Music cruises are all the rage these days, with Shiprocked being the most talked about. None of the current cruises focuses solely on metal, hence Lamb of God bringing us Headbangers Boat!
Lamb of God will be playing two sets, including Ashes of the Wake in its entirety. Mastodon, Hatebreed, Testament, Gwar, and others will also be in attendance on this cruise, which sets sail on Halloween from Miami, Florida. For all the details, visit headbangersboat.com.
Mudvayne is touring this summer, and they’re bringing along one hell of a lineup: Coal Chamber, Gwar, Nonpoint, and Butcher Babies! Get your tickets at mudvayne.com.
Pantera is appearing at Welcome To Rockville 2023 on May 20th, then they will be heading out across North America this summer and fall with Lamb of God. They will also be playing a handful of dates with Metallica. It’s gonna be a busy year for the metal legends, and that’s without mentioning their European dates! Check the full list of shows and get tickets at pantera.com.
* with Lamb of God
# with Metallica
^ Support TBD
Viktor Vetika is an artist who enjoys several creative outlets. Starting in thrash/metal bands, he has since ventured into writing a comic book, making music videos, and fronting a more rock-oriented ensemble that bears his surname. It seems he can do it all!
I had the fun of chatting with Vetika about music (mostly), though we did touch on the subject of his other endeavors. Read on to learn more.
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Thank you so much for talking with me! Let’s start with my standard opening question: what made you want to pursue a career in music?
VV: I was at the end of a relationship after college and I was really depressed, this was 1992. I was listening to a college radio station and heard a song that was very powerful called “Inner Conflict” by Carnivore, and it hit me differently than any other song I’d ever heard. I made a decision right after that song that I would start singing for a band. I knew I couldn’t sing to save my life, but I knew I could shout and scream like Peter Steele in Carnivore.
How did Vetika get its start?
VV: I’ve been in many bands since the early 90s. Each band I’ve been in has been a headache. I got divorced and stopped playing in bands in 2010 to get my life back on track. I enrolled in a masters in fine art degree and achieved it in 2015. Then I was slowly feeling the music bug again in 2017. I decided this time I would be the boss and enlist musicians and play in the direction I want to go rather than letting the fate of a democracy make the decisions. I’m drawing a comic book called “United Forces” and one of the main characters in the book is me. So to push my comic, I named the band Vetika, my last name.
I’ve had 7 guitarists for this band so far, starting with Tom Wills with a thrash song. Then Angel Lee, the singer/guitarist of Devils Envy, wrote a few of the songs off the Skull with Magic EP. Then there was Brian Ballas and Jeff Fernandez. They wrote songs for the EPs She is Magic and Power of the Pit. My old bandmate, Jason Parke, shot me over some songs, and I’m still working with him. I worked on one cover song with Ben Johnson. I have a new guy, Neid, who’s been writing songs for this newest EP.
You’ve been doing this a really long time, then. How do you stay inspired? What keeps you excited about what you do?
VV: The creating aspect of making a song, and making a music video. Every band you make music in is going to be different. I knew this would be the case for this band. I’ve worked with different guitarists in this band and each time there’s a new sound, it inspires me.
I’m also an artist, and the new thing about my musical career is the technology I haven’t had in the past to create music videos affordably. Since making music videos during Covid, I wasn’t able to bring my band mates together to film, but I did have myself. I painted a wall in my living room green for a green screen and started filming myself as different Vetikas. In the music video “One Regret,” there are multiple Vetikas, and this started an idea that has even crossed over to my comic book “United Forces.” Using this idea of the multiple Vetikas, I incorporated the idea into the music videos “Power of the Pit” and “The Sunrise of Nothingness.” There’s a good Vetika, a bad Vetika, a scared Vetika, you get the point. Some are in this dimension, some are in other dimensions.
In the “The Sunrise of Nothingness” video, Vetika is walking through this foreign land. The foreign land is photos of ripped foam laying on a styrofoam sheet I bought from Joanne fabric, lol. The video making really gets me off. I’m not too fond of the filming and acting out parts of the story, but I love editing and seeing the story come to life. My barometer for if the music video is working or not is when I laugh out loud at how silly a part of the video is, when I do that I know I’m on the right track. After shooting this video, I took a photo of myself in the foreign land to create the album art.
Another area that keeps me inspired is that I’ve been inviting musicians from the central Florida area to collaborate with us. I’ve had Bobby Koelbe (Death), Ken Andrews (Obituary), and Adam Phillips (Indorphone, Pro-Pain) play solos on songs; Meka (Meka Nism) sing a duet with me in a song, and Angelo “Crisco” Miceli (Seven Nations) and Kevin Collado (In This Day) play drums on a few songs. Currently working on a few songs with Russel Ray (Reddstar), who is a drummer/producer. The Vetika camp keeps growing.
In your own words, how would you describe your music? If you had to categorize it, what genre would you be?
VV: The first few EPs started off as thrash/metal, but I’ve recently been slowing down and trying to sing a bit and go in a hard rock & classic rock direction.
What bands/artists inspire you?
VV: I listened to unsigned bands from the 90s when I was starting, which inspired me because those bands were coming up with their own thing and learning how to be a band. Their music is unorthodox. Bands like Dissolve, Implode, Shaman Mary, Sheldon, Nothing Face, and Stuck Mojo. These were bands I saw live when they were just starting.
I’m also inspired by top 40 ’80s music because it sounds nothing like what’s being made today. The funny thing is, I grew up in the 80s and hated top 40 then, but have a huge appreciation for it now.
That happens. I like alternative rock from the 90s much more now than I did when living through it. Still on the subject of what you like, is there anyone you’re a fan of that you think would surprise people?
VV: My newest song “The Sunrise of Nothingness” was inspired by David Gilmour’s guitar playing. I love how he plays guitar. Go have a listen to his album About Face. It’s amazing.
What is the story behind that track?
VV: It’s about contradictions and hypocrites.
Tell me a little about your songwriting process. From where do you draw your inspiration?
VV: My process is I hear a song that I like, and it inspires me to write one that is similar. Now that I’ve put out a good supply of songs, I’m leaning more on the mix/master part of the song production, which I hadn’t really focused on before. I’ve been inspired by the mixing of these newest songs and listening to the richness of the production quality.
That leads directly into my next question. What has been your writing/recording process for the tracks on this new EP?
VV: My process is always hearing a song and telling my guitarist this is what I want to do next. He’ll take the idea and make it his own. He sends me a sample and I’ll tell him if he’s hit the mark or not. If he hits the mark, I tell him to keep going. If he misses the mark, I’ll give him directions on what to do next. When we’re done, the songs sound nothing like the songs I got the inspiration from.
This has been the most rewarding band for me because of what I mentioned already and technology. Every band I was in up until Vetika we could never record easily, it took a lot of money. But with technology now I can get my guitarist to put together a few riffs and plug in some electric drums, get my bassist to record his tracks and then I sing over it at my house on my computer. Send it off to get mixed and mastered. I come up with the music video ideas, film them, and edit them in Adobe Premiere Pro.
What is coming next for Vetika, and what is the ultimate goal?
VV: I’ll be putting out the next music video “Overturned” and wrapping up a few other songs for the The Sunrise of Nothingness EP. My ultimate goal is to play some shows and get word out about the band to more people. We were about to play live, and then Covid happened. I currently have a drummer and bassist from a previous band I was in, but the guitar part is hard. The guys I’ve been using are not able to play live, so I’m trying to recruit some guitarists.
What would be your dream tour lineup?
VV: Play with Metallica. Why not play with the best to get the word out.
Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans, new and old?
VV: If you’d like to know more about me, pick up the comic book titled “United Forces” at www.monarchcomics.com. The main character is myself and Phil Foulder. Also watch my music videos on viktorvetika.com. They tell my story as well. For the foreseeable future, all of the music videos will be about me in an insane asylum, making music videos in my head.
And by all means, send me fan mail. It’s lonely in the asylum. My email is victor.vetika@gmail.com
Last, but certainly not least, where can my readers get their hands on your music?
VV: All streaming services.
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It seems that Viktor has his proverbial plate full, his excess of creativity finding its outlet on multiple fronts. Be sure to check out the comic book, stream his music, and follow his socials for news on all his endeavors!
Trivium and Beartooth are co-headlining this spring, and they’re bringing along Malevolence and Archetypes Collide! Tickets are on sale now at trivium.org or beartoothband.com. (Beartooth also has VIP experiences!)
Note: This list of tour dates does not include the smaller festivals interspersed throughout May and June, so be sure to check the sites of all the bands for more info!
* Trivium only
** Beartooth only
god.i.am is the solo project of self-taught, multi-instrumentalist Howard King. Focused on originality and bringing his own uniqueness to the genre, god.i.am offers up a fresh take on doom metal with his debut EP, hanc aeternum, infinitum nihil 23.23.
I had the chance to talk with him at length about his start in music, his writing process, the concept behind his album, and more!
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So firstly, tell me a little bit about you. What drew you to music in the first place?
Howard King: When I was an infant, my mom said I would get tupperware containers, coffee cans and arrange them, get some wooden spoons, sit down and go at it, haha! I’m sure it sounded like shit, but that’s how I ultimately became a self-taught drummer. And that’s where it all began. As a teenager, I got my first drum set. The first song I played on it was “Living After Midnight” by Judas Priest. It just flowed naturally, and I just kept branching out and getting better. I drummed in numerous heavy metal bands, then discovered at a practice that I had a knack for the bass and fell in love with it, too! I’ve always had an ear for music and can hear all of the instruments in most songs, so I just play by ear and figure them out. I never watch tutorials or videos to learn songs. If I can’t get a certain, intricate part like it is on the recording…I just say fuck it and play it my way!!! But, that’s why I prefer writing original music. I have a particular playing style as a drummer and a bassist, so what’s mine is mine.
So you’re entirely self-taught? Wow!
HK: Yep, I’ve never had any lessons. Be that good or bad is entirely up to the listener. Either way, I’m cool with it. I also don’t read music. Hell, I don’t even fuck around with tabs or playthrough videos for other bands’ songs. I simply have an ear for it. When I come up with my original music, I just hear what I hear…play what I play…and keep what I like.
Once you really started focusing on learning, who were your biggest influences? Was metal always your style of choice?
HK: My influences aren’t really that extensive, and I don’t put any emphasis on them with my own preferences and playing style. I’ve played and practiced a variety of music over the years, so I don’t really have a favorite style of music or musician, with regards to drums and bass. Memorable drummers would be Clive Burr and Cozy Powell. Memorable bassists would be James Dewar and JD DeServio. With that being said, anytime I write my own music, I ALWAYS make a point to not copy any single musician or band. So, while I love and respect those guys that I listed, I don’t try to compare myself to them or emulate their styles of play within my own music. This makes my songwriting methods completely unique to me.
No one in particular inspired you to learn drums, bass, etc., but your preferred style to listen to inspired you to create what you do?
HK: I can’t really say that any one particular musician inspired me to play music. I just always knew music was inside of me, so I simply made the effort to let it come out. I’ve never had to force it out, though. It simply flows from its origin.
As far as my Doom Metal project, I just decided that I was over “rock and roll” and “heavy metal.” I’m not knocking them, but I’ve always preferred the blues. So, my progression into Doom Metal just made sense to me. It’s actually just heavy, down-tuned blues anyway. I have several basses, and my go-to bass is my favorite 5 string bass that I tune to Drop A, and both of my acoustic drum sets are modeled after classic kits, for that heavy, classic sound. I have written dark poetry for years, so I turned some poems into song lyrics, wrote some new shit, and fuckin boom!! Through my song arrangement style (lyrics to music, for the most part), my Doom songs were born.
I had never really considered that doom metal was a variation of Blues. You just taught me something. Why call your project god.i.am?
HK: I wanted something different. I didn’t want the more common buzz words such as “electric, mono, orange, fuzz, weed, green, etc…” in my project’s name, so I went with something personal. I already knew that I was going to write occult-themed, dark lyrics, so I just drew from my past. There is a line in a movie that states, “As god of my world…” I’ve always loved that fuckin’ line, on a lot of levels. That concept has always meant a lot to me, so I came up with god.i.am … the .i. in that makes it personal and unique to me and singles me out as the god of myself and all that .i. see.
“god.i.am, of all I see. Not god of you, I’m god of me.“ -from a god.i.am song
So what is your writing and recording process like? Where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics (or poems, as the case may be)?
HK: My process is actually quite simple. Since god.i.am is a solo project, I’m the only one involved in the song writing process. That’s why I love it so much. I’ve never been difficult when working with other musicians. But some of them can be, so fuck that shit. I’ll do it all myself!
So, I’ll screw around and come up with a riff on my bass that doesn’t sound like any I’ve heard before. Then, typically I “hear” the words I’m gonna use (usually a chorus) and I always “feel” how I’m gonna lay down my drums…so boom! That’s it. All final recording is done at a friend’s studio.
As far as my lyrics/poems, not to beat a dead horse, but I truly don’t get inspired by any outside sources. They just flow from the source within, and I put them on paper. They might hit while I’m alseep, or driving down the road. I really never know. But I have never sat down and said, “What am I gonna write today?” That doesn’t work for me at all. There is just a natural flow involved. And they come out when they’re ready, and if I ignore that, they are easily forgotten.
As someone who has dabbled in writing short stories, I totally get the “if I ignore it, it’s easily forgotten.” I can concoct an entire scene in my head and I’ve lost more of them than I care to count. So, what are your upcoming plans for 2023?
HK: I think that’s cool that you write, and that you get where I’m coming from. Shit, I have poems in my stash that are still on napkins, haha! When they come out, I’m grabbing the first thing I see to write on. Sometimes, if I’m not near my notepad, that can be anything from my palm, a napkin, to an unsent text on my phone that I can go back to when I’m near some paper. When that kind of internal shit hits, it’s forever lost if I don’t act on it. I think that’s by design, though. So it simply is what it is.
It’s funny that you bring up short stories. My debut EP, hanc aeternum, infinitum nihil 23.23, is theme-based, and I intend on writing a short story to tie everything together. I haven’t decided what to title the story yet, but it will definitely be a bit of a mind fuck for the reader, all while bringing the 5 songs from my EP into one continuous flow. I don’t want to give up too much about it right now, but I will certainly let you know when it’s done.
My plans for 2023 are to set my Doom Metal music on fire and spread it out upon the masses. Doing this shit DIY-style is very labor intensive. I also want to finish my short story and see about getting it published. My personal music is always on the edge of my brain, so I write new shit everyday…and there will be another EP at some point this year.
A short story to go with it? I’m definitely intrigued! Can you tell me a little about the theme of the EP (if you can do so without giving too much away)? What does the title translate to? And do you have a favorite track? If so, which one and why is it your favorite?
HK: The album title translates to “This eternal, infinite nothing 23.23”.
Haha, I have no favorites. I’m a little partial to every one of them (shameless plug #666). I did all the guitar work on my 5 string bass, and that’s a little different from the guitar perspective, so I had a blast creating the songs. Drums and bass are my 2 favorite instruments, so I was able to bring out the best in what I do on both instruments with the songs on the EP.
The theme of the EP is based around a girl that innocently dabbled in the occult, but ended up taking it too far – and found out that there are eternal consquences. It’s not the “newest” storytelling idea, but the theme/story is absolutely my idea, so that makes the story unique to me. I really think you’ll dig it! I know that I’m having a lot of fuckin’ fun with it.
The short story, the theme and music of the EP is all so very personal in so many ways. I have to release this creativity that’s swirling around in my mind, or I believe I’d be consumed by it. Wait, I am consumed by it, haha! It can truly be maddening at times. But it’s a good kinda crazy. Hell, it keeps me off the streets!
Will the new EP tie in to this one, or is it going to be a completely separate work?
HK: Oh, trust me, it’ll be a continuation. Her story is far from over. Good or bad, it’s eternal.
Well, I think that about wraps it up. Is there anything you’d like to add? Any message to your current and future fans?
HK: My message would be, that I go out of my way to never sound like anyone else Doom Metal-related. I’ve scrapped my share of songs because of that. So, I hope everyone enjoys my music and appreciates my efforts at being original in sound and approach.
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To keep up with everything god.i.am has going on, follow his socials and stay tuned here; he is an interesting artist, and I fully intend to share whatever comes next!
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