These guys only formed in 2021 and with a handful demos out there, Chamber Mage are already progressing fast! Securing a slot on the Frozen in Time bill with the likes of Haunt and readying their debut album for release, Chamber Mage are ready to cause a storm!

THE NWOTHM: Hey there Chamber Mage! Can you start by introducing us to the band, who the members are and where you are from?

Avery Berg: Vocals, Colorado Springs CO

Devan Fechner: Guitar, Denver by way of Ft Lauderdale

Ted Jedlicki: Bass, Denver, CO, but originally from Minneapolis, MN

Jaden Knowles: Guitar, Woodland Park CO

Dan Nevin: Drums, Denver, CO

THENWOTHM: Chamber Mage haven’t been around too long! Can you tell our readers how you formed and what bands (if any) you were involved in before Chamber Mage?

Avery: The only bands I was in that actually played out before CM were my highschool punk bands. Chamber Mage formed in 2021 when I demo’d 4 songs on garage band in my bedroom. Then put the feelers out there in like Colorado metal Facebook groups to see who would be interested in the project and met Devan and Ted!

Ted: I’m the old guy in the group (38) and have been in a number of bands before Chamber Mage.  The two worth noting are the Minnesota based power metal band Dawn of Valor, active 2008 – 2016, EP released on Iron Shield Records, and Thor!  Yes, that Thor.  The muscle rocking, steel bending, metal avenger Thor from the 70’s & 80’s.  The Thor from Rock and Roll Nightmare. And more recently, from the Netflix documentary I Am Thor.  I toured and recorded with Thor from 2017 – 2021.  Thor has been on hiatus for a little while, which led me to look for a new project, and after months of scouring musician postings, I finally found Avery!!!  Dan actually approached me after a rare acoustic Thor gig in Denver in early 2020 and we hit it off.  When Avery and I talked about who we could get as a drummer I suggested Dan, and he was an instant fit!

Jaden: This is actually my first real project. I’ve played with people here and there, but this is my first band that feels committed to a unified vision.

Dan: I met Ted at a Thor show the band threw at a brewery in Denver. I just wandered in and started talking to him and his friends. This was in January of 2020 and we were talking about something concerning happening in China… We didn’t get together to jam in those two difficult and strange years, and then out of nowhere, Ted asked if I was interested in trying drums in a fully-formed NWOTHM band. I took about half a second to consider it and agreed. I have been playing in different bands for twenty years, and being in C.M. is a merging of everything I have been working towards on the drums since I started. I will definitely give a shoutout to Womprat, the band I had with my brother Billy Nevin who is a phenomenal bassist in Chicago. 

THE NWOTHM: And how did you come up with the band name?

Avery: Honestly just by brainstorming/putting random words together until something sounded right. I didn’t realize it sounded like a play on “chamber maid” until way later.

THE NWOTHM: Musically, who do you all draw inspiration from for the band’s sound and do you have any favourite musicians that have influenced your playing? 

Avery: I think it’s safe to say most of us draw mad inspiration from Maiden. But I get a lot inspo for vocal melodies and riffs from music theater. 

Devan: I love most forms of 80s music from Depeche Mode to Candlemass to Crimson Glory. And of course the better versions of Maiden, Queensryche and Fates Warning.

Ted: Yes, definitely Maiden.  Steve Harris is one of my favorite bassists, along with Sabbath’s Geezer Butler.  Those two really shaped the way I play.  Besides those two bands, I really love and draw inspiration from Priest, Dio, Ozzy, Saxon, Manowar, Accept, Van Halen, Megadeth, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Jaden: We all have different influences and such. I particularly love Muse and most of Avenged Sevenfold’s stuff. But I think it’s just a wide variety of different songs that have elements in them that I love that influence me the most.

Dan: My inspiration comes mostly from metal drummers, with Nick Menza, Sean Reinert, and Gene Hoglan being my absolute favorites. And Mike Smith’s playing on Effigy of the Forgotten– woah. Beyond that, to borrow one of Buddy Rich’s more over-the-top quotes “I consider every drummer who ever played before me an influence, in every way.” My version is I listen to and watch drummers perform in a ton of different genres and there’s always something to notice and learn from. 

THE NWOTHM: Are any of you fans for collecting instruments like guitars and if so what brands etc do you have in your collection?

Devan: American Strat, Jackson Soloist, Kelly and Rhodes, LTD Eclipse and M327, Charvel Pro Mod and an Ibanez UV70. I’m about to join another project and need another 7 string so I am on the hunt for another.

Jaden: I’m not much of a collector, I just appreciate a solid and well set up instrument more than anything.

Dan: Drum goes boom! I like Zildjian A Customs and Tama drums particularly, though.

THE NWOTHM: What is the metal scene like in Colorado? And how do you feel it compares to other places?

Avery: The scene in Colorado is excellent. Denver and Colorado Springs are seeming with fantastic death, black, and doom bands. As far as traditional metal goes there’s only us, Viper Witch and Siege Perilous that I’m aware of. Hopefully Jag Panzer plays a hometown show some day. 

Devan: The death metal scene here is very healthy, trad metal not so much. We plan on making some converts when we open for First Fragment and Arkaik later this month.

Ted: In my opinion, Denver is more known for jam bands, but there is a metal scene.  We have a number of metal venues, as well as two great metal breweries!  Traditional metal is lacking however, so we hope to fill that gap.  In terms of trad, I don’t think Colorado is as good as some other areas.  The Pacific Northwest seems to have an awesome traditional metal scene!  Greyhawk, Sölicitör, and Skelator from Seattle, Iron Kingdom, Spell, and Gatekeeper from Vancouver, and Leathürbitch from Portland.  And don’t even get me started on how awesome the scene is in Sweden!  Enforcer, Ambush, Screamer, Air Raid, and others!

Dan: Blood Incantation and Havok are obviously and rightly big deal Denver bands, and I’d agree with the rest of Chamber Mage on which sub-genres are well-represented in the front range. Even though trad heavy metal bands from Denver and CO Springs are rarer, the diversity and number of venues we have means we get to see the greats in the genre whenever they tour. 

THE NWOTHM: What does traditional heavy metal mean to you and which bands do you feel have impacted the scene and the music that we know today?

Avery: I’m not really sure what I’d say it means to me but nothing gives me quite the same feelings of empowerment and strength as well as mysticism. In terms of new bands, Night Demon, Visigoth, and Savage Master come to mind in terms of who’ve impacted the scene the biggest in terms of getting the genre into the public eye. When Visigoth played a show with Killswitch and FFAA it was super sick because when was the last time you saw a traditional metal band on the same bill with the big boys like that? Same with Savage Master touring with EYEHATEGOD. And Eternal Champion getting that big black metal festival in Norway. It’s just cool seeing the bands get more mainstream exposure on festivals and tours that aren’t trad metal oriented already.

Ted: To me traditional heavy metal means a sound, look, and theme.  Clean soaring vocals, chugging riffs, ripping solos, dual guitar harmonies, and an overall epic vibe.  Denim, leather, and studs.  Long hair and battle vests.  Thematically, lyrics dealing with heroes, fantasy, good versus evil, hell, medieval aspects, and occasionally drinking beer!  I think bands like Enforcer, Icarus Witch, White Wizzard, and Twisted Tower Dire really held the torch high when the NWOTHM was first making a comeback.  Jarvis from Night Demon has had a huge impact on the scene, from managing bands like Visigoth, to having a label putting out trad metal (Haunt and Blood Star, if I remember correctly), to putting on festivals like Frost and Fire.  Also, all of the promoters who are booking trad festivals in the US really help the scene.  Hell’s Heroes, Legions of Metal, Stormbringer, Frozen in Time, Gates of Metal, and others.  Europe has always seemed to support the scene really well, with a ton of awesome bands and festivals like Keep It True, Headbangers Open Air, Muskelrock, and so many others.

Dan: Metal is about self-expression, combining individualism and creativity with the right level of campiness.  Metal bands are experiencing something that only those who have tried to play this style of music know: There is nothing more fun or gratifying than pulling off such physically and technically demanding music.  It’s a unique energy release, and that transfers to the listener.  The band’s focus and adrenaline becomes the listener’s, and can be as affecting to the listener as great classical or jazz recordings.  From devising the cover art to investing in recording the original music to driving all over the continent in less-than-reliable vans (not to mention practicing constantly), there is a spirit to metal and DIY attitude that isn’t in most genres.  Metal survives because of the scene, and that’s a great thing to be a part of.  The bands would not be putting their time, money, energy, and ear drums in peril if it wasn’t important.

THE NWOTHM: So thinking back what bands and artists did you listen as teenagers and do you have any music that is a guilty pleasure?

Avery: I think H.I.M and Maiden will always be my 2 favorite bands. But as a teenager I listened to a lot of Bodom, Choking Victim, Days n Daze, Pat the Bunny, Mischief Brew, The Pogues, Septic Flesh, Blue October and Eluveitie. I’d say that sums up my teenage taste pretty well.

Devan: Being from FL, I found death metal in 8th grade and went WAY down the rabbit hole into all the old school FLDM bands and kind of worked backwards to the older stuff. Mercyful Fate, Priest and Sanctuary gave me the bug for clean sung metal.

Ted: My guilty pleasure from a teenager is hair metal.  Poison was my first concert and I really got into bands like Scorpions, Ratt, Whitesnake, Motley Crue, and Dokken.  As a teenager growing up in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, I had to search for music that wasn’t grunge, nu metal, or emo.  And hair metal was refreshing having happy party songs, guitar solos, and falsetto screams.

Jaden: My favorite band from that time was definitely Avenged Sevenfold. Growing up in a small town, there wasn’t much variety of music beyond country and classic rock, so when I first heard them it was definitely an awakening of my music taste.

Dan: I have a lot of punk bands I grew up listening to, like The Exploited, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, and The Casualties. And then… I still vividly remember the moment I first heard Bodom’s Hatebreeder on my buddy Ben Plotz’s $40 CD player and it changed everything for me. I didn’t believe what I was hearing- that was possible with the same instruments me and my green mohawk-rocking friends were hacking away on in my garage? Punk was over for me and I started diving into the universe of metal. I was lucky enough to see Bodom many times in the late 2000’s and I still love listening to those albums. RIP Alexi

THE NWOTHM: Who’s the main song writers in the band and how do you approach writing?

Avery: After the other dudes learned and made my original demo songs a 100 times better, we’ve all contributed to the writing equally, everyone has brought in their own songs that contributed to the upcoming album.

Devan: I wrote the majority of the riffs that are in goofy or changing time signatures (sorry Dan) like the 5/4 chorus in Emerald Tower.

Dan: Haha, no problem, Devan! 

THE NWOTHM: What do you like to do in your spare time when you are not making music?

Avery: I Collect Transformers, listen to tunes, do medieval reenactment/sport combat, metal detect and go thrifting. 

Devan: I have no free time from music between CM and my other bands, Crotalus, Christectomy, Intestinal Dissection, Discorporate; teaching lessons and repairing guitars; and working on joining some really cool bigger projects I can’t officially announce.

Ted: I host bar trivia, watch American football (Skol Vikings), sing karaoke, hike in the mountains, and occasionally brew craft beer.  I also LOVE to travel!  I’ve visited 5 continents and 18 countries, with more to come this summer!

Jaden: I like to fish, hang out with friends, play video games, and cook.

Dan: I build things, spend time with my kids, and go to shows.

THE NWOTHM: And who has the best battle jacket in the band? 

Avery: All the patch vests in Chamber Mage are true to themselves are no are better than others, with that being said, Devans. 

Devan: Avery’s has the most schwag for sure.

Ted:  Definitely Avery’s!  He’s being too humble.

Dan: These guys are next-level with the vests, super impressive. I went the “bomber jacket with only a Suffo back-patch” route.

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us about the demo you released last year featuring the tracks “The Length of the Chain,” followed by “Blades of the Rampart” and finally “To Spires Deep and Caverns High (Riders of the Iron River).” 

Avery: Chain and Blades were 2 of the demo songs I wrote (minus the parts Devan and Jaden added to them) when I was conceptualizing the project.

Devan: I wrote To Spires Deep in about 2 weeks towards the end of 21, I was insanely inspired at the time and listening to a shit load of Manowar. My guitar teacher Phil Tougas (First Fragment, Chthe’ilist, Eternity’s End, etc.) helped me finalize and tidy up some of the concepts. I wanted the song to cover a lot of ground sonically while staying cohesive and I think we accomplished that.

Ted: I mixed the demo.  I’ve always enjoyed audio editing and mixing, so I was happy to do the demo.

Jaden: I loved the difference in tone each track has. It doesn’t feel like the same song three times. I also really admire the musicianship that all of the guys have in regards to writing and playing. It’s all purposeful and is always for the sake of the song.

THE NWOTHM: Do you each have a favourite EP track and if so why?

Avery: I like all 3 for different reasons. I like the story in Length of the Chain, I like the fist pumpy feeling of blades on the rampart and I love the riffs in spires. 

Devan: To Spires Deep is just super fun to play, the drums fucking DRIVE and always gets a great reaction live. AND it has a blast beat in it.

Ted: To Spires Deep is my favorite.  The band just really gels on that song.

Jaden: I don’t think I have a favorite, but I will say, Length of the Chain is always interesting because it’s in lydian mode, which I think is dope.

Dan: My favorite track to play is To Spires Deep just because it’s so damn fun. All of the sections are written really well and there are a lot of them! But to me, each of the three have great elements- the guitar solos in Blades are my EP favorites and The Chain is musically and lyrically dark and ominous, which I love. 

THE NWOTHM: You will be taking part in the Frozen In Time event in Fresno, CA joining the likes of Haunt and Traveler? Are you excited and what does it mean to be part of such a big event? 

Avery: I’m extremely excited. Haunt and Traveler are two of the NWOTHM bands I was really into before CM was formed, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t inspired by both of them to play the style of music we all grew up with.

Jaden: I feel so grateful and very humbled by such an amazing opportunity. All the bands in the lineup are heavy hitters and it’s an honor to share that stage with them.

Ted: Yes, I’m stoked to play the festival!  Trevor from Haunt and the guys from Traveler were both special guests on the last Thor album Alliance.  Thor also played some gigs with Savage Master and Leathürbitch, so it will be great to play with them again too!

Dan: Very excited.It doesn’t get better than sharing a stage with bands you paid to see only a year ago. 

Avery: Anywhere and Everywhere! We must spread word of the Emerald Gods!

THE NWOTHM: What shows have you got planned for the rest of 2023? Are you doing any big tours?

Devan: We are actually opening a tech death show 5/18 in Denver with Arkaik, First Fragment, Greylotus and A Wake In Providence and are gonna bring extra shred for that one!

Avery: We’re doing Legions of Metal fest in Chicago in June and StormBringer metal fest in July. Super excited for both!

THE NWOTHM: And where would you like to play in the near future? Any plans to venture further afield? 

Jaden: Anywhere we can play I think we will.

Devan: Hell’s Heroes is definitely on my radar next year as long as it doesn’t overlap with MDF.

Ted: I’d love to play some of the European metal festivals.  I played a few with Thor and they were some of the best times of my life!

THE NWOTHM: What have you got planned musically for 2023? Will you releasing a full length album? 

Avery: Absolutely. We’re wrapping up tracking now.

Dan: Shout out to Max (Justin Maxwell) for recording us!

Ted: We hope to have the full length released this summer.  We’ve talked to an awesome label about potentially releasing it too.

THE NWOTHM: Where can readers buy your merch and check you out?

Avery: Our merch is currently only available at shows. But that’s soon to change. We’re on Facebook, Instagram and the demo is on all streaming platforms!

Dan: Once the full length is released we’ll add a Bandcamp to sell merch.  

Ted: Our Linktree has links to everything: https://linktr.ee/chambermage 

THE NWOTHM: And finally is there anything else you would like to say?

Avery: Stay tuned for the full length, keep on rockin ‘in the free world!

Devan: Just for trve elitists: listen to trad/power metal and try having fun for once!

Jaden: Thank you for the support, and we can’t wait to see where we go next!

Ted: Heavy metal forever!  And thank you for taking the time to interview us!

Dan: Thank you to the awesome metal scene for supporting us, the experience so far has been incredible. And thanks to THE NWOTHM for the great questions!