MetalsPeak - Interviews

Jared and Leggz caught up with TesseracT guitarist James Monteith on the Denver stop of their tour with Katatonia, Cult Of Luna, and Intronaut to get thoughts on the diversity of the tour package, best stops so far, and how the new singer is working out. They also discussed their latest album "Altered State" - both the writing of and the response they've been getting from fans, as well as a broader discussion of the evolution of the djent genre. They wrap up with some gear talk and plans for the rest of the year.

Jared and Leggz caught up with Katatonia guitarist Anders Nystrom on the Denver stop of their tour with TesseracT, Cult Of Luna, and Intronaut to get thoughts on the tour so far and comparisons in touring the US vs Europe, which included a different take than we usually hear.

Also heard some interesting thoughts on upcoming tours and acoustic material, early influences, and what keeps you going after a storied career.

Jared caught up with Fit For An Autopsy for the third time and had a great chat with Nate and Pat about how things have changed over the last three years, specifically regarding touring, the album process, label support, and gear.

Pat shared some insight on the motivating factors behind new album "Hellbound" in contrast with their previous effort "The Process of Human Extermination" as well as some details on recent endorsements that have come their way.

Jared caught up with vocalist Tim Goergen on the last stop on the tour with All Shall Perish, Oceano, Reflections, and Betrayal to talk about tours, albums, and musical taste.

Tim highlighted some of the best stops of this tour as well as what's coming up on their next jaunt. He also talked about their latest release, "Elite" and the differences between it and their previous effort, "Invade". Jared got some insight on lyrical inspiration and vocal warm up techniques as well.

And finally, everyone's favorite topic: Musical preferences outside metal, including some choice guilty pleasures on both sides of the table.

Jared caught up with guitarist Josh Elmore after Cattle Decapitation's anihilating set on the Summer Slaughter Tour for a nice lengthy chat about touring, recording, and guitars.

Josh commented on what it's like coming back to the Summer Slaughter Tour after being on the inaugural year, as well as thoughts on the importance of a good, entertaining live show and the level of passion found in the metal community.

He also talked about Cattle's discography up to "Monolith Of Inhumanity", what it was like recording with Dave Otero at Flatline Audio, and goals for the next album.

And finally, if you've ever wondered where in the hell Josh got that funky looking guitar - listen up! Lots of good stuff for you in here!

We had a quick chat with Aeon vocalist Tommy Dahlstrom on the Denver stop of the Summer Slaughter tour - the band's first outing in America. Tommy noted an interesting difference in crowd reaction on this side of the pond as well as best tour stops.

He also mentioned he's anxious to get working on new music when the tour is over, citing they'd like to take more time to put the next album together. This can only mean supreme brutality given the relentless slaying that is "Aeons Black". We asked about lyrical inspiration and while the answer was brief, it was understood that Tommy has plenty of reference for many albums to come.

We caught up with The Ocean's Robin Staps for the 2nd time for a great chat about touring, cultural differences across the world, and the writing process.

Robin started by sharing a bit of what they've learned about how to tour the US and the role American hospitality plays in it. And we couldn't avoid the elephant in the room, and Robin was happy to talk about it: the recent Facebook back-and-forth about rules and regulations, specifically the "No stage diving" precedent. While still open minded, Robin is nonetheless passionate about this topic and makes great, thought provoking points while comparing the hardcore scene to pop music and even sporting events.

We closed by hearing about the differences in the writing process for "Pelagial" compared to previous albums, and thoughts on touring Russia and China.

We got some time with Dave Davidson before Revocation's set on the Denver stop of the Summer Slaughter tour to get some thoughts on how the tour has gone now that it's winding down. Dave let us know which stops have been the best as well as overall thoughts on the diversity of the tour lineup.

And then Daigle unleashed some geek out on the skill of Dave's playing including the banjo cameo on "Invidious" (from their latest release), the importance of being able to play slowly, and the Jackson Warrior.

Jared caught up with Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson on the 2nd night of the Opeth/Katatoni tour stop in Boulder, CO. They covered how the tour has been going and what the best stop has been, as well as how it is being "in" the band after working for the band as a guitar tech. Eriksson also talked about response to new album given there wasn't much time to write, and the transition from tech death to gothic style playing as well as guitar influences. And then gear talk. Lots of gear talk. If you're a gear head, GET IN HERE! Finally we got some insight to plans for the rest of the year.

Jared and Legz shared a nice lengthy chat with Dino Cazares on the first night of The World Industrialist tour at The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs. Dino shared some thoughts on the recent European tour with Devin Townsend, feedback good and bad since the release of "The Industrialist" as well as pros and cons of writing with a live drummer vs a drum program. We also heard about what to look forward to with the next Fear Factory album and Dino's view on how technology has affected piracy in the entertainment industry. The conversation closed out with 8 string integration and gear talk.