Matt Fox (Shai Hulud)
What are your top five albums that were released in 2011? (in order 1-5)
Not only am I not giving you my top 5 in order, I'm not even entirely sure this is my true top 5. A top 10 is hard enough, and you've narrowed down to 5. Now suffer the potential inaccuracy of the below list, alphabetically listed.
- Alice Cooper - "Welcome 2 My Nightmare"
- Earth Crisis - "Neutralize The Threat"
- Megadeth - "TH1RT3EN"
- Opeth - "Heritage"
- They Might Be Giants - "Join Us"
What band did you discover in 2011 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
Good question, and a difficult one at that. I'll choose Triptykon who come from the ashes of Celtic Frost, another impactive band for me. I happened to find myself on quite a Celtic Frost bender the past few months, and while scouring the interwebz for rare merchandise and products, and new bites of Celtic Frost information (Frost Bites!), Triptykon kept getting rammed down my throat. Though I knew about their recent birth I hadn't gotten around to checking them out because past Celtic Frost projects and offshoots didn't appeal to me how I hoped they would, and Frost's last album "Monotheist," while good, hadn't blown me away.
On a European tour this year we were fortunate enough to play Hell Fest in France, Triptykon happened to be headlining one of the stages the same day we played. To effectively hook me in, as if they knew I was watching, they opened with a doomy version of the Frost classic "Procreation Of The Wicked." I literally squealed. No joke. What I saw of their set ruled (I was running back and forth to and from 3 different stages trying to catch as much of Triptykon, Coroner, and Bad Brains as possible) Upon returning home from tour I made sure to grab both of their releases, the "Shatter" EP, and full length "Eparistera Daimones." Both slay.
Long story short, I now have a new(ish) band to be very excited about; Triptylon is a stellar Metal band, and a worthy successor to our beloved dethroned emperor's in Celtic Frost, furthering all the significant elements that ensnared me then and now, and then some.
One sidetone, as a final Celtic Frost album "Monotheist" is unquestionably good, as a forerunner to Triptykon it's gold. Up the irons.
How will you remember 2011 (in terms of music)?
Aside from the expansion and worsening of silly trends, 2011 left me with a great many new releases to explore and enjoy. This was one of the only, if not thee only year that I just could not single out a favorite release above all. This might be a bit of a let down for scenepointblank.com, but it says a lot about the quality of music released in 2011. I could have easily listed 20 releases that I absolutely loved, and I know I could name at least another 10 I love that I haven't even heard yet. A music lover could have worse problems.
What can we look forward to from you in 2012?
You can expect a new Shai Hulud album whether you're looking forward to it or not. In addition, we have a fun little surprise planned that will hopefully materialize, and of course as much touring as we can muster. For information as details warrant, check in with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/shaihuludofficial
What records are you looking forward to most in 2012?
From what I have heard, both Sheer Terror and Sick Of It All are hoping to release new albums next year. That's some serious NYC Hardcore to get smacked up with in one year. I am highly anticipating being clobbered by both of those. And of course a new Black Sabbath album seeing the return of Ozzy. I'm equally excited and nervous. In 2009 Black Sabbath fronted by Ronnie James Dio under the monicker Heaven And Hell released one hell of an album in "The Devil You Know." There's no doubt the 3 Sabbath mainstays will be able to maintain the quality, Ozzy, however, has some big shoes to fill - oddly enough, left behind by Dio who was such a little fella. Physically speaking, vocally, he was a giant.
What did you expect to be huge in 2011 which never made it?
I never expect anything I like to get huge because it's been made very evident to me that what I am typically moved by isn't what moves the masses. That said, if there was one album I really enjoyed that I wish more people knew about it would be "Punishment" by Endwell. Everyone who hears it loves it, its quality isn't an issue, more people just need to hear it!
