Church Of Misery - Born Under A Mad Sign (Album Review)

Release Date: June 16th 2023. Record Label: Rise Above Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Born Under A Mad Sign: Tracklisting

01. Beltway Sniper (John Allen Muhammad) (8:44)

02. Most Evil (Fritz Harmann) (9:48)

03. Freeway Madness Boogie (Randy Kraft) (6:06)

04. Murder Castle Blues (H.H. Holmes) (7:58)

05. Spoiler (5:42)

06. Come And Get Me Sucker (David Koresh) (6:48)

07. Butcher Baker (Robert Hansen) (8:19)

Members

Tatsu Mikami - Bass

Kazuhiro Asaeda - Vocals

Toshiaki Umemura - Drums

Review

Japanese Doom/Stoner Metal legends Church Of Misery return with their new album Born Under A Mad Sign and sees the band return to winning ways after their lacklustre album And Then There Were None. This is the Church Of Misery that I expected and wanted on that album but sadly never received. 

Born Under A Mad Sign sees the band return to the classic sound heard on their 2009 release Houses Of The Unholy with a wide range of serial killers (though some subjects could be considered absolute monsters) being the basis for the creative themes for the album. Church Of Misery also become very politically outspoken on certain parts of the album with a sense of jet black humour heard throughout the album.

The music is the classic mix Doom. Stoner, Psych, Blues and Fuzz grooves with a more steely persona heard within the hard-hitting opening track Beltway Sniper (John Allen Muhammad) making all the right moves with heavy-pounding FUZZED UP sounds leading the way. There’s more reliance on good old fashioned storytelling with this track and for the whole album as well. The subject matter may not be to everyone’s tastes but Church Of Misery have been doing this for the best part of thirty years now and they’re not going to change direction now. 

Beltway Sniper (John Allen Muhammad) showcases why Church Of Misery are one of the legendary bands within the Doom/Stoner Metal scene. The song is blissfully seedy and violently heavy with it’s SABBATHIAN based Down-tuned grooves which Church Of Misery have also become known as one of the true innovators of the modern day scene.

Second song Most Evil (Fritz Harmann) moves from the USA to Germany for its choice of subject with the music becoming slightly seedier and heavier along the way. The instrumental sounds are BASS HEAVY with Sludgy guitars and drumming taking the first few moments of the track before Kazuhiro Asaeda masterful vocals offering a grizzled performance and outlining the dark themes of the track. The song has a more menacing approach with the different styles of Sludge Rock starting to appear. There’s a few moments of Psychedelic freakout which morphs into a gloomier style of Blues Rock with the band showcasing their Doom Metal roots.

Third song Freeway Madness Boogie (Randy Kraft) sees the band return to the USA for the next subject and it opens with a horrifying news clip about Randy Kraft. The music returns to a demented style of Boogie Rock like the title suggests. This is one of the catchiest tracks on the album with Church Of Misery offering a more 1970’s Classic Hard Rock delivery but with flashes of Heavy Doomed Out Stoner Rock. The vocals are wickedly entertaining and you can’t help but rock out in agreement with the music currently being played. 

Fourth song Murder Castle Blues (H.H. Holmes) features a 19th Century Serial Killer from Chicago who has meant to have killed upto nine people and I wasn’t familiar with this person nor do I want to know either. Maybe, I should have researched more to gain a greater understanding for this song. However, I decided by now just to enjoy the album and let Church Of Misery continue with their intense blend of Down-Tuned and Fuzzed Up Stoner Metal. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album with Church Of Misery playing music that goes back to their early days with an aggressive attitude and soulful sludgy grooves having that OUTLAWS edge that made them legends within the scene. Perhaps not the heaviest track on the album but one that features some of the best extended instrumental jams on the album.

Fifth song Spoiler sees the band move away from the Serial Killer arena and play a wicked style of 1970’s ROCK N ROLL with a killer soulful Blues Rock attitude. There's still moments of Doom/Stoner Metal madness but it’s good to see Church Of Misery flex their creative talents for a different style of music.

The final two songs Come And Get Me Sucker (David Koresh) and Butcher Baker (Robert Hansen) sees Church Of Misery offer their most sinister sounding grooves on the album which isn’t surprising based on the subject matters being used for the track.

Come And Get Me Sucker (David Koresh) opens with a politically charged statement about the whole American love affair with Gun Culture. I’m not going to make any personal statements on that but this part of the song really hammers the point home. 

The band soon gets straight down to business of playing their trademark style of Doom/Stoner Metal for these final tracks with more Progressive sounds being included for a short while especially within Butcher Baker (Robert Hansen).

Born Under A Mad Sign is one of the most daring, politically charged and most outstanding releases Church Of Misery have released in years. If you’re a fan of albums such as Master Of Brutality, The Second Coming and Houses Of The Unholy then Born Under A Mad Sign is right up there with being one of the best albums Church Of Misery have released to date.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Sure Shot Worx for the promo.

Born Under A Mad Sign is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Rise Above Records.

Links

Official | Facebook | Instagram

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Wasteland (Album Review)

Release date: October 12^th 2018. Label: Rise Above Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Wasteland – Tracklisting

1.I See Through You

2.Shockwave City

3.No Return

4.Blood Runner

5.Stranger Tonight

6.Wasteland

7.Bedouin

8.Exodus

Review

I tell everyone who will listen that Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats is the best band out there. With eight years and four albums in the rear view mirror they should no longer be considered a “new” or “emerging” band. Molded by Rise Above Records from a shadowy, almost anonymous entity with no group photos that didn't do live shows to a touring band who opened for Black Sabbath across the UK, if there was ever a band that was in it for the music, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats is it. If they're new to you, do yourself a favor and dive into their last three albums. If you have a reverence for classic rock, stoner rock and evil vibes, there's a better than even chance you'll be hooked from the first run through the chorus of the now-iconic “I'll Cut You Down” to the finals strains of “Black Motorcade”. Uncle Acid is what The Beatles might have sounded like if Charles Manson and Black Sabbath had come first. And nothing can prepare you for the vocals. If you're already hooked, well, I've got this to say about the upcoming album.

One thing about Uncle Acid is that their albums are cinematic. A full play through of an Uncle Acid album is a bit like watching a movie play out, but it's wrong to call them concept albums. The songs are concise, self-motivated SONGS, never interludes, bridges or filler. But because there's a narrative thread, and because the band are masters of establishing and maintaining an overall mood to suit a theme, every song is important and warrants a focused listen. They lock onto a groove and ride it out but subtle changes make a major impact. Their changes and turnarounds are damn near perfect and make you sit up and take notice, the way your dad's subtle mood changes and gestures are important to note. This is a band with presence.

The theme of 'Wasteland' is a very near-future societal collapse and the struggle for survival, both individual and societal. Thematically, the story elements of the album are reminiscent of The Road, while Sonically, the mood reminds me of Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City. There's a pretty good reason for that, too. While the sound and mood of their 2013 album 'Mind Control' was steeped in 1968, evoking an over-indulged, hopped-up hippie cult on the mother of all summer of love hangovers, 'Wasteland's sound is very much rooted in 1980, from the opening strains of synth which sets the tone for the album to the muscular, almost Judas Priest or Never Say Die-like “Blood Runner” or “Stranger Tonight” the band never strays far from a vision of the future as seen from nostalgic eyes, wary but hopeful, braced but unprepared.

But, what you really want to know is: is 'Wasteland' better than their last one? Well, 'Wasteland' displays more of a progression than the last one. Every Uncle Acid album, indeed every Uncle Acid song is, in many ways, the same, but different. 'Wasteland' is arguably the most varied effort of the band's career, and unless I missed my guess, I'd wager it's because for the first time the band is writing songs with a live performance in mind. From the opening curtain of “I see through you” to the final dark turn of “Exodus”, Uncle Acid runs the listener ragged through the most epic sonic journey they've offered yet. “No Return” might be the slowest song the band has ever released (it might also be their heaviest and even possibly, their best yet). It's immediately followed up with what may be their fastest ever, “Blood Runner”. There are moments the band allows the listener to catch their breath before the next fateful turn. 'Wasteland' showcases some of the most masterful songwriting of their career with some of the most furious, scorching leads they've yet unleashed. Everything about this album is a step up, a new level of confidence and power.

You'll rarely encounter a band with such a strong identity. If every Uncle Acid song is the same, but different, it's because they're guided by a strong, confident vision. If you don't know exactly who you are and where you're going, you'll never be confident in what you do. So, the question of whether this new album is “better” than their last is moot. Simply put, this band sneezes and a classic record flies out and 'Wasteland' is arguably Uncle Acid's most ambitious album to date. Uncle Acid has found a way to progress everything they do without sacrificing their greatest strength, which is a their instantly recognizable sound.

Here's a track by Track breakdown, if you're one for the spoilers. If not, then look away, quickly:

I See Through You – ominous synth notes build atop a public address announcement that the state has been declared a disaster and gives way to the best opening riff to an album I've heard in ages. Shades of pre-disco Kiss in this riff. I didn't think they'd ever top “I'll Cut You Down” as an album opener, yet here we are. This automatically becomes an essential Uncle Acid song.

Shockwave City – Another terrific song, staying in that proto-metal vein, but still very much in the Uncle Acid style. Possibly the most true to form the band gets on this album.

No Return - again, possibly the band's slowest, heaviest and maybe even best song yet. This thing is sinister, marauding, intimidating even. A good spot for the doomiest Uncle Acid song yet as it comes with the revelation that all hope of a return to normalcy is lost in the album's narrative. Some synth in the background here. I'll point out that Uncle Acid nails cyberpunk dystopia without having to go over the top electro.

Blood Runner – once more, this is the fastest, most metal song in the band's catalogue. It absolutely sounds like a chase scene through dripping, crumbling concrete jungle. It comes close to capturing that early Iron Maiden melodic punk aesthetic.

Stranger Tonight – a strong follow-up. Frantic, uptempo, another future classic, staying in that proto-metal vein.

Wasteland – this mostly acoustic epic is smothered in spaghetti western sauce and builds up nicely in the middle to a satisfying conclusion. This song marks a significant change in the album's tone, from the familiar, if decaying urban world of lean, muscular riffs to a Ennio Morricone laden western feel of a desert wanderer.

Bedouin – this song is nearly indescribable. It almost reminds me of some old Mega Man music and carries over a slight Morricone influence from the last song. Melancholic, yet energetic. This song is insane. I can't tell if those sounds are coming from a guitar or synth, they almost sound like horns. Sabbath vibes of the more experimental moments of 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath'/ 'Sabotage' kind.

Exodus – the big finish, this one's got that last call feel. The whole second half of the record is Morricone meets Sabbath as married by Uncle Acid. Just incredible. At first it seems like the album's narrative ends on a hopeful note until the music darkens before giving way to a low howling wind right at the end. Because it's Uncle Acid the story must end on a malevolent note, like the trickster god was waiting for just the right moment to intervene. A pitch perfect ending to an incredible album which seems to dot the I and cross the t of the band's intended hopeless, doomed message.

And that's it, Uncle Acid's new album, and what an album it is. New fan, old fan, sceptical and suspicious, there's no way you won't fall in love with this album, double negatives be damned!

Words by LK Ultra

Wasteland will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Rise Above Records and all good stockists from October 12^th 2018.

Links:

Official | Facebook

Witchskull - Coven's Will (Album Review)

Release date: June 01st 2018. Label: Rise Above Records Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Coven’s Will – Tracklisting

1. Raven

2. Son of the Snake

3. Priestess

4. Breathing Blue Light

5. Demon Cage

6. Spyres

7. Lord of the Void

8. The Empty Well

Members

Marcus De Pasquale vox/guitar

Tony McMahon Bass

Joel Green Drums

Review

Greetings All,

Australia’s Witchskull, from Canberra to be exact have brought forth their second offering of bluesy doom rock, and lo what a mighty offering it is. Coven’s Will is eight mesmerizing tracks of energetic blues heavy doom rock with a definite NWOBHM feel. These are eight multi faceted songs showing the power trio’s skill as musicians and songwriters.

The album explodes out of the gates with the intense, unrelenting crunch of the Raven. The opener is a concise and powerful glimpse of what is to come. Son of the Snake slithers in with its metal vibe and a wink and a nod (intentional, maybe not?) to the old Melvins Ozma track Love Thing with it’s melodic guitar riff. 

Priestess brings in the slower, bluesy tempo before kicking your teeth down your throat. Massive riffs and driving drums propel the rocking Breathing Blue Light and the band keeps uptempo feel going through the intense Demon Cage. This track blisters with an early 80’s NWOBHM feel and just a pinch of Dio in the vocals. 

The moody Spyres brings the heavy bass and intense driving drums and notable cymbal crashes on the chorus that take the heavy vibe of the track down a dark road, The intensity stays high with Lord of the Void, possibly the most Sabbath inspired track on the record with it’s intense riffage pushing into a killer breakdown. 

The awe inspiring The Empty Well closes the album in grand fashion. The track opens with ominous, doom heavy riffs that give way to some almost jazz like moments before careening into a stoner rock interlude and then effortlessly finding its way back to dark, doom filled closing.

On their sophomore set, Witchskull have presented a record with Coven’s Will that is loaded with killer vocals, massive riffs and an infectious groove. Coven’s Will is immensely listenable and a massive triumph. Hats off to Witchskull and Rise Above for another towering triumph!

Todd S - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Words by Todd Stealey

Coven's Will is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl now via Rise Above Records.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

With The Dead - Love From With The Dead (Album Review)

Release date: September 22nd 2017. Label: Rise Above Records. Format: CD/DD/VInyl

From Love With The Dead – Tracklisting

1. Isolation

2. Egyptian Tomb

3. Reincarnation of Yesterday

4. Cocaine Phantoms

5. Watching the Ward Go By

6. Anemia

7. CV1

Members

Lee Dorrian - vocals

Tim Bagshaw - Guitar

Leo Smee - Bass

Alex Thomas – Drums

Review

Greetings all,

With The Dead came storming out of nowhere a couple of years back. A bit of a dream project/super group with Rise Above Records head honcho/Cathedral, Napalm Death vocalist Lee Dorrian teaming up with the original rhythm section of Electric Wizard (Bagshaw and Greening). Their debut self titled album was a heavy ass slab of doom metal. I understand that something happened and Greening was out on drums and a new band put together. Bagshaw now handles all of the guitars, while Cathedral bassist Leo Smee and Bolt Thrower drummer Alex Thomes were added. The change in line up has only intensified the group.

Love From With The Dead is an absolute monster of a record. It’s seven songs of full on death, darkness, and brutality clocks in at a massive 66 minutes. It is heavy from the first note to the final squawk of feedback.

The album starts with 7+ minutes of the pummelling riffage of Isolation. Which leads into the next monstrosity entitled Egyptian Tomb. These two tracks are dark, but are only the start of what is to come. Reincarnation of Yesterday starts with a big opening and delivers a black mantra like chant that I can only assume is working to bring the dead back among us. Cocaine Phantoms crushes your soul with an ominous guitar riff. Watching the Ward Goes By sounds like a 10+ minute tribute to one of the true kings of dark drums. The song opens with the first half having spoken word over a low bass and drum rumble before exploding into a head shatter riff and guttural screams. Anemia is an intense mix of eerie quietness and face melting heaviness. The record closes with the dark monolith that is CV1. Am unrelenting journey into the dark blackness that is intense and soul stirring. That vocals are raspy and tortured. The rhythm never lets you go and the guitar is heavy and full of feedback and dissonance.

Love From With The Dead casts a large, dark pall over the land. It is unrelenting and brutal. If you are seeking out sheer heaviness, this is it. By far, one of the darkest, heaviest, bleakest albums of the year. The blackest of ink used on the letter penned. If this is With The Dead’s love letter, I am utterly terrified of how their hate mail must read.

Words by Todd Stealey - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Love From With The Dead will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Rise Above Records on September 22nd 2017.

Links: Facebook

BEASTMAKER - Inside The Skull (Album Review)

Release date: May 19th 2017. Label: Rise Above Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Inside The Skull – Tracklisting

Evil One

Heaven To Hell

Now Howls The Beast

Of God’s Creation

Give Me A Sign

Nature Of The Damned

Psychic Visions

Inside The Skull

Night Bird

Sick Sick Demon

Members:

Trevor William Church - Guitar, Vocals...

Andres Alejandro Saldate (Juan Bonham) - Drums..

John Tucker – Bass

Review

Greetings all,

Over the past couple of weeks I have given multiple listens to the new album by the Fresno, CA based Sabbath worshipping Hellions Beastmaker. Honestly, to call them Sabbath worshipping may not even be a strong enough description. You may ask yourself, if another Sabbath-esque sounding band is a good thing. It isn't a good a thing...It is a fucking great thing!

Beastmaker hits the darkest, doomiest, occult rock swagger possible. Inside the skull is both an homage and an evolution on the sound we all know and love. The only way I can think to say is that they absolutely, fucking killed it! They have studied, made the beast, and unleashed it on the world. So all you have to do is sit back and let it consume you.

The record sounds perfect. It is not over produced, not under produced, the sound and tone is spot on. The track list is perfect. They have modernized the sound of Ozzy-era Sabbath. The songs are amazing. Every track is filled with masterful riffs, they are catchy as hell, and filled with the kind of dark, sinister lyrics we all know and love. And dammit if vocalist/guitarist Trevor Church doesn't sound just like Ozzy. It is freaking eerie at times. The band is tight, the rhythm section of Andy Saldate and John Tucker are ferocious.

The record just oozes the big bass, drum and guitar sound that fills me with equal parts awe, jealousy, and appreciation for what I am hearing. The band has that unmistakable Sabbath sounds, but there are also elements of some of their past and present Rise Above label mates. There is some definite Electric Wizard heaviness along with some of Uncle Acid's creepy, garage psych fuzz.

Inside the Skull opens with a stunning 1-2 punch. Big drums and riffs open both Evil One and Heaven to Hell. These two lead into the dark ethereal sound of Now Howls the Beast, which features some absolutely stunning female vocals on the chorus. Of Gods Creation slows things down a bit, while still bringing the big doom laden riff. Give Me a Sign is probably the most Sabbath sounding vocal and is my favorite track. 

Nature of the Damned has a dare I say Alice in Chains vibe about it. Psychic Visions is an epic piece of doom and is followed by Inside the Skull which just continues the riff laden assault. Night Bird is a bit of a bombastic riff with a definite psychedelic tinge. The album closes with catchy, heavy bass chug of Sick Sick Demon.

Listen, I'm not going to say that if you like Black Sabbath you should check out Beastmaker. If you are reading this, you fucking love Sabbath. I will say that if you are in the mood or have ever wondered what Sabbath may have sounded like if they kept going (outside of 13...) you will want to check this out. I swear there are some absolutely eerie similarities. You will pick up parts that sound just like they fell out of the first 6. 

Dig it! Check this one out.

Words by Todd Stealey Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Inside The Skull will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Rise AboveRecords from May 19^th 2017.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Church Of Misery - And Then There Were None (Album Review)

Release date: March 4^th 2016. Label: Rise Above Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

And Then There Were None – Tracklisting

1. The Hell Benders

2. Make Them Die Slowly

3. Doctor Death

4. River Demon

5. Confessions of an Embittered Soul

6. Suicide Journey

7. Murderfreak Blues

Band Members:

Tatsu Mikami (bass)

Dave Szulkin (guitar)

Eric Little (drums)

Scott Carlson (vocals)

Review:

We begin our journey as a fly-on-the-wall spectator hiding in a closet and watching with wide-eyes as a notorious killer goes about his morning business of breakfast and bludgeoning. Opening track, ‘The Hell Benders’ eases us in with a warm, bluesy bass lick adorned with easy-going guitar and psychotropic synth. This audible wake-and-bake only masks the stench of death for so long before an ominous silhouette appears at the door and drags us into the basement, flailing in terror as the deafening roar of a full blown Sabb-a-thon pushes its grubby fingers into our wounds and hungrily violates our senses. Mikami and his new band of savages have clearly been drinking from the fountain of groove throughout the conception of this lumbering, great record and Carlson’s lyrics read like the secret journal of Peter Sutcliffe; leaving no doubt as to the grisly inspiration behind each killer track.

Some stand out songs for me include, ‘Doctor Death’ which features the most satisfying use of the word ‘yeah’ that I have ever heard. Seriously, it is now my message alert tone. This perverse explosion of sordid groove-porn should have you swinging your little noggin around all over the place in frenzied delight. Track 4, ‘River Demon’ encapsulates everything that I love about 70’s era Black Sabbath. Szulkin seems to slow time with his tasteful, intoxicating lead work and is complemented perfectly by Little’s chilled, rhythmic pacing. By the time Carlson celebrated the superb jam with a well-grounded “All right!”, I had already grown a full-on handle bar moustache and occultist symbols had mysteriously manifested in my cereal. Another great tune is the reposeful ‘Suicide Journey’. Personally I really enjoy these super-mellow interlude tracks, especially when they set the mood for an addition to the album such as the sluggish and sonorous, ‘Murderfreak Blues’. Just when you think you’ve had all of the closed-eye, grimace inducing, slow head bang action that you can handle this wanton sleaze-fest grabs you by the hair and forces your delirious dome up and down once more.

Church Of Misery are pretty outspoken when it comes to their feelings about certain labels often attributed to their classic doom sound, so I’ve respectfully tried to avoid using such terms. In conclusion what I will say is this; ‘And Then There Were None’ is a fleshy, foul-smelling, black-hearted bastard of a record with a relentless appetite for filth and a blood-soiled arsenal of tools with which the band show no reservations about using. If you do just one thing on March 4th, then make sure that you check out this glorious album. If Doctor Death doesn’t make you bang your head and piss your pants at the same time then I’ll eat shit and smile doing it.

Favourite track: Doctor Death

Words by ThisHairyGuy

And Then There Were None will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl fromRise Above Records from March 4^th 2016.

Links:

Official | Facebook

Risen From The Dead - An Interview with Mark Greening

There's been a lot of anticipated albums due out this year.

Maybe none more than the self titled debut from With The Dead featuring Lee Dorrian joining up with a reunited Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening, for the first time since the mighty Ramesses.

A lot has happened since Ramesses split and With The Dead formed. With that in mind we recently sat down with Mark to discuss everything that's happened and maybe what the future holds.

SID – Can we talk about the Electric Wizard situation? You're probably not allowed to talk about this.

Mark – Basically the whole EW thing was pretty shitty. To start with I was over the moon to be back in the band, but before long cracks started to show. They’d already fired Simon, the drummer I replaced, then they got rid of the bass player and got Clayton in.

It felt to me like they had to have someone there to stab in the back.

SID – There had to be a scapegoat.

Mark – Yeah and then I got the phone call from their manager.

SID – Is that how you found out.

Mark – Yeah. It was weird because I was in contact with Justin and Liz, but everyone was sort of gutted about the performance at Temples Festival. Unfortunately, I had a few issues going on that night. I had had too much to drink and it was a pretty shit gig. Though in fairness, Liz was half-cut as well and there were problems with the sound, we didn't have a soundcheck

SID – It's a festival. You’re headlining and you've been there all day. We heard a lot of talk about that gig and lot of people were really positive about it. Some people said it wasn't the best Wizard performance but a lot of other people said sometimes that's the cool thing. Sometimes you're going to get the best gig ever and sometimes you don't.

Mark - That's the thing. Back in the early days of Wizard it was exactly that. One night we would play a shit gig and the next it would be totally amazing. The thing was those good gigs would cancel out the bad gigs.

I was gutted to be fired, but at the end of the day, if that hadn't happened there would be no WITH THE DEAD.

SID – That's the thing really. You got to look at that. We will get onto WITH THE DEAD in a second. We have to talk about the Facebook Page – No GREENING No Wizard. That' escalated quite quickly and there was a lot of support for you.

Mark – There was a lot of support from the No Greening No Wizard Facebook Page and that was great. It did take some things a bit too far sometimes.

SID – Yeah it did take things that too far sometimes but it's the internet.

Mark – That's it with Social Media and everything as people latch onto things. I was chuffed at all the support really.

But what happened because of that No Greening No Wizard page became bit of a nightmare.

SID – And that's where the issue started.

Mark. Yeah, I got bombarded with all of these solicitor's letters on behalf of EW saying you can't say such and such got rid of you. It was all about the No Greening page. They were saying that I ran the No Greening page, which I didn't. It was all scare tactics to try to get the page taken down It's disappointing as I've read online that “Mark Greening does things just for the money”, when EW are the ones choosing to pay lawyers’ fees to shut down a Facebook page they didn’t like instead of me. At the end of the day you don't go to work for free.

SID – Exactly.

Mark – I put the same amount of work into the album as Justin did, more than Liz. Justin and I arranged and wrote the whole album in his garage in Devon. I've got demos of us playing some of the songs. It was great and then it went tits up. It's the way things go in life sometimes but why should they get paid and not me?

SID – It's not ideal. Are you still getting these letters?

Mark – To be honest, their solicitor has stopped at the moment. Whether that's down to them not paying him either. I don't know.

I've read a lot of bad stuff about myself due to getting the album pulled but while when I was 20 or so and would do anything to play my drums it was fine, but when you grow up and you're in the real world, you've got to pay your rent and pay for your motorbike and you need money to do that. You can't do stuff for free.

At the end of the day it sucks to stop an album coming out. I think that Spinefarm only made that decision after thinking they’d sold as much as they’re going to. I went to a gig the other day and someone there told me he’d heard EW were going to re-record the drums to get the album back out there.

SID – From a label point of view - and this isn't meant to a dig at them- at some point, no doubt that album will go back on sale and when it does that won't probably harm it sales.

Mark – It’s annoying as Spinefarm (their label now) were well aware of this situation before the album was released, as I made them aware of it. It took them sometime before the album was pulled. A lot of people bitch about it, but I'm only after my fair share. I'm in the process of the next step and we will see where that will go. To be honest, the whole Time To Die and No Greening situation has all got a bit boring now. It's great that people still support me, but it's time to move on from it.

SID – One of the reoccurring topics on the NO GREENING page was if Ramesses was that going to happen again. Obviously Tim is in With The Dead and you were back in touch. Was Ramesses ever discussed.

Mark – There was talk about Ramesses and Adam was the first person I spoke to after I was booted out of Electric Wizard. I was quite upset and I didn't know who to speak to. Ramesses could always be on the cards.

SID – How WITH THE DEAD started was cool, the way it was announced: here it is and BANG it's ready. I remember that it was going to break the Internet that night, being shared and appearing everywhere on my newsfeed. The quality of the people involved. You've got yourself, you've got Tim and then you've got Lee from Cathedral and Rise Above. That's pretty damn exciting.

Mark – It was just an idea. Tim and I always said we would do our own band together one day. When I was left in the lurch with EW, I was thinking “shit, what do I do now?” Ramesses was on the cards, but I thought it would be nice to do something different. I knew that Lee had had a bit of a carry-on with EW - that was all kicking off when I re-joined EW with them and I still don't know what the grudge is – but I got hold of Lee and said I want to play drums in a band and all this sort of business. I told him I'd been in contact with Tim again and asked if his label would be interested in releasing something. He was like –yeah, that would be cool.

I contacted Tim and said Lee from Rise Above Records was up for putting something out if we put a band together. Originally I was going to do the vocals.

SID – Oh really. (Sounding really surprised)

Mark – That was the idea as we just wanted the two of us. Just the ex-Wizard Rhythm section. The original idea was to record an EP. Tim did 3 or 4 tracks and sent them to me which I thought were really great. We sent them to Lee. We were unaware that Lee would be interested in doing the vocals. It was on our minds to ask him but we thought he had a lot on his plate running the label, but we mentioned it to him.

I did try to write lyrics for some of the tracks, and I've never written lyrics before. I could sort of hear it in my head what it should be like. If I could’ve actually done it, I'm not so sure. But I was in regular contact with Lee about the whole thing.

Lee flew Tim out and we went into a studio and recorded. Lee came down when we were in there and talked about doing the vocals.

Unfortunately the studio we recorded them in didn't have that dirty raw and grimy sound.

SID – When you hear your name and Tim's name. You imagine a certain heavy filthy sound.

Mark – Yeah, Tim didn't get all the bass done as one of the amps was playing up, so we ended up not having time to record the bass. Tim was going to record it back in the States. Then Lee said come back over into one of my studios and we will record the whole thing again, with him on vocals and that will be it.

Tim came back over again and we went to London and rehearsed for 4 or 5 days. Lee came to the rehearsals and did a couple of tracks with us. That was the first time we heard him sing with us. Then we went into the studio and recorded it. Lee came to the studio every day to see how things were going and did his vocals

That's how WITH THE DEAD came about. I went to Lee for help really as I wanted to drum. Tim was up for it, came over and Lee got involved with it really.

SID – The name. WITH THE DEAD. How did that come about.

Mark – We had quite a few names for the band. We wanted something that stood out and one that looked and sounded nasty. We had a long list of names and everything sounded the same. It was a nightmare as none of us had tried to think of a band name in a long time.

I've got an obsession with Ouija Boards and things to do with the dead. At the time there was a shit film called Ouija - there were trailers for that film and one had the cheesy over-the-top American voice-over saying how that Ouija boards have been around for centuries and are used “to communicate” - and then he pauses to say – “WITH THE DEAD”.

I thought that sounded cool. I told Lee and Tim about it and we continued looked at other things but kept coming back to it. Also my favourite horror film is The Exorcist, so I was happy with how it all worked out.

SID – It's a cool name and with the imagery and the outfits. It looks cool and fits together.

Mark. Yeah it does. Tim and I were a bit sceptical about it being a bit cheesy and stuff when we did the photoshoot for the album cover. But then we realised it's good to have something that stood out, instead of being a band just stood against the wall. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We just wanted something different.

SID – Live. Is that something on the cards with Tim not living in the UK?

Mark – Well it does make it slightly awkward but another issue is Tim played bass and guitar on the album. At the moment I can't really say too much about gigs.

SID – Talking about the performing side of things, a lot of interviews I've read and playing with people in bands. People always talk about gear. You've definitely got a distinctive sound, is there anything in your setup that's key to your whole sound?

Mark – I keep my setup pretty basic, as that's how I think it should be done. I never would’ve dreamed of using a double bass drum pedal or stuff like that. The thing is I have the two 30” cymbals which I don't think anyone else is stupid enough to use.

I play left-handed and open-armed as well, so I have my ride on the left. I just do what I do.

SID – It looks quite natural and an easy thing. But at the same time it looks like you're hitting them quite hard.

Mark – Well you may as well hit them hard if you're going to play them. If not just give up. Obviously I'm no spring chicken anymore but I still try to hit them as hard as I can. You've just got to hit the living shit out of them.

For the music that I play you generally need to beat the shit out of them. I'm not the type of person who listens to other drummers and thinks I'm going to do that. I taught myself to drum. I used to listen to a lot of Keith Moon and Ginger Baker and other drummers that stood out in the 60s and 70s like John Bonham. Even Ringo Starr, and people slag him off, but if you add a different drummer to The Beatles then it wouldn't sound like The Beatles. When Ringo Starr plays, you instantly recognise that it’s him. The same goes for Keith Moon, John Bonham and Ginger Baker. It's those distinctive little characteristics of drummers that you sort of latch on to. Otherwise you're just sat at the back keeping a beat.

SID – Apart from the music you're obviously a Hollywood Movie Star. As you did – Welcome To Cannibal County.

Mark – Well yeah but now it's been removed from YouTube and has disappeared.

SID – Has it?

Mark – Well the music in it was Electric Wizard. It was only a short film. It wasn't great but it had a few moments. Will Wallace did the film. A lot of us in the film were really young. It was good for what it was and it's only 15 minutes long.

SID – It kind of had that whole vibe and I assumed that it was meant to. Almost 70s style slasher movies.

Mark – Yeah, that's exactly what it was.

SID – I didn't think it was taking itself too seriously.

Mark – The thing was it's the basic story of – Kids going camping and I was this acid crazed gypsy. That had done too much acid and gone mad. We were going to make a full length sequel called – Acid Eater.

Will did the crowd-funding thing, but unfortunately didn't quite reach the goal. It was a real shame as Will had written the whole script and it was really going to be quite a good film and based around how I become this Acid-Crazed maniac. It was going to have a lot of death scenes. A lot of gruesome goings on. Unfortunately that's been put on hold.

SID – Maybe it's going to be like what we said about Ramesses. It's not necessarily a done deal but could happen in the future.

Mark – Yeah, it could still happen.

SID – We've talked about this recently. The whole situation with Black Sabbath reformed without Bill Ward, releasing 13 and doing that massive tour. A lot of people weren't happy Bill Ward wasn't included. He went public about it. There's been a bit of back and forth between them. Maybe it hasn't been as one-sided as we thought. We've seen recently – No Ward, No Sabbath. And we've seen that with you this No Greening No Wizard. Where do you stand on it. Is Black Sabbath still Black Sabbath without Bill Ward.

Mark – Coming from a drummer point of view. I would’ve loved to see Sabbath with Bill Ward. I find with a lot of drummers who hit hard that when you get older, you just haven't got as much energy you once had. Whether that would’ve been an issue with Bill Ward, I don't know.

A lot of people were bitching about it. At the end of the day people should have been happy Sabbath were doing it with the 3 other members.

Personally it would have been better with Bill Ward. Whether would he been able to pull of the live gigs. Who knows.

SID – I've read a lot about his health issues. None of them are young guys anymore.

Mark – That's the thing. There’s a lot of bands from the 60s/70s that all have a young drummer now. Occasionally there’s one with the original drummer but most of the time it's a younger guy who has the energy to do it all.

I saw Ginger Baker and his Jazz Band, which was amazing to see as I love Ginger Baker to bits. He just says things the way it is and doesn't give a shit. But at 70-odd years old he would never be able to play “Toad” or perform a drum solo for 10 minutes. As much as I probably won’t be able to do it at his age either.

SID – It's not like playing the bass or playing the guitar. You're up on stage. You're moving around and there’s hot lights on the stage. You're having a workout.

Mark – That's it. You're hitting the drums and fucking going for it. Sometimes I'll be fucked after 5 minutes. I need to get rehearsing regularly again. It's one of those things. I didn't even bother seeing Sabbath. I wasn't really arsed. Haha.

Words by Simon Ross Wiliams and Mark Greening

Thanks to Mark Greening for taking the time time out to talking to SID at Outlaws Of The Sun. With The Dead debut S/T album will be available to buy from Rise Above Records from October 16^th 2015.

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