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Walk The Earth.
 Talking with ex-Superheist guitarist D.W.Norton about his new project Walk The Earth, I mention that it's quite a difficult recording to get into at first listen. "That's great, as I find records that don't perhaps grab me at first, can end up becoming my favourite records of all time," he remarks. "We chose the members in the band really carefully so as to really construct something different. It was really a very simple process, and we were probably only writing about four months before we started recording!"
If you suspect Walk The Earth to be just another Superheist, think again. Joining Norton for this project is Bison's ex-guitarist Richard DeSilva, bassist Sam Johnson late of Down To Size, and former Damaged members James Ludbrook (vocals) and Matt 'Skitz' Sanders (drums): definitely a line-up sure to make any metal enthusiast stop in their tracks.
"A lot of people may not know that Damaged and Superheist actually used to play a lot of shows together in early stages and have been mates from way back, and I've always admired them as musicians," Norton enthuses. "I guess the other aspect I enjoy of working with these guys is that the whole commercial pressure is finally off. In Superheist that became a dominating factor against our will, and you just get ruled by it. Doing the record independently means nobody is able to get their dirty mitts on it, and it is good to see how far we are able to take it just on our own."
Despite the diverse backgrounds of the members, the writing process was seemingly very straightforward. "It was really quite an easy and free flowing process. I guess the things we really ended up pushing was the whole band's vibe altogether, trying to push each other out our comfort zones," Norton remarks. "Like, with Jamie for instance who was really guttural with his approach in Damaged, is a bit more sort of Henry Rollins style these days, and I'm playing guitar parts now which I never would have played before, with experimental tunings, and I guess that's what sets us apart from a lot of other bands that just play chunky riffs."
Aside from being recognised as a talented musician around the world, Norton is also credited for his recording and production talents. He's worked with a myriad of well-known and respected Australian and international acts. Given that the group opted to self-record and produce the EP with Norton in the captain's chair, I was eager to know whether this proved to be a more tedious task compared to doing it for others.
"Man, it was one hundred times harder to record for ourselves than anyone else," he remarks in a serious tone. "I was an absolute shell of a man after doing it, and it was the same experience I had whilst recording for Superheist, except Superheist was one hundred times harder again. I guess you always strive to achieve excellence on your work, but I guess it is hard to find certain perspectives when you are doing it for yourself, because you are the writer, the player, the performer, the engineer, the producer and the mixer, and the pressure of all of those things stacked into one can make things more than a little demanding."
Given Norton's experience in the music industry, it's no surprise that he has an opinion on what changes are needed to preserve the longevity of Australia's heavy music scene. "I honestly don't know what it is with people and metal music these days. I want to know where are all those people that queue up for tickets for bands like Slipknot, that sell out in half an hour at $75 a ticket? Where are all of those metal heads are when it comes to local shows?" he quizzes. "I don't know whether it comes down to laziness, or whether they're not willing to support good quality material here in Australia, but decent Australian bands just aren't getting the support they deserve from our people. I can't believe how bands like Slayer and Biohazard could fill Festival Hall, but the best Aussie metal band will struggle to fill a normal hotel. I think the biggest Aussie metal show was when I saw Damaged perform to sell out show over here in Melbourne, and that was at a venue that held 300 people, and really that's an unprecedented occurrence, and is something that really needs to change."
Adam Hood
 | 'Walk The Earth' is out now through Shock. |
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