Interview with The Autumn Offering lead singer Matt McChesney

Vocalist Matt McChesney of The Autumn Offering recently spoke with me about the band’s newest self-titled release. On the group’s 5th full-length release everything seems to have been kicked up a few notches. This disc is angrier, more aggressive and much darker than any of the band’s previous releases. This disc is a pounding, potent metal assault that does not let up top to bottom. Here is what McChesney had to say about the band, the release and the story behind all of his rage.

Now that your brand new self-titled CD is complete how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?
Matt: We’re very satisfied. We achieved the goal we had in mind when we started writing it. It was a “statement” record… a middle finger, a rebirth. Heavy music is so trendy and stale these days. While we aren’t inventing anything here we are playing uncompromising music with serious conviction. We aren’t bowing down to any current trends in heavy music. I heard someone refer to the record as Deathcore the other day and it was infuriating. We are a metal band… always have been. We have experimented in the past and we have no regrets. We are coming home again. The current state of metal is different but it doesn’t matter because when the current crop of posers die off we will still be around.

What was the writing process like for this CD? Did you guys all write together? How long did it take?
Matt: We started writing in February and finished up in April. We started laying down tracks April 1st and the record was completed June 3rd. We don’t write together. Either Jesse or Tommy will come to me with a demo and I will write my vocals over it. While I am doing this I will change things I don’t like; be it a guitar riff or a drum part. We are spread throughout the U.S. so writing together has never been an option. When we do come together things change, always for the better. Nine times out of ten the finished product does not end up resembling the demo version at all.

You guys produced this record yourselves this time out. What was the reasoning behind taking on the production roles and what was the experience like? Did you find it more difficult?
Matt: Well, all of us are proficient in the recording field. Tommy even has a studio of his own. After recording three albums with guys like Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis our knowledge was even greater. When doing those albums we were always involved with the engineering and the editing aspects of things. If you know what you want it is easy to achieve. We probably could have done Requiem on our own, Pete Rutcho did a great job mixing it by the way. As far as it being difficult I would say it was the easiest album we have ever made. We fought a lot but we always do, not having a producer as a moderator for arguments kind of sucked. However not having anyone to say ‘stop’ made the music really over the top.

The new material is significantly heavier and more aggressive than your previous releases. What brought on this aggressive attitude?
Matt: Frustration… frustration with the metal scene. Frustration stemming from getting fucked left and right. Hate… hating everything, hating each other, hating the world around us. For me, regret, self-loathing, anguish. Despising everything around me. Despising this cesspool of a country I live in and what it’s become. Fucking designer jeans and reality TV. Fucking Twitter kids, the elderly, humans; everything. The older I get the colder and more disconnected I become. It can’t go on much longer like this. I live in Arizona and I am about ready to see Arizona Bay become a reality. I am a big Bill Hicks fan as you can tell.

Where do you draw your inspiration from when writing lyrics? Is there a theme behind the writing of this record?
Matt: The past, childhood, drug abuse… plenty of that. Regret… regret for how I’ve treated people as well as myself. Going outward it touches on the occult and its place in American History, even in our currency. The Freemasons, The Illuminati. I was reading, “Behold, A Pale Horse,” by Milton Cooper at the time I was writing and I had just finished “Chariots Of The Gods.” I’ve always been a voracious reader. I didn’t mean for these things to influence me, but they did. I believe whatever is going on in your life at the time will play a role in the art being created.

What message, if any, do you want your fans to walk away with after listening to this disc?
Matt: None. I don’t like to talk about song content. The beauty of music is that it can be interpreted so many different ways. I believe that the thinking mind is in decline in this country… especially with the youth. It is not their fault; the people that have been trusted to guide and protect them have failed them. Their parents have failed them. You need only to go to a local mall to see this. Now more than ever young people need to think for themselves. I guess I would just say thank you for your ten dollars or whatever these corporate chains charge for a CD these days.

What can fans expect when they pick up a copy of the disc?
Matt: They can expect the audio soundtrack to my 30 years of misery on this planet. Along with the blood, sweat and hard work from my band mates that went into this fucking album. It may not be a pretty album but it is a fucking wrecking ball. It is devastating. This is one of the angriest albums I have ever heard. I wanted to make our version of The Great Southern Trendkill. On “Trendkill,” Pantera experimented with slow songs; there are none of those on our record; it doesn’t relent all the way through. In the past I’d write a song or two that was, not a ballad, but something dealing with a relationship that was more focused on sadness and despair rather then rage. There is no room for that here on this album. This record is a white hot blast of rage.

What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Matt: One day I was upset about our set being cut down and I was acting like a child. After the set I met an 18 year old girl, a fan of ours, with Leukemia. She had about three months left. I felt like a fool, you know? Complaining about something as trivial as a show when this poor girl was staring death in the face with courage, grace and dignity. For all the dumb shit I did as a kid and the people I had physical altercations with, this girl had more balls than I’ll ever have. All I could do was give her T-shirts and sweatshirts and shit like that. Yeah that sticks with me to this day.

Do you have any touring plans made yet?
Matt: Yeah. States, then overseas… different places but they are all the same. I do like the bands we are touring with for once, Silent Civilian and Threat Signal.

Any closing words?
Matt: I want people to like what hits them in the gut, not what they are told to like. Kids these days, they like what they are told to. I am not saying this to promote my own band by any means. If we don’t hit you in the gut and make the hair in your arms stand up then we don’t want your hard earned money. What I’m saying is everyone has tastes and everyone’s tastes are different. Many of these bands that are doing well, their music is absolute shit; there is no redeeming quality in it. The songs are terrible and the vocals are really really sub par. When I was a kid, metal bands rallied against the mainstream, now bands are made by the tattoos they have or the record label they are on. If you said that to slayer in 1988 they would have fucking slapped you.  [ END ]