DREAD THE WINTER - Winter Is Coming
Written by: Tom Wilson @thetomwilsonexperiment - Sense Music Media | Wednesday 11 May 2022
Albury Prog Metal Crew Re-Emerge Post-COVID
Melodic progressive death metal troupe DREAD THE WINTER (Ryan Clissold, Michael Mills and Jack McIntyre) will be blowing off the cobwebs and playing their first live show since the pandemic, supporting thrashcore lunatics KING PARROT on the Albury stop of their Regional Rampage tour. Seemed like a great opportunity to talk some SENSE …
I just arrived in Albury for a few months. What is the scene like here?
Ryan: In all honesty, with Covid, it has been pretty ordinary in terms of heavy bands in the past few years, with only a few local bands surviving through it, like our good mates in AS FLESH DECAYS. But it seems that gradually more and more big national and international bands have been making a stop here on the border, along with a few newer local bands either jumping on as supporting acts or doing their own shows.
How did the band come together?
Michael: Like a lot of younger bands that formed during school years, Ryan and I came together as we were learning our respective instruments, playing AC/DC and METALLICA covers. Jack came along a few years later in high school showing us a broad range of heavier stuff that continued to progress down the metal rabbit hole. When we finally had a go at writing our own original music, Jack started the harsh vocals in a Randy Blythe-style and it just worked so well for our style of melodic death metal.
Pardon the bargain basement question, but what are some of the influences that have shaped the sound of DREAD THE WINTER?
Jack: OPETH, VEIL OF MAYA, AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, AMON AMARTH, PSYCROPTIC, LAMB OF GOD. The list could go on and on, but in terms of bands that shaped our sound, these would have to be the core selection … certainly a strong influence from the melodic death metal sound.
Who are some artists you look up to in terms of musicianship? If each of you could take the skillset of any musician, who would it be, and why?
Ryan: Jason Richardson, everything about his playing is just so tight, thought-out and refined. Oh, and Ryan Knight, he just absolutely shreds.
Jack: Mikael Åkerfeldt and Ihsahn for both their vocal, songwriting and arrangement skills. Their music’s richness and diversity is something incredible.
Michael: Thomas Lang and Martin Axenrot. Both drummers have such a diverse skillset that stretch genres and showcase high technical ability.
Pictured: Jack McIntyre
What were some of your formative live music experiences? Which ones made the biggest impression on you, and why?
Jack: Playing with PSYCROPTIC a few years back was pretty cool! We played before them at Elgins in Wodonga when they were touring the release of As The Kingdom Drowns in 2018. We have all seen PSYCROPTIC play many times and it was immense to share the stage with them. The local festival Metal in the Mountains just out of town in Beechworth was a ripper day! Heaps of metal bands from far and near, making as much noise as possible in the quiet little town was a day to remember. It’s worth the trip to witness this festival, even if you’re not playing.
I noticed that you guys have gone the BLACK RHENO route and opted not to have a bass player. What are some of the challenges of this? And what are some of the advantages? Michael: We’ve struggled to find a bassist that’s willing to commit, so rather than worrying about trying to find someone with a similar mindset and musical taste, we just collectively said screw it! With only one guitarist currently in the band, it made sense to just play along with Ryan’s pre-recorded bass tracks. It also gives us a chance to give a fuller live sound with multiple guitar harmonies recorded and played along to, and a consistent rumbling low end. Jack is actually quite the musician outside of vocals, with drums being his primary instrument, he can also play piano, guitar, basically anything that makes music! So, if we’re ever to add a bassist to the line-up, it’d more than likely be him.
What plans, if any, do you have to record new music?
Ryan: We’ve got all the material for the album recorded. But with the ol’ Covid settling in over the last two-and-a-half years, motivation has been dwindling a bit to push to get anything out. It’s all there, now it’s just a matter of giving Michael who’s doing the mixing a bit of kick to put the finishing touches on it all.
If each of you had to pick an album that you consider basically flawless, what would they be, and why?
Jack: Blackwater Park – OPETH. The crisp production, versatile arrangements and musical performances comes together so perfectly on that album. Dirge for November, definitely the track that hooked me.
Ryan: My Arms, Your Hearse – OPETH. Man, I can’t explain why it’s flawless – you listen to it, it speaks for itself. Raw, aggressive perfection.
Michael: Still Life – OPETH. The composition and complexity of that album has everything I love about OPETH as a band. Ridiculous time signatures, heart-breaking melodies and crushing heavy beats all in one.
Pictured: Michael Mills
What are your plans for the rest of 2022?
Michael: Well we have our upcoming gig with KING PARROT on the 19th of May at Beer Deluxe in Albury which will be the not only our first gig of the year, but our first since the pandemic began! So it’ll be a great feeling to finally be back on stage in front of a crowd. We also hope to finally have this album out, to which we’ll try and get a few shows going behind it to support its release.
The Regional Rampage Tour hits Beer Deluxe in Albury on the 19th of May. Full tour dates here.
Pictured: DREAD THE WINTER (L-R) Michael Mills, Ryan Clissold + Jack McIntyre
