Widow’s Peak Appreciates Peace, Love and Death Metal

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]D[/dropcap]eath metal may be all about brutality, heavy riffs and even heavier subject matter, but it’s also about heavy clouds of smoke. Since the genre’s inception, one of its most important tropes has been writing songs about cannabis, or at least enjoying a bowl before going on stage to sing songs about, well, “death.” Calgary, Alberta’s Widow’s Peak realize that keeping it chill and supporting legal cannabis is just as important as keeping it brutal. CULTURE caught up to the band, Widow’s Peak, to talk about its heavy sound and its love of smoking cannabis.

How did you start making music?

Matt Yeomans (vocals): I’ve been interested in music since I was young, always trying to play beats with my hands on any surface if I was left alone for more than 10 seconds. I started getting into metal around 14, and was playing in a death metal band at 17 and just continued from there.

Mike Jones (bass, vocals): I guess I started really getting into music in junior high when I got into Iron Maiden.

How would you describe your sound?

Yeomans: Death fucking metal.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

Yeomans: Cannibal Corpse will always be my biggest influence; they got me into death metal and all its subgenres. I try and take inspiration from almost every subgenre of death metal to make me stand out and sound better.

Jones: Amon Amarth, for the reason they got me into death metal, and Alex Webster [of Cannibal Corpse] for getting me into bass.

How do you feel about your local and national music scenes?

Yeomans: Calgary’s local scene is always changing and evolving. There’s tons of really talented individuals here who we either have had the chance to share a stage with, or look forward to sharing a stage with in our future. As for nationwide, I believe there’s a really strong scene in Canada. The only thing that bums me out about the scene here is how often tours will only do one or two Canadian dates in like Toronto and Montreal, or maybe Vancouver.

“Cannabis has influenced my life in many ways. It helps me focus and relax after a hard day. It definitely helps me get the creative process going when I write or jam.”

Have you ever worked cannabis into your music as a theme? If so, how?

Yeomans: We have never used it as a theme; we try and keep our music more graphic and vivid.

How do you feel about legalization so far? Should anything be done better or differently?

Yeomans: I feel like legalization is making tons of progression. I was in Victoria not long ago and it’s so surreal down there; you can walk into a dispensary and they have impressive selections of everything under the rainbow: Concentrates, edibles, topical ointments and obviously a large selection of flower. I look forward to that progression in Alberta and the rest of the world.

How has cannabis influenced your life or your creative process?

Yeomans: Cannabis has influenced my life in many ways. It helps me focus and relax after a hard day. It definitely helps me get the creative process going when I write or jam.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Yeomans: Not too much more I’d like to add. Just support your scene; support who supports you. Never let anyone doubt you or bring you down. Peace, love and death metal.