Interview with Axecatcher

The sonic hiss of all your wrongs. This is a phrase that has stayed with me throughout the years and one which aptly describes Axecatcher. Post-hardcore riffs, neck snapping tempo changes, drums so heavy they feel like sledgehammers against your skull. We're not here for happy, this is the sound of your rage when your boss asks you for something stupid but instead of smiling through it you snap and it feels good. Axecatcher are one of the best heavy bands in the country right now, live they are a tour de force, all long hair, sweat, energy and intensity. The stage littered with parts of the demons they've just exorcised. My band THVS have been lucky enough to play with them a few times now and every time it feels like you're watching a band who should be touring the world. While their influences are clear they never fall into stereotype instead bringing a fresh approach to post-hardcore a scene which can die from over specialisation. If they come to your town, go see them just have a neck brace ready for after.

Enjoy!

Can you tell me what first inspired you to make music, what made you pick up a guitar, write songs and join a band?

[Colin] I just loved the sound and energy of everything and couldn't wait to start making some noise. We had a lot of friends all starting out in bands at the same time when we were younger so it was really easy to get the ball rolling early on.

[Ryan] By the time I picked up a guitar, I’d been starting to listen to a lot of guitar based music, so sort of moving from a passive listener to something more active made sense - I wanted to take part in what I was listening to.

What bands posters did you have upon your bedroom wall and what was the first record you ever bought and why?

[Chris] For me it was punk rock - In particular The Offspring Americana. It came out around the time I started playing. Fast, catchy, not too hard to try and play. Perfect for the beginner and  from there I descended into metal. The 2000s were a great era to be growing up and into metal - Nu Metal, NWOAHM, MetalCore, Deathcore, Melodeath. Every week there was a new subgenre and a dozen new bands to discover, add that with “the classics” (Maiden, Ozzy, Metallica) all making comebacks and you begin to get an idea of how my love of heavy music developed.

[Colin] My first album was Bleach by Nirvana. They were probably my first favourite band. I can remember having lots of Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot posters on the wall.

[Ryan] The 2 posters I can remember were Master of Puppets and some Nirvana poster. And oh god, first album I bought was probably something horrendous like a Now XX or 5ive album when I was 8. There go my credentials! 

Common Blood came out in 2016, Grey Takes Gold followed in Aug 2017 and Second Hand Grief in March 2019. Can you tell us about the evolution of the band over those releases.

[Chris] There were a lot of changes between Common Blood and Grey - We were basically a new band, new line up, new songs, new focus on making things heavy as fuck. Grey was a mission statement. This is how Axecatcher sounds - more riffs than you can shake a stick at combined with visceral vocals and tempo changes that will break your neck. Second Hand Grief was a continuation of this and nothing has really changed in our philosophy since then. Our new album is a culmination of the last few years. It’s everything we’ve been working towards since Grey brought together in a single release and we can’t wait for people to hear it.

[Ryan] Yeah, I think that the new LP is a crystallisation of sorts, of the sort of ideas and sounds we’ve been playing around with for a couple years now.

[Colin] It was such a good feeling to get back to it after being out for a while. We used Grey as a jumping off point and haven’t stopped writing since. We had a lot of fun putting the album together and experimenting with new material over the last couple of years for sure.

Can you talk about the writing and recording process for Second Hand Grief, what themes and topics does the release explore. The production on Second Hand Grief seemed to step things up even more, was going to Niall in Start Together a conciliatory decision in taking this step up?

[Chris] We like to try different things with each release. Going to Niall at Start Together for Second Hand Grief was a no brainer. He’s excellent and the Studio space is really cool. We’d been keeping an eye on his stuff for a while and he did a great job. For the new album we went back to Aiden Cunningham who also did Common Blood. We love working with Aiden. He has a deep understanding of sound, a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve and a real love for heavier music. His Magic ears and hands really helped bring us up to a new level. We’ll let you make your own mind up when it comes out - but for us its our most brutal sound to date.

[Ryan] Writing for SHG ended up helping me to transition back into singing, so I was definitely more conscious than I had been in the past with trying to think ahead during writing riffs, to ensure I could fit vocal lines on top, have enough time to breathe, that sort of thing. We spent a little more time preparing it than Grey as well, so we for sure had a better idea of the sound we were chasing.

From listening to these releases it’s clear that the anger and brutality hasn’t abated over time, is there still a lot to be angry about in 2020?

[Chris] Yeah, we’re angry about a lot of things haha. I’m quite passive in my day to day life but the world is one fucked up place. I think a lot of those negative feelings build up and find their way out in our music. We all enjoy listening to that dark, nihilistic noise and its fun to play as well which helps. 

[Ryan] Exactly, I don’t think it’ll be news to anyone reading this that there’s plenty to get angry about, be it political, societal, what have you. Anger tends to get a bad rap these days, and while there are certainly things not worth getting angry over, there are situations where anger is the only response it deserves.

Do you think there’s enough of an infrastructure in Northern Ireland to support the heavier side of things, do you think that heaviosity gets the the attention and recognition it deserves?

[Chris] I don’t think there’s enough infrastructure to support people in Northern Ireland  in general let alone anyone trying to create and share music. Heavy Metal, Punk, Hardcore etc. is lucky enough to stand on it’s own feet. It’s ignored by the mainstream and for many that is part of the appeal. Its a “Fuck You” we’ll do it ourselves attitude and because of this the scene throughout Ireland is really healthy despite the lack of support from outside.

[Ryan] I think a lot of heavier bands can get overlooked by the bigger press here - I don’t necessarily think it’s something unique to NI, but it stings just a little more due to the size of the country. And at the same time as Chris says, the DIY nature around the scene because of that makes it very special, it’s certainly one of the reasons we’ve been keeping at it.

What does post corona 2020 hold for Axecatcher, have you more release planned,
how might they differ from Second Hand Grief.

[Chris] The Axecatcher Debut Album!!!! We recorded it back in January and had started making release plans when the Lockdowns began. Depending how long that it goes on for will probably influence how and when it finally makes it out. Needless to say we’re very fuckin excited about it. We’d love to get a couple of videos done and we’re always looking to play more shows.

[Ryan] I think the new LP is the next logical step in where we’ve been headed for a little while. I think it’s a nice capsule of all of the bands influences, and I think comes across a bit more consistent than our previous work because of that.

[Colin] I can’t wait for the album to come out and to get back to playing shows, whenever that may be!

The scene both north and south seems to be stronger than ever, is there anyone you’d want to shout out to?

THVS, Bailer, Worn Out, Flashpoint, No Great Loss, Molarbear, Wardomized, Metal4Life.

And finally in the vein of Rob Gordon. What are your Top 5 favourite records.

Chris - I could spend years trying to pick just 5 haha - So here’s the first that came to mind
Behemoth - The Satanist
Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas - Mariner
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Clutch - Earth Rocker
Opeth - Still Life

Colin - Hard to pick 5! The list always changes but this is what thinking right now:
NIN - The Downward Spiral
The Chariot - One Wing
Cursed - II
AFI - Black Sails in the Sunset
The Protomen - Act II

Ryan - In no particular order:
Converge - Jane Doe
The Armed - Untitled
Baptists - Bushcraft
Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell
Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty

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