Idol Listening: Tombs’ Mike Hill’s Death Metal and Hardcore Spotify Playlist
We’ve been digging the crap out of the new Tombs album Savage Gold, which comes out on June 10th via Relapse Records (pre-order: physical, digital) and can be streamed in full at Pitchfork. So much so that we asked Tombs guitarist, vocalist and band leader Mike Hill to assemble a playlist of his some of his favorite music, both classic and modern, to share with the MetalSucks masses. Check out that playlist — as well as a couple of tracks from Savage Gold and a quick Q&A with Mike — below.
The songs on your playlist are a perfect summation of Tombs’ sound — old hardcore and death metal. Can you talk a bit about your hardcore influence, and how it has informed the music you write in Tombs?
Black Flag is one of my biggest influences. I was into a lot of the SST stuff such as Husker Du, and Bad Brains I Against I. And a lot of West Coast bands like Circle Jerks and TSOL. Out of all of those bands I think Black Flag and TSOL are the heaviest influences on what I do in Tombs. It’s the darkness in both bands that really put the hooks in.
New album Savage Gold seems to lean more heavily on the death metal side of that equation. Was that a conscious decision or something that happened organically?
I feel like all of our material has been getting more and more aggressive with each album. We never really plan out what we want things to sound like; we just write and hope for the best. All of us are big death metal fans. I’ve really been getting into bands like Grave Miasma and Portal; they seem to really hit that balance of aggression and atmosphere.
Thoughts on the latest Behemoth and Morbid Angel albums?
I love The Satanist; I think it’s a brilliant record. Morbid Angel’s Illud Divinum Insanus isn’t my cup of tea, but I still think they are an amazing band.
Thoughts on modern day Glenn Danzig as an Internet phenomenon?
Danzig is the man. Dudes want to be like him. He’s got a beautiful voice, he trains Jeet Kune Do and has a undeniable legacy. He hasn’t Greg Ginn’ed himself… yet. Also, without Glenn there wouldn’t be bands like Beast Milk.
What can we expect from Tombs for the rest of 2014?
Touring, hugs and smiles.
