Interview with Steve Hammond from Leeches of Lore

You ever hear something that really defies a label, you dig it, but it's so completely different, there is truly no way to classify it? Well if you haven't heard of Leeches of Lore before, we kindly introduce you to something completely different.

With a number of influences that clearly come through on the bands self-titled debut album, Steve Hammond, lead singer, guitarist and bass player took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with Neutronium Core about the debut album, what inspires the band and what is coming up.

The Core: Let's start from the beginning, who inspired you to pick up a guitar and start playing?

Steve Hammond: Well, I don't think it was any one person or band. I have two older brothers who I discovered a lot of classic rock through when I was a kid, but I think the big thing was when I started skateboarding at about 10 or 11.

This was the late 80's and thrash was huge, I had a subscription to Thrasher Magazine and they had a music section in the back. This got me into a lot of thrash and punk bands, as well as underground stuff like Sonic Youth and Melvins.

Then I would seek out tapes of the bands I thought sounded cool, although I'd have to either steal or buy them in secret because there was no way my fundamentalist Christian parents would let me have most of that stuff. In fact, they went through a tape burning phase.

I grew up on a farm in Kansas and would stash shoe boxes of tapes in various barns, grain bins, wood piles, etc. in an attempt to hide my growing collection from my folks. Inevitably, they would find them, and I'd have to watch them burn my precious collection in front of me. I think that just fueled it for me though.

I talked my folks into getting me a guitar and amp at 12, and immediately started recording albums that I wrote myself. I have a musical record of myself from that point on. I still have the first album I conceived and recorded, very badly performed thrash and punk. It just went downhill from there.

The Core: Given that you are a multi-instrumentalist, what was the first instrument you learned how to play?

Steve Hammond: Guitar. Anything else I play I wouldn't really say I have a good handle on. I picked up steel guitar when we needed one for the traditional Honky Tonk band I was in. I love playing steel guitar, but I wouldn't say I'm good at it. I am very talented at the Kazoo, though.

The Core: Where does the name Leeches of Lore come from? Any insight on its meaning?

Steve Hammond: It's really just some silly sci-fi shit I made up. I wrote the song "Leeches of Lore" first, and thought it would make a decent band name. Most band names are stupid, "Leeches of Lore" is no different.

The Core: Leeches of Lore really has a unique take on music, how would you describe the band to someone who hasn't heard you before?

Steve Hammond: That's a hard one. We always get comparisons from people who review us, and I would say most of that isn't too far off. Things like "The Ween of Metal", or "Country Western Thrash" or what have you, touch on a part of what we are.

We started this band with the idea of doing whatever we wanted. We listen to a lot of different stuff, so that comes out in what we do. But we aren't in this to be just a novelty, and we try to do something that's a little more timeless than just the current metal scene or whatever. If you look at two of the most popular bands ever, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, these were bands that had all kinds of influences and were experimenting all the time.

Now I'm not going make the mistake of comparing us to these timeless bands, but I think our approach is similar. I feel like we could release anything and it would still be Leeches of Lore. So I guess the answer to the question is: "I don't know".


The Core: How did you get hooked up with Andy Lutz (drummer) and start playing together?

Steve Hammond: Andy and I worked at a coffee shop together. He heard me listening to the Melvins one day, and told me he loved them. I asked him if he played drums, he said he used to, but it had been about eight years. We borrowed some drums, we "jammed" and that's about it. He really gets better all the time, even though he's kind of a dick.

The Core: Who do you see as your target audience?

Steve Hammond: I think everyone should like us, but it seems like the heavier, stoner, weird, whatever crowd likes us the most. If we are targeting someone, I don't think there should be any limits.


The Core: Where do you find inspiration from for creating songs? Any specific songs you would like to call out and give some background on?

Steve Hammond: I spent a lot of time in bands writing songs about getting fucked up, getting laid, the usual rock and roll topics. I also have written a substantial amount of country love songs. I find all of this very boring.

There is a huge untapped reservoir of subject matter, whether it be biology, physics, history, or the massive amount of projected fiction that goes along with these kind of subjects. The song "Macrochelys Temminckii" for example is about the alligator snapping turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. "Why, Toe-Bot?" on the other hand is about a robot toe killing people.


The Core: Any plans on playing outside of New Mexico in the near future? You know we have Tiki Lounges in California that would welcome you too...

Steve Hammond: We've been together for about a year and a half and in that time have had two tours, mostly in the Midwest. We will be hitting the West Coast this fall, probably October, for an extensive tour. We can always use help, so if you are reading this and can hook us up with a show, please contact me flyingmidgetrecords@yahoo.com

The Core: Anything else?

There is recent live video of Leeches of Lore and even more recent audio, which can be found here

We are recording the second album this summer, and will probably shop it around for awhile.

You can download free tracks from our now out of print EP and a couple of my solo albums, and also buy albums of previous bands I've been in at www.flyingmidgetrecords.com

"Leeches of Lore" (the album) is available at All That is Heavy

Thank you very much for having me.


Thank you Steve, we really appreciate your time in responding. We are hoping to catch you live when you make it out to California.

We hope to have our review of the Leeches of Lore self-titled album up shortly!

Interview with Dave Sherman from EARTHRIDE

Dave Sherman is essentially royalty in the Doom capital of the world, Maryland. He is the former bass player for Spirit Caravan where he also shared vocal duties with Wino. Sherman started EARTHRIDE as a side project but it quickly blossomed into a full time gig once Spirit Caravan split.

We took a few moments with Sherman to find out what he and the band have been up to, what’s going on with the new album and where we can catch EARTHRIDE live next.

The Core: What is EARTHRIDE up to these days?

Dave Sherman: We’ve been trying to write new material for our brand new record, titled Something Wicked. We’ve got seven songs down and we’d like to write three or four more. I think we have Chris Kozlowski to engineer it. (Editors note: Chris Kozlowski was the producer on the legendary EARTHRIDE album Taming of the Demons).


The Core: I see you have some dates in Ohio, Indiana and D.C., do you have any other dates planned?

Sherman: We’re playing Stoner Hands Of Doom and in Baltimore on June 5th at the Sidebar. We’re trying to lay low to focus on writing new songs.

The Core: It’s been a couple of years since Vampire Circus came out, do you have any plans for a new album? Care to provide any insight on what fans can expect?

Sherman: Something Wicked is like a mixture of Taming of the Demons and Vampire Circus, we might even add a couple of special guests.


The Core: How does your music affect you and the world around you?

Sherman: Music is my life’s blood.

The Core: Any plans to have Land-o-Smiles do anymore repressings of your classic albums?

Sherman: I don’t think so, but we might put it on iTunes.


The Core: What do you think of all these new metal bands emerging from Maryland, do they pay you proper respect?

Sherman: Yeah, everybody’s big time friends in Maryland. We all get along. We borrowed Admiral Browning’s bass player to play at Templars of Doom when our bass player Rob Hampshire wasn’t able to go due to a previous commitment.


The Core: Any last words?

Sherman: Take care of yourself and everybody else.



Thanks Sherman! We really look forward to the new album!

Just a reminder to help these bands out by attending gigs, buying their records and merchandise...spread the word!

You can pick up EARTHRIDE T-shirt from Real Deal Merchandise here

All That Is Heavy also has a couple CDs and a picture disc in stock that you can buy here

RHINO Interview with Javier Gálvez

Something incredibly heavy and ominous is happening in Spain. Something thunderous that’s ready to trample you to death. Something that wants to blow your ears out and show you that Spain has risen and is ready to conquer the world again. That something is called RHINO, a Stoner/Doom/Thrash band and they have released a mind-numbingly fantastic record on Arctic Music Group/7th Gate records, and they are ready for conquest.

Neutronium Core took some time with Javier “Javi” Gálvez, RHINO's lead singer/guitar player, to talk to us about the band’s latest album Dead Throne Monarch. We found out what got him playing in the first place and he even drops some knowledge on the next album.

The Core: How did RHINO come together?

Javi Gálvez: Our drummer Julen Gil and I had been trying to play together for a while. It finally happened in December of 2004, when we played our first rehearsal. It took so long because both of us were involved in other bands at the time. We released our demo Name the Horn Bearer in 2006 after playing our asses off in the live circuit of our area. Our bassist, Sergio Robles, came in right after we finished recording our first album Breed The Chosen One in 2007. Since then, we have played with a ton of bands, including Moho, Gorefest, Taint, One Man Army and the Undead Quartet, Warchetype, Hate and Entombed, to name a few. We ended up signing with Arctic Music Group and released our second LP Dead Throne Monarch.


The Core: What makes RHINO different than other bands coming out of Spain?

Javi: Well, I think that we are different from the rest because nobody does what we do, simple as that. We mix rock with death metal, grunge, thrash (at least that’s what people say ha ha!)…We like to play heavy and crushing music but it still has a melody with great vocal lines. Today, everybody is screaming, making noise, riff after riff or playing doom drone, making as much noise as possible. So we came in, started playing brutal rock with choruses and hooks…that really has people going “what the fuck!?!”


The Core: What is the scene like over in Spain? Is it different than other countries in Europe that you have played in?

Javi: On one side you have the underground doom scene I was talking about before; on the other, the same old rancid and boring heavy metal, with ridiculous bands, which usually sing in Spanish, and most of them are copycats of other international acts. Of course, there are plenty of underground Death Metal and Grindcore acts. I think it’s pretty much the same with other countries in Europe, on the surface you have a lot of crap but beneath all of that, there are some really great bands.


The Core: How do you get your chunky, in your face, want to rip your throat out tone?

Javi: We have no unique tricks or special effects or whatever the crap many of the other bands use. We tune in A and play with attitude, which is one of the most important ingredients that you have to have in your band if you don’t want to suck! We like to make it simple, direct, slow, sometimes not so slow, brutal and kill everybody with our music!


The Core: You have some pretty varied influences; we want to know who made you want to pick up a guitar and rock?

Javi: Since I was a little kid I was always playing rock and metal, thanks to my older brother, who also played guitar and bought records like AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock, KISS’ Rock and Roll Over, the first Van Halen and the first Black Sabbath records. When I got a little older, I discovered Thrash and went crazy with the Death Metal wave that came in the late 80s from Florida. Some of my all time favorite bands are Malevolent Creation, Death, Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower.

Beyond that, the rest of the band and I listen to so many types of music to and don’t just stay in the extreme metal side of things; We like to listen to Glenn Hughes, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Glenn Danzig, Hall and Oates, Soundgarden. We don’t close doors to great music.


The Core: Will we ever get a chance to see RHINO in the states? Any plans to play outside of Spain at this point?

Javi: We would love to play in the States man! To be on an American label like Arctic Music Group is a total triumph for us, so playing there would be amazing. We’re just waiting for offers to play anywhere.

The Core: Will Dead Throne Monarch be available on vinyl?

Javi: We would like to see it released on double vinyl, because the fucker is 70 minutes long! But it seems like nobody cares or wants to put their money in that. Again, we’re waiting for offers, we have been approached by some labels but haven’t had the success we need to make it happen yet.


The Core: Anything else?

Javi: So far, our last record is having great reviews everywhere so we hope to make some new fans, both in the States and Europe, and get the band to the next level. Our third LP is almost written so we’re looking forward to recording it in late 2009/early 2010. It will terrorize the masses with crushing and apocalyptic funeral hymns!


Damn Javi, tell it like it is man! Thanks for rocking our world, we really appreciate your time and look forward to the new album!

Let’s see what we can do to get a label to make Javi (and our) dream of the double vinyl release of Dead Throne Monarch happen. Start yelling at whoever will listen, posting in forums, and dropping emails to your favorite record labels!

You can pick up Dead Throne Monarch here

And don’t forget to check out RHINO at their MySpace page here

OCEAN CHIEF Interview with Björn Andersson

Neutronium Core took some time with Ocean Chief guitarist Björn Andersson's to find out about the bands upcoming release. For those of you not in the know, Ocean Chief hails from Sweden and putting out some heavily Nordic Mythology and viking themed Doom/Sludge metal since 2001. We found out about the new album they are recording for Electric Earth and what to expect when it hits shelves in the next month or two.

The Core: How is the new album coming along? Being your third full-length album is it getting any easier or more difficult?

Björn Andersson: Good question… But the process of making new songs is the same as before. It’s been coming up with a bunch of good riffs along with some jamming to get the right feeling out of it. Quite simple I'd say!

The new songs are like the previous ones we have done, which were recorded during one weekend in our rehearsal room. Jocke and Tobbe have the skills to pull that off using the simplest of means. And that’s a good thing because we never want a clean, polished sound.

The one time we entered a "real" studio was when recording the TOR album back in 2004.

The Core: Have you decided on a name for the album yet?

Björn: Yep. It will be called Den Förste.

[The Core: I believe it means “The First” in English]

The Core: How has working with Electric Earth been treating you?

Björn: All good. He (Jelle of Electric Earth) is a fan of our work and we are fans of his. Teamwork and friendship among like-minded heavy souls can’t go wrong.

The Core: Any plans to release the new album on vinyl?

Björn: It's on VINYL ONLY! Perhaps there will be a reissue out on CD later on, only time will tell...

The Core: When will you be on tour to support the album? When are you going to come to the states?

Björn: No tour plans as we speak. We are lazy motherfuckers when it comes to that… One off shows here and there will do it for us, at least until next year.

Coming to the States would be cool, and we're totally up for it! But as I said, we need someone to pull our strings and get us there since we are quite unable to do it ourselves.

The Core: Any tracks that you are really digging on the new album that will blow us away?

Björn: Of course! There's 3 new songs on the album, and they are all sweet psychedelic DOOMED out stuff.

The 4th song we recorded is to be released as a split CD with Sweden’s DOMEDAG (which includes members of Runemagick). This will be THE NORTHERN LIGHTS part 2, which will be released by Aftermath Music in late 2009.

The Core: Anything else?

Björn: Thanks for your support and interest in OCEAN CHIEF! Check out the new LP when it's released, I’m sure old fans will like it and hopefully we'll get some new ones too!

We will keep you informed on when the album is expected to land and where you can pick up a copy. Thanks to Björn Andersson for his time.

If you want to check out the new track from Den Förste, swing by Ocean Chief's MySpace page here

You can also pick up TOR or the very limited split-LP with Kongh in the All That Is Heavy online store here

Black Pyramid Interview

Massachusetts' Doom band Black Pyramid's Andy Beresky (guitars, vocals) and Clay Neely (drums) took time out from kicking major ass to talk to Neutronium Core about the new album, plans for the tour and a few other things.

The Core: Congratulations on the new album, how has the response been?

Clay: Well, it leaked before it was released so that's my first taste of 21st century 'success'. It's only available through our label's record online distribution at the moment but so far we've been very happy that so many people have enjoyed it and had many kind words about the CD.

Andy: The response has been overwhelmingly positive, considering the "official" release date isn't until July 14th. You can only get the album at this point from Meteorcity's All That Is Heavy store, or from us directly at a show, but still, a good number of people have heard it and seem to be digging on it. Truthfully I was surprised and flattered by some of the comments and comparisons.

The Core: Any chance on touring beyond the North East to support the new album?

Andy: We're hoping in the fall to tour down the Northeast, and also the upper Midwest, plus we'll be playing the Stoner Hand of Doom festival in the fall, and we're really excited about traveling to Maryland for that one.

Clay: If the opportunity is right and there's a remote chance we won't dig ourselves into an insurmountable financial hole, we're up for touring anywhere.


The Core: It seems like the two biggest areas for new DOOM in the U.S. is in Massachusetts and Maryland, is it something in the water?

Andy: Well, the whole Maryland, DC, and Virginia area has always been a haven for great doom over the years. Mass may not be as much of a "doom capital", but it's not like there has ever been a real drought in quality doom and sludge. Grief and Warhorse were both from here, Planet Gemini has been recording quality Mass doom for awhile. Now you've got some newer bands like Elder and Bloodhorse making a name for themselves, and although we're tight with Elder and a lot of the rock and metal bands, you don't have that same sense of a tight scene that's similar to an extended family like you find around the DC area. Not yet anyways...

Clay: It's unfluoridated in my town, that's all I can tell you. Maybe that helps.

The Core: You are writing new material for the upcoming split with Old One, how did you get hooked up with them?

Andy: Well, we were both on the most recent Stonerrock.com compilation, and both of our contributions seemed to have been appreciated, so when they asked us to do a split with them, it seemed like it would be a good fit. Splits are always a good thing, as both bands basically get automatic exposure to the others audience. With us and Old One, you've got two bands doing two totally different things, and yet the sounds are still pretty compatible.

The Core: Any insight on what the new material is about?

Andy: It's going to be two songs, one is more of a war metal number in the vein of "No Life King", but it has a bit more of an arrangement musically. Lyrically, it's called "Warswine", so you can pretty much guess what that one's all about. The second song is epic and complicated, it's got more of an old-school doom vibe to it, with some strange twists and turns. It's definitely the most experimental thing we've worked on up to this point.


The Core: How did you come up with the name Black Pyramid? Does it signify anything in particular?

Andy: Well, we needed a name, I had suggested The Eye In The Pyramid, then someone said "why not just Pyramid?" Then it became Black Pyramid, which does have a little more meaning to us. The suggestion of a pyramid refers to our sound: heavy, old, and monolithic. Adding the "black" to it references the more out there aspects of the band, the UFO and psychedelic connotations.


The Core: Will Meteorcity or Electric Earth be pressing any vinyl for your self-titled album? If so, when can we expect to see it?

Clay: Yes, Electric Earth will be releasing a double gatefold later on this summer. We're extremely excited to work with them again as they are an extremely proficient operation that has supported us from the get go. It's a bonus that we get to release our full length with them. Also, we have an extra vinyl only bonus track that will hopefully encourage some vinyl sales.

The Core: Anything else you want to discuss?

Andy: Just like to thank you for your support of the band, and for taking the time to help us out a bit. To everyone else out there, read books that make you think, listen to music that makes you deaf, and drink beer that makes you drunk; get away from this reality by creating your own...


A MAJOR thank you to Black Pyramid for taking the time to talk to us.

Find a way to go and see Black Pyramid live this summer when they come to your town.

Make sure to buy the new album and don't forget to pick up the Visions of Gehenna 7" (there are only 400 copies in the world and All That is Heavy has them in stock) so jump on over there and show Black Pyramid your support by buying something!

You can buy the full length self-titled album here

You can buy Visions of Gehenna here

When the vinyl comes out we are going to post a review, so stay tuned.

Truckfighters Mini-Interview with Ozo

As promised we contacted Sweden's Fuzz-Stoner rockers Truckfighters to ask some quick questions about their upcoming release Mania and to see what else is going on. Ozo, the singer/bass player took a few moments out of his busy schedule to provide some well needed insight to you our readers. Thanks Ozo!

The Core: When will the album be available in the United States and who will be distributing it??

Ozo: Like the European release, it will be available 22nd May in the states and will be for sale at All That is Heavy. But it will probably be "officially" released in a few months.

The Core: Any plans to have Mania come out on vinyl?

Ozo: Yes, but it will probably only be available at our live gigs and in the Fuzzorama shop. It most likely will come out a few weeks later than the CD release date of May 22nd.

The Core: Any plans for a tour here in the United States?

Ozo: No plans at the moment, but we DO wish to go to the US someday!!!

Make the time to check out Truckfighters, they are well worth a listen. We will post a full review of Mania once we get our gubby paws on it.