Cauldron is one band that a lot of us know and is seen by many as one of the main bands that started off the trad metal movement back in the early 2000’s. Led by vocalist and bassist Jason Decay also of Goat Horn and more recently Lock Hart, the band stormed the metal scene for years with exceptional albums like ‘Burning Fortune’ and ‘New Gods.’

The journey from his first band Goat Horn back in 1999 to his current Lock Hart has been truly insightful and Jason was kind enough to give us a glimpse into that journey.

THE NWOTHM: Hey there, for our readers who are discovering you for the first time can you introduce yourself and the bands you are involved in?

JASON: Hi, my name is Jason and I have been involved with many bands over the years but most notably Goat Horn, Cauldron and recently Lockhart. 

THE NWOTHM: Cauldron have been around for some time! Can you tell us about the formation of the band all those years ago and how you chose the bands name & sound?

JASON: Cauldron became of the very abrupt ending of Goat Horn. I basically found a new guitar player and changed the name and continued on with the momentum that Goat Horn had going at the time. I wasn’t big on the name Goat Horn so I took this opportunity to fix that. I liked the name Cauldron because it was simple, heavy and straight to the point.

THE NWOTHM: As a musician who would you say your biggest influences have been both musically and outside of music?

JASON: That’s a long one so I’ll keep it short. Metallica was important for me, along with AC/DC and Def Leppard for setting me on my way. Bret Hart for wrestling and Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers for hockey.

THE NWOTHM: What is your go to bass for creating music? Do you have any particular favourites?

JASON: That would be my El Degas lawsuit edition Rickenbacker. I had this bass on standby for years thinking it wasn’t that good but when I broke my Warlock on stage in Edmonton in 2009 I was forced to play this for the rest of the tour. That is when I learned to appreciate how good it actually was. I don’t usually write songs on bass though. Most of the Goat Horn and early Cauldron stuff was on my Jackson Rhodes but for the last decade or so its been a Gibson V. 

THE NWOTHM: The man behind Cauldrons axe, Ian Chains has been by your side pretty much since the start. How has your friend and bandmate influenced you and helped you grow as a musician?

JASON: Not only is Ian an exceptional guitar player and riff maker, he is very particular and pays close attention to detail. I’ve always felt like he’s more of a musician and I’m more of a songwriter so our strengths compliment each other and we work together well.

THE NWOTHM: I have interviewed quite a few bands from Canada all with different opinions of the scene. In your opinion, how you would describe the Canadian metal scene, especially for heavy metal?

JASON: At the moment, I don’t know. I am quite removed from it at this point. I haven’t lived in the city, played a gig or even gone to many in the last 4 years. 

But I can tell you that twenty something years ago it was pretty non existent except for the extreme worm vocal stuff. By the mid-late 00’s it was doing quite well and remained there until I stopped participating. There were probably too many bands and too many shows at that point haha. 

THE NWOTHM: ‘Chained to the Nite’ is probably my favourite album from your discography! And I especially love the album track ‘Chained up in Chains.’ Do you have any memories of the writing process for Cauldrons first full-length album and how would you say the band has developed since those early days?

JASON: It was the first time working with Ian’s riffs and I think we were still trying to find what worked best for us. Chained Up came together really easy whereas Dreams Die felt a little more forced. We were basically a two piece at this point with me on drums and Ian on guitar before Steelrider came back and did the record. We spent too much time mixing that record and not enough time recording it. 

THE NWOTHM: You guys have an amazing catalogue! From the likes of ‘Chained up in Chains’ to one of your most recent releases ‘New Gods.’ For people discovering Cauldron for the very first time, which album or songs would you tell them to check out first and why? 

JASON: Thank you! I’d have to know a bit about what they like before I recommend where to start but my personal favorite is probably New Gods. I think they all have good songs but our musicianship and production gets a lot better around Tomorrow’s Lost, so start there!

THE NWOTHM: Cauldrons sound and productions are very raw and organic. What chose you to have that direction for the music and would you say the ultra polished approach to recording and making music these days has become too much of a focus?

JASON: We always wanted to sound like a real band; humans playing instruments with the big production, but our budget usually limited that. I can’t stand the sound of a lot of modern recordings, especially the fake drums and vocals. A lot of times it can ruin a good band for me. 

THE NWOTHM: Each Cauldron album has very unique artwork? Who are the artists behind the artworks and are there any stories to them?

JASON: Into the Cauldron was illustrated by cartoonist Emmett Hall. It was supposed to be a guy getting pulled into a cauldron by multiple intravenous tubes but it ended up looking like a dopy marionette. Chained to the Nite was originally shot by us in Toronto but it turned out pretty directionless so Talita Jenman (of Earache Records at the time) took our concept and had it re-shot in London with Sam Scott Hunter. Burning Fortune was also directed by Talita using our friend Philip Bernard’s concept (Chromium Dioxide Radio) and photographed again by Sam Scott Hunter. Tomorrow’s Lost was painted by Todd Kowalski. In Ruin was done by Squid Hrushka and New Gods was an old painting by our friend Robin Ouellette that we really liked. Ian did the Dokken-esque logo on Undercover of Moonlight. 

THE NWOTHM: You have played many shows around the world but what tour would you say was the most memorable? Do you have any shows that you are most proud of? 

JASON: Too many to mention them all but that time we played Metallica’s festival in Detroit was pretty cool. Our first time in Europe with Twisted Tower Dire in 2007 was awesome.   2009 was pretty memorable…  driving all over the states in a van with Enforcer playing every dive in the midwest to nobody and then our first bus tour with Municipal Waste in the fall. We weren’t making any money but we were having a great time. The gigs with Diamond Head in 2013 were rad. Our big comeback tour with Satan after the accident in Texas was pretty astonishing… Die Hard with Mantas on guitar was pretty cool. It would be easier to name the not so good ones haha.

THE NWOTHM: In 2020 you decided to release a covers album by the name of ‘Undercover of Moonlight.’ How did you go about the track selection process and why did you decide to do a covers album as opposed to another Cauldron album at that time?

JASON: That came about when the Covid lockdowns started to happen and Ian needed something to do at home so he put that together. We had talked about consolidating our covers and outtakes onto one release for a while and now we finally had time to do so. It’s for the “die hard” fans. 

THE NWOTHM: Looking back over the music videos you have made was there a particular one that you will always be proud of? ‘ Nitebreaker’ was a killer video!

JASON: Yeah Nitebreaker was pretty good. 

THE NWOTHM: Prior to Cauldron you had another great band by the name of Goat Horn! Can you tell our readers more about Goat Horn and a brief overview of the bands history?

JASON: We started in 1999 in our hometown and the initial sound of the band is something that we mutually bonded on. No one else in our circle of musician friends were as into the primal metal sounds of the 70s and early 80s as we were. It was very unpopular at the time. 

THE NWOTHM: Goat Horns ‘Rotten Roll’ music video was apparently made for around $60 and captures the band live and having a lot of fun in a raw, DIY approach. Can you tell us more about the video and any fond memories you have from that period?

JASON: That video was us and some friends hanging out in our basement apartment one night with a video camera, drinking and shooting ideas around of what to film. We ripped off a lot of ridiculous scenes from other music videos we had seen over the years. The outdoor daylight scenes were shot the next morning in the backyard all hungover.  I think the $60 was for DV tapes and a firewire cable or something.

THE NWOTHM: Goat Horn is something I believe that is special to you and a band from the early 2000’s pre Cauldron! What inspired you to return to the music and release the ‘Voyage To Nowhere – The Complete Anthology boxset?

JASON: Our friend Dan was interested in putting it out as a 3 disc set so we thought why not? We had a lot of material that was out of print and we put a lot of work into that band so it was nice to see it all come together in one package.  It was also nice to show where we left off and where Cauldron began. 

THE NWOTHM: Do you have plans to bring back Goat Horn music to your live shows?

JASON: Not at this point. 

THE NWOTHM: In recent years you introduced the world to a new band under the name Lock Hart. Sounding very different from the other music you have created, where did the idea for the project come from and how did you choose the direction for the bands sound?

JASON: Well, we wanted to do something lighter for those who found some of our stuff to be a little too heavy, you know, be a little more inclusive. So, Devon had these songs lying around since 2015 and I was always bugging him to record them and put them out. He finally got around to that last year and asked me to play bass. Devon was looking for a drummer so I suggested Fabio since we had been talking about doing something together for about 10 years now and I knew he would be into it. 

THE NWOTHM: What is next for Lock Hart in 2023?

JASON: Maybe a full length record. 

THE NWOTHM: Cauldron have been pretty quiet the past few years and so it has left many fans wondering what is next for the band? WiIl Cauldron return with new music and shows in 2023?

JASON: We have no plans for new music or any shows this year. We might do a couple gigs in 2024, maybe a single or something but that’s it; we have other obligations and priorities at this stage in life. 

THE NWOTHM: Where can fans purchase your music and merchandise? Do you have any new items on the way?

JASON: We have nothing new at the moment but the remaining old stuff is available at:

BasementMetal: basementmetal.com

Cauldron Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAULDRONmetal

Goat Horn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goathornofficial

Lock Hart Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Listentolockhart

THE NWOTHM: Finally Is there anything else you would like to mention?

JASON: Have a good time!

#Cauldronband #GoatHorn #LockHart #Thenwothm