What with the announcement that At The Gates are reforming for a couple of shows this year, a lot of metal bands are excited at the moment. None more so than US metallers The Red Death who have just issued their Gothenburg-inspired Godmakers album so Planet Loud hooked up with the band for a quick chat.
Planet Loud – Hey guys, thanks for your time, how are you today?
The Red Death – I’m pretty well, just got done with work and I’m relaxing with a nice refreshing beer.
Planet Loud – So, for those of our readers who don’t know who The Red Death are, care to introduce the band and tell us who you are?
The Red Death – We’re a thrash / death / extreme metal band from Upstate NY. Aaron Conti & Mark Kelley shred axe, Jordan Rathbun hammers bass, Paul Hamblin shreds vocal chords and I’m Graham and I hit stuff.
Planet Loud – You’ve got a new album coming out on Siege Of Amida Records, how did those guys get involved?
The Red Death – We recorded a three song demo in May ’06 and shopped it around, they were the first legit offer we got so we started talking and got the legal stuff taken care of soon after.
Planet Loud – Listening to the album, there is a huge nod towards the Gothenburg metal scene. What is it about that sound that you find so inspiring?
The Red Death – The Gothenburg ‘sound’ tends to have a pretty raw, visceral feel to it versus some of the other forms / localities of metal. The bands out of that area really don’t let up with the intensity or so it seems.
Planet Loud – When did you first discover the delightful sound that was Gothenburg metal?
The Red Death – I was probably 17 or 18 when i picked up an Earache sampler and, sloshed inbetween some bunk ass industrial stuff, At the Gates stood out like a golden thumb. I’m not sure if it was Paul, Josh (original guitarist) or myself that found ATG first but when the three of us started listening to them it struck a certain chord.
Planet Loud – At The Gates, The Haunted – they’re obviously bands you’re big fans of. What else is on your CD-Player/I-Pod?
The Red Death – Lately it’s been pretty varied for me. I’ve been on a big Hendrix kick lately (repeated listens of “South Saturn Delta”), Russian Circles “Enter”, John Prine “Pink Cadillac”, Stevie Ray Vaughn “Essentials”, Dredg “To Catch Without Arms”, the newest Animosity record is fucking solid, Black Dahlia Murder “Nocturnal”, the new Radiohead… it all depends on my mood. I got a hold of a Merle Haggard boxset the other day…
Planet Loud – Is it hard to replicate the feel and fury of the Gothenburg sound without sounding like you’re just copying it?
The Red Death – Well, we’ve never intended to replicate that sound. It’s been done already / is still being done by the bands who created the sound. That’s not for us to tackle – we essentially put our own spin on it. The Gothenburg sound is obviously a huge influence on us but it isn’t everything. There are a lot of bands who’ve copied the ATG riffing style and just thrown in breakdowns as filler but I think that trend has passed for the most part (fortunately).
Planet Loud – When that whole Gothenburg scene in the early 90s did it get a lot of interest in America in terms of press coverage etc or did it stay underground?
The Red Death – At the time “Slaughter of the Soul” came out I was listening to Korn and 311 and just getting into punk bands on Fat Wreck and Epitaph (Mayhem, who?). I was quite unaware until about 2000 that At the Gates even existed… The only real exposure I had to underground metal at the time was a mix tape Tim Sprague made for me with Cynic, Morbid Angel, Death, Deadguy and some other Victory bands (anybody remember DONUTS?!). Without any first hand experience from that era I’d have to say it remained underground. The only press I remember seeing around then was a piece on Milwaukee Metal Fest in a Guitar World I’d picked up around ’96 or ’97. It’s been a pretty recent thing in America that extreme metal has started to gain more of a mainstream acceptance.
Planet Loud – Okay, talk us through some of the songs on the album, what inspires them lyrically?
The Red Death – Ha, unfortunately i’m just the drummer! I’ve always respected Paul’s lyric style and it’s only evolved since the band first started. To generalize what he says Paul tackles metaphysical / philosophical / existential topics. He’s pretty well read in those areas and has spent a while considering the ideas that the great philosophers have put out there for us to digest.
Planet Loud – What is the writing process like, do you write as a band or as individuals and then combine the ideas?
The Red Death – We come together as a band to write… sometimes Aaron or Mark will bring in a riff they worked on outside of practice and we’ll start jamming on it and working around the idea. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to use exactly what was brought in from outside practice, writing tends to be rather spontaneous and experimental when all five of us are working on a song. Some of the songs take a while to arrange, some come rather quickly. There’s really no telling what exactly is going to happen from start to finish in the writing process of the song.
Planet Loud – A lot of bands seem to be following the old school death metal sound again with new bands like Job For A Cowboy giving the scene credibility with the Myspace kids. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for extreme music?
The Red Death – The myspace phenomena has created plenty of clone bands and acts but at least JFAC have made a step toward a better maturity in their song writing. “Genesis” has a lot of varied (and legit) metal influences as a progression from the Doom EP. They lost the reliance on cheesy breakdowns and started to work with a more varied influence on their songs. Myspace has its pros and cons… As for extreme music in general? It’s good and bad. It seems like the intent and reality of the old school metal bands has been lost and replaced with gratuitous clone-bands that operate behind a facade. Splatter logos used to be cool but I’m pretty sick of seeing them now…
Planet Loud – Okay, I’ve got this far without mentioning At The Gates reforming but I guess you guys are pretty excited?
The Red Death – Holy fuck I thought this would never happen.
Planet Loud – One band we interviewed said they would sell their guitarists left nut to come and see At The Gates in Europe. How far would you go to see them live?
The Red Death – Fuckin’ Mars
Planet Loud – Speaking of live, what are your touring plans for 2008?
The Red Death – We’ll definitely be hitting the road to support “Godmakers” and we’re working on CD release shows in the Upstate NY area right now. There’s been talk of touring with Year of Desolation but I’m waiting on tentative dates for it. We’ll see what comes up for us when the record comes out – we’ll be back at it, for sure, though.
Planet Loud – Are there any plans for you to come over to the UK at all?
The Red Death – Most certainly, with SOAR being based out of London we’ve already discussed plans to come overseas. Ideally we’d like to be in the UK / Europe in Spring / Summer ’08, nothing’s been talked about yet but it’s on the horizon.
Planet Loud – What are the rest of your plans for 2008?
The Red Death – Hang out, play shows, tour, work…
Planet Loud – Okay guys, thanks for your time, all the best for 2008. Is there anything else you want to say?
The Red Death – Thanks! check out “Godmakers”, go fast turn left.
Interview by Graham Finney
