Interview with Zack from Goatwhore

                                                                           16.08.2014

 

MG: Hows the tour been?

ZS- It's been great.  The Summer Slaughter dates were killer and I think we were exposed to a lot of new fans.

We only had a 25 minute set on that tour so the idea was so come out blazing and knock through as many songs as we could.

We definitely weren't messing around. We had a good run of headlining dates before and after Summer Slaughter and I'd much prefer playing the longer set.

 

MG: Any shows which stand out the most ?

ZS- They all sort of blend together at a certain point. As a drummer, I'm in my own zone to a point where I tune the audience out in a way. Luckily, all of the shows have been amazing so it would take a really bad show to stand out in any way. Everything has been consistently good. No complaints here!

 

MG:Plans for the remainder of the year?  

ZS- We are doing some dates on the west coast and east coast with Samhain this fall along with some headlining dates.

After that we will head to Europe with Dying Fetus to finish out the year.

 

MG:Constricting Rage of The Merciless is a cool name for a title! Why that name?

ZS- It really explains the mindset and current theme of the band.

The more we get knocked down by things, it makes us want to push back harder and work harder to progress.

We've had our fair share of unfortunate occurrences with this band and the title of the record sums up our drive and determination to move forward.

 

MG:How have the new songs go down live.

ZS- We've been playing a lot of the new material and it's going over really well. Normally we'll start out playing certain new songs and find out they don't work well in a live situation.

Luckily all of these have.

It seems that the new songs mesh very well with the older songs in the set. I feel like it's a very good addition to the arsenal.

 

MG: If I had never seen you before , what can we expect from Goatwhore Live ?

ZS- The live show is what we're all about, honestly. It's really what we do best and where we feel most comfortable.

It's going to be a loud, in your face, high energy heavy metal experience.

Hopefully your neck will be sore and you will have a nasty hangover the next day.

 

MG: We Love the artwork do the band have a lot of input into the conception.

ZS- We've been working with our friend and artist, Jordan Barlow on he last two records.

Ben usually brings him a theme and Jordan brings the idea to life

 

.MG: Are  you already writing for the next album?

ZS- There's never a shortage of ideas for this band but currently we've been full-on concentrated on touring. I'm sure he next time we have a bit of a break we will start getting some things together.

I'm excited about picking up where we left off.

There were a couple of unfinished songs that didn't make it onto this last record that are a new level of dark and heavy for us.

 

MG: What inspires you and do you ever get stuck for ideas.  

ZS- I get inspired by many different things whether it be rock, metal, black metal, etc. I get inspired by things that are from the heart and have some sort of vibe to them. If we ever hit a road block while writing, we normally immediately move onto something else and keep it on the back burner until the right idea presents itself. We've found that's he beat way to keep things in motion and keep from being discouraged.

 

MG: If you could share a stage with any 3 bands dead or alive who would they be?

ZS- Motorhead, Rainbow, and Mercyful Fate. We've been fortunate enough to play alongside many of our favorites but these three would be killer.

 

MG: Deep question Now ! Religion is behind so many if not all of the worlds troubles if you could , what would you do to make things change?

ZS- I'd buy some land on the moon and figure out how to get there and live there. I'd then drink beers and watch as the world destroyed itself. In the large scope of things, religion only divides people

 

.MG: What have you been listening to recently?

ZS- I really like the new Vallenfyre album. The songs are great and the production is killer. Other than that it's been a steady diet of Motorhead, Sabbath, Priest, etc. All the classics.

 

MG: Give me four words to Sum up GoatWhore  

ZS- Unrelenting controlled chaos machine.

 

MG: Final words for your fans

ZS- Thank you all for your support. We hope to see you all at a show in the very near future!

 

 Interview by Seb  Di Gatto