Skull Pin is a crushing 3 piece Metal assault out of Tuscon, AZ. They bring a bit of an old school approach and bring the essence of Metal. Recently I had a chance to talk to Marvin Phillips (Bass/ Lead Vocals) about the band, foundation and future.
The Interview:
Please introduce yourself and what you do in Skull Pin?
Im Marv, I play Bass/Vocals in the band.
How did you guys get formed?
Basically Skull Pin is myself, the drummer Ray is from a Band called PHD (Perfect Harmony for Destruction) and Memo is from a defunct band called Doomsday Disciple. Ray and I were jamming together, and Memo called me , cause he heard we were looking for a guitarist. At the time we also had a vocalist, but ended up firing him 3 weeks before our live debut opening for HEMLOCK.
How did that show with Hemlock go?
It went bad ass. I am actually buds with the drummer of that band. I had to rewrite and piece together all the lyrics for our songs in 3 weeks. Also, I have not done lead vocals in 10 years, pulled it off though!
Who or what inspires you and why?
Iron Maiden and Steve Harris. Hearing Powerslave on Vinyl when it came out totally made me want to be a bassist and a Metal musician.
Any new releases in the works?
We have 4 new songs for our next album. You can hear them on a full length concert video we have on ReverbNation. We are planning on starting our new album later this year. New songs are Bullet, No Machine, Enemy Inside, and KIll the Messenger
What label would you sign with and why?
Metal Blade. They are, to us, the last of the great real METAL Labels.
Why do you feel they are a “real metal label” compared to others?
Seems to us that their talent scouts actually appreciate the Metal Genre of music, where other labels band scouts don’t even like that kind of music, and end up signing bastardized Metal bands. Best way I can describe it.
What band would you tour with (if you could pick any) and why?
Metallica, think of the exposure for our music.
What gear do you use? And why do you prefer it?
For an amp I use Sana Amp RBI pre amp, QSC power Amp, DBX 166XL Compressor, 4X10 and x15 Cabs. Guitars are Fender PBasses all the way. This set up just gives me what I want in a premium bass sound. Memo, our guitarist uses Ampeg VC140C Solid State Head, with Celestion cabs, and Gibson V guitars. His reason is simpler the better, and biggest tone!!!
What does the rest of 2013 hold for Skull Pin?
Just doing Shows and finishing writing and recording our second album. Anything else that comes our way is Bonus for us. We are totally 100% about the music.
How is your new album going to differ from your first?
Not much, each one of our songs are a separate entity. When we write songs, the only thing they have in common is they have to be HEAVY, otherwise the sky is the limit on what we put together.
What is your favorite song by the band and why?
I would have to say “Steem”. It just encompasses everything we are about: Musicianship, heaviness, and just plain badass-ness.
In closing is there anything you would like to add?
Just that we really appreciate Internet pages and Mags such as RATA that help Unsigned and Underground bands like ourselves get our music to those we wouldn’t normally have a chance to share it with. Thanks.
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