Call them the thinking man’s metal band. Misery Index writes politico-grind in the proud tradition of steadfast old school stalwarts Napalm Death and the defunct but seminal grind outfit Assuck, a band whose final album Misery Index borrowed their name from when the band was founded nearly a decade ago. The booklet for their third full length album, 2008’s Traitors, features thought-provoking quotes from historical figures, while the lyrics for the title track reference Thomas Paine, one of America’s founding fathers, which should come as a surprise to no one given the educational pedigree of the band’s last remaining original member, bassist Jason Netherton. Any metal head worth his spiked leather forearm bands will be familiar with Netherton as the former bassist of tech-death giants Dying Fetus. After experiencing something of a burnout during his time in DF, Netherton went on to not only finish college, but also earn his master’s degree in international communication before throwing himself back into the metal scene, a move that, unlike his educational endeavors, was entirely unplanned.

Sometimes, bands don’t know when it’s time to bow out gracefully. Well past their prime, they knock out a few more albums of mediocre material before leaving the game not by choice, but by necessity, and in a state of semi-disgrace; their hard-earned legacy, what’s left of it, tarnished by a smattering of ill-conceived material written in the band’s waning days. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. One gets the sense when talking to In Flames front man Anders Friden that his band, one of the forerunners of the melodic death metal Gothenburg sound, won’t let such a scenario befall them. Though they may not know exactly how long they have left, the continually evolving quintet will definitely know when it’s time to go, and if they continue on their present course, their legacy will be nothing less than sterling. In January, Friden spoke to Fight about In Flames’ recent recognition, their inspiration past and present, the ongoing battle of their friend and recently departed band mate Jesper Stromblad against alcohol addiction, and their plans for the future. (Editor’s Note: As of the time of this interview, Stromblad had not yet announced that he was leaving the band)

A million tiny, finger-shy strands must be intricately and meticulously threaded together in precisely numbered succession in order for a band to be successful and, in the beginning, nearly every one of those maddening threads is held, if only tentatively, within the grasp of the band itself. Obviously there are songs to be written and an image to be cultivated, along with personal and professional conduct to keep in line, and any one of these things can fly off the rails at any given time if a band doesn’t have at least one member in their ranks who can serve as the responsible conscience and great regulator of the others. Luckily for Lamb of God, their level-headed, Zen-like voice of reason, drummer Chris Adler, has been there every step of the way, from the band's early days as the instrumental act Burn the Priest, founded in 1990, to these current, heady days of muli-million unit album sales and Grammy nominations. From day one he's been the soft-spoken, but well-spoken, rational and responsible counter to front man Randy Blythe's brash punk rock rage, bassist John Campbell and guitarist Willie Adler's shared exploding-cigarette-and-wacky-tattoos sense of humor, and guitarist Mark Morton's quiet and yet overt confidence. In the beginning, there were no endorsement or record deals, no crowds of thousands finishing Blythe's tobacco-coated, vitriol laden screams every time he held his microphone aloft. There were just five guys bringing a decidedly punk attitude and aesthetic along with a truckload of heavy, thrashy southern groove to the Richmond motherfuckin' Virginia metal scene, as Chris recalls.

Fused by the bitter winter cold of remote northern Finland, Sonata Arctica has developed its own sound over the years, a mix of metal, hard rock and melody that has allowed the band to straddle the border between the underground metal scene and mainstream acceptance. No strangers to chart success and gold records at this point, the band appears poised to take the next step in their career, and could very well move on to the level of their countrymen and fellow melodic rockers Nightwish if the chart success and sales of their latest album, The Days of Grays, are an indication of what’s to come. Band spokesmen Tony Kakko (vocals) and Henrik Klingenberg (keyboards) spoke to Fight prior to their show on an appropriately chilly night in Taipei in early January.

Fight: Your bio describes Sonata Arctica as being from Kemi, Finland, a place that is on the edge of the world.    

Tony Kakko: It’s far away from everything else, including in Finland. We’re pretty remote, although we’re not the smallest town.

If the world were like an Ensiferum album, the planet would be a far better, if far less productive place. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, cavernous mead halls with perfect acoustics would play host to raucous, spirit-lifting minstrels playing for the well-lubricated audience drinking continually if only to fend off a hangover that, remarkably, never seems to come. Buxom wenches and steel-jawed folk heroes would swing their steins to the pulse-pounding mix of folk melodies and metallic speed incorporated into Ensiferum's special blend of heroic Finnish folk metal, with kilts flying, heads windmilling and horns thrown all around. Yes, if Valhalla is a pub, then Ensiferum would be the house band. And though the band testifies that in their home country they are not well received, playing just one, albeit sold-out, gig per year in Helsinki, the Finnish five-piece has been welcomed with open arms and full mugs all around the world. Recognition at home has come in 2010 as well, with the band being nominated for an EMMA, the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy, for best metal album alongside such well-established acts as Sonata Arctica and Amorphis. And with an ever-evolving sound that seems to grow in scope with each successive album, and their latest offering, 2009's From Afar, even incorporating epic orchestrations that, while not real, are strong enough to have fooled even the most discriminating ears, Ensiferum is yet another band from Finland whose career is definitely on the upswing. Front man and guitarist Petri Lindroos and slightly hung over bassist Sami Hinkka took time to talk to Fight magazine before Ensiferum conquered Taipei in mid-January.

Cannibal Corpse has gore-soaked perversion and grotesque stories of the macabre. Alestorm and Swashbuckle have tales of the high seas, rum, the lash, and the pirate code. Tankard has beer, and lots of it. Gorgoroth, lineup changes notwithstanding, has the market cornered on all things satanic. In other words, the list of bands that have worked themselves into a productive, career-spanning niche goes on for miles. And near the top of that list, both alphabetically and in terms of modern-day success, would be Viking metal band Amon Amarth. Far from being limited by their chosen vehicle of expression, that obviously being Viking history and Norse mythology, imposing, perpetually long-bearded, and utterly affable front man Johan Hegg and his horde of pillaging comrades have carved out a career that is only now reaching the heights that they always thought they should be reaching.

With their latest album, Twilight of the Thunder God, a masterful work of melodic death metal, once again seeing Amon Amarth take a step in the right direction creatively and musically, there seems to be no stopping this tight-knit band of Viking warriors who, alarmingly, almost laid down their swords, shields, and horns of mead in 2002 following the release of Versus the World, the band’s fourth album for long-time label Metal Blade. But since those dark times Oden has smiled on the synchronized headbanging Swedes, and he and the rest of the Norse gods now seem to be firmly on their side. Hegg shared his thoughts on Amon Amarth’s journey thus far with Fight magazine before the mighty Norsemen played in Taipei in early December.

It goes without saying that a lot can change in 17 years. Seventeen years ago, Skid Row came to Taiwan for the first time and played to a rabid crowd of approximately 5,000 at a concert hall in Taipei County, according to die hard local fans. The members of the band certainly didn’t know then that it would be nearly two decades before those who would actually stick it out with Skid Row would return, nor could they have known that, just a few years after they first graced Taiwan’s shores, their original front man and fan focal point, one Sebastian Bach, would be gone, to be followed later by drummer Rob Affuso. And they definitely couldn’t have been aware that their second sojourn to Taiwan would see the show location shift to a much smaller venue in Taipei City, and the crowd shrink to a size of three hundred-plus. After all, back then Skid Row were riding high on the strength of their second album, Slave to the Grind, which went double platinum and made it all the way to the top of the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Why think about the descent when the climb to the top has just begun? But such is the nature of the music business that though the ascent may be long and arduous, the descent will likely be quick and unheralded.

Even on a day when Michael Amott is seriously sleep deprived, the confidence the flame-haired, soft-spoken guitar hero has in his body of work and his band still comes through loud and clear in every carefully considered word. After playing Japan’s Loud Park Festival this past October, he and the rest of Arch Enemy caught an early morning flight to Taipei the following day, returning to play to their rapidly growing fan base on the island two years since their first visit with but a few precious moments of sleep snuck in here and there. Before their blistering performance, a bleary-eyed yet remarkably coherent Amott talked to Fight magazine about Arch Enemy’s latest album, The Root of All Evil, a disc comprised of re-recordings of songs originally done with the band’s first vocalist, Johan Liiva, this time with the razor-edged vocals of Angela Gossow, and what goes into each Arch Enemy release.