says drummer Robby Scarce. “I was surprised that [Zach] liked it, because I knew Zach was in a death metal band, Antietam 1862. Zach and Ian started playing together in what would become Humungus. They asked me to play drums and I accepted and suggested that Jack be the singer. Zach found Peyton on the internet somehow or another and Peyton came to try out in my bedroom, which is where Humungus practice was for a little while.” Eventually Zach left Antietam 1862 to devote more time to the band, and the rest of the guys became more invested as well. It only took a little under a year for them to start recording, playing around Richmond frequently, and going on small tours. “I think the main reason we formed Humungus was because we all hung out and went to metal shows and saw nobody moshing or headbanging,” adds Ian. “We had to put an end to that immediately.” When it comes to the songwriting process, Humungus are very democratic, although Zach comes up with a lot of the initial ideas for songs. “Its a fairly equal split,” he says.“I write a lot of the riffs and then jam to them with Robby. Then Peyton and Ian add dynamics and stuff like that. The songs usually change a lot as they are jammed on. Jack writes almost all the lyrics, although occasionally someone else might write a line or two.”
CHECK RVAMAG.COM DAILY
Humungus have been on the road quite frequently since their formation, and have some ridiculous stories to show for it. “We’ve done several East Coast tours, from Miami up to Boston, and this past summer we did a two-week tour to Texas and back up the coast,” says Zach. “This summer, we drove from South Carolina to Miami with a Liberty Tax trailer on the back of our van. In Columbia, we witnessed a guy drink a whole 40oz of piss. He was warned of the contents, but alcohol turns you into a badass, right? I think we may have been on Storage Wars: Austin too. I need to see if I can find the episode.” They have even more gut-curdling stories than these, from meeting a meth-crazed wannabe groupie wearing a bathing suit in Fort Worth, to exploring the cave where the movie Teeth was filmed in Austin, as well as some that are lost completely to the obscurity of beer-fogged memory, such as their entire stay in New Orleans. But clearly it is all in good fun. No charges have been filed--at least, not yet. “We just released a 7” vinyl EP on Forcefield Records, and we are planning on a full length sometime in the spring or summer, hopefully,” says Zach. “We are currently working on finishing up some new songs for it. We have joked around with the name MegaHevy.” The 7” featured the songs “Shark Castle” and “Drinkin’ A Beer,” which will both appear on the fulllength album, and they filmed a video for “Drinkin’ A Beer” in Peyton’s basement, with cameos from lots
of fans. They are thrilled to have hooked up with favorite local metal label Forcefield, who approached them late last year about releasing a record. “[Forcefield founder] Tim Harwich has really hooked us up and looked out for us, and it’s awesome to be a part of the Forcefield family,” says Zach. They are also planning a tour this summer that will hopefully venture farther north or out to the West Coast. Overall, although Humungus make it a point to have a lighthearted attitude about metal and the music they make, they strongly appreciate the local scene and all the support they have received since their inception. “I thought everyone would hate us when we first started,” admits Ian, who was afraid local fans that lean more towards doom and blackened death metal would scoff at their antics. Luckily, that wasn’t the case. Not only were they received well at shows, they have been given multiple opportunities to tour, and now have a local record deal. “I just want to take the time to state how thankful we are for everyone in Richmond’s support for us ever since we started in 2011,” he adds. “It really is a privilege to be a part of this community and play for the all of the awesome people in it (you know who you are) and we thank you.” Look out for much more beer-drinking, hair-swinging debauchery in the coming year! humungus.bandcamp.com
25