Interview w/ Screaming Beast

It's always great to discover new music that has a different style that truly stands out from the crowd. That is what Screaming Beast is accomplishing with their debut album, Our New Narrative of Hate, which is available NOW. I had the honor of asking the band a few questions about everything you need to know about this band last week and they got back to me with their answers. ENJOY!

Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview!
Thanks for having us.

For anyone not familiar, describe Screaming Beast. 
It’s always hard for artists to say we are this or that as we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves but if you made us we would probably say we are a groove metal band with some stoner metal tendencies. Riff-based metal might be another way to describe the music. Lyrically there is life experience and some politics in there but it’s not in your face.

Our New Narrative of Hate is coming out this Friday. How does it feel to finally have this album coming out?
It’s been a long time coming that’s for sure!  It started back in 2013 with Dan and Anton and it needed to become a band before we could get it done. The addition of Arun, Rory and Jason really gave us some impudence to get the album finished and start building a name for ourselves.With two previous EPs (2013’s Blistering Lies & 2015’s To Assail and Conquer) how does it feel to have a full fledged album to your name? It’s very much like you have found some completion, you have got to where you were going and you get some time to take in the view.  But it also frees us up to start working on the new stuff knowing that the previous journey is complete.

How was the songwriting process and recording process for Our New Narrative of Hate? Did it go smooth or were there and bumps along the way?
Haha! There are always bumps recording.  When Jason came onboard he brought with him a more classic sounding bass (think John Paul Jones) which is not what you find in modern metal and sonicly it presents some issues so there were some adjustments needed on both sides but we found a sound that works (bump or great journey you decide) .The songwriting process is a bit convoluted as Dan lives in Sweden so ideas are passed to Arun (who is the keeper of the music) who cleans the ideas up to pre-production state then it’s sent to Dan who, through magic and trickery, makes it sound like Screaming Beast. We all work from our own studios so the writing process can be a bit lonely but on the plus side it gives everyone time to arrange their thoughts regarding the songs and we generally have 5 or 6 different versions of every song until we all agree on which one we are going with.

How did you approach your work on the album? What gear did you personally use?
Arun:
It was a pretty smooth process for me, as Dan and I are similar players stylistically, learning the songs was quite a quick process for me. Having jammed some of the songs in a previous musical incarnation, it all came flooding back. As for the solos I contributed, I did them through a mix of improvisation and composition. Sometimes I had an idea of where I wanted to go with certain phrasing, and the rest was improvised until I found something I loved.My live set up: I us e two Jackson KVX10 King V guitars, both modified with Schaller floyd rose bridges and Seymour Duncan Black Winter pick ups. Strings I use are D'addario 13-62 for the B standard stuff and 13-66 for the drop A stuff. I use an Engl Invader II and Pro 4x12 cab as my amp. Pedal board consists of a Line 6 G50 wireless, TC Electronic tuner, ISP Decimator noise gate, TC electronic mini corona chorus and mini flash back delay. I also use an Engl Z9 footswitch.

Jason:
This was way out of my comfort zone, mainly due to the speed, so I had to spend a few weeks getting my right hand technique up to spec as I did not want to go down the plectrum route as I prefer a finger style so it was back to the Billy Sheehan tutorials.  My recording setup is pretty much the same as my live setup except I take DI’s at every stage of the signal when recording.  Cort SP Artist 5 string with rotosound 65-135 nickel strings into Line 6 Helix for compression, EQ and a bit of magic into a EBS HD360 amp and EBS 1x15 and 4x10 Neoline speakers. I might also add a bit of the old sonic maximiser which I find helps bring a little sparkle.

Rory:
My approach to the album was side on, downwind and with extreme caution.My live and recording setup is identical; Ibanez Iceman into a tube screamer and a HM-2 into an Orange OR50 with an Engl 4x12.

Anton:
I approached the work slowly, one track at a time. Building my lyrical concepts around the melodies of the songs. I try and follow the natural emotions and intensity of the main riff. I recorded with Dan using an SE2000 and with Jason using a Sennheiser Mk4.

Dan:
My goal was to get the overall Screaming Beast sound that is in my head onto the computer, I tend to use the same set of plugins and record the guitars dry and then spice them up in the box.  For the drums we use a blend of live and Superior Drummer to achieve the right sound. For drums recording and live I use Tama Superstar drums, Evans heads and Zildjian cymbals my guitar rig is a secret but it starts with an Ibanez and finishes with awesome sound after much magic has happened.  It’s still simpler than Jason’s rig though!

At the time of writing this, you released the album to stream through your YouTube page. What has been the reception to the album so far?
The USA seems to like it a lot based on College radio plays and we are getting some good plays in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK.YouTube response seems pretty positive and we are waiting to see the Spotify analytics

As a newcomer to the band, I really love your guys’ style. Such great melodies and crushing moments mixed with distinct vocals and songwriting. Was the original intent of the band or did you come to this sound naturally?
That is so kind of you to say.  It was more organic than predetermined but we were always looking to be a riff based metal band as that is what we love to listen to.Anton's vocal style definitely suits a riff based sound as the listener can get into the groove quickly and start to focus on the message Anton is trying to get across.  Head nodding and brain entertained is the key!

Despair got an official music video release. How was it decided that would be the song to help represent the album before coming out?
We all really love that song, it’s got such a groove and is a reel pleasure to play so there was not much discussion as it just seemed an obvious choice.

What is next for Screaming Beast?
We have plans for 3 more videos this year and we are already working on the next album which we have penciled in for an early 2019 recording.  We want to get out and playing live and we are working with some promoters to get that done.  Our next gig will be an all-day festival in Manchester UK June 2nd 2018 at the Bread Shed (https://www.facebook.com/events/1327141980720291/)

Now with a complete lineup, what should people expect from future Screaming Beast live shows?
Energy and fun.  We want the crowd to be headbanging, dancing and having fun and we will bring you all the energy you need to do that.

What do you do for fun outside of Screaming Beast?
Arun:
I play in other musical projects, which include other types of metal band and also a covers band. Outside of that, pretty normal stuff like seeing my family, my friends, going out for food, cooking..... I like to go for walks and travel to places although I don't do those as much as I would like to. Hoping for a good summer to get out and about!

Jason:
I like to trail run, generally keep as fit as possible and I love reading science fiction.  When they are on tour I like to get out and bother Twelve Foot Ninja until they give in and get drunk with me.  

Rory:
Ride bikes (a lot) and mainly eat pizza. I think that pretty much sums it up!

Anton:
I lift heavy weights, read and debate with anyone that will listen ha.

Dan:
I have no life outside of music and work.  If I did have any spare time I would go get drunk with Jason.

Besides the new album coming out on Friday, what other music would you recommend people to check out?
Arun:
God Shaped Devil and Endeavour.

Jason:
Twelve Foot Ninja, Evil Scarecrow and Footprints in the Custard (their live show is something else!)

Rory:
A couple of mate's bands I can highly recommend: Hacride and Carpenter Brut from France. Also, a pal's band from a while ago who sadly are no longer active: The Mire from Brighton. Their album Glass Cathedrals is still really up there for me. Loads of awesome riffs and grooves!

Anton:
I would recommend Footprints in the Custard, Ten Foot Wizard and The Hicks.

Dan:
Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Night and Endeavour

Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview to promote the debut album from Screaming Beast, Our New Narrative Of Hate. As a new fan I really dig what you guys do and is easily one of my favorite discoveries in quite a long time and I’m excited to see where you go from here. Before we are done, is there anything else you would like to mention that I haven’t brought up yet?
Check out our YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/uWBz7igWnU4  or search on Screaming Beast) for our new video for Despair from our debut album Our New Narrative of Hate .The album will be available on all digital platforms from March 23rd and will also be available on CD from CD Baby (https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/ScreamingBeast)