INTERVIEW: IVAN MIHALJEVIC & SIDE EFFECTS

Howdy, Growlers. Last month I had the privilege of reviewing an album from Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects, a Croatian band that has since opened for Whitesnake and received numerous accolades for their progressive hard rock. I was able to catch up with dynamic vocalist/guitarist Ivan Mihaljevic and ask a few questions about their album Counterclockwise, his young but acclaimed career, and his experiences with rock’n’roll. Read on for Ivan’s touristy aspirations and a brutal critique of the Croatian music scene:

Mister Growl: Counterclockwise is your third full-length album with Side Effects. What separates this from your earlier releases?

Ivan: The most obvious difference is that this album is focused on songs with vocals while the previous two had a lot of instrumental pieces. We tried to make peace between those two things that we did earlier, so we made longer and more progressive vocal pieces with extended instrumental sections.

Mister Growl: You have mentioned before that Counterclockwise is a concept album. Could you describe the concept to people listening to your music for the first time?

Ivan: The concept is similar to The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. It describes the pitfalls of modern society. We talk about the unquenchable thirst for more, false friends, dealing with the death of someone close to you, anxiety and depression, but also try to give those situations a solution.

Mister Growl:  What is the Croatian rock and metal music scene like? How has it impacted your own music?

Ivan: There are some really good bands here, but they almost never get their opportunity to make a living out of it. The style of music that is currently mainstream in Croatia is utter bullshit. I tried to find a milder and less offensive word for it, but that's just the least offensive term I can come up with for those repulsive sounds. That's what gets served on the radio stations and most people will just listen to whatever's "in" at the moment. Yes, I am pissed off about the current situation. Hopefully, it will change for the better in the future.

Mister Growl: What have been the main influences on your guitar playing style?

Ivan: I'll start chronologically. Some of these guys aren't really great guitar players, but they definitely did have an influence on me at some point in my musical development. So, let's start with the list - Noel Gallagher (Oasis) - probably the reason I started playing the guitar, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet (Metallica), Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse...

Mister Growl: How did you meet the other members of Side Effects, Marko Karacic (bass) and Alen Frljak (drums)?

Ivan: I met Alen when we were still in high-school. Our bands rehearsed at the same place. I clearly remember when I first heard him play the drums. I think I've never heard anyone play that well before. Years later we formed a band together which didn't really last long, but when I decided to start up a new band, he was the first one I called and he said "yes".

I have no idea exactly when and how I met Karo. I've known him for years and I knew he was a great bass player, so when Alen and I split with our former bass player, Karo was our first choice.

Mister Growl: You were already playing major hard rock/metal festivals at the age of 18. How have you seen the metal scene or the music industry change since then?

Ivan:  It's hard for me to say. I did play Wacken Open Air at age 18, but I can't really say I understood how the industry works at that point. Now I have a better insight into how things work, so you'll have to ask me in 10 or 20 years. *smiles*

Mister Growl: The sadly defunct Funeral Rain Zine once called you “The Croatian Sensation.” If you could nickname yourself what name would you choose?

Ivan: That's a flattering nickname. I don't know. I've never thought about nicknaming myself.

Mister Growl: You once played with Les Paul at a venue in Times Square. As a New Yorker I’m very interested in hearing your thoughts on the city.

Ivan: Oh, that was an amazing experience. I've had a chance to meet and play with the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to see much of New York. I've seen Times Square which was very impressive and a little bit of Manhattan. I'd love to be able to come to New York again as a tourist at some point and to be able to just look around.

Mister Growl: You have also toured Europe multiple times with the band Hard Time. What’s your strangest or favorite touring story?

Ivan: The strangest ones are usually border stories... I remember once they held us for 4 hours for no real reason at the Liverpool airport and we were late for a gig. It's funny how border police tend to mistreat musicians. I think most musicians hate airports. It's also funny that our worst airport story happened in Liverpool where the name of the airport is John Lennon Airport. We joked that they should hang a huge sign in there saying "No guitars are allowed at the John Lennon Airport!"

Mister Growl: What do you consider your greatest achievement to this date?

Ivan: A couple of them -  playing with Les Paul which we already mentioned, playing Wacken Open Air which was also already mentioned, playing the Italian Heineken Jamming Festival with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Noel Gallagher, The Cure, Evanescence..., opening the show for Whitesnake in Zagreb and having the album of the month in the biggest European guitar magazine Guitar Techniques.

Mister Growl: What are you working on now and what are your long-term goals as an artist?

Ivan: We're playing some live shows and working on some new material. Our long-term goals are to have fun and play music that we enjoy!

Many thanks to Ivan Mihaljevic for taking the time for this interview, and check out their music over at their official website:  http://www.ivanmihaljevic.com/

And you can check out Counterclockwise over at CDBaby and purchase the album as a download or in CD format:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ivanmihaljevicsideeffect 

 

 

 

REVIEW: HEDRAS RAMOS - ATOMS AND SPACE

If you come whistling by this site every so often you may remember my review of Charlemagne: The Omens of Death, the concept album captained by Sir Christopher Lee. In that review I mentioned six-string phenom Hedras Ramos (Jr.), a singular talent who composed several songs on that record and emerged from the hour-long experience as a talent to note and track. I was kindly gifted Ramos’ third instrumental album, Atoms and Space, and have now listened to this a few times in different settings: Walking through sleazy San Francisco neighborhoods at night, relaxing with a cold beer and good speakers at home, and amidst the hustle’n’bustle of a New York subway car.

I’ll start by saying that I already consider Hedras Ramos a virtuoso guitarist. Prodigy is a word that gets tossed around a lot because of his age (21 years old at the time of writing this review), but that word discounts the abilities that already place him among the elite. A true virtuoso not only flashes immense technical ability (which he shows in spades), but also treats the guitar like an instrument to express the full spectrum of human emotion. The thirteen tracks on Atoms and Space show his range and versatility, as well as his technical prowess, while also showing that since this album his songwriting (as displayed on Charlemagne) has steadily improved.

It’s difficult to pick out highlights as a sample of his greatest moments, but Ramos’ most singular flourishes follow a cosmic, sci-fi tapping style that appears on “Virtual Tangles,” “Dead Atoms,” and “Insanity of the Atoms.” While the technique doesn’t mimic the tech-death aesthetic of bands like Deeds of Flesh and Origin, there’s still a space-dwelling ability to create aggressive alien soundscapes. As is the danger with virtuoso-focused albums, a few of the songs aren’t much but a platform for guitar-oriented acrobatics. “Sweet Mercy” and “Vanilla Clouds” both suffer from the focus on solo performance over song structure, while songs like “Stars and Comets” and “Hot Arabia” both successfully launch after the guitar ignites their fuses, exploring gentler progressive rock territories that A Perfect Circle may have visited as well. The riffs that compose the foundation of each song aren’t always exemplary (like the non-descript metalcore of “Stellar Crash” and “Weird Scientists”), and I think this is the one area where I could see greatest improvement moving forward. Sometimes the solos are absolutely dazzling and the technical sorcery never less than superb, but if the song itself doesn’t grab the listener, either by the throat or by the heartstrings, they may not have the patience to hear everything the artist has to offer. There’s a ton of potential on display here, and after listening to the more advanced compositions on Charlemagne I do feel confident that Ramos will build upon these two records and head somewhere even more daring and bold.

Which leads me to exhibits A and B: “Glorious War” and “Anastasya.” “Glorious War” is the finest example of aggressive music on this record, featuring blazing technical riffing that could appear on a Rings of Saturn song before morphing into a sludgy power groove and scaling over a backdrop of gothic romance. While the song ends too abruptly for my taste, it’s one of the most dynamic performances of the album, only to be outdone by “Anastasya” a couple songs later. “Anastasya” is an exercise in gentle mood-building that layers mournful synths, pronounced bass, and nimble drumming. The guitar transforms into a voice of tragedy and futility, projecting immense emotion through the art of string manipulation. While science and atoms are referenced often in song titles on this album, Ramos still approaches music like an art form, not some cold, clinical object to be studied under a microscope. His songs are still about feeling, not diagrams and the scientific method, and coupled with his considerable technical talent, that’s why he will continue to be successful. I’m absolutely looking forward to what Ramos works on next, and so should you.

Check out Ramos’ official website, with links to his store and all sorts of information on his various projects:  http://www.hedrasramos.com/

REVIEW: IVAN MIHALJEVIC & SIDE EFFECTS - COUNTERCLOCKWISE

My first time listening to Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects I thought, “These guys just need to play a show with Mr. Big.” Then there it is, right in there biography, they’ve played gigs with multiple members of the band famous for “To Be With You.” As a guy who will fight someone to the brink of death about the merits of the mighty Lean Into It album, these Croatian rockers can even give Mr. Big a run for their hairspray money. On their third album, Counterclockwise, Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects channel the monster ballad abilities of Extreme and ‘80s Kansas and combine them with the heavy progressive rock of Dream Theater and clean-singing Opeth with great success.

Let’s address this right away: Ivan Mihaljevic has a voice that can part the clouds and summon sunlight. He has serious pipes and belts these songs out with searing passion and soul. He over-sings a little on “Gilded Cage” but the rest of these songs bow to the majesty of his vocal cords. He nails some notes that just floored me, plus provides sizzling six-string solos. The rest of the band is similarly skilled and can flat out play with impressive cohesion and chemistry. Marko Karacic’s slap bass really steals the show when they play heavy funk, like on “Build Your Destiny.” Then there’s resourceful drummer Alen Frljak, who provides solid, intricate support that is so essential for music this technical. This is a supremely talented trio of musicians, but it would matter very little if they couldn’t write songs.

Luckily for us all, they can. With enormous radio-friendly choruses and guitar hooks that lure you in with deceptive grace before kicking into hard-edged rock, these are songs that demand to be heard and will have you singing along after one listen. “Driving Force” and “Gift of Life” both feature some of the darker moments on the album but Mihaljevic guides the songs to the light with his dependable croon, keeping each song focused and melodic even when the double-bass pummels and the guitars crunch. But for me the real highlight is “Eclipse,” an epic that absolutely earns its length and has endless sonic ideas. From the sweeping, orchestral intro there’s a true sense of tragedy. The song shifts with great confidence and range, morphing fluidly from progressive metal with momentum and teeth to heartfelt solos to a haunting march that ends the song. This track alone could convert non-believers to the power of Ivan Mihaljevic & Side Effects’ eternally-burning triumphant rock.

Counterclockwise may turn the clock back to pay homage to some past guitar heroes, but it still feels fresh and modern. While the length of some of their best songs don’t easily translate to radio success this band is the whole package and their polished, eclectic rock is waiting to conquer you. Set your clock: Now is the time to be conquered.

Check out their music over at their official website:  http://www.ivanmihaljevic.com/

REVIEW: KYLESA - ULTRAVIOLET

We all suffer from demons of defilement at some point. I won’t pretend to totally understand the ins, outs, and what-have-yous of the Kilesa Mara mentioned in Buddhism, but they seem to represent the factors that delude us and cloud our minds, like greed and ignorance. Kylesa were named after some of these strong forces, but after listening to their newest album Ultraviolet I don’t think the music is suffering from any of these “mind poisons.” This is a daring, expansive album building from their psychedelic crunch and double-drummer pummel , full of large ideas and progressive melodies. Unfortunately, with great experimentation comes a varying degree of success. Still, you can’t make progress through the forest without stepping into a few ditches and bear traps along the way.

The familiar sludgy Savannah stomp roars from the opening seconds on “Exhale,” featuring the best tandem vocal work on the album as Laura Pleasants and Phillip Cope trade barbed lyrics with venom and conviction. The song feels like riding red waves on a splinter of driftwood, surrounded by sharks and figuring out how you’re going to kill all these finned bastards with the guitar on your back as your only weapon. Opening with the most vicious song on the album may make what follows slightly disarming for those seeking more of the same mud and blood. But clearly those listeners weren’t paying enough attention to the moments of light in Spiral Shadow, because those seeds of melody have blossomed here, an album later. Sure, there’s the massive stoner riffs of “Grounded” and the excellent bong-blitzed burner “Vulture’s Landing,” but most of the album is more pensive, brooding, and eases forward with entrancing rhythm and nearly oxymoronic bright melodies that paint the black’n’gray sky with strokes of turquoise and (ultra)violet.

Some of these songs work beautifully, like the Porno For Pyro smoking hesher hash vibe of “Quicksand,” and “Low Tide,” which captures spacey new wave pop that could get the goth kids at the nearest cellar night club two-stepping. Others struggle with delivering the melodic undercurrent without distracting from the main pull of the song, or worse yet, murder the momentum. “Steady Breakdowns” suffers from the latter, kicking off with witchy occult rock before vanishing into smoke and space dust as the song loses focus. “Drifting” is just a mess, unfortunately closing the album with a bombardment of disagreeing parts played with the enthusiasm of a guilty elegy. The overall results may be inconsistent, leading to frustrating so-god-damn-close moments where you understand that sometimes less is definitely more, but it’s also fascinating and inspiring. Beneath the proggy spazz-outs and the lightning strikes of pop melody this is still a loud rock album, just one that values patience and excitedly experiments with tone. In the middle of the record Pleasants sings that “You have lost your soul.” After listening to this record it’s clear she’s not singing to a mirror, because Kylesa is displaying more soul and courage than any previous recording, even if it doesn’t pound mountains to dust like Static Tensions.

Listen to Ultraviolet now on Spotify and check out Kylesa over at Season of Mist:  http://www.season-of-mist.com/bands/kylesa

And check them out on Facebook. With over 47,000 likes it’s not like they need you, but I heard they think you’re cool and funny and stuff:  https://www.facebook.com/KYLESAmusic

REVIEW: BEYOND CREATION - THE AURA

I try not to obsess over traffic statistics for this site even though I am a numbers junkie, caused by years of playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball with my father and perusing obscure career stats from New York Mets bench players. That being said, I can’t help but notice that my readership in Canada is lower than my readership in Germany, despite the fact that I’ve covered bands across the great North while I’ve yet to review a German release. Enter Montreal’s Beyond Creation, who I’m relying on to make my Canadian readership EXPLODE and make me as popular as maple syrup, or whatever stereotypical treat my ignorant American ass relates to Canada.

Beyond Creation’s new album from Season of Mist, The Aura, is a fresh pulse of time-warping progressive death metal that should probably be traded person to person through a media format that hasn’t been invented yet, like transferrable brain chips or spinal download disks, which slide between vertebrae and fuse music directly with your neural system. Beyond Creation’s brand of next century’s technical death displays virtuosity without distracting from the songs, allowing ample room for exploration while the structures keep each track contained in its own definite universe. The music on The Aura is elastic and borderline aquatic in nature, swimming naturally from extra-terrestrial djent to finger-blurring death metal riffing to what I like to call “progressive space jams.” No, they do not feature the most dynamic basketball players of the 90s and WB cartoons, but they do have passages of radar-pinging guitars and a bass tone that sounds like the bellow of some intergalactic worm-whale while  resourceful drumming slyly twists beneath. But these are only brief escapes from Beyond Creation’s sinister pummel and mathematic trickery, brought to life through vastly impressive performances from the entire band. From Dominic 'Forest' Lapointe’s nimble bass work (which calls forth memories of Roger Patterson’s best work in Atheist) to Simon Girard’s on-point vocal attack to the Kevin Chartré/Girard tag-team guitar assault, this is top notch progressive death metal executed with spit, sweat, and whatever fluid will replace blood a thousand years in the future.

The only song that felt uninspired was “Omnipresent,” which shifts from mid-tempo chugging to a bastardized “Snakes For the Divine” riff. This is the only song that doesn’t hold up under multiple listens, as The Aura rips through uncharted territory by achieving oxymoronic herky-jerky groove. Considering how many tempo shifts alter the path of each song the catchy nature of the music is, as Wallace Shawn would say, inconceivable. The instrumental track “Chromatic Horizon” rampages beautifully in my headphones while the title track manipulates my brain into head nodding motions, growing more violent as the song progresses. The album's centerpiece, “The Deported,” winds through outer space like one of those intergalactic worm-whales I mentioned earlier, surprisingly elusive for such a powerful beast. It’s rare to find death metal so cunning, so difficult to trap into a corner and identify before it bites your throat out.

Decibel Magazine revealed that Beyond Creation will be playing several dates of the magazine’s tour, opening for the three-headed killing machine that will be Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, and Immolation. If you’re able to catch them on the May 21st - June 2nd leg of the tour DO IT. I need you to report to me if they’re actually playing instruments light-beamed here from a distant planet populated with tentacled metalheads, because considering some of the rhythms and sounds on this album, that’s about all that makes sense.

Seek more Beyond Creation data here:  http://www.season-of-mist.com/bands/beyond-creation

The Aura releases in the United States on May 14th. Order this madness here:  http://e-shop.season-of-mist.com/en/items/beyond-creation/the-aura/cd/34199