Articles by "Coffin Carousel"
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Horror miss-mash that is COFFIN CAROUSEL is a band that has been around for a while now, releasing their debut album and sophomore album "Face Melting Chunky Stuff" on Friday the 13th! Thus forth, this Australian band will be one to cause horrific matters on their own terms from here on out. Frontman vocalist/guitarist Howard Von Noise talks of the new album, plans, and much more about the band's in lucky day that is F13!


1. It's been 2 years since the first and only time speaking with Coffin Carousel, so what has the band been up since?

HVN: Indeed it has, thanks for being so awesome and hanging out again. We have been busy, we have opened for Wednesday 13 and Michale Graves (ex-Misfits) along with some fantastic shows in Australia. I have done a small run of acoustic shows playing Coffin Carousel songs solo and exploring a more intimate expression with the bands material live. I also spent 10x days with Mitch Marlow (New Years Day, In This Moment, Pupa Roach) at his studio in LA back in December 2017 and wrote 3x songs with him which turned out to be an EP called Breathe we released mid-2018. Oh and making more music videos!

2. During that time you went on to release your album "Between Death and Dead", it consisting of 18 tracks, how does the follow-up album "Face Melting Chunky Stuff", stack up?

HVN: Well I have another 18x tracks to drop with ‘Face Melting Chunky Stuff’. I spent some time thinking more about the conveyance of this album as appose to ‘Between Dead & Dead’ which lyrically, I just let flow out from me as an expression from my intuition at the time. FMCS touches on some residual themes from BD&D lyrically, however I wanted to explore more horror themes in general and deliver a message of growth, strength and progression of the band’s sound to be a bold statement, stripping away any expectations from myself on what I felt it should sound like. I let it come alive over three years to be its own monster and just embraced who I am as a person from my own life experiences, what I enjoy, and a lot less concerned of what people think of the bands art. I feel it’s a 100% stronger album as far as the songs themselves and it works as a complete art piece from start to end.

3. Now would you say that this follow-up album, is a continuation in anyway to the previous album, in term's of imagery or story or anything within?

HVN: Yes it is a continuation of my character visually, and musically coming into a sense of mastery within myself in my creative expression to a form of originality I am very proud of. I showed myself a new side to me I didn’t know existed by allowing myself to be authentic 100% through the song writing process. Listening back to the mixes once they were completed, it really dawned on me what it was I had created with the songs as a whole. Up until that point I was just focusing on making the songs as cool as possible, it wasn’t until I was sequencing the track listing I stumbled upon an underlying theme of a character progression I wasn’t aware of initially, which from that point, then inspired me to conceptualize the cover artwork and the look of the packaging for FMCS. All the sounds that people who know the band for are still present, but now enhanced with a lot more production time I spent with my good friend Julian Renzo mixing the songs at his studio.

4. "Open Up Them Stitches", is a track taken from the album, made into a single and video, tell me about them?

HVN: That song was a standout to me along with Julian also who mixed the album, representing the energy and lyrical attitude the album showcases. It has a good classic Coffin Carousel song feel which made it a no-brainer to create a music video for also. I originally wasn’t going to make any music videos for FMCS. I initially wanted people and fans to just listen to the music only and allow their own visualization to play out to how they wanted to perceive it. However I have been working with a good friend Liv who is helping me with some PR for the album, and she recommended I do at least one music video to help her promote the album release…so I made a music video with another good friend Daniel Armstrong, which I have been wanting to work with for years on a music video for the band. I called in on some friends to creepy go-go dance for me and got the guys I have playing live currently all together and we had a fun evening shooting all the ideas and enjoying each other’s creative vibes. Working with friends, the way I like to work.

5. Will this album have any other tracks of choice to receive the same ordeal?

HVN: I have since decided I want to make a music video for the song  The Creepy Creepy. I have some ideas that have popped in my head since Open Up Them Stitches has been released. For this next video though, I would want to push all the horror visuals to the max. I am an independent artist so I want to embrace that freedom and not limit what people expect from me as an artist, or what industry people believe I should stick with along with anyone else who has an opinion on what I should do. I feel right in the headspace to go back to my horror roots for FMCS and push new limits for the band and myself from what Coffin Carousel has previously released.

6. Just like your last album, this one will also receive a Friday the 13th release date, so will this date be "the date" of choice for all Coffin Carousel releases?

HVN: It’s a fun idea! For full length albums I will have to say I do plan to stick to a Friday 13th release date indeed. Again, another awesome fact to remaining independent as an artist, being free to make the choice to do so. As long as a Friday 13th falls in the near future to when I have the next album completed and mixed. It will happen, no doubt.

7. Besides your own works, the band has done cover songs as well, but would you consider doing a cover from the film "Hocus Pocus", and the track "I Put A Spell On You"?

HVN: Hrmm, can’t say I would. I have chosen cover songs to record and release based on the inspiration they had in my musical development, or out of respect for an artist I wish to pay homage to. The same way Metallica, or Marilyn Manson have done so throughout their careers.

8. How does the band plan to celebrate Friday the 13th, not just the one in September but the one in December as well?

HVN: Possibly with a new music video and maybe a rad hometown show. If not eating some awesome vegan burgers and watching Evil Dead 3 Army’s of Darkness.

9. Do you ever see the band to go as far as possibly titling a future song or EP or album after F13?

HVN: Album no…song maybe. For some reason I am thinking it would need to feature an awesome horror artist or a collaboration with someone I would want to work with to make it super special and most awesome to be worthy to carry that title! Maybe Eminem or Rob Zombie, I say.

10. During our last interview, you mentioned of naming the band after a song demo, named Coffin Carousel will we ever hear said song your band was named after?

HVN: Oh yes, you have a good memory! I have in fact already released that song which was originally titled Coffin Carousel. The song was on the debut EP Fiend [2015]. The song is Here To Betray. It’s a killer song! Very raw, but an important and necessary demo process for a cool band name to be born from.

11. How would you say this sophomore album compares and contrasts from your debut last album?

HVN: There is a more bold attitude for FMCS in my vocal performance, lyrics and production. Working with Julian Renzo to mix the album was awesome as I have known him for years and he knows all the bands and styles I like as he has similar tastes. I got to spend time in the studio with him making choices on sounds and parts of the songs. He also introduced me to a friend of his Daphne Vargas who helped me create the album skit tracks at her studio that feature on the album, just like on 90's rap albums, she later ended up singing backing vocals on most of the songs as well as contributing her own lead parts, she was a great inspiration for me to want to make the songs extra special and adding new elements to the band’s sound. Daphne introduced R&B vocal styles and played a big part helping an urban feel come to light with the songs along with classic horror sounds and orchestral parts I had built for the album. Contrast is huge, the coolness factor came more to light along with FMCS having a unique and original sound overall. I also nailed the Belinda Carlisle cover song Leave A Light On…It is the tea.

12. What other sort of plans of havoc does the band have in-store for the remainder of 2019?

HVN: I am looking forward to getting out and playing the new songs live and stepping up the bands live show when possible to the way I have always wanted it to be working with independent budgets. I have a good crew coming together in the background which all enjoy and share a kindred liking to horror in music and what the band stands for and represents. I will do one more music video for this album down the line, maybe in 2019 once the ideas have more time to progress.

13. Would you like to add or say anything more?

HVN: Only that I would like fans and newcomers discovering Coffin Carousel to spend one hour of their 2019 and listen to FMCS start to end and let themselves get lost in the album, remember to dream, imagine and enjoy that there is a band called Coffin Carousel that has stayed true to its direction and passion for creepy cool rock music with the intention of longevity. Oh, and stay awesome to yourself and others please.
12:00 PM
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Coffin Carousel has the perfect way to describe themselves it goes as far as saying that they are too heavy for punk, not brutal for metal, and too many hooks for rock, with being too original for pop. So what genre are they actually well horror punk rock of course! Indeed Coffin Carousel's horror infused style takes the likes of the horror genre, except above the rest and others who have done it prior. These guys have got it all under wraps in terms of horrifying the listeners with their musical approach and appeal, in the shape and form that is their album "Between Death & Dead". Frontman vocalist, guitarist, and song writer Howard Von Noise, discloses the details of this album, it's accompanying singles and video choices, to the other plans of mayhem that these guys plan to embellish.


1. What role do you play in the band?

HVN: I am the vocalist, guitarist and songwriter.

2. Why go with a band name like Coffin Carousel? How is a coffin a carousel?

HVN: The band name Coffin Carousel came from an early song demo working title. I give random names to all the demos I work on so I know what song is what…I had another band name in mind at the time early on, but one day I was opening my Pro Tools sessions to work on my demos and saw a song with working title ‘Coffin Carousel’. For some reason it just popped out to me that day and I thought it was a great original name with a negative/positive connotation to it. It had a spooky/kooky feel to it also and felt a perfect fit to the sound of the demos. A Coffin Carousel could paint the picture how we are all spinning on this planet which is the Carousel…a ride, and the Coffin is the reminder that life is short and that we all pass over to the other side at some time to leave this planet, a death. So I guess this could be a planet in that perspective as a massive Coffin Carousel…hope that makes sense. But really, it just sounded cool and felt right for the music I was writing.

3. What has influenced your sound and style?

HVN: Mainly 90s heavy music, Roadrunner bands that broke big like Fear Factory & Machine Head. Metallica’s Black Album, the Misfits albums ‘American Psycho’ & ‘Famous Monsters’, Nirvana and Foo Fighters, Korn, Slayer, Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. Anything breaking and original caught my attention growing up and discovering music early on.

4. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)

HVN: Initially I write songs from an experience or a perspective from an experience I would like to share or just release from my mind. I like to have a positive undertone but sometimes getting to the positive you have to deal with the negative. I mainly sing about a time or the feeling I went through that I feel can be shared to help someone else maybe experiencing that simular feeling or going through something simular and guide them to see and feel positive about themselves. There has been some lyrics I wrote initially not really understanding the meaning myself but have come to later find an understanding maybe I was meant to understand later in life. Some songs also don’t really have a certain meaning, I just put parts of lyrics from songs that didn’t make it past the demo stage into one song and it sometimes finds its own meaning.

5. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)

HVN: I always start with guitar riff ideas or a groove that pops in my head. I build up the song musically first with the guitars building the chord progressions and locking down an awesome chorus. In the demo stage I program some basic drum beats out in Pro Tools to build up all the song accents that work with the guitar riffs and map out the song. Then I demo in the bass guitar to bridge the guitars and notes in to sync with the drums to strengthen up the rhythm section. Once I have a song working I write vocal melodies and then the lyrics just flow out once the melodies are in place for me. Once everything is working and sounds right I just keep listening to the song to feel if anything pops out like sounds, extra guitar parts or other parts that can be added to make the song feel more complete and ready to record.

6. How would you describe your style of horror punk rock to someone, because it is not like your typical horror punk style is it not?

HVN: Well the Coffin Carousel has undertones of Horror Punk. It’s not totally horror punk, I wouldn’t call it that either. I have always labelled the band’s sound as ‘Doom Pop’. Because the sound is thick and heavy like a doom band but is also filled with pop vocal melodies and sounds. The band’s sound is not brutal for metal and it’s way too heavy for punk so it doesn’t sit in either genre to me. I like to infuse horror sounds and soundscapes so that’s what maybe gives the band’s sound a slight horror punk feel. But I just like writing dark heavy music mashing punk, rock and metal together and writing well written songs for the spooky kids…Same way Tim Burton makes movies for the spooky kids.

7. Why did you go with the three songs that you did in terms of releasing them into singles and or videos off "Between Death and Dead"?

HVN: Well ‘Majestic’ was a great action packed heavy hitter hard-core punk anthem with a furious song structure. I wanted to have it known that this album meant business and that it was not anything like the previous material that the band had released. ‘The Crawler’ was another choice as it was a hard hitting exciting song with some fast grooves and catchy vocals, I felt ‘The Crawler’ would open up listeners to the new material to be a step up again vocally. ‘Skull Candy’ is a great groove monster with a super catchy chorus and the song feeling is huge overall showcasing a bit more of the heavy modern rock element over ‘Majestic’ and ‘The Crawler’. 

8. Your upcoming album "Between Death and Dead" will receive the Friday the 13th treatment and release, did you do this on purpose once finding out about said date?

HVN: Absolutely! For a horror influenced punk/rock/metal album release what better date to have it drop that Friday 13th. As soon as I saw there was a Friday 13th in October it just had to happen this year. Or wait it out till April 13th 2018.

9. What is your thoughts and opinions of the Friday the 13th day, do you believe in it or just like it, what makes it appealing to you guys?

HVN: It’s just all fun and for the horror element for me. It’s just another day really. I believe we all create our own experiences and reality so if it’s an unlucky day for some, maybe they just need to create a positive day for themselves.

10. What is your favorite and least favorite song off "Between Death and Dead"?

HVN: My favourite song is ‘Beyond The Plague’ and least would be the cover song ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ only for the fact it didn’t quite turn out how I was planning it would, but I finished it off anyway and added it as a bonus track for fun. I released it mainly because a good friend said I was being over critical with myself and people would like it. It’s a secret/hidden track on the deluxe edition CD/DVD for that reason as well.

11. What can the fans expect from the new album?

HVN: I hope fans can hear the song development style progression and music growth. I spent a lot of time to make sure the songs sounded the best they could so I just hope people enjoy listening to them. Fans can expect catchier songs, faster songs, heavier songs and more excitement in the band’s sound. There is an energy and fury amongst the songs which sounds new to the band which will come across new sounding overall weighting up against previous releases.

12. What was the writing and recording process like for the album?

HNV: I started demoing songs for the album in 2012 and spent two years working on 22x songs. I had a good friend record all the drums for me for those 22x songs in early 2014 and I spent the next two years again finishing off all the guitars, bass guitar and vocals at certain points that I had time and the budget available to complete everything. I spent the second half of 2016 mixing with Neil Kernon. He would mix the songs at his studio and send me bounces of each song via file transfer to make notes on till we got them all sounding right. I took a good 3-4 months to mix with that process but it was great to be able to work with Neil Kernon again and have him mix the album. He really listened and understood what I wanted to capture with the Coffin Carousel mixes and lifted the band’s sound to a new level with the album mixes. Alan Douches mastered the album late 2016 and I sat on the album for about eight months to try plan the best way to release it. 

13. Why do you think people should check out your new album once released?

HVN: It’s original and sounds nothing like anything else out there musically atm. It’s completely fresh and full of passion and energy that I believe will give music fans an exciting and fun time listening to it. If heavy music fans can just take 45 mins out of their lives this October to check it out and listen to it from start to finish that would mean so much to me as an artist.

14. How would you say you differ from other bands and artists on the scene?

HVN: Well the band has a unique sound and I didn’t want Coffin Carousel to sound like any other band. I saw a quote from Phil Anselmo years ago that he suggested new bands take their favourite 40x bands and make their band’s sound reflect the influence from all 40x bands and that would give every band their own sound…I couldn’t agree more, I am not influenced by just 2 or 3 bands, creating a band like that wouldn’t give it an original sound…I listen to so many sub genres of heavy music, punk, rock and metal that Between Death & Dead is one massive cooking pot of sounds I love and heavy music elements I want to keep alive with the band’s music and make it stand out as a special album that is original and has positive purpose lyrically and lasts the test of time. 

15. What does the rest of this year have in-store for you?

HVN: Getting Coffin Carousel out playing on the live scene here in Australia to support the album release before looking at dates internationally and travelling to either Europe or the U.S. I have another 3x music videos planned for the album post release that I want to start filming soon also which will keep me very busy for the rest of 2017 for sure.
8:45 AM
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Melbourne Australia’s spooky, adrenaline-infused horror-punk rockers Coffin Carousel have released their new single entitled ‘The Crawler’. The Crawler is the third single from the band’s eighteen track full-length album Between Death & Dead, which will see a global release on October 13, 2017. location.

“Filming the music video for The Crawler was so much fun! The video captures our current live show in all its essence, along with the high energy of the song itself”, says front man Howard Von Noise. “We filmed The Crawler on the same stage that Coffin Carousel opened up for the Misfits on… there was an excitement left on that stage which I wanted to capture and film while performing. I want people to feel and see how the band feels live while also incorporating the bands undertone and horror imagery, and with The Crawler, I do believe we have accomplished that!”

In support of their new single, they have also released a new video which may be viewed HERE.
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