with very special guests

CLUB NOSTURI, HELSINKI

04.12 2011

REPORT AND PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJALA

The British NWOBHM legends, Saxon, released their 19th studio album CALL TO ARMS in May 2011 and they have been touring heavily across the globe. Although the band had been annual visitors to Finland, they now played their first show in Helsinki in four years! The support band for this leg of tour was Canadian metal band Anvil. It seems that there’s a great demand for these classic bands in Finland as this show sold out with the 1000 person capacity reached right after tickets came on sale.  

Heidenfest 2011

11th October 2011 Kentish Town HMV Forum

 Review by Jo Blackened

Photography by Michelle Murphy

 Arch Enemy

Swedish Chaos Tour 2011

Engel – special guest
Evocation – support act
Mejeriet
Lund
Sweden
11/11 – 2011

Reviewed and live pictures by: Anders Sandvall

Arch Enemy @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire with Chthonic and Warbringer

6th  December 2011

Review by James Griffiths

Photography by Graham Hilling

It’s a very cold Tuesday night in Sheppard’s Bush but that hasn’t deterred the army of metallers queuing up outside of the Sheppard’s Bush Empire well over an hour before the doors open. Personally, I found it much easier to plant myself in the pub next door where its warm and cosy and can drink a few beers before the bands start!

7:30pm and the doors have opened and the queue diminishes very fast and the venue soon begins to fill out just in time for tonight’s first band.

Interview with Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar

Conducted by Robert Williams

Filmed by Andy Gonzales

Editing courtesy of Sandra Torres

There are very few bands that can exist solely on notoriety alone and the Norwegian second wave black metal pioneers Mayhem can almost lay claim to bearing such a reputation. Touring the U.S. is a daunting and unwaveringly tough challenge for any foreign metal band, leave alone touring behind a four year old record. I should also add that after reaching out to a publicist friend over at Season Of Mist for an interview with the band, I was informed that "The policy is NO INTERVIEWS....no anything" on their current trek across North America. Touring with no new record and shunning press? Now that is a bold move! A bold move that only the reigning kings of True Norwegian Black Metal could get away with.

On the day of the show, I was granted a last minute interview with Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar who I had contacted shortly after being informed about the "No Interviews" thing by the band's publicist. After spending all morning preparing questions and researching the latest ongoing happenings within the inner circle of darkness that is Mayhem; we arrived at the venue. It's early December and a wet and cold night on the streets of Austin. After checking in with the tour manager we come to find out that Attila cannot be accounted for and we agree to check back on the hour.

A quick trip to the pub later and the clock is still ticking. Pitchers of beer are downed, inhibitions weakened and responsibilities... "What's that? Oh yeah! Let's check back with the tour manager, we gotta do this interview!" Texts are exchanged and it is confirmed that Attila has returned from an evening walk down Austin's live music mecca, otherwise known as Sixth Street, to visit the famed "Museum Of The Weird" and is now ready to do the interview.

Attila is well mannered, good humored and polite. The smell of sweet pipe tobacco emanating from a Sherlock Holmes fashioned pipe fills the front of the tourbus as Attila discusses the band's plans to create a follow up to "Ordo Ad Chao" the addition of the band's latest guitarist Teloch who took over duties for the departed Blasphemer, his memories of recording the now legendary "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" album, not to mention how he originally met Euronymous and Dead, his current view of Varg Vikernes and much more...

I'd like to thank Attila for being cool about doing the interview and I hope you all enjoy watching it!