Carolina Chupacabra

Myths and legends are a part of everyday life. You hear about them when you watch TV, you read about them in novels and tabloids, and they can be passed down from generations before. They are all around us and will continue to be. However, a new discovery was made in Columbia, South Carolina of a band that brings a new insight to the world of myths and legends in the music industry, and their name is Carolina Chupacabra. Consisting of Wade Parrott on Vocals and Guitar, Jason Kneece on Bass and Jeff Campbell on Drums, these three talented men create a world of sound that cannot be defined as one particular genre. “We are too metal for rock, but too rock for metal with a hippie undertone,” as quoted in my interview with vocalist Wade Parrott. He has described the sound that they are known for and are trying to show to the world.

When listening to their album titled Living the American Nightmare, released in 2012, you can hear all of these unique sounds formed together. They might have a resemblance to bands like Pantera and Black Sabbath, but there is no question that Carolina Chupacabra is a band all in their own.

To share some behind the scenes access, I have had the pleasure of speaking with Wade Parrott, the creator of Carolina Chupacabra, to gather up some information for all of their adoring fans and the many fans to come in the near future.

Gina: There are many jobs and hobbies in the world, out of all of the options, why is it that you and the rest of your band members chose to make music?

Wade: Personally, I am a fan of music. As a band, we like creating something. We don’t do it for money. We like jamming and having a good time. We want to please fans and show that we are just normal dudes being honest and creating music. We are all fans of music. If we don’t get famous, then that’s fine, we want to open doors for the entire South Carolina music scene.

Gina: So this is a question that I’m sure will be on a lot of minds when they see your band title, the name Chupacabra, why did you choose that? (Now for those of you who are not aware of the Chupacabra, it is a legendary creature that has been supposedly spotted in America and in various countries around the world but is unknown to us what exactly it is)

Wade: I have been a fan of Unsolved Mysteries and Myths. The Chupacabra is an unknown beast that has been around for a long time. What if there was a Chupacabra in South Carolina, something unseen and epic. It was the perfect name for the band, something underground and mysterious. We want to be different from other bands.

Gina: If you had to pick a song to describe the meaning of, which one would you pick?

Wade: Well if you take a look at our album, all of our songs actually form a poem.

“Hit by a backhand of God you find yourself in a loose noose. A halo of thorns shows your sacrifice. You run away on a nightmarathon seeking the shaman for a cleansing and find yourself back on the southside. Goddamn what’s left but a means to an end. “ This makes the entire CD have a meaning altogether. It combines and “A Means to an End” is the base.

“A Means to an End” is about being devastated, picking up and moving on and always keep going and having respect.

Gina: Thank you for giving me the time to do this interview with you, my last question is if there is anything that your fans could get from your music what would it be?

Wade: We want to evoke a relation to people and how messed up crap is. Be true to yourself, be you. That’s what we are. We are just normal dudes jamming out and having a good time.

So all in all, Carolina Chupacabra is an incredible mixture of intense growls and screams and a combination of a few genres of music that only Wade, Jeff, and Jason can deliver. To not listen to their music, would be a huge loss. They are epic and mysterious and that is something that no one should go through life not experiencing. - Indie Music Review

"Carolina Chupacabra will release its new CD "Living the American Nightmare," a continuation of the band’s pummeling hardcore sound. But be mindful of chilling surprises like “Halo of Thorns,” 2:34 of sober honesty. CC has always rocked hard, but now this band is showing it has touch, too." - Otis Taylor

"Born of the same brackish mire that birthed Southern sludge acts like Jucifer, Kylesa and Eyehategod, Carolina Chupacabra’s dense Southern metal is indebted to the swamp: Wade Parrot’s guitar riffs swelter as if burdened by oppressive humidity; Jason Kneece’s bass lines are as thick as pluff mud and gnarled like cypress knees; Jeff Campbell’s battering drums, set to a galloping thrash, are draining, as if struggling through quicksand. Living the American Nightmare, the trio’s latest longplayer, has some strangely serene moments (the sun-baked “Southside”), but proves the band to be at its best when unleashing its inner beast (“Backhand of God”; “A Means To An End”) and succumbing to savage rage." - P. Wall

It’s rare that a 3-piece metal band develops and produces a sound that can compare with most bands that have 4 or more members.

Carolina Chupacabra has managed to defy those odds with their newest release, “Living the American Nightmare.” This nine track disc paves a way for some of the most sophisticated tunes to have come out of the Columbia, SC metal scene. Compared to their earlier release, “Birth of the Beast”, the new record takes the idea of a metal concept album to a whole new level.

That’s right, a concept album.

But not just any concept album-this isn’t something you’re going to hear from Coheed & Cambria-the story itself is completely up for interpretation. On the back of the album is a short narrative that gives a vague overview of the developed story, but fans are encouraged to make their own interpretations. This gives the album an even stronger personal feel-a listener can create their own meaning, which will help make the songs even more special to them.

Carolina Chupacabra’s new album is a real breath of fresh air in the local music industry, which, for years, has spawned other successful metal acts such as Your Chance To Die, Necessary Evil, and As I Destruct. With this release now available, Carolina Chupacabra has managed to solidify their rightful place in the metal community. - DJ Mike Zero

Carolina Chupacabra are newer act on national underground scene. They work as a trio, and during the previous 2009 year, they have recorded an EP with 7 tracks in, entitled " Birth Of The Beast". They are musically agressive act, faithful to sludge/doom tendencies, but also as a band includes enough energy in specific atmosphere in each song separately.Its tracks also posses a 90's influences and same pastiche, but I didn' t find any repeatable element or so call archaic approach in its authors offering. They have also sounded as a coherent team, and more or less present materials posses also a modern production. As a sludge/doom act, a mates from band has showed a different energy than many genre's similiar groups, and finally, for the first discographical step, thay shows quite enough potentilas. - Branimir Lokner