WHISPERHEAD STERILISE INTERVIEW
- Kirsty Shepherd
- Aug 4
- 4 min read
I got the opportunity to catch up with frontman Nolan of Dubbo metalcore/nü metal band Whisperhead, after their recent
"Sterilise" tour. I had the privilege of seeing whisperhead at their Brisbane show, to read about my experience, follow the link.
How did you choose the name Whisperhead?
I stole it from a sci-fi novel, it’s the name of a mountain range in the book. I just thought it sounded cool, wasn’t trying to be deep or clever, and had a kind of creepy feel to it which resonated with me
How and when did Whisperhead form?
Technically, the band started in November 2021 when Swallow You was released, though it was a song I recorded and released by myself. Off that release, we were offered a show in Bathurst in late April 2022 so I put together a few people I knew who were good musicians asking if they’d form a temporary band thinking it would just be one or two shows - it was just post-Covid and there wasn’t much going on at the time so I figured there wouldn’t be many shows to play - however the show offers kept coming as the scene came back to life and one by one they all joined the band formally.
What does Whisperhead’s writing process look like?
That’s difficult to answer because it’s changed over time. The first handful of songs were written by myself, as there was no band really to give any input. The next few had input from the other members as they came on board and lent their own styles and influences to the process; now we are writing fresh songs with all members present, so the process has been far more collaborative. The reality is that not all members are necessarily songwriters - so a couple of us present skeletons of songs and everyone then helps to flesh them out.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
We all come from different backgrounds musically, but I’d say some of the shared favourites are bands like Slipknot, Deftones, Spiritbox. we’ve all along said that what we hope to do is take the cool stuff from 00’s Nu-metal such as the groove and the bounce and the moshy riffs, but leave all the cringe elements behind, and modernise the sound. We don’t want to be a nostalgia act, but there were some cool elements of that genre and era that we’d like to revive in our music, while keeping the heaviness of modern metal and some melodic elements.
You just finished your Sterilise tour, which I was privileged enough to attend, how did the tour go?
We were really happy, generally, with how it all went. Anytime you are independently organising a tour, there’s gonna be logistical hiccups, and you’re watching the bottom line coz there are venues, bands and crews to be paid. But that ‘business’ element aside, we felt that the band performed well, we seemed to get a great response, the crowds were engaged and the bands were all great to work with!
Was there anything about the tour that you would change if you could do it over again?
There probably are some behind-the-scenes things that I would refine that I won’t discuss but we learn lessons every time (we often joke about calling it the Lessons Tour) and I actually find it a bit energising to put those lessons into practice.
What was your favourite part of the tour?
The highlight was easily the Ipswich show. Being on a bill with Diskust & Total Buzzkill was good enough, but to then have ~250 odd people there, a bigger stage and big PA and lighting it was our biggest show yet, and we had a great time!!
Are you planning on releasing an official cover of Breathe by The Prodigy?
I can neither confirm nor deny the release of a cover of Breathe in the near future.
Is there potential for an EP or dare I ask, Full Length Album release in the near future?
We were working towards that (isn’t every band, always?) but some real-life interruptions have perhaps set that back. We have three songs almost completed being recorded which will be released over the next 6 months though, so we’ll keep the songs coming for the moment!
If you could feature any artist on a Whisperhead song, who would it be?
I’m sure every member of the band would have a different answer and while I could certainly answer with someone like Chino Moreno, Corey Taylor or Trent Reznor, I’d really love to get Ella Hooper on a track. Ella, reach out to us at @whisperheadmusic.
If you could tour with any band, dead or alive, who would it be?
I mean it’s gotta be Slipknot, right?
Is there any tour information/music release or general information you would like to share with the readers?
Nothing has yet been revealed formally but there will be new music and a spring tour announced in September, and a regional NSW tour early next year before we gear up for WHISPERFEST in Dubbo.
For fans of: slipknot, Deftones, lamb of god, I killed the prom queen and nine inch nails
