SPREADING THE DISEASE – The Über Rock Interview
Written by Lindsey Appleton
Saturday, 21 January 2017 04:00
Spreading The Disease – we don’t need to guess where they took their name from – describe themselves as a “contemporary metal band”. Based in Kent, the band was formed in 2014 by bassist Steve Saunders, who decided that, after five years in The Self-Titled, it was time to move on and do something new.
With 2016 having been a pretty crap year in terms of losing so many iconic rock and metal icons, it was also a traumatic one for STD, with the departure of drummer Edd Saunders (no relation), as I found out when I caught up with Steve and singer Adam May:
Adam: He is a great drummer and helped develop the sound we have, with his awesome technical drumming style. He welcomed me with open arms and was a great friend on the road: a very funny man. We wish him all the luck for him and his family on the next step of their lives in Isle of Man.
Things happen for a reason I guess, and if a band member steps down and another person steps in, it just solidifies the band and makes them work that bit harder to achieve their goals and dreams.
Adam: Yea, we are working pretty hard at the moment.
You guys are playing Wrath Fest (at the Temple of Boom in Leeds on Saturday 18 February), with the fabulous Sworn Amongst headlining. How are you preparing for that?
Adam: We are tightening this up and creating a new set to get in your face! We are very excited about playing with great bands on this bill and want to give our best as we do with every show.
You are also playing Seven Sins Festival (in Swansea on Sunday 2 July) on the same bill as Power Quest: How are you feeling about this?
Adam: Like with every gig we are excited and just eager to show what we do.
Power Quest are an awesome band to be supporting, we will be catching up with the guys at Hammerfest and SOS Festival, looks good on any band’s CV to have a supported a band such as this. Seven Sins should be a great event for you guys to play. What bands are you looking forward to seeing there?
Adam : As many as possible!
What prompted you as a band to start using PR firms, and what do you hope to gain from going down this route?
Steve: 2016 [was] our first year on the scene, we achieved a lot, from great reviews for our debut EP, to gigs all over the country playing with great bands, with some cool promoters and venues. We also worked with many radios and press who took a real shine to the band and have supported us tremendously, including you guys. This year, however, with the new album we need to step it up a gear or three, and also we are busy gigging and other things, so we decided to see about working with some PR companies, with people we trust and feel will do a good job both on the marketing side and booking events for us.
You guys are also confirmed for POW3RF3ST 2017, have you got anything special lined up for this?
Adam: YES! Us! Haha, no we are gunna give it our all and hopefully it will go down well!
You have a lot of events lined up for this year, which would you say is the biggest and do you do anything differently when it comes to prepping when it’s a bigger and more important gig?
Steve: Well, last year we gigged nonstop and this year will be no different; we were out to cause a buzz for the band, and I think by now we have achieved it to an extent. [Now] we need to attract the big festival bookers and hope that this year we will get offered a slot perhaps on Bloodstock, Uprising, one of the Hammerfest or HRH festivals etc… For now we do have a fair few festivals booked already, such as Heaven And Hell and Sevens Sins, Dementia Aware, among others. We are also booked into a couple of larger ones we can’t disclose as of yet until they announce. Meantime, between our agents and ourselves, we are booking gigs as much as possible. The band is an experienced lot and anyone who has seen the band will tell you we give it our all at every gig, and it gets pretty crazy out there; we just do what we feel works and love to get involved with the audience and make them a part of the show. So, I guess the answer is, no, we don’t do anything different.
You guys are in the process of putting together a new album, can you tell us a little about this?
Adam: Yes, it will be hard hitting, mud hole stomping but with some sing along choruses and sexy solos.
How is the recording process going?
Adam: I am yet to get in there but the guys have worked hard and it’s sounded huge already.
How are you finding your time in the studio?
Steve.: We found Charles Creese and Magpie Studios in Ashford (Kent) pretty much by mistake, and once we worked with Charles on the debut EP he blew us away on every level… the studio is great and in a cool location, [It’s] relaxing and Charles is so easy to get on with. It’s a pleasure recording. We are taking our time and want to make the album the best it can be for our fans. We also have to match or improve on the quality and success of the EP now.
When can we expect the album to be released?
Adam: We are aiming for end of March/ April time.
We can’t wait to get our hands on it and give it a spin! Is there anything else you would like to say to your followers?
Steve. : Sure… we love what we do and we specially love taking the band and its music to the people out there. We connect with all our fans and really enjoy having them get up close and personal with the band whilst performing, being part of our show, not just spectators. We thank each and every one of them and can’t wait to get back out there and do our crazy stuff live for them and with them. Without our fans current and those who will become fans we are nothing. See you soon and for those yet to see the band live, I recommend you come and join us for some genuinely crazy nights of metal mayhem and madness.
Adam: I would love to meet you all at the front.
www.facebook.com/spreadingthedisease.official/
