Interview: Andi Deris of Helloween

Andi Deris is the vocalist for Helloween, an influential power metal band from Germany. He sang with Pink Cream 69 until he joined Helloween in 1993; he has since released thirteen albums with the group, including four gold-certified records. He recently recorded a solo album with his solo band The Bad Bankers entitled Million-Dollar Haircuts on Ten-Cent Heads. I spoke with him about a number of topics such as where the name The Bad Bankers came from, how he chooses what to play live and his favorite songs, his dream collaborations, getting thrown in jail, having his bus ransacked, and some memorable moments from Helloween’s recent world tour.

Retrospective: Giant Squid - Monster in the Creek

Album Score: 7.5/10

Way back in the Romantic era, there was a style of songwriting called the tone poem. Like a mini opera, the objective of a tone poem was to convey a story, image, or idea through music. It could be as simple or elaborate as the artist felt necessary, from short piano pieces to entire symphonies. By the 20th century, the tone poem had fallen out of favor with audiences, presumably due to evolution away from Romantic ideals and composers’ fascination with reinventing the basis of music theory. I mean…music as a means of expression? Using your imagination and your intellect at the same time? Who does that anymore?

New Music: Soreption - Engineering the Void

Album Score: 7.5/10

Death metal is a genre that presents a conundrum of sorts for new artists. In order to be considered a player, a band has to fulfill certain expectations: precise musicianship, guttural vocals, challenging tempos, complex and ever-changing riffs, incessant double-kick drumming, guitar-centric structures, and so forth. The problem with such standards is that they also portend a certain amount of conformity, and therefore a band must also find a way to stand out without violating these essential characteristics of death metal. Soreption is a rising group that finds itself on the fence between these paradigms – perhaps perfectly so, as Engineering the Void sticks to its tech death guns while striving for a voice of its own. Such is the luxury afforded to a group as fundamentally sound as this Swedish quartet as they balance impressive chops with intrepid songwriting on their sophomore effort.

New Music: Cynic - Kindly Bent to Free Us (With Stream)

Album Score: 6.0/10

If Kindly Bent to Free Us is your first impression of Cynic, then you’ll be in for a shock upon looking into this metal legend’s back catalogue. Paul Masvidal, Sean Malone, and Sean Reinert comprise Cynic’s core, and while they’ve left an indelible mark on extreme metal over the last quarter-century, Cynic has lately left its fan base divided, if not totally bewildered. Sure, the upbeat swing of “The Lion’s Roar” bears little face-value resemblance to cuts from the band’s classic 1993 album Focus, but in a weird way it seems like we should have seen this coming all along as shredded leads and death growls have steadily given way to ethereal atmospheres and intricately layered compositions. Thinking back, though, is the intro of “Kindly Bent to Free Us” really so far from that of “I’m But a Wave To”? For long-time followers, it seems high time to let go of our notions on what Cynic was and appreciate what it is, and has always been – a group of musicians willing to push the envelope of progressive music in any way possible. Unfortunately for Cynic, it seems to have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way.

Concert Review: Amon Amarth, Enslaved, and Skeletonwitch

Amon Amarth is heavy metal’s version of life imitating art: twenty-two years in, the beardy Swedes are laying waste to music venues more vociferously than ever and solidifying their place in the pantheon of heavy metal. Last year’s uncompromising Deceiver of the Gods opened at #19 in the US charts, the highest death metal album by a band not based on a cartoon, and yet many fans argue that Amon Amarth isn’t even the most important band on its current tour. They have a point, too, because when a concert boasts a one-two punch of Amon Amarth and a black metal titan like Enslaved, it’s bound to be one hell of a night. At the House of Blues in Boston, the pillaging was in full force as native opener Skeletonwitch knocked down the gates on a stupendous evening of Odin worship, heraldry, and fist-pumping metal anthems.