CVLT Nation interviews Matt Woods of All Pigs Must Die
Congratulations on the new album. Are you pleased with its result?
Yes, very much so. It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end.
It must be tough working together with all the band members all over the place. When did writing for the album take place?
Certainly distance makes things challenging. Fortunately the internet is everywhere and many ideas can be created independently, shared over email, then expanded on as a group. A few of the riffs/songs/etc existed or were created around the time we began recording God is War, while some of the material wasn’t entirely finished when we entered the studio to track NVTN. There’s always riffs, songs or ideas floating around.
Who writes the majority of the songs?
It is a very collaborative effort. I look at it as a four part brain. It doesn’t matter which part of the brain the idea originates from, what matters is the final output once the whole processes the initial idea and shapes it into a finished piece.
Photo: Carrie Whitney
You’ve worked with Kurt Ballou once again. What was the recording process like?
Same as always: open, productive and comfortable. Recording music is a tricky thing. You have to be extremely comfortable and confident in your playing, but even-keeled enough to have someone tell you that what you’re doing sucks and to either do it again correctly or change it up on the fly. We’ve been close with Kurt for a long time now and he is very adept at going from engineer/producer to coach, to friend, to motivator and to critic all while maintaining a very productive and smooth working environment. He is the best and we wouldn’t be the band we are without his hard work.
You said in an interview that God is War plays like a live album, and Nothing Violates This Nature is more of an album. What is your take on that?
NVTN has more peaks and valleys. There is a bit more of a push/pull with the quiet/loud as well as the fast/slow dynamic. When there are breaks between songs on GIW, I expect to hear the audience booing us, whereas with NVTN the breaks feel more like breathing while on a journey rather than full speed toward an apex.
The album pressures the boundaries of heavy music, going beyond the typical conventions of genres. Do you feel the album is a step up from God is War?
Thank you for saying that. Personally, one of my biggest fears playing this type of over the top, heavy music is to be running in place or creating Taco Bell songs where it is the same 4-5 ingredients with slight variations and different titles. I don’t know if I would say it is a step up per se, but when I listen to NVTN I get the feeling of “this is the concept realized” a little more so than GIW. However, there is always work to be done.
Describe your album in terms of weapons, who or what would be your targets and why would you want to destroy them?
Honestly, if Pigs were to be a weapon, I would want it to be a brain. It is the most powerful weapon there is and is in pitifully short supply. There are far too many targets to list, I am sure you do not want this to turn into a novel.
There’s some Middle Eastern type of riffing on “Bloodlines” and “Of Suffering”. What was the inspiration behind this?
Some of it was serendipity, as the parts you are referring to were recorded with both six and nine string guitars and the doubling as well as the effects gave it far more of a Middle Eastern flavor. It is especially noticeable if you compare them to the demos we made before doing the album. The other inspirations were doom and marijuana.
Kevin Baker has said that the bands subject matter is “based on past and current atrocities and the idea of mankind devouring itself while destroying everything around it”. Is the lyrical goal of APMD the awakening of the masses a la the anarcho punk bands of the 70s and 80s, or the utter contempt for humanities degradation?
Although I understand why people will find touchstones and similarities between our subject matter and other bands/genres, I have always thought we are simply being honest about what we think rather than falling in line with tradition or promoting a message. It is simply honest about people, what they are capable of, honest about the nature of belief, what it compels people to do and so forth. Sure, it is largely negative or dark, but there is no light without the dark, and let’s face it, the type of music we play, songs about pleasantries would be ridiculous. It is visceral music and to me an honest representation of the visceral side of human nature.
What was it like working with Aaron Turner on the album cover for Nothing Violates This Nature?…did he have a copy of the album to listen to while he was creating it?
Working with Aaron was exceptional. He had the album while he worked and was open and receptive to our ideas and comments however vague and open-ended they may have been. It is far and away my favorite cover/layout.
What role does brotherhood play in APMD?
A large one. I don’t like being around people and think very little of them in general, but I would walk my ass into traffic for any of these guys. I really love the music we make and it is one of the most important things in my life, but the friendship we have transcends all of that. I feel very lucky to have people like this in my life. There are so many others stuck with complete shit.
Does anyone in APMD enjoy cooking? If so, hit us with a skull-crushing recipe!
OK. I am by no means an expert cook. I cook like a peasant and there is nothing precise or artistic about it. Really, it is pretty crude. However, if you want to make a meatloaf that will put some hair on your chest and impress friends while shaming enemies, make the following additions to a “traditional” loaf recipe.
1. Do not settle for just ground beef. What I like to do is combine a mixture of beef, pork and veal. Adjust to taste obviously, but a 45% beef, 35% pork, 20% veal is my personal favorite. Ground pork is cool and I use that most often, but some times I will get some hot Italian sausages from the butcher, strip the casings and use that, but it can fuck with the cook time…ANYWAYS.
2. Meatloaf recipes often call for breadcrumbs or oats. FUCK THAT. Get yourself a good Yukon Gold potato, peel the sucker, grab a grater and grate that spud good and proper. The moisture in the potato doesn’t lend itself to a nice bond for your loaf so you will want to add SOME breadcrumbs or oats to get those good, solid slices that you want. Who wants that bread-y, grade school lunch room loaf you have to soak in gravy to shovel into your pie hole? My rule of thumb is when you are combining all of your ingredients is to add breadcrumbs sparingly and only for cohesiveness.
3. This one is a no brainer, but buy fresh ingredients. Don’t be an idiot. Go to a butcher shop for your meats. You say you don’t have the time, I say your food is going to taste like shit. My butcher is great. He has one eye and minimal teeth and trust me his insight into cooking produces nothing but the most tender meats. Be selective when you pick out an onion. Don’t grab the first one on the pile, feel the fucking thing. NEVER use garlic powder, use fresh garlic etc.
4. So you have got your great big bowl full of beef, pork, veal. You’ve got your grated yukon gold, your 4-6 eggs, your garlic, your salt, your pepper… you have combined everything and added the minimal yet right amount of breadcrumbs and you’re about to stuff the whole mess into your loaf pan. Feeling pretty good about yourself eh? Why not make things better? While you were at the butcher shop you bought some thick cut bacon, right? You better have, because that is the key. Once you get that loaf jammed into the pan, lay 4 slices on top of it. Once you start cooking that fat will render down into the meat and fat is what makes meat taste good. For a real good time, mix up a blend of sriracha sauce and ketchup and paint the bacon with it. Fuck that is good.
You can look up a pedestrian meatloaf recipe online or swipe your mom’s copy of the Joy of Cooking. It will be helpful with cook times and boring details. Make these adjustments to it and within no time you’ll be cooking like someone that needs psychiatric help. Enjoy.
Any touring dates set for Nothing Violates This Nature?
Nothing concrete at this time. It is tough. All four of us are very busy with families, careers and the various nonsense that comprises adult life in your mid to late 30’s. There have been talks about things and it will happen at some point.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Anything else you’d like to add?
Nope. Thank you for listening.
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