If, like me, you haven’t heard of a US band called Aftermath go and lock yourself in a cupboard for five hours and have a good think about what you have done with your life to this point.
It seems these guys have been around since 1985 and despite going through a long period of inactivity still managed to impart a unique and completely music-driven mark on the musical landscape.
They were thrashing before it was cool, and just when they started to get popular because of it they changed tact and decided rock was more their thing.
Or plain heavy metal.
Or death metal.
Or basically whatever the fuck they felt like expressing at the time, because there lies the very core of Aftermath’s existence.
Musical expression.
You get the sense from talking to vocalist “Charlie” Tsiolis that – and this will be one of the rare occasions I will ever put my neck on the line with such a bold statement – he genuinely does not give half a fuck about the trappings of fame and fortune the music industry can generate. As long as he retains a voice to be heard and a will to breathe then music is his salvation and a vehicle from which to lay forth his opinions and grievances on the world.
The most recent – and perhaps most vital – chapter in Aftermath’s existence began when they started writing the first album of a conceptual trilogy in 2017. The album was called There Is Something Wrong and revitalised the whole of Aftermath and reinstalled their belief that there was still purity in music and their voice was still relevant.
That trilogy closes on March 17 with the release of No Time To Waste, an absolute beast of an album that incorporates elements of thrash metal, rock, rap, blues and whatever else Aftermath were feeling at the time.
It is a culmination of almost 40 years worth of oppression, frustration and disbelief that packs a message just as powerful as the music through which the story is told.
When HEAVY caught up with Charlie earlier today he was in a particularly chatty mood and as such, for one of the first times ever, we shall present the interview to you in its entirety. It may be a little different to the normal structure of a HEAVY interview, but I think you will agree is much more impactful because of it.
Charlie opens up about the new album, the perils of society, the history of the band, how came they came to finishing things forever and a multitude of other topics that make for engaging listening.
So kick back with a cold drink and strap yourself in.
Shits about to get real.
