Paragon: Metalation of the nations

German metal scene is probably my favorite among others. I do love NWOBHM (check out the blog about it), USPM, Bay Area thrash, and basically bands from all over the world, but for some reason heavy, speed, power and thrash metal groups from Germany are closer to my tastes. They are like warriors by vocation — do their best to what they once swore and never disapoint their loyal fans. Paragon have always been in my short list for an interview, and now, when they have released another solid peice of metal called, ahem, "Metalation", I had a pleasure to talk to Jan Bünning about the album, the odds of being in an undeground band, Paragon's upcoming 35th anniversary and some more! 

Destiny's End: Wrong place, wrong time

1990s are usually considered as a period of deep crisis for heavy and power metal. Well, probably it is correct in terms of commercial success, but deep in the underground bands kept recording very decent albums. And then, a lot of good new bands appeared in the second half of the decade (New Eden, Steel Prophet, Seven Witches, HammerFall and Saxred Steel to name a few). They gave heavy metal a new life and got deals with labels like Metal Blade or Nuclear Blast. Among these newcomers was Destiny's End — a group of young guys with none then James Rivera himself in front of the mike stand. Two albums that the band delievered back then are now classics of the U.S. power metal. Back in 2021 these records were re-released on vinyl, so I contacted Perry Grayson (the guitarist) to talk about short but bright life of the band. 

Phantasm: Blown to oblivion

After leaving Hirax in 1986 Katon De Pena founded Phantasm, a new band together with Ron McGowney. “The band of ex-Hirax and ex-Metallica members” — that would be a real titbit for fans, press and labels. And after hiring Gene Hoglan Phantasm became a real super-group of thrash metal. I think a lot of people would sacrifice their right hands if the band had recorded a full-length album. But Phantasm exploded after just one demo and a short tour. Why? Guitarist Nathan Williams reflects on the band’s history.  

NOTE: this interview was done in 2017

Darkness: Always look on the dark side of life

German thrashers Darkness come back with "Blood on Canvas", one of the best albums in their career! "Oh, yeah, yeah. The press and labels always say that", may think a metalhead. But let's face it — Darkness have delievered raw, straight in your face, aggressive but yet melodic and memorable thrash metal. Somehow they managed to revitalize the genre that is 40 years old but still remain true to their own music legacy! Here we are talking with Arnd Klink, the guitarist and one of the founders of Darkness, about "Blood on Canvas" and some other stuff. 

Protector: The return of thrash and madness

This interview with the singer Martin Missy of the German thrash/death metal band Protector was done in the very beginning of 2014 soon after the release of "Reanimated Homonculus", Protector's triumphant comeback after decades of absense. Yes, it's a bit outdated but still has some interesting facts about the history of Protector and the making of "... Homunculus". 

The Troops of Doom: Poetry of death metal

I'm not a huge fan of death metal and listen to only some seelcted bands of the genre who can deliever more than just a barrage of noise and a pile of assorted riffs and blast beats. Brazil's The Troops of Doom are definitely in my list. The band is led by ex-Sepultura and The Mist guitarist Jairo "Tormentor" Guedz, and also consists of multi-talanted guitarist and artist Marcelo Vasco (the list of the bands he has worked with as an artist is endless and includes Slayer, Testament, Kreator), bass player and hell of a singer Alex Kaffer and incredible drummer Alexandre Oliveira. I was hooked by this band right from their first EP in 2020 — the spirit of the old Sepultura was right there. Now, 4 years, some more EPs and one full-lenght album later. the band is ready to deliever its second LP "A Mass to the Grotesque" (purchase it here). A few days before the release of the album we chatted with Jairo Guedz. who is a really kind and down-to-earth guy without any stardom. 

Stygian Shore: A place for the lost souls

"Wichita s the most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas", says Wikipedia. "Points of interest: the Exploration Place science and discovery center, the Mid-America All-Indian Center, the Old Cowtown living history museum, and..." And to hell with that! The real points of interests for us metalheads are Manilla Road and Stygian Shore who put Wichita on the map of heavy metal. They were close friends and it was Greg Marshall, the Shore's bass player/singer, who christned Mark Shelton as Shark. But even without that Manilla Road connection Stygian Shore deserve your attention. They played that rare brand of metal which takes you by the throat from the first note and leaves you breathless in the end. The band remained unnoticed by labels but carried on despite everything. They worked hard and kept gigging and recording even when Greg Marshall lost his right arm — he just started playing bass with a hook. So here we are talking with Greg  about all the ups an downs of his career wit Stygian Shore and other bands.