Metal Shop's Backstage Pass

You probably know this by now, but I'll say it anyways : Bandcamp is a great resource for up and coming artists as well as music fans. I wanted to get a better idea of some of the initiatives behind the artist-friendly nature of Bandcamp and some of the history behind the company, so I chatted with Andrew Jervis (Chief Curator and host of Bandcamp Weekly) and Brad Sanders (Bandcamp metal columnist and metal radio host). We talked about everything from "Bandcamp Friday" to Indonesian slam metal. Enjoy!  

Gojira is gearing up to release "Fortitude" on April 30th, so I caught up with vocalist Joe Duplantier. We chatted about staying home with the kids, working on an album during a pandemic, designing his own metal t-shirts and much more. 

Dying Wish is an awesome metal core band from Portland that is gearing up to release their debut full length album later this year. I spoke with vocalist Emma Boster about recording the album over 5 weeks in New Jersey, her first musical influences, some of her favorite albums, how she's been staying busy during the pandemic, doing vocals on a Knocked Loose song and much much more. 

Enforced is an awesome thrash/hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia that recently released "Kill Grid" on Century Media. I spoke with vocalist Knox Colby about Richmond music, growing up in the hardcore scene, signing with Century Media, dealing with life during a pandemic and much more. 

“The power of the riff compels me!” These words were made famous by Eyehategod guitarist and DOWN drummer Jimmy Bower. I spoke with Jimmy via phone from his home down in New Orleans about the brand new Eyehategod album, the role New Orleans played in his music taste, life during the pandemic, his favorite riffs and much more.

Nervosa is an awesome thrash metal band from Sao Paulo, Brazil that recently released their fourth full length “Perpetual Chaos.” I spoke with guitarist Prika Amaral about lineup changes, the new album, being the first all female metal band on the cover of Decibel and more in this short chat.

Simon Wright is a legendary drummer in the world of rock n roll and metal who is most well-known for his years in AC/DC, UFO and of course DIO. I spoke with Simon about the release of the brand-new DIO live albums, what it’s like performing with a hologram of Ronnie James Dio, life during Covid, early influences and much more.

Wolf Hoffmann is the last remaining member of the O.G. Accept lineup and it doesn’t sound like he’s going anywhere. I spoke with Wolf about the new Accept album “Too Mean to Die”, life during the pandemic, early inspirations and much more.

A few months back I spoke with Eric Lauder from the Detroit, Michigan based thrash/death metal band Plague Years. Their newest album “Circle of Darkness” is AWESOME! We chat about rap, death metal, Detroit, scars and more. 

Cannibal Corpse will be releasing “Violence Unimagined” in April, so I chatted with bassist Alex Webster about the album, staying consistent, recording from across the nation, living in Portland, working with Erik Rutan full time and much more.