While The County Medical Examiners is laying dormant and Cretin is waiting for frontwoman Marissa Martinez to fully attain her womanhood (Marissa was actually born Dan, but that’s a different story) in order to complete the writing of their new album, Matt Widener spent the last two years piecing together some new songs that were meant to be featured in his new solo adventure called Liberteer.

“Better to Day on Your Feet than Die on Your Knees” sees Widener merging the relentless and maniacal grind that both The County Medical Examiners and Cretin are renowned for with some weird ass experimentalisms that includes wind instruments, banjos and epic melodies.

We had the chance to ask Widener the inspirations and drive behind Liberteer and why he’s doing this. Read the answers below.

What was it that made you decide to venture off on your own and release a solo project, rather than once again teaming up with another group?

“I tend to like to work alone. Not for every project, but for many of them. Liberteer is very political and rather than find bandmates with identical views, I thought it easier to charge ahead on my own.”

Did you find it easier to be able to work within your own parameters and schedule, as opposed to work with a group of guys?

“It was much easier on my own. Schedule is most of it. When I work on my own I can utilize a spare hour to make progress on a song. Sometimes my recording opportunities hinge on other people leaving the house, my neighbours, time of day, and so on. If it was a full band with a full band's input, that would become another force in my life, another obligation that would crowd my schedule and weigh me down. It is much more enjoyable to keep this project pure and my own, something I can think about and be excited about, a nice change from my responsibilities. I am in a band called Cretin that has two other members, and I've been in bands before, like Exhumed, so I know what it takes to keep a bunch of guys in playing shape. And if I'm to have multiple bands, I simply don't have the energy or time to juggle them all in that way.”

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If 2010’s effort “In the Absence of Light” saw Abigail Williams straying from their symphonic black metal roots towards a rawer, fiercer and some might say purer take on black metal, with this new album, there are signs that they’re still struggling to find their own identity, now introducing some post-rock, lo-fi and shoegaze elements into their sound.

Fortunately, it seems like that with this new approach in style, Abigail Williams are finally striking a chord with the listeners, favouring substance and depth over those rather dubious clichés that have prevented the band from being taken seriously in the past.

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Before entering the imposing walls of “A Perfect Absolution” the new album from French metalers Gorod, grab a canister of oxygen because by the time its staggering destructive power and heady exhaustive creativity has departed all that will be left of you is a shattered rag doll like body gasping for air. The album is toxic and invigorating, crippling and energising; A Perfect Absolution is simply genius.

Formed in 1997 though not until 2005 did they adopt the Gorod name, the quintet has seized attention and acclaim especially with previous release "Transcendence". With “A Perfect Absolution” the band has moved into a new sphere that very few will match let alone exceed.

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As one would have expected with the trio of musicians behind it the debut album from Adrenaline Mob is a formidable animal, a release that prowls and paces up and down the ear with a confident assuredness and a mischievous cockiness. “Omertá” is a vibrant and accomplished collection of songs which without offering anything particularly new or managing to stretch inventiveness, emerges as a rather infectious pleasure that one is eager to engage with even if wishing it had more.

The linking up of Symphony X singer Russell Allen and supreme guitarist Mike Orlando known for his “Sonic Stomp” releases set the seed for the band and with the coming in of drum master Mike Portnoy (ex -Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold) Adrenaline Mob found a defined heartbeat to add to its breath.

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Expectations are high for this one. Not only Borkganar are going thru a very creative period in their long and prodigious career, which culminated in the remarkable “Universal” issued two years ago, they’ve also enlisted the services of the talented and unmistakable Simen Hestnæs aka ICS Vortex for bass and vocal duties. Hestnæs actually sung on “The Archaic Curse” and “Quintessence” albums, which are still ranked among the best efforts of Borknagar’s celebrated discography. As expected “Urd” doesn’t disappoint, in fact the Norwegians turn up with what may just be the album of their career.

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Heavy Metal purveyors Pharaoh are on the verge of releasing their fourth full-length “Bury the Light” and we traded e-mails with Matt Johnsen to ask him about the process of putting the new record together, as well as his thoughts on the band being together for nearly 15 years now. Read the conversation below.

Congrats on “Bury the Light”, it’s a great and engaging heavy metal record.

Now that it is complete and set for release, how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?

“Yes, although I think it took us as long to grow into the album as it will for a lot of fans. It was a lot of hard work and took a long time to make, so it was difficult at times to picture the final product, but now that we have it, it sounds right to us.”

Pharaoh has been together and prevalent now since 1997, and “Bury the Light” is the band’s fourth full-length record in a career that spans thru nearly fifteen years. Is there anything in specific that you think has helped contribute to Pharaoh’s longevity as a group?

“Yeah, we never see one another, ha ha! Pharaoh is more or less a glorified studio project (although we are finally rehearsing for some live work) so we don't have to negotiate the day-to-day issues a working live band does. But beyond that, we've just developed a way of working together that works for us, creatively and practically. And when we do get together, it's as friends, and not band mates with hidden personal agendas.”

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“Ugliest trio in the world is back!” Says the press release and I definitely agree with that ‘cause when it comes to old-school and Neanderthal thrash metal no one beats Norway’s Aura Noir. The guys have been proudly dedicated to old school music and ideals for more than twelve years now and they’ve never been know for subtlety so it’s no surprise that their new album “Out to Die” could be succinctly described as bad-ass, old-school thrash metal record.

Fans of the style will definitely eat this up with the same hunger as zombies have for fresh meat, it’s full of frenzied, ruthless and hyper-aggressive moments the we have all come to expect from these Norwegian metallers.

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In recent years, Norway has proven that is more than just the most reliable source for pure and hard black metal bands, offering some truly exciting and innovative musical projects like Shining and Kvelertak just to name a few.

Add El Caco to the list, a Lillestrøm-based act that harness a strong collection of enthralling and disparate influences to craft a captivating and dark sound that will certainly appeal to fans of Tool, Kyuss, Therapy? and even Filter.

The trio comprised by Øyvind Osa (Vocals / Bass), Anders Gjesti (Guitars) and Fredrik Wallumrød (Drums) aren’t exactly newcomers, "Hatred, Love & Diagrams" is already their sixth album, and although their previous works slipped under my radar I do remember reading their name associated with stoner-rock.

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Sweden’s contribution to the doom metal scene is immeasurable, not only the forebears Candlemass had practically defined the style with their classic “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” album, bands like Count Raven, Memory Garden and Grand Magus among others have all helped to shape this style of music so miserable and singular.

Coming from Uppsala, Anguish are another fine contribution to style and their sorrowful, slow-dragging and downright miserable debut album “Through the Archdemons Head” would make forefathers Candlemass extremely proud of their legacy.

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