Day three of Download and the aftermath of Halestorm’s performance on Saturday Night headlining the Zippo Encore Stage, Metal Wani managed to catch a few moments to talk to drummer Arejay Hale.
On the latest release “Vicious” and exploring some of the lyrical content, dealing with depression, anxieties and hard times:
“I wouldn’t say that we were going through hard times, specifically but we wanted to make an honest record. We feel confident to go into the subjects, I personally suffer from depression once in a while, it comes and goes, it’s important to talk about the subject, about mental health and how important it is, there shouldn’t be any shame or stigma attached”.
On touring relentlessly over the years, he said:
“I feel really down due to the touring and it can cause a lot of anxiety. Over the years of doing this, who knows what kinda levels of mental trauma we have cracked up? Our therapy has always been songwriting. It’s ok to still feel depressed sometimes.”
When asked about Slayer, Kiss, Iron Maiden are going to retire soon, who he sees as a future of rock & metal music:
“Rock n Roll is constantly surprising us. There are so many different flavors now. I see a lot of it in Europe and the U.K. Now I see the U.S. is catching up. It’s hard to say who will be the future but at the core of rock n roll, regardless of the instruments & sound, if the energy is der. I think what keeps it alive is blunt honesty.”
He further pointed out:
“Fever333 could very well be the next movement of raw energy. Just pure, unadulterated, in your face aggression.”
