Michael Crafter talks Life And Death with Confession

While the ARIA chart’s leaning toward heavy releases has been apparent since In Utero hit #2 in 1993, in recent years less accessible acts have been breaking through the top 20’s and achieving remarkably high debuts and peaks on the chart. In the last two years alone we’ve seen Architects (#13), Northlane (#3), In Hearts Wake (#5), and The Amity Affliction (two consecutive #1’s) all achieve ARIA chart success. The most recent of these successes is Australian hardcore band Confession whose latest LP Life And Death(released June 20) peaked in the chart at #19, a new personal best for the act. TMN talked with Michael Crafter, the vocalist of the band, to chat chart success, cancer and the controversy surrounding the album’s promotional cycle.

Do you think the success of Life and Death on the ARIA Chart shows that heavy alternative music is becoming more widely accepted by the general public, or do you think it comes down to more and more dedication from fans who connect with the music?

I think success of the charts is a small piece of everything. For us it was cool, but the end of the day, live shows are the reason we play; people going nuts and singing along is the best thing about being in a band. I think that because the likes of The Amity Affliction, Parkway Drive, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon have made such a massive impact in the mainstream charts, the general public has noticed heavy music a lot more.

The album has guest appearances from Ahren Stringer, Adrian Fitipaldes, Joel Birch and Karl Schubach, all have had recent chart success with their respective bands releases, Amity in particular. Do you think the big names helped put Life and Death in front of their respective audiences, seeing as Confession has completely moved away from clean vocals with this release?

Honestly, I don’t really know what difference it made. A lot of people didn’t know what Ahren was going to do it since we said there was no clean singing on this record.

I didn’t really get them for their name, I got them because they’re my mates and wanted their voices on the album. Ahren singing on the album kinda happened cause CJ from Thy Art Is Murder was too busy, so I mentioned it to Ahren and he went straight into the studio and turned into a death metal demon and not the voice of an angel that he’s usually known for [laughs].

It’s great to have your friends sing on your songs. I was stoked with how they all sounded.

The ’Fuck Cancer’ posters put up around Melbourne have definitely been the centre of attention during the album’s release campaign. Did the label, both Resist and Cooking Vinyl, have any reservations about them?

Fuck no. There were no reservations whatsoever. Seriously, I was stoked when I heard they were up. Cancer is a asshole that’s been smashing my friends and family for years and if the words “Fuck Cancer” are enough to make people check the message we have and what we are trying to say, then it’s great. I just wanna use my position to create awareness. People, go see a doctor if you have a cough for too long, if you have pains or if something, anything, that doesn’t seem right with your health, don’t leave it too late. It’s better to be safe than sorry. My father felt sick for ages. I kept telling him to go see a doctor, and he didn’t, and now it’s too late for him. They can’t cut it out. So we wait and hope for the best.

On that topic, it’s unheard of for a hardcore band or any band from the broader heavy music spectrum to go onto talk-back radio. Your recent talk with Neil Mitchell on 3AW was about the ’Fuck Cancer’ posters. Was it strange to be interacting with an older demographic and did the exposure to that different audience impact the release of the album at all?

Seriously, as I said on the radio, these people have a bad attitude towards the posters, but tomorrow they might not be there and life goes on. Neil wanted me to bite and be something I’m not. I think it’s crazy that it has caused this much of an issue for them to want to speak to me. As I said, it’s a positive message. It’s a positive thing about telling cancer to get fucked. I needed to get the words outta my head. My father can’t scream ’Fuck Cancer’, he can barely talk. But I can say it and use my band to get a message across for my friend Adam who died from brain cancer, my mum who has stage 4 cancer and now my father who’s also been struck down. If people are offended, then step into my shoes and try not to scream fuck cancer.

The ’Fuck Cancer’ idea isn’t unique to this album launch though. Last year Confession released the ’Fuck Cancer’ shirts. People bought the shirt to show support for the band and the message behind it, while also directly contributing to cancer research. How much was raised in the end and do you think the on-going campaign is a success?

We have raised about $5,000 so far. Considering it’s from T-Shirts, that’s pretty crazy. We are just a band with a small fanbase, y’know?

So it was a massive thing, we didn’t think it would be that crazy. I think we have a few things on the horizon and will do some Fuck Cancer smaller fundraiser fests; in smaller venues just to raise some cash and get a bunch of bands together for a positive cause.

With the success of the album, the East Coast tour with sold out dates and the just finished West Coast tour, what can we expect from Confession in the near future?

We are doing a headline tour soon. Expect the dates to be released in the coming weeks.

Buy Confession’s Life and Death here.