Emmure grew up as a band in Queens, New York where there was a saying ‘kill or be killed’. This ideology was taken on by the band and provided a way to get rid of their aggression and anxiety. Emmure are a through and through metal band.
They recently headed to the UK and Europe for the ‘Mosh Star Tour’ alongside some over exciting bands. HTF were lucky enough to catch up with frontman Frankie Palmeri when they came to the UK. Check out what happened here.
HTF: You’re about to head out on tour with some pretty epic bands, did you guys have any input into who came on tour?
Frankie: Well really how it works is we take out bands that are hard working and deserving to be on the bill. All the bands on this tour are super dedicated to their craft and have been working hard for years to make a name for themselves. Those are the kind of bands we respect and wish to have with us on tour.
HTF: The tour lasts almost a month across Europe with only one day off. Are you used to such intense timetables?
F: Yeah , I like to compare it to a car engine. Ya know you might not have started up that old 69 Chevy in a while but once you get that baby pumping its good to go for miles. I am still young, willing and able to perform every night so it’s really not as stressful as some people might assume. I do enjoy a break between shows to heal my voice and body but ya can’t get hung up on needing rest. Ya need to power through and step up to plate every night.
HTF: Is there anywhere in particular you’re looking forward to playing on tour?
F: I normally don’t play favorites because I am truly excited to hit every single date of this tour. So far every night has been just as amazing as the next so I look forward to it all!
HTF: You said the one place you wanted to play was Japan after a tour fell through. And this year see’s you go there. Is there anything else left to achieve now?
F: See it all! I want to step foot on wherever there is soil and fans to perform in front of. Definitely super excited to hit Japan.
HTF: You seem to be playing all over the world this year. Australia, Japan, Europe, America on the Rockstar Mayhem Tour. Does touring ever get tiresome?
F: For me personally it doesn’t get tiring. What gets extremely tiring is not being on the road. When you are as active as we are ya start to get a custom to the madness. More like addicted to it. Once you are taken out of it ya start to go stir crazy. I take it as a complete blessing that our band gets the opportunity to stay as busy as we do and go the places we go. I truly love my job.
HTF: After the summer do you get some time off? Or is there no time to relax for Emmure?
F: We are gonna have some much needed and deserved rest and relaxation at some point this summer. Probably in August I will get the chance to see my friends and family for extended period of time.
HTF: Being from America how do you find touring the UK in comparison to back home?
F: It’s not too different. No language barriers and basically all the same common shops and stuff. It’s like being anywhere else to be quite honest. The world is a small place with many similarities everywhere you go.
HTF: What do you miss most being away from home?
F: My bed. I also miss being able to have my privacy and focus on my personal life. There isn’t much time for that in this line of work. Which I embrace but I do miss that stuff sometimes. Also New York pizza and playing Marvel VS Capcom 2 haha….can’t live without it!
HTF: You recently played ‘Spring Break Festival’ in Israel. How did you find think the show went?
F: Being in Israel was amazing. Not much more I can say except I never thought we would get a chance to be there. It was something else.
HTF: Had you ever played Israel before? How did you find it?
F: No it was our first time and completely blew the doors off any expectations I had.
HTF: Your last album ‘Slave to the Grave’ came out this time last year and Frankie said he felt it was your “least successful album”. Did you all feel that way? And why?
F: I don’t know if we all feel that way but I know for a fact that it is. It sold the least and I know that our fans were disappointed because I was disappointed. I am the ultimate critic of EMMURE and no one will ever know the true extent of how seriously I take our music. We were in a bad place internally and egos and miscommunication got in the way of what could have been an amazing record. To sum it all up I hated almost all of the material and if I am not feeling the music then I cannot full accomplish my job as the voice of the band to put myself in the music and make the songs come to life. Slave To The Game fell short of what it could or should have been but our focus now is our new material which I am proud to say is EXACTLY what EMMURE and our fans need right now.
HTF: Do you have any plans to release another record this year?
F: Hard to say if new music will reach the surface in 2013 but most definitely in 2014.
HTF: ‘Slave to the Grave’ was the first album to feature drummer Mark. Are there any stylistic differences between that album to older ones?
F: Mark Castillo as a musician is on a whole other level. His input really helped shape our sound as a band. I think that will be even more apparent on the next album.
HTF: Emmure seem to produce quite strong feelings in people: you’re one of them love them or hate them bands. Why do you think you provoke such strong feelings in people?
F: Not quite sure, but it probably has to do with that fact that we really don’t give a fuck with what people think or expect. We have always stuck out like a sore thumb which has in the end always worked in our favor. It’s a beautiful thing.
HTF: Finally after all the touring what else does 2013 have in store for Emmure?
F: We are working on new music and looking forward to getting int he studio again. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for that.
