EXTRA FIRE THEY’RE AIMING LESS VENOM AT GOVERNMENTS ON THEIR LATEST OUTING, BUT UNEARTH STILL DELIVER MUCH VITRIOL – JUST NOT WHEN DOWNING SHOTS AND MIMICKING EDDIE VAN HALEN. BRENDAN CRABB WASHES AWAY THIS LYING WORLD WITH THE METALLERS’ FRONTMAN TREVOR PHIPPS.
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ccording to Unearth vocalist Trevor Phipps, the band’s impending return to Australia will be the Massachusetts crew’s seventh visit to our shores, but mention the upcoming Soundwave Revolution tour of which they’re a part and his enthusiasm immediately lifts. “It’s always a great place to play, but on this tour getting to see Van Halen every day will be great,” he gushes. “That’s a band we party to every single day on tour. We have what we call ‘Power Hour’ prior to going on stage, and Iron Maiden and Van Halen get us psyched up for the show, with a few shots of whiskey. They’re a huge influence, but I’ve never seen them before, so I’m pretty stoked.” Already touring veterans in this section of the world, he’s also pumped about another opportunity to preach to the unconverted. “Most bands will tell you that their first love is to play in small clubs to fans, but in a festival setting, if you can get new people to rage and get into your band, that’s what it’s all about.” Although fond of a party and some cheesy on-stage antics, Unearth has carved a reputation as a meat-and-potatoes, steadfastly reliable and uncompromising metalcore act always steering clear of trends. Fans have responded to this integrity. Phipps’ lyrics often venture into political territory, but on latest disc Darkness In The Light, he felt it was time to change things up slightly – not a practice many associate with Unearth’s career development. “Lyrically, I went to a few different places,” he explains. “There were more songs talking about personal hardship, that’s where a bunch of the lyrics came from. Others touch on politics and current events, and there are some that are more positive. It’s more personal, which is hard to put myself out there. I was able to get loads of things off my chest. I’ve grown a little tired of politics, so I went a little more personal.” When Drum enquires why he’s lost some interest in political themes, Phipps is to the point. “They’re [politicians] full of shit,” he booms. “I think most people would see eye-to-eye if people weren’t trying to pull them towards someone else’s agenda, whether left or right. I think people are more in the middle than a lot of people think. Some people may lean more towards the left or the right, but they don’t always think that way. But if one extremist tells them one thing often enough, they’ll listen. Their agenda is to get people to go to their side and keep them apart, rather than pull them together. That’s what the first track on the album, Watch It Burn, is about.” On the musical front, he’s also mighty enthused about their latest batch of songs. “I think it’s a combination of all the elements that are different on each record. It has the energy of our first album, the heaviness and melody of The Oncoming Storm, the speed of parts of III… and some of the structure of the last one. The feedback has been amazing so far; time will tell if it’s our best record. Until this point I thought The Oncoming Storm was our best record... I like each one as they all add something different. This is my personally most extreme record. I grew up as more of a hardcore vocalist, but this has more highs and lows. We just want to get better at our crafts and put out the best record we can.” The new album process also included retaining the services of famed producer, Killswitch Engage guitarist and all-round nutter Adam Dutkiewicz, who also briefly filled in on drums for Unearth in 2003. Phipps says it’s as simple as no one else understanding their sound better. “He knows us inside and out, he’s almost like another member of the band. But he’s still outside of the band, so he’s not as attached to it. Plus he’s a player – he plays a lot of instruments, has many tools and he just knows music. He has a great ear for a melody and a riff, and he’s great with guitars. Ken [Susi] and Buz [McGrath, guitarists] have great harmonies, but he’ll say, ‘Try this note instead’ and it’ll be a better harmony.” Has Dutkiewicz mellowed at all, or does his wacky side still frequently make its presence known? “He knows how to balance it,” Phipps laughs. “He’ll break out ‘Crazy Adam’ at the right time to lift the spirits, but he balances it with being pretty serious when he needs to be.” As indicated earlier, while admired for not making anything resembling a dud release in their five-album career and also for their high-intensity live shows, Unearth has been given the “reliable” tag by many critics and fans. There’s a vibe about them which suggests that while consistent performers who have attained considerable success, they almost seem content with their place in the metal world and as a result, they take few risks. Not the case, the frontman emphasises. “We have been given some critiques for not changing things up enough,” he says. “I think we have changed some things, but have kept a core sound. Pulling a 180 can really bum out your fan base. As fans of music, we know that. We know why the band got noticed, and we’ll try new things… But we know that bands like Slayer and AC/DC sound like those bands, you can tell it’s them in like the first three seconds of the song.” As for any inclination of the band not having serious aspirations to one day ascend to the top of the metal pile, perish the thought. “We’re in our tenth year as a full-time touring band. On this [album] I think we had a little extra fire. We’ve seen bands and trends come and go, and we wanted to take us to the next level and solidify our place in metal. We want to take it to the Pantera level – on the band’s own terms. Our real idols are bands like Slayer and Cannibal Corpse, who have maintained a very successful career for more than 20 years; Slayer has never been as big as Pantera, but they have had a great, lengthy career. If the band had that level of success, it’d be awesome – the band doesn’t plan on going anywhere.” WHO: Unearth WHAT: Darkness In The Light (Metal Blade/Riot!) WHEN & WHERE: Soundwave Revolution – Monday 3 October, Arena Joondalup
20 • THE DRUM MEDIA 4 AUGUST 2011
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