“Brotherhood of Destruction” - Drummer Jeremy London embarks on Sanctity's Road to Bloodshed


By Anthony Morgan

The long term friendship of guitarist Zeff Childress and bassist Jeremy London began during their first grade class. Jamming together over the years, the pair formed a group during the seventh grade. The two individually shifted from group to group following that, and played in a myriad of genre variations. While sophomores in high school, London and Childress opted to perform together once more, and play Metal material. A host of vocalists and bassists shifted through the group's ranks. One live college date caught the attention of vocalist Jared MacEachern, who joined the budding outfit onstage for a rendition of Metallica's “Creeping Death”. MacEachern was offered the vocalist slot, and promptly left college. With a relatively stable lineup, the group was ready to take their career to a higher plateau. From thereon in, the rising star of North Carolina's Sanctity aspired to loftier heights.

With a batch of songs penned, a pair of EPs saw issue. The North Carolina act toured extensively, honouring a hundred and ninety shows in 2005 alone. Floridian sensation Trivium and Californian Industrial Metallers Fear Factory shared the bill with Sanctity at one such show during late 2004, and so Trivium's constructive feedback became requested. With warm praise in abundance, Trivium frontman Matt Heafy recommended Sanctity to Roadrunner's A&R man Monte Conner. Gaining a positive impression from the two EPs he listened to, Conner requested a high quality demo. London phoned Heafy, whom offered the number for respected Floridian producer Jason Suecof. Sanctity cut a three-track demo (featuring the songs “Zeppo”, “Seconds” and “Lost to Ego”), and sent the musical result to Conner. Conner wished to hear more, so the group recorded four more compositions (“Road to Bloodshed”, “Once Again”, “Brotherhood of Destruction” and “Billy Seals”) with Suecof handling production duties. Witnessing a live performance, Conner signed the group to Roadrunner Records during January 2006. With a deal in tow, Sanctity returned to Suecof's Audiohammer studio in Sanford, Florida to add the finishing touches to their debut full length. London tracked fourteen songs in twelve hours, whereas bassist Derek Anderson cut his parts within three hours. Once Childress and MacEachern had laid down their respective contributions, and mixing had been finished, the record was complete. In November, the album title was announced as Road to Bloodshed. Six months later the album surfaced in the public medium, during April 2007.

To exhaustively plug the effort, a hefty bout of touring ensued. Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine invited the group to be part of 2006's Gigantour festival bill, honouring dates throughout September and early October. From October 10th to the 18th, Sanctity played North American tour dates supporting Trivium. North America didn't have to wait long to see the group once more, with Sanctity supporting Finnish act Children of Bodom From November 29th to December 18th. Massachusetts Metalcore assemblage All That Remains acquired the group to support them on select dates during early 2007. From April to early June, Sanctity supported Trivium throughout Europe. A coveted slot at UK's Download Festival saw the group perform, and then another North American support slot occurred. That was for New Jersey's Progessive Metallers Symphony X for dates during July and August, whereas Sanctity participated in North America's Black Tyranny Tour (with Sweden's Arch Enemy and California's own Machine Head) during September.

Having accrued enough British fans whilst supporting Trivium within the UK during April, Sanctity were able to plan their inaugural UK headlining tour. Pencilled in for October, the tour made its lone Welsh stop at Cardiff's Barfly on the 22nd. At three in the afternoon UK time on that very day, an interview with Sanctity drummer Jeremy London was scheduled. When yours truly arrived at the venue, London was actually attending the bathroom. A member of the ever helpful road crew called out London's name in a wisecracking fashion, and so London quickly came out whilst zipping his trousers. Following this, London cordially sat down for an interview with Lucem Fero. The forthright sticksman conversed as regards Sanctity's growing UK presence, what he learnt as a live musician via the Black Tyranny Tour, how the group's relationship developed with Roadrunner Records, the story surrounding Road to Bloodshed, tracking his drum parts for that record, the approach of producer Jason Suecof, tentative plans for Sanctity's sophomore full length and his numerous drumming influences. Calm and laid back, London seemed keen and eager to please. It's warming to see musician with the desire to express his humble appreciation at his group's respective fanbase, and not seem disingenuous in doing so. It'll be greatly interesting to see how Sanctity's sophomore full length actually takes shape, and how it carves its individual identity.

 

  • First of all, how are you? Alright?
  • Yeah, I'm doing great man. I'm happy to be in the UK.
  • This is Sanctity's first headline tour of the UK, so how do you feel the group's presence is developing over here?
  • I feel like it's doing really well, and Sanctity's presence is definitely better here than it is in the States. We did one tour over here with Trivium, and we made enough fans so that we could come back and do a headline tour. That's a good, great feeling. In the States though, I think kids get a little spoilt. There's so many tours occurring all the time, so it's a slightly harder market over there. If kids like you over here, then there's no doubt that they will come and see you. They give you no if's or but's, and just come straight out to the shows. That's a good attitude, and it's awesome too.
  • Do you feel that the market in America is really flooded with so much?
  • Absolutely, absolutely. I do. Every day, there's another band. Every day, there's another tour. It's just non-stop, yet it doesn't seem like it's that way over here.
  • Sanctity has previously toured the UK, though has the group been to Wales before?
  • Yes. Gosh, where did we play last time?
  • Who did you play with last time?
  • We were with Trivium.
  • Did you play the CIA? Was it a bigger venue?
  • It was really big, yeah.
  • The CIA?
  • It probably was, yeah. I'm trying to think of.. What are some other big cities in Wales?
  • Newport?
  • Yeah, we played Newport. That's where we played.
  • Alright. Hopefully you got to meet the Welsh fans on that occasion, so how were they to talk to?
  • Oh, they were great. They were awesome man, and they were really cool kids as well.
  • A lot of groups seem to play in London, but they don't come to Wales. Is Sanctity happy to come to Wales and play etc.?
  • Oh, absolutely. We're happy to play anywhere; anywhere that kids want to see us, we'll be there. I don't know why people would skip Wales, nor do I understand it. The last time we were here, it was awesome.
  • So you definitely feel that more groups should come and play some Welsh gigs?
  • Yes, absolutely. Bullet's from here, right?
  • That's right, Bullet For My Valentine. They're from Bridgend, yeah.
  • How far is that from here?
  • Oh God, I haven't got a clue. I know how far it is from where I live; it's roughly an hour via bus. Then you got Lostprophets from Pontypridd.
  • Oh yeah, and The Beatles are from Wales as well. Right?
  • No, they're from Liverpool.
  • Oh, they're from Liverpool. Ok.
  • Sanctity recently performed across America as part of the Black Tyranny Tour with Machine Head and Arch Enemy. That was a pretty big event to be a part of, so what do you feel you learnt as a live musician on that specific tour?
  • Oh gosh. Watching Robb Flynn, and how he connects with that crowd every night, was just beyond my comprehension. He feels it, you know? He gets onstage, and there's an automatic connection. Every person in that place is watching him, and they are listening to everything he has to say. Also, he's really passionate. Having said that, I don't want it to sound weird for me to say he is a passionate guy. When it comes to his music though, he really is. You can tell by the way he throws his fists every five seconds, and just his whole persona onstage - it's just a monster, and it's awesome.
  • When Machine Head come to Cardiff next month, the fans have a lot to look forward to?
  • Oh, absolutely. Yes.
  • I don't know if you know, though next month Cardiff will host..
  • The Black Crusade?
  • That's right. It's called the Black Crusade, yeah.
  • Arch Enemy are impeccable onstage every night; they sound exactly like the album, or better. They are one of the tightest bands I've ever heard, and are just on point every single times.
  • Alright. So you feel that the Black Tyranny Tour boasted, and the Black Crusade will boast, a very strong bill?
  • Every band on that tour is really good, yeah. If you're a band on that tour, then you're going to have to bring it every single night. I think it's going to be one of those occasions where everybody is going to try to outdo the next person, you know what you mean (laughs)?
  • So that's very good for the fans?
  • Yeah. You've got Shadows Fall, and those guys are a very strong live band. Those dudes in DragonForce run around more than Maiden - they're just crazy, and are like trampolines. The first tour we actually ever did was with them in the States, and we stole a lot of moves from them (laughs). They're crazy, and we wanted to be that crazy onstage. Arch Enemy, Machine Head, Trivium; all those groups are just strong.
  • Obviously, Sanctity were a part of the Black Tyranny Tour. Is there a reason why Sanctity aren't going to be a part of the Black Crusade Tour?
  • Well, we had actually talked about it. We have the same management (Dark Angel Management) as Trivium, and we actually talked about doing that. We'd just done the last UK tour with them though, and I think they wanted to bring somebody else out. That's fine with me. At the same time though, we wanted to do our own headline shows over here. We were able to perform headline shows over here, so we wanted to do that. Every band really wants to be a headline act, and I don't know how many bands who want to be a support band forever. You want to get to the point where you're headlining.
  • You said that Sanctity isn't as well known in the States as in the UK, so did the Black Tyranny Tour help to get Sanctity's name out to the fans a little?
  • It did, and it helped a lot actually. It was really our crowd; they were kids that wanted to rock out, have a good time and mosh etc. It was definitely our crowd.
  • When the group was unsigned, Matt Heafy recommended Sanctity to Monte Conner and said “Look, they're fucking good. Check them out”. From thereon in, how did Sanctity's relationship develop with Roadrunner Records?
  • I don't know how long it was before Monte called, but he called me after receiving the demo. I was at work at the time, so I called him back. He said something like; “I like your demo, and I think it's ok. I want you guys to write some more songs though. Give it six months to a year, and then give me a really good demo. After that, call me back”. I thought “fuck that”. I got off the phone with him immediately, and called up Matt. I then told Matt what Monte had said, and asked for Jason's number - Jason Suecof. I called Jason, and Jason listened to the songs. “When do you guys wanna come in?”, he asked, so we said “How about a month from now?”. From the time I called Monte to the time he got our new demo, it was approximately two months. The first demo was “Zeppo” once again, and a song called “Lost To Ego”. “Lost To Ego” isn't on the album; we actually play it live, but it didn't make it the album's final track-listing.
  • Will that surface on the next album?
  • I don't know. We haven't really put too much thought into it, so I don't know if we're just going to save it as a somewhat mysterious track. From thereon though, that's when the relationship really built up with Roadrunner. They paid for us to record another studio demo, and following that we shot a video for “Zeppo”. The rest is, like they say, history.
  • Looking back, do you feel that Monte made the right decision and hoped that Sanctity would develop as a band over a few months?
  • I hope he made the right decision (laughs).
  • I don't mean it like that. Over those few months, do you feel that Sanctity developed a lot as musicians?
  • Yes, actually. At that point, we really thought “Holy shit! This could happen”. The first label we ever spoke to was a major label, so that was the point when we became extremely serious about everything. From the time that we did those demos to the time that we got signed, we played approximately a hundred and eight-seven shows in a year. That's just..
  • Fucking hell.
  • Yeah. A lot of touring bands don't play that much.
  • That's one show every two days. That's really, well..
  • Yeah, and it was roughly the same situation every week. Some weeks we played five shows, some weeks we played three shows, and some weeks we played seven shows.
  • Didn't you feel burnt out or anything?
  • Well, yeah. I think it was good training for us though. A group doesn't really become good until they play live a lot, and I believe that that. A group can be in their rehearsal studio, and sound awesome. When they perform onstage though, they might be lame. They might be totally lame, and the kids won't feel their performance if they are. They may like the music, but they might not like the group so much. Therefore, I think playing live that much really helped us a lot. We hadn't really solidified our stage show, until recently. There's always room for improvement obviously, and there's always things you can do. That comes with time, room and money though, and other such commodities. There's things that we want to do, but we can't do those things until we have wireless systems and things like that.
  • Could you give me an introduction to Road to Bloodshed?
  • Yeah. We didn't really opt for a certain theme, or decide how we wanted the songs to sound. We just we wrote a bunch of songs, and we really liked them. There's not a certain theme to Road to Bloodshed. If you listen to other records, it's obvious that those particular artists were going in one direction for the whole album. We took pieces of everything we'd listened to, and everything we'd liked. There's some Rock'ish parts, there's some really heavy parts and there's some chuggy parts. At the same time though, it seemed to be a little Thrash oriented. We obviously weren't going down that route, but it just came out. We get classified as Nu Wave Thrash and all this though, and I don't really get it. Given the fact there are a lot of Thrash parts, I can somewhat understand that when I listen to it now. People say we sound like Testament a lot, and that's a massive compliment to me. We actually met Chuck Billy a couple of weeks ago - the dude's huge man..
  • What's Chuck Billy like? Is he alright?
  • He was a very nice guy, and was totally humble. Chuck Billy is just a very cool guy.
  • You mentioned these genre labels. No offence, though do you think “Fuck the labels. We're either good, or not good”? There's good music, and there's bad music. Is that what you think?
  • I totally agree. Dude, absolutely. When we began playing, the whole Hardcore movement came in. I had no idea what Hardcore was, though I knew Hardcore acts such as Black Flag, Minor Threat, Gorilla Biscuits and all the old groups like them. To me, those groups were Hardcore. All these different people then said things like; “That's not Hardcore” blah blah blah, and “That's Metal”. Personally, I didn't know. For example, As I Lay Dying, to me, is now labelled as a Metalcore band. I couldn't differentiate between As I Lay Dying though, or Killswitch Engage, or Lamb of God, or any of those bands. I had no idea what the hell Hardcore was, or what Metalcore was, or what Screamo and Emo was for that matter. It all just sounded like different types of Metal to me, though I couldn't differentiate between those subgenres. Obviously, I learnt the differences. There's not really any difference to it though, given the fact it's all heavy music.
  • Rather than saying a band is this or that, do you think people should just listen to the music and see whether they like it or not?
  • Absolutely, absolutely. If you like it, then you like it. If you don't though, then you don't. Every person knows bands they don't like, every person knows bands they love, and every person knows bands they're ok with. There's nothing wrong with that.
  • When it came to recording your parts for Road to Bloodshed, what style did you opt for in order to benefit the songs?
  • I did my drum tracks really really quickly. When we tracked them, I did the whole album in roughly ten hours.
  • You tracked fourteen songs in twelve hours.
  • Yeah. I didn't really think about anything. I just played, and if it didn't feel or sound right, then I tried something else. In some respects, I think I developed my own drumming style around the songs. Actually, we've started to write new songs. Therefore, I think about drum parts ahead of time. I'll keep a drum part in my head, so Zeff (Childress, guitars) and I then sit down. He'll write a riff around the drum part, or vice versa. Zeff'll have a guitar part, and then he'll say; “Well, I'm kind of feeling this beat. We'll try it, but if it doesn't feel right, then we'll try something else”. To an extent, that's how I write. I never sit down, listen to the song and methodically analyze the parts. I never feel thoughts such as; “This part needs to be like this. This is a Rock'ish part, so it has to be like this”. I never think about that.
  • You referred to new songs. Did you mean songs that were written after Road to Bloodshed came out?
  • Brand new material, yeah.
  • Is there anything you can reveal about those new Sanctity songs?
  • I'd rather just wait on that (laughs). It's certainly going to be really heavy though.
  • Are there any working titles?
  • No, nothing like that. It's all just music right now.
  • At the moment, how many songs would you say Sanctity has?
  • I would say we have about four or five.
  • Alright. Will they appear on Sanctity's sophomore album, or an EP?
  • When we get back from this tour, we're going to finish writing the album. We'll then likely record some demos, and send them to Roadrunner in order to get their approval.
  • When would you say Sanctity will be ready to hit the studio for a second album?
  • I have no idea about that.
  • Would you say this year, or next year?
  • I would probably say next year, though it could possibly be a year from now. You never really know.
  • Would you say Sanctity's second album will be released in 2008, or 2009?
  • I don't really know. You know what? We haven't really talked about it with Roadrunner at all. Obviously, we want to start writing new songs. We talked to Monte about it, and said “We're going to start demoing material for you”. Monte just said “That's awesome”. We just want to give him a rough idea of the musical direction we're opting for, and the approach we're going to use.
  • You said that Sanctity has written four or five new songs. How do these new tracks differ from those featured on Road to Bloodshed? What new directions do they venture into?
  • I would definitely say that some of the material is slower. It's not so fast paced, yet it's just really driving. So far, it's just balls heavy.
  • When people come to hear those songs, do you feel that they'll think “Oh, fucking hell. I didn't think they had that in them”. Do you feel they'll have a new impression of Sanctity?
  • It might be that way. I don't want to say that it's going to be a more accessible album, but we really want to focus more on the vocal parts. Jared (MacEachern) has a huge range, and I feel like we didn't really get to show him off so to speak. Therefore, I really think we're going to opt for a more vocal, guitar solo, heavy album. It'll be a heavy album with killer guitar parts, and killer vocals. If the kids like the songs, then they like them. If they don't, then we'll make new fans.
  • Do you think Sanctity's sophomore album could possibly be a breakthrough, like Ascendancy (2005) was for Trivium?
  • I hope so.
  • Not musically speaking, but that record seemed to..
  • Ascendancy was the one that really really pushed them. It's actually hard for a debut album to really push a group to where they need to be, especially in Metal. Everyone grows musically, and everyone grows as people. When you tour so much especially, you really figure out who you are and who your bandmates are. It's almost like a marriage; you become married to these people, and obviously relationships change. Sometimes relationships change for the worse, but sometimes they change for the better. That's just a part of life though.
  • Jason Suecof is known for really pushing musicians in the studio..
  • Oh yeah.
  • When you recorded your parts, how did he push you personally?
  • Oh God, he would piss me off so much. During some parts, Jason would just say something like “That's fucking crap. Do it again”, or “You need to do it this way”. Sometimes you just get frustrated, and think to yourself “Holy fuck, I'm going to blow my head off”. You just get frustrated; if you can't get a part right right off the bat, then obviously that's frustrating. You got to calm down though. He just wants you to play to the best of your ability, and maybe even better. Really, Jason wants you to just push yourself, and push yourself, and push yourself. I'm a better drummer for it, I really am.
  • Is he like a drill sergeant then?
  • Kind of, kind of. I love that guy to death though. We all love him, and he's a great guy.
  • When a lot of people speak of Jason, they say he comes down on you like a ton of bricks if you don't do so well. Everyone speaks very very highly of him as a producer though.
  • Yeah, absolutely. As well as being a great producer, he's a ridiculous guitar player - there's very few people I've ever seen that can even hold a candle to him. He's just so fucking good, it's retarded. It's just crazy how good he is. He's in a wheelchair, so...
  • Is he?
  • Yeah, he's... I don't know if I should say that.
  • Is he disabled?
  • Yeah. Jason had spinal meningitis when he was two, so he's been confined to a wheelchair since then. He'll be the first one to tell you that he had nothing else to do, so he learnt to play guitar. He just got so fucking good.
  • I'm glad you told me that, since I was going to ask “If he's so good, why isn't he out on tour?”
  • It kind of makes sense, yeah. I don't know if that should be printed.
  • Oh no.. We're not speaking about him really badly. He sounds like a really top notch bloke.
  • Absolutely. He's very hyperactive too, but I love him to death man. He's one of my good friends.
  • While Sanctity finished Road to Bloodshed, bassist Billy Moody left. Is that true?
  • Our original bass player Billy? Yes, he did leave. After the first tour, he just realised it wasn't his thing. Therefore, he decided to step down.
  • Was that due to the fact he didn't like touring? Or didn't he like Sanctity's musical style?
  • Oh no. It had nothing to do with that, and it had nothing to do with us personally. After that first tour, he realised that this isn't what we wanted to do. He loved us all, so it had nothing to do with personalities. We love him still, and we still talk.
  • Are you still good mates, and catch up?
  • Absolutely.
  • During recording, you worked so hard at one point that it was to the detriment of the music. Therefore, you had to take a break.
  • Me?
  • Not you, but Sanctity as a whole. You were off for a week, according to Sanctity's official biography. Is that not true?
  • I don't really remember that. I know we took a week off following pre-production, just before we actually started tracking. We went home, and decompressed a little bit. All of us just needed to get our heads in the right place.
  • Could you tell me about that?
  • We had just been writing non-stop for a good month and a half, and then we went down to Florida. Florida is where we began the pre-production with Jason. Once all that was done, our brains were just fried. To have the energy to push ourselves in the studio, we needed a little time off. We took a week off, though I think it was actually five days. We went home, took five days off, and just relaxed. We ate well, slept well and then drove back down to Florida in order to begin tracking the record.
  • On Road to Bloodshed, which song do you feel best showcases your identity as a musician?
  • Probably “Billy Seals”. In terms of drumming, it was the most fun to track. For me, there is definitely some difficult parts. For example, there's a part in the bridge which is a dual guitar part. I match the guitar part with my hands, and then I'm playing double bass underneath. It was a little hard for me to just get my brain around it. There's a part in “Flatline” where it's just like an offbeat part, and then this odd time signature fill into a four beat. Actually, it took me a really long time to do it. I had never really played anything like polymeter, or time differential, or anything like that. It was very new for me, but that's one thing about Jason. he just says things like “You'll get it, you'll get it”, but I would then mess it up. Due to that, he would say “You fucked it up. Do it again”. One time during pre-production, I was so frustrated. I just freaked out; I threw one stick at Jared, and the other stick at Jason. They both ducked, and got out of the way. I threw them hard too, so I wasn't just like.. I really threw those sticks at them. I stormed out, and walked roughly four miles down the road until I calmed down. I then sat down, and played it perfectly with my first attempt.
  • When you record, do you feel it's a lot to do with your mood?
  • Yeah, it is mood. It's just difficult being in the studio. Over and over and over again, you got to give the best performance. There are actually songs on Road to Bloodshed where... I'm not too sure what song it was, though I think it was “Once Again”. “Once Again” was one take; one take, and it was done. Most of the songs were one or two takes. “Zeppo” is the easiest song, and it actually took me the longest. I did roughly six or seven takes on the song before I finally got my parts where I wanted them to be.
  • Roadrunner Records usually reissue an album roughly several months, or two to three years following its original release. Will there be an expanded edition of Road to Bloodshed?
  • I don't know, but there hasn't really been any talk about it. I don't know if they'll do that - they usually do a DVD with that.
  • With music videos, and one or two extra tracks.
  • Yeah. Honestly, I'm not sure.
  • Has there been any discussion with Sanctity and Monte about it?
  • No. There's a bonus track on the Japanese version called “Haze of Gray”, and we actually haven't even heard the finished version of that song.
  • Oh right. A demo version is it?
  • We did it for the album, and then we changed some things. Jared went in, and did some more vocals. We never heard it after that though, once it was tracked and mixed. Some Japanese friends of ours actually, from London, actually flew to Japan so they could get the album (laughs). They're going to bring it to us tomorrow, so we'll get to hear it.
  • Would you rather “Lost To Ego” appear on an expanded edition of Road to Bloodshed, or Sanctity's second album?
  • Actually, an extended edition would be cool. I really like that song. I don't really know why it... I think it's a strong song.
  • Some of the fans get a bit annoyed by expanded reissues, no offence. They're really into a band, and want to own the extra tracks. They've already went to the shops and bought the album though.
  • So they go out and buy the album again, which is silly.
  • Due to that, would you rather “Lost To Ego” appear on Sanctity's second album? Or say a Roadrunner compilation album?
  • That would be cool, yeah. A Roadrunner compilation, or... they do B-sides for movies a lot too, and things like that. Something like that would be cool, or we could put it on the next album. Who knows?
  • When you started out as a musician, who are some of the drummer you looked up to?
  • Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan, Hellyeah), definitely. He's not overtly technical by any means. In many respects though, he's like a stereotypical mean potatoes drummer. Everything he plays is perfect for that part. It's just all feel, and I love the way he plays. It's so jammy, and there's so much groove in it. Him and Dime were out playing Blues, and music like that. Also, their dad had a studio where he recorded Country and Blues groups. In his drumming, you can really hear that influence. Obviously, they were big Van Halen fans. Both the drummers for Kiss, and Van Halen (Alex Van Halen); both of those guys are real groovy.
  • Is there a specific drummer you're referring to? Kiss have had a few drummers, haven't they?
  • Yeah. The original drummer for Kiss, Cat (Peter Criss). He was awesome, and was a part player. Nicko McBrain - I actually got to meet him the last time we were on...
  • Iron Maiden?
  • Yeah, Iron Maiden's drummer. Dude, that guy seriously shook my hand like we had been friends for twenty years. For me, it was the coolest experience. He was so cool, and so down to earth. He asked me questions, and was a very very nice guy. When I was growing up, I listened to a lot of Maiden. I don't know, though it was just super cool. He's one of my favourite drummers. I'm trying to think.. Morgan Rose from Sevendust is amazing, and is just super killer. Shannon Larkin is too.. Actually, I read an interview once; in that interview, I remember Morgan Rose talked about how he actually developed his style. He actually developed his style of drumming from Shannon Larkin, which is cool. Shannon Larkin's really over exagerrated, and every hit is unbelievable. Everything is super huge, and the movements are big. Morgan Rose plays the same way.
  • You said you met Nicko McBrain. Did he treat you with a lot of respect, as if you're on his level?
  • Absolutely, yeah. He wasn't uptight, or anything like that. He was absolutely on my level, which was very cool.
  • What are Sanctity's upcoming plans?
  • We're taking some time off. Obviously, we're writing some songs and chilling out. We'll then probably start touring again in January. I can't really talk about tours or anything.
  • You can't reveal which market you might be touring in or anything like that?
  • No, I'm not allowed (laughs).
  • When do you think Wales and rest of the UK will see Sanctity again?
  • Next year. I would say we'll probably be back during the summer, so that's not too long to wait. It'll only be roughly six or seven months.
  • That's alright. So I'll possibly catch you again?
  • Yeah, absolutely man.
  • Alright. Have you got a message for the fans of Sanctity?
  • Buy Road to Bloodshed...
  • Well they've probably bought Road to Bloodshed already.
  • ...If you haven't already got it. Buy Evile's new record (2007's Enter the Grave). When Romeo Must Die's record comes out, buy it. Those bands are awesome.
  • They have the video to look forward to now as well, which is “Beloved Killer”.
  • “Beloved Killer”, yeah. That will be out soon, though I'm not sure of the date. Just keep an eye out for it.
  • Alright. That will be released sometime this month though, am I right?
  • I believe so, yeah.
  • Is there anything you can tell me about the video for “Beloved Killer”?
  • Apparently, it was actually too crazy for MTV in the States.
  • They've banned it, have they?
  • Yeah. Check it out, and let us know if you like it.
  • Will it be released via Youtube?
  • It will be.
  • Alright. Thanks for the interview, I really appreciate it.
  • Absolutely man. Thank you.
  • I hope you have a good show tonight.
  • Thanks. Are you sticking around for it?
  • No. I can't get home, so..
  • Oh, you can't get home? Not that late?
  • Yeah. That's why I come to interview the band.
  • Cool, man. I appreciate you coming.