Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile says although his battle with Marfans gives him rough days, opening for Slipknot and Marilyn Manson across North America is just the tonic he needs.
He recently recalled the religious epiphany he had before undergoing life-changing heart surgery last year, which later inspired his decision to be baptised.
And as he and his bandmates prepare for the launch of their fourth album Cold World on September 9, Carlile tells the new episode of Metal Hammer: In Residence On Spotify that he’s doing well – although he sometimes has to scale back his live performances.
He says: “Getting to play a rock show every night opening for Marilyn Manson and Slipknot is pretty therapeutic. We’re on the road and I’ve just got to take care of my body by eating well and making sure I get enough sleep.
“The whole time we were in the studio I was doing physiotherapy and really getting my body ready to get back on the road. So far, so good. We’ve had a couple of scary moments and sometimes I’ve got to remember to tone it back a little bit – my body’s not as strong as my spirit but it’s great being able to go up there and give 110%.
“I wake up every day and it’s rough but it makes it all worthwhile getting to do what we do.”
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As for the lyrical content of the follow-up to 2014’s Restoring Force, Carlile says he’s drawn on his own experiences over the last two years, but insists it’s been a team effort.
He continues: “We wanted to stick to what Of Mice & Men have always done, and that’s write about real issues and real experiences and real-life situations. We really felt the responsibility to touch on current events and what’s going on with the world.
“We all had a part in creating the record. It’s a cool story and we can’t wait for our fans to hear the record and hear what we’re talking about – from personal pain to the pain people inflict on others and a lot of the injustices. It’s our responsibility to touch on those things and to make people aware what’s going on.”
Earlier this week, Of Mice & Men called on fans to get involved in a music video for their new track Real. The track can now also be streamed below, with the promo to follow in the coming weeks.
The full interview with Of Mice & Men features in the latest episode of Metal Hammer: In Residence which is available via Spotify. It also features conversations with Alice Cooper and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.
Of Mice & Men Cold World tracklist
- Game of War
- The Lie
- Real
- Like A Ghost
- Contagious
- -
- Pain
- The Hunger
- Relentless
- Down The Road
- +
- Away
- Transfigured
Of Mice & Men tour dates 2016
Sep 30: Birmingham O2 Academy, UK
Oct 01: Manchester O2 Apollo, UK
Oct 03: Nottingham Rock City, UK
Oct 04: Newcastle O2 Academy, UK
Oct 07: London O2 Forum, UK
Oct 09: Cardiff Great Hall, UK
Oct 11: Paris Trabendo, France
Oct 12: Utrecht Ronda, Netherlands
Oct 13: Cologne Live Music Hall, Germany
Oct 15: Frankfurt Batschkapp, Germany
Oct 16: Munich Kesselhaus, Germany
Oct 17: Stuttgart LKA Longhorn, Germany
Oct 19: Solothurn Kofmehl, Switzerland
Oct 20: Vienna Arena, Austria
Oct 21: Leipzig Taubchenthal, Germany
Oct 23: Berlin Columbia Theater, Germany
Oct 24: Hamburg Grosse Freiheit 36, Germany
Oct 25: Antwerp Trix, Belgium
Of Mice & Men praise producer David Bendeth for clinical work on Cold World
