To many people looking at the metal scene, thrash metal just isn’t what it used to be. And it’s true to a certain extent. It’s not 1986 anymore after all. But to those of us in the know, thrash metal is just evolving and spreading into new territories. There’s all kinds of little subgenre sounds with all sorts of fancy portmanteaus. But what Denver’s Necropanther does is often indescribable. It’s an original blend of creative sounds that defies categorization. Generally speaking, that kind of description of a band’s sound means they rule and such is the case here. But with such a unique combo of ideas in their music, you have to wonder where it all came from. Where did your ideas come from? Thankfully, the band is here to clarify. Take a look at their list, and don’t forget check out In Depths We Sleep, the band’s latest EP!
Paul Anop (Guitar, Vocals)
Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
This was the first album that I ever got. As soon as I saw the music video for “Welcome to the Jungle” I knew I wanted to be in a rock band. The attitude and rawness of that album is unsurpassed in my opinion. Slash definitely played a heavy role in choosing my gear and tone. I play Gibsons through a Marshall amp. Nothing more rock and roll than that. I used to listen to the tape over and over on my way to school on the bus. “Nightrain” and “Rocket Queen” have always been my favorites. We have actually covered “Nightrain” at a few shows. It is always a blast to play!
Marcus Corich (Bass)
Metallica – Master of Puppets
This album was a seminal album for me in a lot of ways. It wasn’t easy to access heavy music for me growing up and this was one of the first records I chased down. I first got my hands on this album by checking it out from the library, sneaking it home and transferring it onto a blank cassette tape on an old stereo. I wore that tape out man! I had heard the title track on the radio but hearing the rest of the album for the first time blew me away. “Battery” and “Damage Inc” became my new high water marks for heaviness and aggressiveness I wanted in music. When I heard “Orion” for the first time, I was astounded. I’m still a huge Cliff Burton fan and his entire presence on that album was revolutionary for me. He brought an approach to bass performance and songwriting that was unique, especially in metal. That attitude of exploring and evolving his instrument, as well as incorporating disparate influences into heavy music songwriting has greatly informed my philosophy as a musician.
Joe Johnson (Guitar)
Steve Vai – Passion and Warfare
I was introduced to music through my dad’s classic rock records, dance pop and late ‘80’s hard rock on MTV (and my FM Walkman). When I saw the video for “The Audience is Listening” I knew that I wanted to be a lead guitar player and what kind of lead guitar player I wanted to be. Jimi Hendrix originated the post-modern idea of the guitar as a noise making device. Passion and Warfare was a culmination of that idea with more rigorous technique and knowledge of music pedagogy (of course, I only understood that later). It has a realization of melody in a variety of moods to support emotional content, fluidly interspersed with both advanced and extended techniques that feature guitar noises as part of that melody. Lots of the sounds and motives on that record are truly strange but are presented as melody in a relatable way. Making that weirdness relatable is something I would aspire to do. The record is also a blueprint for a lot of our harmonized melody guitars. I feel similar to Paul about Appetite for Destruction, and my foundational guitar style is a mixture of that and Passion and Warfare.
Haakon Sjogren (Drums)
Dimmu Borgir – Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
An album that showed the world what Norwegian black metal was like. The musicianship of every band member shines through, showing that great black metal requires every member to pull their share in creating an iconic album. There can’t be any weak links in great black metal bands.
Necropanther’s new EP In Depths We Sleep is available now on digital and CD, and can be streamed via the Bandcamp Player below.