Arizona natives Lydia have had their fair share of ups and downs. With several lineup changes and a breakup turned hiatus, the band trudged through as a duo, not only managing to land a spot on the Pioneer World Tour with The Maine, but also managing to produce a well-received album by critics and fans alike. Their latest release, ‘Paint It Golden,’ is the fourth effort put forth by the group and has been coined by some as a "rebirth," though the band themselves may not necessarily agree. The album contains the best of what Lydia has to offer, showcasing their musical layering, emotionally tantalizing lyrics, and singer Leighton Antelman's haunting vocals, proving that the duo definitely has more to deliver under the Lydia name.

Just an hour before taking the stage, Antelman met with us in a back room of Austin's La Zona Rosa, looking quite comfortable on the large worn-out black couch upon which he sat. As his tourmates Arkells played just a room away, he discussed with us the band's latest music video, their writing process, and how they met The Maine before this tour.

Pick up Lydia's latest album, Paint It Golden.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their Facebook page.

The Maine have been part of the pop rock scene for quite a few years now. The boys made their debut in 2007 with their EP 'Stay Up, Get Down.' Fast forward five years and three albums later and you're almost listening to a completely different group. Just last year, the band's direction took a huge turn, leading them down a path where singer John O'Callaghan's crisp voice finds itself wrapped in a sound reminiscent of 90s alt-rock. Of course, to get to this current point in their musical career, the quintet had to try a few new things, one of which included independently releasing their latest album, 'Pioneer.' After opening with gentle arpeggiated guitar lines and O'Callaghan's croon on "Identify," the album takes listeners on an hour-long journey through the band's life and hardships. What's most noticeable about the effort is The Maine's matured lyricism, showing that they have not only grown as artists, but people as well.

Currently on the North American leg of the Pioneer World Tour, drummer Pat Kirch and guitarist/vocalist Kennedy Brock sat down with us before The Maine's opening show in Austin, TX. The guys filled us in on their writing process, the story behind the man on the cover of 'Pioneer,' and going the independent route.

Pick up The Maine's latest album, Pioneer.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their Facebook page.

Baltimore by way of Durham, NC-based act Free Electric State have released their new video, "Better Planes." The track comes from their new LP, 'Monumental Life,' which was released on April 21 via Custom Made Music. The record will be available on CD, or as a limited edition LP of which only 100 copies will be available. The limited edition LP includes a hand-numbered, silk-screened cover.

Legend has it that guitarist/vocalist David Koslowski, guitarist/vocalist Nick Williams, and bassist/vocalist Shirlé Hale formed Free Electric State in January 2009 after discovering their mutual love of Krautrock and early shoegaze. Tony Sliglitz soon joined them on drums, and Free Electric State quickly became a hot ticket in the North Carolina scene, eventually sharing bills with Polvo, Deerhunter, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, and Mike Watt.

'Monumental Life' is the follow-up to their 2010 debut, 'Caress,' and finds the band balancing their outre instincts with a loud, hooky pop-rock sensibility. Producer Rob Girardi (Beach House, Arbouretum) employed unusual microphone techniques to achieve a cavernous, voluminous sound, at once distant and impressively immediate, while the band focused on their love of melody and texture to create a diverse, exuberant statement of artistic expression.

The video for "Better Planes" was edited by Koslowski, who is also a documentary filmmaker. Check it out below.

On a chilly Tuesday night in the Lower East Side, Mercury Lounge was filled with space rock enthusiasts. Local stoner metal sensations White Hills took the stage. The power trio, fronted by guitarist/vocalist Dave W. and bassist Ego Sensation, wasted no time getting down to pure sonic annihilation. Ego looked foxy in black velvet, her clear acrylic bass reflecting the pale blue lights shining above her. Dave's makeup, dark eyes set in a pale face, gave him a ghoulish appearance. Drummer Nick Name provided the raw power, timing, and finesse needed to support this dynamic trio.

Opener "Radiate," from 2009's 'Heads on Fire,' set the tone for the evening, with its hypnotizing chorus, thundering riffs, and layers of effects. As the song wound down, cymbal washes led us into the sprawling, swirling soundscape of "Song of Everything." This and the three songs which followed all came from the band's most recent release, 'Frying on this Rock,' and they shined in the live setting. Dave went to the mic and pronounced, "The universe sings the song of everything." He spoke of sapphire and sunshine, and implored the audience, and indeed all of mankind, to open their eyes, hearts, and minds to a new way of being — continuing a message which the band also expressed on 2011's 'H-p1,' as Dave explained to Rock Edition in our track-by-track feature about the album. Floydian guitars shimmered and echoed. Slowly a riff grew out of the swirl, like a cairn being built one stone at a time, until suddenly "You Dream You See" erupted in a blaze of fire.

Now we were riding Hawkwind's wings, flying straight for the sun, powered by an epic wah rocket. The journey continued through fiery hellholes and psychedelic chase scenes, powered by insistent bass riffs and dizzying guitar solos. The intensity of "You Dream You See" faded into swirling washes of sound like crashing waves, from which "Pads of Light" arose with pounding ferocity. "Robot Stomp" was a clear homage to krautrock: its simple, motorik beat was highly reminiscent of Neu!. The aggressive "Upon Arrival," from 'H-p1,' kept the energy level in the room up, and featured a blistering guitar solo from Dave.

The band grew briefly meditative with "Under Skin or by Name," from 2007's 'Glitter Glamour Atrocity.' Slow drones in D filled the room. As the song gradually picked up, Ego began to play a descending melody high on her G string. An epic jam steadily built up around her. At the peak of intensity, Dave let loose with a string of obscenities, which I've loosely translated as, "Eat shit! Fuck! Eat shit! Fuck! Eat shit! Fuck!" The song was capped off with an unexpected key change/outro.

They closed the show with a masterful rendition of "H-p1," from last year's album of the same name. The song drove hard and heavy for at least ten minutes — probably longer, but the audience was too spellbound at this point for anyone to be able to give an accurate reckoning. Little by little, the song slowed down as it came to the end, like a berserk mammoth becoming progressively inveigled in tar. Dave knelt to coerce insane sounds out of his pedals. Eventually the sound ebbed to virtually nothing, and the obelisk that is White Hills faded and disappeared into the air, leaving nary a trace.

Setlist:

Radiate
Song of Everything
You Dream You See
Pads of Light
Robot Stomp
Upon Arrival
Under Skin or by Name
H-p1

The city of Austin is known for many things, including barbeque, having the most live music entertainment per capita, and throwing one of the largest music conferences in the world. Now you can add the band SPEAK to that list. Comprised of Troupe Gammage, Jake Stewart, Nick Hurt, and Joey Delahoussaye, the band formed in 2008 and released their debut album 'I Believe in Everything' in late 2011. The boys have garnered positive reviews as well as the attention of music magazines such as Alternative Press, who featured them as a part of their Bands to Know in 2012. Even though the group had a busy schedule, what with their numerous SXSW performances and national tour, SPEAK was able to sit down with us and talk about when we might be getting some new jams, their plans for Las Vegas, and performing with zombie John Lennon and zombie Michael Jackson.

To start things off, how did you guys come up with your name? Is there a special meaning behind it?

Troupe Gammage: We're big fans of the Lindsay Lohan album 'Speak' and we thought we'd do her a tribute by naming our band after her record.

No better person to pay tribute to, right? [laughs]

TG: Can't beat it!
Jake Stewart: She's our favorite celebrity.
Nick Hurt: She's our idol!
TG: She's got it all. She's got all the talent necessary to be a celebrity in this day and age. So we thought we'd do a little homage.

So you guys started out as Jupiter-4 with Troupe, Jake, and Nick and then became SPEAK when you added Joey. How did you guys meet?

TG: We met in high school. Junior high, actually.
JS: Yeah, Troupe and I knew each other in junior high. Nick and Troupe did some rock camp for bands in middle school, so we all knew each other sort of tangentially. And then Nick and Joey were going to UT [The University of Texas] at the same time and they were both in the classical guitar studio and met there. Joey wasn't even a bass player, but he learned.
TG: Turns out, on the inside he is a bass player.
Joey Delahoussaye: It's true. I harnessed the beast.
TG: Harnessed the bass beast.

Gotta do what you can! So you've all been in Austin all your lives?

JS: Yep.
TG: Yeah, with the exception of me. I went to USC [The University of South Carolina], but other than that everyone's pretty much just lived here.
JS: Joey lived in LA for awhile.
JD: [laughs]
TG: Yeah, he lived in LA for like five days.
NH: Yeah, and I did one family vacation to Colorado.
TG: Exactly, but yeah. We've mostly just lived in Austin our entire lives.

LA just wasn't your thing? It's all about Austin?

TG: Yeah, Austin is where it's at. That's for sure.
NH: For us, LA and New York obviously have awesome things.
TG: There's awesome stuff in LA?
NH: Ya have to look pretty hard.
TG: That's true.
JD: It's a pretty sleepy town.
TG: You have to live there for a while like Joey did to really get a feel.

To know all the secret places.

All: Yeah.

Alright, so say you have one song that you would use to introduce yourself to fans from your album. Which one would it be, and why?

TG: Is it "Carrie?" Is that the right answer? Probably.
NH: Yeah, "Carrie."
TG: Yeah, I think so. Because it's the single. But, if we were choosing, I would chose "I'd Rather Lie," because I think it covers the most range of the different stuff we do. It explores the pop elements, the more rock elements, synth stuff, guitar stuff. I just think there's a lot there. So that's what I would choose, but I think our managers want us to say "Carrie."
JS: Don't listen to what he just said — "Carrie" is the song.
TG: Yeah, "Carrie" is really the song. [laughs]
NH: I'm one hundred percent behind it!

It's a great song.

TG: Thank you!

It's a great album, actually. I listen to it all the time. I'm like, "Oh, need to clean my apartment? I'll put this on!" "Need to drive downtown? Put SPEAK on!" So, yeah, all the time.

TG: Sweet! Those are the most important times to listen to music. That's usually when I listen to music — while cleaning and driving.

It's the best time. You know it's a good song when you can play it in your car.

TG: Yeah, roll down the windows. Austin's a good town for that because it's so ridiculously hot that you have to roll down the windows.

Or crank the AC.

JS: It's not as romantic of an image, though. Crank up the AC and put on the music.
TG: Blast the AC! Have the AC blast blowing in my hair!

[laughs] You guys are touring right now with Jukebox the Ghost and Miniature Tigers. What are you most excited for on the tour? Any places you look forward to or anything?

TG: All of it!
JD: Yeah, this has been a great tour for sightseeing. We got oyster feasts and incredible beach hangs. The guys in Jukebox are just awesome. And there's more to come!
TG: And the Miniature Tigers tour with Geographer and The Chain Gang of 1974, which is like five good bands on tour, is the next thing.
JS: We've heard good things about Athens, GA, which we're playing next. And New York is always fun to go to. And strangely enough, the Midwest is a cool place for us to go. We played with Tally Hall there.
TG: Ann Arbor is an amazing place. If we aren't playing Ann Arbor, we'll swing through.

I've heard it's very beautiful.

ALL: Yeah!
JS: It's very nice.
JD: We went last year during the Street Art Fair and it couldn't have been a more perfect time.
JS: It is the quintessential college town.
TG: It's very Austin-esque.
JD: It's like their South By experience, only more tame.
TG: And also, I haven't been to Vegas since I was 13, so I look forward to that.
JD: I, however, am not looking forward to Vegas having been there and not enjoyed it.

I've never been, but you have to go once in your life.

JD: You do!
TG: I need to go now that I'm 21 and can actually gamble and stuff.
JS: We've talked about betting all of our tour earnings once we get to Vegas because that's the end of the tour. We'll just take all the money we made and just bet it.

Good luck!

TG: Thank you. We're gonna need it!

Maybe you'll make millions and I'll be like, "I was there when they decided to do that."

JS: We'll just play the slots all night.
JD: The odds are very similar to making it the music industry, so it's really not that out of character.

So, I had been at a meeting with Margaret Moser from the Austin Chronicle, and she was talking about the new Austin sound and said you guys were at the forefront of that sound.

NH: That's very sweet.

Yeah, I thought it was really cool. I was wondering, how do you guys capture that sound?

JS: Microphones.
TG: [laughs] Myspace! We had some friends that decided to answer every question about their music with "Myspace." It's almost so hard to describe how that sound developed, and I think all the other bands influence our sound a lot, like other bands we're friends with — Mother Falcon and Marmalakes. Our friends are definitely informing us in what we're doing, so I wouldn't say we're necessarily in the forefront of that sound, but we're certainly a part of the vanguard, if you will. We're just kind of pushing forward. We're really happy to be a part of it for sure and just making music.

And on tour, how have they been taking to the "Austin sound"?

JD: The bands or the audience?

The audience. I guess bands, too. How are they taking to you guys?

TG: I think they're taking to it pretty well.
JS: Yeah, it's been a really great tour for us. It's really important to get out and be associated with people who play similar music and have some of the same sense of melodies, and that translates to the audiences they bring out. When we played with Tally Hall, they bring out a lot of fun, really quirky music nerds that love the music.
TG: We are music nerds.
JS: Sometimes you end up with a band that's not...you can tell when it's not cooking, but this time it's nice.
TG: Jukebox the Ghost fans are amazing. Ultimately, if you're really close with the bands you're with and they're playing good music, I think that enthusiasm just translates to the crowd and their enthusiasm for your music really makes people want to be interested in you and vice versa. So it's really good.

To go off of that, what band or artist, dead or alive, would you like to tour with, and why?

TG: Oh, I love this question.
JS: I think this is the first time we've ever gotten this.
TG: We've had it like once before and we didn't have a proper answer.
JS: For alive, for me, it would probably be Cut Copy.
TG: Yeah, that'd be it for me, too. I would do TV on the Radio and Cut Copy tour. The Beach Boys and The Beatles would be nice to tour with.
JS: Well, even if we like, resurrected The Beatles, they still wouldn't tour with us.
TG: That's true.
JS: I guess we could force them.

Well, if you resurrected them, they'd have to owe you.

TG: That,s true! There we go, they would owe us big time. Yeah, I'd say a Beatles/Michael Jackson tour would be pretty good.
JD: I'll go with that.
JS: There we go, I like that.
NH: Yeah!
JS: Zombie John Lennon and Zombie MJ dancing it up!

They could do "Thriller." It would be perfect.

TG: Exactly!
JS: If they'd be able to do "The Boy Is Mine," that would be cool.
TG: You mean "The Girl Is Mine?"
JS: Yeah, yeah! "The Girl Is Mine!"
TG: We need to do that. We need to fake that tour. Stage it so we can do that.

So would you say that Michael Jackson is a pretty big influence for you?

TG: Definitely! I think both of those artists are equally important.
JS: Of course, we wouldn't tell them that. That wouldn't be very cool.
TG: Right. We'd be like, "Yeah, whatever guys."
JS: Yeah, we've heard your stuff.
TG: It's like, Prince, Michael Jackson, and David Bowie — those classic solo artists — and also The Beatles and Beach Boys with the harmony-driven stuff. We try to fuse all that together.

Have you guys been working on anything new on tour? Are you writing any new material?

TG: Yeah!
JD: Yeah, we're recording some new songs right now that we're really excited about. I don't think on tour we've really had a chance.
TG: I've been doing some stuff.
JD: He has his little rig so that he can isolate himself.
JS: On tour we've played as many as four songs that aren't on the record. So we're doing like half old stuff and half new stuff. We're working our way towards getting that down. I mean, new material.
TG: Yeah, it's gonna be awhile before we get all the songs ready to play live. We're really meticulous about our live shows and recordings. It's slowly taking shape.

So are you thinking next year?

TG: Yeah, definitely!

And lastly, you guys were a part of Alternative Press' 100 Bands to Know in 2012.

TG: Aw, I haven't seen that yet! I knew it existed, but I haven't seen it.

Yeah! You're on like the first page.

JS: Really?! Oh snap.

Yep! They said that you guys were a great band out of Austin and I was wondering how has that been. I assume they had to talk to you guys.

TG: I think we did an interview, actually. I think it was an email thing.
NH: Oh!
TG: It was a long time actually. We did an interview a while back. Yeah, that's cool. I can’t wait to see it.
JS: It's tough to see a connection between what we do and when it's released. Like, we did a Daytrotter session.
TG: Yeah, like years ago.
JS: Yeah, like six months ago or something.
TG: It'll come out someday. It'll come out after our third record probably.

It'll be years from now and you'll be like, "I forgot we did that!"

All: Exactly.

Well, thank you guys for taking the time to talk with us!

TG: No, thank you!

Pick up SPEAK's latest album, I Believe in Everything.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their Facebook page.

Generally, every band has the desire to grow, mature, and simply get better with each album they release. Unfortunately, things don't always work out that way. As many fans know, some groups reach their expiration date sooner than others. But, Demon Hunter shouldn't be thrown into that category. After twelve years of activity, the Seattle-based metallers have no intention of simply dying out. The band's new record, 'True Defiance,' gushes with more complex melodies, thought-out musicality and lyricism, a heavier sound, a pure exploration of their metal roots, and a stray from previous hardcore influences. In other words, it's another helping of in-your-face aggression infused with technicality and poetry. According to frontman Ryan Clark, this upward movement for the quintet was only natural. In the past few years, Demon Hunter may have lost some highly respected and valued band members, but they've also gained a lot from their newer members, enough to continue to propel Demon Hunter in a strong direction.

In the following email interview, vocalist Ryan Clark answers our questions about 'True Defiance,' his relationship with Solid State Records, the band's struggles, and their logo. Check it out below.

How would you describe the shift DH has gone through from the first album up until now, musically and lyrically?

The easiest way to explain Demon Hunter's musical progression over the past decade is this: If our first record would be considered new metal or metalcore, we've been chipping away at the "new" and the "core" over the past five records. We've gradually incorporated more thrash influences, more grind and groove influences, etc. I think we've evolved into something that's actually hard to explain other than to just say, "it sounds like Demon Hunter."

My roots are in hardcore, and that's something I'm very proud of. It was essentially my music education for many years. There's still an element of that in DH, but the more we grow, the further we stray from a stereotypical metalcore band.

I don't even take issue with a lot of new metal. Korn was an important band for me. I love the Deftones. But again, there's a lot less of this style in our newer material.

How would you describe working with Aaron Sprinkle again? How do you avoid making the same record twice?

At this point, working with Aaron feels not only natural, but like a necessity. We've recorded more than 90 songs over the past decade, and every one has been with Aaron. He's truly like the sixth band member when we're in the studio. He fully understands our vision, and we have a lot of trust in his abilities and ideas.

With each record, we make a conscious effort to push things a little further. Sometimes that comes through in the technicality of the guitar riffs, sometimes it's the speed and technicality of the drums, sometimes it's in the diversity and range of the vocals, and sometimes it pertains to the overall structure of the song. We take all of these things into account, and do our best to crank everything up a few notches from the previous record. Keeping that mentality is the most important thing for us if we don't want to be writing the same record over and over.

What sort of struggles have you run into while putting this record together?

Well, the initial struggle was to stop obsessing about riding my motorcycle and buckle down to songwriting. [laughs] But when Seattle ensured that I'd be taking a break from my two-wheeled excursions with heavy rain and snow, I was able to really dive into the writing process. I've always been comfortable writing a lot of material in a short amount of time. That's the way most DH records have been written in the past.

Honestly though, I would say the biggest hurdle was in writing the lyrics. Not only did I want to write about subjects I haven't tackled in past songs, but I've always toiled over the minor details in my lyrics, so there were times when writing three to four lines seemed to take days. I tend to scrutinize myself pretty heavily when I'm writing lyrics, but I'm usually very pleased with the outcome.

What sort of struggles have you run into being part of the band?

Every band has struggles, especially if you're fortunate enough to be around for 10 or more years. There have been a few personality clashes between members, some dramatic situations that arose over the years, but that's all part of any tight relationship. All the guys in the band have grown really close over the years, and it's important that we show love and support to each other through our issues and struggles — even if that comes after a couple hours of kicking and screaming.

All in all, the hard times we've had as a band serve as a lesson, so it's hard to see it working out any other way.

To what extent has your spirituality, morals, and/or beliefs (individually as well as collectively as a band) impacted this new record?

I've found it easier to be more forthright with our beliefs on each record. We've always been pretty bold in our stance, but there's a growing sense of "don't care what others think" the longer we do this.

People have expectations when it comes to Christian artists — expectations from those that agree as well as those that don't. The assumption is that you have to be talking specifically about Jesus or God in everything that you create, which is an unfortunate misconception. No Christian artist wants to feel trapped in that box. Instead, we want to convey our world view just as anyone else would, but we may see things differently through the lens of our spirituality. Although I do believe Christ to be the only true solution for a broken world, and the things I address in some songs may be about that specifically, they also might just speak to the human condition, coming to terms with mortality, losing a loved one, feeling depressed or alone, doubt, fear, hope — things that will likely relate to most people.

Do you feel that your purpose as a band has changed since you first started out?

We've had the same purpose from day one, but the importance of that purpose has been magnified over the years by our fans. They allow us to see and understand the reason for what we do, and that's constantly growing.

You guys have been with Solid State Records for around a decade. It seems like the band and Solid State have always had a good working relationship. What do you attribute that to?

I was actually working as a designer in the Tooth & Nail/Solid State art department when we started the band, but our relationship with the label spans back about six years before Demon Hunter. My first (real) band, Focal Point, actually released our first and only record with Tooth & Nail before the Solid State imprint existed — in 1996. Solid State came about in '97, and by that time Focal Point had broken up, and my brother and I were playing in a band called Training for Utopia. TFU released 2 EPs and 2 full-length records, all of which came out on Solid State.

When my brother and I decided we wanted to start playing music again, about two years after TFU had called it quits, Solid State was the obvious choice. Today, after more than 11 years, I still work in the label's art department, so the connection we have with the label goes far beyond the relationship most bands have with their label. I've always been very particular about the way the band is represented, and being here at the label allows me to give extra attention to each and every aspect.

"Someone to Hate" and "My Destiny" are far more aggressive and technical with more intricate melodies than what we've heard on past albums. What was the process the band had to go through to get to this point? Or was it less process, more "This is what we have to do, so we're gonna do it"?

To be honest, going into a more technical territory isn't really discussed as much as it just happens naturally. There's a level of playing ability displayed in the current members of DH that we haven't always had in the past. Having a guitar player like Patrick, who is definitely one of the best musicians I've ever worked with, opens the doors to be able to push things further, technically. The same goes for Yogi. Although he's been in the band for four records now, his abilities as a drummer have made huge strides from album to album.

The increased aggression probably comes from getting older. Not only are we pushing back against the current "lame-ification" that's engulfed so much of today's metal, but in a broader sense, as the state of the world quickly declines, it gets easier and easier to be angry at something.

From my understanding, you've always considered yourself a Christian band. What do you think separates you from bands that may talk about God and touch upon Christian themes but don't want to necessarily be considered Christian?

What separates us is a grasp on the reality of these things. I've been playing in bands that would be considered "Christian" on a record label that is considered by most to be a "Christian label" for nearly 17 years.

The bottom line is that, if you're going to address Christian beliefs and themes in your songs, someone (if not most people) are going to label you a "Christian band." If that's what you choose to do, there's nothing you can do about it. Bands that started out with Christian leanings and later decided to do everything they could to shed those assumptions have found themselves in a fruitless, pointless, never-ending battle. I could name at least five of them right now, but I don't want it to seem like I'm calling anyone out.

Not only are we in Demon Hunter very receptive to the term "Christian band," and we talk about our faith in nearly every interview, we still find ourselves defending every word of every song to overly-scrutinizing Christian fans with every record.

You cannot and will not appease everyone, so stop trying so hard to choose your classification and just be great at what you do. Let the people that need to put a label on you do so. Don't sweat it.

Your logo has always been a little controversial, and yet your album art has gotten progressively bolder and almost more sinister with each album. What sort of statement are you trying to make with your album art? Why the progression towards bolder graphics?

The bolder graphics pretty much go hand-in-hand with the evolving direction of the music.

I don't mind a little controversy, as long as there's a legitimate reason for it. I admittedly like to poke people a little bit, and maybe make them uncomfortable. I think comfort can often be a killer.

The Demon Hunter logo is and always has been the portrayal of a demon skull, split in two, with a bullet hole right through its forehead. It's pretty self-explanatory, but we get a lot of questions about it. It's essentially a literal manifestation of the band name. People assume that since it's maybe gruesome or aggressive that it holds negative connotations, but that's a very short-sighted analyzation. That's like saying that a cross, inverted, is still a cross, so it must speak positively towards Christianity. Adversely, a demon skull with a bullet hole in it must be evil.

Again, you can't win them all. Some people read too far into things, and some don't like to read at all.

The answer: maturity and discernment.

To wrap things up, it looks like you guys have a few upcoming shows. Which song off the new record are you most excited about playing live? And, can we expect to see you touring the US sometime soon?

We're definitely lining things up for some US dates, so stay tuned for that.

I'm really excited to play anything from this new record. I love playing new material because it makes the show fresh and exciting again. I'd say I'm most looking forward to "My Destiny" and "God Forsaken."

Pick up Demon Hunter's new album, True Defiance.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their Facebook page.

** UPDATE: This contest is now over. The winner has been notified. Thanks for participating!

Having just released their third studio album ‘Break the Spell’ in November, Daughtry will be supporting the record with a nearly 40-date tour across the US. If you're a fan of the rock outfit, look no further! We here at Rock Edition want to give you not one, but two VIP tickets (valued at approx. $400) to the date of your choice!

The VIP package includes:

• Limited Edition VIP Laminate and Lanyard
• Sound Check Listening Party
• Meet and Greet with Daughtry and Photo by a Professional Photographer
• Special Edition Daughtry VIP Canvas Bag
• Signed, Glossy 11 x 14 Photo of Daughtry
• Set of Limited Edition Daughtry VIP Guitar Picks
• Opportunity to Shop Pre-Show Crowdless Merch Stand

Interested? Send your full name and the date of your choice to contests@rockedition.com. Contest ends Saturday, April 14. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Winner will be randomly drawn from all eligible entries. Photo ID will be required to claim your tickets.

Let’s face it, a memorable name can be just as important as the music itself. North Carolina band Finding Atlantis seem to have figured that out. Alongside their catchy melodies, clean vocals, and relatable lyrics, this quartet managed to choose a name that shrouds them in mystery, just enough so to intrigue listeners. (What's more mysterious than the lost city of Atlantis, right?) Currently, the pop rock four-piece can be found in the studio working on new songs to follow up last year's release of 'The Saltwater Cure,' but singer Chris Lane took some time to tell us exactly what it means to find Atlantis. Check it out below.

Who came up with the band name?

It's actually kind of a funny story. I had typed a bunch of different band name ideas in a message on Facebook and sent them to Arthur [Balwah, guitarist] one night. The next day, he and Josh [Willis, drummer] were tossing around some ideas and mentioned "Finding Atlantis" as one of the names. Later on, they opened my message, and while reading through the ideas, they saw "Finding Atlantis" on the list. [laughs] So, in a way, Arthur and I both came up with it.

Was there a selection process?

We pretty much just asked if everyone liked the name, everyone agreed on it, and so we went with it.

Is there a particular meaning behind the name?

My reason for adding it to the list was because we wanted to do something with this band that had never been done before (a band that had elements of pop, rock, punk, and R&B, and plays music because it's what they love, not just for fame and money), especially in the NC music scene, and no one has ever found Atlantis. To find Atlantis would be to do something that's never been done, so we are Finding Atlantis, we are doing something that's never been done.

What's the best name that you considered but rejected?

Our original band name was Ocala Drive, but members of my previous band had since joined a band with a very similar name, so we changed it.

What's the worst name that you considered using?

Asterisms (the second name we went with before deciding on Finding Atlantis). The other guys liked the name, but I personally hated it. The meaning is cool: a cluster of stars. But, every time I announced our name to someone, all I could think of was an aneurysm. [laughs]

Any regrets about the name you chose?

Honestly, no. I love it, and it's become such a big part of all of us at this point that it just sounds right. I guess if I had to think of one thing, it would be that there's a documentary by the same name, which sometimes makes it hard for people to find us via online search engines. But, hopefully, one day when you type in "Finding Atlantis," we'll be the first search results you see.

Pick up Finding Atlantis' latest EP, The Saltwater Cure.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their Facebook page.

After 24 relentless years on the road and in the studio, you'd think that Cannibal Corpse would've lost some of their lust for chaotic, razor-sharp guitar solos, gore-spattered album covers, and gruesome tales of bodily mutilation. One listen to the death metal masters' 12th studio album, 'Torture,' proves any such fears (or hopes, if you represent the Australian or German governments) completely wrong. The band remains incredibly technically gifted while never missing the perfect opportunities for hooks, even if they are as viciously serrated as they are catchy. Just try listening to the chugging groove of "Sarcophagic Frenzy" or the crushing, looming riffs of "Scourge of Iron" without getting the urge to incite a mosh pit with the nearest hapless bystanders. And 'Torture' being a Cannibal Corpse record, it would be a shame to overlook the lyrics: a mere glance at song titles like "Encased in Concrete," "Intestinal Crank," and "The Strangulation Chair" suggests a splatterfest that would satisfy any of the headbangers' bloodthirsty fans.

During a recent day off, Cannibal Corpse bassist extraordinaire Alex Webster was nice enough to chat with Rock Edition over the phone. Head below to check out our conversation about the new album, keeping murder fresh, and what he would do if he could bring the band's music to the silver screen.

How's it going?

Everything's good. We just got back from a European tour a couple days ago, so I'm just settling in. We arrived Monday night, and so we had the past couple of days to get used being back home and everything. It's also the big week of our album being released, so we've been keeping an eye on that, too. So I'm relaxing, but it's an exciting week, anyhow.

Yeah. And that was the Destroyers of the Faith tour in the UK, right?

Yeah, the final five shows were the Destroyers of the Faith tour. The first, I believe, 23 shows of the tour were the Full of Hate tour, which was in mainland Europe. The Full of Hate tour was comprised of Behemoth, Misery Index, Legion of the Damned, Suicidal Angels, and Nexus Inferis. The Destroyers of the Faith tour was Triptykon, Enslaved, and Job for a Cowboy. We headlined both of those tours. They were a couple of really cool tours. We had a really good time. We're happy to be back, but it was a fun month.

Those are really diverse lineups, especially the Destroyers of the Faith one. Those are four very different bands.

Yeah, it was that. Definitely. That one was a little bit more out there, but I enjoyed it very much as well. Full of Hate was a little more of a straight-ahead thrash/death/black [metal] tour, where the other one was a bit more of a variety tour. But went really well.

Definitely. Any favorite moments from those tours?

Nothing I can really think of offhand. I mean, there were some. In London, there was a really cool thing that happened where George — our singer, George [Fisher; also known as Corpsegrinder] — sang "Dethroned Emperor" with Triptykon. Triptykon is in Tom G. Warrior's band, his current band, and of course, he was in Celtic Frost, and they play a couple Celtic Frost songs in their set. So they invited George to sing "Dethroned Emperor," and we felt George did a great job and everything. It was just a really cool thing to see because there were like 1500 people at the London show. That was definitely a good moment. That's one that comes to mind readily.

That sounds pretty awesome. Let's talk a little bit about the new album. How did the writing and recording of 'Torture' compare with the making of your past few albums?

It wasn't all that different. If anything, I really like to write a lot, and once I get going, I will just spend all of my spare time writing. That, in the past, has kind of put it to a place on a number of the albums where I've written more than half of the album myself. It got to the point where for 'Evisceration Plague,' I'd probably written more like 75% of the record. I kind of wanted to step back a little bit and make sure that the other guys had a chance because they do write a little bit more slowly than I do. They end up making really amazing songs, and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't getting in the way of them doing that, so I stepped back a little bit and didn't start going into a full writing frenzy until they'd already got a couple in the bag. Meaning, Rob [Barrett, guitarist] and Pat [O'Brien, guitarist].

On top of that, I was also working on recording the Blotted Science record ['The Animation of Entomology'] throughout the spring while they were writing songs. I like to really keep busy playing bass and writing music, so having the Blotted Science to work on kept me occupied while those guys were getting the jump on me by writing some songs before I got some written. So the split of the writing wound up being a lot more even this time, musically. I still ended up doing a bunch; I did five songs, Pat did four, and then Rob did three. It was a pretty even split, and I think it's resulted in a diverse album. If you have different people writing, that's just going to lend itself to the album having more variety, I think. So that was the main difference from the prior two, that there was a much more even split of the songwriting duties this time.

Yeah, I definitely feel that. All the songs are — there are a lot of different tempos and playing styles on it. Who wrote which songs on the album?

Sure, I'll run down that real quick for you. "Scourge of Iron," "The Strangulation Chair," "Intestinal Crank," "Rabid," and "Crucifier Avenged" — those are my five songs. I did the music and lyrics for those entirely. Rob did "Encased in Concrete," "Sarcophagic Frenzy," and "Caged...Contorted." He wrote the lyrics for all of them except for "Encased," which the lyrics were written by Paul [Mazurkiewicz, drummer]. And then Pat's four songs are the remaining four songs: "Torn Through," "As Deep as the Knife Will Go," "Followed Home Then Killed," and "Demented Aggression." Paul Mazurkiewicz wrote the lyrics to all four of those. As you can see, between the four of us who do the writing in the band, we definitely share duties. Everybody gets their voice if they want. George, our singer, has always voluntarily opted out of the songwriting portion of the band. He's just never felt inclined to do that. But everyone's welcome to contribute if they want to. It helps; it's for the better of the album that everyone is so active in that way.

Definitely. Lyrically, do you guys ever find that you're running out of ways for people to be killed?

[laughs] I mean, probably not. Like the TV show or whatever, there's a '1000 Ways to Die.' And we've only got like 140 songs, so we're not even 20% of the way there.

I guess that's true. [laughs]

But in all seriousness, I don't think that will be a problem. What we really try to do is make each scenario a bit more focused and a bit more specific. Of course, you can have a song about a serial killer, but what's the serial killer doing? And if you have two songs about serial killers on your album, one of them might be doing something in a very different way than the other. We don't want to do general subjects. That wouldn't work. If we had a song that was just about zombies in general, that would be something we would've covered 20 years ago. The songs have to be more specific in order for us to keep from repeating ourselves.

Do you ever have to catch yourself — you're writing down some lyrics about a certain scenario — do you ever have to catch yourself and be like, "Wait, I've written something that's really similar to this before"?

Yeah, sort of. A lot of times what will happen is I'll end up writing something and realize I'm using the same sort of words that I've used before, and I don't want to fall into the trap of using particular words and phrases again and again. Part of that is your "style," but...sometimes, I think when people say that's my style, that's kind of a way of saying I'm repetitive. [laughs] My style is using the same shit again and again. We don't want to be repetitive any more than necessary. Of course, there's a certain amount of it — we are singing about horror. Everything's going to be about horror, so there's going to be a certain amount of repetition, of course. But, in general, we want to have a nice, diverse style. And again, having three different lyricists on the album I think helps us avoid repetition and creates diversity. Paul's lyric writing style is quite different than from mine, as is Rob's, so I hope that it's a very interesting listen as well as an interesting read from start to finish.

Yeah, I definitely think so. You once said in an interview that you all really try to push the limits of musical complexity on every new album. Do you think that's true for this new album?

Well, I think what we've wound up settling into is instead of having the goal be to make things complex and more difficult to play, the next step for us was to try and write the best songs we could. Learning how to arrange things in a better way, how to create excitement with our skills as musicians rather than writing songs that show off the skills, necessarily. There's definitely a few moments of some pretty serious chops going on, but that's not its reason for being. What we've gotten to now is we still want to push ourselves, but we're kind of pushing ourselves in the songwriting department. There's some fairly technical things going on on this record that are at a higher level than we've ever been at as far as writing rhythms; we've learned to work better together as a band. Having, for example, the way the bass and the drums work together and those sort of things. I just think that the songs overall are just better. There are better drum fills. Every last little detail of every song was thought about. Every drum fill, every bass line. Our attention to detail has gotten better than ever, I think.

We probably didn't push as hard as we had before as far as making shit hard to play. I mean, it's going to be hard to play by nature because we're good players, I think. We're not the best or whatever, but we're definitely decent players and we enjoy writing challenging music. But the fact that it's challenging is just a side effect of us trying to write the best songs we could, the heaviest stuff we could. It's not the be-all, end-all of the song itself. The songs are written to be good, and if they wind up being hard, it's a side effect.

Yeah. I definitely think that there are a lot of extreme metal bands out there that have really talented musicians, but they just push the technical side of it so far that it's unlistenable.

Yeah. I love technical music, but I think you should develop your technical ability as a musician in order to write music that you love. [laughs] You know what I mean? And by being a really good musician, you don't have any technical limitations. You can write whatever you want, but you don't have to write songs that are specifically designed to show off what you play; you should just have a high skill level so that you can write whatever you want.

Yeah. It's like a tool.

Yeah, exactly. If you have the best set of tools, it doesn't mean you have to use every drill bit in your drill box in every project you do just because you have all these tools. You just use whatever is appropriate for that particular piece.

For sure. And I have to say that the bass tone on the new album is one of the best I've heard on a metal record recently.

Well, thank you.

How do you get that sound?

Okay. That was a combination of things. The amps I use are SWR amps. They're a really good, versatile amp you can get a good, cutting sound from. I use my Spector basses, and again, they're great basses. But I have used them before. They've always been the key since around 2003, when I started using them. They've been a key part of my sound. But I think the big difference this time is definitely the SWR amps, and also, I used a Boss overdrive pedal. Since the recording, I've actually gotten an even better overdrive pedal made by a company called Darkglass — I should just mention that because I'm endorsing them. It's an awesome company. But on the album, I did use a Boss Bass Overdrive. Now, the thing is is it's not really a distorted sound. I turned the gain and the drive all the way off. I dialed it all the way to the left so that really all it did by having the pedal engaged was add a little bite and a little bit of midrange. It gave me more presence, and it enabled Erik [Rutan, producer] to put the bass in the mix in a place where it can be constantly heard. If you have a decent ear, you should be able to hear just about every note I'm playing on this record. It's something that we're very happy about, and we want to continue to have -- from here on out, I want the bass to be on that level on every album we do. I don't see any reason for it not to be.

It's been a little bit of a mission of mine throughout my career to make the bass an equal member in a death metal band, and I feel that unfortunately in a lot of death metal and other kinds of extreme metal, the bass is not an equal member. It's almost an invisible member, and that's no good. We need to have it be an important thing where you hear it the entire time. It's a little bit of a personal mission of mine, and I don't want to get too sidetracked here from the interview being about the band as a whole. But yeah, making the bass an equal member — not more important, but just equal to the other instruments — is a big deal to me. This album, it's one of the most successful we've ever been at that, for sure.

Especially considering the complexity of the parts. It's one thing if it's just playing root notes, but you're all over the place.

Yeah, thanks. It took a while, and I practiced a lot on the parts. I also tried to make sure I wrote parts that were going to pop out. Having some interesting bass lines in combination with having good sound and being well-prepared and being able to give a good performance in the studio — those things came together and made it possibly the best bass Cannibal Corpse album there's been. 'The Bleeding' was a really good one back from the old days. That might be the loudest up until this point.

Well, I have one more question for you. If you could make a full-length movie based on any song in your discography, which one would you pick?

Hmm... that's a good question! I would probably need to go back and think about that one for a while. I've never really thought about that. It really depends. There are so many songs where something could be expanded. Each song is only about three to four minutes long and has lyrics that are written in a way that they can be — they're certainly not as detailed as even a short screenplay, not even close, of course. There's really a lot of room to build on these. From the new album, you can take a song like "Crucifier Avenged" and build a story off of that idea about an executioner who's going so far as to inspire the other members of his judicial team to try and kill him. [laughs] That sort of thing. There is a plot to be pulled out of that. As the songs stand by themselves, they're all relatively barren compared to a full-on story. I think any of them could be potentially turned into something good. "Followed Home Then Killed" — I'm just thinking the new record because it's fresh in my mind, but there's a bunch of old songs, too. "Bloodlands" would be interesting. That would have to be a lot of CGI, probably. "Rotted Body Landslide" — again, that would be a pretty gross one. [laughs] Yeah, any of them. I hate to be wishy-washy about this one, but we've got like 140 songs or something around that. I'd have to sit down and look at all of them before I could pick that one.

Yeah. I figured it would be a difficult question. [laughs]

Yeah, it's tough.

Pick up Cannibal Corpse's new album, Torture.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their official website.

Photo: Michael Fiske

New York City's Black Taxi are continuing to make a name for themselves. Last year, the group released their sophomore album to favorable reviews and have been playing shows nonstop since the summer. With a whopping eight gigs scheduled during SXSW, it's a wonder the eclectic rockers found the time to sit down and speak with us, but that's exactly what they did. Together, along with their berry smoothies, Black Taxi discussed the making of their latest release, 'We Don't Know Any Better,' some of their Austin adventures, and they answer a question we're sure you're all wondering: what the heck is that vampire rabbit horse thing on their album cover?

Pick up Black Taxi's latest album, We Don't Know Any Better.

For the band's upcoming tour dates, check out their Facebook page.