Mayhem Interview: Betraying the Martyrs Talk Positive Metal Music

2012-07-23

Story by Anne Erickson

Backstage Exclusive: Audio Ink Radio chats with Betraying the Martyrs at this year’s Mayhem Festival

Betraying the Martrys may hail from France, but they’re no strangers to U.S. soil. The French Christian metal-core gents have played the states several times, thanks to their U.S. label Sumerian Records, and now, the guys are out on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.

Audio Ink Radio caught up with frontman Aaron Matts and vocalist and keyboard player Victor Guillet to chat on the Detroit date of Mayhem, and the guys both agreed that they’re having a blast touring with comrades and labelmates Asking Alexandra.

“Asking Alexandra are really good friends of ours from a long time ago,” Matts said. “We used to tour together when we were really little bands, so it’s been great being on Mayhem together. It’s awesome; we’ve been hanging out a lot.”

Even though the band are from France, they feel extremely at home here in the U.S. “The shows are great,” Guillet said. “When we released our first album and came to America to tour, it was crazy. People knew the lyrics and who we were, and we’re always really welcomed here.”

One thing that really makes Betraying the Martyrs stand apart is their quest to make “positive metal music.” They say that stems from writing from their personal experiences.

“We just think that we’re positive people,” Matts said. “There’s no reason for us to go out of our characters and make music that we don’t feel when we’re playing. There are so many bands who make negative music and talk about negative things, and we need a breath of fresh air… We write about our experiences, and we haven’t experienced death yet, so we’re not going to write about that.” (Courtesy photo.)

Watch Audio Ink Radio’s Mayhem Montage Featuring Betraying the Martyrs:

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Anne Erickson

Meet the expert - Author, writer and editor Anne Erickson is a Detroit-based music reporter and radio host. She has written for the USA Today Network, Consequence.net, Blabbermouth.net, Loudwire.com and many more. Anne holds a master's degree from Michigan State University. Contact Anne at anne@audioinkradio.com.