Metal Monday: Speak Of The Devil Prepping A Prog Portfolio
posted in: Exclusive Interviews • Rock
Since the Metal Monday column began, a plethora of great OurStage metal bands have been covered, and there never seems to be a shortage of talent. One band that hasn’t been covered nearly as much as they deserve is the Toronto-based Speak of the Devil. That, however, is about to change. We caught wind that Speak of the Devil had some cool things underway and decided now would be the ideal time to chat with them about how they’re doing, and to share what we learn with our dear readers.
Firstly, you should probably know something about Speak of the Devil (aside from the fact that they’re Canadian). A very modern-sounding band, Speak of the Devil are likely one of the more progressive metal bands to grace OurStage’s Metal Channel. Not only are they progressive, but they have a lot of character in their sound. Comparable to the likes of Between The Buried and Me in terms of aesthetic, Speak of the Devil avoid being a total sound-alike by featuring heavier keyboard usage. Being compared to Between The Buried and Me isn’t so bad, though, as not many bands can really pull that off.
At any rate, Speak of the Devil are near the end of finishing a new album and took some time to answer our questions regarding the new material and recording process. They’ve also made a neat little studio video for us:
OS: So, let’s start with an easy question: How have things been since the release of the last EP?
SOTD: We’re still riding the high from how well the EP was received both locally and online. I never expected to have so many people from all around the world get so excited about a few songs we recorded in our buddy’s basement. It means the world to us, and I think we’re all still kind of stunned by how well it did.
A whole bunch of stuff has changed for us since then, but our motive and mindset is still generally the same. We underwent some internal restructuring and dealt with all the fun stuff that comes with that, but we came out of it no worse for wear, and now we’re focusing on moving in a new direction that we all agree is pretty sweet.
OS: And now you’re working on a new album. How about a little info about the material you’ve written?
SOTD: It’s familiar, to be sure, but different at the same time. We’re not big on repeating ourselves, and the new recordings are going to reflect that I think. We’ve all grown and changed individually, as people and as musicians, and I feel like that shows through in the writing.
A big part of making music, for me at least, is the rush that comes with entering unexplored territory. It’s new and exciting, and part of the allure of it all is not knowing how it’s going to be received. So expect some changes, but in a recognizable sense. We’re still the same band, just playing with some new ideas.
OS: How close is the record to being done at this point? How many tracks are on it?
SOTD: We’re well on our way to a full length, but that said, there’s still no definite release date on the horizon. We tend to be very critical of ourselves and sometimes things take longer than they should because of that, but it makes for a stronger finished product, so the wait will be worth it. We also understand that waiting totally sucks, so we’re planning on releasing three or four of the new tracks individually over the next few months, as both a teaser and sort of a snack to tide our fans over until dinner time. As for how many songs will be on it, that remains to be seen as well. We don’t want to cram too much into it, but we’re not going to half ass it either. We want it all to fit together nicely, so that the tracks can stand alone as singles, or the whole release can be played start to finish and have a cohesive, layered feel. It’s a balancing act, we’re trying our best not to tip the scales.
OS: What’s the plan after the record drops? Working on some sort of tour? (Our fingers are crossed for a Boston-area date at some point.)
SOTD: Shows, shows, shows. We can’t wait to get the new music out there and start touring on it. We’ve got some plans in the works regarding the when and where aspect of it, and all of that will fall into place as soon as the new record is out. We would absolutely love to come to Boston, and are definitely planning on getting stateside ASAP.
The attention we’ve been getting from the US is mind blowing, you guys rule, all we can ask is that you stay awesome, and tell your friends that Canadians are very, very sorry about Justin Bieber, and we’re doing our best to make amends.
OS: Considering you guys are a progressive metal band, how do you feel about the current state of prog metal?
SOTD: I feel like a lot of people get really occupied with naming and categorizing stuff, we consider ourselves progressive metal simply because it was the broadest niche we could find, anything else (i.e. hardcore, djent, etc.) is too easily classified, and after a while it all starts to stick to the same formula, which is a recipe for creative stagnation. Not to say there’s anything wrong with those genres at all, we just feel like ˜progressive’ is a license to change the rules a bit, and go off the beaten path, which is a big part of what we do.
There’s huge things happening in progressive metal right now, and some of the bands involved in it are making incredible music, and I feel like the success of it comes from the very definition of progressive, which is to change, improve and move forward. I think that’s why the genre is so versatile and pervasive, where other styles of music sink into a rut, this one has a million different directions that can be taken at any time, without consequence. The whole appeal of it is that you can explore as much as you want, while still maintaining a semblance of order and control, it simply offers avenues of creation that other genres and sub genres would constrain or frown upon. So, to answer your question in the most roundabout way possible, the current state of prog metal is as it always was, strong, innovative and anything but boring.
OS: If Speak of the Devil could play a show with any three bands to ever exist (live or dead, together or disbanded), what bands would you choose?
SOTD: Tough call. That’s like asking us to pick three types of booze to drink for the rest of our lives”of course we have our favorites, but there’s just so many!
Personally, I think it would be really cool to play a show with Dillinger Escape Plan. They have a chaotic, very unique and genuine sound and style, with a live show unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Another top pick would be Yes, because they represent the roots of early prog, and I have a great respect for music that ages as well as theirs has. To this day whenever I hear songs like “Long Distance Runaround” or “Roundabout” they still sound fresh and new, and a lot of bands sadly just don’t stand the test of time like that. And thirdly, it would be awesome to share the stage with Sikth, they just had such a primal, overwhelmingly honest approach to their music that I find very endearing. Some of their songs are so intense they actually make me feel like I’m in imminent physical danger, and any band that can do that is freakin’ epic.
OS: Finally, how about a little intro/back story about this studio footage we’re about to see?
SOTD: Well, unfortunately we didn’t have as much actual studio footage as we thought we had, so we had to do some last minute editing to put together something we hope is worth checking out, as a result, the following video is a compilation of the usual studio fun we have when we record with our favorite engineer/producer Trevor Humphrey, as well as some clips of us working on the new stuff in our jam space, and some scattered shots of us just being silly and having fun, which is after all, what it’s all about.
We hope you enjoy it, or at least have a good laugh at our expense. Thanks so much for all the love, we’re really honored to be a part of this scene and this Web site.
Peace, love and massive buds of kush from your friends in the great white north.
Speak of the Devil are definitely a band you should be aware of sooner rather than later. They certainly appear to have the talent and it factor to be a major force in the metal world, now it’s just a matter of time. If you’re hankering to listen to them, they’ve got their EP available for free through their Facebook page, so definitely snag that while you can.