What is your full name?
Angelo, vocalist for Raider
Do you have any aliases?
Zio
What bands are you actively involved with?
Raider
What was the first instrument that you played?
Guitar
Tell me about one of your first musical memories?
One of my best music memories was pulling up to the Opera House to see Immortal play their final show here with Abbath on the All Shall Fall tour when I was a kid.
What was the name of the first band you were in?
Raider is my first real band, I jammed with friends growing up but never had a named band.
Tell me about the genesis of Raider.
We formed back in 2017 in the grim, frostbitten north (Canada). Gabe and I formed the band with our first drummer, Kevin Withers and immediately forged a sound and started recording/playing shows late that year and early 2018. We all met here in the Ontario metal scene, specifically Kitchener-Waterloo area.
What inspired the name Raider?
Gabe came up with the name shortly before we collaborated as he felt it fit the sound of his riffs and songwriting.
How long did it take you to write and record Trial By Chaos?
It only took about 8 months to write and record it but there were delays in production etc due to COVID.
If you could insert yourself into any one band what band would it be and why?
I would not, I am perfectly content here with my band. While it would be a cool privilege to be a part of a bigger band that I admire, I am really obsessed with making my own project.
Have you ever heard a song and immediately wished you had written it? If so… What was the song and artist?
Warpath by Hypocrisy, insane songwriting.
Do you have any non-metal musical inspirations?
Yes, I am an avid reader of anything, mostly fiction and poetry. I am also a huge rap fan and draw a lot of inspiration from the poetry of rappers.
What’s a non-metal song that you'd like to do a cover of?
Rain dogs by Tom Waits
What band have you played with that has really impressed you with their live show?
Exmortus, Jadran is a master guitar player. They put on a clinic every time they’ve played here.
Do you have a favorite venue to play at?
Not particularly, there are a lot of great venues here like Hard Luck, Maxwell’s, Opera House, but I hope I will likely have a different answer for you when we return from the road!
Do you have a pre-show ritual?
Nothing magical or superstitious, mostly individual warmups and warm tea. We just get right to it, like our music: straight to the point.
What is your favorite thing about touring?
Couldn’t say! We haven’t been on the road yet, but we will be soon.
We have played small strings of shows in Ontario/Quebec but I won’t call that touring.
What is your least favorite thing about touring?
Re: above
I will say driving.
Is there a city that you love to hit while on tour?
Every. Single. One. We want to play shows everywhere. All across the US, the east and west coasts of Canada and ESPECIALLY Europe. There are too many cities to name, Milan, Munich, Oslo, Madrid, Cham. You name it, we want to play it.
What’s the weirdest experience you’ve had on the road?
Honestly, nothing out of the ordinary as of yet.
The year is 2013. Where are you at and what are you listening to?
I’m at the Opera House in Toronto breaking my neck to Minotaur by Fleshgod Apocalypse.
What advice would you give young musicians that are just starting out in the music business?
Be ready to sacrifice a lot, even to just release a few records and be a nobody. Don’t lose your passion for creating when you get sucked into the whirlwind of social media and the business side of music.
What is an absolute band killer?
I’m not entirely sure what you mean by this question
Have you ever recorded a song that you really didn’t like, but somebody else in the band really did?
No, we are on the same page for all of our songs. We just don’t play the ones we don’t want to play.
If you were to start your own music festival what would be the name of that festival and who would be the three headlining bands?
ChaosFest
Immortal (with Abbath playing Sons of Northern Darkness in full)
Hypocrisy
Fleshgod Apocalypse
What’s the longest time you’ve gone without bathing?
Next question!
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
That I am a hip-hop head.
Is the Fistful of DOOM show in the top 10 of your favorite music podcasts?
I don’t listen to many podcasts, but I will check it out.
Do unicorns sleep standing up?
You’d have to consult the oracle on this one.
Give me three albums that I should listen to immediately, if not sooner.
Triumph & Torment - Invicta
Realms of Time - Diviner
Under Attack - Livewire
You’re driving cross-country and you can only listen to one album the whole time. What album will it be?
Sons of Northern Darkness - Immortal
You are writing a book about your life thus far. What is the title of that book?
This is starting to feel like a Rorschach test.
Chaos & Peace.
What is your favorite song by Taylor Swift?
Not a fan but the new Snoop Dogg album was fire, check out Conflicted ft. Nas.
Rammstein or Slipknot (if you had to choose)?
Slipknot probably. Some nostalgia vibes there.
Doobies or Boobies (if you had to pick one)?
Boobies.
Waffles or Pancakes (if you had to pick one)?
Waffles.
Star Wars or Star Trek (if you had to choose)?
Star Trek. Love SW, but Trek has better storytelling.
Favorite band t-shirt you own?
Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness
Favorite meal?
Homemade, real Italian pizza.
Favorite book?
Too many. Current favorite: The Epic of Gilgamesh
Favorite movie?
The Thing (1982)
Favorite album?
Sons of Northern Darkness - Immortal
Favorite video game?
Jak & Daxter series
Favorite Professional Wrestler?
Not a wrestling fan.
Big thanks to Angelo for taking the time to answer my questions. The new album is called Trial By Chaos and it releases on April 7th. Pre-orders are available now and there are two singles to listen to at the link so generously provided below. You guys have no idea what you are in for whenever you press play, but I’ll go out on a limb and say it is going to blow your fucking hair back! Unless, of course, you are bald.
~El Pedo Caliente (aka Uncle Jameson from the Fistful of DOOM show)
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