God Forbid at the time of the release of "Earthsblood"
God Forbid has been quite the touring machine since the release of their February 2009 release “Earthsblood”. The band started touring with Lamb of God last spring and have continued well into 2010. The band was a last minute replacement for Throwdown on the current Five Finger Death Punch tour and will be heading out on the road with Kittie in March. As the band was making their way to a show in Buffalo, I had a chance to talk with guitarist Doc Coyle about the less pessimistic tone of the current record and how their new guitarist has been working out. Here’s my interview with Doc:
AM: How did the band become a last minute addition to the Five Finger Death Punch tour?
DC: Originally, we thought we were on the tour. Our manager thought we were on the tour as well, so we were kinda pissed off when we found out we didn’t get the tour because it was already on our radar. We had planned another tour because we didn’t get the tour- but when the second opportunity came around, we jumped at the chance to get on the tour.
AM: What is the major difference between “Earthsblood” and previous records?
DC: I think with the previous two records, there was a more apocalyptic vibe, perhaps more reflective and focused on dire events. During the writing of those albums, we had a difficult world view around us and it showed in the music, which had more of a political slant to the music. With “Earthsblood”, we went for a more organic approach to the music and made it more personal. We didn’t focus in on apocalyptic material. You can call it upbeat, at least from the music standpoint, but I cant speak for Byron (Davis- lead vocals) as to whether you’d consider his lyrics more upbeat.
AM: Do you think there has been one album or one moment where the evolution of the band that has stood out?
DC: I think every album is a evolution for the band. But if I had to say if there was one point, it was between the albums “Determination” and “Gone Forever”. There was more melody put into the music at that point, and the band moved away from a more metalcore sound to a more thrash metal tone. But as time went along, I think the band has moved into a far more traditional metal band and took it from there.
AM: How has new guitarist Matt Wickland(ex-Himsa) worked out so far?
DC: After Dallas left last April, he knew Matt from just being a friend we were from being on tour with over the years. After he played with Himsa, he did some work with Nevermore. Matt’s a good player and really interested in always getting better as a musician. You get a good vibe from him and we’ve connected on a personal level with him. We started writing during the holidays and looking forward to seeing what we do in the future.
AM: How has the current state of the music industry and economy affected the band?
DC: Not much (laughs). We’ve been real fortunate to be on some big marquee tours. We did the Lamb of God tour, then the Mayhem tour last summer. We haven’t been affected as much as other bands. The industry and economy is struggling right now, and everybody is having problems. I think we may see some of the effects of this when we go on tour with Kittie, but I hope not.
AM: Will the band be touring through the summer?
DC: At this point, we aren’t going to tour in the summer. We are going to go back in to record the next album. We want to tour for a purpose and not just because we can. We’ve had a good run on this tour and look forward to the next record.
God Forbid plays with Kittie at the Hayloft Liquor Stand on Wednesday, March 17th (yes, St. Patrick’s Day). Tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates can be found at www.godforbid1.com.
