They’ve been crowned the next big thing in British metal, bagged rave reviews in numerous magazines and have just played the legendary Hammerfest alongside rock giants Anthrax. It’s fair to say Ipswich based Elimination have been climbing the metal hierarchy of late, so we sent Hayley Buckle to catch up with your less than ordinary, hairy heavy metallers.
Tell us a little bit about the band…
We’re down to earth, fast heavy metal. No airs and graces; what you see is what you get and that represents itself in the music.
Who are your main influences?
There’s a range of influences. Obviously you’ve got your main names like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica but then we’ve got background influences like Testament, Overkill, and Primordial is a big one at the moment. If it’s beyond the 90s, we don’t give it the time of day!
I saw that you played Hammerfest this year, how was that?
It was awesome. It’s at a normal holiday Pontins in North Wales. Imagine you’ve got the main stage, and next to it is a canteen and arcades! It was nice because after we played we got to go back to the chalet, have a few drinks and just relax. Basically we were being divas!
More festivals need to be like that! Have you got any other festivals planned?
We’ve got stuff in the pipeline. Download and Bloodstock for us would make this year complete.
How have you been gaining your fan base?
We win over fans at shows and with the last tour there have been people who have come specifically for us, which is brilliant. It just shows that people are aware of us even in places we’ve never been before. I know it’s a sorry state of affairs really, but nowadays Facebook and Twitter are key to getting your name out there.
What are your fans like?
A lot of the fans are older and have lived in the Iron Maiden period, and then there are the young ones who want photos and autographs we’re just like ‘what?’! The older ones like to chat about stories back in the day, and it’s nice to hear it ‘cause they say we remind them of that time, which is a compliment through and through for us.
Do you keep in touch with the local music scene?
We keep in touch with mates’ bands like KEMAKIL. If they need a gig or we need a gig, we help each other out. We try to play Ipswich whenever we can. It’s nice to catch up with and thank everyone who’s supported us from day one.
What are you like as a band, are you very rock ‘n’ roll?!
(Laughs) We’ve all had our stages of going nuts but we’re pretty grounded. When it comes to gigs we’re fairly sensible. We’ll have a couple of drinks beforehand but we won’t go getting wasted – the drinking comes afterwards. It’s work at the end of the day.
Have you got any crazy tour stories?
Nah, I’ve fallen over a few times and one time we watched six hours of Family Guy in one go...
Living life on the edge! Any advice for bands starting out?
The biggest thing I’d say to any band starting out is fight ego. Don’t go for the first thing, and find your own sound because people are going to appreciate you more.
Finally, what are your plans for the rest of the year?
Touring lots and continuing to promote our latest album The Blood of Titans!
facebook.com/eliminationuk
(Originally published in IP1zine, May 2012).
H xo
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