Prior to the release of their debut ‘The Rot of the World’, the live ‘Mind Over Metal’ broadcast is invaded by Kevin Savage, TJ Maynard, and Matt St. Gelais of Alive & Well. Not only do we have in-depth interview action, but also special tracks chosen from At the Gates, Carcass, Amon Amarth, Hope Conspiracy, Crowbar, Living Sacrifice, Alice in Chains, Meshuggah, Danzig, Pantera, and Shai Hulud.

Neige is the mind behind Alcest—a French band birthed in black metal, but whose wings have broadened beyond its fledgeling origins. Read about the personal vessel that is Alcest, how significant is nostalgia through his creation, and the development of ‘Les Voyages de l’Âme’.

Yeah, that’s a bald-faced lie… but everything else in this interview is wicked sincere. Through harrowing tribulation and self-discovery, Selim feels his work now serves a higher purpose. Read about this evolution, the doctrines of Satanism that interest him, what it means to express himself through music, and true feelings about egocentrism and occult rock poseurs.

Hear about recording with Kurt Ballou this latest time around; the influence from touring with bands like High on Fire and The Sword; Jason’s reaction to comparing their song “Abyss” with “Wishlist” by Pearl Jam; and finally—favorite action sequence from a movie!

So it’s blackened Southern bluesy sludge by a bunch of French dudes? I know everyone lately opens with similar description, but if you’ve heard Glorior Belli, the badassery is obvious. After a full opening of “Dark Gnosis” from ‘The Great Southern Darkness’ and a bad joke from me, we get FULL-ON deep regarding their obscure name and origins, the underlying thread between Scandinavia and the Mississippi Delta, and how Julien channels his beliefs through the music. Then, just to reel it back a bit… questions about booze.

This is a written, slightly abbreviated phone interview I had with Heri Joensen of Týr on May 15th 2011 to speak about the band and more specifically their upcoming album “The Lay of Thrym”. He was super polite, intelligent, and interesting to interview, and I feel privileged that I got the opportunity to speak with him.

This music is lethal, infectious as myeloma, and already has a reserved slot on my Best of 2011 list. If your knowledge was spotty like mine, listen to their origins with previous band Usurper, and details on their recording style with producer Sanford Parker. Hear complete sneak previews of “March of the Dead” from their eponymous debut (which continues behind our conversation) and “Lonely Death” to conclude.

Wolves in the Throne Room are first-rate third-wave black metal. Just as Scandinavia was itself intrinsic to the genre’s original sounds, the Pacific Northwest U.S. gives spirit to these American luminaries.

The irony is palpable, because my current vacation means I will update the site infrequently, plus miss three of my radio shows, three Metal Mondays at Nectar’s, and the WRUV station meeting where they’ll announce this DJ love.

We open with a greeting and a teaser, as “Dødedansen” erupts into your ears. After a minute or two of fierce folk metal, MetalMattLongo and Cris cross paths (see what I did theeeeeehhh… nevermind). Hear about the incredible departure of all band members, their triumphant reformation, and their heaviest, best-crafted album to date, ‘Maledictus Eris’. Also, Cris might be a supervillain (but denies it… like a supervillain totally would).