South African Metal Issue 1

666

1st Edition

Also featuring:BloodbeastThe FrailDiabolus Incarnate

INDEXINDEX1. Ed’s Rant2. AGRO6, How to get YOUR band featured on The Metal Review7.The Frail9. RevFest10. Bloodbeast13. How to be featured in this magazine14 Diabolus Incarnate16. T’s, C’s and contact details

1. Ed’s Rant2. AGRO6, How to get YOUR band featured on The Metal Review7.The Frail9. RevFest10. Bloodbeast13. How to be featured in this magazine14 Diabolus Incarnate16. T’s, C’s and contact details

Ed

itor

’s N

ote Greetings from Planet Metal, mere mortals

Welcome to our very first, our launch edition, our virgin-breaker and the one we will remember forever. Featured in every issue will be interviews with metal bands, articles about metal bands, new album releases by metal bands and above all – it will be local. South Africa only.

Should you want your band to be featured (off course you do!), please see the contact details on page 15. Should you wish to throw money at us to be part of this phenomenon, please see page 18.

In this mag you will notice a lot of ads and reference to The Metal Review. That would be the amazing, spectacular people that are our gang of bosses from over the seas. South African Metal is an affiliate to The Metal Review, and we all work for The Metal Review as journos, event organisers, etc. Want to get involved in The Metal Review too? Want your band featured on the website? Off course you do – check out page 8.

We band of troublemakers have some things up our sleeves currently. Keep an eye on our Facebook page as well as in THIS zine for upcoming shows, specials and other mind-blowing madness that is all things metal. The news is soon to be revealed... soon....

We hope your enjoy our mag. Please do feel free to distribute it to your friends, family and that creepy guy down the street from you. But please, don't edit or alter it. It's nice like it is. (and copyrighted nogals!)

Ed.

P.S: Ed is a girl. Still called Ed because somehow Shed sounded lame... and Ed-girl sounded like something Iron Maiden spawned with a groupie. So Ed it stays.

Hailing from the smoggy street of Johannesburg, South Africa is a thrash band like no other. Consisting of members Cliff Crabb, Robbie Riebler, Allan Lancaster, John Morrow, Wez Hitchin, Katherine Morrow they have paved the way for themselves, their countrymen and the local metal scene. Currently blazing their trail to a second time playing at Wacken - they have indeed made us proud.

Agro describe themselves as “ true HEAVY METAL with healthy doses of modern Thrash and indigenous folk - heavy, fast, melodic and catchy as hell! Well said guys - well said!

SA Metal caught up with them recently to ask them some questions and get some insight into what makes them who they are.

What are your biggest influences musically? Personally my musical influences are classic true Heavy Metal eg Manowar, Judas Priest, but the beauty of this band is that we draw influences from all metal sub genres including Death and Thrash metal etc. Which is why Agro sound like nobody and nobody sounds like Agro.

Is it and if so, how much is your music and lyrics influenced by South Africa and it's culture? Massively!, for the most part our lyrics are a very honest reflection of the lives of six ordinary people living in a very complicated country.

What do you think of the local metal scene currently and what do you think will change in 5 year's time? The local Metal scene has always been a carousel with its ups and downs. At the moment I believe the scene is on an all time low, largely due to the MetalCore infestation that has cheapened the values of the real metal bands that take their music seriously! But as history has proven, trends like MetalCore will fade and die as did their ugly cousins Nu Metal and Grunge. Metal is not and never was meant to be a trend. Metal will live forever but on a population scale I don't know where it will be in five years. But I am sure we will be much better off than we are now.

For our international readers – please explain the local metal scene from a band point of view? The Metal scene in South Africa has a strong underground following, but unfortunately the majority of South African Metal bands often shamelessly copy and mimic the UK and USA counterparts. Therefore offering the SA metal fan very little in the line of originality. There are however a few bands that work hard to break out of this mould.

What is your favorite local gig/venue to play and why? Zepelins in Pretoria for the simple reason that the owner of the club is one of the lasts of the die hards that still believe in the music and tries his best to maintain the culture of what music is suppose to be about.

We all have these stories about what age we were when we started listening to metal, who the band was, what our parents thought, etc. Tell us a bit about your own history as individual members? Everyone in the band has their story to tell, but I was 16 years old when I heard Manowar and it was so much more than just hearing a new band, in fact it was a baptism of fire. A moment where I instantly knew who I was and what my purpose in life was.

If you could choose any band to open for – who would it be and why? For me as an individual I would have to say Judas Priest because I believe they invented everything that I stand for. But I suppose collectively as a band it would probably be lamb of God or Slayer.

As we all know – metal and tattoos go together – tell us a bit about your own tattoos, favorite tattooists, etc. All my tattoos have deep musical or spiritual definitions. To choose a favorite would be hard but I would have to say the pumpkin praying before the cross ( an illustration from the Helloween” I believe” single album cover) would have to be my favorite.

Wacken – the holy grail of metal some would say – you must be counting the days… Tell us how it came about that you got selected to play, who are you sharing the stage with and have you been to Wacken before? As with every Metal band in the world, we submit our material in the hope of being invited. We were invited to play back in 2000, but poor management and PR stunted any potential of following up any in roads that were made. Since Robbie our bass player took over as our PR manager he was able to reestablish communication and get the ball rolling once again with the powers that be. Also last year I attended the festival to watch Judas Priest perform and got to rub shoulders with some of the organizers and staff of the festival. In October last year they sent Robbie an email and invited us to perform this year, which as you can imagine is overwhelming to say the least. As I said we played Wacken in 2000 and with limited equipment and road crew we performed our time slot to the best of our ability but non the less played a show where the fans and organizers would remember us and invite us back! albeit it 12 years later!!!. This year we will be performing with the likes of The Scorpions, In Flames, Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of filth, Amaon Amarth, Machine head, Napalm death, Unearth and Ministry just to name a few.

What is next for AGRO and where can we see you live if we are unlucky enough to not be going to Wacken 2012? At the moment we are enjoying the finest chapter in our 20 year history. The harmony amongst the members is having a direct influence in the song writing and I believe we are writing our strongest material to date. We are in the process of writing the greatest album we have ever accomplished. After our European tour we will take to gigging extensively and I am sure you wont have to travel too far to see us in SA.

Which countries do you still want to tour to? Once we have performed the Budakhan in Tokyo Japan then I believe we have achieved it all!!!!.

Any last words? Believe in the music, believe in the Metal, never compromise, stay drug free, keep your friends close and your family closer. Hail to the Metal!

Agro consists of: CLIFF CRABB (Vocals) ROBBIE RIEBLER (Bass/Vocals) WEZ HITCHIN (Drums) JOHN MORROW (Guitars) ALLAN LANCASTER (Guitars) KATHERINE MORROW (Violin)

Genre: ThrashEstabished in: Early 90's

Discography:

“FROM WITHIN” [1995] “EYES” [1997] “THE TREE” [1999] “FORTHCOMING” [2003] “GOUDA THAN HELL” [2004] “RITUAL 6” [2007] “REWRITING HISTORY” (CD/DVD) [2010]

SOUTH AFRICASOUTH AFRICA

COMING SOON

Photo courtesy of Tutto Fotographia

How is the new album going and when is the release date?

Choroz: We've received some very interesting feedback, especially internationally. Reviews and feedback are looking great. We actually launched already on the 23rd of March 2012 with the Detonation Tour (Fleshgod Apocalypse and Bile of Man). Sales are looking good and we just received our iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp links.

Out of the ashen histories of three prominent Pretoria Death Metal bands, Bloodbeast arises.Featuring members of Architecture of Aggression,ex-Bile of Man and Fuck the Corpses.

Bloodbeast is a Death/Thrash/Grindcore band formed in mid 2011.Be ready for serious groove based low-end, consistent rhythms, insane fretboard exploration with your standard gobs of uberviolenced gore in lyrical context.With a newly found penchant for old school tastes, we’ve decided to join forces to get everyone back into the old school groove.

Members:Van666 – Lead guitar/Vocals (A.O.A.)Werner Labuschagne – Drums (Fuck the Corpses, Demented Martyr)Andre ‘Gallaksie’ Diamond – guitar/Vocals (Fuck The Corpses)Choroz Bileous – bass (ex-Bile of Man)

Photo courtesy of Hesmarie RedelinghuysWhat are your biggest influences

musically?

Van666: Bloodbeast's mayor influences as regards to our song writing is classic Death Metal, Thrash Metal and Grindcore. Bands like Carcass, Slayer, Brutal Truth, Monstrosity, Pantera, Napalm Death and Sepultura. The list goes on. Personally my influences range from Classic Rock to modern Extreme Metal. Werner: Early 90's death metal in regards to BLOODBEASTGalaxy: Personally I get influenced by anything I recently heard and liked. If Van plays a really cool riff at practice or mail me a few riff ideas, I am influenced.Choroz: Personally I'd say everything between Agalloch and Xytras, to Zita Swoon, and then some. On the heavier side of things Pantera, Trepalium and Augury as of late.

What do you think of the local metal scene currently and what do you think will change in 5 year's time?Choroz: A bit of a culture change is required in terms of mini-festivals and door fees though. Metalheads should know that they cannot pay R30 watch 8 bands and expect the bands to see any of that money, organizers, sound and venue gets funded first. That being said, I'm incredibly psyched about the current state of affairs. Loads of great fnord new metal bands are coming out, and the state of the art is also

only heading skywards. With Valgar Entertainment also opening the floodgates to MetalBlade artists, I think we have a very interesting couple of years ahead.

Van666: In the 17 years that I have been involved in the local metal scene there have been a lot of growth and changes. It is the biggest it has ever been and every year it gets bigger end better. We have a lot of talent and we are ready for the international market. We just need to find a way for the rest of the world to take notice. Only negative thing about the local metal scene is all the politics and back stabbing amongst bands and exploitation of bands by events organizers and club owners. We need to put an end to it and realize we are all in the same boat and that we need to work together to help lift the scene and the bands up to international level. I am positive that in the next 5 years more international Metal bands will grace our shores and more South African Metal band will get discovered by the international market.

Photo courtesy of Tutto Fotographia

For our international readers – please explain the local metal scene from a band point of view?Choroz: The local scene is tiny compared to what happens internationally, we have only a handful of clubs that allow alternative and metal to be played, as municipalities have been revoking entertainment licenses for venues like crazy. A gig with 120 heads is good, 300 great and 400 quite unexpected, maybe just for larger festivals. Decent sound is incredibly expensive, and most venues have just adequate sound systems installed. We have rabid fans and avidly energetic pits though. Increasingly loyal fans and a good interband community.Van666: You can find all sorts of Metal in South Africa, from Power Metal to Death Metal. The music market for Metal in South Africa is rather small so you can't play metal in South Africa on a professional level. All metal artist have day jobs and play Metal for the love of it. There is no money in it. It is the dream of every local Metal artist to get signed by an international label and break out of South Africa and tour the world. South Africa is a very religious country so the majority of the population don't understand metal and still regard it as the Devil's music. From a band perspective music gear is very expensive which limits a lot of bands with ever owning good quality gear. The sound and light set up in clubs are mostly mediocre. It is very difficult to find sound engineers and recording studios that specialize in metal. There are no local metal record labels or really any fanzines There is a lot of rivalry between bands and a lot of fans still think international bands are better than local bands and would rather spend their money on alcohol at shows than buy local bands merchandise.

Where can we see you play live?Van666: At the moment mostly in the Gauteng area at venues like Wolmer Events Arena, Schivas, Zeplins and The Black Dahlia. We have fans in the rest of South Africa and doing a country wide tour is on the cards. Just depends on time and finances. Choroz: Unconfirmed but in the works: Zeplins Sun to Moon in June, Winterfest by Metal4Africa and 2012 Woodstock.

If you could choose any band to open for – who would it be and why?Werner: Vomitory because their music has killer grooves and a great feel - capturing brutality, gore and speed perfectlyGalaxy: Slayer, massive pits.Van666: Slayer!!!! They are one of the heaviest and most influential Metal bands of all time. Choroz: Fleshgod Apocalypse, oh wait, we did that, hehehe. I'd say Six Feet Under because I saw their German crowds. Geil!

Which countries would you want to tour to?Werner & Galaxy: Europe and JapanVan666: I want to tour the whole world with Bloodbeast. Choroz: The closest ones first I guess, Botswana - play Gabs and Maun, see the metal cowboys there. Namibia's Metalfest has always been something I've wanted to play. Other than that, we have some friends in Germany we're talking to about the possibility of a mini-tour, but we first need to tour the country flat, I think we only played 3 or so shows before our album launch. Just today I spoke to a metalhead in Cape Town, that were completely oblivious about our release, so we'll fix that. Oh, want! Everywhere. I'm with Werner and Galaxy on this.

You are currently trying to get to the 2nd round to get selected to play Wacken. Please tell us what that is about and how our readers can help.

Van666: For the last three years Wacken has had a online competition where any band, signed or un-signed, can post a music video and get fans to vote for them. The band with the best rated music video wins a slot at Wacken Open Air Metal festival. We would love to play at Wacken so we decided to take a chance and post our music video “Fuck or Die” on Wackentube. We need at least 300 votes to make it to the second round. So please go and vote and help get Bloodbeast to Wacken.All you have to do is go to www.wackentube.com, register with them and the go rate our video. The more 5 stars we get the better our chance of winning.

You need to1) Register on http://www.wackentube.com/signup.php2) Click on the email you receive to verify your account3) Log in on http://www.wackentube.com/login.php4) Go to https://bitly.com/fuck-or-die-wt5) Give us 5 stars

Wackentubewww.wackentube.comWackentube

Choroz: We'll have to see - we're up against a Romanian band, called GOD with about 10 times our vote count, when we make it in round two.

What is next for Bloodbeast?

Werner: A music video is on its way so be sure to look out for it!Galaxy: I can say with surety that we've got enough riffs and the ability to shit out more golden grooves to make another album and by the time that one is out, we will have summoned even more material. Writing riffs in this band is like breathing.Van666: Promoting our new album both locally and internationally, playing as many clubs and festivals as possible, build our fan base, write new songs and make more videos. Choroz: We have a couple of new songs done, so we can extend our set. We want to play every local venue we can, hopefully soon enough we'll see Cape Town with Boargazm and Killatoria, and then at some point we'll have some music videos from tracks on Bloodlust. Hopefully some more international exposure, but TMR, you're already helping with that. Thanks for the interview!

V

DIABOLUS INCARNATE

By: Ragman

Diabolus Incarnate is a self-funded solo artist out of Johannesburg. A bit of an ellusive one really so what we do know is that he calls himself Bloodgod, he is married, has a violent passion for metal and has an even more violent cat that mauls his guitar hand. And that he is really, REALLY good at what he does. And what he does is make killer black metal. All on his own. This man is a genius!

Diabolus is currently releasing a few of his songs on Facebook. Check it out immediately!

My favorite track so far is “For all eternity”. He mostly writes and compiles his own music and lyrics. A lot like Bathory really...

Diabolus Incarnate has a very unique South African black metal sound while at the same time hinting towards bands such as the older Darkthrone.

If you like bands like Darkthrone and old Mayhem you will enjoy this.

What are your main influences? ALOT of red wine, alot of smokes and day to daylife. Listen to the music and you be the judge.

Who are your favorite bands?Fleshgod apocalypse, Shining (sweden), Darkfuneral. ect....Just to name a few off the top of my head.

Tell us a little bit about Diabolus Incarnate?I officially started writing for Diabolus in November 2011, after Iwrote "For All Eternity". I wrote it for my wife. \m/

How did you get started as a musician?I started playing guitar at age 12. haha I used to air guitar before Igot a real one and it drove my mother nuts, so she just got me one.WHAT A MISTAKE!! haha. The make was "sakia" a ripoff of a "Gibson.SG”I grew up with metal. It was always around me and always will be.

What is next for Diabolus Incarnate?Next up is just finishing the album. And just continue writing. Andmaybe do the live thing. But I don't know if its worth it. The generalmetal public must convince me other wise.Also growing the websites and pages. So please leave a comment. good of bad. \m/

Big things are still to come from this talented one-man nightmare. With most metal bands in South Africa going the death metal way, Diabolus Incarnate is exactly what is needed in the local metal community right now.

For more tracks and information, please support by going to www.reverbnation.com/DiabolusIncarnate

www.facebook.com/diabolus-incarnate-official

www.myspace.com/diabolusincarnate

That’s it for this monthfellow-headbangers!

Be sure to check us out onFacebook @

www.facebook.com/SAMetal

or our parent companywww.themetalreview.com

www.facebook.com/themetalreview

Want to be a featured band next month?Let me know!

Also - if you or your band have any upcoming gigs/events, please send them

on as there will be a gigs page next month.

[email protected]\m/ O_O \m/

All images used remain the property of the band and the photographer. This e-zine is copy-righted and remains the property of South African Metal and The Metal Review. Distribution of this e-zine is encouraged, as long as it is as a whole. Enjoy!!

Contributors

RagmanJournalistCo-creator

Metal [email protected]

Ruby StrangeEditor

JournalistCo-creatorCrazy-lady

[email protected]

FACEBOOKwww.facebook.com/SAMetal

International Affiliatewww.themetalreview.com

www.facebook.com/themetalreview