DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Hades Descent
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find Hades Descent sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil's Island?
Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
You're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Tough question, but it's Allegaeon's 2022 masterpiece "DAMNUM". From cover to cover, the entire album is exquisite. Composition is outstanding, instrumentation is intricate and bold, there's a consistent theme holding everything together, mind-blowing guitar work and the production on it is nothing short of amazing. There's a lot of diversity of instrumentation and their approach in this record, that must have been very hard to make sit together so perfectly — they've really done an incredible job with this release. If you haven't heard Allegaeon before, check this album out, as well as Elements of the Infinite (2014). A close second choice for me would be Cattle Decapitation's Death Atlas, which is every bit as perfect and epic in its brutality and narrative.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
Unearth's The March. The clawing hands tearing at the screaming guy is just so primal — I love it.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Woodford Reserve Old Fashioned. I love a nice smooth bourbon, so this is perfect. Just sweeten with a bit of sugar, add some bitters and optionally a slice of orange rind, over ice with a good measure of Woodford Reserve. Does the job, whatever the weather, whatever your mood.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
My Fleshgod Apocalypse The Labyrinth hoodie. It was the album that got me into Fleshgod, the imagery of the infinite labyrinth stretching to the horizon is epic and the music doesn't disappoint either. So much energy and aggression funnelled into that album. Tracks like Elegy, The Fall of Asterion and Towards The Sun created a lot of inspiration for our first full length album, The Solitary Path To Armageddon. But mostly I love The Labyrinth for their excellent blending of orchestral and choral parts to accentuate the refined brutality of the rest of the band's work.
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
Joe Satriani. I could get a lot of guitar lessons in before we get rescued. I had the pleasure of seeing him live for the first time recently, together with Steve Vai in their new band. Satch's guitar playing is just on another plane of existence, he's a true master of the art. Everything is so effortless, nobody else comes close.
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
Side A: Sepultura's live set on Blood Rooted — a little old now as it was all recorded in the mid 90s, but it just sounds so big. Plus they're pretty much the last recordings of Max with the band.
Side B: Septicflesh's Infernus Sinfonic MMXIX — stark contrast to Sepultura but the orchestral work on this is fantastic, and the production is killer too.
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
If we need to be rescued by boat, it's got to be Alestorm. Although there is a big risk we get ransomed for drinking money.
You've been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Sadly we would have to part ways with our long-time Triangle player. After 25 years service to the band, it would be difficult to move on without him, but maybe one day we would be able to produce music again.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
Devin Townsend, no question. Without his music, his albums, Hades Descent would probably never have happened. Following his journey, from the Vai days, through SYL, DTB, DTP and all his other side projects has been transformative to my understanding of what a person can achieve musically. And if there's ever been an advocate for just doing what you love, even if it's a constant struggle, it's gotta be Dev. The day he hangs up his guitar will be a very sad day indeed. I've lost track of how many times I've seen him live (record was 6 times in 8 days!) but every time it's been an awesome night — and I love that he's enjoying it every bit as much as the fans are. Long live Heavy Devy!
