Interview With Vomit Forth By Zach Scott
As part of my review of their new album Seething Malevolence, I spoke to Vomit Forth’s drummer, Nick Herrmann, about the record and the future of the band.MoM: How would you best describe Vomit Forth’s sound with this new record?
Nick: Holding together THAT Northeastern sound. It’s abrasive but still has that underlying groove to it. We wanted to continue to make music that has high replay value. I always felt like that was something that tends to get lost in a lot of music like this.
MoM: How do you think your sound has developed with Seething Malevolence when compared to your earlier demos?
Nick: The record’s sound is just built off of what we have established through those earlier releases. The demos were more of us showing you what we wanted to hear and putting our influences fully out in the open, where now with Seething all of those influences are still there but we’re using them to develop something that’s ours.
MoM: Was this a conscious choice, or did your style kind of develop itself as you wrote more and more?
Nick: Our number one goal every time we get the next release ready is to outdo ourselves. We’re not looking at other bands as much as we’re looking at ourselves and what can WE do to expand on the sound and push it further.
MoM: If you had to choose one band that influenced your sound most - as a band or as an individual - who would it be?
Nick: It’s really impossible to narrow it down to one band. What I can say is we are a Northeast band influenced by other NORTHEAST bands. Whether it’s metal or hardcore, the Northeast has always had it’s own identity. We grew up listening to everything so you’re going to get all of that when listening to this record.
MoM: What is your writing process - do you all write together as a band, or is it more individualistic?
Nick: Everyone has their own ideas that they work out on their own but it all gets brought together in a group setting. Some ideas work, some don’t. The band is composed of people from two different states, so it’s not uncommon for videos / demos to get sent back and forth before we get in the same room.
MoM: You’ve got some upcoming tours with some of the US’ biggest and best new death metal bands - what do you see coming out of these tours for you?
Nick: Again, further solidifying and representing that Northeast sound. Bringing that to as many people as we possibly can.
MoM: In this vein of new death metal that’s coming out, there’s a big crossover in fanbase between old school death metal fans and hardcore fans - do you think this is a good thing for the genre?
Nick: Absolutely. I never understood the people that want to put restrictions on themselves as to what they listen to. When I was growing up I didn’t care what it was, if I like something then I like it. The “anti-hardcore” crowd is corny to me. If you really want to take THAT literally then a lot of the metal bands you like wouldn’t exist without hardcore and THAT’S something you can trace all the way back to bands like GBH. People continuing to check both scenes out is only going to bring more heads out to shows and expose bands to an audience they might not have had playing the same shows they normally do.
MoM: You’ve spoken before about wanting to make your music unique and memorable - what do you think is the number one thing a band can do to stand out amongst similar bands?
Nick: Stop making music for the sake of appealing to a certain crowd and make music you would want to listen to.
MoM: Lastly, what are your short and long term goals for both this record and the band in general?
Nick: Again, just to bring this record to as many people as we possibly can and push ourselves as far as we possibly can go.
Cheers to Vomit Forth for doing this interview – check out their new album, Seething Malevolence on all streaming platforms!
MoM: What is your writing process - do you all write together as a band, or is it more individualistic?
Nick: Everyone has their own ideas that they work out on their own but it all gets brought together in a group setting. Some ideas work, some don’t. The band is composed of people from two different states, so it’s not uncommon for videos / demos to get sent back and forth before we get in the same room.
MoM: You’ve got some upcoming tours with some of the US’ biggest and best new death metal bands - what do you see coming out of these tours for you?
Nick: Again, further solidifying and representing that Northeast sound. Bringing that to as many people as we possibly can.
MoM: In this vein of new death metal that’s coming out, there’s a big crossover in fanbase between old school death metal fans and hardcore fans - do you think this is a good thing for the genre?
Nick: Absolutely. I never understood the people that want to put restrictions on themselves as to what they listen to. When I was growing up I didn’t care what it was, if I like something then I like it. The “anti-hardcore” crowd is corny to me. If you really want to take THAT literally then a lot of the metal bands you like wouldn’t exist without hardcore and THAT’S something you can trace all the way back to bands like GBH. People continuing to check both scenes out is only going to bring more heads out to shows and expose bands to an audience they might not have had playing the same shows they normally do.
MoM: You’ve spoken before about wanting to make your music unique and memorable - what do you think is the number one thing a band can do to stand out amongst similar bands?
Nick: Stop making music for the sake of appealing to a certain crowd and make music you would want to listen to.
MoM: Lastly, what are your short and long term goals for both this record and the band in general?
Nick: Again, just to bring this record to as many people as we possibly can and push ourselves as far as we possibly can go.
Cheers to Vomit Forth for doing this interview – check out their new album, Seething Malevolence on all streaming platforms!