Skip to main content

To bask in the realms of loudness: An interview with Scott Middleton of Asheville, N.C. rockers BASK


Bask, as photographed by Arlie Huffman.

BASK is a loud as hell southern rock band that blends backwoods brutality with a rustic, Appalachian atmosphere. Their sound varies between progressive, folk-like interludes, fat stoner jams, and rock and roll hooks. But one thing remains consistent with Bask, and that's the high volume. I witnessed Bask recently unload a decibel-raising set in Philadelphia at Kung Fu Necktie, and their music made me feel like I was being dragged through the wilderness to be barbecued alive.

Bask has recently joined forces with Season Of Mist to release their next album. Behold, an interview with Bask's Scott Middleton about playing loud and living large.

HELL-O Bask. How did your United States tour go?  
Hey! The tour went very well. We were able to see a lot of friends and family in some of our favorite cities and even played a couple new places for the first time while trying out some of our new material. 

Your upcoming album will be released on Season Of Mist, featuring Mastodon producer Matt Bayles. How did this creative process go?
We worked on writing the album for more than the past year or so and cranked out the recording with Matt Bayles in four and a half days at Echo Mountain Studio, here in our hometown of Asheville, NC. 

What can fans expect on this new album?
Fans can expect what they've come to know as our sound, but we have definitely expanded upon it in our songwriting. We branched out musically on this album in new ways and I'm excited for people to hear it. 

I was impressed by the enormity of your sound in a live concert. What's your secret? 
Dynamics are probably one of the biggest contributors to our sound and it's something we always keep in mind. We enjoy the contrasts in our sound and feel that without the occasional come down, the highs are not nearly as powerful. 



How do you describe BASK in your own words?
To make it easy, I'll often describe us as a loud, rock band. Usually adjectives like progressive, spacey, psychedelic, and metal get tossed in. It's up to the listener to decide. 

Name one album that changed your life forever. 
For me, Mastodon's Leviathan always comes to mind as one of the first metal album to truly blow my mind. I know bands like Pantera and Metallica also hold a really significant spot in the lives of my bandmates. 

Your music also has a few mellow interludes. What's some non-metal music you unwind to? I myself am a big fan of Yanni...
Haha, not too much Yanni here. This year I've become a bit obsessed with an ambient/experimental band out of Chicago called Bitchin Bajas. They're very droney and meditative. Although along the metal lines, we've all really been enjoying the new Elder. It has a very chill quality to it. 

Thank you for going one on one with the GRIM1! Anything you'd like to add in closing? 
Thanks for this opportunity and we're looking forward to seeing you all on the road soon once the new album is out! 

Follow Bask on Bandcamp for more loudness. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interview with Pan-Amerikan Native Front

War is coming! Pan-Amerikan Native Front is among the fierce bands who lead the charge of in digenous black metal in the Americas. This group is fronted by its enigmatic chief, Kurator of War. Their 2016 full length Tecumseh's War  beats like a war club through the life and conflict of its namesake. Earlier this year, Pan-Amerikan Native Front released the Native Amerikan Black Metal split w ith the Ifernach, which is already sold out of of vinyls their bandcamp . Behold this interview I conducted with Kurator Of War.  Tecumseh's War was inspired by the life of Tecumseh, and it's a blistering musical journey. What was your inspiration for the Native Amerikan Black Metal split, lyrically, thematically and musically? The split album continued to retain a conceptual and storytelling approach, much like Tecumseh's War, and with a similar range of songwriting styles I implemented with the previous album. When Ifernach and I began focusing on themes we naturally landed on ...
Post a Comment
Read more

OG Blasphemy: An interview with Profanatica's Paul Ledney

Profanatica is widely recognized as the first United States black metal band. Building on the foundation set forth by Venom and Hellhammer, Profanatica has spewed a rambunctious attack on all that is holy since 1990. Their antics on and off stage gained the same notoriety as their hellish music. While their European counterparts posed for photographs with candelabras and swords, Profanatica did photos with blood dripping from their limp dicks. Grainy VHS from the early 90s interviews show them giggling as they rip pages out of a bible and eat them. In many ways, Profanatica is one of the metal bands to become a meme. The recordings of what was to become their first album was destroyed by spiteful band mates before it was ever released in 1990 - read on to find out more about that fateful event. It was nearly two decades later that Profanatica birthed their first full length  Profanatitas De Domanatias in 2007. Rotting Incarnation Of God  is Profanatica's upcoming full len...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interview with SODOM's Tom Angelripper

"It's time to die!"  Nearly 40 years since their formation, Sodom proves their metal attack gets nastier with each year. Their upcoming album Genesis XIX is a thoroughly headbanging affair. It marks the return of guitarist Frank Blackfire, who shredded on their landmark albums Persecution Mania (1987) and 89's  Agent Orange, as well as the addition of second guitarist Yorck Segatz, for Sodom's first run as a quartet.  Genesis XIX delivers the heavy artillery one expects from Sodom. It's got the punk influence on it's catchy single "Sodom and Gomorrah", reminiscent of their original, dearly departed drummer Chris Witchhunter (RIP). Songs like "Dehumanized" and "Nicht Meir Mein Land" feature blast beats from their new drummer Toni Merkel, with the latter sinking into an infectiously groovy mid-tempo swagger. Vocalist and bassist Tom Angelripper is the driving force of Sodom. His raspy vocals and distorted bass are the centerpiec...
Post a Comment
Read more