Interview with RED CAIN

Georgina talks with Alberta, Canada’s RED CAIN. This prog power band released their new album NAE’BLIS on June 2nd. Born out of the vast prairies and snowy peaks of Alberta, Canada, RED CAIN is a modern progressive metal project with Eastern European roots. With intricate songwriting, powerful vocals, eerie soundscapes and strong electronic-backed groove.

THE METAL PIT: (Georgina) How did you choose your band name and what is the story behind it if any?

RED CAIN: It was a name chosen to evoke strong visual imagery with the colour red, and connect to our interest in storytelling – with one of the most well-known stories told, that of Cain and Abel. With time, the name embodied our brand and became more pragmatic as something easy to remember and capturing the high-level essence of the band. Makes for a great logo as well.

How long has your current band lineup been together?

In totality, just for this release. Sam Ridout and Kalie Yan joined for just under a year ago, and have been integral parts of the band since.

What’s the story behind your latest album and new release NAE BLISS?

It’s a play on the term “Nae’blis”, which in the Wheel of Time lore, is the title of the Champion of the Great Lord of the Dark, the antagonist of the series. The umlauts are a nod to Swedish metal, which inspired some of the work on this album, including most recently bands such as Vildhjarta and Humanity’s Last Breath, as well as mainstay influences Opeth and Meshuggah.

In terms of the concept, it follows four of the Forsaken, the antagonists of the Wheel of Time series, and their motivations and struggle against the Light and its champion, the Dragon Reborn – framed as a struggle against stagnation and the status quo that the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time universe represents. They are agents of Chaos, revolutionaries fighting for freedom from the shackles of the Wheel.

Are there any plans for touring in support of your latest release?

We are working on this, and would love to do a European tour and meet our most vocal and involved fans there – as well as make some new ones.

What genre of music would you say your band falls under?

Many – we’ve made it our mission to have multiple influences that reflect our own interests as musicians in each release. We’re firmly rooted in power metal, of course, but we’ve always had strong gothrock, prog, and now even death metal influences in our albums, especially the latest release. Frankly, we prefer it this way, and it is interesting both for us as musicians and our fans.

Where is your hometown and can you tell us a little about the place?

Calgary, Alberta! We’re famous for the yearly Calgary Stampede celebration, beautiful mountain scenery, and an underachieving hockey team.

Who are some of the band’s influences?

We frankly have a massive list, but the core ones are Kamelot, Symphony X, Tesseract, and more recently, Meshuggah and Opeth. We’ve also aimed for a modern electronic-backed sound similar to bands like Periphery, Amaranthe, etc. And we always love to include some gothrock influence from bands such as Charon, 69 Eyes, Lacrimas Profundere.

I absolutely love the band’s diversity. Can you introduce us to each band member and where they are from and what they do in the band?

Thank you! Evgeniy is originally from Russia, where he went through music school and received a classical education with a focus on piano. He came to Canada when he was a teenager and switched focus to rock and metal after embracing the local music scene and falling in love with the genres. Red Cain is a product of his musical vision.

Sam is a talented and extremely technical guitarist who made his name through playing jazz in various local open mic nights and perfecting his technique at the grassroots level. Red Cain is his first step into professional musicianship, and he has already had a massive influence on the band’s sound, sharing songwriting duties with Evgeniy on “NAE’BLISS”.

Taylor is a long-time Red Cain member and a stable, consistent, rock-solid presence on the back end. His true love is thrash metal, with bands like Artillery, Megadeth, and the more aggressive releases of Devin Townsend.

Kalie is a talented multi-disciplinary musician who has a presence in the Chinese market in the hip-hop genre, and is an extremely versatile vocalist, contributing growls to the latest Red Cain album, as well as playing live bass. She is a great asset to the band.

Andrei is a virtuoso guitarist who perfected his skills and pursues a career as a guitar teacher as well as his musical work. His neoclassical style is an homage to his idols Yngwie Malmsteen, Buckethead, and Steve Vai, and he brings another facet of Eastern European musical tradition to the band, hailing from Romania.

Do you have any other albums out? If so, what are they called and where can they be found?

We have three other albums: a self-titled EP, and two concept albums, Kindred: Act I, and Kindred: Act II. All are available anywhere music is sold or streamed, or directly from us at redcain.bandcamp.com

Do you have any upcoming shows or tours?

We have recently played some local shows and are in the process of planning a larger touring presence.

Do you have any funny or interesting stories from being on the road that you can share with us?

Not yet – but we plan to soon!

What are some of your favorite songs to play live?

Our Eastern European anthem “Hiraeth” from our debut EP won us the YYC Best Metal Recording of the Year music award, and is still a fan favourite that we love to play live.

What do you hope people take away from your music?

Part of the vision of the band was to capture pagan Slavic musical tradition where songs and stories were used as a unifying force that paid homage to Slavic gods who stood shoulder to shoulder with the common people, and passed on timeless stories listeners. Likewise, we love to tell stories and transport listeners to a different setting. Listening to a Red Cain track is meant to be an encompassing, full experience, and there is always something new to be discovered through multiple listens. We hope that every fan can shape their own interpretation, visual and aural, from the music that we release, and that we can take them with us on the wild ride to whatever world is vividly portrayed in our songs.

Who are some of your favorite tour partners or collaborators that you’ve worked with so far?

We really enjoyed working with Kobra Paige of Kobra and The Lotus on our track “Wing of the Crow” where she featured as a guest vocalist. She put up a brilliant performance that completed our vision, and was an absolute professional and lovely to work with.

What are some of the band’s upcoming projects?

We are already thinking about upgrading our live show for our fans, and working on the vision for our next release!

What is the best way to contact the band?

You can reach us at redcainarmy@gmail.com,
Instagram @RedCainArmy
Facebook at Red Cain Official.

How can fans stay up-to-date with the band’s activities?

Our Instagram and Facebook are the best ways to do so.

What merchandise does the band sell, and where can it be purchased?

We primarily sell our music as digital tracks, but we do release shirts and physical CDs based on certain releases.

Is there anything you would like to tell your current fans and new ones while they read this interview?

We’d love to hear from you about our latest release, or anything at all! Fans are a huge reason for why we make music, and we love to keep a dialogue with you wonderful people. Check out the album, and listen to more Canadian music – we have plenty of massively talented artists in the great white North. Thank you for listening!

Thank you for this interview.

Thank you for sharing and taking the time for this interview…

RED CAIN ARE:

Evgeniy Zayarny: Vocals
Samuel Ridout: Guitars
Andrei Buldan: Guitars
Kalie Yan: Bass/Vocals
Taylor Gibson: Drums

***Interview by Georgina Strilakos

Album Review: CREEPING DEATH

Boundless Domain

Reviewed by: Anthony Prugo

Rating: 7.5

Well here is my first review for The Metal Pit and what a doozie it is. I had to listen to Creeping Death‘s Boundless Domain several times before I could tackle it. So rather than give an in-depth review on each song I thought it best to break it down as whole from two different perspectives. Perspective 1 is me (who considers Slayer‘s Reign In Blood classic metal), and Perspective 2 is the same me who is just getting into Death Metal.

Perspective 1

Wow this is pretty good. Sounds like Grave, Morgoth, Gorguts, Cannibal Corpse (which, of note, George Corpsegrinder is a guest vocalist on the track two of Boundless Domain), Obituary, and at one point My Dying Bride. Speaking of Cannibal Corpse, you will most certainly hear Evisceration Plague here.

Pretty much everything on here brings back memories of when death metal was in its glory days. While there is no copying, the influences are right in your face. And that’s not a bad thing at all. Boundless Domain brought back a lot of nostalgia. A great introduction to the band, and a scorching release that sees more brilliance to come.

Track #2 sees George Corpsegrinder Fischer (Cannibal Corpse vocalist) take on some vocal duties. You would never know it, though, as his vocals sound a bit buried.

Closer to the end of the album we can hear that things are slowing down a bit. Either they were getting more melancholic or perhaps were running short on ideas. Regardless, the songs hold their own and make the final turnout of the album into some great tracks. I suggest giving this whole album at least one full listen. It will grow on you.

Perspective 2

“Hey guys you, have you downloaded the latest Creeping Death? It is freaking brutal!” Yes, to the younger death metal fans just starting to get into the genre this is a fabulous gateway album and hopefully it encourages them to explore the roots of the genre.

Overall, this a great album for young and old. For fans that like the mid-tempo crushing chugging style this is a real treat. There are only a couple of blast beats, but that is not what this album is about.

With more time, good things will continue to creep up

Album Review: HELLWITCH

Annihilational Intercention

Reviewed By: Jim Harrison

Score: 9.5

Floridian thrash pioneers Hellwitch will release their new album Annihilational Intercention June 30, 2023 (physical release) on Listenable Records. They started back in 1984 hailing from Gainesville, Florida and have pushed the boundaries of blackened thrash metal to the extreme. Founding vocalist/guitarist and frontman Pat Ranieri leads the charge with a voice full of character that gives Hellwitch their distinctive sound. Coupled with guitarist J.P Brown and drummer Brian Wilson whose talents really showcase how musically talented this band is plus the album artwork is awesome.

I have to start off with the last track on this album as I have a cool connection to it from my early youth. ‘Torture Chamber’, from Transgressive Sentience demo in 1986 ended up on a thrash compilation called Thrash Metal Attack in 1987. I had a friend who used to vacation every summer for a couple of weeks in Florida who brought this back and I copied it. This was our favourite track on this compilation and it reminded us of early Metallica, every time I hear this song it brings me back to my high school days. This album breaks an early thrash metal sound, bringing it forward and making it totally relevant.

The album starts with a killer track ‘Solipsistic Immortality’ that could easily fit on any Slayer album. This is a heavy track that starts the album off with a bang! ‘Delegated Disruption’ begins with a fantastic drum beat then the guitars rip in, Pats vocals are awesome producing a classic thrash sound. Track three ‘Megalopalypytic Confine’ sounds like we were heading into a Deep Purple beat then it changes direction, fast and furious.

Next is a short instrumental when we slide into the track ‘Hellwitch’, my favourite track on the album. This is thrash, old school thrash. Whoever said metal is dead in 2023 needs to listen to this song it gives me goosebumps, it’s that good. ‘Epochal Cessation’ follows another classic thrash recipe leading into what I thought was a slower track ‘Anthorpophagie’, the longest song on the album. When this song hits the two minute mark it takes off. This is more of a blackened thrash song that sounds like it has a bit of an Overkill influence adding their own stamp on it. The next song ‘At Rest’, continues the assault. I would love to see this track live. The energy from this track would fill a venue with absolute mayhem. There will be a cover of Sweet Home Alabama on the vinyl version release only, that I can’t wait to hear.

The cover art is fantastic and was created by Khaos Dictator Design and captures the essence of this album.

What I love about Hellwitch is the honesty of their craft and they stay true to their roots. For any metal fans looking for a killer album that takes no prisoners check this out. I highly recommend this album.

ALBUM REVIEW: NIGHT LEGION

Fight or Fall

Review Score: 8.5

Reviewed by: Billy Klare

Night Legion are back with their Sophomore release titled “Fight or Fall” due out June 30, 2023 on Massacre Records. The Night Legion website describes their sound as “Razor sharp power metal to make your ears bleed – In the best possible way”. Pretty accurate but I also hear plenty of traditional heavy metal components as well. There are two new band members since the first album back in 2017 with the incredibly capable Louie Gorgievski on vocals and Col Higginson on guitar. The album contains 9 tracks clocking in just under forty minutes in length.

New vocalist Louie shines throughout the entire album with a beautiful soaring melodic voice in the style of a Bruce Dickinson, Tim Owens or even Michael Kiske at times, but still fully retains his own originality (he notes Bruce Dickinson as his favorite singer / primary influence). It appears he’s only done guest album contributions or singing on other artist solo albums but he definitely deserves to fully front a band in my opinion. His melodic and powerful vocals are a perfect match for Night Legion and their underlying song writing approach.

Guitarists Stu Marshall and Col Higginson are successful delivering plenty of hook laden riffs that form the base of each song but the solo work especially stands out. The solos are often very emotive with plenty of feeling vs. just playing super fast like the standard power metal formula (but don’t get me wrong, Stu can absolutely shred!). Glenn Williams bass is well positioned in the mix, he contributes a number of interesting bass lines that come to the forefront of many tracks. Clay T provides the thundering drumming driving the overall pace of each track. Unlike many power metal bands, Night Legion doesn’t rely keyboards.

The songwriting is very memorable with plenty of melodic anthem driven choruses that will surely have you singing along & raising your fists in the air. The songs successfully slow down at the right moment with dramatic interludes that make the faster components far more impactful. Many of the tracks border on traditional heavy metal and power metal to my ears with a few surprises along the way. The only minor critique I would note is the overall construction of the combined songs is not overly original or ground breaking but Night Legion are very effective operating in their lane.

The album is bookended by the two longest songs both exceeding the five minute mark. The opening track is the epic “The Hounds of Baskerville’ that takes the listener on a multi-paced journey led by a super addictive chorus, powerful vocals and shredding guitar work (also the common thread applying to most of the album tracks). Songs like “Babylon Burns”, “Soaring into the Black”, “Harvest of Sin” and the title track “Fight or Fall” show the entire band firing on all cylinders in full galloping power metal mode – I love these tracks! Next is “At World’s End” with one of the most addictive chorus melodies I’ve heard in a while, talk about an ear worm you won’t soon forget. The closing song “The Hand of Death” was a pleasant surprise with the guys slowing things down showing more of a gritty / heavy side almost bordering on Doom Metal at times.

Forget all the fancy sub-genre descriptions applying to heavy metal, “Fight or Fall” is simply heavy metal done right. The album is enjoyable on first listen and gets better with additional plays as the musical hooks sink in. All traditional metal and power metal fans should dig this new material. Check out the two singles already available for “The Hounds of Baskerville” & “Soaring into Black”, both are representative of what to expect on the full album. Production is clean and top notch further adding to the overall quality of this release. Highly recommended, I plan to get a copy for my personal collection.

Track Listing

The Hounds of Baskerville
Babylon Burns
Soaring into the Black
Fight or Fall
At World’s End
Beyond the Crimson Dawn
Harvest of Sin
The Enemy
The Hand of Death

Line-Up

Louie Gorgievski – Vocals
Stu Marshall – Lead Guitar
Col Higginson – Guitar
Glenn Williams – Bass Guitar
Clay T – Drums

THIS IS ARMAGEDDON! The Mighty IMMORTAL Delivers Their First One-Man Band Album, With The Slightly Frosty War Against All!

Review By: Jason Deaville

Rating: 7.0

Well, this is a tough one, my fellow Nordic black metal connoisseurs. Yeah, the above-pictured album cover from the legendary Immortal (their tenth album) sports all the requisite ice-covered mountain-y kitsch one can easily find adorning most black metal albums of this ilk, with none of the elements feeling particularly out of place. Unfortunately, the one thing that truly does feel out of place is that logo. Let me explain.

The last album, 2018’s Northern Chaos Gods, was an exceptional entry into post-Abbath era Immortal. With the crab-walking one’s departure, it was now up to Demonaz (Harald Nævdal) to ensure the legacy lived on. To his credit, he took every nuance and convention from the previous nine albums and continued in the classic Immortal idiom rather than redefine what had long been defined. This feat can’t be understated, as Demonaz – who already had defined himself outside of Immortal with his self-titled solo project from several years ago – could have taken this thing in any direction he so wished. The slate was clean with Abbath out of the picture. He chose to remain trve and the fans rejoiced!

It’s been five years since Northern Chaos Gods, and my how times have changed. In that time, we’ve seen the exit of long-time Immortal drummer, Horgh. This now leaves Demonaz as the sole member of the now one-man band, apart from session work by Ice Dale (Enslaved, Demonaz, Malignant Eternal) on bass and Kevin Kvåle (Gaahls Wyrd) on drums. Of note, Ice Dale also provided session work for Demonaz’s solo album, March Of The North.

Judging by the title track, War Against All starts off promising enough. The song unleashes a torrent of frigid Immortal blastbeats, encasing everything within earshot in ice. Demonaz‘s vocals exude an intensity that was never quite found on previous Immortal albums. His pitch is actually quite diverse, ranging from a sharp screech to some epic lower register howls that takes the song into some very cool realms. The song doesn’t let up from start to finish and sets what I was hoping would be a precedent for the rest of the album.

The second track, ‘Thunders Of Darkness’ starts in much the same way as the first, but quickly takes a turn into familiar territory, more specifically territories charted in Demonaz’s solo project, which is rife with Bathory influence. This influence seems to have carried over to many of the songs found on War Against All. In fact, heading into the third song, ‘War God’, one can absolutely hear the Quorothon influence at its most pronounced, with its main riff a plodding, mid-paced banger that could have easily lived on Blood, Fire, Death era Bathory. This is also equally true for the fifth track of the album, ‘No Sun’.

If the Bathory influence weren’t enough – and still on the topic of the song ‘No Sun’- we are also treated to sneak peeks of another legendary black metal band. Mayhem. This one was a surprise to me. Now, I can’t be absolutely certain, but I believe this is the first time I have heard anything remotely Mayhem-like on an Immortal album. The homage is as clear as day once the dissonant riffing kicks in about midway through the song. This approach can also be heard on the album’s finest moment, fittingly titled ‘Immortal’. This is the one moment of the album where things sound decidedly askew, recalling some of the crazy, off-kilter riffage of Inquisition. Very cool indeed.

While we are on the topic of no sun, did anyone else notice, and I hate to call it this, laziness, of some of the song titles? We have back-to-back tracks with essentially the same theme: ‘No Sun’ and ‘Return To Cold’. We get it, Demonaz, you love a nice cup of hot chocolate and fluffy pajamas on a cold winter’s night. How black metal of you.

Now, none of the above is meant to sound scathing or detract anyone from listening to War Against All. It is a good album in its own right, it’s just not the album I expected to hear from a band well into the third decade of their career. War Against All, in my honest opinion, would have made a great follow-up to Demonaz‘s 2011 solo album, which we are all still waiting for.