Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?
Band name: Shon (guitars)- I was drawing in a notebook looking for letter combinations that looked visually appealing. And I like the idea of everything withering.
History:
[Shon] The project started in 2010. I was traveling a lot for work at the time and writing songs and recording them in my hotel room with a small interface and Logic. At the time, I was really into the symphonic metal and folk metal influences coming out of Europe. Composing and arranging music became my sole focus from that point forward. WHYTHRE remained a solo project till 2012. I met an opera-trained singer named Jeran Michaels. The two of us released the full-length album “Hel’s Hollows” in 2015. After several years of unsuccessfully trying to piece together a full line-up, we started playing acoustic shows locally to try and get our name out.
I was wandering around Capitol Hill during the 2015 Pride Weekend, and heard a dude, Adam Chambers, playing some Children Of Bodom melodies on his guitar while busking. My lady friend lit a joint for us to all share and we exchanged info. From that point, we started a musical partnership that really defines WHYTHRE to this day.
[Adam] I met Shon while busking late at night during Cap Hill Pride 2015. He gave me a link to Hel’s Hallows. I got home from busking and made some food at 4am, listened to the album & messaged him to say I was interested in joining Whythre. We jammed a few days later and have been working together ever since.
Members:
Adam Chambers (Vox/guitar/synths) – As a kid, I started on piano, then moved onto guitar. I grew up in Chicago and had both metal and electronic music playing in the house from a young age. There’s a lot of Midwest history in both those genres and that was my starting point for creativity. When I took guitar lessons I got extremely lucky in that a Berklee School of music professor was spending the summer in Chicago and just so happened to be teaching lessons at the little corner music store near home. That helped immensely.
Shon Petrey (guitar/synths) – I started picking up the guitar in junior high, loved thrash metal, and kept up with it. Eventually, I started writing, then got sucked into the mixing/audio realm so that I could make my creations come to life the exact way I imagine them.
Eric Close- Eric is a go-to bass player known in the local area from several classic thrash metal, black metal, and death metal bands including Coven, Belt-Fed Weapon, In Memorium, and others.
Steve Fournier- Steve has been in several bands in and around the Seattle area for the last 25 years. I’ve toured and recorded with bands such as Inmemorium, Aggression Core, Castdown, Faustus, and Himsa to name a few. I have been a drum instructor at the Seattle drum school for the last 15 years.
Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?
We are from Seattle, WA in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The metal scene here reflects the native forests, nature, and constant rain. There’s a lot of the year where it’s raining with little to no sun….it makes for some great metal musicians.
Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?
Adam- Influences – Sinergy, Alice Cooper, Bloody Cumshot, Angel, Anaal Nathrak / Make Them Die Slowly
Shon- Children of Bodom, Devin Townsend, Megadeth, Hans Zimmer, Hypocrisy
a shared love for Children of Bodom is how Adam and Shon met. Here’s that story…
[Adam] I moved to Seattle in 2014 and knew I wanted to dive into the music scene. Seattle is the kind of city where you just have to meet people in the moment or through a social circle.
I busked on a corner in Capitol Hill outside of Neumos for a few months. I figured I’d do that until I met the right people/music situation. I met a lot of musicians but nothing really clicked. While busking during Pride 2015, my drummer friend was taking a break and I started playing metal riffs…While playing ‘Bodom Beach Terror’ there was a guy and girl that posted up within earshot. It was Shon and a friend. He introduced himself, and we all shared a smoke and traded contact info. Shon had just released a full-length (Hel’s Hallows) with his project called Whythre. I remember getting home that night and making myself some mac n cheese at 4am and listening to the album. I sent Shon a message that I would join the project right then.
Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?
Shon- As a kid I wanted to be a running back for the Cowboys, but playing metal is pretty good too.
Adam- Still not really sure what I want to do, but certainly enjoying this metal thing with the WHYTHRE fam. Glad we’re finally putting out ‘Impregnate My Hate’ and extremely stoked that people seem to think it doesn’t suck. There was a sign over the cash register at a rehearsal studio I used to go to that said ‘practice more, suck less’….that’s always the goal!
What songs or albums are on your current playlist?
Adam-here are some artists I’m currently enjoying- Danava, Century, Sinergy, the Initial D soundtrack, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Diamond Rio, Octave One
Do you sing in the shower?
Adam- Fuck yeah, sing everywhere all the time. It’s nearly summer, the season of driving around barking out death metal with the stereo on full blast. All about those awkward stop-light interactions where you keep the growls going and everyone looks at ya like you’re fucking looney.
Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?
We’re full steam ahead on releasing ‘Impregnate My Hate’. Everything this past year has been leading up to this moment…from filming a live music video (Scorchbreath) to working with artists on two animated lyric videos.
The new album “Impregnate My Hate” and all the new merch is available on our Bandcamp:
Follow us on social media to keep up with live/ touring situations
https://instagram.com/whythreofficial
https://www.youtube.com/@WHYTHREofficial/videos
Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?
May 26th! Impregnate My Hate!
If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?
Shon – I love eating popsicles, so there should be a popsicle festival where we play. This festival would have all my favorite popsicle vendors and our green room would have a sick freezer stocked with the best popsicles in the world. At this festival, WHYTHRE would unveil a special pill that makes you immune to brain freeze so you can eat more popsicles faster than ever.
Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?
Shon- Children of Bodom / Follow The Reaper
Adam- This changes all the time, currently have Manowar ‘Loud as Hell’ and Sinergy ‘Suicide By My Side’ on constant rotation
Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?
Shon- Lady Gaga
Adam- Anything from Dance Dance Revolution or 90’s Eurobeat a la the Initial D soundtrack.
If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?
Roope-era Children of Bodom & Sinergy lineups
Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?
Adam- Yeah, Sum41 All Killer No Filler. The tatted/ pierced cashier at Best Buy gave 10-year-old me a fist bump and nod of approval lol
As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?
We appreciate anyone who supports our tunes. Thank you!!
Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!
The new album “Impregnate My Hate” and all the new merch is available on our Bandcamp:
https://instagram.com/whythreofficial
https://www.youtube.com/@WHYTHREofficial/videos
We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?
Thanks for having us! We want popsicle endorsements, please! Fuck gear, fuck labels. Also, they should put jokes back on the popsicle sticks.
This interview is the property of The Metal Asylum