“No matter how corrupt, greedy, and heartless our government, our corporations, our media, and our religious & charitable institutions may become, the music will still be wonderful.” ― Kurt Vonnegut
I love metal with twang. When I say that, I don’t necessarily mean something that is inherently “southern metal” but more so to do with the way it swings. Stuff that has meaty riffage yet harbors a serious structure. With drums that kick in a courageous charge to command the rubble underneath the floor to rattle as the soundscape blends and roars before you. It is metal that magnetizes your toes and lurches your head forward in a melodic, synchronic daze.
This is the metal that River of Deceit has to offer, and it is certainly a specialty blend. Consisting of an array of metallic elements from thrash, groove, straight up heavy metal, and (unless my ears deceive me) a tasty garnishing of doom and grunge…
ROD’s capacity to fill every nook and cranny of a place (or your ears) with sound is not simply impressive, it’s wholly commendable.
Without further ado, I present to the Moved, a long overdue view of my virtual chat with some of the Southeast’s most rootin’est-tootin’est heavy met’lers, River of Deceit:
MBM: Howdy! It’s a pleasure to have y’all here! Where to begin, hmm… how about your name? It’s pretty freakin’ metal; where did you draw inspiration for it?
ROD: We can’t speak for everyone but finding a band name we all agreed on was the most difficult thing about starting a band (obviously kidding… somewhat). We’re all pretty big Alice In Chains fans and Layne Staley’s second band Mad Season has a song called River Of Deceit. Evan (our old guitarist) threw it out there one day while we were just throwing band names around and it was the first one we all went “you know, that’s not too bad. I think I can work with that!”
MBM: Besides other metal music, what else can be found in y’all’s libraries? (Feel free to answer individually or as a band)
ROD: Our music tastes are all pretty varied but we can all give you a couple bands we think sum up our individual tastes:
Bryant (drums) - Led Zeppelin, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, All Them Witches,
Fuzz, Thee Oh Sees…
Andrew (guitar/vocals) - Metallica, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Alice In Chains…
MBM: What are some of your favorite places to play shows? Any specific standout performances?
ROD: Radio Room in Greenville is always a really good time. Tribbles in Piedmont has always been killer too and the people who run it are just cool folks. I think our favorite would be a show we play every year at the drag racing strip in Union called “Steel In Motion” that’s put on by our good friend Curtis Green of the Geargoyles CC. Always a rowdy crowd and it’s just a super fun weekend for us.
MBM: Now some nitty gritty… What equipment do you guys have? I’m talkin’ sticks, picks, axes, and all!
ROD: Our Orange backline is an important part of our sound. Andrew plays a Gibson Explorer through an Orange Rockerverb 100 MkIII with a full stack of Orange PPC412s. And Adam plays a 5-String Ibanez SDGR through the 500W Orange Terror Bass head with a full stack of Orange OBC115s. These rigs blend together perfectly to give us a crushing sound held together by Bryant running a more compact set up on his Pearl Session Studio Select these days with a 1 up 1 down configuration (12” rack and 14” floor, 22” kick) paired with a 13” Rosewood/Zebrawood Pork Pie snare and Saluda Cymbals (24” Mist X crash ride, 20” Mist X thin crash and 15” Mist X hi hats) with Vater sticks and Evans heads.
MBM: Lastly, what would you say moves you the most about music? Any advice for your contemporaries?
ROD: I think just seeing someone really vibe and connect with something you’ve created out of nothing but ideas that were in your head is a pretty awesome feeling. As far as advice, get thick skin and be ready to deal with adversity. Things tend to go wrong way more than they go right, so always be ready to put your head down to push through the set backs until you’re back on top. No one was ever successful by giving up when times got rough.
I’m reminded of the age-old saying… “Sh*t happens!” And it is certainly our attitude that steers the course of our aptitude to deal with issues and be a problem solver when the creek starts rising (if you will). I met Andrew very briefly at a show of theirs I went to in downtown Greenville. It was very quick and in-passing before they went up, but he radiated at the fact that I was rather excited for their set (and that it was my first time seeing them!). Aside from what I had heard on YouTube or SoundCloud, I knew very little of these guys beforehand. The sheer sonicism that washed over me in the first 30 seconds alone was enough to make me want to stay planted for as long as they would play, even if it was Grateful Dead long!
That said, if you’re into it or just looking for some new/different music, absolutely check out these links to River of Deceit’s tunes. You can tell the work and drive they weave into each of these tracks is astute and invaluable.
Whether they stick to bars and intimate regional venues or wind up on a World/European tour of their own some day…this is a band that is truly moved by music and understands the solace it can bring people. Keep rockin’ fellas, you know I’ll keep listening!
Links to listen/connect: SoundCloud, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or head to their website!
Comments