Interview - Exile The Traitor

After the 2015 release of "Winter Eternal", Glasgow melo-death giants Exile The Traitor are back rehearsing and plan to be wowing us again with shows in Summer 2016. Guitarist Ian McGuinness took a few minutes to speak to me today about what we can expect!

CB – Hey! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today! For those people who aren’t acquainted with your band or your music, can you give us a little introduction?

Ian - Hey, we’re Exile The Traitor, a melodic death metal band (often called Scotland’s answer to The Black Dahlia Murder) from sunny Glasgow. The band consists of Wull (vocals) Kerr (drums) Kenny and Ian (guitars) and our newest member, Drew (bass).

CB - I understand that there have been some line-up changes for the band over the last few years?

Ian - Yeah a few people have left for various reasons but we feel with the current lineup we’re stronger than ever, hopefully our other vocalist Anton will eventually move back to Scotland.

CB – In 2015, the “Winter Eternal” EP was released. How did fans of the band react to this EP?

Ian - We were delighted with the feedback we received from fans and reviews alike. Didn’t seem to get any real negative reviews in regards to the EP.

CB – In terms of the time you guys spend in the recording studio, how do you find the experience? Take us through a normal recording session with Exile the Traitor!

Ian - As much as everyone who knows us knows that we like a joke and a laugh, when it comes to recording we’re all business. Usually tend to get the drums done first, followed by bass and guitars, then vocals and then solos and any additional parts. We’re perfectionists when it comes to our playing and recording and nitpick every little thing to ensure everything is the way we want it to get the best possible recording.

CB – What can we expect from you guys in 2016?

Ian - Well as I mentioned earlier, we’ve just recruited a new member and we’ve been bedding him in, showing him the ropes etc and he’s fit right in. We took a break from the band for a few months since December last year to sort out a few things and just basically chill out for a while. We’ve been writing new material for an album which could be recorded either this year or next, just depends in when we’re ready and we’re playing our first gig back on the 28th of May at The Garage in Glasgow.

CB - What inspired you guys to get together as a band in the first place?

Ian - The original line up had been in bands together for years, so it was just kind of natural. We found Anton on Gumtree. Then when we were looking for a new guitarist there was only really one person that was going to do it and that was me, Ian, as I was a close friend of the band anyway. We recruited Wull as we felt having two vocalists would give us a little something special and we all knew his vocals would suit our style and having played with him at gigs knew he could hang live too. When our old bassist left we were looking for a while until Drew contacted us and again, another friend of people in the band. We’ve been massively impressed with how quickly hes adapted.

CB - Glasgow’s metal scene – yay or nay?

Ian - Yay and nay. There are some massively talented bands and Hamilton at Audio is a legend for putting shows on and getting locals to support. The turnout can be a little disappointing for shows, I don’t know why people grudge paying less than a fiver to go and see bills of unsigned local bands which are usually stacked. Then there's obviously some bad ‘promoters’ and i use that term loosely, just like there is everywhere.

CB - Finally, is there anything you would like to say to fans of Exile the Traitor?

Ian - Buy some merch, so we can feed our crack addictions. All jokes aside, get out and support local bands, because every big band you like, started as a local band. Also thank you for getting in contact with us, its been a pleasure.

I thoroughly recommend giving these guys a listen. If "Winter Eternal" is anything to go by, we are in for a real treat from the new material!

For merch and other news, visit:

Www.facebook.com/exilethetraitor

Www.bandcamp.exilethetraitor.com

Www.twitter.com/exilethetraitor