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TOAD - Alex and Nate

21/08/13 || gk

TOAD

When forumer Methodical points you to a band it’s in your best interest to take notice. TOAD (or Take Over And Destroy) was one such band and their second release ‘Endless night’ has been spinning endlessly since I first heard it. The band manages to mix a variety of influences and come up with a unique sound that is blackened death n roll with doom and classic rock influences. I sent off a few questions to guitarists Nate and Alex and here’s what they had to say….

Global Domination: How did TOAD come to be?

Alex: It was originally our vocalist’s solo project. He recruited people to play his material “Celestial Binds” live in 2008. TOAD’s second release “Rotten Tide” featured the same members, but was written primarily by me, our former guitarist Dan, and our vocalist. The lineup has changed a couple of times since then, and the dynamic of the band has changed significantly as well. Nate and I are the primary songwriters now, but our vocalist still handles the lyrics.

Where did the name come from?

Nate: According to our vocalist, the name was inspired by a member of his family who was a bit of an outcast and was often referred to as “Toad”. Everyone in the band certainly identifies with being an outcast or living on the fringes of society. However, much like the style of our music, the meaning of our name has evolved over time. Eventually it came to stand for Take Over And Destroy, which is what we intend to do to every listener and audience we encounter.

Whats the scene like in Phoenix Arizona. How was it like growing up and any major difference to the scene now?

Nate: I cut my musical teeth in Arkansas so I don’t really know.

Alex: The metal scene here in Arizona has always been rather strong. Though countless venues have closed, opened, moved, or been shut down, we always continue to press onward regardless of the circumstances.

TOAD

How often do you guys get to play live? I read that you were part of the Southwest Terror Fest in Tuscon recently. What was the experience like?

Nate: Southwest Terror Fest was awesome. The crowd responded positively and we enjoyed checking out the other great bands that played. There was no bullshit involved, which is quite rare for festivals like that. On the subject of playing live, we make a conscious effort to limit our amount of local appearances. The less frequently we play shows, the more special it is for us and for the audience when we do perform. Our goal is to ensure that as many people as possible experience our music, so touring is more of a priority.

Tell us something about the split you guys did with legendary black metal band VON. How did this come about? How did Alex start playing with VON?

Nate: Von has not influenced my songwriting or playing. I’d never heard of them until earlier this year, when I learned that our dear friend Tony was playing drums for this latest incarnation of the band. Jason from Von came up with the idea to do that split, because we played a secret set with them at our practice space and he wanted to hand out copies.

Alex: They were impressed with my guitar playing and asked me to join soon after the TOAD/Von show Nate mentioned above. Von is its own entity, and I’ve always had respect for them. When we write songs for TOAD, we don’t take inspiration from any band. We write songs that are cohesive with the TOAD sound. Although within our songs there are elements of different styles of music that the listener may pick up on, we do not take musical cues from anyone but ourselves. The music we create is a summary of our lives.

“Rotten Tide”:http://takeoveranddestroy.bandcamp.com/album/rotten-tide sounds a bit chaotic while your new record has a more pronounced melodic metal feel to it (with those awesome twin guitar harmonies) while feeling like a natural evolution. Would you agree with this opinion and if so, how did it come about?

Alex: I would agree. Rotten Tide was tracked with all of us in one room, and all of our amps isolated in other smaller rooms. So the chaotic feeling you get from that record is because it is virtually a live recording (vocals were recorded after the instrumentation, and were done in one take on each song). TOAD had a different drummer and guitarist on that record. The core of the TOAD sound is still present on our new record, but is different because the lineup has since been altered. The reason why Endless Night feels like a natural evolution is because the minds behind TOAD remain, but have grown wildly with the new members. Choosing to part ways with certain members, and the addition of the right members has made TOAD the most powerful it has ever been.

Nate: I didn’t play on the last record so I’ll just address the guitar harmony thing. I’m absolutely obsessed with Thin Lizzy, and that’s why there’s so many of those over the top guitar harmonies on this record. Let me be clear here, the plethora of guitar harmonies on Endless Night is completely, 100% because of Thin Lizzy.

Listening to your new record it sounds like you have a variety of different influences. What would you say are your biggest influences in terms of song writing?

Nate: I would say the biggest influences on the band in general are Dissection, Dismember, and Danzig. The classic Scandinavian death and black metal bands influence our music significantly. Personally, my biggest influences are Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Oak Arkansas, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top, and Black Sabbath.

Moving on to song specific questions, how did Endless Night come about? Is song writing a democratic process or does one person come up with the main idea?

Nate: Alex and I get together in the middle of the night on a bridge over a canal and write the songs on acoustic guitar. We used a couple of our vocalist’s riffs on this record as well.

I know you guys self released “Rotten Tide”. What’s the plan for the new one? Any plans of a vinyl release ?

Nate: We definitely want to release this on vinyl. It was recorded using all analog gear, so a vinyl release is essential.

Does it make more sense to go with a record label or be all DIY for TOAD?

Nate: There are certainly some labels that we’re interested in working with. We’re currently talking to a few people. DIY has worked well for us so far, but we’re ready to take things to the next level.

I think bandcamp has been a real blessing for bands trying to get their music out. What’s your take on this? Has it helped TOAD?

Nate: Bandcamp is great. It’s by far the best way to release music digitally, and it’s how we’re going to put out Endless Night initially, along with iTunes, Spotify, and a few others.

If you could only listen to 5 albums for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Nate: The first 5 Black Sabbath albums. I could maybe swap one out for Pink Floyd’s Meddle. Maybe.

Alex: Dissection – The Somberlain. Black Sabbath – Paranoid. At the Gates – Slaughter of the Soul. Entombed – To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth. Roky Erickson – The Evil One.

Any other bands from your part of the world that you think we should keep an eye out for?

Nate: Vektor used to live here, they’re great. Sorrower rules. Ray Lawrence Jr is awesome too. He’s got a song called Lot Lizards Don’t Love You that everyone should hear at least once.

Finally, thanks for your time and last words are yours…

Nate: Thanks for the interest. We hope everyone reading this takes the time to check out our new record because we put a lot into it. It’s a dark sounding record, and all that negative energy was not forced. It’s genuine. I’ll just put it this way: we have all had a brutal fucking year as far as our personal lives go, and recording these songs is how we dealt with it. We’ll see you all soon.

TOAD Bandcamp
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