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Eric Powell: A Rock And Roll Fables Conversation

We love us some 16Volt. We first came across the band in the late ’90’s when they were on Slipdisc Records and put out an underground banger in Supercoolnothing. At that point Trent Reznor was beginning the more experimental phase of Nine Inch Nails and Uncle Al was a slave to the “H” and putting out divisive records like Filth Pig and Dark Side of the Spoon (Both of which we love for the record) so when we heard Eric Powell’s smooth vocals whisper to a scream on top of some absolute instant Industrial classics on that record we were pretty much instant fans for life. Catching Tommy Lee’s Methods Of Mayhem at some festival back in the day covering lead Super… track “I Fail Truth” also solidified the specialness of the outfit as well.

Over the years there’s been peaks and valleys in terms of output with hiatuses, break ups, and the inevitable resurgence. With their recent return to Metropolis Records (Their first release with Metropolis, NegativeOnArrivals, is out now and reviewed by us here), it feels like we’re in a new era of sick 16Volt output and with that we were lucky enough to chat with mastermind Powell who caught us up on what’s been going down since their last record in 2016, why fans should get this new collection of previously released tunes, how work on their highly anticipated all new full-length is progressing and so much more:

To start, it’s been about 6-7 years since fans have heard new, recorded 16Volt material (The Negative Space in 2016, Dead on Arrivals in 2017) and the announcement late in 2022 that you had returned to Metropolis Records to release new material. To catch us up, what has been happening in the 16Volt camp in that time?

A lot of stuff and not much at all! In that time gap we did a small US Tour with H3llb3nt. With 16volt we also did Cold Waves Chicago last year. But before that, I took a bit of a break and through Covid, I worked on music slowly and sporadically. I felt like that work was coming along nicely and I have been focused on it over the last year or so. That work will become our new album coming in 2024/2025.

Your first “new” works with Metropolis will be released soon when NegativeOnArrivals, a collection of tracks off your last 2 releases, drops on May 3rd. How did you come to the decision to release this as your next release for Metropolis and do you feel like this is the best representation of 16Volt going forward?

We wanted to make sure the best songs from the two albums, The Negative Space, and Dead On Arrivals was going to continue to be available. We previously self-released them and they are out of print, so being able to get them out on Metropolis was a great opportunity. We also felt like the time was right to get us back with the label as we prepare for the next full album release.

Regarding NegativeOnArrivals, how long did it take to put the new record together and are there any songs off those previous releases that you wanted to sequence in but just couldn’t for some reason?

It came together pretty quickly, we alternate songs off of each album which felt good as a whole. The order makes sense musically. I had a few tracks I would love to have included but yes, the time limit on CDs is just that. Limiting.

Are there plans to tour in support of the new release and do you prefer the studio over the live stage or vice versa?

There aren’t plans for this one. Mostly I am focusing on finishing up the new album. I probably prefer the studio overall. I have no rock star aspirations. I love touring and playing live but it’s not my natural environment. It’s always stress and anxiety-inducing for me but seeing the fans is like nothing else in the world. It’s kind of the payoff for all the hard work, to see it appreciated by people in person is amazing.

The debut 16Volt record, Wisdom, celebrated its’ 30 year anniversary last year, has there been any thought on celebrating it with a special release or show of some sort and, with more anniversaries on the way for the records that followed, how do you feel about the trend of live album playthroughs in general?

It’s something I’ve thought about. It would be pretty hard to pull off. I am not sure fans would want to see just a show of a single album from 16volt. I am not sure. Someone would have to convince me…

What motivates and inspires the content that becomes new 16Volt material and to that end, as a mainstay in the Industrial/Electronic realm your music has definitely had an impact on the next wave of artists in that diverse genre, do you still keep up on current artists and if so who do you think is carrying the 16Volt torch today?

Oh man, that’s a heavy question. I am motivated as always by the process, I love the gear, the knobs, and the screens, and the waveforms. I love a single sound as an inspiration, or a melody, or a riff. It’s so satisfying to build a piece of music off all that. The lyrical side of things is different, that’s usually something personal, or something that I saw or experienced, or a story I imagine that leads me to write about. It’s all over the place honestly. As for new artists, I listen to a lot of things but I don’t think that anyone is carrying a torch for us or anything. I’d like to think it’s still burning in my hands and I get to hold if for awhile longer.

To wrap up, why should fans (Both those who already own the tracks that make up the new release and those that don’t) pick up NegativeOnArrivals and what can you tell us right now about what’s next for the band in terms of new music and more? 

I think everyone should get it yeah! It’s part of the collection. Just listening in a new order as a whole can feel like a new experience. I’m a fan of albums and for bands I love, I get everything so maybe it’s just me. As we spoke about, I am really just focused on getting our next new album out right now. I think all the hard work will be worth it and fans old and new will really like the new stuff. Until then, thank you for your time and support!

NegativeOnArrivals is out now on Metropolis Records. You can hit the stream below or here to get your copy now and then head here, here, or here to stay connected with 16Volt across the information superhighway and find out the latest on when to expect their upcoming new full-length record.

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