Tasmania is known for two things; the Tasmanian Devil and having produced one of the leaders of the modern death metal scene, Psycroptic. Since their formation in 1999, the band have constantly evolved and broken through the boundaries that the genre can sometimes impose upon itself. With the release of their seventh studio album, As The Kingdom Drowns, an album of riff-filled, technical ecstasy, Psycroptic just may have outdone the devil. Psycroptic will be touring Australia this November and December so we caught up with drummer Dave Haley to talk about the new album, tour and more.
Steve: Hi Dave how are you doing? Exciting times for you guys and very busy obviously?
Dave: Yeah I’m good mate, it never ends. I get to work at doing something I love, yeah it’s a lot of work but it’s fun!
Steve: Sure so it goes without saying you guys must be pretty pumped for the new album “As The Kingdom Drowns”?
Dave: Yeah it’s always the case with an album once you finish it. It’s essentially a large project, you mentally check out once you submit it for the album to be released. That’s the moment where everyone sighs some relief and it’s like, ‘Ah ok cool, that process is done now.’ A new process kicks in and we’ve got to get out there, play all the songs and do all the interviews and then actually see how the album is received by the general public which is another set of daunting scenarios.
Steve: True but given your extensive history I don’t see it being a problem at all. I mean you guys have been kicking around since 1999 so that gives you some indication I guess?
Dave: Yeah part of us really doesn’t care, as long as you like the music and we’re into it and we stand behind it then who cares what people think. That’s easy to say once your little ego kicks in and you want to have a look at those little Youtube comments which is never a fuckin good idea! (laughs). Some people like to talk shit but when the new songs came out it was pretty overwhelming and positive, it’s good, people seem very enthusiastic about the new album.
Steve: Absolutely I’ve had the pleasure of listening to it and I must admit I’ve been a longtime fan but you guys are really hitting your stride and it’s relentless. I mean from the opening track “We Were The Keepers” right through to the end, it’s blistering and to keep that kind of pace going is to be admired and respected.
Dave: Yeah I mean the album probably starts out with the most aggressive track, it’s probably the most aggressive track I’ve written in a while. It’s probably also the slowest material we’ve done, it’s the most dark and intense album from start to finish but when you start the recording process you really don’t know what can of worms you’re going to open or unleash and it’s not until the end when you hear the final mix that you step back and go, ‘Fuck that’s a pretty pissed off dark album, I didn’t think we were that pissed off’ (laughs). It was an easy process, the only pressure we put on was on ourselves.
Steve: Which is inevitable.
Dave: Yeah it sounds like a bit of a contradiction saying it was a relaxed recording time frame but relentless, harsh and self critical.
Steve: Sure so are you the type of artist that locks yourself away while writing or do you go the opposite direction whereby you try and immerse yourself into something to try and get some inspiration? How does that work for you?
Dave: The process differs for each album, in the past we’ve locked ourselves away in a room and written the songs note for note and recorded them note for note. I guess this one was very dynamic and spontaneous, we were actually writing a lot of the material while recording. We hadn’t finalized a lot of the songs or parts so the creative process was natural and flowed pretty well.
Steve: Awesome it’s always interesting for me to ask that question as it varies from band to band etc, some lock themselves away and others immerse themselves totally.
Dave: Yeah I guess we sat somewhere in the middle as Joe Haley (guitarist) owns the studio we recorded in. We aren’t under any kind of time constraints so we can keep refining and changing so it’s a pretty cool process to be creative right up until you send the album off to be mixed.
Steve: Sure I also noted while doing some research for this interview that the album “(Ob)Servant” just had its tenth birthday recently, how does that feel for you?
Dave: That’s pretty crazy! It feels like it was last year or maybe the year before, its cool. I think the songs on it still hold up, maybe we would have done a few production things differently looking back on it but it’s also a time stamp like what we are doing at that point in time. You can always refine and make things better in hindsight but that’s also the reason you’re going to continue doing things, you can do it better. I mean why would we continue writing songs if we didn’t think we could write a better one then the one before? It doesn’t make sense it, would feel like we are just going through the motions.
Steve: That makes perfect sense, people and bands evolve and like you say, it’s a time stamp in that particular moment in terms of what you’re doing, how you’re feeling and what you’re going through in your own life.
Dave: For sure.
REVIEW OF AS THE KINGDOM DROWNS
Steve: So I also see that we will get to see you guys in December for a fairly large Australian tour.
Dave: Yeah we’ve got fifteen shows, we are all pretty excited and nervous about playing the new material. Now we’ve actually got to go and learn it all, you perfect it in the studio then as soon as it’s done you forget everything. I’m just starting the process now, learning the songs and just being comfortable with them so they sound natural and translate to the live front. We want them to be as authentic as they are on the album so to speak, so yeah intense rehearsals.
Steve: Have you ever had it where you are on stage and you have a “brain fart” for lack of a better analogy and do a drum fill and just wing it?
Dave: Totally, it happens more then I would like to admit (laughs) and now that we play with live clicks and samples and that sort of thing I haven’t got any room to veg out, we can’t just stop and count back in. It does happen, it’s like, ‘Wow maybe I should have spent a few more hours with this song in the rehearsal room’. In the past I’d get super bummed out but now it’s like, well you’ve got some work to do.
Steve: It’s just part and parcel of what you do.
Dave: Unfortunately occupational hazard.
Steve: So for any aspiring drummers out there do you have any warm up rituals or tricks before going on stage or do you hit it for all it’s worth, come off and feel much better or what do you do?
Dave: Well as much as I’d like to say it is the latter, unfortunately it is the former as the name suggests. You’ve got to warm up before you play so that’s what the process is, just literally warming up, warming up your body so you can actually play to a comfortable level that might be half an hour, 45 minutes. There is no set routine, it’s like ok do a bunch of push ups, do a bunch of rudiments, what ever it takes to feel warmed up and relaxed and sometimes when I’m in a warmer climate the process is a lot shorter because it’s obviously warmer and my body is already warmed up. It’s definitely a ritual that I do before shows but it’s not set, it’s very flexible.
Steve: It’s always interesting to get your perspective.
Dave: Sure understood, some players have routines that are rituals that are very specific and others don’t warm up at all. I sit somewhere in the middle and I’ve got a bunch of tricks for want of a better word, just to get me into the head space that I can actually perform.
Steve: So I was reading in the press kit that was supplied with the new album something along the lines of “Tasmania is known for two things, Tasmanian Devils and having produced one of the leaders in modern death metal”. How does that tag line sit with you? Do you personally or the band should I say, consider yourselves to be leaders in death metal?
Dave: Well that’s completely subjective you know, if it was up to me and I had to write a blurb it would say “Psycroptic are a band” (laughs). It’s very had to remove yourself from the situation for want of a better word because I am invested in it all, those sort of marketing spiels, I know it’s essential to have but I’d rather have someone else write it all or someone else come up with a perspective because they are outside of the band. It’s also a part of keeping your ego in check, if some people think we are leaders in some way then fuck that’s cool! Do I think that? I think it’s irrelevant because it’s just what we do, some people seem to be into us and that’s sick.
Steve: I can see what you mean that it’s a marketing tool and you have to do what you have to do, I think that line just caught me so I thought I’ll ask about it.
Dave: (Laughs) I think it’s a great line! If it was talking about someone else like that’s sick, I hadn’t heard the band, I want to go and check them out. Us, I’m just going to be like, ‘Yeah ok if that’s what people think then awesome and if not, then maybe they checked us out where as they wouldn’t have before.’
Steve: That’s it. Speaking of checking out bands, is there anything you’ve been listening to of late or in the last couple of months that maybe people don’t know about and should check out off the top of your head?
Dave: I really love the new Judas Priest, it’s fucking amazing. The new Soreption album is killer technical death metal.
Steve: That album blew my mind!
Dave: Exactly! New Revocation is amazing, I keep checking out older bands that I’ve maybe not checked out in the past. My tastes change from week to week, someone might recommend something and I might go down another rabbit hole, the spotify “artists you may like” function is on high rotation at my place.
Steve: I’m very much the same, I end up getting lost!
Dave: It’s a rabbit hole for sure.
Steve: Well it’s been awesome speaking with you this morning, really appreciate your time and WA is definitely looking forward to having you guys over in December and all the best for the new album cycle.
Dave: Awesome, we are really stoked to be coming over your way. Thanks for your time, take care!
SOUNDWORKS DIRECT presents
PSYCROPTIC ‘As The Kingdom Drowns’ Australian Tour
With special guests Orpheus Omega
Nov / Dec 2018:
27 November – Geelong / Barwon Club
29 November – Ballarat / Karova Lounge
30 November – Adelaide / Enigma Bar
1 December – Melbourne / Max Watts
4 December – Wodonga / Elgins*
5 December – Canberra / Basement
6 December – Newcastle / Small Ballroom
7 December – Sydney / The Factory Theater
8 December – Hobart / Brisbane Hotel
9 December – Launceston / Mode
12 December – Gold Coast / Shark Bar*
13 December – Byron Bay / Byron Bay Brewery*
14 December – Brisbane / Woolly Mammoth
15 December – Perth / Badlands*
16 December – Fremantle / Swan Basement*
*Orpheus Omega not appearing
TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ON SALE AT: http://soundworksdirect.eventbrite.com
