Scheidt has been ensconced in the doom metal scene for last 25 years and his knowledge of the genre is enormous. It’s so big, in fact, that when asked to list the doom/metal acts he’s most excited about, he swiftly nominates 30-plus candidates. One act he mentions is stoner band Red Fang, who were recently in Australia for Cherry Rock.
“I know them very well,” Scheidt says. “My other band Middian played with them on their very first tour in 2007 and Yob used to play with a band that two thirds of Red Fang were in called Party Time in 2001. I have known those guys for a really long time.”
Not only is Scheidt a committed follower of American metal music, but as the leader of Yob, he’s left an indelible imprint on Portland’s doom scene. “We have a lot friends and do a lot of shows with them in Portland, and over the years we have all grown as bands together.”
Yob didn’t actually form in Portland, but rather in Eugene; a smaller city in the middle of Oregon. Nevertheless, Scheidt was destined to end up in Portland, “I have had an affinity for that town since I was pre-teen,” he says, “and then you fast forward to now and I’m not sure exactly what Yob’s impact has been, but I am certainly glad that we are a part of that scene.”
Yob’s music has always been identified as doom metal; a label they haven’t shied away from. Though, Scheidt clarifies what the doom tag represents for him: “Doom happens at a much slower pace then regular metal so there has to be a lot of vibe and feel at that pace in order for it to feel magic, for it to actually feel heavy, because down tuning and loud amplifiers doesn’t necessarily make it heavy, if you get what I’m saying. It really still comes down to the band’s players and I think that is as true today about doom metal as it was when I first started in the scene back then.”
On the topic of ‘back then’, Scheidt happily accommodates our request for a list of the albums that have left the biggest impression on him as a musician and songwriter.
“Black Sabbath Masters Of Reality, Led Zepplin I, II, II, Elton John Greatest Hits, King Crimson, Cathedral, [Burning Witch] Crippled Lucifer, the first four Iron Maiden records, pretty much all the [Judas] Priest records, especially Defenders Of the Faith.”
In line with many of the legendary bands Scheidt mentions, Yob are prolific workhorses. Their debut record Elaborations Of Carbon came out in 2002, and last year’s Clearing The Path To Ascend was their seventh studio LP.
“I think Elaborations hinted at where we were going to end up, but it did have a lot more of what I would call traditional elements to it. You can hear influences like Electric Wizard, Sleep, Sabbath of course, and even Operator Generator and Orange Goblin. But I was also listening to a lot of death and black metal back then and hardcore punk, so I think you can hear all of those influences on that record.
“You fast forward to Clearing the Path to Ascend and some of those elements are still there, but it is a lot more our sound now. But I think Elaborations did have a spirit of adventure to it. I mean, it wasn’t pure pentagram doom shit.”
BY DAN WATT
