To the Grave has never been a band to shy away from brutal honesty, and their latest album, Everyone’s A Murderer, continues to push those boundaries both musically and lyrically. Released at the end of August this year, the record marks the band’s third full-length release, and it’s quickly gaining attention for its relentless energy and raw intensity.
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Dane and Matt to discuss the inspiration behind the album, the powerful themes that run through it, and what fans can expect from their upcoming performances on the Faces of Death tour.
You released your third full-length album EVERYONE'S A MURDERER at the end of August. For those who haven't had a chance to listen through it yet, can you walk us through what fans can expect both sonically and lyrically?
Dane: EAM is to us, a passion project spawned from our live experiences and tastes evolving. We really wanted to put out something that felt like us right now, that felt like a breath of fresh air for both us and fans and just something different.
Lyrically, this one's more intense than it's ever been and we love how angry it all feels; the music being more sledgehammer than scalpel this time around helps that too.
Matt: We focused on making a record that we were all excited by. We just wanted to have fun with these songs and really enjoy the process of writing and recording as much as possible. I think that is gonna translate on the record and especially when we get out there playing these live.
We can’t mention the new album without touching on the cover art by Daemorph Art. Your album art is certainly not for the faint-hearted– it’s brutal, it’s explicit, and it’s out to get a message across. Can you tell us a bit about the concept behind it? Did you go to the artist with an idea, or was it more a case of, “Here’s the album, here are the themes, we need a cover”?
Dane: For sure. So, we had the title sorted and the very loose concept for the imagery before we went to Daemorph. I told him we wanted something that felt classic, but like an iconic piece of animal-rights imagery in a way (I'd sent all the classic examples) and he came back with this. Everyone instantly loved it and after working with him a few times prior, it was cool to see how quickly he got the vision.
Matt: I had an idea of what we’d be getting back because we’ve worked with him before and knew his style, but this one blew us all away when we got it back. We haven’t had a cover with these kinda death metal vibes and that’s kinda cool.
We’re stoked to be a part of this year’s Faces of Death tour. With such a killer line-up, it’s bound to be one for the books. What are you most looking forward to about the tour? Do you have a favorite venue or location you’re excited to check out?
Dane: I fuckin love Prague, idk why. Also everywhere in the UK feels a bit like home, so I can't wait for that.
Matt: Europe is cool because it feels so different to home - we’re used to driving for 10 hours and still being in the same state at home. In Europe, every show is like a little taster of each country. Speedrunning everyone’s cultures in a day is fun. The crowds everywhere are always so great to us but they're especially intense in the UK.
Do you have a favourite song to perform live or a particular track that holds special meaning for you as a band?
Dane: Burn Your Local Butcher right now is one I'm keen to rip live, also DXE or die. Eight Four One Six and Gaschamber P.T. are ones that are very close to my heart and I'm keen for people to hear.
Matt: Off the new album? Dead Wrong is still my favourite, it’s just so metal.
For us folks here on the other side of the pond, what’s the deathcore scene like in Australia? From a touring perspective, what differences have you noticed from playing shows in your home country versus, for example, the UK?
Dane: Grim, hahaha. It's getting better and we used to be absolutely on top for our dc scene, and I could talk for hours about it. Very fortunate to have grown up with the heavy scene I did. Oddly similar in the ways that count - all over the globe, kids are stage diving feet first and dropping steezy 2 steps. Reminds me of home.
Matt: Yeah, the deathcore scene back home is kinda in a bit of a lull at the moment. The bigger bands that stuck around have all gotten out doing bigger shit overseas, and there’s smaller bands still working out their sound and how to get some traction. Touring is very different overseas, there’s like 5 cities to play in Aus and that’s a “national” tour. We’re lucky to be able to get overseas and do these longer runs and see so many people.
Besides your upcoming tours and new album, what’s next for To the Grave? How do you see yourselves growing and evolving over the next few years?
Dane: Well, we always leave the studio with more than we need, and we did this time too. almost as is tradition... So the album will be supported post-launch with extra grub to get into. I wanna do a Cuts Redux at some point (idk what that will look like yet) and a bunch of other cool shit. Jump in our community discord to keep up with it all.
Matt: We’ve got an Aus tour supporting Lorna Shore with Bodysnatcher in Feb, which will be a great start to the year. As far as our sound evolving, I think we’ll just keep trying new shit - it’s exciting to see what this new focus on just having fun with the music will grow into.
Catch To the Grave live in the UK and Europe on the Pins & Knuckles Faces of Death Tour.
Follow To the Grave on Instagram here.
