INTERVIEW: NOW IN STORES

WHO REMEMBERS NOW IN STORES?! To wrap this up, I had to reach out to Angelo Ondras (guitars) to find out not only what the hell he’s been up to these past 18 years, but to rein in NIS for this very special throwback issue of WRETCHED SOUND. And you wouldn’t believe how upset I […]

INTERVIEW: PHAETASM

PHAETASM really set a few bars for me when I started playing shows back in the early 2000s: energetic stage presence, an ability to seamlessly bridge dissonant and melodic riffs, live sound, and songs that were equally catchy and chaotic. With the inclusion of PHAETASM in this issue, I’ve now highlighted the full trio of […]

INTERVIEW: MIKE “UNION” JEFFERS

Mike “Union” Jeffers has become a household name in the Buffalo metal, hardcore, and punk scenes. From being EVERY band’s drummer, to spearheading indie labels, to practically writing the book on band life, Mike has had a pretty busy, and diverse career behind the kit. I’m probably being redundant by now with my “where do […]

INTERVIEW: SKUNgK

A lot of genre descriptors get tossed around when referencing SKUNGK. People look back on the rap/rock crossover bands of the ‘90s and 2000s and use terms like, “rapcore”, “rap rock”, “nu metal”, “rap metal”, etc. When I was brand-new to this scene, I found myself at Runwayz A LOT my first full summer of […]

INTERVIEW: MICHAEL WOODS (DROPgOD)

DROPgOD Mixing hardcore with nu metal, DROPgOD got their start in Buffalo in the late ’90s. They were poised to put their own unique spin on a style of music ever growing in popularity at the time, and in doing so, created yet another staple in the history of heavy music in Western New York. […]

INTERVIEW: SONS OF AZRAEL

When I first joined the local music community of Buffalo, New York back in the summer of 2001, SONS OF AZRAEL were already in their infancy, and preparing for what would become quite the career over the course of the following decade. I saw an early incarnation of the band at a backyard show, an […]

INTERVIEW: ERIK WAGONBLOTT (THEATRE NOCTURNE)

I always say that this band was the equivalent of having DISSECTION in our backyard, and I mean it every time. THEATRE NOCTURNE were conjurers of spooky sounding melodic death metal riffs and harmonies, all blackened to perfection, and eerily reminiscent of Norwegian winters. The vocals were hauntingly raspy, the drums were chaotic, yet reining, […]

INTERVIEW: FRED DOMBROWSKI (THREEBELOW, FROM THIS DAY)

I’ve always looked up to Fred Dombrowski, as not only a frontman, but a human being. If you’re unfamiliar with Fred, you’ll learn why I hold him in such high esteem over the course of this interview. Fred’s limitless energy and positivity were sorely needed in the music scene back in the days of the […]

INTERVIEW: EARECKSON MURRAY (KEYBOARDS AND SYNTH AT HELL EVER AFTER, WESTWARD JOURNEY)

1. Is there any story behind your Hell Ever After stage costume? How did you arrive at the “hidden face”/phantom look? When Duran suggested that full stage costumes would be implemented, my first thought with the theme of Hell Ever After was the background musicians Arthur Brown’s Fire video. They were wearing black cloaks and […]

INTERVIEW: RYAN MIS (LEAD VOCALS AT HELL EVER AFTER, SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE)

Ryan Mis – lead vocals 1. It’s been a year since we last interviewed. What are some new vocal challenges you’ve undertaken since July 2021? Have you done any new covers, learned any new techniques, etc.? Man, time flies. I guess one thing that I’ve been trying to do is consistently stay unique. I realize […]