Skull Fist from Toronto, Canada iis one of the most popular bands of the NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal) wave. Their debut EP Heavier than Metal came out in 2010 and since then they have built a steady fan base around the globe. Today I've talked to Skull Fist's drummer JJ Tartaglia.
Hey, JJ Tartaglia here, drummer for Skull Fist and lead vocalist for my new band Thunderor. Skul Fist has been around for over 10 years now, well even longer than that if you count the early years when Zach was looking for permanent members and all of that.
JJ Tartaglia
How did you get into metal?
I got into metal when I was a kid, I was fortunate to have a dad who was also a bit of a metal head so I got to listen to his cassette tape and CD collection and I really got into metal at a young age.
Since I was 18 I've always played in loads of metal bands and I have been able to tour around the world doing that stuff. I'm really happy to be doing that with Skull Fist, Now for the past seven years or so. And I hope to be doing that until the end.
What are your main influences?
My influences as a kid, growing up still learning and everything was of course a lot of bands, lot of musicians. I really got into AC/DC at a young age. I think that was the game changer for me. I was still such a little kid but it made me latch on to heavy music.
I think before that it was INXS. INXS was the first band and then AC/DC kinda opened up a whole new thing. I got really into Poison and Lynch Mob as well. My younger brother was really into Mötley Crüe so we kinda had like, we each had our bands you know. I would listen to Poison and he was into Mötley Crüe. It was cool, I remember when I was in fourth grade I had this jeans jacket and my sister sewed this homemade back patch onto the back of it for me for my birthday.
One time it was like an AC/DC and she had like hand painted and I had a Poison ball cap that my parents got for me, so yeah I was pretty into it from the start.
I think nowadays, my influences are not so much musicians and music. I mean obviously still music but I htink it's more life influences. Life experiences, Things that I want to share with an audience and emotions that I want to convey through music. So it's more influenced by emotions and life.
How would you define Traditional Metal?
Traditional metal is I guess just one of the many subgenres of metal. For sure Skull Fist is a part of it, I mean we helped the resurgence you know and make it what it is today. I mean traditional metal it's nostalgic in a sense that it takes from the emotions and the feelings of the 80's but it's kind of wrapping it up into something new and presenting it in a more modern way but yeah, it's really become a style. I mean just like you know dual guitars, clean vocals, big drums so that's the sound of traditional metal.
What was your reaction when you first discovered a new traditional sounding heavy metal band in the early 2000's?
I think in the early 2000's I wasn't listening to new traditional metal bands yet, I was still discovering the stuff from the 80's. I was still learning and discovering the originals like I was diving deep into Van Halen and Iron Maiden still, and Judas Priest. I was learning a lot of Ozzy stuff and Van Halen stuff back in those days. I was playing in a Ozzy tribute band and I remember trying out for this Van Halen cover band, I was just really into that music and the bands that was playing during that time weren't giving me that satisfaction because I was playing different genres. So yeah, in the early 2000's I was still discovering the originals and it wasn't until Skull Fist that it made me realize, it was like wow there's a whole new world out here, a whole new generation of new traditional metal.
Is there a difference between the bands of the eighties and the NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal) bands?
I think stylistically there's probably not like a huge difference between, you know the traditional bands nowdays compared to the 80's bands. You still need to have all those elements that I mentioned. Like vocal harmonies and clean vocals, high pitched vocals, dual guitars virtuoso style, guitar playing and double kicks of course. Heavy drums, heavy bass. That's the sound of traditional metal.
I think if anything, it's being presented in a more modern way because of production obviously has evolved so much in the decades that have passed so. I think the production is a big difference it's much better although some bands choose to go the more bare bones route with the production, I guess that's more true, But in my opinion the musicians were better back in the 80's too, so you've got that element of it.
Chasing the Dream (2014)
Why have you chosen to play traditional heavy metal?
I have done other styles too as a drummer like I've done Death metal, Symphonic metal, Nu metal back in the nu metal days. All kinds of stuff but I think even through all of that my heart was always with traditional heavy metal because that's what I've been listening to the whole time you know, and even thought the other bands that I was in or whatever kind of made fun of me.
Oh yeah you're listening to that stuff and I was like yeah but you listen to what you're drawn to right, So I've always been drawn to that style you know from the classics, the stuff from the 80's. Mid to late 80's is my favourite production, I feel like the production peaked in 1986 and then from then on it's just been going down but, yeah there's something about bands and recordings those years. They just have a feeling to them you know. We're trying to get that back but I don't think it's ever been how it was back then. But hopefully we can get it back.
What's your opinion on the 'New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal'?
The New Wave or Traditional Heavy Metal or NWOTHM I guess is how you say it, NWOTHM. Yeah, it's a new wave of course. Skull Fist is part of it and we helped launch the wave back in the early 2010's. So for sure we're a big part of it.
The sounds will always evolve, trends always evolve and everything. I feel like the genre was probably more popular back then than it is now, it's hard to say but for sure there's loads of new bands that are playing traditional heavy metal and they are great. I really like Stallion and I've been listening to Road Wolf lately but also Cobra Spell.
So yeah, loads and loads of new bands coming out and it's great because it shows that my generation and also the generation after me is now listening to this music and continuing the wave, you know to move it forward so it doesn't go away.
For Skull Fist I think we're part of the wave but our music has been evolving. I think the genre will keep evolving with the times, and we'll keep doing that as well. It's just a natural progression right?
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