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In-person interview with Ben Carter of Evile

April 20th 2010, House of Blues, Hollywood CA

Julia: How is the Killfest tour going so far, and how are you enjoying being in North America?
Ben: It's fantastic and really good for us. We did the Kreator tour last month and it was really eye-opening how accepted we were on such a big thrash package. Over here in the United States, everyone is treating us really well and everyone's so friendly. We didn't expect that, to tell you the truth. It was kind of shocking. Because in England you go to speak to someone that you don't really know in the street and they just kind of ignore you. Here everyone is really accommodating, they'll go out of their way to help you, and it's really just brilliant. As far as Killfest goes, Overkill is one of the bands that influenced us from the early days, so it's really cool to be on tour with those guys. It's a massive privilege for us.

Julia: And your new bassist Joel, how is he adjusting to being in the band and being on the road?
Ben: Joel is doing fantastic. He had probably two weeks to learn most of the songs that we're doing on this tour. And then we started a tour in Europe before we came out here. So the workload he's had to learn and put up with, on top of being away from his family and all that, is huge. The first day of our European tour, he found out he was a dad and that his girlfriend had given birth. That was massive news for him. But he's not going to be able to see much of his new boy right now, so he's put a lot to one side and he's being a true professional , getting on with the job. I think he's fit to play so well, and we couldn't have gotten anyone better for the job.

Julia: Do you find that there's a big difference in the atmosphere at the shows you play in the United States as opposed to shows in the UK?
Ben: Definitely, yeah. This isn't in any way derogatory to the fans back home, it's just that since we're an English band, when we're over there a lot of times people are more familiar with us outside the venue. When we come over here, it's like we've started again. We've gone back maybe six or seven years, and we're having to acquire that crowd all over again. On stage, the turnout has been fantastic for us. Fans have been very receptive and we're really enjoying playing here.

Julia: Unfortunately you guys have a very short set time for this tour because there are so many bands on the bill. What's the trick to creating the perfect setlist for a show like this where you have time for just a few songs?
Ben: For ourselves, I think we have to incorporate the songs that got us to where we are and the ones our fans have known for the longest amount of time. We've only had two albums, but we have to have a nice little mix of the two. There's quite a lot of variety in the set - we've got some fast thrashers, some cool headbangers, and some slower ones. But you do have to think about your set time, and kind of work backwards. Think about what you're going to close the set with, what you're going to open the set with. Then you fill in the gap between with your most popular tracks, I guess. It's awkward and we have to really limit what we can do unfortunately, but it's still great just being on stage.

Julia: How does it feel to be nominated for "Best UK Band" for Metal Hammer's Golden Gods Awards, and to be up against a band as legendary as Judas Priest?
Ben: It's mindblowing to be considered in the same sentence as Judas Priest, and even Bullet for My Valentine. It's quite a novelty. I don't know whether they're actually considering us and whether or not they're serious about it. If people think we're deserving of that award then that's fantastic for us, but we're still quite grounded and very humble about the whole thing. We're just going to turn up and have some drinks, see what happens. Considering Judas Priest has been around since the dawn of creation and we're relative newcomers to the metal industry, then maybe we're not warranted. I don't think we'll win, but it's nice to be included.

Julia: Your cover of Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" was released fairly recently and people really seem to like it. How does it feel having covered this track and being commended for it?
Ben: It's brilliant. Pantera is one of those bands that we're always, ALWAYS listening to - whether it's at home or on the road. It was Mike [Alexander's] favorite band, and "Cemetery Gates" it was his favorite Pantera track. So when we got the opportunity to record for Metal Hammer it was like, "Wow, can we do this justice?" The only way to do that is to keep it as close to the original as you can. You can't screw around with a track that is pretty much perfect. For us to record that track and do as well as we did with it, and then for it to go down so well in the States, it's power in the back for us. It's the last track Mike recorded, so it has a special place in our hearts. I'm just waiting for when we can get it out there live.

Julia: A lot of thrash metal legends have spoken really highly of Evile as a band that's succeeding in carrying on the thrash genre. Do you or did you ever feel pressure to live up to a certain standard or to be as good as the classic thrash bands that came out of the 80s, like Metallica and Exodus?
Ben: All the time. I think the music industry has changed a lot since the time that those guys were around, although they are still on the top of their game. But I don't think the metal scene is ever going to sell out thousands-of-seats arenas like Metallica did in the 90s. Just to be relevant, though, and involved in the same sentence as those guys regarding a tour, "You're on tour with Exodus" or "You're on tour with Megadeth", for us, it's a huge privilege. We're just some normal guys out of a really small town in England that no one should really give a shit about. So, the fact that we're being included in the same sentence as those guys is a great feeling for us.

Julia: Matt Drake mentioned in a recent interview that the band is going to write a new album over the summer. Have you guys started coming up with some ideas on the road, or do you prefer to do everything when you're settled in at home?
Ben: We always try and dick about with ideas while we're in the van. Ol [Drake], our guitarist, will have ideas in his head and he'll work on his laptop with it to get it into a music program. Then he'll play for the rest of us and I'll start to get some drum ideas for it. The idea will spiral and collect into some sort of cohesion, and then that'll go into the rehearsal room. Then we'll start writing some new stuff like that. It's going to be interesting writing with Joel, since he's a new guy and he's from a classic rock background. I'm sure he'll bring in a whole new host of influences. The next album is going to be pretty interesting I think. It's not going to be avant-garde jazz or anything, but I think it'll have a slightly different sound to it. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. But yeah we're starting over the summer to work on it, and hopefully going into the studio by May next year.

Julia: When you're in the process of writing a new album, what or who inspires you to create the music that you do?
Ben: It changes. The first album we wrote, we were still kind of young and naive about the music industry. We were just writing songs about war and crap like that. Second album came out and we started discussing deeper and meaningful lyrics and themes. We wrote about things that mattered to us, rather than about the old comic book/horror movie kind of influences. I don't know what's going to happen. Matt's going to do all the lyric writing. Until he defines what the subject matter will be, we don't really know what it's going to be about. We'll just get some really good sounding tracks and then leave the subject matter to him.

Julia: What's on the agenda for Evile in terms of gigs for over the summer?
Ben: Over the summer we've got quite a lot of European festivals. We've got Wakken, Hellfest, Sonisphere in the U.K., Woodstock in the U.K., about nine or ten European festivals overall. Like you mentioned, we'll be writing as well, so that's going to be taking up our weekdays. At the end of the summer I think we'll be touring again, maybe around September. So yeah, we're busy!

Julia: That's a very good thing for a band right now. You probably have to tour a lot more because of the state of the music industry.
Ben: Of course. People won't know the band if you're not out there being seen and actively doing what you love doing - which we are definitely doing! So I think everything's gonna be cool.