Interviews: Horned Wolf

We have had the opportunity to interview the Metal band Horned Wolf from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

Don: Before the band was formed I had picked out the name. I really liked it and was surprised it had not been taken. We wanted a name that sounded both modern and had callbacks to 70’s metal.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Don: I fell in love with Pallbearer and Deafheaven and wanted to blend the two. That was the initial idea but what happened when we all played together was different. Really it's a bit different from everything.

Sav: This genre has been an outlet for me for many years. It's loud and allows me to purge, well, everything.

David: Because Don was into Pallbearer and my 16th favorite record of all time is Paranoid.

Dan: I had just gotten into doom right before Don contacted me about starting a band, but I had mostly been into aggressive metal and ‘80s hardcore before that. It was fun and a bit challenging to try to slow down and groove for more than a few seconds at a time.

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

Don: I knew each member of the band individually. I have known David (drums) since high school. I met Dan (bass) through a mutual friend and we immediately hit it off musically. He was the first member to join the band with me. I met Sav (Vocals) when I recorded their vocals for the band they were in previously. Once we needed a singer I knew I had to reach out to them. Justin (guitar) I met years ago but we reconnected later on.

Justin: I met Don about ten years ago through a mutual friend who is also a musician. I didn’t see him again for about 5 years and we ran into each other at a Baroness show. He mentioned that he had started a project (Horned Wolf) and what sound they were going for. I immediately wanted to be a part of it.

David: I met Don in jewelry class in high school. He had a Gorguts CD and I figured he was cool. I met Justin and Dan in a storage shed in the middle of nowhere. I met Sav at the Harvest of Doom festival in Lawrence, KS.

Sav: I knew Don's partner through work, then Don did recording for me in a band I used to be in. I've always liked Don a lot! So when he asked me to join Horned Wolf, I immediately jumped at that offer. Glad I did.

Dan: As Don said we had a mutual friend. I was relatively new to Lawrence and I worked with him, he and Don were really my first friends in my new life here.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Justin: KISS for sure. I’ve got each member tattooed on my knuckles.

Don: Fair to Midland, Monster Magnet, In Flames, Cannibal Corpse. It's hard to pick one favourite because I listen to so much music. I am sure when I read this I will wish I had said some other bands as well.

David: Coalesce. I do not have any members tattooed on my knuckles. However, if I ever do get them tattooed it will likely be Sean Ingram on each knuckle.

Sav: I can't even start! Probably Spinnerette, the Distillers, and Deftones currently

Dan: Hard question to answer! Overall probably Tera Melos. They’re a weird experimental/math rock outfit. I highly recommend all of their very strange music videos. Punk rock is a tie between Minor Threat and Dead Kennedys. Doom would be Slabdragger. Death/core would be either Burning the Masses or Every Time I Die (RIP)

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Justin: Eric Johnson for sure. His album Ah Via Musicom single-handedly pushed me to become a better guitarist.

Don: In Flames and Shadows Fall were two oy my early string influences. David Gold from Woods of Ypres was a huge inspiration for me when it comes to slower doomier music

David: Justin, Don, Dan, and Sav. And whatever bands I happen to be listening to at any given moment. Today I listened to Uada, Sylvaine, and a new song by Abbath. All of which were quite inspiring.

Sav: I draw inspiration from many places. My main lyrical inspiration is my wildest experiences or strong emotion. I also draw inspiration from all of the vocalists I've looked up to for years. And hearing all of the brutal fucking songs the boys write! It inspires me the most. They start playing, I start writing. It just kind of happens that way sometimes.

Dan: Yeah just jamming with Don, Justin and Dave, this is the only metal I’ve ever played. My style comes from bands like Bear Vs. Shark and Hot Water Music, it’s fun blending my natural post-hardcore tendencies with their shreddy riffs.

6. Where was your last gig?

Mini Bar in Kansas City, Missouri

David: a venue with too many stairs.

7. Where would you like to act?

Justin: Saint Vitus in Brooklyn. That place rules!

Don: I second Saint Vitus. I love that place.

David: Basically any European metal festival.

Dan: Third vote for Saint Vitus. But more locally the Record Bar in KC would be pretty rad.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Don: Pallbearer, Khemmis, Spirit Adrift. I think any of those would be amazing. 

David: James Dewees, formerly of Coalesce, the Get Up Kids, Reggie and the Full Effect, etc. Specifically, James Dewees on keys, not James Dewees on drums.

Sav: I would absolutely love to feature with Otep, if I can only choose one. (I choose my number one because otherwise I'd go in forever)

Dan: Spelljammer, Slomatics, or Sumac.

9. Whom not?

Bands with ties to fascism, bigotry, transphobia, Eric Clapton, etc…

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

Don: It can sneak up on you. You just have to push through. You have practiced the songs so your body knows what to do. Let your mind wander instead of hyper-focusing on the task at hand.

Justin: Whiskey…not white wine.

David: I get at least a few butterflies before every show at some point, usually about the time the band playing before us says "this is our last one". There's a fine line between anticipation and nervousness, but the way I keep it cool is by putting the jittery energy of my nerves into the performance and just rocking out. 

Sav: luckily I don't get stage fright TOO bad. I have the confidence in myself these days to go get it because I know how exhilarating the feeling is. Tips for beginners? Let yourself feel that feeling, it's natural. Enjoy yourself. Tread lightly in regards to drugs and alcohol to deal with that stage fright. I've been there.. I'll leave it at that. Playing shows that I can actually remember now? It's beautiful.

Dan: Just listen to the song and let your fingers do the work. If I think about the part too much it messes with me. If all else fails just pretend you’re a tree and stand completely still on stage. Then they can’t see you!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Justin: I take a lot of influence from bands like Mastodon, The Sword, and Kvelertak.

Don: Black Sabbath, In Flames, Woods of Ypres, Cursive, Opeth

David: I started my first band almost immediately after seeing my friend's older brother's band play at a local all ages venue when I was 14. So, I'd have to say the kids playing in bands in Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City in the local music scene I grew up in.

Sav: Vocally, the bands and artists that inspired me the most? Brody Dalle (when I was a kid I used to scream into a pillow to sound like her 😂) Otep, Gojira, Alice in chains, Deftones, and the list goes on and on and on.

Dan: Again Bear vs. Shark, Hot Water Music, Slabdragger. Before that the Fall of Troy and At the Drive In and Coheed and Cambria were big in my formation. 

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

Don: Nothing weird I can think of but if a show is really popping I like to wander into the crowd and teach a random fan how to play my guitar part in one of the songs. (It's a super easy and long part of the song so it always goes well and is lots of fun). I show them me playing it and point out what to do then give them the guitar. Then I become a fan!

David: One time a fan asked me for a high five. That's not very weird, though.

Sav: The weirdest thing a fan has done 🧐 Marriage proposal when I was on stage.. from a total stranger! Someone tried to smooch me once, too. Didn't end too well for him.

Dan: Not really a question but I was at a gas station in Lawrence wearing an old Horned Wolf shirt and a total stranger in line with me said, “Hell yeah, my friend was in that band, they rock. I’m pretty sure they broke up though.” I just laughed and told him we definitely did not, we’ve just been hibernating with the pandemic and settling into our new singer (this was maybe two practices in with Sav). He was a friend of our former singer. I’m pretty sure I saw him at our Replay show in October though.

13. What do you think of your fans?

They are dope! We get old metal dudes and young nonbinary fans all together enjoying different aspects of our music. We love it. 14. What do you think of our site? The site is well put together. It's easy to read and to find things you are interested in. That makes it a fantastic site. But the icing on the cake is how much work you do to support small bands like us that are growing. Thank you!

15. Something to add? Hail and Cheers!