I once started a spreadsheet which was going to contain every band I cam across, along with a hyperlink to that band. Fairly soon after I started it, I realised it would just get too big so abandoned it. Just when you think you're fairly clued up on what bands are doing the rounds, a whole new wave appears from nowhere with the aim of breaking and bending genre rules.
Skinfather are one of those recent bands. This Southern Californian five-piece death metal band have burst out of the undergrowth with this new 7". Their only previous release was a five track demo called Atheos. This is their first foray on vinyl and has been released by the awesome Life and Death Records. In a live setting, Skinfather have graced stages with the awesome Strife and Graf Orlock amongst others.
Tracklist:-
1. Succession
2. Possession
3. Execute Them All (Unleashed cover)
Skinfather are fierce! Their brand of death metal owes itself to death n roll instigators like Entombed,
but
seems to have been brought up to date. As soon as Succession kicks off,
you're presented with crashing drums, brilliantly relentless yet
melodic guitar and low, guttural vocals. With the help of some classy
riffs and leads, Skinfather pile-drives you into the ground. The crafty
sludge elements in the song also make it really groovy. Possession
carries on the same vein but sounds even more crazy, if that's possible.
There's more of a noticeable difference between their full-throttle and
slower moments in the song, with some more
technicality
thrown in for good measure. Some of those guitar melodies that sit
underneath the vocals during the verses are spine tingling. The
production also works really well, giving their music a slightly grimy
tinge while still being clear and precise. Final song is that cover of Execute
Them All is which was originally written by Unleashed. It just
carries on their steamrolling of you eardrums and leaves you furiously
headbanging till the end. Obviously, one listen just ain't enough and
the more you spin it, the closer your head is to dropping off your
shoulders. I'd say this is pretty essential if you like your groovy,
hardcore filled death metal.
Of course, don't just take my word for it. You can listen to all three tracks at Skinfather's bandcamp page:-
Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. First of all, can
you tell people a bit about Skinfather? How you formed and what brought you guys
together?
We
are a death metal band from Southern California that is made up of a bunch of
guys that grew up on hardcore music. We have all known each other for years and
decided that we wanted to start a metal band that we could all be proud of. We
all like a lot of the Swedish death metal style riffs so we decided that was the
route we would take. It is the style that comes most naturally to all of us.
What is it that drives you and what influences your music?
As
a band we are driven by the love to play metal music. Musically we are
influenced by bands like Dismember, Entombed and Unleashed, but we all listen to
a wide variety of music that influences our music as well. When we write music
we just play what we would want to hear.
You’re about to release your new 7” - Succession/Possession. Can you tell us a
bit about what we can expect from it?
The
release is a huge progression for us as a band. We all really tried to step it
up in all aspects whether that be musically, lyrically or in the recording
quality. We are excited for everyone to hear Succession/Possession and hope they
enjoy it.
Your debut – Atheos, was released on cassette and obviously you’ve chosen vinyl
for your new release. Is the format that you release music on important for you?
How do you feel about the proliferation of digital releases in metal
nowadays?
For
us the format is not as important as how accessible our music is. When we
released Atheos we made it available for free download and we plan on doing the
same thing for Succession/Possession. Our belief is that if you like our music
then you will support us and buy our releases. When we play shows people ask us
if we have tapes and 7 inches so that’s what we make.
What do you think about the state of metal in general at the moment? Who are
your favourite bands currently?
I
think metal is in a great place at the moment. It’s awesome to see all the great
bands out there get the recognition they deserve. Currently I have been
listening to the new Gojira album quite a bit as well as the new Black Breath
but I always listen to the metal classics like At the Gates on a regular
basis.
Have you found it easy or hard to get attention outside of US? There are loads
of up and coming bands vying for attention, so how have you tried to mark
yourselves out?
We
haven’t really tried to look for attention. We just release music and play shows
whenever we can and accept whatever comes from that. Our new 7 inch is getting
released in Germany by Life and Death Records which will help us in Europe so
that’s cool.
You played at the Strife record release show in Pomona last October. Explain
what that was like?
That
was a cool show. It’s awesome to play with a band that has made a huge impact on
the metal and hardcore community. We are honored to get the chance to play with
a band like that.
Looking ahead beyond the release of your 7”, what have you guys got planned for
the rest of 2013?
Play
tons of shows and start working on new songs. We are always writing new stuff
and planning for our next release.
Can you recommend my readers some bands from you local scene that they should be
checking out?
Creatures,
Disgrace and Harness. We are stoked every time we get to share the stage with
any of those guys.
You can purchase the 7" as a digital download from Skinfather's bandcamp page above or you can buy a physical copy from Life and Death Records at http://lifeanddeathrecords.bigcartel.com/.
Skinfather can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/skinfatherofficial.
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