Caveat Interview

For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Brandon- Describing Caveat has always proven to be difficult. We seem to cross genres a lot. We have doom metal influences as well as crust punk influences. There are also a fair amount of harmonies and clean, atmospheric parts.
Bones- Zakk and I have played together for, shit, almost 9 years now?  Every band I have every been in, Zakk has also been in at some point.  I think that comes through in the music a bit, we both have the same mindset for a lot of things, and we know how to compliment each other’s writing and playing style.  Brandon is great, he fills in the blanks and apparently can read my mind.  Like when we are hashing out a riff, and I can hear the lead part in my head, he just starts playing what I’m hearing without me saying a thing.  It’s awesome.

So far you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Brandon- Our musical sound on “Kobayashi Maru” varies between heavy doom to atmospheric interludes. In between those manic comparisons, there are crusty-type passages and brooding moody parts.
Bones- I think that EP is pretty damn well rounded.  Kobayashi Maru was the first song we wrote when we started out (I think), and I still love that song.  Jump forward to Doge, and you get a flavor of some of the growth on our idea of song structure.  Or something.

What are some of the lyric topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Brandon- I don’t really know a lot of the lyrics but I do know a lot of them are about Star Trek and Ron Swanson.
Bones- Start Trek.  Space.  Weed.  Mostly Star Trek.

What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Caveat'?
Brandon- The story behind our name is this: We were sitting at a local watering hole in Eau Claire called The Joynt before practice. We had a show booked down the street at the House Of Rock and their booker wanted a name to put on flyers. It took quite a while to decide but eventually we decided on Caveat. We then proceeded to text-bomb the booker with the results of our discussion.
Bones- I don’t know that it really means anything other than the definition of the word.  I’m not one to attach meaning where it doesn’t actually exist.  We embrace a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants mentality with pretty much everything, and I think this was just the name that sounded best when we hit the deadline. But if you want, it can mean something about the duality of existence and shit.

What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Brandon- As far as I’m concerned, our best shows seem to have happened at The Mousetrap in Eau Claire. It’s primarily a hippie bar and rarely has metal show but when it does, the place is packed and the vibe is electric. And loud. Our stage performance has a fair amount of energy. It’s not like we cause moshpits or anything. We are definitely getting more and more comfortable with our performance on stage.
Bones- We always have a blast playing with Morality Crisis.  Those dudes are super fun.  And Tyranny Is Tyranny, shows with them are always fun.  I like small venues with a small stage or none at all.  Gets everyone in nice and close.  Appleton is always fun too, that town has such a great scene. I’m boring as fuck on stage.  We keep it simple, quick, and straightforward.  Jimmy (original bass player) has the best stage presence.  He brought some much needed energy when he was in the band, and he takes that to all of his projects.

Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Brandon- I would personally like to tour, but our bass player, Zak, has a kid and a family life now so it’s hard to plan stuff like that. Obviously we would be interested in touring but there is a huge money liability there. I am currently in college and thus a poor college kid. Hopefully we can figure something out in the next year. As far as show plans, we just plan on playing quality shows locally and regionally. We currently only have one show booked in Appleton, WI at a festival with some legendary crust bands. That should be a good time. Appleton is always a sweet party. Appleton was actually where Caveat’s first ever show took place.
Bones- I think we all want to tour, but life gets in the way.  I’ve toured a bunch with Dresden, but I didn’t have to handle any of the logistics (credit to Bitty).  That shit takes a lot of time and effort, and honestly I just don’t have the time right now.  It’s a shitty excuse on my part. We pretty much always have a show on the horizon, but that’s Brandon’s department so I will let him handle that one.

On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of underground metal?
Brandon- Worldwide? Sheesh, I don’t know. I guess I have found our music on Russian torrent sites, so that’s cool. There were a few thumbs up icons along with it so I assume that’s a good thing. We have been contacted by a few zines in Europe too that really want to work with us, so we will see how that goes.
Bones- Worldwide?  I’m not sure that we have had exposure beyond the midwest, but I like to pretend that there is some niche, in some bumfuck town, in some country that is spelled with all consonants, where on Tuesday nights a bunch of guys get together to play D&D while listening to music, and on one out of every 10 of these Tuesday D&D gaming nights, one of our songs comes on, and then they press skip on their playlist and the next song is “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love” by Van Halen, and they all perk up a little bit.

What is going on with some of the other musical projects or bands these days that some of the band members are a part off?
Brandon- Currently, I am the only one in a different band. I am also in a black metal band from Eau Claire named Infernal Altar. We just recorded our first demo. It is fun to be involved in other stuff. On the side, I also do some sort of a “solo” thing. I expect that will be out sometime next year if time allows.
Bones- I guess I’m still technically in Dresden.  We haven’t played together since our last tour (like 2 years ago?), but the rest of Dresden is in Wartorn and In Defence, so they got their plates full.  There are a lot of projects I’d like to start, but I spend a lot of time doing motorcycle trips in the summer, so once again, life gets in the way.


When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Brandon- I can’t say for sure when or if a full length would ever happen. We do have a few new songs though, so anything’s possible. We are always writing.
Bones- We’ve been cranking out songs pretty frequently, I could see a full length by the end of the summer.  Well, written at least.  I personally despise recording.  It’s tedious, and I tend to hold myself to high standards which somehow fall by the wayside during recording, only to have myself less than thrilled with my parts after the fact.  Ask anyone that’s been in a band with me, I am a nitpicky asshole.  Musically we will probably stay on the same non-defined path that we’ve always been on.  But we are starting to experiment with more tempo changes, and that seems to be working well.

What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Brandon- For me personally, Mastodon, Baroness, Kylesa, The Sword, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Tragedy, Morne, Pallbearer, Sleep, High On Fire, etc. have had a huge influence on how I play guitar. I think a decent amount of those bands influenced parts of our songs in some way. As far as what I am listening to right now, it varies. I don’t listen to metal or music, for that matter, a lot anymore. I’m a huge fan of Pallbearer, The Atlas Moth, Neurosis, Isis, Sleep, and my favorite bands are Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. So chances are, if I am listening to metal, I am listening to one of those bands.
Bones- Major all time bands that still hold a top slot on my list would be Perth Express, early Metallica, High On Fire, Tragedy, Kvelertak. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Budgie, Bolt Thrower, Sleep, Blue Oyster Cult, Dream Theater.  Just kidding on that last one, I don’t listen to Dream Theater.


What are some of your non-musical interests?
Brandon- Some things I like to do that aren’t related directly to music are traveling. That’s why I think touring would be an amazing experience for me. Even if I just travel to a new city, no matter how big or small, I will enjoy it. There’s just something peaceful about the open road.
Bones- You know, American stuff: drinking, shooting guns, freedom.  Actually those first two are true.  I spend a lot of time riding and working on motorcycles.  My buddy and I have a lot of camping rides planned this summer.  That, and I’m building a dirty ass chopper from the ground up out of an old 1973 Honda CB750.

Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Brandon- Thanks for the interview. I’m more or less a boring guy so I don’t have much else to say, I guess.
Bones- “With the joy of responsibility comes the burden of obligation.” -Hank Hill

Godhunter/Amigo The Devil/The Outer Dark/The Compound/Battleground Records/20`5 EP Review

  This  is  a  review  of  an  ep  that  has  Arizona's  Godhunter  and  Florida's  Amigo  The  Devil  called  "The  Outer  Dark"  which  will  be  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  The  Compound  and  Battleground  Records  in  February  2015  and  Godhunter  strays  away  from  their  sludge,  doom  and  crust   roots  and  going  for  an  acoustic  folk/western  direction.

  Acoustic  guitars  start  off  the  ep  and  gives  the  music  a  neo  folk  feeling  along  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  that  can  also  be  very  aggressive  at  times  and  after  a  few  minutes  the  music  starts  adding  in  more  melodic  and  melancholic  moments  along  with  the  song  also  bringing  in  a  great  amount  of  full  chords.

  On  the  second  track the  music  sticks  to  more  of  a  neo  folk direction  while  also  adding  in  distorted  parts  and  the  song  is  a  cover  of  Nirvana's  "Something  In  The  Way"  and  also  sounds  more  melancholic  than  the  original  version.

  Godhunter  &  Amigo  the  Devil  create  some  very  dark  melancholic  folk  music  and  while  it  does  not  have  the  heaviness  of  other  Godhunter's  recordings  the  music  still  sounds very  dark,  the  production  has  a  very  powerful  sound  while  the  lyrics  cover  depressive  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  great  effort between  Godhunter  &  Amigo  The  Devil  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  neo-folk,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Weeping  Willow".  8  out  of  10.    

Steak Number Eight/The Hutch/Indie Recordings/2013 CD Review

 

  Steak  Number  Eight  are  a  band  from   Belgium  that  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  sludge  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "The  Hutch"  which  was  released  by  Indie  Recordings.

  A  very  dark,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  high  pitched  sludge  screams  which  they  also  mix  in  with  some  clean  singing  vocals  and  there  are  also  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  which  also  gives  the  music  more of  a  progressive  edge  along  with  some  elements  of  post  metal  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Most  of  the  song s stick  to  a  very  slow,  heavy  and  melodic  musical  direction  and  a  few  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  when  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  add  more  of  a  melodic  and  dark  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  on  of  the  tracks  also  brings in  a  small  amount  of  radio  samples  and  some  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  elements  of  stoner  metal  while  some  of  the  heavier  riffs  add  in  a  huge  doom  metal  influence  to  the  tracks.

  Steak  Number  Eight  plays  a  style  of  sludge  metal  that  is  very  heavy  but  more  in  an  atmospheric  and  melodic  direction  than  most  bands  in  this  musical  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Steak  Number  Eight  are  a  very  decent  sounding  atmospheric  sludge  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Black  Eyed"  "Pilgrimage  of  A  Blackheart"  The  Shrine"  and  "Tearwalker".  7/5  out  of  10.     

Nailgun Massacre/Boned, Boxed And Buried/Xtreem Music/2015 CD Review

  Nailgun  Massacre  are  a  band  from  the  Netherlands  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  with  a  touch  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Boned,  Boxed  and  Buried"  which  was  released  by  Xtreem  Music.

  A  very  heavy  and  old  school  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  morbid  sounding  melodies  and  a  few  seconds  alter  growling  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  and  after  awhile  elements  of  doom  metal  and  guitar  leads  become  a  huge  part  of  their  musical  style  and  the  songs  sound  like  they  could  off  been  recorded  and  released  during  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's.

   There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  throughout  the  recording  along  with  some  elements  of  grindcore  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of spoken  word  parts  along  with  soem  horror  movie  samples  while  a  later  song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing  vocals  which  are  done  in  more  of  a  humorous  fashion  while  the  main  focus  remains  on  an  old  school  doom/death  metal  sound  and  there  is  never  a  soft  moment  anywhere  on  the  recording  and  the  last  track  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  

  Nailgun  Massacre  plays  a  style  of  doom/death  metal  that  is  very  heavily  rooted in  the  mid  80's  and  early  90's  and  also  brings  in  a  touch  of  grindcore  to  create  an  album  that  could  easily  be  mistaken  for  an  album  recorded  25  years  ago,  the  production  sounds  very old  school  yet  professional  at  the  same  time  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror  and  gore  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Nailgun  Massacre  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  mixture  of  death  and  doom  metal  with  a  touch  of  grind  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Boned,  Boxed  And  Buried"  "Meat  Locker"  "Casket  Full  Of  Fun"  and  "Lower  Me  Down".  8  out  of  10.

Flummox/Phlummoxygen/Tridroid Records/2015 Full Length Review

  Flummox  are  a  band  from  Tennessee  that  plays  a  mixture  of  stoner  rock  and  progressive  rock  with  some  elements  of  jazz  and  doo  wop  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Phlummoxygen"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Trinidoid  Records.

  A  very  heavy  stoner  rock/metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  their  musical  sound  along  with  some  elements  of  doo  wop,  50's  and  60's  rock  being  added  in  their  musical  sound.

  When  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  clean  singing  vocals  and  there  are  also  some  female  vocals  along  with  the  guitar  leads  bringing  in  elements  of  garage  and  punk  rock  and  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  vocals  getting  more  aggressive  and  adding  in  sludge  style  screams.

  Bass  guitars  on  the  album  bring  in  a  lot  of  leads  and  also  add  quite  a  bit  of  of  funk  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  as  the  album   progresses  the  music  starts  incorporating  more  stoner  rock  jams  and  structures  along  with  the  music  also  having  a  70's  rock/proto  metal  feeling  at  times  but  done  in  a  more  modern  fashion  and  couple  of  the  tracks  also  brings  in  power  metal  style  singing.

  Flummox  mixes  a  lot  of  musical  genres  in  their  musical  style  from  sludge,  stoner  rock,  progressive  death  metal,  doo  wop,   jazz  and  a  variety  of  other  musical  genres  to  create  a  very  original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sound s very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Flummox  are  a  very  great  sounding  diverse  stoner  rock/metal  band   and  if  you  are  looking  for  something  very  original,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Custodian  Ralph"  "Planet  Cancer"  and  "The  Whispering  Banshees".  8  out  of  10. 

Sullen/Post Human/2015 CD Review

  Sullen  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  an  experimental  and  ambient  mixture  of  progressive  metal  with  elements  of  melodic  death  and  doom  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2015  album  "Post  Human"  which  will  be  released  in  February.

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavier  and  atmospheric  progressive  metal  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  melodic  guitar  leads  that  are  used  on  and  off  throughout  the  recording  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  in  a  clean  singing  style  and  the  band  also  goes  for  more  of  the  modern  style  of  prog  metal.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts  present  throughout  the  recording  and  after  awhile  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  more  of  an  atmospheric  sound  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  a  psychedelic  feeling  to  some  of  the  tracks  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  in  more  of  a  melodic  musical  direction.

  On  some  of  the  songs  acoustic  guitar  parts  are  added  in  while  the  main  focus  remains  more  on  a  heavier  sound  and  as  the  album  progresses  ambient  sounds  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  are  used  quite  often  along with  a  few  instrumentals  while  there  is  still  a  great  amount  of  vocals  and  heavy  parts  present  on  the  later  songs  and  they  also  bring  in  a  few  tracks  that  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.


  Sullen  plays  a  style  of  progressive  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  also  brings  in  the  heaviness  of  doom  and  death  metal  along  with  some  elements  of  experimental  to  create  a  very  original  sound,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Sullen  are  a  very  great  sounding  experimental  and  ambient  mixture  of  progressive,  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Broken  Path"  "Become"  "The  Purge"  and  "Engulf".  8  out  of  10.     

Do Interview

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well, Dö is a dark stoner doom trio from Hellsinki, Finland. The three bastards behind the wall of sound are Big Dog (General Development Officer of Riffs and 6 strings), Peat Rex (Chief Executive Officer of Rhythm and Tempo) and Deaf Hank (Executive Vice President of Low-end and Oral Messaging).

The band that later became known as Dö, was summoned already back in 2007. At first we played something close to desert stoner, but due to some lineup changes we became a trio, lowered the tempo, and Hank grabbed the mic. The rest is history.

2. So far you have released 2 ep's, how would you describe the musical sound that was presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
We play doom, but of course we bring our own flavour and interpretation to it. So maybe you can call our music Dööm.

Sometimes we're slow. Sometimes fast. Always brooding. Always dark. At one moment we punch you right in the face, and the next we soothe you with melodics and light psychedelia.

Soundwise we want to keep things organic and unpolished. Both EP's were recorded live. Well except vocals, guitar solo's and couple of atmospheric guitar tracks, but otherwise we just played them on record. We took propably only three takes per song, to get that one take, that captures the emotion and energy we wanted. So none of our songs were written in studio. They were played over, and over, and over again at the rehearsal dungeon before we started to record them.

Both EP's were also recorded and mixed by the same guys. Esa has experience in recording much more complex projects than ours, so getting our live recording session working was easy with him. Samuli, the mixing wizard, has great techical skills, and a long experience e.g. in black metal and doom bands, so he knows really well what works for us and sounds good in our music.

And how these two EP's differ from each other? They are both Dööm, but you can hear our grown confidence and anger on "Den".

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Inspiration to lyrics come from many sources. Usually from things that are happening in this fucked up world, which then lead to contempt of religions and politics and people's stupidity, which then lead to desperation, grief, depression and other negative emotions. You know, the basic stuff. But remember that the owls in our lyrics are not what they seem.

All and all, we see vocals as one instrument among the others, and lyrics need to fit to the overall atmosphere of the song.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Do'?
"Dö" means "Die" in Swedish, but we're all Finnish speaking. It kinda sounds brutal, yet not too serious (to anyone else except Swedish speaking people, though). For some it also sounds propably like vomiting. And it makes a hell of an awesome logo.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
On the stage, we create a capturing atmosphere that lasts the whole show. No awkward silent tuning breaks. No babbling between songs (that's also because our songs are so long that we have challenges in squeezing even few songs into normal set lenght). Just continuous lung resonating noise.

We've only played couple shows so far, because unlike many other young bands, we wanted to ferment our songs and style, and wait the right moment to let all that built up pressure erupt with full, destructive force. Now the time has come.

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Definitely. We'll inform those, once we know more. At this point, the gigs will be in Finland, but a small tour somewhere abroad would also be great. Too bad we simply don't have resources to organize that by ourselves. So if there's someone interested in helping us bringing our noise to your country, don't hesitate to contact us.

7. The new ep was self released while the first one was released by a label, are you open to working with another label again in the future or do you prefer the DIY method a lot more?
Yeah, the first EP was released, and sold, in C-cassette format by a small label, but that's about it. Otherwise we did everything by ourselves.

And with "Den", we decided to use the DIY method again –including the cassettes, which we are doing, because we want our music also in a format we can touch and feel.

This DIY things is actually pretty cool. For us Dö is more than music, or brotherhood. It's something that allows us to use our creativity and execute all sorts of stupid, crazy ideas. Hank's the PR guy, Big Dog is our graphic designer and Peat Rex takes care of the hands-on tasks.

But even though we're not involved with a label at the moment, it doesn't mean we're not interested in finding one. On the contrary, there's more tunes to come, and we want to achieve great things with Dö, so all contacts from labels and record companies are welcomed. And we might also soon approach them more avidly ourselves.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner, doom and sludge metal?
The first EP that was released in spring 2014 got a warm welcome and positive reviews, especially outside Finland.

"Den" has brought us dozens of new Facebook likers from all around the world. And it's been downloaded hundreds of times from Bandcamp during the first few days. So it's pretty safety to say, that we're not the only ones who like our anger bursts.

We share our music for free, because we think it belongs to everyone. We're not gonna get rich with our music, but seeing that people like it is priceless. Seeing the download figures is propably the best reward we can get at the moment.

9. When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
No idea if there's ever going to be a full length album. Maybe, maybe not. Or maybe we just keep on releasing EP's.

Like mentioned, for those who want their music in physical format, we're gonna release a small amount of "Den" C-cassettes, and a special homegrown CD that contains both our EP's.

We thought about vinyl too, but for that we'd propably need a label and a distributor, because the minimun order amounts are quite big.

Also a 7 or 10 inch split with some great band would be nice.

Musically we don't have clear plans yet. Let's see what happens, when we really start to write new stuff and fuel our inspiration. It's definitely going to sound like Dö. Propably we dive even deeper into darkness.

10. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
The three of us have listened to rock and metal ever since we we're kids. Peat Rex started with Twisted Sister, Big Dog with WASP, and Hank with KISS. During the years we've listened our share of the classics from various genres.

These days we listen a whole bunch different bands. For example Big Dog listenes everything from country music and 60's psychedelia to bands like Mastodon and Bongripper. Hank listenes a lot of small new bands he finds from Facebook groups and posts. Lately he's also been listening e.g. Wolvhammer, Satanic Warmaster, Caskets Open and Seven Sisters of Sin. Peat still listenes Twisted Sister.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?
Peat Rex digs alcohol, candles and GTA V. When Big Dog isn't drinking, he spends time with his dog or fixes motorcycles. Hank's the family guy, and beer drinker – but not at the same time.

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Stay classy.