Stay Tuned: December 2022

For December’s Stay Tuned, PATTERN had the chance to sit down with Salivus, a thrash metal band from Monticello, Indiana. From ass-kicking intensity, face-melting riffs, or a word on unethical systems, Salivus has you covered. We had the chance to sit down with the band and chat all things Salivus: their first demo tape, where they have been, and where they are going.

Rose Clark: Tell us about your respective musical backgrounds.

Mason Hartless: I started drumming when I was in middle school, and I was in a couple of punk bands until I graduated. I got into the hardcore scene in Louisville. I was in a band called Screaming in Anguish for a while. We played a lot of shows and it was a lot of fun, but it didn’t work out. I saw that Salivus needed a drummer because I was friends with Jordan in high school. Now, here I am.

Alex Oliver: This is my first project, a metal band. Before this, I hadn’t done anything. I just wanted to start something. Before that, I was in the high school marching band, concert, and jazz band.

Jordan Houchen: This is my first project as well. I started playing piano and drums when I was in eighth grade. Then, in freshman year, I picked up a guitar. That’s where I met the drummer here, Mason, in band class. We talked a lot about Pantera.

Jacob Oliver: I started making music in sixth grade. I played the trombone, then switched to saxophone. During that time, I picked up the bass guitar. I’ve always dreamed about being in a band and playing in shows but didn’t think it ever would materialize into anything. But here I am!

RC: How did you all meet?

AO: I started the band in 2019 with a couple of other guys that I was in the high school band with. We switched between different guitarists, then we got Jordan. We didn’t have a bassist for a long time. Mason was sourced through Jordan, and he fell in with us. Jacob and I are brothers, so I knew he played bass.

RC: So, tell me about the playlist you all curated. What’s the mood?

MH: The playlist is created based on the idea of getting people into metal. because there’s this [resurgence] going on where “Master of Puppets” is blowing up and heavier acts are making it into the mainstream. There’s a resurgence of classic genres, like [hard rock] with Greta Van Fleet. They are borrowing from that Led Zeppelin sound and we’re trying to follow that up with classic [thrash metal] sounds. We’ve put together this playlist that will take you from pop-punk—like Olivia Rodrigo—down to just the heaviest, stinkiest thing we could think of. That’s the idea, the mood of the playlist. It gets deeper and deeper, and the rabbit hole just gets scarier.

RC: That’s cool! This playlist is very immersive. What should you be doing while listening to it?

MH: Can I say stuffing someone into a locker?

AO: Perhaps writing a 24-page dissertation on the ethicality of capital punishment.

JH: Fighting somebody.

JO: Pumping iron.

RC: What other artists in Indiana or beyond are you excited about right now?

AO: Aviator is a local band from Cincinnati, Ohio. Aviator is a thrash band similar to ours, but they’re not quite as heavy. They are the classic thrash sound like Metallica. There is also another local band, Crisis, they’re up and coming. Crisis is purely Metallica and Megadeth-inspired. They haven’t made any originals yet, but they’re starting to create themselves.

RC: What part of your music are you particularly proud of?

AO: In terms of the demo, I couldn’t pick one part I’m particularly proud of. I love every single one of them. They’re all our songs, you know? And right now, I don’t have anything else to compare it to. I’m super proud of what it is and what we’ve made.

MH: I’ve been involved with a few other bands, but Salivus has been the most exciting for me. I’ve recorded demos with other bands, and none of it even sees the internet because we don’t like the way it sounds. But since we recorded the tracks with Salivus, I’ve been listening to the unmixed songs thinking, “We’ve got something here!” I’m super excited for everybody to hear. I’m really proud of what’s going to be out there. I can’t wait to make something work with it.

RC: Is there anything else that we should know about your band?

AO: We’ve been sourcing venues to play at, and we’re making long-term and short-term roadmaps and goals. We just want to keep creating our performative chemistry. We’re gonna go crazy. That is the goal—play as many shows as possible as soon as this demo comes out. And in the meantime, in a long-term sense, we’re sending this demo to all the labels we can think of. 

RC: When will your band’s first demo be available?

AO: Our demo, Monticello Mayhem, is available now. You can stream on all platforms.

RC: What sets you apart from others, and why should people listen to you?

MH: The current circumstances of metal as a whole and its relationship to mainstream music, combined with our mix of influences, we think we have a chance to ride some kind of wave. There’s so much resurgence for classic music right now. I mentioned previously [that] Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet, and other hard rock bands are making it onto the radio station. Even “Master of Puppets” just blew up on Stranger Things. There’s this inclination [towards] thrash metal that I’d like to take advantage of, and we’ve got this mix of influences from the underground that involves this creepy, dry, stinky, nasty metal that the longtime metalheads are going to appreciate. Alex and the guys know everything about classic thrash and the ins and outs, and we’re all familiar with it. What we’re hoping is that all these influences will come together in a way that’s accessible for somebody that isn’t well-versed in metal just yet. But we’ll also hit the ear of a seasoned metalhead and give them and the rest of our audience something to chew on.