Every Time I Die:
Cult of Personality
Words: Colin Kincaid
Photo: Tim Harmon
Upstate New York's Every Time I Die are the AC/DC of metalcore - their albums don't change all that much from one to the next, but it ain't broken, so it sure as hell doesn't need to be fixed. Their patented blend of scattershot heavy blast, southern rock-inflected swaggering grooves and fun, psychotic character has made them one of the most unique and eminently listenable groups in the genre they so casually transcend.
As the band readies New Junk Aesthetic, their fifth album and first for the revered Epitaph Records, for a September release, vocalist Keith Buckley discusses the recent departure of Drummer Mike “Ratboy” Novak, what subtle changes the new CD offers, and the process behind his inimitable lyrics.
REAX: Have you found a full-time replacement for Ratboy ex-drummer Mike Novak?
KB: We believe we have. We were actually just practicing last night, and we're doing it again tonight. We're gonna try him out at the show we're playing this Saturday, we're doing a festival. That'll be his baptism by fire.
REAX: Are you feeling a bit of pressure, with the tour coming up?
KB: Yeah, I mean obviously we just wanna be at peace, and have a guy permanently situated. There's some pressure, but he's up for it, he's been driving down from Montreal, which really shows how into it he is.
REAX: Do you not want to name names, just because things aren't quite set in stone?
KB: Yeah, we'd rather not say just yet.
REAX: Has it been any different being on Epitaph?
KB: No, nothing's different. We're jut getting a lot more done a lot quicker. The recording, the layout, the promotion, it just seems to be getting done more efficiently now. That's something we've noticed and are pretty excited about.
REAX: The new record's got some really dirty, dirge-y moments, like “Roman Holiday.” Did you guys consciously try to get a little more slow stuff onto this one?
KB: Um, yeah, I think so. One thing that's never really come through in our music is the influence of doom metal, Neurosis, things like that. We didn't do it intentionally at first, but listening to the record we realized it came across. That song was originally going to be first one on the record, but we thought it was too dark and slow to start it off. But it's definitely one of my favorite songs on there.
REAX: There aren't a lot of heavy bands that can get that swaggering rock 'n' roll shuffle into their style. Where does that come from for you guys?
KB: For me, it just comes from a bunch of alcoholic relatives hanging around bonfires and listening to John Cougar Mellencamp. My dad was a guitar player, so he listened to The Beatles and Zeppelin and the Stones, it was always on around the house when I was growing up.
REAX: If anything, New Junk Aesthetic sounds a little more frustrated or angry than some of your other albums. Was there a certain prevailing mindset when you were writing?
KB: There was no concerted effort to have anything come across, other than the fact that I think we were really excited about being on a new label after ten years. But lyrically, there was a lot of shit going on in the studio that I was pretty upset about. A few of the songs, I was writing lyrics in the studio, and I think that comes across on two or three songs.
REAX: Speaking of lyrics, one of the things that has always made Every Time I Die stand out for me is the lyrics, your tendency to turn cultural phrases and references on their heads. When you're writing, do you ever wonder if people are paying attention to all of that stuff, or if they're just in it for the crazy heavy music?
KB: Oh yeah. I don't wanna draw a diagram for 'em, but of course I wonder if people get it. But at the same time, I feel like I'm not just writing lyrics, I'm creating these little puzzles, and it makes me hope people will want to dig a little deeper. It may not come across immediately, but it'll go off like a grenade eventually. I try to keep that in mind when I'm writing.
REAX: How important a component of the band's personality is that to you guys? The sort of sarcastic and psychotically fun personality that comes across in the vocals?
KB: That's everything to us. If we ever lost sight of that, the band's days would be numbered. That was one aspect we didn't have in common with Ratboy. Now that he's out, it feels like a breath of fresh air, we can get somebody with the same sense of humor, the same cynical outlook on life. So it's definitely a refreshing new start for us.
Every Time I Die on tour in the Southeast:
September 23 – House of Blues, Dallas
September 24 – White Rabbit, San Antonio
September 25 – House of Blues, Houston
September 26 – House of Blues, New Orleans
September 27 – The Ritz Theatre, Tampa
September 29 – The Masquerade, Atlanta
September 30 – Amos', Charlotte
October 1 – Norva Theater, Norfolk
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