Interview by Kris Peters
Gold Coast metal titans Snake Mountain have never been one of those bands to go with the flow.
Instead, they have adopted a kind of Cobra Kai attitude of strike first, strike hard and not only become an integral part of the local live music scene, but also a proactive and fundamental link in what is becoming an increasingly more delicate chain.
Tonight (September 15) Snake Mountain return to Mo's Desert Clubhouse in Burleigh Heads to spearhead Brutal Coast 4, an annual celebration of live music which they initially started to provide exposure for local bands but what has now become a highlight on the Gold Coast music calendar.
Vocalist and all round top bloke Neville Pearce joined HEAVY to tell us more.
"I think it sounds kind of cool," he laughed when we point out the event name is actually quite intimidating. "You've got to have a cool name. I like having that branding on it. It sounds evil but it's not. We're all happy metalheads (laughs)."
When it started four short years ago, Brutal Coast was but a simple idea but over the years has developed into more of a lifeblood of sorts for the local music scene.
"I just wanted to put together a line-up that was a little bit more diverse than the usual shows we play," he recalled. "Which there's nothing wrong with those because we love doing the heavy, heavy stuff, but I wanted to put on something where it was more diverse with sub genres where you have a bit of melodic metal, or you have a bit of hardcore or you'll have maybe a tribute. I just wanted something that brought all different sides of the scene together and some of their followers might be opened to other bands that they might not usually see. So that was the whole idea to begin with and it took off from there."
In the full interview, Neville talks more about his vision for Brutal Coast, what he looks for when selecting bands, the other bands on the bill and why they were chosen, his view of the current local music scene, new music from Snake Mountain and more.