The West Michigan band talked about its new album for Local Spins on WYCE, which also featured tracks by Jack White, Eminem, The Accidentals, Greet Death, Brenden Stark, Kylee Phillips and more.
‘Coordinate Oblivion’: The new studio album from Metzfire is filled with intriguing twists and sounds. (Courtesy Photo)
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Suffice to say, when unleashing a seven-piece rock band on stage, the resulting musical salvo amounts to “a sonic wall.”
“Unless you’re doing something with horns, it’s kind of unheard of, or rare at least,” conceded guitarist Mike Hafer of the Grand Rapids-area alt-metal, brood rock and “aggressive indie” band Metzfire.
“We’ve been told it’s a sonic wall. It’s a lot to deal with. It’s a lot of cool tones and it’s definitely a loud rock concert when you come see us – not for the faint of ear, I guess.”
‘In Your Face’ Live Shows: Metzfire (Courtesy Photo)
Add some “theatrics” and lighting to the mix, and Metzfire purports to present “a lot of other cool things that aren’t commonplace for what we’d call a normal, local act.”
The five-year-old septet – Hafer, fellow guitarists Josh Barnaby and Jonas Beel, singer Johnny Whitney, bassist Mike McNally, keyboardist Mike Nolen and drummer Dave Koetje – also boasts a new studio album, “Coordinate Oblivion,” the group’s full-length debut recorded at Kalamazoo’s Raygun Recording Studio and co-produced by Raygun’s Chris Frankhauser.
Inspired by the likes of the Deftones, Shiner, Misery Signals, Bark Market, A Perfect Circle, Tom Petty, Wu Tang Clan and films (especially those from director Christopher Nolan), the members of Metzfire have played with each other in various Michigan bands for more than two decades.
“With seven people in the band, everybody’s drawing from something different. So there’s going to be a little hint of something for everybody,” suggested Hafer.
“You never know where you’re going to be pulling stuff from. But what’s funny … what ends up happening though, is we still end up writing and meeting in the middle. … We end up kind of at the same place drawing from all these different (influences). Maybe that’s what makes us, us.”
VIDEO: Metzfire, “Into the Unknown”
UNCONVENTIONAL GUITAR TUNINGS, SPECIAL EFFECTS, HEARTFELT LYRICS
The band’s debut – a concept album following a male protagonist through a humbling and arduous life’s journey – features songs “written in unconventional guitar tunings,” rhythmically interesting riffs written by drummers, samples of places, sounds and experiences, and lyrics grounded in authenticity.
It’s about “being sincere and heartfelt in our songs,” Hafer insisted. “We are writing because it’s therapy for us. We will do this regardless of listeners. However, we are now out promoting this material because we want to be able to share this project with others, as we are proud of it. But also, music made a big impact on each of us. In some cases life-changing. So having even one person get therapy in return from us is a win.”
Metzfire joins several other hard-rocking, iconic Michigan bands in a special showcase at Mulligan’s Pub in Grand Rapids on Thursday (Oct. 24). Headlined by Lansing’s Heartsick, the free 9 p.m. show will also feature sets by Riding with Killers, xIron Sharpens Ironx and Metzfire. Get details online here.
The Album: “Coordinate Oblivion”
Expect “volume,” band members joked.
“Seven guys crammed onto a stage,” Hafer said. “Have you ever seen the Royal Rumble in WWE? Well, I mean, Mulligans is a very … like a personal venue, right. So it’s going to be very personal. It’ll be in your face.”
Metzfire also will perform Dec. 27 at Unruly Brewing in Muskegon, though band members stressed that because of the size of the band and their focus as artists, they don’t play live as frequently as other acts. And when they do, they want to make the shows special events.
Much of their focus is on writing and recording more music.
“Recording new music and creating music is really the reason why I do it,” Barnaby said. “And where my love is for music is in the creation process. So really that’s what I’m looking forward to, is really kind of honing down and writing new songs that hopefully people enjoy — including ourselves.”
Added Hafer: “There’s no delusions of going and conquering the earth. We’re seven guys, we’re all married with kids and have jobs, and we’re doing that. So yeah, it’s about creating music that will hopefully make a mark for anybody that hears it, that actually goes, wow, this is awesome.”
For this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE – which spotlights Michigan-bred music at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org – Metzfire showcased two tracks from the new album, “Stoned Ape Theory” and “Souls Eroded.”
The show also featured the on-air debut of tracks by Jack White, Eminem, The Accidentals, Heartsick, Kylee Phillips, Brenden Stark, WHILSON, Greet Death and The Bootstrap Boys. Listen to the radio show and interview here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (10/18/24)
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