Escape the Fate - Craig Mabbitt spills the beans on the new album!

Dan Devour chats to Escape the Fate's frontman Craig Mabbitt in a little tea shop near Covent Garden in London, and we talk about what is happening in the World of ESF and the upcoming album 'Ungrateful'!!!

Music Trespass: What does the title of the new record mean to you? Are you 'Ungrateful' or is it aimed at anyone in particular?

Craig: It’s not aimed at anyone in particular, it’s just, it’s just a metaphor of, uh, you know, everyone, everyone should start being thankful for what they have. And, uh, stop worrying about what they don’t have. You know what I mean?

Music Trespass: Thankful for the JD?

Craig: Yes! And this guy definitely made it strong so I don’t have a lot to complain about right now. 

Music Trespass: You decided that the title track was your first single off the record, I think “Live Fast” would be a great one. Why did you decide to go with the title track?

Craig: The reason we decided to go with 'Ungrateful' as the title track is not only does it have strong subject matter, but, um, it just kinda hits you in the face. And that’s what we wanted to do with people, you know. A lot of people think we’ve been on a hiatus, or the band’s breaking up or the band is doing this, and we just wanted to show people ‘Hey, we’re still fucking here! Bam!’ And just hit them in the face with it.

Check Out! the Video for 'Ungrateful' Below...

Music Trespass: This is the first album without Max; Do you think the music’s changed cos he’s not in the band?

Craig: Yeah, the music will never change as long as it’s me and Monte. Yeah, you can complain that the music is different from the very first album, cos I’m not the first singer, but as far as the album I was on until now, um, it’s mainly me and Monte. Michael Money has a lot of input, when it comes to Monte writing music, and yeah, we do some co-writes here and there, but as long as it’s me and Monte, it’s going to be the same writing team as there was from the beginning. 

Music Trespass: Escape The Fate have always had some screaming on their songs. Hearing the new tracks, I found your screaming was heavier. Why did you decide to do this?

Craig: You know, I don’t think I made a decision to do it, I just think there was a lot more emotion on this record. You know, we were at a point that it almost all got taken away from us, and that’s why we named the album 'Ungrateful' cos we very grateful to have everything we have. I dunno man, I just think I was like way more emotional on this album than I ever have been. 

Music Trespass: You have some guests on the record, like Patrick Stump from Fall out Boy. How did it come about working with him?

Craig: Our producer John Feldmann just knew him, he’s like ‘Patrick’s coming to the studio today, are you guys ok to work with him?’ And what were you supposed to say, no? Obviously we were down to work with him, and, er, such a humble guy, and very easy to work with. I hope I get to work with him in the future. And, um, you know, he kinda just sat down ‘Do you have any lyrics for the song? Do you have any melodies for the song? What do you have for this song? What can I help you with?’ And, uh, he helped out a lot. And I don’t know what else to say about it, other than, you know, it’s really nice to see musicians like him that have great success, are still very, very humble and it gives me some hope. I don’t know what else to say about him. 

Music Trespass: I really like the track “Forget About Me”. What are the dynamics in the band when you’re writing a track like that, and what influences you?

Craig: What influenced me on that track is the critics and the interviewers and everybody that goes into critiquing your record, you know what I mean? The message I’m trying to get across is, you know, the main goal is ‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all’. If you don’t like us, if you don’t like me, just forget about me. And that’s the main message from that track. 

Music Trespass: On the new album, there are some quite heavy riffs, but what heavy bands are you listening to at the moment?

Craig: Um, I f**king love the new Bring me the Horizon record. I love A day to Remember. And those are probably the two bands that not only have I toured with or played shows with, I just appreciate them so much, you know what I mean. They’re really doing a good job. Bring me the Horizon, A day to Remember, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, all those bands I have a strong, strong respect for and they’re doing a really good job and I’m honestly a fan of what they’re doing.

Music Trespass: Are you going on tour in the UK and if so what can we expect new?

Craig: We definitely are, we’re doing Download and Rock Am Ring / Rock in Park. We’re doing a lot of filling dates with Papa Roach, a lot of dates that we’re not doing with Papa Roach, we’re doing headline dates on and what fans can expect is what they can expect from any show. Just come out, havea  good fucking time, feel good about your life, whatever’s going on and just let it go. 

Music Trespass: What is next for Escape The Fate?

Craig: Hopefully, it’s taking over the World!

Music Trespass: Last question; Tell me about the imagery of the new record. It’s a little bit different from stuff you’ve used before.

Craig: It definitely is. It’s a little on the different side, but at the same time, it still has the spirit of Escape the Fate. And the best analogy I can give it is that it’s 'This war is Ours' after puberty. And that’s the new album. That’s all I can say about it. 

Interview and Questions by Dan Devour

Check Out! the Video for 'You're Insane' Below...