Trevor Phipps: “It was my time to vent”

Unearth is a 13-year veteran, Massachusetts-based metalcore band, which is on a line-up for the upcoming Rockstar Mayhem Festival (July 27^th, PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ). Here is what Trevor Phipps - one of the founding fathers and their lead vocalist - had to say about the history of the band, new record, upcoming tour, Polish traces and… predicting the Bruins’ win in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

When Ken Susi (guitars, backup vocals), Buz McGrath (guitars) and you met in 1998 – did think that it was the beginning of a long and successful career?

TP: It was not the first time we met. We were 20-years old and it was not our first band either, so when Unearth was formed we knew that it was going to be something, we just did not know how long it will last. At the beginning we simply wanted to express all that stuff we liked and cared about, write lyrics and hope that it is what the crowd wants and that it translates that the band is sincere. We are psyched that we are still here and our stuff keeps getting better.

It has been 13 years of touring, producing, performing. Try to sum it up in one word.

TP: Tough to say, but how about: dream-fulfilling? Sounds cheesy, but it is true. It is definitely something we all wanted to do it as kids. We are not as rich, we are not rock stars, but it is our dream-job and we really enjoy producing, performing and touring. So it really is a dream come true for us.

What were the toughest moments?

TP: There are always some bumps on the road. We had some bad shows, some tours got cancelled for various reasons. We had continuing issues with our drummers, who so you have to be thick skinned and ready that it is not going to be easy. Sometimes you wish you had a regular 9-5 job, but good times always outweigh the bad ones. As for the scariest thing: it happened back in 2001. We were on our first longer tour: 12 days from Boston down to Florida. We have a show in the ghetto area of Ft. Lauderdale, FL and it was pretty damn hot down there. Between the songs I quickly go to our van to change my soaked shirt and I see a broken window. Whatever we had inside is gone and there is blood everywhere. We call the cops, but in the meantime some kid comes up and tells us: “I know who did it”. The cops find the guy and say to us: “Good news is that we’ve got your stuff back and the bad news is that the guy has full-blown AIDS”. Knowing how dangerous that sickness is we decided not to do anything. We let the guy keep our stuff and did not even press charges. He already had a life sentence anyway. But talk about a first experience on a tour! We had to clean our van with gloves and bleach ourselves, tape the window and go back on the road. It definitely was a wake-up call for us.

And the most memorable one?

TP: Most definitely a 2010 Download festival in the UK. We were on the main stage and for the first time we played in front of about 50-70 thousand people. The crowd reaction was unreal! That will stick with us for a long time. Another sick show was Hellfest 2004 in the US. I think that it was our best show ever with skateboarders on the stage and people cannonballing off of it. It really was a sick gig!

Slipknot’s frontman Corey Taylor one time described you guys: “It’s like Anthrax and Megadeth rolled into one”. Do you agree?

TP: I think he said it in the Rolling Stone magazine, right? Yeah, that was a big compliment and it is also partially true, that we were influenced by these two bands. Anthrax was my first favorite band! But even though our guitars might sound “Megadeth-like”, our vocals are not that much alike. We are more extreme and we also have many other influences.

You are considered one of the hardest and most consistent touring bands in the US. You have toured with many metalcore bands including Hatebreed, Killswitch Engage, Slipknot, Slayer. Which band is the coolest to tour with and why?

TP: Coolest to tour with was definitely Damageplan with Abbott brothers from Pantera. We did a couple of shows with them in 2004, six months before Dimebag Darrell got killed onstage. We thought that they will treat as openers, but they really were very cool and we had tons of fun: drank whisky on stage and hang out afterwards. Other bands worth mentioning: Lamb of God and Every Time I Die.

Ozzfest, Headbangers Ball, Download – you have all done it and some of it twice. What is it that you like/dislike about big metal fests?

TP: What I like the most about playing in front of big crowds is that it gives us a chance to open up new channels for our music. It really is awesome that you get that extra exposure to so many different people. But touring shows are not as personal as a club-setting show. They are more intimate and have a different flavor /extract. Hence the overall experience is definitely richer.

This year it’s a 6-week long Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. 23 shows in 20 states, from California through Montreal to Florida. On July 27^th you will be performing at a PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on a Jagermeister Stage along with Red Fang, Kingdom of Sorrow, In Flames. Did you play with these bands before and what can we expect from you?

TP: We’ve toured Japan and Australia with In Flames. It is a very cool band with big influence on our music. They helped us sculpt our sounds. Kingdom of Sorrow – these guys are our friends – we hang out with them all the time. As for the gig – the bill looks really strong so we are excited to play. We will be on stage for 30 minutes each day. As always we want to give the crowd our best. We will try to play some new songs and I promise not to talk too much (laughter). Let the music do the talking! We will also go out to the crowd to sign autographs and meet with fans each day. 6 weeks it’s a long time, but we are planning to have fun all summer.

What about Main Stage performers: Trivium, Megadeth, Godsmack or Disturbed?

TP: We played some shows with Trivium in the past – it really is a good band. Megadeth is in my Top-10 of all-time and has been second to Anthrax for about 4-5 years. I have met Dave Ellefson before, but I am looking forward to meeting Dave Mustaine. He is one of my biggest metal idols.

And after that no rest, you guys are off to Europe. Last year you have performed in Barcelona, this year it will be England and Belgium among others. How different is performing in Europe from the US shows?

TP: Used to be a lot more different. 2002 was the first time we traveled outside of the US and my first reaction was that the mosh pits weren’t as violent as in the States. And I don’t mean that as in “aggressive”, but the overall behavior, energy was not quite as crazy. We didn’t know, if it was because that’s the way these fans are over there or perhaps they just were not into our stuff (laughter). But with time the lines have blurred and the experiences have gotten more and more alike. Everywhere we now go people have tattoos, black shirts and act wild. Sometimes you cannot even tell what country you’re in. But that’s what’s great about touring – it’s important for us to play our songs for everybody and everywhere and it’s something we enjoy doing.

What about European groupies? Are they in the same ranks as them Yankee girls?

TP: (laughter) Most of us are married, so we don’t pay attention to it anymore. But I would say that even in this subject each country is pretty similar (laughter).

You have also played in Japan, traveled to Mexico, South America, even Russia. How many times you played in Poland?

TP: I think the number is 3: in 2002, 2005 and finally in 2009 in Warsaw, where we played with Chimaira. Lots of fond memories, the shows were good each time and we had fun. We also got to visit Auschwitz on one occasion and even though it was cool to see all that history, it really was a sad day for us. Oh, and during our last show in Warsaw we almost got into a fight with venue personnel. There was some misunderstanding over the monitor, Ken got upset because they claimed we broke it, while it never worked to begin with. But we were outnumbered, so it cost us 100 Euros and two bottles of Jaeger (laughter).

How familiar are you with Behemot, a polish blackened death metal band? They also played at Mayhem Festival two years ago along with Slayer, Marylin Manson etc.

TP: Of course! That band is awesome and I listen to them all the time! How is Nergal by the way? It’s unfortunate that he had to go through that leukemia/bone marrow transplant… But I’ve heard that he is getting better. I saw him receiving that Metal Hammer award a couple of days ago and he looked good. I really hope for his quick recovery.

Your third album III: In the Eyes of Fire released in 2006 was produced by Terry Date (who worked with Pantera, Soundgarden etc)? How was it working with him and would you still work with him?

TP: Working with Terry was great – it gave us a different perspective. He’s very talented and he did an awesome job especially with my vocals. So I wouldn’t rule out going to him again, but at this point we’re sticking with Adam D., whom we’ve always had a special kinship with. Our paths crossed in 1999 and ever since he’s not only our friend, but also an extra band member. Sometimes he even tours with us. In terms of producing records - he knows us and we know him. He lets us do our part and helps us get from point A to point B. He definitely is very important to us.

And – in addition to being a guitarist and backup vocalist for Killswitch Engage – he also is Polish. Did you know that?

TP: Oh yeah! He talks about it all the time. Mainly about the polish family structure and… how much he likes polish food. He used to like it a whole lot, maybe even too much, but he’s thin now (laughter). He runs a lot and is always on a go.

Adam produced some of your earlier works as well as your fifth and latest album Darkness in the Light. Apart from darker lyrics what was/is different this time?

TP: Well, it was my time to vent. I am 33-years old and there were a few things that beat me up over the last couple of years. I feel that the longer you live the more dark things you notice, which overwhelm good experiences. People around you pass away and there are a lot of things that just don’t feel fair in this world. So despite all the positives you tend to focus only on the negatives. I wanted to get it off my chest and hope that people can relate to it. For example Coming of the Dark talks about striving to beat all this negativity down. Similar to Endless, where I define life as a battleground and talk about the endless fight against those hard times.

Do you prefer working in a studio or touring? Isn’t touring overwhelming at times? Don’t you miss home?

TP: We definitely miss it, but we have done it so many times that we know how to do it right. This past year we did tours for 5 weeks and then had 5-6 weeks off, so it’s a good trade off. Life of a touring musician is definitely not for everyone, there are plenty of challenges, but we are lucky to have families that understand that. The hardest is when you have to get ready for the tour after spending quality time at home. It will be like that this year: after the Mayhem we have 8 days off and then we go to Europe, Australia, Pacific Rim and Japan. We will be back mid-October. It kinda weights you down, but we have the skin to do it. This is who we are and it still is the best job in the world for all of us. As far as choosing shows or studio work – I prefer the former, cause studio could eat you up. It’s always a race against time and tons of pressure, yet still a necessity. It simply has to be done.

You guys did not sell out such as Lamb of God, who signed with Epic, and was forced to change their style. How hard is it to stay on your own path? Have you ever had any doubts?

TP: We never doubted our work, because this is what we love to do. But with time you start doubting dedication of some people within this business. We have met several people that claimed to be on your side, but later on turned their backs on you. The song Disillusion – even though vague enough - is about that kind of people.

One of your former members – Chris “Rover” Rybicki, who left the band in 2001 and died almost a year ago (Sept 20, 2010) – was also of Polish decent. What memories do you have of him?

TP: Chris stared the band with us and played with us for some time, but he couldn’t tour, so we had to part ways in a friendly way. But he would still come to our shows and we had many hard parties at his house. He was a great, fun guy and if you liked dark humor you would like his jokes. It was unfortunate that the car he was in got hit by a drunk-driver and as a result he later on passed away in the hospital. We miss him very much.

Unearth and Killswitch Engage put Boston on the metal map. Do you still consider “Beantown” home?

TP: Actually we refer to us now as Massachusetts metal. Living in the city is expensive, so we all are spread around it. I live 30mins away and our drummer as far as 2 hours. But sure enough, we still call it home.

Last question: Bruins or Canucks*?

TP: (laughter) Is that even a question? They smoked them in Boston by a combined score of like 17-3. Their problem is that they are not scoring goals away, but they have to start at some point so there is no doubt that they will bring the Cup home.

Tomek Moczerniukkemot74@optonline.net
papatomski.blogspot.comFacebook.com/papatomski

* interview was conducted on 15 June 2011 at 2:30-3:15pm. Later on that day Boston Bruins fulfilled Trevor’s predictions and went on to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in game 7 of the NHL playoffs final and won the Stanley Cup.