STEVEN WADDELL - TANTRUM/OATH

💿 Hi, It's a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal STEVEN WADDELL, guitarist of TANTRUM and OATH! Welcome!

 Thanks my friend, it's a pleasure to talk with you!

💿 Let's start talking about your own project called OATH. It's out an EP called LEGION, well-appreciated on our pages. Can you tell us somethin' about it and its composition process?

Well Oath really started around the time Tantrum began recording Melt it Down.

I was playing around with a few riffs that didn't quite fit Tantrum and they just grew into songs!  I decided that Oath would be a kind of experiment - what can be achieved with basic equipment and a little skill? 

So this whole ep was recorded using my old Marshall valvestate practice amp, a very cheap audio interface and my iPhone!

 It cost no money at all! The sound I wanted to achieve was that of an early 80s nwobhm band recording their first demo. 

Also this was the first time I had ever sang so I threw bunch of delay and reverb on the vocals to disguise them, which added to the rustic feel of the record.  The ep was written and recorded and released in 3 months, kind of reaction against the standard recording procedure which can take forever. 

The guys over at Witchcraft Records picked up on it and put out the limited cassette run which was a huge success so there will be more to come this year!

💿 On December 7th, 2018, was published the first full-lenght by TANTRUM called MELT IT DOWN, in which you're involved too. Are you satisfied about this platter?

We're all really happy with how Melt it Down turned out, I genuinely believe us to be one of the top old school metal bands around right now and this album showcases that. 

💿 One song of MELT IT DOWN is called N.W.O.B.H.M, a clear benchmark! How much was important this season in HM history? Do you believe that the renewed interest for this era is only love for vintage or is it possible a new golden era for UK HEAVY METAL?

Nwobhm is a really important track, it kind of set the band on the path it's on just now. It was inspired by the bands from that era that just didn't quite make it big but are still playing today, still throwing their gear in the van and bringing the music to the people for the sheer love of doing it.

 It seems that there are thousands of new nwobhm bands now (or NWOTHM) it probably started with Enforcer from Sweden. I don't think the industry is set up for a golden age of metal like it was in the 80s but really I think we are in a golden age already, you just need to know where to look, it's all underground with incredible bands like Haunt, Idle Hands, Wytch Hazel, Eternal Champion, Dead Lord, and hundreds more all over the world all releasing outstanding music. 

💿 The real "news" in music industry is the return of vinyl; what's your feeling about this classic format and the current music business?

Personally i love vinyl and it seems like it's resurgence could be the industries saving grace. I think streaming has its place too, iv discovered loads of great bands through Spotify, and in particular Anderson Tiago's Nwothm YouTube channel. 

In terms of audio quality I love the warmth of vinyl and cassettes. 

There really isn't much of an industry at the level we are at, everything is DIY, but that means you get bands who really love what they are doing because it's not cheap to play rock n roll!

💿 Can you tell us somethin about your next live projects? Well at the moment Oath is purely a studio project, I'm working on a doom metal project which will also be studio based so live work will be with Tantrum this year. We have some festivals in the UK being booked, Call of the Wild being the main one so far.

 We will be playing as much as possible to promote the album and are looking forward to the vinyl release of Melt it Down on Diabolic Might Records. We would love to get over to Europe as well, it seems that this music is more at home over the water!

💿 Thank you so much for your time! See you soon on Hardrockheavymetal! Any time mate, keep on keeping the faith!!

#TANTRUM #OATH