Emmure Guitarist Says Next Album Is ‘Hairier’ Than Their Previous Work

If you've ever been to an Emmure show, you already know that the band's fanbase skews young. The quartet has clearly helped to introduce a new breed of listeners to the heavier side of the music spectrum. Noisecreep spoke to guitarist (and gearhead) Jesse Ketive about the band's evolution, in terms of music and their core base.

But first things first. The Queens, N.Y.-based band will release 'Slaves to the Game' later this year. "We're following suit," Ketive told Noisecreep. "Every 15 or 16 months, we put out a new record or material." There's been a change in the Emmure ranks, with Bury Your Dead's Mark Castillo taking over on drums. "We recorded the record with him and jammed with him plenty," Ketive said. "With this new album, here we are, with a little more input from whole band."

The album is also "a little hairier." Hairier? Now that's masculine. And it has nothing to do with members of Emmure growing beards. Ketive elaborated on why he uses that term, saying, "Anytime something is faster or sounds better or crazier, we call it hairier." Sounds like "hairy" is a very good thing when it comes to Emmure.

As for Emmure's youngish following, Ketive said, "It's like having a cult following. The fans love a band so much, when they are younger, they connect on so many levels in which they understand the world. Not saying young people don't understand the world beyond, but they think about what they know and are convinced by something, whether they are lead by lyrics. I know when I was younger, I was going to as many concerts as I could, so I get it."

He doesn't worry about all the fans getting older, burning off and losing interest. But he does know that some might move on. He said, "I am sure kids who were into us their first year or second year of high school are now four or five years older and might not be fans anymore, and they just moshed and only wanted to hear breakdowns. Musically, we've grown, and where we are now, a lot of people could connect. As in anything with life, some things fade, but it's not a concern."

Ketive also revealed that on 'Slaves to the Game,' there is a buried contribution from Castillo. "There's a spot where Mark screamed when recording the drums," he said. "He screams before we play and we blended his screams into the part. So in one song, I won't say which, his scream is blended in. It's not obvious. Never, ever. There are a lot of effects as it is, like noise in the background, so there is no way you can figure that out." Anyone out there wanna give it a shot and finetune their ears?

The guitarist also shared details of his other passion: cars. An admitted gearhead, he is into drag racing and just nabbed a "sick supercharged Cobra and that's what I spend my time on. I dig things like radio controlled cars! I am into expensive money pit hobbies."

He's earned some decent coin through his gig in Emmure and can provide for himself. While he's not living in the lap of luxury, he can still splurge on his other interest, which is cars. "I have owned 20 cars in my life," he revealed. "I will buy a car if something is wrong with it but I think I can fix it. I went to mechanic school after high school in 2001 and was an electrician. It's nice having mechanical knowledge, so when I fix a car, I can sell it or keep it."

Emmure will release 'Slaves to the Game' later this year. The band will also be out on tour with We Came As Romans, blessthefall, Woe Is Me and The Color Morale:

Mar 09 Covington, KY @ Madison Theatre

Mar 10 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

Mar 11 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution

Mar 12 Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Theatre

Mar 13 Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor

Mar 15 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit

Mar 20 Scottsdale, AZ @ Venue of Scottsdale

Mar 21 San Diego, CA @ Soma

Mar 22 Anaheim, CA @ The Grove of Anaheim

Mar 23 West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues

Mar 24 Bakersfield, CA @ Golden State Hall

Mar 25 San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom

Mar 27 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre

Mar 28 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

Mar 30 Salt Lake City, UT @ Salt Air

Mar 31 Denver, CO @ The Summit Music Hall

Apr 01 Lawrence, KS @ Granada

Apr 02 Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze

Apr 03 Joliet, IL @ Mojoes

Apr 04 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Orbit Room

Apr 07 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium

Apr 09 Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall

Apr 11 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts

Apr 12 Baltimore, MD @ Ram's Head Live

Apr 13 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo