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Out: 19th August 2016 via Mascot Records\/Mascot Label Group —<\/p>\n
SUPERGROUP featuring Jon Dette (Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Iced Earth), Dean Wells (Teramaze) & Danny Camilleri (4ARM)<\/p>\n
In a thrash world gone metalcore, blackened or conversely, NWOBHM-scrappy, it\u2019s hard justice indeed that a band of brothers has come together to champion songwriting, performance, production, arrangement and even sequencing this forthrightly, Meshiaak bestowing on the scene an egregiously confident and \u201cold soul\u201d record that evokes the magic of Ride the Lightning, Rust in Peace, South of Heaven and Burn My Eyes. Debut album \u2018Alliance of Thieves\u2019 will be released on 19th August 2016 via Mascot Records\/Mascot Label Group (Black Label Society, Black Stone Cherry, Monster Truck, Counting Days, Stoneghost)<\/p>\n
Formed in Melbourne, Australia by 4ARM\u2019s Danny Camilleri and Teramaze\u2019s Dean Wells, the band is rounded out by bassist Nick Walker and major rhythmic weapon Jon Dette, of Iced Earth, Slayer and Testament fame, not to mention his gig as temporary replacement for an injured Charlie Benante in Anthrax. It is the combination of the embarrassment of riches\u2014and richness of ideas\u2014embedded in the songwriting team of Tombs and Wells, with the band\u2019s warm and yet locked-down rhythmic beds that conspire to make tracks like groovy thrasher \u201cChronicle of the Dead\u201d and conversely the textured and proggy \u201cAt the Edge of the World\u201d so easy-drinking and yet thought-provoking of detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have to say that \u2018At the Edge of the World\u2019 would be the one we\u2019d love to get out there as a single,\u201d notes Danny, on a panoramic journey of a song that has everything, including sophisticated arrangement, epic sweep and astonishing lyrical depth. \u201cIt\u2019s the kind of song that would speak to people on a lot of different levels, something that most people would be able to connect with fairly easily. It\u2019s a song that is very close to me personally, especially when it came to the lyrics. It\u2019s where I\u2019ve found myself in the last three years and my moments of doubt, trials and frustrations concerning experiences I\u2019ve had to go through over that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt Burns at Both Ends\u201d marries, incredibly, Maiden to Lamb of God and Slayer and world music sophistication in yet another demonstration of professionalism grounded by the unbreakable rules of strong songwriting. Notes Danny, \u201c\u2018It Burns at Both Ends\u2019 is probably the most aggressive and angry song on the album and is always a good release for me. I\u2019ve struggled with anger issues for most of my life and though I\u2019ve come a long way in recent times concerning it, I just feel that I was able to vent in that track more than the others. Every time I hear the song I can still remember exactly what I was thinking when I was tracking it; however what I was thinking is probably not something I should put in writing (laughs). But I\u2019d have to say, \u2018I Am Among You\u2019 would be the most experimental track on the album; it just has so many different layers to it and is fairly unpredictable. Vocally it doesn\u2019t really follow a particular pattern until it hits a chorus; each verse structure vocally is different and with vocals over an odd time signature before half-timing and mellowing-out in the middle of the song. It\u2019s just a different kind of track and not really something I\u2019ve heard done a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
An information-packed construct such as this would not have translated into the effortless headbang that it is without the level of audio fidelity that is achieved throughout this highly crafted collection of fairly lengthy songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went with keeping the sound as band-orientated and organic as possible, but with using a lot of modern technology,\u201d explains Dean. \u201cIt\u2019s a blend of old and new because we recorded to two-inch tape for the drums through an old Neve desk, but the rest of the album was produced in my home studio. We also went with a mixer named Jacob Hansen who is known for a lot more progressive music. But I think the combination really gives Meshiaak a new and fresher sound than most traditional thrash albums. And so we\u2019ve tried to create something fresh amongst the guidelines of traditional metal and thrash with some progressive elements, although at the same time we wanted to make music feel like when we first discovered bands like Megadeth, Metallica, Machine Head etc., even Alice in Chains and Slipknot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m the more progressive guy in the band,\u201d laughs Dean. \u201cI have a lot of influences outside the metal world such as Tool and Dream Theater, and a lot of guitar instrumentalists as well like Guthrie Govan and Joe Satriani. At times I had to be brought back into line to keep things metal and exciting (laughs). I think that\u2019s what makes Meshiaak unique\u2014the melting pot of influences we have. So as time went on during the writing process, Meshiaak took on a life of its own. But it seems a lot clearer now that what it is, is extremely intense music combined lyrically with some of today\u2019s hard subjects and hidden truths.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Dean\u2019s picks for album highlights, he goes with \u201cAt the Edge of the World\u201d and \u201cDrowning, Fading, Falling,\u201d the latter being yet another showcase for Danny\u2019s almost Mike Patton-level versatility of vocal along with artful twin leads and Friedman-esque melodies, all atop pummelling rhythms from one of thrash\u2019s top-shelf drumming legends. \u201cBoth those songs, to me, really capture something intangible that is hard to describe,\u201d says Wells. \u201cThey are the most personal to me and really give off an awesome vibe and they just sound crushing (laughs). If we were to pick singles, it would be those tracks, because basically they have all the elements one could want from a modern day metal band but with an old school philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m all about being able to feel music, not just listen to it,\u201d says Danny, summing up the Alliance of Thieves experience. \u201cThat\u2019s what has been so cool about this whole thing\u2014the fact that I can feel something in each song really just blows me away and leaves me with a sense of satisfaction unlike I\u2019ve had in any of my previous work. All of the music and songs on this album basically span the last three years of my life. Some of them demonstrate a little more in depth than others. It really is a very personal album for me and somewhat therapeutic. To say that music has saved my life is a total understatement. I wore my heart on my sleeve in some of these tracks and I couldn\u2019t be happier with the outcome. Writing and tracking this album really gave me strength and purpose at the times I needed it most.\u201d<\/p>\n
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