METAL ZINE VOL. 6 SCIONAV.

COM
MELVINS / DECREPIT BIRTH
PROSTHETIC RECORDS / ALL SHALL PERISH
HOLY GRAIL
STAFF
Scion Project Manager: Jeri Yoshizu, Sciontist
Editor: Eric Ducker
Creative Direction: Scion
Art Direction: BON
Contributing Editor: J. Bennett
Graphic Designer: Gabriella Spartos
CONTRIBUTORS
Writer: Etan Rosenbloom
Photographer: Mackie Osborne
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00430-ZIN06-MT
Cover: Illustration by Pr Olofsson
SCION A/V SCHEDULE
SCION A/V SCHEDULE
MARCH
March 13: Scion A/V Presents: The Melvins The Bulls & The Bees
March 20: Scion A/V Presents: Meshuggah I Am Colossus
March 31: Scion Label Showcase: Profound Lore, featuring Yob, the Atlas Moth, Loss,
Wolvhammer and Pallbearer, at the Glasshouse, Pomona, California
APRIL
Atlcs Moth, Your Cclm Wcters
Corrosion oj Conjormit, Pschic Vcmpire
Scint Vitus, Let Them Icll
Tombs, Pcssceucs

April : Scion A,V Presents: Music Videos
April 3: Scion A/V Presents: Municipal Waste
April 10: Scion A/V Presents: All Shall Perish
The Past Will Haunt Us Both (in Spanish)
April :;: Scion A,V Presents: Prosthetic Records Lcbel Shouccse (lite recordin)
April 24: Municipal Waste, Repossession video
MAY
May 15: Scion A/V Presents: Relapse Records Label Showcase (live recording)
May 19: Scion Label Showcase: A389 Records Showcase, featuring Integrity, Ringworm,
Young and In the Way, Seven Sisters of Sleep and the Love Below, at the Glasshouse,
Pomona, California
JUNE
June 19: Scion A/V Presents: Profound Lore Label Showcase (live recording)
June 23: Scion Label Showcase: Southern Lord, featured acts Pelican, Black Breath,
Martyrdd, Burning Love and Acephalix, at the Glasshouse, Pomona, California
Be on the look out for national tours by Meshuggah, the Melvins and All Shall Perish
sponsored b Scion A,V, this April cnd Mc.
Over the course of ten years and four
albums, Oakland quintet All Shall Perish
has honed an increasingly powerful
combination of death metal savagery,
hardcore pit-incitement, neo-classical
shred and sharp sociopolitical critique.
The title of their most recent album,
This Is Where It Ends, may as well be
their mission statement.
When I was seven years old, I got put into
an elementary school assembly. In walks a
quartet of people, and they all have different
instruments. They all start talking about
playing music and what it means to them. I
remember the trombonist was just tearin it
up that day. I went home to my mom and I
said, I want to start playing music. I really love
it. And she went and rented me a trombone
and I joined up for elementary school band.
I started learning the basics from there. I
actually ignored a lot of what my teachers
were saying to me. I was like, This doesnt
make any sense. Ill do it my way. I think
that mentality was what brought me to be a
death metal singer. Im not going to go by the
guidelines of popular choice. Im just going to
go do what feels right. And here I am today.
Hernan Eddie Hermida, vocalist
As told to Etan Rosenbloom
allshallperish.com
Download live tracks from All Shall Perishs
performance at Scion Label Showcase: Nuclear
Blast in Hollywood at scionav.com/nuclearblast
Santa Cruzs Decrepit Birth is known for their startlingly colorful take on death metals often
monochromatic musical style. Vocalist Bill Robinsons lyrics reach for metaphysical planes,
while the bands labyrinthine riff structures and fusion-forward guitar harmonies ensure that
they get there.
In the beinnin, c lot oj the jeelins ue ucnted to put into the music uere just brutcl,
slamming, technical death metal. At the time, a lot of the California bands that were playing
that really technical, brutal style started sounding a little bit alike. I wanted to branch
ojj into somethin thct ucs dijjerent, uith injuences jrom more Europecn stujj cnd the
Canadian death metal scene. That was, in turn, what we got with [2008s] Diminishing
Between Worldsa lot more melody. It was more about structure than about riff salad and
hou mcn notes ccn I throu out. -Mctt Sotelo, uitcrist
As told to Etan Rosenbloom
facebook.com/decrepitbirth
Download live tracks from Decrepit Births performance at Scion Label Showcase:
Nuclear Blast in Hollywood at scionav.com/nuclearblast
STORY: DAVID BRODSKY
Ive been making music videos for
underground and indie bands since
2003. Most of my work has been in
rock and metal. Ive been into music
for as long as I can remember. I spent
a few years singing in bands and at
the same time making those big 3D
displays for Tower Records. Tower
Records closed and I started doing
corporate work for some ad agencies.
I learned way too much about renal
failure and PowerPoint. I tried to
put art into it, but overall, it was a
soul-draining horror.
I transitioned into music videos as an
editor, then became a chair director
(a dude that sits in a chair and tells
people what he wants to see), then
grabbed the camera and learned to use
a jib (a camera on a stick). I have now
directed, shot and edited about 200
music videos. Here are some things
I learned about music videos while
making them that may help you if you
want to make them.
MUSIC VIDEOS ARE STILL IMPORTANT
Now that MTV has effectively decided against
actually playing any music videos, many people
feel that the music video is dead. Thats wrong.
A video I shot for GWAR over ve years ago gets
views and comments on YouTube every day.
This is far more exposure than the same video
would have gotten on MTV, even in its heyday.
I dont believe you need a million to make a good
video, but a video presence is a must. One of
the rst things that people do when discovering
a band is go straight to YouTube and watch the
video. Its an essential part of a modern artists
ability to connect with their audience and to
expose themselves to new fans as well.
We released a video for Devin Townsend that
had fty thousand views in a few hours. Is that
an internet phenomenon? No, but thats a ton
of people.
REQUIREMENTS
Its my opinion that in order to properly make
a music video, you have to love music. It helps
to also love visuals, but a love of music is
essential. The end result is not about you so
much as its about the band. I try not to look
at videos as short lms with a soundtrack,
but as a visual accompaniment to the music.
If youre only making music videos in order
to get into lm or to get something on your
rsum then please nd something else to
do. Youre disrespecting the hard work and
the art that the musicians have made. If you
have to work with an artist you dont like, try to
nd what he loves about the music. Do I love
everything? No. But the only way I can hope to
properly represent an artist is to do everything
I can to appreciate their art.
CONCEPT
Ask the band what they have on their mind.
Each band is unique. Some have amazing
ideas. Some dont even think about videos.
Regardless, its your job to represent the bands
music, so it makes sense to nd out what they
think. If they have an idea, great, run with it.
If they dont, try to get an idea of what they
like and what they hate. One thing Ive learned
is that its nearly impossible to guess what a
bands tastes are, so why bother guessing?
PRODUCTION
On most shoots it is necessary to hire a
producer to help arrange things that the
director doesnt necessarily have the time or
inclination to handle. The producers role is
getting all the ducks in a row so the director
can show up and be creative with the band.
If I can offer just one piece of production advice,
its this: Dont shoot without insurance. It may
appear needlessly expensive in many cases,
but it is far less expensive than replacing a
$10,000 camera or $20,000 in medical bills
out of your own pocket. You can get insurance
from a number of sourcesI typically use Film
Emporiumand you can get a variety of types
of coverage.
Part of the producers job is to secure crew
and gear. Having done over 200 videos, I have
solid relationships with very talented crew
people and a number of vendors. It pays to
have a good working relationship with the
crew. I nd it important to allow them to be
creative as well. A lighting designer got into
lighting design presumably because they love
doing lighting design, so let that artist express
himself as well. If as a director you can clearly
communicate to your crew what you want
them to be doing and allow them to enjoy their
creativity, youll be golden.
SHOOTING
These days, I generally shoot in HD. Way
back I used lm, but I have seen very little
solid reason to do so for many years. Post-
production and digital cameras have come a
long way and while this isnt necessarily the
forum for a lm vs. digital discussion, I will say
that digital is vastly more affordable.
The Panasonic AG-HVX200 camera may be
the most famous camera in indie metal. Its
shot hundreds of videos. It shoots HD footage
at 60FPS so you can get some awesome
slow-motion effects without needing higher
cost cameras. Its about ve years old now
and is slowly aging out, but its still a terric
multi-purpose camera. More recently, the
use of DSLRs, like the Canon 7D, has added
an increased ability to get more cinematic
looks for music videos with lower budgets.
Whatever your tool of choice, learn about its
strengths and weaknesses and work with
them. For instance, in the strength department,
the HVX200 is durable as all hell. And digital
cameras shoot compressed footage. This
means that the footage, basically, is encoded
using some complex math thats beyond
my understanding in order to crush all that
information into usable data at a usable speed.
The HVXs compression is crisp and typically
footage from it can be used immediately within
editing programs like Avid Media Composer.
The HVX200s weakness is primarily the xed
lens. That means you cannot remove the lens
and are therefore stuck with what that one
lens is capable of. It does have a zoom with
only a bit of light loss, but you cannot get the
same kind of depth of eld as you can with a
DSLR. The Canons have much more exibility
in the look of the shot because you can
swap lenses. So you not only have the option
of using a zoom lens, but you can pretty easily
swap out for a prime lens that yields better
visual results at the expense of zooming.
A DSLRs footage can only be immediately
used, however, by supercomputers. Otherwise,
the Quicktime les it generates need to be
converted before editing. This takes a lot of
time, but you can set it up to convert overnight if
need be, so its not the worst thing in the world.
For each shoot, I assess which type of camera
best suits it. Often Ill use both and match
them in post.
The point is, the more familiar you become
with the tools available to you, the better you
will be able to do solid work.
SHOOTING STYLE
The music informs the shooting style and how
to move the camera. Shooting style is purely a
subjective thing, but my preference has always
been to shoot in motion. One thing I try to
do is make the camera another instrument
in the band, but thats another long esoteric
conversation. If youre going to be the shooter,
it is imperative that you know the music. This
should be obvious, but youd be surprised.
THE PERFORMANCE
Remember that in many cases you are trying
to capture the band as they are. It is important
that they are as comfortable as they can be
given the situation. It has been my experience
that if I try to drastically alter the way a band
performs, even in the way they stand relative
to one another, they get uncomfortable or
overthink things and I cannot capture them as
they are. I will suggest minor improvements,
but I nd that once the band is comfortable in
a semi-familiar environment, they can let loose
and enjoy. I also let them know that I know
that they may feel stupid, but that theres no
reason to feel that way. I let them know that
were all here because we all want to be here,
and we all love what were doing.
UNCOMFORTABLE OR NERVOUS ARTISTS
Ive found that bands can get uncomfortable
because shooting a video can feel somewhat
stupid to some people. I cant argue this
position and telling them to sack up will only
make it worse. What I try to do is let them
know that I understand and get them to think
about what it is they are getting to do today.
I let them know that we are all here for them
and that we want to watch them perform. If
it helps, I ask them to think back to before
they were in a band, when they were just
discovering music and theyd blast their stereo
as loud as it could go and air guitar or sing or
bang on drums in the basement.
EDITING
Get used to this idea: The best shot you ever
took may get cut for the betterment of the
video. I have a saying that goes, I dont edit
til Im editing. That simply means that I work
with the footage I shot as opposed to the
footage I wanted to shoot. Expectations can
be a funny thing, and while I certainly strive
to accomplish what I planned to get, so many
things can happen that it pays to be organic.
When editing music videos, I tend to prefer
hearing more than the beat. Cutting on the
beat is easy, and it can be effective, but its
also obvious and dull. Its important to me
to be able to have the video ow within the
music as opposed to sitting atop it.
I think that the single most important thing
to know when making a video is how to edit.
Being an editor will inform your shoots. Youll
know how and what to shoot because youll
have some idea of how it can all t together
in the edit room. Also youll know what you
can get away with not shooting and still make
it work. This is especially helpful when youre
running out of time. Directors that have no
editing experience, in my opinion, tend to
overshoot things simply because they cant put
it all together in their heads.
A good editor can make bad footage acceptable.
But the reverse is true as well: a bad editor
can ruin good footage. And remember, not
everything can be xed in post.
COLOR
Modern non-linear editors offer amazing color
correction tools. One of the freedoms that a
music video can afford is the ability to go beyond
a safe color correction. Its hard to describe,
but color can change the mood of a visual. Its
surprising how powerful and beautiful complex
colors can be. I have my preferences for many
things, but I always try to work within the
connes of the footage. Uncolored footage can
look at and dull, whereas a minor adjustment
in the color, brightness, saturation and contrast,
or the levels and curves can drastically alter and
improve the look.
mgenyc.com
Watch David Brodskys workshop on making
music videos from the Scion Music(less) Music
Conference at scionav.com/mmc
Founded in 1998 by former Columbia
Records employees E.J. Johantgen and Dan
Fitzgerald, Prosthetic Records has grown
into one of metals biggest independent
labels. Based in Los Angeles, Prosthetic has
released albums by metal heavyweights
Lamb of God, All That Remains and Kylesa
alongside burgeoning stars like Landmine
Marathon, Skeletonwitch and Holy Grail.
We spoke with Johantgen about the realities
of running an independent metal label in
an era of downloads, piracy and declining
album sales.
Why did you want to start your own
ODEHOLQWKHUVWSODFH" Because I saw a lot of
major labels signing acts that basically appeared
to be write-offs. The bands that should have had
the money and the marketing spent on them
werent getting it, and the bands that really
didnt deserve any of that had millions dumped
into them. And much like anyone, I wanted to
work with bands that I love and put everything
I can into them because I feel they deserve it.
What are your duties at Prosthetic as the
ODEHO VWDQGV WRGD\" Dan and I both oversee
the ins and the outs of just about everything, but
we also have nine employees worldwide. I do the
A&R, Dan does a lot of the sales stuff. We both
handle the marketing.
A&R-wise, what are you looking for in
DEDQG"Stuff thats great, stuff thats unique. I
dont think weve ever really followed the trends,
I think the trends have come after. For example,
I asked Tosin [Abasi] from Animals as Leaders
to do an instrumental record when he was still
In IIs oId bund, und now LIuL`s LIe uvor oI
the month. We signed Through the Eyes of the
Dead, one of the early deathcore bands, and that
becume LIe uvor oI LIe monLI.
Prosthetic puts out records from many
different metal subgenres, but do you
feel like the label has a general overall
DHVWKHWLF" I think the core of it is stuff thats
heavy, stuff thats extreme, even though thats
a word that has no meaning anymore. But if
you look at a band like Animals as Leaders,
TosIn`s Iormer bund |Reux| wus one oI LIe eurIy
metalcore bands. He grew as an artist, and what
he delivered to us was light years beyond what he
had done before. He made an accessible record, in
a way, but if I woke up one day and decided that I
wanted to get involved with radio rock bands, how
could I compete? Thats a major label business.
Thats a go big or go home business. All That
Remains evolved into a radio rock band over time,
you know? If an artist becomes that, like Metallica
did, thats much more appealing to me.
Interview: J. Bennett
How do you strike the balance between
putting out music that you enjoy and
making sure you dont lose your shirt
LQ WKH SURFHVV" WeII, we`ve dehnILeIy been
involved in talking to bands where the money
gets a little ridiculous. And weve certainly
overspent on some of them. But I dont know,
I get caught up in stuff that I like. We just did
a deal with a band that I cant mention right
now, and I overspent on them, no question. But
I love em, so what are you gonna do? You gotta
do what you love, or theres no point.
But you must go into negotiations like
that with a cutoff number in your head.
Five or ten years ago, it was easier to get a
sense of what a bands ceiling was and what you
could sell initially. If you could get to this sales
number, you could spend this much money, that
kind of thing. But now its a crapshoot. No one
can tell you.
Clearly, the record industry has changed
quite a bit since you started Prosthetic
in the late 1990s. In what ways have you
KDGWRDGMXVWWRWKHFXUUHQWFOLPDWH"You
try not to overspend. You try to be realistic.
Some bands want this, that and the other thing,
and when you hear that, you instantly know
that youll never make a dime. But I think mail
order has been a positive thing for labels like
mine. It makes it a little easier, lets put it that
way. It gives me hope. At the end of the day, the
hardest part of running a record label is that
theres no place to ship records anymore. You
have to adjust, and the way that weve adjusted
is by selling direct to fans through mail order.
It seems like the digital age has been
a double-edged sword for the record
industry. On the plus side, you can have
the music you put out heard instantly by
anyone in the world who has access to
a computer and an internet connection.
Conversely, that instant availability
has made people less inclined to
actually buy music, because its just too
easy to steal. Dude, its always been hard to
seII records. WIen we hrsL sLurLed LIe IubeI,
metal was dead. People forget that. There were
no bands. Lamb of God couldnt get arrested.
People hated them because they couldnt tell
what they were. A hardcore band? A death metal
band? There was them and Shadows Fall, and
that was basically it. Killswitch Engage came a
little later. The biggest death metal band at the
time was probably Six Feet Under. Cannibal
Corpse was still popular, but certainly not like
they are now. And today, I think most metal is
back underground. Youre not gonna see the
huge sales that you used to see. Some bands can
go out there and do well, but theyre few and
far between. I think the next wave is coming,
but whether it will generate more record sales,
I dont know. Overall, we had a really good year
last year, but who knows about next year?
As far as the internet goes, there are obviously
fewer printed metal magazines out there, so
were spending less on advertising. But Facebook
helps. Twitter helps. You just have to get more
creative. You know youre going to sell fewer
records, but I think if the record is good you can
sell physical product. Youre just not gonna sell
it at Best Buy anymore. If the band is out there
und ucLIve, IL cun work. TIere`s u dehnILe ceIIIng
if the band doesnt tour, though. Its hard for me
to market something thats not visible.
Is that a conversation you have with
EDQGV EHIRUH \RX VLJQ WKHP" Yeah, we
dehnILeIy usk LIem II LIey`re gonnu puL In LIe
work. I go into the conversation asking, What
are you looking for? What do you want to do?
If they say they want X number of dollars, then
I need certain things to happen in order for it to
muke sense. TourIng Is dehnILeIy one oI LIem.
I think most bands want to be successful, and
they want to build something up. But its always
a gamble. A band like Agalloch is the rare
exception thats been able to do it their own way
without touring much. Bands like Pelican and
Converge tour regularly and also do things their
own way. But most bands cant.
Do you do 360 deals with bands where you
take a piece of their tour revenue and merch
sales to make up for the fact that you just
FDQWVHOODVPDQ\UHFRUGVDQ\PRUH"No.
What do you thi nk of those t ypes
RIGHDO V"7KH\VHHPWREHVWDQGDUG
pract i ce for maj or l abel s now.
Well, if you can manage all those assets that
youre taking from the band and account for
everything properlyand the band is still
getting everything they need and want
whats the big deal? If a band wants a lot of
money, they have to give something up. Thats
just reality. But I think most younger bands
understand that theres not a lot of money
to be had these days in terms of advances,
because you honestly dont need that much
money to make a record anymore.
The death of the record industry is
essentially viewed as a foregone
conclusion at this point. Do you think
record sales will ever actually increase
again, even from present levels, or have
ZH RIFLDOO\ EHJXQ WKH UDFH WR WKH
ERWWRP" I dont think physical product will
ever come back to high levels. I dont look at that
as a negative, though. Id much prefer if things
were digital. I have issues with the way
compensation for digital sales works these days,
but I think thatll get worked out. Metal kids still
want physical productwhether its CDs or vinyl
or even tapesand I think they always will, to a
certain extent. Youre just not gonna do the same
volume as before. But right now, our vinyl sales
are through the roof.
Which sells best for you these days:
&'VGLJLWDOGRZQORDGVRUYLQ\O" CD sales
are the majority of what we do, but our vinyl
sales have improved considerably, especially
internationally. We have certain bands that do
three or four thousand copies on vinyl, which I
think is phenomenal in this day and age. There
were bands we didnt think would sell well on
vinyl at all, but we blew through the copies
we pressed. Scale the Summit, for instance
amazing band, but we didnt think their fans
would buy vinyl. We were wrong.
Do you think vinyl sales will continue
to increase, or do you think its a trend
WKDWV SHDNLQJ ULJKW QRZ" I dont know.
I think its always getting better. I mean, my
11-year-old is into vinyl now, although he listens
to mostly electronic music. We blew through a
thousand pieces of Acacia Strain vinyl, and
their crowd is a younger crowd. I think that says
something. So I think its going to get bigger,
and I dont think its going to go away soon. But
who knows? Maybe this years the peak.
Have you ever been approached by a
PDMRU WKDW ZDQWHG WR EX\ 3URVWKHWLF"
Yes, and I heard what they had to say, but it
just didnt make sense. I dont wanna stop
putting out records. And once a label becomes
ubouL prohL, LIe musIc goes Lo sL, doesn`L IL?
That offer happened years ago, though, and I
think neither partyme or themreally had
an idea about where this could go at the time.
But if I had taken the deal, I wouldnt be here
right now. I think if you do what you love, the
money will follow.
Did you think youd get this far when
\RX VWDUWHG WKH ODEHO" I knew we could
get here. Working at a major label was very
weird. I just saw so much stupidity. I mean,
do you really need to give that band a million
dollars? Then their record would come out, no
one would care, and the label would basically
lose the bands phone number. They have
the ability to do that. They still do that. But
if youre an indie, youre committed to the
record. Youre in it to win it. You just have to
hgure ouL LIe besL wuy Lo geL IL goIng.
prostheticrecords.com
Download live tracks from Prosthetic acts Holy
Grail, Scale the Summit, Last Chance to Reason
and the Greenery, recorded at Scion Label
Showcase: Prosthetic Records in Hollywood at
scionav.com/prostheticrecords
well, my best work at home, anyway. Its hard
to get people to show up to the studio before
9am. But Im a strange bird, you know? Im not
normal by any means. But I understand that.
Sleeping in for me is 7am. On tour, maybe
8:30 or 9:30 at the latest.
Which is still probably a couple of hours
beforetheotherguys. Yes. And I like to do a
lot of the driving myself, unless were in Europe.
So Ill just get up and take off. I usually travel
separately from everyone else, besides the one
other crew guy who I make get up early.

Its the complete opposite of what you
would expect from someone in a band.
Oh yeah. Im the exact opposite of what you
would expect from rock & roll people in every
way. Nobody believes it, but I dont care. I
dont think most people would actually enjoy
walking a day in my shoes.
Because youre far more on the straight
and narrow? Well, its straight and narrow,
but Im by no means straight. Even straight
and narrow people arent doing what Im
doing. I have a really hard time unwinding, and
Interview: J. Bennett
Photography: Mackie Osborne
Nearly30yearsintoexistence,theMelvins
IZM WNKQITTa IV ]VLMZOZW]VL QV[\Q\]\QWV
Theyve released dozens of super weird,
super heavy records (including nearly
20 full-lengths) on labels of every size,
from the majorest of majors and the
smallest of indies. Over the course of
those three decades, theyve experienced
several semi-infamous lineup changes
almost exclusively in the bass player
departmentbut the bands musical core
has almost always comprised vocalist/
guitaristBuzzOsborneanddrummerDale
Crover. We recently got up early to speak
withOsborneabouttheMelvinsabilityto
consistentlydefyconventions.
Itsabout 9:30am rightnow, and youre
a notorious early riser. How long have
beenup?I got up at 4:30 today. I dont even
need an alarm clock to get up that early. I
usually get up anywhere between 4:30 and 6,
unless Im on tour. Then I get up a lot later
than normal. I do my best work before 9am
MELVINS
I dont do real well with idle time. I dont watch
TV or anything like that. I have no interest in it.
TV is great for some people, because it keeps
them off the streets. Not me.
You were a KISS fan growing up. How
did you go from the most commercial
rockbandofthe1970stopunkrock?
Well, I liked a wide variety of bands, and KISS
was just one of them. They wrote good songs,
and they were wild rock & roll to some degree.
But at the same time, I liked bands like Queen,
Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
I still like all that stuff. But I started getting into
bands like the Sex Pistols at a very early age,
and at rst it was solely because of the way
they looked in Creem magazine. I remember
I mail-ordered their record, and I didnt think it
was that much different from regular rock stuff
at all. I thought the vocals were a little weirder,
but thats about it. I mean, if you like Mott the
Hoople, you can like the Sex Pistols. From
there, I kinda gured out what the Sex Pistols
were into and discovered other punk bands.
At the time I was 13, so I wasnt really able to
go to any of the huge rock shows because we
lived so far away from the city. The town we
lived in didnt even have a record store. When I
was nally able to go to a rock concert, I went
to see all different kinds of bands. I wouldve
gone to a lot more had I lived closer. I got into
punk rock and realized that was more along
the lines of what I wanted to do, because of
the intimacy of the whole thing.
?PI\ _I[ \PM Z[\ JQO KWVKMZ\ aW]
went to? I think it was Three Dog Night or
something. I thought it was cool. I saw a
bunch of good bands back thenKISS, Van
Halenbut then I also went to see punk
bands like TSOL, Black Flag and the Damned.
?I[ \PMZM I [XMKQK UWUMV\ _PMV aW]
thought,Iwanttodothis?I didnt even
start playing guitar until I was 18 and almost
out of high school, so I went pretty quickly
from playing guitar to playing in a band. It was
a matter of months, but it seemed a lot longer
at the time. The rst music I wrote in the early
1980s was relatively simple, and I think that had
more to do with the fact that I wasnt a very
good guitar player. As I got better, I got more into
weirder rhythms and strange music, and just
kind of took it from there. At this point, where
Im at musically feels like a cross between
George Clinton, Captain Beefheart, Venom and
Lenny Bruce. A simpler way to say it would be
Captain Beefheart playing heavy metal.
The Melvins have gone through a lot of
bass players over the years. Has that
been a frustrating process for you and
Dale? Its always frustrating. You never want
that kind of thing to happen, but it takes two
to tango, you know? Im an eclectic weirdo,
and I understand that. Im a strange person,
a strange guy. I mean, my world seems ne
to me, but when I get out into the rest of the
world, I dont have a lot of patience for things
that drive me crazy, whatever they may be. Im
single-minded, but Im not sorry I made any of
those decisions. I made the right choice every
single time. I wasnt wrong about any of it.
People can think whatever they want, but Im
not making excuses for it. Those people knew
the job was dangerous when they took it.
Did that situation ever get so bad
that you thought about packing it in?
Whenever I would think about packing it in,
Id realize that what I really wanted to do was
just get rid of the bass player. And that was
always the truth.
Fromanoutsidersperspective,itseems
like the current Melvins lineup has
been the most hassle-free. Prior to Jared
[Warren] and Coady [Wills], Mark [Deutrom]
played with us from 1993 to 1998, and then
Kevin [Rutmanis] played with us from 98 to
2005. So its been the better part of 20 years
with only three different lineups, so its not
like every other week [theres a new member].
Those other guys played with us for as long
as most bands even exist. Were not like the
Brian Jonestown Massacre, where theyve
had like 900 different people in the band.
Has having Jared and Coady in the band
opened up the songwriting process for
you? Sure, but I was always open-minded
about that sort of thing. Ive always wanted
people to contribute. Its a band, you know?
But if nobody wants to contribute, Ill be
more than happy to ll up the gaps. Im all
for people bringing whatever they have to
the table, always have been. Ive never had a
problem with that.
Has havingtwo drummers madefornew
possibilities? Sure. In that sense, were only
limited by what we can come up with. And
I have faith in those guys abilities to play
whatever we come up with. I quit worrying
about that sort of thing a long time ago. Its
not up to me whether people are gonna like it
or not. What I have to do is keep working. So
I just keeping making music, and its up to the
public to decide if they like it or not. Its got
nothing to do with me, and I dont want it to.
You cant win in that scenario. But I know Im
right. Ive never been wrong about anything,
not as far as thats concerned. I wouldnt
change anything on any of our records. Im
happy with every single one of them.
Last year, you guys played a residency
at Satellite in Los Angeles. At one of the
shows,youdidasetwithoriginalMelvins
drummerMikeDillard.Howdidthatcome
about? We did that a couple of years ago, too,
just for the hell of it. We thought it might be
fun. Im still really good friends with Mike,
even though Im not friends with Matt Lukin,
who was the Melvins bass player at that time.
But if you look up Matt on Google or Facebook
or something, youll know why we didnt want
to continue playing with him. So we got Dale
to play bass [at Satellite] instead and did songs
from 83 and 84. We actually just recorded a
four-song record with him on drums and Dale
on bassthree new songs and a song from
back then. Its sort of in the style of 83, but it
came out really good.
Youre also about to do a Melvins record
with Trevor Dunn from Fantmas. Does
switching up personnel help you keep a
fresh musical perspective? Maybe, Im
not sure. Quite honestly, the way Im wired,
I dont think Im doing anything thats that out
of the ordinary in terms of the volume of music
we make. I know it is, when you see how
everybody else does it, but I dont feel like Im
overstating myself by any means. I feel like I
dont do enough, as weird as that sounds.
In 2009, you put out a remix record called
Chicken Switch, on which you gave artists
entire Melvins albums to create their own
song.Bydoingthat,itseemedlikeyouwere
saying that music isnt necessarily sacred.
Yes, absolutely. I believe in artistic freedom,
which means I believe in letting people do what
they want, whether you like it or not. If I hire
somebody to paint a portrait of my wife, Im not
gonna stand over their shoulder and tell them
what to paint. I already made that decision by
hiring them. If I didnt want them to do what
they do, Id paint it myself. Far too many people
have way too many rules about music. But I
think music should be malleable. Our albums are
mere suggestions. Thats all they are.
Haveyoualwaysfeltthatway?I never really
thought about it. At some point when we were
playing songs live, Id realize that there would
be certain parts that I didnt like anymore, so Id
play those parts differently. I dont care, and no
one else cares, either. If they do, they need to
understand that theres a massive difference
between albums and playing live. I think most
people subconsciously understand that they
want a different thing, one way or the other. I
dont listen to albums thinking, How are they
gonna pull this off live? Bands get hung up
on that kind of stuff all the time. I cant explain
it. Musicians are some of the most conformist
people youll ever meet. I dont know why. Its
never made sense to me. My advice to bands
is to be as peculiar as you can. You cant be
peculiar enough, as far as Im concerned.
Youve consistently said that youd
rather have half the admiration you get
incash. Well, I dont have any problem with
admiration, but in the end, Im not doing this
so people think Im cool. I hope they do, but
if they dont, thats okay. The easiest thing
in the world to do is to look around and do
what everyone else will think is great. Theres
nothing hard about that. But usually if its easy,
its not good.
How has downloading and declining
My advice to bands is to be as peculiar
as you can. You cant be peculiar
enough, as far as Im concerned.
musicsaleschangedthewayyouapproach
thebusinesssideoftheMelvins? Obviously
youre not gonna sell as many records, but
theres nothing I can do about that. All I can
do is keep making music. Im into the idea
that the exchange of information now is better
than ever, so we should be happy for what
we get, not what we dont get. Im happy that
theres someone out there who likes what
were doing at all.
AttheSatelliteresidency,youwereselling
somelimited-editionvinylandCDboxsets
thatyouhadputtogetheryourselves. Thats
the future. Weve always done lots of different
projects along those lines. Now you have to
ask: Why should people buy our records?
The answer is that we should give them
something that nobody else is giving them,
whatever that may be. But packaging means
nothing compared to whats in the package.
I dont care what vehicle people listen to my
music in, I just want them to hear it. I think
our music should be loved by everyone in the
whole world, but Im not trying to have mass
appeal. There are a lot of things that should
happen that dont happen. Thats ne. Thats
the way the world works.
Your wife [Mackie Osborne] often does
the artwork for Melvins releases, but
youreokayifpeopledontnecessarilysee
it, as long as they hear the music? Thats
the way its always been. If you hear a song
on the radio, youre not hearing the packaging.
To me, the music is whats important, not
if its on vinyl or CD, if its recorded analog
or digitally. Most of the people in the world
listen to music on computers. Thats just the
way it is. Im not a move-in-reverse type of
person. I like to move forward. Embrace the
new and take it from there. Right now, our
music can be heard instantaneously by more
people all over the world than ever before. But
if you wanna sell them something, you gotta
give them something they cant get like that.
Then you gotta go the extra mile and give
them something they cant get at Best Buy.
And Im all for that, because theres nothing I
like better than working. Which means we sit
down and make the stuff ourselves. We have
a target audience of a very few people who
appreciate that sort of thing, but it works. The
problem is that most people are too lazy to do
that sort of thing. So whats impressive is that
we sit down and make the stuff ourselves by
hand, instead of getting a bunch of people in a
factory to do it. If you have money, anybody can
do that. Its less impressive than something
that is handmade.
Last year, the Melvins were in New
Zealand during the earthquake, and
theninJapanduringtheearthquakeand
tsunami.Didthatspookyou?What are the
chances of someone being present for both
of those catastrophic events on two different
continents? Gotta be billions to one. Im still
not over it. It was horrible. Im still spooked by
the whole thing, and I live in California, where
we have earthquakes regularly. But we gotta
be members of some kind of club now. We
were actually in the middle of soundcheck
when the Japanese one hit. It was the longest
earthquake Ive ever felt. It just went on and
on and on. Im not wired correctly anyway,
never mind having that kind of stuff happen.
DotheMelvinsmeansomethingdifferent
to you today than when you started the
band? Maybe. Im more relaxed now than I
was then. We spent a lot of time with a lot of
people not really caring about what we were
doing. It was sort of a reverse-entropy thing. I
have pretty thick skin because of that. But Ive
had enough peoplepeople I respecttell
me that they like what Im doing, so its good
to know I wasnt wrong about it. It is possible
to play weird, eclectic music and make a
career out of itas long as youre careful. But
we didnt have high expectations when we
started. I just wanted to play a show. So we
surpassed all that relatively quickly. Now, Ive
been able to support myself by playing music
for the better part of 25 years. I mean, we
dont have trust funds. I wish we did. Id like
the trust fund to kick in right about now. Youd
never see me again.
themelvins.net
Hear Sci on A/ V Pr esent s: Mel vi ns The
Bul l s & The Bees, a col l ecti on of new songs at
sci onav. com/ mel vi ns

In a genre that has splintered into what seems like a million different
cliques and subcategories, Holy Grail have more in common with
the fist-pumping arena metal of the early 1980s than almost any of
the bands formed in the past 20 years. Crisis In Utopia, Holy Grails
full-length debut released in 2010, is bursting with the kind of
infectious riffs, twin-guitar harmonies and sky-scraping vocals that
made bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest famous. We sat down
with Holy Grail vocalist James Luna and drummer Tyler Meahl the
night before they headlined the Scion Label Showcase: Prosthetic
Records concert at the Roxy in Hollywood.
Interview: J. Bennett
Since you play in a very traditional early
80s style, are there certain things you
feel like you cant or wont do when youre
writing songs?
Luna: I dont think so. We try not to limit
ourselves. The whole purpose of us starting
this band was because wed been in other
bands where there were rules. But we have
really unique tastes within the bandmodern
metal and a lot of classic metal and hard rock.
That fusion is what makes the Holy Grail
sound. Well write a riff thinking it sounds like
Pentagram, but once the band starts playing
it, itll come out sounding like Amon Amarth
or something.
Meahl: Freedom is a big part of this band
because Luna and I were in a band before
called Jet Fuel, and the guitar player in that
band was trying to run everything, including
our personal lives. He didnt even want us
to go out of town or do anything on our own.
We lived in this warehouse in Huntington Park
together, and we had to be around to take out
the trash because he was letting us stay there
for like $100 a month. It was the worst year
of both of our lives. After that, we were in a
band called White Wizzard, which also had a
guy who was trying to run everything. So now
we have a band thats a democracy.
The core of Holy Grail is you two and
guitarist Eli Santana, but youve been
through a string of bass players and second
guitar players in just a couple of years. Has
it been difcult to keep the band together
with so many personnel changes?
Luna: Weve had trouble trying to nd the
perfect lineup. A lot of it was trying out
different guys and seeing if we could get
along with them on the road. Its an interesting
relationship, being in tight quarters with four
other dudes for two, three or four months
at a time. Any little nuance they have that
you didnt like before is amplied tenfold. If
youre in a band with someone whos rude to
people, it makes you look rude because hes
representing the band. So we had to weed out
a lot of people. We just want the band to be
a brotherhood, which I feel like we have now.
Everythings awesome with Blake [Mount,
bassist] and Alex [Lee, guitarist].
Meahl: Its also hard when youre going on
tour in two weeks and you need to nd a bass
player quickly. Wed meet these guys that we
wouldnt be thrilled about, but wed think,
Oh, itll work out on the road. But it never
did. We shouldve trusted our gut. Some of
these guys made touring hell.
Southern California has a strong heavy metal
and hard rock lineage. Being from here, do
you feel any connection to that history?
Luna: There is a connection that we feel, just
in the sense that Tylers parents and friends
of my parents would go see Van Halen and
party with them in their heyday. Growing up
near famous rock clubs like the Roxy and
the Whiskey and knowing everything that
happened there is part of our experience
living here. It becomes a part of you without
you knowing it.
Meahl: Yeah, my dad grew up with Eddie Van
Halen and was good friends with him in high
school. But the other side of being from here
is that there are a lot of people who live in L.A.
who are super jaded. They moved out here
trying to make it, but it didnt work out.
Luna: Being native to L.A., you see a lot of
transplants moving here trying to make it, and
you learn how to detect phonies right off the
bat. You get to see exactly how you dont want
to act once you start getting some notoriety.
Youve been doing a ton of touring lately.
What kind of lessons have you learned from
those experiences?
Meahl: Dont lie about how much merch
you have when youre crossing the Canadian
border. We didnt learn that rsthand, but we
did tour with bands that got ned for it.
Luna: People also think touring is a party
every night in every city, but its not. Or at
least it shouldnt be, not when you need to
perform every day. You dont want to ruin that,
because you want to put on the best show
possible.
What kinds of things do you do to keep your
voice in shape?
Luna: I do vocal warm-ups and these yoga-
type exercises. Some of the vocal exercises
come from an instructional DVD by Melissa
Cross called The Zen Of Screaming. It really
lubes up the pipes, so to speak.
Many of the tours youve done recently have
been as a support act. Is there a different
protocol when youre in that position as
opposed to being the headliner?
Luna: Theres denitely an unspoken code
that says you respect the headliner.
Meahl: Well, its an unspoken code for us.
Weve been on tours like that where the band
thats even playing before us has no respect for
anybody. I mean, you dont go around calling
the shots or eating all the food in the green
room before everyone else has a chance to
get there. You dont use up all the towels. You
dont lock yourself in the bathroom with your
girlfriend for an hour while everyone is waiting
to use the shower. Its just common sense.
Download live tracks from Holy Grails performance
at Scion Label Showcase: Prosthetic Records in
Hollywood at scionav.com/prostheticrecords
jccebool.com,holrcilojjcicl
People think touring is a party
every night in every city, but its
not. Or at least it shouldnt be,
not when you need to perform
every day. You dont want to ruin
that, because you want to put on
the best show possible.
Story: J. Bennett
Swedish artist Pr Olofsson is known for illustrating incredibly detailed
album covers. Hes created art for extreme metal titans Immortal,
Exodus and Immolation, as well as rising stars the Faceless, Abysmal
Dawn and Pathology. Though he says that it wasnt always this way.

..
Pr Olofsson
Back in 2005, I emailed maybe ten labels looking
to get into the business, but the only person who
got back to me was Erik [Lindmark] at Unique
Leader Records, Olofsson says. I did a piece that
Deeds Of Flesh used in the booklet for Crown of
Souls that later became the cover for their Live in
Montreal DVD. The pay was a joke, but it gave me
some good publicity.
Today, Olofsson specializes in horror scenes and
futuristic landscapes like the ones he created for
Norwegian thrashers Harms Demonic Alliance
and Swedish death dealers Coldworkers The
Doomsayers Call. His style is the result of a
meticulous artistic process. I very often make
u pencII druwIng hrsL LIuL IuLer scun und puInL
in Photoshop using a Wacom tablet, he explains.
The tablet has its limitations, and thats why I like
Lo druw wILI pencII on puper hrsL.
Before his career took off, Olofsson attended art
school in his native Sweden for two years, where
he studied drawing, sculpting and photography,
with a special focus on oil painting. Afterwards,
he underwent a year of digital graphics training
beIore goIng Lo work Ior un udverLIsIng hrm run
by one of his instructors. But he always found his
true inspiration in listening to extreme metal.
TIe energy ow IL gIves oII Is u reuI rusI, Ie suys.
And some of the work, like the Faceless Planetary
Duality, was a big step in my evolution as a painter.
or uII LIe IIgI-prohIe work Ie`s done, OIoIsson sLIII
has at least one band on his wish list. Id really
like to work with the Egyptian theme that Nile has
goIng, Ie suys. wouId bIend sLone und esI.
parolofsson.se
See Pr Olofssons art on the cover of
Scion A/V Presents: Immolation Providence
at scionav.com/immolation
The Scene
Tampa is a weird place,
but we like it like that.
Were not complaining.
The shows are going well.
ocuI bunds ure hnuIIy
getting out on the road.
The scene is pretty strong.
A hardcore band recently
came through and the
vocalist was saying that
you go through a lot of
towns and you always see
new faces, but when you
come to Tampa you see
a lot of the same faces.
Thats true, across genres. Kids are dedicated.
They become the heart of the community and
tend to stick around. Right now weve got a
really good and thriving crust and grindcore
scene. Theres a local band called Cellgraft,
theyre starting to pop up on some radars and
are putting out some records. Flyingsnakes
are kind of crust-metal. They just did a tour
and have another one coming in June, plus
they had a full-length come out. Party Time
is Jamie Stewart from the Absence and Troi
Benjamin from the Holy Mountain. Theyre
this really great grind/death metal band.
The Brass Mug Pub
The Brass Mug Pub has been a staple in the
metal scene for about 30 years now. A lot of the
old Florida bands used to play there frequently.
Now they do shows there, people hang out,
theyve got metal karaoke... It is metal from
top to bottom. There are no posers in that
place, from the owner on down. On any given
night you are likely to run into both some of
the old guard and the young pups of the metal
scene. Youll see members of Obituary, Deicide
or Cannibal Corpse hanging out and watching
the show. They just recently
moved to a larger space,
because in typical metal
fashion, they got kicked
out of their old space.
Transitions
Art Gallery
Transitions is an all-ages
D.I.Y. space. Thats where
all of our punk shows and
our smaller metal shows
happen. When Torche was
on the up and up, thats
wIere LIey pIuyed LIeIr hrsL
Tampa shows. Saviours,
Wormrot, Tombsthey all played there. A lot of
LIese bunds, wIen LIey`re hrsL comIng LIrougI,
LIey`re yIng under LIe rudur, so LIuL`s wIere LIey
end up playing.
Swamp Abyss Sorcery
This band up in Gainesville called Hot Graves
just put out a compilation called Swamp
Abyss Sorcery. Its all Florida bands and a lot
of them are from Tampa.
Psycho Realms
Our buddies in the band Unkempt have a
radio show on WMNF called Psycho Realms.
They play metal, hang out and do interviews.
They have a very metal timeslot, Sundays
from 1am to 4am. Only metal heads are up at
those hours. WMNF is a long-standing staple
of the community. Its a community-run radio
station thats been around for decades and
its still going strong, regardless of some the
hippies in charge.
twobeardspresents.com
T A M P A
Sce ne Re port
For almost four years, promoters Peter Olen and Matt Welch have been putting on
metal shows together under the name Two Beards Presents. Here the Florida natives
let you know what you need to know about whats currently happening in Tampa.
Royal Thunder at Scion Label
Showcase: Relapse Records
Exhumed at Scion Label Showcase:
Relapse Records
Guests at Scion Label
Showcase: Prosthetic Records
Tombs at Scion Label
Showcase: Relapse Records
Black Tusk at Scion Label Showcase:
Relapse Records
Last Chance to Reason at Scion Label
Showcase: Prosthetic Records
Last Chance to Reason at Scion Label
Showcase: Prosthetic Records
The Greenery at Scion Label Showcase:
Prosthetic Records
Revocation at Scion Label
Showcase: Relapse Records
Scale the Summit at Scion Label
Showcase: Prosthetic Records
Revocation at Scion Label Showcase:
Relapse Records
A B O U T T O W N