MetalsPeak - Interviews

Jared caught up with Soilwork vocalist Bjorn "Speed" Strid during the Denver, CO stop of the Soilwork, Jeff Loomis, Blackguard and Hatchet tour. Speed shared thoughts on the tour so far, the reasoning behind the double album approach for "The Living Infinite", and song writing methods both past and present. Jared also inquired as to what drives a band after almost 20 years in the business. Finally, the topics of production quality vs studio tricks and US vs Europe tour differences was discussed.

Stu and Legz met up with Jeff Loomis for their first interview at The Gothic during Jeff's tour with Soilwork, Blackguard and Hatchet. Jeff talked about the tour and how his solo act came to be, what the song writing process looks like - as well as the obligatory gear questions and hobbies on tour. Jeff also talked about his take on the metal scene and gives us an answer to the question that everybody wants to know.

Jared caught up with Dying Fetus drummer Trey Williams at The Black Sheep during their tour with Hatebreed, Shadows Fall and The Contortionist. Trey talked about fan reactions to their latest release "Reign Supreme"; specifically what songs are most requested. The song writing process, drumming styles, cymbal preferences, and what it takes to stay committed to such intense music also came up. Trey also commented on music preferences of late, both metal and non-metal and a surprise answer to the dream tour package.

Daigle snagged some time with The Contortionist vocalist Jonathan Carpenter during the Colorado Springs stop of the The Divinity of Purpose tour to go over thoughts on the tour so far and feedback on their 2012 release "Intrinsic". We also talked about things that fill time in between tours/writing/recording.

We chatted with Mike Semesky from The HAARP Machine at the end of the Deconsecrate The Nation tour stop in Colorado Springs at The Black Sheep. We covered a wide range of topics including tour stop highlights so far (both on and off dates), backstory on how Mike joined the band, vocal training, best albums of the year, and of course Harry Potter.

Plus if you're not familiar with the turkey high 5, the happy salmon, and the elusive bird trombone GET IN HERE!

We Skyped with Scott McMasters, drummer and vocalist from Coathanger Abortion, and got some updates on the upcoming new album, including what's different this time out. He also recapped some recent tours, what they listen to in the van; both metal and non-metal, as well as future plans.

Jared talked with Niilo Sevänen about how the tour has been going with Epica, Alestorm, and System Divide and how excited state side fans are to see them given the long span since their last US tour. Niilo also weighed in on differences between touring the US versus touring Europe, as well as what it takes to warm up before shows. Ideal tour packages also came up.

We Skyped with Joe and Dave from Mechina to get some insight on the new album, Empyrean, as they put the finishing touches on it. Turns out their writing style was a bit backwards from the traditional approach when orchestration is involved. Joe also mentioned the addition of a 9 string Agile guitar. Pros and cons of the DIY culture were discussed and we wrapped things up with thoughts on best albums of 2012.

Jared sat down with Matti Honkonen and Markus Jamsen of Finnish doom metal masters Swallow the Sun during the Denver stop of their U.S. tour with Kreator and Accept. Topics of discussion included the songwriting process for their album, the differences in touring the U.S. versus Europe, bands they'd like to tour with, and how they gel so well as a band (often writing entire albums' worth of material in just a few days). They also discuss their plans for the rest of 2012 and into 2013.

Jared sat down with the always mighty (and never crunchy) Devin Townsend during the Denver stop of the Epic Kings and Idols tour with Katatonia and Paradise Lost. Hevy Devy is feeling pretty happy these days, as evidenced by his new album Epicloud and his onstage exuberance. He talked a bit about the songwriting process for the new album, future plans, and what he thinks he might get out of the video submissions for Lucky Animals.