Ex Vitus and current Lord Vicar mainman Christian Linderson is back with some new stoner jams. Olivier ‘Zoltar’ Badin worships the Goatess.

“Based on my past experiences, some people may believe that I’m hard to work with, whereas it couldn’t be more the opposite. I love playing in bands and the camaraderie that goes along with it,” stresses Christian ‘Chritus’ Linderson with a grin. However, one could easily underline that ever since Count Raven’s debut ‘Storm Warning’ came out in 1990 the man has never had the chance to put out more than two albums with the same band! So far that is, as he’s been working lately on the third Lord Vicar third full-length with former Reverend Bizarre Kimi ‘Peter Vicar’ Kärki. But when asked about his other current active band Goatess, he says that he sees it as, “first and foremost, a bunch of long-time friends who just love doing music together and plan to keep doing so for many years.”

The band started off in 2009, first as Weekend Beast, with just him and guitar player Niklas “jamming out ideas for the sake of it.” “We hit it off so well together that the music started to flow very easily,” … Read More

Formed in Helsinki in 2009, Finland’s Ranger started “as a five-piece speed metal band,” says guitarist Jaakko (ex-Swallowed). “There’s been a few lineup changes since, like Dimi picking up the bass and Miko moving from guitar to drums. It’s been us three who kept the band going. Verneri joined us last year after ‘Metal Gear’ [Ranger’s first demo] was recorded and completed the lineup with second lead guitar. He’s a real ripper and we really love to have him onboard. He completes our desire for over-the-top double guitar action.”

“Over-the-top” provides a perfect descriptor for Ranger’s furious and loose “hot burning metal” attack. The aforementioned twin “guitar action” definitely propels the chaos. Complementing the ripping guitars are Dimi’s frenetic, high-pitched vocals and banshee wailing. You might call Ranger’s self-styled “combat metal” sloppy, but a large part of their appeal derives from the “feel” of the naked, raw aggression and not technical precision – much like early Destruction.

“Destruction and Teutonic thrash rules,” agrees Jaakko, “but as a band, our main influences are the very basis of heavy metal. Pounding drums, dominating and powerful vocals with skull-splitting, double lead guitars that melt your face and send shivers down your spine. We worship bands … Read More

Fuck Conan and his hearing the lamentations of your women bullshit, true heavy metal warriors VOMITOR think there’s much more to life – metal, hanging out with friends and downing a few jars. ALASDAIR BULMER couldn’t agree more as he hangs with DEATHDEALER on the eve of their latest Aussie Assault.

Born of the Black Jackal’s womb in 1999 Australian alcoholocausters Vomitor have consistently flouted any inflated notions of trend and musical sensibilities, opting for beer-fuelled chaos and destruction via the “Death Metal or Die!” philosophy. Amassing a sizeable arsenal of splits and demos, they released their third full length ‘The Escalation’ through Invictus Productions last year. What’s more, with Europe anticipating the ‘Satan’s Escalation Vomitour’ in July, and the Yanks getting their due last December with a short Northeast stint, it’s all part of a burst of activity not least related to frontman and mastermind, Rob, aka Deathdealer, and his strategic relocation to Dublin.

A change of scenery, maybe, but a change of heart, never. Even with the most subtle hints of added complexity (‘The Escalation’ utilising two guitars no less) the aural clusterfuck that is Vomitor remains the same. “For me death and black metal should be raw, nasty, horrible, … Read More

There have not been so many wicked women bewitching the heavy rock world as there is now. Jinx herself must be so proud. But the high priestess of them all is most certainly the majestic JEX THOTH. With a new EP and album out this summer, KIM KELLY comes listen to her sermon

Jex Thoth is a busy woman. Fawned over and fetishised as one of occult rock’s true High Priestesses and a devilishly talented musician in her own right, she is a quiet enigma floating airily through a thicket of over-sharers. There isn’t a ton of information about her out there, and this wilful silence has led many to style her as a mystical entity, or at the very least, one that likes to keep people guessing. That’s how she likes it, too, telling Iron Fist, “Jex Thoth is the most personal to me of all my projects and too much tampering with how I relate to my own experience will most certainly have an effect on the music over time.” Right now, her ambient ‘Circle’ EP’s still cooling gently on the windowsill while Jex preps for the release of her next full-length, ‘Blood Moon Rise’ (on I Hate Records). … Read More

Splits, spouses, sludge and selling out… Japanese death doom dealers COFFINS take KIM KELLY to ‘THE FLESHLAND’ to talk their past, present and future

The Land of the Rising Sun has earned its out-there reputation about a billion times over by now, so it’s always a bit refreshing to stumble across an artistic endeavour that sticks to a comfortingly familiar script instead of blasting out into the stratosphere on steel wings of glitter and tentacle porn. That’s how I felt the first time I heard Coffins, anyway, and they’ve done little to disappoint, or deviate, in the ensuing half decade. Not only have they chosen to take a path often traveled, they’ve managed to Godzilla stomp all the way down and back again without seeming to break a sweat or whip off Uchino’s ever-present sunglasses. The trio (now quartet, thanks to new vocalist Ryo) have stayed true to the same ugly, death/doom sound they’ve been peddling for most of their unlucky 13 years, though it took a while for them to arrive at that sickly sweet spot.

“Strictly speaking, we changed three times the sound style,” guitarist Uchino clarifies. “We started from 1996, playing a slow heavy junk style in ’96-’97, then … Read More

There’s a reason that black metal alchemists Sodb are one of the most buzzed-about bands in Ireland. Drawing upon their considerable combined experience (we’re talking members of Altar Of Plagues, Putrefaction, Abaddon Incarnate, Dordaid Dam, Okus, Fuck You Written In Shit…) the three men and one woman of Sodb have created some truly special music on their first release, ‘Don Seantalamh A Chuid Féin’. The atmosphere is chilling, the talent and songcraft undeniable, and songs themselves as hypnotic and emotive as anyone could wish. It’s a startlingly mature release, and doesn’t sound much like a traditional shoddy demo recording. There’s a depth to the songs that only a certain level of care and consideration can create, and it’s a fair assumption that the band’s own deeply-rooted aesthetic is the cause of it. If that name hasn’t tipped you off yet, Sodb is an Irish band in every sense of the word; half of its members even hold university degrees in Irish culture, and all save for bassist Irene Siragusa are Irish born and bred. Vocalist O’Loingsigh, whose own musical background is split between black metal and traditional Irish folk music, is happy to shed a bit of light on the … Read More

We take the rough with the smooth here at Iron Fist – you cannot have one without the other. And with every celebration there is an element of tragedy, or for the optimists there is a cause for celebration in every moment of sadness. We started Issue 5 of Iron Fist in a celebratory mood – one of metal’s most important albums – ‘Holy Diver – was about to turn 30, but in talking to lead guitarist Vivian Campbell we learned how miserable the making of that landmark record made him, spilling the beans of the well-documented fall-out between him and Ronnie James Dio.

We also wanted to celebrate the life and music of one of metal’s most important guitarists, Jeff Hanneman – Reign In Peace!

But most of all we wanted to celebrate tenacity and perseverance, a thread running through interviews with Hungary’s underground cult thrashers, Tormentor and underrated NWOBHM heroes, Pagan Altar, Satan and Virtue. While Tormentor, Pagan Altar and Virtue were noticed long after they’d called it quits, Satan journeyed through the hard times through many guises before reforming under their original name and making one of the albums of their career.

In this issue we also speak to lifelong … Read More

“We had been discussing a name change for a couple of months prior to playing the Noctis festival,” muses Lester Skelter, drummer and vocalist for Western Canadian traditional metallers Spell. A continuation of the NWOBHM metal lineage begun by the young trio’s previous act Stryker, Spell is the sum of this basic equation: Stryker + ‘70s prog + ‘60s psychedelic imagery. Confused yet? So were we…

“When it turned out that Striker from Edmonton (they were featured in Iron Fist Issue 9) got booked on the same show… that was kind of the final thing that made us go ahead with the name change,” says Skelter. Indeed, the act played the final Noctis 666 in September of 2013, and was somewhat humorously double billed by a cheeky promoter.

“Although really, underneath that, the name change had been a long time coming as well, because the initial name reflected more of the ‘80s heavy metal style that we started playing. We’ve taken on a lot of new influences and gone in a new direction and become better and more capable players, and so we thought the new aesthetic and direction we were going in needed a new name.”

Far from embarrassed by their initial … Read More

“Come, My Fanatics” It’s taken a good long while for me to write this reminiscence, much to Louise’s chagrin. It’s not my fault, though, I swear. After all, one does not simply review Roadburn. You’ve got to experience it first, let the dust settle, let it all sink in. There have been memories made, friendships forged, maybe a broken heart or beer bottle to contend with, and above all, there was the music – that glorious swirling cacophony of heavy riffs, howling voices, spacey trips, crushing melodies, industrial clangs, and even the odd blastbeat. So savour it. Swish it around your mouth like a dram of Laphroaig, and drink it down straight. Soak it all up like that first sunbeam after a bitter cold winter, and let yourself start counting the days ‘til your next stroll past the Cul de Sac and through the 013’s doors. We here at Iron Fist have what you might call a bit of a soft spot (read: all-consuming passion) for this most unique and welcoming of festivals, and are endlessly grateful to the wonderful Roadburn staff for inviting us along on their cosmic journey. 2013 was the best year yet, but then again, we say … Read More

“I see the light shining” sung TUDOR SHELDON on Virtue’s 1987 demo ‘FOOLS GOLD’, but it’s us that sees the light now, shining bright from that most sought-after yellow cover. Seek (and destroy) no more, No Remorse from Germany have made VIRTUE readily available and DAVE SHERWOOD tracked down the band to ask if we’ll ever get to see them live… and to give the only mention of Skindred that will ever appear in our pages.

At Iron Fist we are fascinated with the weird and wonderful; from knowing about Phil Lynott’s guest appearance on Heavy Load’s ‘Free’, to discovering Slayer’s first ultra-rare release: ‘Satan Laughing As You Eternally Rot’ which simplifies to SLAYER. So we were ecstatic when we discovered an official re-issue of Oxford’s unsung heavy metal heroes: Virtue. They were active towards the back end of the NWOBHM prime time but were pushed into never ending pit of trend-influenced bands. It has only been in the last four years that their 1985 ‘We Stand to Fight’ single has gone viral in the metal community; and so with its original release (costly and pressed to a minimal number) it was only a matter of time until a label were wanting … Read More