Fer de Lance are a band we’ve been following from the very beginning. Much like us, they too hail from Chicago and have been growing exponentially over the past half decade. Only where our “growth” consists of being a bigger nuisance and keeping Gary Holt up at night, Fer de Lance’s consists of cross-country tours, an ever-growing fanbase, and a continuous drive to push epic metal to its utmost sonic limits. In true Windy City fashion, we hounded our local heroes over a Superdawg and a can of Old Style regarding their latest opus, Fires on the Mountainside, their influences, and of course, the mighty Bathory.
I know you just wrapped up a co-headline jaunt with Serpent Rider. How did that go, and was
that Fer de Lance’s first tour?
MP: Thanks for the interview! The Serpentine Offering Tour (East) was a great experience. So
far, we’ve been lucky to tour with some great people, and Serpent Rider continued that roll.
Not only were they a pleasure to hang out with, but they also gave 110% on stage every night.
Meeting the fans every night, introducing ourselves to new fans, and playing music for an hour
a night was fantastic. Seeing people get into the new songs, especially “Fires on the
Mountainside” and “Tempest Stele,” was a great validation for what we’ve worked on for the
past two years.
Rüsty: Hey Joe! Thanks so much for reaching out. I’d say that this is our first proper tour and
certainly our longest run so far. As MP said, the Serpent Rider crew were great tour partners
and absolutely rocked it each night. That really set us all up for success (ultimately, to have
fun). The tour kicked off in Chicago (Nice to see you there!), and then we played six cities
we’ve never played, including the last stop: The final installment of Stormbringer Festival in
Worcester, MA. I’ve gotta give a shout out to the Detroit-area and D.C. show/crowds as they
were incredible – your towns know how to rock! Though generally, we met friends and
encountered great hospitality and bands while on the road in the wild, wild east. I’d do it again!
Scud: I’ve toured a few times with other punk and metal bands, and I have to say this
particular tour was my all-time personal favorite!. A huge amount of that enjoyment is due to
our tour partners, Serpent Rider. We all became quick friends and cheered each other on
every night. The van drives were rockin’ and full of laughter, the shows were sweaty and full of
good tunes, and the food was usually Italian and full of olive oil! Needless to say, I had a blast!
We’re a week away from the release of your second album, Fires on the Mountainside. What
did the band set out to achieve with this album to set it apart from 2022’s The Hyperborean?
Rüsty: It’s my first band to ever make it to a second album, so this is all uncharted territory for
me! The goal is always to improve on everything: the songs, the lyrics, the sequence, the
recording/sound, the artwork. I think we achieved that. I’m certain we put more blood, sweat,
and tears into this record than any previous record.
Scud: With Hyperborean, I had a short amount of time to learn the songs (about a month I
recall) and then record them. So before the process of making Fires on the Mountainside, I
knew I had a lot more space to be able to work my rhythm magic. The lack of pressure and
added time allowed me to really make the most out of these tracks, and it shows!
MP: I didn’t have some overarching plan: “This is what we must do for this album!” It was a
short time – two years – from writing to recording, but so much happened that no plan would
have made its way through. I wanted to include the band in the creative process for this
album, so Rüst and Scud contributed a lot to Fires on the Mountainside. Rust wrote the great
song “Fire & Gold,” which I added some electric guitar parts to and a solo, and was able to
use a new ’70s Strat, which was a lot of fun.
“Tempest Stele” was going to be more of an intro or short instrumental, but the beat that Scud came up with made that song a jam. We recorded that one (drums and rhythm guitars) live in the studio to get the feel right. It’s one of my best studio memories ever! We also spent a lot of time in the studio listening and helping each other; it’s my favorite experience recording thus far, because the band used all its powers to get it done, including Matt Russell, our friend and excellent engineer/producer. Listen, that guy is great. We also wanted a better-sounding album, and between Matt Russell and the excellent Arthur Rizk, we got the exact sound we were looking for: somewhere between Deep Purple and Rotting Christ.
Who handled what aspects of the writing for this album, and was there anything the band did
differently in terms of the pre-production process?
Rüsty: When we made The Hyperborean, we still had not played live yet. On the new album,
FOTMS, we had some time to jam the songs out together before going into the studio. That’s
a huge difference. There was more band chemistry and more collaboration involved this time
around. We also slowed down the recording process. Instead of a 10-day marathon recording
session, we’d just do 2-3 days at a time. We tracked all the percussion ourselves at our
practice space. That really allowed us extra time and space to make sure we got it right. Oh
yeah, and there are keyboards on this album! That is different. We have been jamming a lot of
Eloy lately!
Scud: And Yes!
MP: And Kansas, Renaissance, the Strawbs, and Horslips. A lot of progressive rock was
listened to and enjoyed! The pre-production started the same way as in the past. After a gig in
the Quad Cities, I told the band, “Listen, it’s time to make an album and this is my idea,” and
then the album turned out totally different – well, mostly. For every record so far, I demo
everything out. I write drums, I improvise a song over those drums, I send it to the band, then
they are reproduced in the studio. However, as was said above, these songs were jammed by
Fer de Lance, and I think the album sounds less like a project band and more like a live band cutting its teeth on cheap beer, Italian/Greek food, and secret shots of Amaro Lucano in the green room/street outside.
One band Fer de Lance gets compared to a lot is ‘90s Bathory. How do you feel about this
comparison, and do you have a favorite Bathory album?
MP: I’m torn because I hear it, and I like a couple of Bathory albums a lot, but I am not going
out of my way to write Bathory songs. When the comparison first came up, I was surprised. I
wrote Colossus as a exercise in telling genres and musical rules to fuck off; if I want to write
power metal but with black metal riffs, who says I can’t? Since Colossus, I have let all of my
influences flow into Fer de Lance music, from 70s prog/rock/metal to 90s black metal to the
folk music that I grew up with, and still, people hear Bathory. So, who am I to argue? If I had
to pick one Bathory album, I would pick Blood on Ice.
Rüsty: I hear and celebrate this comparison to Bathory. I’ll go with Hammerheart, but I think
my favorite song is “Foreverdark Woods”.
Scud: Bathory was the first black metal band I was exposed to as a young lad and has been a
huge influence on all of my favorite bands, but also on my drumming. While Hammerheart
gets the most spins by me, I really channeled a lot of Blood, Fire, Death on this record. Also,
Under the Sign rules.
There seems to be an even stronger progressive influence on this album than before,
especially on cuts like the title track and “Ravens Fly (Dreams of Daidalos)”. Is there any one
member responsible for incorporating these flavors?
MP: I’ve delved pretty deep into prog rock over the past 10 years, but Jethro Tull has
always been one of, if not my favorite band. So I think all the songs, especially “Ravens
Fly,” have a prog feel in how the songs are constructed and played. However, what
changed with this record is that Scud changed (as he should) the drum parts I had written
for the demos. While some of these changes we practiced, some we didn’t hear until
Scud recorded. So Rüst, who is also a great drummer, and I changed a lot of rhythms,
which also changes solos, to reflect these new drums. To me, Scud’s excellent drumming
expanded each song’s sonic possibilities.
Rüsty: Certainly, the 13-minute song feels somewhat innately prog. I think we all pushed
ourselves. We’ve now been playing in bands for 20 years. I still find myself having to improve my skills to be able to execute these new ideas. As MP said, Scud’s drums ended up way more intricate than the demos or even the live jams. I had to delay bass recording because many of my parts written to the demos needed to be revised to support the more complicated rhythms. I think having the keyboards might add a progressive element or, dare I say, atmosphere?! Did I mention we were listening to a bit of Eloy?
Scud: What can I say? Neil Peart was an early influence on me. The felt influence of
progressive music AND black metal in our music is definitely not a coincidence. Let’s be real,
black metal is just a heavier, darker, and more satanic version of progressive rock. There are
10+ minute long songs with sudden tempo changes and everybody is wearing weird
makeup…sounds like the kind of progressive rock I wanna listen to!
Speaking of the title track, I want to dive a bit deeper into this one, as I feel it embodies
everything excellent about this band into one colossal 13 minute epic. What was the
inspiration behind this one, and when did it become apparent this would be the title track?
Rüsty: I always thought Gamma Ray starting off Land of the Free with the very long
“Rebellion in Dreamland” was such a bold move. That was really the crack in the wall for me.
Once the album mix started to get dialed in, it was pretty apparent to us all that “Fires on the
Mountainside” had some magic going on and that it should be the first thing the listener hears.
As for the sequencing of the rest of the record, well, that was much more challenging!
Scud: In that Rush documentary, they talk about how they were heavily criticized for wanting
to open an album with a long song, but they ignored the critics and did it anyway. The critics
ended up being wrong and 2112 propelled them into rock stardom. That took balls. I just
wanted this band to have the same amount of balls as Rush.
MP: I wanted the same amount of balls as Rush! Seriously, Rüst pushed for it, and I agreed.
Keep this a secret, but I wrote at least two 12+ minute songs for this record, but we couldn’t fit
both. There is another song out there that’s even longer, and maybe, more epic. I like long
songs. If written well, it allows you to immerse yourself in the music entirely, and that’s a rare
gift and joy. The song also acts as a manifesto and plot for the rest of the album.
If you are listening to the album right, you start with “Fires on the Mountainside” and end with it. While the rest of the album sometimes adds to the story of “Fires on the Mountainside” and sometimes just adds atmosphere to the story, the key story of the album is FOTMS. The myth of Icarus is no longer a warning never to reach too high. My lyrics subvert the original narrative, as most of my lyrics tend to do, and Icarus takes the sun’s fire, and brings it to the city and system that held him prisoner.
The lyrics on this album remain fantastical and vivid as ever. Are there any recurring themes
listeners should seek out when exploring this album?
MP: Yes! As I mentioned above, the album songs are either very, or loosely attached to a
single narrative. I find it much easier to understand and make sense of the nonsense of daily
life through the stories and myths of the past. So, every Fer de Lance album has been my
take on our modern world through a mythic lens. I wanted to upend the myth of Icarus. I reject
living in a world where reaching for something unreachable ends in pointless death. So I wrote
a new myth, tied to the destruction of Minoan Crete and emphasizing that by working
collectively, we can break the chains that oppress us.
Besides yourselves, who is your favorite Chicago metal band and why?
MP: I’ve been a fan of Dawnbringer for a while, and I think Pharaoh’s Bury the Light is one
of the greatest metal albums ever, so I think that Chris Black and associated projects combine
to make my favorite Chicago band. I also recently caught High Spirits at Legions of Metal
2025, and it was one of the best live shows that I have ever seen. Rüst is also in a couple of
bands that I’ve been lucky enough to catch playing live – this is not a friend bias – Wet
Leather puts on a really fun, great live show, Hitter is just fantastic on record and live for
some Motörhead-esque rock’n’roll, and, of course, Midnight Dice has Mandy Martillo, who
was also in Fer de Lance for a time, and, holy shit, can she sing!
Rüsty: Bible of the Devil. They were the first local band I saw when I moved to Chicago back
around 2010, and I’ve been a fan ever since. They were so fucking loud and good. And I don’t
swear much. If you want to rock out and hear some of the best guitar-rock heavy music in
Chicago, go see them live! The records rule too.
Scud: Too many good bands…there’s Midnight Dice, High Spirits, Olorin, Wet Leather, Hitter,
Heroine Steel, Vukari, Molder, Gaunt, Bloodletter, Misfire, Echo Primordium, Bear Mace,
Oozing Wound, Nucleus, fucking BONGRIPPER, Diamond Plate, Lich King, Witchslayer,
Reign, REZN, Indian, Yakuza, Weekend Nachos, meth., The Chasm, Atlas Moth, Immortal
Bird…the list goes on…BUT after opening for them and being absolutely blown away, my
favorite Chicago metal band has to be Trouble.
In closing, what does the rest of 2025 have in store for Fer de Lance?
Rüsty: Right now, we are resting up a bit after the tour and getting things in order for our
record release at the end of this week. We’d like to do more shows this Summer/Fall in
support of the new record, and we’ve been kicking around ideas for home-recording an EP.
There is much more music to make! Thanks again for your support!
MP: Europe? Fuck, I hope so. Hey, thanks for the interview. See you all out there!
Scud: Probably gonna keep listening to more prog rock. And black metal. Thanks for the
interview and stay heavy!
The new Fer de Lance album, Fires on the Mountainside, is out now on Cruz del Sur Music. For more information on Fer de Lance, click here.