Interview with Baronaxe
Greetings mighty warriors! We are Claim The Throne from Perth. Nice to meet you!
Baronaxe - Wocals / Guitar - 26 - joined 2005
Lord Jim - Bass / Wocals - 26 - joined 2005
Jesselina - Keys / Wocals - 24 - joined 2008
Oscarius - Drums - 27 - joined 2009
Dysalot - Guitar - wery old - joined 2010
How did you come about obtaining the band name?
Claiming the throne refers to our ultimate quest in the hunt for wictory!
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?
It’s melodic death metal with a lot of folk/pagan metal influence. Mixing guitar riffs with twining keyboards, and courageous bellows for rewenge!
What one thing do you feel sets you apart from the rest in this genre?
A chaotic and engaging live performance
How long did it take to record Triumph and Beyond? And is there any particular message you are trying to relay to your audience with this album?
Took us two weeks in the studio to record, including drinking time. The album’s concept is based on winning battles (triumph) and celebrating wictory (beyond). It suggests that you should strive to achieve goals in life and get extremely drunk with your friends afterwards.
I understand you released this album through Prime Cuts Music. Do you think record companies actually make the recording process any easier?
That’s correct. Prime Cuts is a Perth based label with some excellent bands. In our experience the label does not play a role in the recording process, but rather assists with distribution and promotion of the release post recording. It is certainly comforting to know whilst recording that you have the support of a label waiting to help you once the music is ready.
Any plans for a music video? And, if applicable, which is your favourite video thus far?
We did a music video for the song Set Sail On Ale a while back, that was a lot of fun and displays the band’s antics at its finest. We definitely want to make another one in the wery near future.
When you go into recording mode, do you find it easy or challenging?
Challenging yet exciting. It’s really fun being in there, but there are times when you spend two hours trying to nail one riff and it makes you pull your hair out. Actually my hair falls out naturally anyway, what a hotty.
Who’s responsible for the bands artwork?
Our first two releases and our logo were designed by Brendan Ninness. We just gave him a rundown of what we were after and he interpreted it perfectly. Triumph And Beyond was designed by a lovely chap named Chris Hancock. The front cover portrays a mighty warrior raising his sword to a huge army, all of whom are actually Perth metalheads who attended a photoshoot for the cover.
| R E L E A S E S |
|
Triumph And Beyond
CD - 2010
|
 |
|
Aletales
EP / DVD - 2009
|
 |
|
Only The Brave Return
CD - 2008
|
 |
How hard has it been to get to this point?
It’s taken a lot of work and persistence, but I definitely wouldn’t say it’s been hard. It’s something that is enjoyable and something that we’re passionate about, so it’s a pleasure to be spending every moment trying to reach success.
Where does your main fan base / support tend to lie?
We’ve been lucky enough to build a really loyal fanbase from the bravest of warriors in Perth and are now starting to see the fanbase growing throughout the country since touring a couple of times and hope to meet a lot more people this September. There is a bit of interest overseas too, but that’s something we’ve got to work on.
Can you recall a favourite venue thus far?
The Corner in Melbourne is pretty cool!
What are some of your favourite Australian acts? And have you had the chance to play alongside them?
A few of my favourites are Alchemist, Belakor, Psycroptic, Red Descending and Entrails Eradicated. Have been lucky enough to play gigs with all of them!
I had the pleasure of watching you support Finntroll in Sydney of March this year. You were interestingly dressed and really livened up the crowd and prepared them for Finntroll’s presence. How was that experience for you?
We do wear a lot of blood, chainmail, leather and stuff like that. It’s a huge part of our live show to help create a crazy atmosphere. We do this at every gig, not just for the Finntroll tour. That tour was great fun though, it is an amazing experience getting the chance to play in front of such big audiences and warming people up for the main act.
Did you gain any valuable information to keep with you as a band from that tour?
Mainly having the experience of playing at different venues in front of new crowds on consecutive nights is invaluable for any band. It is also great for networking and meeting new people, as well as putting the drinking skills to the test!
What would be your most memorable gig / performance to date?
Our first show outside of Perth was the Against The Grain festival in Adelaide. That was memorable for me as it was really exciting playing somewhere new, the line-up was huge, the crowd was enthusiastic, and it was just a heap of fun!
Have you got a favourite song you like to play? And is there one in particular your fans seem to prefer?
My fave is Through The Rage Of The Storm, it’s great for headbanging and has some quiet moments for beer funnels. The crowd favourite seems to be Set Sail On Ale, a singalong that most people at the shows seem to know.
You’ve got an Australia / New Zealand tour starting in August. What can you tell us about this tour and are you planning on heading anywhere else overseas after this tour?
We’re really looking forward to it, being the first time we’ve organised our own tour and can’t wait to catch up with everyone we’ve met previously. We’re raiding most Australian capital cities as well as a bunch of regional shows and it’s our first time to New Zealand. Hoping to meet a heap of new people and see some awesome places. After the tour we’ll be focusing on writing a new album, but always striving to find more touring opportunities too.
If you created your own metal festival, who would you prefer was playing alongside you and where would that be?
It’d be nice to have a big Aussie outdoor metal festival. There are a lot of nice towns south of Perth that would be good spots for it. A few bands I’d love to include are Wintersun, Moonsorrow, Alestorm, Tyr and Hammerfall.
What kind of instruments do you use?
No endorsements or anything, so we all use different stuff. We do however exclusively splatter ourselves in Kryolan Blood – www.kryolan.com.au
What have been some of the more bizarre signings you’ve had?
Nothing too crazy just yet! Have signed some interesting items such as viking helmets and swords. Hopefully we’ll get some nice stories this tour.
Have you ever had any Mystical experiences?
Once we prayed and prayed that we would be blessed with some pints of ale and suddenly a man in a red suit and balaclava appeared holding a funnel and doing some strange dances.
What was the main reason you chose this career path and is it unfolding as you expected?
Just love playing metal and hope that we can make music that people will enjoy. It’s unfolding nicely and love every minute of it.
Let’s pretend you were creating a tour survival guide. What would be your top three tips for surviving a long tour with the band?
1. Have beers on stand by at all times .
2. Be organised for each show.
3. You’ll be tired, you’ll be grumpy and you’ll be dirty but make sure you have fun at all times.
What words of advice can you offer anyone looking to enter the music industry?
Don’t be slack, work hard and it will pay off.
Anything you'd like to add or say to your fans?
Hope to see you all in September, come up the front and have a funnel with us!
LINKS
Claim The Throne Facebook
Claim The Throne Myspace
Claim The Throne YouTube
Prime Cuts Music
Soundworks Touring
‘Interview with Claim The Throne’ by Déa di Morté © 29 July 2011
Hails! to Baronaxe for agreeing to participate and taking the time to complete this interview
All pictures courtesy of Prime Cuts Music, Soundworks Touring and Claim The Throne