Segression: Same Difference.

Segression play Overcranked at the QUT Club, Gardens Point on Saturday and the Rose’n’Crown, Surfers Paradise on Sunday. Segression is in stores now.

“We came back to Australia from the States for the Pantera tour in September, and with things being the way they were we decided to stick around and do the album,” explains Segression bassist and vocalist Chris Rand. “We were supposed to fly about September 19 and we just said, nup...”

The United States loss is Australia’s gain. Wollongong based Segression have put together a corker of a fourth album with their new self-titled release. Once again, the band have refused to compromise their musical ideals, and rammed together ten emotionally crushing and ultimately involving tracks. And once again, the powerhouse delivery the band put together what could well be one of the years’ finest metal releases.

“All the bands that have any sort of longevity are the ones who just do their own thing,” Chris continues, “If you sound like everyone else, as soon as your song comes on the radio, people won’t even know it’s you. There’s no point to that. There’s no point in just doing the same thing again. Once you’ve done something, move on and do something else. You have to grasp onto something different.”

The difference between each Segression album is obvious to even the casual listener. With each passing recording, the band’s wealth of experience, and increasingly overwhelming dedication to their art becomes more apparent. As well as being a powerful experience in it’s own right, the new record is once again a major step up from anything else they’ve ever done.

“It’s not a happy album. It’s not nu-metal, and it’s not old metal. On all our albums we’ve not really sounded like too many other bands. This has got a sound all to itself. Now we know the way things should be done. I’m not in this for money, I’m in this to do what I love doing and to get better at it. Bands in this country and fed a pack of lies about how you should only get two dollars a CD. It shouldn’t be like that. If we can just do what we’ve been doing constantly for the last few years, why would we want to go with another record company. We’ve got our own record label (Murder Machine Music) set up. It’s the way to go.”

Much like the interim period between Fifth Of The Fifth and Smile, the band have had a change behind the drum kit just prior to the recording of Segression.

“Red did the Pantera tour, but he couldn’t play the stuff any more. We had to have someone that thinks like us and can pull it off. Red brought a groove to us that we were starting to lack, but we didn’t want to become a rock band. We still needed all the beats in there. Keith was in another band that had done some shows with us. His band didn’t get off the ground so he almost stopped playing. He knew all our songs, and you’d be hard pressed to find another drummer that can do what he does.”

Despite the line up change, a lot of the material the band had been working on during the time they spent overseas was kept and re worked, a few tracks even making the final album.

“We re-worked things a bit. The thing is, when you work with American producers, is they try and make you sound American. Which would be alright if we were American. But we’re not. We’re Australian, and we want to sound Australian. We don’t want to sound like everyone else. I can tell you now, all the nu-metal sound, they all sound the same because they’re all recorded using exactly the same set up. Pro Tools and Amp Farm. They’ve got a generic guitar sound and away you go.”

Back home in Australia, Segression have always set themselves apart from other bands, not only with their sound, but with their attitude towards the directions the band takes.

“We’ve never tried to compete with other bands. It’s not about that. As far as I’m concerned, you can like us, or you can like another band, or you can like both. It doesn’t make any difference. If something comes along and it’s good you’ll get people into it.”

“When I’m writing a song I don’t think about if a song will sell so many records. I think about the kid who died in a car accident in Tamworth that was buried in a Segression T Shirt. That’s what it means to us to play in a band. We can bring some enjoyment to someone or help them pass their day. There’s no pretending with Segression at all. We’re straight up and down. If we don’t like you we’ll tell you, there’s no lets pretend about this. We’re not going to go away. We’re going to be annoying everybody for years to come.”