Today on Sludgelord I am interviewing brilliant UK Sludge/Stoner Metallers – Wolfshead – who are gaining a reputation for their blend of action packed Sludge/Stoner Metal riffs.
I have featured them a few times now when reviewing their excellent début EP and their amazing new single – Sword of Fire.
Well the guys have kindly agreed to talk to me.
Q1 – Hi guys. Firstly, thanks for doing this and taking the time to talk to us at Sludgelord. We really appreciate it.
Mart – No worries at all man, we appreciate the invitation!
Q2 – For people not in the know – can you tell us how the band came about, when you formed, etc…?
Leigh – We formed in autumn 2010. We'd known each other for years and had played together in bands in the past, then one day we decided we wanted to start a project of our own.
Mart – It was a spur of the moment thing, really. We both had the same idea at pretty much the same time, and after a couple of jams we realised we were doing something we thought was worth pursuing.
Q3 – How would you describe your sound?
Leigh – Heavy, grand, crunchy, moody, and slightly crusty.
Mart – Like the sound of a stoner metal muscle car speeding into a giant vat of burning molasses whilst having Felix Baumgartner drop a block of flats on your head.
Q4 – Which bands influence you in your music?
Leigh – We both have very wide and varied influences. The bands that we were listening to when we started jamming were Karma To Burn, Thin Lizzy, The Sword, Red Fang, Black Spiders.
Mart – Bands like Goatsnake, Sleep, High on Fire, Black Tusk, Black Cobra, and Torche are on pretty high rotation these days as well, but I think we're both influenced by every single band and artist we've ever listened to, regardless of genre.
Q4 – Which bands influence you in your music?
Leigh – We both have very wide and varied influences. The bands that we were listening to when we started jamming were Karma To Burn, Thin Lizzy, The Sword, Red Fang, Black Spiders.
Mart – Bands like Goatsnake, Sleep, High on Fire, Black Tusk, Black Cobra, and Torche are on pretty high rotation these days as well, but I think we're both influenced by every single band and artist we've ever listened to, regardless of genre.
Q5 – What is the song-writing process like in the band? Is it a whole-band collective or do individuals write the music?
Mart – A lot of the songs develop out of us jamming on a riff that one of us has come up with. As there's only two of us, it's is a really fast, efficient, and organic way for us to write.
Leigh – We work up the basic skeleton of a song by jamming like this, and then we add the meat and muscle as the song develops.
Q6 – You have received a whole load of praise for your music. That must have taken you by surprise. Are you happy with the response you have had so far?
Leigh – Very happy. We're glad so many people are enjoying our music.
Mart – We've had one or two duff reviews but that's to be expected! But yeah, for me the biggest surprise is that people on the other side of the planet are listening, downloading and loving our stuff. That's something I think neither of us expected.
Q7 – What were your original hopes and dreams when you started the band?
Mart – Just to jam some tunes, write music we love, sink a few beers, and have fun whilst doing it. Seems to be working so far.
Leigh – Honestly? To release a crusty demo of tunes that we and our friends would enjoy. On cassette at best.
Mart – Cassette! I hadn't thought of that… that recent Wizard tape seems to have been a hit, and I think The Sword did one for Apocryphon, so maybe we should look into that too, haha!
Q8 – What are your favourite bands around at the moment? Do you listen to modern day rock/metal or do you just listen to the classic era of Stoner Rock/Hard Rock?
Leigh – We both listen to anything and everything – old, new, it's all good.
Mart – I tend to listen to modern stuff a lot more than the 'classic' bands, but if someone wants to throw some old St. Vitus or Sabbath onto the turntable, I'm definitely not going to complain.
Leigh – We're digging new bands like XII Boar, Limb, Witchsorrow and Steak a lot.
Q9 – What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band?
Leigh – Least rewarding would be all the waiting around. Most rewarding is the reaction from the fans: having some crazy guy you've never met coming up to you and singing your song, and probably knowing it better than you do, that's a great feeling.
Q9 – What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band?
Leigh – Least rewarding would be all the waiting around. Most rewarding is the reaction from the fans: having some crazy guy you've never met coming up to you and singing your song, and probably knowing it better than you do, that's a great feeling.
Q10 – What is your view of bands and blogs giving away music for free? Lot of bands and people have different perspectives.
Mart – All for it providing everyone involved is happy to do so.
Leigh – We do because were a new band and we want as many people to check it out, so the less barriers the better.
Mart – Yeah, I think it's especially important for new bands to put up as few barriers as possible when it comes to giving potential fans access to your music. I'm certain our fanbase wouldn't have grown at the rate it has if we tried to force people to pay for something they'd never heard before.
Q11 – What advice or words of wisdom would you give to upcoming bands and musicians who are about to start a Sludge/Doom/Stoner Rock band?
Mart – Take your time, present yourself well, and be professional. You can't expect people to be excited about your band if all you can give them is an empty Facebook page and empty promises for when you hope to release some music.
Mart – Take your time, present yourself well, and be professional. You can't expect people to be excited about your band if all you can give them is an empty Facebook page and empty promises for when you hope to release some music.
Leigh – Make sure you have a copy of Volume 4, a case of beer and a bong. The rest will fall into place.
Mart – Or that. I'd be more inclined to take that advice, to be honest.
Q12 – What are your views of blogs such as The Sludgelord reviewing your records, as opposed to mainstream music magazines? Has your music reached the mainstream mags, at home or around the world?
Leigh – We've not been in any mainstream mags, not that we know of.
Mart – A lot of our fans have come from the exposure we've had from The Sludgelord, The Obelisk, The Ripple Effect, The Soda Shop, Heavy Planet etc., as well as a good number of smaller blogs, so we definitely see the value of the contribution you guys make to the scene. It's obvious that you all live and breathe this music, which is fantastic for everyone. The mainstream press is bound to be a little more concerned with what will help them sell their product rather than covering a ton of bands that very few people have heard of, relatively speaking, and that's completely understandable.
Q13 – What are your future plans for the upcoming 12 months or so? Anything we should be excited about?
Mart – Just some live shows and some bits of plastic that make a horrible noise when you drag a needle across them.
Q14 – Do you have anything you would like to say to your fans?
Leigh – Thank you, and keep listening!
Well guys thanks for answering these questions. All the best from all of us at Sludgelord.
Mart – You're welcome! Thanks for having us, we really appreciate the support.
Well folks, there you have it. The brilliant WOLFSHEAD. If you haven't checked these hugely talented Sludge Rockers out yet - Why The Fuck Not. Do it now!!! - You won't be sorry.
Check This Great Band Below:
Official
