COUNTDOWN TO THE METAL SUCKFEST: GOD FORBID’S DOC COYLE
The Inaugural Metal Suckfest is almost here!!!! Twenty bands will DESTROY The Gramercy Theatre on November 4 and 5, PLUS there’s an awesome, five-band pre-party at the venue the night before, making this THE can’t-miss hang of the year.
Tickets are on sale now right here, and you can hit up the fest’s official website for more info on the shows, including the complete line-up. In the meantime, we’re counting down to this weekend of chaos and debauchery by speaking to one member from each band on the bill. We continue today with guitarist Doc Coyle of God Forbid, who are currently working on a new album to be released by Victory Records sometime next year. (Doc also sometimes blogs for MetalSucks, in case ya didn’t know!)
Read our chat after the jump. And don’t forget to check back in the coming days and weeks for interviews with more of the musicians participating in this awesome event!!!
What other festivals have you played before, if any?
As far as touring festivals, God Forbid played Ozzfest in 2004 and Mayhem Festival in 2009. We’ve also done a bunch of European outdoor festivals like Download, With Full Force, Hellfest, Graspop, Kobetasonik, and a million other fests going back to beginning of the band in the hardcore scene, like the original Hellfest in Syracuse, and Furnace Fest in Alabama. And, of course, you can’t forget New England Metal and Hardcore fest, which I’m sure GF has the record for playing. We must have played it seven times.
What was your best and worst festival experience (as a performer, not as a fan)? You don’t have to name the specific fest if you don’t want, we’re not trying to get you to burn bridges.
Overall, I would say Ozzfest was the best experience, because of the size of the event, the bands that were on it, and the timing of when it happened and how much it elevated our career. The line up was so good it is like a joke. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Slayer, Slipknot, Superjoint Ritual, Dimmu Borgir, Black Label, Hatebreed, Lamb of God, DevilDriver, Unearth, Everytime I Die, Atreyu, Otep, Throwdown, Darkest Hour, and Bleeding Through. It was the first time we had our own tour bus and full road crew. All of the off dates, we played with Slipknot, Slayer, and Hatebreed, so we were doing arenas even on the off-dates. It was a rock star fantasy come true. Plus, we came up with a lot of those bands, so it was gratifying to see all of our friends go from playing VFW halls to the biggest metal tour ever. I will never forget it.
The worst festival we didn’t even play. Same year as Ozzfest, we showed up to play a fest in Georgia with Trivium and Six Feet Under. I forget what it was called. There were like forty kids there, and we had a pretty big guarantee (for us at the time). The promoter was like fifteen years old, and he and his father said they couldn’t pay us, so we decided not to play, and a bunch of hardcore kids called us rock stars on the internet. Six Feet Under also canceled. Anytime you drive 1,000 miles somewhere for no money, and don’t get to jam, it sucks!
Any tips to fans for having the best possible festival experience?
If it’s outside, in the summer, avoid wearing a black T-shirt, put on sunblock, and stay hydrated. For any festival that goes all day, try not to get completely hammered at three o’clock in the afternoon. You don’t want to be passed out and/or throwing up while the bands you paid to see are going on. Having played and been to a million festivals, I am amazed at how the fans go hard all day. At the Euro festivals, they have DJs that play until 6am after the bands are over, and they are still going for three days straight. It’s unreal.
For people who are too stupid to read the poster, which day is your band playing Suckfest?
God Forbid is playing Friday, November 4, with our good buddies Municipal Waste.
Can you tell us anything about the set your band is planning for Suckfest?
It is our first show in almost a year. The last gig we did was on New Years Eve. With the label hunt in effect, we stopped playing shows to concentrate on finishing the demo. We will be debuting one of those new songs at Suckfest. Also, we will be taking a break from the actual recording of the new God Forbid album to play this show, so everyone should feel special. I am pretty excited to play. I love the Gramercy, too.
Which band or bands (besides your own, duh) are you most stoked are gonna be at Suckfest?
I hope I don’t have to work the following night, because I am a huge Cynic fan, and I love A Life Once Lost. I am not familiar with a bunch of these bands, so hopefully I can hang out and watch as many bands as possible. It seems really diverse, which I love. There are no bands like God Forbid the day we play. That’s a cool thing.
When you were first contacted about appearing at something called “Suckfest,” were you at all concerned that you were being propositioned to appear in a porno movie?
My friend edits porn for a living and I was offered $1,000 to jerk off on camera, so I think I know an offer to sell my dignity when I see one. I said “no,” by the way, so don’t you people start looking me up on YouPorn. If I end up on a sex tape, let’s hope its with like Pink or Kat Von D, and I can be come the new K Fed. Or D Coy, for that matter.
Is it awesome or weird that Axl Rosenberg’s parents are coming to Suckfest?
Awesome. My parents have come to God Forbid shows. You can actually see my Mom on the God Forbid DVD after a show we played with Hatebreed. My mom enjoyed Hatebreed. My dad is a jazz musician, and he will tell us if we’re not “swinging,” and he tells our drummer, Corey to not play “white.” My dad is white, FYI. Do Axl’s parents like metal? [Nope. But they’re trying to understand it! -AR]
On a scale of one to ten, one being a freshly douched vagina and ten being your balls at the end of a performance, how badly will the Gramercy Theater reek of B.O. by the end Suckfest?
Not my problem. I’m gonna be in the backstage with the whores and blow.
Finally, how bad is Suckfest gonna suck?
The only suckage I can guarantee is our own. We will bring bro mosh and piss on the beardos with a healthy dose of Black Metal.
Read other entries in the Countdown to The Metal Suckfest series here.
