Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It's All about the Breakdowns with All Shall Perish

by Jake Serek

(Ed note: we sent writer Jake Serek to Reggie's Rock Club on Monday to catch the Chicago stop of the "Sun Your Bunz" tour and interview All Shall Perish. I hereby declare this "Metal Month of May...and a Half." All photos courtesy of the author and his photographer Ross.)


What better way to cure the Monday blues than by assaulting your brain with heavy, raucous, metal music and slightly-less-than-suicidal hardcore dancing? I wasn’t the only one with this idea when I decided to catch All Shall Perish with headliners The Acacia Strain and supporters The Warriors and Since the Flood. I entered Reggie’s Rock Club just as Since the Flood was walking off stage (sorry fellas— here’s a shout out anyway.) I then proceed to the alley behind the stage to find Matt Kuykendall and Mike Tiner, respectively the drummer and bassist for All Shall Perish. They were sitting in folding chairs surrounded by their equipment, chowing on some local good eats like a pair of campers (or hobos) around a fire.

Both Matt and Mike were gracious enough to let me ask them a few questions, although as you will see, Mike is clearly incapable of emitting any serious responses. “Our bassist (Mike) is the worst dude,” warns Matt in a half joking, half concerned tone.

Jake: So there is about a month left on this tour. How has it been thus far?

Matt: Great, the turnout is incredible, the dudes are fuckin’ awesome.

What’s your favorite band on this tour?

Mike: Acacia [Strain]! (Howls)

Have you found that they have been rubbing off on you at all?

Mike: Only when we sleep with them… they’re fuckin’ heavy as fuck.

For those unfamiliar with your music, could you sum up the ‘essence’ of All Shall Perish in a few words?

Matt: We are a death metal band that enjoys melody and breakdowns as well.

Mike: And dudes….and fat girls with fat asses.

How did you come upon this style of music?

Matt: Well, we all used to listen to a lot of New York death metal like Internal Bleeding and Suffocation. We really like Pantera, Hate Breed, Blood Has Been Shed, and Irate. We also like Weezer and Michael Jackson a lot.

Mike: And Britney Spears!

Matt: But we’re also really influenced by the Swedish bands: In Flames, Dimmu [Borgir], Dissection, and Opeth….and Abba (laughs).

Mike: Ace of Base!

Matt: These days we released a few death metal, breakdown records and we’re just trying to keep writing interesting and innovative music. Our new record is really different— really diverse. It is us paying homage to more of our other influences, some of the Swedish influences.

So would you say the new album is a radical departure from your last album, The Price of Existence?

Matt: I wouldn’t call it radical, but just generally very, very different.

How is recording? Are you still in the process?

Matt: Done, we’re done. It’s being mastered right now.

As far as writing new songs, could you walk me through the typical process you guys use?

Matt: Everything starts with a riff, and from there we start making sections, and then we turn it into either a beginning or a middle, you know. And we just work from there. A lot of times we’ll have a song that we thought was a beginning forever and it ends up being an end.

Mike: A lot of times we end up with a riff that we thought was awesome, and it sucks.

Matt: Yeah. And lyrics and vocals are always last. They are written once the song is done.

How do you go about forming the set list for a show?

Mike: Whatever is clever, just like sex with dudes.

Do you ever play songs from your first album Hate.Malice.Revenge live?

Mike: No, are you kidding me? That’s the fucking worst album.

I saw on your MySpace page that you have the option for fans to vote for the songs they want to hear you play at your concerts. Do you take these polls into consideration when making set lists?

Matt: We do. Really the way we make a set list is whatever makes sense for the tour. This is a fucking heavy ass tour, so we play all the breakdown songs.

It’s all about the breakdowns. Have you been playing any of the new, unreleased songs at these shows?

Mike: Yeah, three of them.

Have you found that by playing new songs live, you can tell what works and what doesn’t so you can go back into the studio and alter the songs?

Matt: We never play a song unless its 100% done and 100% practiced.

Ok, now a serious question: In your opinion, what is the first metal band?

Matt: First metal band? Probably [Black] Sabbath. (Looks to Mike) Sabbath right?

Mike: Do I have to say Sabbath? I don’t really want to. I’m going with Slayer.

Kyle the Sound Guy: Beethoven.

There you go. Wagner (laughs).

Mike: (To Kyle) You said metal band, Beethoven’s one dude, that’s not a band. I’m telling you it's fuckin’ Slayer….Judas Priest, there we go. Done. It’s over. I win.

Matt: Our bassist [Mike] is the worst dude.

What do you guys have coming up after the new album is released?

Matt: We’re going to Europe to play some festivals and some Carcass reunions. We are also going to go on tour with Job for a Cowboy.

Okay! Anything else you guys want to say?

Mike: Send nudes.

(Laughs) Thanks for your time, have fun tonight.


After a few laughs with the rhythm section for All Shall Perish, I returned inside to the sounds of The Warriors, a hardcore outfit from California. Their tight, mid-rangy sound and mammoth, plodding riffs suggested Rage Against the Machine, but with less rapping and more screaming. Despite this somewhat complimentary comparison, the riffs were stock and the band lacked any charismatic stage presence.

Now to fast forward to headliners The Acacia Strain’s set. One guitar shy of All Shall Perish’s lineup, they had no problem rocking out just as much low end. A benevolent bunch, Acacia threw water bottles into the crowd before their set. The same water would later be sprayed onto the crowd via the mouth of lead guitarist DL. As if the stage wasn’t enough of a pedestal for them, DL and bassist Jack Strong brought additional risers on stage to heighten their stage presence. The Acacia Strain were slightly more gloomy and sluggish than All Shall Perish, but similar nonetheless.

For All Shall Perish’s set I moved to the balcony, which not only provided refuge from thrashing arms and legs, but it was also fully equipped with plush seating— a perfect haven to sit back and soak in all the details. Don’t get me wrong about the hardcore dancing. I love the idea of punching perfect strangers in the head, but I would at least want to look cool doing it.

All Shall Perish’s set starter did not destroy my eardrums as I had expected it would. It might have to do with the fact that they are the seventh band that I have heard perform in the past two days, but I am going to go ahead and blame Reggie’s Rock Club. But in the band’s defense, a measly five minute sound check is hardly enough to ensure proper inner-ear abuse. So, all the sonic kinks weren’t worked out until at least the second song, which, with its relentless streams of lead guitar notes and double trouble bass drums was a veritable adrenaline junky’s wet dream. Did I mention that lead guitarist Chris Storey can shred? Like E.V.H.? Yeah.

Song three was basically an extended breakdown complete with security guards wrestling youngsters out of the dance pit to salvage lives. The band saved some of its more popular numbers for the end. This included “Eradication” which earned sufficient approval by the crowd just at its mention. I’m always moved when death metal and grindcore vocalists find it in their hearts to give front-row audience members a taste of fame by letting them scream some lyrics into the microphone. Although, it was a bit distracting, even humorous, to hear lead man Hernan ‘Eddie’ Hermida’s beast roars interrupted by a squawky pre-pubescent male voice. Along with Hermida’s hefty stage presence, Mike Tiner’s jokey personality transferred well onto the stage, adding a lively energy to the set. Luckily, no one "perished" in the dance pit, but in being aurally pummeled, we certainly all did.

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