Intervista Next to None (Max Portnoy, Thomas Cuce)
Puoi leggere l’intervista in italiano nella prima pagina
Hi Max, how are you doing? How do you feel after the show?
[Max] I’m good, I think that was my favourite show we’ve done so far, I think my performance was the best one so far and everyone was really nice!
You recently were in tour with Haken and the Algorithm, now you are touring with your dad, but his backing band is basically still Haken! How are these tours differing one from the other? Because it’s almost the same people…
[Max] Yeah, it’s interesting because it’s like the same exact…like even one of the crew guys is the same from the Haken tour so it’s basically the same thing minus The Algorithm, and Ray unfortunately, I wish he would’ve been able to come somehow…
Yeah, it’s awesome, I mean, both tours have been great, now it’s our second time in Europe, that was our first time, and the response have been great; we are really excited because now we actually have the album available to sell even though it comes out in like 3 days, so it’s good to be able to play the songs and actually being able to sell them this time.
In a few days your new album, “Phases”, will come out. Second albums are often considered the hardest ones, you know, with the first one you express the music you’ve got inside, with the second one you have to kinda find a method to create new music without repeating yourself. Was it actually hard to come out with new music?
[Thomas] It wasn’t harder.
[Max] I think this was more like our first album, I think we actually figured out what we wanted to do with this one.
Even though it’s the same, it’s still Progressive Metal like the first album, it’s kinda more of what we did on the first album, we are more comfortable and we had a plan.
So, I think, if anything the one that will be more tricky is gonna be the next one, the third album for us [laughs] so whenever we can start writing that…but I’m confident, I think we could even improve, keep pushing ourselves for whenever we really start that one.
In terms of musical influences, what band inspired you for this album?
[Max] For me a lot of different bands because we started writing this album the week out of the studio recording the first one, so we’ve been writing over a large span of time.
I took different influences over these few years of different bands I found and listened to; when we started, the first song we wrote was “Answer Me” and that was right when the new Slipknot album came out, the last one, “The Grey Chapter” and I’ve been listening to that a lot so it was a big influence for me then.
Then I started listening to System of a Down and for another song I was really inspired by them at the time, same thing for Babymetal.
What about you?
[Thomas] Yeah, kind of the same thing so, we always loved Dream Theater, Progressive Metal and stuff like that, but I also like the new Djent bands like Periphery and Born of Osiris, stuff like that, that’s what I’m really into, Max likes a lot of new Metal, so I think our influences are a kind of mix.
Talking about you, what drummers have influenced you?
[Max] The obvious one, the main one, is my dad; he’s why I started drumming, ‘cause I wanted to do what my dad was doing, ‘cause I grew up watching him doing it and it looked like so much fun.
That is why I started but then, besides him, other drummers who influenced me, like the two other main ones are Chris Adler and Joey Jordison; ironically a “Top 10 drummers” thing, like my influences, just came out…
On Ultimate-Guitar, I just saw the title 5 minutes ago.
[Max] Yeah, it’s pretty funny that I just came out today.
You were saying that your dad had a part in your choice of starting to play, but were you ever worried about the comparison with him that would obviously come out once you started a band?
[Max] Not initially, but now, after two albums I realised that that’s what people do.
I knew people would say that my style is pretty similar, because he’s a big influence on me so I enjoy that kind of playing, but, like…I don’t know, I keep seeing so many comments that keep mentioning my dad, so I didn’t expect them to be THAT much, but I’m used to it now, so it’s alright [laughs].
I read in a recent interview that your dad said that, from a technical point of view, you are a better drummer than he is, do you agree with him?
[Max] I don’t know [blushes]…he says that a lot, but, like, I’ve been working on lots of different polyrhythms, lots of syncopated stuff that like, initially…like, if it was any drummer trying to play that I think it would be harder initially.
What I do is I write down something randomly, just random shit, and then trying to learn it myself and it takes me like a month, so I think he’s talking about that.
But I think if he sat down like I did he would get it quicker that I do, probably [laughs] so, I don’t know…he’s always saying that, but I think he can obviously do anything [ride].
I’ve also seen that your manager is your mum Marlene, was that her?
[Max] Yes, she’s the momager.
Does this tour feel like a big family holiday?
[Max] This tour yeah, because for example the Haken tour was just us, so it was interesting going from that tour to this where I literally have my entire family, my sister even came for the first couple shows.
It’s like back when I was younger and we were on tour together, except that I’m playing the actual shows now, so that’s always fun.
But, yeah, I don’t have a problem with that because I enjoy their presence, they’re not like really strict or anything, so…
Going back to you band, have already got some new dates lined up for after this tour is finished?
[Max] The day we get back, we fly home the 7th which is the day the album gets released, the day after we have a US tour that starts with this band, Dollskin, and that’s gonna go for the whole month of July.
Then we have more stuff getting booked in August, it’s not confirmed or anything but…supposedly there’s gonna be stuff in August, more US tours…
Then we just have some random shows, like we’re going to Mexico City with the Shattered Fortress again, we have a New York show with the Shattered Fortress again at the ProgPower festival with Between the Buried and Me and a bunch of bands, so some random show, but actual tours are currently getting booked.
Even though you are very young you have already toured a lot with some very interesting bands, who would you like to play with in the future?
[Thomas] There are a lot of bands I love, Periphery, Between the Buried and Me and stuff like that, we all love Korn, huge bands…
As long as we reach people, it’s kinda just about getting the music to the people from here…it’d be fun to tour with bands like that, but it’s mainly about getting to different audiences, sharing the music with the people.
[Max] Yeah, as long as the crowd are, like, the same kind of music as us it’s good.
But if you’re looking for a specific band, you were talking about Korn and stuff, which I agree, it would be really awesome, but it’s obviously really hard to get to tour with a band like that [laughs].
I’d really like to tour with Avatar because I saw their show and it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, it was in a small club which is really cool, so that would be a cool band that is also more reasonable than Korn which of course is…that’s like my all-time goal, but, I don’t know…
We were talking about your quick start, you also told me about the number of tours and shows you already got planned; where do you see yourselves, or, where do you hope to be in 5 years?
[Max] That all depends, I mean, hopefully we just keep getting tours, like this, for example, is a really good show, it’s really good for the progressive side of our music, we just played a set with our more Progressive songs.
Then after this we’re doing the US tours where we’re gonna play all the more Metal songs; it’s really good to get a tour like this and the one with Haken where we can do the Progressive stuff, and hopefully we can get more of the Metal tours where we can play the shorter songs.
Right now we’re doing all the Progressive stuff, but it’s always good, hopefully we can get more tours with this kind of bands like these and the maybe…a couple more albums out? I mean, in five years I’d say two more out…
Thanks for your time, I’ll leave this final spot to you if you have a final message for our readers!
[Max] Our dates and stuff are posted on our website, nexttonone.net, social media and all that stuff, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, we have a Snapchat that we barely use but if you wanna follow it, in case we post something interesting [laughs].
And check out our album “Phases”, the 7th, which is in like…2 days? It’s soon, anyway [laughs].
Thank you TrueMetal!
Davide Sciaky