It’s been 15 years since Valley of the Murderdolls. How much has that album meant to you?
“It put me on the map – it changed my life and I can’t say anything bad about that time. It still blows my mind that we were playing tiny American clubs, then two weeks later we went to play Tokyo supporting Guns N’ Roses in front of 30,000 people! Murderdolls was a weird thing at the time – we arrived after nu metal and before My Chemical Romance, there wasn’t really a scene going on, but we went down well in the UK. I hoped I’d still be around 15 years later but I never thought one day people would look to me as ‘the horror punk dude’.”
There have been murmurs of a Murderdolls reunion – where’s that at?
“It’s on the cards but we need to talk again first. It’ll happen when it’s right. Joey Jordison’s busy with his band, too, so it won’t be this year or next year, but it’s been 15 years so we should do something to celebrate. There’s nothing in my mind that we can’t work out to make it happen again. If we’re touring again two years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
How have you managed to stay relevant? Your fans still adore you…
“When I was growing up, I idolised Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister; those bands spoke to me because I didn’t fit in. I make music for kids like me, plus the true rock stars are on their way out so I’m carrying the torch for them. Our fans make us feel like the biggest band in the world. When Wednesday 13 comes to town, we’re a support group for weirdos! If you’re the outcast or black sheep, you can come to our show and fit in.”
Horror’s become fashionable now. Is that good news for Wednesday 13?
“I grew up sitting in front of The Munsters and The Addams Family, now everyone’s watching The Walking Dead. I’ve been doing this for years and now it’s finally popular! Shows like Stranger Things are getting people into horror so it’s a win-win situation for me because they’ll find Wednesday 13 easily. We have a million fans out there right now but they don’t know it yet. The goal for [our new album] Condolences is reaching new people to blow their minds.”
Condolences is a heavier beast from your other albums. Have you gone heavy for good?
“The way we sound these days is our natural progression; if you listen to the last record, we were heading this way. Over the last eight years, I’ve been such a metalhead, constantly listening to heavy stuff, so that’s translated into the music. I’ve always mixed in metal riffs with the horror punk but Condolences is definitely heavier and it’s probably going to continue like that for the next four records, too.”
The artwork is a nice change for you, too. What brought that on?
“The artwork turned out so cool, I got a little tear in my eye when I finally held the vinyl copy in my hand! I didn’t have anything specific in mind but I knew I wanted something different from a band photo. I found Travis Smith, who did the artwork for Opeth’s Sorceress, and within three weeks he’d finished it.”
What else have you got coming up?
“I expect a really good year ahead for Wednesday 13 and so far it’s been the best year we’ve had! Everything’s going so well that I’m also a little suspicious… what’s going on here?!”
CONDOLENCES IS OUT ON JUNE 2 VIA NUCLEAR BLAST
