Canada has a long history of pumping out radical metal acts like Black Wizard, one of British Columbia’s heavier metal groups. The quartet have been tearing shit up on the independent circuit for nearly a decade, and the year and a half have been a huge leap forward for them with the release of their album New Waste and subsequent tours.
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I had the chance to sit with drummer Eugune Parkomenko who spoke on behalf of the band to discuss their recent tour and the creative heavy metal beast that is Black Wizard.
Doom Gazed: So you're about a week into this tour now in support of Weedeater, which is a pretty well and established band in the stoner genre, and you even headlined a few shows at the outset of the tour. How has the tour gone so far?
Eugune Parkomenko: Hey there, sorry for such [a] late reply, the tour has been real busy and quite amazing actually. We love the Weedeater guys a lot. They are now friends for life. The few headlining gigs in Canada at the beginning were really great too, especially Vantopia in Alberta (A two day camping boogie van festival where they shot giant fireworks over our heads while we played. Very G’n’R!) We also played a few random ones in the mid-west US on our own, which weren’t very well attended but we still had a blast.
DG: I've been listening to a lot of New Waste in the last week and one of the things that caught me on it is that it has a very thick bluesy and organic sound. How do you go about ensuring that the sound comes out authentic and less contrived than some of the other bands that do this?
EP: I know this is a very cliché answer, but honestly everything that came out on that record was just so natural and literally just poured out of us in a span of three months or so. At the point when we wrote it, the line up (which is still current) has been touring together for a few years and getting very comfortable. I think all of our individual influences shine, without trying to forcefully sound like another band(s) or anything like that.
DG: When the band first started were you targeting for a sound that would fit closer to the so called New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal or a more stoner and sludgy approach?
EP: At the very beginning of the band (nine years ago or so), we really wanted to be a “stoner” rock/metal band. We were kids and were at the time stuck on a genre. Even though we still adored all of our classic influences, it was kind of just a thing to do.
That phase passed real quickly. I know there are still certain elements of stoner stuff sprinkled around the tunes, but mainly we are all heavy metal fans. Just trying to write from the heart of what we think sounds good these days is the goal. Don’t really care if it fits a certain sub-genre…
DG: How do you filter out ideas that do not work for the band? Where do most of the creative ideas come from, and do you handle your band democratically or is there someone who gets a final say on everything?
EP: It always starts with one of us bringing in a couple riffs/parts that one of us brings in. Which usually turn into all of us yelling over each other and working it up til early hours on the morning. At which point we usually have a nice skeleton of a full new song that we make a shitty phone demo of. The following jam we rehash it and we usually have the majority of a tune written. Most of our writing is quite democratic. Everyone has a say. We won’t put anything out that an individual isn’t happy with.
DG: Many members of Black Wizard if not all of you are still in other bands, correct?
EP: We all have a side project or two, But with the touring load we have had the last three years they have become not much more than just a fun hobby on the side.
DG: In a follow up to the last question, do you find that having other bands helps you and if so then how?
EP: It helps playing different genres of music for sure. I don’t see the point in playing in other bands that sound the same. So yeah, it’s good practice.
DG: Of course you released New Waste last year, so I don't expect any full length material on the immediate horizon, but do you think the band could release an EP or other material in the near future?
EP: Believe it or not, we already have a full new album completely recorded.. It is being mixed not along with artwork being done by Eliran Kantor(Crowbar, Satan, Testament, etc). It will be out January 2018.
DG: I see you played with Killswitch Engage and Volbeat last summer. That must have been a pretty unique crowd to play in front of with such a different mix of bands on stage, and of course with their level of success that's a huge leap from what you're used to. How did that go and how do you prepare yourself mentally to play in that kind of situation?
EP: That whole 6 week tour was a mind bending experience. Crowds ranged from 2,000 to 10,000. Each night the crowds were amazing and welcoming. Both Volbeat & Killswitch became good friends and treated us like peers. Unlimited buffet & anything you want rider was quite nice too…
DG: What are some of your favorite bands currently?
EP: I’m sure I don’t need to talk about our old favourites again, but as far as new stuff we’ve been really digging: new Bison record “You are not the Ocean..”, Power Trip’s “Nightmare Logic, new Royal Thunder “Wick” and of course Weedeater’s “Goliathan”. All great new albums, and yes a lot of those maybe friends of ours, but who cares right!?
DG: Outside of the band, what does everyone in Black Wizard like to do?
EP: We are very big lovers of all things outdoors; Camping, Vans, Motorbikes etc. Lots of BBQ’s and vinyl. We kind of like to have a good time. Oh yeah, and we have shitty day jobs that we try not to go to as much as possible and tour.
DG: Okay, just to wrap everything up is there anything you'd like to leave as parting words?
EP: Just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to do this! Love answering questions that people clearly put some time into. Hopefully meet you in person sometime!
Cheers!
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