“I’ve just always appreciated the support [of the metal community]. There’s so much love for the underground. And it’s grown so much even over the last 10 years. It’s amazing to see. It feels like underground bands like us have a chance at going the distance.”
As a part of our series about the metal community, we had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Ries and JP Abboud from TRAVELER.
Traveler is a Heavy Metal band formed in Calgary, Alberta in late 2017. One demo and two records later, they are on to album three! The band is eager to get back on the road when the world reopens! Check out their latest album, “Termination Shock”, out now on Gates of Hell Records.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your band’s backstory?
MATT: Hey thanks for having us! I guess the short version would be I had about an album’s worth of tunes I was working on with hopes of seeing what I could do outside of my current bands at the time. I called up JP to sing on the demo and bought him a bus ticket to Calgary. After that, the demo caught some steam so I realized I should probably make this a band. That’s where Dave, Chad and Toryin come in. We all go way back from crossing paths throughout the music scene. And there we have it. Traveler was born.
JP: I was rehearsing with a band in Detroit in December 2017 and Matt called me, asking if I wanted to sing on some new songs he had written. Those songs were “Mindless Maze”, “Behind the Iron”, and “Starbreaker”, and the rest is history!
What or who are your biggest influences? We’d love to hear the story.
MATT: I’m just a Maiden dork all the way through. Hearing Powerslave for the first time changed my life forever. But other notable influences would definitely be Riot, Judas Priest, Crimson Glory, Vio-lence. Just rippin’ good fun type bands.
JP: Right now, my biggest influences are Peter Hammill, Steve Hogarth and Kate Bush and I’m maybe getting old enough to where it’ll stay that way, haha.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person or people who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to get where you’re at today? Can you share a story about that?
MATT: From there very beginning, it’s very much a trial and error type thing. You have to write a lot of absolute garbage to start writing good songs. It’s kinda like a muscle. But once you get in with the right bunch of fellows (BTO) it makes that grind a lot less grueling. I’m so thankful to have my friends doing this with me. But aside from the fine folks at Cruz Del Sur, the NWOTHM channel run by Anderson was a huge help with getting our name out there. Super glad that channel exists. Rules.
JP: The bass player of my old band Borrowed Time, Dennis, gave me the best advice and told me the tough words when needed. I always used those lessons, even though we had a falling out with the band. However, recently we reunited jamming covers on YouTube which was a lot of fun!
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that has occurred to your band? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
MATT: There’s so many with my previous bands. But my favorite Traveler one so far would be Toryin slipping flat on his back on stage mid solo in Edmonton. Toryin goes pretty wild on stage and some guys spilled beer all over the stage from the front row. Toryin was running around and did a classic comic book banana peel slip flat on his back. It looked pretty rough. But he did some crazy Bruce Lee ninja flip back up on his feet and just kept shredding. We were dying laughing. Was tough to get through that set without cracking up. I guess the lesson learned is watch out for beer bananas.
JP: We got lost taking a wrong turn to the Keep It True hotel. This is uniquely funny mistake because I had been there twice before, yet still was dumb enough to get lost! We were ready to sleep in a field but found the place in time. That was the mistake, then afterward we jammed the entire set acoustically in the hotel room at like midnight haha!
The road to success is hard and requires tremendous dedication. This question is obviously a big one, but what advice would you give to younger bands who aspire to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?
MATT: There’s so many different ways to make a mistake. And it’s very very easy to fuck it all up. I guess the biggest one I can suggest would be communication. Let everyone know, the rest of the band, the label, the tour manager, everyone that’s there to help you along the way. Let them all know what the plans are and what you would like to accomplish. One major miscommunication can cause a whole lot of problems that didn’t need to happen. Save yourself that headache.
JP: Don’t believe anybody but your family and if you can’t believe them, believe you. They all want something, know that your work is valuable, it all starts with you.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
MATT: At this time I’m not allowed to say some of the cool things Traveler has coming this year. But you’ll see us appear on a couple different releases which we’re all super stoked on. That and writing the new album. It’s tricky with COVID since we’re split between 3 different cities. But we’ve been very productive.
JP: I have a new project with a Swedish musician that is yet unrevealed! Working on the songs now…Arcane Metal Maniacs will be pleased! Also, working on another record with a super heavy guitar player from Michigan, dark true metal with grit and no holding back. And, of course, we have the third TRAVELER album, which we’ve actually done quite a bit of work on so far!
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. Can you briefly tell our readers a bit about why you are a part of the heavy metal community?
MATT: You can pretty much blame Powerslave for that. There was no turning back after that.
JP: It felt like a compulsion, something that called, always felt like something to graduate from more childish things like games and comics, to play music and write your own stories. And you meet so many people with different special qualities and the number of great records to hunt is endless!
For the benefit of our readers, can you help to define what the heavy metal community is?
MATT: I guess if you watch Iron Maiden’s performance of “Fear Of The Dark” on Rock In Rio that pretty much sums it up right there.
JP: Music fans who love screaming guitars, wailing vocals and a factory like rhythm section
How is the heavy metal community different from other communities?
MATT: I don’t think the heavy metal community is much different from a lot of genres to be honest. There are diehards in every scene. Even in the pop music scene. Ever seen girls ripping their hair out screaming and crying for the Backstreet Boys? Fucking diehards, man haha. We’re just in our own bubble. So, it’s easy to think we’re special.
JP: Very nationally unified, as it’s a common ground for so many people from so many countries!
Can you help explain a few reasons why the heavy metal community is so important? Can you share a story or give some examples?
MATT: I’ve just always appreciated the support. There’s so much love for the underground. And it’s grown so much even over the last 10 years. It’s amazing to see. It feels like underground bands like us have a chance at going the distance.
JP: I feel like I’ve gone all over the world, seeing and playing shows, and the core diehards are always there. If you go enough it becomes a joyous reunion! This dedication to music should not be discounted, it keeps the blood warm into old age, the milestones have meaning.
Would either of you feel comfortable sharing a story or anecdote about how being a part of the heavy metal community has helped you in your life? We would love to hear about it.
MATT: I guess my favorite memory so far would be Keep It True. Or even our first show in Germany the year before. We were brand new out of the box band at that point. And to see that many people sing along to our songs on the other side of the world felt really cool. That was super reassuring that I was on the right path and to keep at it.
JP: I was down and out after my one band fell apart but I never stopped, because talking to so many people in the metal community made it so I had tours and gigs through 2014 and 2015 even though I had no band! Very important for my development those years and it was because of the help of those in the community.
Ok. Wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you recommend five things that anyone can do to help grow and strengthen the metal community? Please share a story or example for each.
MATT:
- Support. Buy the merch. Buy the albums. And if you can’t afford it, steal the music and share it with your friends. That’s cool too.
- Don’t be a dick. Pretty simple one there. Tone down the ego. No one cares about how many bands you like. Have fun.
- If there’s any way you can help a band or a fan. Do it. As long as you’re not being taken advantage of there’s no reason you can’t lend a hand.
- Forgive the drunks. We’ve all been way too drunk. And some people have some shit going on that you’re not aware of. And sometimes that comes out after a few cups of tea.
- Be cool. That’s it. But not too cool. Just a little cool.
JP:
- Don’t be afraid of other people
- Don’t be afraid of new sounds
- Don’t think you’re not being marketed to
- Don’t believe the hype
- But don’t let that make you negative
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a band of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
MATT: I just want to work on making Canada less of a barren wasteland for shows. You have your major cities but with 10+ hour drives in between. I have some plans cooking for that. I think it’s time Canada’s show structures get a revamp.
JP: Matt wants to make it easier for bands to tour Canada. I want to make it easier for anyone to travel to Canada.
What is next for your band?
MATT: Like I said earlier, we have a couple new releases coming out this year. But aside from that, we’re working on the new album. And I’m absolutely stoked on what’s being made. I think you’ll dig it!
JP: ALBUM THREEEEEEEEE
How can our readers further follow you online?
Bandcamp: @travelermetal
Facebook: @travelerheavymetal
Instagram: @heavymetaltraveler
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.
MATT: Thanks for having us! Rokkkkkkkk!
Don’t forget to check out TRAVELER’s first two albums below!
