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IN 2000, Spencer Prewett started what was to be a ten year obsession playing drums in extreme death metal bands. Focussing on techniques that build speed and endurance, Spencer became well known in the Victoria metal scene as the fastest drummer on Vancouver island. Crepitus was Prewett's first experience in a group, performing several shows over the band's year long existence. The disbanding of Crepitus led to Immaculate Infection, a deathgrind project also out of Victoria. At this point, Spencer had uploaded and sent some performance videos to a group called Impure, a death metal outfit based out of Germany, signed to CDN records. Impure immediately offered Prewett a spot in the band, and he accepted. Spencer moved to Germany, to tour Europe with Impure for a year.
Upon Prewett's return to Victoria he founded the group Gremory, a band inspired by modern technical death metal, which was much different than his previous experience. Technical death metal was always Spencer's ideal genre, and so when Gremory started playing shows and was quite well received by the local scene, he became infatuated with practicing as much as possible, pushing the limits of speed and endurance in his drumming. In 2007, Spencer moved to Vancouver with Gremory bassist Jaron Good to form a new technical death metal band, with the tentative name Defenestrated. The band was later renamed Archspire, after several member changes and almost two years of preparation.
Creptius 2000 (Canada)
Immaculate Infection 2002-2003 (Canada)
Impure 2003-2004 (Germany)
Gremory 2004-2007 (Canada)
Archspire 2009 (Canada)
Spencer Prewett Interview:
SDM: How old were you when you started playing?
Spencer: I got my first drumset when I was 16 years old, but I started seriously practicing when I turned 18, after I heard the song "Mother North" by Satyricon.
SDM: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Spencer: In grade 9 and 10 I played the snare drum in my school band.
SDM: Who are your top 5 metal influences?
Spencer: Chalky, John Longstreth, Derek Roddy, Alex Hernandez, and Lord Marco.
SDM: Who are some other of your favorites?
Spencer: Flo Mounier, Kevin Talley, Inferno, and Romain Goulon.
SDM: Let us know 5 CD's that are in your current rotation
Spencer: Fleshgod Apocalypse – Mafia, Hour of Penance – Paradogma, Animals as Leaders – Self Titled, Sorreption – Illuminate the Excessive, and Despised Icon – Day of Mourning.
SDM: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Spencer: I start with single stroke rolls with my feet, single and double stroke rolls, and paradiddles with my hands, and then combine them. Starting off at slow tempos, I bring everything up to speed with my wrists, then work on my fingers in the faster tempos. Stretching and drinking tons of water is key before a show, as is moving around as much as possible, so that I can keep my heart rate up.
SDM: Do you read music? Regardless of answering yes or no, please tell us how it might have affected your playing?
Spencer: I used to read rhythm staff in school band, but nowadays I find little use in using traditional notation. I feel that my development as a drummer has not been stifled by playing mostly by ear.
SDM: Can you tell us about the gear you use?
Spencer: I play an eight piece Yamaha Custom Pro set. Two Axis Long Boards (classic black) with Ekit triggers hooked up to a ddrum4 SE. I only have two crashes. I much prefer the sounds of bells and splashes because I feel they have more character.
SDM: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…
Spencer: Utilize the internet as much as possible, Youtube and Sickdrummer are both perfect for finding new techniques. When I started learning to play drums, I had to guess at most of the techniques they were using just from listening to the CD.
SDM: Who gave the best live performance you've ever seen?
Spencer: First time I saw Necrophagist play with Romain Goulon I was amazed. He seemed to effortlessly blast through the set, and his hands and feet were mechanically tight. I tried to take as much from that show and put it into my own playing as possible.
SDM: Aside from drumming, what else do you like to do?
Spencer: Working out and staying in shape are very important to me, as well as keeping up on scientific and political news. I am a huge Star Trek: TNG fan also.
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