Necronomicon vocalist/guitarist Rob “The Witch” Tremblay says that there is nothing he hates more about being in a metal band than practicing guitar by himself. The frontman says he feels out of sorts if he is not on stage playing for fans with his fellow band members.
“I’m not the kind of guy sitting at home playing guitar,” he admits. “I hate that. I literally hate that.”
Even faced with long stretches on the road—such as the one that sees him hitting Victoria this month with his bandmates—Tremblay prefers the touring life.
“It’s going to be a long run,” he says of the band’s upcoming touring cycle. “We have two tours back to back. So we’re going to be out pretty much for two months. But I really like being on the road. I’m pretty much a road guy.”
Necronomicon have been around since 1988, and Tremblay says that their new album, Advent of the Human God, draws on the early days with a new twist.
“We’re pretty much continuing what we’re doing since we started with [2010 album] The Return of the Witch. It’s not like we’re trying new stuff,” he says. “It’s more like we’re doing what we started with at the beginning.”
Tremblay attributes much of the band’s growth to changing recording technologies, as well as the band’s relocation to a more populated part of Quebec.
“We have more resources. Back in the day, we were living in the mountains up north, and there’s nothing there,” he says with a laugh. “When you want to work in the music industry, you need to get the fuck out of there.”
Meeting a large array of musicians—from classical to metal—when the band settled in Montreal is what allowed Necronomicon to play the way they want to, says Tremblay. He admits that the dark sounds found in this new album are representative of part of his personality but says that he actually needs to “feel at peace” to be able to compose this type of music.
“Some people, when they compose, they do that to release some tension; they’re really in a pissed-off mood or whatever,” he says. “They’re upset. Me, personally, it doesn’t work like that. I need to be zen, actually.”
Tremblay says that the happier he felt, the easier the creativity of the new album came to him.
“The album, even if it sounds really dark… well, people are saying it’s dark, I don’t see it as dark,” he says. “I see it as really powerful. So if we go with the personal aspect, I can say that I’m happier in my life than I was before.”
Necronomicon
Friday, August 19
The V-Lounge
facebook.com/necronomiconmetal