With their latest release Controller, Crucial Velocity take aim at one of the most omnipresent forces in modern life—technology. Dark, cerebral, and groove-heavy, the record balances riff-driven ferocity with lyrical depth. We caught up with Nate Bauer—songwriter, guitarist, and bassist for the band—to dig into the inspiration behind Controller, how it came together with an all-star lineup, and why your phone might just be the enemy.
MetalgodZradiO: “Controller” deals with the idea of technological enslavement—what personal experiences or observations inspired this concept, and how did you channel that into both the music and video?
Nate Bauer: Thank you for chatting about Crucial Velocity! This topic is so prevalent and everywhere we look, we see people completely immersed in their phone. I am as guilty as anyone else. If I go somewhere and forget my phone, I feel a moment of panic! So there is the issue of spending too much time on our phones. But more importantly, “Controller” was inspired by the harmful propaganda that is so easily spread via social media sites. For a vast number of Americans, this is their source of information. And sadly, most people believe what they read without fact checking. And before they know it, they are sucked into some horrible ideology…..mostly from a political perspective. Prior to cell phones and social media, this kind of thing would not have happened.
MetalgodZradiO: Your lineup includes veterans from bands like King Diamond, Shaolin Death Squad, and Chastain Harris—how does that shape the writing and recording process?
Nate: These guys are all absolute professionals. On the first Crucial Velocity album it was a learning process for me. What I immediately realized is that I could write anything and these guys would take it to levels far beyond my skill set. So writing the new album, “Controller”, I had no limitations as a songwriter and I allowed these guys to manipulate my basic ideas into whatever they felt worked the best. Matt Thompson can play anything flawlessly. When he isn’t touring with King Diamond he is gigging with multiple bands in different genres and playing constantly. Androo O’Hearn is a master at composition. He creates these incredible vocal arrangements with thick harmonies. Check out his band Shaolin Death Squad and you will get a sense for the insane musical ability that he has. And Michael Harris is flat out a legend. He brings a rock fusion sensibility to his lead guitar work rather than just shredding. He has his own style. Throw all of this together and you have Crucial Velocity.
MetalgodZradiO: Progressive metal walks a fine line between complexity and accessibility—how do you balance technicality with emotional resonance in songs like “Controller”?
Nate: I am not exactly sure how we got tagged as “progressive metal”. I mean, I’m honored, but in reality the progressive elements are more subtle. And for me as a fan of progressive metal (Opeth is my favorite band), you are very correct in that there is a fine line. Our music is much less complex and I feel that appeals to the average metal listener of all metal sub genres. I grew up on 80’s thrash and even 80’s glam metal but later got into Voivod, Faith No More, Death, Pantera, etc. Kind of all over the map. I like groove. I like to get into a riff and just let it ride for a bit vs constantly changing riffs every 4 measures. That said, the subtle progressive element, slight left turns or changes in time signature are present to keep things interesting. But ultimately, I’m just an old school metal guy writing things that I like. And I feel that lyrically, while I don’t want to sound preachy, I do have a message. And I do try to match the darker themes with the slightly darker music.
MetalgodZradiO: The album touches on control and modern oppression. In what ways do you see metal as a tool for resisting or critiquing systems of power?
Nate: As I just said, I certainly don’t want to project my beliefs on other people. I am simply presenting real and often deep subject matter in a general sense. I believe metal has always been somewhat of a platform raging against “the man” or whatever you call it. And this album was certainly written under very tense times in America. Yes, mostly political but really, these songs can be interpreted in different ways. But yes, the main theme of most of this album is “control”. Religious, political, social media. There are so many ways that we are being manipulated, often without even realizing it is happening. This is my therapy. My way of expressing the things that piss me off about society. The video for “Hollow” starts with a quote from Georg Hegel. “The only thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.” We are seeing things happen in America that are eerily reminiscent of grotesque things that have happened in the past. That said, I am not an activist. I just want people to enjoy the music. I simply want to write good songs.
MetalgodZradiO: The video for “Controller” is described as dark and cinematic. Who directed it, and how did the concept come together?
Nate: I am extremely fortunate to have Wayne Joyner doing all of our videos. Wayne has done Dream Theater, Deven Townshend, Tremonti, Creed and many more. Great guy and massively creative. It is as simple as telling him the premise of the song and he just runs with it from there. This song has a pretty clear meaning so it was easy for Wayne to come up with the visual. Using the cell phone as the “Controller” worked very well for the video. This was my first acting gig. That’s me mowing the lawn and driving while on my phone of course. LOL.
MetalgodZradiO: Can you walk us through your guitar and amp setup and how it helped shape the tone of the album?
Nate: I am a Kemper guy. Love my tube amps but for me and my process, the ease of recording with the Kemper just makes sense. I primarily used a few different Friedman BE profiles. A Fender Twin profile for cleans. Most of the effects were added in the studio by Gary Long at Nomad Studio in Dallas, TX. I used a couple different Kiesels with passive pickups as well as an LTD Phoenix with EMG actives. My harmony lead parts were all done on my Les Paul Classic for those creamy tones. I do a lot of blending of different profiles and guitars to create a thicker tone even though gain levels are relatively low. Lower gain is really the key to retaining clarity in rhythm guitar. My bass is recorded direct through a Sansamp and Golden Age Preamp. Michael Harris recorded his lead guitar using Mesa Dual Rec. I have to give a ton of credit to Gary Long. He is the mastermind at taking all of our tracks and mixing and mastering them to the final product. The cool thing about Gary is that he does not rely only on Protools. He uses a lot of tube driven high end outboard gear in the final mastering process which I feel gives it some character and does not sound overly processed like a lot of modern metal sounds. If your band needs mixing and mastering, check with Gary!
MetalgodZradiO: Given your critical success across international metal press and radio, what’s next for Crucial Velocity?
Nate: Unfortunately, touring is not an option. Everyone is busy with their own projects. Matt is of course on tour with King Diamond. Michael Harris is finishing his new Thought Chamber album which should be out soon. I have been doing some writing again after a break. Most likely we will release a single here and there over the next couple years as opposed to doing a full length album. In this day and age with digital media and dwindling physical album sales, I think that makes more sense. I feel like after 2 albums we have developed an identity and a sound and I would like to keep that going for as long as I can simply because I enjoy it. I enjoy the songwriting and recording process. And I enjoy hearing the finished product.
MetalgodZradiO: If your phones really did become sentient “Controllers” and tried to take over the band, who surrenders first—and who leads the rebellion?
Nate: I have no doubt that Michael Harris would surrender first simply so he could relax, watch some football and have a beer in peace. LOL. I think Androo and I are on the same wavelength in terms of politics and social views so we would probably lead the charge. Let’s go back to rotary phones and newspapers. Ha!
Listen to Controller now on all major platforms, and watch the music video on YouTube. For updates, follow Crucial Velocity on [Spotify / Instagram].
Crucial Velocity thanks you for this opportunity. You guys rock🤘🤘
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