation, and Origin. Death/grind bands like Pig Destroyer. We’re also influenced by the hardcore movement. We don’t sound hardcore but it’s an energy thing. We like giving a show. We’re like sweating like assholes on stage, and dying every night. We’re true to our music. We couldn’t play the music without that. I think also it has something to do with growing up listening to punk music. So there’s definitely some kind of punk/grind/hardcore attitude also behind the music.

Blistering.com: How’s the Suicide Silence tour going so far?

Desgagnes: Good. Suicide Silence is huge. They’re so huge it’s ridiculous. There’s some cities where I’ve never seen turnouts like this. Like smaller cities. We’ve played big cities with big bands before so I knew what to expect. But it’s small cities where there are lots of kids.

Blistering.com: Where were some of the surprise turnouts on the tour?

Desgagnes: There was a stop in Kansas, where we played a month and a half ago with Necrophagist and Dying Fetus. There were 70 kids. When we played with Suicide Silence two weeks ago, a month after we played with Necrophagist, there were 250 kids! This is in Kansas – the smallest place ever! The only reason we had a show there was because we were playing Denver, Colorado the day before, and there was nothing before we were going to the East Coast. So they booked those kinds of shows sometimes. It’s not big markets. It was pretty big.

www.myspace.com/beneaththemassacre

Cro-Mags Jam @ Nike Theatre (www.Vivelepunk.net)

CRO MAGS LIVE AGAIN


New York hardcore legend John Joseph recently toured Europe with this Cro Mags jam band. Big Cheeses Rei Nishimoto caught them in .LA.

CRO MAGS JAM
The Nike Theatre
Los Angeles, California

5/5
Original Cro Mags vocalist John Joseph made his long awaited West Coast appearance with his all-star CRO MAGS JAM band at the ‘Radio Silence: A Selected Visual History Of American Hardcore’ book release show. A packed room eagerly awaited the appearance of the tattooed frontman to throw down the old school hardcore jams, and he, along with the band, definitely did. The band, featuring guitarist A.J. Novello (Leeway), drummer Mackie Jayson (Bad Brains, Hazen Street, Madball, Cro-Mags), and bassist Craig Away (Sick Of It All) delivered the goods, punching away at all of the classic tunes and keeping the crowd moving throughout their set. Joseph introduced many of their long-time friends in the crowd, including Lord Ezec (Skarhead/Danny Diablo) and Toby Morse (H20), dedicating songs to them and speaking about the positive message behind hardcore. They played many favourites including ‘We Gotta Know,’ ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ and ‘Hard Times’, with Morse and friends joining in the fun. Showing that despite the drama behind some of the members’ relations, the Cro Mags were definitely a huge part of shaping hardcore and heavy music in today’s scene, nobody should ignore this.

Rei Nishimoto

The Bronx - Bronx III (Mean Street - November 2008)

THE BRONX
The Bronx III
(White Drugs/Original Signal)

Release date: Nov. 11

Rock ‘n’ roll got a swift kick in the rear by The Bronx, and their latest release continues to do that. Sticking to their raw, edgy sound full of AC/DC-style rhythms and punchy Black Flag-style aggression, they have created what is easily an anthem for a new generation of antisocial youths. But on III, they have honed and refined the maniacal side, where hooks appear in spots throughout the record, but without losing any of the intensity along the way. Songs like “Knifeman” and “Pleasure Seekers” pack memorable guitar rhythms with sing-a-long punk style choruses, while older fans will get off on “Inveigh” with its abrasive blasts of riffing from start to finish. Longtime fans should enjoy this, as well as newer fans looking for music to bash your heads to. This is a record full of edgy songs that could easily become the logical progression of rock music that is missing today.

Grade: A
REI NISHIMOTO

Pig Destroyer - Natasha (Mean Street - November 2008)

PIG DESTROYER
Natasha
(Relapse)

Release date: Nov. 11

This tune was originally available as a bonus DVD Audio to ’04’s Terrifyer album, but is now available as its own standalone release. Natasha is a one-song, 35-minute epic that plays like a soundtrack to a slasher flick. The band created a slowed down, doom-filled masterpiece that falls somewhere between Godflesh, the Melvins and Neurosis, with horror-movie samples, synth melodies and ambient parts. Longtime fans may be thrown off by the lack of their familiar grindcore ways, Natasha still brings out the brutality in many other ways. The gradual buildup throughout the track is quite immense, as the slow grinding behind the low end heaviness is felt throughout the entire tune. Natasha may not be for everyone, but fans of doom should give this one a test drive.

Grade: A
REI NISHIMOTO