Bridging the gap between Doom Metal and Shoegaze: LOCKSTEP
Dalton Bright
Lockstep marching is a military parade technique where soldiers move in unison with synchronized steps, creating a coordinated and visually impressive display. The term “lockstep” refers to the precision and uniformity required to maintain an even gait, with each soldier’s movements being tightly controlled to sync with the rest. The exact timing and spacing of steps are critical.
Much like the marching technique, LOCKSTEP from Nashville know the importance of timing and spacing. The three lock in with one another on their material, hitting an unmatched stride. Weaving together elements of shoegaze and doom metal, the band has a sound that is not only unique, but simultaneously refreshing and crushing.
LOCKSTEP creates an atmosphere within their music that leaves you wanting more. I first learned of them when they dropped Lockstep 1 back in 2021, containing tracks “Museum Mind” and “Perpetual Fix,” with awesome album art to boot. Their 2023 release Arrival was one of my favorite records of the year, so I was excited to chat with Austin Rolison (vocals, drums), Matt Schumacher (vocals, guitars, noise) and Tanner Ihrie (bass) of LOCKSTEP to learn more about them self-producing the record, their home scene of Nashville and some of their favorite artists.
I am a real big fan of your music, but let’s pretend like I have never listened to LOCKSTEP before. Tell me a bit about your band.
LOCKSTEP: We’re a three-piece heavy rock band from Nashville, TN. I think overall our sound bridges a gap between doom and shoegaze.
Y’all dropped Arrival around this time in May last year. Six songs that ebb-and-flow through levels of crushing heaviness and atmosphere, all coupled with fucking incredible production. I’d love to hear more about the EP. What was it like working on that record and what are your feelings now that it has been nearly a full year since release?
LOCKSTEP: We wrote the majority of the EP in the second half of 2022 and recorded it in early 2023. Everything was tracked and mixed by our guitar player Matt and then mastered by Zac Montez.
Whenever you’re in charge of producing your own material, it can be easy to isolate and obsess over minute details. I think we fell into that at times but looking back we’re really proud of how everything turned out. That said, I think our new material will be our best yet as we’ve gotten a better idea of exactly what we want LOCKSTEP to be.
The dreaded question for most bands: Who would you guys cite as
some of your biggest musical influences?
LOCKSTEP: True Widow, Kowloon Walled City, Cloakroom are some big
influences.
How does the creative process go down for Lockstep? Is there
someone particular in the band that brings riffs or ideas to practice? Is it more of a group jam effort?
LOCKSTEP: A bit of both. I think someone presenting an initial riff, whether it’s on guitar, bass or a drum part helps expedite the process a little. A lot of what ends up on record is just a product of us
jamming in a room though.
Photo by Destiny Keller (@destinkllr)
Outside of music, what gets you the most stoked in life?
LOCKSTEP: As a band, mostly we like to drink and talk shit, and that gets us pretty stoked.
Morbid Angel, Judas Iscariot, Full of Hell, Incantation are all pieces of merch I’ve seen you dudes repping. Are y’all fans of metal or just into sick fucking shirts?
LOCKSTEP: Collectively, we’re into most everything extreme. Tanner and I
(Austin) are big death metal heads though.
Let’s talk a bit about the Nashville music scene. Known as a huge
music city with a very rich country music history, I am just curious about the city from an artists’ perspective. I guess rather than a question, can you just tell me more about your home city of
Nashville?
LOCKSTEP: I think Nashville can be a tough market to break into from an
underground music standpoint, but we’re surrounded by awesome musicians, artists, DIY promoters, etc. that support each other and are working to make the music scene here a cool and welcoming place.
Who are some people from Nashville (or Tennessee as a whole) that you guys think are doing rad shit?
LOCKSTEP: Gumm, Knoll, Total Wife, Soot and Wulven are all badass bands from TN doing cool shit.
Who is a dream collaborator for you guys? Whether it is in the
same realm as the music y’all make in LOCKSTEP or not, I am intrigued to hear who you would enjoy creating a track with.
LOCKSTEP: We’re all really into the approach that Sunn O))) takes with their music. That would be a dream collab.
You dudes have gigged a lot, and in the past year you guys
toured/gigged with artists like The Armed, Prize Horse, REZN, All
Under Heaven, Wisp, Modern Color … I imagine all of these shows had some memorable moments, but I am curious if there has been any particular gig since first becoming a band that sticks out in your mind as memorable? Whether that may be good, bad, or ugly.
LOCKSTEP: Our show in Atlanta with Wisp and Photographic Memory was the craziest show we’ve played so far in terms of the number of people we played to and the overall reaction. Everyone in that
camp was super nice too. Go see them if you have the chance.
Is there anything else you would like to share with readers
about Lockstep? Do y’all have anything in the chamber that we as
fans should be stoked on? What’s on the horizon for the next few
months?
LOCKSTEP: New music coming out later this year and a couple more tours, so plenty of chances to come hang and see us around the US.
Photo by Destiny Keller (@destinkllr)
Check out the music video for “Weave” (Shot by Jerry Roe)
Support LOCKSTEP on Bandcamp.
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Posted Nov 7, 2024
Weaving together elements of shoegaze and doom metal, LOCKSTEP has a sound that is refreshing and crushing. (INTERVIEW from my self-ran music blog)
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