Touted as one of 2009’s biggest and most promising acts rising from the Portuguese metal scene, Switchtense are five friends who came together in 2002 to play heavy music due to a shared passion of bands such as Pantera, Lamb of God and Slayer. Released earlier this year by independent label Rastilho Records, their full-length debut “Confrontation of Souls” magnificently melds crushing and infectious riffs with Slayer’s razor-sharp leads and stands head and shoulders above the rest of their homegrown competition when it comes to talent and musicianship.
Scratch the Surface approached Switchtense’s vocalist Hugo Andrade through e-mail to learn more about an act clearly destined for big things.

Following the release of the EP “Brainwash Show”, which garnered very enthusiastic reactions, Switchtense have decided to channel all their energies into the writing of their debut full-length record. Did the band had some type of preconceived ideas of how to make the record sound or “Confrontation of Souls” is majorly the spontaneous result of countless hours working at the rehearsal room?

“Before I answer your question let me just thank you for the chance to speak about our work to your readers.
‘Confrontation of Souls’ is the record that we really wanted to make! It was thought and worked on during about one year and throughout this period we were perfecting all the details that we wanted to be the most professional as possible.
We pre-produced the entire album at our rehearsal-room/studio and that was without a doubt of great value for the end result, because without this exhaustive pre-production that we’ve made, we wouldn’t be prepared at the time we would enter the studio, and our biggest concern was exactly that, to enter the studio with the conviction of what we’d make.
However, things flowed naturally… There are a lot of spontaneous things in the composition of the songs since some of them had been written just weeks before going into the Ultrasound Studios, and if we add the fact that our drummer Xines joined the band when we already had a hand-full of themes prepared, to which he added his personal touch with the instrument he plays, I can say that it is an album with a brain, but it also has a lot of heart!”

With a magnificent graphic work developed by João Diogo/Comavisions (Echidna/Bizarra Locomotive) and a powerful production job handled by the band and the increasingly influential Daniel Cardoso at Ultrasound studios, the debut full-length work from Switchtense, definitely wasn’t relinquished in any aspect and the reactions to the album have been unanimously positive. This gives you the sensation of a mission accomplished, are you completely satisfied with the work developed in “Confrontation of Souls”?

“Lots of times we hear musicians saying that if they had the chance today they would change some things in the way they had made the record, but we wouldn’t do that regarding this album. It represents exactly what the band is nowadays and we want to mark this phase in time! These are the Switchtense of 2009 and therefore the record sounds the way it does. We have enough time in the future to make things in a different way.
By handling the record in a very professional manner, we didn’t leave anything to chance and everything was scrutinized and revised to the smallest detail so that we could do a work that we’d enjoy listening to. Above all we have to like what we do! We didn’t wanted, after the record was made, to say ‘damn, this scene doesn’t sound too good here!’
All things considered, I can say that it seems that the mission was done and well fulfilled! We’ve made everything in our reach to make a good album, since it’s our debut, and it wouldn’t make sense to do it in any other way! We really want this life for us… we breath this during 365 days a year and as such, we gave everything we could from ourselves for this record! We cannot forget the excellent work of Daniel Cardoso and Pedro Mendes of Ultrasound Studios… they’re monster machines and understood perfectly what we wanted to accomplish.
João Diogo added the visual aspect of the artwork, and in our perspective have done it in a perfect way! There’s an excellent symbiosis between the artwork and the record, and of course the role of Rastilho Records is also vital, so that we can go as far as possible with the album! We’re very grateful with the commitment of this entire people!”

Featuring eleven themes, “Confrontation of Souls” presents a robust and sharp sonority that moves through diverse musical trails such as thrash, death and hardcore, possibly suggesting that the musical influences of the five elements that comprise Switchtense are varied and diverge between them. The song-writing work is a collective effort from a team with diverse musical tastes between them or someone usually takes over a lead role in this field?

“The composition of ‘Confrontation of Souls’ started in June of 2007. After Neto joined us at the end of 2006, we started to count with two guitars… we made a good number of concerts with two guitarists in order to obtain a strong tightness in this aspect which was new in Switchtense. Later, during the writing of the album, we switched drummers and Xines stepped in and added more heaviness and dynamism to the drums, which was something it was lacking in our sound. We already had 6/7 songs written for the album when Xines joined us, and then we started writing the remaining songs with him on board. So there isn’t any particular member taking over the song-writing in Switchtense. We work very much as a team and since we spent a lot of time together without actually playing we usually take that opportunity to define ideas for the songs. Normally Neto and Pardal present us some guitar riffs that later Xines puts a beat over it… sometimes it’s the other way around! Other times I also make a riff, program a drum beat in the computer and develop some ideas… ‘Confrontation of Souls’ was conceived like this, with a great will to exchange ideas or influences that directly or indirectly have inspired each one of us. All of us are great consumers of music, metal and other styles… There are bands that are a common reference to us all, while others are more personal things!"

One of the references that occasionally appears associated to your sound is metalcore, a musical style that fell in disgrace in the last few years, very much due to its saturation. Does it bother you in someway these types of associations?

“Answering directly to your question. No! It doesn’t bother me at all because we have nothing to do with that style or with that tag. Normally, these bands are much more melodic than us, with clean-sung chorus, so there’s nothing in common! Sometimes these associations are made with a depreciative intent, normally people that doesn’t like these new sonorities. However, we think it isn’t our framework. In Switchtense nobody is fan of a metalcore band, which I usually associate with names like Caliban and Killswitch Engage for example. We like other types of bands more…the classics! We vibrate with Slayer, Pantera, Sepultura, Dew-Scented, Hatebreed, Exodus, Hatesphere, Testament, Dream Theater, Lamb of God and much more… We have a very different type of approach from the bands that are labelled as metalcore!"

It’s difficult not to notice that Switchtense has a great involvement with their listeners and value a lot their opinions as well as the critics from the press.
What kind of relevance does the approval of the press and general fans exerts over the band?

“I’m answering this interview during a time where we have been playing a lot live and since the record came out in February 2nd, I think that we’ve only failed two or three weekends from playing live until today. This is only to say that such issue is very fundamental for us.
The public and friends we’ve been making all the nights (which in almost all the cases extend into the mornings) where we play live are without any doubt a great value to us. The dates that we have made of our ‘Confrontour’ have been fantastic at this level…We have had an excellent reception at the concerts and to the record, and I can say that it has surpassed all our expectations, and to us that is an extremely important issue. We value each person that goes to see us play live. We make sure to have the most direct contact as possible with someone who cares to attend a concert, purchase a CD or a t-shirt, or simply sends a mail or comments our MySpace… We are not a group of five narrow minded individuals only looking into our own bellies, quite the contrary. The idea that we have of music and our way of life won’t allow it! We have the biggest pleasure in knowing and hang around the people that surround us.
It’s extremely important that we share opinions with someone who has made contact with the band at any level since it will make everything that is part of the Switchtense universe grow… We take every critic, opinion, incentive from the public and the press very serious...it’s what makes us evolve and since we are very social persons, we can’t live without that! To us playing live, besides being a passion is also a party and it doesn’t make any sense if it isn’t like that!”

There was a time when a good portion of the Portuguese public frequently used an annoying expression that was in someway diminishing of the value of a national musician/artist, the already known: “for Portuguese this is not bad at all”. Have the band been reading or hearing such type of commentary lately?

“This is a phrase that people have been saying a lot less… because the level of the bands has raised without a question, and this makes people less surprised each time they hear a Portuguese band doing something with quality and professionalism…
As in all places, we have good and bad things, regardless of the country in question! This phrase demonstrates the mentality that some people have in relation to what is produced in Portugal, and it’s up to us, Portuguese bands, to contradict this ridicule affirmation, showing that our records are becoming more professional and that our concerts sometimes attract more public than some foreign bands! I still think that many promoters in Portugal have that stigma and in the universe of metal music it’s even more evident!”

The lyrics of the album seem to reflect ideas of personal affirmation and revolt against the malicious values of modern societies. Is there any lyrical concept underlying in “Confrontation of Souls”?

“The thematic of the record was constructed as we were composing the new songs. The lyrics were all written by me and I had a lot of time to prepare them! I can say you that I was writing as the songs were being finished. The title of the record was already chosen and judging by the base of what we’d deal with in our lyrics, it made all the sense to include such title! I mean the corrupted values, such as egoism and individualism, the constant ruptures and collisions at personal level that we are living nowadays! I think that we live in permanent confrontation with the world! Sometimes with catastrophic results, other times with results that allows us to evolve and to give one step forward. This entire thematic is imbued in our lyrics and I think it was done in a very direct way and without great detours!"

Switchtense are committed in promoting the album beyond their nation’s borders, having already done some dates in countries like Holland and Germany.
So I can safely say that the internationalization of the band is definitively one of your ambitions?

“As I’ve answered before, we live for this! We have an ambition to build a serious career and as such, it would be pointless to think about that if we wouldn’t have objectives to take the band outside Portugal! We have made everything that was in our reach to take the name of Switchtense as far as possible… We are very thrilled with such opportunities!”

More info at: www.myspace.com/switchtenseportugal

Featured in our recent coverage of the fast growing and spine-tingling Danish death-metal scene, The Cleansing is a promising new death-metal group comprised of former and current members of well-known Danish acts like Usipian, Iniquity, Corpus Mortale, The Arcane Order and Submission. Just like their partners in Corpus Mortale, their brutal and smashing approach to death-metal is easily recognisable as more entrenched in old school North-American standards than European ones. Almost every song featured on “Poisoned Legacy” is centred on a vicious, groovy and demolishing musical attack that bents on bands like Morbid Angel, Immolation and Hate Eternal.
Right from the opening song “Architectural Infinity” you can tell that the Danes are skilful musicians and their vast experience behind other death-metal groups have allow them to have a fine understanding of dynamics as this song and the remaining ones attain a well-measured balance between a captivating complexity and a reasonable simplicity, between a relentless and furious speed and a slow burning pace. “Architectural Infinity” opens with a barrage of unrelenting and rabid riffs backed up by an astonishingly deranged and precise drumming courtesy of the electric and omnipresent Morten Løwe, before slowing down to a more groovy stomp with a strong Immolation bound. The vocals of bassist Martin Rosendahl (Toke Eld is actually the band’s vocalist, but was unable to attend the recording sessions) are of a deep growling nature somewhat reminiscent of Morbid Angel and Immolation and perfectly suits the scorching and vile guitar riffs cast out by guitarists Jeppe Hasseriis and Andreas Lynge. There’s also a staggering guitar solo that is tastefully inserted and totally complements the song.
“Poisoned Legacy” is a solid, enjoyable debut that will certainly please anyone who likes their death-metal dynamic, brutal and downright vile. (7/10)

Band info: www.thecleansing.net
Label info: www.deepsend.com

Four years after their benchmark work “Chronoclast”, Canada’s Buried Inside are back with another awesome record entitled “Spoils of Failure”, which was masterfully produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou (Genghis Tron, Misery Index, Torche). Despite the extensive time distance separating the two records, “Spoils of Failure” doesn’t stray too far from the emotionally-engaging and dense atmosphere explored on their previous release. The Canadians are definitely musically superior and improved on some issues with “Spoils of Failure”, though it seems they’re basically picking up where “Chronoclast” left off. So the chances of anyone enamoured with their previous work being disappointed by the new record are pretty low, its eight tracks are brimming with sludgy, melodically dark and heavy-riffs that are constantly building up waves of sonic tension and emotional agitation, a trait that made “Chronoclast” such an incredible listening. Their songs possess the extraordinary ability to absorb our senses to the fullest and transport us to a diverse and disturbing amalgamation of feelings and emotions, ranging from a melodically-charged serenity to a cataclysm of anger and inflamed revolt.
There’re no song titles here, the songs are simply referenced with Roman numerals and “V” is definitely my favourite track of the whole album. It starts with an intense and loud barrage of heavy-riffs and powerful percussion for its first three minutes before meandering into an epic and reinvigorating guitar line that will settle into your mind for weeks. Add the caustic vocals of Nick Shaw screaming thought-provoking lyrics that denunciate the flaws of society and you’ve got a demanding yet extremely rewarding sonic experience. And that’s exactly what can be said of the remaining songs as well! (8/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/buriedinside
Label info: www.relapse.com
Distributed in Portugal by www.majorlabelindustries.com

As Darth Vader so eloquently stated in “Stars Wars: Return of the Jedi”, trying to manipulate young Luke Skywalker to join the dark side of the force: the dark side is where the true power lies. Well, in the world of death metal and extreme music in general, it’s definitely where the most powerful and fearsome music is made. We simply can’t argue with the fact that negative energies such as anger, evilness and frustration are responsible for fuelling the most brutal and merciless sounds ever made.
There’re some exceptions of course and Impending Doom, a US Deathcore group whose Christian beliefs have lend them the Christian metal tag is one of them. They might not worship Old Nick, yet they play their instruments with a fierce and raging intensity like the best and most brutal Satan-worshipers out there.
Greatly produced by As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis, “The Serpent Servant” offers 36 minutes of brutal and low-tuned chugs with a slight Meshuggah bound coupled with a rabid and precise drumming occasionally peppered with furious blast beats and guttural monolithic vocals. Nothing wholly original or dissimilar from a myriad of bands that play in this league that’s true, yet the California group adds their own groove into their tight and catchy songs that prevents “The Serpent Servant” from sounding too derivative. The title theme for example truly summarizes the whole vibe of the record, bursting forth with unrelenting fury and sharp precision, only reprieving midway from such intense assault to offer some groovy breakdowns and a Fredrik Thordendal-style solo.
Bottom line is that although “The Serpent Servant” doesn’t present anything remotely original or innovative in a genre that is full of derivative and uninspired acts, it is still a solid and interesting record that should warrant a few listens from fans of Meshuggah and Despised Icon. (6.5/10)

Band info: www.myspace.com/impendingdoom
Label info: www.siegeofamida.net

Finnish group Callisto has evolved considerably since their formation in 2001. Their first record “True Nature Unfolds” from 2004 was consensually pigeonholed into a sludge/post-hardcore tag with names like Neurosis and Cult of Luna as the closest reference points. Its successor, “Noir” released in 2006 is however, a far more challenging and difficult record to categorize since it saw the Turku-based act branching into the fairly wide-ranging post-rock genre, combining dark-sounding and elegant harmonies with furious bursts of aggression. Now surges “Providence”, an audacious release that definitely marks a new and even bolder chapter in their ever-changing and unpredictable career. With a new singer named Jani Ala-Hukkala fully integrated into the Finnish-collective, “Providence” marks a departure from the band's more instrumental-driven style and sets out to break away from any genre standards exploring a wide array of sonorities ranging from progressive-rock to experimental jazz.
We’ve approached the band thru e-mail to ask them what kind of intentions and inspirations were the driving forces behind the creation of their latest work “Providence”. Both guitarist/vocalist Markus Myllykangas and keyboardist Arto Karvonen agreed to shed some light on the subject.


I’m curious to find out if the notorious changes that occurred between “Providence” and Callisto’s previous work “Noir” were a conscious move on your part?

Arto: It’s hard to say how conscious the changes are. We just write the songs and try be as open minded as possible. The new album is different from its predecessor but still we don’t find the change as huge as everyone else does. For us the songs are pretty much similar as they were in “Noir” but now we have a new instrument, the vocals, in the band.

Callisto has always manifested their reluctance to fall into genre patterns or stereotypes, always trying not to go back and repeat themselves or others over and over again. I assume this is kind of a guiding principle for the band whenever you start writing a new record right?

Arto: Genres can have a very limiting affect on music in general.
Music and bands should be considered as individuals and not members of some post-prog-sludge-etc-etc group. Art shouldn’t be branded! Ok, you need some kind of adjectives to talk about music and to describe it but the big downside of genres is that artists might be afraid to extend their art because of the limits and rules what you can do in the particular genre. I still wouldn’t say that this "genre avoiding" is intentional for us. We don’t write songs thinking that we have to break stereotypes as we just write the songs that we want and see how they sound trying to be free from limits.

I see that you’re all long time friends with some mutual interests and objectives, which is a rare thing in modern music, where it’s becoming incredibly common to see band members composing and recording individually and only getting together to play live. Do you think the interpersonal relationships in Callisto are important to bring out the best of you as a collective? Do you guys see a lot of each other outside of band duties?

Markus : When we started this band back in 2000/2001 we spent lot of time together outside the band, I think it was natural thing to share the music that we loved and of course we liked to spent time with each other because we had so much in common back in the days. We moved in 2002 from our hometown Kokkola to Turku where we all live now. I was living with Johannes for over 3 years together until I got married, we actually composed majority of the "jemima/Klimenko and "True nature unfolds" material with Johannes in our apartment. Those were good times indeed.

Yes, I believe that our good relationships have helped develop our music how it sounds today and I think it was really important and still is.

We see each other in free time but not that much like we use do maybe 2-3 years ago, 2 of us have a child, almost every guy is married now, we have our daily jobs and our hobbies etc, etc… but I think the friendship that we created in the beginning has kept us together, that’s for sure. We have played together for almost 8 years and we have had only one line-up change, so it speaks something? Ok, no more nostalgia :)

The addition of saxophones and mellotrons into their songs gives the album a truly captivating and authentically dark atmosphere, sounding almost cinematic at places. “New Canaan” for example transports me to one those noir and crime melodramas movies with a surreal and dreamlike ambience. Callisto’s compositions have undeniably a cinematic quality and as a matter of fact their song “The Fugitive” from “Noir” appears on a 3D animation film “The light at the end of the world" from a UK-based director by the name of Teemu Erämaa. Do you have a desire to write or at least would like to compose songs for a movie soundtrack?

Arto: That would be great! As quite fanatic movie geeks we’d really much like to find us composing a soundtrack for a film or that one of our songs would end up on a soundtrack. As for "New Canaan", it almost should’ve been on "Noir" and not "Providence"... ;)

“Providence” has been available through Fullsteam Records since February 18, what kind of reactions are you getting on the album? Do you read your own press or hear it second-hand?

Arto: The reactions were pretty confused as everyone was expecting a "second Noir" if you know what I mean (back to genres again). The normal reaction from old listeners has mostly been of shock at first but then they get used to the idea and start to dig it.
Some of course don’t like the new stuff as much as the old and that’s ok too. There are also listeners who start fresh with “Providence” and then start searching for older stuff too.

Callisto’s lyrics have always contained Christian and spiritual themes and just like its title suggests “Providence” seems to be no different with several references to God and divine guidance. Do you see Callisto as a part of the Christian musical subculture, what kind of messages are you conveying through your lyrics?

Arto: Almost all of us are Christian so it’s kind of natural that the lyrics contain those kinds of ideas. The lyrics are pretty much personal so we definitely are not pushing Christianity into anyone’s face, but still it’s almost impossible to leave it unnoticed. It’s actually a kind of a dilemma because when you write something that hints even a little bit to Christianity, listeners can take it as preaching and can get offended by it, but if you leave it out they’re not your lyrics really. It’s different with metal compared to reggae for example. In reggae you can praise Jah all you like and no one really cares. In metal, you mention God and everyone’s asking about it all the time. I totally understand the negative feelings towards Christianity as there has been and still is so much shit done in the name of it so I can’t blame anyone for criticizing it and that is actually what we did in “Noir”, where the lyrics were pretty much critics towards phony aspects and the misuse of Christianity and religion. I guess you could say that “Providence” is not that negative but maybe bit more personal and spiritual.

We do not see Callisto as a part of Christian subculture. We don’t play shows in Christian happenings and usually try to avoid in being labelled as a Christian band. I personally don’t have anything against that subculture, but it’s just something that we don’t really fit in. We’re a band where almost all members happen to be Christian and that’s it.

More info at: www.callistochaos.com