Killing Adrenaline | Finding the perfect blend

How did you guys first get together as a band, and what kind of musical goals did you first have in mind when you founded Killing Adrenaline?

Killing Adrenaline began in 2016, after Steve Vassallo (drums) and Leli Apap’s (guitar) previous band, In The Name of, decided to call it quits. They decided to keep going and in the meantime were able to recruit Melchior Borg (Abysmal Torment) on vocal duties and Stefan Schembri on guitars along with Clive Scerri (Fallen Icon) on bass. Steve and Leli had played drums and guitar respectively, and so the line-up kind of fell into place. After around a year, Melchior and the band decided to part ways so we recruited Malcolm Alden (Lady Lizard) on vocals.

We wanted to try and create a style of metal that was not very common here in Malta. We blend elements of groove and nu-metal with a heavier deathcore sound. We don’t really try to restrict ourselves too much though; if it sounds good, we play it!

Could you speak a little bit about your previous (or even current) experience of playing in other bands, and what does Killing Adrenaline in particular have to offer in terms of creative outlet that the other bands you form part of, perhaps don’t?

All of us have a rich history in the local metal scene. Stefan and Leli had collaborated previously in the local nu-metal band Lynch as well as Stefan moving on to help create ClubMurder. Steve had done some vocal duties with death metal band Hemlock. Clive had also played with thrash metal band Shades of Chaos and Malcolm had also played with Waking Up Dinosaurs and Coalition to the Sun.

These experiences have helped us to define what it is we want out of a band. I think the older we got, the outlook on expectations and reasons behind being in a band started to change. These experiences help you understand responsibilities and we all bring our own little influences and experiences to help create the sound we look for. A band is a democracy at the end of the day, and you all need to come to a compromise on what the collective wants and needs.

How would you describe your particular brand of metal to the uninitiated listener, and why did you opt to play around with these modes of heavy music?

Well, we try to incorporate the heavy grooves of early 90s metal bands with the more recent death metal influenced hardcore music. That’s not to say that our music is death metal or groove metal only but we try to come up with a perfect blend of both genres. We have a creative road we follow. However, we do deviate sometimes in order to explore certain sounds and elements.

What are some of the key concerns of the metal community in Malta, in terms of rehearsal and performance spaces, as well as audience outreach and possibilities for further development?

We think that when you play a style of music like heavy metal, you have to know what you’re getting yourself into. It’s not a genre of music that allows you to make a living out of playing it. You do it for fun and it’s an outlet for one’s creativity. You’re not going to be playing at weddings or certain local festivals. You can’t go into it, especially locally, thinking that you’re going to have hundreds of people every single gig. There are times when 50-60 people will attend your shows. This limited outreach also has an effect on what one can afford in terms of practice spaces as well as helping a band finance the recording of a full length album which can help push their music to a wider audience.

Most bands end up forking out a lot of cash to market themselves and pay huge amounts of money to travel overseas to foreign audiences. It’s tough, but it’s fun. Nobody would do this if it wasn’t fun because there is nothing else to gain from it except self satisfaction in what you have created. Everything else is a bonus.

Are you looking forward to the upcoming gig at The Garage? What do you make of your fellow performers on the night?

We’re quite close with the guys from Align The Tide. They’re a young upcoming band who are very dedicated to their craft. They love their music and they want people to know that they are here to make a name for themselves. It’s pretty much the same with 215 Collective, a hip-hop trio who are making big waves in the local scene. I think it will be exciting to see a night that blends the Hip Hop and Metal scene! We hope both crowds can appreciate what we have in store and we’ll also have a few surprises up our sleeves so be sure to head down to The Garage on the 14th April.

What’s next for you?

We plan on hitting the studio to record a couple of tracks towards the end of May. We’ll be hooking up with our brother David Depasquale of Spinesplitter studios and once that is done, it’s all about getting gigs under our belts and introducing more and more people to our music.