Photo by Matthew Zinke

Colorado metal outfit Allegaeon (pronounced “a-legion”) are currently on tour in North America with supergroup Act of Defiance, and I caught up with guitarist Greg Burgess before their set at Toronto’s Mod Club. Despite their varied sound they’re constantly getting labeled as a technical death metal band, so we talked about their various influences, as well as how their often silly behavior on stage and in their videos seems to contradict their heady science-based lyrics.

Allegeaon have a few more U.S. dates on their current tour in Texas, Arizona, and California. Their latest album, 2014’s Elements of the Infinite, is available on Metal Blade Records, and you can watch their ridiculous video for “Threshold of Perception” here.

Photos by Andrew Epstein

While gothic industrial music icons like Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, KMFDM, and Laibach remain active, the genre has largely returned to the underground. The music is incredibly varied, ranging from Depeche Mode-flavoured pop to Ministry-level intensity. Live guitar and drums do make appearances but electronic elements dominate, with stage setups often consisting of a few consoles and a vocalist.

There are few acts that represent the current incarnation of industrial and dark techno music better than Seattle’s God Module, who sit at the head of a wave of American acts that dominate the scene. Led by vocalist and main composer Jasyn Bangert, they’ve attracted an international cult of fans with catchy horror-themed lyrics and intense beat-driven sample-heavy compositions.

God Module have just wrapped up their North American tour in support of their seventh album Prophecy, a trek that began with the robbery of all of their equipment, and an incredibly successful crowdfunding effort that kept them on the road. I spoke to Bangert before his set at Toronto’s Coalition to get a first-hand account of what happened. We also talked about his sound and why he prefers to play his more danceable tracks in concert, as well as what his ideal live version of the band would be.

God Module have one more date this year on November 28th in Mexico City, and they’ve got some Europe and U.K. dates lined up in the Spring. Their new album Prophecy is available now on Metropolis Records and you can listen to the track “We Are Legend” here.

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).

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.

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.