RINGWORM - OCTOBER 2005

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

Album: Justice Replaced by Revenge (Victory Records)

Random thoughts: I dunno, I just really like the fact that this guy was named The Human Furnace.

RINGWORM

By Jason Schreurs

It hasn’t been said enough, so let’s say it again: A hardcore band is nothing without a pissed-off vocalist. And not that faux-angst of pimply metalcore dweebs; we’re talking about a singer who can live up to a name like The Human Furnace.
Singer James Bulloch of Cleveland-based hardcore band Ringworm is The Human Furnace. With a mouth that spits fire and lyrics ablaze, his longtime moniker makes perfect sense. But as for the full story behind the origin of Bulloch’s alter-ego, well, he ain’t gonna spill it for us.
“I never really talk about that,” taunts the man known as The Human Furnace. “There’s a story behind it, but I imagine at this point, with everybody asking, it could never live up to anybody’s expectations about how exciting or interesting the story behind the name could be. So that’s why I just never answer that question at this point. Just to keep an allure about it.”
And it’s not just Bulloch’s name that’s left open to interpretation. Ringworm’s latest and first in four years, Justice Replaced by Revenge (on longtime label Victory), is a batch of venom and bile with messages listeners can glean themselves. Although more overtly political than anything he’s written before, Bulloch is reluctant to define the songs from his own standpoint.
“I like people to be able to find their own message in whatever I write,” he explains. “There’s a little more poetic justice to it when you don’t spell everything out for everybody. It’s almost boring to listen to that way. I don’t like to write words that are that simplistic. I like to add a little poetry to it.”
Bulloch is also known for his career in the tattooing industry, and he opened a tattoo shop in the Cleveland, OH area when Ringworm went on an extended hiatus in the mid-‘90s (some of the members then defected to fellow Cleveland hardcore/metallers Integrity). Bulloch’s tattooing empire has since swollen to three well-established shops (check out http://www.252tattoo.com/ for a peek at his amazing ink-work).
While Ringworm is Bulloch’s first love (“My anger management,” he jokes), tattooing is his ongoing career. “I have a great love for tattooing. For me, that’s where it’s at. I can’t see myself singing in a hardcore band when I’m 50 years old. When I’m doing music it’s a completely different animal. It’s totally a different type of release.”

For more info, go to: www.myspace.com/ringworm13

CONVERGE - OCTOBER 2006

Originally published in: Chord Magazine (www.chordmagazine.com)

Album: No Heroes (Epitaph Records)

Random thoughts: One of my all-time favorite stories, it was perfect to catch Jacob Bannon in the middle of his home renovations. The setting of power tools and blaring saws was the perfect backdrop to a chat with a dude in one of the noisiest bands around.

CONVERGE
The heroics of the everyman

By Jason Schreurs

Not surprisingly, Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon is spending the afternoon making some noise. But the day before the release of his band’s latest, No Heroes, Bannon’s not screaming his head off to viciously uncompromising punk/hardcore/metal with bandmates Kurt Ballou (guitars), Nate Newton (bass), and Ben Koller (drums).
Instead, he’s working on a porch for his recently purchased and gutted 1,100 square foot home, a former crack house in Beverly, MA he’s been fixing up with a carpenter friend. Living in a construction zone since August, Bannon is looking forward to settling in with his girlfriend and two dogs but, first, much more hammering, sawing, and smashing.
“When I bought the place last year we were still finding crack pipes in the walls and needles in the yard…” says Bannon, an air compressor drowning him out (“Don’t worry,” he yells, “it just needs to get up to 120 pounds of pressure then it’ll turn off”). Having also spent the past few months creating the thrashing loudness that is No Heroes, a monumental fifth album for Converge, the air compressor doesn’t even phase him.
Bannon’s composure while everything around him pounds and throttles in a flurry of chaos is exactly how Converge, now 15 years ripe, has handled their place in extreme music. Aimed at a singular vision of substance over style, the Boston four-piece’s focus is admirable and, well, more than just a little frightening.
No Heroes (their second for Epitaph) is a monster, every bit as pummeling as its most recent predecessors, 2004’s You Fail Me and 2001’s Jane Doe, but somehow, someway, a tad more fucking brutal. Accessibility just isn’t something these guys care about, and it’s endearing as hell.
“Well, there’s two ways to look at it,” explains Bannon. “Kurt and I were talking about this the other day. Our kind of volume and approach gets an immediate emotional reaction. It’s a reaction from us, as well as the listener and audience. It’s both a positive and a negative.”
Immediate emotional reaction is right. While You Fail Me began with a melodic primer before tearing faces off, No Heroes offers no leeway. Instead, the first four tracks go for the jugular. By the time the minute-and-a-half instrumental breather, “Weight of the World,” lets us regain composure and, let’s face it, balance and sanity (and, um, consciousness?), the horrible and fascinating title track spends the next four minutes brutalizing us back into the ground.
Whether it’s “face-rippers” (Bannon throws that term around, and it’s oh so fitting) like “Versus” and “Bare My Teeth,” or slower, darker, and more monumental dirges like “Grim Heart/Black Rose” (all 9:34 of it), it’s clear Converge has a duality that can please a wide range of musically masochistic maniacs.
“Some people who listen to our slower songs get bored because they want the ‘face-rippers.’ But there’s other listeners who enjoy that mellower stuff more than they enjoy the stuff that goes full speed.”
These “face-rippers” are hard to get a handle on. They require repeated listeners to comprehend what’s happening at maximum overdrive (and perhaps to head-shake while wondering if Converge really pulled off what we think they just did), but the intricate tangle of emotions is also difficult to gauge. Like, are these mad songs? Sad songs? And what’s with that optimism peeking ever so slightly around the frayed edges?
“There should always be a positive aura to even the most negative music,” confirms Bannon. “I’m not a fan of music that just perpetuates negativity. With us, even our angriest songs hopefully have some sort of positive light at the end. At least someone can take something away from them that is much more than pure anger.”
A skill saw screams behind Bannon and his dogs start barking, but now he’s locked in, prepared to explain the concept of No Heroes, a record that incorporates a more universal message. This time, Bannon uses “we” and “us” a lot more than “I,” detailing the ethical and moral struggles everyone goes through.
“’No Heroes,’ the song, talks about overall political and ethical awareness, and whatever you do as a person will be a ripple effect and be felt emotionally for your entire life,” explains Bannon. “It’s a song about the idea of the everyman; the fact that I’m sitting here today working on a decimated house with a friend who is a carpenter, who I have more in common with than most hardcore kids. He literally has no ties to that underground movement and he’s gone through a great deal of ups and downs and life struggles. To me, that kind of person would be a hero; what they do and what they accomplish in their lives with the cards they are dealt.”
Another meaning to No Heroes has to do with Bannon and the band’s growing discomfort with being role models for those who dig their band. Instead of being looked up to, they’d prefer to be at the same level as their listeners, something that’s served them well since their DIY beginnings in the hardcore scene.
“People can dig our band but it doesn’t change who I am when I wake up in the morning,” says Bannon. “We don’t believe in being separate from our audience. That’s something that’s fairly new to punk rock and hardcore, and it shouldn’t be like that… I just turned 30 years old. If I was doing this to serve some egotistical purpose, I’d be sad to find out that was the person I was. I’m trying to give back to this music community that gave me a place in life when I was 13 or 14 years old. I’ve spent half of my life in this band.”
After a decade and a half of creating untainted art and brilliant noise, Converge are in a somewhat solitary place where bands like them are a dying breed. Converge-wannabes can peer at their Soundscan numbers through awkwardly cropped bangs, but four Boston guys continue working on the framework for a house they’ve built themselves.
“We come from a very different world. I don’t really see ourselves as being true peers of the bands that we’re friends with, like the Killswitch Engage/Shadows Fall bands of the world,” explains Bannon. “We have more of a lineage to Starkweather and Rorschach, bands like Merel and Iconoclast; those are bands that we still listen to. People now have never heard of bands like Honeywell or Groundwork; so they don’t really understand where we’re coming from and our world doesn’t really exist anymore.”
As the construction noises behind him go momentarily quiet, he adds, “We’re sort of this lone animal, at this point, which is totally fine by us.”

A Heroes' pallet

No Converge record would be complete without the artwork of vocalist Jacob Bannon, noted graphic designer and owner of Deathwish Inc., a punk/hardcore record label featuring his packaging, art, and design. The booklet and cover for No Heroes revolves around a silhouetted dove, known as a symbol of peace in popular culture but, as Bannon explains, originally the visual metaphor for a higher purpose.

On the dove imagery:
“We’re simply saying, ‘Hey, this is a selfless approach to music.’ These songs are about a personal progression and evolution and we wanted something that represented that. So the dove is being born out of the mouths of two ominous figures beside it in the booklet.”

On those ominous figures:
“When you open up the booklet there’s another ominous figure with the Converge symbol oozing from its mouth, and it’s holding two shards of glass. It’s a visual metaphor for words not being said the softest; not having the softest approach to what we do. Essentially, the truth hurts. It shows a wound, but it also shows a life and energy.”

On creating artwork for Converge versus designing for other bands:
“It’s a very different process. It’s tough to do stuff for other people because you get pigeonholed. The Converge stuff is very different. It’s a much more personal thing. I tend to use stencils and silhouettes when I’m doing my own stuff. I’ll very rarely do that style for someone else.”

CARCASS - MAY 2004

Originally published in: Chord Magazine

www.chordmagazine.com 

Album: Choice Cuts (Earache Records)

Random thoughts: It was a thrill to interview the drummer from Carcass, but I had mixed emotions going into this one knowing I'd have to talk to Ken Owen about his pain and suffering after a brain aneurysm. Still, it worked out good, and Owen was in good spirits throughout the conversation. 

CARCASS
Keep on rotting in the free world

By Jason Schreurs

The best news for Ken Owen (and Carcass fans everywhere) is he is on his feet again. Owen, ex-drummer of the gore grind purveyors who broke up in the mid-‘90s, developed a sudden brain hemorrhage in early 1999 and was in a coma for the next 10 months. He’s been in recuperation ever since, able to walk again last year, and even back behind the drum kit in the past few months.
“I literally bent over to scratch the cat and passed out,” says Owen of the hemorrhage. “It’s been a long, uphill struggle, but I’m getting there now. I’m drumming again. I’ve got a real big drum kit and I’m going to start my double bass drumming again, so it’s coming.”
The burning question on every Carcass fan’s mind, especially with Earache Records releasing a CD collection called “Choice Cuts,” is whether a reunion might be in the cards somewhere down the road. Owen loves the idea, but he’s realistic about his slow recovery and the other members’ current situations.
“I’d love to get back playing with the other guys but they’re fairly busy doing their own things these days [Bill Steer is in Firebird, Michael Amott doubles in Arch Enemy and Spiritual Beggars, and Jeff Walker’s somewhere in hiding]. So I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. I wouldn’t want to start any rumors that way. But at some point I would like to jam out with them, perhaps, to see whether I can still do it,” says Owen.
Originally shelved in 1999, “Choice Cuts” was resurrected after a spark was ignited in Owen to take on the project. The disc includes material from Carcass’ four albums, as well as Peel Sessions from 1989-1990. Putting the CD together ended up being therapeutic, says Owen. “Helping out with the CD has been great because it’s good to be immersed in all of the things that I used to love.”
It’s also been a form of closure, with Owen providing extensive liner notes, archive materials, and interviews on the disc. “This is the final nail in the coffin, so to speak.” A small but significant change was made by Owen to the original CD’s track listing. “This Is Your Life,” a chunky, melodic piece of metal that became the staple of the latter Carcass sound needed to be on there, he says. “I’m really proud of the drumming in that song.”
One of the first bands in the gore-grind genre, Carcass used medical terminology and body part-littered album art to create a visually disturbing and often thought-provoking package. It’s a style copied to a tee by modern gore bands, which is fine and dandy with Owen.
“It’s complete flattery, basically. At the time we were at the top of our league and if bands want to continue that vein, as long as they cite us as being their influence, that’s brilliant,” he says.
Surprisingly, Owen’s favorite metal these days is of the “nu” variety; he cites Slipknot as his personal fave. He’s also taken a keen interest in Detroit techno and hopes to start a one-man project that would be quite a departure from his skin-bashing days in the mighty Carcass. “I’d like to make contemporary electronic dance music, but with a live element so I’m actually drumming it as well.”
Over the years, ex-members of Carcass have stayed good friends with Owen, providing much-needed moral support during his recovery. “They’ve been absolutely fabulous to me, especially when I was in the hospital. They used to come and see me. They’re good friends, you know, especially when I needed it most.”
So, if they decided to start jamming again, would he be in? “If I’m fit enough to play it, yes!” Keep hoping, Carcass fans.

For more info, go to: www.myspace.com/carcass

Destroying the Airwaves: THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN -- 2008

Not many bands have been ripping shit up on live TV lately, but this appearance by The Dillinger Escape Plan on Conan O'Brien late last year was pretty badass. I love the part where singer Greg Puciato runs into the audience, and then the freakout session near the end. (I wonder what the crowd was thinking about this ridiculous display of spazz-core?)

Unfortunately, there's no YouTube embedded link for this particular little nasty, but here's a web link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noqIcKfI0Ms

ZEKE - OCTOBER 2004

Originally published in: Monday Magazine

www.mondaymag.com

Album: 'Til the Livin' End (Relapse Records)

Random thoughts: I just remember how incredibly fast and tight they were when they played here. It was the kind of thing that, had I known how good they were live, I probably would have blathered on about it in the story. Alas, the preview story, how bittersweet it can be sometimes.

Zeke ‘n’ Roll

Seattle speed-meisters in it for the long haul

By Jason Schreurs

Okay, the dudes in Motorhead are obviously getting on in years. So the burning question on my mind when I got Zeke skin-basher Donny Paycheck on the line was, if Lemmy and crew ever decide to pass the torch to a younger band, will they be there to take it?

“Certainly,” laughs Paycheck. “Definitely, I’d love to carry on the torch for that guy. Wow, what a fucking legend that cat is.”

Since the early ‘90s, the unabashedly Motorhead-influenced Seattle trio have been cranking out the tunes hard and fast, becoming known as one of the fastest bands in the land. Incredibly, Zeke’s new album and first for extreme music label Relapse, ‘Til the Livin’ End, picks up the clip even more. According to Paycheck, the secret to playing no-frills punk rock is really no secret at all.

“I dunno, I guess it’s just not having any frills,” he deadpans. “That’s just the way we are. We’re just into the bands we’re into, you know, Motorhead, The Dwarves, The Ramones, and Black Sabbath. We just wanted to be the hardest, fastest rock that we could possibly be. It’s not a plan. We dress and act like this every day. If I wear a fucking flannel and baseball cap, that’s me.”

Despite the band now calling a label mostly known for heavier bands their home, Zeke feel they are promoted a lot better than in the years they spent on punk biggie Epitaph.

“Relapse does extreme music and Zeke is extreme,” says Paycheck in a stoner dude sort of drawl. “They put out a defining band in each genre of music that they like, and that’s what they consider us: A defining punk band. With Relapse it comes so fucking natural and easy in comparison to having to call up Epitaph and say, ‘Hey, listen, our buddies Pearl Jam want to put us on a couple of shows. Do you think ya’ll should advertise for it?’ And they’re like, ‘Ah well, you know, grumble, mumble.’ Well, fuck, man!”

It was Zeke’s all-pistons-firing live show that caught the attention of Pearl Jam, with Eddie Vedder even collaborating with the Zeke-sters at one point. So what can we expect from their upcoming Victoria gig and first trip to BC?

“It’s gonna be probably the fastest, most intense rock show you’ve seen in a long time,” says Paycheck, daring us by adding, “Probably it rivals seeing a Slayer show. I don’t know if the crowds will know what to do.”

TOP 25 HEAVY METAL ALBUMS AND SONGS

For those who don't want to slog through my lengthy 2003/2004 metal columns post from a couple of days ago, here are my top 25 all-time best heavy metal albums and songs. Haven't changed my mind since 2003? Well, one never really changes their minds about these kinds of things, do they? I mean, it's heavy metal. It's timeless! 

And be sure to scroll down to the longer post below to see a picture of me with Chuck Billy of Testament! 

Top 25 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time

1. Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2. Slayer - Reign in Blood

3. Metallica - Master of Puppets

4. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

5. Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss

6. Metallica – Ride the Lightning

7. Neurosis - Souls at Zero

8. The Accused - Grinning Like an Undertaker

9. Megadeth - Rust in Peace

10. Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium

11. Voivod - Dimension Hatross

12. Kreator - Extreme Aggression

13. Helmet - Meantime

14. Anthrax - Among the Living

15. Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence

16. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine

17. Slayer – South of Heaven

18. Carcass - Heartwork

19. Sacrifice - Soldiers of Misfortune

20. Dirty Rotten Imbeciles - Dealing with It

21. Sepultura - Arise

22. Pestilence – Consuming Impulse

23. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

24. AC/DC - Back in Black

25. Iron Maiden – Powerslave

 

TOP 25 METAL SONGS OF ALL TIME

1. Black Sabbath - "War Pigs" (from: Paranoid)

2. Slayer - "Angel of Death" (from: Reign in Blood)

3. Metallica - "Damage Inc." (from: Master of Puppets)

4. Black Sabbath - "Black Sabbath" (from: Black Sabbath)

5. Celtic Frost - "Circle of the Tyrants" (from: To Mega Therion)

6. Slayer - "South of Heaven" (from: South of Heaven)7. Megadeth - "Hangar 18" (from: Rust in Peace)

8. Voivod - "Tribal Convictions" (from: Dimension Hatross)

9. Neurosis - "To Crawl Under One's Skin" (from: Souls at Zero)

10. Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (from: Screaming for Vengeance)

11. Saxon - "Denim and Leather" (from: Denim and Leather)

12. Nuclear Assault - "Brainwashed" (from: Survive)

13. Megadeth - "Peace Sells…" (from: Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?)

14. Carcass - "Heartwork" (from: Heartwork)

15. Annihilator - "Alison Hell" (from: Alice in Hell)

16. The Accused - "Bullet Ridden Bodies" (from: Grinning Like an Undertaker)

17. Razor - "Evil Invaders" (from: Evil Invaders)

18. Sacrifice - "Soldiers of Misfortune" (from: Soldiers of Misfortune)

19. Black Sabbath - "Paranoid" (from: Paranoid)

20. Black Sabbath - "The Sign of the Southern Cross" (from: The Mob Rules)

21. Metallica - "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (from: Ride the Lightning)

22. Dio - "Rainbow in the Dark" (from: Holy Diver)

23. Kreator - "One of Us" (from: Terrible Certainty)

24. Helmet – “In the Meantime” (from: Meantime)

25. Suicidal Tendencies - "You Can’t Bring Me Down” (from: Lights… Camera… Revolution)

METAL UP YOUR BUM - Metal Column 2003/2004

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BLACKLISTED - JUNE 2005

Originally published in: Monday Magazine
www.mondaymag.com

Album: We're Unstoppable
Deathwish Inc. (www.deathwishinc.com)

Random thoughts: Too bad this band broke up last year. They were one of the few hardcore bands that mattered any more.

They’re Unstoppable
Blacklisted know true meaning of hardcore

By Jason Schreurs

I’ve written about lots of hardcore/punk bands trying to capture the essence of the hardcore scene, and how it has the ability to bring people together under the common desire to scream out against the injustices of the world. But explaining hardcore to someone who doesn’t understand it is a tough one, especially to older generations who look down upon kids who listen to loud, screaming music and complain about the anger and negativity of the lyrics. If only we could get George Hirsch, singer for Philadelphia’s Blacklisted, to set them all straight.
“Positivity lies in the person…” begins Hirsch, “but anger is a natural emotion, everyone feels angry, or just aggressive at some points in their lives. I don’t write much about the positive sides of things, mostly because I really just don’t feel positive about the state of things in my life. I’m pessimistic and I’ve grown to realize and understand it is OK to feel like that.”
Blacklisted’s latest CD, a collection of their earlier material previously available on the rapidly disappearing vinyl format, has the rather bold title of We’re Unstoppable. And while that kind of title may rub some people the wrong way, this one actually has a message of perseverance and dedication.
"Hardcore is unstoppable,” explains Hirsh, “no one person is above or below it, anyone can be into it, anyone can hate it, you have a choice, and we just chose to love it, I guess… [The album title] does have a bit of ego involved though, because it is like a laugh in the face of people that tell me or any of us we can’t do something. We can do whatever we want…”
Even with mainstream acceptance of bands slogging what is being passed off as a hardcore sound (Ontario’s Alexisonfire immediately comes to mind), true hardcore bands like Blacklisted, inspired by underground hardcore scenes in places like their hometown of Philly, aren’t as interested in mass appeal. Instead, they focus on reaching out to those who are already questioning authority, and creating an abrasive sound that forces people to perk up and take notice.
“As long as you are doing what you are feeling, someone out there will understand,” explains Hirsch, “and if 100 people hate it, but five really felt what you were saying and feel as though they can relate, then you’ve done justice to hardcore in my eyes.”

For more info, go to: myspace.com/blacklisted

Destroying the Airwaves: FAITH NO MORE -- 1992

Okay, we all know that live TV appearances by bands are usually cop-outs. Either the band will play their hit song, dumb down their lyrics, or just generally put in a blah performance. I'll never forget the time I got all excited about Rage Against the Machine being on Saturday Night Live, imagining them overthrowing the system in one fell swoop, but instead being generally disappointed that the extent of their muckracking involved an upside down flag on Tom Morello's guitar amp. Huh? What? But sometimes, yes, sometimes, bands will actually try something a little different with their airtime. Dog bless 'em for it. First on our roll call; none other than the kings of awkward/thrilling live television moments, Faith No More. Watch what happens with around 1:20 left in this video. Hilarious!