Depending upon what circles you travel in, rap metal tends to get a lot of flack. Often opined as unmelodic, unimaginative, nonsensical and angst ridden by the general public, Salt Lake City’s Andrew W. Boss is here to change that view of the genre.
Weaned on a musical diet of Metallica, Korn, Tupac, Beastie Boys, Mudvayne and the like, Boss began to enjoy bands and musicians that were different and special, willing to experiment outside of mainstream artists and sounds. Boss first got the musician bug when he went to his brother’s concert in downtown Salt Lake City. He was 10 years old and tiny and the band had him wear a shirt that said “Head of Security.”
Andrew began recording in 2003, trading studio time for weed, and has completed half a dozen albums to date, both solo projects and projects with bands. “I started out straight writing and recording hip hop, not really having a plan or any organization, then I was in a band with my brother Flip for a while in Phoenix and really focused on the writing process and recording process.”
For his latest release, Invincible, Boss has teamed up with uber producer Jim Fogarty (Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Shadows Fall, etc) to deliver an album that transcends the rap metal tag. Equal parts rhymes, melodic and pure brutality, Invincible kicks off with the crushing “Avengers,” which leads straight into the first single, “Kleen.” “Kleen is definitely a fan favorite, and it’s personal to me because it depicts my troubles with getting sober,” the singer states. The stage dive ready punch of the title track features Chelsea Grin drummer Pablo Viveros guesting with Boss on drums, gass and guitars. “I met Pablo’s wife through my 9 to 5 a while back and she found out I was a musician and showed my stuff to him. We ended up hangin’ out at his studio when I was writing Invincible and he’s like, ‘I got this song I’ve been working on, you wanna use it?’ so I jumped on that. The demanding “Let Me Hear You” is a modern day anthem, opening with Boss chanting “Put your fucking hands up” repeatedly while the pop infused “Breaking Bridges” features Poonhammer singer and Andrew’s older brother Adam, guesting with him on lead vocals.
Recorded between Salt Lake City, UT and Phoenix, AZ where Boss’s drummer Cory Michalski lives, all the tracks were recorded and sent to Fogarty in Westfield, MA for Jim to add his definitive magic touch. “I would have loved to have shipped the whole band to Jim’s studio for a month but it wasn’t possible with our timeline. But, I think it worked out better this way because I’m kinda anal about my work, and sending a song to Cory in Phoenix or Jim in MA, letting them work on it and finish it without me breathing down their necks probably worked out for the better. I think that working model helped us all grow, actually. It definitely shows in the way the album turned out.”