Interview with Warhead

Warhead is a Phoenix-based classic thrash metal band who pull influence from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden. Over the past few weeks, TBOS has been collaborating with them on a set of videos, chronicling the history of the band up to the release of their debut album, “Death Row”.

Here are some excerpts from the interview.

Sam Bollard, bass guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.

The Blog of Shredding: What inspired you to pursue music in the speed metal genre?

Sam Bollard (bass guitar): It’s what we write. It’s just what we write. We don’t write anything else.

Nolan Castles (lead vocals & guitar): Like yeah, it’s totally natural. It’s not like we’re going like for speed metal, or thrash, death, whatever. You know what I mean? It was just like, we got together, wrote some songs, and that’s what it came out to be.

Cody Bailey, lead guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.

TBOS: What moment made you realize, “I wanna pursue music for the rest of my life?”

Cody Bailey (lead guitar): Definitely watching a lot of live videos of just bands that I liked.

Dane White (drums): Metallica.

Cody Bailey: Yeah, I definitely just wanted to be in their position and get them the hell off the stage and put me there.

Drummer Dane White. Photo by Alec Damiano

TBOS: What differentiates you from the rest of the Phoenix metal scene?

Dane White: Our stage show is probably one of the (things). I mean, music is one thing for us, but we have electricity when we play that I don’t really see in a lot of other bands when I look at other local bands. No offense to any of them, but I feel there’s definitely a stronger performance chemistry we have when we play together, and I think the audience notices that too. So I think that’s one of the things that sets us off from the others.

Nolan Castles, lead vocalist and guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.

TBOS: How do you get your hair to be so fabulous?

Nolan Castles: To be honest, my hair is all-natural.

Sam Bollard: Head and Shoulders.

Nolan Castles: I wash my hair with dirt, shampoo. Hopefully someone leaves some regurgitation in the sink here.

Dane White: Oh God! (laughs)

Sam Bollard: We wash our hair with brew, take showers with dirt. (others laugh) And that’s about it. We’re thrash. We eat pizza. We drink. We f——- party and we get 45 seconds of sleep and we do it all over again!

Dane White: We literally do none of those things! (laughs)

Nolan Castles: Yes, we party hard. And then when we’re all done, we all go home for dinner.

Sam Bollard: We have a curfew.

Nolan Castles: “Two minutes to midnight” (in reference to the Iron Maiden song of the same name).

Sam Bollard: The f—— thrash curfew!… (laughs) Then we have to “hit the lights” (in reference to the Metallica song).

Warhead will perform at the Nile Theater in Mesa, Ariz. on April 18. Their debut album, “Death Row,” will be released May 16. They will also be interviewed on RockDefRadio Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. ET.

You can hear their cover of Megadeth’s “Take No Prisoners” below.