Nick Baranov - Rattlehead
Thrash has been giving the Metal scene a kick in the ass lately and Rattlehead are one of the bands leading the charge. Hailing from the fertile breeding ground of Southern California, Rattlehead are poised to take the international scene by storm with their back to the roots thrash metal machine. Nick Baranov, guitar fiend and vocalist from Rattlehead, took the time to do an in depth Q&A with Metal Exiles on the state of Rattlehead and the metal scene in general.
An interview with Nick Baranov of Rattlehead.
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: For those not familiar with Rattlehead, give us the origins of the band?
Nick Baranov: Well, we started as four hungry thrasher kids, practicing in a church basement, sometime in the fall of 2003 or spring of 2004, its all hazy now really. Our original guitar player and I met in high school and decided we wanted to play aggressive, loud, fast music – basically the three characteristics of thrash metal, so that’s how the band was born. A buddy of mine that I skated with became our bass player, and we found our drummer selling candles in a church, wearing en Emperor shirt – we knew he was in automatically.
Metal Exiles: What made you decide to pick up the guitar and what were some of your earlier influences?
Nick: I think when I was around 13 years old, I dug into my dad’s old storage boxes and found VHS tapes of live Zeppelin, Metallica, Deep Purple, and Doors concerts. I think as soon as I saw James Hetfield hit the first chord on the S&M album, I was sold. I put aside my skateboard, bullshit schoolwork, and forced my parents to buy me a shitty knockoff fender strat to start learning on. Aside from the previously listed, my early influences were bands like Dream Theater, Slayer, old Exodus, Sepultura, AC/DC and obviously Megadeth.
Metal Exiles: You have gigged around So.Cal for quite awhile, what are the ups and downs to that kind of showcasing?
Nick: The ups of it is definitely that we have the biggest scene here, with almost everyone being in a band of their own, a lot of people attend shows, and a lot of shows happen, sometimes as many as 4 on the same night, on the same street. On the other hand, the downside is exactly that – its oversaturated. Believe it or not, it gets pretty difficult trying to draw a crowd to your show, when you have Kreator playing at the house of blues down the street, and 3 of your friends’ metal bands playing all over the place. We definitely enjoy playing out of town, because people fiend for live metal – its not as abundant everywhere else as it is in Los Angeles, or So Cal.
Metal Exiles: Your first record, Responsible Moshing, was a raw affair. What did you learn from recording that record and what are your thoughts on it?
Nick: First off, we learned not to drink heavily when trying to focus on a god damn record. I think on some parts, we were so out of it, we even forgot to close the door to the amp room, and you can hear some guitar parts bleeding over others, and other extremely amateur moves. I obviously can’t hate it, because well – it is what it is. I’m sure someone somewhere out there appreciates it for that raw, old school early band sound we used to have, but we on the other hand like to think of it as an ugly baby, that you still gotta love, you know? A few of the songs are pretty popular with the crowds, and we’ve actually been thinking of bringing them back into our live set.
Metal Exiles: You had a line up shift after that record. Was there no dedication at that point and were there ever thoughts of throwing in the towel?
Nick: When I had a .05% feeling of “throwing in the towel”, I slapped myself in the face, and got the band’s logo tattooed over my heart, to remind myself not to be an idiot about it, hahah. I don’t think it was ever a matter of the others not having dedication, but it was more of a lack of drive. I was trying to bulldoze this band to the top at an unreal pace, trying to record demos, book tours, get in touch with labels, photo shoots, and etc, while the others were focused on day jobs, school work, girlfriends, and all that other secondary bullshit that shouldn’t matter if you want to make it in this business.
Metal Exiles: How did you find the three guys that you have with you now and what do they bring to the table?
Nick: AJ Stixx played for a networking local band here in LA that we gigged with a lot, but when I offered him the gig, he willingly took it, noting that we were moving at a much faster pace than his other band, or any other band here for that matter. As far as Shadow, we went to school together, and he used to come out to our shows here and there, so I offered him the gig, not realizing he was such a badass bass player from the very start. With Francis Ausley, it’s a funny story – we held open auditions, and he came to support his friend who was trying out. Well, his friend was late, and we ended up talking and settled on the fact that he should be in the band instead. I think we all work together well, with each one of us bringing a different aspect together to create something uniformed, with AJ being more of a power metal, classic rock guy, Francis having a like to the darker side of metal, and Shadow and I sticking to the thrash ideals of things.
Metal Exiles: Tell us about your second record, Step Inside For The Slaughter and what advances in skill and writing did you see from the first record?
Nick: I think that record was a great improvement, and finally a step in the direction of what we wanted the band to sound like. By the time we got around to recording it, we had been playing our instruments for enough time to be able to express our ideas into writing, and record the complex parts that we obviously would have never been able to for the first effort. On top of that, we were finally in a real studio, with an engineer who had experience recording metal. Also, since we had been gigging so long prior to the sessions, we knew which songs worked, and which didn’t, so we could put together a solid track listing that would appeal to the fans. It could, obviously use better production and mixing, but I think we can always come back to that in the future.
Metal Exiles: The track you have on your website from the new record, Just Stay Down, is very Motorheadish. Thoughts on Lemmy?
Nick: Ironically enough, that is one influence that always goes unsaid, and comes out very subconsciously. When we were writing that song, we focused heavily on the actual songwriting process and coming up with memorable riffs and lyrics, while Francis and I were heavily into Annihilator, Pantera, and random Power Metal, so we never intended going for the Motorhead feel, but we obviously don’t mind. Lemmy’s definitely a great guy, we run into him once in a while at the Rainbow. Maybe one of these days we’ll go out on the road with his band, now that would be ridiculous…
Metal Exiles: The new record, Tales From The Gutter, is insane. Where did the inspiration for this record come from?
Nick: The inspiration came mostly from touring and living life at the stupidly fast pace we live it at. A majority of the songs are actually kind of like short stories of instances on the road, at our house parties here in Hollywood, as well as various other tidbits from our lives. In essence, they’re all tales from the perspective of a handful of scumbags, living in the raunchiest city in this country. If you go in depth with the lyrics, you’ll be amazed, considering none of it was really fictitious, hahah.
Metal Exiles: The artwork is dark. Who did the artwork and do you think that there is a shock value anymore to art?
Nick: The artwork was done by our good friend Andrew De Lange, who also did our previous album, and a handful of our shirt designs. There might still be shock value in artwork, I can’t really say that it’s what we were trying to achieve with burning zombie hookers and so forth, but we seemed to get the point across. It basically is a vision of our city from the eyes of a madman, so to say.
Metal Exiles: Break down each of the songs for Metal Exiles. Where they came from, what motivated you to write it.
Nick: Just Stay Down came as an idea after we started running a nightly after hours bar and party house at a place we used to live at here in Hollywood. We would just have the loopiest characters roll in, and witnessed everything from blacked out idiots pissing on our couches, dancing naked in the living room, passing out in their own puke buckets, getting hit by cars outside, and so forth. It kind of implies – if you can’t take another drink, just stay down, hahah.
A.W.O.L. is a faster, more aggressive song, owning a second interpretation of “A Warrior Once Lost” indirectly influenced by the numerous previous members we used to have that called it quits after realizing that the road ahead requires one hell of a struggle, filled with blood, sweat, and tears.
Nightmares Never Sleep is a slower, darker song taking the listener into the sick mind of the character in the song. Filled with revengeful and angry lyrics, I think it expressed our hunger, the aggressive drive that possesses us, as we blitzkrieg through the scumbags who stand in our way.
Walk With The Dead is a pretty radical one, talking about a young innocent man who goes completely bat shit insane, and becomes a zombie, for no real reason – just because he couldn’t handle it. Directly inspired by a true road story, where after a mere seven days into our nationwide tour, the drummer of the opening band went completely nuts, tried to kill us with a box cutter, ran away in the ghetto of New Orleans, and was sent to the mental ward for two weeks. No drugs or alcohol involved, dead serious…
The Losing Hand, still dubbed as “epic” on our live setlist sheets, is the lengthy 7 or so minute track that takes the listener on a heavy journey, exposing the life of a lost soul, forever cursed by drug use and lack of self esteem. Unfortunately the story with over half of the “rockstars” living in Hollywood, when in fact, they’ve just been high for so long they haven’t gotten farther than karaoke night at the local bar..
Love Song is a favorite of mine, and probably the most angriest song I have ever written. Here’s the story – so I meet this smokin’ blonde and we do our thing, while her psychotic ex boyfriend starts to stalk me. He then proceeds to sneak in and catch us doin’ the dirty and decided its fair punishment to key my restored ’73 el camino, front to back. I was so infuriated driving back home, I started screaming the most absurd lyrics I could possibly think of, which I then simply placed over a solid couple of riffs, and voila. We haven’t played it live yet, because I’m afraid I might snap my guitar in half from all the anger. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Digging My Own Grave is actually a song dedicated to my good friend Joe Dirt (no, not the fucking movie) who unfortunately took his own life after many years of internal struggle. Still a sensitive subject after almost a year since the event, it was a pretty fuckin heavy reality check for some of us. A huge shout-out goes out to the HHK – stay strong.
Sign Off Your Life might be the only song on the record not directly relating to any of us, primarily because none of us are repo-men for an organ leasing hospital. Inspired by the insanely gruesome rock-opera film “Repo! The Genetic Opera” it tells a story about a repo man who is hired to extract organs from customers failing to make their payments, a job I think any of us would be pleased to do for a steady paycheck…
Bottom Shelf Shuffle, now that is a fuckin’ tune! It’s basically our ode to the party lifestyle which we ended up with naturally, not givin’ two shits about what happens tomorrow, how big the hangover is, or where exactly this dead baby came from.. This song definitely highlights influences by Van Halen, Guns n Roses, and all that jazz.
Metal Exiles: What guitars and amps do you use and why?
Nick: As of right now, Francis and I use Marshall Amplifiers exclusively. I think it’s the only amp on the market which gets that appropriate kick in your face distortion, but still sounds warm and human. As far as guitars, I’m an avid fan of USA made Jacksons, specifically the RR-1 models, while Francis sports a custom 1984 Ibanez Destroyer, fully decked with hotwired pickups, scalloped frets, and all the bells n’ whistles.
Metal Exiles: You grew up in So. Cal which is known for some of the best metal tours. What are some of your better metal memories as far as shows and experiences?
Nick: I’ve been fortunate enough to see almost all the bands my dad boasts about listening to in the 70’s and 80’s, which is definitely a title to hold. Everyone from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Heaven n Hell, Judas Priest, Rush, and many more. I still don’t think anything beats Maiden, Dio and Motorhead at the Long Beach arena. (Editor’s Note: I was at that show, he is right) I’d give my left nut to play that stage (don’t hold me to that).
Metal Exiles: You just came off of a summer tour with Hexen and Mantic Ritual. How did that go and what are the next touring plans for the new record?
Nick: The tours were phenomenal! Every time we go out there, it gets bigger and louder, the crowds grow, the word spreads, and the booze flows. This last summer tour specifically, I think was the best one to date, with Hexen being such great guys to share a smelly van with, we have enough hilarious stories to write a couple of books! We are currently shopping around for a record label and hopefully a booking agent, to land some solid support slots, to get out there and play for bigger audiences. Stay tuned, cause we’ll be out there soon enough!
Metal Exiles: It seems with bands like Mantic Ritual that musicians want the old school thrash back. Why do you see such a resurgence of the genre?
Nick: I just think it all goes around in one huge wheel – that wheel is about made its complete turn, and its been long enough since we’ve had some solid thrash metal bands. After the whole wave died in the late 80’s, and MTV shat on the world with its rap rock, screamo, metal-core, gangster rap, and everything else that makes us cringe, its about time for a refreshing change. On top of it all, all the original old school bands are coming around for reunion tours , and final albums, which pretty much paves the way for bands like us, I hope.
Metal Exiles: Last words for the fans?
Nick: Definitely want to thank every, and each one of you for showing all the support after all these years of hard work. If you haven’t heard the new album yet, shoot over to our myspace.com/rattlehead site and check it out, or look us up on iTunes! We will see you all on tour soon enough, and guarantee you will not be disappointed. Cheers n’ beers!
http://www.rattleheadmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/rattlehead
BUY TALES FROM THE GUTTER!
An interview with Nick Baranov of Rattlehead.
By Jeffrey Easton
Metal Exiles: For those not familiar with Rattlehead, give us the origins of the band?
Nick Baranov: Well, we started as four hungry thrasher kids, practicing in a church basement, sometime in the fall of 2003 or spring of 2004, its all hazy now really. Our original guitar player and I met in high school and decided we wanted to play aggressive, loud, fast music – basically the three characteristics of thrash metal, so that’s how the band was born. A buddy of mine that I skated with became our bass player, and we found our drummer selling candles in a church, wearing en Emperor shirt – we knew he was in automatically.
Metal Exiles: What made you decide to pick up the guitar and what were some of your earlier influences?
Nick: I think when I was around 13 years old, I dug into my dad’s old storage boxes and found VHS tapes of live Zeppelin, Metallica, Deep Purple, and Doors concerts. I think as soon as I saw James Hetfield hit the first chord on the S&M album, I was sold. I put aside my skateboard, bullshit schoolwork, and forced my parents to buy me a shitty knockoff fender strat to start learning on. Aside from the previously listed, my early influences were bands like Dream Theater, Slayer, old Exodus, Sepultura, AC/DC and obviously Megadeth.
Metal Exiles: You have gigged around So.Cal for quite awhile, what are the ups and downs to that kind of showcasing?
Nick: The ups of it is definitely that we have the biggest scene here, with almost everyone being in a band of their own, a lot of people attend shows, and a lot of shows happen, sometimes as many as 4 on the same night, on the same street. On the other hand, the downside is exactly that – its oversaturated. Believe it or not, it gets pretty difficult trying to draw a crowd to your show, when you have Kreator playing at the house of blues down the street, and 3 of your friends’ metal bands playing all over the place. We definitely enjoy playing out of town, because people fiend for live metal – its not as abundant everywhere else as it is in Los Angeles, or So Cal.
Metal Exiles: Your first record, Responsible Moshing, was a raw affair. What did you learn from recording that record and what are your thoughts on it?
Nick: First off, we learned not to drink heavily when trying to focus on a god damn record. I think on some parts, we were so out of it, we even forgot to close the door to the amp room, and you can hear some guitar parts bleeding over others, and other extremely amateur moves. I obviously can’t hate it, because well – it is what it is. I’m sure someone somewhere out there appreciates it for that raw, old school early band sound we used to have, but we on the other hand like to think of it as an ugly baby, that you still gotta love, you know? A few of the songs are pretty popular with the crowds, and we’ve actually been thinking of bringing them back into our live set.
Metal Exiles: You had a line up shift after that record. Was there no dedication at that point and were there ever thoughts of throwing in the towel?
Nick: When I had a .05% feeling of “throwing in the towel”, I slapped myself in the face, and got the band’s logo tattooed over my heart, to remind myself not to be an idiot about it, hahah. I don’t think it was ever a matter of the others not having dedication, but it was more of a lack of drive. I was trying to bulldoze this band to the top at an unreal pace, trying to record demos, book tours, get in touch with labels, photo shoots, and etc, while the others were focused on day jobs, school work, girlfriends, and all that other secondary bullshit that shouldn’t matter if you want to make it in this business.
Metal Exiles: How did you find the three guys that you have with you now and what do they bring to the table?
Nick: AJ Stixx played for a networking local band here in LA that we gigged with a lot, but when I offered him the gig, he willingly took it, noting that we were moving at a much faster pace than his other band, or any other band here for that matter. As far as Shadow, we went to school together, and he used to come out to our shows here and there, so I offered him the gig, not realizing he was such a badass bass player from the very start. With Francis Ausley, it’s a funny story – we held open auditions, and he came to support his friend who was trying out. Well, his friend was late, and we ended up talking and settled on the fact that he should be in the band instead. I think we all work together well, with each one of us bringing a different aspect together to create something uniformed, with AJ being more of a power metal, classic rock guy, Francis having a like to the darker side of metal, and Shadow and I sticking to the thrash ideals of things.
Metal Exiles: Tell us about your second record, Step Inside For The Slaughter and what advances in skill and writing did you see from the first record?
Nick: I think that record was a great improvement, and finally a step in the direction of what we wanted the band to sound like. By the time we got around to recording it, we had been playing our instruments for enough time to be able to express our ideas into writing, and record the complex parts that we obviously would have never been able to for the first effort. On top of that, we were finally in a real studio, with an engineer who had experience recording metal. Also, since we had been gigging so long prior to the sessions, we knew which songs worked, and which didn’t, so we could put together a solid track listing that would appeal to the fans. It could, obviously use better production and mixing, but I think we can always come back to that in the future.
Metal Exiles: The track you have on your website from the new record, Just Stay Down, is very Motorheadish. Thoughts on Lemmy?
Nick: Ironically enough, that is one influence that always goes unsaid, and comes out very subconsciously. When we were writing that song, we focused heavily on the actual songwriting process and coming up with memorable riffs and lyrics, while Francis and I were heavily into Annihilator, Pantera, and random Power Metal, so we never intended going for the Motorhead feel, but we obviously don’t mind. Lemmy’s definitely a great guy, we run into him once in a while at the Rainbow. Maybe one of these days we’ll go out on the road with his band, now that would be ridiculous…
Metal Exiles: The new record, Tales From The Gutter, is insane. Where did the inspiration for this record come from?
Nick: The inspiration came mostly from touring and living life at the stupidly fast pace we live it at. A majority of the songs are actually kind of like short stories of instances on the road, at our house parties here in Hollywood, as well as various other tidbits from our lives. In essence, they’re all tales from the perspective of a handful of scumbags, living in the raunchiest city in this country. If you go in depth with the lyrics, you’ll be amazed, considering none of it was really fictitious, hahah.
Metal Exiles: The artwork is dark. Who did the artwork and do you think that there is a shock value anymore to art?
Nick: The artwork was done by our good friend Andrew De Lange, who also did our previous album, and a handful of our shirt designs. There might still be shock value in artwork, I can’t really say that it’s what we were trying to achieve with burning zombie hookers and so forth, but we seemed to get the point across. It basically is a vision of our city from the eyes of a madman, so to say.
Metal Exiles: Break down each of the songs for Metal Exiles. Where they came from, what motivated you to write it.
Nick: Just Stay Down came as an idea after we started running a nightly after hours bar and party house at a place we used to live at here in Hollywood. We would just have the loopiest characters roll in, and witnessed everything from blacked out idiots pissing on our couches, dancing naked in the living room, passing out in their own puke buckets, getting hit by cars outside, and so forth. It kind of implies – if you can’t take another drink, just stay down, hahah.
A.W.O.L. is a faster, more aggressive song, owning a second interpretation of “A Warrior Once Lost” indirectly influenced by the numerous previous members we used to have that called it quits after realizing that the road ahead requires one hell of a struggle, filled with blood, sweat, and tears.
Nightmares Never Sleep is a slower, darker song taking the listener into the sick mind of the character in the song. Filled with revengeful and angry lyrics, I think it expressed our hunger, the aggressive drive that possesses us, as we blitzkrieg through the scumbags who stand in our way.
Walk With The Dead is a pretty radical one, talking about a young innocent man who goes completely bat shit insane, and becomes a zombie, for no real reason – just because he couldn’t handle it. Directly inspired by a true road story, where after a mere seven days into our nationwide tour, the drummer of the opening band went completely nuts, tried to kill us with a box cutter, ran away in the ghetto of New Orleans, and was sent to the mental ward for two weeks. No drugs or alcohol involved, dead serious…
The Losing Hand, still dubbed as “epic” on our live setlist sheets, is the lengthy 7 or so minute track that takes the listener on a heavy journey, exposing the life of a lost soul, forever cursed by drug use and lack of self esteem. Unfortunately the story with over half of the “rockstars” living in Hollywood, when in fact, they’ve just been high for so long they haven’t gotten farther than karaoke night at the local bar..
Love Song is a favorite of mine, and probably the most angriest song I have ever written. Here’s the story – so I meet this smokin’ blonde and we do our thing, while her psychotic ex boyfriend starts to stalk me. He then proceeds to sneak in and catch us doin’ the dirty and decided its fair punishment to key my restored ’73 el camino, front to back. I was so infuriated driving back home, I started screaming the most absurd lyrics I could possibly think of, which I then simply placed over a solid couple of riffs, and voila. We haven’t played it live yet, because I’m afraid I might snap my guitar in half from all the anger. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Digging My Own Grave is actually a song dedicated to my good friend Joe Dirt (no, not the fucking movie) who unfortunately took his own life after many years of internal struggle. Still a sensitive subject after almost a year since the event, it was a pretty fuckin heavy reality check for some of us. A huge shout-out goes out to the HHK – stay strong.
Sign Off Your Life might be the only song on the record not directly relating to any of us, primarily because none of us are repo-men for an organ leasing hospital. Inspired by the insanely gruesome rock-opera film “Repo! The Genetic Opera” it tells a story about a repo man who is hired to extract organs from customers failing to make their payments, a job I think any of us would be pleased to do for a steady paycheck…
Bottom Shelf Shuffle, now that is a fuckin’ tune! It’s basically our ode to the party lifestyle which we ended up with naturally, not givin’ two shits about what happens tomorrow, how big the hangover is, or where exactly this dead baby came from.. This song definitely highlights influences by Van Halen, Guns n Roses, and all that jazz.
Metal Exiles: What guitars and amps do you use and why?
Nick: As of right now, Francis and I use Marshall Amplifiers exclusively. I think it’s the only amp on the market which gets that appropriate kick in your face distortion, but still sounds warm and human. As far as guitars, I’m an avid fan of USA made Jacksons, specifically the RR-1 models, while Francis sports a custom 1984 Ibanez Destroyer, fully decked with hotwired pickups, scalloped frets, and all the bells n’ whistles.
Metal Exiles: You grew up in So. Cal which is known for some of the best metal tours. What are some of your better metal memories as far as shows and experiences?
Nick: I’ve been fortunate enough to see almost all the bands my dad boasts about listening to in the 70’s and 80’s, which is definitely a title to hold. Everyone from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Heaven n Hell, Judas Priest, Rush, and many more. I still don’t think anything beats Maiden, Dio and Motorhead at the Long Beach arena. (Editor’s Note: I was at that show, he is right) I’d give my left nut to play that stage (don’t hold me to that).
Metal Exiles: You just came off of a summer tour with Hexen and Mantic Ritual. How did that go and what are the next touring plans for the new record?
Nick: The tours were phenomenal! Every time we go out there, it gets bigger and louder, the crowds grow, the word spreads, and the booze flows. This last summer tour specifically, I think was the best one to date, with Hexen being such great guys to share a smelly van with, we have enough hilarious stories to write a couple of books! We are currently shopping around for a record label and hopefully a booking agent, to land some solid support slots, to get out there and play for bigger audiences. Stay tuned, cause we’ll be out there soon enough!
Metal Exiles: It seems with bands like Mantic Ritual that musicians want the old school thrash back. Why do you see such a resurgence of the genre?
Nick: I just think it all goes around in one huge wheel – that wheel is about made its complete turn, and its been long enough since we’ve had some solid thrash metal bands. After the whole wave died in the late 80’s, and MTV shat on the world with its rap rock, screamo, metal-core, gangster rap, and everything else that makes us cringe, its about time for a refreshing change. On top of it all, all the original old school bands are coming around for reunion tours , and final albums, which pretty much paves the way for bands like us, I hope.
Metal Exiles: Last words for the fans?
Nick: Definitely want to thank every, and each one of you for showing all the support after all these years of hard work. If you haven’t heard the new album yet, shoot over to our myspace.com/rattlehead site and check it out, or look us up on iTunes! We will see you all on tour soon enough, and guarantee you will not be disappointed. Cheers n’ beers!
http://www.rattleheadmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/rattlehead
BUY TALES FROM THE GUTTER!
