Interview With Bearfist
BEARFIST INTERVIEW
With the launch of their third EP “Smile You Son Of A Bitch” on January 18th 2019, which we have already posted a review for, I also had the chance to interview the band, who hail from just down the road from me! Here are their responses.
For those who don’t know who you are, can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
We’re Bearfist – a four piece metal band hailing from Chelmsford in Essex. We’ve been together for about 4 years, simply put we’re 4 mates who make loud music!
Where did the name Bearfist come from?
To be totally honest in the search for a name we started throwing two words into a hat and Bearfist came out. It came from nothing but we feel is actually quite fitting for our style now, loud and aggressive!
Your new EP “Smile You Son Of A Bitch” is due to be released in January 2019 (It was released on 18th January 2019). Are you getting excited about that?
This is our 3rd release to date and by far the most exciting one for us yes. Getting to work alongside Justin Hill has been such a great experience and we believe we have created a great EP for people to wrap their ears around.
Where is the launch party?
Unfortunately nothing official but if anyone fancies buying us a beer at any stage that’d be great….We are however playing Ice Breaker festival in Portsmouth on the 26th January.
This is your third EP. Do you think your sound has evolved since you released your first “Bearfist” in 2015?
100% I think it took us some time to find a sound that worked but we are well and truly in the Bearfist groove now.
There are four of you in the band. What do you think makes you gel together so
successfully?
The band was formed originally over a few beers, the songs tend to be written with a few beers and the live shows consist of having a few beers…In summary the gel that sticks us together is not gel it’s beer.
You played Bloodstock Open Air in 2016. Do you think this has been the highlight of your career so far?
We have been very fortunate to play some big stages over the last few years. As well as Bloodstock we have also played main stage at both HRH Metal @ Birmingham O2 academy and Hammerfest 2018.
It would be difficult to pinpoint a highlight but I would definitely say winning the London Metal to the masses to play Bloodstock in 2016 is our proudest moment.
Who is the main songwriter or songwriters? Do you write the lyrics first or the music?
Music always comes before lyrics, our main way of writing usually consists of Dan (guitarist) bringing 4 thousand riffs to rehearsal along with a massive grin! From that point on it becomes a fairly organic process.
Do any of the lyrics come from personal experiences? I know a lot of songwriters use this as inspiration for their songs.
If you were to read Bearfist lyrics out loud and even suggest any of them were to do with life experiences I think you would have to call the police and a mental health worker instantly!
Rob (vocalist) just really enjoys writing about death, blood and more death….
You released a video for “Destroy The Magnet” from the new EP in November. What has the response to this been like, both from the press and the listeners?
We have had positive feedback from both fans and Press alike, we are so happy with the video and again working with great people (Loki films) you get great results.
Check it out on YouTube! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-SeWxBJLxI)
What goes through your minds when you are on stage? Do you just focus on the music or can you take the time to appreciate the crowd?
A lot of the time concentrating on not falling over is the main objective!
Is the band your full time job? If not, how do you all cope with having day jobs as well as the band and would you like it to be a full time job?
Obviously the ultimate dream is to be a rock star! But unfortunately we are all at an age where we need to work to live.
So, are there any other activities that you participate in when you do have some down time from the band?
As mentioned above beer always plays a strong part in and outside of the band, Rob is also a keen golfer!
Who is the driving force within the band? Is there any particular one of you that takes control?
Not really, we’re pretty good at sharing the load to be honest, we’d be quick to let each other know if they weren’t pulling weight!
A lot of “older” metalheads complain that there is nothing new coming through with regards to metal music. Do you think this is the case?
I think if you get out to local shows and support local up and coming music it is amazing what you can find. We have been fortunate enough to play with some great bands over the last few years and in turn made some great friends.
So with venues closing down all the time and people seemingly preferring to listen to covers bands and tribute acts, where do you see the future of metal lies?
I think there is a big enough following of metal that it’ll never die. The concern about venues closing is always there but the only way to help that is by going out and having a few beers and watch some bands.
If you could bring back one metal legend who would it be and why?
Been a crap couple of years for legends leaving us hasn’t it? Was a few years ago for Dimebag but he and Vinnie Paul are the ones that stand out. We’re all of the age to have loved Pantera back in the day – so just on the off chance that a reunion could’ve happened it would have to be them.
And who have been your biggest influences, both individually and as a band?
This is always a tough question as we’re not really a band who wear our influences on our sleeve. We all have different tastes in music, and it just melds together into what you hear. We’ve used this quote a few times recently but it sums it up quite well – stick us 4 in a room and this is the noise we’ll make!
So, what’s next in 2019 for Bearfist?
We’re just looking forward to releasing this EP and getting out playing shows to support it – there’s a few shows and Festival slots in the diary so keep an eye on our social media for announcements!
Thank you for your time.
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
