In the of gore/death/grind metal, Exhumed is one of the grandfathers of this genre of music. After forming the band in the early 90’s, the California based released their debut in 1998. After a few albums that were released around [...]]]>

Exhumed play with Goatwhore and Havok tomorrow night at the I-Rock.

In the of gore/death/grind metal, Exhumed is one of the grandfathers of this genre of music. After forming the band in the early 90’s, the California based released their debut in 1998. After a few albums that were released around the turn of the century, the band went on a hiatus in 2005. In that time, guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey was quite busy, performing in bands like Cretin and others during the break.

But in 2010, Harvey and the rest of the members of Exhumed decided to give the band another try and started writing and recording once again. The band had a nice welcome back as their sets were one of the most talked about sets at this past year’s Maryland Deathfest. That good fortune carried over to the summer release of their seventh full length album, “No Guts, No Glory”- which is being heralded as a return to form for the band.

With the album now out, the band recently wrapped up a European tour and just got back on the road in the States with Goatwhore and Havok. After the band got back from across the pond, Harvey was able to answer my questions and we discussed the new direction for the band how the new album compared with past material.
Here’s my interview with Matt:

AM: Have you been surprised at the reception for “All Guts, No Glory” from metal critics and fans?
MH: Honestly, it has been really surprising. We wrote the record without any real expectations, just thinking we would do a couple of festival shows and kind of lay low and take things as they came, and then we just kept getting offers to do more and more festivals which blossomed into tours, and now we have plans for the next several months. It was kind of like getting thrown into the deep end, but it’s been awesome. I really had no idea that so many people actually remembered the band and wanted to come see us play. It’s been a lot of fun, and also a lot of work getting things back together. When we recorded the album, we didn’t even own our own gear and stuff, so slowly we’ve been getting back to the status of being a “real band”, haha!

AM: After several years away, does the new album give the band a renewed sense of purpose and direction?
MH: Definitely. I think after the “Anatomy…” record we really were at a transitional point, and with that line-up disintegrating and a new line-up not really coming together so well at the time, we were definitely not on the most solid of footings. You can even hear it on the cover record we did back in ‘05, there’s punk stuff, doom stuff, melodic stuff, thrash songs, but it wasn’t really all that cohesive. With the new record we’ve really kind of crystallized what it is this band is good at doing, and I’m really proud of that. I also couldn’t have done it without Wes (Caley, guitar) who wrote 50% of the material for the record. In the past I wrote more like 80/90% of the songs, so it’s been a great kick in the ass and really invigorating to finally be able to write a record with him. Me wanting to write with him was really the catalyst of the whole reunion and everything right there.

AM: With what prior Exhumed album does “All Guts, No Glory” have the same musicial and overall spirit with?
MH:I think it sits kind of right between “Slaughtercult” and “Anatomy…”. It has that leaner, meaner vibe of the 2nd record with some of the more melodic and sophisticated stuff on the 3rd one. Basically everyone that recorded the album thought that “Slaughtercult” was our best record up to that point, so we tried to keep that vibe intact – the straightforward, go-for-the-throat kind of thing. But we also incorporated stuff from all the shit we’ve done really.

AM: How did 6 years away from the band change your writing style?
MH:Well, in the intervening time, I mostly played Thrash metal with Dekapitator and Scarecrow, so I got a lot of perspective on what Exhumed actually sounds like. When I started writing for the record I basically sat down with a 12 pack of beer and started listening to everything the band had done from ‘92-’05 and kind of took it in from an outsider’s perspective. I was able to be a lot more objective about the things that Exhumed has done well and the things that we kind of floundered at trying to do. Both Wes and I are very song-oriented, all I’m really interested in are hooks and choruses and sh– like that. so our goal was to write songs, not show how brutal we can be, or whatever.
AM:20 years plus into the band’s existence, where does the band pull inspiration from when writing new material?
MH: Basically we all love metal and grind and rock music in general. We all enjoy playing together and have fun on the road, and we all like writing and recording and playing live. At this point, I’ve been playing in bands for longer than I haven’t in my life, so it’s just kind of what I do and what makes sense to me. I don’t really kow what else I would be doing with myself outside of playing music. Fish gotta swim, and birds gotta fly, and I gotta write songs.

AM: The death/gore metal genre has changed a lot since the band started- what do you find to be the most startling things you seen in the genre now?
MH: I like the resurgence of old-school death metal and thrash and even heavy metal that has been going on in the last few years. It’s great that there are bands like Origin or Obscura that are pushing the genre further in terms of technicality, but it’s equally important to honor the traditions of where all this madness came from and celebrate the filthy, grimy primordial slime that Death Metal emerged from. We don’t try to be retro or modern or really anything at all, but it’s cool that the genre is strong enough to include everything. I don’t really pay too much attention to what’s going on with the scene though, to be honest. I focus on my own sh– and keeping my own perspective, which helps us sound like Exhumed, instead of like whatever is going on around us.

AM: Is there a timetable on doing any further newer material in the coming months?
MH:We’ve started to get a few things together, mostly just bits of stuff at this point. We also had about 7 or 8 other songs we wrote that didn’t make it on the last record, so I’m sure we’ll be cannibalizing those riffs for jumping-off points for new stuff. We’re hoping to get back in the studio after next summer. In the meantime, I’ll be using our downtime in December and January to work on the DVD we started 6 years ago and get that out next year.

AM: What can fans expect from the upcoming tour with Goatwhore and Havok?

MH: It’s going to be a great time with three killer bands that are all different from each other but totally intense in their own way. Goatwhore are old friends of ours, so it’s great to finally be out on the road with them. We have a pretty extensive set that covers a bit of everything, lots of new songs, but stuff from all the records, even from the Hemdale split. So come on down, grab a beer and get ready for the heaviest night of your life!

Exhumed play at the I-Rock Nightclub on Monday, October 31^st. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door or at ticketmaster.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.exhumed.us.

As most people in the States know, the recent weather has not been too kind to us. So, it was no surprise when I called David Sanchez, lead singer of the Denver based metal band Havok, he was in between shoveling massive amounts [...]]]>

Havok shreds into the I-Rock next Saturday night.

As most people in the States know, the recent weather has not been too kind to us. So, it was no surprise when I called David Sanchez, lead singer of the Denver based metal band Havok, he was in between shoveling massive amounts of snow in between storms hitting that area. It was one of Sanchez’ last days before he headed out on a month long tour with Malevolent Creation, in support of the band’s upcoming album, “Time Is Up” (out March 29^th).

Havok was formed in 2004, when the guys in the band were still in high school. Fueled by their love of old school thrash metal, the band worked relentlessly until the band was signed by Candlelight Records. “Time Is Up” is the band’s sophomore releases and promises to be bigger, heavier and faster than what they’ve put out to this point.

During my conversation with Sanchez, we discussed the evolution of the band from teenagers into their early 20’s, as well as the way bands like Havok can be unfairly pigeonholed into the term “thrash” by fans and critics alike.
Here’s my interview with David:

AM: With “Time Is Up” due in March, how long did it take the band to finish the album?
DS: Well, there were some songs idea that had been developed even before the last album was done, but just sat for a while until we were ready to write the new album. But once we got down to this album, we started writing last June and were done with the recording by October. I’m beyond psyched for the album, it’s the best stuff we’ve ever put out.

AM: With song titles like “Scumbag In Disguise” and “Fatal Intervention”, it’s pretty safe to say that the band’s mood going into the album was pessimistic?
DS: I don’t feel we’re that pessimistic in our everyday lives, but the lyrics of the songs would reflect otherwise. The style of music is pretty angry, so you gotta have some lyrics that reflect the mood of the music, right? (laughs).

AM: How do you feel this album improves on the first album?
DS: I think the lyrics and music are greatly improved. The riffing and lyrics are just a lot stronger now. When we wrote that first album, I was 15 or 16 and you know how it is when you’re young and creating something, it sometimes doesn’t sound the greatest or sounds downright bad (laughs). The rest of the guys in the band were around the same age, so I think over the years that the music has progressed as we’ve matured.

AM: Did the band look more to the older thrash or newer thrash for inspiration?
DS: We definitely have a classic thrash influence. We’d look at different band’s MySpace pages to see who we may thought sounded original out of the new thrash scene, and Evile seemed to be about the only band doing what we wanted to do. It’s kinda a bummer that we sometimes we get lumped together will all of these bands that do this sort of music, but you gotta keeping trying. We’ve been doing this longer than a lot of the newer bands, so when someone says things like that, you kinda just have this “go f— yourself” attitude towards that.

AM: The band received a major seal of approval from legendary metal drummer Gene Hoglan, how did you guys meet him?
DS: It was pretty rad. Obviously, Gene is a legendary drummer who has been in so many bands. What’s really good about him is that he pays attention to the underground and is always finding new bands. I met him when he was filling in for Unearth, or someone like that- could be wrong about who he was drumming with at the time. I introduced myself to him,, saying I was in a band called Havok. Gene immediately said, “oh! You mean Havok from Denver? I’ve heard you guys before.” So for him to already know who we were was a surprise and a great feeling.

Havok opens up for Malevolent Creation at the I-Rock Nightclub on Saturday, February 19th. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/havok.

Being into bands like Kiss, the Misfits and so on generally aren’t the signs of being an outcast as much as they used to be- but there are certainly some areas of the States where it still could be. Growing up in Kentucky, [...]]]>

Black Veil Brides play this Friday at the I-Rock.

Being into bands like Kiss, the Misfits and so on generally aren’t the signs of being an outcast as much as they used to be- but there are certainly some areas of the States where it still could be. Growing up in Kentucky, lead singer of the LA based band Black Veil Brides, Andy Six, listening to those bands still faced a lot of that venom from fellow students when he was younger.

Those influences and others helped Andy head out to LA and start the Brides. After touring for a couple of years, the 19 year old Andy leads the Brides into their first major tour throughout the States in support of their upcoming release, “We Stitch Those Wounds” (due out July 20^th).

Before a show in Houston, I had a chance to talk with Andy about what to expect from the upcoming album and how he found the bands that helped shape his music interests. Here’s my interview with Andy:

AM: With the album coming out soon, what is your mood going into the release?
AS: There is a lot of excitement, but also a sense of accomplishment. Ultimately, I set out to make an record that I wanted to make and sounds like something I would listen to. I hope lyrically and musically, it makes an impression on people. I’ve been doing this since I was 14, it’s the only band I’ve been in and I want to band this band like bands I want to go see.

AM: What sort of influences go into the band’s sound?
AS: When starting out with the band, I was a bit selfish about how I wanted the band to sound (laughs). I set out to be a band like Motley Crue or Kiss, but definitely something more epic. As much as I love Kiss, I think the lyrical content maybe wasn’t the most emotional- so with my music, I set out to make the lyrics where more people would connect with it on an emotional level. Along with those bands, I was influenced by bands like Hot Water Music and Alkaline Trio as well.

AM: What was your initial exposure to a band like Kiss?
AS: My earliest memory of discovering Kiss when I was 5. My dad was a musician who was in a bunch of punk bands and was a major Kiss fan. One day, he came down with a box full of trading cards and had Kiss trading cards- it was a rite of passage in a way. I looked at these guys as superheroes, like Batman or something. The first album I got into by the band was “Revenge” and it just started from there.

AM: How did your liking for those bands affect your motivation to start a band?
AS: You have to belief in yourself. In school in Kentucky, I was a bit of a loner and didn’t have friends. Living in a place like that, when you dress up like a member of Kiss, it kinda limits the friends you’re gonna have (laughs). But it spurred me to become something big. And now, I want to help other kids through tough times and inner strife. I enjoy going to places like Texas, and see these kids that looked like me all together and getting into a show- sometimes a show like that is far more intense than something in LA or something.

AM: What can we expect from a Black Veil Brides show?
AS: There are lot of ideas. At this point, we all feed off each other’s energy in the show. What we may lack in a stage show because we’re just starting out, we definitely make up for in the energy of the show. We want there to be nothing more entertaining than a Black Veil Brides show.

Black Veil Brides play the I-Rock Nightclub on Friday, July 23^rd. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.etix.com. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/blackveilbrides.