UK death metal brutalists, Venom Prison, will be making their way to Australia for the first time this March as part of the Download Festival weekend. The fast rising UK based five piece released their blistering second album, Samsara, named after the Buddhist concept of being reborn into a never-ending cycle of suffering, in early 2019 and saw them up the ante in the aggression stakes while also becoming more dynamic. Low end discord relieved by layers of dynamic swell showcase a contrast that Venom Prison delivers on record and excels at on stage. Venom Prison are led by Larissa Stupar, who’s caustic vocal delivery is laced with themes of femininity, sacrifice, self-destruction and sadistic rituals. We spoke to Larissa ahead of their upcoming trip down under to find out more on the band.
Andrew: We are very excited to see you coming to Australia, I believe for the very first time right?
Larissa: Yeah for the very first time. I think for most of us we’ve never even been to Australia at all.
Andrew: Oh nice, cool! I know you probably have a pretty tight schedule but will you be looking to do anything at all while you are down here?
Larissa: I don’t know if we’re going to be able to but we definitely want to see and hang out with some kangaroos and take pictures with koalas, the ones that are still alive!
Andrew: Yeah it’s been crazy down here I know.
Larissa: Yeah it’s awful, it was awful to see all the fires and all the wild animals dying. It’s quite tragic. We definitely want to go for some cool swims at a beach or somewhere at a cool forest or whatever, jumping off some cliffs or something like that. Australia looks pretty amazing so we’re really excited to go, it’s just a shame we don’t have that much time while we’re over there.
Andrew: Yeah just looking at the schedule it looks like you got 3 shows down here including the festival so it’s pretty tight but obviously being part of the Download Festival is a big thing, at least for us in Australia because in the UK it is one of those iconic events I suppose.
Larissa: Oh yeah definitely, it’s one of the biggest I would say, heavy music festivals in the UK so it’s quite a “”I have to go every year” for many people.
Andrew: So you have the 2 festival dates and a headlining show so when you approach those 2 different kinds of shows, is it all the same to you or do you approach them differently?
Larissa: We usually approach all kinds of shows the same way because we’re there to destroy, we’re there to have fun and enjoy playing our own set because we love performing and playing live. We’ve done it quite a lot where we’ve played really big shows on a big stage or festival and then the day after we play in a living room or a practice room and obviously the energy is very different because when you’re playing a pub show or in someones garden or whatever it’s a lot more intimate. I think you definitely spread a different kind of energy than when you do on a big stage where you are kind of close to the people that watch you and you just have to interact really differently with them. But we love both kinds of shows and we’re really happy that we get to play in a pub show or whatever it is.
Andrew: Yeah listening to your music it seems the intimate, more smaller shows would be I guess more suited to your kind of style or maybe I’m wrong and maybe you prefer the bigger ones?
Larissa: I can’t really tell myself, I really enjoy playing both because you’re kind of more anxious and more excited when you go on a big stage. Like we’re going to be playing some arenas with Parkway Drive in Europe right after we go to Australia and Asia so that’s something we’ve never done before, we’re obviously shitting ourselves but I think it will be fun! We’re open to new experiences but I do like playing the intimate little shows because that’s where we all came from, we all played in hardcore bands before and that’s what we grew up with so that’s why this will always have a special place in our hearts.
Andrew: Sure and it’s crazy how successful you have been in such a short amount of time, have you been surprised by the amount of success you have gotten so far?
Larissa: Uh very! We never intended to play these kinds of shows and tours with this band when we first started because it was just Ash and myself recording a demo tape in our living room back then and we only did it because we both left our bands and we were kind of bored so was like, ‘Oh let’s just try this’. We never thought we would actually be touring at all, it was just to play some shows every now and then and now we have a busy schedule and been to America twice and things like that, toured with Trivium, going on tour with Parkway Drive. So it’s definitely not something that we ever expected.
Andrew: So what has been like then? Obviously touring with all these great bands along the way and playing in different countries, how have you dealt with that?
Larissa: I have to say we all really love being on the road and going to new places and experiencing them. Obviously often when you are on tour you really don’t have much time to explore so you see the places from a completely different perspective. You’re there with people that live there, you’re not there as a tourist, you just experience glimpses of things and you take completely different experiences with you. So you kind of always want to go back and experience more, I think that’s what keeps musicians on the road so much, just the fact that where they are going they don’t see all of it and they always want to come back and explore more. For us just being able to adjust to different environments and different sizes of stages, especially for us when we toured with Trivium in Europe and the UK, we were the heaviest band on the lineup and we really didn’t know what to expect, if the Trivium fans were going to like us because we’re so different to them. So for us it was just like this challenge to try and take their fans over and the first shows were kind of like, ‘I dont know if this is going to work?’ But the more and more we got into playing every night, the more and more we were able to show those people what we’re made of and I know for myself we won people over that are still following us today and going to every show that we play where they live and this is amazing and definitely not something that we would of expected when we took on a tour like this.
Andrew: What has been the most surprising thing you have found doing all this touring and shows around the world?
Larissa: Oh god! I think the most surprising thing I find out for myself is the fact that I sometimes get used so much to being on the road on tour that it’s difficult for me to come home again to this everyday home life routine. That’s always a challenge to adjust to every time we go away and come back.
Andrew: Yeah I hear that a lot from bands just starting out who have maybe only been on the road a couple of times. That adjustment must be difficult, how do you deal with that sort of change?
Larissa: I think you just have to kick yourself through it really and you have to start remembering why you actually like to be home and experience these things like chilling out watching a movie. Being on your own as well because when you are on tour you never have time to be on your own and have time for yourself and I think that’s the main part why it’s so important to also be home and have that time for yourself and to spend time with your loved ones especially.
Andrew: So for people in Australia who may not be familiar with the band, tell us a little about your own personal influences and how that is used with your brand of music in the band?
Larissa: So we grew up listening to metal, going to hardcore shows, playing in hardcore bands. I personally had been, and other people in the band, involved in politics protests, anti-fascism and animal rights and things like that so that’s something that has a place in our music because we’re politically charged. We want to show people there’s different opinions, we want to influence people with our music so having a message is very important to us and that’s been a part of Venom Prison since day one. We have been influenced by British death metal – Napalm Death, Carcass – we definitely have some US influences as well and we’re just trying to create something that we like that we think people might enjoy, especially in metal when everyone is always kind of elitist and they want to listen to the true death metal or the true black metal and things like that. We just bring in influences that these people haven’t experienced before and some of them might like them, some of them will hate them and despise them but we don’t really care, we just do what we think is right [laughs].
Andrew: I totally agree, I think you are right and it’s the only way to do it. Be honest with your music and I think people will just follow naturally.
Larissa: Yeah I definitely think as well. I think it’s important to take parts of what made you who you are and just put them into your music, we’ve all been so heavily involved in the hardcore it’s just who we are, we’re still hardcore kids even though we play metal.
Andrew: Yeah I get it and even when you talk about Napalm Death being an influence, I assume maybe Barney Greenway is a bit of an influence on your vocal style as well.
Larissa: Yeah absolutely, I think especially lyrically and just how Barney is on stage. He is this ball of energy, bouncing back and forth. I mean let’s be honest, Barney is old [laughs], like anyone would consider him old and he’s got this energy that I think kind of fuels him and this anger and this will to change something and I think is always fun to watch, Barney has always been an influence for me.
Andrew: One of the interesting things about Barney is I’ve met him and he is one of the nicest people in the world and completely different to what he is like on stage.
Larissa: Yeah absolutely! We’ve played with him a few times as well and he’s always fun to talk to.
Andrew: Yeah definitely. So before you come down to Australia, do you have any words at all for the Aussie fans?
Larissa: Yeah come up to us, have a talk with us. We’ll be around Download Fest just walking about watching all kinds of bands, always happy to speak to anyone and yeah, just come out and mosh!
Andrew: Awesome well thanks for your time and just before I let you go, I forgot to ask if there was anyone at Download Festival that you are interested to catch live at all?
Larissa: Honestly this might surprise people but My Chemical Romance is someone I really want to see! I used to listen to them when I was a kid, I never got to see them so I think it will be interesting to just watch them.
Andrew: Yeah it should be interesting because a lot of fans have been waiting for them to come back so here we are!
Larissa: Yeah especially because a lot of people were kind of complaining about the headlining as well which I do understand but it’s the lineup, that’s how it is and I think it will be fun.
Andrew: Yeah it should be and I think it’s a good lineup, quite diverse with an interesting collection of bands.
Larissa: Definitely, I think that’s what I like most about the Australian Download Fest is it’s so diverse. I don’t know if it’s always like that but this year definitely is and I think I’ll definitely find some band that I haven’t checked out before that I will probably like to see.
Andrew: Absolutely well thanks for your time, really appreciate it and look forward to seeing your set at Download so we will see you very soon.
Larissa: Yeah see you soon, thank you for having me!
VENOM PRISON TOUR DATES
Friday, March 20: Download Melbourne – Dogtooth Stage
Saturday, March 21: Download Sydney – Dogtooth Stage
Sunday, March 22: the Foundry, Brisbane
Tickets available now via www.oztix.com.au
