They’re mega! They’re colossal! They’re Mega Colossus and they’ve been absolutely tearing up the traditional metal underground as of late. Their latest album, Showdown, has been on rotation for this here online metal journalist for quite some time now, and for good reason. Ripping twin guitars, intoxicating melodies, pure US power: What’s there not to love? Amidst their ongoing adventures, slaying ruthless outlaws and false metal foes alike, we were able to sit down with the band to discuss their plans for world domination, musical influences, and of course, Indiana Jones.
It was 20 years ago that you and vocalist Sean Buchanan first formed Mega Colossus. Can you give us some background on how the band first came to fruition?
Bill Fischer: Well, not quite 20 YET, but time does fly. And it’s not even really that simple. Sean (Buchanan), Ry (Wilshire), Ben (Smith), Nick (Nixon) and Taylor (Lauritson) started it, and it was just called Colossus. I came in soon after. I think they had played one show? I saw one, anyway, and liked it. I already knew Nick and Ry from other bands, and had wanted to play with them. I was in between bands, and this was just the style I wanted to do. Taylor moved away, and I jumped in. That’s when I got to know Sean. From there…complete madness. I think that was 2006. In 2016, we decided to be Mega. It seemed appropriate after all that time, and was a way to stop being mistaken for all the other bands called Colossus. There were so many.
Sean Buchanan: It’s a tale as old as time. 5 friends got together during a Super Bowl Halftime special to play Iron Maiden covers. Here we are…17 years later?
Doza Mendoza: The band started in 2005. I was casually playing drums with some friends but not touring or writing albums. I used to go watch the band at local venues and got to audition in 2010. I showed up knowing the songs and got along with all the guys so I got the gig!
Chris Millard: My first show outside of my hometown was with Colossus in January 2010 which was one of Doza’s first shows!
This past month saw the release of Mega Colossus’s fourth album, Showdown. What did the band set out to achieve with this album to set it apart from 2021’s Riptime?
BF: I don’t think we set out to do a specific thing. It is best to just work with the ideas that are flowing. Chris was on a roll, super prolific during this process, so he came in hot with a lot of material. That really got us going, and that is probably the biggest difference between the two records. Otherwise, it felt like the same approach, almost a continuation of Riptime.
SB: Agreed, I feel like some of these songs could be on either record honestly. We did focus more on big vocal harmonies on this one and I love Anthony’s voice being featured more!
DM: I think we wanted to showcase our vocal harmonies even more on this record. We’ve played in lots of cover bands over the years, Thin Lizzy, Styx, David Bowie, and all those influences really came out on this record.
CM: My mindset was to write as much material as possible as fast as possible! Bill was super preoccupied with “Grab the Sun” so it fell on me to write the rest. I think you can see why. It’s a behemoth!!
Mega Colossus’s sound really runs the gamut of traditional metal styles, especially on Showdown. If you had to, how would you classify Mega Colossus?
BF: We like a lot of different styles of music, but we play some form of metal, so what comes out is the sum of what goes in. I will resist using my usual analogy. I’m glad it is difficult to categorize. The sheer quantity of metal sub-genres makes me dizzy. We came up with “adventure metal” forever ago (I think that was Sean’s term) , and I stand by it.
DM: Haha yes the band has been calling itself adventure metal for many years. I think I remember seeing on the band’s myspace page in the early 2000’s haha But yes we combine all the music we love, sometimes intentionally, sometimes by sheer accident.
CM: I wonder if fun metal can be a genre?
Who are some of the bands and guitarists that influenced you growing up? Was there any one in particular who inspired you to pursue music fully?
BF: Hands down, Eddie Van Halen. He is the reason I bought a guitar to begin with. But growing up there was always Dave (Murray) and Adrian (Smith) from Maiden, and all that goes with that. I also have a bit of a punk rock background, and was really influenced by the more technical punk guys like Stephen Egerton of Descendents/All, and Brian Baker from Dag Nasty, too.
SB : I have always been a big Judas Priest fan and Rob’s golden pipes were my first metal inspiration.
DM: My dad took me to see Genesis in 1987. I was totally blown away by the lightshow and the energy in the auditorium. When Phil Collins did a two man drum solo with Chester Thompson, I knew I wanted to be a drummer. I was 9 or 10. Been drumming ever since!
CM: The Beatles got me going on loving music, and then the Randy Rhoads era Ozzy material and (Metallica’s) Ride the Lightning cemented my love of heavy metal. Randy, Edward Van Halen, the Maiden boys, and the Metallica boys have been the biggest influences on me.
Whereas Riptime’s lyrics seemed more sci-fi centric, Showdown gives off a western outlaw fantasy aesthetic, in line with its accompanying album art. Whose idea was it to go this route thematically?
BF: I would credit Chris Prince, the artist, for the western theme. “Showdown” the song is about Face/Off. But they do have an epic showdown in that, so…
SB: Themes are something that is hard for us. I know personally at any time I am reading several different books, playing several video games, and reading a comic book at the same time. There’s so much out there that inspires us that it is difficult to stick to one thing.
Speaking of songwriting, how did Mega Colossus go about writing this album? Was it collaborative or did every member bring in their own individual parts?
BF: In the end, we all decide what we are going to sing or play, and that is an individual and a collaborative process at the same time. The structure that we begin with usually is someone’s bigger concept. In the case of this album, I say again, Chris was on fire, and brought so much well thought out material to the table. Each song happens in its own way though. There is no single approach that I can discern.
SB: Yeah, we have lots of different ways songs are formed. One might begin as a riff shown at band practice and expanded on by all of us, or someone might come in with a fully formed song. Either way, in the end, it becomes a collaboration once we’ve all added our input.
DM: Bill and Chris send me songs to a click. I use midi to write my drum parts. This keeps me from getting the cops called by neighbors haha. We then play the songs together in the practice space, demo a bit more, and then head to the studio at Warrior Sound to record the real drums tracks for the album.
CM: When I write, I finish my part and the arrangement, and then I’ll usually throw a 2nd guitar part together just to help me hear what I like or don’t like or maybe some scratch bass. But then when I turn in the song, I give everyone the right to change or redo anything I’ve done outside of my part, unless it’s an extremely specific part I had in mind. The strength of this band is what the 5 of us bring to each song individually and to hamper that would be to weaken the overall quality in my opinion.
You said that Showdown is to Riptime as Temple of Doom is to Raiders of the Lost Ark. I can’t help but think Indiana Jones had an influence on the opening cut, “Fortune and Glory”, as well. Do you have a favorite Indiana Jones movie? If so, which one and why?
BF: Raiders is a perfect adventure movie. It has so many nods to classic tropes, such great action and stunts, and introduces one of the greatest characters of all time.
SB: I mean, hands down it’s Crystal Skull, right? I kid, I kid. I was always a big fan of ToD when I was younger, but having just recently re-watched, you can’t beat Crusade. It’s so fun and the dynamic between (Harrison) Ford and (Sean) Connery is legendary.
DM: My favorite will always be Raiders. I saw it in the theater as a kid and to this day I absolutely love that movie. It checks all the boxes for me and is freaking hilarious.
CM: It’s so hard to pick one. I legitimately love them all, even the last two. Indiana Jones is just such a total badass. I GUESS I’ll go with Raiders because it’s the truest most undiluted version of the character.
Bands like Styx, Kansas, and Rainbow are mentioned in the press release as influences on the band’s melodies. It really shows on a song like “Wicked Road”, which might just be my favorite on here. How did this one come about?
BF: Wow, I don’t even know. It was a really unique approach for us, I think. It was nice to get to take advantage of those vocal harmonies. I’d like to do more of that.
SB: This was one that Anthony had pretty well formed and then collaborated with Chris on to nail down the music, if I remember correctly? I did some editing on Anthony’s lyrics to streamline it. At one point, we almost had Anthony sing the whole thing, but we found a really nice harmony and I like the way it ended up better!
DM: I remember Chris playing a version of that riff and Anthony started singing over it immediately. I was thinking of it as an Ashbury type song and I started playing drums along with them. The basis of the song came out in a very impromptu jam at practice. We were supposed to be working on our live set and this new song just kind of emerged. We didn’t think it would fit the album at one point, but we revisited the song and it evolved over several iterations to be what it is today. Super proud of that one!
CM: Me and Anthony were talking about like a darker version of “Navigator”, and I had come up with the music up to where it’s just the bass and I blanked. He played the bass part and it just immediately clicked and I finished it. The original version had kind of a lengthy instrumental part, but I decided to cut it pretty early in the process. I was listening to a lot of Unto Others and it’s kind of got some “Poison Hear” by the Ramones influence music-wise. Everyone brought their A-Game for this track and I’m happy everyone seems to like it.
I ask almost every traditional metal artist this question: Priest or Maiden and why?
Bill: Tough one, but Maiden every time for me. Those guitar harmonies hardwired my brain for life. They always had a grand and varied subject matter, the most consistently dominant rhythm section, and a relentless work ethic. They are like superheroes, ruling the world and flying their own plane around. They are larger than life.
DM: Priest. They evolved into so many stages over the years, so you can’t get bored listening to their catalog. I love Maiden, but their sound is much more uniform, so if I had to pick one, give me variety and evolution over 40+ years!
CM: I gotta say Maiden. They’re my favorite band. They’ve got it all, and the guitar harmonies seal the deal for me.
What does the rest of 2024 have in store for Mega Colossus?
BF: Local and regional shows are booked. Then we go to Europe for a short tour, after that more local and regional, work on the next record, work on the next tour. Gotta keep things moving. It’s all really fun!
DM: We are so excited to return to Germany. We will be playing exclusively in Germany this time ,so we can’t call it a European tour. That would be like someone playing all the major cities in Texas and calling it a US tour haha. We will be playing our first time at the Headbangers Open Air and the Burgbrand Fest. We’ve heard great things about these fests, and can’t wait to experience them firsthand!
CM: I think Hällas did their first US tour in like only Texas haha. Anyway, yeah, busy year in 2024 and I hope it only gets busier! We have also started kicking around songs for the next record.
The new Mega Colossus album, Showdown, is available now on Cruz del Sur Music. For more information on Mega Colossus, visit www.facebook.com/colossusmetal.