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Interview with Jason and Todd of Psycroptic

Published

6 years ago

June 14, 2018

Interview with Jason Peppiatt and Todd Stern of Psycroptic
Interview and Photos by: George Archibald

Australian band Pyscroptic is currently out on the road with Aborted, Ingested, Disentomb, Venom Prison, and Arkaik on the Devastation on the Nation Tour. Pyscroptic are known for breakneck speed and intricate riffs that make them a favorite in the technical death metal genre. The band is ready to announce the drop of their new album, a follow up to their self-titled release on Prosthetic Records, any day now. Vocalist Jason Peppiatt and bassist Todd Stern sat down with me to discuss touring, the new album, and the state of metal in general.

GA: How about we start with you telling me a little about the band in your own words?
TS: Pyscroptic started in the late nineties in Hobart, Tazmania.
JP: When we started out we were a straight down the line technical death band, but we’ve progressed over the years. Who knows what you would call it now. It is some sort of blend of thrash, tech, and a bit of everything in the mix. The music has a lot of elements thrown into it.
GA: Your last album was the self-titled release through Prosthetic Records, has the band been working on newer material and is there a possible release in the future?
JP: Yes, we’ve been waiting on the new album to get mixed and mastered. It has been sent to Will Putney to mix, we are hoping to have some sample mixes back any day now.
TS: We are going to be in the final mix stage very, very soon.
JP: Everything will be ready to go; the album will be released sometime later this year.
GA: Can you tell me a little about what the listeners can expect to hear on this new album?
TS: I would have to say if you liked the last album, it certainly picks up where that one left off, but it is darker. It has those types of song structures, with the big choruses and the hooks, but this time it is very fucking evil. It is not overall as fast as some of the older stuff, but I think this time we focused on writing better songs.
JP: I think it is an album more about the song writing.
GA: The Australian metal scene has so many powerful heavy bands with the likes of Aversions Crown, and Thy Art is Murder, it has become a go to source for metal. Being Australian natives, what makes Australian metal different from other regions in the world?
JP: That is a hard one, the metal scene out there was small for a lot of years. It’s just gone fucking wild the last few years. For bands to get out of Australia is expensive, so they just have to work on their craft, and get really good at what they do. The scene out there has grown a lot in the last ten years. There is a bigger fan base, there are a lot more quality bands coming out. For a long time, there weren’t a lot of bands hitting the world circuit. We were doing it, and there were a couple other bands, but now it is fucking awesome to see all our mates getting out and touring. I mean we have Disentombed out with us on this tour, they were in Europe last year as well, which is sick. We have been touring Australia and playing shows with them the last ten years or so. It is rad to be out on the other side of the world with those guys.
GA: What gear is the band using currently live, any endorsements please mention?
TS: Joe Haley uses EVH Amplification, and Ormsby guitars. I use ESP basses, D’Addario strings, and Mesa Amplification. Dave uses Pearl drums, I believe he has been endorsed with Pearl for years now. He also uses Zildjian cymbals as well.
GA: How is touring North America differ from touring Europe and Australia?
TS: It depends on the tour, where it is different is your day to day life. Actually, everything is different. In Europe the culture, the food, and the way you tour is different. The audience reacts differently. They react to the music in a more honest way; they don’t get as excited, especially Germans. Germans are harder to impress, and they are brutally honest with what they didn’t like about your performance. I feel like in the states and North America, it varies. Mexico has always been great, and Canada has always been great to tour through.
JP: We did a run through Canada last year and it was insane. It was consistently awesome shows on that run.
TS: I would guess the amount of people that would turn out to shows is similar, but the way fans talk to you after a show; when they pull you aside to tell you what they think of your band is very different.
JP: Australia is a totally different thing altogether. Out there the shows, for us are always bigger being it’s our home country. We have been touring there for the last fifteen years. The big thing with touring Australia is getting up early and flying everywhere.
TS: That is another thing that makes your life different when you are on tour. If you are in Australia, you have fly ins to most of your dates. When we are in Europe, we are on a bus with a bunch of other bands, so you get a community feeling with all the bands in one vehicle, which is sick. Then, in America you are kind of on your own traveling. Where everyone has kind of their own family vehicle.
JP: This tour has been fucking amazing, so many bands and the crew have made it a good one, getting to catch up with some old friends. It has made for a good time every day.
GA: What is next for Psycroptic after this tour?
JP: We are going to Australia, apart from that there is nothing solid just yet. We are working on putting some things together, but we are waiting on our album release date. That is going to sort of dictate things for the future. As usual, there are going to be plenty of tours after the release.
TS: We will be back in the states and Europe for sure. As Jason said, once we have the released date we will start locking in some things.
GA: Where can people keep up to date with the band online, and if they wanted to purchase merchandise where can they find your store?
TS: We have an Indiemerch (https://www.indiemerchstore.com/b/psycroptic) store, if fans want to purchase Psycroptic merch. The band is also active on Instagram (@pyscroptic_official) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/psycroptic/).
GA: Anything else you would like to add?
TS: Get on out to shows. Come on out and hang out with us. People love to complain that their towns are not getting good bands, or tours. You got really rally around these bands that are coming out and support them if you want people to come to your town. It is a massive amount of overhead for bands to travel to make things work. You know how it is, people say ‘why aren’t you coming here?’ That isn’t up to the bands, it is mainly booking agents and promoters, but they look at the crowd participation and market with planning these tours. You got to come out to shows to make it worth time to book there. Have some hometown pride, so when someone is on stage and says, ‘this is the best night of the tour so far’ and they mean it, it feels good.

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George Archibald

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Concert Reviews

Classless Act Live Pittsburgh PA

Published

2 years ago

August 15, 2022

Josh Drespling

PNC Park August 12 2022

Oh what fun! To be a fledgling band sharing stadium stages with the years biggest tour featuring the icons of Def Leppard, legends of Motley Crue, the feel good rockers Poison and of course Joan Jett.

With a vintage sound that pulls equally from Led Zepplin and the LA metal scene Classless Act is poised to dominate your playlists and burst onto rock radio. Don’t let the dated references deter from joining the party, as this band is full of energy, personality, and most of all musical chops. Formed in 2019 the five piece released their debut album Welcome To The Show in June via Better Noise Music and are now living out the dream on every new band.

If you want to see real music played by real people get to the stadium early and catch Classless Act perform their energetic 18 minute set (not one minute more, not one minute less). They warmed up the crowd in Pittsburgh, PA this past weekend under the blazing sun. Below are some photos of their set.

About Author

Josh Drespling

Josh is the Publisher and creator of Empire Extreme and it’s sister publication Kingdom Extreme Magazine. He is an accomplished writer, photographer and graphic designer. He is always conjuring up new ideas and has a amazing passion for the music industry and all the things that surround it.

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Inkcarceration 2022

Published

3 years ago

March 9, 2022

Ron

After debuting a massive revamp of the festival grounds in 2021 and welcoming a record-breaking crowd of 75,000 people, Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival aims to make the 2022 edition the biggest one yet. Over the weekend of July 15-17, music fans will converge for three days of nonstop music, tattooing, haunted attractions, and more, all held on the historic grounds of the Ohio State Reformatory (made famous by the movie The Shawshank Redemption) located in Mansfield, Ohio. The headliners include rock and metal giants Korn, Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin and Evanescence with the weekend also offering must-see performances from, Lamb Of God, Papa Roach, Seether, Falling In Reverse, Three Days Grace, I Prevail, Black Label Society, Theory Of A Deadman, Black Veil Brides, Jelly Roll and many more. The event continues the ongoing partnership of America’s largest independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents and the creators of Inkcarceration, who together produce an event like no other. Passes for the 2021 event sold out in the first week, marking the fastest sellout in the festival’s history, so fans are encouraged to buy early for 2022 to reserve their spot for one of the most anticipated events of the summer. Single day and weekend passes for Inkcarceration 2022 are on sale now at www.Inkcarceration.com, starting at $164.99 plus fees. Fans can secure passes for only $22 down now through March 15. Watch the Inkcarceration festival announce video here. Says David Draiman of Disturbed, “We are thrilled to be playing on the historic and hallowed grounds of the Ohio State Reformatory for our first Inkcarceration. Ohio, Are You Ready?” Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix adds, “We are excited to be part of Inkcarceration this year. Epic lineup, can’t wait to see all you Inkmates!” Inkcarceration co-founder Daniel Janssen says, “The 2022 edition will be, by far, our most ambitious year yet. The partnership with the Danny Wimmer Presents team has really enhanced all aspects of the festival and fan experience. Seeing the excitement this event continues to bring to this state and city of Mansfield, along with the fan support from all over the country, makes me so proud to call Ohio my home.” The current Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival 2022 lineup is as follows (subject to change): Friday, July 15: Korn, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace, I Prevail, (To Be Announced),Sleeping With Sirens, Code Orange, Lacuna Coil, From Ashes To New, Born of Osiris, DED, Oxymorrons, Spoken, As You Were, Paul Bartolome, Fate Destroyed, Impending Lies, Plainview, Zakk Cash Saturday, July 16: Breaking Benjamin, Evanescence, Falling In Reverse, Black Label Society, Theory Of A Deadman, Avatar, Spiritbox, Saint Asonia, Ayron Jones, Volumes, Solence, Siiickbrain, If I Die First, Widow7, Paralandra, All’s Fair, Erasing Never, Farewell to Fear, Nearly Spent Sunday, July 17: Disturbed, Lamb Of God, Seether, Black Veil Brides, Jelly Roll, Nothing More, 10 Years, Sick Puppies, John 5, Butcher Babies, Fire From The Gods, Veil of Maya, Gemini Syndrome, The Violent, Defying Decay, Dreamwalker, Alukah, WoR, Darkhorse Saloon In addition to enjoying the diverse music lineup, fans will be able to partake in the onsite tattoo convention and book appointments with more than 30 tattoo shops and artists. Nightly tattoo competitions will be judged by musician and Big Brother alum Jenncity, actor Robert LaSardo and tattooist Caleb Neff. As well, there will be complimentary tours of the famous Ohio State Reformatory prison. Onsite, there will also be gourmet food, a wide selection of beverages, camping and the return of the award-winning Haunted House attraction Blood Prison (https://www.bloodprison.com/), for additional purchase. Single day, weekend general admission and VIP passes for Inkcarceration are on sale now, with single day GA passes starting at $79.99 plus fees, single day VIP passes starting at $189.99 plus fees, weekend GA passes starting at $164.99 plus fees and weekend VIP passes starting at $449.99 plus fees. Weekend VIP passes already sold out in the early bird phase, so festivalgoers are encouraged to buy early and save, as pass prices will increase in the coming weeks. A limited number of specially priced passes for military personnel are on sale now via GovX. Weekend Camping Packages are available for both car + tent and RVs. General Weekend Tent Camping starts at $225 and includes 500 square feet of space for two people, access to the A/C Camping Lounge, optional breakfast, lunch and drinks available for purchase, dedicated shuttles to and from the festival, re-entry during the festival via the camping shuttles, access to Camping Hydration Station, and access to showers and restrooms. General Weekend RV Camping starts at $380 and includes the same amenities as Tent Camping. RV sites with hookups for electric and water are also available for purchase. Admission to the festival is not included in Weekend Camping Packages and must be purchased separately. Hotel packages, bundling hotel nights and festival passes into one purchase, are also available. All festival passes, including Hotel Packages and Camping, may be purchased at https://inkcarceration.com/passes/.
VIP passes offer the best way to enjoy the fest, including a commemorative VIP laminate and wristband, dedicated entrance lanes into the festival and entrance into the VIP area, which includes an elevated and shaded viewing deck, an air-conditioned lounge with comfortable furniture, and audio and video streams of the main stages. Other VIP amenities include: a dedicated merchandise stand, dedicated VIP locker rental with charging capabilities (for additional purchase), air-conditioned & flushable restrooms, and premium food & drink offerings (for additional purchase). Ohio State Reformatory’s historic building and grounds provide a perfect setting for Inkcarceration. The massive, awe-inspiring locale is recognized as not only one of the most haunted reformatories in the country, but also as the filming location for multiple Hollywood films. The most famous of these is the 1994 classic and IMDB highest rated movie of all time, The Shawshank Redemption. The Ohio State Reformatory is centrally located, about an hour from Cleveland, Columbus and Canton/Akron, and within a three-hour drive from Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, Youngstown, and parts of West Virginia, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Now returning for its fourth year after launching in 2018, Inkcarceration nearly tripled its inaugural year’s attendance in 2019, drawing 45,000 fans from nearly all 50 states, and welcomed a record-breaking crowd of 75,000 in 2021 after changing the layout of the event to allow for greater capacity. Inkcarceration has been awarded Mansfield’s Tourism Award of Excellence, and has been recognized by the United States House of Representatives, Ohio Senate, State of Ohio Representatives and Congressional Proclamation. Inkcarceration is proud to partner with Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer, Monaco Cocktail, Bulleit Bourbon, RV Wholesalers and Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey. More partners and experiences will be announced closer to the event. Inkcarceration is co-produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America, and Reinkcarceration LLC, a partnership that formed with the original founders of INK in 2021. For more information on Inkcarceration please visit:Website: www.Inkcarceration.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/InkcarcerationfestivalTwitter: https://twitter.com/InkcarFestivalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkcarcerationfestival/Hashtag: #inkcarceration

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Society 1 Takes On Second Lock-down Challenge

Published

5 years ago

April 21, 2020

Josh Drespling

Sammy Hagar and his CIRCLE band mates are using the Coronavirus downtime to release new music and video calling it the “Lockdown Challenge” which developed quickly into the “Lockdown Sessions”. The four musicians connected via their smartphones from four separate locations to record a brand new song and covers.

Upon seeing Hagar’s continued output of material Society 1 frontman Matt Zane was fascinated by this new but hopefully temporary medium of music and video creation. Zane’s band mates Jimmy Minj (Bass), Johnny Pilz (Guitar) and Zhenya Pro (Drums) were once again on board and went to work.

“When else are you going to have chance to create in this way in these circumstances? Why not go for it, get creative and see what happens?” said Zane

Zane and his band members once again worked on ideas sharing them through video conferencing ultimately crafting a new song called “I Reach Through”.

“No studio, 100% recorded from home. No producer. We just gathered some unfinished ideas that were around, bounced some new ideas off each other and just did it. It’s so immediate from start to finish. Definitely a unique change of pace. “

Check out the new track and video by Society 1 below: