Interview with EXORCISM
!!!THRASH METAL FROM THE UK!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about EXORCISM (Members, Starting Year etc).
Exorcism was formed in the summer of 2023, with our original lineup of Freddie Widdows - guitar, Alan Moss - Bass, Connor Harvey - vocals and Will Watson - drums this, overtime, moved to Freddie Widdows - vocals and Lead guitar, Will Butler - Rhythm guitar, Tom Mciver - bass, Will Watson - drums
You have recently released your EP ''Spectral Aggression''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Since the release of spectral aggression, we’ve had solely great reviews, which has been a huge relief. the press reception has been amazing, giving us massive praise for how the EP sounds like it could’ve been released by any of the bay area thrash bands during the 80’s, but also how the main issue is that everyone wants more. This has been further backed by fans who have drawn comparisons to Municipal Waste, Exhorder, Vio-lence and many more, which is all a major compliment to us as these are all bands who have shaped our sound tremendously. One person who was at our metal to the masses opening heat described it as ‘unreal’ to hear the EP live and that it sounds even better in our live show, this was a massive compliment to us.
The cover artwork has a great atmosphere. Who is the graphic designer behind it, and what is the meaning behind the artwork?
The Artwork for our EP is by the absolute legend Dan Goldsworthy, this artwork was meant to capture the greater meaning of the EP and follow the story of this ghost attacking the character the songs follow, but also captures the essence of the lyrics.
And what about the lyrics?
The lyrics to all the songs are both following the story of someone who’s been possessed and their spiral to eventual suicide but deep below are a representation of my own mental health struggles i suffered through before forming exorcism. The story follows a character who in the opening track is possessed by a ghost from the past, this causes the people of the town to wish their death on them in burnt at the stake, causing their suicide in strike of the match, ending with the explanation with lost in the dark, representing how they were lost in the darkness of their own mind because of the ghosts possession.
How did your cooperation with Witches Brew Records occur? What do you prefer most, Label or DIY and why?
Our cooperation with Witches Brew came completely out of the blue, I received the email through our manager Neil at ukthrashers and was completely over the moon that someone thought these songs id wrote in my bedroom deserved that amount of recognition. in terms of my preferences, I think every band must start from scratch as if a band doesn’t go through the beginning stages of playing to a sold out room one show to playing in front of no one the next show then they haven’t been through the hardships that ready you for the future. Then, I think the band must grow with reasonable expectations, moving with smaller labels up until they grow and move onto bigger ones.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
I think our funniest stories are either when during recording our drummer will broke my phones microphone with how hard he was hitting the cymbals while I was recording him, I’ve also fallen up stairs getting on stage during changeover multiple times.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
I think of all the formats, vinyl is the best by miles, it has the collectibility of a cassette while also having excellent sound quality, my prized vinyl happens to be an original pressing of S.O.D’s ‘Speak English or Die’, however I love streaming for its ease of use.
Your music style is Thrash Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Our main influences are, Death, Obituary, Exhorder, S.O.D, Evil Dead, Atrophy, Vio-lence and many more.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
I think in a band, sacrifices must be made at the band leader/members in decision, over the course of exorcism’s build up to our current lineup, I’ve had to sacrifice friendships, relationships and a lot of money in starting it up and merch etc:
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
I think our ideal live show is a mix of an Amazing crowd who are constantly pitting during our set, but also a room filled out, we haven’t completely achieved this yet but we’ve been near enough and a band should be thankful to any crowd who come out and watch them.
What attributes do you think that a new Thrash Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
I think new thrash bands should pay respects to the greats of the 80s, but also ensure that they keep the genre fresh as a genre will never grow without change, in short a band should both maintain thrash’s classic charm but also keep progressing the genre.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Thrash Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
I think digital platforms are both a blessing and a curse to up and coming bands, they allow us to promote ourselves much easier than it’d be without them, but it’s easy to fall into the realm of being known as a ‘tiktok band’.
What does METAL means to you and tell to our readers 10 Metal releases that have ''entered'' your blood.
Metal to me means a sense of community, but also a family that are all some of the loveliest people. my top 10 metal releases to me are:
Slaughter in the Vatican - Exhorder
Bonded by Blood - Exodus
Annihilation of Civilization - Evil Dead
Eternal Nightmare - Vio-lence
Scream Bloody Gore - Death
Focus - Cynic
Slowly We Rot - Obituary
Moshkinstein - Acid Reign
Among The Living - Anthrax
Leprosy - Death
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Birmingham, UK (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
The underground metal scene in Birmingham is amazing in many ways. For the second city we have this explosion of talent with bands like Born Zero, Dead Mob, Masters Call, Magnatas Court and so many more; supportive and encouraging promoters like Phil the Room, Uncover, SYD, which is only scratching the surface, and many small studios and creatives like Jake at Just Noise Audio. Part of that is because we have some amazing creative colleges in the city giving young musicians a great foundation for their careers. For our evolution the Birmingham scene as a whole must come together and support each other, so that when a band breaks through all this, they can bring the spotlight and help other bands. When one rises we all rise. This was seen amazingly by Grove Street, Inhuman Nature and Overpower all wearing each others shirts at Bloodstock 23. We also need to encourage getting fans and supporters out to support independent music and venues so the scene can grow.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
I know a decent amount, if by Hellenic we mean Greek then I have a small connection to it as I’m Greek Cypriot myself, and have been really enjoying a Greek band called Bio-Cancer recently.
What are your future plans?
We’re currently in the process of writing for our first full length album, which is currently unnamed and we’ll be recording this summer, we are also continuing our path through metal to the masses coventry after winning our first heat.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you for the opportunity to be on here, getting all this written has been a blast! THRASH TILL DEATH!!!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
PS. Thanks to Neil Brannagan for this interview https://ukthrashers.org/
EXORCISM CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/exorcism.thrash
https://www.instagram.com/exorcismthrash/
https://exorcismthrash.bandcamp.com/album/spectral-aggression