Interview with Bassist Jason Cotton of Execution Order
BY Mick Michaels
Cosmick View: Hello, Jason, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.
Cosmick View: Hello, Jason, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.
CV: What do you see as Thrash's biggest contribution to the music scene?
Jason Cotton: A music first approach. No gimmicks, no costumes. Just a group of people playing the music they want without worrying about dressing up or how their hair looks. That was one of the things that grabbed me when thrash first came out. They looked just like me and that made it more accessible and relatable. As for the music itself, I believe thrash has always had a strong melodic sense behind the speed and brutality. Riffs you can hum, a chorus you want to sing along to. Thrash bridges the gap between the more brutal and extreme styles of metal and mainstream hard rock.
CV: Do you feel Thrash has "jumped the shark" in any regards, like many other Heavy Metal styles have over the years?
JC: I think most of the bands that started thrash certainly had that moment in the mid 90’s lol. But some of them did manage to find a way to rejuvenate and reenergize themselves. I believe that for newer and younger bands the key is to add to the conversation. One of my goals with the formation of Execution Order is not to merely play what has already been done, but to find out where it goes next. What can we add to the conversation that hasn’t already been said?
CV: Is there a mainstream element to Thrash Metal in your opinion?
JC: I think there is. I think there always has been as I said in my previous answer. But it is best left as a flirtation. We’ve all seen what happens when a band starts chasing acceptance. Thrash to me is at its best when it remains underground.
CV: Specifics aside, has music in general lost relevance in the world today?
JC: To be honest. I feel it has. The industry as a whole has fallen into a rinse and repeat mindset. Rock music has been around so long now that it just isn’t as exciting or dangerous feeling as it once was. But everyone just keeps acting like it’s supposed to be the same when it’s not. I don’t think anyone has figured out how to catch up and adapt to the advancements in technology yet. Every form of entertainment you can imagine is one click of a button away and it has led to an overindulgence of everything by everyone. But the days of signing a million dollar recording contract are gone. Most of those record labels don’t even exist anymore. It has left bands trying to find new revenue streams to keep themselves going. I see a lot of bands basically whoring themselves for every scrap of cash they can find and then complaining and giving up when they don’t become instantly rich. To me they just cheapen their own product which just makes the problem worse. Music as an art form will always have a place in society. It is part of the human experience. As musicians we have to come to terms with the reality that being a “rock star” isn’t really a thing anymore. And it doesn't need to be. Let’s get back to making music for the sake of music and we may find it’s better that way.
CV: Execution Order has just dropped its debut album, "Halls of Horror." Tell us a little about the record and what fans can expect to hear.
JC: We recorded the album in the fall of 2023 in Lancaster, PA with Josh Joyce of Wombat Studios. It was an absolute blast making this album. Josh was a dream to work with. His knowledge of recording helped us achieve our goal. He was able to listen to our ideas and concerns and knew how to make that a reality. He also wasn’t afraid to tell us when something wasn’t good or was just not going to work. That to me is a very important aspect of recording.
The album represents a timestamp that is the formation of this band. This is the birth of Execution Order. The foundation from which it will hopefully grow. But this puts into music form what we were going through and experiencing as we took this idea of a new band and made it a reality. Being a debut, I think there’s an undercurrent of nervous excitement that you want to hear with a new band as we introduce ourselves to the metal world. You’re going to hear a lot of great riffs in the framework of catchy, memorable songs.
CV: How do you feel "Halls of Horror" sits with other modern-day Thrash releases? Is there something you believe sets it apart?
JC: Sonically it sounds really fresh to me. And modern. That was a real goal for us. We want an album that SOUNDS like 2024. This is what thrash sounds like NOW. It is heavy, it is brutal, it is aggressive and it is fast. All the things I want from thrash metal music. The instruments jump out of the speakers and hit you. The vocals sound like someone is pissed the fuck off! We are really pleased with how the recording turned out. It sets the bar for us in achieving our sound as a band.
The songwriting is what is going to set us apart. We have a very collaborative approach to writing. Putting everyone’s individual influences into one mindset brings out ideas that wouldn’t sound the same if any one of us wrote on our own. When we’re working on new material it is all hands on deck and no idea is bad until we give it a chance.
JC: This is probably the toughest question! How do you encapsulate all of your ideas with just one song? We have a lot more to say than we can put into one song. I’m going to go with Tails of the Serpent. It starts with a simple, old school thrash style riff and builds from there. It is catchy, and has the kind of drumbeat you just can’t help banging your head to. Then there’s a great middle section with a more complex and technical riff that sets you up for the solo section which lets loose all the the speed and aggression we are very much at home with. That is our bread and butter right there!
But man, I am proud of how all 9 of these tracks turned out. Any one of these songs you put on will have the same common theme: Heavy. And if you asked me this question 9 times, I’d probably give you 9 different answers!
CV: Has music in general split into too many genres and sub-genre classifications in an effort just to please an indecisive audience in your opinion?
JC: To me it has. It has gotten kind of ridiculous hasn’t it? It’s as if every new band that comes along needs a sub genre to identify it by. Bands are supposed to sound different from every one that already exists. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is a new style. It is just THEIR style. But I believe that lies with the audience a lot more than the bands. People just seem to have this almost need to categorize and classify everything and put it in a little box which it must not leave. I guess it’s just human nature. We are all guilty of it. I try to avoid it as much as possible but find myself falling into that trap sometimes. I don’t worry about it much, I care about whether I like it or not, not which box it’s supposed to belong in.
CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from Execution Order in 2025?
JC: We’re going to be playing as many live shows as we can to promote Halls of Horror and introduce our brand of metal to anyone who cares to give us a chance. If we’re playing in your area, please come and check us out. At the end of the day, live music is really what it’s all about and there is no better way to experience music to me. Along with the album, we released a music video for the song Head of the Shovel and there has been talk of maybe doing another video, so we’ll see how it plays out. In the middle of all this album promoting and live shows, we have already begun writing new material for what will hopefully become album #2. I don’t think that would see a release date next year, but we are in the process of laying out what we will be doing in 25, 26 and beyond!
CV: Thanks again, Jason, for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.
JC: Thank you for giving me the time!
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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