SiX
Lauren – Vocals

1. Who has had an influence on your vocal style?
Growing up in Long Beach, CA my biggest hero was a local guy named Joe Wood. He was the second singer of the legendary punk band TSOL. I loved Jack Grisham, the first singer as well, but there was darkness in Joe’s voice that just resonated in my soul. I seriously wanted to be him. But I also must credit Zodiac Mindwarp, Henry Rollins, Keith Morris (Circle Jerks), Nick Cave, Angry Anderson (from my favorite band in the world Rose Tattoo) and Bruce Springsteen…yes, the Boss has had a huge influence on me. God there’s so many. Any vocalist that just lets their soul and their truth come to life in recordings or on a stage.
I just have to feel it; I seek purity in singers, not “skill”.

2. Where do you get motivation for writing your lyrics?
The life I live. I’ve always been an “observer” of people, almost as if my whole life has been one big social study. I see how we hurt, bleed, love, use, hate and so randomly just try to find a connection to each other. We humans are a very strange animal that’s for sure, and I’m just trying to find the answers like everyone else.

3. What was your attitude/what were you feeling while writing “Between
the Warning and the War”?
Looking back I think the biggest theme for me was forgiveness. I was coming out of a horrible break up that I was trying to make some sense of. That experience taught me a lot about myself and my sense of love in the world. During that time I was also able to let go of a lot of the things in my past that had been haunting me. It’s a transitional album. It’s about where we are from to where we are trying to get to mentally, emotionally and musically. The whole twisted puzzle.

4. The artwork for the cover of “Between the..” is interesting. Is
there a special meaning behind it?
The balance between beauty and brutality has always been our thing. There’s a certain romance in violence and there is certain peace in pain. The cover takes the terror of a speeding bullet and pairs it with the beauty of a burning match. It’s the beginning AND the end.

5. How do you feel about the final product for the album?
I’m extremely proud of this album. We overcame a lot to get it done and on every listen I know it’s our truth. It’s 100% us. It’s not trendy and it doesn’t fit into any one category .We were blessed to have Mike Clark from Suicidal on it as well as Tony Campos from Static X. I mean f**k, for an underground band those are huge honors. And our big money record company didn’t pay them to do it. They felt what we were doing and wanted to join us. What more can we ask for? I’ve recorded a lot of music in my life, and this is the album I’m the most proud of so far.

6. What is tour life normally like for SiX?
We try to stick by the old Black Flag way of play anywhere at anytime. We’re a live band, we show up to a town and our goal is to take it over, burn it down and have you beg us to return. It’s the pirate life we stand by. Show up, destroy and disappear. It’s full blown rock ‘n’ roll or its nothing.

7. Do you prefer playing larger or smaller venues?
DMX said it best “we don’t care where or when we play…we’re the headliner!”
And that’s the attitude we have. We just love to do what we do.

8. How has being in SiX affected your life the most?
My band keeps me sane. These are my brothers, this is my outlet and this is my family; but one thing about SiX is that it’s way more than just the people in the band. It’s our whole 1605 Family that keeps this machine turning; I’m simply the voice. We are a community of like minded people all trying to find our place in the world. Those that are a part of our team know exactly what I’m talking about.

9. What can we expect for the future of SiX?
See the answer to question #6….lol
More music, more shows, more blood, more sweat, more friends, more family, more Jager, more miles, more late nights more, more, more ,more.

Testament – Demonic
Prosthetic Records

(4.5/5)

One word can describe Testament’s album Demonic, demonic! This album has a straight up evil sound because it was written using Testament’s natural Thrash sound mixed with influences from old school Death metal and some Black metal, which translated right into their next release, The Gathering. Overall, Demonic truly captures the influences these other Metal style had on the band through Chuck Billy’s Death metal-like growls, Eric Peterson’s guitar progressions, Derrick Ramirez’s bass lines, and Gene Hoglan’s drum parts. Eric Peterson did record both the lead and rhythm guitar parts for the album, but guitarist Glen Alvelais did make a guest appearance and also played during the subsequent tour following the release of the album. Overall, I believe this album was really a much needed “speed bump” in the path of the fast paced Testament. It definitely has its share of quick guitar riffs and double bass, but the overall feel of the album is a bit slower and heavier than most of Testament’s other material. The added Death metal groove really emphasizes the heaviness of the guitar riffs and drum parts. As far as the actual tracks go, I’d have to say my favorites are “Demonic Refusal” (track 1), “Jun-Jun” (track 4), “John Doe” (track 5), and “Hatreds Rise” (track 7). Really, any of the tracks that stuck out to me are high on the list for overall quality and material. None of the tracks on the alum are any more important that the next, but the four I mentioned above are some I prefer to listen to when I stick the album into my CD player. All in all, Demonic is a very influential album to fans of Thrash and Death metal and should be a part of every metalhead’s arsenal!

Testament – The Gathering
Prosthetic Records

(4.5/5)

If you are looking for classic Thrash metal at its absolute finest, you need The Gathering by Testament! Time and time again, Testament has proved that they are a Thrash force to be reckoned with, but my personal favorite reason is this 12-track, non-stop energy filled, masterpiece. From beginning to end, the guys from Testament keep you moving with demanding vocals from Chuck Billy, insane guitar riffs from guitarists Eric Peterson and James Murphy, powerful bass lines from bassist Steve DiGiorgio, and thundering drums from drummer Dave Lombardo. As one of the many changing line-ups of Testament, these five really put their skills together to create an amazing piece of art that is The Gathering. As a whole, the album doesn’t have a lot of room for improvement, but there are a few tracks that stood out to me as being more exceptional tracks. My personal top favorite is track 5 which is better known as “3 Days in Darkness”. To me, this track really captures the sound of what you should get when you mash Thrash and Heavy metal together. Constructed of Pantera-like guitar riffs and drums, “3 Days in Darkness” is “mortared” with the yells and almost Death metal-like growls of Chuck Billy. The second song in my list of favorites is track 7, or “Careful What You Wish For”. “Careful What You Wish For” is another song that just has an overall dominance and power to it that contains truth among lyrics. Really, it has the feel of an anthem for a rebellion or some sort of uprising! My last top song from this album is the closing track, “Hammer of the Gods”. This track is completely instrumental, giving a slow yet heavy ending to a great album. Overall, it’s a great song and the instrumental aspect helps it to stick out from the rest of the tracks. With these three tracks and the rest of the talent that went into this album, The Gathering is definitely an album for the ages!

SiX – Between the Warning and the War
1605 Records

(4/5)

With Between the Warning and the War as their third release, SiX is continuing to make their presence known as a West Coast Rock band. Not only are there Heavy metal and Punk influences helping push SiX through this 13-track (plus 3 “hidden” tracks), fist pumping, Hard rock album, but vocalist Lauren is helped out by Tony Campos from Static-X on “The Day I Died” (track 1) and “Warning” (track 7) as well as Mike Clark from Suicidal Tendencies on “Forgiveness” (track 4). Overall, Lauren, guitarist Alfunction, and drummer Rob Woods, and bass player Bob K really attack mainstream music while letting their roots show with the mix of old school power and the future of aggression on Between the Warning and the War! Honestly, I think it’s a great album and it was really hard to choose favorite songs, but “The Day I Died” and “Circles” were the two that really jumped out at me. “The Day I Died” sticks out for its aggressive, Punk/Thrash-like sound that starts the album off with a bang! When you hear it, you can’t help but want to start pumping your fists and moshing with your friends. “Circles” is just one of the songs off the album that show off some of Nate Bowers’ double bass skills along with the Drowning Pool-like feel of the whole track. All in all, Between the Warning and the War is an album for your arsenal if you’re into Hardcore punk and Hard rock! Look for Lauren, Alfunction, Rob and guitarist Johnny Utah playing live near you!

Cavalera Conspiracy – Inflikted
Roadrunner Records

(4/5)

Thrash is back in full force with Cavalera Conspiracy’s debut album, Inflikted. Originally, his would have been a self-titled debut, but due to legal reasons, the band had to change their name. CC is not just any Thrash metal band, but it is made up of some of Metal’s finest musicians. The All Star line-up consists of Max Cavalera (Sepultura co-founder and Soulfly founder) on vocals and rhythm guitar, Igor Cavalera (Sepultura co-founder) on drums, Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo, and Joe Duplantier (guitarist and vocalist from Gojira) on bass. Together, these four guys have managed to put together an incredible album that utilizes components of Thrash metal, Heavy metal, and even some Hardcore punk. Although all 11 tracks are vital in making this album awesome, “Inflikted” (track 1/title track), “Ultra-Violent” (track 5), and “Bloodbrawl” (track 8 ) stuck out over the rest to help prove that CC has what it takes to be an amazing band. “Ultra-Violent” has to be my overall favorite from the album for the fact that it is HEAVY! It shows a more old school Thrash style, with a slow and heavy groove to it. Also, Rex Brown (current Down and ex-Pantera bassist) is featured as the guest bassist on this track. “Bloodbrawl” ranks high for its overall heaviness, its classic Thrash feel, its massive breakdowns, and the use of insane sweep picking! Also, it shows a bit of diversity with the mellowness of the last 30 seconds or so of the song. Overall, this album could help in resurrecting the Thrash sound of older bands such as Slayer, and Testament. So let down your hair, get pumped, and thrash with your friends! Cavalera Conspiracy is here and they mean business!

Egypt Central – Egypt Central
Fat Lady Music

(4.5/5)

Reality and Rock have teamed up to pierce your heart and break you down, and together they form Egypt Central! Egypt Central’s self-titled release contains 11 of the most, lyrically, realistic songs I have heard in a while. I’m not saying that no other band is releasing material that shows real emotions or portrays real life situations, but EC is doing it in a way that everyone can relate to. Egypt Central covers issues ranging from being lied to by someone close to being criticized for being different. On top of great lyrical content, EC does it all right in the way of vocals and musical aspects created by lead vocalist John Falls, guitarists Jeff James and Heath Hindman, bassist Joey Chicago, and drummer Blake Allison. John utilizes his great singing voice with some screams with the vocal help from Jeff, Joey, and Blake. Together, these four successfully cover all the vocal angles, helping to truly portray the lyrics to anyone who has similar experiences or are currently experiencing some of the same issues. Musically, the guys from EC are really just a good Rock band. Period. There’s nothing extremely over the top about the way they go about playing the songs. They are just sweet and to the point, which helps get the message across in the best of ways. There’s not always a need for anything crazy. As far as whole tracks go, I really like the entire album, but “Different” (track 1), “Leap of Faith” (track 5), and “Home” (track 11) really stuck out to me. “Different” is probably my overall favorite for the fullness of the content musically and lyrically. I guess you could say that that is the track I relate to the most overall. “Home” is my second favorite for the simple fact that it is the only acoustic track on the album. Being acoustic, the music helps give the lyrics a little more meaning and the mood is changed for the ending to a great album. Once again, overall, Egypt Central is a great album for anybody to check out; whether you’ve had the hardest life or the best life anyone could have.

Chimaira – Resurrection [Special Edition]
Ferret Music (U.S.)/Nuclear Blast Records (Outside U.S.A.)

(5/5)

To define the word aggressive in Webster’s Dictionary, there should simply be a picture of Chimaira! With one EP and three previous full length albums under their belts, Chimaira kept the pain train coming full force with their most recent full length release Resurrection. Throughout this 11-track masterpiece, vocalist Mark Hunter leads the band with his massively aggressive screams and yells combined with his singing to compliment the musical roller coaster created by guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries, bassist Jim LaMarca, and drummer Andols Herrick (who came back into the band for this album). To accent the whole sound of the band, keyboardist/sampler Chris Spicuzza throws in his thundering 808s (“bass blasts”) and deep growls to back up Mark. As for the overall sound of the album, Resurrection is definitely one of the top Metal albums of 2007! My favorite tracks off the album include “Resurrection” (title track), “Six”, “Needle”, “Empire”, and my top favorite happens to be Matt Devries’ favorite off the album as well, “The Flame”. “Resurrection” is a great track to listen to for the mere fact that it is such a great start to this album and gives you a preview of how aggressive this album will be. On top of the aggressiveness, there are some harmonic bends in this track that are absolutely out of this world! As far as “Six” goes, this another favorite of Matt’s. It’s a favorite between the both of us for the simple fact that it shows how diverse this band can really be. “The Flame” tops the list for me because of its overall quality as well. It starts out with the sound of a girl screaming, the breaking of glass, then pure aggression from there on out. In the aggressiveness of the track, there are also some great precision stops and some of Chimaira’s trademark 808s. Overall, if you’re looking for a shot of adrenaline and some pure aggression to fuel your day, grab a copy of Chimaira’s Resurrection!

3 – The End is Begun [Special Edition]
Metal Blade Records

(4.5/5)

When you look at all the bands on Metal Blade Records, 3 sticks out like a sore thumb, but their newest album The End is Begun helps prove that this band deserves to be on any label they desire to be on! The End is Begun can be looked at as a collaboration of all of 3′s older material to create a unique, Progressive Rock sound involving acoustic guitar, electric guitar, heavy bass, and not just drums from a set but also other percussion. Honestly, this album is one of the most unique albums I have ever heard and I really enjoy listening to it! The guitar work from lead guitarist Joey Eppard and rhythm guitarist Billy Riker is absolutely amazing! Really, I like Joey playing acoustic guitar more than his electric guitar work, but either way, he is an amazing guitarist! As mentioned before, not only are there drums being played on a drum set by Chris Gartmann, there is also extra percussion added by percussionist/keyboardist Joe Stote who also adds in the extra keyboard and sample parts. Putting the finishing touch to this great music is bassist Daniel Grimsland. With his awesome bass parts put together with the rest of the music and Joey’s great falsetto range, 3 has put out a great 13-track album. On the special edition, there is a 14th track that is their cover of Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play”. Out of all the tracks, about half of them are “favorites” of mine including “The World is Born of Flame” combined with “The End is Begun” (title track), “All That Remains”, and “These Iron Bones”. “The World is Born of Flame” is the first track on the album and really rises up as a great track that gives an effect of “zooming in on the band” instead of hitting you full force with everybody. The second track is the title track “The End is Begun”. This track almost “rings” off the first track continuing with the acoustic work of Joey with an almost marching beat to it. These two tracks really provide a great beginning to what is, overall, a truly remarkable album!

Airbourne – Runnin’ Wild
Roadrunner Records (U.S.)/EMI Records (Australia)

(4.5/5)

Got Rock ‘n’ Roll? Australia does, and Airbourne’s album Runnin’ Wild proves it! The only way to accurately compare Airbourne to any other band I’ve heard, I have to say that they are AC/DC in the 21st century! The similarities between the two bands is uncanny, right down to Joel O’Keeffe’s vocals that sound like a mix between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, both AC/DC vocalists. Musically, Joel and co-guitarist David Roads, bassist Justin Street, and drummer Ryan O’Keeffe sound very similar to the musical stylings of AC/DC, but they have song titles that resemble those of Mötley Crüe. Lyrically, the songs from Runnin’ Wild could go either way in resembling Mötley Crüe or AC/DC with the content of cheap booze, cheaper women, and livin’ for Rock ‘n’ Roll! Honestly, I think Runnin’ Wild is a great album, and it’s a good break from the “norm” of what’s being produced in today’s music industry. As far as the individual tracks on the album go, my favorites are “Stand Up For Rock ‘N’ Roll” and the three singles from the album, “Diamond in the Rough”, “Runnin’ Wild” (title track), and “Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast”. Overall, all of the songs consist of pure, fist pumping, head bobbing, Rock ‘n’ Roll throughout the whole album and I, for one, am glad to see it back in the music scene.

Bury Your Dead – Bury Your Dead
Victory Records

(5/5)

Bury Your Dead is back and they are better than ever! If you liked their debut album Cover Your Tracks, you are going to love their new self-titled album! Although all the tracks aren’t named after movies and there are no “Top Gun” breakdowns, this album certainly speaks for itself and the subtle breakdowns included are more than effective in producing headbang/mosh worthy material. One thing I certainly like more is the vocal effects change. With the new vocalist, Myke Terry, came the elimination of most of the layered vocals that, in my opinion, brought down the vocals in past albums. Musically, this album features classic Bury Your Dead heavy guitars by Eric Ellis and Brendan “Slim” MacDonald, thundering bass by Aaron “Bubble” Patrick, and super fast double bass by drummer Mark Castillo. Myke’s vocals on this album are absolutely incredible, helping to make it, in my opinion, the best Bury Your Dead album to be released thus far. On top of his vocals, Mark’s drumming in this album continues to show proof that hes is one of the best in the business! As far as the whole tracks themselves go, my personal favorites are “Hands to Hide the Shame”, “A Devil’s Ransom”, and “Angel With a Dirty Face”. “Hands to Hide the Shame” is my favorite out of all the tracks because its all around greatness. This song shows more diversity when it has its heavy breakdowns then goes into a more progressive, clean part with pure sung vocals. The musicianship in that song, again, is very diverse and I think it really shows what these guys are capable of. As far as any of the other tracks go, I really enjoyed this whole album because of the pure talent and musicianship portrayed throughout all 11 tracks. Overall, this has got to be one of the best, aggressive albums I have heard in 2008!