BIGSOUND Artist Profile: Witchgrinder

Member/Role: Travis Everett (vocals, guitar)

Hometown: Melbourne

Short description of your band and your music: A high-energy industrial thrash metal band. Straight out of a horror movie.

Has the party side of the music industry been all you were hoping for so far in your career? The party side is what we expected because most of our shows we are the party. We are still searching for the ultimate one that the big rock stars tell stories about.

What is the best thing that's happened to you/your band so far? I think that we have just made it this far doing what we love and knowing we are still pushing it further. There are too many great memories in this band to name one. 

Are your ambitions mainly artistic or commercial? Around 50/50. We write music and perform because we are artists. To say our ambitions are commercial is because we also write for the public. We want them to enjoy it much as we do. 

Is your music best rendered in the studio or the live realm? I would have to go with live. Every time I speak with a fan after their first live experience, having listened to us on a studio album, they always love our live shows more. 

If you could have any act past or present join you on your next tour who would you tap? Probably Slipknot or Rammstein. I think both bands would be pretty damn crazy to tour with. We would learn so much and I also think they would scare the shit out of me.

What industry lessons would you like to take away from the BIGSOUND conference? There are billions of lessons I need to learn but mostly I would like to learn as much as I can about touring overseas — where the best places and worst places for us to go. 

What acts are you looking forward to checking out at the BIGSOUND showcase? A Weight Of Silence, High Tensions, In Death..., Jericho and more. Mostly the metal bands, which all seem to be playing at the same venue as us, which helps.

Why should people come and see you from amongst the many cool bands at BIGSOUND? There is no other band like us at BIGSOUND. We have a certain style and energy that is our own. We wouldn't waste our time if we were not here to impress you.