ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON 25 MARCH 2011
Truth Corroded founder and bassist Greg Shaw chuckles when he recalls the time his band got one up on the globetrotting Parkway Drive lads. He was filling in for Contrive in Bangkok, who were appearing as the support act there for the Byron Bay metalcore crew.
“They thought they were going to be the first band to play in China, but apparently some of the kids [there] had Truth Corroded shirts on,” he says with a laugh. “So they got beat to the punch!”
The Adelaide quintet played shows in China in October 2008, becoming the first Australian metal band to ever tour that country. That’s quite a landmark achievement, and one that has left Shaw with some fond memories.
“Guangzhou … is without a doubt — we’ve played there twice now — the most intense shows we’ve ever played. The crowds over there are just absolutely ballistic.
Greg Shaw
“It was an awesome experience to play there,” he says. “We’ve played in some cities… one in particular, a place called Guangzhou which is without a doubt — we’ve played there twice now — the most intense shows we’ve ever played. The crowds over there are just absolutely ballistic. Funnily enough, as big as that city is, the only two bands who’ve ever played there from the Western world is ourselves and Parkway Drive. Which is pretty cool. And we supported Behemoth in Beijing on the first tour too which was an awesome experience. China’s an amazing place to play. We really enjoyed it.”
The band’s fourth album Worship the Bled is released on April 8, and to give Australian fans a chance to grab it before it hits the stores, Truth Corroded is doing a short national tour before jetting off to Asia once again. China isn’t on the agenda this time, however, and the plan to play in Japan may just fall through too.
“Right at the moment that’s looking a bit up in the air,” Shaw says with a grim chuckle. “We went to Japan in 2009 for the first time and we played with a band called Argument Soul, Grim Force, which is this awesome Bay Area-sounding thrash band from Osaka, and our good mates LORD from Sydney. That was an incredible tour. We didn’t know what to expect before going over there. We thought, ‘No one knows about us over there, we could get ten people for all we know.’ But it ended up being sold out shows for the entire tour. Japanese when it comes to metal musicianship are just [in] a world of their own, it’s just amazing. We are really looking forward to going back, but considering the situation at the moment, it’s looking likely we’ll probably have to postpone.”
The release of Worship the Bled comes at a time of further transition within a camp that has never been very stable. The album was ready to be recorded when their previous drummer left to join the Army. With studio time booked and most of the songs written, Truth Corroded decided not to wait to find a new drummer. Instead, they shipped the tracks off to Kevin Talley.
“It started out as a joke really. We talked about getting this guy to play on the album, or this guy,” Shaw says of the process. “Then we decided to approach Kevin Talley and see if he was available and if it was affordable.
As it turned out, Talley had some time to spare before getting to work on a new Dååth album, liked what he heard from their MySpace page and got back to them with a good deal.
“He was very, very generous in that regard,” Shaw explains, “which is cool because he was also into the music, and that came across in the way he played the songs. He dropped into what we were about… he could see the genre that we were influenced by and his drumming suits that down to a t. So like we did with Upon the Warlords Crawl, we wrote that album on drum machine before we gave it to the drummer, and we did the same thing with Kevin. We had everything there as a blueprint, gave it to him and he just interpreted the songs in his own way. Most of the structures were about 80% the same, but he added his own flavour to some of the riffs. Which was cool, because when we got it back we were inspired to do things a little bit differently.”
But even with Kevin Talley helping them out and new drummer Luke Peak since introduced, the band’s seemingly perennial line-up issues have continued. Before Truth Corroded has even had a chance to showcase the new album live, both guitarists have also now been replaced.
“Particularly as far as drummers go it’s been a little bit like Spinal Tap. We haven’t had one blow up on us yet, but I wouldn’t rule anything out!” Greg laughs. “At the moment the only two original members still in the band is myself and Jason the singer.”
Unfortunately for guitarist Mark Lennard, his reason for stepping down is a medical one that restricts his playing.
“Our guitarist Mark is having carpal tunnel surgery. He’s had one hand done and he’s about to have the other done at the end of March, but the actual rehabilitation and healing side of things is really going to take probably a good part of this year. When and if Mark is able to play again, he will quite likely return to the band. If that’s the case we’re gonna go the Maiden route and become a six piece. We’ll wait and see what happens. We’ve got two new guys on guitar who just played their first show on Saturday.”
Both Wayne Batters and lead guitarist Chris Walden are long time fans and have worked in groups that Greg has released on his Truth Inc. label; Batters and Peak were formerly in A Red Dawn together and Walden is ex-Closed Casket. Their first show with Truth Corroded was the album launch in front of a hometown crowd.
“They’ve fitted in like you wouldn’t believe,” Shaw says encouragingly. “When we took to the stage on Saturday it actually felt like these guys had always been in the band, so it was a good vibe, man! And they’ve brought a lot of enthusiasm along with it as well, having watched us play for so long and now to be part of it, it’s renewed mine and Jason’s enthusiasm too.”
The new look band starts their tour by playing at one of the last shows at Melbourne’s Arthouse on April 1, then heads to Adelaide, Sydney, Brisband and the Gold Coast before taking to foreign shores. And while Tokyo may well still be off the itinerary at the moment, Greg is hopeful that at least the show in the southern city of Osaka can go ahead, which will tie in with their travel plans to Singapore and Thailand.
“It’s trying times over there. Maybe a bit of metal will help! We’ve got a lot of good friends there and you can only imagine what they’re going through at the moment. It would be good to be there and give them a slap on the back and share a beer with them and just help them get through.”
