Just before the release of his latest offering, All Roads Lead Here (reviewed here), I managed to track down multi-instrumentalist Paul Antonio Ortiz (otherwise known as Chimp Spanner) before he departed for a show at Moscow’s Plan B club. As well as marking Chimp Spanner‘s welcome return after the highly-acclaimed album At The Dream’s Edge, the release of the All Roads Lead Here EP also signifies record label Basick Record’s first embrace of the vinyl format. In this interview, Chimp Spanner talks about the making of the EP and the ways in which performing live has had an effect on his musical bubble.

Me: Tell me about the concept behind All Roads Lead Here.

Paul: It’s kind of a continuation of At the Dream’s Edge in as much as it has the same futuristic vibe going on. I guess it was an opportunity to try a few things out that I didn’t get to on the full length. I also used some of my own experiences of the past couple of years to create a darker tone with ‘Mobius’ parts 1-3, so it’s also a bit more personal in that sense.

Me: The EP release has been delayed a couple of times – and you have said that you were waiting for the right moment in time. Do you constantly check what’s coming out (some might say the “competition”)?

Paul: Not so much waiting for the right time… just waiting to feel like I could write again! I’m pretty hard on myself as far as the quality of my ideas, plus as I said about there were some personal/family health issues going on that really put music on the back burner for a while. As far as checking what else is coming out, not really. Most of the time if I’m working on something, I do it in total isolation. If I start paying attention to everyone else, I just get freaked out and panicked like I’m not making enough progress! So I just exist in a weird musical bubble, occasionally taking a break to see what’s been going on.

Me: Despite recording music for many years, it is only recently that you have taken your music to the live stage. How important are the rest of your band for you to keep a level head whilst onstage. Did you have any issues at first with trusting them with your music?

Paul: I guess the hardest thing was putting trust in three other guys to do what my computer will do perfectly and without fail every time! Of course that’s an unrealistic expectation to put on any group of musicians, so over time I’ve come to relish the f**k ups, and thankfully they’re few and far between…and when they happen it’s usually me anyway – haha. I’ve come to appreciate it as a more human experience. It’s exciting, and a little scary sometimes; will we pull it off, won’t we? But we’re getting way more confident and I’ve been lucky to find a dependable bunch of guys to pull this off.

Me: Has “the band” had much of an influence on your recent compositions?

Paul: Kind of. Part of the reason for the delay with the EP was that I found my writing tainted a little by the live experience. By that I mean I lost sight of what Chimp Spanner originally was, and it wasn’t four dudes playing on a stage. It was just… a sound. So that’s been the hardest thing to balance. I don’t want to scale back my ambitions or water down the music, but I also don’t want 50% of the show to be backing track because it’s not doable in real life. I think with the new material (for the next full length) I’ll be exploring ways to make as much of the ambiance and other cool stuff happen on stage, and gradually wean ourselves off the backing.

Me: What or whom convinced you to go on tour?

Paul: Barley, the owner of Basick! He kind of threw it out there back in 2010 that I should think about just doing a one-off performance at the Basick 5th birthday party. I figured it was about time I left my comfort zone, so I gave it a shot. That was my first ever live show…not just the first Chimp Spanner show! Of course, in hindsight, Barley knew exactly what he was getting me into. Playing live is more addictive than crack! Erm, so I’m told.

Me: During the making of the EP, how conscious were you about how the tracks would work on stage?

Paul: I definitely gave a lot more thought to how riffs would flow into one another (and how easy/hard they were to get to from a previous section). I also included some moments that would really engage the audience more and allow them to lock in to the groove. On our recent tour with Cynic, the first 2 or 3 songs really confused some people. It wasn’t until we played the new material that they really got it, and then they enjoyed everything from that point onwards. So I guess following on from my previous answer about how it’s affected my writing…I’m thinking about how to have more subtle, implicit levels of complexity, rather than trying to fry brains with odd timing. It’ll make our performances more enjoyable and relaxed, give us space to improvise a bit, and it will hopefully make the whole experience more inclusive for people who aren’t used to all the weird timings and stuff.

Me: Amongst the increased aggression, there is a considerable hint of jazz fusion in this release. Is the next album going to head in this direction?

Paul: It’s a tricky one for me, as I have no real theory knowledge. So I’m always reluctant to label my music as fusion, even though it’s a very strong influence, because I just don’t understand what’s going on. My ear knows what it wants to hear, and I go by that as much as I can. But I think for the next release I’m going to try and tame the urge to be ‘clever’ and jazzy and balance it out with a more vocal style of lead writing.

Me: Who decided to put the new EP and the results of the remix competition on vinyl? Are you much of a vinyl junkie?

Paul: It was really Basick’s idea, but one I happened to like! I think that while the internet and downloadable music have been of great benefit to the music scene, they’ve also kind of devalued the finished product. I hear people talking nonsense about how it’s not about albums anymore, and nobody wants/buys records. I mean what the hell is the point of writing an album if not to have a finished “thing” in your hand that you can look at and say… it’s done. So to that end I think people are turning to vinyl because it’s not an abstract, valueless thing like an MP3 or a text file or a JPEG. It’s real, and it’s special because once they’re gone, they’re not coming back. I think it’s a great way to keep the physical medium alive and give fans something real and tangible other than tees and hoodies. I wanted to do music…not fashion!

Me: You have recently signed up to Bandhappy. What has been the response to it so far?

Paul: Well I haven’t had a chance to do any more than a couple of lessons due to our visit to Moscow but so far it’s gone really well! It’s a young, fledgling platform and things are changing pretty much weekly but it’s an amazing idea and I think it’s going to change the way fans and musicians connected with each other.

Me: There must be a possibility that the system could be misused, in such a way that crazed “fans” could pay a few bucks just to shout abuse or wind up the person at other end…

Paul: Haha well I guess so, but hey, if someone wants to pay me a few bucks to stare at my face I guess that’s up to them! I suppose there’s a point past which I’d just get really uncomfortable but hopefully I won’t have to deal with that any time soon.

Me: With so many musicians embracing social media, will the days of waiting at the stage door to sneak a peek at the artists cease to exist? Do you see social media as a hindrance or annoyance with so many people trying to get your attention? Is there an ever increasing obligation to fulfil?

Paul: It can be kind of hard sometimes. I remember in late 2010, I was working full time and rehearsing for a tour with Monuments, and I’d go online at like 10pm on a Sunday evening hoping to just kick back and chill, and I’d have people coming straight out with technical questions like I’m a support line. Not even a “hi, how’s it going?” AND they were in the UK so they knew damn well what time it was! But you know… you can’t complain about it when it’s annoying, and then lap it up when it’s working in your favour (when promoting new releases or shows or whatever). And most people are cool anyway – I’ve made a lot of great friends through my music. I think more than anything, I just have to explain to people that there are no shortcuts to what they want. I started Chimp Spanner 10+ years ago now, and for most of that…nothing happened. Advice from artists you like can really be helpful, but when it comes down to it the best thing you can do is start from the beginning, take your time. So many people approach music wanting what others have, but really some of the most amazing fun they’ll have as in those early days where they’re writing because it makes them happy. People pick up on that kind of genuine approach, and that’s when they’ll really go out of their way to support you.

It’s only in recent times that I have realised why Chimp Spanner’s 2009 LP At The Dream’s Edge sometimes didn’t sit right musically. The juxtaposition of 80s hair metal solos / cheesy soundtrack to one gurning riff after another often felt awkward; at times I would love it but on another listen I would want to immediately turn it off. However, after witnessing Chimp Spanner (Paul Ortiz) on 2011’s Lowering the Tone tour, the tracks fell on my ears in a different way, and somewhere along the line Ortiz’s work started to click. This release also dips Basick Records’ toes into the “doomed” world of vinyl.

The bonus tracks that accompany this release feature the winners of the Chimps remix competition. They are not entirely inspiring, and reach the fringes of glitchy downtempo and antagonistic tech-step drum and bass.

All Roads Lead Here continues where 2009’s At The Dream’s Edge ended. Futurism prevails, though Ortiz’s musical cosmic bubble is only given limited time and space here. There are immediate similarities between the two releases; the three part ‘Mobius’ passage on this EP can be compared with a similar transitional piece that appeared on At The Dream’s Edge i.e. “Terminus” Parts I, II, and III. Ortiz has even said that the EP was an “opportunity to try a few things out I didn’t get to on the full length.” However, the narrative structure of his releases continues to remain.

The EP’s start and finish (not counting the bonus disc) have a similar vibe going on, with each of the tracks offering a greater sense of dynamism and vibrancy to his work. Percussive bass playing combined with glistening and intricately worked picking parts create an enormous wealth of texture. Ortiz has expressed an interest in the inclusion of some more jazzy leads, but without consciously putting them in, it would be unwise to label it as “fusion”. It’s more of a medley of styles.

And this is exactly what you get with the heart of this EP, the 14mins of sublime prog noodling that is ‘Mobius’ parts I, II and III. Lashings of cleverly worked riffs are whipped out during parts I and II, whereas part III delves into the stuttering and percussive sound. Ortiz succeeds in creating a degree of tension within the recording, and keeping the listener for a prolonged time in a suspended groove – a bit like fellow label mates Uneven Structure. With a keen awareness of just how much the “sound” of his work could be influenced by “the four dudes that play on stage” since Chimp Spanner‘s recent evolution from solo recording project to touring act, this EP tries to bring together what works live and what exists inside Ortiz’s writing mind. I wonder how this struggle is going to continue.

(Source: onemetal.com)

I’d like to say that this review was a little late due to being so engrossed that I lost complete track of time (though that would only be a half-truth). Obscura’s fourth album will leave you absolutely in awe of the musicians involved whilst leading you on a dark and spiritual journey into the very essence of technically proficient and all-encompassing death metal.

The album covers themes that are not the “usual” Satanic spells and earth-destroying evil hell bullshit, but instead contemplate Friedrich Schelling’s German Naturphilosophie (On Nature’s Connection to the Spirit World). Omnivium itself is a “black vortex within the universe, an immortal downward spiral annihilating all kind of matter, life and elements to create something new.” As complex as this may sound, it perfectly complements the incredible musicianship on show.

It isn’t unheard of for a death metal band to have a concept or interconnected ideas for an album, but it is a little strange for a band to put such emphasis on the lyrics considering the nature of their raw, guttural and dissonant delivery. Drummer Hannes Grossmann notes that “talking about lyrics is one of the most boring things for each death metal fan out there.” This is perhaps partly why the band have included lengthy instrumentals on the album like ‘A Transcendental Serenade’. There are few moments of downtime during the album – most notably at the record’s beginning and mid-points, with opener ‘Septuagint’ delivering a deliberately less stressful start, and ‘Prismal Dawn’ showing the band playing with moments of delicate acoustic lines reminiscent of some Opeth tracks.

However, with the more robust side of the album, Obscura masterfully weave their way through a myriad of influences from jazz and neo-classical styles, all under the banner of obvious influences such as Necrophagist and Pestilence, but with the gravity of bands such as Cynic and the raw technicality of Crytopsy. Guitars are often panned left and right, washing the listener with various intricate polyphonic solos that harmoniously blend together. On the whole this gives a very pleasing non-linear sound with enough room for bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling’s trademark fretless tone and playing style to shine though.

[Originally published on Onemetal]

I wonder whether Greg Feldwick aka Slugabed will ever upgrade his studio setup. The London based musician is still adamant that everything released is fully composed through Fruity Loops 4, with an added splash of an external drum sampler to develop the sounds. I wouldn’t exactly class the studio software in the same way as the seminal TR-808 drum machine, but the years of using and abusing has given him a real inside-out knowledge and have had his peers scratching their heads over just how he does it.

On first listen the Moonbeam Rider EP really isn’t too different to last year’s Ultra Heat Treated EP or in fact dissimilar to much of his back catalogue. Slugabed stays true to his notions, studiously creating layers of thick compressed synths that warp and bubble through the bottom end whilst fizzing and sparkling over the top.

The attention towards refining these layers of refreshing sounds is incredible, and fits along well with artists such as Rustie, Joker, Ikonika et al. In some respects it can be too subtle to grab the attention of a fly-by listener. But there is a lot going on. Take ‘Moonbeam Rider’; it crackles, hisses, and sounds actually a little seedy and 80s before a pumping semi-funk bass/beat combo. It has a real swagger, and there must be about 6 different melodies simultaneously playing over the lurching hip-hop beat. Compare that with ‘Heck Flex’ and you get a different mood, a semi-trance, bit-crushed vibe that sounds a little melancholy.

With its slightly humorous vocal sample ‘My Sense of Smell Comes And Goes’ furthers this glitchy 8-bit sound before the short ‘Nu Krak Swing’ and its obvious hint towards the fusion genre of the late 1980s/early 1990s. Maybe that track is a sign of things to come.

[Originally published on TLOBF]

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One of the obvious and important aspects of starting a new band is of course what you decide to call yourselves. It doesn’t really matter what your name is as long as your fan base are able to both remember and to a certain degree spell it. In a previous existence, The Soulless were known as the cryptic sounding Ignominious Incarceration. Yes, quite something. A few years down the line and a few mixed interpretations across the web, the Bath-based five-piece decided a change was in order: “we wanted a new name which was easy to remember and say […] The name has a dark, edgy feel to it, but is not instantly recognisable as metal and it’s easy to say. We feel this represents us a lot better, as well as our new music.”

For their debut Winter Born, Ignominious Incarceration played controlled and death-heavy riffs similar to Decapitated and At The Gates, with a few leads, licks and solos that looked towards Necrophagist and In Flames. Essentially it concentrated on pushing the heaviness through the mid-to-low end in a way that pleased quite a lot of punters. For Isolated, the band climb the upper scales of their intricate playing, with stop/start deathcore breakdowns laying a base for the twiddling of harmoniously entwined guitars and rampant shredding riffs. With tracks such as ‘New Perspective’ the band also mix a little aggressive thrash and current Brit metal such as Malefice into the album. On ‘Unaltered’, ‘Earthbound’ and ‘Without Heart’ the band bring out the fluid melodic side of some death metal, but in some ways it sounds similar to August Burns Red or even the metalcore of As I Lay Dying. It certainly is different, and in some respects you definitely can’t blame the band for wanting to try new sounds and experiment a little. The talent in guitarists Steve Brown and Kristan Dawson is obvious, and their particular pairing complements each other well — listen to ‘Clones’ and ‘Unite Us’.

The downside of this is that if you don’t push things far enough you will be engulfed by the bands you tour with or who have been on the scene a lot longer. The only difference from some of the current crop of bands such as August Burns Red is that there is no vocal melody along with the throaty roars. And so if you don’t like that “emo” voice “ruining” your metal, then check out this album.

[Originally published on Onemetal]

Some musicians and labels have accepted the changing face of the music industry: at some point their albums will almost definitely find a way on the Internet without their permission. But not many have audaciously been involved in leaking albums in order to gain publicity — at least not openly. In a crude and haphazard PR stunt, the Sumerian label and members of Born of Osiris apparently released a few edited tracks from the new album The Discovery, and then lashed out at any “pirates”, wishing they would choke on a cannonball and condemning the “cowards” to death by drowning.

It was in fact a joke — funny, eh? — designed to make it harder for people to spread unreleased tracks, by inserting fart noises and Charlie Sheen quotes throughout the tracks that were released. This must be the modern day equivalent of putting a loud beeping tone in the middle of the track, or even a robot voice telling you that you are listening to a promo CD. Although releasing fake copies of material is often done in all sorts of media formats to stifle sharing communites, there are few companies that would so quickly admit to doing so over a bout of arguing on Facebook.

Anyway, The Discovery is the Chicago based sextet’s third album on Sumerian. You could view this release as one of the current flagship albums for the label, if it hadn’t been slightly overshadowed by the recent emphasis on Periphery in the UK. But the band don’t really tread the same area as the former, and push the label in a different direction within a similar deathcore sound to Circle of Contempt and I The Breather.

The band are relatively popular with young guitar geeks. As Periphery leader Misha Mansoor has recently said: “I’d say that 95% of people who turn up to our shows are bedroom musicians or gear nerds like me […] Other bands get groupies; we get guys who want to know what string gauges I use or what programmes I record with.” Born of Osiris’ fanbase probably also fits this bill. Multiple threads on extended-range guitar forums have appeared discussing the bands transition from 6 to 7-strings (G# tuning according to the studio) as well as countless cover versions of old and new tracks appearing on Youtube.

Not only should this band be compared to others within the framework of current tech-metal, but also of peers in a similar group. In this respect, the youthful breakdowns of deathcore are mixed with a high degree of craftsmanship for their age, and compared to their previous releases a dose of maturity. Tracks such as ‘Follow The Signs’ and ‘Recreate’ ooze confidence, with the latter exhibiting an otherworldly and unique solo from guitarist Lee McKinney. There are obvious similarities to All Shall Perish due to fellow 7-stringer Jason Richardson’s involvement with both bands. If you take a listen to Awaken The Dreamers you will hear much of the same tight and aggressive polyrhythmic textures played during his time with them.

On other tracks that involve synths and keyboards such as ‘Two Worlds Of Design’, it can sound too, well, simple, and not developed enough. I am not expecting any virtuoso DragonForce playing, but sometimes these overdubs are just distracting. On the whole keys player Joe Buras weaves these parts together much more fluidly compared to previous releases.

Some listeners may think that the length of The Discovery will encourage others to finally get a good earful of exactly what the band is about and musically where they are today. In a sense the 52 minutes of material does give them enough time to include sections of abstract dance samples and to also pace the album properly, but by ‘Automatic Motion’ it just feels that you are listening to similar song structures — even ‘XIV’ is an interlude containing a reworked solo from a prior track. It is this occasional and deliberate repetition that brings this album slightly down.

[Originally published on OneMetal]

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