Inimical Drive Discuss New Single "Victim" + More
Photo Credit: Danny Tilson
St. Louis heavy metal/rock band Inimical Drive recently dropped their latest single Victim which was co-written, produced, and mixed by Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz of the band Bad Wolves. This is the first single since they released last year’s EP From Solitude, marking a powerful return. I got the chance to chat with vocalist Joel Colby to talk over the new release, music, touring, and more.
It’s a pleasure to speak with you again Joel, it’s been 4 years since our last interview with No Echo when we talked about your EP Enemy. You guys recently dropped your latest single Victim after last year's EP From Solitude. Tell our readers about the future of the band and when can fans expect more music?
We are heading back into the studio to continue writing what will become the next EP. We hope to have a new single ready Midsummer. We have five more tracks that we have begun and are leaning into one or two of them as that single.
What was it like to work with Daniel "DL" Laskiewicz of Bad Wolves for the single Victim? How did you end up working together?
Working with DL was incredible. The guy is just extremely talented at his craft and can do it all. We had the opportunity to tour with Bad Wolves last summer and made the connection that DL was looking to produce and write so it seemed like the perfect time to seize the opportunity for us. We had been sending him demos and once we got in the studio, we all decided to collaborate on something fresh and new and wrote victim from scratch, the energy was high, and we all came out of the experience, knowing that we had done something great.
What made each of you decide to get together and create music? What is it about music that makes you feel passionate? What would you be doing if it weren’t for the success of your band?
We were a garage band and just enjoyed getting together to jam and see if we could write songs that people would connect with. It was really more that we had a bunch of friends that would show up and just want to be a part of it. We’ve been doing that ever since it just so happens that it connects on a bigger level now.
We all have day jobs at the moment and make the music work along side of that. It’s a lot to manage, but it’s just what we do. I look forward to the day that the music could pay the bills and go full-time.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
Personally, I love being in the studio as much as I do performing live. The creation of it all is what gets me excited because it seems to always get better and remind me that the limits are endless when you are continuing to put your energy into something. My least favorite part is probably having to manage, this world of social media. I love having the ability to put content out and create and connect with people, but it is ever changing across so many platforms that it becomes a full-time job just trying to show people what you actually love to do. I am extroverted in so many ways, but truly an introvert when it comes to my art. I never did this with the intention of putting myself out there and now it has taken the front spotlight. Being around before social media was a thing makes it a little more difficult to want to put yourself out there to be so vulnerable.
Who Is your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
I don’t think for me there is one top person. Every step of the way we seem to connect with somebody who is just right for what we are doing at that time. I was personally a fan of Bad Wolves and absolutely loved what DL brought to that group. to have the opportunity to tour with them and get to know Daniel, and eventually be able to collaborate and write with him as just another example of it continuing to fulfill some experiences for me.
Tell me about your favorite performance in your career and do you have a favorite venue?
No experience is necessarily topping another one for me. The dingy dive bars all the way to the big festivals all hold a special place for me. I tell everyone that these experiences will never be wasted on me. There is nostalgia with where we started and having the opportunity to play some venues early on like Pops in Sauget, Illinois, and the old creepy crawl in downtown St. Louis are just examples of legendary venues in our area that established what we are doing today. Then there is The Viper Room in Hollywood that was sort of a bucket list that came about accidentally. I can forever say that playing a show at The Viper with an after party at The Rainbow was a highlight.
Describe your worst performance. What did you learn from this experience?
There’s probably a few along the way that we would like to erase from our memories and most of it attributed to too many shots and more focus on The Party than the performance. Again, though I don’t take anything back. We’ve always had a mentality and partied our way through a lot of great shows lol.
What's the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
Keep going.
Do you follow a process or ritual before a performance to get rid of nerves or performance anxiety?
This has become some thing that was not a thing before and is definitely there for me now. I have to have my meals planned in accordance with the timing of the set, my warm-ups and I need to get my heart rate up in order to not have that spike before I go on. It’s not anxiety as much as it is controlling the energy. Mindfulness day of show is extremely important to me.
Lastly, what are your plans for the rest of the year as a band? Any tour dates?
We are booking this year and next year we hope to have our busiest year yet riding off the wave of Victim and the upcoming new singles. No signs of letting up now!
"Victim" isn't just a song; it's a phoenix rising from the ashes of adversity, a roaring testament to the unbreakable human will. Vocalist Joel Colby channels his own trials, failures, and successes into the song’s lyrics, drawing from his vulnerability and resilience, which flow through every person who refuses to be defined by their struggles. I have been inspired by so many people around me who have faced adversity and choose to overcome rather than succumb to victimhood."
- Joel Colby
Through its stirring lyrics and powerful melodies, Victim is a rallying cry for those navigating life's challenges, this is certainly a single many could connect with and I can’t wait to see what these guys do next.
