South Dakota Metal outfit Earth Groans are set to release their upcoming EP titled The Body out September 3rd via Solid State Records. Earth Groan’s front man Jeremy Schaeffer took the time to speak with Metal Express Radio about the band’s upcoming EP, the band’s cover of the Deftones “My Own Summer,” their upcoming North American tour, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Earth Groans will be releasing their new EP The Body on September 3rd, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Jeremy Schaeffer: This release will be a bit more up-beat and aggressive. I know Earth Groans has always been aggressive, but this particular release has more hardcore elements driving it.
MER: The band recently released the single “Drink”, what kind of feedback have you received?
Schaeffer: So far so good! We get our normal trolls calling us “unoriginal” or “nothing new”. Fans seem to enjoy the singing which is a little bit new. We have done singing in the past but not quite like this.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being the band’s fifth EP?
Schaffer: Well it was definitely harder than a lot of the others. It was fun as usual, but it is really hard to pull inspiration and motivation out after I’ve had my whole livelihood pulled out from underneath me without an end in sight. There were some days I was terrified that live music would no longer be a viable career choice
MER: The band will be touring soon with In Search of Solace, what are your expectations on the upcoming tour?
Schaeffer: I’m not trying to set too many expectations. I really have no idea what things are going to be like with the Delta variant showing up and the requirement of vaccination cards. I do expect it to be fun no matter what! The ISOS guys are some of the best dudes around and we have so much new music that we haven’t been able to play yet. I’m optimistic it will be a blast!
MER: Are there shows coming up on the tour in states you haven’t played yet?
Schaeffer: Not on this one. In fact I think we have played almost every state but Alaska and Hawaii
MER: What do you see as far as plans for the band after the tour?
Schaeffer: Well we have another tour in November. So we will only be home for a bit before going right back out! And then grinding on the 6th ep to complete our contract with Solid State.
MER: How did the band go about covering “My Own Summer” by the Deftones?
Schaeffer: I (Jeremy) have always loved Deftones. In fact some of the music I first screamed along to was Deftones. They carry a lot of the elements that we work into our music. That’s why we chose to cover them. I recorded all the guitars, bass and vocals and we had Brady track drums. There was a fair amount of experimenting that went into the cover. There’s always the question of “how much do we really want to change the original?” We decided vocally should really be the only thing we should change up much.
MER: For anyone unfamiliar with the band, what is one album you would recommend to a new fan and why?
Schaeffer: Hmmm Waste is one of my favorites. I think that record covers a little bit of everything we do and what we are. It is aggressive, chaotic, slow, and heavy. It’s got it all.
MER: What are some of your hopes for the band’s future?
Schaeffer: Some more support slots would be great! Maybe some international dates could be cool too!
MER: Thanks for your time and stay safe and healthy!
Schaeffer: Thanks so much for having us, and we wish you the same!
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