New single from Airport Impressions Emotive melodic alternative rock band, Airport Impressions, has recently unveiled their latest single, "Waiting for Paradise," and it's poised to make a significant impact on the regional music scene. "Waiting for Paradise" holds profound significance for Airport Impressions, serving as a mirror reflecting the current circumstances that occupy our thoughts. It serves as a gentle reminder that even amid the chaos, there exists moments of solace and magnificence, patiently awaiting our discovery. In a recent comment on OHMYMALTA news portal the band expressed:"As a collective, we intimately comprehend the innate desire for a blissful sanctuary, regardless of its nature or location. In a world grappling with unparalleled challenges and rapid societal transformations, we acknowledge the struggles faced by countless individuals due to shifts in lifestyle and behaviour. Nonetheless, amidst these intricacies, we wholeheartedly believe that there are innumerable instances that can be regarded as paradises in their own right." Allow yourself to be transported to a realm of enchanting melodies and heartfelt lyrics, where you can momentarily escape, finding solace and inspiration. The song was composed by Errol Sammut & Ryan Magro and can now access "Waiting for Paradise" on all major music platforms. ĠENN – UNUM Album bio Unum: the Latin word for oneness, unity, a sense of being whole. The debut album of ĠENN is a hard-earned statement of evolution, woven from the band’s four distinct threads of influence and identity to reveal an arresting tapestry of ambition. It follows on from their 2021 debut EP Liminal which was born of isolation, a fragmented jigsaw puzzle put together at a distance in the pandemic era. The project triumphed against all odds, but ĠENN knew that the EP walked so that something far greater could run. Unum is the product of that long-awaited togetherness; it captures that lightning in a bottle which strikes when four distinct strains of talent – four best friends - are free to create. ĠENN have never sounded so limitless. The band is a royal flush: all different cards, but all belonging to the same suit – and of course, when you play that hand, it’s of the highest possible value. Preserving their own individuality has always been their greatest strength. Guitarist Janelle has a taste for the kaleidoscopic sounds of neo-psychedelic rock and post-punk’s intensity, while Leanne, their bassist, is driven by the desire to play her instrument in a way that is distinctly her own, walking the line between the prog-bass she loves and the sensibilities of the jazz musician she learned from. Drummer, Sofia, grew up in the world of jazz and blues but found the freedom to experiment she was looking for in a psychedelic approach, and Leona’s vocals have theatrical command which channel the Eastern vocal tones of her native Malta. Always present in their minds and music is a sense of feeling like outsiders. With Janelle, Leanne and Leona’s Maltese roots, no matter how hard they try to assimilate into their adopted hometown of Brighton, they always felt that they remained on the margins. Sofia’s background is Jamaican, Portuguese and British, and while she was raised in Brighton, she experienced a sense of otherness through a unique lens: being part of something while still being separate from it. Unum grapples with questions of selfhood, the contradictions of identity and ancestry. “It all relates to identity and the search of it,” shares Leanne. In Unum, the band wanted aspects of Maltese heritage to bleed into its sound. Janelle felt inspired by the fingerstyle guitars and raw spirit of Għana, a kind of traditional folk music. “Calypso”, in all its jazz-indebted catharsis, was named for the island her mother hails from; she had a vision of it being embodied as a destructive mermaid. From Leona’s perspective, its lyrics are a homage to the Maltese poet and playwright Mario Azzopardi, who left an indelible effect on her use of language. She also shared in Janelle’s interest in Għana – particularly its distinct, choral tones. Malta’s language is Semitic, sharing parallels with the Arabic language, and so Leona toyed with its tones and modalities which demanded an entirely new vocal range beyond her comfort zone. “I went on runs trying to sing the notes, I tried singing them doing handstands, because I thought that if I could do it in a pressured and unique circumstance, then singing them in a booth should be easy,” she laughs. This kind of pressure is no stranger to ĠENN. The four of them had a vision in their head and were hellbent on executing it, losing sleep often over how to translate their ambition for a song into reality when they jammed together. Working seven days a week to make ends meet and invest resources back into the band is another fact of their reality. Unum was an act of escapism from the heaviness of day-to-day life. The album’s tracks came thick and fast in the jam sessions to the point where, Janelle jokes, it felt like they were “puking music”. Lead single “Rohmeresse” stalks life and its humdrum rhythms with a panther’s poise. The title is drawn from French new wave director Éric Rohmer, whose characters negotiate the mundanity of everyday life, trying to come to terms with their desires as life slips by. The tension of its daydream chants loosens its white-knuckle grip before spinning out into a sonic freak-out with Leona’s screams. In its first week of release, the track earned support by the likes of Steve Lamacq, DIY, Gigwise, John Kennedy and Spotify’s Shockwave playlist. “Days and Nights” was christened with the working title ‘Spy Banger’ for its swaggering, electric prowess, and reckons with the constraints of soulless day job. “You’re dreaming of an alternative option, but you’re stuck with the same routine over and over again,” says Leona. Like many of their songs, it was a product of last-minute spontaneity, totally unplanned but too striking to ignore. “The reluctance to understand dreams clash with reality / Losing yourself over sleepless sleep / Strolling aimlessly with a heightened desire to survive,” she muses. The band push the envelope even further with “A Muse (In Limbo)”. The track is inspired by the mind-altering sensibilities of trip-hop, which can be heard in the relaxed psych-influenced guitars. The clave block sound you hear took weeks to perfect to fit with the vibe the band had carefully curated. “Playing music is a constant juggling act of everyday tasks, consistently breaching such highs and lows,” explains Leona. “It’s often easy to feel the loss of self-will in our present when bowing to the structures we exist in. The voice takes an ‘out of body’ view of the self, trying to work out routes of escape that often seem impossible to reach. Symbols of walls and windows evoke this sense of claustrophobia, as time feels like it’s slipping away.” A natural observer, Leona often finds herself writing in the third person, sometimes even writing from the perspective of objects. Inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf, Jean-Paul Sartre and Georges Perec, she is drawn to sharp imagery and metaphors which allow to her explore something with nuance while encrypting her vulnerabilities. “A Reprise (That Girl)” stems from her compulsion to observe. During a spell of unemployment, she found herself developing an unhealthy attachment to content creators online who she would compare herself to – an obsession with an ideal. “It’s about being consumed by the feeling of wanting to be someone else or achieve something else, being devoured by so much information that you lose your time obsessing about it. You end up going a bit bananas,” Leona shares. It has a nu-metal thunder that runs in the vein of Rammstein – “one of a handful of songs on the album you could attribute to someone dicking around with a pedal”, laughs Leanne. Success, for ĠENN, is to navigate the storm - the frenzy for which they are named - while still finding an escape route in each other. Unum is their getaway car, and now, they’re ready to start the engine. Kym Pepe unveils new single Kym Pepe, who initially gained recognition as a supporting and co-vocalist for BRIKKUNI, Malta's leading alternative band, stepped into the spotlight in 2020 with the release of her debut EP 'Kun.' This EP introduced a fresh and captivating aspect to Maltese music with its combination of ethereal melodies and intricate synthesizers. Fast forward two years, Kym has now assembled a five-piece band alongside Samuel Bonello. Recently, Kym unveiled her latest single titled 'Mill-Bidu,' accompanied by a captivating music video filmed, directed, and edited by Cher Camilleri. You can watch the video here. The song was expertly produced and recorded by Mark Axiak and Jimmy Bartolo, with mixing performed by Mark Axiak at Studio X Malta. The mastering was skillfully handled by David Vella at Temple Studios. Additionally, the track features additional vocals by Cher Camilleri, and Samuel Bonello contributes additional synths/keys to enrich the musical arrangement. Festivals Malta has a new CEO Francis Agius has been designated as the new CEO of Festivals Malta, succeeding Annabelle Stivala. Agius' appointment will take effect on Tuesday 20th June. Having served as a civil servant since 1984, Agius has held numerous positions within different cultural sectors and departments across various administrations. His professional experience includes working in departments such as Museums, Culture and Arts, as well as with the National Orchestra. He has also contributed his expertise to organizations like St James' Creativity Centre, the Valletta Rehabilitation Project, and the Restoration Directorate. In 2014, Agius joined the Malta Council for Arts, and he subsequently served as assistant director and head of festivals when Festivals Malta was established. Culture Minister Owen Bonnici expressed his gratitude to Stivala for her contributions and extended his best wishes to Agius in his new role.

Applications for Muzika Muzika 2024 festival open The Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, announced that applications for Mużika Mużika 2024 are officially open. During the activities in which the winners of this year's edition of the Festival were presented with trophies, Minister Bonnici stated that for the third consecutive year, Mużika Mużika has exceeded expectations, both in terms of the singers, composers, and authors, as well as the numerous audiences who followed this festival. Minister Bonnici thanked all the participating artists in the festival while congratulating the winners of this year's edition. The Chairman of Festivals Malta, Aaron Zahra, the Executive Director of Festivals Malta, Frans Agius, the Chairman of the Mużika Mużika Board, Raymond Bugeja, and Artistic Director Paul Abela spoke about the success and level achieved by the festival and expressed their commitment to continue working to achieve new goals. They encouraged both emerging and established singers, composers, authors, and bands to apply for the fourth edition of the festival and be part of its legacy. The 2023 edition was won by the song "Sabiħa," performed by Gianluca Bezzina, with lyrics by Joe Julian Farrugia and music by Philip Vella. The song "Jekk Mhux Int," performed by Drakard and Lisa Gauci, with lyrics by Emil Calleja Bayliss and music by Cyprian Cassar, ranked second, while the song "M'Hawnx Bħalek," performed by Jasmine Abela, with lyrics by Philip Vella and music by Glen Vella, ranked third. During the press conference, commemorative trophies were also presented to Ryan Paul Abela for Best Song Arrangement, for the song "Fuq Pultruna," performed, written, and composed by Mark Micallef Costa, and to Jasmine Abela for Best Song Interpretation, for the song "M'Hawnx Bħalek." The composers of the songs that ranked first, second, and third were awarded €20,000, €10,000, and €5,000, respectively. The fourth edition of Mużika Mużika will take place between March 14 and 16, 2024. Applications can be found on www.muzikamuzika.mt New Devil's Breath song featured on Santa Sangre Magazine On July 3rd, Devil's Breath released a new track on the compilation organized by the webzine Santa Sangre Magazine. The compilation, titled "Santa Sangre Magazine Presents: Voices From Beyond," features a diverse range of artists and can be found here. The track by Devil's Breath, titled "Death Is Unavoidable, Birth Is Not," can be found as the 32nd track on the album. You can listen to it directly here. While the style of Devil's Breath can be described as Drone Noise Ambient, this particular song stands out from typical releases in the genre. It incorporates harmonious melodies that create a contrast with the raw and harsh elements present throughout the track. Il-Festa Ta' Andrew The family of artist and musician Andrew Schembri has requested that attendees wear white, light, or colorful attire at his funeral on Saturday. Schembri, known as the guitarist for the innovative local band Brikkuni and recognized for his intricate light installations as part of the artistic duo Late Interactive, passed away last Friday at the age of 29. The funeral will be held on Saturday, July 8, at 9 am at the Żurrieq parish church. The unexpected loss of Schembri has deeply saddened the local artistic community, and heartfelt tributes have poured in from fellow artists, actors, and musicians who fondly remembered their collaborations with him. David, Schembri's older brother, shared funeral details in an email and expressed gratitude for the overwhelming affection and support received over the past few days. He acknowledged that while Andrew's absence is immeasurable, it brings some solace to know that he touched countless lives with his radiant presence. David requested that everyone keep Andrew, his family, and his numerous friends in their thoughts and prayers. Describing Andrew as a "kind, intelligent, passionate, creative young man," David reflected on his brother's qualities. Andrew's final public performance with Brikkuni, the band he joined in 2018, occurred just 10 days ago when they opened for the popular Ukrainian gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello. Andrew, who would have turned 30 in September, was the youngest of three brothers. In memory of Schembri, the family suggests making donations to the Richmond Foundation or Għaqda Residenti taż-Żurrieq. The latter is an association established by Żurrieq residents to raise funds for a court appeal against a planning permit that approved the development of Nigret farmland. Deepest condolences to family and friends.

Malta mourns young guitarist The death of artist and musician Andrew Schembri sent shockwaves through Malta's artistic community. Schembri, who passed away at the age of 29, was widely recognized as the guitarist of the influential local band Brikkuni and as one half of the artistic duo Late Interactive, renowned for their intricate light installations. Just ten days prior to his untimely demise, Schembri had performed alongside popular Ukrainian gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello as part of Brikkuni. Schembri's creative contributions extended beyond his musical endeavors. His innovative lighting designs for various local concerts, including Brikkuni's album launch in 2017, and his prominent installations showcased at events like Science in the City, garnered praise and acclaim. As the youngest of three brothers, Schembri's life was tragically cut short in an unexpected incident in St Paul's Bay, which the police have determined to be non-suspicious. In the wake of this devastating loss, Schembri's older brother David expressed the family's profound shock and described Andrew as a kind, intelligent, and passionate individual who radiated a playful spirit in all his pursuits. Beneath his joyful exterior, Andrew possessed a deep sense of justice and a longing for meaning and truth. He was not only a beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend but also a source of inspiration and love for those around him. Numerous artists who had the privilege of collaborating with Schembri shared their experiences, emphasizing his warmth, creativity, and exceptional ability to think outside the conventional boundaries. They regarded him as a brilliant artist of great integrity and sensitivity. Florinda Camilleri, a dancer and artist who recently worked with Schembri on a performance titled "Moving in Lines," described him as someone who brightened the world with his unique intelligence, wisdom, boundless imagination, and unwavering kindness, care, and love. Schembri was regarded as a precious gem within Malta's performing arts scene and an extraordinary human being, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to inspire and resonate within the artistic community. Brikkuni frontman Mario Vella penned an open letter to Schembri saying “much will be said about your youthful exuberance, your sharp wit, boundless creativity, amazing knack of thinking out of the box and above all, your moral soundness, integrity and sensitivity. Barely a week ago we were holding each other tight professing our pure and untainted brotherly love to each other. "Nothing will erase or diminish the memory of that incredible smile you'd flash every time I felt compelled to point out your ethereal nature. How many times did I tell you? 'Andrew, you're so beyond any mathematical equation and wordly drudgery that sometimes I wonder whether you belong amongst us here on Earth at all'. "If only I'd known Andrew. If only I'd known. "I love you brother. I love you my friend. I love you trusty bandmate. You made me want to be a better man. I promise I will do my darndest to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. Your beautiful legacy shall always be honoured.” Deepest condolences to family and friends from all at Melodija.eu Krishna releases Domination 4 In a short press release Kewn Records announce, on the last day of June that Krishna has released their live performance at this year's edition of Rock The South on bandcamp. This live performance is made up of two tracks 'Decimation' and 'Despondent', both performed on Sunday 7th May, and is called Domination4 (Live from Rock The South 2023). It can be heard and purchased here. Kewn press release reads: "Recorded at this years’ edition of Rock The South Festival, Krishna present their 4th Live album - Domination4. Featuring ‘Despondent’, released earlier this year via Kewn Records, as well as the new track ‘Decimation’. ‘Decimation’ is about the destruction of New York City in the final chapter of the original Watchmen comic (A Stronger Loving World) The original riff was conceived by Alan and elaborated on by the band during improvisations at rehearsals, after some heavy down tuning and effects layers on guitars as well of course!" Ghanja Tal-Poplu finalists 2023 The finalists' order for this year’s "L-Għanja tal-Poplu" song competition were announced during the morning of 30th June. In a statement by the organising committee it was announced that out of the 142 songs that competed this year the best 16 were selected. The order in which the finalist songs will be presented was determined by a draw during the participants' presentation and it goes in the following order: The 47th edition of "L-Għanja tal-Poplu" will take place on Saturday, August 5th at 8:45 PM in Pjazza Teatru Rjal, accompanied by the Malta Concert Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Paul Abela. Special guest for this year’s edition is Merga, who will interpret two songs from the 60s and 70s with orchestral arrangements by Maestro Joe Brown. The festival will be presented by the couple Joseph Galea and Antonella Galea Loffreda. Tickets can be purchased from here, and for more information, you can visit this website. "L-Għanja tal-Poplu" is organized in collaboration with Pjazza Teatru Rjal and the Maltese Council for the Arts. Farsons Beer Festival full Line-ups announced During the last week of June organisers of the Farsons Beer Festival announced the full line-ups for this years edition taking place between the 27th July and 5th august at the picnic area in Ta' Qali. more info can be found here.

Interview by Keith Muscat You cannot count yourself to be familiar with the Maltese metal scene and not know who Dino is. Apart from being the drummer in countless bands, he is an ardent supporter and promoter of anything that moves in the metal scene circuit, both locally and abroad. To top it all up, over and above being a very good musician in his own right, Dino is a gentleman. Knowing how busy he is, I am especially grateful to him finding the time to put down the sticks and answer a few questions. On 1st July 2023, Hemplifier, one of the Dino’s bands, will be releasing their debut album ‘The Stoner Side of the Doom’ at The Garage, Zebbug. KM How long have you been in love with metal and which band gave you the first sting? DML Well, I honestly can’t really tell how long, because it is basically since I was born, since both my dad & my youngest uncle, Alex, had vinyls and tapes of various bands. I basically own these same vinyls and tapes now. Uncle Alex used to play drums as well, whilst my Dad guitar, he played in a band called ‘The Lost Souls’ (how cool is that name?) and my mum the piano; so music was always a part of my family. The first bands/artists I loved were The Police, Rush, Iron Maiden, Halloween, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, KISS, AC/DC, Saxon, Judas Priest, but also Blondie, Bob Marley and Duran Duran. However, having said that, I think Black Sabbath would take the cake! For me rather than a sting, they made me feel something indescribable in my bowels & instantly gave me chills down my spine… sort of like when someone likes horror movies, you’re afraid but still quench for that feeling over and over again, and can’t wait to get that same feeling again, because each time it takes you to a place you don’t experience constantly in everyday life. Would you care to share some memories of the first local gigs you attended? I was at ‘MaltaSajf’ in 1992, I believe that was my really first gig! Last ‘MaltaSajf’ to be organized, if I am not wrong. To date, I haven’t experienced anything like that on local soil. Simply because, since then, you don’t find any rock or metal festivals, here in Malta, where people actually camp on the site anymore. Mind you, I didn’t camp there myself, but seeing people camping there gave that extra feel to the whole festival, same feel or sort of, of what you experience in big festivals abroad. Well, I remember Vandals playing, Lord Adder, No Name Yet (who I believe was their first gig & that was the day they got the band-name), Beheaded (with a completely different line-up of today’s), Biblical Infamy and if I am not wrong also Forsaken. Definitely, I cannot not mention Black Sabbath’s gig at the Orpheum in 1995! Memorable one! Although it was like one was in hell due to how hot it was in the venue! But also the gigs of Iron Maiden here, both in Gozo and Malta, both memorable of course too. If I am not wrong respectively in 1996 & 1998. However, other gigs with local acts were those like ‘Live Buzz’ in the grounds of Msida’s Higher Secondary School & ‘Rock for the Fort’ where I played my very first time live and with my death-metal band Lithomancy. This was organized twice, we played on the second edition and it was organized to raise funds to restore Fort Rinella, there was a magical feel there, total buzz! Good old times I really miss!!! Allow me to mention also for good old times sake: Nick Grima’s ‘Grim Reaper’ both in Zebbug & St.Paul’s, the gig in Xemxija I played with Weeping Silence also was memorable but I can’t remember the name of that sorry. However, there was Totema and Loathe that I remember playing too that night. Heh too many gigs, too many memories, maybe I am getting too old! The gigs at Signals… the gigs at Strings, my first Festahwid at Strings. Apart from being a musician yourself, you are a constant source of support both to the local and foreign bands. Why do you feel that supporting the local scene and venue/s is important? Simply because I love music, love the scene and the underground scene especially (not only in Metal), but most importantly, I strongly believe in the local scene & the local musicians! We damn have an incredible potential here! As mentioned in the previous reply to your question, I have also experienced a lot of events here on our small rock and know what it means and how much one has to struggle to get his own music out there. Many of the younger generation, don’t have the minimal idea of how much things were very different back then! How much it was more difficult to simply organize an event, or even before that, to get your own instrument to start playing and at a reasonable price. Let alone the quality, everything was sky high in price and would cost an eye if you target to get simply the second best in quality of some brand. Keep in mind there was no internet first of all and to get your music heard outside of your own country was quite a difficult task. I am not a big pro social media and all of this, but I admit that for a band, internet in general (not only social media) helps a lot to get your music heard, especially outside your own country. I also admit that in certain cases also shitty bands get noticed and get more credit than they deserve unfortunately of course too. However, that’s why I try my best to ‘pass the word’, same thing I used to do pre-internet, when I used to ‘pass on the flyers’ of various releases (especially those of demos) to others I was in contact with through tape-trading or those whom I was in contact with thanks to my fanzine ‘Call of Angels’. Same goes with flyers of gigs that would be happening here locally. Allow me to mention one last thing… going back to what I said regarding how difficult it was to organize an event back then. Many don’t realize how much lucky we are to have a venue like The Garage, where unlike ‘back then’, we don’t have to rent &/or organize ourselves to construct a stage, get lights and all that is necessary to simply get started! We don’t need to get & pay a permit to organize an event. Many don’t realize, that with a venue such as The Garage we have all that sorted out and for no additional cost! We simply have the luxury to contact Rene’ or Darren and check if a specific date is available to book, and then you’re sorted. Apart from that, the entrance fee goes all to who is organizing the event. I from here would like to thank once again both Rene’ and Darren for the opportunity they have given to all the local music scene, a vital contribution coming from their passion to keep the local scene alive! The best support one could have ever hoped for, let’s keep this place alive!!! Do you feel that there is enough cooperation and support between bands in Malta? Honestly… not really! At a certain point yes there was but then something happened and it seems like many just started attending gigs of bands of the same genre they play with, with their own band, or because they are their friends! That doesn’t help, it’s totally not sustainable for the scene! Not to mention once again the old times, but back then, members from various bands (and gig-goers too, mind you), from any kind of scene, be it rock, death-metal, thrash, doom, punk… they all attended gigs of other bands from other genres which might not play their cup of tea. Ok, one might argue that events were less frequent than today and thus everyone would be more looking forward to something happening live… that’s also true, but my point is that everyone would be supporting everyone! One thing that fuckin kills me, allow me to mention also this & get it off my chest… is that even if two bands from different genres play in the same gig or festival, there’s the tendency that after one band plays, all (or most of) the band members of the band that has just got off the stage, packs, loads the stuff in their own car & leave! Damn… that’s not supporting each other!!! Added to what I said in a previous reply to your question, I would also like to mention one last thing regarding venues & support… always support the other bands and the local events also for one other reason… I think we all miss Coconut Grove & Remedy, for those a bit older, V-Gen & Signals, for those older than me there are other venues and/or locations they might be missing I am sure about that… let’s NOT get to the point where we post pictures of the The Garage and then write something like ‘Miss the good old days’ or ‘Miss this place’ or other bla bla, especially those who attend one gig from ten… I understand not everyone can attend every single gig, be it because of money, health issues, because of other plans… but I am pretty sure one can make it to more than one gig out of ten. Especially the band members, who are supposed to be those who should have the biggest interest in keeping such a venue existing so they themselves would still have a place where to perform, I think at least one member simply to represent his own band, should attend gigs of other bands and give their support! You know how it is after all, it’s also a matter of give and take… one shouldn’t then pretend that people will give their support to your band if you first of all don’t support others! At least I know not everyone is stupid as much as me to try to attend all events heh anyway, once again I understand not everyone can make it to each event but I am sure a better effort could be definitely done by everyone especially band members because it is also in their interest to keep the scene alive & such a venue like The Garage existing! One last thing, thankfully people like Noel Mifsud with the same melodija.eu (and all of you at melodija.eu) and his own radio shows, and Michael Bugeja also with his radio show, but also Toni Sant, and their support in general, definitely also give their vital contribution to the local scene in general, and from here I would like to thank them also. Same goes with Alan & Timmy from Krishna with their cool Krishtalk. Let’s focus a bit on your musical career. Why did you choose the drums as your instrument of preference and how long have you been entertaining from behind the kit? Well, as said before my youngest uncle, Alex, played drums and my dad guitar. I always liked the drums and I believe I always felt the beats and rhythm inside of me, but I started out as a guitarist, probably being majorly influenced from my dad. I played guitar together with two other friends of mine, we all wanted to play guitar, together we basically learned the first chords… it’s Victims of Creation’s first days and we couldn’t be three guitarists… meanwhile, just for fun, I, together with Lithomancy’s drummer Muttley (back then before I entered the band), and Lithomancy’s guitarist Carlo and Victims of Creation’s guitarist Jeffrey, we started jamming and rehearsing together just for fun and created this White Metal band called Horridal. Basically, only Carlo and Jeffrey played guitars, as they did in the respective bands, Muttley sang there and I played drums… there I started and switched to drums also in Victims of Creation since anyway we didn’t had a drummer as yet. This must have been circa. 1992-1993 Do you play any other instruments? I played guitar for a while but I don’t consider myself a guitarist, I wish one day I could have time to learn a few things and get a grip on that. Sang in Weeping Silence and a project I had, called Wound, plus I did some backing vox in Xtruppaw and Hemplifier. So, well the only other things I might consider mentioning as other instrument I know how to play is percussion, which I did especially in Deluge of Sorrow and in the good old Naasha jamming sessions! Are there any particular drummers who inspire/d you? Michael Briguglio (Norm Rejection), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Neil Peart (Rush), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Bill Ward (Black Sabbath)… those especially, but also Mike Smail (Cathedral in ‘Forest of Equilibrium’), Ken Owen (Carcass), Nicke Andersson (Entombed), Chris Reifert (Autopsy), Donald Tardy (Obituary), Rick Miah (My Dying Bride), John Douglas (Anathema), Matthew Archer (Paradise Lost) and Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience). You are in quite a number of bands. How do you manage to keep track of all the different songs and styles in your head? Well, I take the risk until my memory is good basically, heh, luckily when we rehearse something we haven’t rehearsed for a long time, I need to go over the song twice maximum and I seem to still have a good muscle memory. Apart from that, with all of my bands, we always recorded jamming sessions and new ideas even back then on tapes, so sometimes I just need to re-hear certain things and in a couple of trials they’re back there. One other crucial thing, is that I never really force things on myself, as in, I prefer doing beats I feel, rather than complicate things. I am not saying I am lazy and am not in for a challenge, I also do that, but the initial idea of the beat I lay is always quite natural and how I feel it in that particular moment, and that definitely helps remembering everything afterwards, even if it’s after a long time. You form/ed part of bands like Deluge of Sorrow, Griffin Device, Lithomancy, Pilgrimage, Victims of Creation, Wound, Hemplifier etc. I’m sure I missed a few. Which projects / bands are you still active in? You basically named all, or at least all those I played live with except The I SKAndal, whom I dearly miss!!! But I also had Horridal (although it was for fun) which I mentioned before, Tree (initial Victims of Creation version 2) and a very interesting old-school Death-metal project called Commiseration. At the moment, some bands are on halt but those I am mostly active with are Pilgrimage and Hemplifier. Apart from keeping the beat to some of Malta’s cream of the crop bands you also form part of Xtruppaw. How did that experience come along and are there any plans for the distant future? Thanks for your kind words first of all, I really appreciate bro. As for plans for the future with Xtruppaw, honestly it doesn’t depend much on me and Xtruappw are one of those bands of mine who are on halt at the moment unfortunately. Xtruppaw was born thanks to the friendship of us five who form the band. We basically used to hang out together all the time, we have been friends for a very long time and maybe some don’t know but Victims of Creation’s first line-up was the same as what Xtruppaw is today, minus Noel our vocalist. Back then VoC’s vocalist was already Rex, whilst Marvin and Jeffrey were on guitars and myself on drums. So basically we have been friends since the late 80s / early 90s. Anyhow, after both Jeffrey (first) & then also Marvin left VoC, we kept hanging out together although we weren’t playing in the same band anymore and one of the things we loved doing most was BBQs and of course getting smashed during BBQs! We used to compose these silly songs whilst drunk, mostly in Maltese and they were becoming quite popular with our closest friends, most of whom used to be together with us in the same BBQs. Anyway, we once thought “why not adapt these same songs on electric guitars and have real drums on them instead of percussions and maybe one day play a gig for our friends?”. That was the initial idea… also for good old times sake of playing together as mucisians once again! By then, I had just started playing in The I SKAndal and I got to know that JP (our bassist/vox in The I SKAndal) organized ‘Festahwid’! It was perfect! I convinced the others to do the Xtruppaw idea thing during ‘Festahwid’, anyway, no one will really bother since everyone would be “merry” and we didn’t have to be perfect on stage, we just wanted to do this for fun after all! We thought of maybe doing a quick garage recording of ‘Malta’ and ‘Generazzjoni ta’ Meqrudin’ and share them, so the people attending the festival would have an idea of what or who we are and what we do…………the feedback was mind-blowing! Something we had never expected, heh, everyone singing along with both songs because in the meantime they went viral! Apart from drumming you had a sting as a vocalist with Weeping Silence between 1995 and 2001. Do you feel more at ease fronting a band or ripping it out from behind the kit? Definitely back behind the drums! Heh, I even feel not at ease presenting our own ‘Reeferfest’ at the beginning of the festival each year. But I treasure the experience I had with Weeping Silence, from which I learned a lot and it also helped me personally to be less shy on stage from then onwards. It was a struggle since back then I was more shy than what I am now, but that helped me personally also in my everyday life I guess. …but yes once again, I believe drums is also perfect for me also because I am back there hidden and simply do (or try to do) my own thing without being in the forefront. You have a very vast experience in playing gigs and concerts both locally and abroad. Any events that have a special place in your memories? There are many honestly… most of the times I played at ‘The Malta Doom Metal Festival’, which I miss dearly, dammit and from here I would like to thank them once again for every single opportunity they gave to my bands. ‘Rock the Rock’, which although many consider an event gone wrong, for me it was memorable since we VoC played exactly before one of my all-time favourite bands, Entombed (AD ok but still with the amazing Petrov)! With VoC also: the gig at the old Rock Café’ in Paceville (not sure if it was our very first gig live), at the last edition of the amazing ‘Doom Shall Rise’ in Germany (there I also played with Griffin Device), ‘Metal Days’ in beautiful Tolmin (Slovenia), the ‘TILL DOOM DO US PART tour we had with our bros from Germany Calliophis, the two gigs in Ireland (thank you Jim bro!), ‘Dutch Doom Days’. With Xtruppaw: ‘Beerfest’(s) & ‘Earth Garden’(s), especially the election one but also both launches of our albums and the events organized by Hairyamp (thanks to you also bros) with Brikkuni and those with our bros Fakawi, the ‘Xtruppakawi’. With Pilgrimage: the last gig we played in Turkey (especially) supporting Therion but also our very first one at ‘Metal Gates’ in Romania and once again ‘Metal Days’ in Tolmin (Slovenia), last year, where we spent some good quality time with some good old friends but also cool bands such as Suffocation! I might be forgetting some too………… It is difficult to make it as a musician if you do not have the support of your loved ones. Anyone special you feel like thanking? Let’s say it does definitely help of course. Both mum and dad always supported me, as much as my aforementioned younger uncle Alex and most of my closest true friends and my better half Katrina… thank you all for believing in me, giving me your support, understanding me and pushing me when needed! It is also thanks to you that I kept expressing myself through music all this time and that I do my thing, love you all!!! Is there any message that you would like to impart, especially to the younger generation who are taking their first steps as a band or musicians? Yes of course! Always believe in yourselves, have breaks if needed but never give up! Always do your thing and never copy others or try to emulate others, use your mind and do what you feel inside. The important thing is that finally, you are satisfied with the result and that the result makes you feel fulfilled. This is one form of art and art is all about expressing oneself! It’s good to have influences, observe what others do, listen to what others do… be it contemporary, old or even in some other genre you usually don’t listen to, you can get influences or pick up ideas from everywhere, from any genre… just don’t emulate it finally, make it your own by twisting it to your character or feel or simply add another idea to it to make it sound different than the one you got the idea from. Inspiration and ideas come from different places and in different forms. Learn to listen and observe, always accept criticism but never let them get you down, simply learn from them and let them make you stronger and more convinced about what you finally want! Listen to opinions, always respect other musicians and other bands and what they do. Play music because you love it and feel it, not because you want to start playing an instrument or want to become famous. It’s ok to play mainstream stuff but always try not to copy others, always do your thing… after all, in the end, what remains in the memory of most is what is mostly original or what gives a certain feel to the listener. Always support the other bands & musicians, always support the events… it is also a way of learning while there plus you have some good times with your friends who are like-minded while listening to live music which is always the best! photos by Bloodography where stated, others property of Dino Mifsud Lepre

Malta's biggest selling album is 25 Joe Demicoli and Augusto Cardinali released their album Kemmuna Airways 25 years ago, marking a significant milestone in their careers and the local music scene. According to Demicoli, approximately 50,000 original cassettes were sold in the first year, excluding the pirate copies. The album featured 12 parody songs about Maltese life in the late 1990s, including the self-titled track. In the song "Sejjaħli Ċittadin," Demicoli sings about various issues such as poor roads, high energy bills, inefficient hospitals, and shopkeepers who evade taxes. One of the lines humorously compares the mayor's well-maintained road to a pristine marble surface while contrasting it with Demicoli's own road, which resembles the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Cardinali recalls the album being immensely popular, stating that almost every family in Malta and Gozo had a CD or cassette, with many of them being pirate copies. The duo gained widespread recognition through their performances on television, radio, and live shows, having visited numerous venues across Malta and Gozo. They also garnered attention among Malta's emigrant communities in Australia and Canada, where they performed their songs. Demicoli fondly remembers the warm reception they received from audiences during their stage performances. People would laugh, cheer, and applaud while attentively listening to the lyrics. The duo's shows in Australia and Canada were particularly memorable. The Maltese Herald, an Australian newspaper catering to the Maltese community, published two articles praising their concerts in those countries. The reports highlighted the positive response from the audience, noting that even those who would usually be scandalized by slightly vulgar jokes were laughing out loud and praising the duo. When plans were made to distribute the Kemmuna Airways cassette in Australia, it was discovered that many Maltese immigrants there already had a copy, sent to them by their families back in Malta. The duo toured Australia, capitalizing on the album's popularity within Malta's emigrant community. This success came after Demicoli and Cardinali made regular appearances on the television program ‘Għidli Xi Jmiss’, where they performed and presented a new track every week. Demicoli would write the lyrics for the songs, while Cardinali adapted the music and produced them. Eventually, these tracks formed the basis of the Kemmuna Airways album, which was hailed as the "album of the summer" in an article published by KullĦadd newspaper. “Apart from the original song "Sejjaħli Ċittadin," which had its own music, the tracks on the album were based on popular songs, with the title track "Kemmuna Airways" utilizing the music from Typically Tropical's hit "Barbados"”, the duo discussed when asked about the songs' arrangements. “However, some of the lyrics had been written by Joe prior to their collaboration”. During the 1997 Għaxaq carnival, Demicoli parodied several songs by Maltese rock singer Freddie Portelli and other artists, including Enzo Guzman. One of these parodies, titled "Freddie u Eddie," satirized the leaders of the political parties MLP and PN and eventually made its way onto the album. Looking back on the album's success after 25 years, Cardinali reflects on the challenges that fame brought, including a loss of privacy, physical exhaustion, and stress from frequent shows. He acknowledges the need to be mindful of behavior and words during performances and interviews, maintaining a good rapport with the public, even in situations that were not suitable. Nevertheless, he considers it a glorious time that he can never forget, emphasizing the magical feeling of performing for a passionate crowd and the strong friendship between him and Demicoli. According to Cardinali, the key to their success was the politically neutral nature of the songs' lyrics, which made them universally appealing. Although the songs were primarily aimed at a mature audience, children also memorized them. Cardinali believes that the lyrics were subtly crafted, avoiding direct vulgarity. Even today, as Kemmuna Airways celebrates its 25th anniversary, people still frequently mention the album for various reasons, as Demicoli points out. The album's success can be attributed to a combination of humorous songs, extensive TV exposure, the chemistry between Demicoli and Cardinali, their energetic stage presence, and impeccable timing. Lord Adder to play China in September As announced by Mark Spiteri at the end of their gig at The Garage on Saturday 24th June, Lord Adder are going to hit the rock scene in China this year at the biggest open-air metal festival in the country, the Midi Festival. Melodija.eu congratulates Lord Adder for yet another milestone in their career. Malta Death Fest's first bands announcements Malta Death Fest announced the first three bands for this year’s comeback of the festival set for the 6th 7th and 8th October 2023. The first edition was staged at V-Gen in Paceville between the 8th and the 10th September 2011 and focused seven local death metal bands, namely Miasmic Corrosion, Ktinodia, Thy Legion, Abysmal Torment, Beheaded and Lithomancy. The second edition took place from the 20th to the 22nd September 2012, again at V-Gen and was hosted by Ed Veter, while the third edition was held at Chateau Buskett on the 6th and 7th September 2014. This year’s edition is the fourth one and it will be making a return after nine years and promises to be a rager. Venue for this comeback is The Garage in Zebbug and the first three bands has been revealed. The first local band announced is Bound To Prevail. Formed in 2014 the band’s current lineup is made up of Alan ‘Zazzu’ Briffa on vocals, Mark Farrugia Sant’Angelo on drums with Jean Vella and Keith Fenech on guitars, and Kevin Mifsud on bass. On July 1st, 2016 the band released a self-titled demo featuring two songs, followed by their debut EP titled ‘Omen Of Iniquity’ on 25th August 2017. Bound To Prevail are set to hit the stage on Friday 6th October One of this year’s headliners are Czech outfit Gutalax who shall perform on Saturday. Gutalax, formed in the Spring of 2009 by four Czech musicians. In September of the same year, they recorded seven tracks for their debut album, which was a split release with the Italian band Cannibe. Subsequently, in January 2011, they unveiled their first independent album, "Shit Beast," which was released by the Czech label Bizarre Leprous. In early 2014, they followed up with their second album, titled "Shit Happens," which later saw a 2015 release through the German label Rotten Roll Rex. In 2017, Gutalax collaborated with Spasm, another Czech Goregrind band, on a Split recording. The members of Gutalax categorize their music as "Gore 'n' Roll," an amalgamation of Gore and Porngrind genres infused with a generous dose of humor. Their lyrical themes typically revolve around scatological subjects, often delving into topics like coprophagy. The third band announced is Putrefied Corpse, a Dutch band formed in 2013 by Arjan Van Loon on bass, Gerben Mol drums, Björn van Toorn vocals, Martin Meijer and Arno Ket on guitars. On the 19th March 2019 the band released their debut full-length album titled ‘Left To Rot’ More news to follow…….

The concept - LURA While the album (Sun of Other Days) is characterised by interrelated, loose and lengthy songs, LURA is composed on a relatively conventional song structure. This song is not only different in the way that it’s composed, but it’s also the only track on the album to be sung entirely in the Maltese band’s native language. LURA serves as an outro track which is rather an extension of the central narrative and conceptualised music found in the other album tracks. For the duo and their guest guitarist Emanuel, the island’s seashore was part of their childhood’s daily panorama where every family would have their favourite spot by the sea, and where memories of their youth belong. It came natural for the band to be inspired to write music which represents a typical Maltese summer of their youth and setting it as its core theme for this album. LURA with its accompanying moving music video (to feature on the band's Youtube channel from noon 24th June), reminisces about childhood summer days spent with friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. This song is homaging their memory while expressing deeply the wish to meet again by living a space-time shift, like a magical journey with the hope to actively relive the experience of moments now only found stored in our memories. The lyrics were written by Alexia and Luciano Schembri who both lost their respective brothers who passed on before their time. The composition - LURA (6:30mins) LURA’s slow guitar arpeggios’ intro is followed by a calm synth and soft-spoken singing verse. The song gradually builds up a dreamy rise that uses its beginning guitar melody and the steady piano rhythm/pulses as its outline throughout. The warm, yet ominous guitar solo in the mid-part of the song, intensifies the sense of the Mediterranean vastness which is an element that ties this track to the rest of the album. Towards the end, all the melodies swell to an enchanting climax. The intertwined synth textures and guitar melodies, along with soaring chants, deliver the feeling of dreaminess or even a floating-through-space sensation. The final sombre piano note sends off this cathartic crescendo. LURA was released today, 23rd June, 2023, via the esteemed website, Echoes and Dust - https://echoesanddust.com/ and is also available on all online platforms. Sun of Other Days is set to be released later on. Website https://trystarcane.com/ Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/TrystArcane Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tryst.arcane/ Spotify https://artists.spotify.com/c/artist/7MbPTxx8EPDbc7WkZUoamj/profile/overview

Brighton-via-Malta quartet ĠENN announce debut album unum for October 6th through Liminal Collective (pre-order link here) New single ‘Days And Nights’ carries the announcement today The quartet launch an interactive online visual space unum 3d “Versatile and multi-faceted” DIY | “Vastly creative” CLASH “stridently political and powerfully personal genre-blending” Under The Radar Anglo-Maltese quartet ĠENN announce their debut album unum - set for release on October 6th through Liminal Collective. The latest single from it - ‘Days And Nights’ - came out on June 13th. It follows April post-punk stomp ‘A Reprise (That Girl)’ and the eerie sing-song of 2022’s ‘Rohmeresse’ in setting out their thoughtful, provocative intent. Built around a swampy groove, ‘Days And Nights’ rolls heavily forwards in its assuredness. Vocalist Leona Farrugia’s vocals oscillate between semi-spoken commands in the verses, never breaking eye-contact - and untethered, vibrato howls during the choruses. ‘Days and Nights’ offers a sense of the inherent juxtaposition that life offers, the lightness of experience often leading us in deeper rumination about our position in the world. It’s an ongoing process, a floored quest for completion as the sun continues to rise and fall. Vocalist Farrugia adds: ‘This rumination is close to heart, almost comic at times. The parachute of experiences can leave you numb and unsettled, I often feel that one can never be fully equipped to what life has in store’ It comes with a visually arresting music video directed by Charles Gall who worked with Sports Team and English Teacher, amongst others. Along with the album announcement comes the launch of an interactive online visual space unum 3D which the band describe as: “a spatial concept designed to present some of the facets of the mundane. This representation on a computer screen slowly presents us with unexpected turns and surprising tricks that makes some of it not so mundane. As a companion to the album, the house exists to engage with the lyrical themes in a dimension outside of, but in tandem to, what the music offers.” The quartet has a resolutely independent streak - as evidenced by the visual world entirely created by lead-vocalist Leona, as well as the establishment of the Liminal Collective through which they’ll be releasing their music (more on this below). They have an untrammelled attitude towards fusing the personal with the political via their amorphous sound, which touches on post-punk, art-pop, psych-rock, noise-rock and more. Majority queer, the first iteration of the band started 10 years ago in Malta, before moving to Brighton. Over this time they have built determined bonds as a self-described sisterhood, founded on instinctive trust and affection. They are a group with multinational backgrounds, covering Maltese, British, Jamaican and Portuguese roots across the four members. Their position as immigrants (or coming from immigrant backgrounds) has shaped their experience operating within the UK music industry. An intersectional gaze revealing the need for more minorities within music. Key shows have come in support of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Do Nothing, Cleopatrick, Pussy Riot, JOHN, BC Camplight, Girli, TV Priest, Bull and more, as well as performances at The Great Escape, and ESNS representing Malta. The band have found radio champions in Steve Lamacq, Amy Lamé, Tom Robinson and Don Letts at BBC 6Music as well as John Kennedy at Radio X (including a live session) and KEXP. And press acclaim has come from Loud & Quiet, Rough Trade, Clash, Under The Radar, DIY, Line Of Best Fit and more. These nods of approval across the landscape set the foundations for an imperious and exciting push towards their formidable debut. ĠENN are made up of Janelle Borg - guitars (she/her), Sofia Rosa Cooper - drums (she/they), Leona Farrugia - Vocals (she/they), and Leanne Zammit - bass (she/her). unum was co-produced by ĠENN, Gilla Band’s Dan Fox and Tom Hill. Mixed by Tom Hill at The Bookhouse. Mastered by Katie Tavini @ Weird Jungle. ĠENN Online Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp | Facebook Live Dates 14th June - Huddersfield - The Parish 15th June - Glasgow - The Hug & Pint 17th June - Newcastle - Zerox 18th June - Milton Keynes - The Craufurd Arms In-Store Shows 6th Oct - Rough Trade East, London 7th Oct - Jumbo, Leeds 8th Oct - Phase One, Liverpool 9th Oct - Vinilo, Bournemouth 10th Oct - Vinilo, Southampton 11th Oct - Pie & Vinyl, Southsea 12th Oct - Banquet, Kingston Album Launch Headline Show 13 th Oct - Komedia, Brighton Note: The album will be released via Liminal Collective - a new multi-disciplinary collective that also serves as a space for other creatives to develop and release their art, and collaborate with like-minded individuals. More info regarding the album is found on the latest news post (to be issued 21/06/2023). ĠENN are supported by Arts Council Malta

On April 28, 2018, I had the privilege of conducting an interview with Dr. Albert Bell, which was not the first time we had spoken and certainly not the last. Typically, our conversations revolve around his involvement in various music projects such as Forsaken, Nomad Son, X-Vandals, and, of course, Albert Bell's Sacro Sanctus. However, this particular interview took a different direction. We focused on the upcoming tenth edition of The Malta Doom Metal Festival, scheduled to be held at Chateau Buskett in a few months' time. Regardless of the topic at hand, it is always a pleasure to have Albert share his thoughts behind a microphone. His insights are consistently fascinating, reminiscent of his engaging lectures. I never fail to learn something new, whether it's about music, history, or any other subject. The interview took place at ONE Productions studios, with audio recording by Joseph Bondin. Katrina from Bloodography captured some striking photos during the interview, while Robert Azzopardi was responsible for videotaping the session. Unfortunately, the video version of the interview was never released, but the audio was broadcasted on both of my shows - Rock Moods and Heatstrokes. This interview was also featured in 2018's festival programme. As of now, the tenth edition of the festival remains the final one to have taken place. It's important to note that although a span of five years is significant, one have to consider the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic, which halted the world and disrupted live events (indefinitely, as was the general thought). We are still in the process of recovering and rebuilding our live event scene. Although five years have passed since this interview, and certain aspects of our discussion may have changed, it remains an essential part of our documented metal history within our small metal community. One question which surely comes to mind, (and believe me we were asked many times): "Will there be another Malta Doom Metal Festival?" Well who knows, only time will tell, but in the meantime here's what was discussed that evening.... 10 years ago, with Forsaken’s “After The Fall” just one month old and work on Nomad Son’s second opus “The Eternal Return” well under way, you managed to give birth to the Malta Doom Metal Festival. First question is the obligatory: what made you organise such an event and why? First of all, thank you Noel for this interview, and thank you also to OneProductions for hosting us here. Basically my ideas on founding the Malta Doom Festival go back to my experiences with both Forsaken and also Nomad Son at the Doom Shall Rise festivals and other festivals that we were booked during that period, early 2000s and later with Nomad Son. What really captivated me in those festivals was the whole community spirit, and I always wondered what it would be like if we could have something like that locally, in Malta. When the idea first came to me, I believed that Malta was not prepared for such a festival, because the scene was not as strong as it needed to be. But then gradually, you had these emerging local bands, or else bands that had been long established, like Victims of Creation, and Weeping Silence who were really gigging and sort of building strength, and Nomad Son had also erupted on the scene, and response towards these bands was very good, and so suddenly I started thinking that the scene was ready for something of this stature, and I think it was 2006 or 2007 I tried to test the ground, and organised a three way gig called The Doom Metal Assault, with a band from England, Unsilence, and it went really well, so I thought then that it seems like we can do something like this. And this is how the idea to replicate the community spirit of Doom Shall Rise, evolved. So MDM replicates that...attempt to replicate that spirit. From day one the music in the festival was kept as old school as possible. What made you take this decision and do you think it worked? Sometimes these festivals involve strategic marketing decisions, but at the same time I am a purist at heart and every decision that we take reflects my philosophy on heavy metal and what heavy metal should be. So while I know that possibly the more commercial you make it, it’s going to appeal to more people, but that will never be done with Malta Doom Metal. The idea is to focus on doom metal and related sub-genres, anything which we think is associated to doom metal and which we think from our profiling of the average doomhead taking ourselves as being adequate samples, the sort of stuff that we’re into, and that normally involves 80’s metal, I’m not talking about hair metal and glam metal, that’s obviously off limits, but we’re talking about the spirit of ’77, the NWOBHM, proto-thrash and proto-death and also perhaps even going back to the proto-doom sounds, the original sounds coming from the 70’s, that’s all part of what MDM represents, and I think that over the years, this mix of bands has helped to make the festival more interesting. Sometimes it’s difficult that over two days, plus the warm-up show, listening nonstop to doom metal bands, pure doom metal bands, becomes a bit daunting. So basically, what we’re trying to mix it up a bit, to appeal to the tastes of all old school doom metalheads on the island, especially doomheads, and also trying to open the international dimension and get as wide an audience as possible with lots of foreigners like we’ve been having recently, which makes it all the more exciting, and basically now, The Malta Doom Metal Festival has become this annual pilgrimage from all over Europe, and beyond, to Malta, this hub which is slowly developing into a strong niche for Doom metal. Can you take us through the history of the festival please from the eyes of the organiser? Obviously I still have very fond and vivid memories of the first edition, which was hosted in a locality in the entertainment hub on the island called Paceville, or used to be an entertainment hub, now it’s a really a pile of shit. It was hosted in the Poxxbar with 6 bands, 5 Maltese and one foreign band. We had weeping Silence, Victims Of Creation, Dawn Of Anguish, which was just founded around that time and it was (Forsaken’s) Simeon’ Gatt’s, other project, Nomad Son and Forsaken as in local bands, and Dark Quarterer from Italy, one of the leading progressive doom bands throughout history and I still remember that show very vividly....a great show. And the most sort of appealing sentiment to me from that first edition was introducing Dark Quarterer to several of the Maltese audience who hadn’t heard of them before. I remember they had lots of sales, the merch was gone within an hour and the show was fantastic, very intimate. With the second edition then we tried to expand the international dimension and we involved more foreign bands, including a band from Italy called Hands Of Orlac, who since then moved to Sweden if I’m correct. We also had Sorrows Path from Greece and Lothus from Sicily, who featured some members from Trinakrius. This international dimension really sort of made the festival more exciting and brought people from different backgrounds together, different cultures, and the Maltese metalheads were starting to experience this international favour in a big way and in every edition since then, we tried to increase the dose to a great extent. I mean there’s been lot of great editions, I can’t go through them all, we’d need the entire interview to do that, but I remember when we got Pagan Altar here and Terry was still alive and very well. Just hosting them here and continuing to build our friendship was a very nice and great experience. Another great occasion for me was to host The Black, one of my favourite bands from Abruzzo and obviously one of Italy’s, I would argue, strongest bands ever. It’s a very obscure band, which I think would take a little bit of connoisseurship to really get in to. But if I had to pinpoint my favourite show ever throughout all these 9 editions, we’re going on the 10th now, would be the Venom Inc show in 2015. Venom is my favourite all time band, I’ve been into the band since I was about 12 years old, and they were the soundtrack of my youth and well after that, because I continued to follow the band passionately and very religiously, and hosting them here, especially in their Venom Inc. incarnation was very unique and a great experience. Seeing them getting so well with the fans, makes a band in my opinion much more special than they are, because sometimes you tend to meet bands with a shit attitude towards their fans and it becomes somewhat disappointing. I’ve met a couple of bands like that over time, but both in Pagan Altar’s case especially, The Black, but even more so, I would argue, with Venom Inc it was an incredible experience. These past 10 years witnessed more than 130 performances by bands from over 20 countries on the Malta Doom Metal Festival stage, some bands even engraving their future from that performance... Yeah, I mean, first of all, the number is quite astounding, I wasn’t aware that we’ve already got 130 performances. Some of the bands have really made well after their performance at the MDM. My associates and I try to keep our eye out for emerging bands. A strong case in point for me was King Witch, I had my eye on the band for some time and I made sure that we try to approach them and rope them in and I’m sure that the band will go far, because their potential is huge. And I think it’s quite a privilege for us to give an opportunity for such bands to get on stage at an international festival. Ok, it’s not a big festival it’s a small niche festival, but quite often we get lots of people from abroad reviewing the fest, we also get labels in attendance, and they’re all on the lookout for this new emerging talent, and yes, with King Witch it was a case in point. Another example is Victims of Creation. After their resurrection, we had them on board a few times at MDM, and on one occasion we had a guy from Cyclone Records in attendance and they were convinced there and then to sign Victims of Creation and they had their first full length album, another important milestone I think. What feedback have you got from band members and how does this make you feel? To be honest, we rarely had any negative feedback or criticism. There was one occasion or maybe a couple, but I won’t go into that. But normally, the bands we hosted have really enjoyed their experience on the island, not just at the festival, but also the island as a whole package. Often staying on the island well after the festival, making a bit of a holiday as well, enjoying the sights and the island in its totality. The good thing about this is that this whole experience makes more bands want to come back to the show. We receive several applications every year, including bands that’ve already played at the festival and they’re sort of really keen on coming back, and we try to accommodate everybody, although sometimes it’s quite impossible to do so, because obviously you cannot make a whole edition, just replicating all the bands you’ve had before. But we never rule out bands revisiting or being re-hosted at MDM. We’ve had that in the past and we continue to do it, but in a small dose so that at the same time you bring in new acts to make it a bit more exciting. I’ve even removed my own bands from the bill several times, because at a point in time Nomad Son and Forsaken had been playing at the festival nearly a year in year out, so at a point in time I said this has to stop. But then we’ve also decided to re-involve Forsaken for the tenth edition. Throughout the past editions there are certainly some episodes, whether pleasant or not, that remain imprinted on the organizers’ minds...... One interesting incident was from last year’s edition*, when we had Doomsday Kingdom, the new band from the godfather of doom, Leif Edling. Leif asked me before the festival if he could use one of my basses. He chose the AIA. He was here together with his family and made a bit of a holiday of it and I also loaned him a practice amp, to practice with it at his hotel room. But then I remember being outside at the festival, watching Doomsday Kingdom come in the van and Leif is coming out, all the band is out and they get out all their equipment but I can’t see the bass, and then Leif came up to me and he told me “damn me, I forgot the bass, damn my memory, I forgot the bass”. I remember Stephen, one of our helpers at the festival last year, he was just sinking in, biting into his piece of Maltese bread during his break and perhaps downing a beer and he had to stop, I had to stop him. I told him you have to get to Qawra and get that bass back. And Leo from Forsaken kindly drove him, but it was a scary and funny incident at the same time. These things happen all the time during the festival, there is a new one every year. Or another one was I remember with Tyson Dog, this extraordinary band, this NWOBHM band from Newcastle and I hope I’m not revealing anything too strenuous, but the guys had drunk a bit heavily during their stay here and at a point in time our helper helping out with the accommodation, Claire, was trying to locate the band, because we had the transfers ready for them, to come to Buskett to come on stage, when she couldn’t find them. Eventually they made their way, and we witnessed a fantastic show. Tyson Dog, a case in point, obviously does not relate to the genre that much, but doomheads, are quite into the whole generation of NWOBHM bands, that inspired doom as well, bands like Witchfynde in general obviously, Pagan Altar and Angel Witch would be another case in point. We’re all really into this stuff and Tyson Dog was a strong case in point of a band not really related to the genre, but getting on stage and really delivering the goods, and another case in point would be Desolation Angels, which was another fantastic show. It is highly renowned what Malta has to offer in regards to both history and environment. How does the MDM project the island? If I had to pin point one word it would be hospitality. So I think we often reflect on ourselves, on our national character, as being a hospitable nation, open to all and ready to go that extra mile to make some person’s visit to the island, whoever it is, a memorable one, and I think MDM really epitomises all this. And the sense of hospitality that we show and demonstrate to bands and also more than that, trying to do things within our limitations obviously, of course there are financial constraints, human resource constraints, to do things as professional as possible. So this professionalism, combined with hospitality, I think makes the event very rewarding for whoever is participating in it, especially those bands making the trip from abroad and the fans too, because we can’t forget the fans, without them the event wouldn’t happen. Today you can look back with pride to where MDM is. What do you think is the main ingredient for the success to such an event and do you think that you have achieved your dream, your goal of what you wanted the MDM to become? In respect to the second part of the question, I think I’ve surpassed my initial expectations to be honest. As to what makes the event so special, the secret ingredient, if you will, is the fact that behind MDM you’ve got a group of people, not profit oriented, doing things voluntarily, just out of their love for the music and their passion for it. And this is what MDM is all about. Passion and love for old school heavy metal and old school doom, to the extent that we lose endless nights of sleep because of it, we could all be doing something else and earning money, which we’re not, so the sense of commitment is the defining element, the sense of commitment, the sense of family, the sense of solidarity, the sense of companionship and true friendship that we forged between us, the organising team, and all the volunteers that help us, all the fans, year in year out, we’ve got people visiting us from Germany, England, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Sweden, wherever. Seeing these happy faces, smiling faces, year in year out, sharing our passion and love for the music. That’s what really makes it all worth it. I mean I always say, as you know, that every year this will be the last year, but after the event passes, and we come down and do the math, but at the same time I always have these recollections of the different editions that we’ve had and the fun that we’ve all had getting these acts to Malta and seeing people enjoy themselves. So this is what motivates us to go on. What are the pros and cons of organizing a festival like the Malta Doom Metal Festival on a small island? The biggest difficulty in terms of the international borders is accessibility to the island, since because of the island’s geographical location; we’re limited in terms of how many people we can attract, given the fact that most people have to get a plane to get to the island. However, at the same time we’re also aware of the huge distances that they have abroad, so for somebody in Northern Sweden, to travel down to Southern Sweden for a gig that would take the same amount of time to come to Malta. So probably, they’re much better off getting a plane to MDM, better weather and cheaper prices. What I’m sometimes somewhat disappointed, and I have to say this, is the lack of……musical education that persists on the island, even amongst the metal scene. So sometimes you get people who would be put off from coming to the festival because of the idea that it’s totally dedicated to doom. Like I said, we always try to address every shape and hue of doom metal, plus also various shades and hues, a whole kaleidoscope of colours in respect of old school metal. It’s very difficult not to enjoy yourself at least with a couple of bands at MDM. But we still have this resistance from people not coming to the festival for this reason or because it is too expensive, or that it’s too far on an island which is basically a pea in the ocean. We had people coming from Japan last year, but we don’t have people coming from …. wherever in Malta because it’s too far. It’s insane. It’s just a 10 minute drive to Buskett. Another difficulty that we’re experiencing now is the over saturation of events. So people are now choosing where to go according to their preferences, which is a good thing, but the over saturation is not helping, because there’s too much going on. Because in Malta we tend to have this tendency of extremes, shifting the pendulum from one side to the other, so for many years there was nothing go on, while now there is too much going on. But the good thing is that most of us involved in the scene, have tried to come together, the promoters especially try to create some sort of calendar which avoids this sort of overlap, so things could improve eventually. So far as the pros are concerned, obviously the proximity that we have on the island helps with transfers, making things not as difficult as they are abroad. The good level of hotels that we have helps with hospitality; the tightness of the doom metal scene is also a huge advantage. We know that we can rely on a group of people that support us, and this really helps. This also spills over the organisation of MDM, because of the whole, as I said before, voluntary aspect to it, which resonates with passion……another good recent development is the attention that we’re getting as well from the public arts sphere, and I think that MDM itself is helping to change all that. There is also this humane element, this community element, this community spirit. Plus there is also the recognition of the impact that festivals like MDM and others are having on the Maltese economy, this creation of a new niche in our economy, music cultural tourism, I could call it music sub-culture tourism, which some people now, both in the public and private sector are even more aware of and perhaps ready to help out, and this for us is a huge milestone, because we’ve come a long way from way back in the late 70s and 80s, because you’ve got long hair and all that. Being stopped in the street to actually being supported by the state, that’s quite a milestone. Every event needs support and help and of course MDM is not different...... There’s a core group of people, obviously there is Noel, handling the marketing and PR dimension, organising initiatives such as this one. There’s Glen Gauci, who’s also involved in the booking of bands and face logistical aspects, a huge asset to the team. James Gauci handles all the financial aspect, plus a myriad, a whole platter of things. I mean, everybody is a huge asset to the team. Otherwise they wouldn’t be in it. There’s Claire Borg**, who handles everything related to lodging and accommodation and hospitality…..and screaming sometimes on end. Then there’s this really vociferous person, Robert, the videographer. He’s really a noisy guy, sometimes too loud, but he’s a great asset as well. Simeon, the drummer from Forsaken, who is also a fundamental part of the team gives a very strong contribution to the core team. He handles and oversees our website, website development, and the management of that, and is also our liaison in terms of graphic design, which is handled by Alexia Baldacchino from Loudpix, who is always done a great job. Simeon is also our drum tech together with Dino, the drummer of Victims of Creation, I also would like to pinpoint the various helpers we’ve had in the past, who unfortunately for their own personal reasons, and we appreciate that, had to move on. Matthew Camilleri for several years, I still miss the guy, a bundle of joy and at the same time still strongly committed to MDM. The guys involved in the very first edition like Gordon Silvio and also Malcolm Borg Galea, he carried on for some years as well, a great help. Then, the witches of Doom that help us year in, year out; Noel’s wife Vica and daughter Emma, James’ wife Carol, Glen’s girlfriend*** Chiara. Then there’s also other persons involved in the logistics on stage, Rex Grech Santucci, who is a great asset. In 2017 we also involved for the first time, Daniel Warrington, and in the past, we had Chris and Julian Grech (both from Nomad Son). The festival’s official photographers, Katrina, and Stefano. Obviously the people at the venue who host us, those who help with the merch, I mean, so many people involved. Headliners apart, is there a band or performance that is still stamped in your mind from the past editions? I value every band we bring to MDM, but I remember one great show that I really enjoyed was that of The Temple of Pain. Being a huge Thunderstorm fan, that show is engraved in my heart. Iron Void are a band that I like a lot and having them in Malta for MDM, they played at both the event itself and also for the warm up show, great band who are going on from strength to strength. Same, I would argue with Arkham Witch, one of my favourite shows at MDM, was the first Arkham Witch show. I mean that was brutal. Another one would be Dawn of Winter. That was in that edition when Sorcerer had cancelled their trip and Dawn of Winter took a step up on the bill to an extensive show and that was a very emotional one; I got tears in my eyes at that show. I also enjoyed Desaster from the last edition. Like I said earlier, we go through all the band applications religiously. Obviously we also have an idea of who we want at the festival, and we go through the discography of all the bands. Most of the bands that we have on board, I would have the discography anyway. So we make no exceptions. Where do you see the festival in 5 or 10 years time? This is a difficult question obviously. Each edition we take stock of what’s going on in the scene, the developments, we have to take into account the financial viability, because all right, it’s not a case of making money, but it’s not a case of losing money either. I think 10 years is already a very long history for a festival. It’s one of the longest serving and longest standing doom metal festivals in Europe, so it’s quite an accomplishment and beyond. Obviously I’d love to carry on and I’m sure that in my absence other people would carry on. But I can’t imagine myself without doom metal; I can’t imagine myself without heavy metal. I would only imagine myself without heavy metal when I’m dead. So possibly I’ll be resting. Maybe listening to Manowar on my way to Valhalla or wherever, or to Venom on my way to hell, but I think it’s unlikely that I’ll give this up in one form or another. *2017 **now Galea *** wife since 2021 interview photos: Katrina from Bloodography

Solidarity with Ukraine On the night of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, musicians Les Claypool of Primus and Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello joined forces to collaborate on a joint release aimed at rallying support for the Ukrainian people. Followed by a series of compilation releases from various countries around the world, all with the goal of providing financial assistance to the Ukrainian people who found themselves thrust into the struggles caused by the Russian invasion that began on the morning of February 24, 2022. (It is important to note that the underlying conflict had actually started years earlier, in 2014). The scale of belligerents, casualties, and other losses in this conflict is staggering, and life for Ukrainians has been forever changed. Like any conflict, its repercussions have had significant global effects, but for many of us, it is difficult to fully comprehend the experiences they are going through. Numerous Ukrainian bands and musicians have embarked on tours and projects to financially support the cause. In addition to the collaboration between Les Claypool and Eugene Hütz, notable bands such as Jinjer and Gogol Bordello have announced tours in 2022 and 2023 to lend their support. One particularly significant event is the upcoming 'Lviv Aid' concert on June 24 in Wembley Stadium, named after the Ukrainian city that has been heavily impacted by the war with Russia. The concert will feature performances by renowned bands like The Rolling Stones, U2, Pink, and The Killers. Concerts and events spanning various genres and media are taking place worldwide. On June 20, Gypsy punk rock band Gogol Bordello will be returning to Malta as part of their 2023 Solidaritine European tour, which began in May and is scheduled to take them to the US in July and August before concluding in Europe. Their first visit was in 2018, 30th July, when they played the same venue. Formed in 1999 by a group of musicians hailing from various parts of the globe, Gogol Bordello is a punk rock band based in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Renowned for their captivating stage performances and unwavering commitment to touring, the band infuses elements of Romani music with punk and dub, incorporating instruments like accordion, violin, and occasionally saxophone into their distinctive sound. Solidaritine European Tour 25 May Glasgow, UK – SWG3 Galvanizers 30 May Osnabrück, DE – Rosenhof 1 June Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Max 3 June Antwerp, BE – De Roma 4 June Hamburg, DE – Markthalle 7 June Ulm, DE – Roxy 8 June Berlin, DE – Huxleys Neue Welt 9 June Warsaw, PL – Klub Stodola 10 June Poznań, PL – Klub Muzyczny B17 11 June Krakow, PL – Studio Krakow 13 June Frankfurt, DE – Batschkapp 17 June Paris, FR – Élysée Montmartre 18 June Luxembourg, LU – Den Atelier 20 June San Gwann, MT -Aria Complex 22 June Cologne, DE – Live Music Hall Supporting act for the night are Brikkuni, who are frequently acknowledged for revitalizing Maltese sung pop music, and has been making waves since their influential debut album 'Kuntrabanda' in 2008. This genre-defying blend of pop, rock, and punk propelled the band to become a local cult sensation, leading the way for a fresh wave of alternative Maltese music. However, what do these events truly mean to those directly affected by the war in Ukraine or those who have had to flee their homes, leaving behind their normal lives with an uncertain future? To explore this question, we reached out to several individuals from diverse walks of life, all with significant connections to Ukraine, asking them, "How crucial is the contribution of bands like Gogol Bordello, Jinjer, and other Ukrainian bands and musicians in terms of touring and releasing new material, with all proceeds going toward supporting Ukraine?" These are their replies: Liudmyla Tkachuk (Ukrainian, under International Protection in Malta): «Ukrainian bands and musicians play a vital role in representing Ukrainian culture and identity to a global audience. Their music often incorporates elements of traditional Ukrainian music and folklore, helping to preserve and promote the country's rich cultural heritage. By showcasing the uniqueness of Ukrainian music and art, these bands can create a stronger appreciation for Ukraine and its people. It can encourage people to engage with the cause, donate, and take action to help our country. Additionally, it can foster a sense of national pride and unity among Ukrainians themselves» Anna Turanska (Ukrainian, representative of the Ukrainian Community in Malta): "The contribution of bands like Gogol Bordello, Jinjer, and other Ukrainian bands and musicians in terms of touring and releasing new music, with all proceeds going towards the support of Ukraine, is incredibly crucial. Not only do these bands bring attention to the rich and diverse music scene in Ukraine, but they also act as cultural ambassadors, spreading awareness about the country's struggles and aspirations. The funds generated from their music contribute directly to supporting Ukraine's ongoing challenges, such as social and economic development, humanitarian aid, and infrastructure rebuilding, making their contribution vital for the country's progress." Zhenya Fesenko (resident of Kyiv, Ukraine): "The contribution of the bands is invaluable. First of all, for the support for our army, the country's economy, and war victims. Second of all, is the necessity of spreading of information about what is happening in Ukraine and about the scale of the war. This is a reminder that the war is not over and a call to support and help. Such bands carry emotions from their music and at the same time help those who protect their home, their country. It is about rebirth of emotions and experiences through music. It is about our right to creativity and joy despite war and sorrow. It's about unification through music. We can say that musicians also defend us on the cultural front and carry our music to the whole world, while the aggressor tries to destroy us both physically and culturally". John Debono (Ambassador of Malta to Ukraine): During the last year we have seen all kinds of Ukrainian musicians and singers touring every corner of the world and contributing to the defence of their motherland in a different way. Apart from the aspect of support, most importantly is the exposure they give to their country through their performances and the messages they are managing to communicate. Nigel Camilleri (Director NnG Promotions Ltd): Bands with a Ukrainian element in their lineup, as are Gogol Bordello, or who are pro-Ukraine help mainly in promoting what is going on in Ukraine at the moment. Of course there are people who might not agree with them but I Believe what they are doing helps on two levels. Firstly such bands are helping put out the word of what is going on in a language which is readily understood by their fans – which is their music. Sometimes it has seen the band go back to their roots (often punk) and churn out new music in that genre – which is what has happened for example with Gogol Bordello and their new album Solidaritine. Secondly I also believe that it is cathartic for those Ukrainian musicians who are away from their homeland and cannot directly help the war effort by being there – Thus they feel that they are also helping out by releasing music which has a more patriotic tone and also help by organising the raising of funds for humanitarian purposes either as proceeds from their recorded music, live music as well as from merchandise sales. Tickets for the fundraising concert at Aria Complex can be bought here.

There are countless Maltese artists who made a name for themselves abroad. This is the story of one of them. Born on 1 December 1944, Charlie Grima's life has been a testament to his passion for music and his unwavering spirit. From his early beginnings in Paola, Malta, to his current residence in Kent, England, Grima's journey has been filled with remarkable experiences. At the age of ten, Grima's family made the life-changing decision to immigrate to England, settling in Birmingham, where Charlie attended catholic schools until the age of 15. His first encounter with a drum kit occurred unexpectedly when he attended a Toni Martell & The Interns gig, whose drummer, Duke, failed to show up. Grima was asked to step in. He was asked to join permanently when eventually Duke decided to leave the band. In pursuit of his passion, Grima purchased his first drum kit for £80, paying for it over a year. He continued his musical journey with various bands such as The Villains, with whom he did his first tour abroad (Germany), Combined Action, Organised Chaos, The Block and Hannibal. During his time with Combined Action, a young and relatively unknown Robert Plant auditioned to sing with the band. In 1968, Grima took a job as a stagehand and scene shifter at the Alexandra Theatre. His dedication to music and performance remained unwavering, leading him to join The Wellington Kitch Jump Band, later renamed as The Cedar Set. The band toured extensively, including a notable month-long performance at the Hirshen Hotel in Zurich. The year 1969 marked a milestone for Grima when his band, The Ghost, released a single titled "When You're Dead / Indian Maid" on Gemini Records. They followed this with a now rare and collectable full-length album, titled "When You're Dead” in 1970. The band initially adopted the name Holy Ghost, which was later shortened to avoid negative publicity. A second single was released in 1970, but Shirley Kent left the band soon after with the remaining members changing the name of the band to Resurrection which was short lived, splitting with no further releases. Grima joined another band from Birmingham, Mongrel with whom he released ‘Get Your Teeth Into This’ in 1970. During his time in Birmingham, Grima found himself crossing paths with the cream of the city’s best musicians from Black Sabbath to Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest. In 1972, Grima took on a new endeavor by joining Roy Wood's Wizzard. His first gig with the band was the Rock 'N' Roll Festival at Wembley Stadium. On the bill at Wembley was Bo Diddley who later recorded an album titled ‘The London Sessions’ with Wizzard as the backing band. Charlie stayed with Wizzard for three years featuring on all three Wizzard albums: Wizzard Brew released March 1973 on Harvest Introducing Eddy and the Falcons (1974) on Warner Bros. Main Street which was recorded in 1975 but released in 2000 on Edsel Records He joined The Old Horn’s Band before Wizzard’s demise. The Old Horn’s Band played a mixture of jazz and blues. Years later The Old Horn’s Band would reunite for a onetime benefit concert. His introduction to the theatre world happened in 1972 when Charlie auditioned, as a drummer, for the re-casting of David Hare’s rock musical ‘Teeth ‘N’ Smiles’* in London from where an opportunity rose to play in another play…this time in Hong Kong. Throughout the late '70s and early '80s, Grima immersed himself in acting and drumming on stage, participating in plays like "The Fordsyke Saga"† and securing roles in television shows and commercials. In the '80s, Grima showcased his versatility by playing percussion and congas in various pubs. It was at this time that he started playing in pubs playing piano and singing, ultimately landing a few spots on the Variety Night Show. During the same period he went on tour in Germany with the Jive Aces, standing in temporarily for their keyboard player who was visiting Australia. Charlie acted the part of a market trader in episode 20 from the 5th season of The Bill in 1989, while in the 90’s Charlie played the supporting actor in shows like "The Bill" and movies such as "Chaplin," "Henry V," "Frankenstein” (starring Robert De Niro) and “Blue Ice” (which was produced by Michael Cain, who also starred in it). When not in theatre Charlie could be found playing in various pubs and clubs together with Bob Brady. He first came back to Malta since 1955 in 1973 for his honeymoon and again in 2013. In 1988, Grima faced a health setback when he suffered a mild heart attack. In response, he was advised to take things easier. During his recovery, Grima found solace in teaching drumming to blind and partially sighted children. He dedicated 15 years to this meaningful endeavour, sharing his love for music and empowering these young individuals. After undergoing a triple heart operation a decade ago, Grima made the decision to retire. Charlie Grima's story is a testament to the power of pursuing one's passion and embracing the opportunities that come along the way. From his humble beginnings in Paola to his notable contributions to the music and entertainment industry, Grima's journey encapsulates a life dedicated to artistry and perseverance. Charlie Grima’s life can be read in his autobiography published in 2015 by Mirag Publications. *First performed in London in 1975, Teeth 'n' Smiles is a musical play written by English playwright, screenwriter and director David Hare (b. 1947). The play is set around the performances of a failing rock band at the May Ball on the night of 9 June 1969 at Jesus College, Cambridge. † The Fosdyke Saga was a British comic strip by cartoonist Bill Tidy, published in the Daily Mirror newspaper from March 1971 - February 1985 later adapted as a TV series , a radio serial by the BBC and a stage play.

Forsaken are one of Malta’s most established bands and require no introduction. They have exported their brand of doom through Europe and beyond. Formed in 1990 as ‘Blind Alley’, they changed their name to Forsaken in 1991. In the same year they released their debut demo ‘Requiem.’ I can vividly remember, then a student at the Junior Lyceum (Hamrun), getting my hands on a copy of that demo. It took place of preference in my walk man for many months. In 1993, Forsaken became the first Maltese underground act to release a 7 inch single on a foreign label. This came as a result of the band signing to Arkham Productions (France). ‘Virtues of Sanctity’, released in July 1993, included two tracks, namely ‘Where Angels Have Fallen’ on Side A and ‘Confessing My Desolation’ on side B. Recorded during November 1992, the tracks were produced and engineered by Tony Scott. ‘Where Angels Have Fallen’ also featured in their debut demo ‘Requiem.’ This continued to cement Forsaken’s reputation as an emerging southern European talent to look out for. Soon after the band issued a video for ‘Where Angels Have Fallen.’ Shot at Rinella (Kalkara), the video was directed by Alfie Fabri. Looking at the venues the band played after the release of the ‘Virtues of Sanctity’ one can get a bit confused, but that’s how we did it back then, any place was a ‘good venue’. It was all about coming together and having a good time. To name a few .....the Domus Hall (Zebbug), Birzebbuga Sailing Club etc. The band played also at the Harlequin Club (Paceville), prior to touring France and Spain to promote the EP. Forsaken’s line up at the time of recording was as follows: Leo Stivala – Vocals Albert Bell – Bass Kevin Azzopardi – Guitars Daniel Magri (R.I.P. 2001) – Guitars Simeon Gatt - Drums Additional vocals were provided by Roseanne Zammit. The Maltese themed cover was designed by Joel Grevost and photos are by Dino Mangion. Well, ’Virtues of Sanctity’ was just a prelude for Forsaken. The band never looked back, reaching new heights ever since. References: Times of Malta, August 27, 1993 page 17 https://forsakenmalta.com/album/virtues-of-sanctity/

Since its inception in 2007, Earth Garden has garnered a reputation as one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Situated on the idyllic island of Malta, it has been twice voted among the top 20 festivals on the continent. Earth Garden boasts an array of five distinct stages that cater to the diverse tastes of music enthusiasts. From Hip-Hop, House, Techno, Psychedelic Trance, and Drum and Bass to Ska, Dub, Funk, Reggae, and World Music, there is something to captivate every music lover. In addition to the impressive lineup, the festival offers daily workshops and discussions in the Healing Fields, an Ethnic Market, and a Kids' Fun Park to ensure everyone stays engaged and entertained. To satiate hunger, a wide variety of food vendors are available to provide nourishment. With its inclusive nature and international influences, Earth Garden serves as a melting pot of cultures, transcending age barriers. As Malta's largest alternative festival, Earth Garden takes place annually on the first weekend of June at the picturesque Ta Qali National Park. Festival programme (printed version of the programme shall be available at the festival) A special edition of Noel Mifsud's Rock Moods featuring interview with organiser Nick Morales can be listened here on Melodija.eu

Sadly, on the 24th of May 2023 the undisputed Queen of Rock ‘n Roll took her final bow at the age of 83, after a long illness. Born Anna Mae Bullock, in Tennessee (U.S.A.) on November 26, 1939, she was known to the world as Tina Turner. Rising to prominence as part of Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the late 1950’s, she never looked back, rising to stardom as a solo artist in a career spanning till a few years ago. Her list of hits is too long to mention. Apart from being a performer, Tina Turner was also a renowned songwriter, dancer, actress and author. She had been living in Switzerland since 1994 and in 2013 Tina Turner received Swiss citizenship after relinquished her U.S. citizenship. In 2008 she made a comeback as regards to live performances, when aged 69, Tina Turner performed more than 90 shows to celebrate her 50th anniversary in music. For us Maltese, especially the ones that attended, the performance that will remain in our hearts will surely be that of 30 August 1990, when she performed for the first and only time in Malta. This was the concert that opened the way for major artists to start visiting Malta. This would not have been possible without the patronship of the Government, through the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth & Culture, and numerous other private sponsors. The tickets, at LM6.25 and LM4.00, soon sold out and more than 22,000 punters filled the Independence Arena (Floriana) from early afternoon, on that faithful Thursday. The concert in Malta was organised as part of Maltafest and formed part of The Foreign Affair Farewell Tour. This tour, her seventh, was organised to support her studio album Foreign Affair (1989). It started on April 27, 1991 in Antwerp (Belgium) and winded down on November 4, 1991 in Rotterdam (Netherlands). The backing band for this tour was something to behold on their own right: Jack Bruno on drums; Timmy Capello on sax, keyboards, percussion and harmonica; John Miles on guitar and vocals; Kenny Moore on piano and vocals; James Ralston on guitar and vocals; Annie Behringer and Lejuene Richardson as dancers and backing vocalists. Tina Turner was 51 years old when she performed in Malta and the two hours set included the following songs: 1. Steamy Windows (Tony Joe White cover) 2. Typical Male 3. Foreign Affair 4. Undercover Agent for the Blues (Tony Joe White cover) 5. Ask Me How I Feel 6. We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) 7. Private Dancer 8. I Can't Stand the Rain (Ann Peebles cover) 9. Nutbush City Limits (Ike & Tina Turner song) 10. Addicted to Love (Robert Palmer cover) 11. The Best (Bonnie Tyler cover) 12. I Don't Wanna Lose You (Albert Hammond cover) 13. What's Love Got to Do With It (Graham Lyle cover) 14. Let's Stay Together (Al Green cover) 15. Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) 16. What You Get Is What You See 17. Show Some Respect 18. Better Be Good to Me (Spider cover) 19. Be Tender with Me Baby Her performance and interaction with the crowd was infectious, resulting in rapture applause after every song, especially the best known ones. Tina Turner’s concert was the prelude of many great the events we lived to witness. The Queen is dead............long live the Queen!

It is more than appropriate to declare right from the start that this is not an objective review. I have never attempted to write one and though I tried my best to keep objectivity afloat, my judgment is clouded by the adulation I have, especially towards two of the bands that performed on the night, namely Blut and Viper Soup Complex. When I decided to book a ticket to Milan my soul objective was to support Blut on the debut of their album ‘Traum’. Little did I suspect that a Maltese band would be hitting the stage on the same bill. I fist came across Blut when they performed at Dark Matla Festival in 2022. Had the pleasure to perform on the same bill with them when Damaged & Co. played in Rock In Park (Milano) in the same year. When I heard through the grape vine that Viper Soup Complex were performing on the night I was a very happy man. Situated on the outskirts of Milano, Legend Club is one of the main venues that city has to offer. During the month of May and June tens of bands play in nearly daily events organised under the moniker of Rock In Park. Hades Management, for the past years, have collaborated and staged an event featuring bands on their roaster. This is a very good opportunity for Maltese bands to play in Italy. The show in question was held on 14th May 2023. The weather was quite cloudy with the occasional shower from time to time, but nothing like the freak storms that were going on in Puglia. First to hit the stage were the Maltese progressive, avant-grade rock band, Viper Soup Complex. It is never easy to open the night, let alone to do it in a foreign country were most of the crowd is not familiar with your material. It did not take long for the quality of the musicianship and the front woman’s stage antics to win over those present. Most of you reading this are familiar with their line up but for the sake of posterity the band is made up of Annemarie Spiteri (vocals), Michael Spiteri (bass), Melchior Busuttil (drums), Glenn Sultana (guitars) and David Ciantar (keyboards). Opening with Turquoise on Mars, from their debut Red Fugue (2018), the band continued with Tetrahedron Paradise, followed by The Well In The Labyrinth. The well received set came to a close by Stellar. Two of these three songs will form part of their much awaited second release. Four songs might seem like a short set list but if you are familiar with the band you’ll know that they take no short cuts and their compositions clock up quite a few minutes. Mind you, there was never a dull moment. The band gave their all and were greatly appreciated by the crowd. This was the second date for Viper Soup Complex in Italy as they performed at the Metal Queens’ Burning Night festival in Turin on the eve. Martyrium performed at the same festival on the 12th May 2023. Viper were followed by Italian symphonic /power metal act Eternal Silence. Formed in Varese in 2008, the band’s current line up is as follows: Marika Vanni (vocals), Alberto Cassina (vocals / guitar), Alessio Sessa (bass), Martino Boneschi (guitar), Katja Di Giulio (violin) and Lorenzo Aimo (drums). Lorenzo Amio replaced the original drummer Andrea Zannin and this was one of his first live performances with the band. The female and male vocals formula works great with this band and the violin player adds more melody and impetus to their songs. Their set included material from their three albums, namely Timegate Anathema (2021), Mastermind Tyranny (2017) and Chasing Chimera (2015). Songs such as Dreambook, Ancient Spirit and Firefly were among the crowd pleasers. Up next were Blut, who were celebrating the launch of their album ‘Traum’. This band knows its inception as a project of artistic expression by Alessandro Schümperlin, who happens to be also an established author of the steampunk genre. From a one-man studio project it evolved into a full fledged band. The line up has been through many a change and for this album, and performance, was as follows: Alessandro Schümperlin (Vocals), Chiara Manese (Vocals), Antonino Sidoti (Guitars), Bruno Tortora (Bass) and Stefano Morelli (Drums). Schümperlin and Manese compliment each other perfectly and balance each other out, one incarnating beauty and the other the beast. I let it up to you to sort out who’s who. Their show is complemented with theatrics, props and numerous costume changes. As expected, most of the songs performed on the night were taken from their new album ‘Traum’. Starting off with Premonition, the band then launched into Wie Geht Es Dir (Traum), Alpha, Auspizium, Seele and Du Bist Nicht Da. The musicians left the stage leaving only guitarist Antonio Sidoti to accompany Chiara Manese in delivering Alchemical Passion. Manese’s angelic voice shone trough and glided on the gentle notes provided by Sidoti, making justice to the only ballad on ‘Traum’. After, it was Schümperlin’s moment in the limelight when the band came back to perform The Magician, taken from their album ‘Hermeneutics’. Manese came back on stage in a white dress, followed by a menacing looking Schümperlin, yielding a knife. The last song performed was How can I kill her?, from their ablum ‘Inside Your Mind’ and the set ended with beauty as a victim of the beast. Well Manese was soon resurrected and on the feet to received a well merited applause from the crowd present for the show. The day came to an end with a great performance by Italian Gothic Metal band False Memories. Formed in 2015, like many bands they have had a few line up changes along the way. The current one being as follows: Rosella Moscatello (vocals), Emanuele Cossu (drums), Moreno Palmisano (guitars), Dave Tavecchia (bass) and Francesco Savino (guitars). The band delivered songs from their three albums ‘Live Until the Twilight’ (2022), ‘The Last Night of Fall’ (2021) and ‘Chimerical’ (2019). They also performed singles released from their upcoming album like Rising Tide and The Storm Inside. On the album the band collaborated with, former Nightwish singer, Anette Ozlon. Their tight and enjoyable performance closed the night. This was an experience I shall cherish.Watching Blut and the other Italian bands would have been excellent, but topping it up with compatriots Viper Soup Complex was really the cherry on the cake.On to the next.................

If It’s Pop(Ular) It’s (Not) Cool - Out Now! They don't do house, but they like to party - Massacre House Party are a surfy garage, post-punky, indie rock band who've been charming the tiny sunny island of Malta with their catchy, body moving tunes.Coolness has never been so proud to have as its ambassadors a trio,who joined forces even unknown to their good selves, to play a stringof memorable live shows and unleash blistering, poppy singles to the people out there, as long as they enjoy themselves too. 2023 will seethe digital re-release of their CD only collection of 2011 - 2015 singles "If It's Pop(ular) it's (Not) Cool"through Kewn Records; Now also featuring their last outing "The Highway"! After a couple of years (2011 - 2014) with Sylvan Borg on guitars and Aaron Sammut on drums playing together as The Sylvan Aaron Massacre,alongside an inanimate click track and several layers of plastified synths, the band decided that they needed the helpful hand of Samwel Mallia (2014 - ), who through quick picking and slick fingering (on bass), the duo-now-trio became known to mankind as Massacre House Party. Check out the EP on our bandcamp and get a free download of ‘Love This City’ here.

On Monday 8th May many wrote posts on social media portals that this was by far the best edition yet. Well they’re not wrong! During a recent interview I did with organiser Nick Morales, he expressed and hoped just that! Nick and his group (not the many musical ones he plays in) worked hard so this edition tops the other nine. Because yes, this year’s edition was the 10th and although every year is special this had to be the one. From a humble 4 band event back in 2011 it grew each year into a three day festival with more 40 acts (2023 edition). As Nick related during the mentioned interview, the festival was created as an event to host Italian band Aim during their short tour on the island. It was aptly called Rock The South, held at Zion Bar & Restaurant in St. Thomas Bay, Wied il-Għajn. The place, just like the festival, has undergone many changes since and developed into a first class place to relax and eat. There was always one drawback regarding Rock The South, especially when it started growing: although the acts play back to back (except those performing in the silent disco) it is very hard to keep up watching all the bands for three days. Unfortunately I missed some as well, while others I heard from elsewhere in the festival area. Friday 5th May doors opened at 5.30pm and although the lineup featured only 7 bands split between both stages (plus 4 other acts in the silent disco), the choice was excellent. Probably the idea to have a shorter day was due to the fact that many were still at work, or returning from work at the time the doors were opening. Roza were the first band at 6.30pm followed by Cher Camilleri, Kym Pepe and Michael Azzopardi, whom I have seen for the first time performing backed by a band. Although the music was different from that recorded it was up to a very good standard, and like the other bands before there’s always a note in mind to check from time to time for future live performances. After Michael Azzopardi, it was time for two giants in the local alternative music scene, The Areola Treat and The Beangrowers, both bands that I have not seen perform in a while, but still managed to put on the vibe they did when performing in their early days. This year’s festival boasted three foreign artists, with the first headlining Friday. Bo Ningen were formed in London in 2006 by four musicians from Gumma, Tajimi, Nishinomiya, and Tokyo, who united in the UK. This was their second time on stage at RTS, their first being in 2019 and once again they released a set full of energy and precision. In the meantime, from 8pm the silent disco offered an alternative to live music with sets from Radju Haj, The Violent Violets, Alias 1 and Estranyesa. And if Friday was a fantastic start to this year’s edition, Saturday proved to be another great day. First band on was Edgar Allan Paul on the Jagermeister stage, followed by The Velts, Beesqueeze and the return of Massacre House Party after five years since they last appeared on stage at the Farsons Beerfest of 2018. MHP also released an EP titled ‘If It’s Pop(ular) It’s (Not) Cool just 24 hours before their appearance at 7.45pm on Saturday. Followed by yet another reunited band Shoshtakovich’s Nightmare with an interesting (to say the least) set they are famous for. The last time I saw them perform was when the band supported Therapy? At Sky Club back on Thursday 30th April 2009, (the other Maltese band on the night supporting the English outfit were The Areola Treat). Shoshtakovich’s Nightmare were followed by the Italian band AIM. As Nick confessed during our interview, they were an automatic choice, being the band that ‘gave birth’ to the festival. Rumours say that the band were on a hiatus but got together to perform RTS on the insistence of Mr. Morales…. Brodu followed with a number of songs covering their ten year history. Last band of the day, Leeds alternative rock band Pulled By Horses lived up to their reputation of explosive live performances. Formed in 2008 they boast 5 studio albums, their latest Reality Cheques released September 30, 2022. With the crowd amazed by what they have just witnessed (and with a question on everyone’s lips: What would Tom Hudson (vox) have done had the microphone been cordless?), some made their way to the silent disco, open from 8pm and featuring sets by Black Plague, Spots And Stripes and a DJ set by UK artists Zkeletonz. The sun shone brightly on Sunday morning, and we made our way early towards Marsascala. After an excellent meal at the venue’s restaurant we headed inside the festival area for a beer and some time to chill before the first band hit the stage, The day was opened on the Jagermeister stage with an energetic (as always) performance by up coming band Morsrot, followed by extreme metal supergroup Niket. The brainchild of Nicholas Bonello from a lingering idea he had for some years Niket came into existence circa 2020. In October 2021 a self titled EP was released on Kewn Records with a video following soon featuring Tryst Arcane’s Alexia Baldacchino and David "Beast" Fenech from Loathe. Last Sunday was Niket’s debut live appearance and apart from the two singers and Nicholas the band featured Haine and Abysmal Torment’s Claudio Toscano on bass while Krishna’s drummer Alan Darmanin (also with Skorch). After these two dynamic acts, the crowd was treated with the progressive fusion rock sound of Ferret, who released a single (performed also on Sunday), just a few days prior to the festival. Ferret were followed by thrashers Grotium with an explosive show that only Grotium are famous for. It was then time for Prog rock giants Mirage to hit the stage, playing on the Jagermeister Stage under a hazy sky, the band delivered a set taken from their first two albums ‘For Absent Friends’ released in 1982 and ‘Garage Technology’ from 1987. A more heavier sound followed Mirage with Dalam and Five Years From Now, before it got a bit slower with the stoner doom sound of Hemplifier, who shall be releasing their debut album ‘The Stoner Side Of The Doom’ in June. Next band on, Krishna managed three songs (their latest release Headless is composed of a 50 minute track), followed by Haine, BILA and Club Murder, who played on the Cisk Stand. Back to the Jagermeister Stage the evergreen BNI wowed everyone who could manage to squeeze in front of the stage. Then back to the Cisk Stage for the last band of the night and the festival - Beheaded who were back on a local stage after five years. Their last performance on Maltese shores was during Notte Bianca 2018, and as many expressed in their posts it was worth the wait. Still breathless and amazed after a day to remember, especially if you’re a metalhead, many made their way to the silent Disco area where we were greeted by the tunes selected by DJ Hades which reminded us of yet another great festival we attended a few weeks ago. Other artists during the day in the silent disco were Tina, CHILD, GhꚚsꝉꝉ and Hanek. Apart from the snag, mentioned earlier, that it is impossible to follow all bands, this year’s festival revealed two problems that should be given some consideration. The Jagermeister Stage was a huge improvement from last year’s, but the area in front is too small for many bands, with people moving to other areas of the festival due to the crowdedness, but let’s be honest, unfortunately, and as much as I hate to say it, the grounds are getting too small for the festival and should really be taken into consideration when planning the area next year. The other problem, always in my opinion, was the merch stand. With over 30 bands and the festival’s merch I believe the stand this year was very small, and all went well thanks to the dedication shown by the personnel taking care of it. Still this does not cloud the fact that this year’s edition, the tenth, was in fact the best one so far, promising a very bright future to this festival which was born from humble origins, well we can all admit (as Nick did in our interview), thanks to AIM for playing on the islands back in 2011. The bands performed, but a huge kudos goes to all those behind the scenes, the staff and anyone who made last weekend a magical one. Let the countdown start for number eleven!

I start this off with a confession. I am not a Eurovision buff, so any mistakes are due to my gross ignorance on the subject and are regretted. For most people I know, rock/metal and the Eurovision are in a love/hate relationship, while others state that they do not follow the event, yet somehow end up commenting on it. Like every issue where Malta is concerned, the majority treat it as a crusade and get very hot under the collar when the voting ends............neighbours, bloody neighbours. The European Aspect.................. One of the first bands to fit in the rock/metal equation that participated in the festival was the Norwegian glam metal band Wig Wam, way back in 2005. The Nordic countries seem to have an affinity with exporting their bands to the Eurovision and in 2008 it was Finland’s time with Terasbetoni. In 2006, Finnish metal band Lordi, drew first blood and won the Eurovision with their song ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’. This caused quite a stir but was very well received. Lordi performed this song as part of their set at their concert at Aria Complex on 31st March 2023. This was their first time performing in Malta. In 2009, Alexander Ryback, who represented Norway, won that year’s edition with a metal sounding song entitled ‘Fairytale’. He made a comeback in 2011 fronting the band Keep of Kalessin. In 2018, metal / post-hardcore band, AWS represented Hungary. Unfortunately, Ors Siklosi, their front man, passed away in February 2021 at 29 years of age. A year later, in 2019, Iceland were represented by techno-punks Hatari. In 2021 Finland were represented by nu-metalers Blind Channel but the year will remain synonymous with the Italian rock band Maneskin, who triumphed with their song ‘Zitti e Buoni’. Attempts to tarnish Maneskin’s reputation with allegations that they were sniffing cocaine in the green room failed miserably. Like their front man, Damiano David, rightly exclaimed: “Rock ‘N Roll never dies!” The local aspect................. Malta has never won the Eurovision Song Contest............ or as some say, we were cheated out of winning the contest.......... Also, our country was never represented by a metal band per se, the closest association being pop-rock and soft-rock. Digging deep enough one can find that some of the singers that represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest have a background in the local rock and metal scene. Let’s start chronologically. In 1991, Paul Giordimaina and Georgina won the Malta Song for Europe, and the right to represent Malta, with their song ‘Could It Be’. Georgina Abela (nee’ Sammut), way back in 1984, fronted hard-rock band Overdose, replacing their singer, Miriam Spiteri. In 1993 it was William Mangion’s time to triumph with his song ‘This Time.’ Mangion started his career in the 1970’s fronting bands such as Slug and Split. In the 1980’s he joined Exit and after Getting Closer, who he left in 1992 to pursue a carrier as a solo artist. In 1994 it was the turn of Moira Stafrace and Christopher Scicluna to win with their song ‘More Than Love.’Personally, I consider this as one of my all time favourite entries. This rock ‘n roll couple formed their duo in the 90’s, working under the name of Chris & Moira. Sadly, Chris passed away in February 2022. Moira keeps the flame alight with her participation in selected events. Mike Spiteri triumphed in 1995 with the song ‘Keep me in Mind.’ Spiteri has fronted rock groups since the 1970’s and made his presence noticed during the 1980’s with bands such as Stratkast and Mirage, prior to following a career as a solo artist. One of Malta’s most beloved singers (with a connection to the metal scene) to represent Malta in the Eurovision is Ira Losco. She participated twice, namely in 2002 with ‘7th Wonder’, placing 2nd (Malta’s best ever result, together with Chiara’s 2005 entry ‘Angel’), and in 2016 with ‘Walk on Water.’ Ira Losco fronted local rock band Tiara before launching her solo career. Another connection, may seem a bit far-fetched, but notwithstanding exists. Ira Losco features as guest artist on, (local black metal band) Martyrium’s 2002 album, entitled Withering In Voluptuous Embrace. Precisely on track 7 – ‘Promises.’ The same track features also an appearance by Marvic Lewis, known also as Indigo, of Indigo-Darkpsych fame. Though never winning the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, Marvic has participated several times, both as a solo artist and in duet with her sister Olivia Lewis, who triumphed in 2007 with the song ‘Vertigo.’ What’s next............ Metal hopefuls, in 2023’s edition, will be rooting for German industrial metal band Lord of the Lost, with their song ‘Blood & Glitter.’ They too have a connection to Malta as they participated in 2019’s edition of the Dark Malta Festival. This year the Maltese shall be rooting for The Busker, who won the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2023, with their song ‘Dance (Our Own Party)’. Best of luck from melodija.eu team.

Interview with Mark ‘Storm’ Micallef carried out by Keith Muscat The older you grow the more you reminisce the days gone by, especially the misspent youth. Dial-up internet in Malta was introduced in the mid-1990’s, before that you either had to make do with what you found on the rock or else go through the whole process of mail-ordering from a catalogue. We did not miss what we did not know, so it was business as usual for us to save some extra liri and try to get the latest t-shirt or some other merch. Apart from some well established shops that provided us with lp’s, casettes and later cd’s, there were a couple of stands at il-Monti and tal-Cassettes (City Gate), from were we used to buy our fix. The first proper shop catering for rockers and metalheads was The Rock Shop way back in 1990’s. I had the opportunity to carry out a short interview with Mark ‘Storm’ Micallef, who together with his brother Phil were much involved in the scene at that time. Having the opportunity, I could not miss out on asking Mark about Brainstorm, Storm and Storm Records. The Rock Shop On Saturday, 9th July 1994, Gozitan Hard Rock Party Leader, Patrick Grima (Ħanfusa) inaugurated The Rock Shop, in Theatre Street, Valletta. Mr Grima (RIP 1957-2019) was quite the character. In fact, few months before he stormed the Victoria Local Council Election and got elected on first count. The Rock Shop was, and I think still is, the only shop that was exclusively dedicated to rock and heavy metal in Malta. The shop used to stock cd’s, cassettes, albums, singles, videos, t-shirts, jewellery, caps, posters, books and other items. KM How did the idea of opening The Rock Shop come to mind? PSM As my brother (Phil Storm) and I always loved the rock scene (and still do) we wanted to open a business that was sustainable, and at the same time a passion of ours. In the days, it was very hard to find rock merchandise and various rock/ heavy metal/ death metal etc albums, we therefore decided to divert from running a Hi Fi shop into a music store specializing in various types of Rock Music The Rock Shop did not only serve its economic purpose, it because a sort of hub for the local rock/metal community. I can still remember ads for wanted musicians or musicians searching for bands, gig posters etc. Was this part of the raison detre behind The Rock Shop? In a way it was, as we are also musicians, we wanted to help the rock scene in general, however we could. If I am not mistaken, the shop shifted from Theatre Street to one of the arcades in Republic Street before calling it a day. When did The Rock Shop close for good and how do you describe this journey? We started off at Regency House arcade in Valletta selling Hi Fi, and over the years, we then started also diverting to Rock Music and merchandise. Further to that, we then closed the shop and opened a new shop ‘The Rock Shop’ on Old Theatre Street focusing only on Rock. It was enough to keep the business going. Storm Records Another brave move was the setting up of Strom Records, with the aim of giving local bands a chance to achieve local and international success and recognition. When did the venture start and what did it entail to start record company? We started ‘Storm Records in the mid 90’s. At the time I also had a recording studio. Through ‘Storm Records’ we also managed a few local bands and helped promote their music overseas, on the other hand, through the recording studio, we recorded various local bands, ‘Storm Records’ eventually produced and released a few albums and some compilations with a selection of Maltese bands. In 1995 Storm Records released several compilations featuring the cream of Maltese rock/metal talents. “Eruption” and “The Storm has begun”, in my opinion still stand the test of time and stand as witness to the bubbling talent in the 90’s. Eruption featured bands on the hard rock side and included the bands Cry (Permanent High), Limestone Kick (Lola), Blade (Faith), Nightwing (Inferno), Brainstorm (One Eighty Seconds), Different Light (In The Grey), Purple Haze (Helping Hand) and Fatal Aggression (Eternal Sleep). The storm has begun leaned more on the heavier side and included Norm Rejection (Trance Upon the Chessboard), Trial By Fate (Once Upon a Time), Beheaded (Vae Victus), Forsaken (Moon Dancer), Sanity (The Insane’s Tale), Masada (Redemption), Orbus Vitae (Lament of the Disturbed) and Amentia (Charms of Mysticism). These were followed by another two compilations in 1996. “The Core of Creation” featuring Thera (Sin or Die), Dirt (Fresh Blood), Obscurity (Obscurity), Sceptocrypt (Oratorio Mortem), No Name Yet (In Your Face), Norm Rejection (Where’s the green?), Subtraction (Humanity Undone), Mystic Pearl (Let the Leaders Fight) and Victims of Creation (Lotions and Potions). “Illusions” included Jane Air (Act), The Koyl (Come), Juicy Affair (Lady), Wex (Damn), Grip (One Life), Dreamscape (The Fall), Wildflower (Love & Reality), Rubber Souls (Before I forget), Purple Haze (No More), Brainstorm (Mushroom) and Storm (Hard Dreams). It must have been quite a feat to coordinate all the bands and a lot of sleepless nights till the final product hit the shelves. What do you cherish most from this experience? It was an amazing experience. In the 90’s it was so difficult for a Maltese Band. Instruments cost a lot of money, recording in a studio and releasing a CD was a dream for many rock bands. We therefore decided to do our utmost to create opportunities for the rock scene, and the 4 compilations we put together gave good exposure to those featured on the albums. The recordings for the compilations took place in my recording studio ‘Storm Studios’. Of course, it was a very challenging experience to put it all together, however once we released the material, it was well worth it. In March 1996, Storm Records opened a new recording studios in Salina (l/o Naxxar). The studios were equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology and services offered included cd pressing, tape duplication, production, artwork, printing and mastering services. What were the greatest satisfactions and delusions whilst the studios were in operation? Working in the studio with a lot of young talent was an amazing experience, although it was very hard work. It brought great satisfaction to us, and at the same time to the bands. I am correct to state that you were not alone in this venture? At the time I was working in the studio with producer Boris Cezec. Once the material was recorded, we used to send it to London to be digitally mastered and to press the CD for the final product. Brainstorm Love them or hate them Brainstorm hit the ground running from day one. A lot of emphasis was focused on the music but image, branding and showmanship were important ingredients for the band. The initial formation, in 1986, included J. J. Axe (guitar), Mark Storm (vocals), Phil Storm (bass), Martin Debono (guitar) and Bobby Calbion (drums and percussion). What can you tells us about how the band got together and the early years? We got together in 1984, the original line up was Mark Storm on vocals, Ivan Filletti and JJ Axe on Guitars, Martin D.Bono on Bass and Bobby Calbian on the drums Where there any line up changes at the early stages of the band? Later on, Ivan Filletti departed and Martin B Dono shifted from bass to Guitars, whilst Josef Petroni joined on bass as a session musician for live gigs until Phil Storm was eventually introduced as the main bassist. During the late 80’s and early 90’s it was not unusual for bands to play at, what today, we would consider unconventional venues, such as small local theatres and the sound systems were not that great. Do you have any experiences you wish to share? Unlike today, in the 80’s and 90’s, in order to perform a concert, we needed to rent a hall where we could perform from and organize a concert from scratch. This meant, we had to rent a premises, rent a sound system with an engineer, rent the lighting system, print out own marketing material such as posters, concert programs, tickets and so on. The biggest challenge was that we then used to have to go out, meet friends and sell our own tickets, at the time was also used to market the concert stating that tickets could be purchased from the Rock Shop or at the door. Keep in mind, that at the time Social Media did not exist, therefore we had to do everything ourselves. What was the average attendance for gigs back then? In those days, we used to have anything between 400 and 500 people attend our self-organized concerts. Playing in festivals with a number of different bands, sometimes used to attract larger crowds. Ever innovative, Brainstorm in 1988 decided to release their first ever video as a publicity stunt towards the release of your first L.P. The video for “Chained to the Wall” was banned from local television as it was deemed as ‘a bad influence to the public’. What was the issue all about and how was the matter resolved? Did this project include a collaboration with Krokus vocalist Marc Storace? AS you know, the mentality in Malta has changed drastically since the 80’s, our video was banned because at the start of the video, we had a girl who was wearing a slightly see-through night dress, this raised a lot of eyebrows. Mark Storace had eventually featured on the title track for the Video ‘Chained to the wall’ The video for “Chained to the Wall” was eventually remixed and re-released in 1989, with footage of a live concert that was held at Axis as part of a charity campaign for muscular dystrophy. What memories do you have of that concert and was Brainstorm involved in other charity campaigns? Brainstorm released the video at Axis, it was a totally amazing concert, it still brings back great memories. Brainstorm was involved in other charity activities, one in particular was a live performance at the Manuel Theatre in Valletta. As far as I could remember, we were the first and last rock band to ever play over there. Another strange incident happened in April 1988, when Brainstorm were participating in a concert at Vibes and somehow someone managed to creep into the band’s dressing room and deliberately damage the drum kit and guitars. What are your recollections on this episode? Ha ha, yes, this was a festival, there were a selection of bands and some bands rivaled other bands. Moments before we hit the stage, someone managed to tamper with the drums, the guitars which were fully tuned, strangely enough were no longer in tune, and the firebombs we prepared for the start of the concert no longer functioned. At the time, it was a very stressful moment, however today I laugh about it. In 1989 Mr Philip Fenech took over the management of Brainstorm from Mrs. Micallef, who had seen the band emerge from nowhere to become on of the best bands for 1988. This came after the release of “Brainstorm Unchained”. How did this change effect the band? Philip Fenech took over as manager, Philip is a great man, but also a business man with much less time than what Mrs. Micallef had. We did a few gigs with Philip as our manager, however the passion and dedication Mrs. Micallef had was second to none. Brainstorm participated in a lot of events is there any concert/gig that you hold above the rest? Probably the first ever gig we played as Brainstorm would be above the rest. This was on 22nd March 1986 at The Scouts HQ in Floriana. This was our first public performance, and we did not know what to expect. The turn out was tremendous, the amount of people who attended stunned us, we never expected to have a totally full house. We literally played our hearts out. The feeling was magical, and the crown joined in from beginning to end making the atmosphere electric. Phil Storm and yourself left the band in the third quarter of 1990. The rest of the band decided to continue working under the same name and seek replacements. I am not going to ask about how this effected you. Let bygones be bygones. You moved on to form Storm. Can you give us some information on this band? Yes, although we never fell out with the band, we eventually departed Brainstorm and formed the band ‘Storm,’ Soon after, I recorded my first ever full-length CD titled ‘Another Day ‘In fact I have just recently uploaded it on Spotify. The album Storm ‘Another Day’ featured several session musicians on various tracks and some guest singers featured for the track ‘Crime of Innocence.’ We also recorded a video for the hit track ‘Naked in the rain.’ This album was a great success and was also nominated in the Malta Music Awards. We performed a string of concerts after releasing the album at Axis After Storm folded it seems that you put your musical career on a hiatus. Is there a chance that we will see Mark Storm back on stage any time soon? That’s a good question, after so many years, I have decided to get back in the game. I am currently planning to record another album by ‘Storm’ we have already started writing some tracks and its sounding great. I guess you will have to wait a little until I can say more on this subject. (Photos for this interview were provided curtesy of Mark ‘Storm’ Micallef)

Doors to this year’s edition of Dark Malta opened at 14.30 on a gusty Friday afternoon on the 21st April, making the main room at Gianpula a much-desired refuge. But the crowd was not there to shelter from the weather outside, it was there to witness one the best editions of the festival so far. The weather came to its senses by the time Friday’s headliners finished, the wind nearly dying completely, promising an amazing weather for the remaining two days. DJing in the main room was different each day and duty fell to DJ Toty for the first one. A return behind the deck after an absence of four years, in fact his last appearance was on the second edition of Dark Malta in 2019. A triumphant return with an insane set filling in between bands till the headliners hit the stage. The festival was hosted by Eric13, guitarist and backing vocals with American aggrotech / industrial metal band Combichrist. The festival could not have had a better host. Having already awed the audience during last year’s edition with an impeccable acoustic solo set on Sunday afternoon and performing with Combichrist later on in the evening, his appeal and charisma this year was spread throughout the three days, during which he interacted with the bands and audience alike, on and off stage and throughout the whole festival area, without showing any signs of tiredness especially during Sunday, the last day of the festival. Eric13 has just produced a play titled BOWIECHURCH: Scenes of a Rock’n’Roll Life which explores the phenomenon of how the music of David Bowie has been present at some of the most important and most terrifying moments of ERIC13's life. When it came to live acts, the festival was opened by locals Damaged & Co. The band is already synonymous with the energy their music delivers, and fresh from supporting Lordi a few weeks ago, the band showed they were still on a hype. Their nine song set-list featured eight tracks from the debut album released 'Life's Grand Delusion' released last February 16th and 'Broken Fields' taken from their self-titled 2022 EP. The first day of the festival also saw performances by Lost Reality, Normoria, Chontaraz, whose guitarist Akon was gentle enough to concede us an interview, which shall air in the coming weeks on Heatstrokes (now can also be heard on Melodija.eu), Dark, L’Ame Immortelle and headliners of the night Swedish outfit Deathstars. The second day of the festival, Saturday 22nd April, commenced earlier with a rooftop pool party from noon onwards, with music provided by Thenia AF., while in the main room legendary Reptile DJ Vade Retro amused everyone with a very professional set. The first band on stage was Instant Lake, followed by Juggernauts, DSTR, V2A, Empathy Test, Icon Of Coil and headliners for the second night And One, German new wave/futurepop/EBM band who replaced Blutengel on the eleventh hour, when the latter had to cancel due to medical reasons. Once the band completed their set, it was time for the afterparty with DJ Yami Speechie and the festival organizer DJ Hades playing tunes till 4am. Sunday opened, like Saturday, at noon with the Batcave Boys who pampered all those who braved the hot sun dancing by the pool. In the main room DJ Jasmin Evilution presented an outstanding set between the bands, starting with newcomers Mal Di Luna from Trieste, followed by local project Ancient Remains performing ‘Icy winds of Sarkesh’ and ‘Midnight Procession Pt 1 and Pt 2 from Unearthed EP released in 2021. Also, on the set-list: ‘Cavern of Solitude’, ‘A Sorcerer’s Tale’, ‘Transylvanian Hunger’, ‘Journey to a distant land’, ‘Of Beast and Man’ and, ‘Danse du Champingnon’. Ancient Remains act was accompanied throughout the set with the choreography of Irish poet 10Pah who also recited one of his latest poems DRKLIT during ‘Midnight Procession Pt 1’ Ancient Remains were followed by another local – Xitan, whose act was initiated by a funeral procession from the festival area main gates, with nun clad models carrying a coffin following the master of procession blessing onlookers with incense. The coffin was delivered to the foot of the stage where the awaiting Xitan launched into his set once it was positioned and all heathens took their place in front of the stage. Sandmist took care of the music and technicalities allowing Xitan to perform more freely. For the last song of the set Xitan performed ‘Children Of The Dark’ (original by Mono Inc.) with the ‘angelic’ voice of Veronique Meeuwsen. The other songs making up his set list were Seraphim Burn, Samael, Union Of The Black, Square Hammer (Ghost cover), Lilith, Satana and Becoming God. The bill for Sunday continued with performances by Toxic Army, The Dark, Motel Transylvania, Alien Vampires, Agonoize with headliners, German dark wave band Project Pitchfork closing the festival for 2023. We left the festival tired, but gleaming with satisfaction of a well-organized event, already with next year’s edition on our minds. Of course, apart from the impeccable organization one must ruminate and congratulate the staff members, stagehands, and stage technicians under the directions of Michael Hersey and sound engineer Ays Kura (Die Kur’s frontman who played the festival in 2022). One only has to read the comments left by artists, musicians and attendees on the Facebook event page towards the crew to see how professional they were. An artisan market welcomed anyone who entered the main room during these three days with anything goth, metal, and pagan under one roof. During the three days one could also enjoy an art exhibition titled ‘Malta Oskura’. Stunning artwork by Ester Cardella, Sara Pace, Joseph Bugeja, Franco Navarro, Luca Cauchi and Jennings Falzon The latter five artists’ works can also be viewed at Casino Notabile in Rabat from the 29th April till the 14th May. Needless to say we all needed time to recuperate, but once energy was regained we were faced of the reality that we have to wait another 366 days (2024 is a leap year) to relive another magical weekend as we did this year. Melodija team chose their personal top 5 foreign bands of the festival. Keith Muscat :Deathstars, Mal Di Luna, The Dark, Motel Transylvania, Toxic Army Priscilla Spiteri: Motel Transylvania, Toxic Army, Chontaraz, Emphaty Test, The Dark Noel Mifsud: Chontaraz, Toxic Army, Motel Transylvania, Mal Di Luna, V2A Share your Dark Malta experience by commenting below pool photos: Antoine Cortis live bands photos: Vica Mifsud / Priscilla Spiteri

Infrequently Asked Questions............Off Air with DJ Noel Mifsud Interview by Keith Muscat Disk Jockeys in the rock/metal scene tend to be underrated and mostly unappreciated. That is why I have decided to turn on the spotlight and interview the interviewer. If Faithless had to do a remake of the video for ‘God is a DJ’, Noel Mifsud would fit the bill perfectly. Sporting a salt and pepper beard, he must have a divine patience to go through all those tracks to select a playlist for his radio programmes or for a live set. Ever present at gigs and concerts, he gives his all-in to promoting gigs, events and above all bands that pertain to the local scene. KM. What or who got you into rock / metal music? NM. As far as I can remember I was always into music, considering my age, my first love of course were The Beatles and other 60’s bands, mainly due to the breakfast show on the radio which was always on in the morning before leaving for school. And I believe that this was my first step towards rock. The morning DJ, if I recall correctly was Noel Mallia, amongst others and they would always insert that Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath song which always stood out from the rest. Then came Motorhead followed by the Sex Pistols! KM. What were your first influences, the bands that set off the avalanche? NM. As I mentioned my first influences were the British beat groups, but on the heavier side I got into Led Zeppelin, then Motorhead and then the Punk era. Afterwards came the era of NWBHM with bands like Demon (who were my gap between prog which in those years was on a decline from the grandiose that it held in the early years of the 70’s). Unlike others that liked punk, I liked prog very much and still do. KM. Do you play an instrument and were you in any bands? NM. Unfortunately, no. But to say the truth I never gave it much thought, I guess I was just happy seeing others do the music I liked. KM. How were you involved in the local rock/metal scene prior to starting djing? NM. Before Djing I was just an attendee to gigs and sometimes wrote a letter or two to the editors in newspapers about the scene or what was wrong and needed to get fixed. At that time I was still young and of course wherever we had to attend, we had to go by bus, which service stopped at 11pm, so there weren’t many places we could go except those which were walking distance. Hence my early visits to the Vandals rehearsal room which was (and still is) in Tarxien, walking distance from my hometown Rahal Gdid. KM. Tell us something about your first steps on the radio waves? How did it all start? NM. In the mid 80’s I started working and making new friends who played with bands or were doing some radio and stuff. In 1991 on Friday nights, after an evening in Paceville, or a gig (which were rare those days) I used to visit a couple of friends who had the ‘nightshift’ at the newly opened ONE radio (Super One, as it was still called) and used to discuss with them the music scene on air. Then I was asked by Jesmond Grima to co-host a rock show sponsored by the newly opened Rock Café on the same station….and the rest is history. KM. Tell us more about your career and what you are up to now? NM. From radio I moved as a resident DJ in one of the rock clubs that were popping around in Paceville – Harlequin Rock Club, which unfortunately closed down around 1995. During this time, working from Tuesday to Sunday meant that I had to miss a lot of gigs if they did not take place at the rock club, but this also meant making new friends both local and foreign more directly involved in the metal scene. During the following years I kept an eye on the local scene from afar, but always took interest in what was going on, and attended as much events as I could. After a while, around 2009 Joe Tanti, who from Bay Radio moved to Super 1 through Calypso Radio asked me to co-host his rock show titled Rock Moods with him and his son Marc. Joe had started Rock Moods many years before and was now bringing it to Super 1. Both father and son then moved on, Joe to host other shows while his son went on to continue with his studies and since then I was privileged to host one of the island’s iconic rock shows with Joe’s blessing. For a brief period I was joined by my school friend Lito (may he rest in peace) till the summer of 2011 when I thought of rebranding the show to cover solely Maltese talent. Since then Rock Moods has been regular every week on ONE Radio. In March 2011 I was asked to join a team on a new 24/7 rock radio station. allRock is a digital station which airs online and on DAB. I started presenting a metal show titled Heatstrokes (named after a Krokus song as a tribute to Marc Storace). A show which is still going strong today. I am also the co founder of a group named Prog The Islands, a group aiming to help Maltese artists by organizing events and merchandise distribution and part of The Malta Doom Metal Festival organisation since 2012. Also in my curriculum I must add the management of Colourblind, officially since 2011. Nowadays? Well apart from the radio shows, Djing events, Melodija.eu, interviews and a lot more things on the agenda I try to find time to relax, but it is very difficult, although I must say I enjoy my life. KM. Some people are of the opinion that those who cannot play, dj! What are your opinions on the matter and what does it entail to prepare for a show? NM. Yes, unfortunately that is a perspective, wrong, but it is there. Being a DJ many think it’s just playing one song after the other. But it is more than that. You have to be sure, for example, that if you play a song that is relatively unknown or new you have to follow with a song everybody knows otherwise, they get bored. One always has to keep an eye on new songs being released especially for the radio shows. As all my three shows differ in the genres I play, I have to be a little more attentive to the local and foreign scenes. Many artists now keep in touch and send their music, but still, there’s always many to look for. Unfortunately, an ordeal with local artists is that they do not inform us (radio presenters) when they have new material, but still ask why their music was not included on the shows. The number is small, but it’s still there. KM. Throughout the years you must have built up quite a music collection. Any prized possessions? NM. As you might know my collection goes beyond media, and in all aspects I have some possessions that I maybe cherish more than others as Bruce Dickinson’s bio signed by the man himself and a Sanctuary album signed by Warrel Dane when I interviewed him a few months before he died. Of course there are some collectables in my collection, but there is much more stuff with sentimental value. KM. Apart from music I know that you are an avid collector of set-lists and other memorabilia. How did that come about and what are your most prized possessions? NM. To tell you the truth I have no idea how I started collecting set-lists. But for years I have been collecting any memorabilia whether local or foreign. The oldest set list I have is from that summer of 98 that you spoke so well in your article on melodija.eu. Alannah Myles set list. During MDM we had to submit the songs bands played to the PRS and it was my job collecting the set lists to vet them, although I had already many in my collection this blew the number up considerably. I also believe that memorabilia is part of the history of the band, the scene and maybe it will be of help to patch up the story further on up the road. KM. Out of the international artists you have met mention a few that you are really pleased to have interviewed? NM. Too many to mention. Fortunately 99% of those I had the fortune to interview were really down to earth people, but I guess my favourites are Doro, Warrel Dane, Lips from Anvil and recently Mr. Lordi. Probably the most nostalgic for me was the one with Deborah Bonham where she talked openly about her brother John (Led Zeppelin) and his demons. KM. You also DJ at events and concerts. How is it different from hosting a radio show? NM. On a radio show I try to play what I believe is interesting for the listener, especially when the material is new. When you DJ at an event although you still have to play keeping in mind the interest of the attendee you have to play music they’re familiar with, on the other hand when Djing in an concert you play to warm up the crowd and to get them ready for the bands. KM. What is your opinion on the Maltese rock/metal music scene? NM. Truth be told I was expecting a calamity of some sort after spending two years in limbo (not only music wise), but fortunately, and I’m happy to say, I was proved wrong. The scene is at its best for decades. After hitting a low in the 90’s it slowly started to redevelop in the mid 2000’s. Since the world returned after covid, we saw an influx of new talented musicians on the scene, who probably used those couple of years learning and playing music while seasoned bands and musicians came out with a good number of songs. Of course, attendances to gigs are another matter, and although the crowd is returning those two years changed the mentality of many. KM. Are/were you involved in any other way with the local scene (for example organization of events / festivals, band management etc).? NM. At the moment not directly but I’m always happy to help if time permits. KM. Apart from your involvement on the airwaves you are tirelessly supporting the local scene. This is all done after your working hours. Does this leave you any time for other hobbies? NM. Not that much. I try to leave at least a day for myself, which is very difficult, but it is better than turning to a couch potato. KM. How much is the support of your loved ones important for what you do? NM. Very much. My wife supported me from day one and still does, as you know. I am sure that without her I cannot do one third of the things I do. KM. The bucket list is never exhausted. Any items you wish to aim for in the near future? NM. I don’t really have a bucket list, although any new achievement that would have seemed impossible I always consider it as another one off the bucket list. As I mentioned I don’t have a list but I really would like someday to meet and talk to Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, but I guess that’ll remain just a wish. KM. Shows that you are currently hosting: NM. Heatstrokes (metal show) on allRock DAB every Sunday 6pm with repeats during the week (and now also on Melodija.eu) Rock Carousel (rock show) on allRock DAB every Tuesday 3pm with repeats during the week Rock Moods (Maltese rock and events) on ONE Radio (92.7FM) every Wednesday 9.15pm