Interviews

The Acacia Strain’s Tom Smith – “DO NOT play more than 8 strings”

The Acacia Strain have spent the last year redefining the record release process, with two quite different new records that ignore the expected release schedule model. Within those records too the band packs a masterclass in how to downtune but still be articulate. We caught up with guitarist Tom Smith to discuss the two latest records, lockdown podcasting, and the incredible amount of gear that goes into The Acacia Strain’s sound.

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Skeletal Remains – Ripperology

Skeletal Remains have been blazing an old school death metal trail for nine years and three albums, but their newest record steps things up a notch with some amazing Morbid Angel infused technical superiority. We caught up with to find out about the records, and what gear they used to get it’s grinding tones.

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Terminal Nation’s Dalton Rail – Thirst To Burn

Terminal Nation have caused quite a stir with their debut album Holocene Extinction. The record combines death metal and grindcore, and then filters it through a sizeable dose of powerviolence, leaving us with a record that feels like the soundtrack to 2020. We caught up with guitarist Dalton Rail to get the inside scoop on the band, the record, and the mountain of tone that is Holocene Extinction.

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Xibalba’s Brian Ortiz – Pure Death Metal

Ten years on from their self titled debut’s mix of hardcore and doom, Xibalba have finally made the transition to a full on death doom band with the release of their new record, Años En Infierno. I spent some time with guitarist Brian Ortiz, talking about metal, throwing away guitar strings, and the diversity of California’s hardcore and metal scenes.

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