UNSIGNED BAND NEWS: ROCKET Interviews Matt Decker Of CETHKYN

Orlando, Florida (USA) metal act CETHKYN was founded almost a decade ago with one goal in mind: to bring intensity back to heavy music, along with an unbridled passion to create the most intriguing sound possible, while staying true to their roots in hardcore punk. In 2008, the act has produced a 7 track CD entitled “Classics”, that showcases a band with a sense of purpose and an ultimate intention to see
their rock dreams come true, amid a tough sea of competition that threatens to bury them into the void of other countless failed and up-and-coming metal outfits. Cethkyn will not let their fans down and expect to see more and more people raging in the pits at their shows throughout Florida and beyond.

The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody recently conducted an interview with vocalist Matt Decker of CETHKYN for his loyal army of Den Headz worldwide.

Rocket: Where were you born and raised?

Matt: I was born in a small conservative town named Manitowoc which is in Wisconsin. I actually think living in a small town has helped my ambition with this band because I basically never want to end up there again.

Rocket: Do you come from a big family?

Matt: No, I only have one sibling, a brother named Clayton who now lives in Coral Springs, FL. My parents are still together and live in Manitowoc. I’m relatively close with every one of my family members.

Rocket: What first drew you to playing music?

Matt:I started getting into music at around age 13. I got right into heavy music with bands like Napalm Death, Sepultura, Malevolent Creation etc. I just really enjoyed the intensity of the music and I wanted to do something similar to what they were doing because I loved the fact that they were so underground and different from what the “mainstream” genres were at the time.



Rocket: When exactly did you first start singing?

Matt: When I was 17. Kevin (guitarist in Cethkyn) and I were in the same high school and he had a project to write a song for one of his classes. So, it didn’t really intend to be a career move at the time but I really enjoyed it and kept on singing over the years with lots of different bands.

Rocket: Did you ever take any formal vocal lessons?

Matt: I haven’t had any vocal lessons. I’m self taught which took awhile to be able to practice 3 times a week screaming the way I do.

Rocket: Who are some of your biggest vocal influences of past and present?

Matt: At first, Serj Tankian was a big influence to me. So, my earlier bands were a lot like System of a Down. Now, I’m really into the band, Zao, and I think Dan Weyandt’s voice is just incredible. So, listening to his voice really helped my scream a lot. If you haven’t heard of Zao, definately check them out.

Rocket: Do you have a “pre-show” workout ritual that you do?

Matt: I do a lot of stretching before shows. We bring everything to the table during our shows so I want to make sure I don’t pull a hammy! I also find about 5-10 minutes to practice this off key scream that I do to help loosen up my voice a bit.

Rocket: Tell me about the new Cethkyn record. What is the title and where can fans get a copy?



Matt: Our record consists of 7 songs which includes an instrumental intro. We were going to label it, Greatest Hits, which we thought would be comical since it’s our first record but thought the title, Classics, was better. You can basically get it at any online store there is. We have an account with I-tunes, Cdbaby, etc. The best one of them I think is cdbaby. So you basically just type www.cdbaby.com/cethkyn and purchase the record. We are selling it for $5. We are in the midst of writing the last two songs of the next record and we are going to begin recording this fall. So stay tuned….

Rocket: Who produced the album?

Matt: Our friend Jeff who has had a hand in a lot of our favorite local band’s records. He produced and recorded one of our favorite local bands, Asphalt’s, record which actually got us to know Jeff. He’s even helped with Sevendust with one of their records.

Rocket: How does the songwriting work for this band?

Matt: Kevin and Travis come up with the riffs and finalize the drum beats with Adam. Once that is all set then I work on getting the timing right with the vocals and shortly after I begin to write lyrics for the song. So, basically it’s a team effort and we all kind of cut and paste a lot of riffs together to make up a song.

Rocket: How many hours on average right now is Cethkyn rehearsing each week?

Matt: We spend about 10 hours a week rehearsing. We practice 3 times a week on average 2-4 hours a practice session working on material and set lists for upcoming shows.

Rocket: Who are some of the national acts out there that you’d love to open for?

Matt: Oh man, there are so many national acts that we’d like to open for. One of my dreams is to open for napalm death. They are my favorite band and pretty much stand for everything I believe in. Some other bands I like to open for would be Zao, Sepultura, Pro-pain, At the Gates, August Burns Red, Evergreen Terrace, Unearth, Everytime I Die, Between the Buried and Me. I can go on and on…

Rocket: If you could sign with any heavy metal label out there, who would it be and why?

Matt: I would sign with Ferret Records. They are becoming more popular and I think that will give us the most exposure. I also like their politics and think they have the most integrity when it comes to taking care of their bands.

Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you while performing on stage?

Matt: Well, like I said before I like to bring everything to the table when it comes to playing shows. So, during one show, I basically sumersaulted off the stage and landed on some dude’s foot. I didn’t think nothing of it until I ran into the same guy at another one of our shows and he told me that I broke his foot that night and he was in a cast for a month.

Rocket: With all the great metal releases that have come out so far in 2009, what’s been your favorite heavy metal album this year?

Matt: My favorite album this year is Napalm Death, “Time Waits For No Slave.” These guys just can’t do no wrong with me and they just keep getting heavier with age.

Rocket: Who are some of the other local “un-signed metal” acts on your scene that you think are worth mentioning right now?

Matt: We really enjoy playing with a band called Paris is Burning. They are from Miami and we have played with them 3 times this year already and had a great time each time we played with them. We also play with this band called Lost in Progress that have became really good friends of ours. Another band I wanted to mention is Katharik. These guys are around 16-18 years of age and man, can they shread. They have a lot of potential in the scene so look out for those guys.

Rocket: What are some of the upcoming shows for Cethkyn that we need to watch out for?

Matt: We have a big show in downtown Orlando at this place called Club Firestone this July 17th. We have played there before and had a blast. It seems like this place is a very good venue for local “unsigned” bands so we are looking forward to the exposure. We are also playing shows this august at places like the AKA Lounge in downtown Orlando, the Haven and the Dungeon. We always draw well in those places so it’s something to look forward to. We have the shows listed in our myspace page so check it out for details.

Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking out this interview. Best of luck with it all. Go ahead and give a shout-out to your biggest supporters.

Matt: We have a lot of people that have supported us over the years. Kevin’s wife, Barbie has always been there for us. Same with Travis’s wife, Nina. She is always such a help with the merchandise as well as Adam’s girlfriend, Iris. We have a friend, Keith, that is always at our shows so I like to mention his name as well.

http://www.myspace.com/cethkyn