The Heavy Metal Reckoning of Inimical Drive

The Heavy Metal Reckoning of Inimical Drive

Inimical Drive is an intensive heavy metal collective from St Louis ready to break out all over the world with their explosive \reveries.  Their latest EP Enemy has recently been unveiled, partially produced by the late Matt Amelung (Story Of The Year, Greek Fire) and completed by Jack C. Daniels from the mighty War Of Ages.  Highwire Daze recently interviewed vocalist Joel Colby to find out a whole lot more about Inimical Drive and the sonic reckoning found within Enemy.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Inimical Drive, and how long the band has been together.
Joel Colby – vocals. I believe we officially chose the name in 2002 if you can believe that.

Where is the band based out of and what is the local music scene like there?
St. Louis, MO. The music scene here is amazing. We have some great talent across so many genres here. It’s definitely not just the talent though. We have venues that have allowed bands to cut their teeth and develop their shows and sincerely get involved to see them succeed. Our top radio station 105.7 the Point has played a huge role with supporting bands in the city as well.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the Enemy EP title?
We actually had “ENEMY” written for some years. When we decided it was going to be on the EP I think we new immediately that it was the title. One powerful word that rolls off the tongue. After thinking about it we felt it really kind of summed up some of what we had gone through to get this EP and that song put together.

Select two songs from Enemy and what inspired the lyrics.
“Reckoning” really came from a dark place for me personally. I talk openly about my struggles and sort of calling myself out when needed. “Repeating lines of my failures” and “Head in my hands and I am lost again” speaks to acknowledging my faults in my behaviors and coming to that moment of clarity.

“Sacrifice” discusses giving up a piece of your life for someone who clearly does not want to share in your feelings or respect your efforts. “We’ve all but died just to bring you to the other side” says I’ve tried everything to get you to truly be here with me and “I will not sacrifice my heart for the fear” says that I’m no longer willing to change my heart out of fear for making a change.

What was it like working with the late Matt Amelung and what did he contribute to the overall recording process? Did you know he had cancer at the time?
We started the EP with Matt. “From the Ground” and “Nothing Less” were completed with Matt during the back and forth of him trying to get well. We knew and supported him taking the time he needed to get well. Losing Matt left a real hole in the hearts of so many but a real emptiness for so many musicians in this city. He was an amazing talent and highly respected among all of our peers. Also, fuck cancer.

Jack C. Daniels from War Of Ages completed the EP. What was it like working with him?
Jack is an incredible talent and now a lifelong friend. A producer who knows how to get the best out of you and knows how to do literally everything. His best quality though… nicest guy ever.

Tell me about the Inimical Drive IPA and how did that come about?
Exit 6 is a local brewery close to where we live. Jeff, the owner, is a close friend and has been for years now. We have had the discussion before but the timing wasn’t right. With the release of the EP we thought what better time than now? This enabled us to put together some great merchandise packages along with a release of the beer where we will get to hang out with close friends and family. Super grateful to have Jeff and most importantly we have our own beer now!

What could one expect from a live Inimical Drive show?
The most common response would be the energy. No matter your taste in music you are guaranteed to leave having a good time. We party, we have always partied, we will continue to party.

If Inimical Drive could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I don’t know that I could actually answer this accurately especially when speaking for the whole band. I am sure there would be a Metallica or Guns N’ Roses in there or maybe an Avenged Sevenfold. We’ve had so many great opportunities and checked so many off the list but I’m sure that list is ever-changing.

What has it been like to release new music in the middle of a pandemic and so much social unrest in the world?
I can say for sure that it is a relief. The intention was to have the EP out at the beginning of the year or at least earlier. The pandemic put things on hold and it wasn’t until recently that we were able to begin thinking about how we would put the rest of the content together accompanying the EP. I can appreciate that people have gotten creative to continue to release content especially during the quarantine, but we are not that type of band. I couldn’t see us trying to do a performance over a zoom call and making it as impactful as actually putting the EP together the way that we had intended. I felt like the people that were waiting to hear these songs deserved to hear at the way that we originally saw it being released. We are living in a difficult and strange time so we are just pleased that we were able to give people some thing to enjoy while we all try to figure it out.

What’s up next for Inimical Drive?
We have quite a bit more content to come out regarding this album. But myself and Nick have begun sharing ideas to ensure when it is time we can get back to the studio with the next round of singles. The response for this record has been amazing and we will gladly continue that into the next record. We’ve done this long enough to know how grateful we are to still have people who support what we are doing.

Any final words?
Yes. Party and be kind. And support bands. Everyone needs it now more than ever. Link in our bios! Haha! Cheers!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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