EMQ’s With Odinfist
EMQ’s With Odinfist
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Traditional Heavy Metal band, Odinfist. Huge thanks to their guitarist/ lead vocalist, Tyler Anderson, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Tyler Anderson. I am the lead vocalist and guitarist of Odinfist. The band started in 2006, when we were all in high school, by Justin Ketterer and Bretton Melanson (our original drummer). Shortly after, they recruited Jessie Valstar and myself. The band was originally intended to be Death / Thrash Metal but quickly turned to more Traditional Heavy Metal. Shortly after the band formed, due to musical differences, Bretton and the band parted ways and Brad joined as our new drummer. We’ve maintained that line-up since 2009, other than a few years from 2011 to 2014 when Justin had to bow out and we rocked it as a three-piece.
How did you come up with your band name?
We had a friend of ours (who was also our singer for a very brief time) try to come up with the two most “metal” sounding words he could. He blurted out “Odin” and “fist” and it was just meant to be.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are based out of Armstrong, a small city in Western Canada. I think it probably helps make our music unique, since we’re somewhat isolated from the bigger scenes in bigger cities. Armstrong is really just a part of the whole Okanagan Valley scene, which consists of multiple cities. Populations are small, and spread out, but the scene is surprisingly vibrant and thriving. It’s a pretty tight-knit community, with a lot of great people and bands, and lots of variety for a fairly “small” scene.
What is your latest release?
We just released our new single, ‘Riffmaster’ from our upcoming full-length album “Remade in Steel!” The single premiered on bravewords.com and is also now available on all major streaming services. The album will be released on March 10th, 2023 and we have two more singles from the album coming out between now and then.
Who have been your greatest influences?
I think as a band we are influenced by a lot of classics, NWOBM bands, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest being the obvious two. We also have some Thrash influence in our sound, so add Metallica and Megadeth to the list. We definitely have some of the epic, anthemic US Power Metal sound from bands like Manowar and Savatage. And we were influenced by bands like 3 Inches of Blood from Vancouver that helped kick off the NWOTHM sound in Canada when we first started.
What first got you into music?
What got me into music was my family’s love of music. My parents probably would have preferred if I stuck to country music and classic rock, ha ha. But they bought me my first guitar when I was twelve years old, and I haven’t looked back since.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Miley Cyrus.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
There are so many that I’d like to play, but if I can pick anyone, why not pick the big daddy of them all? WACKEN!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
We’ve received some manga-style fan art before, as well as a hand-made flag / banner. Not totally weird, but really cool, and I believe we still have them kicking around somewhere.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you so much for supporting and sticking with your little hometown band. And for any fans abroad, we’re so happy that you found us!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
That’s a tough question. It’s a toss-up between Bon Scott and Dio. I’ll go with Bon, so he could have another chance to live his life to the fullest.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The best thing about being a musician is playing music with my best friends and just being in the moment. Whether it’s on stage, in the rehearsal space, or in the studio, when the music is happening, I’m happy. The worst part is hauling gear around and trying to stay organized as a group of man-children in their 30’s. We always manage though!
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Make streaming revenue more viable for artists.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Just one!? Crimson Glory’s self-titled.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I’m a big vinyl collector, and I’d have to say that right now that’s my favourite. I’ve always loved all kinds of physical media. I still have all my CD’s too, but now I try to buy vinyl when I can. It’s not easy, considering the skyrocketing prices. Cassettes are fun too, but I recently sold my collection to buy more vinyl, ha ha! All this being said, streaming and downloads are so convenient, and a great way to get your music out in the world.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
One of my personal favourites was a show at a tattoo shop after hours that was most likely illegal and got way out of hand. But our best show to date? I’ll go with our set at Armstrong Metalfest 2022. The fest is always amazing, but this time it felt really special. We were added to the bill at the last minute and had to scramble a bit to get a set together, but we had a big crowd that gave us a lot of energy back. I really felt the love at that one.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
If I weren’t a musician, I would probably have some other creative outlet. I’m an English teacher and I read quite a bit, so maybe I’d be an author. Or maybe I’d be more into recording and production. It’s hard to say for sure.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Honestly, the guys in the band and a couple other friends. Ha ha.
What’s next for the band?
We have our new album, Remade in Steel dropping on March 10th! We hope to have as many people as we can check out and enjoy the new album, and then start playing the new material live when we have some more shows lined up.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.facebook.com/Odinfist
https://odinfist.bandcamp.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1dVPzEaO5yevCnQfl5k7WW
https://www.youtube.com/user/odinfistofficial
https://Instagram.com/odinfist.official
Apple Music
Deezer
Song Stream – Riffmaster – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJyYAEJxxvY
Song Stream – Metalmancer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-xZCqGH_VI
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
Tempted to Google this, but I will resist! I’m gonna go with Bap, because I like the sound of it, ha ha.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for the interview, it was a blast! And thank you for featuring Odinfist on your site, it is so appreciated!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of 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.