INTERVIEW & TRACK PREMIERE: Portland's angular noise rockers Maximum Mad get "Active Aggressive"

You ever get the feeling that you’re so fucking sick of the bullshit life throws at you, so much so, you just wanna gouge someone's fucking eyes out, no, nah me neither cause violence is bad, but goddam when you reach that threshold of anger your head could simply explode, you know you’ve reached Maximum Mad overload.  Today, whilst I’m not advocating you go to work and knock you boss’ ass to the ground, let me introduce you to 3 angry bastards, that delivers music as gratifying, a band that grabs you by the balls and doesn’t let go, music so damn intoxicating and unabashedly noisy and downright awesome, you’re gonna lose your shit too.

Formed in the summer of 2016, Maximum Mad’s refrain is to  play discordant noise borne from the AmpRep era of Noise rock, taking the blueprint of genre pioneers such as Helmet, Unsane and adding their own unique aural footprint, that is jarring , heavy and downright filthy.  Today’s we are excited to debut the frankly ass kicking track “Active Aggressive” taken from their forthcoming debut “Dear Enemy” EP which will be released via Good To Die Records on September 15th, 2017 and is available to preorder here

As well as delivering killer music, I also hooked up with front man / bassist Jayson Smith to get the lowdown on the band and what it means to be Maximum Mad. You can check out the interview immediately after the track below

Jayson, are you able to give us an insight into how you started playing music, leading up to the formation of Maximum Mad?

I started playing music in a school band at age 12, playing alto sax. When I turned seventeen, after listening to copious amounts of Nirvana, I used birthday money to buy a cheap electric guitar and a practice amp. I taught myself how to read tablature from guitar magazines and would play the songs transcribed in the back. I started writing my own stuff after about a year.

I’ve been in a few different bands that have played around the Portland area since 1999 or so, but hadn’t been doing much outside of a practice space since 2012. MAXIMUM MAD formed in 2016 when Dave (MM guitarist) and I had some song ideas worked out and we asked some friends if they were interested in joining with us.

For folks unfamiliar with your band, are there any bands on the scene past and present that you would use as a reference point to describe your band, and who or what continues to inspire you and push you to try new things?

Current Portland bands we are really into are A Volcano, Hair Puller, Law Boss, Stress Position, Year of the Coyote, Ssold, Born a Lot, Rabbits, Drunk Dad, Red Fang, Gaytheist—The list goes on and on. We are really lucky to have so many great bands here in Portland. Each band I just listed is doing its own heavy thing, which in turn inspires us to keep doing ours.

What can you tell us about your upcoming record and where do you feel it sits within the context of current metal scene

The EP is called “DEAR ENEMY” and I sort of consider it a thank/fuck you letter to certain people. Because of them, I’ve gotten pretty good at surrounding myself with better ones.

It was recorded live, on a cold, rainy December day in 2016 with Stephan Hawkes at Interlace Studios in Portland, OR.

The current metal scene is gloriously all over the place and wide open, which gives us a little room to snug into, I think.

Does anything spring to mind when you think about the completion of “Dear Enemy” and how is the mood in the camp at present?

Somber. Morale low. Send food.

Just kidding. We’re having a great time working on the next batch of songs and we love getting out to play when we can. The band is fun for everyone right now.

What stands out as your overarching memory from the recording sessions?

That we did it live—meaning that we didn’t track it instrument by instrument. We all played the songs together in a room and that was it, except for the vocals.  I was worried at first, but I’m really proud of how it all came out. I love the rushed uneasy feeling that sometimes comes from live recording.

With your new record in the bag, how is your schedule shaping up over the next 12 months?

-9/16, Seattle Record Release @ Rat City Recon w/Whores., Old Iron, & tons more

-9/30, PDX Record Release @ Tonic Lounge with Green River Thrillers, NORSKA & Drunk Dad

-10/21, PDX Show @ Blackwater Bar with Fucked & Bound and Worws

-Recording another EP in December to be released next year on Good to Die as well.

Finally, any last words?

Appreciate your support. Come check out a show. Buy music. Donate to charity. Thanks for reading this interview.

Band info: facebook || instagram