Horror miss-mash that is COFFIN CAROUSEL is a band that has been around for a while now, releasing their debut album and sophomore album "Face Melting Chunky Stuff" on Friday the 13th! Thus forth, this Australian band will be one to cause horrific matters on their own terms from here on out. Frontman vocalist/guitarist Howard Von Noise talks of the new album, plans, and much more about the band's in lucky day that is F13!
1. It's been 2 years since the first and only time speaking with Coffin Carousel, so what has the band been up since?
HVN: Indeed it has, thanks for being so awesome and hanging out again. We have been busy, we have opened for Wednesday 13 and Michale Graves (ex-Misfits) along with some fantastic shows in Australia. I have done a small run of acoustic shows playing Coffin Carousel songs solo and exploring a more intimate expression with the bands material live. I also spent 10x days with Mitch Marlow (New Years Day, In This Moment, Pupa Roach) at his studio in LA back in December 2017 and wrote 3x songs with him which turned out to be an EP called Breathe we released mid-2018. Oh and making more music videos!
2. During that time you went on to release your album "Between Death and Dead", it consisting of 18 tracks, how does the follow-up album "Face Melting Chunky Stuff", stack up?
HVN: Well I have another 18x tracks to drop with ‘Face Melting Chunky Stuff’. I spent some time thinking more about the conveyance of this album as appose to ‘Between Dead & Dead’ which lyrically, I just let flow out from me as an expression from my intuition at the time. FMCS touches on some residual themes from BD&D lyrically, however I wanted to explore more horror themes in general and deliver a message of growth, strength and progression of the band’s sound to be a bold statement, stripping away any expectations from myself on what I felt it should sound like. I let it come alive over three years to be its own monster and just embraced who I am as a person from my own life experiences, what I enjoy, and a lot less concerned of what people think of the bands art. I feel it’s a 100% stronger album as far as the songs themselves and it works as a complete art piece from start to end.
3. Now would you say that this follow-up album, is a continuation in anyway to the previous album, in term's of imagery or story or anything within?
HVN: Yes it is a continuation of my character visually, and musically coming into a sense of mastery within myself in my creative expression to a form of originality I am very proud of. I showed myself a new side to me I didn’t know existed by allowing myself to be authentic 100% through the song writing process. Listening back to the mixes once they were completed, it really dawned on me what it was I had created with the songs as a whole. Up until that point I was just focusing on making the songs as cool as possible, it wasn’t until I was sequencing the track listing I stumbled upon an underlying theme of a character progression I wasn’t aware of initially, which from that point, then inspired me to conceptualize the cover artwork and the look of the packaging for FMCS. All the sounds that people who know the band for are still present, but now enhanced with a lot more production time I spent with my good friend Julian Renzo mixing the songs at his studio.
4. "Open Up Them Stitches", is a track taken from the album, made into a single and video, tell me about them?
HVN: That song was a standout to me along with Julian also who mixed the album, representing the energy and lyrical attitude the album showcases. It has a good classic Coffin Carousel song feel which made it a no-brainer to create a music video for also. I originally wasn’t going to make any music videos for FMCS. I initially wanted people and fans to just listen to the music only and allow their own visualization to play out to how they wanted to perceive it. However I have been working with a good friend Liv who is helping me with some PR for the album, and she recommended I do at least one music video to help her promote the album release…so I made a music video with another good friend Daniel Armstrong, which I have been wanting to work with for years on a music video for the band. I called in on some friends to creepy go-go dance for me and got the guys I have playing live currently all together and we had a fun evening shooting all the ideas and enjoying each other’s creative vibes. Working with friends, the way I like to work.
5. Will this album have any other tracks of choice to receive the same ordeal?
HVN: I have since decided I want to make a music video for the song The Creepy Creepy. I have some ideas that have popped in my head since Open Up Them Stitches has been released. For this next video though, I would want to push all the horror visuals to the max. I am an independent artist so I want to embrace that freedom and not limit what people expect from me as an artist, or what industry people believe I should stick with along with anyone else who has an opinion on what I should do. I feel right in the headspace to go back to my horror roots for FMCS and push new limits for the band and myself from what Coffin Carousel has previously released.
6. Just like your last album, this one will also receive a Friday the 13th release date, so will this date be "the date" of choice for all Coffin Carousel releases?
HVN: It’s a fun idea! For full length albums I will have to say I do plan to stick to a Friday 13th release date indeed. Again, another awesome fact to remaining independent as an artist, being free to make the choice to do so. As long as a Friday 13th falls in the near future to when I have the next album completed and mixed. It will happen, no doubt.
7. Besides your own works, the band has done cover songs as well, but would you consider doing a cover from the film "Hocus Pocus", and the track "I Put A Spell On You"?HVN: Hrmm, can’t say I would. I have chosen cover songs to record and release based on the inspiration they had in my musical development, or out of respect for an artist I wish to pay homage to. The same way Metallica, or Marilyn Manson have done so throughout their careers.
8. How does the band plan to celebrate Friday the 13th, not just the one in September but the one in December as well?
HVN: Possibly with a new music video and maybe a rad hometown show. If not eating some awesome vegan burgers and watching Evil Dead 3 Army’s of Darkness.
9. Do you ever see the band to go as far as possibly titling a future song or EP or album after F13?
HVN: Album no…song maybe. For some reason I am thinking it would need to feature an awesome horror artist or a collaboration with someone I would want to work with to make it super special and most awesome to be worthy to carry that title! Maybe Eminem or Rob Zombie, I say.
10. During our last interview, you mentioned of naming the band after a song demo, named Coffin Carousel will we ever hear said song your band was named after?
HVN: Oh yes, you have a good memory! I have in fact already released that song which was originally titled Coffin Carousel. The song was on the debut EP Fiend [2015]. The song is Here To Betray. It’s a killer song! Very raw, but an important and necessary demo process for a cool band name to be born from.
11. How would you say this sophomore album compares and contrasts from your debut last album?
HVN: There is a more bold attitude for FMCS in my vocal performance, lyrics and production. Working with Julian Renzo to mix the album was awesome as I have known him for years and he knows all the bands and styles I like as he has similar tastes. I got to spend time in the studio with him making choices on sounds and parts of the songs. He also introduced me to a friend of his Daphne Vargas who helped me create the album skit tracks at her studio that feature on the album, just like on 90's rap albums, she later ended up singing backing vocals on most of the songs as well as contributing her own lead parts, she was a great inspiration for me to want to make the songs extra special and adding new elements to the band’s sound. Daphne introduced R&B vocal styles and played a big part helping an urban feel come to light with the songs along with classic horror sounds and orchestral parts I had built for the album. Contrast is huge, the coolness factor came more to light along with FMCS having a unique and original sound overall. I also nailed the Belinda Carlisle cover song Leave A Light On…It is the tea.
12. What other sort of plans of havoc does the band have in-store for the remainder of 2019?HVN: I am looking forward to getting out and playing the new songs live and stepping up the bands live show when possible to the way I have always wanted it to be working with independent budgets. I have a good crew coming together in the background which all enjoy and share a kindred liking to horror in music and what the band stands for and represents. I will do one more music video for this album down the line, maybe in 2019 once the ideas have more time to progress.
13. Would you like to add or say anything more?
HVN: Only that I would like fans and newcomers discovering Coffin Carousel to spend one hour of their 2019 and listen to FMCS start to end and let themselves get lost in the album, remember to dream, imagine and enjoy that there is a band called Coffin Carousel that has stayed true to its direction and passion for creepy cool rock music with the intention of longevity. Oh, and stay awesome to yourself and others please.
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