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Canadian music is something that is completely diverse and goes across a wide spectrum of sounds. With this next band I had a chance to sit down and talk to that is no exception, with a sound fused of Punk, Stoner Rock, Metal, and Hardcore you have The Cancer Bats from Toronto, Ontario. This band has built a loyal following which has enabled them to travel and spread their music all across not just Canada but the United States also.

Don't know who they are? Well sit back and enjoy and learn a little something from a staple on the Canadian music scene.

"I would say for the most part I always wanted it to be not just exclusive to myself. Like when I write a personal song I would like it also to be able to reflect an experience of someone else" - Liam Cormier: Cancer Bats

First off for your readers who don't know, can you tell us who you are and what you do for the band?

My name is Liam and I'm the lead singer for the Cancer Bats.

Awesome, now had the Cancer Bats come about?

Scott and I wanted sort of a band with a different sound. He was playing in like a black metal band at the time and he just wanted to do something with just a little less metal, I guess straight ahead and more kind of rock and roll than hard core. We just kind of wanted to change it up.

Ok, awesome. What was the inspiration behind the name?

I just thought it up at work. I was basically just trying to think of a good name for a rock band and I hadn't even started up, like we hadn't played at all.

Now I was actually reading there was a couple of names floating around at the beginning, why was it that Cancer Backs was settled on?

I kind of thought it was catchy, it didn't sound like anything else you know. It was just like that name stood out above all the others.

Awesome. Now what inspires lyrics? Is it something personal to you, an expression of your life or?

In regards to lyrics of all our songs?

Yah

I would say for the most part I always wanted it to be not just exclusive to myself. Like when I write a personal song I would like it also to be able to reflect an experience of someone else, like in the band kind of, you know what I mean?

Exactly.

So you know if it's really personal to me, it's almost like a general sense that everyone has been through the same types of things.

Ok. I've actually been listening to Hail Destroyer a lot lately and one of the lyrics that really pops out to me is "children of nothing this is our song", can you tell me anything about that specific lyric?

Its kind of like thinking of the song itself, it's like an anthem to those who are kind of taking that like you know a downtrodden sort of life. It's like being on tour and being in a band and how you're broke and kind of down and living out of a parking lot in a lot of these cases, and then from doing all of that you end up like really coming to appreciate you have you know. So it's sort of like being a shout out to all those people who get it and who sing along.

Awesome. Now your most recent album came out in April, is there one song on the album that means the most to you personally?

Um, I don't know, I think there was so many personal songs that I have on that record. Between Regret and Sorceress, I feel like so much of that is about my own personal life over the last few years, so I don't know if I could pick one or the other – I like them all!

Well I have to say that Regret is one of my favourite ones on the album.

I really like Regret a lot. I like it because that song is about my girlfriend.

Now what has been the reception from your fans with the new album?

Definitely people were stoked. Like we weren't sure 100% what it was going to be like but then the response has been great.

Oh fantastic. As a band you guys have done extensive tourings, what is it, if anything, do take from each touring experience?

Um, I don't know I think that all the travelling that we do and the people we get to meet like you, you know what I mean, it gets you to all these amazing spots that for some reason they all have this commonality even though you are in Helsinki or in Poland, or Germany or Saskatoon or something like that, everybody has this one common bond you know.

Now actually I noticed you guys landed on the cover of Kerrang a while back, how does it feel to be getting such talk of the press?

Oh it's amazing. For us to have that kind of support and in a sense Kerrang.

Kerrang is such a wide spread magazine.

But also like in the sense for us that like we're not on any big record labels you know, that happened before we had a manager you know, that was just based on the fact that a few people at that magazine like our record and like our band, you know what I mean, there was no other ulterior motive. So for us that was huge.

Ok, now what if anything do you take from the negative press?

I don't know, I mean to be honest I haven't seen that much negative press towards us. I think a lot of times there are things that I have read that, where you know you can see where someone is coming from. Like some people complain that our record isn't metal enough, in a way its honest, you know kind of like certain aspects of metal, ya you know what I can see that but. You know if you love like Sorceress and Destroyer but you think that these songs have no place on the record but you know, even for that it's just like they have a different appreciation for what we do, which is fair.

Well with each album it's kind of like a growing process. You're growing yourselves so it's bound to change somewhat. Ok, now is there one piece of advice that you wish you would have been given at the beginning of your career.

Um, I don't know. I think from like the get go we were kinda given a lot of heads up from people, like we were taken under the wing of people like AlexisOnFire. We were touring with them right across Canada and the US. We were like right off the bat on our first record so I feel like that whole thing is just a huge learning experience and we really quickly learned how to kind of run our shown and how to tour full time so, I think that was like the best thing then that we've had.

Awesome. On that note is there any advice that you would give to small bands that are trying to make it in the industry?

I think for younger bands to kind of pay attention to as much of their own business as they can, you know what I mean. If they can take care of everything on their own end just to make sure that they are doing as much of that. I think a lot of kids think that they should be getting a manager, you know booking agent and all this stuff, when at the level they are at, you know what I mean, they should be taking care of everything as much as they can until it just becomes so overwhelming that you need that help, and when you grow to that point. That was one of the things that, we never had anyone interested enough so we were just forced to do things on our own and, I think that is one of the best parts, and things like that is that you have that ability. But once you've done it you know how.

Ok. Now I noticed that you guys are touring well into the New Year. Do you have any plans after the tours have finished?

Well, we're taking some time off to start working on our new album, so I think at some point we're just going to try and sort out our new record and getting that all geared up.

Awesome, I'm going to look forward to that one. Now, us at The Sound Faction are probably five of the most random people you are ever going to meet. So with every interview we ask some of the most random questions you've ever been asked, so are you up for that?

Sure.

Ok, first question, if you were a scented candle what would you smell like?

Uuuummmm, peanut butter.

Peanut butter? That's a good one. Now if you could have any super power what would it be? And there are bonus points for creativity.

Um, I think time travel.

Time travel?

Ya, that would be pretty sweet because I would love to have more time in my day, more time to do everything.

Now, if you could be any fictional character, who would it be and why?

I would probably be a time traveller, so I could travel in time and sleep more, haha.

Now what reality TV show would you say is your guilty pleasure?

I don't really watch TV, I used to watch the Real World like back in the day when I was a kid, but I don't feel guilty about that because that show ruled.

Want to hear samples from the Cancer Bats? Check out their Official Website or MySpace Page