GROAN: The Divine Rights Interview

With a rapidly growing fan base and having recently completed their second fantastic live tour Groan are one of the rising stars of rock with their own unique brand of stoner rock and what they have named doom ‘n’roll. They have just released their second album ‘The Divine Right Of Kings’ to much critical acclaim. The current line-up is Mazzereth as vocal extraordinaire, Dan as axeman aka The Riff Wizard, Leigh-who-plays-the-bass-like-an-evil-genius aka The Forest-Dwelling Fuzz Creature, and Chris as drumming madman. They released their first album ‘The Sleeping Wizard’ in 2010 which was quickly followed up by a split single with Vinum Sabbatum in 2011. Having spent a bit of time chatting with the guys after their brilliant performance at Passion in Sunderland a few weeks ago (read the review) I decided that another more sober chat was in order and managed to catch up with Mazz and Leigh for a quick chat on all things Groan.

H: OK so you guys have done a shit load of stuff since you formed way back in 2009 but let’s start at the beginning (it makes some sense I guess).How did you all get together?

Mazzereth: “Dan, our axeman, had some demo songs put together and contacted me via the internets to see if I would like to add my righteous Vox to them. There was no real plan to form a band as such; it was just kind of a project. Anyways the Demos got some interest when put up on the internets so talk of forming a band turned into us actually forming a band. A couple of weeks later we had Leigh, who Dan knew, on Bass and Steve, who I knew, on drums. We are an internet geek band.”

H: What was it like getting into the recording studio for the first time?

Mazzereth: “The only time GROAN has been close to the full studio set up with all band members present is when we recorded the two tracks for our split EP. The fact that we live so far apart from each other and all live busy Rock and Roll lives means that we have to record our individual ‘art’ in different parts of the country. Also when we do get together we just tend to get drunk and act like idiots, so it’s for the best that we don’t see each other.”

H: There’s a bit about the nine months after the release of your first album on your face book page….. Just how much DID you smoke? Did you really write off a Ferrari? How? Why? I noticed it also includes the fastest split up and reformation of any band ever care to elaborate? Death threats? Really? You guys are really cool so who the hell would threaten you?!?

Mazzereth: “I can’t really go into the death threats and don’t really want to go into the death threats so I shall leave that as it is. The whole Ferrari situation involved Dan and Leigh. Something about listening to Status Quo, Hanging out of car window with their shirts off, a couple of hot ladies, custard and a tractor. I’m the cool one in the band, the rest just try.”

Leigh: “The Ferrari incident happened on Snake Pass in the Pennines. And we were listening to Sleep’s Dopesmoker when it happened.”

H: So other than the copious amounts of smoking, and causing general mayhem, how did the first tour go? Any really memorable gigs and why did they stand out?

Mazzereth: “The first tour was pretty heavy what with certain things going on around us. It was still funny but in a dark way. At one point I did not think I would make it home alive. I was glad when I got home to see my Girlfriend and my cat. Of course…we were still awesome.”

H: I also notice that you’ve had a change of drummer. Anything you would like to say about it?

Mazzereth: “Not really. I have too much respect for Steve to talk about it in an interview, but if you get me drunk I might tell you..ha ha, sorry Steve.”

H: So Mazz, why did you leave the band and what did they lure you back with?

Mazzereth: “I left because I was under the impression that the whole band was going to split up anyway! It turns out that I called that one wrong. Plus I felt old and tired like a withered prune. They asked me a few times to come back, then they stopped, then one day I realised that I missed the ballache that is Groan so I asked if I could come back and they wept with joy.”

H: Was it easier going back into the studio for the second album? How was it different?

Mazzereth: “Like I said earlier we all recorded our parts in different locations. I recorded my vocals in a bedroom at our drummer’s house, what I do recall is getting slowly more drunk as the day went on. Recording in a bedroom does not really make you feel awesome in a rock and roll way so I had to add some cider magic to the mix. A bit later on I had my shirt off. Later that night we went out on a massive bender around St Albans..that was pretty cool. Have you ever been to St Albans? No! Oh you must! It has lovely pubs.”

H: Loving the album art work too, who does them for you? Do you have much input into the designs?

Leigh:” We’ve worked with an American artist called Ralph Walters over our last two releases. He’s so talented. The cover of The Divine Right of Kings is a three foot wide oil painting. The original idea for the artwork came about around a year and a half ago. I basically told him that I loved artists like Bosch, sent him the demos, and there we go! He really seems to ‘get’ Groan and it’s always a pleasure to work with him.”

H: Where do you come up with the ideas behind your videos?

Mazzereth:” I make the videos, I don’t really plan them. I just sit in front of my computer and channel the gods of rock and they tell me what to do.”

H: Now the second tour with Trippy Wicked and The Cosmic Children of the Knight has gone down really well. Any highlights? Other than the awesome gig you played at Passion because that really must top the bill right? 😉 Has it been a calmer experience than the last tour?

Leigh: “Personally, the Manchester gig was one of my favourites. It’s my hometown and it was the first time we’d played there and there was a great turnout. After the gig everybody was on some kind of mission to get hammered. I remember taking everybody to my favourite pub and buying rounds of rum and coke for everybody. I must have been leathered because I never buy drinks for other people, let alone huge groups of people.”

H: You seem to be developing a real rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle reputation. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done?

Mazzereth: “The craziest thing I have done is create a reputation that we are crazy. We are quite normal with an element of self-control. We just do the normal dumb shit that blokes do when they are on the ROAD. Actually playing ‘made-up’ D&D with imaginary dice in the tour van was pretty crazy.”

H: So other than more mayhem, not too sure if you go looking for it or if it follows you around like a lost puppy, what does 2013 have in store for you? Any plans you’d care to share?

Mazzereth: “Writing another album, sorting out a European tour, playing more gigs, try not to piss each other off, try not to piss Heavy Metal fans off, piss Heavy Metal fans off…that’s about it.”

You can get your hot little hands on their even hotter second album here: http://groan.bandcamp.com/merch