Those who think the traditional heavy metal scene is stagnant and that there is no new blood circulating the landscape need to dig deeper into what’s out there. All across the globe, far and wide we are being exposed to tremendous work from bands like Haunt, Eternal Champion, Night Demon, and others who have taken elements of the 80’s sound, injected a mix of punk, thrash, doom, or power aspects and created excitement again for the movement. Wisconsin duo Tantivy have put their name in the hat through their blistering debut EP Eyes in the Night – where you gain the sense that everything from 3 Inches of Blood and Toxic Holocaust to Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, and Motörhead come pouring through every guitar riff/lick, pounding bass part, or speedy drum fill beyond the gritty vocals.
Learn more about the band from guitarist, bassist, vocalist Adam Geurink in this quick hitting talk. You’ll discover the band’s quick recording output, plans to expand the lineup once live shows return, five favorite metal albums that define the genre for Adam, as well as his love of dirt biking and camping.
Dead Rhetoric: Your debut EP Eyes in the Night contains five song of unbridled energy and possesses plenty of dynamics with influences from Thin Lizzy and Motörhead through to Judas Priest and Toxic Holocaust among others. Can you let us know how the songwriting and recording sessions went – were there any specific surprises, obstacles, changes, or setbacks that had to be dealt with?
Adam Geurink: When we write usually Jon and I jam something out until we have a main riff then I’ll take it upstairs and finish the other parts and leads on my own. By that time Jon has spiced up his drum parts and we start assembling. The recording was pretty convenient since my good buddy Elliot did it for us in my basement. However it was pretty stressful since we only had three days to get it all done before my wedding and me doing two guitars, bass and vocals was hard on me. If we woulda had just one more day, it would have gone smoother (laughs). Trevor at Church Recordings (also known for his work in Haunt) really worked his magic with the mixing and mastering, he’s a super great dude and fun to work with.
Dead Rhetoric: Are you planning on taking this act to the stage and possibly expanding the lineup – or are you content to stay more of a studio project as a duo and write/release material when the inspiration and time strike?
Geurink: Yeah we are for sure planning on having a live line up and playing shows when they come back. We didn’t set out to be a duo or just a studio project so when the time comes, we will be out on the road with a full band hopefully.
Dead Rhetoric: What are five of the benchmark albums in the metal genre that you hold in the highest regard for songwriting, performances, and overall solid final products – and who do you think are some of the more underrated acts that people need to dig deeper into and give more time/attention to?
Geurink: Blessed Black Wings/High On Fire. Another Perfect Day/Motörhead. Advance and Vanquish/3 Inches of Blood. City Weapons/Inepsy. The Last in Line/Dio.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel that you are able to gain stronger traction in the scene thanks to the tools at your disposal with social media, Bandcamp, and using Dewar PR to push your material globally beyond your Wisconsin home base? Would you like to sign with a label down the line, or are you content to remain on a DIY/independent platform?
Geurink: Dewar PR has been a great help with getting our name out there, its real easy working with Curtis, he’s a good dude. and yes we would be into working with a label to help with distro.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you view the state of heavy metal currently? What excites you about the scene, and what improvements (if any) need to be made to make things better for the fans, the musicians, the promoters, the venues, and other involved parties?
Geurink: I think metal overall is doing great and I love that the NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal) scene is on the rise.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received that helped shape your outlook on the music business?
Geurink: Find what works for you and stick to it.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you define success for Tantivy at this point?
Geurink: Being a really new band that hasn’t been able to play any shows due to the pandemic, we are really shocked that we are almost sold out of the EP already. If we can gain a big enough following to justify booking a tour and hit some bike parks along the way, we will have succeeded in our main goal of this project.
Dead Rhetoric: What are some of your favorite hobbies, passions, and interests that you have away from music when you have the free time and energy to pursue them?
Geurink: My wife and I have three huskies so we spend our spare time camping and running with them, in the winter they pull us around on a sled and that’s becoming my new passion. I get into dirt jumps and mountain biking when I can, which is real fun.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the agenda for Tantivy over the next twelve to eighteen months? And will you be doing more work with Wardehns also down the line – or other projects/bands?
Geurink: We’re just gonna keep writing songs and hopefully release another EP or maybe a full-length within the next year hopefully with a full line up as well by then. I’m not sure what’s next for Wardehns but there’s riffs and ideas in the bank for sure.