Las Vegas Weekly

Hemlock’s homecoming

If you’ve been wondering where metal scene mainstay Hemlock has been for the past year, well, so have we.

The band’s last local show was nearly a year ago, but they’ll be returning this weekend for a homecoming gig at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip. The heavy metal band hasn’t been resting on its laurels the past year either. After touring with Marilyn Manson and Slayer, they retreated to Iowa to record a new album that blends their classic elements with a fresh heavy sound. Bassist and vocalist Chad Smith caught up with the Weekly to fill us in on what the band has been up to.

Where has Hemlock been for the past year?

We’re always on tour and we’ve been working on our new album out in the Midwest. In Iowa, it’s a lot cheaper place to stay when we’re not on tour. We had an opportunity to go out there to record our CD, so we just kind of holed up for the winter to record. We’re almost done with the CD. It should be out this summer.

How does your new CD differ from your past albums?

The one thing that’s really exciting is that we got all the original members back for the recording. My brother Brian Smith and Mike Johns are back. They helped me start the band back in the day, and now they’re back in the band. It was like winning the lottery when they said they were back on board. I was ecstatic. The new album is kind of a conglomeration of the old stuff mixed with the new stuff. It’s the best elements of Hemlock. It’s kind of like the “Greatest of Hemlock” even though it’s all new songs.

How did you get hooked up with the Rockstar Mayhem tour with Slayer and Marilyn Manson?

We’re sponsored by Jagermeister, and they’ve put us on several tours with Slayer, Hatebreed and Manson. They actually have a Jagermeister stage on the Mayhem Tour. We usually play early in the day but there’s still like 4,000 people out there at 3 p.m. so it’s pretty awesome.

You used to play at some of the now defunct venues like the Huntridge. What was it like back then?

That was the old stomping ground. Every time I drive by that place, I get a tear in my eye. We used to go when I was like 14 or 15 years old, and we got to see bands like Pantera and Sepultura. Then later to get up on stage and sell the place out, those were legendary moments. If it had gotten torn down that would have been one thing, but it just sits there not being used. It’s just a waste of an awesome music possibility. ... The Huntridge just had something about it. It was dirty and raw and just good fun.

What is it like switching gears from smaller Las Vegas venues like that to huge stages?

It’s definitely a rush to look out there and see that many people going crazy. It’s definitely different, too, because you’re outside with the sun down on you. It’s not the same as somewhere like the House of Blues with the lights and the smoke. The whole-day festivals are so cool. Everyone’s out there partying all day. You smell the hotdogs burning over in the corner, and everyone’s selling shirts and drinking beer.

What has it been like trying to keep a band together for so long?

We’re going on about 17 years now. That’s why I have a few gray hairs in my beard. I love it. I can’t ever find it in myself to quit. We started when I was 14, and I’ve just been trucking along. I kid that we’ve probably ruined acres and acres of forests with all the flyers and posters over the years if you add it all up. There’s been a lot of hard stuff, but there have also been a lot of huge, positive things. I feel bad for the people who get wrapped up in doing things they don’t love. We definitely love playing music and traveling the world.