BEAR MACE

BEAR MACE belong to a proud lineage of double-tough Chicago metal bands that include CIANIDE, ZOETROPE, CARDIAC ARREST, USURPER and more. Something about the Windy City breeds a bare-knuckled no bullshit approach to heavy music. BEAR MACE have been living that  creed since 2012 and have clawed their way steadily upwards since then.

A real breakthrough might be here with their new album “Slaves Of The Wolf”. While this retains their elemental approach to death metal, it also brings a level of sophistication that the band has never shown before. Fans of BOLT THROWER and MASTER (another great Chi-town band) should be ecstatic about this one, but new ears will be drawn to the BEAR MACE camp.

Time for an interview with the brutal bruins! I hooked up with guitarist Mark Sugar and drummer Garry Naples to dig up the truth about BEAR MACE…

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Greetings to BEAR MACE! The new album “Slaves Of The Wolf” is upon us. Is it fair to say  that this is the most pivotal release in your career so far? 

MARK SUGAR (guitar): Hello! We view the record as just the next step in our evolution as a band. I guess every release is the most pivotal, until we make another one.  

GARRY NAPLES (drums): I think it just shows that this group of people has been playing  together for a little while now, and everyone knows the best way for them to contribute and push  the sound of the band in their own way.  It’s definitely our strongest material to date to me,  and we had a lot of fun putting it all together. 

WC: Past BEAR MACE releases have been really raw and rough. This one seems more thoughtful  and “polished” without losing its power. Was this a conscious choice or was it just something  that happened naturally? 

MS: I guess it's just how it happened. This record was mixed and mastered by Damian  Herring, the same guy who did the last album “Charred Field Of Slaughter”. The writing process was pretty similar as well. This band has never had a conversation about  "polishing" anything. 

GN: We really liked what Damian did on “Charred”, so we knew going in that we wanted to work with him again on “Slaves”.  He also probably had a better idea of what we were going for, having mixed us already once, so I think that is reflected on “Slaves”.  Like Mark said,  there was no talk of “polishing”….we just wanted the songs to be killer and get our best performances recorded. 

 WC: A lot of Chicago bands have that “barbaric” edge...CIANIDE, USURPER, LAIR OF THE  MINOTAUR. That’s definitely part of your sound. How important has the “Chicago sound” been  to your evolution? 

GN: I think it’s something that just naturally happens, given that we all live in or very near  the city and are all very active in the music scene here.  The bands you mentioned are all  bands we respect and have seen play many times over the years, so it’s inevitable that the sound materializes itself that way.  The Chicago metal scene is very diverse, very active,  and very fun to be apart of, so there’s probably a lot of local influences in our music that we may not even realize.   

MS: Honestly, our influences are mainly the old-school Tampa bands, moreso than the  Chicago ones, but it’s possible that some of that sound has seeped in just because we live here.

WC: “Slaves Of The Wolf” revolves around the concept of war. Are the songs all historically  inspired or do some of them come from the imagination? 

MS: Only a few of the songs are about war. “The Iceman Cometh” is about the serial killer Richard Kuklinski, and “Prophecy” is based on the film of the same name. There are songs about various social issues as well. We strive for historical accuracy whenever possible. 

WC: One of the bands that influenced BEAR MACE had to be MASSACRE. You actually got Kam  Lee to perform on the new album. How did that come about? Did he actually join you in the  studio or did he just send files?

MS: Oh yeah, MASSACRE is a huge influence. We opened for them a couple times in Chicago,  and we got to know Kam a little bit. He was a fan of our last record, and he actually offered  to guest on this one, which is an offer we could not refuse. We thought “Captured And  Consumed” would be a good fit for him, and as people will soon hear, he absolutely crushed it. He was not with us in the studio — unfortunately, recording an album is not as exciting  or personal as it was back in the day. 

GN: I was shocked he did so much of the song!  I thought we were going to get a scream or maybe a bridge, but he did what he did and we all said “fuck yea!” 

WC:  Kam is quite a character and always tells it like it is. Any good stories about him in his  collaboration with you? 

MS: Kam is certainly outspoken, and we’ve had some interesting conversations, but there’s nothing crazy to report as far as working with him. We sent him the song, and he sent us his parts, and that was that. He was a total pro.  

WC: Was the recording process for “Slaves of the Wolf” very different from past experiences? Did  it go quickly or were you very meticulous about getting just the right sound? 

MS: I think we recorded this album faster than the previous two. We know what we're  doing at this point, and we're able to get the sounds we want without too much agonizing or overthinking. 

GN: I felt it went very quick this time.  We did a lot of demoing and preproduction for this record, moreso than what we’ve done in the past.  So by the time we went in to do the  drums, everything was pretty solidified and we knew exactly what we wanted.  We did the  drums at Sanford Parker’s studio.  Between all of us, we have done many different projects with him over the years so it was just a matter of setting up, getting tones, and hitting the record button. 

WC: Do you have a favorite track off the new album…one that maybe means a little more to you?

MS: This is the first album we’ve made where I don’t have any favorites. I think the entire thing is extremely consistent, and all songs are equally good. 

GN: It changes for me frequently, but currently I’d probably say “Drown Them In Their  Blood.” 

WC:  It looks like you’re putting the new album out independently. Did you have any labels you were interested in or was the idea always to put it out yourself? 

MS: We were planning something with Redefining Darkness again, but the timing just didn’t work out. Historically, we’ve always been an independent band anyways. We are working on securing distribution in the EU though, so that our friends there are not subjected to increasingly ridiculous taxes and shipping charges from the US. 

WC: Any touring plans for this year? Any festivals you are playing?

GN: We are currently trying to get some dates together for the East coast later this  year.  We haven’t been out there yet and would really like to get there.  No festivals booked at the moment but we’d love to play some.   

WC: What’s been the most memorable gig you’ve played so far? 

MS: My personal favorite BEAR MACE show was in Detroit, back in 2022. We played with amazing bands to a very amped up crowd. I remember looking out into the pit and seeing two guys carrying another guy sideways, like a battering ram. It doesn’t get much better than that. 

GN: That Detroit show is definitely up there. We played with GRUESOME and MOLDER at  Cobra Lounge in Chicago a few years ago and that show was a ton of fun as well.  

WC: Is there any band you’d like to play live with that you haven’t so far?

GN: We started this band hoping that we could one day get into Maryland Deathfest for free, so fingers crossed.  

MS: It would have been much easier to just buy tickets to MDF than to do this band for 10  years, haha.

WC: Any thoughts of what the follow up to “Slaves Of The Wolf” might be or is it too soon? 

MS: It’s much too soon to say. There are a few riffs and ideas set aside for next time, but  that’s as far as it’s gotten.  

WC: If you could have dinner with any three people from history, who would they be?

MS: George Carlin, Lemmy Kilmister, and Jack Kirby. 

GN: Bill Ward, Michael Jordan, and Quentin Tarantino. 

WC: Any last words for the faithful?

GN: Thank you for all the support and we hope you dig “Slaves Of The Wolf”! 

MS: What he said! Enjoy the record, and hopefully we’ll be bringing it to you live soon.

BEAR MACE