icoc1This Saturday, June 7th, an earth-shatteringly heavy metal show will take place in the Highlands.  Local doom greats In the Company of Serpents, Chingaso and Khemmis, heavy punk band Muscle Beach, and California-based stoner rock band Castle will be tearing it up at Tennyson’s Tap off of 38th. The show starts at 8:00pm, and it’s $5 at the door.

To get stoked for the show, the 303 Music Desk spoke with guitarist and vocalist Grant Netzorg and drummer Joseph Weller Meyer from two-piece doom outfit  In the Company of Serpents to get the lowdown on their heavy sound and D.I.Y. ethics.

303: How long have you been playing music, and what inspired you to start playing metal?

Joe: I was 15, and I started playing so we’d get shows at 21+ venues that I couldn’t get into otherwise and see bands I wanted to see. I just wanted to play the heaviest music… chasing the heavy dragon.

Grant: I started playing guitar when I was about 11 or 12, but I wasn’t actively playing in bands until I got into punk when I was about 13, and even then those bands were basically just me and my friends playing Misfits covers. I started getting into metal at around 16, although Sabbath was one of the first bands I remember listening to when I started buying records, so I guess I was into it earlier, and just didn’t realize it was metal.

303: How would you describe your style and sound?

Grant: two guys making a racket with far too many amps for one guitar player.

 

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Joe: Well, that’s self-defeating. I honestly think it’s just the right amount of amps… Two noise magicians… like the David Copperfield of drop-tuning.

303: The Denver metal scene seems great, but as an East Coaster, I’ve noticed there are a lot of bigger shows and venues out here. What is it like to be from Denver and be D.I.Y.? What is the support like in the local scene?

Grant: Denver is a great place to be a musician of any stripe. People give a shit about music, and will go see local bands even when there isn’t some big national act on the bill. There are also multiple solid all-ages DIY spots, so it’s not hard to find gigs and a supportive audience. The venues that are pulling in the big national acts are also not shy about putting solid locals on larger shows, which definitely helps foster more attention for us.

Joe: Pretty much sums it up.

303: Do you all have any releases out yet for purchase?

Grant: Yup. Our second record came out last year on Halloween on deluxe black and white vinyl with lots of custom packaging elements. It was mixed and mastered by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Swans, tons of other amazing bands), and comes with a digital download. You can purchase that and all of our other merch through our bandcamp page here: http://inthecompanyofserpentsdoom.bandcamp.com/

We also just finished recording a three-song EP with Dave Otero at Flatline Audio, which will be out on multi-colored 12” vinyl with an etched B-side right around the time we’ll be opening for Neurosis on October 19th at the Gothic Theater.

303: What is the craziest story you have from playing shows and touring so far?

Joe: Bobby Liebling’s [singer of famous doom band Pentagram] pussy hunt last year was pretty funny.

Grant: Yup. We were on the same bill as Pentagram for last year’s Snowboard on the Block festival, and he was asking all the dudes in bands to help find him some ladies. I’ll leave it at that. Pentagram still came out and slayed.

 

All images courtesy of In the Company of Serpents