Kristian Emdal (Lower)

Within the past two years, a group of associated Danish bands have been making waves all the way over to the United States. Centered around a venue called Mayhem, bands including Iceage, Girlseeker and Sexdrome have formed a sound with a raw coldness. It’s at times harsh, at times tactical, and always hard to pin down.

Copenhagen’s Lower is the latest band to spread out from Scandinavia, having recently toured house shows and small venues in the United States. At those shows, Lower exhibited their strange, haunting sound, and wowed the crowd, but did little to explain some of the mysteries surrounding them and their compatriots.

Because Lower has recently released their debut LP, Seek Warmer Climes, features editor John Gentile spoke to bassist Kristian Emdal about the new LP, the Copenhagen scene and kidnappings.

You can click read more for the interview.

Blag Dahlia (The Dwarves)

Controversy is nothing new for The Dwarves. For three decades, they’ve been accused of promoting drugs, of promoting violence, of promoting misogyny. A brief glance at album covers and song titles -- naked women and tunes like "Smack City" abound -- does add credence to that proposition.

But, if you peer below the surface, it becomes quickly apparent that there is more than dick-driven punk rock going on here. And that’s precisely what the bands new album, The Dwarves Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll makes clear. As the band strips away the layers of rock music, looking for a source or common thread in this great genre, the band also reveals their own underlying drives and strategies. Is the naked girl on the album cover just a picture of a good looking girl, or is she really a question about you and your reaction to her?

Because the new album is simultaneously one of the band’s hardest-driving and peppiest releases to date, features editor John Gentile spoke to frontman Blag Dahlia about the LP, his underlying message and the Bible, of course.

Mike Watt (Il Sogno Del Marinaio)

Mike Watt, the legendary bass player who created helped create a new form of spontaneous, twisting, hyper-short punk rock with The Minutemen, the man who challenged the format of music itself with the bass duo Dos, the man who held his own on stage with the punk godafathers The Stooges for almost 10 years, is currently in the role of a student.

In the group Il Sogno Del Marinaio, Watt is joined by drummer Andrea Belfi and guitarist Stefano Pillia where they snap out raw, organic and sometimes improvisational tunes in Italian and English. They’re about to release their second album, Canto Secondo which was recorded in eight days. The rapid nature of the project is clear on the recording -- the band zigs when you expect them to zag and surprisingly, at times, Watt, despite being a punk rock legend, steps out of the spotlight to support his two band mates.

Because the new album is out soon, features editor John Gentile spoke to all three members about the new album, what the ocean means to them and the Minutemen.

Dexter Holland (The Offspring)

Continuing with the 1994 review theme, 20 years after Smash, The Offspring are returning to the record like never before, playing it from start to finish – and bringing along a handful of iconic bands of the era (and beyond) with them on tour.

Punknews interviewer Jason Epstein got a chance to meet with Dexter Holland before the sold out show in NYC and talk about trade secrets from the band’s old "home videos," the members of Pennywise, AFI and T.S.O.L. who sang backup vocals on "Pretty Fly" and what Gringo Bandito isn’t good on.

Shawna Potter (War on Women)

It’s been a whirlwind for War on Women. In the span of a few years, the Baltimore band has gone from relative obscurity to being BFFs with Propagandhi and signing with big-time label Bridge Nine Records. As War on Women prepare to hit the road again with Propagandhi, as well as RVIVR, Punknews copy editor Adam Eisenberg caught up with vocalist Shawna Potter to talk about the band’s pointed message, discuss how you can get married at a War on Women show and swoon over the world’s most delicious pickles.

Photo by Megan Lloyd (shot at Ladyfest Baltimore 2014), with drummer Evan Tanner.

Helios Creed (Chrome)

Chrome is about as far out as it gets. Solidifying in the late '70s with Damon Edge and Helios Creed, the band created avant-garde sci-fi music that had songs like "Zombie Warfare" and "You Can’t See Them – They Can’t Touch You." Edge supplied art-school experimentation, warping weird sounds into the music via tape manipulation and sound effect distortion. Meanwhile, Helios Creed supplied a charging, ominous guitar that would sometimes screech like a hawk and sometimes rumble like a tank.

Unfortunately, Edge passed away in 1995, leaving Creed to carry on the skeletal, neon torch that is Chrome. Now, he’s just released the first Chrome album in 12 years, the astral, creepy, dark Feel It Like a Scientist. It’s a trip!

Because Creed has once again resurrected the mighty (though cultish) Chrome, features editor John Gentile spoke to the axeman about the new LP, ghosts and his awesome train set.

Homeless Gospel Choir

Derek Vanetti, aka The Homeless Gospel Choir, is a storytelling acoustic-folk-punk singer who weaves issues like terrorism, materialism and consumer greed between personal topics on his new album I Used to Be So Young.

The new record was released on A-F Records and was produced by Anti-Flag's Chris #2. Punknews staffer Max Qayyum caught up with Derek to talk about his new record, his views on the state of punk music and explanations of the topics he discusses on the new album.

You can click read more for the conversation.

Spraynard

Spraynard announced their reunion this past spring, pleasantly surprising their entire fan base. When they mysteriously broke up a few years ago, fans were saddened and shocked. They were on track to become a very popular band. Their releases Funtitled and Exton Square were gaining momentum. Luckily, they've come back in full force, releasing a compilation album with a brand new track that sounds like classic Spraynard. They announced a tour and said they were back in a permanent way, not just for a few one-off shows.

Lots of people are still wondering exactly what happened, so Punknews interviewer Xan Mandell caught up with the spoke with the band to extensively dive into the breakup, the relationships between them and the future.

Keith Buckley (Every Time I Die)

Some bands find challenging themselves is what makes them better. For Every Time I Die, reaching back and working with someone new has been found to make all the difference. Armed with their new album From Parts Unknown, Every Time I Die looks to cement themselves as one the most consistent hardcore bands of today. Punknews interviewer Christopher Barrett sat down with frontman Keith Buckley to talk about tours and dream tours, refining their sound and not disappointing a producer.

Arnocorps

The Alpine-by-way-of-California rock group Arnocorps is looking to correct a great injustice. You see, for the past thirty years, an Austrian actor named Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken ancient tales from the Alpine region, brought them to Hollywood and sold the plot to the highest bidder. The story of a man fighting against a beastly, physically superior opponent all by himself in a jungle? Originally from the Alpines. The tale of a man fighting against a younger, more advanced version of himself in order to protect a family he barely knows. Yup, from the Alpines. The epic of a poor, barbarian peasant who would be king -- you got it -- actually an ancient Alpine tale dating back to Pre-Christian Europe.

But, not only has Schwarzenegger used these tales for his own gain, he has corrupted them. What used to be tools for inspiration, tools for self-betterment, tools for gaining greater understand of the world, have been reduced to mere Hollywood schlock.

And that’s where Arnocorps comes in. On their Alternative tentacles release of The Greatest Band of All Time, the band takes back these wonderful stories and restores them back to their true meaning -- all to a pumping, thunderous, heavy metal soundtrack. Because Arnocorps is on a mission to spread the Alpine legends and their messages of positivity, features editor John Gentile spoke to Holzfeuer, Arnocorps' frontman, about the album, the band’s fitness program and what do to if you are attacked by the Predator.

Brad Logan and Eva Hall (Rats in the Wall)

Brad Logan's guitar sounds like a goddam Harley-Davidson. When he plays it, it lets out this low, heavy, muscular rumble that sounds like heat tearing through a tail pipe. In the past, he's used his singular sound to drive bands like F-Minus and Leftover Crack forward with its powerful, textured rmmm-rmmm-rmmm. Now, he's using his trademark guitar (and trademark bark) in his new band, Rats in the Wall. Meanwhile, the band is fronted by the berserk Eva Hall of Gather. She shrieks like banshee and could probably tear you face off. One minute she's speaking in a hushed whisper and the next she's blowing out ear drums. Damn!

They just released their new album, Dead End and it slays. The band snaps at oppressive economic systems, salutes Edward Snowden and cover Zounds -- all to a storming, berserk musical backdrop.

Because the band has just released their debut LP, features editor John Gentile spoke to them about the band’s genesis, negativity and hangin’ out with a drunk Nick Cave.