BLACK HOLIDAY Interview

The band just finished playing a pretty intense set at the Showcase Theater in Corona, CA. The Gauntlet caught up with the vocalist after the show.

The Gauntlet: Give us a brief history of the band for those who don't know you.

Steve: We have been around for about two years now playing the local scene. We are from Anaheim, CA and play the Showcase Theater pretty frequently.

The Gauntlet: How would you describe the music you play?

Steve: Black-thrash. We throw in a lot of death-growls and death metal. I come from a pretty strong death metal background. We play a lot of thrash music and I have a lot of black metal vocals. I try to do lots of highs and throw in some lows.

The Gauntlet: One of the things that distinguishes the band from others is the rhythm section.

Steve: We tend to steer away from the stereotypical guitar solos and leads. We try to keep it straight to the point and focus on the rhythm section, fucking shit up, playing fast. We don't try to be typical by throwing in blastbeats everywhere. We have a good mix of things.

The Gauntlet: Have you been the vocalist since the bands inception?

Steve: I have been on vocals for about a year and a half now. The band was pretty successful locally. The band had some member problems, typical band shit. They moved some people around. They knew me from a previous band I was singing with and asked me to come on.

The Gauntlet: Are you the vocalist on your EP that was released over a year ago?

Steve: That's with the old singer, I had nothing to do with that album. We still play a couple songs from that album. I changed the vocals a little, threw in some extra stuff and kind of made it my own. If anybody has the old album, I would definitely pay attention to our live show.

The Gauntlet: Any plans on recording a new album?

Steve: We are in the middle of recording right now. We have six songs done. We are planning on shopping to the labels and see if we can get someone to back us, and push the album.

The Gauntlet: Any shows coming up?

Steve: We usually try to have something lined up, but right now we are going to go write and get focused on this album. Get the labels to pay attention to us.

The Gauntlet: How can people not in Southern California check out the band?

Steve: Myspace. We have some music there and get lots of positive feedback from around the country. Lots of comments asking us to play all over the US. We can tell they are ready for it, we are ready. Our myspace is at http://www.myspace.com/blackholiday/ . We will have some new songs up there, all the new material. It's pretty exciting stuff. We are pretty stoked on whats going on.

The Gauntlet: What bands do you draw influences from?

Steve: Vocally I get my influences from old school death metal. People say I remind like the Obituary vocalist and Chris Barnes, especially when I throw in the lows. I like throwing in the black metal like Satyricon.

The Gauntlet: What is the writing process like?

Steve: Usually the band will get together and record some tracks, they'll send me and I'll listen to them. I'll listen to it over and over and write to it. I'll bring something to practice and we go from there. They handle the music and like to be involved in the vocal process. Sometimes they'll email me lyrics and I'll play with them, change them, and make them my own. It's a great writing process that gets everyone involved and everyone likes to be involved.

The Gauntlet: A lot of extreme metal fans take their music very seriously and will stay away from the bands that don't project that satanic image. What are your thoughts on that?

Steve: I think that's bullshit. When I was younger I was all about it, go up on stage, throw up a hail Satan. To me it's now about having fun, getting wild and getting the crowd moving. There is no better feel than being up there and having the fans react. That's what it's about to me, playing well for the fans and having fun.

The Gauntlet: I noticed you sporting a red plaid flannel, is the lumberjack look in? You look like the Brawny Man.

Steve: [Laughs] Yeah, um, I knew I'd hear this eventually from someone. All the guys are up there in black. They look like their regular metal selves. This is what I felt today. It's winter time, give me a beer, gimme the flannel, let's rock out.

The Gauntlet: Anything else you want to add?

Steve: We had a great time here tonight, check us out at http://www.myspace.com/blackholiday/