1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
We're an original metal band from Bloomington IL that have been at it now 12 years. Low Twelve creates very heavy music with substance. Our lyrics, especially on this new "Splatter Pattern" CD are deep into historical subject matter and make the listener really think about things. We enjoy mixing some fun in with the serious and our website and the weekly Brutlaity Report I write tries to keep things light while at the same time, delivering a serious message.
2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Very heavy with thrash, death, and hardcore influences. Low Twelve is different than most and hard to put into a category, because the music is very heavy with grooves, with vocals that you can actually understand 95% of the time. Our music has a lot of melody for being so heavy - so I think we really stand out in the crowd.
3. I read somewhere that you took the band name out of a book on Freemasonry, what interest do you have in this subject?
I actually am a Master Mason, but I haven't been involved with a lodge for 12 years. I heard the name while performing the 3rd degree and thought it sounded interesting. When I researched the subject, I thought it was cool that the name could simply mean midnight, or the very end of something. Some Masonic scholars have thought that the term also meant the very seconds before death.
4. How would you describe the lyrical content of the music?
We have done lots of things with the four cds we've come out with. Our subject matter has varied with serial killer songs (Crawlspace - JW Gacy, and Bind Torture Kill - BTK) and we did a story CD with our last project "This Side Toward Enemy". I came up with a story line about a serial killer on a cross country rampage. The new "Splatter Pattern" CD deals with historical events that have stained our past - things like the Rape of Nanking, Vietnam War, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and more. Some of the new songs have a patriotic theme to them as well. Both Les Aldridge (lead guitar) and I are US Army veterans.
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We've played nearly 300 shows in our 12 years. Some of the best . . . . we opened up for Gwar in 2007 and that was awesome because we got to play to a sold out crowd of about 1,500 people. Our "Splatter Pattern" CD release party last weekend was one of the better shows we've done in a long time too. We also did a tour to NYC and back in 2002 and those were some great shows too. Our live show is very brutal - we have a very dominating sound that is incredibly tight while at the same time drives a railroad spike between your eyes!
6. Do you have any plans to go on a full scale tour in the future?
We would love to - but we all have day jobs and families to support. So while it would be fantastic, we know that from a business standpoint we couldn't really do much more than a week or so out on the road. We do like to do weekend trips and have played in many states - covering quite a bit of ground in a few days. We just love playing metal and creating music.
7. Out off all the albums that you have recorded so far, which one are you the most satisfied with?
I would say the new one "Splatter Pattern" is satisfying because it's one that we did completely ourselves with some help on the drum engineering from Nathan Kurtz. This was the first CD I recorded guitars - and I did learn from some mistakes I made. Our drummer Wes Pollock is currently doing an internship at a large studio in Chicago and he's learning a lot of things that will only improve things on the next project. Our first CD "Flesh of the Weak" is regarded as one of our strongest too . . . each one has had its own ups and downs.
8. How would you describe your musical progress over the years and what direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
Our first drummer was more of a straight forward rock drummer, and so our early stuff was more hardcore sounding. But with Wes in 2000, we started to branch off into more intricate drumming and more time changes and that sort of thing. We all like heavy music, so we will continue to do what we love to do! I can only see things getting heavier now with our two guitar lineup and Meister doing some deathly growls along with me on vocals.
9. Can you tell us a little bit about Heavycore and it's purpose?
Heavycore is an organization I created in 1999 to help other heavy bands gig exchange and help each other. We've done tours by only playing with Heavycore bands. Over the last few years, interest has diminished with sites like myspace and facebook. But we still keep it going and I enjoy doing a monthly radio show called the Heavycore Chopping Block. People can check it out at www.ChoppingBlockShow.com and www.heavycore.net
10. What are some band's or musical styles that have influenced your music and what are you listening to nowadays?
For most part, we all dig stuff like Slayer, Pantera, Death, Carcass, Kreator, Testament, Sepultura, and that sort of thing. I haven't been listening to much the past year because we've been recording and I don't like to listen to much when I'm doing that. One of our guitar players, Meister, likes stuff like Beneath the Massacre, Arsis, Decapitated and some of the more extreme stuff. I go in streaks where I'll be into death metal more and listening to Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower, but then will bust into a thrash rut of Kreator and Exodus. Sometimes I get old school and break out the old Mercyful Fate . . . I love that stuff.
11. What are some of your interests outside of music?
I enjoy reading a lot. I read about one book a week. I like thriller writers like Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, and James Rollins. I also dig horror like HP Lovecraft and Stephen King. I also enjoy reading non-fiction books to research for songs. I also like to play fantasy football. My team is the Swinging Cocks. Once a metal freak - always a metal freak I guess!
12. Any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for supporting real metal. If you'd like to order "Splatter Pattern" then go to www.SplatterPattern.net or check it out on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, Tunecore, and more. Also read the weekly www.BrutalityReport.com to keep tabs on what's going on with Low Twelve and Heavycore. Thanks again!
Pete Altieri, bass/lead vocals - Low Twelve
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