Poison The Well: ‘I Never Thought That Would Be My Life, Ever’
Poison The Well guitarist Ryan Primack discusses their first new album in 17 years ahead of their first Australian tour since 2009.
Words Thomas Jackson // Image supplied
It’s been 17 long years since Poison The Well released their last album before their indefinite hiatus. Now one of the most influential acts in modern metal and hardcore have returned with their sixth record, Peace In Place.
The album launches their comeback with a monumental statement, proving that their years dormant haven’t made them miss a step. Peace In Place shows Poison The Well are ready to take back their spot at the top of the mountain.
Lead guitarist Ryan Primack speaks with The Note ahead of the album release and upcoming Australian tour. It’s the first time the band have visited Australia since 2009 and includes a stop at Lion Arts Factory on Tuesday 9 June.
“I'm confounded by the level of nerves I still have after all these years,” Primack explains about the upcoming album release.
“What’s there to really be nervous about? I have no control over what happens with anything, yet I’m still nervous.”
Fans wouldn’t expect the legendary Poison The Well to doubt the popularity of a comeback tour. But that’s exactly what went through Primack’s mind when the idea of a new album was first suggested.
“My first inclination is to go, ‘for who!?’ At the end of the day, it was for ourselves. So I was like, okay, that's a good enough reason, we're gonna make it for us and if something happens, great.
“It's definitely one of those moments where you get that sort of internal negative fantasy of am I going to walk on stage and the room is going to be completely empty? This would be embarrassing. This could be really embarrassing, but so [could] walking out of your house every day for any other reason.”
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Poison The Well announced their hiatus in 2010. It was an unceremonious occasion, and the band members spent the time recovering from 12 years of grinding travel around the world. Everything ended amicably, and since 2015, Poison The Well have performed a handful of live shows, including a number of 25th anniversary shows. It was a moment in the studio while working on a re-record of old songs that sparked the writing bug for Peace In Place.
“I just very nonchalantly like, ‘oh, that was pretty good. We should do that again sometime’. I didn't think anything of it. I was like, ‘Eh, that's not gonna go anywhere’. I mean, it was fun and I would, but we all had such busy lives at the time and still do to some degree.
“All credit to Jeff (Moreira, vocalist) and Chris (Hornbrook, drummer), they really were the catalysts in making it happen. Because I was being sort of matter-of-fact, they were like ‘yeah, we should’ and then made it all happen. Not that I didn't do anything, but they were definitely the two people behind me pushing, come on, come on.”
Returning to Poison The Well full-time meant that Primack has mostly had to put his role as a production manager at venues in LA - where he did over 200 shows a year - on hold.
“Once we started writing songs, I was like, oh, there's something to this. I kind of gracefully put things on hold a little bit and saw it through to the end, which was good because I was definitely in a bad space at work. Working myself into an early shallow grave.”
Having this other career path is something that many modern musicians have to think about, but it also gives Primack a level of independence when writing.
“I like the freedom that [having an alternative career option] allows you, with not caring about what it is you write. I have another way to feed myself, so I don't really have to onboard all of these outside ideas or questions from other people who were like, ‘Well, what are you gonna do to make sure it's successful?’ I don't know. I can't do anything about that anyway. You know what I mean? It's not in my control. That’s for other people to contemplate, not for me, and I don't think for us.”
When the band got back into the studio to write together for the first time, Primack started fresh with a blank canvas and renewed energy.
“I didn't write for about eight years after the band stopped touring. I played a lot of guitar, but I just had no desire to write music outside of like stupid songs I would sing to a cat.
“Some things came easy. Some things were really difficult. It definitely took a bit of work to get that sort of situation where you're just firing ideas off at one another. From my side, I can't speak for the other guys, I had to go through a lot of being very insecure about what was going on and being like, I don't know if this is good. It's the only thing I can think of, but I don't know if it's good. So I may be letting you down here.”
The band even left the studio with plenty of ideas left over that weren’t used. But Primack isn’t ready to think about what’s next just yet.
“There's a few full songs that exist still, and I definitely have the writing bug more than I had over the years. But we'll see what happens.
“I'm not trying to predict what happens next. I'm just trying to enjoy the moment I'm in because it feels incredibly humbling to be able to still do this. I feel a sense of graciousness, it's like a pinch yourself kind of moment. Here I am, nearly 30 years after I started doing this, and I still get to do it. I never thought that would be my life, ever.”
Peace In Place is out now. Catch Poison The Well performing at Lion Arts Factory on Tuesday 9 June. Tickets on sale now at moshtix.com.au.
