We’ve come across The Crawling before – their recent video release for “An Immaculate Deception” and last year in the run-up to their appearance at Bloodstock. About time we got to know them better, isn’t it?
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Northern Ireland.
How did you meet?
I (Andy) knew Stuart since I was a teenager. He was in a band called Severance, and my and my mates used to go to listen to their rehearsals, and subsequently fell in with a lot of those guys.
I met Gary many years later when I began playing in the local metal scene. He was drumming for Overoth at the time.
How long have you been playing as a band?
The Crawling became what it is now in late 2014.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
It came from my brother. He came up with “The Crawling” as a song title, long before the band even started. He never used it, and then when we got going he suggested we use it. It fitted perfectly so we went with it.
What are your influences?
My main influences would be My Dying Bride, Anathema, Katatonia and Paradise Lost. I loved all the early Peaceville bands, and that is the type of music I love the most, and would absolutely be my biggest musical influence. Different bands influence Gary and Stuart; Stuart is very into Marduk, Gary is a big Type O Negative fan – so I expect those filter through into their writing.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Doom death metal. We have quite a stripped down style, mainly forged through the musical constraints of only using one guitar. Many death/doom bands rely heavily on twin guitar lines to create melody and mood – we have to do it with one; it brings challenges when writing and forces creativity. We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we certainly have our own slant on it.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
I write all the lyrics, and all of them are themed around personal experience; either literally things I have gone through, or what I have seen those around me endure. For our latest album the entire opus was based around loss, grief, and the human reaction to it. Death is a natural part of life, and people use many different coping mechanisms to find their way through – Anatomy Of Loss is an exploration of said tool sets.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Live we focus heavily on creating mood and atmosphere. Wherever we play we make a point (where we can) in removing any unnecessary light, and using spotlights, smoke and keeping the stage subdued. We also use samples and sound effects to add to it, there is never silence during our set, even between songs we use sounds/samples to help maintain the mood.
32 shows to date.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I’ve seen plenty of wild things at shows over the years, but one thing that’s always stuck in my head was during a Slayer show in Belfast back in the 90s, when some guy was head-banging wearing a white, open-faced, crash helmet. He was going fucking bananas, with effectively, a pretty solid weapon on his head. It certainly cleared the pit anyway!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Gary uses a Tama Bubinga Rockstar kit (I think!), and exclusively uses Paiste Rude cymbals.
Stuart plays Warwick /Spectre basses, Darkglass Kraken for main drive, and TC Electronics amps through Laney cab.
I play ESP Eclipse or Gibson LP/ Flying V guitars, through a Peavey 5150 head into Mesa cab. Effects-wise I really only use a Strymon delay, and Zcat reverb.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our debut album Anatomy Of Loss was released in April 2017. That’s our main focus at the moment. We are backing the release up with a selection of music videos. We have just released our third single, “Acid On My Skin.” You can find it on our YouTube channel [or down below – Mosh].
What are your plans for the rest of 2017, into 2018?
We are constantly writing new material, so always going on in the background. The remainder of 2017 is tied up with a few shows in Ireland.
2018 will hopefully see us play some more shows further afield. We have secured some festival slots to date, and we are always working hard to add more shows were possible.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
I would love to support Katatonia. They’re one of my favourite bands, and a huge influence on my writing. I have seen them many times, and they always deliver.
It would have to be Ten Ton Slug to open things up. We played a couple of shows with them recently, and they were great fun, totally pro and very, very heavy! We could also kick back and drink beer together watching Katatonia!
From previous Band of the Day Halflives: What do you like most and what do you like least about touring?
The best thing about touring is simply being on tour. It’s the coolest the thing to do in a band, for those days/weeks or whatever, you are living the dream – playing in a band for work. Hanging out with the band, meeting other bands, meeting metal fans in different places, drinking beer, partying – it’s fantastic!
Least favourite thing – when it’s over. Fuck me, the post-tour depression is dreadful…
From another BotD, Young States: Have you ever caught your band mate doing something embarrassing before? If so please explain…
I spend the majority of my drunken life doing embarrassing things, so you’d be better asking the other two guys. Thankfully they aren’t doing this!
And from Regulus: What’s your pre-show ritual/what’s the weirdest you’ve heard of?
My pre-show ritual is mainly just trying to warm up my hands and voice when I can; but to be honest I’m pretty badly organised and never really get around to anything.
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