Herbert: We’re trying to create music that is musical and listenable. We’re
not a death metal band. We never have been. We have some heavy stuff on
this album, but we’re not going for that. We’re a melodic metal band. That’s
the best way I could describe it, so we’re going to piss some people off.
Do you consider yourselves metalcore?
Martin: I think that word sucks. It’s a dated genre.
Herbert: I hate that word with a passion. My problem with it is that it
signifies a trend. It’s a fad. The word metal has been around for over 40
years, starting with Black Sabbath and so forth. It’s a very enduring kind
of music. Hardcore has been around I think since the late-’70s punk era.
That’s also an enduring kind of music, but when you put those two elements together there’s just something disingenuous about it.
Do you care that what you write affects your fan base?
Herbert: I don’t care one iota. I’m not trying to sound like a dick, but this
is our job. This is what we do. Obviously, we listen to our fans, but at the
end of the day we’re going to make decisions that make us happiest. People
have to accept us for the music that we write. I’m not putting my finger in
the air and looking to see which way the wind blows.
Martin: Yeah, but if we write a song that sounds like Paramore, people are
going to be pissed. [Both laugh.]
Martin: I would see Slash and Richie Sambora and all these guys on MTV
with all these explosions. All the chicks were backstage and everybody was
rich. I was like, “Man, this whole rock-star thing looks pretty awesome.”
[Laughs.] Slash has always been my favorite guitar player. He’s the guy
that I worship right away. I like guitar players who can play, but I also like
guitar players that have feel. I don’t like robot guitar players. I understand
how amazing Buckethead is, but guitar players like that don’t do anything
