UAE-based Groovecore act Sandwash have been hand-picked to open for Megadeth alongside prog metal band Absolace at Gulf Bike Week 2012. We caught up with Sandwash’s guitarist ahead of the gig.
You guys opened for 30 Seconds last year, and now Megadeth, you must be super excited?
Very excited – Megadeth is my favorite band of all time (I even have a Megadeth inspired tattoo to prove it) and the other guys love them too
What are you planning for your set?
It will consist of our faster older tracks plus a couple of new numbers we’ve been trying out recently
What is your favourite Megadeth song?
It changes all the time. In terms of ‘best song ever’, I would probably go with ‘Tornado of Souls’, but recently I’ve been listening the crap out of ‘New World Order’ from the new album, this version is way better than the older demo. I love the way they boosted bass on this track (it sounds more thick than the rest of the album), it’s really the thing that makes this song so awesome!
Did Megadeth inspire you in your music?
Megadeth absolutely inspired our music, though of course you may not hear it that much on the surface. For example, whenever I write music, it’s very riff-driven so for example you hear the intro to ‘October’, there’s a little lead/riff over the chords, that’s me adapting 80s riffage into a melo-punk song. Whenever Mike writes music, he loves melody but when he does riffs, he loves chromatics and so do Megadeth!
Which Megadeth member would you love to sit and chat to?
Both Daves of course!
How is the band doing on the local UAE music scene?
Fairly quiet over the first few months of the year, though we have been picking up pace lately. Hoping to record some new material and release it before the end of the year!
Do you feel you have grown professionally since the 30 Seconds to Mars gig?
Of course. 30 Seconds wasn’t the first really big show we did (that would be when we opened for Simple Plan) but it was definitely a booster in terms of experience. It is important for organizers to know that we can come in and deliver the goods when it matters. Being in a band is more than just being able to play guitar and sing, you need to be a professional and understand how the whole machine works. We have benefited from being a part of the 30 Seconds gig and we’ll be taking that knowledge with us on-stage for Megadeth!
Radio Metality UAE
One of the oldest if not THE oldest band from our scene out there. I’m glad they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve. Great guys and a GREAT band.