ILLEGAL THOUGHTS – An Interview with Christoph Whitbeck and Gretchen Werda of This Criminal Soul

By Jonathan Hammer Has your life been lacking something lately? Have you woken up in the morning and just wished that there was more grit, more edge – more soul? This Criminal Soul, a god damn rock n’ roll band combining the sounds of Motörhead, The Violent Femmes, and any other aggressive rock you can… Continue reading ILLEGAL THOUGHTS – An Interview with Christoph Whitbeck and Gretchen Werda of This Criminal Soul

REIGN OF KAOS: An Interview with Kaos Reign

Bill (left) and Chris hanging out before a show -- photo by Angela Rose Vartuli.

By Jonathan Hammer Thrash, groove, and aggression – Norwalk, CT’s Kaos Reign is a powerhouse for catchy riffs and pounding drums that fly the flag of the old, great name of “metal” high and with pride. Comprised of Bill Klopfer on guitar and vocals (Penitentary, Murder Castle) and Chris Anderson (Murder Castle, Arcane Malevolence), the… Continue reading REIGN OF KAOS: An Interview with Kaos Reign

A Tyranny of Vastness: Eight Bells’ Melynda Jackson and Haley Westeiner on Their New Album, Their New Drummer, and More

Eight Bells plays a hypnotic form of experimental/progressive loud rock that references everything from metal to kraut rock. The band, which features Melynda Jackson (guitar/vocals) and Haley Westeiner (bass/vocals) and new drummer Rae Amitay (Immortal Bird), is about to drop their excellent new album Landless, on February 12 through Battleground Records.  They are also embarking… Continue reading A Tyranny of Vastness: Eight Bells’ Melynda Jackson and Haley Westeiner on Their New Album, Their New Drummer, and More

OVERTAKEN BY THE CURRENTS: An Interview with Currents Guitarist Chris Wiseman

By Jonathan Hammer When I was only a wee sophomore in high school back in 2010 – 2011, I remember playing some of my first metal shows at The Space and a now-long-gone café called The Blue Z, and wishing I was a rock star. Back then, there were a few Connecticut local metal band… Continue reading OVERTAKEN BY THE CURRENTS: An Interview with Currents Guitarist Chris Wiseman

Vinyl Rules, Tapes Drool: An Interview with Prostitution

Brooklyn black metallers Prostitution will be making the trek to Wallingford, CT’s Cherry Street Station on January 15th to share the stage with Xenosis and Jimmy Junk Bird and the Stiffs.  Guitarist Russ Cowen, bassist Jesse Adelson, and drummer Jason Spence talked with Alternative Control earlier this month about the band’s new material, the benefits… Continue reading Vinyl Rules, Tapes Drool: An Interview with Prostitution

Whatchu Know ‘Bout Piss-Yellow Cassette Tapes? An Interview with Jeff McCarthy of Against All Odds Productions

Jeff McCarthy of Against All Odds Productions has been writing a bit for us over the past year.  This week, he and I “sat down” via email to talk about some of the bands he’s working with and their releases.  Here is what he had to say about Know Nothing, Fistula, and Meth Drinker among… Continue reading Whatchu Know ‘Bout Piss-Yellow Cassette Tapes? An Interview with Jeff McCarthy of Against All Odds Productions

Crossing Rubicon: Giving It No Less Than Everything

Connecticut hard rockers Crossing Rubicon have been in the headlines a lot lately — from press releases on blogs worldwide to a news blurb on Blabbermouth, and most recently a “haterade” column on Metalsucks that mercilessly tore the band apart…. And garnered their lyric video “Unhinged“ thousands of views on Youtube. On October 23rd, I met four… Continue reading Crossing Rubicon: Giving It No Less Than Everything