The 'Horrible Things' That Led To Confession's New Album

It seems an unlikely prospect for an Australian heavy music persona who inspires bile-spitting (his Twitter profile proclaims “YOU ALREADY HATE ME”) and adoration in equal measure, but Confession vocalist Michael Crafter insists he's matured somewhat. “A few years ago I was a fucking idiot. I talk some shit on it (new album, Life And Death); there's songs where I call a few things out, and swear a bit. But I'm definitely heaps mellower than I used to be.

“Before I had the baby, I had a totally different life. I was living in Melbourne in an apartment and eating out, just going out all the time. Now, I live in the suburbs in a house with my family, and I cook dinner… An exciting night for me is going to a show. So I guess I'm just a bit calmer, a bit more mellow and more settled down in life.”

The joy of fatherhood in the ex-I Killed the Prom Queen vocalist's life was counterpointed by a close friend's death from cancer. Shortly after, both his parents were also diagnosed with cancer. He channelled said pent-up anger, sorrow and depression into Confession's new disc, featuring the track Fuck Cancer. “It should have been the best times of my life, but at the same time I was dealing with some of the most horrible things I've ever had to deal with.”

A further indicator of the growler's changed mindset is his reaction to the A Wild Crafter Appeared Facebook page, a collection of memes featuring home-rown heavy-hitters. “At first I was like, 'Is this guy taking the piss out of me?'” he laughs. “I was like, 'Holy shit, this guy's made a full-on effort.' My mum's like 'Me and your dad look at it all the time, we have a laugh and think about how funny it is.' That's great. At least it's bringing a smile to their faces. It definitely brings a smile to a lot of people's faces… If it's gonna bring a smile to someone's face, that's good I reckon. It's got a lot of popularity, that's for sure. It might be helping out me more than anything.”

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