Industrial Metal Brutalists Red Method Talk Slipknot Comparisons, Chaotic Gigs and New Album ‘For The Sick’

Combining the groove of Pantera with the chaos of Slipknot, UK industrial/groove metallers Red Method are about to unleash their crushing new album, For The Sick, on the metal scene so we spoke to the band about the album before they head out on the road.

Thanks for your time. The new album is out in a couple of weeks, what can the metal scene expect from it ?

Red Method: Expect absolute carnage and an aural assault on your senses! It’s cliche to say but we literally have put everything into this.

You’re made up from a number of different UK bands, how did Red Method all come together ?

Red Method: Meta-Stasis had reached a cross roads and it was neccesary to bring in some fresh blood in order to move forward. Jeremy invited some old friends from the scene in Quinton (guitar – Kill For Company) and Alex The AVD Avdis (keyboards and backing vocals) and it’s been full on ever since. Alex and Jeremy go back about 20 years and had always wanted to work on something that combines an industrial sound with really heavy grooves.

Onto the album the For The Sick… firstly, who are “The Sick” ?

Red Method: We are all “The Sick”. Behind closed doors it’s not all a bed of roses for everyone. Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves and some are better at hiding. We all have our own scars – no matter whether they are physical and mental. This album shows you that it’s okay and this is for you. It’s our interpretation of being the madness of the dark and coming out the other side.

Lyrically, Jeremy explores a lot of personal issues, how cathartic is performing this album for Jeremy and the band as a whole ?

Red Method: Lyrically – Jeremy put pen to paper to do with everything he went through and this is the most real and honest he has ever been. He went through a lot in losing grandparents to Alzheimer’s to emotions resurfacing from a suicide of a friend and it all comes out on this album.

For the band as a whole – we were all going through similiar experiences from hardship, to relationships breaking down and watching our loved ones. The music is what has brought all 6 of us together and being on stage is like our therapy.

What about from a fans point of view.. do fans talk to you about the songs and how they can relate to them ?

Red Method: We’ve been truly blown away by the response from our fans. When we released our last single “The Absent” people reached out to us with stories of what they’ve encountered having been in similar situations and could relate to what we had put out. The idea behind an illness taking hold of your loved ones and you end up feeling desperate and powerless is relateable across all walks of life.

From a musical point of view, one band name pops up over and over again and that’s Slipknot. How do you feel about the comparison and would you say it is a fair one ?

Red Method: To be compared to a legendary band is an honour. We all grew up listening to them but there are elements of all our influences ranging from Pantera to Gojira to Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin and Meshuggah and we’ve just mixed them together to bring this collection of music.

Would you say part of the comparison comes from the chaos of the live show? On that subject, what’s the first thing you do when you come off stage after playing a particularly intense show ?

Red Method: Oh yeah definately. There are 6 very strong personalities that truly let go on stage. It becomes very chaotic very quickly but we are unified in our expression. On smaller stages it becomes really intense as we are like caged animals that want to unleash and explode. When we come offstage you can normally find us collapsed in a heap – broken from the show and what that brings.

Is there a pre-show ritual you all go through ?

Red Method: We all do different things – from vocal warm ups to stretches, to playing our instruments. Our main ritual comes just before we walk out and we all stand together and that’s when the switch is flipped and we all hit survival mode and see red. The rest of the show becomes a blur.

Given the intensity of the show, not aimed at anyone in particular (*cough Alex cough*) there must have been plenty of injuries and destroyed stages/gear along the way ?

Red Method: There has been a lot of carnage over the last year. Jeremy has broken his front teeth from falling off monitors. Keyboards have been launched into the air and at our bass player Will. Drum kits have been stood on before a notes been played. Headstocks have been chipped from flying elbows and keyboards. Quinton’s taken punches to his head from Jeremy and flying drop kicks from Alex. It’s a rough show for sure.

And plenty more with the upcoming tour?

Red Method: Definitely – you can catch us live on tour during March and then throughout the year. It is going to be an insane year and we can’t wait to get back out on the road!

Tour Dates:

03/12 – Cardiff – Fuel
03/13 – Leeds – Temple of Boom
03/14 – Leicester – The Shed
03/15 – Edinburgh – Bannermans
03/17 – Oxford – Bullingdon
03/18 – Reading – Face Bar
03/19 – Swindon – Level III
03/20 – London – Black Heart
03/24 – Brighton – Green Door Store
03/25 – Bridgewater – Cobblestones
03/26 – Southampton – Joiners
03/27 – Peterborough – Met Lounge
03/28 – Birmingham – Asylum 2

Red Method release For The Sick on February 28, 2020 and you can pre-order your copy here.