Celebrity Spotify Playlist: 4ARM’s Danny Tomb and Michael Vafiotis

“4who?” You probably weren’t alone in that reaction when you saw the name of the opening band on Slayer’s upcoming North American tour with Gojira (dates here). Since North American audiences aren’t too familiar with 4ARM just yet we asked Danny Tomb (vocals/guitars) and Michael Vafiotis (drums) to put together a playlist to help prepare concert-goers for what they can expect when the Australian thrashers open for two of metal’s heaviest heavyweights every night. Get familiar with 4ARM via their video for “Submission for Liberty,” then check out their Spotify playlist below, followed by a quick Q&A with Tomb.

http://open.spotify.com/user/metalsucks/playlist/3rblz4AW4s5nCr83d2Z3HN

Two bands on this playlist stick out as younger than the rest — Trivium and Sylosis. What is it about these two bands that you think makes them worthy of being included with the metal legends you chose?

I think those two bands have something fresh to offer right now and aren’t afraid to keep pushing the boundaries when writing new material. You can really hear a lot of that in Trivium’s latest album. Bands that continue to push themselves are the ones that have a greater chance at achieving legendary status. Although Sylosis have a little longer to go, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a massive rise in their popularity in the next few years.

New Carcass album — perfect or perfect?

Yeah, I don’t think anyone can argue about this album. I’ve been anticipating this for years. Reminds us of Heartwork, our all-time favorite carcass album. Even with two new additional members, you would almost be fooled into thinking this was written and recorded by all the original members.

You’re about to go on tour with Slayer. What do you think of the fact that the band is continuing to tour under the “Slayer” name without Lombardo and Hanneman, two very important members?

Indeed, they were two important players, but let’s not forget Paul Bostaph’s previous contribution to the band. Speaking for myself, I first heard of Slayer from Seasons onwards, so Paul has never been considered just a replacement. Some of Slayer’s best work came in the presence of Paul. For me, it’s still Slayer. Of course it’s a shame we will no longer be graced with Jeff on stage, but I think the band’s decision to continue on is a good one.

Have you seen Gojira perform live? If so, what are your thoughts on their show?

I have yet to see them live. Missed out on catching them in Sweden but will have an opportunity or twenty to watch them in the next month.

What’s in store for 4ARM in 2014?

Just because we will be touring with a band like Slayer in no way means things will simply fall into place for us next year. 2014 will be a year where we will continue to push on and will have to work harder than ever to grow from what has been quite a positive year so far. We are planning to release an album early next year and working on getting to Europe just after its release. For now we are just focusing on having a successful tour.