New England Heavy Rock outfit Worshipper recently released their third album entitled One Way Trip on July 19th. The band’s vocalist/guitarist John Brookhouse took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about their latest album, progressions within the band, the music scene in New England, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Your band, Worshipper, just released their third album entitled One Way Trip on July 19th, what can you tell fans about the release?
Brookhouse: This album is the first release we’ve really been comfortable in our own skin as a band, and we think it shows. Despite the heavy nostalgia for 70s and 80s hard rock and metal on display, we want to assure people this is not a “throwback” album or a band deliberately trying to sound old. We actually just sound like this.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being your third album with your band?
Brookhouse: We took a bunch of time off from trying to play shows or “stay visible” during the pandemic and the sort of half-baked, “kind of open” situation that persisted for a couple years. I know a lot of bands just tried to get back out there and play as much as possible when they could, but if we had done that, we would have only been able to put about 50% of our attention on writing. For the first time, we tried to make proper demos as a band, rather than just relying on bad practice space recordings for reference. That meant that we had our parts really worked out without any surprises in the studio. Plus, having Alec Rodriguez on board to produce was great. He could tell what our vision was for the sound and since he is a singer and a drummer, he made getting sounds and performances a really smooth experience.
MER: With three albums completed, what changes and progressions have you seen within the band?
Brookhouse: I think we’re a lot more confident all around as a band. I think early on, bands are kind of working out kinks and emulating things they like in order to find their groove. We’re essentially over that period now, and making things for ourselves rather than trying to “fit into the scene” (for better or worse.) One huge thing that has really solidified our sound is that Jarvis started playing to a click, which most drummers hate, but he thought it would improve his drumming, the sound of the band, and make recording easier. It did!
MER: You recently released the song “Windowpane”, what kind of feedback have you received?
Brookhouse: Honestly, it’s pretty hard to get feedback online these days, but I will say, it got the most Spotify spins of the three singles we put out. Decibel Magazine said the groove was “filthy,” so that’s cool.
MER: What do you see as plans for the band after the album release?
Brookhouse: We would really like to get back out on the road and move some units for our new label, Magnetic Eye Records.
MER: Who do you hope to tour with and why?
Brookhouse: I mean, so many bands. Elder, REZN, Green Lung, Slift, High Spirits, GOZU, Heavy Temple, Horseburner, Legions of Doom… I think we can fit with a lot of genres, and we are always huge fans of diverse bills.
MER: Is there anywhere you hope to play live and why?
Brookhouse: Europe. We had a blast there when we toured with the Skull in 2019, so hopefully we can hook up with some like-minded bands and take this record to the people over there.
MER: How would you describe the music scene in New England?
Brookhouse: Constantly evolving. We’ve been around for 10 years now and a lot of our peers have come and gone, but a few old dogs are still around. We lost a ton of great venues in the past few years, but it seems like a bunch of new venues are popping up, and breweries like Widowmaker are putting on sick shows as well. We’re now working on re-establishing our regional presence, since we took so much time off from playing. It’s definitely different than it used to be!
MER: Out of your band’s three albums, what is one would suggest to a new fan and why?
Brookhouse: The new one, One Way Trip, of course! I think this batch of songs really stands as a whole together.
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