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A Pestilence Rebirth?
By Cindy Ferraino
When the Netherlands band "Pestilence" hit the music scene in 1986, their unique hard metal sound impressed the ears of many fans and soon paved the way to a record deal with Roadrunner Records. After the release of "Malleus Maleficarum (debut album in 1988) and "Consuming Impulse" (1989), the band was going through their share of creative differences and the comings and goings of band members.
Because of the mixed emotions about the musical direction of the band, Pestilence parted ways in 1994.
In 2008, word of a resurge of Pestilence surfaced and the buzz surrounding this revitalized band sparked interest in new record label as well as international recognition. In 2009, Pestilence released "Resurrection Macabre" under Mascot Records and is planning tours throughout Europe and the United States.
Pestilence is working with California based public relations firm V.Q. Promotions. Valley Scene Magazine(VSM) caught up with lead front man Patrick Mameli (PM) to discuss how Pestilence has reemerged back into the heavy metal music arena.
VSM- Many think this is a reunion of the band but you (Patrick Mameli) have stated differently. Why?
PM- For me, a reunion is when all the guys come back and what we are doing is not. Because of the changes in the band, this does not dictate a reunion. Except for Tony Choy, this is not the old line-up of guys. The intention for the comeback is to play from the heart and try the best we can do. We want to be organic and true to our own style of music.
VSM- What has it been like being back on tour?
PM- It feels like we have never been away from it. Nothing really has changed much…except we got older looking (laughing). Being back feels good- it is like riding a bike all over again.
VSM- How do you deal with requests from the crowds about playing the old "Pestilence" songs?
PM- We can't please everybody. People remember us from the old days and try to compare. They don't understand the effort it takes to create new material. Just listen to the new stuff and if you like it…that's great and if you don't…then that's okay too.
VSM- When you are not touring, what do you do?
PM- I work a regular 9-5 job and listen to all kinds of music. I have a life outside the band.
VSM- How do you guys get the creative juices flowing when you are on different time zones-Patrick Mameli (Netherlands), Bassist Tony Choy (Miami), Peter Wildoer (Europe) and Patrick Uterwijk (Europe).
PM- We don't rehearse. I send the notes via MP3 files and the guys get the job done.
VSM- Describe the musical style of the new album "Resurrection Macabre."
PM- "Resurrection Macabre" is the distinctive Pestilence riff. The sound is Pestilence. The fans want this. Mascot Records believes in us-"they love us." Mameli thanks Ed (from the Roadrunner days) for his support.
VSM- How do you feel about hitting the stages in the United States?
PM- We were scheduled to play at the Maryland DeathFest but a glitch with paperwork at the Detroit airport held up me and Patrick. We were interrogated for 4 hours and then sent home. "We were really bummed." But the cancelled tour did not sour Mameli's hopes of coming back to the US.
We are working on several tour dates in the US for 2010 and I am really excited to play in America.
VSM- What does the future hold for Pestilence?
PM- Like anyone, I can't predict the future but if I have to say anything, it would be-to play it safe. As long as the people want to listen and the interest is there, then I am going to keep on playing. My goal is to explore my musicianship- be creative, be crazier and don't get pushed into a box.
Besides the music, Mameli is a family man. "My family is everything to me…this (Pestilence) is just icing on the cake".
Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?
By Duane Shinn
How many times have you turned to music to uplift you even further in happy times, or sought the comfort of music when melancholy strikes?
In recent times, scientists have sought to explain and quantify the way music impacts us at an emotional level. Researching the links between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how our brains function.
The healing power of music is only just starting to be understood, even though music therapy is not new. For many years, therapists have been advocating the use of music in both listening and study for the reduction of anxiety and stress, the relief of pain.
Doctors now believe using music therapy in hospitals and nursing homes not only makes people feel better, but also makes them heal faster. And across the nation, medical experts are beginning to apply the new revelations about music's impact on the brain to treating patients.
In one study, victims of stroke, cerebral palsy, and Parkinson's disease who worked to music took bigger, more balanced strides than those whose therapy had no accompaniment.
The sound of drums may influence how bodies work. Quoted in a 2001 article in USA Today, Suzanne Hasner, chairwoman of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, says even those with dementia or head injuries retain musical ability.
The article reported results of an experiment in which researchers from the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, Pa., tracked 111 cancer patients who played drums for 30 minutes a day. They found strengthened immune systems and increased levels of cancer-fighting cells in many of the patients.
"Deep in our long-term memory is this rehearsed music," Hasner says. "It is processed in the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. Here is where you remember the music played at your wedding, the music of your first love, that first dance. Such things can still be remembered even in people with progressive diseases. It can be a window, a way to reach them."
The American Music Therapy Organization claims music therapy may allow for "emotional intimacy with families and caregivers, relaxation for the entire family, and meaningful time spent together in a positive, creative way."
In 2001 Dr. Anne Blood and Robert Zatorre of McGill University in Montreal, used positron emission tomography, or PET scans, to find out if particular brain structures were stimulated by music.
Blood and Zatorre asked 10 musicians, five men, and five women, to choose stirring music. The subjects were then given PET scans as they listened to four types of audio stimuli - the selected music, other music, general noise, or silence. Each sequence was repeated three times in random order.
Blood said when the subjects heard the music that gave them "chills," the PET scans detected activity in the portions of the brain that are also stimulated by food and sex.
Just why humans developed such a biologically based appreciation of music is still not clear. But because music activates the parts of the brain that make us happy, this suggests it can benefit our physical and mental well-being.
This is good news for patients undergoing surgical operations who experience anxiety in anticipation of those procedures.
A 1992 study identified music listening and relaxation instruction as an effective way to reduce pain and anxiety in women undergoing painful gynecological procedures. And other studies have proved music can reduce other 'negative' human emotions like fear, distress, and depression.
Researchers cannot be certain why music has a calming affect on many medical patients. One school of thought believes music may reduce stress because it can help patients to relax and also lower blood pressure. Researcher claims music allows the body's vibrations to synchronize with the rhythms of those around it. For instance, if an anxious patient with a racing, heartbeat listens to slow music; his heart rate will slow down and synchronize with the music's rhythm.
Such results are still something of a mystery. The incredible ability that music has to affect and manipulate emotions and the brain is undeniable, and yet still largely inexplicable.
Aside from brain activity, the affect of music on hormone levels in the human body can also be quantified, and there is definite evidence that music can lower levels of cortisol in the body (associated with arousal and stress), and raise levels of melatonin (which can induce sleep). It can also precipitate the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkiller.
But how does music succeed in prompting emotions within us? And why are these emotions often so powerful? The simple answer is that no one knows yet. So far, we can quantify some of the emotional responses caused by music, but we cannot yet explain them.
Arkaea Interview
By Rei Nishimoto
For two decades, Fear Factory became one of the most influential heavy metal bands on the heavy music scene. The LA based band released seven full length releases (including two full length releases without original guitarist Dino Cazares), in which fans recognized them for their powerful blend of hard driving guitar riffs, lightning speed drumming, and a vocal style that switched between a raw, shouted style and a clean, melodic style throughout their songs.
After the release of their 2005 release Transgression, drummer Raymond Herrrera and guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers began writing songs that were originally intended for a new Fear Factory record. But once band vocalist Burton C. Bell chose to work on his side project Ascensions of the Watchers instead, the two members shifted their energies towards something else. Their new band Arkaea was finally born in 2007.
"This was essentially supposed to be the next Fear Factory record," explained Herrera. "There were some personal differences, I guess you can say, so we decided to take the songs and do something else with them. Obviously we weren't going to do Fear Factory at the time."
So Herrera and Olde Wolbers continued to work on new songs and began shaping their sound around new members in the band. They began by recruiting vocalist Jon Howard (of the Canadian metal band Threat Signal), which they were familiar with from past touring.
"It was Christian's idea to get Jon and Pat (Kavanaugh) involved. Christian had already worked on the Threat Signal record, so he was good friends with Jon and Pat. I hadn't really met Jon before. I may have spoken to him once or twice - kinda say hi to the guys. I didn't really know them that well at the time."
"We had sent songs we had written up to that point to Jon. He heard some of the stuff and started doing vocals on it. I thought 'wow, this guy's really good.' He's doing a really good job. So it kind of snowballed from there. We kept sending him stuff and he was sending stuff back. I was starting to get ideas as an answer to what he was doing. It's a collaborative effort, even though he's in Toronto. It built from there. We wrote some of the stuff here (at the studio). We wrote some stuff at Christian's house. We kept writing like a normal record, and before you knew it, we had 12 songs."
"When Christian and I had branched off, we already had eight songs for the next Fear Factory record, which eventually became Arkaea. When Jon got all of these songs, it almost had a whole record done at that point. He had his work cut out for him."
Over the past two years, they slowly worked on their songs until they were satisfied with the results. Their debut album, Years in the Darkness (out July 14 through E1 Music) is the end result, where songs such as 'Locust' and 'Beneath the Shades of Grey' remind longtime fans of the similarities to Fear Factory, as well as new elements added along the way.
Plus with Howard joining the band, he refined their songs to fit his vocal dynamics to the music. "A lot of the better changes are in nuances where I was able to write around his vocals. He has a different rhythmic vocal style with verses, where I had to change my style just a touch to make those parts stand out more. The style of drumming is still the same. It's a different animal. He's very hard working. In a one-week period, he banged out seven songs and it was 80 percent there. It's unheard of for us. It's really good to have a guy who's really hungry and eager. He gets it that it's a good opportunity," said Herrera.
Arkaea is currently working on a summer tour, which will be announced through the band's Myspace page (www.myspace.com/arkaeamusic). There are talks about an Arkaea remix CD, as well as a XBOX video game featuring Arkaea's music to be released in the near future.