I had the opportunity to interview Fernanda Lira from Nervosafor our partner website Vita In Musica. We talk about the band’s new album “Agony,” how the band has matured, and being a woman in thrash metal.
During the beginning of the band’s career, people often made up rumors about the band, only because they were women. As the band increased in popularity, the criticism died down and received more support:
“Over time, I think people kinda noticed that we’re not here to show off, you know? We’re just here playing metal because we love metal and we’re metalheads, and that’s it. They have to respect that. It doesn’t matter what our gender is, like if we’re women or men. It just matters that we’re metalheads.”
We also discussed some of her eclectic influences, ranging from Death mastermind Chuck Schuldiner, to Nuclear Assault, to Amy Winehouse, Etta James, and Beyoncé!
“I’m a singer and before I sang in Nervosa–in this raspy, growling way–I started singing in a clean way… I am always learning new techniques and everything. Because of that, I listen to a lot of divas. Like, everyone hates me because of that. My bandmates are like, ‘Awww fuck, you’re listening to Beyoncé?!’ But that’s it. I actually don’t give a fuck. Most metalheads would be like, ‘[groan] she’s not trve enough’.”
She began singing metal doing clean vocals but admits she is still a bit shy about singing clean in public. You can hear her clean vocals in “Wayfarer,” a bonus track from “Agony”.
Nervosa is currently on tour in Europe and will return to North America in the fall.
Last week, TBOS conducted an interview with Broadway Mob, a death metal band from Minot, N.D. They discuss their upcoming album and the importance of supporting local music.
Here are some snippets from the talk.
The Blog of Shredding: So why did you choose the name Broadway Mob? It’s such an atypical name for a death metal band.
Tony Waswick (vocals): (laughs) I guess that’s more Tom’s story than anything.
Tom Shepherd (drums): We live in a town that had a lot to do with Prohibition in North Dakota, and Broadway Mob is a Prohibition gang from that era. And Broadway is the main street in our town, so it just seemed kind of fitting.
TBOS: Your first song is called “Blessed By Thor,” and you described it as a “jaw-dropping experience” because you hadn’t heard anything like it. Could you describe it? Like why would you say that?
Shepherd: I personally had never played anything like that.
Waswick: Yeah, I’m kind of in the same boat. There was nothing I’d been involved with before. It was kind of eye-opening to see how fast it came together with the three of us playing together for the first time. I think it was that first night (when) we really got it written, so it’s kinda eye-opening that way. And jaw-dropping, as far as the song goes, it’s different to us… It’s just awesome.
Shepherd: And Colin? Colin wrote it, so he’s gotta say something.
Colin Swanson (guitar): Actually, it changed quite a bit from how I originally had it. But it sounds a lot better than the way I envisioned it going at first.
TBOS: And you’re working on a possible debut album, am I right?
Waswick: Yeah. It’s been kind of half-a—- in the works for over a year, but now it’s just kind of down to the core of the band again. We’re kind of really buckling down on it, say, “Let’s just f—— do it.” You know, get some good songs written, get whatever we’ve got, make it as good as it possibly can be.
You can hear more of the interview below.
Thanks to the guys from the Mob for recording the videos!
TBOS sat down with Zach Clifton, drummer for Indiana death metal band Nezera. He revealed their plans for their upcoming album, “Demons to Some, Angels to Others,” their single “It’s Not The Bath Salts,” and their appearance at an upcoming metal festival.
Conceived on National Metal Day, Witches Mass seeks to combine 80s glam, thrash and modern death metal into a theatrical tour-de-force.
Despite hailing from the tiny town of Farmland, Ind., (population 1,333 in 2010) singer and main songwriter Chase B. Carothers is set on ruling the world with his songs based on death and rebirth.
The name “Witches Mass” was inspired by the Salem Witch Trials, which may have a closer connection with the metal community than one would assume.
“Anybody who has studied the witch trials knows it was basically bogus,” Carothers says, soft-spoken.
“Metal has always been the one genre where people stand up to things, stand up against something, regardless of what it is. Typically, you see metalheads–a lot of metalheads do not go with the crowd. Metalheads are outcasts,” he says. “So that’s pretty much what the Salem witches were, it’s they were pretty much outcasted [sic] from that society and falsely accused of some things that they didn’t do. Well in general, that happens to metal and metalheads a lot.”
Like the accusations against the West Memphis Three?
“Exactly. Exactly. That’s the modern-day witch hunt, what happened with the West Memphis Three.”
Witches Mass is in the process of writing and recording their debut EP, “Demise and Redemption”.
The Blog of Shredding 