The Über Rock Interview: Simon Gordon (Kill II This)
Written by Linzi A
Sunday, 09 July 2017 05:00
Kill II This are a four-piece extreme metal band from Manchester who blend elements of industrial electronica, hip-hop and even opera. In a turbulent period of eight years between 1997 and 2004, during which the band went through numerous line-up changes, which have truly resolve the resolve of a lesser man: but guitarist Mark Mynett carried on regardless, creating one innovative album after another before finally calling it a day. A decade later, however, Mynett re-united with original band mates Jeff Singer and Pete Stone, and together they recruited vocalist Simon Gordon to aid their return to active duty – a move which resulted in a storming performance on the main stage at Bloodstock last summer.
Fresh from their appearance at the Uprising Festival in Leicester at the end of May, and ahead of their no doubt barnstorming headlining slot this coming Friday at the tenth anniversary iteration of SOS, I caught up with the band’s newest recruit to get the lowdown on what is happening in the Kill II This camp.. Simon started by recalling the experience of Uprising:
It was really good. We had a great set. There was a great buzz about the event, and all the people were really friendly and welcoming. Even though we only got to play a half hour set, the response we got was amazing! The whole atmosphere was amazing. These new festivals are a great way for new emerging bands to become known, but also for those old school bands to get an airing as well (we both laugh). The sound of music, drinking under the sun, sharing it all with friends… there is no better feeling really. The hosts were fabulous too: a big shout out to the festival organisers for putting on a great event!
Who did you most enjoy watching over the weekend?
I like old school thrash type music, so i really liked watching the likes of Primordial and Onslaught, who are a real powerhouse of sound.
Would you say that old school thrash has been an influence for you and your style of music?
Oh, definitely. I like the velocity of thrash… the complete insanity of guitar riffs along with amplified bass creating a really crushing sound is something that really captivates me.
You guys have just released a new video, ‘Sleeper Cell’: do you want to tell us a little about this?
This was the very first song we made a start on, so it seemed right that this would be the track we do a video to. Mark actually changed the riff on it, so it sounds completely different to how it would have sounded. It’s a beast of a track.
We see your guitarist Mark Mynett has had a book published the ‘Metal Music Manual’. Have any of you other guys got any projects on going outside of the band?
It took Mark four years to get the book together: he poured his blood, sweat and tears into it, travelling to America and across Europe interviewing people for it. I have my other band, Black Whiskey, who I tour with when Kill II This isn’t on tour. Our drummer, Jeff, is a football coach at the weekends, so yea we do have other projects outside of the band.
Back in the ‘90s, the band got to tour with some amazing names such as Megadeth, Anthrax, Entombed, Machine Head, Slipknot just to name a few. Now, after a long break, you guys have come back – and now you’re doing it all over again working your way up: how does that feel for the band as whole? Do you think it feels strange for the other three guys coming back and starting afresh?
Yea, so much has changed since back in the day! The guys were just 20-something year olds, touring for such a lousy pay, and back then they had to push and push. Even when touring Europe, they had no record deal behind them until 1998.
Coming back onto the music scene, with the internet being out there for bands, is like a double-edged sword: it can go two ways. You don’t really need a label to be out there pushing you as much as social media does that for you: fans can easily access your music. Be it on Twitter/Facebook/YouTube or any other social media outlet or online music forum, people can see and hear what bands are doing, so this helps bands; whereas back in the day it was all flyers and posters and word of mouth and you needed a label behind you to give you that push to get you heard.
What’s next for the band?
After SOS we have Facebarmageddon at the beginning of December: we’re playing on the Sunday as main support to Evil Scarecrow. Then, hopefully we should be doing an album… if not, there will be a couple of new songs, then a European tour next year.
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