HEAVY METAL GROOVES
Edmonton’s Black Mastiff overcomes geographic challenges to get their new album made
For most bands, having a key member move away would mean either folding or reconfiguring.
Not so for Edmonton’s Black Mastiff, who decided back in
2015 to keep choogling along as they were despite the fact that drummer and co-founder Allan Harding had moved to Vancouver for a career opportunity.
“It was immediately after we released our 2015 album Music Machine,” recalls lead singer and guitarist Bob Yiannakoulias, chatting on the back bench of the band van as they motor through Ontario as part of the tour for their latest effort, Loser Delusions, out now on the band’s own label, Grand Hand Records. “It was just too good for him to pass up. We talked about it, but in the end we just couldn’t see this band as being anything other than us three.”
The hard rock trio, which we’re going to avoid easy labelling as stoner rock, were forced to change their modus operandi due to the new geographic difficulties. In the end that may have helped, as they both revised their sound on Loser Delusions and worked at tightening up their studio practices. We spoke with Yiannakoulias about the new album, working from long distances, and the coolest local video you’ll see this year.
Q It took you four years between Music Machine and Loser Delusions to get any new material out; how hard was it to record the new album?
A It was difficult in some ways; we had the songs, and we were talking about doing the record ourselves, but none of us have any recording skills, or at least enough to get an album to the standard that we want. What ended up happening was Clay (Shea, bassist) and I hunkered down and worked out the songs to a click track. We’d send the tracks to Allan in Vancouver, and he recorded drums over them and sent them back. This was all post-production.
Q So this was all by email?
A We’d sometimes fly to Vancouver to rehearse, or Allan would come here. Then we booked time with Nick (Kozub) at the Audio Department in Edmonton, where we finally recorded it. It was a lot different than Music Machine, where we ended up in Palm Springs, California, with John Garcia (Kyuss).
Q In what way?
A With Music Machine we left
a certain amount to chance, wanting to be inspired by the studio there, and it was rawer. Loser Delusions ended up being more produced, at least by our standards. In the past we’d focus on the fact that we were a three-piece, and what you hear is what you get. We took liberties with the album, doubling guitar tracks and adding a little more than you’d hear live. It’s still raw, but definitely more produced in comparison. Also, we wanted to tighten up our time in the studio. We didn’t waste our time in the way that I’ve probably wasted engineers’ time in the past trying different things.
Q Do you feel a change in the music that isn’t just production-related?
A Oh, yeah. We were definitely feeling that we’d hit a particular range in regards to tempos and rhythms, and we wanted to change things up. Like the track Mind Vibe, which was this riff that I’d brought to the band but didn’t think would suit us. Then we decided screw it, who cares? It’s more of a garage rock feel, something of a freakout jam, and not what you’d expect from us at all. In the past we might have worried about ruffling feathers in the stoner rock community, which we usually get thrown in with, but we felt like it was the right thing to do.
Q Tell me about the video for Star Base ’77, which is fantastic. A That took me three months of eight- to 16-hour days, with no days off. It was hard work, and I probably should have done it five months earlier. I’d gotten obsessed with rotoscoping and sculpting animation, and I love that 1977 Hobbit animation, so that was kind of an inspiration. It was a big deal to me as a kid. That was a crazy thing for me to do, but I loved it. It turned out pretty good, and I think I’m going to be doing more in the future.