Interviews: A Burden To Bear

This is a new interview with the Metalcore band A Burden To Bear from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on his FACEBOOK PAGE. 

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or came out just like that?

Wyatt: The name originally came from a Yu-Gi-Oh card called Burden of the Mighty. From there the name developed into A Burden to Bear.

Nick: I always thought of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, “hate is too great a burden to bear.” But no, Wyatt is a nerd and it’s a Yu-Gi-Oh card. Lovely.

Joe: To me, it always meant that life is your burden to bear. Every day is tough, but you have to get through it.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Nick: I actually didn’t, I was a melodic death metal/thrash guy and kind of ended up here accidentally when my last band fell apart. I think it worked out pretty well, melodic death metal yields itself pretty well to metalcore.

Wyatt: Metalcore is a genre that welcomes experimentation. You can incorporate a lot of different elements from many different genres and people are very receptive to that.

Joe: I have been interested in/playing metalcore for close to 13 years. It’s always been an interesting genre to me because so many elements from metal as a whole come together to make something that can be both extremely brutal and beautiful at the same time. The fact A Burden to Bear is a metalcore band has had me enticed and satisfied since I joined the band.

Austin: I wanted to join my friend whom I had played with a few years before joining this band. It also was an opportunity, as well as a challenge for me to go out of my comfort zone by playing in a style different from what I was used to at the time.

Matt: I would be just as happy playing other genres too but having been a metal fan since I was 12 or so, I have a huge appreciation and love for metal drummers and all forms of extreme music.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Wyatt: I did not know any of the other guys prior to them joining the band.

Joe: I didn’t know any of the guys. I am from Ohio and was offered the opportunity to formally try out for the vocal position.

Austin: Only a couple members. I was in a band with Matt and Nick a couple years before ABTB was formed.

Matt: Nick the vocalist, and Austin the bassist are two of my oldest buddies from high school. We've been good friends since about 2012 or 2013. I met Joe and Wyatt later on.

Nick: I met Matt our freshman year of High School because we were in band class together and then had Gym the next period. We talked about metal music and comedians and eventually talked about starting our own band. I lied my ass off and said I played guitar and then had to actually learn to back up my big mouth. We both met Austin our sophomore year when he transferred into our school. The first real impression Austin left on me was hanging out after school in the band room when Matt and I were practicing some covers. I specifically remember him hearing us play Master of Puppets and asking if he could play my guitar with matt playing the drums and I let him. He certainly tried, but he wasn’t very good. We figured if we gave him a bass it would be easier for him and now he’s a badass. The best instrumentalist in our band is our bassist and that’s pretty cool in my opinion.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Wyatt: Beartooth

Joe: The Black Dahlia Murder

Austin: I don't have one specifically, but a few of my go-to bands are Korn, Pantera, and Megadeth

Matt: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Nick: My favorite band is In Flames.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Wyatt: A lot of things can inspire me to write a song, but I find myself writing about my own personal experiences most often. Sometimes it starts with a riff that matches how I feel about the situation or some simple lyrics that describe what happened, and it kind of just takes off from there.

Joe: Mainly personal experiences. I will draw inspiration from movies and TV shows occasionally

Austin: I'm inspired by life experiences that are usually not pleasant

Matt: I don't really have anything specific in mind. I am usually inspired by writers, documentaries, and other bands that I like.

Nick: A lot of people lean into emotion when writing music, and I find that to be most effective when writing lyrics. I come from a background of improvisation on guitar, so it’s usually just up to my energy level what I write on guitar.

6. Where was your last gig?

Austin: Legend's in Cincinnati, OH

7. Where would you like to act?

Nick: We’ll go anywhere as long as we can play.

Austin: I'd love to play at a European festival like Bloodstock or Wacken Open Air 

Wyatt: I would love to play at a prestigious festival like Download.

Joe: Any and everywhere

Matt: I think one of the places I would love to play the most would be Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Austin: I'd love to feature with one of Avenged Sevenfold's guitarists, Matt Heafy, Levi Benton, and many more!

Wyatt: I would love e to feature a metal icon such as M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold or Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage.

Joe: Tom Barber

Matt: I would love to feature someone like Travis Ryan from cattle decapitation. He is one of the craziest vocalists of all time.

Nick: So many people! M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold is a goal of mine, but realistically I’d like to look into features with guys like Ryan Knight, Anders Fridén, Emil Werstler, Justin Aufdemkampe, and Hank Sherman.

9. Who not?

Wyatt: It's hard to put a single name on something like this. There are tons of artists that we love that we may not want to feature. It had to make sense, ya know?

Austin: Artists that simply wouldn't fit the project being worked on

Joe: I’m pretty much open to any kind of collaboration

Matt: I wouldn't be crazy about collaborating with pop punk artists, though they are very popular at the moment.

Nick: I am genuinely open to any feature so long as it fits the song.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Wyatt: I have a bit of fright and anxiety before going on stage but that all melts away when we start playing. When you go on stage with some of your best friends and you're doing what you love, you can't help but smile and get lost in the moment.

Joe: I used to suffer from it pretty severely early on. I’ve always been a guitarist for other bands and this is my first time fronting one. It took me over a year to grow to be comfortable in my current role. The best advice I can give anyone who is suffering from stage fright is: be yourself and just have fun.

Austin: I do get stage fright, as well as pre-show anxiety. Both are worse the longer the time is without playing shows. I feel a feel lot better the more we frequently play shows.

Matt: I get nervous before any show really, but I learned at a young age that I didn't mind the pressure of an audience so much. Especially when I have my boys on stage with me!

Nick: I have experienced quite a bit of stage fright, but I generally lose it as soon as we lock into the first song. As for advice for anyone struggling: I think that just being warmed up and prepared is the best way to fight it. If you’re a vocalist, research vocal health. If you’re an instrumentalist, look up stretches. Practice before you get to rehearsal. View the stage as the exact same thing as a rehearsal. If you can prepare yourself to the best of your ability you can take some form of solace in knowing that you’re at your best and that should be enough.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Wyatt: Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, and Miss May I

Joe: I like all kind of genres of metal across the board. I’d say the most impressionable bands have been: Motionless in White, Whitechapel, Chimaira, and The Black Dahlia Murder

Austin: Linkin Park, Korn, Slipknot, Trivium, and Primus

Matt: I think I was most inspired by a lot of the progressive music my dad showed me, a lot of that stuff helped develop my music taste entirely. Once I got into metal some of the bands that really spoke to me were Mastodon, Slipknot, Opeth etc.

Nick: Allison Krauss & Union Station, At the Gates, Avenged Sevenfold, The Black Dahlia Murder, Bullet for My Valentine, Dark Tranquility, Dissection, The Dixie Chicks, In Flames, Keith Whitley, Megadeth, Mercyful Fate Tony Rice, Trivium

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Wyatt: I haven't been asked for anything weird.

Joe: An elderly woman once asked me to sign her chest

Austin: I'm not sure, I've probably said plenty of more weird things to fans

Matt: I've never been asked for anything strange from a fan, though I'm not opposed to fulfilling weird requests!

Nick: Weird guy asked me to drive him to a town 2 hours away from the venue we were and a few months later gave me the address of his mother’s house so I could come to fight him.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Wyatt: We have a very dedicated fanbase, and we're very grateful for that. If it wasn't for their continued support, we probably wouldn't be where we are today. 

Joe: Love them. The best ever.

Austin: They're extremely kind and generous metalheads

Matt: Our fans are great they always show up to our shows and go crazy! It feels really good to have an audience that responds to the music so well.

Nick: Our fans are fantastic, they are incredibly supportive and involved. We couldn’t ask for a better community surrounding us.

14. What do you think of our site? 

Wyatt: It's awesome that you all cover primarily underground artists in your publications. It's hard for up-and-coming bands to be featured by media outlets, so your site is definitely a nice change of pace.

Joe: I think it’s great you all care about younger bands and am extremely grateful for the opportunity

Austin: Your site is well done. I really like how much depth there is in presenting upcoming bands!

Matt: I'm a fan of any website or platform that puts on new artists! You guys do that, it reminds me of old-school "fanzines".

Nick: Your site is a fantastic resource for finding new bands! I’m going to be spending a lot of time on the site.

15. Something you'd like to add?

Wyatt: Be sure to check us out on your favorite music streaming site, and keep an eye out for our upcoming EP.