Lich King interview

Lich King are set to release their third album in just a few days. I recently had the pleasure of finding out more about their new release and their plans for the future.

-Please introduce the members of your band and tell what instrument they play.

Tom, vocals - Brian - drums, Erick - guitar, Kevin - guitar, Joe - bass and catering.
Tell us a little about the history of you band.

-We started in 1995 as a swing / big band project, because that was the big cool thing at the time. As time went on the music shifted organically according to whatever was popular. We went through a boy band phase, a nu-metal phase (we called ourselves Lich Bizkit back then) and a very short-lived run as a Tony Bennett cover band. By the time we started doing albums, thrash metal was the in thing so we jumped on that bandwagon and rode it all the way to fame and riches. This "thrash metal" revival phase starting to cool down now so we're looking for the next big thing. Ooh, did someone say autotune?

-You have a new album do out soon. Tell us about it.

World Gone Dead's got 9 original songs and a Slayer cover, and everything on it is balls-out awesome.

-Did you approach this album any differently than your previous releases? If so then how?

Not really from a writing standpoint- the writing is always "write the best thrash song possible" from the start of each song. This time the real difference is in production. If you've listened to our 2nd album, you heard some pretty bad production. If you heard our 1st album, you've heard some godawful production. That's because I did the production myself. This time we used PDP studios and a clever producer who's NOT me, and the difference is unbelievable. We're tempted to re-record the old stuff with this new sound.

-What are some of your favorite tracks on the new album and why?

Hmm... well, ED-209 is my personal flat-out favorite because it's the song I most feel that I would love if I were just a listener. If I'd heard some band put this song out, I'd be a frothing fan. It's stompy, it's thrashy, it's fun. GRINDWHEEL is a favorite mostly because it's a very old song- it's the 2nd or 3rd song we ever wrote, back in 2005 or thereabouts. We decided to bring it back for this album and it's all heavy n' stuff and a nice departure from the typical speed-speed-speed thing. BEHAVER is another favorite because the end of that song, the last 35 seconds, may be the thrashiest thing we ever wrote.

-How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?

Ummm... well it's pretty douchey to describe your band as (other band A) meets (other band B) but that really is the best way to bring it home. I like to think we're Gary Holt's songwriting style with Violence's propensity to continually up the anxiety, Scott Ian's stompy sections and a taste of Municipal Waste's punchy riff flavor. Aaand though it's a cardinal sin to list Metallica as an influence, guess what.

-What interests do you have besides music?

We're all into a number of things, and not just in the typical "pizza, boobs & beer" way. Erick is an amateur MMA fighter. Brian's into baseball and programs game tracks for the Rock Band network. Kevin's getting his master's in economics. Joe likes biking and snowboarding and I like geeky stuff like Magic: The Gathering, Joss Whedon crap and internet surfing. We're all fans of video games, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA and metal people not being dicks.



-Why should people buy your new album?

Because if you like thrash metal, you either love this album or you're a total tool.

-What bands have you played with so far?

Not too many... Razormaze, Skull Hammer, Witchaven, Hatchet, Katahdin, Brain Infection, etc.. we only started doing live shows in December so there's not a big list of shows that we've played just yet.

-Who would you love to share a stage with?

D.R.I., Bonded By Blood, Exodus... Vindicator and Fatal, cough cough

-Tell us about some of your most memorable shows?

Uhhh... well our best show was probably in Greenfield MA. Not too many people showed up and by the time we were on we were pretty much only playing for the members of the other bands. That created a weird kinda laid-back energy where we just tried to do our best and the other bands moshed appreciatively. For some reason my crowd banter was great that night.

-Any touring plans lined up for the summer?

Nope... sadly. We were working on something and real life got in the way.

-What are some of the best albums you have heard so far in 2010?

The only albums of 2010 I've heard so far have been Razormaze's MISERIES, Fatal's CAST INTO FILTH and Exodus' EXHIBIT B. I love new thrash but there hasn't been much of it this year, I guess, and I don't keep up with much metal outside of thrash. I couldn't tell you what the hell the bands Terrorizer constantly features have been doing, because I don't care.

-When the new album comes out you will have had three albums out in four years.
That’s very productive. How do you keep yourself motivated to keep going at this pace?

Every now and then I hear a song and think "damn, that's a good song. I want to write a song like that." I never wind up imitating a song but they always start off inspired by a song I just enjoyed. The best example might be how GRINDWHEEL was inspired directly by Overkill's HORRORSCOPE. Sooo once I'm inspired I'll start writing and the song will tell me what it wants to be as I write it.

-Where do you want this band to be in five years?

Broken up with harsh feelings on all sides JUST KIDDING HAHA LOL.

Pick the band from the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

Exodus or Overkill
Exodus, because they write better thrash more often. In my opinion at least. No disrespect to Overkill, but I find their songs to be much more "meh" by comparison, and there's always something to love in any Exodus song.

Bonded by blood or Fueled by fire
That's a bit tougher as we're good pals with Bonded By Blood, but Fueled By Fire's first album is really a lot more my style. I'd go with FBF for music but I'd rather hang out with BBB than just about anyone.

Anthrax or Metallica
Metallica. Sorry. Those first four albums are unbelievably good, despite how the jilted revisionists will pretend they were never all that impressed.

Death or Slayer
Slayer. Not a Death fan at all.

-Anything else that you want to say about your band, your music or any other topic?

Not really...? I dunno, if you like thrash check us out, and if you like Mastodon please neuter yourself with a pair of hedge clippers.



http://www.myspace.com/lichkingmetal