Takin' Stock Wit' Frankenbok
“If you truly love metal it will infect every part of your being and it will never leave. No fucking compromise!” Luke McGrath Unless you are well into your Oz metal, if you know the name FRANKENBOK at all, it’s because you heard their cover of Madison Avenue’s Don’t Call Me Baby back in 2001. While I’m sure it did them no favours within the metal community, the song was good fun, garnered them significant attention at the time and heightened expectation for what they would do next. And so what did the five-piece from Melbourne do next? Well, despite several line-up changes, injuries and different labels, they stuck to their guns and continued making fistpumping metal. But do they still play Don’t Call Me Baby? “That track gave a lot of people the impression that Frankenbok is a joke band,” recaps new vocalist Dan McDougall. “This has never been true, and the new line-up is out to totally destroy this perception of the band. And in regards to playing it live – come see us play and you’ll find out!” After waiting out much of 2007 while guitarist Aaron Butler’s leg healed after a skateboarding accident, this renowned live outfit have been chomping at the bit to “tear each and every stage a new corn chute” and promote both last year’s album Murder Of Songs and new EP The Last Ditch Redemption. This latest tour will see them leaving few stones unturned. “Frankenbok has always made sure that their tours were rather extensive, and this time around we are making no exceptions,” says Dan. “I wanna play in as many places as possible; I don’t care if there are 5 or 500 people, we will always put on a killer show for anyone who cares to listen. Our plan is to go to all of these places and then do it all again. And again. And again! It’s the only way to build a fan base in this country if you’re a metal band. I am also from a country town and I remember how farkin’ cool it was when bands from Melbourne would come down and play.” Of course, every upside has its down, and a lengthy tour schedule like Frankenbok’s is no exception. “Do you know what ‘van-gut’ is?” Dan laughs. “Well, spend 12 hours in a van and eat nothing but junk food and you’ll soon know what it’s like!” No one, perhaps least the band, would have predicted it, but Frankenbok have become elder statesmen of metal. There are few other ways to describe a band that, over their 11-year existence, has played with Slayer, Fear Factory, Machine Head and made five (count ’em) appearances at Canberra’s own Metal For The Brain festival. Surely Frankenbok have picked up a few things about the dark art of metal they’d like to share – any tips for the young ‘uns? “The point I would like to get across to young metal heads is to not just listen to what is going on now, but look back through the entire history of metal,” says Dan sagely. “Raid your old man’s collection and seek out the originators, then move on through to the present day. And never fucking give up no matter how hard it gets! If you truly love metal it will infect every part of your being and it will never leave. No fucking compromise!” Frankenbok will be melting faces at The Greenroom, Philip on Friday August 22 with Mytile Vey Lorth, Rake Sodomy and Point 17, performing songs from across their whole catalogue including both their latest album Murder Of Songs and EP The Last Ditch Redemption (both out through Prime Cuts). Make a fist and then extend your pinkie and pointer finger. Raise your arm high, bang head, repeat.