{"id":8875,"date":"2012-02-13T07:00:16","date_gmt":"2012-02-13T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=8875"},"modified":"2012-02-07T20:01:24","modified_gmt":"2012-02-08T01:01:24","slug":"blowin-wind-with-shane-clark-of-3-inches-of-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=8875","title":{"rendered":"Blowin’ Wind with Shane Clark of 3 Inches of Blood: “We made a righteous heavy metal record that’s about celebrating metal and living it up.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Canadian Metal heroes 3 Inches of Blood are getting ready to release their latest album Long Live Heavy Metal to the masses.\u00a0 I recently caught up with 3iOB guitarist Shane Clark in a rare moment at home and out of the studio.\u00a0 Shane was awesome and really took the time to discuss the band’s latest masterpiece, the new addition of Byron Stroud on bass guitar and just what the story behind Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em> is.\u00a0 It was a blast catching up with Shane and I hope you’ll enjoy this one!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shane, thanks for doing this!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don! \u00a0Thank you man. \u00a0It\u2019s good to talk to you again. \u00a0This is perfect timing to do an interview. \u00a0The new album cycle is just about to start. \u00a0This is actually the first piece of press I\u2019ve done for the new record so this is cool.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

You guys are just about to release Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em>. \u00a0Have you seen a significant growth in the band since your last album Here Awaits Thy Doom<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. Totally. \u00a0I took a listen to Here Awaits Thy Doom<\/em> and to me it sounds like we\u2019ve come so far since that record as songwriters and as players. \u00a0One thing I hear personally is just growth in the songwriting and growth in the playing and just as a band. \u00a0This is the first time that the same lineup has done two records and you can hear the growth of the four guys who did the last record doing this one.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

As you said, this is the 2nd album you\u2019ve done with a stable, cohesive line up. \u00a0Did this make things much easier for you than on past albums with the various line up changes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yes definitely. \u00a0All the other records all felt like a first time thing because there were line up changes. \u00a0On the last album Ash (Peterson; drummer) had just joined the band that year and we were still getting to know Ash as a drummer. \u00a0We went through all of the growing pains with this line up on the last record so now that we have nearly a solid two years of touring together and playing these songs, this album came very quickly. \u00a0We wrote and recorded this one in a pretty short period of time.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

Was the recording process any different this time around?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. \u00a0We took a very different approach to this one. \u00a0I would say that Here Awaits Thy Doom<\/em> was a little more lo-fi than the previous two album. \u00a0I would say that Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em> is a lot closer to the two albums before Here Awaits They Doom<\/em>. \u00a0It\u2019s very crisp and it\u2019s fucking huge sounding. \u00a0This album is definitely Cam Pipes\u2019 (lead vocalist) best recorded performance to date. \u00a0It\u2019s unbelievable. \u00a0When you listen to this new album you\u2019re going to be totally blown away. \u00a0Everyone is playing better. \u00a0With every album you hope to get better and I really think we have and you can definitely hear it.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

How much quicker did this one come together for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We spent less time writing. \u00a0The songs came to us really fast and we were just so stoked at how the songs were coming together. \u00a0We just bashed out a bunch of songs and picked the best ones that fit together, rehearsed the fuck out of them and just hit the studio. \u00a0That\u2019s the key. \u00a0It\u2019s also very economical to do it that way. \u00a0I remember Lemmy saying years ago about recording , \u201cDon\u2019t waste your money and write in the studio. \u00a0Write an album, rehearse the fuck out if and spend minimal time in the studio recording it.\u201d \u00a0That\u2019s the template that we\u2019ve been working with for a long time.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

I would also think that writing outside of the studio is much less stressful to since you\u2019re not worrying about working on a budget or losing a bunch of money.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. \u00a0That\u2019s a horrible feeling. \u00a0That feeling is the most anti-creative feeling. \u00a0When you\u2019re pressed for time and people are breathing down your neck to finish being creative that\u2019s the worst feeling ever. \u00a0That\u2019s a recipe for not liking your record or having a bunch of songs that make you say, \u201cI wish I would\u2019ve spent more time on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

Speaking of solidifying a line up, you guys also announced recently that you\u2019ve recruited Byron Stroud as your new bassist. \u00a0What took you guys so long to find a full time bassist?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had a few bass players where the touring thing was just a bit heavy for them and they basically had to change their life to try and make it work. \u00a0We just don\u2019t have the time to break someone in who\u2019s green to the scene. \u00a0We needed somebody who\u2019s at our level and a life. \u00a0We had a few righteous dudes play bass over the last couple of years. \u00a0One guy in particular almost made it but he decided that he didn\u2019t want to do a whole other album cycle and tour. \u00a0I\u2019ve known Byron for many years for like 12 or 13 years. \u00a0I used to tech for Strapping Young Lad (Devin Townsend\u2019s band) and that\u2019s how I got to know him well. \u00a0He actually filled in for us about two years ago on the Slipknot tour. \u00a0He\u2019s is just a full blown Heavy Metal bass player and that\u2019s the kind of guy we need. \u00a0He\u2019s not inexperienced with being in a band and what that means.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

So who did the bass playing on Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Me and Justin actually played all the bass on this one. \u00a0We split it up about 50\/50. \u00a0We\u2019re actually both bass players so we know the difference between a guitar player playing bass and a bass player.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

So the new album is called Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em>. \u00a0Would you say that the title is a nod to not just Heavy Metal in general but to Rainbow\u2019s Long Live Rock N\u2019 Roll<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We feel really strongly about Heavy Metal. \u00a0The title was inspired hugely by Rainbow\u2019s Long Live Rock N\u2019 Roll<\/em> album. \u00a0Justin (Hagberg; guitarist) and I listen that record on the road a lot and it\u2019s one of our favorites. \u00a0Justin came up with the title Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em>. \u00a0We thought we should call the album that because we find ourselves to be purveyors of straight up Heavy Metal and keeping the torch lit. \u00a0We made a righteous heavy metal record and instead of having that competitive vibe of who\u2019s band is the best or whatever, it\u2019s just about long living heavy metal. \u00a0It\u2019s a very positive title because it\u2019s just about celebrating metal and living it up.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Let\u2019s talk about the cover art for the Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em>. \u00a0That also looks like an homage to another great classic Metal album At War With Satan<\/em> by Venom. \u00a0Am I reading too much into it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No man. \u00a0You\u2019re on the right track. \u00a0Somebody else brought that up to me about a week ago. \u00a0What we wanted to do for the album cover was to have the band\u2019s two main \u201cicons\u201d we use with the band as a brand. \u00a0One is the number 3 with a circle around it and the other is the goat head because of our song \u201cGoatrider\u2019s Horde.\u201d \u00a0If we were going to have a record in a store and if you saw it from far away you\u2019re wouldn\u2019t see the fantasy painting type of thing as much as you would see a brand. \u00a0That\u2019s who we are so we wanted to keep it simple. \u00a0Everyone who knows the band knows that those are the things that people identify with.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

You guys were dropped from Roadrunner Records and were pretty much free agents for a while before signing with Century Media. \u00a0Do you still feel like you have that creative freedom and what not with out the label intervening too much?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely. \u00a0Other labels we\u2019ve worked with in the past have just been a business but we feel really at home with Century Media. \u00a0Century Media doesn\u2019t interfere one bit with anything creative. \u00a0They\u2019ve been around a long time being just a straight up Heavy Metal label so they know the deal. \u00a0They\u2019re not in the studio pressuring us for a single or anything. \u00a0They understand what our band is all about and they just leave us to it which is fucking awesome. \u00a0We\u2019ve had a lot of great support from them since we\u2019ve started working together.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

When is Long Live Heavy Metal<\/em> going to be released?<\/strong><\/p>\n

March 26th in Europe, March 27th in the States, and Australia\/New Zealand on March 30th. \u00a0That\u2019s when the shit gets real man [laughs].<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The face of metal really has changed these days right down to the image. \u00a0Some of these bands like Avenged Sevenfold that call themselves \u201cmetal\u201d these days are so far from it. \u00a0The music they\u2019re making is so far off the mark.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the new school glam right? \u00a0I\u2019m aware of them obviously but I don\u2019t really have much of an opinion because I just don\u2019t care enough about it [laughs]. \u00a0Today\u2019s Avenged Sevenfold was yesterday\u2019s Motley Crue. \u00a0In the 80\u2019s there were all kinds of bands where the singer was the focal point of the band and the look of the band really sold record. \u00a0That shit has always been around and that\u2019s fine. \u00a0You can\u2019t have one without the other. \u00a0That is something that is so far removed from what we are about or where we\u2019re coming from.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

3 Inches of Blood is going to be part of the Metal Alliance tour. \u00a0Are there any other tours lined up that will hopefully bring you guys to Atlanta?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right after the Metal Alliance Tour we\u2019re going to go to Europe. \u00a0Things are just being figured out right now so I can\u2019t give you anything really solid right now. \u00a0We\u2019re definitely going to do our own tour in the states that\u2019s for sure and we\u2019ll definitely come to Atlanta. \u00a0Atlanta is great for us and we have really awesome fans there.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to see you guys and Holy Grail launch some sore of \u201cnew traditional metal\u201d tour or something. \u00a0Have you guys ever thought about trying to put a package tour like that together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve done quite a few shows with Holy Grail over the years but we haven\u2019t thought too much of doing that kind of a package tour. \u00a0I do think that\u2019s a cool ideal but we\u2019re fans of diversity when it comes to touring. \u00a0For instance, I\u2019ve seen some really cool old school Death Metal bands here in Vancouver on a package tour with six other Death Metal bands that sound just like the headliner and it\u2019s a little counterproductive.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

Shane, now it\u2019s time for me to throw some fun questions at you. \u00a0I just like to do these kind of questions to try and get to know someone a bit better.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sure thing man. \u00a0Let\u2019s do it.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

If 3 Inches of Blood were able to headline arenas, what would you\u2019re stage set look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man. \u00a0Ok, so I\u2019m a big fan of seeing the amps on stage so I want huge walls of cabinets. \u00a0Just like AC\/DC, all the cabs are plugged in and I want to be able to feel the speakers pushing air off the stage. \u00a0It would be at least 19 or 20 cabinets on each side. \u00a0We\u2019re talking arenas right?<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

Yeah<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Oh shit man, let\u2019s do some Van Halen shit and just have tons of speakers everywhere just ripping faces off. \u00a0Smoke, lasers, blowing some shit up, dragons jumping out of the PA. \u00a0Yeah, I stole that but I stole it and reversed it from it\u2019s original intention [laughs]. \u00a0There\u2019s all that but at the same time, I can\u2019t help but just think, \u201clet the music do the talkin\u2019\u201d ya know?<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

Are there any bands we\u2019d be surprised to hear you were a fan of?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh yeah, tons. \u00a0For as much as I am a Heavy Metal fan I\u2019m just a fan of music and good art. \u00a0If it\u2019s good music I\u2019m into it. \u00a0Lately I\u2019ve been into this band from Seattle called The Cave Singers. \u00a0I got into them from that movie Cabin Fever II<\/em>.\u00a0 They had the opening song in that movie and it\u2019s kind of folky acoustic driven music which I\u2019m really into. \u00a0I grew up with a lot of outlaw country and bluegrass. \u00a0My dad was a bluegrass musician.<\/p>\n

====================================<\/p>\n

I can dig some of that old \u201creal\u201d country music. \u00a0The shit that they call country music now is so far from what it used to be.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, that shit is totally not country. \u00a0It\u2019s funny. \u00a0Somebody can put out a pop song with Def Leppard sounding background vocals but if the person in the video is wearing a cowboy hat it\u2019s country music all of the sudden [laughs]. \u00a0I have been listening to a lot of Freddy King lately. \u00a0He\u2019s this blues guy from Texas. \u00a0That\u2019s just some high energy and heavy shit.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

In you opinion, what is the ultimate metal album that EVERYONE should own and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh man. \u00a0Slayer\u2019s Reign In Blood<\/em> is one of the best albums ever made. \u00a0That is what I would say is a perfect record. \u00a0Wolverine Blues<\/em> by Entombed and Arise<\/em> from Sepultura are two other really perfect records. \u00a0There are so many perfect Heavy Metal records but it depends on what era of Heavy Metal we\u2019re talking about ya know? \u00a0I mean, Rainbow Rising<\/em> and Long Live Rock and Roll<\/em> are both amazing records but In Rock<\/em> and Machine Head<\/em> by Deep Purple are perfect also. \u00a0Then you\u2019ve got Black Sabbath and Captain Beyond. \u00a0There are so many righteous records out there.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

What is your most prized piece of music memorabilia?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Man, I\u2019ve got a couple of cool things but I\u2019ve got this huge ass Rush 2112 rug. \u00a0It\u2019s fucking massive and it covers almost an entire wall in my apartment. \u00a0That\u2019s probably the cream of the crop for me. \u00a0I love that piece.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

If Hollywood called and said they wanted to make a movie about Shane Clark, who would play you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hm, who would be me? \u00a0Wow, you kind of stumped me there. \u00a0Well, I think Jack Black would be good since we have sort of the same physique. \u00a0Yeah, I would have to say him or Count Floyd from SCTV [laughs]. \u00a0Yeah, let\u2019s go with Count Floyd.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

And last but not least, do you have a message you\u2019d like to send out to the fans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah. \u00a0Check out the new record when it comes out and we\u2019ll see you all on tour. \u00a0Can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

=====================================<\/p>\n

Shane thanks so much for doing this man. \u00a0It was great catching up with and beers on me next time you\u2019re in Atlanta!<\/strong><\/p>\n

That sounds great Don. \u00a0I really appreciate your support and I\u2019m glad we had a chance to do this before the record comes out. \u00a0Thanks for getting the word out for us. \u00a0Take it easy man.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canadian Metal heroes 3 Inches of Blood are getting ready to release their latest album Long Live Heavy Metal to the masses.\u00a0 I recently caught up with 3iOB guitarist Shane Clark in a rare moment at home and out of the studio.\u00a0 Shane was awesome and really took the time to discuss the band’s latest masterpiece, the new addition of Byron Stroud on bass guitar and just what the story behind Long Live Heavy Metal is.\u00a0 It was a blast […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[497,727,728,726],"class_list":["post-8875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","tag-3-inches-of-blood","tag-3-inches-of-blood-interview","tag-long-live-heavy-metal","tag-shane-clark"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8875\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}