Metroid Metal Q&A

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THE STORY OF Metroid Metal

WHAT WERE YOUR INFLUENCES MUSICALLY, AND HOW DID THEY LEAD YOU TOWARDS METROID AS A FOCUS FOR THE PROJECT?

I’ve definitely had video-game-band influences and regular band influences. The Minibosses, The Advantage, and The NESkimos were the reasons I considered doing a video game cover project to begin with. With regular band influences, it was a lot of the same metal bands that people were enjoying in the early 2000s: Opeth, old Meshuggah, etc. I was inspired by a lot of strange 90s space rock bands like Failure and Hum, so they were a big influence with my chords.

PHOTOS BY ADAM LYON

HOW DID THINGS EVOLVE FROM A ONE-MAN PROJECT TO A LIVE ENSEMBLE?

Right after I finished the arrangements of the original NES Metroid, I moved from a cassette 8-track setup to recording on the computer. That allowed me to bring in contributors, and one of my favorite people and biggest Super Metroid fans was my buddy Dan Taylor. We were playing music together, and he lived just outside of Asheville NC where I was. We have collaborated on every song from that point on. Once we visited MAGFest up in Alexandria VA in 2008, we realized there were other amazing players that were also video game fans. We put the work in and built out a live version of Metroid Metal to perform at the next MAGFest and later at PAX and other conventions. We have been playing live on and off ever since and threw a 15th anniversary show last summer in Houston.

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Spinning out of the early 2000s, bands like The Minibosses and The Advantage carved out a unique genre--giving a harder rock and metal sheen to the beloved bleeps and boops of a beloved touchstone of generation X: the Nintendo Entertainment System. This movement grew and matured, generating events like MAGfest, the remix websites Overclocked Remix and Dwelling of Duels, and, in one corner of western North Carolina, a project called Metroid Metal.

Beginning in 2003 as a modest attempt to remake the soundtrack to the NES classic with a fierce, bone-crunching edge, in the 16 years since, Metroid Metal has yielded multiple albums, an all-star touring group, and an enduring fanbase, and led its creator to a long and varied career of creating game music and playing guitar on the Emmy-nominated show Steven Universe.

We sat down with Grant Henry aka Stemage, the guitarist and originator of the project, to talk about the connections between craft beer, classic NES music, North Carolina, SR-388, and cask-strength heavy metal.

And, if he has time, maybe tell us where we can find the Spring Ball, because that’s been driving us nuts.

WHEN THE RETRO-GAME MUSIC REVIVAL CAUGHT FIRE IN THE 2000S, IT WAS HAPPENING CONCURRENTLY WITH THE RISE OF CRAFT BEER, ESPECIALLY IN ASHEVILLE. DID MM LIVE PLAY A LOT OF CRAFT BREWERIES AND RELATED VENUES?

We’ve played a number of local places that served craft brew, but a lot of the nerd music in the mid 2000s had not made its way into local places in smaller cities. Much of the celebration took place at gaming conventions and larger sanctioned events. The Asheville Comic Expo has always been good about throwing after parties that include nerd bands, and we have enjoyed those a lot. Video game music nerds are the most fun people to drink beer with.

DO YOU DRINK A LOT OF CRAFT BEER, AND WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE?

I adore craft beer, but my tastes have tapered off over the years. I am sort of waiting for the “hopsplosion" to die off just a bit in the hopes people will experiment with more refreshing and chill beers. The high gravs are great in small amounts, but the 40-year-old headache ain’t the same as the 21-year-old one. Ha! I’ve been enjoying hoppy pilsners the most recently. I’m a west coaster now, and there are a number of good breweries out here. Northcoast Brewing has some great stuff. Their Scrimshaw is the most refreshing thing you could ask for after a work day, and their Rasputin will knock you over. Deschutes Brewery has some tasty ones including their Fresh Squeezed IPA and Black Butte Porter. Discretion Brewery is right down the street here in Santa Cruz, and I enjoy their Shimmer Pils. Dogfish Head has made its way out here, and while expensive on this side of the country, I still enjoy a good 90-minute IPA. I was in Asheville when Highland Brewing was just underneath a pizza place. It’s crazy to see what has happened since then.

WE'VE SEEN MANY A TAPROOM WITH VIDEO GAMES, AND EVEN MORE BREWERIES WHO HOMAGE CLASSIC GAMES WITH THEIR LABEL DESIGNS AND RELATED SWAG. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE'S AN ABIDING LOVE FOR OLD VIDEO GAMES?

I think you can draw a direct comparison between video games in music and video games in beer. With music, a bunch of musicians grew up! Now we have a chance to use our craft to honor something we are super fond of. With beer, it’s the same thing. We have a chance to use that craft to honor and appreciate fond memories and entertainment that we hold dear. It’s great, because not only do music and beer bring people together, but so do old video games. It’s the perfect synergy.

AS METROID METAL AND MM LIVE BECAME A SUCCESS, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES HAVE OPENED UP FOR Y’ALL?

Well, now I make music for video games, so it has come full circle. Other band members have started other projects, and we have all gotten better at what we do. We have met a number of prominent figures in the game industry, and our music has made it into the hands of Hip Tanaka, the original composer of Metroid. It’s been a wonderful experience. When you’re taking music made for a system with a handful of sound channels and fleshing it out to a full song, what are the challenges you face, and what are you trying for with the final product? I think everyone that does this has a different goal. Some people try to perform them as close to the original as possible. Some completely eviscerate them and make something new. For the Metroid Metal songs, I try to take the melodies and write something else underneath them. You end up with a mashup of what people find familiar but also some original songwriting as well. Some people don’t appreciate that method, but I’m doing this project for me and the band, so we don’t care. It’s fun, and we all celebrate game music in our own ways.

SIXTEEN YEARS ON, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THROUGH DOING THIS, AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST GRATEFUL FOR?

I owe a lot to Metroid. Where I live now, my wife, my best friends - I can trace it all back to the first Metroid Metal track some how. I’ve been meaning to get that Metroid tattoo, but I haven’t gotten there yet! I’m grateful for everything.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

I am really looking forward to the new Devin Townsend and Town Portal albums. Both of those hit in just a few weeks, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited for new albums from bands! I’ve veered into strange territory regarding my taste. I love funky, superhuman stuff like Vulfpeck, but I also love vaporwave electronic music and a lot of really tasteful metal bands. I love guys like David Maxim Micic and Plini - two super talented guys writing what I call “elevator djent”. I love music that captures rhythmic complexity but ends up being catchy. I’ve also been listening to a band called Aeges that reminds me a lot of the 90s bands I still love.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR METROID METAL?

I think we’ve fallen into the same category as the Minibosses, where we just play when we want or can. We are spread across the country, so it takes an event to get us together. I’m not doing a lot of new Metroid arrangements, but I hope to. We did one show last year, and maybe we’ll do one this year? We’ll see. Hopefully the venues serve good beer.

You can find Metroid Metal on Facebook, Twitter, Bandcamp, and most especially at their website, MetroidMetal.com. You can follow Grant Henry’s work at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Bandcamp (search for Stemage) and at his website, stemagemusic.com

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