Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1080741
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2019 THIS WEEK MUSIC has changed over the past five or ten years? Would you say new bands face the same problems you did back in the day, and do you think it's easier for Maltese acts to 'export' their music abroad nowadays? Rather than 'change', I think 'evolve' seems to be a more appropriate de- scription. Change implies it has become something different when in reality, it is still what it always was: a metal scene drowned in talent on a tiny island in the Mediterranean. What it has evolved into is another story. The problems in today's music scene are very different from the ones we faced in the past. For starters, I can't remember having any real problems with venues back in the day. Unfortunately, finding access to play loud, head-banging metal in 2019 in front of a live audience is proving to be a difficult task. We literally have just one venue where the whole scene can perform. Thankfully, all the guys from The Garage are doing an amazing job at hosting kick-ass events each and every weekend for all of us to let loose, drink some beers and nod our heads. On the other hand these days every- one has way more access to music, re- cording software, tabs, online tutorials, you name it. You can become a kick-ass producer if you want to and own noth- ing but a laptop and headphones. The downside of this is that the competition has become even greater, and it's prob- ably the hardest time ever to succeed in music, no matter the genre. It's a kind of Catch-22 situation I guess. That being said, one thing will always remain true no matter what. Without hard work, dedication and the will to constantly improve, no one can ever move forward. Are you excited about your upcoming gig with Killing Adrenaline? What kind of vibe are you expecting, and what do you hope your fans will get out of it? Oh hell yes! We can't wait to head out there and share the stage with Killing Adrenaline! We know each other very well on both a personal and profession- al level and expect nothing but the best performance from these guys. All of them have years of musical experience under their belt and they will deliver a sensational show just as always. Anyone attending is bound to have a killer night! My only hope is that the fans don't end up stumbling back home with too many bruises from the mosh pit... What's next for you? We have a couple of gigs scheduled abroad this year which we are really looking forward to. Our first is a mini tour in May in the UK where we will be performing in the famous Underworld in London alongside black metal vet- erans Mayhem. We are also extremely proud to be playing Deathfeast Open Air once again in Germany with our brothers from Repugnance. We shared the stage with these crazy mofos a num- ber of times and it's gonna be even more awesome doing so abroad and repre- senting our tiny island together. On another note, even though we have just released a new full length album (which if you haven't already checked out, shame on you!) we are already working on some new material. Dave, our guitarist and producer from Spine Splitter Records, is a riff-churning ma- chine, and has already finished writing up a couple tracks. So expect some new material in the not too distant future. Abysmal Torment will be performing alongside Killing Adrenaline at the Garage, Zebbug on February 16. Doors open at 8.30pm "Unfortunately, finding access to play loud, head-banging metal in 2019 in front of a live audience is proving to be a difficult task" Abysmal Torment remain one of the most prominent Maltese death metal bands, even attracting fans and acclaim at an international scale