Highwire Daze Magazine August 2023 interview with Toby Knapp

Interview by Ken Morton

America’s Guitar Virtuoso Toby Knapp returns with his unique brand of Shredding Black Thrash Metal with Waxen’s long awaited 6th album entitled Die Macht Von Hassen!

Signing with world-renowned guitar god label Shrapnel Records in 1992 at the unheard of age of 19, Toby Knapp continues to have a productive & prolific career in rock and heavy metal. Recording albums with 20+ of his own bands including Onward, Toby Knapp, Waxen, Where Evil Follows, Necrytis, Affliktor & Darken, Mr. Knapp is also a full time guitar teacher. A session studio and live musician for many world class national artists including Attila Csihar (Mayhem), Godless Rising, Fetid Zombie, Abhor and more!

Highwire Daze recently interviewed Toby Knapp to discuss the just unleashed Waxen Die Macht Von Hassen manifesto, his many other intriguing music projects, looking back on his time with Shrapnel Records, his currently collaboration with the almighty Moribund Records, and more!

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Waxen, and how long the band has been together.

I’m Toby Knapp and I’m the creator of Waxen, I write, record and produce everything myself. The newest album had a few guest drum tracks from M Ahrin - great Italian drummer who’s done lots of work in underground Black Metal. Waxen started in 2004 after Onward split up. I wanted different music and total control.

What do you think has made your collaboration with Moribund Records work so well over the years?

We just get along great and share so many of the same views and musical tastes. Moribund is like family at this point. They got my back and I got theirs. I’m on my 11th album for them and they give me total artistic freedom.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the Die Macht Von Hassen album title?

The title translates to “The Power of Hate” but I’m not hateful or pushing a radical agenda. I’m emphasizing the feeling of hatred that flows from many early and great Extreme Metal artists. Hateful vocals and music. I don’t agree with bands like Dawn’s Ray’d who are calling themselves Black Metal and preaching this weird communist shit and hippie mentality. I liked the albums that hated my guts like Kreator’s Terrible Certainly and Algaion’s Oimai Algaiou. The concept is simply aggressive and destructive music. That’s what Black Metal is supposed to be.

Select two songs from Die Macht Von Hassen and what inspired the lyrics.

God of All Endings looks at the world from the Creator’s perspective. Everything is wrong, twisted, filthy and immoral. He had given the people a perfect utopia and they started destroying it and sodomizing each other. He destroys mankind with malice and scorn. Not just by a simple flood...he wants everyone to pay and feel the pain, it’s personal. He has it out for everyone that crossed him and has constructed horrific endings that even Satan is mortified about.

Holocaust Lights introduces “the rise of a dark force, the eternal desecration and the conjuring of destruction”. Those lyrics are just me describing Waxen’s music. Waxen is musically pretty twisted at times because I purposely go against music theory and do things that sound sickening and combine that with brute force and intelligence.

Who did the cover art for Die Macht Von Hassen and how much input did you have on it?

That’s Moribund President Odin Thompson on the cover doing some rituals. He had the pic in his archives and I thought it would be a good album cover. It looks right for the music somehow. A Metal conflagration.

What has it been like working with M. Ahrim from Graveland on this album?

He had provided me real drum tracks about four years ago for a solo album I had planned with all guest drummers. I asked each drummer to record and compose their parts first and then I would put guitar riffs and solos to what they did- reverse composing. M Ahrin was the only one who delivered and the project got shelved for awhile. I finally found a place for his drum tracks; this Waxen album. He wasn’t happy with the outcome. I shouldn’t have blended his drums in with the drum machine. I should have individually numbered his tracks. I created a collage with them. I understand his frustration. His drums are usually intros or outros to the songs to break up the drum machine monotony. So, for the record, this is not what he wanted with his drum tracks.

Would you like to do any live performances with Waxen?

I don’t know. I could put a good touring band together if it was worth the effort. I’m not losing one cent just to play live. Pay to play, pay to tour - I just won’t do it. Pay me motherfucker!

What has it been like to return with Onward and what made you decide to restart the band after a lengthy hiatus?

It felt like “now or never” with Onward. I could have called a few of my projects “Onward” but chose not to. I decided it’s mine to use in a Traditional Heavy Metal context and it will bring some listeners back. It did do that. I would say 80% of original Onward fans are on board with the new music but I definitely lost Michael Grant purists - but new vocalist, Robert Van War, is his own man and we’re enjoying what we’re doing. I wanted a different sound but still rooted in 80’s metal tradition. I don’t want to try to get a Michael Grant clone and try to recreate 20 year old music. It wouldn’t be natural. This is Onward and this is where we are today.

What was it like playing legendary festivals with Onward such as the Milwaukee Metalfest and November To Dismember?

The early days of Onward were lots of fun. I just loved being able to see and meet so many bands I admired. The audience was all smiles at the Milwaukee Metal Fest. It was a great experience.

When you look back on your Guitar Distortion album from 1993 on Shrapnel Records, what do you think of it now in retrospect and the fact that it’s now been 30 years since the release date?

I think it’s a great album and man am I old! I look back at the 20 year old me who worked hard and accomplished his life’s dream very early. I’m 51 which I think is still “young” in metal years. I want to continue building off that album and path for at least another decade. In a weird way I’m glad I was never a “hit” or gained big league success. I’m still climbing the mountain. You can’t miss what you never had (fame and fortune) and I still love music and the guitar so much. I like retaining this feeling. It’s a bit late to be in this for anything other than the love of music. Some of my peers who actually “made it” are so jaded and bitter, dead or burnt out. I’m still the 16 year old kid going nuts over Racer X albums and dreaming about Fender Stratocasters. I love that feeling.

You covered Dance Your Life Away by UFO on a Michael Schenker/UFO tribute album called Spaced Out. What made you choose that song and did Michael Schenker or anyone in UFO comment on the song?

No, that song was recorded for a tribute album over 20 years ago and the record company picked the song. I personally wouldn’t have picked that one but it was fun and I love Schenker. No commentary from anyone regarding that album.

When you look back on the first Waxen album Fumaroth released in 2006, what do you think of it now in retrospect?

I’ve always liked that album and boy was I in a fucked up frame of mind at the time. WW3 Records called me immediately wanting to sign Waxen...then they just kinda disappeared. The album sat for 2 years until an acquaintance of mine started a record label based out of my hometown. He actually did a really good job with it. We had good distribution from labels like Moribund, Full Moon Productions and Red Stream.

What’s up next for Waxen (and any of your other projects)?

Solo album Transmission to Purgatory on Moribund Records later this year and then onto the next Onward album. Waxen have signed to Moribund for another album but there’s no real strict timetable for delivery. A few years maybe or when I’m feeling it again.

Any final words of wisdom?

I’m still working on the wisdom thing. Lots of trial and error. Life is such a minuscule and fast little blip. Don’t waste it.

Friday August 11 2023 7:30PM

Toby Knapp and Waxen prevails! Critical Reception.

Here's a collection of great reviews of the new Waxen album, “Die Macht Von Hassen”. Enjoy,

Toby Knapp

METAL TEMPLE REVIEW:

Toby Knapp has been making music since he was 19, when he was signed to Shrapnel Records, a label then for throwing a modest amount of bucks at artists who were not known for their technical restraint. “Die Macht von Hassen” is WAXEN’s sixth full length album, a black metal foray into the darker side of human existence: the futility of religion as panacea, and humanity as a whole. Like many in the orbit of heavy metal’s massive gravitational pull, “Die Macht von Hassen” is a labor of (tainted) love. Knapp’s day job is guitar-teacher. WAXEN is clearly a way to defuse the creative energy that’s bottled up as he’s teaching kids how to play “Ode to Joy” for the umpteenth time. But Knapp is putting his money where his guitar playing fingers are, and that’s in the studio. And it seems to be paying off. It’s a confident album that pays homage to the purveyors of black metal, as well as the bands that have taken it to creative heights heretofore unknown.

Opening song “Die Macht Von Hassen” starts with a blast of black metal wind soaring out of the speakers. At 1:30, it descends into ambient, tremolo-picked chords of anguish over a reverb-drenched, dusty mid-tempo beat. There are no vocals yet. Throughout the album, Knapp uses his nasally, DARKTHRONE-esque vocals sparingly, letting the listener focus on the music for the most part. The song has a cool, atmospheric outro similar to what you’d hear on an ENSLAVED or OPETH album. Second song “God of All Endings” swirls in the glory of blackened DARKTHRONE punk rock. The song heaves and blasts, the energy of a pit circle inhabited by dozens of long-haired lost souls. The rhythm guitar, which gets buried in the mix, does most of the heavy lifting in this song, intricately picked and arranged structures that supply the foundation for Knapp’s sonic explorations. The last half-minute of the song is our first introduction to what he can do on the guitar, a quick burst of YNGWIE MALSTEEM histrionics. And, yes, that Yngwie Malsteem.

As I was listening to the album, I took notes like I usually do. As I struggle to put into narrative what third song “Those Reviled” does, I feel like I’m just going to take the easy way out and post my notes as they are: “Trad black metal/blasts off at 1:00 mark, guitar insanity/sweeps Malsteem like at 2:15. A LOT packed into this song in 5:00 minutes/ great melodic work at the end. Fantastic song. Dirty ass darkthrone drums. The Malsteem leads into the black metal shit is outrageous. You get a good, tight producer/engineer with these, HOLY SHIT. Top notch riff-writing on this one. Vocals are black-metally weak even by black metal standards. They don’t do anything for me. I’d would have said fuck it and went to town effects wise. Turn this shit into the BUTTHOLE SURFERS, then drop down into that sick as shit classic 80s metal riff under the solo. And that little melodic lick at the end? FUCK YEAH.” I mean, I’m not going to make that any better by editing the shit out of it am I? It’s black metal, mother fuckers! Take those sentence fragments in yer pipe and smoke ‘em! Maybe burn down a church with the embers while you're at it.

“Your Kingdom Will Bleed” is this great partnership of dissonant black metal riffing and some triumphantly positive feeling chord progressions. In other words, Knapp creates something that is simultaneously depressive and celebratory at the same time. This may be because Knapp isn’t afraid to go from the malaise of black metal to the fist-pumping, crotch-grabbing stomp of power metal in the span of a song. Like the previous song, “Your Kingdom Will Bleed” crams a lot of ideas into the eight minutes it almost reaches. The outro on the song sounds like “Isa”-era ENSLAVED, some dissonant open-note chords that give the song an expressive, full sound. Final song “Holocaust Light” continues with this dissonance coupled with more celebratory, triumphant black metal riffing. It’s the undisputed hit single of the album before it jumps the melodic rails into this flesh-lined pit of self-flagellation. It’s like someone leaned over to Beelzebub and whispered, conspiratorially, I mean, keep the black metal shit, but let’s write something they can dance to!

After consistently producing six albums over the past ten years, WAXEN deserves a bit more recognition than they’re getting. Based on these seven songs, it’s clearly long overdue. One can only think with the right production team and some confident marketing, that these songs could be up there with ENSLAVED, KATATONIA and OPETH in terms of flexing those creative black metal muscles. Like those bands, Knapp has found a unique approach to the genre, while respecting the foundation it was built upon. The solos are unique and thrilling, majestic and inspiring, and add a layer of complexity to the songs that’s hard not to get swept up into. “Die Macht Von Hassen” is a compact beast of a record; Knapp’s solos are the sharpened teeth. Prepare to get mauled!

9/10 score from Metalhead Italy. Check it out!

Waxen "Die Macht Von Hassen" 2023 Moribund Records

"I had never heard of Waxen, a black metal project behind which Toby Knapp is hidden, a virtuoso guitarist with a neoclassical style.I admit that I approached this record with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism, since I could not imagine two more distant worlds such as that of neoclassical metal and the most ferocious black, the first so technically intricate and the second so nihilistic. A bizarre mix, where the line between genius and ridicule is dangerously blurred; if we then add that the biographical notes contain high-sounding definitions such as 'legend' or 'genius' I expected a self-referential and tacky work. Instead, I was surprised, because "Die Macht Von Hassen" is a really well packaged album, where technique and brutality, ferocity and melody coexist perfectly, thanks to an extremely intelligent riffing that allows the songs to vent all the black fury and then dissolve in more cadenced and thrash parts, which prove to be solid foundations on which Knapp can indulge in solo virtuosity of absolutely fine workmanship, never an end in itself and always well embedded in the pieces. Also noteworthy is the programming of the drum machine, never too static and with a very realistic sound, while the vocal test is beastly at the right point. A unique album of its kind, where Knapp manages with class and personality to combine two styles that are only apparently polar opposites.
(Matthew Piotto) Score: 9/10"

AVE NOCTUM REVIEW:

Toby Knapp could never be accused of lying idle. The American guitar maestro spreads his time across solo projects, Affliktor and his thrashy black metal project, Waxen just to mention a few. “Die Macht Von Hassen” is the sixth release under the Waxen name and it is a showpiece for what black metal was and should be. The title comes from the German meaning “the power of hate” and gives a hint at what to expect. The man’s love for the genre and classic metal with scintillating guitar work is always something to look forward to. Onward to the blackened depths then…

Opening with the title track and a tribal beat, the explosive carnage is immediate. There’s a sense of epic proportion as a melodic pace emerges reminiscent of Primordial. The vocals, as always are throat shedding with a sense of evil that is almost indescribable and brings to mind Bathory. A Judas Priest “Painkiller” on steroids riff shows up on “God Of All Endings” with a guitar break that could be one the best I’ve heard from this wonderful musician. Unexpected twists and turns galore keep the listener intrigued and challenge the senses.

“Your Kingdom Will Bleed” is a vicious aural attack that brings in moments of elegant neo-classical flourishes. These are things we expect from Waxen but they never cease to amaze. What becomes obvious is that despite Knapp’s talent and ability for fretboard pyrotechnics, it’s always the total song that comes first. Many artists will simply use the song as a background platform for showboating but everything has a place and a purpose here. The overarching sense of darkness pervades this track as it melts into a “Reign In Blood” era Slayer maelstrom. The macabre tones found in the closing track “Holocaust Light” are equally compelling and disturbing. The latter section invokes militaristic beats and lighting fast displays of six-string wizardry.

This is another powerful display of the Waxen sound. The five tracks span around 30 minutes; each concise and brutal yet displaying the tasteful nature of Toby Knapp’s talent. “Die Macht Von Hassen” is another testament to the imaginative power of this unique musician.

(8/10 Johnny Zed)

REBEL EXTRAVAGANZA REVIEW:

Toby Knapp, within black/thrash and, for a time power metal, rivals Rogga Johansson and Chris Riefert in sheer output and projects, side and otherwise. We’ve all heard the whole “signed with Shrapnel at 19” story, which is admirable, indeed. It’s 2023, though, so we’re only judging Mr. Knap related to WAXEN, and thus…

Robust from the start, ‘Die Macht Von Hassen’ sets the stage, all instruments mixed so as to give a sturdy sonic foundation to the blackened firestorm set to light before us. A semi-martial cadence on the drums soon slows to a near-doom crawl, yet loses none of its fervor in doing so, contorting to tremolo-heavy riffing bolstered by a groove (yes, a groove) with the depth of trenches.

Beguiling, ‘God Of All Endings’ moves deftly from a soft guitar piece to Scandinavian thrashed-out grimness ala NIFILHEIM, Knapp’s fretboard wizardry seeming horizonless, replete with classic NWOBHM touches, but more inherently evil. DISSECTION flourishes are scattered hither and yon, and there’s not much blatantly American in this one’s execution, but its crowning glory is that the tune sounds in no way cluttered, despite the multi-layered guitar tracks.

After an almost jaunty (2:02-2:13) section, – which seems almost tossed in just because, and interrupts the flow – the otherwise-impressive mid-paced ‘Those Reviled redeems itself, galloping, and spiked with blackness partway through (4:01-4:38), which is followed by ‘Your Kingdom Will Bleed’. This is the first time in WAXEN’s sixth where the mind wanders. Maybe there’s simply too much in the stew at once, as blistering cold, thrusts of progression and the ever-present shredding brawl for a spot, none giving nor gaining a foothold until a mournful, almost epic-tinged doom section, which is itself too soon brushed to the side.

By the time ‘Holocaust Light’ closes out this album at a goat’s hair over a half-hour, we’re taken aback by the production overall, which is uncommonly crisp and clear, especially considering the style involved. Think CARPATHIAN FOREST at times, yet much more (of course) precise in delivery, which fades at around the 4 ½ minute mark, only to return militant and marching amid channel-switching guitars, a Heaven – or desired Hell – for the headphone listener.

Overall, WAXEN has delivered yet another solid volley from its well-stocked armory in Die Macht Von Hassen.
Review By: Lord Randall

WAXEN
Die Macht Von Hassen
Moribund Records

Great review from 'Sister Mary's Metal Reviews". Enjoy.

"Waxen – Die Macht Von Hassen
Well here we are, 20 albums in and nary a bad word about any of them bar a couple of minor niggles and constructive criticisms.
And what’s this? Black thrash shred? What the fuck is this going to be like?
Now you’ve probable gleaned from my previous reviews that I’m a bit of a guitar nerd, so when this shit kicked off with some quite astonishing lead guitar, you know I was going to be hooked. I got the impression that this was going to be a blackened thrash instrumental album, as if Chris Impelliteri had had some sort of mentally disturbed epiphany and decided to follow the left hand path, but within some incredible lead work is some deliciously filthy black metal vocals that interplay with the nutso bananas riffs and the ridiculous shredding perfectly. This is some next level shit and I love it.
Black metal for guitar aficionados"- Sister Mary's Metal Reviews

AMPLIFIED MAGAZINE GERMANY REVIEW:

"Overall, "Die Macht Von Hassen" is an impressive album that demonstrates the versatility and virtuosity of Toby Knapp as a guitarist and songwriter. With a mixture of aggressive Thrash Metal, melodic solos and Black Metal influenceswaxinga unique soundscape that makes the heart of every metal fan beat faster. The songs are well structured and demonstrate Knapp's ability to combine strong hooks with technical sophistication. Each track has its own identity and contributes to the whole of the album.

Of particular note is Toby Knapp's impressive guitar work. His skill as a virtuoso is undeniable and his solos are a highlight of the album. From fast, wild shred passages to soulful melodic phrases, he masters a wide range of playing techniques. However, he manages to put his virtuosity at the service of the songs and not just to succumb to an end in itself.

The production of "The Power of Hassen" is also notable. Each instrument sound is clear and powerful, bringing out the musical nuances well. The drums pack an aggressive punch while the guitars have a rich and incisive tone. The vocals fit perfectly with the atmosphere of the songs and give them an extra intensity.

Overall, "Die Macht Von Hassen" is a standout album for fans of sophisticated, technical metal.waxingand Toby Knapp once again demonstrate their creative class and ability to push the boundaries of the genre. This album is a must for anyone looking for intense music that is both technical and passionate" - AMPLIFIED MAGAZINE GERMANY

Soil Chronicles France Review:

"A man with multiple projects, who has dragged his spats in countless groups and probably with multiple personalities as well, Toby Knapp is Waxen all by himself! No need to be badly accompanied, Toby takes care of everything and navigates alone in the meanders of Black Metal for almost twenty years; he concocts for us a sixth opus straight out of his probably tormented brains, if we judge by the atmosphere that could not be darker, complex and crushed which emerges from the thirty minutes of the five titles of Die Macht von Hassen , that you must avoid listening to the evenings of great depression!

The eponymous title of the album, the first track is a condensed version of everything found in Black Metal, a tad old school: a fast tempo ensured by an incessant hammering of the snare drum, fairly simple riffs repeated at will. , a sometimes disconcerting not to say surprising musical construction, all sprinkled with a mocking and shrill voice whose melody (yes yes) is sometimes accompanied by a guitar that gives in the treble, giving the whole an unhealthy atmosphere, even disturbing!
"God of All Endings" continues in this register with a faster rhythm triggered from ten seconds of clear guitar sound. There again, the voice that seems more in the background is no less challenging, that of a skinned man vomiting in your face all the hatred that is his, with a spite that in no way gives you any want to answer.

Those Reviled" offers a most unstructured musical construction with a large instrumental part during half of the piece and especially punctuated by several rather clear solos and sounding Metal rather than Black , thus revealing multiple influences that we also find in " Your Kingdom Will Bleed”, including some thrashing riffs at the end of the track! For the rest, nothing new compared to the previous songs, attempt to permanently monopolize your soul through a Black which leaves neither time to breathe, nor to see the deluge of riffs and intertwined voices that try to torment your mind to better possess it! Note that the bass seems absent from the compositions or very (too) distant for us to perceive its full scope… Perhaps this is due to the desired style, or to a production with limited means!

In the end, an album whose compositions are rather rich, if we say to ourselves that they germinated in the head of a single man, both for their creation and their interpretation, with sometimes surprising varied changes of tempo, and everything that makes old school Black fully permeate each title of this sixth opus, which deserves to be given an ear!" - Soil Chronicles

Toby Knapp Waxen interview with Transcending the Mundane

1. Here it is, the new Waxen- how do you feel about how it looks and sounds?

TK: I think it sounds really good and very happy with the look, layout, etc. of the album. My mistake was putting M Ahrin's drum tracks alongside my drum machine tracks. You hear how he fades in or out and another part fades in? Like a radio station. The parts with his drums should have been individually numbered tracks. I do regret that. Seemed cool at the time. Other than that I really like this album and his drumming really livens it up.

2. How would you compare it to the previous Waxen discography?

TK: It's more inspired than the last few albums I think. I was able to combine alot of different styles of Metal but still keep it pretty dark. I like this album and the first Waxen album "Fumaroth" the best as they seem more exciting and intense. I didn't think there was going to be any more Waxen so this was a bit of a surprise to me. Turns out there's still a lot of anger I want to express musically. "Hell" is other people and I've had enough of them.

3. Hate seems to be a common lyrical theme on Die Macht Von Hassen- would you say this album comes from a place of hate?

TK: Yes, because that's what Black Metal is; hateful. I hate the woke black metal pussification movement.

4. You are a Stratocaster guy- is that what you use to record Waxen too?

TK: Yes, all Strats on this one. I used a Squier Stratocaster for all the solos and A Standard Fender Stratocaster for rhythms. It has really hot single coils. I can play Telecaster and Explorer style guitars, but I do best on a Stratocaster.

5. I know we touched upon this last time, but you have always been acclaimed for your guitar solos and you're underrated on your rhythm (riffs) playing- do you think Waxen is a great way to show off your ability to write these intense and fast riffs from an extreme metal perspective?

TK: Maybe, but I wasn't thinking of that at the time. I just write what sounds good to me and sometimes it may be a little complex but I don't write complex just for the sake of trying to be clever or flashy. There are a lot of "atmospheric" type of guitar parts on the album completely drowned in delay and reverb to create a sonic hellscape.
6. On the other hand, it's rare (more like never) to hear this level of shredding on a black metal album-do you feel you're adding something new and exciting to the genre?

TK: Maybe a tiny something but not groundbreaking. In 1985 Yngwie's "Marching Out" was released and Bathory released "The Return of Darkness and Evil" and I loved and was influenced by both albums. It never occurred to me that I was weird for being into complete musical opposites. I remember showing some of the dark metal to my guitar teacher and he wasn't pleased. I'd want to learn Ritchie Blackmore stuff one week and bring in a Celtic Frost album the next. This is what created the musician I am today. I've seen guitar virtuosos trying their hand at black or death metal and it doesn't seem sincere. I think I'm the only Shrapnel Records alumni that went into the Black Metal scene when it was actually happening. That's kind of interesting.

7. I know you're a big fan of Paul Gilbert's instructional videos, and we do have a lot these type of products from the famous shredders, who do you think should make one geared to the extreme side of metal?

TK: I don't think it's something a real Black Metal artist would do. Extreme stuff usually breaks all the rules, like Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel. That's very high caliber stuff obviously, but you can't say "oh he's playing aeolian there and a phrygian there and 3 note per string runs". He's just attacking his instrument and it's great. Lots of fans strip Black Metal songs down and make videos on YouTube. I could see wanting insight into what Paul Gilbert is doing but not Count Grisknacht. That's not a slam to Burzum either, I love that stuff.

8. You seem to be the type of person who prefers quiet, non-confrontational, and avoid stress- you have a quiet intelligence and you get along well with others, but you're also not afraid to speak your mind- is that an accurate analysis of your personality? Why or why not?

TK: Can you win an argument? I can't so I don't even try. I don't have much to say anymore. Things change as you get older because you realize there's so much you don't know. I'm very quiet and internal with a million conversations going on inside my head, not in a schizophrenic way. I like isolation and being alone.

9. It seems the country and the world are descending into this chaotic, but repressive state with propaganda and censorship at an all time high- what would be your advice to someone who is unaware of the reality we are living in and falls in line with the division and propaganda? Is it too late for people to wake up, think for themselves, and do what's best for them as individuals?

TK: It's too late. We've been focusing on beer cans and dumb shit while the real show is unfolding. The real show being WW3 and an administration that is doing nothing to stop it. Another 2 Billion in non backed US green backs to fund a war that isn't ours while we decimate the livelihoods and stability of Traditional American families. When you try to arrest and imprison the main competition to the current administration, you've got communism. The war is openly the US against Russia. I'm surprised by the lackadaisical attitude this is being met with. It's more important to chop your dick off when you're a kid I guess. The sexual identity thing is strange. "Today I identify as a female giraffe and you must respect that". Fucking weird.
I think we're in a set up. Our economy is being purposely destroyed and the middle class wiped out to the point where we'll welcome communism. Freedom of speech is gone, all mainstream media is controlled. People are becoming afraid to say anything. I'm glad I've lived most of my life, I wouldn't want to be young right now.

10. I read somewhere that your new instrumental album, Transmission to Purgatory, has been recorded and will be released this year- what can fans expect from this new product?

TK: Good instrumental heavy metal with neoclassical influences and exciting compositions full of great guitar solos. I worked very hard on this one.

11. Do you think this is the best Waxen album yet? Why should someone into extreme metal check this record out?

TK: it's up there, second best possibly. If you grew up with early Kreator and Bathory, evolved towards Moribund Angel and Immolation and then went towards the early to mid nineties Scandinavian Black Metal scene and you don't mind a good guitar solo- this is your album!

12. Final comments?
TK: Thanks for your support and the great questions!!

Onward into the Future

In 2012 I hadn't touched the guitar for at least a year. I was living in New York learning a new vocation. Inspiration and ideas started to return and I let German label "Rock it Up Records" know I'd have some new music soon and they tentatively agreed to work with me again. Then I received news of Michael Grant's death. It knocked the wind out of me. I didn't care if we were estranged friends or not. We wanted to work together again someday despite our turbulent relationship. I put the guitar away for several more months and just lost interest in music again.The guitar just reminded me that a door had been closed forever and words were left unsaid. it fucking stung.

I eventually started making instrumental and extreme metal records again and soon the time came to revisit my Traditional Heavy Metal roots. Make no mistake, when I create Traditional Heavy Metal I am free to use the name 'Onward' if I choose to do so. Instead of using the name, I called my new project 'Where Evil Follows' based on an Onward tune I actually wrote some lyrics to. The album was released on Moribund Records in 2015 and did very well. More than one reviewer and several fans just called it Onward mk.2.

More "would be" Onward Power Metal soon arrived in a new project, 'Necrytis'. We briefly considered calling it Onward, but the music was a bit too strange. Pure Steel Records did market Necrytis as a logical continuation of Onward similar to what Moribund Records did with Where Evil Follows. With hundreds of thousands of Heavy Metal albums coming out each year, it's hard to get noticed by using new project names. I knew calling a project Onward, I could lure some listeners back and get some priority in the Metal press. More people talking, more albums selling. I didn't want to do that......yet. I'm a musician and sometimes you have to make career decisions. I would make them when the time was right.

In 2020, Onward bassist and beloved friend of 30 years, Chris Payette, passed away unexpectedly. This was torment. I called him a week prior and everything was going great with him. That's two Onward guys gone and I was haunted. I started writing and recording tons of music. It was the only thing I could do to escape reality. I didn't know what the music was for. I was just hammering out one song after another and before I knew it, I had enough material for an album.

I started the search for a vocalist with no luck until I received a message from Attika vocalist, Robert Van War. Robert offered to guest on a song or two. Van War had never heard of Onward and was only aware of my time with Shrapnel Records decades ago. I listened to his vocals on the Attika album "Metal Lands" and they were very different than the vocalists I had worked with. They were kinda gruff with a Bobby Blitz (Overkill) kind of sound. I knew they would be perfect for this new, speedier and abrasive music. I asked him to do the album and he agreed. I also decided this was an Onward album. I'm done fucking around with project names.

Cruz Del Sur Music signed the new Onward immediately. I had mixed the album with severe tinnitus and was deaf in one ear (it's since been corrected). I became obsessed with having the guitars front and center and took it too far. The album was cold and digital and Cruz Del Sur asked if I could fix it. I couldn't. I record on an old Fostex 6 track and it's a process of "mix, burn, delete" as you go. A very stone age process. Enrico (Cruz Del Sur president) was very fair and gracious in letting me transfer the album to Moribund Records and Alone Records.

I'm the worst at jumping to the WRONG conclusions about things and posted my "nervous breakdown" regarding the album on Social Media. It was wrong, I was not thinking clearly. My personal life was in crisis mode and things were not well in the Knapp camp. Fortunately, I got through this difficult time.

The new Onward album "Of Epoch and Inferno" was released and well received overall. Of course the haters came out with "no Michael Grant = no Onward".

Luckily there was more enthusiasm for the new Onward than there were keyboard warriors talking about me disrespecting a "legacy". No one in Onward is "legacy". Legacy is Jimmy Page, Bruce Dickinson, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Beck, Dio, Slayer, etc. Selling a few thousand albums and doing a few tours isn't a legacy. Cult, but not legacy. For fuck's sake.

Onward 2023 are ready to begin the next album and I know the direction the music will take. Join me or not. Onward is back for good. Don't forget the words of the infamous “Angry Metal Guy”:

Onward to the End

It was early 2003 and Onward seemed to be on the mend and refocused. We were rehearsed and ready to enter the studio to record "The Neverending Sun". Our belief in the new music and excitement to take it on the road had bonded us a bit, we were trying hard to get back to the mindframe we were in during the "Evermoving" days. The riffs bit like Akira Takasaki, Michael's lyrics were intelligent and angry, Jon Pereau's drumming kept improving and bassist Chris Payette was the guy who kept our spirits up and his musicianship had drastically stepped up.

Our problem now was the standoff with Century Media regarding the unacceptable recording budget they had proposed. CM finally broke the silence begging me to accept their offer and get the album done. I called Brett Hansen at Audio Art Studio in Las Vegas and he basically said "Let's make the budget work, I want to see Onward continue". I emailed CM and after weeks of silence, caved in to their meager budget of a few grand. Their reply was "you are released from obligations". It was a douche bag power play on their part to get us to accept the offer so they could turn around and dump us.

I didn't give one fuck and was relieved. I wrote a farewell letter to our audience on our website and disbanded Onward immediately. I also made the rough demos of "The Neverending Sun" available to everyone in the form of a $6 cd. Hundreds of orders and letters came in and I spent at least a month packing envelopes with cd's. The post office even contacted me wanting to know what was with hundreds of letters coming in from all corners of the globe.

Drummer Jon Pereau was disappointed but also a bit indifferent. Chris Payette was okay with whatever the future was to be; Onward or no Onward. Michael Grant immediately scrambled for a plan and called me often saying "Let's try to get on Nuclear Blast or Metal Blade Records". Nuclear Blast and Metal Blade were the last places I wanted to be. Century Media Records were the biggest Metal label at that point and I just didn't want to talk about or shop for a new record deal. I wanted to clear myself of Onward and prepare for completely new musical terrain. I wanted to get on an underground label and do my weird little albums.

Michael wouldn't let it go. I told him “You should hire the bassist Melanie Sisneros in LA, find a great drummer and turn your side project, Crescent Shield, into an actual band”. Michael, fresh from a somewhat successful tenure with Onward, had enough clout in Los Angeles to get top tier musicians together. No one realizes that I pushed him to make Crescent Shield his top priority band. Partly to get him off my back but also because I knew he'd get the success he wanted. I was correct. We agreed that someday, when the time was right, we would reunite Onward.

To quote the lyrics of John Fogerty; "Someday Never Comes".

I never saw Michael Grant again and Onward never played again.

The story doesn't end here however..........

Albums my Parents threw away!!

My Heavy Metal addiction started when I was about four years old. My older sister had a record player and my parents had a stack of albums. I entertained myself as a toddler by listening to all these albums. I gravitated to the dark ones. So, what was in mom and dad's stack of records?

Alice Cooper- Killer

I remember running around the house with this one because I loved the cover and insert calendar which shows Alice being hung and blood dripping from his mouth. That's the tops!! On the kiddie turntable I liked listening to "Under my Wheels" and "Dead Babies". One day I went looking for the album and it had just vanished. Mom admitted years later she threw it away because it wasn't appropriate for a little kid.

Black Sabbath- "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"

My parents let me pick a cassette at KMART for my seventh birthday. This one looked best and they got it for me! Favorite songs were "Who are you?" and "Killing Yourself to Live". This one mysteriously disappeared too. No one admitted it but I played it loud often and I think mom had enough.

Kiss- Hotter than Hell

My Aunt got me this when I was about four. I loved it! The naked stuff on the back cover and just the album title would eventually land this one in the garbage. When I got grounded my folks took my albums away and forced me to go outside and play. I've hated outside ever since. Inside with the problematic rock albums was where I wanted to be.....and still do.

Led Zeppelin - IV

Even before I thought about ever playing guitar, Jimmy Page was the fucking man! I knew the solo to "Black Dog" was a fucking burner! Then I came home from school one day, first grade probably, and my mom immediately started in on Led Zeppelin;."I watched a show where a preacher played Stairway to Heaven backwards and it's Satanic and that weird guitar player worships the devil! You can't have that!!"

In my mind right then and there it became very clear who my favorite band and guitarist was. My parents would constantly flip regarding their stance on Zeppelin, after all, they're the ones who introduced me to that music. They loved it too.

WASP- debut album

The eighties came along and my parents were staying out of my record collection until this showed up. Seventh grade, before school and after school; "Hellion! The devil's Hellion child" blasted from my room. My mom actually cut this album up with scissors and tore it to pieces. Really mom?? My folks had no idea they were creating and forming the personality of a son who would pursue Heavy Metal, often of the problematic variety, as an adult. Check out my latest Waxen album, it's pretty fucked up.

Celtic Frost- To Mega Therion

I bought it and snuck it home and hid it in my room. My older sister found out somehow and told mom. "Where is it!!!" Mom roared. I was about 15 at the time and was able to convince her this was pure music and entertainment- like a scary movie. She did not confiscate said album........but it was a close call!

Onward's Final Run pt. 1

In late 2002 Onward completed a relatively successful U.S. tour with Angra but had to cancel the Canadian dates because Michael Grant's girlfriend "misplaced" his passport AFTER he had already packed it into his bag. I issued a warning to Grant; "Dump her now or Onward will not exist in a year from now". Mike put his head down and whispered "I know". We did some more shows in Vegas, Los Angeles and Colorado with bands such as Dreams of Damnation, New Eden, Cage, Prototype and many others.

I got back to Wyoming with my 4 track recorder and quickly wrote all the music for "The Neverending Sun". This music was a complete contrast to the decidedly mellow and shelved project "New Fathoms Down". I think if "Neverending Sun" would have made it into a proper studio (as Century Media had promised) it would have been great.

On "Reawaken" Century Media had given us a recording budget of 4 or 5k. Our engineer and co producer, Brett Hansen, was our friend and worked constantly on Reawaken off the clock out of labor of love. He invested at least another 5k of his personal time and studio usage. Century Media wanted him to do it again; "See if your studio buddy can do the next album for 2 or 3k". They wanted me to exploit his kindness and devotion to Onward's music. I couldn't. I replied via email "go fuck yourselves" to the utter horror of my bandmates. Thus, the Century vs.Toby standoff had begun.

On the Blind Guardian/Symphony X tour front, things were looking bleak with Onward only booked on two gigs of a full U.S. tour. The problem stemmed from two fold rock star arrogance; Blind Guardian would not move one piece of gear to make room for Symphony X (assholes) and Symphony X followed suit when dealing with Onward. We played The Roxy in LA and it was a shit show. Drummer Jon Pereau had to set his kit up sideways, similar to the Stryper drummer, and we were one wrong move from actually falling into the audience. The crowd went wild nonetheless. Backstage, Blind Guardian vocalist, Hansi, congratulated me on the show. I told him it would have been better if Blind Guardian weren't such dicks about stage room. He walked away from me looking puzzled and my band looked at me in horror. Sorry guys, I thought I was talking to a roadie- not Hansi. We ended up only doing that one gig and little did we know, it was our last.

Back in Montana, Michael Grant joined us for a week of rehearsals and photo shoots for our planned third Century Media album "The Neverending Sun". Although the band sounded pretty tight, the negativity between Michael and I was developing into a constant passive aggressive hate fest. The cold war with Century Media over the album budget was also still in effect. We drove Michael to the airport so he could return to his home in LA.

We still believed in our music, things HAD to get better, right??!

Wrong. Stay tuned.

Toby Knapp "newer metal" recommendations

I am not a music critic. I like what I like and usually praise it on Social Media. The stuff I dislike I don't discuss because who the fuck am I to judge another musician? I like virtuosos but I also like musicians who've learned just enough on their instruments to get the point across. Hellhammer's "Apocalyptic Raids" and Racer X's "Street Lethal" are of equal importance to me. So let's take a look at some recent releases by newer names that are carrying the Metallic Torch.

Haunt "Burst Into Flame" 2018

A Fresno, Calif based band that knocked my socks off. I picked up this album after hearing one track on YouTube and I liked the album cover. Quite capable musicianship and songwriting across the board. Thin Lizzy are definitely one of my favorite bands and I hear a lot of that influence here merged with early to mid 80's Ozzy Osbourne, Deaf Dealer and Iron Maiden. The band combine these styles and put their own trademark on them. Excellent album.

Vothana "Game Over" 2022

I guess this is "sketchy" Black Metal? Good. Black Metal should be sketchy. Vothana is a long running one man unit and apparently, this is his final album as he hates even being involved in a scene that has wimped out and become politically correct. It's vicious and highly melodic trance inducing Black Metal played with over the top barbarism. He belts out his hateful vocals in Vietnamese and doesn't fuck around. This is low fi Black Metal pushed into the red so look out. Great stuff! Good luck finding an lp.

Saber "Without Warning" 2020

Godamn this is good. These kids studied their metalhead parents' record collections extensively and got their hands on a box of VHS tapes of 80's "Headbangers Ball" episodes (before Rikki Rachman ruined the show). Of course all of the above is just probably an incorrect assumption. These kids are carrying the torch of Pure Traditional Heavy Metal and give me lots of hope for the genre. Right out the gate I hear early Agent Steel, Judas Priest, Loudness, Maiden and plenty of NWOBHM. This album is raw and sounds amazing. Saber and Haunt are playing this kind of music with a passion that us old rockers need to pay attention to and get some inspiration from.

Brahmastra "Montauk Ultra" 2021

A concept album dealing with the CIA'S mind control program. This is pretty terrifying Industrial Black Metal from one ridiculously talented chap who happens to be a friend of mine and I had him autograph my cd! Monstrous, psychotic riffing and nicely programmed drums with intelligent and venomous barked out vocals sure to keep you at the edge of your seat and beaten into a state of stupefaction upon it's conclusion. Amazing album.

So, this is just a small sampling of some of the newer Metal coming out to keep our minds open and not completely stuck in the past. All highly recommended.

Toby

Old Bathory + Annihilator influences = AFFLIKTOR!

In 2016 a whole lotta music came to me that I was not expecting. Waxen's "Weihung Auf Satan", my solo album "The Architect of Paradox", Necrytis debut "Countersighns" and this, Affliktor's self titled debut. It was a busy year and each project was contracted to a different record label; Moribund Records, Crushing Notes Ent., Pure Steel Records and Transcending Obscurity Records (plus guest appearances on albums by Sean Baker, Fetid Zombie, Abhor and Sue's Idol). Go Go Go!!!

Affliktor was to be a real band. I found the perfect line up and started putting together demos for the band to study- a full album's worth of material. It just didn't work because of logistics. If I would have been in my 20's with no responsibility- I could have pulled it off. I was/am an adult with a full time job and a family and bills to pay. I don't regret this fact but it sure makes pursuing music in a band situation difficult, especially if the members are in a different state! I had to call it off and I'm still bummed about that.

The demos I created for the Affliktor project were sent to Transcending Obscurity Records and they signed me as a "solo" entity under the Affliktor moniker immediately. When the album (remember, these were demos) was released it exploded on Bandcamp and all physical product (cd's, shirts, posters, box sets) promptly sold out. One listener described it as Bathory meets Annihilator and that's pretty much what I was shooting for!!

Enjoy!

Toby

Onward tours with Angra

In the fall of 2002, Onward had finished a rough demo of what was to be our third album "New Fathoms Down". I think the whole band had mixed feelings about the music. It was Heavy Metal but had a very hard rock edge. I was trying to get vocalist Michael Grant interested in traditional rock vocalists. He didn't like that direction. Fair enough. We would deal with it after our next tour.

We got the position opening for Brazil's metal legends, Angra. I believe this was their first U.S. tour. The tour was to begin in North Carolina and finish with a few Canadian dates. The night before we left, Michael called each bandmember to remind us to pack our passports. Bassist Chris Payette did the majority of the long drive from Montana to North Carolina. We arrived at the venue "Ziggy's By The Sea" and Angra had already set up a massive stage display including a huge backdrop of whatever their newest album was. This was it! The big Angra debut and expectations for a packed house were high. Well, the 10 people who showed up enjoyed it. We were to play LaMour's in New Jersey next. Before departing N.C. we were notified that LaMour's had banned all Century Media acts from playing their club. Angra headed to New Jersey and we drove to the next show in the Cincinnati area (I think).

At our next show, Angra decided not to set up their big stage display and asked to play on our equipment. Certainly. After Angra played on our gear, the band watched and chuckled as we lugged all the gear back to our U-Haul trailer. Maybe lend a hand guys? Nope. I was getting tired of a lot of petty "rock star" shit on the road. To me, the scene was just a bunch of signed bands fighting over scraps. I asked an insider at Century Media "Do bands generally make a living after four or five albums?" the answer was no. Returning to Wyoming and making underground music on my own was starting to sound appealing.

We continued traveling and doing U.S. gigs with Angra and it was time to make the trek to Canada. Before we headed out, Michael asked us to all check our bags for our passports. We had ours, he did not. He frantically called his girlfriend (and Onward's biggest enemy) asking if she could find it in their apartment. She located it. He was perplexed and upset "I packed my passport when I called and reminded you guys to do the same" Grant said. We couldn't get into Canada now and the tour ground to a depressing and premature halt. I know exactly what happened with his passport but kept that sensitive topic to myself. Century Media Records were furious. We did a great show in Chicago and returned to Montana.

I "shelved" the material that was to be "New Fathoms Down" and went to work putting the demo for another album together, "The Neverending Sun". Century Media were also displeased with this move. I had to create a 100% Traditional Heavy Metal album to keep Onward together. "New Fathoms Down" would have to wait.

We rehearsed the new material and prepared for another tour that was being put together: Blind Guardian/Symphony X/Onward. Our album "Reawaken" was doing well and Century Media invested in another round of advertisements in the metal mags. Maybe this would boost our morale and we could be the group of good friends we had started as, particularly Michael and I.

No such luck.....more to come.