MAMMOTHOR – AN INTERVIEW WITH TRAVIS LOWELL

By Ralph Beauchamp

Travis Lowell is an exceptional singer and entertainer. His charisma is contagious. Fronting Boston’s hard rockers, Mammothor, Lowell brings hi-energy and a special dynamic to their music. Alongside Lowell are dual guitarists, Josh Johnson and Alex Muss. Bassist, Lori Gangi and drummer Euz Azevedo round out the ensemble. Their sound is a mixture of hard rock and alt metal. Mammothor‘s groove carries a sonic impression of incredible proportions. While hitting on all cylinders, they still keep it melodic and accessible. The guitars scream with a volatile intensity while Gangi’s bass powers the backbeat. Azevedo’s percussions pound with a ferocious depth. Mammothor plainly cranks.

Mammothor has progressed with each album release, developing their sound throughout the years, and consistently improving both their live performance and their album production. Their 2014 debut album, Tyrannicide, showcased the band’s heavy blues side while their 2021 release, The Ecstasy of Silence…The Agony of Dreams exhibited their harder yet cinematic leanings. Mammothor‘s latest full length, Lies By Omission, delivers their strongest material yet.

For The Ecstasy of Silence…The Agony of Dreams, the band enlisted the assistance of Kevin Billingslea (Lamb of God) and Will Holland (Fallout Boy) for recording/co-production and Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Queensryche, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall) for mixing and mastering. Mammothor has once again teamed with Billingslea, Holland, and Zeuss for their latest album, Lies By Omission, with post-production handled by Jake Adkins and Connor Riley (Wake Up Hate).

Travis Lowell was kind enough to sit with AMP for this Informative interview.

AMP: Can you give our readers a brief history of the band?

TRAVIS: Mammothor was formed in 2012. That was before my time in the band. I’ve been involved about 9 years. They started as kind of a heavy blues rock outfit but began to morph into a prog metal entity just as I joined. Through the years, the band began moving in other directions. We shifted towards a more alternative metal/hard rock outlook. The band has done some massive shows and a few national tours. Some of the larger bands we opened for are Megadeth, Godsmack and 3 Days Grace. We have been very fortunate in that aspect. Mammothor is an independent band just trying to do their thing.

We have a new album out entitled Lies By Omission which has two tracks out digitally right now, We have a little bit of an unusual release strategy. One track off the record will be released digitally and then there will be a physical copy available. All the songs will drop in the next year or two. The idea is that by dumping the entire album all at once, you only get a momentary shot of excitement but by stretching it out, you get extended exposure cycles. We used that strategy on our last album and it worked out real well.

AMP: What is your creative process like?

TRAVIS: Most songs come from Josh or Alex’s riffs. Both of them use different processes. Josh likes to come in with a full but very rough demo. Alex likes to get a lot more involved. He will actually write coarse drum and bass parts which can get scrapped later. It’s more work for him but when he approaches us, it’s like a finished product. Then I use what is given me and start working on the vocals. I tend to work on them right away because if you wait to long, you lose that initial feel. It’s a lot of push and pull between all of us just to make sure we are all on the same page.

As the imagery comes together, there is a whole new dynamic. I’ve had times where I’ve begun writing the lyrics and after a while I start to realize what I am writing about. Other times, I come in with a full concept and title which is drastically easier because you have a clearer vision. That’s a fun experience. I love when I see the whole picture, both lyrically and visually.

AMP: Your new re-imagined single of Anthrax’s “Inside Out” is killer. Why did you pick that track to cover?

TRAVIS: We released a previous cover of Ra’s “Do You Call My Name” and it was quite successful for us. It’s a difficult challenge since the groundwork is already laid out by the original artist and you want to make the song your own. I feel we did that successfully. After the accomplishment of the Ra cover, we felt that we should try another.

I was always a fan of Anthrax and “Inside Out”. When I saw the video which had a Twilight Zone theme, I thought it was so cool. So we started playing it out and people began to respond. We started closing our sets with it. So, it was a logical track to record. In addition, we decided to put our own take on the Twilight Zone video.

AMP: Are there any hidden meanings in your songs?

TRAVIS: That’s a great question! Pretty much all of them. Definitely from a lyrical perspective. I really enjoy words that have multiple meanings. So, if you dig into our lyrics you will find all kinds of imagery. In more than half our songs, you can find several different connotations. It’s fun to play with the English language. One of my favorite lyricists is Eminem because the many ways you can interpret his wording. In numerous ways, I hide little gems in my writing.

AMP: What are some of the band’s inspirations?

TRAVIS: Josh is a big fan of the 90’s sound like Soundgarden. As a whole, we are definitely all inspired by early thrash like Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. We also likes songs with twists and turns. Think Faith No more. Alex is into metalcore like Killswitch Engage. Vocally, I enjoy singers like Mike Patton (Faith No More), Brandon Boyd (Incubus) and Serj Tankian (System Of The Down). I prefer vocals that are unique and singular.

AMP: AMP is based in the Northeast. Do you feel the New England music scene is solid?

TRAVIS: That’s a loaded question. We’ve made a lot of friends around here. Some of the bands are amazing but I’m not sure if there is enough of a scene to give an honest answer. Just a bunch of bands trying to find their way. I may just not be seeing it. We get along with a lot of hard working bands from the area and I really hope a scene does pop up soon.

For example, there is a band called Fifth Freedom. Alan Jones is their vocalist. They’re kind of blues rock with a Black Crowes type of feel. Talk about hard working. They will play anywhere, anytime and don’t ask for much. Trawl is another cool band. We did a few shows with them. Also, Inverter from around here. The bands are here. We just need the people to support them and create a cohesive and nurturing music culture.

AMP: The band tours quite a bit. Any particular tour or gig stand out?

TRAVIS: A whole bunch of them. Sharing the stage with Megadeth was beyond a dream. One of the best venues we ever played is the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. It’s a big room with a natural reverb and echo. So, playing a show there with a band I idolized since I was a kid was amazing. Also, playing in Bangor with Godsmack was another highlight. After our set, I went out in the rain to meet everyone I could in the audience. We made a bunch of new fans that night.

With the release of our new album, we’ve been headlining a lot more. We’re not playing Hampton Beach but we have been selling out decent size rooms. It’s nice since there are no time constraints on our sets. It’s cool not being relegated to 20 or 30 minutes. We can play as much as we like.

AMP: What advice would you give to a band just starting out?

TRAVIS: Don’t!! No, just kidding. The number one thing is to pay attention to the people you play with. Also, pool together a couple of bucks and go into a real studio with an outside producer if you can afford it to record a professional sounding single. In addition, you have to be open to the comments from that outside producer.

AMP: You guys look like you know how to have a good time. What’s the worst trouble the band has been in?

TRAVIS: OH MY! There are things that just can’t be divulged but like everybody says “it wasn’t me” (with a laugh). In reality, nobody has been in real trouble. The current and prior members of the band are pretty much top notch people. The only way to succeed is to be serious minded and we follow that rule.

AMP: What’s next for Mammothor?

TRAVIS: February 1st was the 10th anniversary of the first album, Tyrannicide. We haven’t announced it yet but we are remastering the release with bonus tracks. I was able to get the original singer to join me in the studio to cut a track. We are also trying to put together a “best of” full length with different mixes and more bonus material. Just as a celebration that we have survived this long. Other than that, we are writing new songs and trying to set up some headlining tours.

AMP: Any last words?

TRAVIS: Not the coolest last words but we appreciate the interview. Anybody that is willing to talk to us, we greatly applaud. What keeps us going is the fans. We get emails all the time from people all over the world expressing their love of the band. Those connections are precious.

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