Interview with SCAB + Toilet ov Hell’s Theme Song
Welcome back to another edition of Interview with the Devil/Bump n’ Grind. Today I have a special treat for you. Much of this year we’ve been talking about our good friend Tyree and hinting at the unleashing of the Grindprophet. Well, today you finally get to hear some of Tyree’s own malicious blend of grindcore. Come with me and take a peek into the twisted mind behind Scab.
Before we dive into this interview, check out the Toilet ov Hell’s new theme song, written by our gracious friends in Scab.
W. – First things first, can you share how Scab got started?
Tyree – Well Taylor [guitar/bass/vocals] and I have played in various bands and in March of 2013 decided to do a studio grind project. We have done 10 or 11 releases since then and realized we were sick of my smelly corpse-filled basement and wanted to tour.
W. – Tyree, which artists inspire you as a drummer?
Tyree – Well, I’d have to say that a lot of death/black metal and grind drummers influenced me during high-school. Drummers such as Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), Marc Palmen (Last Days of Humanity), Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel/Terrorizer), David Witte (Discordance Axis/Human Remains), John Longstreth & James King (Origin), Adrian Erlandsson (Skitsystem), Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal), Peter Eklund, Tomas Asklund, & Matte Modin (Dark Funeral), Mike Smith (Suffocation), Adam Jarvis & Kevin Talley (Misery Index) and so many more had a huge impact on my playing.
Some current drummers that are blowing my fucking mind now are: Vagelis Voyiantzis (Dead Congregation), Bjarni Einarsson (Sinmara/Wormlust), Cameron James Sinclair (Diocletian), Yuriy Sinitsky (Blood of Kingu), Sergio Escalante (Sacrocurse), and Saku Tamminen (Unkind).
W. – Is your upcoming tour your first tour ever?
Taylor – This is Tyree’s first tour, but this will be my 4th.
Tyree – Taylor has toured with Infernaeon and The Absence. He is sort of a big deal.
W. – Grindcore albums typically consist of dozens of very short tracks. When playing those songs live, how do you keep the individual tracks separated in your mind? Is it difficult remembering so many different songs?
Taylor – Yes it’s fucking difficult! After we made a setlist it was easier to remember how the songs went.
Tyree – I have a photographic memory with sounds. It’s not hard at all for me; actually it’s really easy. I’m the best grind drummer in my neighborhood.
W. – For those who aren’t aware, there actually is a fair amount of diversity in the grindcore subgenre. Grind, deathgrind, d-beat, crust, cybergrind, mincecore, etc. all present varying takes on the genre. Would you care to elaborate on where under the grind umbrella Scab falls?
Taylor – Well labels are pointless. Bands label themselves and 10 years later change their sound and get shit for it so we play an extreme style of music for people with extreme ears.
Tyree – Well we wanted to start a Shoegaze grind band with a hint of Dave Mathews anus hairs sprinkled on top but we realized that would make us looks like a bunch of fucking smelly sacks. So, we decided to just drink some beer and grind t
he fuck out the right way. We don’t consider our selves any particular style of grind really, although we have a lot of influences that are thrown into the Scab mix such as Death metal, D-beat, and Thrash which results into “Grind”. Scab is “Grind”.
W. – How much do you have to practice to be able to play this music? How long have you been playing?
Taylor – Well I’ve been playing guitar for over 10 years, although it may not sound like it on our “albums”. It’s fast.
W. – Does Scab have a particular overarching theme or artistic direction? Is there some sort of guiding ethos?
Taylor – We write what we feel like writing about. Sometimes it’s werewolves, sometimes about running out of beer, sometimes about horror movies, sometimes about Dylan Thomas poems, sometimes about swimming in a pool of human urine.
Tyree – Taylor comes up with a large portion of the song themes but we never have a starting theme to our writing; that mostly comes later on. We just worship everything that is filthy and fucking grind. We want to blast the cunting world away into the goddamn grinding-void while drinking beer. We have our own unique way of writing and recording our material. When we decide to write a new EP we write and record it in one night. When we decide to write a new LP we write and record it in two nights. This formula has worked well for us and we don’t plan on changing it. Sloppy at fucking best!
W. – If I remember correctly, you’re getting an established metal vocalist to provide vocal duties on this tour for you. Who is that? What led to that decision?
Taylor – Well we can’t afford an established metal vocalist, so we’re getting an established metal drummer to sing for us on this tour. Jeramie Kling, who plays drums with The Absence and Infernaeon with me will be screaming at you this December on the road.
W. – On the album, do y’all use any special effects or pitchshifters?
Taylor – Nope. Every vocal is a vomit. So naturally it took a lot of time and bile to record the vocals.
W. – What inspires Scab’s lyrics?
Tyree – Everything that cunting lifeloving!!! Taylor and I just throw out silly vile song names which result into lyrics later on. It’s really fun especially when you are drinking.
W. – Tyree, what’s the most insane thing you’ve ever done as a grind drummer?
Tyree – One time I stapled my pants to my dick with a Power Shot Pro stapler. Not lying here folks! This was years ago when I was in college, and Taylor was there to witness it too. We were really wasted and we were recording stupid shit on my computer and there was this Power Shot Pro stapler in the basement that I picked up. I had the bright idea to try and staple my beer can. The Power Shot Pro stapler is the reverse of any other kind of power stapler and I had the front of the stapler (Which I thought was the back) resting on my thigh which was against my dick. I went to push the stapler and the staple came shooting out into my dick. Now… This is no ordinary staple, this is a industrial sized staple that staples through wood (no pun intended). I was so drunk that I did not feel it. So, I eventually had to go piss and when I pulled my pants down blood started shooting out of my cock in two different directions. Blood was on the walls, counters, and floor. I had to stop it from bleeding, so obviously I grabbed my cock and applied pressure. I put a bandage on my cock and went back downstairs and made some more grindcore. This is a true fucking story.
W. – You obviously work outside of being a grind drummer. How do you balance your career and your artistic passion?
Tyree – Yup, I have a job which involves sitting 8 hours a day in a cubical staring at 2 computer screens. It’s not glorious but it pays the bills and for the music I enjoy listening to. It’s not too difficult balancing my art and my job, honestly. I’ve always been single and when I come home from work I have a palace all to myself which allows me to have all the freedom I want. I can play the drums, design some artwork in Photoshop, drink some beer, and browse through Bandcamp. Preparing for the tour is the stressful part out of everything for me and everyone I think. We are taking my car which will be hauling a trailer for over a week in December. Who knows what the fuck will happen.
W. – When does Fresh Chunks officially drop?
Tyree – When the artwork is finished which is on me. I had to get a new computer and I don’t have the Adobe software I need yet to create it. Hopefully very soon though.
W. – Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Are there any fun Easter Eggs hidden on the album?
Tyree – Steal our album from Best-Buy and listen to it all because there are lots of bonus tracks at the end of the album; for real! Also come out and meet us on tour because we’d like to hang out and drink with ya’ll. We aren’t complete assholes… Please buy us beer. Thank you TOH for this interview and we hope to meet you all; if not on this tour then our next tour.
Speaking of Fresh Chunks, this is one nasty slab of grind. 28 tracks spanning a running time of approximately 26 minutes, there’s a lot of a bang and blast for your buck. Don’t think however that this is all just short, repetitive bursts. There is some genuine diversity and stunning intensity on display here with just a hint of dark humor to spice things up a bit. From the depraved ode “Death in Kansas” to “No More Beers,” this album offers everything you could want in a grind album: unrelenting blasts, merciless riffs, and disgusting burps and croaks. This is a definite winner, and I can’t wait for y’all to hear the full thing. Thankfully, the Grindprophet has deigned to share some tracks with you ahead of time. Check out “Frank’s Song,” “Lycanthropeutic Massage,” and “God Gave Rot and Roll to You.”
Now that you’re all ground up, don’t miss Scab on tour! Buy Tyree and Taylor some beer and let Tyree sign your butt.
Complete Roadkill Tour Dates:
December 8 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose
December 9 – State College, PA @ The Brewery
December 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
December 11 – Trenton, NJ @ Championship Bar
December 12 – Raleigh, NC @ Slim’s Downtown
December 13 – Orlando, FL @ The Space Station
December 14 – New Port Richey, FL @ Insomniacs Bar
Be sure to toss the guys some money on Bandcamp too! Remember the Grindprophet’s benediction and:
