Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I grew up in New Brunswick, NJ, and came up in a very diverse and thriving local music scene. I got into the hardcore music scene when I was a teenager at the same time being a huge metalhead. My first band, God Forbid, was started when I was in high school, and making music and touring was the only thing I cared about. I didn’t have these huge plans for a career in music, but just took it one step at a time. Within a year of graduating high school, we had signed a record deal with Century Media, and a year after we were a full time touring band.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: As far as new artists, I have really been enjoying the new album by Kim Dracula. It’s like every genre of music in every song. It goes from sounding like Faith No More to deathcore to Ghostmane to Judas Priest and it also is really tongue in cheek and funny. I just appreciate how original it is. The singer seems like he can literally do anything vocally. It’s very impressive. My favourite album of the year has been Avenged Sevenfold’s new album Life Is But A Dream. I think it’s a groundbreaking album for the band and for metal in general. It’s inspiring.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: The bands that made me want to pick up a guitar were Metallica, Guns N Roses, Megadeth, Alice In Chains, and pretty much any of the grunge bands that were being played on MTV in the early 90s. Not too long after, I discovered more extreme and thrash metal, and started getting into Pantera, Machine Head, Slayer, Sepultura, and kept going down the rabbit hole of death metal and hardcore. Bands like At The Gates, Meshuggah, Carcass, Suffocation, Morbid Angel and metal core bands like Candiria, Dillinger Escape Plan, For The Love Of.. and Overcast. I eventually grew out of the phase of just enjoying the heaviest and fastest stuff I could find and in my early 20s I started rediscovering the alternative rock of my youth but also started really getting into classic rock like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd.
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘Die About It’. Is there a story behind it?
A: The story is that our last album Dear Monsters was released in 2021 and we were working on that album for almost 2 years. So, as soon we could, we started working on the music for Die About It. I think we just really wanted to start over fresh and jump back on the horse as soon as possible. We have a lot to get off our chest after the experiences of the last couple years, and this album was the way to do it.
Q: What is the message behind your music?
A: I think our message at this moment is that you shouldn’t let anyone stop you from going after your dreams and goals. We encounter a lot of negativity in online spaces. A lot of people want to see us fail. So working through that and communicating how we persevere through that negativity hopefully can inspire others to not take shit for people trying to keep them down in their lives.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I think Bad Wolves has a fairly distinct sound in terms of our guitar tones and certain types of grooves that feel unique to our band. It’s almost a funk rhythmic thing applied to a very low tuning with a 7 string guitar, with an almost R&B, Pop approach to vocal melodies. And even the vocal sounds have to be soulful and rich. It can’t be stiff. On the new album, we ventured out into more soundscapes and electronic sounds and that seemed to fit where our head was at. So, we always have to try new things.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I think once an album is done, your relationship isn’t over per se, but it changes. You have to make something that makes you happy, and then you get to enjoy the finished product. But after that, it’s out of your hands. You have to find fulfilment in the work itself. Because I can’t control if people like it or not. But obviously if the audience connects with the material, you get a whole different level of gratification. But I think you kind of always have to temper expectations but it’s hard. You want people to like your music. But you can’t get too wrapped up in it either way.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: Usually it starts with a guitar riff or two. We get the idea down and then start mining more ideas from the original starting point until we have anywhere from 6-10 musical related parts. Then, we just start arranging and messing with drum beats and grooves, and try to find the thing that gets you most excited. Then, we usually come back the next day, and develop the piece after having lived with it for a night. That might involve writing more stuff or just refining what we’ve already put down. Once we have a solid instrumental, we move on to vocal writing. Sometimes, we just throw that to DL to work on ideas on his own or some of us will work on some things with our producers, and get things rolling. More often than not, the music will alter around the vocals because that will inform how things should fit better. And that process continues all the way until a song is mixed. We are constantly tweaking and refining until we have to stop.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I’d say all the events after the pandemic have been one of the biggest challenges of my life. All of our lives. Just trying to rebuild the band, and keep our career afloat. It’s been an uphill battle, but I think times like these make you strong. You don’t really know what you’re made of until you have to fight for your professional life. It’s been tough, but worth it.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Recently, I got to join up with Ice Nine Kills and open up for Metallica on their stadium tour and that felt like a real “pinch yourself” moment in my career. I never thought I’d have an opportunity like that. Metallica is my favourite band, so it’s something I’ll never forget.
