EMQ’s with PLAGUE 9
Hi Everyone. Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Adelaide based Traditional Heavy Metal band Plague 9! Huge thanks to bassist John Hopf 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 John; I play bass in the band. We’re a relatively new band. Devon and I used to play in a Metallica tribute show in Adelaide. He’d been writing for a while before that though, so had quite a bit of material that he wanted to get out there. He asked if I wanted to join him so I did sometime in 2017. He’d been auditioning drummers already and found one so by the time I came on board they had already been jamming for a bit and we managed to pull in a lead guitarist to record our first track, ‘Stuck In Hell’, that was featured on the Metalroos compilation CD last year. The lead guitarist at the time left, and so did the drummer. So we were on the lookout for another lead guitarist and drummer. We put an advert up and found the proverbial needle in the haystack in Dave who is an awesome lead guitarist. We ended up laying down some drum tracks with the help of some sophisticated software and went into the recording studio to track the “Mr. Ass” EP. We played a show with a session drummer supporting Temtris from Adelaide before securing Kon who played the 2019 Heavy SA festival with us. After finishing up the artwork and mastering for the “Mr. Ass” EP, we have now had it duplicated and it’s now good to go for the release in July.
How did you come up with your band name?
The band name originated from the bible, The Book of Exodus. There were ten plagues of Egypt. The name came from the ninth plague, which was darkness.
What country are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
I’m from Australia. There have been some good metal exports out of here that I really dig. Karnivool play some really awesome alternative progressive stuff. Of course there’s Parkway Drive who are getting a bit heavier and I Killed The Prom Queen who are from Adelaide, where Plague9 are based. I think the scene at the moment is flooded with cover/tribute bands as the big names rarely come Down Under it seems. But there is a good original metal scene as well with some venues dedicated to supporting local bands. It’s always good to go to these venues and see a good turnout of young and old metal heads head banging and going crazy in the pit.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single or Video)
“Mr. Ass”, our debut EP. It’s not quite released yet, but is ready to go for July.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Anything that’s heavy and chunky. The band all love the classics like Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera and Iron Maiden. I think our lead guitarist is into some gay shit like Jeff Loomis, Marco Sfogli and Andy James.
What first got you into music?
My brother was a guitarist and started playing in a band when I was about 14. I wanted to jam along and was too clumsy for guitar so the bass seemed to fit nicely for me. Have been playing ever since that age.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I think if Metallica wanted to jam, we’d all be in that for sure. Probably spend most of the time talking about sound and technique before making some serious noise.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
The Download Festival. It has been gaining momentum worldwide and some really big, cool bands have been playing it.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
A gift? I don’t know. The crowd like to buy drinks for the band, which can be a nice gesture. I got a stubby cooler once, which didn’t have a drink in it. That was pretty sucky!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
I think fans like bands that produce good music, but aren’t a bunch of dicks. Stick with that. Oh and buy the EP from our Bandcamp page. It’s well worth it.
If you could bring one Metal/Rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Fucken Lemmy. He’s got such attitude, such a unique voice and a crazy awesome bass tone.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love knowing that you can always play better and sound better. I hate knowing that you can always play better and sound better.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I think all bands should get an equal opportunity and a fair go. It should be about the music and not who’s your mate/enemy that determines who gets on the bill and who doesn’t.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Any one of the Metallica albums Cliff Burton played on. But I always enjoy listening to “Toxicity” by System of a Down
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Mix tapes. Man it’s a shame the current and future generations will never experience that
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
I really enjoyed that show at the Crown and Anchor supporting Temtris. The crowd was really cool. There was a good atmosphere there all night.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Would still be in the music industry somehow. Being a roadie, sound guy or something like that.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Cliff Burton, Lemmy Kilmister, Les Claypool, Robert Trujillo, Steve Harris
What’s next for the band?
Get the EP released and play more shows
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://www.facebook.com/Plague9band/
https://plague92.bandcamp.com/
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Never heard of them. Maybe Google can help me out?
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Chugging beers is nearly as awesome as chugging guitars.
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