Crucible of Hate interview

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members. 

Crucible of Hate really started in late 2015 when Donny Phillips got his first 7-string guitar. Riffs started coming and he teamed up with Dave Miller, who had played drums in their currently defunct thrash metal band. Some songs started to come together after a few jams and Donny put out the feelers to find some other members. I (Dan Rivera, vocalist), just happened to be looking for a band to join as a vocalist in December 2015. Some mutual friends hooked us up and we all began to gel nicely. After a few lineup changes we got Pete Rensch on board to play second guitar, whose style complements Donny’s perfectly. We parted ways with our original bass player and I took up bass duties as well. Many fun shows around Ohio have been played, including a few opening slots for national headliners (Immolation, Cavalera Brothers, Scar Symmetry, and Arsis). We completed writing a full album’s worth of songs early this year and hit the studio in spring 2018 to record the album.



2. What’s the origin of the band’s name? 

That's a funny story, because it happened in a sort of backwards manner. We were struggling to come up with a name, as Donny had about 800 ideas and I hated every single one of them, haha. Crucible of Hate was one name that had been suggested early on that Donny brought up to the group again some time later. We all thought we'd consider it, and at that point more lyrics had come together and I had a better feel for what the band meant to me and was really about. We all agreed the name was more than just a cool-sounding metal band moniker, but something that reflected what our music is about. 

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are from Central Ohio, USA. The local metal scene is small, but tight-knit and extremely supportive of one another. We'd recommend Goatmill, Race of Devils, and Well of Night for sure. All those bands rip!

4. How would you describe your style?
Groove-oriented melodic death metal. There's a lot of melody, catchy hooks, and some progressive moments.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works? 
We have released a 2-song EP called "The Summoning" back in 2017. They can expect an album that flows from front to back, engages the listener with both music and words. Something heavy and punishing while also melodic and catchy.

6. Do you have any new music in the works? 
We have a little surprise in store for our upcoming album release show in September, but I won't spill the beans yet. 

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out? 
We will have many more shows coming up once the album is released. We hope to play out of Ohio in surrounding states, maybe even a small weekend tour, but nothing is in the works at the moment. 

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band? 
Just to keep doing what we're doing, improving our craft, gelling as musicians and friends, and just having fun playing music. We're all older guys with kids and careers, and are happy playing metal as a hobby. 

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff? 
For now, check our bandcamp site ((https://crucibleofhate.bandcamp.com), but our full album will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and other major streaming services. And if you look hard enough on YouTube, you might find us there too. ;)
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I want it to get stuck in their heads, but I really want them to remember the way it FELT. To know we made music strong enough to make someone experience an emotion that they felt was worth remembering.