WHERE ARE THEY FROM – Denver, CO, USA
FOR FANS OF : Motorhead, Zeke, Venom, Midnight
LATEST RELEASE "Ride With Death" (Hells Headbangers)
WEBSITE: http://www.facebook.com/messages/1648361996#!/speedwolf303?fref=ts
I first came across the absolutley RAGING full length album by
Speedwolf earlier last year, and it was one of those records that just
made me want to repeat it over and over again, which I did, the band
mix fast paced double kick fuelled speed metal with high octane and
energetic punked up rock 'n' roll - kinda like Motorhead and Venom
having a ruckus with Zeke in some sleazy back alley bar with early
Bathory throwing in the odd punch and kick. You get the idea. I
collared vocalist Reed to find out more about what makes this band
tick and to get the latest on the bands activities and plans.
The band have snice done another tour and there are plans for them to hit Europe this year - keep an eye on their facebook/band page for dates!
Hey Reed! Hope all is well with you - Please for those who are
unfamiliar with the musical beast know as Speedwolf give people a
brief history on the band and tell us who currently does what in the
band?
-Hey Kat. Speedwolf is made up of four members, Richie- Drums, Kris- Guitar, Jake- Bass, and myself on vocals. We formed in 2008, have put out multiple demos, 7"s, splits, and one full length since then. We're currently on Hells Headbangers Records and have been touring none stop this year.
You guys have been active for a little while now, releasing a demo,
splits etc... but at the tail end of last year your raging "RIDE WITH
DEATH" album was released on Hells Headbangers ....please tell the
readers about this album in your own words and what they can expect
from it?
-Ride With Death is our debut of 12 songs that were written over a 3 year period. We like to tell people if like the sound of simplistic old metal, then they will most likely enjoy what we do.
How has the overall response been like to the album? Are you happy
with the work the label has done to get the word out there about it
promowise? How did you hook up with the label initially?
-The response has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. About 90% good and 10% talking shit, but thats the way heavy metal and the internet goes these days. HHR has done a great job with releasing/distributing our stuff and providing what they can with tour support and other things like that. We hooked up with them because we were supporting the label for years. We went from being customers to employees, haha.
The album production is great, very sharp and all the instruments cut
through just perfectly (love the double kick sound too!) - where was
it recorded at?
-It was recorded by a friend in Denver666, Steve Goldberg. He's known for playing guitar in Cephalic Carnage. We did everything in a few days and capturing most of it live. We do our best not to 'over-do-it' when it comes to recording. Get in and get out. Glad you enjoy what you hear.
Who designed the artwork for the album?
-We've done the majority of our artwork with a local Denver666 artist, Sam Turner. He's worked with other bands such as 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, ZEKE, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, and more. Total metal maniac and really good friend of the band overall.
Lyrically where do you get inspiration from?
-All the drugs I used to do, and the motorcycle that I ride daily.
You also have a new split out with Nekrofilth - please tell us about
that, were the recording sessions for it seperate from the album
recording?
-Yes, that kind of happened randomly. Our friends in NEKROFILTH were working on a split with another band to be released by Doomentia Records out of the Czech Republic. The other band fell through, and so they asked us to take their place. We a few new songs written for a 2nd album and decided to get a quick live recording, that way we could hop on the 7". We recorded everything live at a local theatre in Denver right on stage. Come out sounding pretty good, so we sent Lukas (Doomentia) the tracks and he got it out quickly. Most likely, our song recorded for the split will be re-recorded for our 2nd full length...
Vocally where do you draw inspiration from?
-If it isn't completely obvious. Lemmy! Haha, but I always looked up to other classic vocalists from rock n' roll and heavy metal. Iggy Pop, Robin Tyner, Cronos, Quorothon, Blind Marky Felchtone, Paul Dianno, etc, etc, etc....
You guys are known for being a VERY HARD working and hard touring band
- you have done two USA tours this year alone, please tell us ab out
those tours? What places did you enjoy playing the most/feel you were
best recieved at? It must be quite tiring covering such a vast expanse
of land!! What can people expect from a Speedwolf show?
-Thank you. We do work extremely hard to get on the road and bring our music all over the country. Our inspiration comes from old metal bands musically, but also in their work ethic. Bands like MOTORHEAD toured their asses off, and it did nothing buy pay off. Our intentions are the same. So far, we've received good responses in coastal towns within the US. We've also done some dates in Canada, and those have been incredible. As far as what one could expect from a SPEEDWOLF show, I would say a lot of fucking energy and volume.
Any plans to tour Europe in the near future? Have you managed to get
over to this side of the pond yet?
-We have wanted to tour Europe since we started the band. We've sold quite a few pieces of merchandise over there, and would love to make a live appearance. I email international booking agents on a daily basis begging them to book us over there, whether it be for a festival or entire tour. Call the wolf and we will come!
What else have you got planned live for the remainder of 2012?
-Quite a bit actually. We're working on flying out to Brooklyn, NY to play for Halloween in a few weeks. Our tour with NAPALM DEATH, MUNICIPAL WASTE, and EXHUMED starts in November. For 2013 we're planning on doing SXSW, MARYLAND DEATHFEST, and CHAOS IN TEJAS.
What is your inspiration to play such a style of music, and which
bands help fuel and shape the overall sound of Speedwolf? You guys
seem to blend speed metal with a punk rock 'n' roll - how would you
personally the describe your music and the mix of genres you seem to
blend so effortlessly but which has potent results?
-Well, we appreciate it when anyone seems to understand the sound that we're trying to achieve. Nowadays a lot of metal listeners seem to over-analyze things and overall forget to just listen to the music. Yes, we sound similar to MOTORHEAD and VENOM, or at least they're huge influences on what we're doing. It's fucking obvious! Although, in the end, we're just fans of classic/timeless metal. Ultimately our goal is create heavy metal/rock n' roll that fans talk about 10, 15, or 20 years from now...
Describe the band in 5 words ONLY!
-Motorcycles, Speed, Hell, Loyalty, and Genuine
Who came up with the band name? What are its origins and general meaning?
-Our bassist, Jake, came up with the name randomly at practice. The name itself doesn't have a deep meaning or purpose. It's a simple one-word phrase that resembles a lost band from the NWOBHM-era. Or at least, thats the way it sounded to us!
Have you started to write any new material for another album, got any
other releases or recordings in the pipeline or is it too soon after
the last albumand split to even begin thinking of new material etc..?
Will you continue your affiliation with Chase and HH?
-We currently have almost an entire 2nd album written. Other labels have sent us offers, some intriguing and others not. We're not looking to leave HHR by any means, although we're definitely looking to pursue touring and hard-work further with every day. Therefore, we'll ultimately stick with whomever can support us the best through our efforts. We can't really say when a 2nd album will be released because we haven't even recorded it yet, haha.
What are your plans for rest of 2012 and into 2013 - Do you have much
in the pipeline? I know you are confirmed for the prestigious Maryland
Deathfest, what are your thoughts on that and what are your
expectations from playing such a festival? What is your fave thing
about playing such fests?
- I think I answered most of this in another question. We have a full plate of plans for the rest of 2012 and early 2013. To say we're ecstatic is an understatement. We're a very new band and did not expect this kind of response and opportunity to arise so quickly. At the end of day, we're just nerds excited to play shows with our favorite bands. Can't fucking wait!
What is your local scene like both bandwise and venue wise? Do you
play live locally much? Or is it just once every while? What local
bands can you recommend to the readers from across the world who are
reading this?
-We love Denver666 and boast it's gifts to world daily. We still play locally as much as we can, but are now setting up a busy tour schedule and can't do everything we always want to around town. As far as local bands/friends that readers should check out goes: NO THOUGHT, DEATH OF SELF, CATHETER, GRAVETORN, BLOOD POISONING, ROSKOPP, MF RUCKUS, WARHAWK, ZEBROIDS, NEGATIVE DEGREE, LEATHER SKY. I could go on forever, haha.
What is your overall opinion on the American extreme music scene
currently- are there any other bands out there that you feel an
affinity or bond with musically or attitude wise?
-American extreme music is a widespread mix of genre upon sub genre these days. We identify with bands that we're overall good friends with. People like NEKROFILTH, SUPERCHRIST, WITCHAVEN, HIGH SPIRITS, RAMMING SPEED, THE HOOKERS, MIDNIGHT, and NUNSLAUGHTER. All are good people with the same attitude as ours when it comes to being in an underground metal band.
Are any of you guys involved with other bands or is it just Speedwolf?
-We've all got loose side projects going on these days. I personally have two other bands that I'm working on, GRAVETORN and BLOOD POISIONING. They're both more under the death/black metal side of things. Jake and Kris used to do a doom band called MATAWAN. Richie is always jamming thrash with random guys when he has time. We're all pretty busy with work and SPEEDWOLF so it's hard to put enough time into other projects for them to really take off.
Many thanks for answering this short interview...last words are yours,
feel free to plug merch, websites, gigs, tours etc...
- Thanks again for the interview. Fans like yourself going out of your way to ask us a few questions is what keeps the underground alive. Feel free to contact SPEEDWOLF here: ddcbitch@yahoo.com, and find all of our merch here: www.speedwolf.bigcartel.com. Speed and Choppers forever....
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