Sunday is notorious for various things: going to church, catching up on homework you should have been doing all weekend and, of course, suffering a serious hangover from the excess of the night before. The latter is what the dear boys from the Irish/Canadian metal band Chosen could deal with quite often on their upcoming Canadian tour. But it’s not really all boozing and partying for these men of metal as they present through their stories a saga of hard work and dedication to their craft. With Irish charm and new-found Canadian connections, the boys share an international tale of metal, friendship and world domination.
In their pursuit of world domination the group has turned to the Internet to spread the word of their band, as well as to recruit their current lead singer, John Matter. Through Facebook, Myspace and their own website, Chosen utilizes all the interactive resources at their disposal to spread the word about their music.
“Its monotonous at times,” drummer David McCann says. “You come home and you’re tired and you want to relax, but you know that spare time has to be used to spread the message. It’s something more and more bands have to do. It’s a big world out there.”
All the hard work has started to pay off as the hits on Myspace keep growing and well-deserved notoriety has begun to follow Chosen.
On Chosen’s various websites, the tour is the main focus, with constant blogging and chatting dedicated to the excitement of embarking across Canada.
“We are really looking forward to touring the country with Johnny as our tour guide,” McCann says. “I know the rest of Canada will be just as great as Vancouver.”
So what can you expect when you experience the full effect of a Chosen performance? According to McCann, hard work and authenticity.
“We are authentic through and through,” he says. “If you don’t look like you’re enjoying it then no one else will. You can’t just get up there and stare at your shoelaces.”
The driving force of their on stage show is their frontman who they describe as highly motivated on stage, interacting with the crowd.
“It’s a slightly different flavour,” McCann says. “We love talking to other bands and the people in the crowd after the show. That’s the great thing about metal. It doesn’t really matter what you look like, it was about rebelling when it started and not conforming to a certain image.”
Chosen has been classified as extreme metal, even leaning towards the more specific category of death metal. While many bands within the metal community find the acute categorization of metal frustrating, Chosen understands why it’s necessary.
“It’s such a wide genre that it’s useful to categorize,” McCann explains. “It doesn’t frustrate us because to us it is all metal.”
The band’s other undeniable love, Vancouver, which has adopted them with open arms, comes through easily.
“It is so diverse here with so many different incredible types of music and bands,” McCann says. “We really landed on our feet here playing to really decent crowds. I hope it’s the same on tour.”
One aspect of Vancouver that has been particularly special to Chosen has been especially influential for the metal scene: the infamous bar, Cobalt. This has become a source of community and a home for Chosen and many metal bands in Vancouver, and with rumours flowing that it will be shut down, McCann shows obvious concern.
“Every city has that one special spot,” he says. “If they shut down the Cobalt, they will lose the heart of the metal scene in Vancouver. We have played some killer shows there and the space is incredible.”
After the cross-Canada adventure, the boys are returning to their native Ireland to bring their sound, and Matter, to the Motherland.
“We are really excited to bring Johnny over,” McCann says. “We will be recording our album. It feels like we have been carrying a cross with us for a while now and we are ready to show the fruits of our labors. We’re really excited to get everything together.”
So what does the future hold for Chosen? According to McCann, making their music known worldwide.
“It’s a big world and it’s all about spreading the word,” he says. “I mean what’s the point of doing this if you’re not going to share it with anyone and keep it to yourself?”