PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
PlanetMosh descended into the bowels of the Killface rehearsal studio to catch up with the guys to discuss their recent victory at the Wacken Metal Battle final that secured them a slot at this year’s 25th anniversary festival. Killface are a favourite here at PlanetMosh Team Ireland and we definitely recommend anyone heading to this year’s festival to take the time to check them to get some Killface in your aural diet for the weekend. Read on to see what vocalist and stage-stalking death panther Derek Brady had to say:
For Planetmosh readers unaware of Killface, tell us a little about the band, how everything came together and what they can expect when they hear you for the first time.
Hi Planetmosh. We’re a DIY metal band from Dublin, Ireland. We got together about 5 an a half years ago to write heavier, faster, more powerful music than we’d previously written with our old bands and in time try to break into the European metal scene. Since the start we’ve released two cd’s, our ep “Faceless” and our album “Feeding the Dead”, we’ve played loads of great shows and supported some legend bands in the process and we want to keep adding to that. At the core of our sound the emphasis is based on old school thrash and death metal but you’ll hear other influence’s in the songs as well so it’s not all distinctly thrash/death metal. There’s no lack of energy or intensity either. From the second the first note is hit to the last scream, it’s a full on ride, riddled with a relentlessness of infectious evil grooves.
Killface are gearing up for this year’s Wacken Open Air after winning the Irish final of the Wacken Metal Battle series. Firstly, Why did you enter?
It was a no brainer really. The competition offers an unbelievable opportunity to the band that wins to showcase their music to thousands of fresh ears as well as the experience of playing a major festival, seeing everything that’s involved and dealing with the pro’s. It’s a stepping stone in a way. We want to become regulars on the European scene and what better way to get that going than by playing at Waken Open Air. If there’s a place to network it’s there(winks,laughs).
And how did it feel when they announced you as the victors on the night?
For me it was a mixture of feeling’s as I’m sure it was with the rest of the lads. We came close enough to winning last year so anything less than winning this time around would of been, let’s just say not nice so with that there was a massive feeling of relief, the excitement followed soon afterwards. Man, the hangover was horrendous. It was definitely the happiest hangover I’ve ever had. Being serious though, we’ve put a lot of time and an enormous amount of effort into the band so knowing that Killface have the opportunity to perform at a festival such as Wacken in front of so many people and fresh ears makes us extremely excited and proud.
Wacken is celebrating 25 years in 2014. It is the most prestigious of the European festivals. How big a deal is it for Killface and have you plans for the show ?
It’s huge! We have the chance to show what we’re capable of on the biggest stage and we plan to make the most of it. It’s been a major goal of ours to get there ever since the competition came to our land. We can’t wait to play and hopefully gain a few of new followers in the process. You can be sure that we’re going to give it everything we’ve got. It’s a great chance to do some networking for the band too so ears will be burned for sure (laughs).
Would you recommend the competition to other bands? Any hints/tips for bands that are looking to enter?
Hells yeah! If you’re in a metal band in Ireland and want to start taking your music seriously then make sure you enter this competition next time round. Wacken is one of the biggest festivals in the world. The amount of people that’ll be introduced to your music is getting me excited just thinking about it. It’s not easy and you have to be dedicated and work hard for it. Practice makes perfect. Get your songs together, get as tight as possible and most of all no matter what, don’t give up.
For people going to Wacken, when will they have the opportunity to go toe to toe with Killface?
We play Wednesday July 30 on the WET stage from 5:50PM. If you’re heading to Wacken make sure to come along and bang your head with us and if you see us floating about after our set come say hi and have a beer with us.
What are you looking forward to the most from it?
Without a doubt we’re looking forward to playing more than anything. That’s what it’s all about. It might look good on the cv(laughs) which could help a little bit when trying to get on other festivals/tours and what not but nothing beats playing especially when there are a few thousand to play to. It’s gonna be utterly insane.
When you’ve done the business end of things, which of the bands on the bill are a must-see for you?
Theres a few bands I’m looking forward to seeing like, Slayer, Megadeth, Prong, Decapitated, number one on the list though is Carcass. Unfortunately Motorhead are on at the same time which sucks but thankfully I got to see them play a few weeks ago. I can’t wait to catch Kreator and Sodom too. I missed the last DME shows in Dublin so I’m gonna make sure I don’t miss them at Wacken. I’ve never seen Behemoth live either so that should be cool.
How would you describe the metal music scene in Ireland? What has changed over the last few years?
I think with people like H at Dublin Metal Events giving local bands the chance to play shows with their idols, Dan at Carnage, Robbie at eyehatetony, Jay of JD Metal promotions, James of Distortion Project, Into the Void, the Bad Rep lads and many others around the Country giving every new young band a chance to play and show what they’ve got, competitions like the Wacken Metal Battle and Bloodstock M2TM that offer what they do, social media sites like Facebook, and Twiter that help keep everyone up to date instantly, all this and more has the scene in good stead for the future. We didn’t have half these things when I started gigging. We had myspace but that sucked. It has never been so easy to communicate as it is today. Metal is catered for a lot more than what it used to be and that’s the way it should be. We’ve got some damn fine bands in this country that’s for sure and I also think we’ve got something for everyone. I find these day’s people in bands talk a lot more than before and that can only make the scene stronger going forward. I believe there’s a lot of potential but at the end of the day it’s down to the individuals to make the most of it.
Feeding the Dead has been out since the start of the year. PlanetMosh was lucky enough to be at one of your rehearsals recently and heard some killer new material. What are the plans for the post-Wacken months regarding shows and recording?
Cheers for the kind words. We’ve been writing since Ste joined the band late last year but with this year being as busy as it has been we’ve had to balance the practice and writing which slows down the process a bit. After Wacken and the Prong show the plan is to finish writing the songs for our new album. It’s going really well so far and hopefully by the end of the year we’ll be ready to hit the studio, fingers crossed. We’ll be playing at “Perverting the Innocent” in Fibber Magees September 27. It’s an all day thingy with loads of savage bands on the bill. It’ll be headlined by German death/thrashers Witchburner who’ll be supported by a load of home grown filth. Definitely not to missed. We’ve got a few other shows lined up that won’t be announced for a while so thankfully we’ll be kept busy enough.
Cheers for the chat Derek. Any final words for our readers?
All I’d say is just keep an eye and ear out for us. Hit us up and click the like button on facebook for all news on Killface and if you’re interested there are a few links up there to our music and merch if you’d care to purchase. As I’ve said already, our plans for after Wacken are to finish writing the new album but we’re gonna be sorting some shows out in the UK and the mainland soon so watch this space and if you’re about when we play come along and bang the head. It’s been a pleasure chatting to you Planetmosh, as always. Hope to see you at Wacken for some beers. All the best.
Nice talkin to ya Planetmosh. It was fun. All the best.
PlanetMosh Review of Feeding The Dead
