Interview With Mutiny Within Drummer Bill Fore
February 9th, 2010 by Stephanie Stevens
Had a chance to catch up with Bill Fore drummer of the new band signed to Roadrunner Records, MUTINY WITHIN after there set in Worcester, MA.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO DRUMMING?
I started drumming because I tapped on everything. I asked my parents for a drum set one Christmas when I was nine or ten.
WERE YOU INFLUENCED BY ANYONE OF JUST LIKED MAKING NOISE?
I liked making noise then once I started making noise I started listening to Dream Theater and all the progressive drummers.
WHEN DID YOU START IN A BAND OR IS THIS YOUR FIRST BAND?
This is my first signed band, this is everyone’s first signed band but before that I was in everything from punk to hardcore and metal, I went through all the phases.
AND YOU’RE FROM JERSEY?
Yes, born and raised!
WITH THIS DEBUT ALBUM BANDS TAKE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO “FIND THEMSELVES” BUT IT SEEMS LIKE YOU GUYS ALREADY DID THAT SO WAS IT EASIER OR HARDER MAKING THE ALBUM?
We went into the record with like fifty songs, so we had a lot to narrow down from but a lot of the songs we brought to the label our A&R guy didn’t like and he really pushed us to write the most complex and hardest thing we were able to play and that is how we kind of molded into what we are. A very complex, always pushing the envelope type of band. Always bringing diversity and change to our sound. In the long run we are very happy he pushed us so hard.
YOU ALSO BROUGHT YOUR SINGER CHRIS AND DAN FROM ENGLAND HERE TO ROUND OUT THE BAND?
Yes, Chris was friends with Dan and when we needed a second guitar player it was an obvious choice. They were friends in college, same musical interest so Chris flew here and Dan followed afterwards.
IT’S CRAZY YOU HAD TO GO OVERSEAS TO FIND THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE, WERE PEOPLE HERE NOT CUTTING IT OR WERE YOU LOOKING FOR A CERTAIN THING?
When AJ was first looking for a singer, well Chris came into the band before I got into the band, so I wasn’t a part of finding him. I’ve been in the band for three years and before that Chris came so they had auditioned a bunch of people and it was all they couldn’t clean sing to good or the screaming sounded like shit. So with Chris he has a classical opera background plus he loves the aggressive aspect of singing. So with those two things mixed, it have us a diversified perfect front man.
THEY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE?
Well, they haven’t lived her permanently; they come for months at a time when we were recording the album they were here, but then had to go home. We went on the Soulfly Tour, then they went home, so now he has like a working visa he can be here longer other then that he would have come for a month then go home.
IT SEEMS YOU’VE TOURED A LOT BEFORE THE ALBUM WAS OUT?
We just started touring this is just our third tour. So yes, we have but not really. After this tour with Arch Enemy, we have a month and a half off, then we go on another tour. It’s been good because all the tours have been diverse and by the time we get on the next tour our disc will be out.
WATCHING YOU PLAY TONIGHT AND LOOKING AT YOU NOW, YOU’RE IN REAL GOOD SHAPE, DO YOU STAY IN SHAPE FOR YOURSELF OR DUE TO THE WAY YOU DRUM?
I do it because I love being in shape but it helps obviously because the stronger you are, more muscle you have, the faster you can go but its not the reason I do it. I just like staying in shape, I used to be real skinny, and I was like 120 and a little kid in high school, so I wanted to catch up.
DO YOU FEEL BEING A DRUMMER IN THIS BAND YOU NEED MORE TECHNICAL EFFIENCY OR STAMINA/ENDURANCE OR BOTH?
You need everything. You can’t go into it being technically sound but then twenty minutes in, you are dead. It doesn’t help when you have forty-five to an hour set. That is where staying in shape comes in, you don’t get as tired.
WHAT’S YOUR PRACTICE REGIMENT?
Well drumming is the set we do every night but as far as lifting/working out, it’s hard so I bring one of those rubber bands that help a lot. But it’s hard diet wise on the road with all the fast food.
OFF THE ALBUM WHERE DO YOU FEEL THE BAND SHINES SONG WISE?
I love them all but if I had to choose listening and playing wise there are two that are my favorites. OBLIVIAN and SUFFOCATE. Those two songs were written in the same time frame and have similarities but the choruses are huge. The verses are fast, there is fast double bass in both of them. So, those two playing wise, the crowd gets into them.
IS IT HARD BEING ON TOURS WHEN PEOPLE DON’T REALLY KNOW YOU?
When we did our first tour not many people knew us, since then people can download the single. We premiered our debut music video. We have a few more songs up on Myspace so people are getting the idea of us. It’s just a lot of online marketing also people can sign up on our mailing list each night we play. We are goal oriented to embrace fans and for a band like us to not have a CD out yet, I’m happy with the response we are getting.
WHEN DOES THE ALBUM HIT?
February 23rd through Roadrunner. Then tons of touring with diverse bands because our music touches on thrashy melodic metal, death metal, singles that could be on active rock radio, so we really want to branch out and get as many people into us as possible.
IS IT HARD WRITING SONGS WHEN SO MANY INFLUENCES ARE COMING THROUGH?
That’s another thing that’s a really good part and positive outlook in writing. Dan is a huge progressive rock and DREM Theater fan. Brandon likes a lot of death metal, very heavy guitars stuff. AJ likes some Finnish bands so everyone has their own tastes, so when the songs are forming that is where the diversity comes in. It really benefits rather than having each member into the exact same music and the album would probably come out very flat.
SO NO FIGHTING IN THE WRITING PROCESS?
Writing the song NO everyone does their part and that’s it. (says this with a smirk).
ARE YOU SURE?
Yes, I’m sure (laughing)
WHAT DOES MUTINY WITHIN MEAN?
We were originally called Mutiny but because of legal reasons we had to change it. So, we added within, cool thing about it is both words are six letters Mutiny starts with an M and within with a W, so when I made the symbol (the M.W) it’s very symmetric and nice looking. I like when things look good, I have OCD so if it’s visually stimulating it’s a good thing. So the symbol stood out.
OK, SO IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LOOK, NO DEEP HIDDEN MEANING?
No, no other than just visually there is a meaning. We don’t touch on what Chris writes about because we want to leave it open but a lot of it is about inner struggle and how there are things going on outside of the world that not many people are in tuned with. There are things behind closed doors that people don’t know about or care to think about so there is a MUTINY WITHIN!
LAST COMMENTS?
Buy our record when it comes out. Pre-order now and you get a bonus song that is not on the record. It’s a song that old fans before the album was even written would know because we had a bunch of demos out and one of those songs is the bonus song re-recorded and you’re sure to love it. You get a signed booklet plus two dollars off the bonus song. Buy the record, don’t burn it, stop killing our careers….I’m joking; I do it sometimes as well. And buy our merch at shows!!!!
