MO: Tell me how Wretched formed up and how the name came to be.
Adam: I'm not sure how the name came to be. I know the other guys started as a band in high school and as they matured out of high school, they wanted something brutal and scary and demeaning, but just a one word, in your face kind of title. They found it with Wretched.
MO: It's an awesome name! It has balls! When you go to a venue and say you are going to see Wretched, you know what you are in store for...you know it's not a country band (laughs)
Adam: (laughs) Yeah, I think the metal comes across
MO: What drives you guys lyrically?
Adam: I joined the band after they put out the first two albums and the first vocalist was into storytelling and just other worldly kind of lyrics, so the first two albums are quasi concept albums. I have been with the band for the last two albums and there is definitely a difference between the styles. His was more fantastical and adventuresome and mine are more into personal stuff and politics. Mental illness is something I sing a lot about. My sister took her own life when I was eighteen, so that is at the heart of some of the lyrics. The single on the last album was "Cranial Infestation" and that's really about getting stuck in the work cycle and getting stuck in the drug abuse cycle and just building up to a meltdown so to speak. Oddly enough there is a song about being scared of my telephone. (laughs) Well, maybe not the whole song, but there is a lyric or two in there where you are talking about being terrified about picking up the phone. Everything is in that little box, phone, internet, mailbox...everything and when you see it all at once, your head just explodes after a while of being social.
MO: How did you get your start in music?
Adam: I started out doing punk rock covers with a friend of mine in the sixth grade. I was really into punk rock and she handed me a microphone and told me I had a great singing voice. So, to impress her, I kept on with it. I started really young with the vocals and writing lyrics.
MO: So are there times when you look at where you are at and say WOW, time just flew by and now you are on stage in front of all these people?
Adam: It is hard to fathom sometimes. Some days it's a great show, people are singing along and having really high energy. Then there are other times where it's a poorly booked show or it's a week night and we didn't draw in that city or whatever the case may be and that can bring you back to reality real quick. I think it's important for any musician to tour and experience a Wednesday night in Oklahoma. It's not guaranteed that you will be popular everywhere you go and I think that should be force fed to bands to prevent the holier than thou egos.
MO: One thing I have noticed with singers, especially in your genre, the vocalist is usually the most calm and relaxed of the band members after
From the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina, WRETCHED has come to unleash their brand of technical death metal unto fans everywhere. Bursting with tight riffs and strong harmonies, they have taken the underground world by storm, unveiling their new take on old school thrash. Combining elements of heavy metal, technical death metal, European and melodic metal, this five-piece act has proven to crowds worldwide that WRETCHED is here to stay. Due to popular demand, the band has been on a consistent tour cycle, including runs with thrash and death metal legends DEATH ANGEL, SIX FEET UNDER, SOILWORK, CATTLE DECAPITATION and more. Committed to spending every minute doing what they love, the band plans to provide the metal scene with new material, fresh ideas and killer tours for years to come.