Heavy metal band RIVETSKULL was formed back in 2017, going on to release their first album with current work upon their second album out next year. The plans currently besides music is to release more music and play live shows! The band talks of this all below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
RivetSkull was formed in 2017 by three members of Rising, a Ronnie James Dio tribute band. Myself - Mark X (guitar), Chad McMurray (vocals), and Michael (drums) had just come home from our second tour in Ireland and the UK and agreed we wanted to return to writing and performing our own music. In early 2020, we were joined by bassist Mark Hopkins and released our first self-produced album, Trail of Souls. We played three shows – including one opening for The Accüsed AD – before Covid hit and put a halt to live shows. During that time we wrote another album’s worth of music. But not being satisfied with the self-production of our first album, we decided to re-record it properly before moving on to the new material. We loved the songs and wanted to do them justice.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
RivetSkull is a play on the phrase “metal head” and is a name and a concept that I’ve had for a decade or more!
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We’re Seattle-based, except for our vocalist, Chad, who now lives in LA. Both cities have very vibrant music scenes! One band in Seattle we enjoy doing shows with is Greyhawk.
4. How would you describe your style?
Traditional heavy metal \m/\m/ - each member has influences outside of heavy metal – from punk to country, from alternative to funk. Collectively, we love 70’s and early 80’s metal, before thrash metal like Metallica came onto the scene.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
The re-imagined version of our first album dropped this month. Trail of Souls: Samsara was recorded at the iconic London Bridge Studios in Seattle by Jonathan Plum (Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Queensrÿche) and mixed and mastered by Grammy-winner Matt Hyde in Los Angeles (Slayer, Seether, Deftones, Monster Magnet). It features new cover artwork by the legendary rock poster artist, Justin Hampton (Motörhead, Soundgarden, Radiohead). This incarnation of the album also has a previously unreleased cover of Aerosmith’s “Kings and Queens.” Listeners can expect an album of hard-hitting, melody-driven, vocally-polished rock ‘n roll! It’s been an amazing process of creative collaboration and we’re proud of how it turned out!
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We’ll be recording and releasing our second album next year. The music is 80-90% written and ready to go!
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We’re just getting live shows lined up again after focusing on recording. We love playing live and have a few shows this month in Seattle. We’re also doing a concert taping for the TV show, Band in Seattle at the end of the month. Check back for more tour dates on our website: www.rivetskull.com.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
More albums and lots more live shows! We’re aiming to get over to Europe and down to South America in the near future.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We’re on all the streaming platforms. You can find music and merch on our website too!
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
If you’re feeling nostalgic for old school metal, we want to take you there - with a modern twist! Heavy metal is a family and we hope you’ll consider us a part yours! We look forward to seeing you at a show in the future!
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