The annual pilgrimage to Manchester is almost upon us. This year the organisers of Damnation festival have outdone themselves. Despite the loss of their headliner late in the game they have put together a line-up of monumental proportions. Whether it be the last minute addition of Godflesh playing Streetcleaner in full or any number of other fantastic sets we can look forward to.
I have dedicated this issue to covering the festival as best as I can.
My good friend and Damnation veteran Alex Newman has written up a great pre-view of the festival over the next couple of pages and I've spoken to many of the groups performing. For their part The bands seem as excited as we are to perform at the festival.
This year at Damnation will be special. See you in the pit (or bar).
The calendar has now passed into the Autumn season, Social media has undergone a wave of news involving bad behaviour from Reading (again), Tours for the coming months are being dropped and people are keeping their camping gear firmly packed away for the next three seasons. The first truly open festival season since the Pandemic has come and gone and everyone’s feeling the blues. All except the extreme metal scene.
In less than two weeks time Bowlers Exhibition Centre Manchester will opens it’s doors for a legion of headbangers across the country and beyond for UK Metals most infamous indoor festival.
Damnation has A truly welcoming atmosphere, a line up utterly rammed with quality bands and an amazing turn around after an untimely drop out by former headliners Ministry. Damnation festival 2022 is tipped to be something truly exceptional.
Organised by Gavin Mcinally and Paul Farrington, Damnation began it’s life in 2005 within the now (sadly) closed Jilly’s Rockworld in Manchester headlined by UK heavyweights Raging Speedhorn and Swedish game-changers Entombed headlining the second stage. Even as far back as the first edition there’s an undeniable sense that Damnation has always championed metal heavy music from across the spectrum with 2005 featuring Gorerotted, the aforementioned headliners right through too progressive visionaries Sikth and the melodic styling of Forever Never. The following 2006 edition saw it’s reputation further expand with Jagermeister now supporting/hosting the mainstage (as it still does today!). Headlined by The Haunted and Akercocke with sets featuring the now beloved Skindred, Mistress, Stampin Ground, UK thrashers Evile and Man Must Die. Safe too say at this point, Gavin and Pauls creation has made it’s mark.
As the old saying goes “We need a bigger boat”, and as thus Damnation made it’s move too Leeds Metropolitan Uni before beginning it’s over a Decade long residency at the University of Leeds. It was at this point for many amongst the underground Damnation was becoming a household name in the die hard metal community as a major date alongside Bloodstock Open Air.
As its reputation grew inevitably so did the festival itself with an introduction of a third stage hosted at the time by Rock Sound in 2008 and a fourth stage in 2013 (at the time sponsored by Electric Amphetamine) finishing line up stages as we currently know them today. As for the bands? Well, as you might’ve guessed the names that appeared were unmistakable. Headline acts read like a who’s who of the underground metal scene both past and present from the entire spectrum of the genre, Devin Townsend, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Cult Of Luna, Electric Wizard, Alcest, Enslaved, Bloodbath and even the legendary Bolt Thrower have all closed out stages at Leeds Uni.
Damnation has become the beloved mainstay of the UK metal scene to truly understand why you’ll need too see first hand. If there’s one way you can describe Damnation after attending it’s post Covid return last year it’s as a labour of love. There’s an undeniable passion from everyone involved in the organisation and onsite crew to go all in and beyond too put on a belter of the festival, Gavin and Paul are die hard fans like the rest of us and constantly keep the punters updated with everything from announcements, bands they’re into and just general goings on (hell, people even recall seeing Gavin in the pit for Raging Speedhorn at the Night of Salvation pre show last year, gwarn son!), stage sponsors are all companies heavily involved and frequently contributing too the scene itself and not just major companies looking for cheap advertisement (I’m looking at you Download), Line-ups are carefully crafted and staggered too help you get as many bands in during the day as you can with clashfinders and stage times displayed practically everywhere Bands themselves go all in and deliver each set like it’s a headline slot (for those that remember Hellripper from last year you know what I’m talking about) and then there’s the fans, never outside of any summertime festival will you experience such a happy and welcoming crowd, even last year I had a hard time remembering anyone not smiling while walking around the corridors of Leeds SU. A labour of love from everyone.
So that bring us to today, 2022 sees the return of Damnation too it’s birth-town in Manchester at BEC arena, after recently holding a swarm of HxC heads for the widely hyped Outbreak fest. The already stacked undercard features the likes of doom masters My Dying Bride, USBMs Wolves In The Throne Room, upcoming riff lords Green Lung, death metal heavyweights Misery Index and Decapitated, stomping deathcore by the likes of Despised Icon (alongside Oceano and the hotly tipped Distant) barely scratching the surface…….and then there’s the headliners….oh boy.
For months on end, at the very least since Damnations 2021 inception, A dual headline set was pushed as the final assault at Bowlers from likes of hardcore legends Converge and Industrial Metal heavyweights Ministry. However with less than two months until festival kick off an email arrives at the offices of Damnation informing a cancellation of Ministrys European tour (no points for guessing one of the dates featured). If there’s ever a worst case scenario for a promoter this is undoubtedly it, weeks remaining and at the receipt of an email one of your headline acts are no longer playing. Amongst the Damnation faithful the question was firmly up in the air for days over who would replace Ministry, until a certain Monday evening this following announcement was made: “Converge will perform Jane Doe, Pig Destroyer will perform Prowler In The yard, Godflesh will perform Streetcleaner, alongside the previously announced At The Gates performing Slaughter of The Soul. These four sets have never been played in the UK before and will likely never be played again.”
Needless too say the heavy music scene in the know, let alone Damnation crowd, have been utterly floored. Damnations grand return too Manchester has become a historical event, a genuine “I was there” moment. Four of heavy music’s most iconic albums performed live, for one night only in the UK.
As it stands, Tickets are still on sale from Damnations Eventbrite page but with the hype train cranking up a gear every week we can once again expect a sell out very imminently for what many are calling the biggest indoor metal fest in Europe. Hell, even likely by the time you’re reading this article.
Don’t get caught sleeping, Prepare for Damnation.
We’ll start Things off with a preview of the end. Electronic punks Tokky Horror will be seeing us off with their set hosting Damnations after party. Performing shortly after Converge have obliterated who’s left of us is no small task. But if anyone can do it Tokky Horror can. Zee Davine explains.
The band is playing the after show at Damnation festival. Are you excited for the show?
- Yeah I proper buzz off Converge an its gonna be an absolute bucket list moment for me plus to just get to grace the stage of a festival we dig this hard is honestly an honour.
Will you be around early to watch any of the other bands at the festival? If so who?
There’s a ton, I wanna see Oceano and I’ve never seen Full of Hell. We have another show at Homobloc that day, so I’m probably gonna miss everything but I get to play twice so I ain’t complaining like
You guys are quiet unique as far as the bands on the bill go! What will the crowds get when they see your set?
I get why people would think that cos of the rave element to Tokky but it’s a heavy show and I think the metal heads will dig it. It’s a party, we’re not here to offend your taste, just trying to provide you with a good time to see out what’ll be a boss day.
Finally guys, any advice on staying conscious long enough to catch your set?
If you can’t stay awake til midnight you don’t deserve to see us, tha’s some proper weak game. My nan can do tha. I’ve seen a lot of comments like “I’ll be in bed by then” and I’m pretty baffled by it. Lighten up gang, you might have fun.
Do you have any stories from the road that make you think, "what the hell just happened?".
Yeah I once saw a guy dressed as an adult baby smearing shit all over a gimp who was then taken onstage while the front row just puked. But more recently we played a gig in Nottingham which was more of a secret party in a practice space, Mol took their top off and it was taken as some sort of order, before we knew it the entire audience was naked. It stank like shit.
The favourite sons of Hull UK, Mastiff are a driving force of depression, anger and hopelessness. They are also a great way to start a festival off! With riffs heavier than a bulldozer crashing through a slim fast meeting Mastiff are sure the set the mood for what will me an unforgettable 48 hours
The band is playing the at Damnation festivals Night of Salvation this year. Are you excited for the show?
Yes incredibly excited. We played a Night of Salvation previously in Leeds when Leeched headlined it and that was one of the best gigs we've played. This one promises to be even better in a bigger venue with some of the UK's best extreme bands like Ithaca UK and Pupil Slicer.
Will you be sticking around to watch any of the other bands at the festival? If so who?
Yes, for me Full Of Hell, Converge and At The Gates! I'd never listened to Pig Destroyer before but been blasting them recently and can see I've made a silly mistake leaving it this long!
I understand you guys are from Hull, is Hull the most depressing place in England?
It's as depressing as any town that's had its main industry shut down. There are pockets of the place that are interesting and creative. The surrounding villages are all quite affluent so this skews the statistics when you look at the quality of life indicators in the city. It's also out on a limb and this does not always afford people opportunities and avenues in life. I'd say I've been to worse places though.
You have quite a unique mix of hardcore, Doom and sludge on your records could you elaborate on your influences?
I'd say the doomier elements of the band date back to when we were a 4 piece. I had been a bass player before and my ability and dexterity on the guitar was limited so a lot of the riffs were slow and simple. But as we've progressed my playing has a bit to, I'm still no shredder mind you. We've can be a bit more varying with our songs because we can use more techniques like tremolo picking for instance. When this is combined with blast beats you start venturing into death/black metal areas. I think the main aspect of our sound is born out of not trying to sound a 'certain way'.
Do you have any stories from the road that make you think, "what the hell just happened?".
Being idiots and keeping Agnostic Front up all night. They told us "you guys laugh like a bunch of little girls". We also just played a great show with Burner and things got hectic.
Was there one gig you saw or moment from your youth that made you want to form a band to begin with?
The Hope Conspiracy in a club under a shopping centre in Leeds. It was the first proper hardcore gig I'd been to and it was carnage. Although I'd been involved in bands for a few years prior to this, this was the first glimpse into the magic of mad gigs.
What do you guys think about the elitism/gatekeeping that can sometimes unfortunately occur in metal?
It is unfortunate, but like most unadmirable human traits it's probably born out or some type of insecurity. I'm 38 very nearly 39 and to be quite frank, am not too concerned by elitism in heavy music, the cost of living has me a bit more concerned.
Phil Johnson - Mastiff
Frayle have just released their debut record “Skin and Sorrow” to great critical acclaim. A slot at this years Damnation festival will be the groups UK debut and everything that the band have set in motion seems to be paying off. It’s an exciting time for the group. Frontwoman Gywn gave me an update on the new record.
Do you ever write on the road or do you keep that sort of thing separate?
I do sometimes write some sketches while we are on the road. I keep a library of Melodies and lyric notes on my phone to reference.
What are you listening to at the moment? Do you stay in the metal genre or are you more eclectic in your music tastes?
We definitely have a broad scope of musical tastes. I have been trying to relax more and so I’ve been listening to Gregorian chants and Some more ambient, relaxing stuff. It helps to take the edge off and helps me to meditate. Sean likes to listen to just about every genre of music for inspiration. Good song structures and transition concepts exist out there regardless of genre.
With the release of the last record recently, how has the last year been for the band? Are you glad to get it out there for people to hear?
We are so happy to be able to finally release this. It has been such a long time coming. It’s frustrating for a band (or any artist) to have to hold back their work for more than a year. We are truly humbled by the response so far!
Could you tell me abit about the concept for you your last record (this years "Skin and Sorrow") are there any particular themes you drew influence from?
Skin & Sorrow draws from the heaviness and hollowness I felt after some losses during the pandemic. When you are watching someone close to you pass you can feel empty. As though all that’s left of you is just skin and sorrow. Musically we continue to push our own ideas of what Doom can be. We purposely chose some riffs that sound like loops, even more layers to the vocals, and we worked in smaller combo amps to create new (to us) sonic textures.
On the same note do you have any guilty musical pleasures?
I’m not above playing some Britney every now and again.
The band has a slot at this years Damnation festival, are you looking forward to it?
We are very much looking forward to Damnation festival. There’s a lot of great bands we want to see. It will be our first time playing the UK and we can’t wait!
The line up for the festival is fantastic, will you get the chance to watch any other of the bands? If so who?
We hope to be able to watch a lot of the other bands. Converge, Elder, and My dying Bride would be amazing to catch! Festivals like this are so amazing to just wander around and be surrounded by so many great and diverse bands.
FULL OF HELL have been on a tear for over a decade. The group has personified extremity in their musical outputs, and they have only grown more ferocious over the time. I had the chance to fire some questions over to vocalist Dylan Walker to answer and reveal some light on the bands workings. Prepare to enter the mind of the bellowing beast that is FULL OF HELL, one of grindcore’s finest exports.
Each Full Of Hell album appears to have been considerably different in sound from the next. Was this something that you all planned from the outset or has it just been more of a natural evolution of your sound?
Well, to be honest - both. We have always just tried to be the band we want to see and there’s always been an attempt to combine elements across the extreme music spectrum. As we’ve gotten better in our roles within the band, I think it’s just become more fleshed out. It’s always been very natural.
Your noise influence is a strong the presence in your music as well as industrial elements and other bizarre electronics. This is seems a very important aspect of your sound, would you mind giving a little context to your experience with noise and/or electronic music and how it's shaped the direction of Full Of Hell's development?
We have all been fans of noise/industrial/electronic music for a long time. Applying it to the normal band structure just seemed like a great way to remove some of the limitations you’d have with that type of lineup (drums, guitar, vocals)… we wanted FOH to feel like a wall of sound from the day we started the band. The use of electronics keeps the door wide open with what we can do.
Have you all encountered anything of a backlash from "grind purists" for being too "out there"?
Sure, but we don’t really pay attention. It’s not our problem haha.
How does writing/recording fit in to your obvious passion for playing live?
I've noticed your vocals have changed a lot over the years as well. On the first Full Of Hell album it sounded pretty in line with the usual conventions, but recently you've been doing a lot more shrieking and growling, going more into death and black metal territory. Has this been intentional?
I’ve been singing in bands since I was 12-13 years old, and I always did the high/low metal style. When I joined FOH, I thought it was more suitable for us to have a mid-range sound with the vocals, just slightly more grounded. That was pretty boring, so I’ve just tried to have fun with it and push my voice since then.
When we were young, playing live and touring was the absolute best part about being in a band. All we wanted to do was hop in the van and go. We still have that passion, but over the years recording has become a very rewarding outlet as well. It’s not necessarily easy to write a record and record it as you envision it in your head, so early on I remember it being kind of frustrating trying to articulate.. but like I said, over the years we’ve gotten more comfortable so it’s become a joy, for sure. Bridging the gap between live sound and recorded sound is always the goal.
It's been over a decade since Full of Hell was officially formed -- what big things about the band have changed, and what’s stayed the same in that time?
Honestly it doesn’t feel much different from when we started. The band has gotten to do alot of cool things and it’s grown, but our intentions haven’t changed and it doesn’t feel very different unless we pause and take stock of what’s going on around us. We are very fortunate.
How has creative process changed towards your material over the last ten years?
I can speak for everyone when I say that we have just gotten a lot more competent over the last decade and the direction for the band has become much clearer. It’s easier to make it happen when you know your role and you have some confidence. That’s hard to come by and it’s taken us time to find it. Still working on it!
You are no stranger to collaborations having produced several spit EPs in the past. I Personal favourite of mine is your work with "Health" on their "Disco 4, part 1" record. Could you tell me a little about how that came about?
Haha. That one is pure zoomer material. It happened because of a meme some kid made.. it started with a screenshot of the health food store “full of health” that squidward shops at when he moves to that squid neighbourhood. A kid in Austria made a Full of Hell logo that read “full of health” with a bunch of low res watermarked jpegs
healthy. Health loves a good meme… so they something. They are very prolific so it was an
You are part of this years awesome line up at Damnation festival. What is it like performing with bands like Ministry and Converge?
They’re just people! The keyboard player for Ministry actually lives down the street from me. The converge guys are totally heroes to us but in a very real, cool way. Just normal guys that are very talented. The best bands are down to earth.
Why should the crowds at the festival check you guys out?
I don’t personally care if they check us out! Maybe they can get something nice to eat for lunch if they don’t want to watch us?
Hailing from Innsbruck, Austria insanity Alert take the party thrash of Municipal Waste and DRI and add their own flair to it. Sprinkle in Transformers and GIJOE references and you have something the is uniquely theirs. Formed in 2011, the band has put out two EP’s and three LP’s, the most recent being ‘666-Pack’, released on Season of Mist Records in January 2019. Insanity Alert have played all over the world and hold the honour of being the the very first band from Austria ever to play the mainstage at Hellfest! Vocalist Heavy Kevy took the time to talk to me about playing Wacken, the future of the group and liking Metallica before it was cool....
Hey guys, thanks for talking to me. How’s everything in the insanity camp?
Heavy Kevy: All good, we had a super cool summer, playing many kick-ass clubs and festivals and ending with a grand-finale at Wacken Open Air! Now we're back in the rehearsal room, writing new tunes for our upcoming EP and album number 4 that we wanna release in 2023! The only shitty thing is that I just caught the Rona for the 2nd time, but this allows me to play through that new Spongebob game at my Switch!
It looks like you had a great time at Wacken, could you tell those of us not fortunate enough to witness it a little about the show?
HK: Yeah, it was an absolute blast! So great to play there. It took us 11 years to get asked, and we're super proud. The organisation was great, the sites were huge, the crew was friendly and very resourceful and the crowd really gave it all. So many people attended our show and moshed hard! It was really a highlight in our career, but I guess any band would say that. For those who missed it, check out our full show, filmed with a million cameras, over at magentamusik.de
Whilst you were there did you manage to catch or hang out with any of the other artists?
HK: I actually partied hard and walked around the grounds. Took a picture with Voice Of Baceprot. Best band i saw were my buddies from Rectal Smegma, killer show, so hard and brutal
In a world that all to often unfair, depressing and full of strife. It’s refreshing to hear songs like “Stopslammertime!” and “why so beerious?” Is it fair to say you guys have a decent sense of humour and don’t take yourselves to seriously?
HK: I personally take humour very serious! If more people would do the same, the world would be a better place. Too many haters, too many people just looking at what other people do wrong. No one is perfect, and shame is for the weak. Your new single “Shredator” is out now what’s the inspiration behind the track?
HK: Skateboarding meets 80s movies! Best combination ever. Killer riff from the Dave Of Death, some Arnold influenced lyrics and a real skateboard deck from Koloss with an amazing drawing from Barf Comics to back the whole thing up.
What’s next for the band? New album? World domination?
HK: We're working on a new EP, and we're also writing songs for our 4th full-length that hopefully comes out Summer 2023. Planning tours and collecting weird ideas for videos, stage props and merch. Drinking beers, smoking weed, watching football, skating, climbing mountains, the usual stuff!
In your opinions what are the best thrash records ever made?
HK: Mmm ok, my Top 3 would be: - Nuclear Assault - Game Over - Dark Angel - Darkness Descends - Slayer - Reign In Blood
Lastly and most importantly of all, did you like Metallica before Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) made them cool?
HK: Hahaha yes! But lately I'm super into Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake and Poison again.
Thanks again for your time HK!
HK: Thank you dude, up the horns, and remember... Thrashers Do It Better!
One of the bands to come out of Deathcores recent resurgence, Distant are pummelling their way through crowds one show at a time. The band have fascinating lore behind each track and musicianship that sets them aside from their peers. Distant are the future of the genre and a force of nature. They where kind enough to give me some time to chat. I hope you enjoy.
You have some interesting lore connecting all of your music could you elaborate and explain abit about that?
The lore is based on an alternative universe where a tyrannical ruler is banished to his own planet. It represents a battle between good and evil but with an eerie vibe to it, just like our music.
Your last single “Cursed” is out now . Could you tell us the inspiration behind that track?
Cursed continues with the story where Aeons of Oblivion stopped. The lyrics tell the story of Tyrant being cursed to linger around on his banished planet; Exilius. Musically we tried to experiment a bit more with a nu-metal vibe on this song, giving it a defined chorus. Nevertheless we gave it the full-Distant package by adding some slams and a crushing breakdown.
Bands like Lorna Shore, yourselves and Brand of Sacrifice are making huge waves here in the UK and there seems to be a big resurgence in Deathcore at the moment. Would you agree if so what would you attribute that to?
You are right! There seems to be a new wave of Deathcore happening at the moment. I think it is caused by the flexibility of Deathcore bands. We don’t restrict ourselves to just one genre or style, and you see that with this new wave of deathcore bands. A lot of new effects and energy is put into them, giving it a refreshing vibe, metal fans seem to like that!
I love your album artwork how much input do you guys have with it?
We have a lot of input into it. Our vocalist Alan is a graphic designer himself and also both him and our bassist Elmer wrote the whole lore behind the lyrics. The combination of being able to design our own artworks and having a lore that can be visualized helped us a lot in pointing commissioned graphic designers to draw our artwork. So if you read our lore and lyrics and look at our artwork again, you will see what it represents!
How is the new record going, any new on whom will be producing and mixing the album?
We can’t tell anything yet about a new a record. But since we just signed to Century Media Records, you can imagine we got a lot more upcoming! We are happy with our producer Simone Pietroforte, who did the mixing and mastering on our last album as well. But we do have two additional co-producers now, namely Vojta Pacesny and Howard Fang of Within Destruction. So you can expect a lot more heavy coming from our side!
You’ve toured extensively so far this year, with more shows coming up. Do you ever get tired of the grind?
We are still feeling fresh and full of energy, so we are still trying to confirm a lot more. Mainly because of the corona period where we couldn’t play shows for a way too long time. Also we got a strong team these days, helping each other get through the rougher touring days.
Do you have favourite bands to tour with?
A lot! We seem to make friends easily so almost every band we ever toured with we would like to tour with again. A few of our favourites are Lorna Shore, Cabal and Within Destruction. We would definitely like to see some more tours happening with those guys!
You are part of this years awesome line up at Damnation festival. Do you enjoy being part of festivals and is there anyone you guys plan on watching whilst you are there?
Damnation festival is a crazy festival to look up to! It is amazing to share the stage with bands we have been fans of for years and years. So you can definitely expect us to stick around all day and watch some of their sets. We are on tour with Decapitated, Despised Icon and Oceano during this festival, so we are also looking forward to see how they will do on this festival.
Why should the crowds at the festival check you guys out?
The line-up consists of very heavy bands, so assuming the crowd likes the heavy stuff, we will show what heavy is!
This November We Lost The Sea will be playing "Departure Songs" their most loved and praised record to date at Damnation festivals Prelude "Night of Salvation" as well as a set the next day at Damnation proper. This will be special for the band and fans alike. The band were kind enough to share their thoughts on the occasion
How’s everything going for you guys at the moment?
Everything is going well! We are more than excited to get back over to Europe. It's been atough time to be a musician over the past few years and our last international tour was China in 2019 right before the pandemic ruined everything. We have been getting back into the rhythm though coming off the back of an Australian tour with The Jezabels in June, which was both agreat and testing time. 3 out of 6 members caught covid during that time but we were lucky to pre-plan and get another freakishly good guitarist, Simon Dawes (Instrumental, adj.), up tospeed learning all guitar + bass parts in the event that someone did get covid. We had the opportunity to play some of Australia's great venues, gain some new fans, catch up with friends and of course take plenty of stupid photos and videos of each other. We also have a small run of shows in October as part of the Triumph & Disaster tour cycle before jetting off to the UK and EU for 3.5 weeks. Apart from that we've welcomed a few new additions to the WLTS family with 2 of the guys having kids recently and writing music when we can.
Are there any plans for a follow-up to your last record? (2019 Triumph and Disaster).
Absolutely. We are currently in the works writing when we can between practicing for shows. It’s going well albeit, sometimes slowly, but we are enjoying the process and have some great material upcoming. We are excited to share with everyone! No fixed dates yet but we will give more info when we can.
As an instrumental band, you have to communicate directly through the music rather than lyrically. Does that affect how you write tracks or do you prefer your music to be open to interpretation?
I wouldn't personally say it really affects how we write, the other guys might think differently but it seems very natural to write like we do nowadays. I think one of the best parts about how we write is how people interpret it. The music combined with the themes of the amazing artwork that Matt creates sets a stage for people to really use their imagination almost like watching a movie that the listener directs in their head. I think it's a unique listening experience.
The band is playing Damnation festival later this year, are you looking forward to it?
Fuck yes we are, Gav has put together one hell of a festival and we are stoked to be part of it. We are not usually a band that plays festivals so this will be a relatively new experience for us.
Also, getting the opportunity to play two nights in a row is a great way to showcase a lot of whatwe have to offer. It'll be the first time we get to play in the UK and what a way to do it!
Your music is quite a contrast to most of the bands on the bill. How do you feel about playing amongst some of the heavier bands on the bill?
The band in general have come from much heavier roots in music so whilst our current genre may be a bit out of place, we feel right at home in this environment. Gav has been a big supporter of ours and pushing for us to be on the bill, he's made us feel plenty welcome. We still love and play heavy music, some of which will be featured at Damnation, definitely not as fast as some of the others but we hold our own, our live performance brings a lot of energy to our music.
The line up is fantastic this year, will you have the chance to watch any of the other bands perform?
Yeah we try and see as much as we can, we leave for Belgium the morning after but we will definitely be watching a few bands. I think all the guys have different bands they want to see but one we all agree on is Converge. We have all been long time fans of their music and looking forward to them playing Jane Doe in full. I would have gone for You Fail Me personally though ;)
Lastly, why should the crowds at Damnation check you out?
We've flown a long bloody way to be here! Hahaha. Granted our music is different to everything else on the bill, but we love what we do and try to convey that through our music and we're sure the crowds will appreciate that, especially if they need a bit of a breather from people throwing roundhouse kicks to your face.
Earlier this year Misery Index released one of the best metal albums of the year with their 7th studio record “Complete Control”. Vocalist and bassist Jason Netherton spoke to me about the album and the bands set at this years Damnation festival.
Hi Jason, thank you for your time, how are you today?
Doing good, I am presently on tour with some other bands doing a tour managing gig. Long days and pretty tiring but back home in a week and in two weeks its back to the riff machine with the Index.
With the release of the last record in May, how has the last year been for the band?
Its been a process of getting back into the flow of things. The two plus years off was a weird pause on the whole Misery Index apparatus, so when we dropped the new album in May, it was a shock of sorts to get back into the promo world and touring as well. Its been a mess with the travel, lots of delays and things are way more expensive now, and it does not look to get better. But we also do this for the love of it, there is nothing like blasting away on stage in front of a rabid crowd after all.
Could you tell me abit about the concept for you your last record (this years "Complete Control") are there any particular themes you drew influence from?
Well the album does not really have a binding, overall concept, but the theme is loosely based on the idea of ‘control’ and how it works in modern societies through more subtle ways that are based more on the self, or come from within. In other words, we tend of discipline ourselves to power structures, rather than the other way around. In pre-modern and modern times, power was centered in the violence of the sovereign or state, but these days power is loosely exercised by corporations in conjunction with governments which oversee systems of control based on the people ‘buying in’ to consumption-based work/play models. In the West, we believe in this system, so we adapt ourselves to it and self-govern our lives in accordance to the demand/needs of profitmaking corporate models. Fun times to be alive, eh!?
Do you ever write on the road or do you keep that sort of thing separate?
Its just too hectic to write on tour at least for us, the focus is not there. On the road its all about the live assault and the creative juices are a bit sidelined. Maybe sometimes you get the odd riff just warming up but not often.
What are you listening to at the moment? Do you stay in the metal genre or are you more eclectic in your music tastes?
Well I was just out with Borknagar and I was super happy to see them every night, and they really grew on me, especially the songs from the last album True North. Other than that, the new album from Wake (Thought Form Descent) is majestic black/grind, the new EP from Turkish sludge crushers Sulphur Ensemble, random Killing Joke albums, the new album from Maryland grinders No/Mas, the last 200 Stab Wounds and the new demo from Kontusion.
On the same note do you have any guilty musical pleasures?
Yeah I love cheesy second tier 80s metal, from Savatage to Loudness to Leatherwolf, it's all about the shred! On a more modern note, I love the Night Flight Orchestra, total retro fun and I'm totally guilty as charged.
The band has a slot at this years Damnation festival, are you looking forward to it?
Very much so! It's been a few years since we hit the UK (last time was with Napalm Death back in 2020 before the plague)....so we are STOKED.
The line up for the festival is fantastic, will you get the chance to watch any other of the bands? If so who?
Mos def, as many as possible from Godflesh to Bell Witch to Pallbearer to Converge, its gonna be a riot and I will gladly be a fan cheesing out to the other bands and have as much fun as actually playing the fest. Its gonna rule 666x a million. Let the mayhem unfold!
The UK's very own Doom masters My Dying Bride have been spreading the disease for over thirty years. After thirteen studio albums and countless shows the band have craved their gloomy niche into the metal subconscious and are prepared to deliver an atmospheric set at this years Damnation. Let’s get all melancholy together.
Are there any plans for a follow-up to your last record? (2020 The ghost of Orion).
The next album is well underway. It's too early to be talking rough release dates as we're still writing and nowhere near booking a studio. But songs, artwork, lyrics are all in the works.
Your fans are some of the most devoted fans out there. What do you attribute that to?
How’s everything going for you guys at the moment?
We've been really busy for the past year putting the next album together. So although we might appear inactive to the public eye, trust me, we have not stopped. We've got a few songs that are reaching completion, and they are sounding utterly miserable. We've been preparing for the upcoming show at Damnation so there's been plenty to do.
After thirteen albums and thirty plus years how do you keep finding inspiration for new music, and has that changed over the years?
I think it's a love/hate relationship when it comes to creating new material. It's hard work and we all put the hours in, some days you don't have that creative energy and you can't force it so that can be frustrating. As far as inspiration goes, there are endless things that can create that. You just need that spark and off you go. After 30 years the people have changed but the process has always remained the same. Sometimes a riff will come out of us playing something wrong or in the wrong place and it will just somehow work and that then becomes a song on its own. I mean, you have to love doing something to do it for this long.
We haven't changed all that much in 30 years where other similar bands have. Of course there's an evolution but the basics have remained the same. Being part of the death/doom/gothic scene when it first started to boom probably has something to do with it as well. We're also not just being dark and gloomy for the sake of it, our songs are like that because that's who we are and I think our fans recognise that.
Your music is very cathartic for fans do you feel the same playing it?
Sure, it's an expression of emotions. I feed off the energy from the audience and for that time on stage it takes me away from every day life. When it comes to writing, I'm thinking how can we make this more miserable, how can we make this hit harder, so that's a good way to release.
The band is playing Damnation festival later this year, are you looking forward to it?
Honestly, I was going to go anyway because the line up is insanely good. Then we got asked to play and that was the cherry on top! We've played Damnation before and it's a brilliant festival, it sells out nearly every year so that speaks volumes.
The line up is fantastic this year, will you have the chance to watch any of the other bands perform?
Too right I will. I'll be there for Frayle, I'm really excited to see these guys live as I've been a fan for a while. I'll also be there for Pig Destroyer, At The Gates and Godflesh who are doing special sets. And Decapitated. There's clashes all over the place but you can't complain when all the bands are great.
The line up is fantastic this year, will you have the chance to watch any of the other bands perform?
Too right I will. I'll be there for Frayle, I'm really excited to see these guys live as I've been a fan for a while. I'll also be there for Pig Destroyer, At The Gates and Godflesh who are doing special sets. And Decapitated. There's clashes all over the place but you can't complain when all the bands are great.
Elder will be headlining Damnation's Eyesore stage this year and will provide crowds with a welcome dose of 70's weirdness and psychedelic stoner sounds. The band’s latest single “Endless Return” shows the band of fine form and as frontman Nick Disalvo explains a great contrast to the rest of the festivals performers.
I understand you are on tour at the moment, how is it going?
Our US tour went extremely well. Our current EU run has been a bit more up and down. The markets hasn’t really recovered from COVID here and we’re definitely noticing that most places on the continent. Nevertheless we’re in good spirits and having fun playing.
A lot of your lyrics over the years have focused on the idea of the meaning of life and what the hell we’re doing as human beings. That questioning has often been quite dark are you finding any answers as you get older?
I think I have come to peace with a kind of optimistic nihilism in my life. Perhaps that’s the wrong term, but I’m no philosopher. I don’t see any inherent meaning in life, but that doesn’t really bother me. Especially when seeing how fucked up the world around us is, I don’t mind that I won’t be around to see it burn in a few decades. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying my time here and trying to be the best person I can and do some kind of good for those around me.
Regarding writing an Elder album, it always feels like its best listened to in its entirety. Do you always set out to make an album that feels like one story or concept?
Not always intentional, but probably it’s a by-product of the way I write songs. Usually I’m working on a whole album’s worth of songs at the same time, something like 5-8 songs all at once. Since I’m bouncing around from song to song and rarely one gets done in sequence, the collection of album tracks feel cohesive because they’re all written at the same time.
It’s been 16 years since your debut album. How does an older you look back on young you, both in terms of the music you were making and the person you were back then?
I’d have to say that I’m proud looking back on the progress we’ve made as musicians and what we’ve achieved. When we started this band we were just kids, really. I think it’s impressive that we’ve kept it together throughout the tumultuous growing years of our 20’s and made some decent tunes along the way. Touring through a decade of life when you’re still figuring it out is a strange way to go, but it’s been a fun ride. Sometimes I feel like I’m still the same kid I was when I was 18, other times I’m not sure if I’m an entirely different person. Hard to say.
Elder’s lyrical themes of society and civilisation seem more pertinent that ever, especially in light of populism’s rampant charge across the world in recent times. How you say that is that case?
Yeah, the situation isn’t really getting better, is it? It’s hard to not write music and lyrics that are coloured by the darkening times we live in.
You are part of this years awesome line up at Damnation festival. What is it like performing so many amazing bands? Is there anyone you will be checking out?
It’s so much fun to be able to perform with bands you really like at a festival, but usually there isn’t so much time to check much out when you’re performing yourself. I hope to be able to check out Godflesh, Incantation and At The Gates. Three bands I’ve loved since I was a teenager and never seen before.
Why should the crowds at the festival check you guys out?
I think we’re on the lighter and more psychedelic side of the festival line up, which is usually fresh air in a heavy festival line-up!
