EMQs with WALL
EMQs with WALL
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK Sludge/ Stoner/ Doom band, Wall. Huge thanks to their Guitarist/ Bassist, Ryan, 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?
I’m Ryan, and I play guitar / bass in the Sludge / Stoner / Doom instrumental 2-piece metal band – WALL. We formed during lockdown, as we were both living together at the time, and had nothing to do but write riffs. It was initially intended to be a lockdown project only, but the press was good and the first 2 ep’s were well received. We ended up doing shows with Discharge, Will Haven and Desert Storm, so figured we’d keep doing it!
How did you come up with your band name?
We really struggled to come up with a good name, so we stuck with an average name! We listened to the band Floor (Steve from Torche’s other band) one day and Elliot said how about Wall…and we both said yeah ok, that’ll do, sounds kinda heavy!
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from Oxford, UK. The scene is pretty good here, some awesome bands come out of Oxford – Winnebago Deal, Desert Storm, Sextodecimo, Radiohead, Suitable Case For Treatment etc.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release is the single ‘Legion’ from our upcoming debut album ‘Brick By Brick’ which is out next month worldwide on APF Records.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Black Sabbath, Karma To Burn, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Clutch, Tool, Down, Pantera, Mastodon (Early), Torche, Floor, Sepultura, Motorhead, Orange Goblin, Jimmy Hendrix, Melvins, Butthole Surfers, Deep Purple, Slayer, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the machine….to name a few!
What first got you into music?
Dad showing us Black Sabbath when we were 8 years old in a Budgens carpark. That main riff to Iron Man…that was it for us.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Tony Iommi. That would be awesome. He actually records sometimes at a studio in Oxfordshire that we’ve used before, so you never know!…but yeah in all seriousness that would never happen, but would be incredible if it did! His engineer has hung out at our sessions before when recording Desert Storm as he is friends with our engineer and said ‘nice riffs’ to me before, that was cool!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Hmmm Download or Hellfest…probably Download just because ever since we were young that was always the festival you wanted to play one day!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Not had any actually, but the nastiest is the chilli Grim Reaper vodka from our friends in Eindhoven! That shit fucked us up!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Buy the new Wall album, play loud and come to a show!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Chris Cornell. What a vocalist, and we are both huge Soundgarden fans. Elliot saw them live but, unfortunately, I never did. Superunknown is one of the best albums ever, I think! For me out of the Seattle Grunge scene they were the best…they were more than just a grunge band, and nobody could match Chris as a vocalist.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love touring and writing and releasing music. I hate loading out of venues, also as a 2-piece it can be very expensive!
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Make it easier to get on bigger tours and festivals!
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Black Sabbath – “Paranoid.” We got the CD for Christmas as kids along with Alice Cooper – “The Beast of Alice Cooper” – A great album too, but that Sabbath one was life changing. The one that got us into the band, every song on there is just fantastic. So many phenomenal riffs. In terms of albums that have made an impression on me / us the most, it has to be this.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
CD’s for me.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
I would say supporting Will Haven at London Underworld, Bloodstock Open Air, or Hamburg Germany & Kosiče Slovakia supporting Desert Storm….all ace!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Well I work as a chef, so I would probably push to be a head chef somewhere if I wasn’t so focused on the music.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch), Ben Ward (Orange Goblin), Stephen King, and my twin Elliot.
What’s next for the band?
Well the new album is out at the end of August, then we are doing a run of dates in September in Europe, (UK, Belgium & Netherlands), and then there is a 6 date UK tour planned for next April supporting an awesome band…but can’t say too much on that yet!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.facebook.com/wallukrock
https://www.instagram.com/wall.band_rocks
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?
A round piece of bread for sandwiches is a bap or roll.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you! And thank you for the support, check out the new Wall album “Brick By Brick” and pre order now from APF Records.
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.
