The members are:
Brown Notes & Scratchy Throat: Grant Netzorg
Skins: Joseph Weller Myer
In The Company of Serpents (ITCOS) play a brutal and heavy brand of Sludge Metal mixed in with elements of Hardcore and Stoner Metal.
I reviewed these guys brilliant debut album earlier this month. Well Grant (Lead Singer) said he would be open to do an interview. So here it is. OK its the same questions I used before on Mediocracy. (They will be different next time. Promise).
So Thanks To Grant for answering them very truthfully once again.
Q1 – How did the band get together and can you describe the style of music you play.
JJ and I met when our other bands shared a gig together. As odd as it might sound, each of our other bands are/were country bands, and I was messing around with some Earth riffs during soundcheck. We made acquaintances and started playing together soon thereafter. I'd describe ITCOS as malicious doom best heard through a cloud of dopesmoke and bad vibes.
Q2 – How has the reaction been like to your music national/international
So far most of our recognition has been local, but I've been stoked to find others discovering our music abroad. Doom's not exactly a genre that's widespread, so I find it humbling when I hear of people getting into our shit on the other side of the planet from where we're making this music.
Q3 – Which bands influenced you as I can detect a whole range of bands.
There are too many to name, and I can only really speak for myself. I don't know if he'd say the same, but JJ's drumming reminds me of Chris Haikus, Jason Roeder & Bill Ward. As far as my playing is concerned, I would say that Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Yob, Neurosis, etc. are the types of bands that inspire me. Like I said, though- I'm a music nerd & there are far too many to name.
Q4 – Do you find getting gigs hard in your town, city or country
Getting gigs in Denver isn't much of a problem, considering there are a lot of crushingly good doom bands here, and there's an audience for it. That being said, we'll often end up on bills with bands that are pretty dissimilar. It's usually not a problem unless the audience is expecting some twee indie rock shit from us.
Q5 – You have toured with some great bands. Who are your fave bands that you have toured with.
We haven't spread out too far as of yet, but we're always happy to share a bill with bands like Royal Talons, Stoic Dissention, Low Gravity, Keep, etc. If you haven't heard these bands, make a point to check them out. They all slay.
Q6 – Is band your full-time job or do you have other jobs. If so how does this impact on family life and social life
No, we have day jobs. I wish we could play for a living, but it ain't the case. We've self-produced our record & have no delusions of rock star grandeur and don't aspire to that. Right now we just want to make sure the songs get into ears that would dig them.
Q7 – As you know my blog promotes underground bands who give their music away for free. Some bands are against this. What is your view.
I think sites like Bandcamp are phenomenal. Gone are the days that a musician needs to rely on someone who gives fuck-all about their music to distribute it. The power is back in the bands' hands. The internet is our veritable library of Alexandria (but with more porn), and you can find whatever music suits your tastes. Our music has a minimum price on our page because we paid for the recording, mastering, manufacturing, etc. out of our own pockets. However, we want anyone who might be interested to be able to hear our music.
Q8 – What is your view of people posting your stuff on the web for free download without going to your BandCamp Page.
Like I said, we want everyone who digs this type of music to hear it. We'd prefer if someone bought the record after listening to it & liking it, so check out our Bandcamp page first, but if you don't have the scratch to buy it, pirate away & turn your friends on to it.
Q9 – What is your stance on Record Companies clamping down on blogs and files-haring websites.
Fuck them. They're trying to silence their most enthusiastic audience. People who regularly download music aren't casual music fans. They're people who are looking to listen to exactly whatever it is they're interested in. Trying to thwart that is like trying to tell a gourmand that he should only eat boiled roots from here on out because you want to convince him that nothing else exists.
Q10 – Have you had Record Label interest in signing you guys.
Here & there, but we haven't really been shopping around. We self-produced our record, so the only thing we'd really need right now is decent distribution, but that's more or less covered by our Bandcamp page. If someone wanted to put our shit out on vinyl or pay for our next recording, I'd definitely be down, but labels seem like middlemen in this day & age.
Q11 – Why the name “In The Company Of Serpents”. Are you making a statement on certain things or the way you feel with the world.
It's not a statement or anything. JJ Anselmi, the original drummer, came up with the name, & we both thought it matched the music's vibe.
Q12 – I loved your album when I reviewed it. (Even though I might have used the word “Superb” too often. Blame Alcohol for this.) Have you received any more international press because of your music.
Thanks, man! I thought the review was... superb. We've been covered by a couple other blogs, Doommantia & Temple of Perdition. We're hoping to get a bit more coverage now that the physical copies of the record are out.
Q13 – What are your plans for the future. Any more full-length releases in the future.
We'll definitely be recording again. We're working out new material right now, & in fact are debuting a new track tonight at Blast-0-Mat, a local Denver DIY venue that hosts heavier music.
Q14 – I am really digging and loving the fact your releasing your brilliant S/T album on cassette. Vinyl is usually the old-school thing to do. But I think Cassette is probably one brilliant step back from that. Why cassette. (Though I know your including a free digital download with it).
We wanted to differentiate ourselves a bit & liked the appeal of having it on some kind of analog format. Also, vinyl is pricey as hell, and this thing came out of our pockets, so...
Well Thanks for contacting Slugelord Blog in the first place. Good luck with the future and keep in touch.
Thank you, man! Keep supporting independent music & spreading the sludge!
BandCamp
