Meet the Sorrow, Brutal Metal From Austria

"There is no special pattern in the way we work," explains Tobias Scheduler, bassist for the Sorrow. "Coming to music, a certain aim is definitely to sound brutal as f---. But we try to add the melodic singing and the melodic guitar tracks in a mature, not cheesy, way. We keep on working on certain ideas until the last second in the studio. We want those songs to be as perfect as they can be."

If you don't know the Sorrow, consider yourself formally introduced. The band makes metal from Austria -- a mix of in-your-face metalcore and true sensibility for lyrics and rhythm. The band's first two albums, 'Origin of the Storm' and 'Blessings from a Blackened Sky' are just different enough to show the band's growth, but similar enough so as to not alienate fans.

"'Origin' sounds way more mature," says Scheduler of the band's two albums. "We tried not to build in the obligatory breakdown in every song and the songwriting is more varied -- there can be much more different styles heard, from thrash to death to black. We tried to sound more timeless in some kind of way."

In press releases, the Sorrow explain that 'Origin of the Storm' has lyrics relating closely to personal subjects. When pressed, Scheduler opens up about those personal events.

"The reasons why these 'storms' were caused were very diverse: a good friend who passed away causes trouble in the life of those who loved him as well as so-called friends who are starting a backstabbing affair because your band is starting to have a little bit of success. We always knew who we are and where we came from: there weren't reasons to take it personally at all, we just found catharsis in writing these lines. Our families and real friends were always an unbeatable background for us to keep going."

In early 2010, members of the Sorrow will reconvene in the studio to record their third album. The band will also hit the road next summer, playing a few festival gigs.