Alex: "Howl is from
Providence, which has some great music but isn’t really known for the type of
metal you play. How did you find your sound, which is perhaps more reminiscent
of Georgia or California scenes?"
Josh: "The band is actually from all over. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and joined Howl in Jan 2011. Location didn’t have much to do with it – the guys met in college and were all into all sorts of metal. I was in a metal band in Cleveland, but it was more like the DIY Punk scene that was popular there. When I joined Howl it was more familiar territory for me. Being metal heads, regardless of who we’d played with, we just wanted to make something heavy."
Alex: “'Bloodlines' seems to
be a more focused record than its predecessor, yet it contains more diversity
vocally and rhythmically. What were your goals going into recording, compared to
your debut?"
Josh: "We actually set a lot of them. We didn’t have anything
written going into the process, and we wanted to focus more on the aggressive
side and highlight an element of the band that took a back seat on previous
recordings. We wanted more focus, we wanted riffs that were catchy with big
hooks. We wanted to get people banging their heads during the live show. We
wanted to take you on a journey. The idea was for the record to be a little bit
of everything – we like so many different styles that we want to a be a band
that plays more than one genre."
Alex: "Songs like 'Midnight
Eyes' and 'One Last Nail' have a more melodic sound to them – perhaps comparable
to bands like Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God. Is the more up-tempo feel of 'Bloodlines' a conscious attempt to cross over or a natural progression of your sound?"
Josh: "I definitely think it was natural, but it’s also something
we wanted to highlight. We wanted to write an album that we could play any song
off it live and get the crowd going. We had that mindset going into it to have
that aggression and spontaneity, that live feeling on the songs. Melodically, it
came out completely natural – personally, I’m into melodic things and I
brought some of that to the table with the guitar harmonies. As for Vincent, he
wanted to do something different, more complex than just barking. I don’t think
he knew he was capable of the performance he delivered. He had sort of an “a-ha!”
moment there in the studio."
Alex: "Metal is often deeply
personal, and your titles seem to address darker issues, facing life and death. Where do you get ideas for your subject matter, and do they deal with personal
experiences?"
Josh: "That’s more of a question for Vincent since he writes all
the lyrics, but there are definitely some themes throughout the album. Metal is
often about being an outsider, so the songs play on that, but sometimes it’s
nice to just throw up the horns an get the crowd to chant along. On the other
hand, Vincent had some ideas that appear a few times. A lot of the lyrics have
to do with religion’s capacity to become a disease, and the outcomes of that."
Alex: "Thanks, Josh. I'll be covering shows in the Providence area this summer if you guys are planning a supporting tour."
Josh: "No problem. We'll be announcing a tour shortly, with the kickoff show in Providence on July 20. See you there!"
Pick up Howl's new album Bloodlines on iTunes, Bandcamp, or in stores now.
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