Into the Labyrinth with We Gave It Hell

Into the Labyrinth with We Gave It Hell

We Gave It Hell present their own stunning amalgamation of rock, metal, and hardcore, recently unleashing their latest magnun opus Labyrinth upon the world at large.  Based out of the burgeoning Las Vegas music scene, We Gave It Hell has been touring across the country with Redeem/Revive and Villain Of The Story, making a name for themselves with their impassioned songs and epic live shows.  Highwire Daze Online recently caught up with vocalist Taylor Adsit to discuss thier compelling Labyrinth album, recent touring endeavors, playing Las Rageous last year, impressions on the upcoming final year of the Vans Warped Tour, and a whole lot more.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in We Gave It Hell and how long the band has been together.
My name is Taylor Adsit and I sing in We Gave It Hell. The band has been together for just over 6 years now.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
The band is based out of Las Vegas. The scene in Vegas is awesome. We have so many great up and coming bands. Despite the lack of all ages venues and the constantly changing venues, I wholeheartedly believe that Vegas has one of the best scenes in the U.S. There’s no drama between bands and everyone for the most part hypes each other up and supports one another. It’s really awesome to have come up in this scene.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the CD title Labyrinth?
Overall, the album highlights various struggles within the human mind. Every song has to do with some sort of internal struggle and has a lot to do with the various emotions and mental disorders that one can experience in a lifetime. From anxiety, depression, loss of faith, a crazy drug trip, and someone on the verge of suicide, this album deal with how complex the human mind really is.

Select two songs from Labyrinth and what inspired the lyrics.
Two of my favorites from Labyrinth are Prayer and Darkman. Prayer is the story of a man who is on trial for a crime he did not commit and in the process of going through his trial, he loses his faith. It’s a very personal song to all of us and by far one of the heaviest songs we have written as a band. Darkman is a song that is very close to me. It’s about a time in my life where I felt like I had completely lost myself and wasn’t anywhere close to who I used to be. It was a super dark time in my life and this song helped me get this off my chest and get me back to where I needed to be.

Who produced Labyrinth and what was it like working with them?
Labyrinth was produced by our guitar player Drew Guerrero along with Rob Katz. We worked with Rob on our very first EP and our single Magnus so it was a very comfortable recording experience. We got to record everything at the Studio at the Palms and he was super easy to work with. He definitely helped push my singing to new levels on this album and encouraged me to try shit that I was afraid to try when we first recorded with him. This album turned out even better than I could have ever expected.

What could one expect from a live We Gave It Hell show?
One can expect lots of energy and aggression throughout a WGIH show. We always leave everything on the stage and give it everything we have regardless of how many people we’re playing in front of. We’re a group of dudes who love to play live music and thrive on the energy of the crowd. Don’t be surprised if we throw in a shitty joke here and there because we try not to take ourselves too seriously all the time. You’re in for a fun time at any WGIH show!

How did your recent tours with Villain Of The Story and Redeem/Revive go and what were some of the highlights?
Both tours were really awesome. We were able to become friends with all of the bands really easily and they’re all great dudes to tour with. It was our first time playing in a lot of these places so being the opening band on both tours, we were worried at how we may be received, but pretty much every night was a fun time. Two of the best places we played were Omaha, NB & Edmonton, AB. Easily two of the places I never expected to go off for us, but both cities showed us an awesome time. Those Canadians really know how to party! I was also filling in for Logan of VOTS for the last two weeks of the first tour so being able to sing some of their songs in their hometown was really awesome as well!

What was the experience like playing Las Rageous last year?
Las Rageous was easily one of the coolest things we’ve ever had the opportunity to do as a band. I never thought I’d be able to share the same stage as Coheed & Cambria or Godsmack, nor did I ever think we’d ever get the chance to play for that many people. It was nerve racking to play for all those people but we had so much fun. We would love to come back and play the festival again, so hopefully next year we’ll get an offer because I would love to do that again.

Has We Gave It Hell ever played here in the Los Angeles/OC area or plan to do so in future days? If so, how did the shows go?
We just came through the OC area on our last tour with Redeem/Revive and we’ve played there many times throughout our time as a band. Most of us are originally from Southern California so it always feels like a second home when we get the opportunity to play out there. The shows are always rad and the people are always super receptive and welcoming of us over there. We haven’t played in LA since we did the Battle of the Sphinx competition back in 2013, but we’d definitely love to play there again at some point!

What are your impressions now that the Vans Warped Tour is coming to an end and did We Gave It Hell ever play any of the dates? If so, what was the experience like?
I’m really bummed to hear that the tour is ending. Warped Tour has been around since I started playing music and it was one of those tours that I never thought would go away. It’s a staple of the rock/metal/pop/rap scene and will surely be remembered as one of the greatest festivals of all time. I’ve been going to Warped Tour since 2010 and I definitely plan on attending at least one of the dates this summer. Unfortunately, we never got the opportunity to play the festival and we don’t have any plans to play it in its final year, but a few of our friends in bands are playing this year and we’re stoked to see them kill it this summer!

What’s up next for We Gave It Hell? Any more touring on the way?
Up next for us is touring and working on lots of new music. We already have a few songs completed and we’re really stoked on how everything is turning out. Drew is continuing to push himself as a writer and I feel more confident in my vocals than I ever have so this new shit should hopefully surprise anyone who was expecting us to stick with the same old style. We plan to hit the road again probably later this summer/early fall of this year and hopefully get out to more new places that we haven’t played yet!

Any final words of wisdom?
If you haven’t already, please go check out our new album Labyrinth. It’s easily the best and my favorite album to date from us. If you or anyone you know is suffering from any sort of mental illness or struggles, we dedicate this album to you and hope you can see that you are not alone in your struggles. I genuinely hope that these songs can help anyone who listens to them as much as they have helped me.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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