If you’ve never heard of Allentown, Pennsylvania-based rockers, Vicious., you’d better get on the bus, friends. Fronted by former I Am King vocalist, Sam Sky, Vicious. takes the gritty, raw, emotional power of post-hardcore and combines it with the lyrical clarity and catchy hooks of solid alternative rock, catapulting their sound to a whole new level with their new single, “No Forgiveness.” And we here at RockRevolt are thrilled to be the ones to bring it to you first!
Check out the lyric video for “No Forgiveness,” and then keep scrolling for our chat with Sky. Touching on everything from their Pennsylvania roots to the new sound and direction he sees Vicious. heading in, it is apparent that this band is going places – fast! You are going to want to be able to say that you knew them when, so punch your ticket for the Vicious. Express! All aboard, folks. This baby is taking off!!
But first, the world premiere of “No Forgiveness.”
Hey, thanks for letting us be the first to showcase the awesome video for “No Forgiveness!” I’m looking forward to talking with you! First of all, I am a punctuation and grammar nut, so the fact that you have a period in your name intrigues me and excites me more than it likely should. Where did the name come from, and why the punctuation?
Let me just say I can already tell this interview is going to be a lot of fun! (laughs) I’m so stoked to be doing this!! The name is just something that has been in my head since day one. Never even researched to see if the name was taken or not; I didn’t care. I wanted that name. And besides, it’s not about who does it first, it’s about who does it better, am I right? Also, Vicious certainly has correlation to Sid Vicious, big Sex Pistols fan. Lastly, it’s also the name of a character from Cowboy Bebop, one of my all-time favorite animes.
As far as the period goes, it’s because there is a rapper named Vicious from the 90’s, and our music was ending up on his profile. So, I just stole a play from my former band mate Andrew Wetzel’s play book; only instead of an exclamation point, I liked the period more. It just strikes me as an even more adamant statement as a brand on paper for some reason.
I know Allentown, PA, very well. And so, the fact that you come from there is exciting to me. How do your small-town roots play into what you do musically? Have you felt you have had to overcome any unique challenges being from PA instead of, say, New York City or Los Angeles? How do you take that small-town creative aesthetic and spread it with your music? I bet it makes your families super proud!!
Dang. These are very tough questions.
Honestly, we are pretty disconnected from what everyone is doing musically in this area. Vaguely in touch with what’s going on just through the shows we play locally, from what I’ve seen pop punk is on the up and up here. We are kind of in our own world when it comes to that; and if there is any resemblance in sound to any other bands in the area, it’s purely coincidental.
As far as it being challenging, I’d say it absolutely is. Even from when I left I Am King a few years back, the landscape of the music world has changed sooooo much; it’s crazy. We’ve learned and continue to learn to adapt.
As far as taking that small town, genuine aesthetic, we just stay true to who we are and don’t give a single fuck about who we offend.
Lastly, I’d say some of our parents are prouder than others. My parents despise what I do. (laughs)
I know you had a really strong base with I Am King, and many of the fans seemed to be a bit miffed (for lack of a better word) when you left. How has leaving that experience lent itself to you creating something different, and very likely better, with Vicious.?
In every way me leaving that band, and the events transpiring afterwards absolutely have direct correlation to what Vicious. is and sounds like. When you lose everything, it changes you. You find a whole new strength to survive that’s somehow always been inside you. And Vicious. is that change in not only me, but in my band mates lives, as well.
Who do you turn to musically for influences?
It’s all over the place for me. I’m a weirdo. John Mayer is one of my spirit animals for sure, The Offspring, Nirvana, Slipknot, Linkin Park, The Descendants, Johnny Cash, Social Distortion, Limp Bizkit, aaaaaand I’ll end it with Refused. Just to name a few. (laughs)
What is your writing process like in terms of putting together songs and knowing which songs make the cut and which ones get the cut?
Our process varies a lot. Sometimes it’s all written in my head; sometimes it’s Dan and I writing it out with an acoustic guitar. Other times, it’s a full band thing, and a lot of collaboration happens during the actual recording process for sure. As far as which songs we cut, so far we haven’t cut any. We wrote four songs, tracked them all, and are releasing them all. We aim to have every track be strong enough to stand alone as a single. We write banggeerrrssss.
Your songs speak a lot of pain, and I am wondering if that is something you have made the conscious effort to do or if it just happened organically. It’s said that you guys, “write lyrics that say what everyone is thinking, but either don’t know how to or are too afraid to actually say it.”
I know in these times, having artists speaking about issues that are relatable and honest is something that many listeners tend to turn toward. I, for one, more than appreciate it. So, is that on purpose or just who you tend to be when it comes to creating your sound and content?
I certainly wouldn’t say it was a conscious effort. Life hits hard, and rains on the just and unjust alike. Life will beat you down, eat you up, then spit you back out again. A wise man would roll with the punches and ride the wave; unfortunately, I’ve never been very wise. Pain has been my biggest instructor, so it comes through in my writing. Now as far as our message being honest and relatable, that’s more of a conscience thing. I try to be as transparent in a way that can be felt, for sure.
As a band, do you feel some sort of responsibility with your content and making it something that the fans can relate to? Do you hear from fans that your music has helped them through an ordeal or trying time?
The artistic side of me doesn’t necessarily care about it being relatable; if it is, that only makes it more special. However, the business perspective/ song writer in me tends to even that out and try to make it so that all the dots are connected for anyone listening to make it as relatable as possible. It’s that give and take.
Speaking of fans, do you feel social media is more of a hinderance or a help when it comes to time spent and outreach to the fans? Do you find yourself getting sucked down the infamous black holes of social media?
A few years back, I would tell you it isn’t a hindrance at all. However, these days all these goddamn fucking algorithms make everything you put out almost impossible to be seen or heard. It’s completely fucked. Now I need to pay to let MY OWN fan base, the people who elected to see and hear things from our pages, see and hear what we are up to? Like I said, completely and totally fucked.
If we can’t find you writing or making music, where can we find you and what are you doing? What else keeps you busy?
On any given day, you can pretty much always find me working for the man. I put in about 60 hours a week. After work, I’ll come home to eat, kiss my daughter goodnight, then head to the studio until 4 or 5 in the morning sometimes, then wake up by 8 am and do it all over again. Also, it should be said that my whole band grinds just as hard. Honored to be working with such dedicated dudes. We take the whole “Find what you love and let it kill you” thing literally.
I actually have a tattoo planned in my head with that exact quote in it!! If I were to take a peek at your most recent playlists, what bands/genres/songs would I see?
I’m sure if you looked at Chris’s (Bassist) playlist, it would be a bunch of trap/heavy rap. AJ’s (Guitarist) listens to a cluster fuck of random shit, but lots of Metallica no doubt (I hate Metallica, yuck.). Dan’s (Guitarist) rocks it to all of My Ticket Home’s latest record. You already know what I’ve been rockinnnnggggg.
Any tour plans in the future? I have GOT to get my ass out to see you perform live!
I don’t know about full tours, but we certainly have every intention on hitting some great 4 or 5 day runs, festivals, and other great one offs. I’m certainly not saying that touring is off the table, but we prefer to work smarter not harder. However, if something irrefutable came up, we wouldn’t miss the opportunity.
Speaking of tour, what would your dream tour look like?
Linkin Park (R.I.P. CB), The Offspring, The Beastie Boys (R.I.P. MCA), John Mayer (because fuck it), Conditions, Nine Shrines, Post Malone, My Ticket Home, and 30 Seconds to Mars. It would obviously be called the “Because Fuck It Tour.”
What can you tell me about “No Forgiveness?” It is a very strong, heavier track, so what influenced it? What can fans expect from it, and where will it lend itself to the narrative you are creating with Vicious.?
I dunno about the narrative, I don’t try to follow a specific direction because I feel like you put yourself in a box. If it vibes the same, rad. If It doesn’t, that’s rad, too. The song itself is about being left for dead by pretty much everyone in the industry and outside after I quit I Am King. Plenty of my “friends” were happy to watch me struggle and fall. This song is a prompt fuck you to those individuals. “I know how to lose everything and pick up where I fell.”
Just want to close out by saying thanks again on a sincere note for reaching out with this interview. Blessed and thankful for every new opportunity, whatever form it may take. Cheers and I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year!
