In March, right before Through the Eyes of the Dead were scheduled to record their new record, Malice, vocalist Anthony Gunnells was booted from the band because of his disinterest in attending practice sessions on a semi-regular basis. While they were tracking the new songs in the studio, the remaining members launched a search for a new vocalist and eventually found Nate Johnson. Here's Nate's story of how and why he ended up joining a band whose albums he would have once gladly traded for food stamps.
Hello. I'm the new guy, Nate. Some of you know me, some of you don't. I joined Through the Eyes of the Dead back in April while the rest of the guys were in the middle of tracking their new CD, Malice. I joined on a whim, not really knowing what I was getting into. My other band, Premonitions of War, wasn't doing a damn thing at the time, and I was playing bass in a band called the Network. Let's face it: I'm not a bassist. There's a good chance more kids' faces bounced off the fretboard than actual notes. Needless to say, I missed being a full time vocalist.
I was headed to the gym one night when I saw that I had a bunch of missed calls and messages. This is back when I actually had a job and could pay my cell phone bill. First was Mike from Premonitions of War telling me I should call him back as soon as I could. So I called and he told me that Erik Rutan had called him. Erik was recording the new Through the Eyes of the Dead record. They had just kicked out their vocalist and he was wondering if I might be interested. Mike gave me his number, and I called him. No answer, so I left a voicemail, and went on my merry way to the weight room.
I started working out and thought about everything, weighing the options and the ultimate decision I might have to make. First off, I had never been a fan of TTEOTD. I didn’t even own a copy of their first full length, Bloodlust until I joined the band. I bought the Scar of Ages EP a few years ago, while I was on tour with Premonitions. At the time, a lot of kids were talking about them. So, I popped it into the CD player and after a few songs, I wasn't amazed, but I wasn't bummed out either. They sounded a lot like the Black Dahlia Murder, but with really heavy breakdowns thrown in here and there. Competent musicians at least, and apparently young, from what I'd heard at the time.
But the vocalist on that EP, Anthony, didn't really do it for me. Once I heard the vocal production on the Bloodlust CD, that was pretty much the last nail in the coffin for me ever wanting to hear them again.
I've never been a huge fan of overly processed or distorted vocals. There's no real voice there. There's no real anger if you rely on some effect or a lot of mic gain to make you sound brutal. This is metal, this is hardcore. That s--t should come from the gut. You're supposed to be pissed and really f---ing loud.
I grew up listening to heavy music, and the more I got into bands like Turmoil, Deadguy, and Coalesce, the more I appreciated a vocalist who actually sounded like he really wanted to kill someone. When I started screaming in my earlier years, I just wanted to be the loudest, meanest sounding guy. Fortunately for me, I never ended up with the whole "bleeding throat" thing. I might have stopped my whole approach at that point. I'm no vocal god. I don’t sit high on my own pedestal and there are plenty of dudes out there far better than me. I just know what I like to hear, and Anthony's vocals killed the band for me.
Anyhow, back to the story. The next day Erik called me back and told me about the new album, saying, "No one is expecting this album from this band.” Well, s---t. I didn't know if he was just blowing smoke up my ass because he was recording it or if he was serious. Then I remembered that Rutan is a pretty straightforward guy. He would have been the first to tell me if these kids were hacks.
He continued to describe the record, because at that point, I still hadn’t heard a single new song. More praise. So, I began to think they must be doing something right because this is Erik Rutan I'm talking to. The guy was in Ripping Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Hate Eternal. He pretty much eats, breathes, sleeps, and s--ts metal. So, naturally, I was really beginning to take the whole thing seriously.
I ended up talking to the guitarist, and only remaining original member, Justin [Longshore]. Everything went great just shooting the shit in our first "getting to know each other" moment. Afterwards, he sent me a new track and I pretty much fell in love with it. Rutan was right. No one would expect this s--t from these guys. Then Justin sent me over an old song from Bloodlust, "2 Inches From a Main Artery," as a tryout track. I went to my good friend Jonny's studio and we tracked the song. I sent it back and sweated out the waiting period.
Needless to say, I got the job. They sent me the rough mixes of the whole album and I was pretty floored -- real excited to get to Florida and track vocals. The only problem was I had just two weeks to get lyrics for 10 songs. No big deal. Long story short, we used every last possible minute in the studio writing, and recording the vocals -- waaay over schedule. But the record got done.
Then, after a ridiculous issue with a passport, which is a whole completely different s--tstorm, we were off to Europe, albeit five days late. The rest, as they say, is history.
Comments