For more than 12 years now, Norwegian quintet Audrey Horne has been synonymous with pure and infectious heavy rock and their new effort, the aptly titled “Pure Heavy”, doesn’t deviate one inch from such route. The 11-track recording is, per usual, an addictive and highly energetic heavy rock affair that surely won’t disappoint long-time fans, so we caught up with lead singer Toschie to find out what pure heavy is.

Let’s jump straight into your fifth full-length record “Pure Heavy”, which was released some weeks ago via Napalm Records. Do you still get excited when you release a new album or it’s just like “Look everyone, here’s a new record from Audrey Horne…”

“Oh, we still get very much excited. After a long period of writing and arranging the music, and then going into studio to record it, we are still just as childishly excited to get feedback on our work. Even though we primarily write music for ourselves, it is after all other people who are going to buy the album and come to our shows to listen to the songs. So the more pleased our audience is with the album, the better it is of course. We are still a long way from being superficial on this topic.”

I think “Pure Heavy” is really impressive, you’ve kept the catchiness and the live vibe displayed in your previous effort “Youngblood”, yet I sense that this time the sound production is a bit more clean and refined. And it works really well. Would you say this is the record the band is most pleased with?

“Every band will always say that their latest record is their best of course, and so do we, but I sincerely mean that. What we set out to do this time is exactly what you have pointed out. We wanted to keep the live vibe from Youngblood, but at the same time refine the sound and “produce-it” a bit more. We did a bit more overdubs, some more samples, like trains, church bells etc… and we also finished each song more or less before we started on a new one, in order to give each song the sound it deserved. I think it worked out well, so now we only have to outdo ourselves next time…puuh!”

What was the recording process like for “Pure Heavy” as opposed to “Youngblood”? Did you have all of the writing done beforehand, or some of it was done in the studio?

“We wrote all the songs together, starting just after we had released Youngblood, and had them all finished by the time we entered studio. We did some minor changes in studio, but in general they were all finished. Since we track all songs live we have to know how to play them as good as possible. The only song that was not written for this album is “Diamond”, which was written originally for the Le Fol album. We dug it out from oblivion and re-wrote the lyrics as we felt the album needed a short “berating point”.”

Are there any tracks from the new record that you are particularly stoked to start playing live?

“Yes. We have done some gigs in Norway already, and our live favourites so far are “Wolf in my heart” and “Holy Roller”, but in general we are looking forward to play the entire album in the future.”

You guys will be touring Europe soon with Pet The Preacher and 77, are you looking forward to this?

“Definitely. I think it is a very good package. All 3 bands are full on rock and roll bands and highly energetic, so I guess people will have one hell of a good night out. We have polished our live show, and judging by the shows we have done so far here in Norway, the audience seems to really enjoy it. We seem to be enjoying playing live more and more, and the spirit within the band has never been better, and I think this reflects on the audience too, so the tour will hopefully be pure magic.”

For anyone who hasn’t been to an Audrey Horne show, how could you describe it?

“It is a full on, no bullshit show. High energy and very entertaining. We try to build it up like the classic bands did. Bread and circuses you know. We are not preaching, just making sure that both we and the crowd leave with a feeling that we had a bloody good time, and that we made some new friends.”

What are some of your most memorable tours and who have you been fortunate enough to meet and play with?

“We have opened up for AC/DC, Motley Crue, The Cult and many other great bands. On festivals we have shared stage with most of our favourite bands, so in that sense we are extremely blessed. As far as tours go, I really could not pick out one, they have all been great, and each better than the previous one, so hopefully this next one will top everything we have done before.”

The band has been together for about 12 years now. Did you ever think when you got started that you’d still be making music together all this time later?

“I don’t know. I guess I hoped so, but we never thought we would take the band to the point where we are today, both commercially and artistically. We are as good as we ever hoped to be, and as happy as we ever hoped to be at this point, so I just consider us to be blessed in that way.”

If you could go back on your careers at this point, would you change anything?

“Well, we might have given some of our financial decisions a thought or two more, he he. Other than that, no. Everything has led us to the point where we are today."

More info at: www.audreyhornemusic.com
Photos by: Oystein Haara’
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For their fourth full-length album, Norwegian stoner/heavy rockers Lonely Kamel went into the studio with a very clear idea of creating their most crude and stripped-down album to date and they succeed it. “Shit City” doesn’t sound simple or cheap in any way, but it does exude a raw and sleazy sound that totally benefits their brand of groovy and infectious stoner/psychedelic/heavy rock.
Scratch the Surface caught up with the band to talk about this new effort and where exactly is the shit city.

“Shit City” is your fourth full-length album and the press release mentions that you wanted to make it as simple and cheap as possible. Well, I wouldn’t call it exactly simple or cheap, but the album does offer some catchy tunes dirtier than the bathroom of a sleazy bar in Singapore. What was the vibe when you went into the studio for this new album?

Stian: hehe...dirty bathrooms are always good, sounds like we captured the feeling we were looking for. The vibe was good, except the whole band had the flu during the ten days in studio.

Lukas: Yeah but we nailed track after track, and the result was amazing. Shit City is raw and honest, everything recorded live in studio, except vocals, lead guitar and some percussion.

Stian: We've never used much money on recordings but it's not like we want it to sound crappy either. The press release thing was kind of a joke. But we like it raw and simple, and try hard to transfer some of the nerve and energy from our live performance onto the albums.

Thomas: Fact is we never had much money for recordings. Studio time in Norway is not cheap, so we try to spend as little time there as possible, hehe. We always record live, playing together in the same room. I think that's a big part of why we sound like we do. We practice playing together, jamming all the time to get the right groove in each song. That's important to us. In that sense we come prepared in the studio, record all four of us, and then we spend 3-4 days after to put up some vocals and guitar licks, just having fun.

Can you kind of describe the writing process for Shit City? Do write the songs collectively in the rehearsal room or you’re one of those bands that trade files/ideas back and forth via email?

Stian: Mail sucks! Internet sucks! hehe. Yeah, but ok, sometimes even we use it as a preference, but it's on the rehearsals it happens. Thomas has most of the ideas and presents them when we meet, and Lukas brings a lot of riffs as well. Some songs come from jamming, so we all contribute. We spend a lot of time working on the arrangements. And we never play a song someone dislikes.
Last November Thomas made a collection of some demos of our songs on his home recorder, the tunes he felt were most suitable for an album as a whole. Then we agreed on that and didn't look back. We worked our asses off on the arrangements and sound until we puked and almost hated each other.

Lukas: We worked on some old and some new ideas, jamming, trying different grooves and so on. Process went on for a few months. Then we dived into a studio to make the deadline for a release in late August, just before we hit the road.

It sounds like you are having a lot of fun on this new album. What did you get personally out of making this record?

Stian: I think studio sessions are some of the most fun and interesting parts of being in a band. To nail all these things we've been working on for so long, and get it on tape. The result is not always what we expected or what we had in mind but we spend a lot of time preparing the songs before studio, the goal is always to be as close to the original idea as possible. But it's been 3 years since we were in a studio so for me it was about time! Next album will not delay as long.

So where exactly is Shit City? Not Oslo I trust, it is considered one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Stian: Yeah of course it could be Oslo. Expensive does not necessarily mean good or not shitty. Money is shit. But it could also be another town, or a state of mind. We all have a lot of love for this hometown but it's also a lot of frustration. It's the famous ambivalent love/hate relationship people have for things, places and people in life.

What do you talk about lyrically on this album?

Thomas: When writing these songs, there was a lot going on in my life. A couple of years of ups and downs, and I think the songs reflect that from the sense of everything going to hell (is it over?) to rediscovering love (Falling down). Much like the meaning of the title. It's like a love/hate relationship to someone or something. Sometimes you hate something so bad, and the next day you love the same thing, realizing it's not the things that are changing, but you, your state of mind and how you feel inside.


Following the release of Shit City, you’ll embark on a European tour with label mates The Order Of Israfel. What can fans expect to see on this tour?

Stian: Expect what you always get! Lonely Kamel loves playing live, touring and hang out. We don't bring fireworks or lighting rigs, but we bring the blues, grooves and some bottles of booze!
And to be honest, I never heard The Order Of Israfel live, but their record kicks ass and there must be a reason they go on tour with Lonely Kamel

What type of venues and parts of the world do you like best for playing live?

Stian: Any type in any country. no rules, no peculiarities, no limitations - just music!

Find out more about Lonely Kamel and their awesome new album "Shit City" here: www.facebook.com/lonelykamel
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If you count their early demos, Monster Magnet have been drawing in listeners for almost 25 years now. Early albums like Spine of God, Tab, and Superjudge are veritable classics of the stoner rock genre this Dave Wyndorf lead band helped to create. It wasn't until 1995's Dopes to Infinity and more so '97's Powertrip that Monster Magnet really saw commercial success. “Spacelord” from Powertrip even saw regular airplay on modern rock stations.

Powertrip may have been the peak of their commercial success but the four albums they have released since are still worthy of praise, which brings us to the band's ninth full-length, Last Patrol. Last Patrol marks the first album since Spine of God not to include long time guitarist Ed Mundell. In his stead Garrett Sweeny takes over lead guitars and even some sitar with Wyndorf and Phil Caivano tripling the axe attack. They pile on the layers in front of the rhythm section of bassist Chris Kosnick (Caivano handled bass duties in studio.) and drummer Bob Pantella.

Written during a one week period, Wyndorf's lyrics veil his personal feeling behind a sort of space opera. A soundtrack to tales from the greater universe and time. Wyndorf's vocal delivery is unmistakable and not without range. With everything from soft spoken word to yelling across nebulas, he conveys whatever feeling the lyrics call for. The same goes for the music as well. At times all you hear is a single note riff on an acoustic guitar while right around the corner is a raucous and dense wall of blissed out spacerock reaching for the stars in a swirling mass of psychedelia.

The title track is a nine-plus minute opus with hard driving riffs, spacey breaks, shifting moods, extra-solar solos and a totally tripped-out final couple minutes that would make the Bull God proud.

Save possibly the gospel infused “Hallelujah” and the cover of Donovan's “Three King Fishers”, Last Patrol sees Monster Magnet taking interstellar journeys with tracks that ebb and flow between riff-based verses and arena-size choruses. In addition to the psych bliss and stoner vibe permeating the album, Last Patrol feels very bluesy. From the acoustic parts to the guitar licks to Wyndorf's vocals and lyrics, the blues influence can't be shaken.

Every song on Last Patrol has its own character making for a dynamic listen. There are laid back parts with groove and louder, rockin' songs/sections that get you up out of your ejector seat. It's all very distinctly Monster Magnet. Diverse, layered, spaced and groovy, it sounds incredible. Wyndorf's a unique talent and Last Patrol should have people realizing that yet again.

Matt Hinch

Band info: www.zodiaclung.com
Label info: www.napalmrecords.com

Matt Hinch lives an unassuming life on the backroads outside Forest Mills, Ontario, Canada. He packs in as much metal as he possible can amid factory work, raising three daughters with his wife and working the land. In addition to Scratch the Surface Matt also writes for Hellbound, Ghost Cult Magazine, About Heavy Metal and his own blog, Kingdom of Noise. Keep up with him on Twitter @MetalMatt_KofN.

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We can’t talk about Vista Chino and their album 'Peace' without a little history. Drummer Brant Bjork, vocalist John Garcia and bassist Nick Oliveri comprised the band Kyuss with guitarist Josh Homme. Kyuss went on to practically invent, if not, at least define the stoner/desert rock genre. Following Kyuss’ split in ’95 the members carried on with other (high quality) bands. In 2010, Bjork, Garcia and Oliveri started performing under the name Kyuss Lives! with Bruno Fevery taking over the guitarist slot. When the time came to record new material, Vista Chino was born.

If you’re expecting 'Peace' to sound like a Kyuss album you’re not entirely wrong but not entirely right either. While it’s obvious that many of the same personalities participated in this album, Vista Chino stands on its own. By the time intro "Good Morning Wasteland" awakens into “Dargona Dragona” and its instantaneously infectious riffs, the listener is primed for Garcia’s inimitable vocals. The track does what it should, introducing what’s to come with a live, almost raw feel, fuzz-laden, overdriven tones and Fevery’s slick and soulful leads.

Those desert grooves and a red-eyed sensibility are carried throughout the album. The band’s chemistry is incontestable. Shorter tracks like “Sweet Remain” and “Barcelonian” pack a punch and contain just some of the lyrics that may or may not be related to the tensions with former Kyuss members. “They lost their souls/When they lost their way/And we fight to the bone/But the sweet will remain” and “Those days are gone when we slept upon the floor/And the desert was our home…I’m thinking about what you mean to me” suggest that “The war is finally over” (from “Planets 1&2”) and Vista Chino is forging ahead with brilliant results (and Mike Dean of C.O.C. playing bass live).

Garcia exhibits fairly dynamic range, changing up his approach and even lets Bjork take the mic a bit on “Planets”. Oliveri and Bjork lock into those grooves and throw away the key, keeping that rhythm rolling with a swing and shuffle beside Fevery’s impressive guitar work. The more you listen, the deeper the melodies and flowing grooves penetrate to release a constant flow of serotonin.

The wicked trippy and blues-fueled closer “Acidize – The Gambling Moose” sums it up perfectly with the words “I fell from up above/into your arms, my love.” Vista Chino does feel heaven sent, doesn’t it? Kyuss fans rejoice. The band is back together (more or less).

Matt Hinch

Band info: www.facebook.com/VistaChinoMusic
Label info: www.napalmrecords.com

Matt Hinch lives an unassuming life on the backroads outside Forest Mills, Ontario, Canada. He packs in as much metal as he possible can amid factory work, raising three daughters with his wife and working the land. In addition to Scratch the Surface Matt also writes for Hellbound, Ghost Cult Magazine, About Heavy Metal and his own blog, Kingdom of Noise. Keep up with him on Twitter @MetalMatt_KofN.

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Huntress’s 2012, full-length debut ‘Spell Eater’ was more of a fleeting talk-piece than anything resembling a strong heavy metal album. The main issue with ‘Spell Eater’ was that the music was one-dimensional and lacking riffs; a serious problem that an arresting front-woman, Jill Janus, with an octave-climbing voice and interesting back story could not save. And, as is the case with any band that manages to drum up media coverage, if the music cannot back the hype, you can rest assured you will be forgotten the next time ‘round.

The sneering eyes of cynicism certainly rolled in revulsion when the news broke that Motörhead’s Lemmy has co-penned a song on Huntress’s second album, ‘Starbound Beast’. It is definitely an unambiguous attempt to stir up interest after a flat debut, but the ironic thing about the song Mr. Kilmister helped write is this: it’s the weakest track on the album by a Sunset Strip mile. The song’s title says is all: ‘I Want to Fuck You to Death’. Whether this is a not-so-subtle proposition from Lemmy or not, the chorus is as lecherous and dumb as they come, regardless of the fact that Janus sings it herself. Its bluntness is disappointing considering Lemmy has made a lifelong career out of slathering songs in sexual innuendos, and it should have been branded a bonus or not recorded at all. But besides this song, the rest of the album actually holds up.

To the band’s credit they have work really hard on the song-writing, and it’s less of showcase of what Janus can do vocally and more of a cohesive group effort. The four track run from ‘Destroy Your Life’ through ‘Starbound Beast’ and ‘Zenith’ and onward to ‘Oracle’ form the foundations of this album. With ‘80s inspired metal riffs, striking guitar solos and Janus’s attempts at matching Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford in the vocal stakes, these four songs should hold the attention of those turned off by the desperate ‘I Want to Fuck You to Death’. The title-track, in particular, shows some variation by moving from double bass-led, melodic thrash to slower tempos. And Janus’s input works best when she flexes her extensive clean vocal range, as her attempts at screaming sound like a kettle coming to boiling point (see: the end of ‘Destroy Your Life’ and ‘Blood Sisters’ cringe-worthy refrains of “blood sisters forever” ); while lyrically she explores some fantastical themes such as witches’ covens, the Annunaki, and the oracle at Delphi. The music stays true to a formula, at times to the band’s detriment, and some of the vocal hooks are stronger than others, but the inclusion of closer ‘Alpha Tauri’ shows possible future growth during its delicate mid-section when the band take a wistful turn. This band may go on to greater things if it puts its heads down and focuses on writing songs without tabloid pomp. The ironic thing is: Huntress’s failing attempt at luring in new listeners may be the reason why said listeners turn away without giving the rest of the songs a chance. This would be a shame, as there is quite a bit to applaud here.

Dean Brown

Band info: www.HuntressKills.com
Label info: www.napalmrecords.com

Dean Brown is a metal scribe based in Ireland. He is currently a contributing editor to the North American cultural magazine Popmatters and he regularly throws words for a number of other reputable loud noise publications such as About.com/heavy metal, Soundshock.com, MetalIreland.com, MoltenMagazine.com, amongst others. He has a strong affinity for music that shakes souls and leaves debilitating tinnitus in its wake and such obsession has left him financially and medically crippled, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Follow Dean on twitter @reus85

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Emerging from the darkness, brimming with bombast and drenched in doom, “Psalms for the Dead”, the (perhaps) final album from Swedish doom metal legends Candlemass is/might be a stirring finish to a storied career. Candlemass have been recording for 20 plus years, and set the tone not just for themselves, but for a whole generation of doomsayers with their 1986 album “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus”. Over the past two or so decades, Candlemass have burned through lead singers at an alarming rate, but their commitment to a mournful, oppressive, and especially EPIC form of heavy metal has made them a powerful force in heavy music.

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