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METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Nate. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us at Metal Pulp And Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it.
So glad to be catching up with you finally. How are you? How are things going for you in 2018?
NATE EXX GRADOWSKI: It’s going great man thanks for having me. It’s a busy year for sure.
MPAP: Where to begin? Your music resume is not something to joke about? You have Demise And Domination, Isolated Antagonist, and your solo project, AutomatoN. All are different in some way or another, but all have a similar taste and style flowing through it all; an industrial metal music sound, correct?
NATE: Yes, I’ve got my solo projects Demise And Domination, AutomatoN, and Quo. The main band is Isolated Antagonist with my friend Glen Mitchell. That’s my problem though man, I’m so musically diverse that I have to have all these projects to fit all of my music ideas in. They all stem from industrial metal except for Quo, which is progressive metal. Demise And Domination is more industrial death metal, AutomatoN is cyber metal, and Isolated Antagonist is a confused combination of those two.
MPAP: Before we go any further, tell us what you are currently working on right now, and go into a little more depth about it for starters?
NATE: Well I just finished a new AutomatoN album that should be out this Winter between early November and the end of December called Ego Verus. Other than that, I’m just rehearsing my setlist because AutomatoN has its first show booked for October. I’m in the process of booking more shows with AutomatoN as well because honestly, I want this project to get out there more because it’s so important to me. Demise and Quo are just strictly studio projects. That’s really all I have happening right now that’s noteworthy.
MPAP: What other projects are you working on, or have worked on in the past, that everyone might want to check out?
NATE: I have Demise And Domination which is my very first project with four albums out now. Quo which is my progressive metal alter ego which has two albums out. Of course, Isolated Antagonist which has three albums out. All of these projects and albums can be found by simply searching Machine Man Records on Facebook or Machine Man Records website and bandcamp. IA of course can be found on our Bandcamp.
MPAP: I know it’s such a fundamental question to ask a musician, but what are your musical influences? I feel it is essential to find out what groups inspired you to form and create Demise And Domination, Isolated Antagonist, and Automaton over the years?
NATE: There are a ton of influences. Just to name a few there’s Little Richard, Roy Brown, Queensryche, Sybreed, Fear Factory, Sepultura, Type O Negative, Gary Numan, and Devin Townsend/Strapping Young Lad. Some are obvious, some aren’t.
MPAP: I’m assuming, the industrial metal pioneers, Godflesh, were one your main influences, correct?
NATE: Actually, no haha. I love Godflesh and they do play a hand in my music’s influence, but honestly my main influences are Queensryche, Fear Factory, Gary Numan, Devin Townsend/ SYL, Sepultura, and Sybreed.
MPAP: Do I taste a bit of Fear Factory in your music, who also were influence by Godflesh as well?
NATE: For sure Fear Factory. I was in elementary school when I discovered Fear Factory and honestly, I discovered them by a video game called Test Drive Off Road 2. "Shock" was the that song that got me hooked. I try not to copy Fear Factory’s style on point, but you can definitely hear the Fear Factory influence.
MPAP: Those two bands, Godflesh, and Fear Factory, and their music, or indeed any other industrial metal band for that matter, is something that’s not mainstream and can be easily heard on any FM radio or satellite station out there? So, tell us how you go into that genre of music? Is there a time in your life you can pinpoint it?
NATE: Yup I remember exactly. I was 7 years old and I bought my first CD. That CD was Chaos A.D. by Sepultura. At that time, I only bought it because I liked the artwork of the cover haha. I bought it with my birthday money. Keep in mind that the only metal band I knew and loved at the time was Queensryche so I hadn’t really discovered industrial metal yet. I remember clear as day when I first put that CD in and I heard "Refuse/Resist" holy shit my jaw dropped to the floor. I’ve never heard heavy breakdowns before and I remember saying “wowwww” while staring at the stereo in disbelief. Queensryche was my introduction to metal in general. I was 4 years old when I first heard Queensryche and my dad used to play Queensryche songs (specifically "Silent Lucidity" and some songs off Operation Mindcrime and The Warning) to calm me down from temper tantrums. Empire had just come out like a year or two before that however, Rage for Order was the first Queensryche album I’ve ever heard in its entirety. That’s basically my introduction to metal/industrial metal.
MPAP: Industrial music, what does it mean to you? Is there a meaning to it that you try to follow and spread to all that will listen?
NATE: Honestly man it’s music that I can just escape reality and go 200 years in the future and imagine myself in post-apocalyptic worlds. Because let’s face it, sometimes reality sucks. That’s really all I can say about it.
MPAP: What about after you heard that form of music for the very first time? Did you immediately think, ‘Holy shit, I have to start a band right now, and right away?’
NATE: I’ve been writing solo since I was in middle school. I never got into bands or wanted to be in a band. I just wanted to write my own music and record it by myself. It sounds selfish in a way but honestly, I have certain visions of what I want my music to be and I can’t have other people tamper with it. I’m nuts with that shit. IA was the first time that I finally got into a band that was more than just me... It’s two people but hey haha. We both agreed from the start that I would write the music, and Glen would write the lyrics and sing, and we wouldn’t step on each other’s toes and it’s been working since. At the same time Glen and I are like brothers, so the chemistry is there.
MPAP: The three mentioned bands that you’re heavily involved with, what are you hoping the listener walks away with after listening to any of them?
NATE: Just to make their days a little better and escape reality just for those moments. I just want to make people happy through music.
MPAP: Are there any expectations you might have? Anything you might be trying to get out of it all by any chance?
NATE: I do this for two reasons. The most important reason is for the love and passion of the art and giving people a way to sit back and get lost in the music making their days better. The
other is I would like to have a career in it and honestly, I won’t stop or give up until this is my stable job. I’m not really good at much else in life but music so if I can make this my career, it would for sure be a plus.
MPAP: If you received a phone call from Justin K. Broadrick, the mastermind behind Godflesh, and he wanted to collaborate on a song with you, and you had only minutes to come up with a song title, what comes to mind right off the top of your head? What do you tell him?
NATE: I would just write whatever comes to mind. That’s the best way to write in my own opinion. I don’t really get star struck that often. I mean I’m friends with Christian Olde Wolbers haha and we’re very professional people and we act like friends when we do talk which isn’t often because he’s very busy. I was never like holy shit, it’s Christian from Fear Factory!
MPAP: Glen Mitchel seems to be one of your partners in crime? Tell us a little bit more about him and what he’s done with you over the years?
NATE: I’ve known Glen for 7 long years. Our chemistry is like no other. In those 7 years, we’ve never got into an argument or a fight even in the band. We feel like we’ve know each other all our lives. IA is basically the only thing as far as music that we’ve done together. The first time that we actually met face to face was a Fear Factory show haha before then we would just chat on facebook.
MPAP: On behalf of Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Nate, for doing this interview. We appreciate it. We look forward to what you do to finish out 2018 and beyond. Any last words for all the readers out there?
NATE: I want to thank you for having me. To everyone out there who wants to get into music or is in music, NEVER GIVE UP! The music industry may seem dead, but it still can be revived. Keep pushing and keep going forward. The fans and the bands/artists are the only ones who can revive this industry. Also, Thanks to Chris Bollinger at Machine Man Records for giving me a platform for my music.
FIND
NATE Exx GRADOWSKI
HERE:
Nate Exx Gradowski/ July 20th, 2018/ Interview #108