EMQ’s with 3000AD
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Christchurch, New Zealand based Modern Thrash Metal band 3000AD. Huge thanks to guitarist Sam Pryor 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?
Sam Pryor, I play guitar and do some backing vocals. While the band in its current form is relatively new, the members have been involved in various projects together going way back to high school. 3000AD just happened to be the combination that felt best to us, so we proceeded to throw everything we had at our debut album “The Void”.
How did you come up with your band name?
The band name started as a song name (the opening song on our album) but once we had established the lyrical content and imagery for the album it seemed to be a good representation for the bands branding as a whole. The Void is very much set in a bleak dystopian vision of the future, around the year 3000AD.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from New Zealand. Metal in general is pretty underground here, there is not a lot of mainstream exposure or support like there is for other more “accepted” genres. The scene is predominantly a death / grind metal one so thrash bands are a bit of a rarity.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release is “The Void” it’s a first full-length album and it’s available currently on all streaming services and physical copies are also available worldwide.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Speaking only for myself when I discovered Metallica at around 12 that was me set for several years. I just became obsessed and listened to them almost exclusively. Then I went on to discover the other thrash greats like Slayer which I would say would be the second greatest influence. Many years later the German titans Kreator and Sodom were probably the next big rabbit hole I went down. I would say for each of those bands the first album I discovered became very influential, no matter if the album was considered to be one of their best or not haha. For example, the first Slayer album I got was “Diabolus In Musica”, and to this day I fucking love that album even though it’s widely considered to be a low point in the career. People are stupid though; I feel like a lot get their opinions from forums and social media.
What first got you into music?
I always listened to the radio a lot as a kid, I remember hearing Bohemian Rhapsody and just being fascinated by it. It was so different to everything else I had heard, and it had a sort of theatrical narrative that gave it an epic quality. Plus, it was just super fucking rocking haha. Once I found out that song was by Queen they became my first favourite band and launched me into guitar driven music.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Well we don’t have a dedicated lead guitarist so I would like Sami from Kreator come in and rip out some killer solos. He’s super underrated in my opinion, Kreator became a force to be reckoned with after he joined.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Hellfest in France because it’s an absolutely mind-blowing festival. It’s like its own world or something, the level of production and the atmosphere. I’ve been to a lot of festivals but that one is something else altogether.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I have yet to receive one but then we have not played many shows with this band because all our time went into the album production. Maybe after the European tour in August with Necronomicon I can report back haha.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you for all the support whether it be via messages / streams / album sales. We never take it for granted especially when there are so many bands out there to choose from.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Cliff Burton, no question. Imagine a new Metallica album with him?! Imagine how much he would energise the other guys, if only!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Just having the ability to create exactly the music you want to hear is very fulfilling. Jamming is very therapeutic too, it’s something I’ve been doing since I was about 14 and when you start ripping into a song it very much is still the same mindset and excitement as it was at the beginning which is very cool. I think that’s actually one of the best things about being in a band and it’s available to anyone regardless of success level.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I do miss the days of physical albums being the norm. I think if you had to go down to the store and grab a CD for $20 odd dollars and you could only afford one each week you inherently would value the music more, invest more time in it, and ultimately get more out of it. Spotify is great for discovering music but to this day I still buy CDs / Vinyl because they sound better (still) and you get a more immersive experience with having the physical album and the booklet etc.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Well I could list obvious thrash masterpieces like Puppets, but I would say for an absolute classic that’s not so obvious, Exodus – “Tempo Of The Damned”. I think that is still the best Steve Souza fronted Exodus album.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Vinyl is best for warmth and richness, CD is best for precision and punch, cassette is good for nostalgia value, downloads are good for instant gratification / convenience. Plus, if the download is lossless they will sound as good or even better than CD.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Probably Pantera here in Christchurch way back in 2001, I was 14 and it was fucking terrifying and amazing at the same time. That definitely left a lasting impression.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Something else creative most likely, I’m a graphic designer too so I’d probably just be doing more of that.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
James Hetfield, Christopher Hitchens, Bill Burr, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. It would be a random as fuck party haha.
What’s next for the band?
Next, hopefully, is the Europe tour, as long as that pesky virus does not ruin our carefully laid plans again!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
To listen: just search 3000AD on Spotify
To buy: www.3000ad.bandcamp.com/
To watch: search 3000AD on YouTube
www.3000ad.band/
www.facebook.com/3000AD.BAND
www.instagram.com/3000ad_thrash_metal/
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
I had to Google them haha, looks like a biscuit to me!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks Ever Metal for the support, much appreciated.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.