Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with Ravenous guitarist Jake Wright as he’s been spending this time working on new music.
What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?
In those early uncertain weeks of Covid we made the decision to use the time wisely and focus on writing. Late March through the beginning of May of 2020 was a very productive period for us in which we wrote and arranged early drafts of 20 songs. In the summer months that followed we refined and re-wrote as necessary to firm up the 10 (12 with bonus!) songs we have on the Hubris album. We recorded the album from November through March in semi-isolation and from separate studios before sending it off to get mixed in Sweden!
On a personal level, I have been focusing more on cardio for fitness rather than the heavy lifting I have been doing for years. I have been connecting more with online communities, work around the house, hiking and outdoor activities, and even more mundane stuff like puzzles. I also wrote a bunch of music for another project. It’s been a fairly productive time period! Luckily I have a lovely partner at home who shares many of my interests.
Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?
Some of my favourite albums from 2020 and 2021 have been from a whole bunch of different bands and styles: Boisson Divine, The Night Flight Orchestra, Aether Realm, Toehider, Unleash the Archers, Countless Skies, The Ocean Collective, Burden of Life, Haken, Vola, Soen, Leprous, Iotunn, Tribulation, Wizardthrone, Edu Falaschi, Subterranean Masquerade… I could go on and on!
Now that it’s late 2021 we are starting to see the wealth of art that was created by people since Covid started. If there’s anything positive we can collectively gain from a situation like this, it’s that there will be a boom of music, art, ideas, etc. that will eventually surface.
A lot of people have been spending this time cooking, including making their own bread. What food have you been prepping during this time?
Right near the beginning of Covid I really flexed my millennial status and started my own sourdough culture like every other hipster out there. I have been cooking many different types of bread from it, and it’s going strong a year and a half later! Otherwise, I am an avid cook with many different influences ranging from Southeast Asian to Mediterranean, to Cajun… something I focused on more in the last year was in upping my curry game. I like my food spicy, complex, and nutritious. If you can freeze it, great! There’s something really satisfying about knowing I could pull a delicious Chana Masala or Palak Paneer out of the freezer at a moment’s notice after a long workday… especially if I get to make some homemade sourdough culture naan to go with it!
In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?
I feel bad that I haven’t been taking as much time to read as I should be! The Locked Tomb book series by Tamsin Muir has been a notably interesting and amusing read. The Lighthouse was probably my favourite movie from the last while and looking forward I am immensely looking forward to the new Dune movie! Early on in Covid I played a lot of Witcher 3… later on, I was playing RingFit Adventure. Those days it was too cold to bike outside or I was too undisciplined to lift weights. For TV I finished Bojack Horseman (who knew a cartoon full of anthropomorphic animal characters could be the heaviest, darkest, most real thing out there?), and I also finally watched all of Twin Peaks which was certainly a trip that is well-deserving of its cult status.
What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?
Stay in communication with your loved ones, be supportive and understanding to your friends, eat healthily, keep your body moving, actively pursue hobbies and interests and new things to learn. Consume, create, and share as much music as you can!
