“Touching The Void” An Interview with Tommy Miller & Song Stream of "This Was Not An Owl (DFI)" from Void King

 

 

Indianapolis Stoner Rockers Void King have just released one Hell of a riff-tastic album in “There is Nothing” and today at The Sludgelord, it is our mission to turn you on to their sonic grooves as we present you with stunning tune “This Was Not An Owl (DFI)” which can be streamed below.  Not only that, I hooked up with guitarist Tommy Miller to discuss the history of the band, what we can expect from their new album and what we can expect from the band over the next 12 months.  Here’s what Tommy had to say when we talked a few days ago. 

 

SL:  Tommy, I hope you’re well my friend. Can you give us a brief history of your playing career to date leading up to the formation of your band and release of your current record?

 

Tommy: Our drummer, Derek, and I have been in and out of bands together since we were kids. We grew up minutes from one another. I’d say that he’s been my best friend since I was like four or something. Anyway, we played in a few rock groups here and there, but something always seemed to get in the way. You know? Like, we would get on the cusp of something a little bigger, and our lead singer would disappear off of the face of the earth. Literally.

So at the tail end of our last band, he and I started jamming as a two man doom band. Things were a lot more grim back then musically. I was listening to a lot of Dark Castle, and wanted to have a piece of that sound. Either way, it got to the point where the songs absolutely called for a bass player and a guitar player. We threw an ad up on craigslist, and it worked on the first audition. Which is odd. We jammed out as a three piece for a little bit, but then we decided to add a vocalist. Jason has been something of a hero of mine and Derek’s for some time. Getting him was just about the right place and the right time. I had messaged him about something else all together, and the subject of music came up. He was in another band, but things had slowed down a lot, so he was all about coming out to jam with us.

Last December, Jake decided that he couldn’t swing the band and the school workload that he took on. So he stepped out, kind of ending that era of the band. Mind you, all of this happened in a short time. We auditioned a couple of guys, but getting my brother in the band made the most sense. If anyone has ever been in a band before, they know that chemistry is everything. And lucky for me, my brother is one of my best friends. I think we were writing songs within days of him starting to rehearse. It’s been pretty amazing.

 

SL: What can you tell us about your upcoming record and where do you feel it sits within the context current doom scene

 

Tommy: We’re so influenced by so many different bands, and I feel like that comes across in the way that this record came out. Derek is a rock and roll guy. Chris listens to a lot of modern progressive stuff. Jason comes from a background thick in traditional stoner rock. And generally speaking, I listen to a lot of extreme metal, or post-metal. So when you listen to the record, you’ll hear some stuff in there that you might not hear on other doom or stoner rock records, and we like that a lot. I can’t say that we set out on a mission to make it one thing or another. But it feels like the end product worked very well.

 

SL: What was the mood in the camp going into the recording of the record?

 

Tommy: We wanted the record to sound like us. I hope that makes sense. A lot of bands go into the studio and come out with this glossy, over produced hunk of garbage that isn’t worth spending any listening time on. At the end of the day, I think that Carl (our recording engineer from Clandestine Arts) did just that. When you listen to this album, it hits Void King perfectly.

 

That’s my guitar tone. Those are Derek’s drums. You know? It isn’t compressed all to hell and fighting for air. It’s loud. We’re loud. I want the record to pull you in. The last thing you want when you make a record is some digital sounding thing that comes across like it was beat to death by software.

 

SL: Finally, what can fans look forward to from you over the next 12 months? How is your schedule shaping up?

 

Tommy: We’re going to be playing some long weekends and going out and back in our area. Ohio, Chicago, Cincy, Louisville, etc. Ultimately, the goal is to get over to Europe next year and play some of the bigger festivals. We’ve had a super good reception overseas, and we feel like we’d like to experience together as a band. We’d like to spread the word of the Void … to all of the Brothers and Sisters on that side of the pond and have them helps us to praise the riff.

 

 

“There is Nothing” is available to buy here

 

 

“There is Nothing” CS//DD track listing:

 

1). Skull Junkie

2). Raise the Flags On Fire

3). Brandy Knew

4). Canyon Hammer

5). Healing Crisis

6). Box Of Knives

7). Release The Hawks

8). That Was Not An Owl (DFI)

 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook