The wait is over! More than two years after “Modern Ruin”, Frank and his Rattlesnakes are back with “End Of Suffering”. A pretty intimistic record who will made you suffocate and feel how harsh life was for Frank those last years. But it’s the same cool guy that we met in Paris right before the release. He was with Dean, Rattlesnakes’s guitarist and main composer. A good talk with our favorite British mates!
Hello guys! How the tour’s going?
Frank Carter (vocals): The tour is amazing! It has just begun but it’s already amazing. We are thankful to have a couple of promo days in Paris to sort of recover. We have this problem where every time we start a tour, we’re going a bit too crazy on the first week. And we end up just broken for the rest of the tour, trying to fix ourselves. It’s been great!
It’s like the first time that you’re doing a tour as important as this one before the album’s release. How do you feel about playing new songs for your public?
Frank: We feel great about that. We were desperate to play new music.
Dean Richardson (guitar): I think it’s the best way to have a proper true read on the song. It’s the first time that the people are hearing it so their reaction is very honest.
Frank: We just put those new songs in the middle of the set, like if they always been there. And the crowd just go mental.
Don’t you feel frustrated about the fact that you can’t change a song if it’s not working on stage, because it’s already on the record?
Frank & Dean: Not really no.
Dean: Basically we’re playing the song the way they are recorded. Maybe sometimes we’re extending some parts because we love it or because it’s better live.
Frank: I think we had those moments with older records. If you come see us live, you’ll see that I sing old songs completely differently than before. They are a lot more melodic. There’s stills scream when it’s needed but just I found new melodies and new rhythms. But with the new album, we spent more time crafting the songs. When we finished a part, we put it on the white board and so on until the song is finished. With this, we pulled a few songs off.
The new album “End Of Suffering” is less live minded. Weren’t you scared to play those new songs on stage?
Frank: The new album is live in a different way. It’s live as the future we want. It’s different. What we had in the past was absolute just fucking energy and chaos. And it sounded like that on the records. “Modern Ruin” (2017) started the transition but it was still chaos. With the new record, we are more refined. We are more focus. We gave ourselves more space for the first time. Every instrument can be heard. Once you can hear every fucking notes, you can turn the volume up. And suddenly it gets fucking stronger, louder and heavier. And you have this new type of energy that was lacking before. It’s fine when you see 4 people going crazy on stage, with loud music and flashing lights. But when stand 200 meters far from the stage, if you can feel every instrument, it has a different kind of power and that’s what we tried to find.
We definitely can feel a tension through the record. Songs are suffocating.
Frank: Good! We did a good job then. The idea was to make a very personal record to us. And it had power but not in the way we are comfortable. It’s easy for us to write hardcore/punk song. And we get older and doing very fast songs every night it’s becoming harder and harder. It’s hard on your body, it’s hard on your mind. If you’re not prepared for that. With this record, it was about finding a new way, a different type of intensity. The only way we can do that is reducing the bpm of some songs. Some songs are still fast but I’m glad you said that about the record, it was totally the idea to change our mentality on this new album.
The record, like you said, is very personal.
Frank: The record is about the last two years of my life. And it was fucking intense. I had super highs and super lows. But the one thing that remains all this period is the tension I could not fucking escape. Until we delivered the record. We sat down like it’s a therapy, we were about to play it and hopefully find peace with what happens.
Last time we met, you told us that you wanted to take more time for the third. But it was like, at this time, you didn’t really know why you wanted to take more time.
Frank: I realized that I spent a lot of time writing about the way other people are dealing with their problems. But this time, I wanted to make things more personal. It had to be about me and how I felt. I went very deep into myself while I was doing the biggest self reflection about my own person. It was very challenging. It was though. Taking time for that wasn’t consciously. We just needed time.
You and Dean had helped each other more than ever during this whole process.
Frank: He saved my life.
Dean: Yeah, we did spend a lot of time talking about life and music.
Frank: We do that for each other. He just has more texts from me. (laughs)
You talked a lot on Instagram about the place of the girls in the music scene. Was it something you wanted to talk on the record?
Frank: It’s not that much on the album. It’s something we’re talking more in the live space. We proactively create a safe space for everyone at our gigs, especially for girls. A lot of bands now talk a lot about how they stopped one of their shows when someone was assaulted in the crowd. It’s almost like they wanted to be applauded for that. No man, you failed actually. It’s reactive. You failed at create a safe place for your fans. Someone had to be assaulted for you to talk about that. We reset the testosterone in the room. We reset the men’s mind in the room.
Talking about that on the album is hard because, I’m in a constant battle with myself, right? Always. Because I want to be fair and respectful and treat everybody like I want to be treated. But I’m also conditioned after thousand of years of programing of patriarcal society. In my mind, I feel right. I’m still attracted to woman and I always wrote about sex. It’s a relationship that interests me the most in my writings. I tried very carefully to write very carefully about that on this record. But I was also trying to be honest with myself.
We’ll see how our fans are going to take the lyrics. But we are lucky, our fans are really clever and open minded. So I’m certain that if some people will find something in it that needs clarification, they will come to me and we will have a conversation about it. There’s a song called “Kitty Sucker” on it, and it’s about a quite intense sexual relationship I had with a girl I love very much. But it’s raw and real. There’s things in there that can be triggering but… I never really thought about it until you fucking brought it to the table. (laughs)
Sorry man! (laughs)
Frank: No, no, don’t apologize, this is why we are here for. Those are the things I’m navigating in all the time. I’m trying to create a safe place. I try that what I write could be benefit for some people.
It’s like you always wandering which media is the best to talk about this or that. Instagram or a song or your live shows.
Frank: Yeah, I’ve never really opened up about sex on social medias for example. I think social medias play a toxic role in sexual relationships. It’s incredibly narcissistic but I already opened up a lot about my own fragility on social medias. First I was able to talk my own anxiety issues, depression, low self worth and self-esteem and this is how I try to deal with everything. When I’ll find the balance with all of that, I will start to talk about sexism and creating a safe place for women in the scene. I missed the idea of talking about that in my songs. Fuck I will have to change that, I’ll let you know on our next interview. (laughs)
It’s your first time doing promo both of you. Frank, were you tired to be alone?
(laughs)
Frank: Fuck yes! The thing is, when we started this band, I said to Dean that I really wanted to put my name on the front and he was cool with that. But the fact is that it’s not my band. We own this band 50-50. My name is on the front but it’s something that happened very early. But Dean is so important to me, it was the deal that we made but he has as much his eyes on this band as I have. He is not just in The Rattlesnakes, we are both part of this. If we could go back, we would called this band The Rattlesnakes. It would be much fair.
Dean: I think that mostly, it’s just more fun to do it together.
Frank: Yeah and we complete each other. Not now but usually I give him much room to talk. (laughs)
Dean: I’m good, I’m listening.
At the first place, it was maybe easier to count on your experience with your old bands Frank?
Frank: Yes and I wanted to as well. I was trying to carve a space for my name, as an artist.
Dean: I’m definitely more happy in the shadows. (laughs)
Thanks a lot guys, last question: our website is called “RockUrLife” so, what rocks your life?
Frank: My daughter rocks my life.
Third time that you’re thinking at your daughter for this question. Good regularity!
Frank: She is the best, mate. She gets better and better everyday. That’s why I keep answering this question the same way. Now she is 4, so we can have proper conversation together. She comes back from school and tell me about her day and her boyfriend. (laughs)
And obviously this album. It’s a big thing for us.
Website: andtherattlesnakes.com
