To say Byron Bay metal masters From Crisis To Collapse have been hit harder by the pandemic would be detracting from the universal pasting the music world in general has been subject to, but you have to sympathise with a band who are that close to the Queensland and N.S.W border that their shows on both sides have been massively affected.
Rather than bunker in for the period and count their losses, the boys instead busied themselves with various projects – guitarist Chad Ellis on creating a new bundle of joy and the remainder of the band focusing on a new album that should start seeing the light of day towards the middle of this year.
After a pair of shows with Massic in October of last year, the rug was unceremoniously once again pulled out from underneath the band but they are about to make up for lost time with a headlining show at Mo’s Desert Clubhouse (with Diskust and Awake In Time) on February 11 and a leading slot on The Other Festival at the Fortitude Music Hall on February 13.
Chad caught up with HEAVY earlier this week to discuss these two shows and the hairiness of his backside…
“Hairy I’m about a 12 out of 10,” he valiantly offered, “and excited definitely redlining at a 10! When we got offered the invite from Lucius and COG we were blown away. We were actually recording with Lucius at the time – recording some drums for some new music that we’re gonna put out later in the year – and we were talking about the state of things last December and I mentioned that it was going to be a shame we didn’t have the annual last Friday In December COG show at the Great Northern which is tradition and he said yeah I know, it’s been a tough year, but we’re trying to put together this inaugural festival with a bunch of bands and we’d love to have you on the bill. At this time COVID was still prevalent and travel was an absolute bastard and wasn’t happening so there wasn’t any assurances but within a couple of weeks details got firmed up and Yogi their tour manager said they were about to press the button so we were in if we wanted to be in so now we can’t wait! It’s gonna be unreal. For me, COG are one of those bands who are one of my premiere – not just Australian, but all-time – favourite bands. I always see them when they come to Byron and if they’re at a festival I’m always at their stage. I just love them. I think it was a ten-year hiatus they took but when they came back I made a blood oath to myself that I would never miss another COG show in my life. This will be the second time we have played with them and to be extended the invite directly from them is an honour. We’re absolutely pumped and frothing to get up there and shred The Other Festival.”
In the full interview, Chad talks more about the two shows, getting back out on the road, his impending personal hiatus to fulfil Fatherly duties, how the new music is coming along, what it’s like to record with one of Australia’s musical legends and more.
