Municipal Waste guitarist Ryan Waste

Interview and pics by Luxi Lahtinen and Arto Lehtinen

Transcripted by Fucking Hostile

The crossover thrashers from Richmond (VA), USA, have achieved a reputation of an outstandingly tight live band. In their concerts, surfboards tend to flip around, tremendous circle pits burn floors up, insane stage diving is seen, etc. All those kinds of things can be witnessed at the gig of Municipal Waste. The band´s latest album THE ART OF PARTYING is undoubtedly one hell of a package of raging crossover thrash - bringing several old school classic crossover/thrash names to the lips of anyone who dig bands from Crumbsuckers to Slayer.

Before this hot 4-piece crossover act ripped headbangers´ faces off at the Finnish Metal Expo, we had a small chat with the band's guitarist Ryan Waste. Oh yeah, gotta admit Municipal Waste did indeed rule heavily that night for sure...

Apocalyptica

The Forum, London

7th March 2008

All live pics and review by HannTu

Metal played on cello? How would that work? Apocalyptica made waves when they first started as the crazy Finnish quartet who played Metallica covers on cellos. That was back in 1996/7, and they have come a long way since. They were regarded as little more than a novelty then, but they have rebranded themselves, losing the tag of a Metallica cover band. They did this by establishing themselves as songwriters capable of making their own music; they added a drummer to give some drive and power to the songs. At the same time, they wrote powerful riffs for the unique tone of the cello, which on the lower registers sounds like a distorted buzzy guitar, but at higher registers is capable of the most beautiful and moving melodies.

Also, as time went on, they started getting guest singers in to add some vocals to their songs. This was a smart career move, and produced some truly amazing songs like the haunting and powerful “Seemann” (a Rammstein cover) with singer Nina Hagen, “Bittersweet” with the HIM and The Rasmus singers, and “Faraway (Vol. 2)” with Lambretta’s Linda Sundblad. Dave Lombardo from Slayer contributed drum tracks to a few songs on their REFLECTIONS album, and surprisingly, the collaboration with Slipknot’s Corey Taylor on “I’m Not Jesus” was pretty good. On the other hand, it produced some stinkers such as “Repressed” (with Max Cavalera and some emo singer), and “SOS” (the music was average, and Cristina Scabbia’s vocals are impossibly annoying).

Apocalyptica are touring in support of their latest album WORLDS COLLIDE. They came last December, and they’re back to give us more of their unique Finnish madness.

Children of Bodom

with Moonsorrow and Kiuas

The Astoria, London

8th March 2008

All live pics and review by HannTu 

Phew, three nights of metal in a row, and my head is pounding, even as I write this review. But I certainly was not going to pass up the chance to see Children of Bodom up close and personal. I saw them at Brixton Academy on the Unholy Alliance tour with Slayer and In Flames a couple of years back, but they only played a short set – five songs or something. This would be my first time seeing them as headliner. It’s an all-Finnish line-up tonight* with little-known band Kiuas and epic metal heathens Moonsorrow.

*It’s Bring-a-Finnish-band-to-London Month I think – Apocalyptica last night, Children of Bodom, Moonsorrow and Kiuas tonight, Turisas and Norther this coming Thursday, and Nightwish later on in the month!

Symphony X

with Epica

London Astoria

6th March 2008

All live pics and review by HannTu

I missed Symphony X the last time they came around to London, where they opened for Dream Theater in Wembley. I’ve always considered Symphony X the far superior band, as one of my friends rather kindly put it, Dream Theater are “a collection of music teachers trying to fit together their music lessons to make a song”. Not to mention Dream Theater’s live performance which contains about as much charisma as a par-boiled potato. Anyway, Michael Romeo was one of my idols when I first started playing guitar, and their particular brand of neo-classical metal appealed to me at a time when I was into Jason Becker and Yngwie Malmsteen. Tonight promised much, especially when they were touring in support of their latest album, the superlative PARADISE LOST.

GREAT WHITE

Great White was formed in the early '80s by vocalist Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall.  Unlike many others, more glam influenced, bands from L.A scene Great White were playing more Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith- and AC/DC-influenced metal and they soon got their own rapidly growing base. The bands first release, an independent album called OUT OF THE NIGHT, sold more than 20,000 copies in 1982 and soon they were signed to major label EMI. Unfortunately that relationship didn't last too long and band found themselves doing another independent album after just one release with. EMI. Another independent release SHOT IN THE DARK was released in 1983 at it did help the band to get a new deal with another major label Capitol Records. The album was released by Capitol in 1987 and later on the same year they released their breakthrough album ONCE BITTEN which went platinum. The smash hit single "Rock Me" became a true hard rock anthem. Things went even better with bands next release TWICE SHY which included the band's biggest hit to date; a cover of an old Mott The Hoople classic "Once Bitten .. Twice Shy". The single had massive success and it helped Great White to get slots ongreat tours in late 80's. The band toured with other multiplatinum bands like Ratt and Tesla and they played at some of the biggest European festivals like the  Monsters of Rock -tour along with such bands as Iron Maiden, David Lee Roth and KISS. 

In the early 90's the band's record sales started to go down and like many other bands from their era they finally got dropped from Capitol in 1993 after the disappointing sales of  PSYCHO CITY. The band soon found a new home from Zoo and they released SAIL AWAY via that label in 1994. LET IT ROCK came out in 1996 and it was released by another new label Imago. Although the band wasn't in headlines much anymore they still kept constantly touring, mostly in clubs, across the U.S and in 1999 they got another deal from John Kalodner's label Portrait. Although the next album CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE did pretty well and sold about 80 000 copies in the U.S alone, the band slowly disbanded after band member after member left and finally it was only Jack Russell left from the classic line up. Officially band called it quits after the farewell show, including almost complete classic line up, in the end of 2002 and later on that show was released as a live album called THANK YOU GOODNIGHT.

Jack Russell continued his career as a solo artist and soon he started to call his backing band Great White. Although Jack Russell's Great White, also known as a "fake white", were soon joined by Mark Kendall on guitar they were totally forgotten by the mainstream. That was until  pyrotechnics used by the band sparked a fire in a Rhode Island nightclub on February 20, 2003, killing 100 people, including the band's second guitarist at that time, Ty Longley. Since then the band kept on touring and doing benefit concerts for victims of the fire. In early 2007 the band decided to regroup its classic lineup: Russell, Kendall, Audie Desbrow, Michael Lardie and bassist, since 1996, Sean McNabb and celebrate their 25’Th anniversary with some shows on the West Coast. Later in the same year the band released their first album of original material in eight years called BACK TO THE RHYTHM. The band arrived to do their first European tour in years last January and I was able to sit down with Mark and Audie prior to the bands sold out concert in Copenhagen. Here we go, the past, present and future of Great White !

 INTERVIEW AND LIVE PICTURES BY MARKO SYRJÄLÄ

TRANSCRPTION BY NEIL BATTY