‘To Austin and Beyond’ Godhunter – vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary: Leg three: Day 19 – 25

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 19 - Philadelphia, PA) (Jake from Godhunter): We drove the long way around New York City to try and avoid the traffic which meant we drove around two and a half hours through New Jersey. During that entire time in Jersey we didn't pass by a single god damn rest stop. We didn't have the appropriate bottles to pee in so we waited all the way to Pennsylvania before we were finally able to stop. With empty bladders we drove down to South Philly for Oppressive Fest at Kung Fu Necktie. After unloading the gear, we went and got some cheesesteaks for dinner because that is what you do when visiting Philadelphia. They were delicious and had a pickle bar. A fucking pickle bar. How cool is that? After my vegan cheesesteak with grilled onions and cheese whiz, we got back down to the venue just as Dirtbag started the fest with their brand of Kentucky doom. The Endsville crew closed out the 7 band fest which held some highlights like the death-doom of Fin'amor and the grindcore brutality of Total Fucking Destruction. I'm glad no one broke into our van tonight.

Day 20 – Baltimore) (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): After another all-nighter, we crashed at a friend's house, then woke up at an amazingly late hour and hustled over to the Pratt Street Ale House to try Oliver Brewing Co.'s new, dark ale: Destroyer of Light. This is something of a milestone for me, since beer and heavy metal are two things of supreme importance in my life and at this point I've somehow combined them. The beer was heavy and delicious, and afterwards we headed down to The Depot for that night's show. Some very sexy artwork was up on the walls, and At The Graves put on a one-man show that absolutely crushed - very few artists can pull off the one-man band, and this performance was solid. After a very loud couple of sets in a very small bar, we loaded out in one of the smelliest alleys of tour. The smells of each city seem to be competing for 'worst thing a nose can experience'. Nevertheless, Baltimore treated us very well, and the next day's drive prompted an early night.

Day 21 - Greenville, SC) (Jake from Godhunter): Well, the inevitable happened. As much as I tried to prevent it, I got sick. Being on the road for three weeks has punched my immune system right in the balls. But that didn't stop Greenville from being fucking awesome. We rolled up to the Thomas Creek Brewery and we instantly knew this shit was going to be awesome. We didn't set up in some bar section of this place, fuck no. The spot where the bands were playing was in the actual BREWERY, right in from of some actual equipment. After drinking some high quality beer (yes I was drinking while sick, wanna fight about it?) I got myself a good spot to catch Wvrm bring the sludge grind to the good folks of Greenville. Endville played next and I tried my best to make sure my voice didn't go out while playing. Waft came up and closed the night and those dudes played probably one of my all time favorite sets I have seen so far on this tour. I'm not sure how to describe these dudes other than bad ass. While talking with the Waft drummer Zach I found out that we both share a love for the Dragonlance books. Who knew there were so many nerds who like metal?

Day 22 – Atlanta) (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We're always glad to return to Atlanta, the home of our good friend Dwayne of Order of the Owl. It's always a rager, and this time we played in The Basement, which is literally the basement of the bar and grill upstairs. There were weird vibes however.. a 'prison transport' police vehicle, with its blue lights flashing, pulled up and just sat in the parking lot of the venue for about a half hour. Weird, and totally a buzz-kill. Finally, they left... only to return about twenty minutes later to do the same thing. If you're carrying a prisoner, maybe you wouldn't want to, you know, stop for long periods of time? I don't know. What I do know is that it freaked us out, but local duo, Day Old Man, got our heart-rates back to normal with their glittery shirts and stylish doom. After a doomed show in the underworld from Endsville, Canopy closed things out with their instrumental sludge. Also, Buffalo Bleu Cheese Nachos? Who know that was a thing.

Day 23 - Little Rock, AR) (Jake from Godhunter): I love pizza just like every other real American so tonight was very special to me. We got to play a pizza joint in Little Rock that provided the bands with free pizzas. Each band got two pizzas apiece and since I don't eat meat, I essentially got an entire pizza to myself. Since we are getting close to the end of this adventure, I am pretty fucking broke at this point which made the free pizza taste that much better. We got some free beer too which made everything extra sweet. We were treated to the prog doom of Construction of Light before Apothecary came on stage. Those dudes sounded like Pallbearer except the singer had a better voice. We wrapped up this show with full stomachs and high spirits, nights like this near the end of a long run are much appreciated.

Day 24 - New Orleans) (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): The penultimate date of tour felt like it came way too quick. Tour feels like it flies by - and yet at the same time, when you think about some of the first dates of tour when you start to get to the end, they feel like they could have been months ago. You're more often in the present moment on tour, since you're constantly moving, changing scenery, and don't really know what you're getting into from one day to the next. This fucks with your perception of time, since we're so used to dwelling the past or in the future all the time. In any case, it was a strange feeling to know that reality was right around the corner, a night's drive away, back in Austin - home. We met up with Old & Ill and Thunderkief, the outstanding guys behind Worshiper cabs, who were just beginning their tour. It was great to see our homies (though some bastard had robbed them the night before, in Austin of all places), but we didn't let that get us down, and a band of friends and comrades pretty much doomed the Saturn Bar into oblivion. Our friends from NOLA, Solid Giant, finished the night off with their nasty, transgressive sludge - unfortunately, locals in Space Cadavre had a run-in with the cops before the show and couldn't make it, reminding us that we were in New Orleans. Once upon a time, you could smoke inside and drink outside in New Orleans, but apparently a new law has banned smoking in bars. The times are a'changin', even here. Ah well. At least you can still drink outside.

Day 25 - Austin, TX) (Jake from Godhunter): This is it. The final night of the Endville assault on the U.S. The worst part about tonight was that both of our end-of-tour-pranks ended up falling through. Destroyer of Light ended up parking on the street corner so we couldn't mummify their van with toilet paper AND all the crickets we bought died before we could dump them in their merch boxes. The night was started out by Ass who play an old school sounding style of thrash punk that set the tone for the night. One of the coolest things about these dudes is their bass player Matt makes pedals for his company Idiotbox, which David and I have been using for years now. It was cool as fuck to finally meet this dude. Destroyer of Light played a memorable final set for this tour and then we came up and gave it everything we had left. Mala Suerte closed out the night and the party wound down to a close. We had an absolute blast hanging with the DoL dudes for these past few weeks and I can't fucking wait to hit the road again.

(Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Tour's been good to us, as it always has, but only because of the community of friends, fans, bookers, fellow musicians and really everyone else who is willing to help us out while we're out and about. So long for now, 'Murica. We'll be hittin' the highway again, don't you worry.

Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook



'The Road to Death to False Metal': GodHunter –vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary - Leg Two: Day 10-18

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 10 - Indianapolis (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): On our very first tour, we played a place called Indy's Jukebox, which got bought out and is now called the 5th Quarter - our stop in Indianapolis for Endsville. Returning there was surreal. The last time, we played with Apostle of Solitude (who showed up this time and were nice enough to give us a place to stay) and the great Black Tusk (RIP Athon). Needless to say, it was a 'full circle' kind of moment, although the murderous stairs have been improved under new management. Conjurer slayed it hard - I was admittedly blazed out of my mind and managed to stand long enough to watch them, albeit through my shades. Yes, I wore my sunglasses at night and I didn't even bash the hell out of my shins. Indy treated both us and Godhunter very well this time. The bathrooms did not. I don't know if it's because there's literally a gym on the top floor and all the body odour just accumulates or if the innards of the bar patrons are just downright wretched (we probably contributed on that front). But all that was forgotten by the great support from a host of old and new friends and fans. The only scent that stuck with us at the end of the night was the sweet smell of love. And weed.

Day 11 - Louisville Kentucky (Jake from Godhunter): Sometimes a town has ways of surprising you. Louisville was definitely one of these kinds of towns. We rolled into town a little early so we could stop by the Lousville Deathfest to check out our buds in Immortal Bird. They were playing in what looked like a warehouse kind of building next to an abandoned silo. Immortal Bird ripped apart a sea of dudes in black shirts and their girlfriends. We then drove down to the Mag Bar which is a rad little dive in a weird part of town. Tonight was just us and Destroyer of Light so we weren't in any kind of rush to get set up. We played our set to Destroyer of Light and like one other dude but that dude bought a shirt. So we were 1 for 1 on fans in Kentucky. The owner of Mag Bar was one of the coolest dudes we met on tour. He kind of looks like a shorter hipster version of Abe Lincoln and told us approximately a million dad jokes while smoking a blunt with us.

Day 12 - Raleigh (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): It was a doomed night at The Pour House after a looong all-night and all-morning drive straight from Louisville. With multiple drivers and room enough for two to sleep, it can be done - but we don't recommend it unless you absolutely know what you're doing. If everyone's tired, pull off at a rest stop and sleep for a few hours. You don't even need to set an alarm when you tour in summer: the sun will helpfully commence with burning you to a crisp as soon as it comes up, a friendly nudge that it's time to wake up and drive. Needless to say, we spent most of our time after coming into Raleigh sleeping, dreaming of Lone Star, nachos, cowgirls and all the other things we miss about Texas. At the bar, The Hag woke us the fuck up with their punishing style of sludge-grunge, as well as Bitter Resolve, whose name fit their sound perfectly. They were aggressive and thunderous, and got the blood flowing before Endsville descended on Raleigh. For future reference: no drinking alcohol in the parks of Raleigh... Unless you have a permit.

Day 13 - Charleston, WV (Jake from Godhunter): #picklemouth 

Day 14 - Pittsburgh (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We've been known to wax poetic about Pittsburgh, especially about the striking view of the city you get when coming in. Tunnel after tunnel through hills and mountains... then, bam. You come out onto a bridge and see the full majesty of the city: the river, the bridges, the hills, and the unique skyline. We seriously can't say enough good things about it. The weather was close to perfect and the wind was refreshing when up in the hills. But, oh yeah, there's hills everywhere, and that makes loading gear a special kind of pain in the nuts. Still, I'm always happy to return to Gooski's for more pierogies, sausage, kraut and wings: playing on Polish Hill has its benefits. After watching Slaves BC and Outlander blast the smallish room in the back of the bar, we were ready for a tight show, and Jeff and Dick jammed bass on the floor. After load-out (my favorite part of tour), Max from Dendritic Arbor was kind enough to put us up for the night, and we got cuddly with some big, fuzzy cats (my actual favorite part of tour).

Day 15 - Buffalo, NY (Jake from Godhunter):  I need to tell you guys something. Western New York is beautiful. We tried to leave early so we could hang out at Niagara Falls for a few hours but we woke up way too late so we only got to stop for fifteen minutes or so. The Falls are insane though. Mist in the air, tourists everywhere, and crazy ass ducks chilling in the water right before the falls. Crazy shit. David's cousin who live in Buffalo showed us and DoL a ton of love by cooking us up some burgers and letting us hang out before the show. We get down to Mohawk Bar where we got to watch a drunk guy get thrown out of the bar, call the cops on the bar for refusing service to him and when the cops showed up they told him "Get your shit, take your head out of your ass and get out of here." After all of this, Bastard Lord brought the hammer of doom down on the crowd before it was time for Endsville. Buffalo is an interesting place. I'd definitely play here again.

Day 16 - Brooklyn (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Driving into NYC during rush hour is an Odyssey of torture that filled me with enough suffering to write three funeral doom records. Pro tip: iPhones can't handle New York. They can't figure out where the hell they are and you end up getting re-routed through Times fucking Square. Yeah, that happened. After our souls and bladders were crushed for several hours, we reached St. Vitus Bar and remembered why we come to New York. It felt like a metal mecca of sorts, and it was awesome to meet up with Immortal Bird again, this time to play a show. While we were unloading in a bus zone, a city bus pulled up right behind us and the driver got out. We were sure it was to tell us to move our asses, but a lady on the bus, the only passenger shouted that it wasn't her stop. The driver shrugged and said, "I'm gonna eat a sandwich at this deli. Sorry", then walked right past us. Got to meet the mighty Frank Huang of Pit Full of Shit. Immortal Bird's performance was brutal and technical, but without crossing into prog territory. After some very loud sets from the Endsville tour, we drank, partied and mourned the toll money we'd parted with earlier that day. We parted ways with tour buddies Immortal Bird, but not for the last time: Death to False Metal Fest awaits in two days!

Day 17 - Salem, MA (Jake from Godhunter): Salem might have been one of the best on this tour. We got into the witchy world of Salem early so we could check out some of the sights before the party started. We got a taste of what the witch trials were like by seeing the re-enactment and dungeon tour at the Witch Dungeon Museum before checking out some of the cemeteries. After we got done with all of our touristy bullshit, we got to one of the most strangest venues we have ever played, Koto Sushi Restaurant. I've never played an actual sit down restaurant before so I had no idea what to expect but fuck Salem, you dudes know how to party. We had people who came out to the show from Boston and some from as far as Maine to see this show. After letting the close the sit down aspect of the restaurant, the bands set up on the floor across from the bar. After the venue filled up, Led to the Grave thrashed and shredded the energetic crowd and set everything up perfectly for Endsville to lay waste to Koto. During our set, an extremely inebriated dude was rocking out a bit too hard and almost knocked over Dick before his buddy took him off somewhere to sleep it off for the night. After wrapping up the music we shared some booze and stories with all of our new friends, it was time to hit the road again. Salem fucking rules and Koto fucking rules.

Day 18 - Hamden, Death to False Metal Fest (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): We've been calling this the 'traffic tour', because we've managed to hit awful traffic almost every drive so far, and the road to Death to False Metal was no different. Jeff walked side-by-side with the van for a bit as we inched along, because sometimes you gotta smoke and we weren't going faster than walking distance. We rolled into the parking lot with little time to spare before loading in gear for Godhunter's set. The Outer Space stage where we both played was agonizingly small - and given the size of the room and the loudness of the bands there, I'm guessing it was incredibly loud. I'm guessing because my hearing has been systematically destroyed already, so who knows. Needless to say, I approve of that: Godhunter, Destroyer of Light and Secret Cutter all shared gear and blasted the audience in what could only be called a 'heavy metal lounge party'. Just outside, metalheads strummed away at acoustic guitars, and finally Archaic Decapitator finished the night on the small stage with their technical death assault. Meanwhile, at the ballroom, Grizzlor's raw, reckless abandon was followed up by the power doom of Demon Eye and Nasty Disaster's nasty brand of heavy metal. Immortal Bird kicked up the harshness and freakout level in preparation for Krieg's black metal blitz. Good people run this fest, and I can only hope that the discovery of another fest with the same name will only be a minor hurdle: while the fest may not be keeping the name, every band performed their asses off. Hats off to everyone involved.

Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook

‘The Road to Fat Guy Fest’: GodHunter –vs – Destroyer of Light ‘Endsville’ Tour Diary - Leg One:

 By: Jake Brazelton & Keegan Kjeldsen

Day 1 - Tucson (Jake from Godhunter): We had been practicing without David for around 6 months or so. A week before the tour David drives the van all by himself down to Tucson from Washington so we can get a few days of practice in before we start the tour. The dudes from Destroyer of Light did the massive drive from Austin to Tucson the day before so we met up with them at our jam room to hang a bit. Keegan and I nerded out about ‘Magic the Gathering’ (I brought my deck along) and we smoked a bit of weed before heading down to Club Congress to get this tour started out right. Zachary Reid started us off with his neoclassical electro-drone solo work. Next up was Lockdown, Tucson's best Autopsy worship band. They were playing their very first show that night. Following that was Tucson punk veterans Pop Gestapo. Destroyer of Light proceeded to blow the roof off of Congress and we proceeded to blow up one of our Orange amps on the first night of tour. Because we're Godhunter and we do stupid shit.

Day 2 - Tempe (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): After two nights in Tucson, it was good to hit the road again and get the tour started right. Tempe is only two hours north of Tucson, but these two Arizona cities have a very different feel. I'm always vaguely aware whenever we're there that we've stepped into the domain of a megalomaniacal sheriff who tyrannizes over Phoenix; nevertheless, the local bands are not disheartened and Lago proceeded to blacken the Yucca Tap Room into oblivion before Pocket Leaf pumped out the hard rockin jams. Some bathroom poetry extolled the virtues of titties, further proving that the artistic spirit is strong in Tempe. The Yucca Tap Room will always have a special place in our hearts that I should also mention - it was a year ago here that we saw, sitting behind the bar, a 'Big Hug Mug', shortly after binge watching True Detective. We bought it from the bar for five dollars, eager to ash into McConaughey's cigarette receptacle of choice, and, on the second night of the Endsville tour, our beloved mug got to visit home

Day 3 - El Paso (Jake from Godhunter): We drove all the way through New Mexico to El Paso. We played this rad little DIY skate punk warehouse. They had built a skate park in by the stage so that shit was pretty awesome. This was a doom/trash fest that had 6 bands playing. Starting off was The Pyne playing some really fucking good Torche meets Pelican style tracks. Another highlight was The Stalk who sounded like this kind of noisey sludged out Godflesh. Torture Victim came down from Albuquerque and got the circle pit going with their blackened trash. Those El Paso dudes partied until around 3 in the morning. A chick threw up next to our van and someone tried to sell Keegan crack. Just another night in El Paso. Always keeping it classy.

Day 4 - Albuquerque (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): When you're on the road, there's a certain extent to which you're living on the charity of others. It's a humbling experience like that. Local heavy metalheads Skulldron were among those charitable enough to invite us into their home for burgers, dogs and beans... a fuckin godsend! They slayed the Launchpad that night as well, along with Black Maria: some very loud stoners with some powerful riffs. It was a small but dedicated crowd that night, and the camaraderie was strong. Dave Rodgers committed an alien massacre at the arcade. Some former Texans bought me a Shiner Bock and we talked kolaches, making me hungry again, goddamnit (alas, the chances of finding kolaches outside Texas are slim). All night, the walking dead shambled listlessly into a bro-bar next door, dressed to the nines. The DJ looked ready to blow his brains out from boredom. 

Day 5 - Denver (Jake from Godhunter): We got stuck in the biggest traffic jam in the middle of nowhere on our way to Denver. It was the god damn worst. It was that irritating kind of traffic jam that never slows down enough for you to grab the weed but keeps dragging on for hours and hours. We drive right to Seventh Circle and start enjoying all of the benefits that being in Colorado allows. Earthen Tongue started off the night with some Incantation style death metal. Up next was a post rock band from Philly called By Us, Universe. We got to hang out with a bunch of our friends too. Sara from Heavy Friends Records, Abbey and Tommy from Oryx, and Grant and Joe from In The Company of Serpents were all there. We all smoked HELLA weed. I love Colorado.

Day 6 - Omaha (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): Occasionally the unthinkable happens and you miss part of the show. The few times this has happened, it tears us up because we'd consider ourselves fairly zealous about watching the other bands. But after a car flipped in a construction zone in Nebraska, which was already down to just one lane of traffic, we were trapped. It took about an hour for that shit to move, and Godhunter informed us of all we missed out on in Rift, a rock solid act whose members are cool as all hell to hang with. Super Moon was next, specializing in stoner jams with a hard edge, hitting an almost Slayer-esque vibe at times. Loading in as soon as we pulled up, our Omaha experience was a whirlwind. Still, having never spent any time in Nebraska, the area of town we partied in seemed pretty chill, defying my expectations. Everything you hear about driving through there is pretty much true though. Bring a book. Or a magazine. Or get in a few games of Risk. Any troops that vibrate off the cooler are considered killed in an earthquake.

Day 7 - Minneapolis (Jake from Godhunter): We listened to the first eight Black Sabbath records on the way up to Minneapolis so when we get to the Triple Rock and ‘Paranoid’ is playing on the juke box, I knew then that it was gonna be a chill place. Half of the menu was vegetarian/vegan food which, being the only vegetarian in the group, I finally had more than two options for dinner. I ended up getting a sandwich with some mock duck on it. Who knew that was even a thing? Book ending the show was Ambassador Gun and The Funeral and The Twilight. Ambassador Gun ripped through some crusty ass sludge/grind tracks and even swapped places halfway through their set. The Funeral and The Twilight are an impossible to describe trio that mix a variety of genres such as punk, psych, western, and doom into one of the most original sounding bands I've ever heard. One of my favorite parts of tour is playing with bands you met on the other side of the country so getting to see The Funeral and The Twilight was extra special for me. I also love it when I can nerd out with some dudes about shit like D&D.

Day 8 - Chicago (Keegan from Destroyer of Light): I don't think I could live in Chicago. Don't get me wrong, I like to let the good times roll, but good times in the Windy City tend to roll off the goddamn rails and I'm pretty sure I would die of too much fun. Case in point: when we pulled up to the Livewire Lounge, things seemed tame, and I thought we might actually have a low key night. How wrong I was. Fueled by Sin and Crosshammer provided the local support, proving that retro is not limited to Sabbath by bringing us all back to the 90s. Following the doom/sludge assault that ‘Endsville’ wreaked on the patrons, karaoke was the fuel that set things off. Suddenly, Penny is buying Steve a shot so I can pick a song for him to sing, and Jake is being coerced by Dave into stripping into his pizza underwear while performing ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ - a song which I am convinced he never listened to before that night, owing to his interpretation of the verse as monotone rapping. Got to hang with The Atlas Moth, and Immortal Bird was nice enough to put us up for the night, but not before Rae and Dave sang a moving duet version of the classic: ‘Cowboys From Hell’. If the party ever stops in Chicago, I have seen no evidence that this is the case. (There is, however, plenty of evidence of our karaoke debauchery, online.)

Day 9 - Kalamazoo (Jake from Godhunter): One of the best things about this part of the country is the shorter drives between cities so after a few days of long drives, the drive to Kalamazoo was a welcome change. Steve from Destroyer of Light's parents live in Kalamazoo and were gracious enough to invite over for some food and beer. Steve's dad spent ten fucking hours cooking everyone an incredible smelling brisket and some vegetarian stuff for me. The hospitality that the Colca's showed us was truly heartwarming and with full bellies and a few beers under our belts, we headed down to the Fat Guy Fest. Let me tell you, these dudes know how to put together a show. With a local brewery bringing in beer just for the bands, free pizza, hula hoops on the stage, and of course some killer bands all with an extremely welcoming crowd, these guys were hitting all their marks. Drink Their Blood switched between brutal and ambient and brought out a fucking saxophone twice during their set while making full use of the hula hoops on stage to play a game of human ring toss. Beast in the Field closed down the night by loading up the stage with guitar cabs and then the two piece crushed with Bongripper style riffs and punishing drums. All too early this night wound down and we headed out. Kalamazoo kicks so much ass, we definitely will be coming back to party with you dudes again.

 'Endsville' is streaming in full here



Tour Dates Remaining:  

15/8/2015 The Outer Space & Ballroom – Hamden, CT @ Death To False Metal Fest
16/8/2015 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
17/8/2015 TBA – Baltimore, MD
18/8/2015 Thomas Creek Brewery – Greenville, SC
19/8/2015 The Basement – Atlanta, GA
20/8/2015 Vino’s – Little Rock, AR
21/8/2015 Saturn Bar – New Orleans, LA
22/8/2015 Holy Mountain – Austin, TX



Band info: Godhunter Facebook| DOL Facebook

The Sludgelord Presents: Godhunter -vs-Destroyer of Light Interview & Exclusive 'Endsville' Album Stream

GODHUNTER vs. DESTROYER OF LIGHT presents ‘Endsville’, a marriage of primal heaviness, a juggernaut release, pairing together two underground heavyweights slugging it out in a bid to out muscle each with nothing more than treacle thick riffs that culminate to form brand new material from both acts. Essentially two 12” EPs, they are  united in a gatefold setup on two different colour of vinyl and will see a collaborative release through GODHUNTER’s co-owned Battleground Records and DESTROYER OF LIGHT’s Heavy Friends Records on July 24th.

If that wasn’t enough, the bands are gearing up for a mammoth collaborative tour together, which will see them maiming and pillaging the East Coast of America.

Both bands are well known to The Sludgelord, therefore nothing gave us greater pleasure than to be asked to sponsor this tour, so with ‘Endsville’ set for release on the 24^th July and the tour kicking off on the 29th, please check out this exclusive interview about the forthcoming tour from both camps and if that wasn’t enough, we present the full and exclusive stream of ‘Endsville’ in it’s entirety.  Hail the Riff

 

(SL) Guys, let’s get straight onto the imminent release of ‘Endsville’ and the subsequent tour.  Who approached who in terms of making the release happen, had you a mutual admiration for each other’s music, toured with each other etc? 

Steve Colca: David and the Godhunter dudes, we first met each other at Headhunters in Austin playing a show together. Since then, we’ve kept in contact. David and I found out that we have the same gumption and passion when it comes to our music and touring. So, David approached me about a split and tour, and we were all down for it.

Jake Brazelton: We met DoL playing in Austin awhile back. They were rad dudes and David stayed in contact with them. So we were thinking about doing a split release/tour with someone, David asked if we wanted to do it with Destroyer of Light and we were all stoked about it.

SL) What springs to mind when you think about the completion of your new split?

SC: Fuck, it’s about time! It’s always the getting the album pressed on the vinyl that is the stressful part. Writing the music, recording the album, and mixing/mastering is always the fun part. The rest is just the waiting game…

JB: I am just super stoked about getting it out there. I think it is some of the best songs we have written and I am real proud of them. I am super excited for everyone else to hear them.

(SL) Did you approach the composition of these songs differently given that the tracks would form part of this split?

SC: No, one of us always bring something to the table and then we all add our flavor. In the end, if the riffs are cool, and we all like it. Then, we feel that it is good enough to record. One coincidence was that we all wrote the lyrics based off a theme of “killing the masses,” and none of us talked about it prior. It just happened. So, that was eerie and cool at the same time.

JB: Not really. While writing the songs we tried to keep in mind the format of a split and keep the tracks short enough to fit. It didn’t end up working too well but fuck it, we tried.

(SL) How long was the gestation of ‘Endsville’ from conception to delivery?  

SC: We started writing songs in September 2014, and then we went into the studio in November at Orb Studios with Matt Meli in November, and then we had the split mixed and sent for mastering in December. Then, the masters from James Plotkin came in the April. So, more than half a year. Like I said, fuck, it’s about time!

JB: We started working on new riffs as soon as ‘City of Dust’ ended. I am not sure how long the songs took to emerge from the riffs, but you can’t rush things like that. A few of these songs came for riffs I had been playing for a year or so. Some of them were written while jamming, which could turn into a complete song within an hour. So it depends really.

(SL) From a personal standpoint, split releases are great because you get two artists for the price of one, what are some of your personal highlights in terms of split release

over the years. 

SC: Some splits that come to mind are the Church of Misery/Acrimony split, Orange Goblin/Electric Wizard split, and the Eyehategod/Soilent Green split. It’s cool because it’s usually two bands you dig, or maybe it’s one band you dig and you find a new band to like afterwards. It’s great promotion and exposure either way.

JB: I dug the Graves at Sea/ Sourvein split that came out last year. And the Red Fang/ASG split was great too.

(SL) You’re set to hit the road on the upcoming joint tour sponsored by The Sludgelord, what is the best and worst things about being a touring band, given there seems to be ongoing issues of gear being stolen from bands etc, does that affect the mindsight of the band going into it? 

SC: The only time that we were REALLY worried about our gear was in St. Louis. I mean, obviously, we are protective of our gear and it is what we love to do. So, we are very cautious and attentive when it comes to our equipment.  You are always have to be aware of your surroundings. The Best thing about tour is going to a new city every night, meeting new fans, or seeing the same fans from the last time you were in town, and playing music. The worst thing is when you don’t get a lot of sleep from long drives, partying too hard, or sleeping in the passenger seat of your van.

JB: Gear getting stolen would be fucking terrible but hopefully being careful will minimize that risk. The best things about touring is just being out on the road. Seeingnew places, meeting new people, getting to play my guitar every fucking day. The worst things about it is being away from home. Sleeping in a familiar bed every night,next to my fiancé.

(SL) What are your survival tips for the road?

SC: Bring tons of water, beer, and have a lot of snacks stored away for when you play the waiting game before going on stage. Have a nice place to crash in your van, so, everyone gets a chance to get some decent rest before the show. Always be cautious of your equipment. Find a nice rest stop/gas station to give yourself a manual release on a regular basis. Stay hydrated, loose, and have fun!

JB: Smoke weed, drink beer, masturbate.

(SL) One thing you can’t live without on the road? 

SC: Music, a shit ton of music

JB: Naps.

(SL) Will you be playing the split in full in your respective sets?

SC: We are playing 3 out of the 4 songs on our split. We will be playing songs from every release from us thus far.

JB: Since two of the songs on our half of the split are acoustic, we will probably not beplaying those.  But we will be playing the other four. Maybe not every night but they all will be played.

(SL) Fast forward then and finally, once the tour is over and your home reflecting on the countless miles you’ve driven, to play shows in venues you’ve destroyed with a cold beer in hand, what is the thing you want to take away from it? 

SC: Just like every tour, I hope that we have gained more fans and grabbed people’s attention to the shit that we are doing, and will continue to do. Plus, fuck it was a lot of fun playing music and hanging out with all of our friends. Let’s get the next one going!

JB: That we made a couple more fans. Just hanging out with for awhile on the road with my best bros, playing music every night, drinking and smoking all while not having to go into the day job is really what all of this is about.

Thank you on behalf of The Sludgelord.

Words and Interview by: Aaron Pickford

GODHUNTER vs. DESTROYER OF LIGHT Endsville 2015 Tour:

7/29/2015 Club Congress – Tucson, AZ [info]
7/30/2015 Yucca Tap Room – Tempe, AZ [info]
7/31/2015 The Sandlot – El Paso, TX [info]
8/01/2015 The Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM [info]
8/02/2015 Seventh Circle – Denver, CO [info]
8/03/2015 The Reverb Lounge – Omaha, NE [info]
8/04/2015 Triple Rock – Minneapolis, MN w/ Ambassador Gun [info]
8/05/2015 LiveWire Lounge – Chicago, IL [info]
8/06/2015 Shakespere’s Pub – Kalamazoo, MI @ Fat Guy Fest [info]
8/07/2015 Fifth Quarter Lounge – Indianapolis, IN [info]
8/08/2015 Magnolia Bar – Louisville, KY
8/09/2015 Pour House – Raleigh, NC
8/10/2015 The Empty Glass – Charleston, WV
8/11/2015 Gooski’s – Pittsburgh, PA [info]
8/12/2015 Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY [info]
8/13/2015 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY w/ Immortal Bird [info]
8/14/2015 KoTo – Salem, MA
8/15/2015 The Outer Space & Ballroom – Hamden, CT @ Death To False Metal Fest [info]
8/16/2015 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
8/17/2015 The Depot – Baltimore, MD [info]
8/18/2015 Thomas Creek Brewery – Greenville, SC
8/19/2015 The Basement – Atlanta, GA [info]
8/20/2015 Vino’s Pizza Pub Brewery – Little Rock, AR [info]
8/21/2015 Saturn Bar – New Orleans, LA
8/22/2015 Holy Mountain – Austin, TX [info]

You can purchase the vinyl here

 

For more information:

Like: http://www.facebook.com/godhuntersludge
Official: http://www.dirtweedmetal.com
Shop: http://battlegroundrecords.bigcartel.com
Listen: http://destroyeroflight.bandcamp.com
Like: http://www.facebook.com/destroyeroflight