METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello Megan. So glad to be catching up with you. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us here at Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it. How are you? How are things going for you this year?
MEGAN ORVOLD: Great! So busy!
MPAP: Before we talk about your new release, The Ascension that was released August 17th, 2017, give us a breakdown about your band, and what a new fan can expect you they hear your music for the first time, and see one of your shows live for the first time?
MEGAN: Hmmm... a breakdown of the band... heavy, horror-influenced and high energy, always. We pride ourselves on our energetic stage show and brutality.
MPAP: Some might not know this, but you joined the band in 2017. So, this is your first release with Casket Robbery, correct?
MEGAN: Correct.
MPAP: How soon after you joined Casket Robbery did you start working on and recording The Ascension?
MEGAN: Actually, immediately. There was a month-long tour planned four months later and it was super important we put out something that had me on vocals. We went to work right away and had a blast with The Ascension. Haha, and by 'blast', I mean a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.
MPAP: Here is a line taken from Casket Robbery’s Facebook page, 'Take a deep breath. Your unrelenting nightmare has just begun.' You can say that sums up what The Ascension and even what Casket Robbery is all about, correct?
MEGAN: Oh, absolutely. All of us are heavily influenced by horror movies and I think that comes through in not only the lyrics, but the music itself. You won’t find yourself getting stagnant listening to us, it’s a punch in the face that doesn’t stop.
MPAP: Now let’s talk about The Ascension. It’s brutal, fierce, and the only thing it lacks is more. It clocks in at just under 11 minutes of relentless aggression. Tell us how your feelings about it now that it’s out and the dust has settled? Was it a lot of blood, sweat, and tears?
MEGAN: So much! Haha, we knew as soon as I jumped onboard that we needed to get an EP out, and quickly. The tour was fast approaching, and we wanted something to show with me being the new vocalist. Vocally, it was my first ascent into all harsh-vocals and I really had a lot of fun with the lyrical content as well as pushing my vocals to new limits. An EP was the perfect fit, timewise for us to achieve that goal. Its short, yes...but shows the new 'direction' and my vocal ability.
MPAP: Take us back to when you were writing the songs "Pockets Lined With Flowers," "The Ascension," and "Lilith"? What was going on in your head when you were writing the lyrics?
MEGAN: This was all new territory to me. I knew that Casket was heavily influenced by horror and extremely brutal, so I just did what came natural to me regarding the lyrics. "Pockets Lined With Flowers" was the first song I wrote for it, actually. And being a daycare teacher at the time, my kiddos started singing "Ring Around The Rosie" which immediately made me think of the black plague and well... it just kind of went from there, haha.
MPAP: Casket Robbery was previously fronted by Dustin Foesch, and then you joined taking over vocal duties. What do you feel you bring to the table that the group might have been missing out on before with having Dustin as the front man?
MEGAN: Dustin was a great front man and lyricist for Casket. He brought his strengths to the table and I think that I bring my own both vocally, creatively, and visually.
MPAP: This had to be exciting, explain what you felt when after The Ascension was released and your band caught the attention of Thom Hazaert and David Ellefson and Casket Robbery were included on their Combat Records Bullets Vol. 1 sampler? Those are some big names to take notice of your band, don’t you think?
MEGAN: Oh, absolutely. We are so thankful to everyone at EMP and Combat Records to be included on their sample, they’re great people!
MPAP: Let’s go back to what the only thing The Ascension lacks; more of. Was there a reason why it was so short and sweet?
MEGAN: Absolutely! Like mentioned, I jumped onboard four months before a month-long tour. We thought it was super important to release new music with me as the vocalist to have ready for tour so we really locked down and thought that an EP would be our best bet to give everyone a taste of the 'new' Casket.
MPAP: When can you quench all your fans thirst with some new Casket Robbery music? Have you been working on anything you can announce here?
MEGAN: So soon. We will be releasing the video for our new single "From Hell" on June 18th, the single itself will be available July 12. The rest of the album is coming along very nicely, we all cannot wait to get it finished!
MPAP: Anything up your sleeves on how the new music might sound?
MEGAN: One takeaway we got from a lot of reviews on The Ascension EP was that the music was evolving. You’re going to get your same, horror-centric, brutal, Casket... but an evolution of that. We have a fantastic new drummer, Alex Simpson, that brings so much to the table, along with all of us just evolving in our sound. Heavy, Brutal, Melodic, Groovy, In- your-face. I hate subgenre labels, but its definitely Casket, but we’ve evolved.
MPAP: Before we bring this interview to a close, what are some of your favorite songs from Casket Robbery’s catalog before you joined that you like to sing and perform live?
MEGAN: "Blood Bathory" will always be a song from the old catalog that I adore playing live, along with "Milwaukee Massacre," and "Curse Of The Nightstalker," which I am actually a part of. I am the clean vocals in the chorus.
MPAP: Would you ever want to re-record some of those songs with your vocals, or is it best to keep moving forward and just create new music together?
MEGAN: I think those songs are great, super fun to play live, and definitely help me connect with the old school Casket fans, but I am definitely looking forward to moving towards the future and creating new music!
MPAP: On behalf of myself, and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you, Megan, for doing this interview. Any last words you’d like to say to everyone out there reading this?
MEGAN: Thank you so much to all of our fans, we couldn’t be where we are right now without all of your constant support. I have loved getting to know all of you and I cannot wait for
you to hear this new album!
©JC Dunst Photography
Casket Robbery- From Hell (Official Music Video)
Megan Orvold/ June 19th, 2019/ Interview #150
