The Downbeat - Shadow Of Intent (Bryce Butler + Chris Wiseman)

Episode Date: March 16, 2023

My guests this week are Bryce Butler and Chris Wiseman of Shadow of Intent. I caught up with them on their mostly sold out FIRST time in Europe to find out why they're so bleeding good. Enjoy.

Hey guys, if you're watching this on YouTube, which by now you are, let's be honest. Mario episode, you're welcome. Had about three quarters of the views on YouTube and a little quarter on audio. If you're still an audio person, that's fine. We're still here. Going to be quick, because as you can see in the background on YouTube, unpacking for tour. If you're watching or listening to this, right now I'm on tour,

bear tooth motionless and white straight from the path come to a show I'm not going to wipe your ass for you go and have a little look at the dates

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because people paid for it to be good it's one pound give me a pound you want a t-shirt www www. the downbbee. So it's downbeat

that's it I'm gonna tell you about our guest then I'm going to do one more ad with these lovely disc plates and then you're going to get the episode. Someone just told me on YouTube that my intros were really bad.

So guess what? You're all not getting them now for at least this episode until there's, I'm hoping uproar, if I'm honest with you, I'm hoping there's huge sort of riots

and then I can come back and say due to overwhelming demand, the intros are back. Although this is now sort of an intro, isn't it? My guest this week are Chris and Bryce from Shadow of Intent. Symphonic, blackened, death, core, metal, whatever band.

Unbelievable band. Chris also plays in Currants. Bryce has already done stints with the faceless and stuff like that. Had a chat about how they write. Had a chat about getting Chuck Billy on a song. We had a lovely little time. I didn't really know them. A new Bryce from Anatti or not.

where I sort of realized that he'd made an edit in a video. Didn't really call him out. Add a little deep dive. I realized he was really good. I went to go see them at a show afterwards, and they really, really, really were good. You can catch them in April. Very soon by the time you listen to this,

or watch this, or do anything with this. You can catch him in April with Lorna Shaw and Brand of Sacrifice, boundaries, top of my head, body snatcher, and some side show dates check them out shadow him intent Bryce and Chris on the downbeat podcast

but wait what's that in the background of the thing you want a display don't you display is a poster company with a difference they make metal posters and I mean literally metal

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no drilling no nonsense if you're renting the included protective leaf means you're not going to and mesh your walls up, just attach the leaf to the wall, add the magnet, and then mount your display. Because disc plate's a magnetic, not only does it take a second to adjust, but you can

swap them out depending on your mood, are you having some sort of manic episode, you want bright colours, are you depressed? With display, there's an option to 3D print a frame to the side of the poster. It's not a real frame, but it is textured like a real frame, and at the sort of distance that you should be looking at a poster from, it definitely looks like a real frame. If you're looking that your posters really, really close up, you're probably up to something a bit weird. They've got official stores with bands like Gojira, Ghost, Judas Priest, Slipknot, as well as movies, games. We even made a Downbeat store. All of the coolest Downbeat merch designs. We got the coffee club design. We got tons on there. They've got tons of other stuff.

You can get 20% off any display using the code Downbeat. If you buy three or more, you get 30% off. I get a little bit of kickback from that. You can support the podcast. You can support whatever do and your rooms can look cool a.F. while doing it. Bryce. Yeah, mate. Chris. Shadow of intent. And the immediate English accent. Come on, get it. Yeah, mate. Go on. So, here's a thing, right? I saw this movie. It's a spinal tap. Oh, yeah. Right. Since I was a kid and I've been thinking like, if I practice this, maybe when I go to the UK, I could like fool someone right

and it did happen the other day I was on the street right like by something I don't remember what it was right bloke walks up to me I'm like mate he says something I speak back to him he's like where you from I didn't know what to say so I just said

oh I'm from Cheshire mate and it worked because he wasn't from there he's like I think I've heard of it yeah I think I've heard of that and I just kept going and he never questioned me so oh my god lifelong dream

ring come true. I fooled a real British man. That's fucking good. I mean, you could, I think in the north you could definitely fool someone. Is that where it was? Yeah. Well, so that's the thing. Are you going to do the whole podcast? Maybe, I don't know.

See, there's so many different dialects, right? I don't know which is northern and which is like a southern. Right, so what yours is currently is insane, but it's definitely southern. It's so,

Southern and not quite right. Yeah, exactly. That's the problem. Yeah. But as in, yeah, I reckon, because Chesh, you wouldn't tell me that if you're from Cheshire, because Chesh is like near fucking Newcastle and stuff. Oh, shit.

It's like up north. Just say you from Reading. Okay. That's easy to remember. You got a Reading in. Yeah. In PA. Yeah.

I think they may be spelled different. You need to get closer to your microphone. Yes, sir. Sorry, that was rude. and you need to give me an English accent if you got one. So, you know ingested, right? Yeah.

They always say, we're ingested from Slamchester. Slamchester, mate. They're from Manchester, but they call it. You hung out with them yesterday? Yeah, they came to the show. And they always say, you're all right, love. You're all right?

You're right? Yeah, man. That's what we say. I love that. Are they still big drinking? big drinkers. A bit of a party, was it? As soon as they came in,

they fucking spilled beer and I fucking was cleaning it up. Like, it was literally when they walked in the tour. Now, you threw me off of your real voice there. There you go. So the English accent's fucking working.

That's the problem. We're on tour with Australians too. And I have trouble doing that. But I'm talking with Australians right now. And so I'm trying, I hear British people in real life. And then I go on the bus and it's Australian.

And I'm like, fuck. So I'm like, not even knowing it, but I'm accidentally picking up. And so... Yeah, combined. See, even I do that when I tour with, like, if I tour with Australians, I end up a little bit Australian.

If I do a long tour. It's a very cool accident. Who's the Australian man? To the grave. So, you guys. Enterprise Earth? Yes. Who else is on?

Angel maker. I don't know. Okay. Canadian boys. Yeah, to the grave. That's a, that's a, you got a whole spread. Yeah, bro. And it's all sold out, the UK.

Yep. Good for you. What day are we on? Of UK, this is the fourth. I need you to get closer. Fourth of the six. Yeah, let me just, bring it closer. Yeah, I'm gonna bring this closer, maybe.

Just so we get the nice. Yeah, get the crisp. You've been on the Gaza podcast. He's like the only other one that I've seen like, he's splashed out. Oh, yeah. A bit of that blast, beat money. Put the fucking, get the cameras on there. It was so pro.

Did you do Europe first? Yeah, we go back to Europe in three days. Europe, UK, back to Europe. Exactly. I hate that. The crossing. Yep. No fun.

And then difference in like, you know, Europe, you have, like, home-cooked meals, and you get to the UK and they're like, buy out rot, you got it, right. Bag of crisps. Yeah, exactly. buyout, like 10 pound buyout as well. Every 10. You can't get fucking anything. Exactly.

If we get this done in time, I will buy you in Nando's. My gift to you guys. Thank you, bro. There's one very, very close. I don't want to docks myself, but it's very close. Big Nandoz fan. Huge Nandoz. I'm really like, I'm getting back into Nandoz.

I was like, not off it, but now I'm like a twice a week, guy. Nice. Yeah, which is pretty fucking insane. give me some free shit Nando, give me some fucking free shit. Good one, man. So, so, all's going good.

I've got questions that on my phone and it'd be rude to sort of get it out, so I'll just try and freestyle it. All right. I'll run out of shit, and I'll get it. It's, so I want to talk to you first. We'll get it out of the way.

I watch one of your videos. Oh, yeah. It was the first time, literally the first time I've heard of your band. but what happened was someone was like you'll love this band and I'll listen to it and I was like I do love this band let's watch the drummer and I was like oh my god it's fucking sick

and then I found that bit the one that we missed the one fucking cartoon scene that we missed if anyone doesn't know I was watching a lovely Bryce play through and I was like this I can't figure out obviously you know I've watched I think I deep dived at the end of it I've watched

a live video as you're a fucking machine Thank you, bro. But then I was watching the video, I was like, this is fucking awesome. And then I went, oh my God, there were some snare drums that weren't. Wait. So what happened?

Let's clear up why this happens. Because it happens all the fucking time. It does. So the way we did it was I tracked, like, the whole album in like nine, ten days. And at like the 10th day, we were going to do two or three playthrus. And the way I did it was just do four full takes of the song.

and then just comp it. So what it was, was, it wasn't, you know, what you saw was what I played, the only problem was, is that,

I don't know if I was too stoned or what, but something happened to where there was definitely a decent amount of edits, and I thought I had double checked, and there was one, that one section where he had, he just guessed, you know,

it's not his fault, he's not a drummer, so how would he know? But he put in a section that he thought was right. The video guy would be, video guy, the video guy. And the audio was right, but he chose

the wrong video. So, like, we had a comp take. And then he had to find, I mean, I had to help him find every single take that was correct with the audio, but I missed that, like, one, like, where I did the blast, but you were like, wait a minute, there's no blast. It was devastating.

I know, I went, I went through the other shit. Because you can see, you get to a certain, how old are you guys, you were young? I just turned 30. Yeah, I just turned 29. I looked like a little bean, though. You're fucking little baby. Lookers.

I was looking for a promo photos, aren't here? And I was like, everyone's like, baby, several. But I'm up 30. It gets to a point when you're like, you can watch a drummer. And just see, even with the sound off, you can see the stick heights and you're like, that guy's good or that guy's faking it.

Yeah. And there's a bunch of that shit out there. Oh, yeah. But the other thing was the quantizing thing. You were like, yeah, this is definitely quantized. And it was. Not 100, you know, not 100, but that's the thing. Like, we were talking about this on the way.

Like, I really appreciate you doing that because... You can still talk. I'm just adding stuff. Yeah, it's okay. I really appreciate you doing that because, like, the reason that I had the video quantized was because Anthony Barone was the drummer in the band before I was. And on Shadow's official YouTube, they put out, like,

two really, really sick playthrus of him, quantized feet. at the very least the feet were like definitely quantized hands i'm not sure but there was quantizing so i was like well fuck you know like kids really like the fans really loved him like when he came in they were like oh shit and he's the the record that he played on melancholy it's like his drumming is nuts he's a fucking insane drummer so i'm thinking like yo if i don't quantize this kids aren't gonna know that his was quantized and they're gonna think i'm a worse drumming it's the right move It's definitely the right move. But now that you did that, I was like, you know what, dude?

Like, fuck it. Like, why should I, why can I not just practice more and rip a playthrough? It's not going to be perfect, but it's... They expect perfect now. That is the problem. And I don't know what the answer is. Because now it's going full circle as well, where you've got kids like, the infant annihilate a shit. like it's like it's obviously like to anyone who's a musician it's like this is obviously a joke

like whatever but there's kids that will now defend how fake it is like the drums or whatever i don't know if he's he's not as good as the audio i know that much right because he's a human being right but like there's kids that will defend it and be like who cares who cares if it's edited who cares whatever but it's like the more i see that the more i'm like When AI metal comes, we're all fucked. Yeah. Because those kids will just want to type in really fast bit breakdown with symphonic orchestra. Click.

And then they go, I'm a genius. Yeah, I'm a genius. I'm a genius. I'm like, oh, this is amazing. I don't have to do anything. I don't have to leave the house. I don't have to go to a show. I don't have to fucking do whatever.

So we're fucked. Exactly. So we need to, I don't know what the answer is. The answer is drum cams. Like camera audio dog. shit, yeah, dude. Like, I need to see something that sounds horrific

so I can really fucking tell. Do you get it with guitars? Well, so I was going to say, there's this guy, Charlie, that does Barry to live. Like, spelled like Barry. Apparently he can do it. So I've seen him live when he played for reflections,

incredibly impressed, thought he was fantastic. But the audio, sorry if you hear this, but it's recorded very fast. fake like the way that the way the editing is i know like note by no guitar takes sound like yeah um that's what it sounds like and he posts raw videos too without that but he says they don't do as well the videos that get shared the videos that get a lot of views the videos that get shared by

people like sinister gates and tom morello and the superstar guitars are the fake videos because they have greater production value. So he could do the raw videos and they would sound technically a little less tight, but it's still be incredibly impressive to anyone that plays guitar, but the consequence is less views, less viral. And so he pretty much gave the conclusion, like, I have to do the edited videos because they just do better. Why would I shoot my career in the foot by, you know, not doing what's proven to be doing better? It's like performance. It's like performance. capitalism. Yeah.

It's like, oh my God. It's like, I can get the most amount of views by just being fucking fake. Which, and you can't really fucking blame anyone. You blame the consumer.

Right. For being like, yeah, love this. You could make that. Yeah. You just need to know how to fucking do it. And I don't know what the answer is. I was in a band of that shit before like,

the fake guitar shit. And then we played shows live. And it was like, the bands we were on tour with, it was like, decapitated and aborted. And they were like, oh, your band sucks.

Literally just said it to me. Really? Yeah, and your man sucks. And I was like, Jesus Christ. I know. I know. And then I left, like, shortly afterwards.

Holy fuck. The, while we're on the subject, is the orchestra stuff on the record. Is that, that's VST?

Yeah. So, So every record, I'm the guy in the band that I guess does it, but I always get like a second pair of ears in hands. The first album was like the guy who actually mixed it, like added some layers. The second album is this girl we knew named Kelsey who also like added some extra layers, changed the VSTs. And then the last two albums, this guy Francesco who plays in Flesh got Apocalypse, I hear them

and I'm like, oh, this is real orchestra. Can you like do real orchestra on ours? And he's like, oh no, no, no, no, I do MIDI. I'm like, wait, what? Wow, I don't know that. Yeah, it's all MIDI. And I'm like, and he teaches people. He taught this guy, J.D., who played for Ice 9 Kills.

Oh, yeah. And now he's like a freelance producer. But he teaches people it, but I'm like, yeah, sounds real to me. Can you do that for our album? So I'll send him my MIDI. And the same thing, he switches out the VSTs, velocities, modulations, adds extra layers. just makes everything I do more realistic.

So I do it. On energy, it's fucking crazy. I do it, but he makes it like high fidelity real, you know. It's like I'll do like the MIDI drums on the album, but he makes it like real, you know. That's fucking cool. Because the flesh god shit's fucking crazy as well. It's crazy. It's amazing.

I didn't know that was MIDI. Yeah, I didn't believe it. I was like, this is a real choir. This is a real. Yeah, it's like crazy convincing. Real violence. He's like, no, no, no, no. And I've Skype with...

In that exact voice. Yeah, the Italian. And I'll Skype with him, and he shows me what he does. He creates, like, these modulation curves. He layers things in a certain way. He'll even detune things because of real orchestra wouldn't be 100% in tune. He'll mess up timing, like, flams,

similar to what you would do, like, on a drums. But it's on, like, if you want something to sound bigger, with orchestra, you flam. you know where the notes land same concept that's fucking sick but you're the guy composing it right and he just fucking makes it sexes it up yes exactly nice it's it's fucking it's fucking great hats off to you guys thank you like my my um my like my um my like my entry into my entry into extreme metal was from metallic S&M.

I was a kid and I loved Metallica. And then it was like, oh, Metallica with an orchestra. Let's see what this sounds like. And then I was like, this is the most amazing thing ever. And then from there, I went immediately to Demi Borgia.

Because I was like, what, like, oh, I wonder if there's any other bands that do this. And I don't think by that point I'd ever even like heard a blast beat. Maybe MP3.com

I downloaded Cannibal calls. Just after watching Ace Ventura. Exactly. And then, I wonder if there's another band that does this. and then got into Dimmu Borgia, so my, my soft spot is fast blasts with some fucking... Oh yeah, bro.

Yeah. Yeah, the first Dimoo Borgia video, like, live video I ever saw, it was like, next level. It's so annoying. There isn't, like, anything super pro shot of Dimmu. Like, dude, Nick Barker's drum parts are so fucking... Did you hit the remix? I had stokes. I need to listen again.

I don't know if I fully heard it. The puritanical remix is like... The best thing about Puritanago, we've got a, we got a TV show in the UK, right? You'll love it. If you love that shitty accent, it's called EastEnders, right?

It's a soap opera. It's fucking dog shit, but like the majority of the world has watched it. The majority of the UK has watched it at some point. And the whole thing is like, where at the end, there's like, you know, and you're soap opera,

there's like, something happens. And then the soap opera ends, and it's like, oh, you've got to tune in next week for whatever. So it'd be like, oh, you fucking what you say. slag you fucking left the kettle on it burnt the house down and then the little the tagline the musical tagline is these these like midi drums that go do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do I really want to pull it up there must be a way that I can pull it up but like dimming bore gear is the same

samples so it's like I don't know if it is like specifically but I think it's like at least this D4 or something like just AE's drum sound samples and when I listen to puritanical before they remixed it it was like someone just took the EastEnders Phil and just sped it up there's loads of those films that go fucking perfect unbelievable

perfect music if you're listening from America you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about I'm gonna pull my notes out you got a sold out tour it's very fucking nice you've got a lovely album

elegy when that come out last year January yeah like a year ago now yeah it's probably we're about tomorrow right the 13th today

could be yeah a year tomorrow Anniversary. Was it... I mean, your band got... I can see your man's got much bigger here since then. What's the deal? Like, every time you come here, gonna sell out?

Yeah, I don't know. This is our first time here, you know? Who's in... You've never been. This is Shadow Vintan's first time here. We've been with other bands, but Shadow's never been. He played in the faceless.

They did here. I play in a band called Currence still, and Currence has been here four times. Fuck me. You guys are in a million bands. What bands are you currently in right now? I currently in Shadow One's hit. I'm mainly just do this.

There's like... You're singing. Oh yeah. I have a solo project where I sing and play drums. But that's like, those are like the two main things I focus. I still have, you know, some like side projects that just want to make music

that probably won't play shows really, you know? Yeah. It's mainly just this and then I want to focus on. First tour is sold out. It's insane. That's fucking so sick. It's been crazy, bro. Like, insane.

I've cried multiple times. Nice. For real. Happy, happy. Oh, yeah. Like, uh, Netherlands, dude. Biggest show we've ever played as a band, 14, 1,300 people or 14?

Uh, 1300, take us sold, yeah. 1300 people. So, I'll cry as well. Uh, I mean, not every show. Yeah, not every show is sold out, but by the end of the tour, we're hoping to hit, like,

80% of the tour sold out. There was a decent amount of upgrades. Yeah, so we had to upgrade some venues. Some of the upgrades didn't sell out, so the initial venue sold out, but the upgrade, you know, just got decent. That's fucking cool. Yeah, it's amazing.

What was the Netherlands venue? Was it Dynamo? It was called Popodium 13. 13. Oh, 13. Where was it? It's in Tilburg. There's Wheatah. There can be weita.

There was, mate. Not today, not today, mate. Not today, no weed. You tried twice. Didn't happen. Imagine everyone on camera. Imagine we're in California for a minute. I've got edibles.

There you go. I found out I live in Connecticut now. I was born and raised in Texas. I moved to Connecticut like a year ago to be closer to them. On this tour, it became legal. So when I get home, I can just walk into it. Oh, like the first doors I've opened? Yeah, like when we get back, I can just go into a storm.

Why'd you move to Connecticut from Texas? I needed a change of pace for sure. Like I was known, like I was in so many bands there. And there was this place in Dallas called Deep Ellum, you know, trees, all that stuff. I'd play there so many times. and it honestly like after COVID it's just gotten so bad with shootings and stabbings and shit man like I wasn't playing local shows anymore like at all I was just leaving all the time to go on tour I was flying out like so I started playing for them my first tour was September October 2019

and since then before I moved I'm I'm flying out like six to eight times a year and they have to spend money on that and I'm like I don't really like come like I miss my friends but I don't really like coming all the way back here like I feel like it would be smarter for me to like make a big move and like this is my career this is I love this band I'm going to be in this band

should probably be closer to them figured it out dude vocalist bin let me live with him for a couple months and now I live with my girlfriend that we've been dating over a year up there it's fucking sick just better to be closer to them for riding they'd have to waste so much

like to write, they'd have to fly me out to write. It's like, waste of money, bro. I mean, I do it, but I also, we just do it at the end of a tour. Okay. We're just like fucking. Are they all New York? You're the only? Everyone was New York, but now, like, Tom is Nashville.

Drew's still New York. Okay. And Neck is New Jersey. And then I'm Scotland. God. So we just, like, we'll book like three months of touring at a time, and then I'll fly out and we'll do a bit of writing. It's cool.

like the like the change of pace. Like, I get to go and travel a bit or whatever. But it is fucking annoying. Like, you must have it harder as well because I don't know how, how are you, you're a little freak. But like, I can't, in a nice way, but like, if I've slept badly, I play like fucking dog shit. So coming, flying over and starting a tour, it's like the first three shows where I'm acclimatizing. I'm always bad. Yeah.

So I can't imagine what it's like if you have to actually play fast. I see what's, I'm like fucking weird dude. Like it doesn't make any sense. Like, I'm fucking weird. We're talking back home. I have to figure out a place to be able to play drums. But for the past year, I haven't,

since I've lived in Connecticut, I haven't had a place to play drums or practice. No. So I haven't practiced at all. And then you just rip it. And you just show up and rip because you fucking have to. Like, you know, I'll, I do what I can. Like practice pad stuff at home.

Like at, at where I live, but that's not the same. You know what I mean? It's not even the same. So, I just show up and I like, I legit, dude,

I don't warm up before I play. It makes me worse. It makes me worse. Like, if I do pad stuff or feet stuff, I'll get tired. I'll take a nap and wake up from the fucking nap

and rip an energy drink and we're ripping. How long have you been playing the drums for? Since I was two. There's the answer. That's why. It's like, I never had a choice. I never had a choice.

there it is since you were two years old so like that's the thing I never had a choice like this is all I know stop it I'm trying to visualize I don't know what two year olds

look like these days I'm not one of those guys right but like two aren't they just fucking cheating on the floor and not even walking around

when did you walk I was I was two and half technically. But I was walking and my parents told me the story and I actually have, they videoed it and I've seen the video, so this is the only reason that I know this is true. The Eagles were on TV. They're playing Get Over It. Yeah. And I remember seeing like Don Henley in this sick ass like DW kit and just like I was feeling the beat. And my parents are just sitting there watching TV. I fucking go into the kitchen and drag in two stools and two spoons.

and I just and I'm like right on the beat apparently and they're like yo what the fuck and then the next song comes on same thing I'm right there

and they're like yeah and my mom was a vocalist and pianist and flute player my dad was a guitarist my sister is a piano my grandfather is like my grandfather

my mom's dad is a composer has over 300 published works so it's like it's in my bones you know and so they saw that and they were like we got to buy this kid a drum set so like that next christmas

they got me a drum set and it was like that's it this is all i've ever known bro it's that's crazy that's weird like not only because you were like fucking too but like that's weird to think that maybe it is like in the jeans i'm telling you well this is very fascinating to me actually because i asked my mom i was like i do believe that it's in the jeans but i was like i don't don't believe that you did nothing. I was like, you had to have done something. And she was like, I'll tell you what I think it was. She was like, as soon as I knew that I was pregnant.

Side reading. I put, she put headphones on her fucking stomach. Demi Borgia. Like, all this shit, like Led Zeppelin, tons of different stuff. And would tap the fucking beat on her stomach. And I was like, yo, you literally injected me with like. That's fucking. crazy. That's crazy.

Yeah. So I'm like, if you wouldn't have done that, who knows what would have happened. But it's like, it's honestly insane. Well, my parents love music, but they're not musicians, so I have to warm up. Did not only that, but if I don't warm up, I'm terrible. What's your warm up? So I almost think of it more like practice because I know there's like parts of the set that I'm inconsistent on. I'm not kneeling every night. So I just kind of grab the practice amp and hit those parts, you know, start slow work at backup.

Mainly solos? Yeah, mainly solos or just tiring, picking parts. So just making sure to like, and I don't get to do this every night. It depends on like the menu layout and stuff. But yeah, I just try to hit the parts of the set. I know it are harder for me and iron them out a bit. That's pretty much like half-timed usually too, like and then spit up. Yeah, I'll start half-time and work at it.

I like doing that when I'm trying to hammer home a bit My brain is not as fast as it needs to be So I'll just go over and over at half speed Yeah And something just clicks Always look for tension I'm sure you have to think about that as well I'm fucking tense

I had a dream the other day Right I had a dream the other day where Thomas Lang was Teaching me How to like Change the tension of my heart While I was playing

And he was completely naked kid when he was doing it. And it was such a weird dream. But then I woke up and I went to play the drums. And I was like, weirdly thinking about that. And, you know, I can't obviously can't tense my heart. But like, I was, like, thinking about it. And it made my practice, I had more intention with my practice.

It was weird. It was just, like, visited by Naked Thomas Lang. Yeah, just think about Naked Thomas Lang before you play now. It's fucking something wrong with my brain. That's so funny. So, I can't believe you don't warm up. That was literally going to be, I was hoping to get some fucking gens from you.

Well, that's the thing. I have, I have tried so many different things. I've tried warming up for 30 minutes, 20, 15, 10, 5, from trial and error, literally just like taking a nap, drinking water and drinking energy before I play. What's your energy, drink choice? It used to be bang. But that CEO was like, you know, what happened there?

You're going to zoom in on that face. I'm just saying right now, dude. I might be inaccurate with this, but I don't think I am. They were sued by Monster. Bang was. I remember this, yeah. I think I can't, it's just like, so stupid. I'm pretty sure he literally claimed that the super creatine

in bang cures autism, Doc. I think he literally said that. And Monster was like, yeah, that's exactly what we were waiting for. There's no way that's true. And fucking drop the hammer. 300 million dollar lawsuit.

And they won. And they checked it and I remember it had no creatine in it whatsoever, let alone this magical autism. Exactly. None. That's fucking crazy. So I definitely feel scammed.

But were you drinking it to cure or something? No, I just, I was like, it was my favorite. My favorite energy drink. It was like, I had like two, because it's like a lot of caffeine. And my thing used to be two bangs a day. Like, how much caffeine's in a bang?

Three hundred milligrams. Nice. So 600 milligrams a day. I think I'm on a gram a day. I think I'm busting out. How much is it? Like a thousand milligrams. Jesus.

Because I'll do, I'll wake up and I'll have a black filter coffee, but like a jug of it. Which is like, you know, I'm on 300 there. And then within two hours I go to the gym, pre-workout's got at least $350 and it. Oh, yeah. So what, that's nearly... And then I have another two coffees. Yeah, you're right.

But I listened to a podcast the other day because I listened to podcasts about how if you're like a custom, like caffeine acclimatized, then it doesn't really have any of the negative effects at all when you can just fucking ride it. It's not like alcohol, like you can stop and you'll get a headache.

But it's not like alcohol where you stop and... Yeah, exactly. Like withdrawals and shit. Yeah, you're literally dying. Yeah. Drinkers? Not at all.

Only weed and mushrooms, brother. Only sometimes. Mushroom. Mushroom chat. Are you a weeder? No weed? Occasional. Yeah, occasional.

My brain doesn't like it. I think it makes me a less useful person. It makes me terrified of my own brain. I feel that. it put mushrooms through the opposite. Yes. Like, I had a few mushroom times where I'll be, I'm generally quite an anxious person anyway,

but I've had a few mushroom times where I'd start like an anxious thinking while I'm, you know, fucking pretty fucking high. And then my brain will, like, listen to my brain. And there's like two brains in there going, well, the reason that you're anxious about this is because this thought led to that. that led to that led to that.

So just don't do that. And then my brain just goes, gink. Boom. It was literally the ones golden teachers as well. Yeah. That's what my fucking Mikey,

our merch guy who's like a shaman, shaman, was like, they're golden teachers. And then the specific anxiety that I had there was like gone. But then on the same tour, I,

on the same tour, I smoked DMT. It was fucking the best thing. You ever smoked DMT? Crazy is 15. minutes of your life, dude. Crystal or pen? Crystal.

There's a pen. There's a pen. There's a pen. It's fucking crazy. Obviously, in a legal state, which doesn't exist. There's a pen. Some guy in Detroit. I'm not going to say, I'm going to say some guy in Detroit.

I know exactly who he is. I'm not going to fucking name him. It was like, oh, I got a cartridge. You guys want to hit it. And then we were like, yeah, okay. And he was like, I warn you. it's DMT. And I was like, like, DMT and weed?

And he was like, no, it's DMT. And I was like, okay, well, no, but can we buy it off you? And then that night, that's a real podcast when you talk about DMT. That night, we sat on the bandwagon. I'm sure you've been on a bandwagon in your time. You've got the two, like in the seating area, the two fucking couches just facing each other. Yeah. Rip this pen.

It's just a car, like five, ten cartridge pen. But you need one of the, you know, the ones that you can change the heat. Yes. You need one of those and you whack it on the highest heat. Okay. And take just like three fucking big, big, big, big hits on it. And everyone's like, oh, you have such a mystical learning experience. Oh, no.

I like left this realm, like everything says the fucking world ripped apart or whatever. Yeah, like shoot out of a cannon shit. But then when I came back, my friends that were on the couch in front of me were all Simpsons hit and run characters. like n64 graphics and like i was just laughing my like no lesson learned i was just like maniacally fucking laughing like you guys said simpson's hit and wrong characters and then apparently i was screaming it's like crack and acid had a baby and they're like tall my guitarist's a straight edge and was just like head in his hands while i'm fucking screaming about it being crack and i'm

at the same time. Would recommend, though, to be honest. I mean, obviously not. I'll take it back. Not to kids, man. No, no, no, no. If you're a dog, if you've got this far

in the podcast, you know, I always talk about shit like that. Exactly. You got anyone in your band that's T-Total? Wait, what? Tea Total means

doesn't drink, doesn't smoke straight-edge, basically. Damn, I never heard that. UK straight-edge. T-total. None of that. Tea T-total. No.

No one. No. Got anyone who's a degenerate. is it you me me and ben smoke a lot of weed for sure like as much as possible any negative effects from it

uh i have to it's like a similar thing like if i it can make me lazy if i let it but it kind of does it's weird it's like a lot of people it'll make them like lethargic and lazy weed like gets me like hyped

like it gets me like driven like I'm like I feel fucking good I was like let's do like everything that I can do right now you know what I mean it's so crazy so it's honestly weird like on the tour because we're talking about this

I was talking about this with the other drummers because the drummer of Angel Maker Stephen same things from New York like sweetest kid in the world total weed head too like he smokes like all day every day so when we get over here we're like I was like I don't even

think I remember the last show I've played not stone. So we get here and it's like playing sober is like a different high. Like being sober, I would like overthink and almost forget a part. And it's like, what? Yeah. It's like the opposite. Yeah, that's weird. It's fucking weird.

I believe there's an actual term for it, which is called state. I think it's called state dependence. And it's when you practice something or you do even like gym or anything like that and you do it with a certain mental state whether it's like a self-made mental state I'm definitely butchering what the terminology is

but like whether it's a self-made mental state or a drug-induced mental state but you get used to playing like that so when you don't play it's a bit weird it's kind of like me with I have to drink like two beers before I play really not like nerves Not even nerves, just

Like, I can't really Yeah Everyone, like almost like The fucking edited shit People are like expected performance From drummers Especially like metalcore drummers

And like I don't spin my sticks No And I don't do I don't do the show pony shit But if I have two drinks I'll stand up I'll stand up I'll like

I'll stand up I'll jump around I'll shout I'll do the last thing, but if I do it sober, I'm like, especially if it's like, if it's like an underperforming show where it's like the room's half full, I am successful. But like if it's like an underperforming show, it's like, you've got to give them the same show. Yes. But I can't because I'm in a bad mood.

Exactly. Not because of the people who are there who are getting the brunt. People who aren't there are the fucking problem. And they're why I drink. That's so funny. How did you get Chuck Billy? What's the story there? Yeah, yeah.

It's cool. So, yeah, I'm a testament fan forever, one of the first bands ever heard. And so I definitely have to thank my fiancé a bit or a lot, a ton. So her great uncle, it's named John Zezula, John. Azula founded Megaforce Records, which put out... No fucking way! Put out First Metallica records, Anthrax Records, Testment Records.

And we'd go on vacation. Like, once or twice a year down to Florida. Super great guy. Super nice. And I would, you would sit outside with his dogs and, like, I would show him, like, new bands. And he... The best things you showed me were animals as leaders in septic flesh.

You're showing the guy from Megaforce, right? Yeah, the guy who, like, Metallica lived with for, like, a year before they started. Yeah, I know all that shit. Yeah. I love that guy. He was great. But I, you know, sort of a little less slip. There's, like, big, I don't know how, because I didn't want to, like, ask a wrong way.

But I was, I try, I was, like, curious. I literally don't even remember what I said, but I was pretty much. express them that it would be cool to get Chuck Billy on a song. I don't know what that would look like if he would even want to do it. I tried being as nice and just roundabout as I could. He made it happen. He got in touch with him. I got on the phone with Chuck, put together a budget that we were both comfortable with.

And I got on the phone with Chuck Billy. He's like, yeah, so what are you thinking for this? So I was like, well, here's the lyrics. That's cool. And I was just like, yeah, do somebody like your low shit, like your heavy shit, man. Yeah, he made it happen. Sent me the files. And I had, like, Chuck Billy's files on my studio computer isolated.

I'm like, yeah. Yeah, I was so stoked. So, yeah, definitely, oh, my fiancee and her great uncle, John, rest in peace a lot for, you know, making that happen. that's fucking sick the song fucking rules as well because I was listening to it I listened to it in the gym today as well and then I was like

because it's on I don't know if you know I have like a gym playlist and it's on my gym playlist but I never really like looked who it was because I was like I can recognise that voice I'm really bad at like song names

I'm really bad at looking at my like fucking while I'm in the gym is when I listen to heavy music in the gym and then all other times it's lofi or or fucking studio Ghibli piano music. Really? Yeah,

that's literally what I'm listening to it. So, like, then today, I'm listening to it, and I'm like, okay, I've got to find out who it is. And I'm like, Chuck Billy. My brain goes, obviously it's Chuck Billy. Yeah. But it's not like, I can't think of, I can't think of another song

that I think of him guessing on that I listen to actively. It's quite a cool, like, you didn't get, and not that he's bad or anything, he's fucking, very, very fucking, but it's not like Will from Lorna Shore or like Courtney from Spiritbox which are like they're amazing

but they're also the label going Get these people to guest on your album it's gonna push sales Right exactly This is like OG legend shit It was like really cool I was like blown away that that was possible dude

That's probably honestly that's probably my I think that's collectively all of our favorite songs Yeah our favorite song from the album That's probably the one I'm looking forward to most playing tonight because it's got like ADHD as fuck. Symbol feels like the whole song. Yeah. There's definitely so much to match.

Important to get features that you don't see a lot. Phil Bozeman's the other feature on the album. And like, I know he's done Tony Tap Dance extravaganza, but I honestly couldn't tell you many other stuff he's featured on. Yeah, which is weird because he's got fucking... Right. Yeah. Yeah, so we felt like him and Chuck were like good choices because Chuck definitely.

I think he just did Lamb of God. And Lamb of God's song came out first. I was like, fuck, I thought we were the only ones. But it's all good. But, yeah. But Lambeck was more like his realm. Like it's not a left field one. It was very left field.

I don't think anyone really wanted it as bad. I decided. It was like everyone doing me a favorite, like a childhood favorite, you know. I think it turned out great thing. Yeah, yeah. It sounds like incredible. Okay. So the later rest cover as well.

Is that, was that deluxe version only or is that on the actual record? It's deluxe. Yeah, it was released as a single before, but the plan was always to like do a deluxe version later where that and the bonus track both appeared on. It's fucking so sick. Like hearing like blasts in it and fucking really fun. double kick. As a kid,

like, I was so glad when he wanted to do that because I heard that song on, like, guitar hero. But I...

Why the fuck are you playing Sabian? I mean, I'm, my favorite company, Zildjan. That's what I'm, like,

trying for right now. But you're playing, are you playing Sabians? I am, but I played Ziljan from two to, like, 21, and then I,

I just broke them all. And I, I was broke. I couldn't afford anymore. And I had a friend that had a Sabian deal. And he was like,

I can get you symbols for my my price if you just give me the money and so I mean I basically just one at a time went over to Sabine literally only because it was what I could afford but to me Zildjan is like my favorite and mine's amazing too but I'm Zildjans what I want Tama since I was three years old you haven't got it other than ACD I only have sticks and pedals What's the Cs? Los Cabos. I like them. I like them.

Well, I don't know anything about them. Canadian. So, good wood. I was about literally open my fucking mouth to say good words. Have you got any like inroads with those two? Well, that's, I do. Like my best friend in the world is Clay from Polyphia, the drummer, like best friend. I know I'm friends with like four different people.

All of their rep is Sam. Gample. Everyone. Everyone. I have... The fucking man. I've heard there from everyone. I just... And, like, with Zildjian, like, Matt Griner,

like, we played with them not long ago. I already had... I've already submitted my application because I got recommended from... The old drummer of Delo Driver recommended me. Got me in the email chain. Matt Griner's trying to get me in as well. I just have... I don't have an EPK, still.

So I'm trying to... I don't think you really need one. You're fucking selling out all these shows. I know, but Matt... Like, Matt Griner was... like, I've already sent my application. Matt Griner was like, yo, I'll do what I can to help. Just email me your EPK.

And I was like, fuck. Yeah, but he's all, no offense, he's also old. But he's like, Brazil. He's up there. I just, that's the thing. I just haven't seen one in years. Yeah, I haven't, but, you know, I mean, I just feel like if I have something that lists all the accomplishments,

you know what I mean? Okay, right now. I'm fucking Eric Gross from, Zildrin, who is the guy, who is a fucking legend. Because I deal with him on with Vic Firf because of the same company. Right.

Here's your EPK right now. Let me go on your page. 12. Oh, there's a K. There's a K next to his number, which is cool. There's the band. Let me click on the band. 101,000 followers. Okay, this guy can have some symbols.

That's how it fucking goes. We'll get that. Guess what? what, Eric fucking loves the downbeat. That's fucking locked in now. And I'll get in trouble from my normal. You can't say that. I like, do you know what? I always say it's like I have my number ones,

but then I have my number two. So my number one is Tamer. All day. Number two is DW. Same for me. My entire life, it's been the same. The thing with the Tamer went, the walnut birch, like the latest one.

I did a couple of things and I got Nolly to mix it And he was like, this sounds like, did you record this on a DW? And I was like, no. And he was like, it sounds exactly like a DWN. I was like, oh, that's why I love it. Like, it sounds, weirdly, it sounds like a maple DW. A huge dream theater fan, Mike Portnoy, Blake Richardson, Tom, a dudes all day.

Fell in love with that. So I figured, I was like, I know it's hard to get an endorsement, but it helps if you have the gear. So after two tours ago, I bought that Lent limited, that limited edition, uh, gold, like mad gold hardware. Oh, I remember DMing you immediately. I got that shit, dude. Oh my God, that's the best kit ever fucking played in my life.

Was it unwrapped the first time at my place? Or you had already cracked it? No, I unwrapped it once. But that was the first time I ever played it was. Oh, okay. Is that a walnut perch as well? It is. Yeah, because I remember what happened because I just got my new kit before that,

before they announced that. And like, it comes out. And then I mess with Sam and I was like, what the fuck? I'm so annoying. I know. I fucked up,

right, because I got, I got this kit for the UK, which I love. It matches our album artwork. It's a fucking, my favorite fucking color.

And then Sam said, like, this is how sick it is. Sam hits me up and he's like, oh, you got a US talk coming up. You need a kit. And I was like,

yeah? And he was like, what do you want? And dumb me goes, just exactly the same thing again. No. I have two of the same fucking kit, which is sick for like, I guess for like the aesthetic or whatever, but I could

have had anything. Well, see, Clay messaged me yesterday. He finally gets to do that. He's been with them for six, six years, I think, now. And he's getting to do his first fully custom kit now. That's funny. He's like so stoked. Twitch was my, no one took me seriously on any, and mine will took me seriously, but no one

took me seriously until the Twitch thing happened. and it was like, I did a stream to like 400,000 people on the front page of Twitch and I was playing this old Tama kit. But every other comment was like, this kit sounds amazing, what kit is that? And then the stream ended and everything.

And I said, I should have a free kit. And then I like, I never spoke to Sam before. And I like got his number and I FaceTimed him. I was like, we never met. I'm a Tama artist. The thing is, when you live in a country that is outside,

the big ones like Japan and America for Tamara. Right. Like, you're, you're an artist, but you're not, like, really an artist until the, the US rep knows who you are.

So I was like, hi, we never met, blah, blah, blah. Basically, I'm playing, and I, in my head, I was like,

because actually DW had contacted me in the interim, and that's the only other company that I'd be like, oh, maybe. But the DW thing was more of the same. It was like,

oh, the euro distributor will give you a kit and then we'll go from there with the US thing. I want to be part of a fucking family. I don't want to be like just the guy getting a free drum kit. So then I went into the Tamer phone call with I might leave Tamer because I'm doing this streaming stuff, but I'd never spoke to the guy before. I started reeling off the Twitch stuff and before I've even had to throw a card like, I might leave.

He just went, what do you want? That being a nice way, not as fucking rude as that. He was like, what do you want? And I was like, a drum kit. Please, please.

Please can I have a drum kit? And then he was like, yeah, what do you want? You want a Stark kit? And it was just like, yeah. But then I went business brain because I was like, realistically,

for this to be like a two-way street thing, no one who's coming into my Twitch streams or my Instagram can afford a Star Kit. I would love one. they sound fucking incredible, but like, what's the mid-range pro kit

and then the Walnut Birch, Star Classic, and then I got it, I actually prefer it to the sound of the stars. Then people buy it because of me, and it was like, good business decision. You do. You actually prefer it to the sound of the star.

The star, Walnut's fucking amazing, but like, you're gonna hate, you might hate this because you're a guitarist and guitarist fucking love it, but miss me with Bambinga. Yeah. I don't blame you, man.

I'm kind of glad it's like in danger now because. No one's ever said. I'm kind of glad the empire. That sounds so fucked. Like, you know what I mean? It was like everyone had a guy getting a birch babing. It was like the thing. I just don't like the way it sounds.

Yeah. It's like. And everyone says, oh, it's so like, it's like someone marketed it. Because it's an incredibly dense word. This is fucking nerdy. It's a super dense word. Someone went, oh, that means it's low in pitch.

And then, but the problem with that is because it's so dense, the fundamental note for the same plies actually is higher. Yeah. Whether or not the woods, you know, it makes a lower note, the amount of wood that you use to make the drum

ends up, it's like, I had to tune all my drums higher to get them to resonate. Right. And then I didn't like them, but everyone was like, oh, Bimga, bro. And I'm blaming.

Fuck the bribinga. Fuck all the animals in the Babinga trees that are... They're part of this. Sorry. They're part of big Bambinga. I don't believe that. I recycle.

This can will be recycled. If you're an energy drink company, we talked about energy drinks, that could be your drink. Instead, it's Fanta, which is probably owned by Coca-Cola. Oh, I didn't know that. You heard of those?

Wow. They've done some shit. You used to have coke in it. Got any coke? No, I stopped doing coke. Anyway, let me get to my notes. Everything, like, everything about your band, everything I'm trying to do with the podcast,

I shoot myself in the fucking foot with it, is like, trying to not ask all the same fucking questions. You know the guys like, hey, no? No, I'm just not going to... How many times are we fucking asked that? I'm just going to like... But what I want to do is, like, segue off of these things. I sort of try and style this off as being super professional,

but it's actually the complete opposite. So what I'm going to ask on the flip side of that is like on tour, because it's in my head I think games or whatever, but instead I'll just ask a better question. On tour, what are you doing like recreationally, like day in the life? What did you do before we met today? What's your like chill out thing that you do? What do you do on days off?

You first. Yeah, today, I mean, this tour is just work because, you know, we're headlining, so we got to build our light rig and audio rig and stage at the start of the day. You're doing that yourself, so you don't have a... Yeah, our bass players building the lights. I build the audio. Bryce builds the drums.

DIY. Help with lights. Yeah, we have a merch guy at least and tour manager front of house guy. Mello, if you ever tour with Mello. Mello's here tonight. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. Oh, I'm getting fucked up.

Yeah, he was stoked to hear that you were coming. So sick. Great sound guy. Yeah, it's nice that we have some crew, but like it's a, it's a busy day. So I personally feel like there's not a whole lot of downtime. But like on a U.S. tour, I like to get a little gym in, a little, I'm a foodie, so I try to eat something fat. Nice. I'd be a little less fat this tour, but in general, like, maybe something fried, you know.

It's easy to do in your country. I love it. It's my favorite. I love it. Eat, workout, be on laptop. That's pretty much shit. The European joke is just call it the land of inconvenience. We like to call it, it's not possible.

It's not possible. Do you think there's any way we could get some ice back here? Oh, I'm sorry. It's not possible. I'm sorry, it's not possible. What? It's not racist because they're white and you can't be racist to white people.

It's not possible. I just ask for electricity. I'm sorry, it's not possible. Playing in 15 minutes. Sorry. I'm sorry, it's not possible. But what is possible as a fucking banquet feast of food

when you get there, which is incredible. Yes. I don't know why it doesn't translate to the UK. Why don't we, why aren't we nice? I know. I mean, we're nice, but it's just like the complacency.

If anyone doesn't know, we go to Europe, mainland Europe, you get treated, like you turn up, you wake up. Oh, the venue's already open. You go in this fresh coffee, tea, sometimes a breakfast, a fucking old school, like medieval banquet-style game of Thrones food selection, and then a hot meal. And you come to the UK. and it's literally a bag of crisp it's not even a meme I saw you post it the other day yeah yeah

why literally just chips and if you can make a sandwich good luck yeah that's the US too though yeah true you have to beg for a fucking water in the US you know what I mean oh yeah and it comes through on the fucking invoice

in the side of like 400 dollars for the fucking bottled water it makes no sense bro absolutely insane what's your perfect perfect day. Don't give me your perfect anything

because we're going to do a dream festival in a minute that's where we're going to get real fucking beautiful. I want to get into

this foody situation. Question real quick. Go on. Allowed to vapor, no. What are you vaping? Nicotine. Did you know

Alex from Mellev asked me yesterday and I said, I don't know if it's going to set a sprinkler off. Oh, it won't. I'll put it on the ground.

There's a thing. Every venue we go into says no smoking. Okay. All right, do it, but blow it directly at that camera

for content. All right. Neat. And if the sprinklers go off, I'm going to kill myself. Beautiful. Disappears, man. Perfect. What flavor is it?

Blueberry cherry cranberry. Just fucking take three different fucking things. Berry fucking explosion. All the colors of the rainbow. What are you doing on a day off? So for me, I don't eat much. I'm like, honestly, like, almost the opposite. It's like super funny.

even when you're stoned oh yeah i usually like no joke on tour or an alien maybe go on carry actually yeah um two things at home like whether i'm at home or on tour i normally like to eat one meal a day after at the end of the day so like after the show's over normally i like play a set with no food in you most of the time there is something wrong because this is the thing that's like this is literally insane and I'm aware of this but ever since I was 14 or 15 years old I've only eaten one meal a day and I've like because of like drumming and stuff

I would I've trained myself in my brain that food isn't for me food is not like you need this for fuel food is like this is your reward when you finish the shit that you have to fucking do you know what I'm saying so when I play a show I fucking oh hell yeah oh yeah but

But I've earned the food after the shit. And then I enjoy it so much because I'm like, I fucking earn this shit. So what about that? Or like, oh, no, we can do that. But, like, I'll, I can't have a formula. It has to be split up. So I'll get it. I'll eat a little, like, just a little bit.

Take it to go at the end. Finish it off. We don't have to go to Nandoz. No, I love to go. I love Nandoz. Where's your eating before show situation? Oh, he loves it. Yeah, yeah.

We'll take out this, uh, guys, Chris and Andrew Kim none of the guys like to eat like ever. So he, I have to have like crew be my food buddy because none of my band is down to eat. I'm like, God,

it makes no sense. Everyone in Currence is always down to eat all the time. But these guys are just one meal a day pretty much. So I'm like, well, it's one o'clock. Let's eat. And everyone's like, no man, I'm good.

So I'm like, this early? I can't even imagine eating right now. That's fucking insane. But like, here's the other thing too. it would be weird for me to go to the gym because I don't fucking eat

so it's like that's probably wouldn't be good but I still I mean you go to you you drum like you're in the fucking gym so that takes it but something I do really like to do is I always do like push-ups and planks on tour that's my working out and the only other thing is dude I'm obsessed with like Justin Bieber

Ariana Grande that's what I listen to so I have like I have to sing on tour. Like, I have to. I love it so much. You just fucking walk around singing. If I have to find a place by myself, I'll do it. Or, like, when I set up drums every day, I put on Ariana Grande, sing along while I'm setting up every day.

I want to see it. It puts me in the vibe, dude. Like, it's like, I have to have it. Like, I have to sing. And you're a really good singer. Thank you, bro. That's fine. I want to see that. I want to see you packing it, setting up a drum kit. Yeah, I want to fucking Twitch. I'm going to do a, I'm going to do an Ari cover for sure.

What are you going to do? Only one. That vocal round, dude. Positions. Okay. Singing literally was my next question, but fuck it, we just did it. And now we're talking about foods. Literally warm-ups was my fucking one of my other questions

because I wanted to talk about that. What we're going to do, you're going to plug whatever you've got a plug, and then we're going to do the Dream Festival, and then we're going to go and eat, I guess. Me and you were going to eat. Yeah. I've just seen that's a clocks and colors. Hoodie.

Yeah. I'm clocked and cucked. call it up. Yeah, they DM me on Instagram a couple months ago said, how'd you like some stuff? I was like, yeah. So I wear this hoodie like every tour. A bunch of fucking legends. I got one of their, what is this? A little chain action too. Ooh. I'm chainless today. I got a bunch of t-shirts. But yeah, they're cool. Fuck yeah. But remember me? Give me more shit. It's been a while, guys. That's three this episode that I've been asking for free shit.

okay it's expensive fucking light um well we got we got coming up after this that you can announce don't give me some shit that you accidentally announce

yeah festivals yes uh you're thinking about what you can announce yeah exactly yeah there's a tour we are now singing

like a week or two for the US oh you can talk about that because I'll wait I'll wait until the tour announces and then it might be two weeks I can wait okay let's talk about that

because then I can plug it at the beginning as well on it's a double plug loan ashore shot of intent brand of sacrifice body snatcher boundaries stack super stack it's only like three weeks long but it's a stack it's like b market little action tour u s yep oh my god that's fucking so yeah so so so grateful to have the slot they gave us um love those dude insane drama tour as well yes Austin Archie is one of my favorite people in the world Like an angel of a person

Insane drummer Like Yeah So sick We are doing the August festivals in Europe Um We're gonna miss it We're doing the June ones

It's always like one or the other Yeah we didn't get off For the June ones this time around But um I'm sure next year Um So it'll be Dynamo Festival

Brutal of Soul Summer Rees Alcat's etc etc That's a bunch of cool shit though Yeah, and hopefully the shows in between the festivals potential to be with some really cool bands. That probably won't get announced for a long time. Yeah, we'll leave that one.

But the festivals are announced. And then, yeah, probably time to write some new stuff. I think it's been a year since the album's out. And I know a year and a half to two years is kind of like the optimal release again time. How do you, are you the main writer and then it goes to everyone else? Or are you the soul writer? You can big yourself up.

You don't have to, no one's feelings going to go. I mean, he, like, I mean, he, you answer it. He writes, like, everything. And then if it's just, I'm sure it's probably similar for you guys, too. Like, if he writes, like, a whole song. And then if there's anything, like, a riff that will, like, you know, maybe change this up or whatever. he's like gladly fixes it but he I mean he writes everything same thing

like orchestra stuff and then same with drums like pretty damn good at programming drums honestly it's like very grateful grateful for that I just want the vibe I just want the vibe that you want and then I'll make it sick

but like just give me a vibe that I know you want and I'll make it crazy and that's what we do he sends me the MIDI I program out what I'm gonna do and then I go live track that as close to what I'm wrote as possible. And you know,

like you'll get there and I, I programmed something that I think is possible and then I'm like, yeah, all right, well,

let me, I got to change a little bit, but that's pretty much it. And then even when I nail it in the studio, I change it again. Yeah, exactly, because you're like,

yeah, I can't do this like half the time. Yeah, I do it like, I do it on the 40th take. And then Will Putney's like, oh yeah, that's fine.

And I'm like, it's not fine. And I have to play. And I'll be two footing that section. Yeah, exactly. But we never have to wait for a producer to be available for us to get into their studio to do a record.

Like, I'll do everything at my place except we'll outsource drums, but getting into a drum studio isn't too hard. And then someone else mixes it? Yes. Who mixed the last one? Christian Donaldson mixed the last two albums. He does the ingested stuff as well. So glad that they started going, I mean, it happened a while ago when they started going to like good producers. Yeah.

Because it helps. The first couple, the kick drums on the, on the OG, surpassing the boundaries of human suffering. You know what's crazy is I loved. I loved that, like, I was the first time I ever heard anything like that, like the original surpassing. The fucking kick drum, how loud it is. It's so loud, but like, I just wanted to turn it all the way up every day.

Like, I loved how it sounded. I knew, like, my music would never work. work with that because I want to hear the guitars and stuff, but like, I thought it sounded so sick. And Lynn Lynn can do it as well. Lynn is fucking great. I love that guy. Great, Trevor. Psychopath as well. Is he still a

psycho? Oh, I used to work with him in a warehouse. He lives in Spain now, dude. Does he? I used to work with Lynn. Is he still a chef? I'm not sure. You worked with him at a restaurant? No, I worked with him in a warehouse like in for like three years

in 2007. so we worked in a warehouse that dealt with metal blade it was like a music distributor it was metal blade uh candlelight like you could last like was sick it was fucking awesome but it's just like me lynn a bunch of other people like in bands that didn't bands and whatever it was so much fun just just picking CDs and put them in a thing like you just

you got like uh like discount so it's just like all I did to spend all my money on like all the merch and all the CDs were all already there. Damn, that's so sick. It was fucking sick. But that, in my head,

the, burned into my fucking brain is the first track on surpassing the boundaries. It's got its pros and cons. It's fucking sick. Yeah.

But yeah, I'm glad they started going to produce a producer. Speaking of festivals, we've got a dream festival to curate here. I'm going to talk you through it. It's a section.

It's, Everyone's favorite section of the fucking podcast. Anything goes. Okay. And you can give you, you can set, you don't have to agree together. I did a couple of episodes where I did double guests and people are like,

why didn't you do the dream festival? I was like, because there's two people, it's too hard. And then ends up, everyone loves that bit. Okay. I'll carry on doing it.

It is. Anything fucking goes. We've had wild shit. Like Will Putney wanted, nine inch nails on one stage. Metallica on the other stage and they play one song each and the whole audience is dogs

so it can get wild but let's start seriously and we're going to start with the location of the festival on I was about saying on Earth but it doesn't matter where it but you know draw from some fucking experiences

like I want to be on the moon that's what I can't talk about that's learning what I was going to save yeah drink think get in the zone don't. You're like,

you're, it has to be, for now, start off in the realms of possibility and if it goes cycle, it goes psycho. Okay.

Dream place to have a festival. I think my entire life I've always wanted to go to like Oslo. Never been. I think for me that would be like

one of the coolest ever. Never been. Me? Yeah. Very expensive. I've heard that. It's cool. Yeah,

I've never been. I want to go really bad. They've got a festival there, a hole in the sky. Yeah. There's a, fucking area. Where are you going?

I don't even know. It'll be so cold in Oslo. I know. Just, I just... I know. I just really like

whenever I go to Las Vegas, I'll just say one of those hotels will go to... Oh, like a Catino Hotel. Yeah, they're just with the fountains and shit. It's like... Okay.

Seen aesthetically pleasing to me. Okay, so what we're going to do, we're going to combine the two of those now. Yeah. Because we're in a L.A., Las Vegas style hotel in Oslo. Oh, sick.

It's like a fucking black metal Caesar's Palace. That's the fucking, that's the thing, like the big sphinx with corpse paint on. That's pretty sick, actually. So, the accommodation is usually the next question, but that's obvious that it's going to be in the hotel

unless you've got a separate dream accommodate. You're going to tell me to be like camping. No way. Come on. No way. Oh, I love camping. No, I hate it. Incredibly inconvenient.

I hate it. so much. Dude, you don't like mosquitoes when you sleep, dude? I'm too bougie. Don't you love sleeping on rocks and have mosquitoes visit you? I hate it so much. And the other thing is it's like being on tour is essentially camping. Yeah, no, exactly.

It's so camping. I want a fucking 75-inch TV in my PS5, dog. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Do you find this is like a segue from the festival where that's why it exists? Like, do you find when you come home from tour, like people trying to get you to do anything. I'm so bad. Oh my God. Everyone's like, oh, you want to come out tonight?

I'm like, no. I've just been out for three months. Yeah, exactly. I want to sit there and watch that. Yeah, straight up. That's all I want to do. I do nothing. Yeah, it's bad. Especially like the day I got back from like, I did like 13 weeks of towing in a row

I think it was and recame as Romans was in the area. Andy texts me and he's like, are you going to come out tonight? And it's like an hour and a half. I'm like, I love Andy. much. He does most of our shirt designs. Oh, really? Yeah. I was like, I just was on tour for 13

weeks. I don't have anything else going on tonight, but I can't bring myself. I feel like I shouldn't. But yeah, other than that, like, I love seeing friends as they pass through and coming through, and I, like, you know, work with a bunch of bands with production. So

I don't, I feel like everything I, no one ever makes me do stuff. Maybe my fiancé, every once in a while. But like, I'm always down to do stuff with her, you know. I need to be made to do anything. Yeah. It's like, oh.

Well, no one made you do this podcast, right? No, but this is like, this is in my fucking house. No, but I'm coming to your show, right? And that is a fucking, I don't do that. Sometimes people come to the podcast, are you coming to the show tonight? And I go, eh. Yeah. Yeah.

Last night I went, I had malevolence here. and they played with Trivium and it's literally you could throw a fucking stone at the venue from here so I was like, okay, I'll go. Yeah, and it was sick. I don't know what it is.

Part of me is like, I get like, oh, just standing up. Oh, yeah. I don't get like the access pass. I was like, yeah, I have turned around and I'll admit this now on the podcast, so I've never admitted this on the podcast.

So I had Andrew Hurley from Full Out Boy on the podcast. and he doesn't know this. This is an admission. So they're playing with Green Day and Weezer. And it's like, it's close. It's not really close, but it's close. So we do the podcast, it's amazing. Lovely guy.

I never met him before. It was really nice podcast. He had a lot of fun on the Dream Festival. He's a D&D player. So it was like he got really into the fucking, into the roles. And then, I'm dropping him off and he's like, oh, you should come to the show.

Like, I'll get you AAA, and, you know, we can hang out or whatever. And I was like, you know what, I will? Like, I wasn't going to ask or whatever. You know what, I will? And in my head, the diva in me, he's like that AAA, it's fucking Green Day, it's fucking Weasers, fall out boy,

good for the podcast, if I do meet anyone. Definitely got some sweet tequila backstage. Like, it's not going to be a rider spider, but whatever. Turn up, and it's like a festival because it's fucking green day and Fortnite Boy in Weas are obviously a huge fucking thing

so I go to accreditation and they give me a ticket and I go oh like is there supposed to be a pass there and they were like no pass and I was like

okay and I just walked home yeah yeah there were we uh me and our merch guy for this tour uh

the day our flight landed there was architects Northland playing in Frankfurt and we go to that show. Same thing. It wasn't North Lane's tour so they couldn't get the

AA pass, whatever. So I just go for an hour, watch two songs from Northland, like six songs from Marketex. I'm like, all right, well, I've been standing for an hour. It's the standing. Yeah. I hate standing.

Once I hit 30, dude, like, my back has always been bad because I just played drums too long. But, dude, it's one hour standing. I'm like, all right. People are, like, gonna be like, oh, you're so lucky, it's like,

my, dude, my sciatica, dude, fucking, like, like, like, no joke, like, especially in the cold. If I, if I'm standing, even in the cold for like an hour and a half, two hours, I have to lay down because my sciatica's like... Oh, finally, there's something wrong with you. Yeah.

I can play the drums at two years old with no food, and I'm high. But no, it's, like, it's not like being a divo, it's just fucking... No, I just, I've always hated standing. I'm, damn used to it. You know what? I went to go see Mushugger with the man from Slipart,

and we got there, and he had his own dressing room. What? He wasn't on the tour. We were just going to the thing, and they gave him his own little room and his own little rider. I was like, that's what I want. Yeah, I mean. And it's not because they don't like the music.

It's because I want to sit down. I went to see Radiohead, right? My favorite fucking band of all time. Really? And it was in a 3,000-cap venue, which they do not play. It was in the Roundhouse, London. And my friend was getting me the ticket,

because he worked for their merch company. And he was like, oh, what? Do you want seated or standing? And the kid in me activated and went, oh, standing, obviously, like you did when you were a kid. And I got there and my back hurts. And I said, this is my favorite band of all time.

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Empecies your period of a month in Shopify. coms bar records. I feel that so hard,

dude. All right, let me get back on track. We are in Oslo in a casino

started you gamble or is it Just the aesthetic. Just the aesthetic. Yeah, I've never gambled. The vibe is cool. Nothing crazy at least. I mean, okay, so, foodie.

You obviously don't give a goddamn fuck. What is catering? Any fucking cuisine you want on earth. Yeah, I mean. So you know what I'm like a huge sucker for? It's called a coconut shrimp roll. It's like shrimp tempura in deep fried coconut flakes. sprinkled with sweet chili sauce.

It's like, that actually sounds good. It's so good. Is there a particular place that does that? Surprisingly, it's in Salt Lake City. It's like the last place you'd expect to get good sushi, but it's called Simply Sushi. And they just have these weird specialty rolls. And they're like, I'm not getting sushi from Salt Lake,

but it's, I don't even get like the raw fish sushi. I got like the deep fried ones that don't even contain fish. They have like chicken or fried shrimp or stuff that's good anywhere. So, I mean, it's also all, We're all frozen. One of my favorite, fucking, one of my favorite

sushi places is in Arizona. Yeah. Really? Arizona doesn't have an ocean. No. There's no ocean, no. Okay,

so simply sushi. Yeah. Are they gonna, they're catering the festival? Yep. You're going for that. I'm gonna go next time I'm in Salt Lake.

That's good. And there's fucking nothing to do at all. Well, there is a good gym. Just so you know, they closed the actual Salt Lake City location.

So now you have to go 20 minutes south to West Jordan. So, It's like just far enough where I don't want to pay for a round trip Uber. But if we're driving like on the way to the venue or from the venue, I'm like, guys, guys, guys, come in please stop? Can we please?

Can I'll get taken? It'll be so fast. And no one else wants it. Yeah. So I'm like, you want it, right? Yeah, I guess I'll have something. I'm like, cool, that's cool. Push, really push it.

Yeah. Who drives you in this place? We usually split it. We did a bandwagon. We drive our last tour. but generally we just split it. I'm like,

I like night driving like my sleep schedule is like backwards I like go to sleep at like 5, 6 a.m. So I like, I love night driving plus

it's like the best time for me to sing. Impossible to fall sleep if you're fucking so. Belting out it's impossible. It's impossible.

Yeah, exactly. I love it honestly. Have you got anything to add to the, like you got your one meal a day? Butteen. Bootin.

Huge butteen fan. One of my favorite things in the world. Particular establishment? It's like chef. It's like Gaston something in Quebec City. It is the best between ever. The last time we played there, it was actually my first tour with Shadow. I was a filling at the time.

It was despised icon, us, like suffocation. It was like stacked. I ate it three times that day. Me. Yeah, that's breaking your rule. if I know this about you by now bro played drums at two one mil a day

even me I was like Are you going back standard Putin Or if you got like a specific Either just the regular Or bacon So fucking hungry So the problem with this part of the podcast Yeah I want a quick

A quick slightly personal Slightly rude aside So you were a filling What happened What was the business. You don't have to give me figures, but give me you were a fill-in.

I assume you were getting paid to be a fill-in. Right. And then was there a... The deal I always had with him, just because to find someone that can play our songs, I feel like we were a month out from tour

a little over when we found out Anthony couldn't. And again, like, don't blame him whatsoever, but we didn't have options. I just kind of like gave him like a minimum figure. And I was like if we make more, we'll split everything evenly. So he's had a even tour split like from the start just because I wanted to make it work. You know?

Yeah, I didn't want to. Exactly. Low ball and potentially not get him. I just from the beginning just like. But even like just make it work. That's the thing like that's I respect that so much. Like he didn't have to do that. It's a good starting point to like.

Yeah. But what's cool is like, I've been touring since I was 16. I started touring because I found a band on Craigslist. Like I was a sophomore in high school and I was like, I want to tour. And my parents were super Christian. And they were like, you're only allowed to tour during the summer and if it's a Christian band. So I fucking went on Craigslist. I was like, I want to fucking do this for a job.

And I went on Craigslist and looked up a Christian touring band. And that's how I got started. Some random band no one's ever heard of. Quit that band, like, to join another band that we had met on tour. And that just kept happened. it's like insane but I made from like 16 to 21 I literally made zero dollars on every tour never made anything even with a Christian money oh yeah

well I mean it's like you're a Christian it's fine if not no not anymore it's absolutely fine that's why no not really any honestly I honestly agnostic I'm not really I'm like figuring it out you know but what you got we got yeah what you I would say agnostic I think I used to be atheist and then I was like wait I haven't actually seen that there is nothing. It means I think of it as probably not. I was like, there's probably no God, but maybe there is.

I can't really say for sure. That's the thing. The whole God thing is strange, but like I definitely, like undeniably, when I have been a shitty person or like negative thoughts, my life's worse. When I'm nicer to people, I do the right thing. Try to think positively. Better things happen.

Yeah. I don't know what the fuck that is, but I've seen it. You know what I mean? So, but anyway, I didn't make like any money because like even that Christian man, bro, it was like 10 people at it. We're playing at church and there's 10 people there. So like, you know what I mean? So that for years and years. Matt Greiner's there.

Who else is in the church? Easy joke. I'm sorry. Well, I mean, he was like my favorite drummer. Like I was like super into that shit, but didn't make anything for you. It's incredible. It's an easy joke. And then I joined this band Seeker.

And I went from making $0 to making like $3.50 a week, which for me was like, holy shit, like this is so much money. And then I did that band for like a year. And then they just broke up like something like van just couldn't afford really to be a band anymore. I got the faceless gig. I was in only in that band for like four months, did two tours. In that band I was getting $100 a day. And I was like, oh shit, there's like so much money. and then I joined Abigail Williams

and it was like Why you've done all these Yeah And I was in Abigail for like two years And I ended up leaving Abigail for for Shadow Because I was like yo I love Ken

He's a good dude He's done a lot for me Had my back I was like If you had this option I know you would take it And like it's wrong for me to like Keep

You know you need to have a drummer That can commit And I want to commit to this Yeah You know I mean But same thing Like Abigail was like Similar money

Like around 100 a day And so even if he would have been like, the most I ever made in my life on a tour, even for like two straight months of touring, was two grand. That's the most I ever made in like eight years of touring. So if he would have been like $4,000, even if it wasn't an even split,

if he would have said $4,000, I'd have been like, fuck yeah. That's over double what I've ever made. Yeah. So I appreciate him like being fair. And I did that first tour with despised icon, did the second tour, which was our first headliner ever. it was like a testing the water

is like a two week right yeah like a two week headliner and at the end of that I guess Anthony had like accepted his position that he was offered and yeah at the end of the tour Chris basically came up to me and he was like look honestly you kind of did better than

we even thought you were going to do and like if you want this position it's yours like record the next album the official part and explain like the business to me and I mean I literally cried I don't know if you remember that but I was like it's a dream come true like I was already a fan of this band before so it's just it worked out so sick dude and I got to say it is it's cool that that is what you're doing and it's the split and it's cool that you started on that because you hear so I hear so much

shit of and it's always the fucking death metal bands right and it's always the bands with the the drummer has the hardest job yeah categorically the drummer has the hardest fucking job and I hear of all these fucking When it's like, this is the band, but this is a touring member, and it's the drummer. I'm like, that motherfucker is carrying you and you are, you're just admitting, like, we do not pay that person what they're worth. They don't, nine times out of ten, they don't pay them, like, as much as the sound guy. Admittedly, this, like, the sound guy, guy is gender neutral, by the way.

Admittedly, like, the sound, like, obviously you need the sound to be great, but you need a fucking drummer. Right. And it fucking annoyed it. I'm like, I'm not going to throw him under the bus on here, but there's, I know stories of fucking great drummers

who are just getting fucked by this. Yeah, absolutely. Aside from that, you've filled in for Whitechapel. Yes. Was that good? Amazing. I did a festival with them,

learned six songs, and then the next tour that we had, it was Aslaid Dying, them, us. And at the end, this is like crazy. So the drummer,

that was playing for Whitechapel is the actual drummer of Enterprise Earth. Okay. They got a revolving door situation happening. Yeah. So, like, four days into the tour, he comes up to me and he's like, yeah. I know you just did that fest with Whitechapel,

so you know those six songs. We're playing those six songs plus three more. He's like, Enterprise has some headlining shows that I, it's either you learn three Whitechapel songs or I have to teach a drummer 13, like a headliner set for Interpreas has. And Enterprise shit's hard as fuck too, man. It's crazy.

So he was like, can you do this for me? And I was like, I'll fucking love to. So basically, he just told me that. And I learned, you know, over the next, like, two weeks or whatever, I learned the last three songs I needed to learn. And the last four shows of that tour, I pulled Double Duty.

Like, I played Shadow Set, waited, like, left my kid up there, drank water, drank more energy, probably smoked a decent amount of weed, and then came back and ripped the Whitechabble set for the last four. shows. And then what I'm not going to lie to you.

Yeah. I'm not going to lie to you. I could have played a third set. For sure. I wish I was you. I actually did this. This is so stupid. But I just wanted to like prove something to, I don't know if it was to myself or what.

There's one show I played where I played a local show in Dallas. I was the only drummer on the show. I had five of my bands. I was the only drummer. I played five sets in a row just to prove that I could find. fucking do it. Old death metal. Yeah.

Insane. Yeah. And then a couple months later, I felt bad. And I was like, well, I, because I should probably let one drummer on it. So I had an opening drummer and then did four sets. Jeez. Just to like, I don't even know why, but I'd just like to say that I could, like, to prove it to myself that I could do it. So stupid.

Sorry to go back to the Christian thing and not even the fucking, uh, dream festival shit. But like, what did? what do your parents think? Because obviously the overarching theme of fucking metal is like, especially blasty metal is fucking,

at least perceived to be Satan and heavy shit. Right. You get in trouble? You get grounded? Well, see, that's the thing. Like, they really, I really don't think

they understood until this happened. Like, it just seemed like this dream that like I really wasn't making much money and honestly, my parents were pushing me like they're like I need to get a normal job

when did this happen my first tour with them was September October of 2019 so you'd have been 27 yeah that's about the same age that I actually quote unquote made it or just you know like

oh it's a job now yes people don't realize like there are outliers and there's a lot of like young bands of fucking killing it. But like, you just need to keep fucking going. Yeah. You just need to keep going.

Especially, like, as a drama with a million bands. Yeah. And then eventually... You find the one that's perfect and you do that. And like,

yeah, and then he's inspired me a lot because, I mean, dude, he does seven things. He's got, like, his own studio. He does so much stuff.

And it's just inspiring. It's like... Like in your studio. What's your studio recording? Yeah. I just call it Chris Mileson recordings.

It's just... I thought about like giving it a name, like a name that wasn't my name, but it's just kind of like I'm associated as like guitarists of these bands already. Like people know me from that. So why not just keep my name in it? That's what keeps you busy off tour. Yes. It's just, it's inspiring to me like, you know,

you see all these, when I was growing up, I'd see all these dudes that said they wanted to do this. But what they were showing was not, they didn't really want to do it. Yeah. And I meet him. This dude's like doing whatever. it takes to have the life that he wants strictly with music. And I'm like, yo, that's fucking sick. So it's inspiring me now.

Same shit. Like, I'm going to have, I'm going to get a website. You know, I do live drum session work. I do program drum session work, drum lessons. I'm going to eventually have merch, solo project where I sing. Like, I'm, you know, it's, I want to be a smart business person, but still all music. You know what I mean? It's mad inspiring.

It can be done. It can be done. You just need to keep fucking going. Yeah, bro. You've got to want it enough. That's it. While you're there, go to www. The Downbby.18.

Buy a fucking t-shirt and go to the Patreon. Sick fucking logo. Go to the Patreon. Give me one pound. Just one pound. It can make me feed myself. In fact, the Patreon pays for shit. Like, in a minute we're going to go to Nandoz.

I'm going to fucking pay for it. On the Downbeat car that the Patreon pays for. Anyway. Thanks. Dream Festival. Back. I might just start, like, starting the podcast with the Dream Festival, because it goes off on, like, decent tangents.

It's like, this is the bit more one cares about. Like, this is now a nice conversation. And the bit before was like, interview fucking, yeah, yeah. Euro shit. Okay, so we've done accommodation. We are in Oslo in a Las Vegas style hotel. We have simply sushi, RIP, Salt Lake City, is catering.

And Putin from, we don't really know the name, but it's just Putin. Okay. The only rule is that you are playing. Okay, so who is headline? And let's go two separate days, so you both pick a headline, and it can be fucking anyone alive, dead, different genre. I think you're going to pick who I hope you're going to pick. So I'll pick the guys that aren't that Metallica slip knot.

Oh, nice. Well, well, it's fucking segue before we come to you. give me top five Metallica in order. Like songs? Albums. Okay. Yeah, well, you put in number one. I don't even know.

Yeah, I don't even know how I would order the five because I would probably pick the just the first five as the top five. Yeah, that's why it's the hardest question. But I actually really like Death Magnetic, though, the album after St. Anger. Because that's like the first Metallica I heard after the Black Album. It's not in your top five, though, come on. I would put it over Killam All? That's the thing.

It's like Killem All would probably be the lowest of the five. Okay, put Death Magnetic in at 5 then. I would tie Killamall and Death Magnetic Chris Five maybe, or something like that. Nice. Fucking controversial. But I agree. To be honest, I agree. Maybe Kill Amol by, I don't know.

I'm not a killer mall guy, really. Yeah. It's sick. Hit the lights. It's sick. A lot of six songs there. But number one, I would also maybe put Ride the Lightning at four. So Master Justice and Black.

I'm kind of like those top, that's the tricky part. The producer. Hetfield's choice, we call this. Yeah. The producer and me would pick Black album. Yeah, the songwriting. The songwriting and production is excellent. Master Puppets, like goes the hardest.

like it's damage incorporated goes very hard battery um and justice has that prog those extended making you pick though i know i know um i would say lately i'm more likely to put on black elm songs i'm the same yeah and i was never like that i was always justice it's also the first full metallic album i ever heard was the black elm so i'd have to give it to that one just barely though favorite track if you say I'm going to flip the fucking table and leave it was in the beginning

I think my favorite like underrated track is holier than now it's literally top five songs for me but my favorite like oh of course track is wherever I may roam probably

when when holier than now drops down to just bass and drums is the hardest fucking shit ever and going into the solo too yeah insane so sick Okay, we got that out of the way. Glad you're on Team Metallica.

I fucking hate it when people think he's edgy. You're like, oh, don't like Metallica. Yeah. You're fucking wrong. Yeah, like unpopular opinion. Lars is a fucking pioneer drummer. I don't get, he's sick as fuck. He played with those in, uh, that's his sticks from,

I can't remember the festival. Power, dude. But my friend, like, he literally used those sticks. My friend Ben from Royal Blood was wearing a Lars Ulrich t-shirt that I made. at the festival they played together. Got a photo. Lars's wife asked for five of the t-shirts. So I can only imagine somewhere,

I sent her them, somewhere there is a photo of Family All-Rick in Down Beach shit, and I need the fucking photo. One or two headliners? You can have two? He had two. We've got two days. Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, bro.

I'm fucking coming to this. I thought you were doing avern store on full dream theater. Damn it. All right. I'm coming to this fest. But they're on. Yeah, they're next.

They can support, right? They can be, we can do that. That's the thing. Two pop, King and Queen, and then fucking, Avenge Seven Bowl Dream Theater. I love it.

What's the backstage situation? Like accommodations, rider type? Which is, like, you can give me some rider. You can also give me just like, is there any particular, like, festival you've been to?

Or just like, what's your, in a dream world? before you play a set, where are you? Where are you hanging out? Doesn't need to be in the realms of possibility. All right. For me, there would literally be just a weed room.

Nice. Straight up. Perfect. With mushrooms as well. What constitutes a weed room? It's literally a weed dispensary, but you don't pay for anything. Nice. Free weed room.

Yeah. Love it. Whatever you want, you fucking take it and we'll fucking eat it. And what are you hoping that they have? Have you got like a specific like I don't know you guys call it like Oh, Burberry smash cake fucking dog

Honestly, it's all bullshit now You could fucking say any name And somebody will be like, oh, it's crazy Make it up Six foot bong A six foot bong Or is that a name for something Or you mean literally

A literal six foot bong The first time I ever smoked out of a bong It was a six foot bong named Satan Nice And I remember Ripping it and going into the bathroom And look into the mirror and I was just drooling

and that was like still I think the highest I've ever been so that a pin because when in this like a cartridge like in the stage dude on stage

I'm ripping a pin and like nicotine in between songs digital split yes sir nice yeah straight up exactly what about you

I mean it'd be like you know that wedding banquet situation back there all the waiters with the cocktail shit is like, oh, coconut shrimp roll for a certain I love it.

I love it. Little of that. They have the crab rancoon roll. Oh, the Baha chicken roll. And it's all just like, we've got like, like,

you know the trays, James Heffield's there. He's like, oh, what's up, Chris? Love the new album. I'm like, wow, thanks James. You know.

Corey Taylor is like, dude, good to see it. Nice. Just kidding. It could happen. it's the dream festival exactly yeah been sevenfold set

yeah is a hologram of the rev on drums though nice we've had a couple of holograms in this dream festival who is it brooks whackaman plays for them now sounds right yeah legend great drama but the rev I would not be here right now if it was not for the rev

like my he was my favorite drummer yeah he was sick and you know I like got emotional the other day because some kid was like do you like the rev? And I was like, yeah. And he was like, I hear it.

And you're playing. I was like, damn. Like, for real, like, that really meant a lot to me. Because, like, it, like, crud. Like, the day that he died, dude, I was like, I didn't even know what to do with myself. I watched the Memorial video like four times within a week. Yeah.

Like, life changing drummer, dude. Also, like, like, drummer doing vocals, Aaron Gillespie, too. One of my biggest, like, dude, it's like, insane, bro. Under oath would be on it. I have, so, I have met him three separate times, but I feel bad because I can't judge a person because you know how it is on tour. And if you are not in the right state of mind, it doesn't, you don't know who's coming up to you.

I've tried to meet him three times and all three times it's just not, he's just not having it. Really? Yeah. He was so nice to him on tour. And I've heard that and I've checked out the podcast. He seems like such a great guy. I would really like a chance to, like, get to meet him and, like, punish him a bit without... Without punishing, yeah.

Right. Yeah, he's the fucking man. Okay, so under over on it as well. I was going to say, okay, so now we need to go... So we've got Metallica Slipknot, Bieber, Grande, Avenge Sevenfold, Dream Theater. Who's on drums for Dream Theater? Mike Portnoy. Thank fucking God.

The king. Obviously, like, obviously, I know you're probably going to agree with this. Obviously, if you talk about in terms of, like, technical skill, yeah. The other mic is, like, technically better because he can do all this stuff. You talk about a drum part writing. And, like, inspiring people. And the spirit of Mike. And the right left foot foot.

The right left foot, foot, Phil. The guy wouldn't be here. Two over two, four over two all day. He was the guy. He was the guy. And it was just like. And I, like, messaged him immediately. I was like, you want to come on the podcast?

It's like, I don't do podcasts, but I like your shit. And I was like, oh, that's really nice. I would just shit my pants. Legendary. Okay. So we need like a smaller stage. I need either what you're listening to now or like a smaller band you think needs more attention.

It's just like that, that movement of architects, North Lane, Silent Planet, void of vision is doing some good shit. Um, Thornhill. Thorneill's doing some good shit. Because North Island architects don't need, don't need the plug here. They don't.

Yeah. Void of vision and fucking right now, yeah. Invent animate. They don't need help either. They're fucking, yeah, what do you think of the second podcast

in the Aurora of Toadrattas? What do you think about the new song? From... Honestly, I really haven't gendered that much. It has a funk section. At the end. I followed the drummer yesterday.

Yeah, I need to do a little more research on them, but I have, heard the full-length thorns or twice. It's not my shit. It's not my shit, but like... I like it whenever right here. Yeah. Voidivision's got that cool, like, fucking sexy got thing going on, which I like. There's a funny thing that actually you both enjoy,

which, uh, it might be out by the time his episode's out, so it doesn't matter. There is a downbeat Voidivision thing happening. Cool. Um, if you look there, pull, pull that vinyl towards... Yeah, you can pull that out. So that is, like, Stray did a version of our album, which is, that's obviously my dog that you met earlier. With the guy, Koki Greenway, that does the... He's done some of our shirts.

Yeah, I think I noticed that. He's great. So we did like a special edition of the album where it's like Death Metal artwork with my dog, fucking stabbing people. Holy fuck. We're doing a downbeat, Voidivision one. And I won't give you the big reveal because I think I'm going to do the reveal on an episode with, with them but like put it this way you're really

gonna like it it's pretty fucking insane um okay so we got void of vision thornhill you got any little smally smaller bands that's the like I'm like I'm not exaggerating like I just listen to like

just Bieber and Ariana Grande and shit like oh like I listen to what I like I honestly I honestly very rarely listen to new music. Do you know Jesse from the art? Yeah. Beeler? Yeah.

Unbelievable. So he, do you remember when he used to do videos of him just like blasting over like fucking pop songs? Do you ever do that? Yeah, actually I have like, I need to get back into this, but like three years ago when I got drum mics,

I did a Barney, Blaspy video, Reading Rainbow, recess. You need to do Bieber and, and ari-grandi. Because that's what I do on Twitch is I play to Bieber and Ariana Grande and fucking Doja Cat and shit like that. Yeah, like a metal...

Honestly, a gospel chop version or a metal version would be like... Get on it. I'm fucking hungry and we're running out of time. What's the after party? Can't wait for people to leave comments. You're always fucking hungry. I do these at the same time every day.

Ice cream Sunday bar? Giant pool. Yeah, giant pool. Giant pool. With a weed bar. that you can walk up to in the pool. Nice. And hit the six-foot bomb.

Exactly. There you go. Does it use the pool water or some sort of... Well, there's just like a fucking hot tub, which is a bomb. Yo. Way smarter. Yeah. All right.

No rules. What's your ice cream? What's your ice cream situation? Oh, my God. You know what's good is not the half fudge, not the caramel, but the peanut butter sauce. We love it so much. Me and Tom, our guitarist.

We literally just call it PBS. Yeah. And if it's like, if we're going anywhere, it's like we'll say to the member of staff assuming that they know and they don't you guys got PBS? Yeah. Every time they go.

What? Peanut butter sauce. Oh, we got that. It's like, all right. And what do you want on topics? Well, you got Reese's pieces. Your Reese's your butterfingers. Like you already put peanut butter on it.

Yeah. Yeah. We can have more. Okay, so we got, there's a weed bar and there's some sort of like ice cream froyo bar as well. Yeah. Any like

recreational activities? It's just the poor. Pool party? No, pool party, sounds like. For me, I'm a huge football fan. I want a little football. Fucking... Pick up game, do you?

U.S. football. Yes, sir. Yeah. Not real football. Yeah, not the real football. Who's your team? Unfortunately, it's the Denver Broncos. Terrible year.

I don't know if that's good or bad. This year was terrible. Literally like the third worst team is. Do you know who my team is? Who? Cleveland Browns. Really? Just because when I started touring America,

I was like, I'm going to pick a table. team and everyone was like what team you're going to pick I was like who was the worst team yeah and then they were like Cleveland Browns was like I'm a Browns guy they're legend like the fucking like the Hall of Fame is in Ohio I got my um do you like other sports or just

basketball baseball who's your basketball team probably has to be the Mavericks because I just grew up with them my whole life who's your baseball team Astros you haven't got an ice hockey team not really like never really got into I don't understand the rules

I picked all of mine based on just dumb shit um I picked Nashville Predators for ice hockey because at that point I thought the Tennessee flag was the white chapel logo literally same when I filled in for them on that festival no joke we were driving around and I was like every car had the fucking thing and I was like I was talking to the sound guy I was like

yo, your logo's on every car. And he's like, dude, that's the Tennessee flag. And I was like, oh. Yeah, you're as that was me. That's what I thought. So that's why they're my team. And then the Rockies is my baseball team. Because two in one, the hats had CR, which is obviously my initials.

But then they had a Reynolds on the team as well. I was like, okay, this is my team. Purple's sick. And then, I don't really have a. basketball team, a 90s Chicago Bulls. Ooh, yeah. The best.

Any sports teams? No, not a single one. It's always, always the geniuses. Always the genius writers. Computer guy. Yeah,

got too much time. I'm writing fucking symphonic blackened metal. That's the thing. I'm catching up on NFL stats and he's just like, I just wrote like the sick of song. I'm like,

oh fuck. Yeah. All right, before we end it, what genre do you put shadow of intent into we like to think metal you know yeah come on you need you need to you're gonna need to narrow it down what one annoys you the that's the thing is do we for the purposes of this conversation yes i agree with you yeah but what's going to annoy you the most if it's on a flyer and what's going to annoy you

the least but narrowing it down a bit because you know they love a symphonic I know. Symphonic is probably important word. Symphonic what, though? Death metal. Wait, I wrote something on my Instagram. Death core. I just like pick like five different adjectives. Let's see. I may have said

progressive symphonic blackened melodic death metal. I wasn't far off with mine then a minute ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's definitely blackened. That's what I would like it to be. But like some songs don't really have elements that are their songs

have, you know. Like some songs, way less melodic. The kids just say deathcore. Some aren't progressive at all. Some aren't blackened at all. Does death goal pace you off? No, I've been teetering. So for, I definitely went through this period for a few years because I like observe, like, what bands are like staking around and what bands are dying off quick. I noticed, oh, the Death Corps bands are dying off quick. But like the Musugia Lama, God, Gojira, true metal bands are like decades, several decades long careers.

So like, ooh, I don't want to be, I don't want to be a death core band, but now today you see Lorna Shore,

Slarsh Prevail. It's like, oh, they grew faster than any of those bands ever did and don't seem to be dying off

anytime soon. So maybe, death cores is such a bad thing after all. This guy's fucking smart. I know. Yeah,

so you, just moves. So if you call us either, I won't get mad. Lorna Shore getting so fucking big.

is so cool. It is. And it's like, it's obviously like... Open stores, I think it's good for music. It's rising tides, baby. Yeah, bro.

Lift all ships. On that note, let's go and eat and not eat. Yeah, exactly. Fuck yeah. Thank you guys. Thank you, bro.