Mudvayne

An interview with sPaG of Mudvayne before the face paint came off.

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Rebels Without Applause

“It doesn’t matter, we just do what we do.” Day after day, year after year, this has become the motto of guitarist Greg Fulton, singer and songwriter for the explosive metal outfit Rebels Without Applause.  Weathering a rotating line-up of musicians that made up the speed and thrash metal projects Znowhite and Cyclone Temple, Greg, along with bassist Scott Schafer, has seen metal firsthand since 1986.  From opening up for Vanilla Ice to experiencing record label runarounds, the Chicago natives have withstood the trials of regular commutes to play New York clubs and confronting the black man playing white music complex.  From holding down multiple part-time jobs to pretending to be the band’s manager only to hear how that guitarist has got a real attitude, Greg has seen more than his fair share of music’s peculiar brand of justice.

“A lot of people think when they join a band it’s a short trip from their day jobs to the tour bus.”  Having already gone through a string of lead singers Greg was not eager to deal with teaching someone else how he wanted them to sing his songs.  Greg would sing his songs into a tape machine to show how he wanted his songs to be sung, but he never thought his voice was up to snuff.  With friend and former Cyclone Temple guitar tech, Mark Alano, working alongside Greg’s blast furnace fretwork, RWA’s two-guitar assault allows Greg plenty of space to play front man.  A soul-inspired delivery smothered in machine tooled rhythms, Greg’s evangelical vocals are thunderbolts in a raging storm.

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Ministry’s Burton Bell

What can be said about Ministry that hasn’t been said before?  This is a band that people love or hate, or possibly love to hate, but rarely does the band’s sound inspire any middle-of-the-road feelings.  There is no complacency when discussing Ministry, and one would guess that is just the way the band’s founder and fearless leader, Al Jourgensen, wants it to be.  Love him or hate him, Jourgensen could hardly be described as complacent.

Jourgensen is credited with creating the industrial sound, inspiring multitudes of musicians to follow him down the same dark path of pounding danceable beats and screaming electric guitars.  After twenty-five years of performing and releasing not only Ministry records, but also records from his various side projects, Jourgensen is putting the industrial giant to sleep.  Permanently.

Ministry released two new CD’s this year, “The Last Sucker” and “Cover-Up.”  Currently, Jourgensen is making one last round on his C U Later Tour, which began March 25 in Spokane, Washington and finishes up on May 10 in Chicago, Illinois with the final three dates taking place at Chicago’s House of Blues. 

Joining Jourgensen on stage are guitarists Tommy Victor (Prong) and Sin Quirin (Revolting Cocks), keyboardist John Bedchel (Ascension of the Watchers, False Icons, ex-Prong), drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (formerly of Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies and Alice Cooper) and Static-X’s Tony Campos on bass, filling in for Paul Raven (ex-Ministry and Killing Joke) who died last year.  Also joining the band as a Special Featured Artist is Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory/AotW), who joined Maximum Ink for a chat about the final days of Ministry.

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Cealed Kasket

By all accounts, Cealed Kasket puts on one heck of a show.  There are swords, beer, wenches and a self-proclaimed, 553-year-old wizard named Sarsicus, led by the ringleader and vocalist Mortal Death in an effort to entertain the youth of America. The band’s latest album, “Penetration,” was released this past July on Reckless Records. 

The band will appear at Maximum Ink’s Halloween Spooktacular on October 27th, so we thought it fitting to warn…err, inform concert-goers in the Madison area just what they might expect from these medieval metal rockers.  It seems that the traditional sex, drugs and rock and roll is on the menu, and Cealed Kasket knows how to deliver the goods.  After sitting down to chat with Mortal Death, the best warning?  Be afraid…be very afraid.

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Imperial Battlesnake

Firmly seizing upon the bombastic hammer of thundering metal, comes Imperial Battlesnake. This Chicago-land experience consists of King James and his aggressive drum beating, Doom Wop Costanza hopping up the explosive bass playing with intestinal fortitude, Greazy Dave Reece augmenting the relentless guitar killing with powerful staring and tongue tornados, Ronnie James Theo exemplifying skin-scaring guitar riffing with quicksilver solos, and Wes Nile spewing forth a mouth-warping vocal rampage while sporting a Napoleon Complex. 

With so many colorful characters to choose from, one can hardly go wrong! Recently I touched base with the Imperial Battlesnake troupe for a quick e-interview.

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Blackdog

Hailing from Chicago after forming in Madison from two musical soulmates, guitarists Anthony Alban and Sammy Reicher, BLACKDOG fuses influences of early 20th Century Delta Blues, 50’s rock n’ roll, and the Classic Rock Pantheon. Andrew Elbert, their drummer says, “ We all love roots music and have a foundation in blues and rock n’ roll. Our heroes are Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Dire Straits, BB King, and Buddy Guy.” After earning their undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin, they decided to take the band to the big city and almost the whole band moved to Chicago (they found a new bassplayer,  Jason Segal, when they got there.)

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Alkaline Trio

Riding the release of their latest album, “Agony & Irony,” ALKALINE TRIO has hit the road. The band started in late ‘96 with an upbeat, melodic sound with dark, realistic lyrics that slowly but strongly developed a dedicated following. Though big on the punk scene, the band strives to cross barriers and bring in fans from all walks of life.

Derek Grant (drums) said the new album is “getting back to the basics” as they put more concentration on content rather than layering and perfecting instrumentations. Through several previous albums, the writing fashion had become monotonous, so they took a stripped down, more natural approach to the production of “Agony & Irony.” The essence of their songs has remained the same and as the fan base continues to grow, the songs remain relatable and tend to touch a nerve that most bands avoid. Grant says, “we’ve never taken the easy route in any shape or form, we aren’t a band that is born out of convenience,” and this, he explains, is why their following remains strong.

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