Now Until the Hour met at their practice space at noon last Saturday to practice and prepare for their show that evening with Threat Signal, The Agonist, and The Autumn Offering at Station 4.  They were waiting anxiously for us to get to there.  We picked up the debut full-length entitled “The Vexed and the Merciless” Friday night at about 6 just before CopyCats closed.  The CDs are beautiful.  This was the first time Now Until the Hour could actually see their songs on a CD with full artwork, shrink wrapped as if they picked them up from the store themselves, and we were all excited.  After reviewing the CD and checking for any imperfections what-so-ever, Now Until the Hour began packing up their equipment.  We were all curious to see how many people would be there to hear Now Until the Hour or any of the other bands for that matter.  All ages shows like this have to be earlier, this show began at 4 and went until 9, definitely a strange environment for metalheads…the sun was still up and shinning through the windows of the dimly lit venue.

Bands loaded up, sound checked, and were good to go. Now Until the Hour played a 6 song set, that was cut short a bit (someone should have warned the venue that Now Until the Hour plays 5-6 minute songs of brutal epicness,) and ended with their single “Vexed And Merciless.” Dying Euforia played right after, with another half-hour set. The Agonist stepped on to sound check, and I was amazed. The Agonist is a band I have heard of, but never heard. They instantly blew me away! The second I saw Alissa White-Gluz grab the mic wearing her sexy leather boots, fish nets, and metal blue hair, I’m like wtf, then I heard one of the most brutal screams I have heard from a female vocalist in a long time (Angela Glosgow, eat your heart out.) Much head-banging took place, and I picked up their album “Lullabies for the Dormant Mind,” and got it autographed. Good job guys.  The Autumn Offering had a lot of great energy on stage. During their last few songs, Dying Euforia hopped on stage with them, and tilted their heads back, pouring booze down into their mouths as they played.  All of the opening bands had a lot of energy and definitely got the crowd going.

Threat Signal completely rocked the stage. They opened with the guitar riffs and the famous gun blast from “One Last Breath.” The madness began and continued until they ended with “Rational Eyes.” Smoking a cigarette to help exhale the fire out of my lungs, we saw them bringing out their equipment. We asked if they needed help, and they much appreciated it. Once all of their gear was loaded up, the drinking began. Vocalist Jon Howard (one on the right) was knocking back a few with Dying Euforia guitarist Jeremy Blake, and a couple of guys from another local band called Failing to Wake, and we decided to trot over there for some good ol’ metal talk. We chatted about the metal scene in the metro area, and all everyone said was how vast it was. We’re on the same page. Many rounds and a jag bomb later, one of the members of Threat Signal brought me on the tour bus to get the rest of the signatures needed on my now signed my shirt, and did me a cool favor as well. I knew one of my friends, Jesse Owen, is a big fan of Threat Signal, but couldn’t make it to the concert due to his current work schedule. Jon Howard called him from my phone, said he was bummed he couldn’t make it to the show, and made sure Jesse picked up the new album (all in good fun, of course.)

What has the members of Threat Signal done here? Let’s examine the mind set of music fans and metal heads alike. One of my professors, Scott LeGere of Eclectone Records, taught me a very valuable lesson in one of his lectures. “To be a successful artist, all you need is 1,000 die hard fans,” he said, and continued to explain how that works. A die hard fan will, without a second thought, purchase everything you release, even a $100 special edition, autographed, limited time only, anything. It made sense for the most part when he talked about it, but Threat Signal proved it to be very true. By hanging out with the fans that night, having personal conversations and drinks, and just being themselves, they gained a few die hards without even knowing it. I’ve always liked Threat Signal, but now I feel I have a personal connection with them, and will literally buy everything they release (and I’m sure a few of the other guys will too, if not all of them.) I know this was most likely not Threat Signal‘s goal, they just wanted to have some fun after the show, but making that connection to their fans for a few hours increased their chances of becoming a very successful band. If they do this at every show during their tour, and I’m thinking it is very likely that they will, they will earn a lot of well deserved income when they drop their next album, or go on their next tour.

I’m not saying that this is the only band that does this, because that would be an absurd statement. We at Serrated Records have just been inspired by their attitude towards their fan base, and want to see every national act follow in this path. Any other bands that may be reading this article, consider generating 1,000 die hard fans, and you will have a long term career in this industry…unlike the majority of popular artists today.

Stay heavy,

Pierson (now a Threat Signal Die Hard Fan)

Threat Signal

You heard it right, metal junkies. Local band Now Until The Hour will be opening for Threat Signal on Saturday, July 18th. Now Until The Hour has opened for national touring acts for years. The big difference now, though, is that they have finally completed and printed their first album titled “The Vexed And The Merciless” wich has yet to have a confirmed release date, but will be going on pre-sale at this show! So, the only way to find this CD anywhere is at Threat Signal!

We have been planning a CD release party for Now Until The Hour, but once they got the chance to open for Threat Signal, we fought tooth and nail, stayed up for days on end, and busted our asses off to get the CD art and packaging done. We did it! We are recieving the CDs THE DAY BEFORE the Threat Signal show, so the ONLY way you can purchase them anywhere is at Saturday’s show.

Look for their actual release date in a few months, along with the new upcoming podcast 2 Ton Hammer, the most local metal podcast ever. The 2 Ton Hammer launch party is being planned to also be the Now Until The Hour, “The Vexed And The Merciless” album release party. Expect beer, bands, raffles, and mosh pits!

More to be announced soon.

Stay heavy Minnesota,

Pierson

First off, let me describe how the show went down. PR’s Place has two rooms; the front room by the main entrance with a patio, windows, bar, tables, and random electronics (dart boards, buck hunter, etc.,) and the second room has the stage, floor, and a second bar. It’s a great stage and floor area, but we ran into a problem right away. Since the show was 16+, the venue wouldn’t allow alcohol into the second room. Understandable, but still a serrated pain in the ass. As the majority of attendees were 21, they stayed in the first room to enjoy the music and drink. This left the second room looking empty, even though there were MANY people in the venue. WE HAD OVER 150 PEOPLE THERE!

There were some previous road bumps in the way (read other blog below,) but Gash Blood definitely came through to open, and rocked it. The turnout was still building during their set, but I had so many people approach me asking “What was that bands name again?” and “They rocked! That ‘Get in the Pit’ song was awesome!” Yes, Gash Blood is an amazing band, especially live. Need more people in the pits next time! They play many shows throughout the Twin Cities area. Check them out here!

The Fall Into Black had an excellent stage presence, as always. During their second song, more and more people started pouring into the second room, making a weird half-circle towards the back of the floor. When the chords started playing of their third song on their set list, vocalist Darrell Croteau pointed at the crowed in the back, yelled something in a metal language, and pulled them out of their shells and towards the front. By the end, people were drenched in sweat. They have a few shows coming up in Amery, Minneapolis, and Buffalo. Check out their MySpace for more info!

Perception of Intent slaughtered the crowd. More and more people came out onto the floor, and the headbanging began. Even without a vocalist, POI sparked the audience like non other can do. Metal heads have always liked POI, but I never thought so many people from little River Falls, WI would react in the same manner! I was out with some friends I haven’t seen in a long time while I was back in RF a couple of days after this show, and so many of them wanted Perception of Intent! I called the guitarist Joe Dragich, but it went to voicemail. I gave him the satisfaction of his first fans from River Falls! Two of my friends Candice Lundgren and Kyndra Lamprecht screamed into the phone praises of how bad ass they were on stage. Joe seemed to like that a lot hahaha! At the end of their set, the crowd was roaring as hard as it has that night, so I wanted to push its limits. I jumped on stage and started headbanging into the crowd of sweaty fans. Not to any of my knowledge, 3 or 4 POI fans jumped on the stage behind me and tore the place apart! One screamed into the mic as the others played on the symbols for a few seconds. Then we all exited the stage, led by me dropping into the crowd, elbow out, creating a respectable mosh pit. Catch these guys playing in Madison, Mankato, Amery, and Minneapolis throughout all of July.

Now Until The Hour was brought out. They brought the heaviest sound of the night, which went well laid on the foundation of very, VERY intense lighting! A personal friend of Serrated Records, Tony Grant, was able to rent lights from his employer DSL Lighting. Does about $24,000 worth of lighting equipment sound like a good time? God damn, it was beautiful. “Those strobe lights were intense!” says vocalist Tim Sabin. “I turned around to grab my water, but couldn’t find it!” Bassist Craig Creighton agreed. “When I looked at my fingers while playing, they were just jumping back and forth, I couldn’t tell if I was hitting the notes. The strobes were too bright.” Indeed, we would all LOVE to work with DSL Lighting again. I wouldn’t mind having them on board for every single show we do from now on! Find Now Until The Hour playing shows in Minneapolis, and find out how you can get a ticket to see them open for Threat Signal on July 18th!

The main thing that sucked about the show was the fact that many people (including personal friends of mine) would rather stay at the bar area and drink most of the night than go into the crowd and enjoy the show. This is upsetting for fans who are not over 21, for this forces us to make the next show at PR’s place a 21+ show, so people can drink on the floor. Sorry for disappointing all of the minors of the group! Look for 16+ shows throughout the twin cities we just might be throwing or attending!

Stay Heavy!

Legend (formally known as Act Of Mercy) cannot play the show! “We recently lost our form of transportation for our gear due to the transmission locking and stalling on the freeway earlier this afternoon,” says Legend’s drummer Phil (last name still to be found, haha I suck,) “and shortly after that one of our members was notified that he didn’t get the day off from his job and they are forcing him to come in to work. Normally we would make this happen and find another vehicle or just skip work, but we still can’t find a vehicle and our member who has to go to work absolutely cannot skip this shift because if he has one no show it’s a zero tolerance policy and he will be fired,” he continued. Phil goes on, explaining his deepest apologies, Legend doesn’t usually do this, etc. etc. etc., no harm done guys! Shit happens. Forgiven, forgotten. But it did leave Serrated Records in a bit of a pickle (this one —>)

We started messaging some bands to fill in via MySpace, but the biggest problem with that is sometimes the messaging system can be delayed, by lack of internet access, people not having time to check their messages, and other factors. I started thinking, “Who is the most reliable band I know? What band plays damn near every show they can get their guitar picks and drum sticks on?” I busted out my phone, and called up Stin.

Justin is a friend of mine, and the drummer for the band Gash Blood. Honestly, Gash Blood has played so many shows, and works damn harder than many bands I have seen. Most local acts are very intact with their myspace appearance, websites, and image, but Gash Blood takes the work to play multiple and multiple shows a month (even weeks.) Justin told me he would make a phone call and would call me back. About 5 minutes later, he said, “Fuck yes, we’ll play the show!” So instead of Legend, Gash Blood is on the bill! Thank you so much guys from Gash, this short notice show means a lot. More about Gash Blood will be updated here on the blog of Serrated Records soon!

Now Until the Hour is headlining! Now Until the Hour is headlining the show instead of
Perception of Intent (I’ll explain later.) This is a pretty extreme change, but we have the lighting guy changing his whole set (he assured me it’s gonna be sick!) Not sure if there will be merch, but god damn, the pits are going to be insane!

Perception of Intent, oh how I feel sorry for you guys. You may remember me writing about this band and their new vocalist (scroll down if you don’t.) Well, as it turns out, Rudy has been held up in Texas and cannot make it to the show. I’m disappointed. I really wanted to see if he had what it takes to be an amazing frontman! “Recently we have come to the conclusion that our current vocalist will not be able to come to Minnesota and commit to this band. Now that we have made the decision to part ways with him, we need all the help we can get finding the right person to fill his position,” says their blog. Everyone help/try out for this position. There is honestly great talent in Perception of Intent, and I can see many bright things in their future!

Besides that, everything is on track. The Fall Into Black is playing second, doors at 7:30, music at 8. We are also thinking outside of the box for promoting the show today. A couple of days ago we released a promo video (pretty funny stuff, expect more of these for future shows (bottom,)) and today, well, there isn’t any law against writing the date and time of a concert in giant letters on the sidewalk with chalk is there?

Keep an eye out. We’ll be doing stuff like this all summer long, and then some!

Stay heavy,
Pierson

P.S. Michael Jackson died.

It’s been way too long for a blog update! Pierson here, letting everyone know that, yes, we are still alive and thriving. Sorry for the long delay, but the most metal blog is back! I have many new updates, and future plans I will release.

Now Until The Hour Is Signing!

After many crucial months of writing the contract, changing the contract, adding clauses, removing clauses, agreeing on clauses, local metal band Now Until The Hour is ready to sign hopefully within this week. I can’t imagine how Stephen’s brain feels right now (since he was the one dealing with the contract, and I’m too stupid to.) We’re throwing a signing party probably in our office, or possibly have an actual party and invite many friends (just an idea, not sure yet.)

Yes! We Have An Office!

Serrated Records now has an office in Woodbury! We are currently still moving in our equipment, but we hold all of our meetings there as of June 1st.

Now Until The Hour’ Album Artwork

Now Until The Hour and Serrated Records has finally agreed on some great concept artwork for their finished album to be released sometime during the fall. Blood, violence, gore, and epic battles between good and evil are the road most death metal bands take to display their imagery from the album, but Now Until The Hour has taken a completely different route. The planned art will draw in curiosity, questions, and completely lures in the eye. It will surely cause attention!

Perception of Intent Merchandise and Logo Ideas Coming Into View

Local metal band that Serrated Records is currently working with, Perception of Intent, has been given many different options and designs for their T-Shirts. After discussing much about what Perception of Intent wants for their image, Serrated Records partner, Stephen Mack, has busted out tons of ideas, and Perception of Intent has been happy with lots of them! Keep checking their MySpace page for current updates!

We Have Shirts!

Yep! Shirts are on the way! There are a few different colors with our NEW logo placed on them. Check back for updates!

Serrated Records Booking Many Shows This Summer, Or Trying To, At Least

We have many shows already booked, but many more planned. I’m not going to lie to our readers, so here it goes. Certain local venues are hard to get in contact with!!! Many emails have been sent, and even more phone calls have been made, with no promising response from most of the bigger ones. Why is this? Are we mad? It is pretty upsetting, although all of us here realize that we have only been around for a short time, and respect still has to be made, renown has to be earned, and our name has to mean something. This will be proven soon.

Help Us Book Shows!

How can you help Serrated Records‘ situation? Attend the shows we have booked! The more people we have attending, the more people will take us seriously. Although, they will see our sense of humor pretty soon with…

Serrated Records: The Situational Comedy

That’s right! We will be recording short episodes of our new online show, Serrated Records: The Situational Comedy, to be aired on our almost-completed website, youtube, and many other online sites. The first script has been written, and I gotta say, it is f*cking hilarious. Check back for updates!

Well, that’s all of the updates I have for the moment (the important ones anyway.) I want to see everyone supporting local metal at the upcoming show at PR’s Place in River Falls, WI on June 26th, 2009 with Act of Mercy, The Fall Into Black, Now Until The Hour, and Perception of Intent! Get tickets online at our website www.serratedrecords.org!

Stay Heavy!
~Pierson

“What do you guys have planned later today?” Said a friend of mine the other day. “Whoring ourselves on MySpace.” I replied. “Haha,” he laughed, “… but, no, seriously do you have anything going on tonight?” I looked up at him from the laptop on the table. “Seriously, I’m whoring us everywhere on MySpace for a few hours, then going to work.”

Social networking sites have been flooded with ads, commercials, spammers, and, well, idiots. Within a decade or so, websites went from looking like main newspaper articles to looking like the last four pages of City Pages. Of course the net generation is used to the Internet being utilized as the most effective marketing campaign of our time, but how well does it actually work? Ads appear on every site imaginable, yet a very low percentage actually get noticed, and even fewer get clicked on. Advertising, even on the net, is dead. But not everyone sees social networking sites as the junk drawer of marketing director’s office. Many still use these sites to connect, share, and discover new things with new people, businesses, and artists.

Here’s a personal tip: When we look for artists via MySpace to work with, we look at how often they are updating their blogs, pictures, videos, and their last login times. Why?

We (Serrated Records) have been trying to work with the local band Perception of Intent for over a year now, yet the band has not found a steady bassist or vocalist, and has possibly never had ones that have lasted over a month or two. They never seemed to fully form into a sturdy performing act, or so we thought. Lead guitarist Joe Dragich (right) invited Serrated Records to a small show in River Falls, WI. “You guys play shows?” We thought to ourselves. “How the hell?” We ended up in an alley when Joe popped his mo hawk out of a doorway and invited us in. The door led through a dark storage room, and into a small 20×20 feet or so room, with gear set up. We were pretty amazed at how many people arrived to see a three-piece band play their songs, even without a vocalist. Not only was the turnout great, but the mosh pits and energy felt like I was at a sold-out show at Station 4. Pretty blown away, we had to prod around with a few questions for the band.

Andrew Pierson from SR – “First, a few basic questions, before I dig my hands too deep. How did Perception of Intent start?”

Joe Dragich, lead guitarist from POI – “Well, years ago I started playing music with a new friend I had met in 10th grade. I played bass at the time, and he was a guitarist. After playing for about six months together, we decided to try and find more people to jam with. Avery Jacobs (left, guitarist) was a fairly popular guy around the school, and we somehow knew that he played guitar. Simply put, we asked him to start jamming with us, and from that point forward we played as a three piece for years. We could never seem to get a full band together during that time, but we played a ton of music together and wrote a lot of material. To make a long story short, our guitarist friend started to flake out, and we gradually drifted away from one another. Around that same time, I had bought my first 6 string, and Avery and I began writing entirely new material. This all happened around the summer of 2007.”

Andrew Pierson – “And then how did you guys get a drummer?”

Joe Dragich – “After a few months of playing and writing with me on the guitar, we started the MySpace with some home recording we did. Initially, the sole intention of the MySpace page was to find members, not fans. But amazingly, with just guitar tracks, people really started to catch on to our music. We would add the people who would comment on other bands’ music, they would check us out, and then they would turn into new fans. We continued that way for a few more months, adding new recordings and new friends, and eventually started to find members. We went through a couple of drummers before Ryan VanDenboom (right) sent us a message to try out. His previous band was splitting up, and he went searching for a band to try out for in MySpace’s top artists area. Completely to our surprise, we were in the top 10 unsigned metal bands in Minnesota, and luckily we had made it clear that we needed a drummer. So, he tried out and was hired pretty much instantly hahaha.”

Andrew Pierson – “Top 10? Impressive. what about a vocalist or bassist? Do you have more postings?”

Joe Dragich – “Well, unfortunately we have had a pretty small and dismal set of bass tryouts. But we’re not too worried about it, because we know we will find the right person soon enough, especially once we get to playing big shows. As far as a vocalist is concerned, we have hired Rudy Martinez who is hailing from San Antonio, Texas. Ryan just so happened to be randomly searching for vocalists on YouTube, and when he stumbled across Rudy’s vocal covers, he called me at like 1:30 in the morning to wake me up and tell me about him. Ryan was literally going insane over this guy, so I crawled out of bed and hopped on the computer to check him out for myself. Honestly, I just about crapped myself, and we made the decision that we HAD to get this guy to join us.”

Andrew Pierson – “Yeah, I’ve watched the video (bottom.) He’s damn good. How did you contact him?”

Joe Dragich – “We messaged him, he made a tryout video and the recording we now have on our myspace. He’s planning to move up here in May, and shortly thereafter we will be ready for some serious shows.”

Andrew Pierson – “No more crammed-room shows? Just kidding. About your shows so far, what has been the best turnout?

Joe Dragich – “Just recently, we played at our friend Austin’s house party. There were about 50 people crammed into the basement of his house going absolutely nuts for us. That show was awesome!”

Andrew Pierson – “Wish I could’ve been there. You guys only have 3 members able to play live shows in Perception of Intent for the moment, why do you think your show turnouts have been so successful?”

Joe Dragich – “Honestly, a lot of our friends have become awesome fans. And, because a lot of the people we know have large networks of friends themselves, people end up seeing us randomly and they sometimes become fans as well. I think Ryan has introduced about 1,000 people to our music simply from going to parties and bringing along a cd, hahaha.”

Andrew Pierson – “That’s awesome. Now to get to some main points I wanted to tackle. What do you do online that makes yourself successful?”

Joe Dragich – “Basically, we add a ton of people, and keep in VERY good contact with them. If someone sends us a message or leaves us a comment, we ALWAYS get back to them in due time. We find it extremely important that our fans (and potential fans) know that we greatly appreciate their time, consideration, kindness, and friendship. All of that has gone a very long way with people. And it not only makes them interested in checking us out in the first place, it keeps them interested in coming back. All in all, just being personable and friendly has helped us the most. Other than that, a great aid in our success has been keeping people interested by posting new material, videos, blogs, etc.”

Andrew Pierson – “Yes! That’s exactly the point I’m trying to get across. Here’s a question that everyone in this industry is dying to find out. From what you have experienced so far, do you think the internet is helping independent artists or making their music careers worse?”

Joe Dragich – “I think the internet has become a staple in helping artists reach their musical goals. Myspace is an absolutely invaluable tool, and honestly any band would be stupid NOT to use it. Not to mention, there are merchandising outlets, album distribution resources, like iTunes, and just about everything else bands need to make themselves successful.”

Andrew Pierson – “Well said. Any future things we should know?”

Joe Dragich – “Just know that when our vocalist gets here, we will be tearing up the stages wherever and whenever we can!”

Perception of Intent has found the potential in promoting themselves, a quality many (not all) artists lack. In the overall run, the net and social sites are helping the music community (not the pop-culture community, yeah, I’m talking to you Clear Channel, fucking trend-setters,) build and establish a foundation. Every artist, if not already doing so, must be online every day, blogging every day, updating every day, and even Twitter every other hour or so. Self promotion is the best promotion, and now with online access at your finger tips and in your pocket, it’s by far the easiest to use. Corporations have found that out, and have spent millions trying to utilize it. Perception of Intent has also found that out, yet only spent an hour or two a day, and it has worked so far for a band that isn’t even complete yet. Bands, go do it yourself, and the turnout will be amazing.

Perception of Intent will be headlining at Serrated Records: First Cut event on June 26th, 2009, at P.R.’s Place in River Falls, WI. They are playing with the bands The Fall Into Black, Act Of Mercy, and Now Until The Hour.

Stay heavy.

Serrated Records‘ Andrew Pierson: “We’ve heard some big things about you guys, and really dig your sound. We’re looking forward to attending one of your shows and seeing the turnout. How big of a following do you guys have?”

The Fall Into Black (vocalist Darrell Croteau, guitarist Charles Caswell, guitarist Adam Dahlstrom, bassist Mike Egan, and drummer Mike Borell): “Right now we have a strong local crew (120 or so) that tags along with us to most shows in the twin cities.”

Andrew Pierson: “Good to hear. Are you recording soon?”

The Fall Into Black: “Yes we are, we will be recording this summer at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, MN. Hopefully a start on our first full length album.”

Andrew Pierson: “How does it feel knowing you’re going to record at Pachyderm?”

The Fall Into Black: “It feels great! We have 20 hours of recording time that we won from a battle of the bands.”

Mike Borell: “I am especially stoked to be in the room with the Neve console, given its history in the music industry.”

Andrew Pierson: “I’ve seen it when I toured Pachyderm a couple of months ago, but I was drooling more over Mudvayne’s framed gold record hanging up on the wall. Anyway, any shows coming up?”

The Fall Into Black: “Yes, booked so far this year is April 17th at The Vault in Buffalo, MN. Also, August 28th at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN. Hopefully we will play more shows through out the summer and into the fall.”

Andrew Pierson: “Nice. Any surprises that you have planned?”

The Fall Into Black: “The release of our new merchandise. And some very new music that no one will expect.”

Charlie C: “And hopefully some booty shorts for the ladies.”

Andrew Pierson: “Ha that’s great. We need more booty shorts for girls. I know Dying Euforia is making some too for their upcoming show. Speaking of other local bands, any advice you could give out?”

Mike E: “Don’t let one bad show get you down.”

Charlie C: “You have to make music your life if music is what you wish to succeed at.”

Mike B: “Your successes and failures in a band are a direct reflection of how much work and passion you are putting into it. The band has to be your life if you want to play for a living.”

Andrew Pierson: “Good words. So I also hear that you just received your first endorsement offer. Is that true?”

The Fall Into Black: “Yes! We are now proudly endorsed by Basson Sound. We are also working to gain other endorsements.”

Serrated Records is working with The Fall Into Black for some future events. They will be playing during our launch of 2 Ton Hammer sometime in August. What is 2 Ton Hammer? Hahaha, you’ll need to wait to find out. You won’t want to miss the event, or the upcoming show of The Fall Into Black. Read more about their show here.

Stay heavy you fucks.

Local band Death Row Martyr (DRM) has pushed their looks to the limit, creating an entire theme that wraps their performance, music, artwork, and fanbase tightly around the imagery of war and battle. Many have seen the simple MySpace page and have deemed the band to be part of the Nazi party or glorifying the thought of dictatorship and totalitarianism. Serrated Records was fortunate enough to meet the band in their practice space, and prod the minds of Death Row Martyr. The main question we wanted to know was, “Why?”

Serrated Records: “DRM has amazing imagery, would you say you created the band around the music, or around the imagery it gives?”

Death Row Martyr drummer (left) Kevin Lindow (Rank: Major): “Well what happened is that we began doing music together and writing some really powerful stuff, so I got to thinking what better to compliment a powerful sonic message than to match it with equally powerful imagery. So I took the symbolism and imagery from some of the worlds most hated and reprehensible sources; totalitarian fascism, communism and also from modern American militarism (“The Military Industrial Complex” – as coined by Dwight D. Eisenhower.) At first the band was reluctant to adopt a lot of the symbolism and themes based solely on their notorious history and possible pairing of Death Row Martyr and Hitler and/or Stalin, which we are most certainly not. I was adamant that by using these powerful images, though notorious and controversial, would give the performance more theatrical feel to it, a visual and musical experience. The Band eventually came to a consensus and decided to pursue that direction together.”

Serrated Records: “How would you initiate your theme during live performances?”

Death Row Martyr: “We have some special things planned for performances, you will just have to come out on May 30th to the Rock Nightclub to get a taste of it”

Serrated Records: “How do you initiate your theme in your music and lyrics?”

Death Row Martyr: “The music and lyrical content deals a lot with everyday situations as well as the profound, controversial and highly disturbing. We match the imagery with the tone of the music, not the music to the tone of the imagery.”

Serrated Records: “Do you plan on having a street team?”

Death Row Martyr: “We currently have near a dozen and counting active soldiers in the Death Row Martyr S.T.A.B. (Street Team Assault Battalion) (right) and we are going about the concept of a street team the right way this time. We believe that nobody does something for nothing whether its money or just the pride of doing it, they still do it for something. With S.T.A.B. we have created an incentive program that gives rewards for good work for the band in the form of free band swag/merch/music and free or reduced price admission to shows, as well as a very special thing , (which)I don’t believe any band is doing, is a quarterly ‘R&R retreat’ where the band gets a keg, some food and treats the soldiers to a night of free food and drinks on the band! I mean who wouldn’t want to join just for that?”

Serrated Records: “Yes, I’ve seen your blog calling for members, and how they build in rank. That is an amazing idea. Any shows/events coming up?”

Death Row Martyr: “We have our very special debut show coming up on May 30th, with our allies in For Blood, Rivkit, Blue Ox and the very lovely and very talented KAJAL Belly Dance Company doing a special introductory performance before Death Row Martyr at The Rock Nightclub in Maplewood, MN. It starts at 8pm and will only set you back $8 if your 18-20 and only $6 if your 21 or older!”

Serrated Records “Do you have more than one song recorded? When do you plan on releasing that?”

Death Row Martyr: “We currently have one song posted on our MySpace and we will be having a 4-song demo available for sale, or free to S.T.A.B. soldiers, on May 30th at The Rock Nightclub showcase.”

DRM has a true taste for entertainment, both ears and eyes. Kiss had their army, and DRM will have their militia. I can picture fans in the near future showing up at Death Row Martyr‘s concerts in full military gear, with DRM patches sewed on their arms. Heavy respect from my end to see someone going to this length to give a name for themselves. Their debut show is going to be killer. I have seen them practice (all wearing a unique DRM uniform, which you just have to see for yourself) and the intensity was amazing. I know these guys can pull off a great night. They have hinted to me about things they will do during the show, which I am not permitted to say at the moment, but you do not want to miss this debut. I will see you all there in the pits (I will be the short one trying to take down the biggest guys I can find.) Show details here.

As always, stay heavy.

Stay heavy,

~Serrated Records

P.S. Holy shit! Track 7… holy shit.

Serrated Records: So guys, we would all like to know, how does it feel to win?

Eternal Requiem: It feels great!! We didn’t think we would win going into it, especially after hearing the response Warvolution got.

Warvolution‘s drummer Sam Flach: It really feels great. We didn’t play the show expecting to win, especially after seeing the night’s amazing band line-up. We just wanted to have a good time, entertain our fans, and maybe make a few more fans in doing so.

SR: What do you think was the deciding factor of your win?

ER: I think it was the fact that we have a completely different sound, but I’m (we’re) sure dressing pagan helped too, haha.

WV: Well, the overall decision was based on how loud each band got the crowd to respond, and we were fortunate to have a lot of loyal fans in the audience that night. Other than that though, we really put on a good solid show, and I saw several people cheering their fuckin’ brains out who had never even heard of us before.

SR: Well said. Swordlord judged that the crowd response was rated at 9.5 for both. Do you agree with the judges that there were two winners, both Eternal Requiem and Warvolution?

ER: Yeah we do, we both had great crowed responses and it would really suck if one of us had to lose by a .1 or something.

WV: The final judging was really based on the volume of crowd response, and I was in the audience when the Eternal Requiem fans let loose their screams, shouts, and “Re-qui-em!” chants. It was really impressive how determined their fans were to make Eternal Requiem win, so I would say it is only fair to the fans that we both move on to the final round.

SR: Sounds like the metal scene here are all good sports, and put music before competition. That’s always good to see. Anything else you would like to comment on about the night or the upcoming battle?

ER: We just wanted to thank everyone that cheered us on, and mighty Swordlord for having us!! We definitely hope to see everyone May 3rd for Round 2!!!

WV: Thanks to everyone that showed up!

These two bands will be battling Seared on May 3rd, 2009 at Station 4 to decide the final winner! The next match is on April 22nd, 2009 at Station 4, and will include even more brutality. Read up on it on Swordlord‘s blog here about the upcoming events, everything he has done, and what he is excited for. “March 25th, (the second battle) was a night I was truly proud of.” Says Nathan from Swordlord. As a promoter, sometimes local shows don’t go over quite as well as you hope, but 3/25 was an exception.  I am terribly proud of the evening and I think 4/22 (the third battle, on April 22nd at Station 4) will be even better, hope to see everyone there!” I would also like to thank Swordlord for being a part of our metal scene and not letting it die! Stay heavy everyone!