John Sankey – Devil You Know

Taking the metal world by a storm with their debut release ‘The Beauty of Destruction’, last year, Devil You Know gained a rather large fan following in a very short period of time. The line-up also works well to their advantage, with Howard Jones ( ex-Killswitch Engage), John Sankey ( Divine Heresy, Devolved) and Francesco Artusato ( All Shall Perish), who have created a brilliant follow-up to their first release. Metal Obsession had the pleasure of catching up with Australian drummer John Sankey to discuss their new album ‘They Bleed Red‘, the writing and recording process, coming back to Australia for Soundwave and more.

John couldn’t contain his excitement about the new release. “We’re really happy about this one because I think we’ve definitely identified our sound and style. When we did the first record, we hadn’t played a show or toured or anything as a band so between then and now, we’ve done so many shows and spent a whole lot of time on stage together so I guess that definitely helped when it was time to get back in the studio and write new material. We had a lot more focus and direction and that’s reflected in the second album.”

It’s been quite a journey the past couple of years for the band having jumped straight into the scene initially with only a couple of demo songs, yet the response received has been amazing. “It definitely was overwhelming for us when we started this band because really, it was just more of something we wanted to do for fun – just myself, Howard and Francesco. Once people found out about it – industry people and record labels, they  started talking with us and everything just happened very quickly but it has been really positive and a pretty enjoyable ride so far even though the business of this industry can be a bit of a nightmare. Their motto to maintaining a steady focus? ” We make sure not to lose track of how fun this is and the fact that we’re doing this because we enjoy it, because that’s exactly why and how this band started. When people enjoy what we do and the music we make, that’s a definite bonus.”

Touring has been insane between 2014 and 2015 for Devil You Know, with the band returning in 2016 to our shores for Soundwave and to perform tracks off their brand new album for the Australian masses. “That is going to be awesome – we’re all super excited about coming back to Soundwave. I mean, obviously being from Australia, I’m very familiar with Soundwave, but the best part is that everywhere we go, we we talk to and tour with other bands, Soundwave is definitely recognized world over and is one of the festivals that every band wants to play.” Excited is right, considering this band had a couple of thousand people watching one of their first ever live shows during Soundwave 2014, when most of those people barely knew who the band was, myself included. ” That was really strange to be honest! We didn’t even have any music – there was one demo and that’s it. So, I mean most people had no idea who the band was. But really, it was great when we were on stage. We couldn’t have asked for a better first show. But the strange thing is that most people had never heard us or of us yet we were playing to these huge crowds every night. It was an interesting situation that most bands would have never found themselves in but once again, we just walked out and did what we did to get the ball rolling. It was great exposure for us and we had so many people message or come up to us telling us how much they liked the band. Obviously, it’ll be different this time around but still, that was definitely quite an experience!”

Lyrically and thematically, the first album had a lot to do with Howard’s personal life which added that emotional element to their music, however with album #2 things seem a little less dark and more optimistic, “Absolutely because the way Howard writes is very personal. He had a lot to say  on the first album, addressing where his life’s been and where he’s emotionally been for the past few years towards the end of when he was in Killswitch after which he sort of disappeared from the scene. He definitely had some struggles and he was addressing that darker side of things.  He’s in a far better place now and that shows in the music on ‘They Bleed Red’ which sounds more hopeful. He’s always had a very strong connection with people and I love that his style of writing has essentially remained the same since his time in Killswitch because I love the Killswitch stuff that he’s written. It’s great to have someone like that in the band – someone that people can connect with.”

As for writing and recording, John agrees that things were quite different this time around for the band. ” Well, yes definitely the fact that we had played a lot of shows and spent time together on stage. There was more of a cohesiveness with the music and more direction. We knew what worked so that made it easier for us to identify what we wanted and what we didn’t. Also, when we did the first record there were a lot of industry people who were excited about what we could do and what we were going to do, so we had a lot of people pulling us in different directions musically and telling us what they think we should sound like. That did get a bit frustrating at times – don’t get me wrong I love the first album and I’m super proud of it but there was just a lot of outside influence and we went in so many directions so when we began writing for this album, we said to the record label that it’s just going to be us. Once they heard the demos and what we were doing in the studio they were super excited and left us alone. So I definitely feel this album more accurately describes Devil You Know and the kind of sound that defines us.”

Recording was also much easier this time, according to John but still had it’s hurdles. ” It’s not an easy thing to sit down and decide what music. You just have to get into a room together and start playing.  Francesco and myself come from a more technical background and we didn’t want to do that but it’s just a part of who we are and Howard’s known for being melodic. We wanted to incorporate all of those things that each of us were good at or felt so overall it was just a very organic process, which of course gives the sound a more organic feel too.”

This certainly shows in the album as the band have exhibited their versatility with a variety of both heavy and more mid-tempo tracks, which also shows some spontaneity. ” Oh yes, it was very spontaneous. Francesco and I generally write all the music so we just started writing a bunch of songs. The only thing that we were aware of was that we had a handful of faster, heavier songs so we wanted to mix it up a bit and do something slower and darker as well. We keep in mind to have diversity, we don’t want it to be all heavy or all slow which keeps it interesting for us as well. You want to have that dynamic and that flow that keeps it interesting for us as well. We just bashed it out and played what we felt, what sounded cool to us, we’d give it to HoJo and he’d do his thing with the vocals and that was it. Very very natural and organic.”

John also added that band chemistry does play a big part when performing music, “When it comes to live shows, I think people will see a big difference at Soundwave next year because the first time, we had never actually been on stage together. But now, after these past couple of years,  we have a lot of fun on stage, we’re definitely not that band that is serious on stage and doesn’t joke around with the crowd. We’re all pretty goofey dudes so it just translates live!”

Out of curiosity, I asked John what the name of the band meant to which he replied, ” Well, Howard came up with the name, it’s just about where, for him personally, what he’s been through, fighting your own demons and those struggles and personal issues that he overcame. Everyone has that, they don’t really get to come out and talk about it sometimes. It’s also about how you’re your own worst enemy sometimes and I think it’s something that everyone can relate to. It sounds pretty heavy metal as well!”

John had one last message about the new Devil You Know album and to the Australian fans. “It’s definitely heavy, that’s for sure. for us, it feels more like this is the direction we’re comfortable with. We’re all super stoked for the record and what people think about it. We did a cover as well, Eye of the Tiger so people can expect to hear something goofey and weird at Soundwave as well. We’re really looking forward to playing for Australia again. See you soon!”

Catch Devil You Know at Soundwave Festival 2016. Secure your Soundwave Festival tickets from www.soundwavefestival.com.

SATURDAY 23 JANUARY 2016, BRISBANE

SUNDAY 24 JANUARY 2016, SYDNEY

TUESDAY 26 JANUARY 2016, MELBOURNE – AUSTRALIA DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY

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