Torontonian Hardcore Punks Cancer Bats on Loving Ozzy and Overcoming Grief

Kyle Mullin | Sep 14, 2018 12:26 pm | Add a comment | 1914 reads

Cancer Bats certainly know how to make hardcore punk sound like a helluva a good time. The Toronto band – whose albums have been praised by critics and whose shows have long been chock-a-block with moshing, pogoing fans – wear their upbeat party band roots on their sleeve. On top of that, they’ve also spent plenty of time playing as a hilariously dedicated Black Sabbath cover band called Bat Sabbath. That joyful disposition hasn’t come easily though.

Ahead of their Sep 16 gig at School Bar, frontman Liam Cormier tells us about their rough and rugged, borderline poverty-stricken early days before breaking through to punky glory, as well as the deaths of close friends that influenced their earlier, darker LP Searching for Zero.

Critics have praised your development as a vocalist on your latest album The Spark That Moves. You said in one article that you pushed yourself while playing Black Sabbath covers, and that helped make you a better vocalist on this new LP. What are some of your favorite Sabbath covers to master and perform?
For me taking on the whole catalog was such a challenge because Ozzy has such an awesome range! I would say my favorite tracks to sing, especially the ones that have really pushed my voice, would be “NIB” where the chorus is so melodic and powerful, it really taught me to think outside of what the guitars and bass were doing and where my voice could go.

And then covering “Symptom of the Universe” was taking what I knew about a melodic vocal and pushing it to the max, not only being clear and in key but also singing as fast as possible!

Did you bite the heads off any bats, Ozzy style, in order to truly get on his wavelength?
I’ve never bit the head off any Bats BUT I do love to take the job seriously. So I wear a cape, a '70s style shirt with all the buttons undone, jeans and motorcycle boots! I feel if I’m going to channel my inner Ozzy I need to really look the part.

I’ve read about how your song “Rattlesnake” was inspired by the early stages of Cancer Bats' career, and how you invited a fittingly scrappy up and comer, Mobina Galore vocalist Jenna Priestner, to guest on the vocals. What are some specifically rough early memories that either inspired the lyrics?
I think, with that song, the biggest thing is the commitment you have to make when starting a serious band. You’re going on the road, traveling thousands of miles, and you’re always hoping that people will catch on and it will pay off. There’s no money at first, so you’re sleeping on floors and eating whatever food you can afford.

It’s really that kind of "make or break" situation. And the best part of seeing Mobina going through it is I feel they’re really having fun doing it, in the same way we did when we first started touring. You gotta love the hard times in order to enjoy the good times!

And now that song is becoming an anthem for many struggling up and comers, including Spill Your Guts, a Shanghai band that’s opening for you in China. Their frontman, Lobs, told us “Cancer Bats is a band that we all have been listening to for years. I remember buying my first Cancer Bats album and being awed by how good their music felt ... 'Rattlesnake' is one of my favorite song over the Cancer Bats new album. Jenna's vocal part is really good. I really like the tone of his voice.” How does it feel to be an inspiration for younger bands like that?
I’m really stoked to be touring with another band and Spill Your Guts sounds awesome. It’s nice to be with some locals too, who can show us the real hidden spots and show us the things we wouldn't normally see if we were just wandering around on our own. I can wait to rip these shows with them!

In prior interviews, you’ve said The Spark That Moves felt like getting back to your “fun party band” roots. How cathartic has that been, seeing as your last album, Searching for Zero, served as a tribute to friends like Oderus, who passed away?
I think we had come through such a tough couple of years that it didn't feel right to just laugh off everything that had happened with friends and family. But we luckily made it through and we’re now in a place where it made sense again to be happy and cut loose.

Everyone in the band is doing awesome. Mikey, our drummer, has a baby. Scott [Middleton, guitar, and backing vocals] got married. Jaye [R. Schwarzer, bassist] got an amazing family of dogs. And all I do is ride dirt bikes! Our lives are back to being epic and exactly what we needed to fuel this new album of party anthems. One of the biggest messages on the whole record is “our brightest days are yet to come.” And we’re more than ready to go out and find them!