1.Since you are at your first interview on this site, why don't you tell our readers when and how you started your journey in the underground world?
I have been playing & writing music since my mid teenage years and I always found writing riffs & lyrics cathartic, a way to express and get the thoughts out of my head. I was in many punk/hardcore bands over the years & then I got asked to join a 3 piece metal band as singer/guitarist. That's when I realised I could actually pull off aggressive vocals. I kept writing my own songs & over the years my songs just stacked up on my computer (or 12 track previous to using computers) It wasn't until 2019 when we were locked down that I had time to finally take it more serious and start to experiment with some different styles like Metalcore & Trapmetal & start to record properly. I have recently found an insane producer who has nailed my sound so the new songs are pouring out of me.
2. What genres and bands is the group influenced by?
I actually like so many different styles but I can't keep up with all the genres & sub genres that keep popping up. My influences range from Rage Against the Machine, Bodycount, Suicidal Tendancies, Pennywise, Parkway Drive, Madball, Terror & my all time favourite band Biohazard who had the perfect blend of hardcore, metal, punk & rap. The first time I heard them was watching the Punishment music video and I was instantly hooked, rushing out to buy their album
If you told me in back then that I when I was older that I would be mates with Billy from Biohazard I would think you were crazy. Billy has actually been mentoring me for a year or 2 now. Just insane.
3. I know it might not be easy to do, but could you comment on your latest work?
I have actually recorded my next 8 songs & will be releasing a song every 6 weeks (whilst still recording new songs as well) The next single is a metal core/trap metal song which I collaborated with J-Figure from Aussie Trap Metal band The Weight of $ilence. The song is pretty brutal & has a pretty heavy lyrical content as well. J-Figure brought an entirely different energy to the song which I love. The next 4 releases are all Collabs with legends such as Tanner Wayne from In Flames, & Adam Ramey from the Dropout Kings. I am really looking forward to getting these songs out there.
My last single I dropped was a cover of the Shelter Hardcore song called Chance which I have always resonated with the positive lyrics about always taking that chance in life.
4.The underground metal scene is undoubtedly inflated by many groups, so (often) it is necessary to present compositions that stand out in the chaos of the various musical scenes. Do you think your songs have something more to say or different from what has already been said in the crowded metal world?
I have always had fairly positive lyrics about going hard, pushing through pain & achieving your goals, but the last few years have seen me redirect my thoughts to the current state of society, government censorship & media narratives. It all depends on how I am feeling when I am writing. I love rap/hiphop & trap metal so I have also been adding some synth and 808 style beats mixed in with the brutal 7 string metal core riffs so I think the next few songs will really open peoples eyes both lyrically & musically. I am not following a formula or trying to tweak an existing sound or style, I am simply writing music that I want to hear, & hopefully that reverberates with others too.
5.What do you think of the national underground scene?
Australia has a really strong underground scene & we are actually seeing some bands break out into the larger festival scene which is awesome to see. Of course it's always hard when there are limited venues to play when you are coming up but bands always try to support each other and get newer up and coming bands in the support slots.
6. The career of a musical group (however short it may be) is always studded with more or less positive events. What would you like to erase and what will you always remember from your group experience, from the very beginning until now?
I am lucky that I sort of class myself as a solo artist, as my drummer lives in the Philippines & I have a bass player from the USA. I have been in too many bands that simply fall apart over fairly minor things in the end & I just want to concentrate on writing the best songs that I can & have the best features & collabs. My goal is to keep getting bigger & bigger artists to collaborate or feature on my songs. But by far the highlight for me is working with Billy from Biohazard. I actually have to pinch myself sometimes, it still feels surreal.
7. How do you judge the Internet vehicle for promoting the music scene?
The internet is a fickle beast, it can make you & also break you. Back in the day there was mystique to the bands I loved. You would see them in magazines & on MTV / RAGE etc & if you were lucky you could maybe hear an interview on the radio. The rest you had to make up yourself by reading the lyrics, linear notes & looking at the photos on the CD or record sleeve. Now every thought that pops into someones head, good or bad gets posted to the comments which can be very overwhelming. Negative comments can be disheartening but it's all part of it, I usually pay no mind to them. But overall the internet has allowed me to connect & collab with huge artists that I would have thought were unobtainable. It has also allowed me to release my own music independently and promote it however I see fit, so I see the internet as a good thing for music.
8.Since we are talking about it .... how many original CDs do you buy each month? And how many do you listen to?
I don't actually buy many physical CD's anymore, but back in the day I would buy at least 2 a week which was actually a large portion of my wage. I would have over 500 CD's in my collection for sure. I used to love going into my local record store & finding new bands. There was a really small store near me where the owner would work out what you were into and then recommend new bands based on your previous purchases. He would say, "if you like Gorilla Biscuits you should like Shelter" and then he would play you some songs. Most of the time he nailed it.
When it comes to listening to new music, I am always on the look out. I love hearing a band I have never heard before & then looking into them and learning about where they are from. It is way better than just putting on the same bands you always listen to. I just don't get that.
9.What does your group want to do when they grow up?
Hahaha, ummmmm, that's been and gone for me. I am a project manager, but I still probably haven't fully grown up to be honest. It is unfortunate that many very successful groups still require full time jobs to survive. If you are doing music for the money you will be rudely awakened. Writing & playing music is about the love of it. For me it's also a legacy thing. I want to write the best music that will hopefully be around for a long time.
10.Okay, guys! The space at our disposal is about to run out, but I want to give you carte blanche for the last message. The word is yours, you are free to express yourselves!
Thanks for the opportunity. I guess I would like to close things out by saying, go out and support local bands, everyone starts somewhere. I actually go to a lot of gigs by myself as I can't be bothered rounding up mates to go. I usually have never heard of the support bands but they mostly blow me away I become a new fan. Also go down the rabbit hole of Spotify fans also like to discover new artists & find new playlists to listen to. And don't be afraid to like their songs & follow them on Spotify or socials. Just because they only have a few hundred monthly listeners doesn't mean they are not worth a follow. If you like their music, please support in anyway you can. It does mean a lot to them.
Drop me a DM on Instagram to let me know you have read this article, I would love to hear from you.
https://www.instagram.com/slatz_music/
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