Neuraxis’ Rob Milley Reveals His Favorite Canadian Metal Bands
Technical death metal is the kind of musical style that takes years to master -- and even then, most acts playing within the genre aren't able to weave together something memorable with it. Neuraxis are in the elite group of artists that not only have a firm grip on the skills that define the style, but they also deliver the kinds of albums that get stuck in your head long after they leave your stereo.
Formed in Montreal in 1994, Neuraxis have slowly but surely become one of their country's most consistently entertaining metal outfits. 'Asylon,' their sixth studio album, recently hit stores and they're out on the road with blasphemy bringers Deicide. We spoke with Neuraxis guitarist Rob Milley and asked him to reflect on some of his favorite fellow Canadian metal artists.
When most people think of Canadian metal and hard rock, Rush is the first band that comes to mind. Is that the same for you?
Quite simply, I think of the band Voivod.
What were the first Canadian metal bands that had an impact on you as a kid?
In terms of Canadian metal, Sacrifice, Annihilator, Disciples of Power, Cryptopsy and Gorguts had the most impact on me growing up.
Was it tough to get your hands on heavy metal magazines where you grew up?
It was actually pretty easy to access that kind of stuff. Some of the local stores always carried magazines like Metal Maniacs, Metal Edge, Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, and Terrorizer. So we were covered.
In the States, if you're a kid and you identify yourself as a metal fan, chances are you'll be relegated to the fringes of the social food chain. What was the experience like for you in Canada?
I kind of had that situation. In my high school, there were very few real metalheads. It was during the grunge era, so I was one of the few. People in Canada are pretty respectful of each other, so I never had any problems listening to metal music.
Canada supports the arts and is famous for giving out grants to its musicians. In reality, how tough is it to get involved in one of those programs?
There is a lot of paperwork to do, and also you need to have a lot of contacts to access these grants. In my province of Quebec, the government was giving grants to French artists. The rest of Canada is more conservative, and our prime minister has cut a lot of funds for the arts; it's really sad to see.
Name your top three Canadian metal albums of all time.
In order, I'd say Cryptopsy's 'None So Vile,' followed by Gorguts' 'From Wisdom to Hate' and finally Sacrifice's 'Apocalypse Inside.'