Wrath of Typhon

Band:

Wrath of Typhon

Members: Jason Robison, vocals; Bill Miskowitz, guitar; David Miskowitz, drums; Reese Harlacker, bass

Who we talked to: Bill Miskowitz

How did you guys meet/ How long have you been performing together? Everyone in the band has been in other bands in York for years. We kind of all knew each other from . . . the scene around here. We started jamming (in) January 2009. It started off kind of as a side project for all of us who were in other bands, and it became the main thing.

How did you come up with the name? We went through a couple of other names before we settled on Wrath of Typhon. We came up with the name (with help from an employee of The Depot.) Typhon is an old Greek god. Him and Zeus had a battle a long time ago. It doesn't go much deeper than that. (Laughs)

Describe your sound/style. We're definitely a metal band, but it's kind of a blend of older styles of metal (including) doom metal . . . and traditional heavy metal like Iron Maiden and Accept and Judas Priest. There is some trash in there -- old trash like bands like Slayer, maybe Venom, Motörhead (and) things like that. (We're) not a big fan of a lot of the modern metal bands.

What do you see as the progression of metal? I think it's gotten bigger over the years. A lot of it has to do with technology . . . and accessibility. It's become so flooded. There (are) so many bands out there. It's a lot different than it was back when I was younger, when you'd go to the record store or you'd look at magazines to pick out bands. Now, it's overwhelming. There (are) definitely a lot of good bands out there, but I think they get lost in the big pile of music that's out there. I think there's still a lot of good metal. It's just harder and harder to find. It's like finding a needle in a haystack.

Do you play original tunes or covers? We're an original band, but we do have covers that we do in our set. We do some Black Sabbath songs. We do Mentors songs. We actually had the guitar player from The Mentors . . . actually (get) on stage and play with us (at) the Stoner Hands of Doom Festival (in Frederick, Md.) It was a highlight for all of us since we all grew up listening to that band, even though our parents didn't want us to.

You are releasing a CD, correct? Oct. 1 at The Depot (was) our CD release party. Oct. 14 at The Waterway (Bar and Grill) we're doing our digital download release party, which is going to be through Eleventh Key records. (They) are taking care of our digital distribution . . . and they've done a lot for the band. (It's) our first full-length album. It's called "Speak From the Fire."

Do you want to talk about the making of the album ? It's a bunch of songs that we had been playing live for the past couple of years. We went to Second Story Studios in West Chester. It came out sounding very good. (We) couldn't have asked for anyone better to do all that stuff. It's a great-sounding album. "Speak From the Fire" . . . is also the title track of the CD. That song in particular (is) a heavy song. It's kind of a faster song. That was, like, our most recent song we had written at the time. (It) just seemed like a good name for the album title.

What else do you have coming up? We haven't played in York in almost a year. We played in Baltimore and Philly. We've been playing for the past year outside of the town until the CD is available. The only thing we have right now on the map are the two CD release shows. We're going to start doing more shows in York.

Are you friends with any other local groups? (We're friendly with) Witch Hazel, a band called Warhawk. . . (and) Swamp Vulture. Waitin On A Train is a great bluegrass band. We know all those guys. We've all been around for quite some time playing this town.

What are your thoughts on the local music scene? It kind of comes and goes. I've seen the different music scenes come and go and peak and go away. Right now, it seems there is something happening. That's a good thing. A bar like The Depot . . . has potential for good shows and seems to have some kind of a crowd come out. It's almost like a new generation of people come around and turn 21. Then, years go by and it kind of dies down.

What challenges do you face? I think it can be challenging being an original metal band. We know a lot of people who book shows and stuff. If we were newer . . . it would be harder to book shows. Playing in this band has been a great ride.

- Erin McCracken, FlipSide staff

If you go

Wrath of Typhon hosts a release party for its digital album "Speak From the Fire" Oct. 14 at The Waterway Bar and Grill, 220 W. Philadelphia St., York. For details, visit www.waterwaybar.com.

Online

Eleventh Key records: eleventhkey.com

Read more meet-the-artist interviews: www.flipsidepa.com/musicdirectory