Shai Hulud - Matt Fox
Interview Date: September 01, 2006
Associated band: Shai Hulud
Interview with Matt Fox of Shai Hulud in September of 2006.rnrn
What is the band up to currently as Shai Hulud gets ready for the tour with Dead To Fall in the next week?rn
MATT FOX: We are currently being deloused and attempting to free ourselves from whatever tuberculosis we all contracted in Europe. I’m not sure how we manage to get sick on every tour, but we surely do. Every tour. We’re just resting up, eating our Wheaties, and doing one push up a day to get ready to obliterate with our pals in Dead To Fall.
Aside from the sickness and disease, how did the European tour turn out with Remembering Never and Parkway Drive?rn
MATT: It was an excellent tour. All the bands got along really well, which was a plus since we had to share a bus with them. The turnouts were great, and I’d say overall the crowds were at least fairly receptive to all three bands. Hey, even girls talked to us.
Are there plans to go to the West Coast in the near future, since the upcoming tour seems to only encompass the eastern half of the country?rn
MATT: After this run with Dead To Fall, we continue on with Twelve Tribes and One Dead Three Wounded for another three weeks. We pick up with 100 Demons as well, and I believe there are some West Coast dates being booked. I don’t have any confirmed information just yet unfortunately, but I know that was the last plan that was being hashed out.
With your recent announcement of a debut album on Metal Blade, I’m sure fans are wondering if we’ll get to hear any new tracks on the upcoming tour. Do you think we’ll be hearing some new stuff, or will the writing for the album primarily occur during the winter?rn
MATT: We have one new song that we have been playing live every once in a while. We’re not terribly tight with it yet so I’m not sure we’ll be playing it on this tour. *laugh* The song is called To Bear The Brunt Of Many Blades, and it can be heard on our Myspace page. It’s true, we have a Myspace page, and that new song is there if anyone is interested. www.myspace.com/profoundhatred . Outside of Blades, we have other songs we are working on, but nothing quite ready to play live yet. As you said, we will be writing during the winter.
Speaking of Myspace, has it been a valuable tool for the band so far, or does it feel like a tool more useful for the up-and-coming bands today?rn
MATT: You know, I hated all these profile sites like Friendster, Myspace, etc. It’s just very un-me to put myself out there like that. Once Myspace took off and every band had a profile, a lot of our friends kept harassing us about making one. I fought it for as long as I could. We finally gave in, and I must admit Myspace is helpful, and as corny as it is to admit, entertaining as well. Like anything, it’s really what you make of it. We use it to let a mass of people know what we are up to, and we all leave silly comments for each other. I’m not sure it enhanced our band or anything, but it keeps us in touch with a good amount of people and serves its purpose of communication very well, much better than our website I imagine. To deny that Myspace is a great tool for an up-and-coming, or any other, band would be silly. It’s clearly useful and convenient; although, all that said, I think it’s awesome that bands like Tragedy and Propagandhi don’t deal with it at all.
How has the recent signing of Shai Hulud to Metal Blade impacted the band and its drive?rn
MATT: Having a label like Metal Blade behind us definitely helps to keep us active and driven, kind of like a kid wanting to impress his dad because he respects him so much. I have followed MB since I was 13 years old. To have a label I have respected so much for so many years get behind our band and say “We released Slayer’s first album. We believe in you.” makes us want to go out and kick ass just to make them proud. It really means a lot to the band to have the support and assistance we now have from Metal Blade. All our other reasons for making music and being a band aside, we now also want to simply make Metal Blade proud for welcoming us to their family.
Do the advantages of being on a huge label like Metal Blade outweigh the personal feel and attention often associated with smaller labels?rn
MATT: Right now everything is still very new. We’ll see how everything works better when we go to record our next album. Regarding the personal attention, no matter who I have contacted at Metal Blade, I have always gotten a hold of them quickly and easily, including the owner Brian Slagel, Godfather of metal. I can’t see the label’s size being an issue. Everyone I have met from Metal Blade thus far has been more than friendly and accommodating. Despite them having an inspiring history and being a bigger independent label, their staff is warm and friendly—some of them even fuzzy.
What caused the band to re-release A Profound Hatred Of Man?rn
MATT: When Shai Hulud signed to Revelation, we actually signed to their imprint Crisis Records. Everything we released was on Crisis up until our last full length album That Within Blood Ill-Tempered. Crisis folded a few years back (in 1998 I believe). Recently, Rev had expressed interest in moving our first album Hearts Once Nourished over to Revelation, getting it off Crisis Records. We were totally fine with that, but we desperately wanted the album remixed. Surprisingly, they weren’t opposed to that idea. From there, everything snowballed: Let’s get new artwork and the works.
Originally, they wanted to just put everything that they released on Crisis on one disk; that being Hearts Once Nourished, A Profound Hatred Of Man, our split with Indecision, and the one song we did for the Revelation 100 compilation. The band really wanted to keep Hearts Once Nourished and A Profound Hatred separate as they are both defining releases for our band. They understood and agreed, hence the idea for both reissues. Once that was set in motion, we contacted all the other labels we had worked with to get whatever songs we recorded for them compiled on the reissue of Profound Hatred.
The end result are the two reissues, a remixed, remastered, and reissued Hearts Once Nourished (our first album) and A Profound Hatred Of Man: Shrapnel Inc. CD containing the original said Profound EP, our splits with Indecision and Another Victim, our songs Faithless Is He… from the Rev 100 compilation, and our covers of Negative Approach, Bad Brains, and Metallica.
How does it feel to know that your band is one of the major influences for the current hardcore/metalcore music scene?rn
MATT: *laugh* When did that happen? I don’t think the current scene even knows or cares who we are! And if they do, and if we are, is that such a good thing? *laugh* We apologize. Just kidding, just kidding. But seriously folks, if our band has had any impact on anything, we are truly grateful. It’s always nice to hear something you have done has meant something to another. I’m not sure our band has really had much of an impact, but if so, again, we are truly grateful to have meant something to someone.
Do you have any final comments out to the readers?rn
MATT: Thanks to everyone who gives our little band a chance. If you happen to catch us live, unclench your fists, jump up front, and sing along. That’s what we have always been about, and that hasn’t changed. Never will, I reckon. Take good care, and when you say “peace,” try to mean it.
Peace.
