So hello everybody, we're here today with Patrick from the band Drouth. How's it going?
Good. Thanks for having me.

Oh, thank you for being here. So let's talk about the band first. How would you describe your music to someone who has never listened to you?
Yeah, so we're playing a style of black metal, death metal… I guess it has a lot of emotion behind it. It’s very personal, very cathartic. We try to be extreme in some ways, but mostly we’re making music for ourselves - the music we want to hear. We’re all big fans of progressive, abrasive death metal and black metal, so we're trying to do something along those lines, something that naturally comes out when we play together. So yeah - blackened death metal, as fast as we can go.

That's great. When the band started, you had another name?
Yeah, so before I joined the band, they were called Contempt. I was asked to come play drums, went to one of their shows, saw them live, and I was blown away by Matt Stikker’s performance. He’s incredible live - like a force. I was like, “Okay, yeah, we can definitely do this.” They were a bit more on the doom metal/crust side back then, which I do enjoy, but I like pushing myself. I’m a big grindcore, death metal, and black metal fan, so we wanted to go more in that direction - weird time signatures, longer songs, getting as weird as we could. And the name Contempt was already taken by a band from the UK who seemed pretty established back in the 80s or 90s. We didn’t want to step on their toes or show up as “the death metal guys.” So we figured out a new name, new direction, and new sound.

What does the name Drouth mean to you?
It’s hard to name bands these days. With the Internet, everything already exists, or a band had one record 20 years ago but still takes the name. So “Drouth” came up - it’s an older term meaning drought, or even thirst. We liked the apocalyptic idea of lacking sustenance. To me it’s bleak, but it also has its own sound, so I liked it.

So the name evolved, and so did the band. You were talking about the punk rock roots. How do you think your music evolved from the beginning to now?
We put out a demo, Vast Loathsome, and it still had some punk rock, post-punk, and doom vibes - which I enjoy. There was a time when I really wanted to push things. I wanted to play extreme metal - constant blast beats, weird time signatures, pushing everything. I had a meeting with Matt and said I wanted to put everything into a band I was already in instead of starting a new one, and asked if he wanted to take Drouth in that direction. That’s when we wrote the songs on Knives, Labyrinths, Mirrors. Since then, the pendulum swings between the extreme/obscure side and more traditional songwriting. We’re always trying to balance that.

What are your main influences? Musical or not.
For me, a lot comes from other media. I like to read - mythology, sci-fi. I like exploring how humanity might progress, how things could accelerate, and nowadays things are accelerating. There’s a lot of angst. We love nature; we don’t like seeing the collapse. We’re disappointed with humanity because we could be doing better - we’re smart creatures but held back by greed. So a lot of frustration goes into the music. That’s why I make this music: it’s a release.

And you come from Portland. It’s a city with a strong underground scene. How has the local scene shaped you?
We’re definitely lucky. I grew up on an island in Alaska until I was 18, then moved to Seattle, which I loved, and then to Portland. Portland is amazing for music. You go to the store and run into incredible musicians - the drummer of Red Fang, or guys from bands you’ve known for years. There are so many great players. As a drummer, I love pushing myself, and there are so many incredible drummers to learn from. It’s a really good community. I feel lucky to be here.

And if you could collaborate with any musician, metal or not, who would it be?
Oh man… do they have to be alive? No? Well, that’s tough. Björk comes to mind. I’m a huge David Bowie fan too. It’s hard to idealize people because of their faults or allegations or whatever, so it’s more about the style and the feeling. I love artsy, boundary-pushing stuff. I love storytelling. Something like that would be really cool.

Your new album, The Teeth of Time, will be out in May. Can you describe it in one word?
In one word? … Satan. [laughs] No, I’m kidding. Let’s see… I’m not the word guy - the dumb drummer! Matt has a literature degree; he’s the genius. But… I’m thinking of “petrichor,” the smell of rain on the earth - revitalizing, but tied to decay, and in the decay there’s life.

And for now, we’ve listened to “False Grail,” which opens this new era. Why did you choose it?
It hits really hard right away. Some songs have intros or start with riffs, but this one just comes in immediately - pounding drums and guitars. It has a lot of variety: death metal, black metal, and a big doom section toward the end. We wanted to showcase all of that. It was also the last song we wrote, so it felt the most current - some of the other songs were written during COVID lockdown when motivation was hard to find. False Grail came together really quickly and felt like the current version of us.

The title The Teeth of Time is evocative - it suggests time tearing through life. Was that your intention?
I guess so. Matt does everything - I trust him completely and love his style. A lot comes from his mind. But once art is written down, it belongs to everyone. My interpretation is that the grinding teeth of time break everything down. Nothing can conquer what’s coming. That wall is always incoming; we’re all on that path.

And can you talk a bit about the artwork?
Matt is a madman. He does illustration professionally - he’s done album covers, shirts for Metallica, Magic: The Gathering cards, Power Trip covers… all sorts of stuff. When he makes art for the band, I always tell him he can keep it simple - we’re just trying not to burn out. And then he draws this thing that takes 100 hours. The piece is like 30x30, all hand-drawn. It’s a testament to effort, to the Sisyphus mythology - doing the work for its own sake. He finds peace in the work. There’s a lot in the art - chaos, symbolism, lyrical concepts. Zoom in anywhere and there’s something. It also feels like a big “fuck you” to people using AI art and taking the easy route. That’s not why we do this. We want effort, pushing yourself. That’s where the joy is.

And your frontman does a lot in the band. Is it complicated to work with him in the studio?
No, not really. We delegate responsibilities well and trust each other. You hire the right person because you like their work, and then you let them do it. He’s a powerhouse - vocals, guitars, solos. He’s in the studio the longest. I just try to make it easy for him and be supportive.

The band had lineup changes over the years, but now it seems perfect. There’s trust and admiration.
Absolutely. Matt and I have been together for 10 years. Being in a band is hard - we practice twice a week. I love being in the practice studio; I just love playing drums. But it’s a big time commitment - everyone has jobs, families. I feel lucky to be with musicians of this caliber and character. And touring - you really need to trust each other. Being stuck in a car as adults is hard. But I feel lucky - no bad characters. We want to keep it going as long as possible.

Did you change anything in the writing or recording process for this album compared to the others?
This was really cool - we got to record with Billy Anderson. We’ve been friends for a long time. He recorded Neurosis, the Melvins, Mr. Bungle… He’s everywhere. As for writing, it was similar, but this album is definitely our COVID album. We didn’t know what was happening in the world, if music would continue, if shows would come back. Motivation was tough. I’m excited for the next one to be more cohesive and a clearer capture of this moment for us.

Was there a song that was challenging to write or record?
We have a couple long songs with nonstop blast beats and double bass, so as a drummer it’s intense. I write them to push myself, then forget I have to play them all. Through a Glass Darkly is one of my favorites - 10 minutes long, constant blast beats, time signature changes from 7 back to 6. Switching your brain at high speed is tough. But I love the song - there’s a lot of variety of the progressive death/black metal I love.

I love that you played with the album title in the music - the lyrics, the artwork, even the time changes.
Thank you. Things just come together like that. We share a lot of the same influences, so it stays cohesive.

Your label Eternal Warfare Records has a strong underground reputation. How did this collaboration influence the album?
It’s been a long time coming. Nate has been a good friend, almost like a secret member of the band. We recorded our first demo at the Burial Grounds in Salem, where a lot of those guys - Mizmor, Mania, Hell, Blood Incantation, Unto Others - have ties. Really cool scene. We were going to self-release, but teaming up with Nate was perfect.

If your album were a movie soundtrack, what kind of movie would it be?
Some kind of horror sci-fi. Riots in the streets of a futuristic city, frantic running, chasing, trying to survive. Fast and action-packed - lots of chase scenes. Or maybe a weird video game, like a Dark Souls game.

Do you already have plans for touring after the release?
Yeah, we have a couple Northwest dates - Portland, Seattle. Then a three-week tour to California, Texas, Chicago, and back. Touring in the US from the Northwest is tough - 8 to 12 hour drives. But we’re excited. We love small towns and seeing long-time friends.

I hope to see you in Europe one day!
That’s the goal! We’d love to come. It seems like you need to get invited. I toured Europe a lot last year - it was really cool. I feel people in Europe love music in a different way. We don’t have festivals like you do. If I could do it again, I might have moved to Europe in my twenties.

What country would you have chosen?
I’m not sure. The love for music is so different. In the US people like what’s on TV - what’s commercial. In Europe people genuinely love metal. Germany comes to mind for all the festivals, but I don’t know if I’d personally fit. Leipzig is really cool. But the grass is always greener - there are problems everywhere.

Do you have a message for your fans and listeners?
Create. Keep creating art. Set alarms, set calendars, show up to practice. Respect people’s time. Practice - that’s the beauty of it. Playing drums feels like a martial art. If you’re not a musician, still create. Don’t be discouraged by people being better than you. Creating for the sake of creating is important.

Thank you so much for giving us some time today!
Thank you!