VEHEMENCE INTERVIEW with vocalist Nathan Gearhart January 17, 2003 by Nathan Pearce
In 2002 Metal Blade Records unleashed a brilliant young band upon unsuspecting metalheads worldwide. Although Vehemence has been around for a while, it wasnt until their 2002 Metal Blade debut, God Was Created, that the entire world took note of this Phoenix, Arizona hybrid of brutal and melodic death metal. With such a great reaction to the album from both critics and fans, I was fortunate enough to get a few questions answered, via email, with vocalist Nathan Gearhart.
Vehemence's popularity "blew up" with the release of 'God Was Created." How has this changed your idea of yourself and your band?
Vehemence as a collective has been working extraordinarily hard for a number of years to refine the live sound, recorded product, and general presentation of our passion for our art. We all have so many new friends who give us the inspiration and desire to continue developing our own abilities in order to continue creating entertaining and passionate extreme metal. The fact that we were able to capture the attention of quite a few people only fuels our quest to persevere.
Do you feel like your listeners are going to be more demanding of the band, now that you are well known in the extreme metal world?
I would only expect any band that I listen to should progress and develop themselves as musicians to justify my own interest. In turn, Vehemence has obsessively pursued a constant state of growth and development. With every release we feel as though we "raise the bar" for ourselves, so to speak.
What changes were made within the band, both individually and collectively, before recording such a grandiose piece of work (i.e. 'God Was Created')?
The transition from being independent to signed to a label helped in that we started allowing input from those whose opinions we trusted. Also having an actual recording budget allowed us to record in a more professional atmosphere. Other than that, like I said we will always be in a state of development, trying to be better and better until we die, thus we learn as we go along.
The concept of the album, both lyrically and visually, is deeper than most typical blood-and-guts or anti-religious death metal. What inspired such a story and concept?
I was actually inspired by those anti-religious, and blood and guts albums to which you are referring. To be perfectly honest, I just wanted to create an intriguing story which incorporated all of the elements which I found entertaining in the metal albums which kept me (relatively) sane in my younger years. I was first inspired to start writing short stories for my friends to read in school, and I just took the desire I had to scare people with my stories and started writing the words so they could fit rhythmically with the music. The moral to the story for "God Was Created" is one which I do firmly believe in though. I find my lyrics to be a perfect platform to relate to other metalheads who literally NEED this music on a daily basis.
The band produced 'God Was Created'. Are you happy with how it turned out in terms of musical production?
We had an idea of what the general sound of the album should be before we even started recording. During the tracking process (which took place at Saltmine Studios in AZ) we realized we weren't capturing the sound we really needed. Thanks to a trip to Trident Studios in California (with one Mr. Juan Urtega at the helm) we were able to refine the sound during the mixing and mastering process. I am ultimately pleased with the outcome of that process.
Will the band be producing the next album?
We are currently in the process of writing our next album, but haven't really discussed our opinions on production. We are very open minded about doing whats best for the outcome of our next studio effort.
Any chance you can give us some details of the next album?
Since it's still in the process of creation, I cannot give you an overall view. But I can say that the lyrics are not created around an all encompassing concept. I will continue to retain the content which illustrates the evils of society, while not being activistic or whiny. The music is similar to GWC, but more straightforward and refined.
Your music balances between the brutal side of American death metal and melodic old-school European death metal. Which bands most influenced you?
Collectively we were influenced by decades of extreme music. All of the Florida death from the early 90's, and a lot of the stuff coming out of Europe over the years is of course integral to the evolution of metal. I personally live for bands like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Death, Dying Fetus (and Misery Index now of course), as well as stuff thats a little further out there like Iron Maiden, Manowar, King Diamond, and soooo much other stuff. I think the most important thing about influences is to listen to EVERYthing, and to not judge a band for trivial reasons. I will always give a CD a chance if it is presented to me as metal, or good music born from metal influences.
Are there any bands you have not toured with that you would like to tour with?
I want to tour with any band that stands for keeping metal alive and amazing. More specifically though it would be really cool to play some bigger shows with the likes of say Slayer or even an up and comer like Shadows Fall or In Flames.
Is Phoenix a good place for a metal band? What's the scene like down there?
Phoenix is full of the most dedicated metalheads alive. I know many of them personally and I can tell you that metal will be alive and well in Arizona for decades to come. A good show here can draw a few hundred at a club and we have no problem filling up the Cricket Pavilion when the big boys come through town. I most recently saw the Ozzfest and the Iron Maiden shows there and they were HUGE.
What are the band's immediate goals for 2003?
To continue touring and release the best album we can conceive.
What are the band's future goals beyond 2003?
More touring and promotion of the new album
The internet is obviously an important tool for band promotion. How much of your success would you contribute to the internet.
The internet has been a very valuable tool to utilize in the promotion of our band. With the help of the Ultimate Metal message board we can even communicate with friends from all reaches of the globe. I can't even begin to explain the feeling I get when I see messages posted from England, Finland, and even Croatia. I haven't a clue even where some of these places are, but our CD is in a store in a little shop somewhere in Ireland, and the fact that a little Death Metal band from the desert can accomplish that is proof to me of the power of the internet.
I have to ask this question. Do you feel your success will soon enable you to quit your day jobs and live the life of a high-rolling rock star?
I'm not sure I'll ever be a high rolling anything. I feel that success in our medium is to be able to live off of the music. By this I mean to maintain a house at home and be able to pay those bills with just the money made from the tour. We still have a long way to go before we could do that. Hell, even some of the bands that I am inspired by work day jobs. I never really expected to make any dough doing something as fun as playing in this band. The most important thing to me is that we never compromise our integrity in order to achieve any financial goals.
Thanks for your time. I have to admit 'God Was Created' was probably one of the most refreshing and exciting albums released in 2002. I look forward to seeing Vehemence dominate the underground and beyond. Any last comments you'd like to leave for the readers at Ultimate Metal?
Thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate the opportunity to answer any questions regarding our band. And there needs to be some horns inserted here in honor of the Ultimate Metal message board which has really helped to make the world seem so much smaller. I live for metal, and I know so many others at the UM message board feel the same way.
http://vehemence.brutaldeath.net
www.metalblade.com
In 2002 Metal Blade Records unleashed a brilliant young band upon unsuspecting metalheads worldwide. Although Vehemence has been around for a while, it wasnt until their 2002 Metal Blade debut, God Was Created, that the entire world took note of this Phoenix, Arizona hybrid of brutal and melodic death metal. With such a great reaction to the album from both critics and fans, I was fortunate enough to get a few questions answered, via email, with vocalist Nathan Gearhart.
Vehemence's popularity "blew up" with the release of 'God Was Created." How has this changed your idea of yourself and your band?
Vehemence as a collective has been working extraordinarily hard for a number of years to refine the live sound, recorded product, and general presentation of our passion for our art. We all have so many new friends who give us the inspiration and desire to continue developing our own abilities in order to continue creating entertaining and passionate extreme metal. The fact that we were able to capture the attention of quite a few people only fuels our quest to persevere.
Do you feel like your listeners are going to be more demanding of the band, now that you are well known in the extreme metal world?
I would only expect any band that I listen to should progress and develop themselves as musicians to justify my own interest. In turn, Vehemence has obsessively pursued a constant state of growth and development. With every release we feel as though we "raise the bar" for ourselves, so to speak.
What changes were made within the band, both individually and collectively, before recording such a grandiose piece of work (i.e. 'God Was Created')?
The transition from being independent to signed to a label helped in that we started allowing input from those whose opinions we trusted. Also having an actual recording budget allowed us to record in a more professional atmosphere. Other than that, like I said we will always be in a state of development, trying to be better and better until we die, thus we learn as we go along.
The concept of the album, both lyrically and visually, is deeper than most typical blood-and-guts or anti-religious death metal. What inspired such a story and concept?
I was actually inspired by those anti-religious, and blood and guts albums to which you are referring. To be perfectly honest, I just wanted to create an intriguing story which incorporated all of the elements which I found entertaining in the metal albums which kept me (relatively) sane in my younger years. I was first inspired to start writing short stories for my friends to read in school, and I just took the desire I had to scare people with my stories and started writing the words so they could fit rhythmically with the music. The moral to the story for "God Was Created" is one which I do firmly believe in though. I find my lyrics to be a perfect platform to relate to other metalheads who literally NEED this music on a daily basis.
The band produced 'God Was Created'. Are you happy with how it turned out in terms of musical production?
We had an idea of what the general sound of the album should be before we even started recording. During the tracking process (which took place at Saltmine Studios in AZ) we realized we weren't capturing the sound we really needed. Thanks to a trip to Trident Studios in California (with one Mr. Juan Urtega at the helm) we were able to refine the sound during the mixing and mastering process. I am ultimately pleased with the outcome of that process.
Will the band be producing the next album?
We are currently in the process of writing our next album, but haven't really discussed our opinions on production. We are very open minded about doing whats best for the outcome of our next studio effort.
Any chance you can give us some details of the next album?
Since it's still in the process of creation, I cannot give you an overall view. But I can say that the lyrics are not created around an all encompassing concept. I will continue to retain the content which illustrates the evils of society, while not being activistic or whiny. The music is similar to GWC, but more straightforward and refined.
Your music balances between the brutal side of American death metal and melodic old-school European death metal. Which bands most influenced you?
Collectively we were influenced by decades of extreme music. All of the Florida death from the early 90's, and a lot of the stuff coming out of Europe over the years is of course integral to the evolution of metal. I personally live for bands like Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Death, Dying Fetus (and Misery Index now of course), as well as stuff thats a little further out there like Iron Maiden, Manowar, King Diamond, and soooo much other stuff. I think the most important thing about influences is to listen to EVERYthing, and to not judge a band for trivial reasons. I will always give a CD a chance if it is presented to me as metal, or good music born from metal influences.
Are there any bands you have not toured with that you would like to tour with?
I want to tour with any band that stands for keeping metal alive and amazing. More specifically though it would be really cool to play some bigger shows with the likes of say Slayer or even an up and comer like Shadows Fall or In Flames.
Is Phoenix a good place for a metal band? What's the scene like down there?
Phoenix is full of the most dedicated metalheads alive. I know many of them personally and I can tell you that metal will be alive and well in Arizona for decades to come. A good show here can draw a few hundred at a club and we have no problem filling up the Cricket Pavilion when the big boys come through town. I most recently saw the Ozzfest and the Iron Maiden shows there and they were HUGE.
What are the band's immediate goals for 2003?
To continue touring and release the best album we can conceive.
What are the band's future goals beyond 2003?
More touring and promotion of the new album
The internet is obviously an important tool for band promotion. How much of your success would you contribute to the internet.
The internet has been a very valuable tool to utilize in the promotion of our band. With the help of the Ultimate Metal message board we can even communicate with friends from all reaches of the globe. I can't even begin to explain the feeling I get when I see messages posted from England, Finland, and even Croatia. I haven't a clue even where some of these places are, but our CD is in a store in a little shop somewhere in Ireland, and the fact that a little Death Metal band from the desert can accomplish that is proof to me of the power of the internet.
I have to ask this question. Do you feel your success will soon enable you to quit your day jobs and live the life of a high-rolling rock star?
I'm not sure I'll ever be a high rolling anything. I feel that success in our medium is to be able to live off of the music. By this I mean to maintain a house at home and be able to pay those bills with just the money made from the tour. We still have a long way to go before we could do that. Hell, even some of the bands that I am inspired by work day jobs. I never really expected to make any dough doing something as fun as playing in this band. The most important thing to me is that we never compromise our integrity in order to achieve any financial goals.
Thanks for your time. I have to admit 'God Was Created' was probably one of the most refreshing and exciting albums released in 2002. I look forward to seeing Vehemence dominate the underground and beyond. Any last comments you'd like to leave for the readers at Ultimate Metal?
Thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate the opportunity to answer any questions regarding our band. And there needs to be some horns inserted here in honor of the Ultimate Metal message board which has really helped to make the world seem so much smaller. I live for metal, and I know so many others at the UM message board feel the same way.
http://vehemence.brutaldeath.net
www.metalblade.com
