Zombitrol Productions

Photos by Chris Tung

At this year’s Riot Fest at Downsview Park I had the chance to sit down with Toronto-born rapper Jazz Cartier. He was admittedly a bit tired after journeying across the country the night before to be there. It didn’t show on stage however as he turned in an intense thirty minute set where he ended up crowd surfing and climbing the scaffolding.

He’s also turned a lot of heads south of the border with his debut album Marauding in Paradise, which despite Drake’s success, is not an easy thing to do. The album certainly doesn’t sound like anything that’s ever come out of the Canadian rap scene. Cartier is well-travelled, and it seems that it’s had a positive effect on his music. We talked about his cross-border style and why he puts an emphasis on performing live (as well as being insured for it).

Shot and Cut by Chris Tung of Pink City

Jazz Cartier has upcoming shows in Montreal, Ottawa, and Los Angeles. You can listen to Marauding in Paradise in full below or download it here.

Soulfly
Photo by Hannah Verbeuren

There are many in the metal community that would count former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera as an essential figure in the rise of nu-metal in the nineties. The first few albums from his post-Sep band Soulfly seemed to owe much to the genre. It wasn’t that surprising considering Cavalera makes a habit of embracing younger bands. After a few albums the band adopted a hybrid sound that was more in line with early thrash music. The new Soulfly album Archangel is Cavalera’s most diverse in years and seems to take influence from all parts of his career. With the a nineties pop culture revival now in full swing, I was curious to find out what he thinks about the purists who decried his early Soulfly albums.

But when I sat down with the legend himself before a recent show at Toronto’s Opera House, I found that he’s quick to distance himself from any nu-metal involvement he may have had. He’s still searching for heavier bands. His new album also continues his spiritual take on metal, and I also wanted to know how he’s able to enjoy so many Satanic and blasphemous bands.

Finally we spoke about how he feels when he plays Sepultura songs and why he thinks Cavalera Conspiracy, the band he formed with his brother and fellow ex-Sep member Igor, retains more of the original Sepultura spirit than Sepultura itself.

Soulfly are currently touring in the U.S. and Archangel is available now on Nuclear Blast Records. Watch the video for the title track here.

This summer’s edition of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival had more than a little controversy surrounding it. Festival organizer Kevin Lyman caught flack for saying that ticket sales were low because the metal scene had got “bald and fat” and hadn’t produced any new headlining bands. A number of bands publicly disputed his comments included the festival’s headliner Slayer. Guitarist Kerry King criticized the second stage lineup and cited a general lack of organization. Lyman would eventually say that there may not be any future editions of the festival.

There are two things I should admit. I think that King was right about one thing. There was definitely a disparity between the headliners the second stage. However the other thing I have to admit is that I actually had a really good time. Yeah attendance could have been better, but everyone was in a good mood, the sun was shining, and the tunes were loud. I also got a chance to speak to a couple of the stronger bands on the second stage.

First up is guitarist Daniel Trejo from the Texas metal outfit Shattered Sun. They’ve been highly visible after playing a North American tour with Testament and Exodus. They have a unique hybrid thrash sound so I spoke with Daniel about where it comes from and whether it’s been rough opening for thrash royalty.

Shot and Cut by Chris Tung

Shattered Sun is currently on tour in North America with Soulfly, Soilwork, and Decapitated until late November. Their debut album Hope Within Hatred is available on Victory Records and you can watch the video for the title track here.

Next I spoke with guitarist Zakary Gibson of Illinois metalcore act Sworn In. This band definitely add a bit more brutality to their sound than most of their peers, and it turns out that avoiding clichés is something that is important to them. As well we spoke about the conceptual aspect behind their latest album The Lovers/The Devil.

Shot and Cut by Chris Tung

Sworn In are currently on tour in North American supporting Escape The Fate. The Lovers/The Devil is out now on Razor & Tie Recordings and you can watch the video for “Scissors” here.

Earlier in the day I also sat down with Hellyeah guitarist Christian Brady. He’s been playing with the band since 2014, so we talked about his personal experiences over the past year and his developing role in the group. As well we touched upon Hellyeah’s involvement in raising funds for the No More campaign against domestic violence and sexual assault.

Hellyeah will be playing the Shiprocked cruise this January. Their latest album is Blood for Blood, and you can watch the video for “Hush” below, which was a part of their involvement with No More and revolves around experiences from vocalist Chad Gray’s childhood.

Finally please enjoy some bonus photos of headliners Slayer and King Diamond courtesy of Chris Tung of Pink City.

All Photos by Andrew Epstein

In recent years the heavy music scene has experienced a new wave of traditional metal and gothic hard rock bands. The true standout of the bunch for me has been Olympia, Washington’s Christian Mistress. Their sound is a sonic throwback processed through a modern musical sensibility. It’s seventies-style metal with tunes that are too heavy for that decade, but still sound pure enough to stand apart in a scene dominated with extreme metal and hardcore. The lyrics weave tales of personal exploration coupled with a strangely positive sense of morbidity. There are layers there if you want to go deeper, but the songs are easy enough to rock out to if that’s all you need.

Now relocated to Portland, Oregon the band has just released their third full-length album To Your Death. The record has all of the qualities of its predecessors, but with a more confrontational vibe. It delves further into both heavy metal and hard rock, embracing the listener sonically and cerebrally. It’s the sound of a band who seems to be aware of the effect that their music has had on people.

Before their set at Toronto’s Coalition I sat down for a chat with vocalist Christine Davis, who confessed that analyzing her own art is something she’s had to get used to. Nevertheless that’s exactly what she ended up doing, and we managed to get deeper into the sounds and subjects that make Christian Mistress what they are.

Christian Mistress are currently taking their Tour Your Death across Europe along with Magister Templi. Their new album To Your Death is available now on Relapse Records and you can watch the video for “Open Road” below.