METAL MONDAY: Q&A WITH WOODHAVEN

posted in: Artist Features

Taking the necessary cues from death metal and hardcore, OurStage band WoodHaven have created a unique deathcore sound”something the genre is in dire need of right now. Three Top 10 finishes in OurStage’s Death Metal/Grindcore Channel, and numerous local shows with increasingly popular metal acts like Arsonists Get All The Girls and Carnifex can only mean big things for the band (a new lineup for instance). We wanted to catch up with the guys to see where things were at:

MtD: First off, where did the band name come from? You say you’re from Rochester, are you really from Woodhaven?
WH: Our name comes from [the name of] an insane asylum actually. It was called Waiverly Hills and later renamed Woodhaven; it’s thought to be one of the most haunted spots in the U.S. No, we are from Rochester but we’ve been to Woodhaven!

MtD: So, back in June you got a new vocalist, how’s the songwriting been since the change? Has it affected your overall style, sound or direction? Describe the new stuff in one sentence.
WH: We got heavier and more melodic; there’s also more range in our vocals now.

MtD: With the new songwriting and an upcoming 2010 tour, are you looking to get in the studio and lay down some tracks? Care to give us some insider info?
WH: We plan on recording a 6 song demo before we leave for this tour so check our MySpace page for more updates on that.

MtD: More about this upcoming tour… There does not seem to be much information about the tour around the Internet, nor do the other bands have the dates listed on their MySpace pages. What’s the deal here?
WH: It’s still just too early to start advertising; we kinda jumped the gun and put the dates up before everyone else.

MtD: I see your MySpace does not list any labels. Any news or developing stories on the label front? Do you think touring with Beneath The Sky and The Crimson Armada (Victory and Metal Blade bands, respectively) will help out in this department?
WH: Hopefully, we do want to get signed soon, but no luck yet. Unfortunately Beneath The Sky dropped off the tour and is no longer doing it.

MtD: Matt [the drummer] was featured in Sickdrummer.com a while back and it was pretty nasty. How much better are you now? Do you think you could beat Thomas Haake (Meshuggah drummer) in a drum-off?
WH: [laughs] I’m not too sure I haven’t ever really listened to too much Meshuggah so I’m not sure what his style really is. Also Matt has improved tremendously since he was featured in Sick Drummer.

MtD: If you guys could play a show with two other bands of your choosing, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
WH: Black Dahlia Murder is definitely one of them just because they are one of our biggest influences. As for the other band I would have to say either Dr. Acula or Suffokate again because we had a blast on tour with both of those bands.

It’s hard to say how things will go for WoodHaven in the coming months, but it would be tough to position yourself better for success”planning a full US tour and writing/recording a solid 6 song demo just might be the best way to make a move. Well, other than becoming a YouTube celebrity (but that fame never lasts). Check out the old tracks, their OurStage Fan Club, and anxiously await their US Tour and the new tunes to come!

Get more info about their tour dates from WoodHaven’s MySpace