Graves of Valor Interview: SXSW 2010

Graves of Valor have mastered the genre of modern, extreme, thrashing death metal in all its dark, epic theatrics. Having signed with Relapse Records, the South Carolina quintet are on their way to spin their special brand of mayhem at SXSW, where they will be playing tracks from their first full length album, 'Salarian Gate.' Spinner recently had a chance to talk with frontman Damon Welch about the band, where they've been and where they're heading.

When did you first realize your life would be in music?

When I moved to Florence, S.C. in middle school, there was a pretty happening metal scene. Florence pulls in surprisingly big shows for such a small town. Bands really like to play here. My older brother was always really into metal and thrash. I listened to it a lot while I was growing up, particularly S.O.D. [Stormtroopers of Death], Slayer and Obituary. It's been a part of me for as long as I can remember.

How did your band form?

In 2005, Dayton Cantley, who plays drums; Richard Tuberville, who plays guitar; and Jeff Springs, who also plays guitar, were with the deathcore band Through the Eyes of the Dead, and I had been in the band Maggot Christ. We knew each other for about a decade from the death metal scene in Florence. In 2006, we starting playing sets with David Hasselbring and he came on board as our bassist. At the time we were known as From thr Graves of Valor.

How did you come up with the band name?

You know, I don't know. We never really liked the name that much. I think Richard pulled it out of a fantasy book he was reading at the time we were searching for a name. We wanted to drop the name when we signed with Relapse in 2008, but by then everyone already knew us as From the Graves of the Valor, we had a following and it was tough to change. As a compromise, we dropped the "From" and stuck with Graves of Valor.

Describe your sound.

Our sound is thrashing death metal.

Do you have a signature song?

No, but one of my favorite songs right now is off of 'Salarian Gate,' called 'Locusta.' I like it because it is a good strong song.

Beatles or Stones?

There really is no comparison at all. I like the Beatles way more than the Stones. The Beatles are just a way better band all around, except for maybe Ringo, but even then it's hard to compare the two.

What are your influences?

We have a wide range of influences, everything from Neurosis to Cannibal Corpse to Death to Morbid Angel. We mix a lot together.

Who were your first celeb crushes?

My first celebrity crushes? None really, not at all.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I don't feel guilty about anything. If the question is asking what music I enjoy that other people might find surprising because it's so outside my genre I'd have to say bluegrass. I really like Trampled by Turtles.

Any vices?
No. None.

What's in your festival survival kit?
Gotta have a grill, beer and energy drinks.

What's your favorite festival to attend?

I enjoy the Monolith Festival in the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.

What's the craziest thing that's ever happened to you on tour?

I'm not sure that this was even the craziest experience we ever had because so many insane things happen on the road, but this story is definitely up there. One time while playing in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., our promoter hooked us up with this really weird guy to stay with overnight. We met him on a street corner in the rain while he was walking his dog barefoot. This alone should have tipped us off. He then took us to this rundown apartment building in a really bad part of town. Then he started fumbling around for his keys which he couldn't find so he got out this axe and started chopping down the door. When he got us into the apartment, he started going on and on about meth and stuff that didn't make sense. Then we noticed that there were drops of blood all over the floor. Richard was still unloading the van downstairs, so I sent him a text telling him what was going on and that we should leave. Almost immediately, he texted us back saying, "Don't come down now, some guy has just been shot." We were totally freaked out but too drunk to drive anyway. So we waited until the cops left and then got the hell out of there. We probably should have known something wasn't right from the start. Really, what normal person would be willing to put up a death metal band they don't know? But this type of weird stuff happens.

How do you stay in touch with your fans?

Dave is on Twitter. Richard responds to the MySpace inquiries and posts bulletins of upcoming shows. Relapse manages the Facebook page.

What are you most looking forward to at SXSW?

I'm really pumped about the Relapse showcase. It is a great lineup with great bands. VOIVOID is headlining. Then there is Tombs, Howl, Mammoth Grinder, Kill the Client and some others. Of course, we're in there. I have never been to SXSW before, but I hear it is a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to hanging out and partying and friends.

What's next?

We have the Central Illinois Metalfest this July. It's a great festival full of awesome bands.

How do you define success?

We're pretty content where we are, but would like to push it further. We definitely want to tour more and play bigger shows with bigger bands. Got our eyes on Europe and Canada. We only tour two to three months a year because we all have mortgages and day jobs. But it would be great if we could support ourselves exclusively with our music. We're excited about our new booking agent and hope to be picking up more opportunities at SXSW.


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