1. Hello Adam! How are you doing? How’s Withdrawal?
Adam : I'm doing pretty ok. Aside from Withdrawal I work an office job at a financial So between them all I'm stretched pretty thin and don't have much time to sit back and enjoy what little there is to enjoy in life. But Withdrawal is good, we're a few weeks away from a eastern Canadian tour and we played what amounted to be the craziest show we've ever played the other day. So things are good I suppose.
2. Whose idea was it to form this Holy Terror band?
Adam : Me and my brother Joel have been active in bands since we were around 16. We're 24 now. We've been in a couple of bands seperate from one another, and we knew the other guys for a while. Eventually all our other bands kind of just ran their course and died, and we all respected one another personally and musically so we decided we wanted to do something together and work hard with it. And here we are about half a year later and we have already toured and recorded a demo.
3. Do you still remember your first band rehearsal? What’s it like?
Adam : I actually wasn't at the first practice! We had another drummer at first, but he didn't have any commitment so we started playing with Jeff which worked out amazingly. This band would have turned out totally different without his involvement, he is a phenominal drummer. The first practice I sang at was pretty intimidating, but I remember that the first song we wrote was "To The Wolves".
4. Withdrawal’s demo – "Promised Heaven, Given Hell", has been receiving positive feedbacks lately. How do you guys come up with a song? Who writes the lyrics?
Adam : I'm glad people have enjoyed our demo, it means alot. The writing process for Withdrawal is very much a collective effort. Often Joel or Ross will have the skeleton of a song ready for when we go to practice, and sometimes the song will be completely different than what was originally intended by the time we're finished. Seperately we write at a moderate pace, but together we're quite prolific. We have a few songs that didn't stand the test of time though, but we have more than enough songs written otherwise to make up for them. The lyrics are generally the last things to get done, and I write about 98% of them. Sometimes the other members help out with some vocal patterns.
5. Most of your songs deal with cataclysm, death, false beliefs, and hopelessness; who or what inspires you to write these thought provoking lyrics?
Adam : I think one would be hard pressed to not find inspiration everywhere they look in life. I've always been a pesemist, and our songs are a negative reflection of that. We live in a society that's pretty bloated with excess. Obsessed with sex, violence, vice, commerce, social status, body image. A bunch of bullshit that has been directly responsible, at least in my eyes, to the steady decline in humanity and society. And I write about that, if only because were I to try and talk to someone about it they would ignore me. Music to me has always been cathartic, and lyrically I can express a bit of the anger and sadness that I feel being a confused and ultimately frightened young man. As far as influences of the past, I would look to H.P Lovecraft, religious text, comic books... standard stuff. Contemporary lyricists that I enjoy are Chris Collohan from Cursed, Ian Curtis of Joy Division, Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost and in my opinion, the best songwriter of the last 25 years Martin L. Gore of Depeche Mode.
Adam : I'm doing pretty ok. Aside from Withdrawal I work an office job at a financial So between them all I'm stretched pretty thin and don't have much time to sit back and enjoy what little there is to enjoy in life. But Withdrawal is good, we're a few weeks away from a eastern Canadian tour and we played what amounted to be the craziest show we've ever played the other day. So things are good I suppose.
2. Whose idea was it to form this Holy Terror band?
Adam : Me and my brother Joel have been active in bands since we were around 16. We're 24 now. We've been in a couple of bands seperate from one another, and we knew the other guys for a while. Eventually all our other bands kind of just ran their course and died, and we all respected one another personally and musically so we decided we wanted to do something together and work hard with it. And here we are about half a year later and we have already toured and recorded a demo.
3. Do you still remember your first band rehearsal? What’s it like?
Adam : I actually wasn't at the first practice! We had another drummer at first, but he didn't have any commitment so we started playing with Jeff which worked out amazingly. This band would have turned out totally different without his involvement, he is a phenominal drummer. The first practice I sang at was pretty intimidating, but I remember that the first song we wrote was "To The Wolves".
4. Withdrawal’s demo – "Promised Heaven, Given Hell", has been receiving positive feedbacks lately. How do you guys come up with a song? Who writes the lyrics?
Adam : I'm glad people have enjoyed our demo, it means alot. The writing process for Withdrawal is very much a collective effort. Often Joel or Ross will have the skeleton of a song ready for when we go to practice, and sometimes the song will be completely different than what was originally intended by the time we're finished. Seperately we write at a moderate pace, but together we're quite prolific. We have a few songs that didn't stand the test of time though, but we have more than enough songs written otherwise to make up for them. The lyrics are generally the last things to get done, and I write about 98% of them. Sometimes the other members help out with some vocal patterns.
5. Most of your songs deal with cataclysm, death, false beliefs, and hopelessness; who or what inspires you to write these thought provoking lyrics?
Adam : I think one would be hard pressed to not find inspiration everywhere they look in life. I've always been a pesemist, and our songs are a negative reflection of that. We live in a society that's pretty bloated with excess. Obsessed with sex, violence, vice, commerce, social status, body image. A bunch of bullshit that has been directly responsible, at least in my eyes, to the steady decline in humanity and society. And I write about that, if only because were I to try and talk to someone about it they would ignore me. Music to me has always been cathartic, and lyrically I can express a bit of the anger and sadness that I feel being a confused and ultimately frightened young man. As far as influences of the past, I would look to H.P Lovecraft, religious text, comic books... standard stuff. Contemporary lyricists that I enjoy are Chris Collohan from Cursed, Ian Curtis of Joy Division, Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost and in my opinion, the best songwriter of the last 25 years Martin L. Gore of Depeche Mode.
6. How essential is the works of Holy Terrorism to you Adam? As an individual, how would you convey the insights of Robert de Grimston Moor and MaryAnne MacLean in your day to day living?
Adam : The Holy Terror bands past and present are just on a whole other level musically and artistically than any other hardcore band out there. Bands like Gehenna have a certain lore that surrounds their violence, or with Integrity how throughout their discography they've always evolved with each release. So Holy Terror bands, past and present, I find are immensely inspiring in that sense. They don't just play a song, they live their art. Similarly I find Grimston's work to be inspiring as well; you can identify with what he says because even if you don't entirely believe what he says deep inside you wish you could "release the fiend" and take out your misery on this world. At least that's how I feel.
7. What’s your stand on religion?
Adam : It's something that is impossible to ignore in white, middle class, north america. It's everywhere. I'm lucky to have parents who were smart enought to be atheists. I think that alot of Christians were born into their belief system and fed lies at such an early age that they grow up not knowing any better. I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors but I think that God's got a sick sense of humor. I just don't believe in God and I get more tired and more annoyed with how much influence religion has in society as I grow older.
8. How’s the current hardcore-punk scene in Winnipeg? How often do you held shows in your area?
Adam : Winnipeg's scene is very very vibrant lately. Alot of great bands like Born Bad, Under Pressure, Mind Control, Hollow Ground, First Strike. Shows have been getting really good and there are alot of newer kids coming out and starting new bands. The shows are also getting more violent and less tolerant of "posers" which I full endorse. There are a few part time HC kids in Winnipeg but they're generally too scared to come to any real shows. I put on shows out here and I really can't stand poser kids who don't go to local shows. Drives me nuts.We generally have a show about once or twice a month. Bands tour through here ocasionally and I hope that more come through because things are picking up.
Adam : It's something that is impossible to ignore in white, middle class, north america. It's everywhere. I'm lucky to have parents who were smart enought to be atheists. I think that alot of Christians were born into their belief system and fed lies at such an early age that they grow up not knowing any better. I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors but I think that God's got a sick sense of humor. I just don't believe in God and I get more tired and more annoyed with how much influence religion has in society as I grow older.
8. How’s the current hardcore-punk scene in Winnipeg? How often do you held shows in your area?
Adam : Winnipeg's scene is very very vibrant lately. Alot of great bands like Born Bad, Under Pressure, Mind Control, Hollow Ground, First Strike. Shows have been getting really good and there are alot of newer kids coming out and starting new bands. The shows are also getting more violent and less tolerant of "posers" which I full endorse. There are a few part time HC kids in Winnipeg but they're generally too scared to come to any real shows. I put on shows out here and I really can't stand poser kids who don't go to local shows. Drives me nuts.We generally have a show about once or twice a month. Bands tour through here ocasionally and I hope that more come through because things are picking up.
9. Withdrawal is currently recording new songs, how would you compare your new materials from your previous ones. When should we expect the new EP?
Adam : We are actually about 85% done recording it. Only a few things left before it's done. I would say it is noticably more agressive and darker than our early songs. We're letting our metal influences shine through a bit more, but we also made a concious effort to make sure the production was a bit more hardcore so it makes for a really corrosive sound. I realized that lyrically our earlier songs were depressing but you could tell there was a desire for hope or change in there, a beacon of light shrouded in darkness, but on these songs we just full on embrace misery, sorrow and anger. One song in particular "Pray as Lamb; Lamb as Prey" I think is the best song we've ever written. I'm sure you will enjoy it. We are talking to a few labels right now in North America, and hopefully we can work with someone out here who will work as hard as we do. And we'll be glad to work with you once it's ready, of course.
10. Thank you so much for taking some time in answering these questions Adam. Stay in touch.
Adam : Thank you very much Led, your friendship and interest is very much appreciated and I hope to see and hear from you soon. Take care.
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