Masters of Horror: The Bands Speak!
Dread Central Staff
|
Three episodes in, and Showtime’s much anticipated Masters of Horror series is already living up to an almost unrealistic level of hype. Unless you’re still in a haze as you recover from your post-Halloween depression, you’re quite aware of the horror history that is being made at this very moment by some of the top directors in our favorite film genre.
What you also may be aware of—at least if you’re a faithful Dread Central reader—is that there is a soundtrack to accompany the Masters of Horror series. Said soundtrack, released by Immortal Records on October 18, 2005, is a double CD that features 30 tracks from rock, metal, punk and emo bands that range from the fairly well known to the relatively unknown. The CD lineup includes Shadows Fall, Mudvayne, In Flames, Mastodon, Alkaline Trio, Avenged Sevenfold, Andrew WK and Buckethead with Serj Tankian of System of a Down, among many others. All of the tracks are either brand new or previously unreleased.
Of the 30 acts appearing on the soundtrack, 22 claim to be “confirmed horror fans,” at least according to the CD’s press kit. With that in mind—and with the undeniable connection that seems to exist between heavy music and horror movies—we tracked down 11 of those 22 bands and asked them a trio of questions about their involvement in the Masters of Horror soundtrack, as well as their opinions on the horror genre itself. These are the three questions we asked (their responses are listed in the same order):
1.) What do you think about the connection between heavy music and horror movies? Why do the two seem to go hand-in-hand?
2.) Talk about your specific contribution to this soundtrack; do the lyrics, or the overall “vibe” of the song, have any specific connection to horror? Was the song inspired by anything in particular?
3.) What are your favorite horror movies and why?
And here are their answers…
Christian Guerrero (vocalist)
BEDLight For Blue EYES
Song: “Hindsight”
1.) I think heavier music can be so raw and visceral. It lends itself perfectly to those bloody, primal scenes where all kinds of hell and carnage break loose. It’s just another factor to raise the adrenaline level of the viewer and put the scene into overdrive.
2.) “Hindsight” is a love song, simply put. It’s about loss and redemption on an acoustic guitar. When I wrote it, it didn’t have any connection to horror… BUT… it would definitely be the song you hear when the main characters start getting it on, right before they’re brutally killed. It could also be the song that’s played right after the plot is resolved and the hero walks off into the distance and continues on into the credits playing. Yeah, that would be sweet.
3.) The Nightmare on Elm Street series has always been some of my favorite horror movies growing up. It was the perfect mix of hilarity and abject horror. Those films fucked me up when I was a kid. I couldn’t sleep for weeks. Later on, I would have to say Army of Darkness is a great, great flick. Gotta love Bruce Campbell. So many one-liners from that movie. It just kicks ass.
Kyle Sanders (bass) & Tim Williams (vocals)
Bloodsimple
Song: “Overload”
1.) Just for the simple fact that they can both be so dark and evil. We just love creepy shit. None more black!
2.) “Overload” is a song that burns deep in a dark hole somewhere in my dying heart. The throws of a relationship lost and forgotten. The eerie feeling of something watching me as my eyes bleed in dream. We all got reasons to die, we all are heading towards a certain end. The tragedy plays out upon the silent stage of our hearts desire. Where do we run to now? These are the tools I was given; this is the part for I have been chosen. To fight the good fight and run from heaven, straight into hell. This is the overload that keeps me hanging on. To the edge of a fate that soon awaits me. Breathe in breathe out! Satan laughs his final laugh. A life devoured, a life delivered. May the dark lord have mercy on my soul! (Response by Tim Williams)
3.) Exorcist for its pure evilness and Evil Dead 2 for its comedic horror—love it. And of course the classics like Dracula and Frankenstein….they set the foundation for everything to come.
Matt Bachand (guitar)
Shadows Fall
Song: “This Is My Own”
1.) Both are very intense forms of art, musically and visually. It seemed for a while the studios were afraid to use a metal track in most films and now that is starting to change.
2.) The song was a Japanese B side from the “Art of Balance” (Shadows Fall’s 2002 CD) sessions. It doesn’t really have anything specific to do with this project as it is several years old.
3.) So many to choose from but I’m going to have to say one of my faves is Re-Animator. Not only is the whole film amazing but when are you ever going to see a decapitated head giving a woman head?!?PRICELESS.
Matt Armstrong (bass) & Adam Turla (vocals & guitar)
Murder by Death
Song: “End of the Road”
1.) Well, lots of heavy bands are always talking about how much they love horror movies, and I’m sure there are different reasons for that from band to band. Some heavy bands are probably into “Hellraiser” and stuff like that because they’re into the whole “we’re so evil” vibe, but plenty of other bands just enjoy horror movies as an art form. Either way, I guess the connection is that horror movies and a lot of heavier music are both dealing in dark subject matter. We’re not a particularly heavy band, so you’d probably do better to ask Slayer what they think.
2.) Once again we are not exactly the heaviest band on the compilation but we like to deal in dark subject matter. This song is about a man who has done something horrible in his life and is going to be executed by the state for it. The song begins with an address from the devil who is basically telling the man he conned into doing his dirty work about how the world will crumble and fall apart as he descends into hell. It deals with sin and redemption. And though it may not be directly connected with horror it is still about the devil, hell, fire, sin and electric chairs…so that’s pretty sweet.
3.) It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’d have to say the two scariest movies ever made are The Exorcist and the Paris Hilton sex tape. It’s really wild how Linda Blair and Paris Hilton look so similar when they’re green.
Bear vs. Shark
Derek Kiesgen (guitar/bass)
Song: “Victoria Iceberg”
1.) Both involve catharsis and shaking around, both involve converting things that bother us into something else. Heavy music and horror movies are like hugs and kisses, or gladiators and nets. They compliment each perfectlyand I will blame them both if I ever do something bad.
2.) Our song is our horror movie: four parts, starting with a bitchy class trip, ending with guts and hair on everyone’s dead faces.
3.) John Carpenter’s The Thing is a bleak, awesome movie, and Kurt Russell looks cool and Wilfred Brimly looks cool. Audition is rad and made me gag. Hellraiser I and II and pretty neat, if you’re into wet, meat people, and the Alien movies, confirming vagina dentate makes sweetwatching.
Matt Skiba (lead singer)
Alkaline Trio
Song: “We Can Never Break Up”
1.) It always seemed to me that the metal kids (both in bands and fans) were always into violent imagery and heavy bands have always used images of sex, death and murder on records and T-shirts because that’s what a lot of the music is about. I think those images go hand-in-hand with heavy/evil music. If someone’s into violent films, chances are they like their music that way as well.
2.) I think that our song on the compilation is probably the biggest “sore thumb.” Our music generally has a more pop vibe to it, which is out of character for a lot of the bands into the macabre. Our song “We Can Never Break Up” is written through the eyes of a stalker-type individual. People are often confused as to why we use a lot of violent/blasphemous imagery to represent our band, when we clearly don’t sound “heavy.” We have deep roots in the occult as well as deep interests in all things macabre, as well as a huge appreciation for pop. Mixing the two has always come naturally to us.
3.) All three of us are big fans of Roman Polanski and Alfred Hitchcock. It’s our opinion that Rosemary’s Baby and Psycho are two of the best films ever made. We also love George Romero and Dario Argento. Growing up on all the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th shit makes those favorites too.
John Carpenter is amazing. His work on Halloween and Christine, including the soundtrack stuff, is killer!
Fall River
(band response)
Song: “At Least You Bought Her Flowers”
1.) Not sure really. Maybe because heavy music and horror both draw on the darker side of life for inspiration. Whatever it is something about it just works. A great scene in a horror movie can really be intensified by the right song accompanying it.
2.) Our song “At Least You Bought Her Flowers” is really about the “horror” that some people experience in everyday life. It’s about someone being hurt by someone who is supposed to love them and protect them. It was inspired by things that I’ve seen working with victims of domestic violence. I just wanted to capture that feeling of helplessness and being stuck that so many people feel in that situation.
3.) We’re big into the classics. Lots of Hitchcock, especially Psycho. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is also an amazing movie. It’s so gritty and real. It makes you feel like it could happen to you and your friends. That is really scary. As a band, we’re also big Evil Dead fans, but how do you not love Bruce Campbell? My dream is to have him fighting the undead in a Fall River video someday.
Matchbook Romance
(band response)
Song: “In Transit (For You)”
1.) In my mind it’s not so much about heavy music, as it is about creepy music. Regardless of whether the track is super heavy or really quiet and soft, the vibe is what connects the music to the movie. When you think of the classic Universal horror movies from the ‘30s and ‘40s (all the Dracula, Frankenstein and Mummy films), the sounds your hear are creepy orchestral and piano arrangements, not blaring guitars. Both are equally effective in their own right, but I actually prefer the slightly detuned classic horror sound. At the same time, I can understand the call for heavy music in horror films. The abrasive tones, sonic depth and aggression of harder music suits the chaos and fear presented in such films. It just wouldn’t be the same if Jason was chasing someone around the lake to the soothing sounds of Michael Bolton.
3.) Attack of the Giant Leeches—human-eating swamp things and Miss July 1959 greasing her legs with lotion consistently…come on, who wouldn’t love it? Also, Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead are CLASSICS! I absolutely love the Evil Dead movies…definitively the best “B” movies ever made. And there will always be a place in my heart for Michael Myers. I don’t know why really, probably because I grew up with my older brothers watching Halloween repeatedly. Finally, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre…what a nasty way to die. A chainsaw is a brutal weapon!
Adam Fischer (guitar/backing vocals)
Fear Before The March Of Flames
Song: “237”
1.) I don’t really think that is necessarily true; sometimes a song that conjures feelings the exact opposite of horror are the most effective during a horrifying scene.
2.) The lyrics of our song on the soundtrack were inspired mostly by the full-length feature film The Shining.
3.) The Shining (obviously), the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jaws because all three films brought a new style to horror and inspired numerous rip-offs to come.
Nicholas Brooks (vocals)
It Dies Today
Song: “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode cover)
1.) Heavy music and horror movies are both extreme forms of art, one within film and one within music, so it makes sense that the fans of each are connected in a way.
2.) Our song is a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence,” and we actually covered it for fun it just fit with the vibe of the project.
3.) Evil Dead II because it’s the goriest, but I like all the Evil Dead movies including Army Of Darkness.
Jon Kelley (drums)
A Change of Pace
Song: “The Thin Red Line”
1.) When you listen to heavier music and listen the lyrics a lot of the time you will notice that they are a lot darker than say a pop punk song. Many times the lyrics are about death and destruction, just like you find in a horror movie
2.) This song is the darkest and most personal song we have written. It relates to a really tragic death in one of our band members’ family. Horror is not always about some crazy killer gone mad. Sometimes it’s just as tragic to have a sudden death in the family.
3.) I would go with The Shining. Everything about that movie was amazing. Itwasn’t really a movie where you were jumping out of your seat the whole time, but it really got inside your head. And no one looks crazier killing people than Jack Nicholson.
Thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions! Masters of Horror airs every Friday night on Showtime at 10pm EST, don’t miss a single one!
Discuss the music of Masters of Horror in our forums!
Categorized:News
