SHREDnews

Shred:Could you state your name and your role in the band?

Greg: My name is Greg and I play bass in and manage Truth Corroded.

Shred:How did Truth Corroded get started?
Greg: Corroded was started by our guitarist Mark, and originally was a four piece. The original line up broke up in 2002 and reformed as a five piece in 2003 – since then there has been a few membership changes, but the band has always featured Mark on guitars, Jason on vocals and myself on bass.

Shred:Is there a meaning behind the name Truth Corroded?
Greg: To be worn down by the truth. Mark come up with the name – it can be interpreted as worn down by the truth in the individual, or a collective.. The truth will always corrode to the core of deceit or corruption.

Shred:Is it any different being a band from Australia as opposed to one from America or the UK?
Greg: I think the big difference is opportunity. The U.S and Europe offer more opportunity in terms of exposure, touring and a market to build a bands profile. Australia is a small country with only five major cities. Touring is limited, and the chances to perform overseas are also limited. U.S and European labels, bands, media and tours dominate the Australian scene – and though the Australian scene has developed quite a lot over the past several years, with some Australian heavy music bands going global, it is not a country that has the level of recognition for heavy music as Europe or the U.S., but it has the potential.
2007 Truth Corroded have been touring through Asia. It is the region that neighbours our country and we see the opportunity to perform across Asia and develop a profile and following as a step toward the band creating a more global profile for its music. Europe and the U.S is in our sights for 2010 -2011. We hope we can contribute to taking Australian heavy music to another level.

Shred:How would you describe your sound to our readers?
Greg: Our sound has its foundation in our thrash metal influences from the late 80’s and early 90’s – that was the era we became inspired to form a band. Over the years since we have found other influences that have also shaped our sound, but at its core, thrash is the sound that I think best describes Truth Corroded. We actually term our music in press releases and our biography as extreme thrash. Reason being, while I have pointed out our roots, our sound aims for an intensity in its speed and heaviness, it has the same approach that the bands of that era would have had, but in a modern context.

Shred:How did the collaboration EP between you guys and Double Dragon come about?
Greg: A collaboration was set up as a promotion for the studio. But we decided to release the e.p and tour together as a release between albums for both bands. We are good mates with Double Dragon, and are both on the same label, so it was a good chance to do something different and get the opportunity to hit the road together.
same studio and engineer will be where we are recording our new album, with Jonas from Scar Symmetry yet again mixing and mastering over in Sweden. As such, the e.p was a good chance to try out the studio.

Shred:When it comes to writing, is there a main songwriter or is it a group process?
Greg: The main song writers are Mark the guitarist, Liam the drummer and myself on bass. The last album, ‘ Upon The Warlords Crawl ‘ was written mostly by Mark and myself using a drum machine, and giving almost two thirds of the album to Liam to learn the drum tracks. It was a good process, because it allowed us to work the songs and work out structures before finalising the songs with Liam. Before Liam had joined the band, we would write songs working in a rehearsal room and just jamming ideas. It was not the best way to get results, and I think the songs on the last album are stronger than our previous output because of the writing process. I also think we just got better as song writers.
the new album, we are writing some of the songs using the same method, but also Liam, Mark and myself are jamming ideas in the rehearsal room. Reason being, prior to Liam joining the band, the three of us had been doing a grind band called Wasted Gods, and that was how we would write. We had a really good writing relationship, so we are applying the same method to Truth Corroded. So far, using both means, is producing some great results. Each of us contribute riffs and beats, and really know what each of us want to hear. At the time of this interview we are 7 songs into writing the new album. Some of the songs are the fastest we have done, but also have some of the most epic and strong grooves we have written as well.
Mark and myself write the lyrics, and use our lyrics to offer our political and social comment. We each have a style of our own in how we communicate our message in the lyrics, but share a similar view on the state of the problems we all face.

Shred:Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Greg:- a few years ago our pre show ritual used to be to drink as much of our rider ( and some times the other bands riders we were playing with ) before we got on stage. But that is long in the past. Our pre show ritual is finding a space in the venue to warm up on guitar, stretch out, get in some sports drinks or water and then go on stage and thrash. But the ritual can vary – particularly on tour – and some pre-show alcoholic beverages will get consumed haha. But there is no quicker way to burn out then drinking too much or being hung over on stage, well, in our experience any way. After the show however, we drink hard, and like to hang out with the other bands or the crowd. If you check the pics on our facebook or myspace, you can tell we like to party. When it comes to our music and performing we are extreme,focused and intent, but off stage we are the other side of ourselves.

Shred:What can you tell me about your agreement with Team All About The Music?
Greg: We have been communicating with All About The Music for several months and started working on an agreement with main man Alex just before Truth Corroded left to go on tour in Asia last year. Our aim is to assist each other in building the profile and network of both the band and AATM globally. The work they do is great, and I look forward to taking the aims we share to new levels.

Shred:What can we expect from your up and coming album and when is it due for release?
Greg:We enter the studio in late may, with mixing and mastering in July. The album will be mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellegren from Scar Symmetry at Black Lounge Studio in Sweden. Jonas worked with us on the last album, and he really knows what the band are looking for.

The songs so far are some of the fastest we have written. But that said, some of the songs are more mid paced and driving, with strong grooves and hooks. The songs are more, in our view, more epic, or at least that is a word that has been used to describe the songs in the rehearsal room – haha, but I think what we have written so far is evenly balanced.We are pushing our sound to new extremes in terms of speed and heaviness, and now that the present line up has worked together since 2007 ( with the exception of Darren who joined late 2008 ) I think Truth Corroded is approaching this album with a strong idea of what we want to achieve next.

Shred:What do you think the worst and best things about touring are?
Greg: I think the best thing about touring is the great experiences in seeing new places and meeting new people or catching up with friends you only get to see once or twice a year while on tour. Getting to perform alongside bands such as Behemoth in China, or Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy or Chimaira in Australia, while also playing alongside some awesome local bands throughout Australia and Asia is also one of the best things about touring – we have been really fortunate to have had some great tours with some great bands, both in Australia and overseas.
have also been fortunate to have toured some incredible countries, such as Japan, China and Thailand. We have had the chance to see some incredible places as part of our tour experience, like The Great Wall Of China or the ruins of Ayuthaya in Thailand. The other great part of our overseas touring experience is the crazy drunken parties we have had with people from all over the world – haha – that is definitely been one of the best things we have experienced through touring.
But the worst thing about touring is getting ill. In Japan, Jason, Liam and myself all came down with flu – and Jason nearly completely lost his voice on the last show of the tour in Tokyo. If you get ill, you have to push through it, because you get no chance to rest, every day you have to rise early to travel to the next city or country, and occasionally your accommodation is an airport foyer. That is the worst part of touring if it happens.

Shred:Have you got any crazy tour stories you’d like to share?
Greg: We have many crazy tour stories – too many! Haha. But I think a Chinese business man( aka crime boss ) in Shen Zhen setting up a party for the band in the middle of the night on a street corner was pretty crazy, getting drunk with a Mongolian folk band and the bands mafia friends in Beijing was awesome, any drunken experience in Bangkok, Thailand is always very fucken crazy, but I think the after show party in Osaka, Japan takes the trophy – a hairy nude very drunken Japanese man wandering around a restaurant singing ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen sums it up – haha.

Shred:Who would be your biggest musical influences?
Greg: I think our biggest influences are many of the bands from the late 80’s / early 90’s thrash and death metal era – such as Sepultura, Slayer, Testament,Dark Angel, Kreator, Violence, Forbidden, Devastation, Exhorder, Malevolent Creation. Other bands have been major influences in the years since then, bands such as Neurosis and Napalm Death, and more recently Gojira, Mastodon, Lamb Of God, Behemoth, Misery Index and Burnt By The Sun. But thrash is our major influence and I think our influences are evident in our sound – its not something we deny, because those bands inspired us to pick up instruments. But then our drummer Liam is younger than the rest of us, and his influences were bands such as Fear Factory and Slipknot – so he brings another dimension into our sound coming from a different era. Our aim is to stay true to the sound of our roots, but the sound is a modern take. As I answered earlier -we are a band creating a sound with the same intent as those bands of that era, but not trying to just emulate that sound, instead going to new extremes.

Shred:What are the rest of your plans for 2010?
Greg:The year is set out for us already. We are currently writing for the album and enter the studio in our home state of South Australia to do tracking in late May- early June. The album will be mixed and mastered in Sweden in July. We are looking at a August / September release date. After the album is released we are looking at an Australia, Japan and Europe tour, or even possibly the U.S. By then it will be the end of the year with my mind turning to what we will be doing in the first half of 2011 already.

Shred:Anything else you’d like to add?
Greg: If you have not heard the band, but really like aggressive thrash or hard hitting heavy music, then please check us out on our myspace or website. If you like what you hear then please get in contact via myspace or facebook and please spread the word about Truth Corroded – your support will be appreciated. Thanks. Hope to see you in your country some time soon.