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Doing The Devil’s Work: An Interview with Amy Sciarretto

“I get so many emails a day, through Facebook and even through my personal email account from people who don’t know me – and even people who do know me,” explains music journalist Amy Sciarretto, who teamed up with her friend and colleague Rick Florino to pen Do the Devil’s Work for Him: How to Make it in the Music Industry (and Stay in it) (McCarren Publishing). “I was giving advice away so much that I realized I was giving the same advice over and over again, so obviously there was a need for this information, so why don’t we put it in a book?”

Alestorm: Black Sails At Midnight

Yes, the concept of Scottish Pirates may be silly – although, pirate metal straight outta Jersey (hello, Swashbuckle) is infinitely more ridiculous – and that they don’t dress in pirate garb on stage is more disappointing than any measure of falseness, but in the end they have infectious, sing-a-long anthems and that’s all that matters.

Amorphis: Skyforger

The new album from Finnish band Amorphis fits in perfectly with their recent sound and albums. In fact, Skyforger sounds like it could easily be the third entry in a trilogy that would begin with 2006’s Eclipse and continue on with 2007’s Silent Waters.

Amorphis: Skyforger

Combining folk elements with catchy song writing and haunting keyboards, underneath another brilliant vocal performance by Joutsen, Skyforger is set to be another classic in the Amorphis discography.

The Great Kat: Beethoven’s Guitar Shred

The claims about being “one of the fastest shredders of all time” and “a musical genius” The Great Kat (nee Katherine Thomas) lays down are always up for subjective debate, no matter how much she yells and screams and claims them as fact.

Magica: Wolves & Witches

If there is any potential still to be found in metal that is distinguished by a vague fantasy and mythology themes with an emphasis on female-fronted operatic vocals, it isn’t terribly obvious when listening to Romania-based Magica’s album Wolves & Witches.

Thin Lizzy: Still Dangerous

Released in 1978, Thin Lizzy’s Live & Dangerous is considered essential. An about-face to the band’s hit-and-miss studio output of the time, that offering boasts a tight, almost untouchable act. Therefore, news of a follow-up effort recorded around the same time, Still Dangerous: Live at the Tower Theater Philadelphia 1977 comes across as a double-edged sword.

Fleshgod Apocalypse: Oracles

It goes without saying that classical music and metal have always complemented each other very well, from Concerto for Group and Orchestra to Death Cult Armageddon, from Malmsteen to Suicmez, so when we see a straight-up death metal band attempt to enhance their music with orchestral pieces, our reaction isn’t so much surprise as, it had to happen sooner or later.