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Don’t call it a known quantity, but if nothing else, stalwart Vancouver metal overlords 3 Inches of Blood are proven. Built around the muscle of heavy metal’s time-tested first wave, the Rain City quartet has displayed — via four long-players, the latest being 2008’s relentless Here Waits Thy Doom — that it’s one of the most versatile heavy bands on the planet. That a band pulled off touring with Iron Maiden, Cradle of Filth and the Darkness isn’t only impressive — it’s an anomaly.
“It’s easy to play with different bands. There are more similarities than differences,” says guitarist Shane Clark. “We play straight-up heavy metal. Whether it’s a tour with Hatebreed or Type O Negative — all the types of extreme music that came up during the ’70s and ’80s, it all comes back to that.”
“We all share that common influence, even if we’re [performing it] more outright. From heavy metal came the new wave of British heavy metal, Bay Area thrash gave way to death metal and grindcore — it all comes back, like an upside-down pyramid, to rock and roll.”
As for 3 Inches of Blood, it has recently released Anthems for the Victorious, a 7-inch that Clark describes as the intersection between Slayer’s riffage and the mega-choruses of Iron Maiden’s British Steel. A classic mix, to be certain, but, as Clark mentions, those are influences that spawned plenty of metal neophytes, including current tour mates Cancer Bats and Barn Burner.
Liam Cormier has criss-crossed the nation as the vocalist for Cancer Bats; in fact, he first met Clark while manning the stage crew for a Motorhead show. But even the Bats’ most monstrous release — that’s Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, a release that strips away the groove-laden, Dimebag Darrell-indebted chops of previous releases in favour of unbridled aggression — he’s still unsure of how metal audiences will take his band. Call him a hardcore kid at heart.
“I’m looking to step up my game to impress metalheads,” says Cormier. “There’s a lot of people that don’t know how heavy of a band we are — they only know us from our tours with, like, Alexisonfire and Billy Talent. Maybe there’s the assumption that, like, ‘You guys are on MuchMusic. You must sound like Hedley or something.’”
Clark scoffs at the idea. “In a good way, Liam’s being self-deprecating,” he says. “Cancer Bats are a heavy band. In my opinion, those guys are more metal than they think they are. I don’t see our fans being bummed on them. And who watches MuchMusic anyways? They don’t even play videos!”
Meanwhile, Montreal fresh-faced (though perhaps not fresh-smelling) stoner act Barn Burner feels less trepidation. Having released Bangers last year via Metal Blade records — a release lauded for its riffy retro appeal, spanning the spectrum from Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak to Black Flag’s blues-laden My War — vocalist Kevin Keegan says the band’s newest material is its heftiest to date. Unveiling songs from Bangers Vol. 2, set for release in June, Keegan uses three descriptors for its new material: Harsher. Darker. Gnarlier.
“I’ve been playing in hardcore and metal bands since I was 14. It’s the same for the other guys, we’ve had a punk and hardcore upbringing [with drummer Taylor Freund having played in Montreal hardcore act Black Ships],” he says. “I think that maybe the ethic that came with punk and hardcore — the DIY ethic might be even stronger than ever. But we’re older, and there are different styles we want to fuck around with.”
SIDEBAR / ONLINE: MEETING OF THE MINDS
Ever the lazy journalists, we asked Liam Cormier for questions to ask Barn Burner’s Kevin Keegan. Here’s what he came up with.
Peanut butter noodles. Iconic Montreal street food, or the worst thing ever?
Oh — you’ve got it nailed! As far as drunk food, it’s one of the better late-night snacks. We went there once sober when we were broke and hungry, and we hit it up and it was absolutely the worst thing in the world! Eating that with all your faculties in check and absorbing all the flavours — it’s a whole other ball game. Not something I’d do unless I had eight beers in me.
Poutine: Cheese curds or grated cheese?
That’s not even a question! It’s not even a poutine unless it’s grated curds. It’s just cheese fries. What a goof! I’ll have to give him shit for that. Liam’s not into poutine; he’s a cheese fries guy. It’s like, ‘This is not even a pooter. It’s a cheese fries.’ It’s false advertising! You gotta have those squeaky curds.
Liam criticized the squeaky curds.
I’m going to criticize his squeaky ass when I see him.
Vancouver pizza or Montreal pizza?
That’s a great question. Vancouver pizza is far superior. Montreal doesn’t have pizza: It just has this form of cardboard with processed cheese and tomato sauce. There’s one family that owns six pizza shops — Uncle Fatty’s, Mega Bite and Pizza Garden — but the real trick is they have big old slices, and they’ll have things like roasted potato pizza and spinach and feta. I’m vegetarian, and they’ll have like six slices that are dense and delicious. Vancouver takes this hands down!
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