THE JUGGERNAUT JOURNAL Q&A INTERVIEW
Our featured Q&A interview with:
Mike Bullock and James Achilles of RED VINTER
Summary of feature band or artist:
Founded in 2023 – Red Vinter are a St. Paul-based doom/death metal heavyweights that have an “ultra heavy mix of industrial and sludge” punch to their music!
Red Vinter band members:
Mike Bullock – Vocals, Bass
J LeBrasseur – Rhythm Guitars
Dylan Jones – Lead Guitars
James Achilles – Drums
Formed in the heart of the icy Minnesota winter, Red Vinter was forged by Mike Bullock (Ironchrist, Indestroy) and James Achilles. The duo’s relentless pursuit of heavy, uncompromising music led them to recruit J LeBrasseur and Dylan Jones to complete their lineup. Together, they craft a sound that blurs the lines between doom, sludge, death and industrial metal, pushing the boundaries of heavy music.
The release of their first full-length album, Lumbering Menace, follows the band’s acclaimed 2025 EP ‘Into the Deep’, which was named “Album of the Month” by Metal Digest. With this album, Red Vinter cements their place in the modern doom/death movement, pulling inspiration from titans like Monolord, Godflesh, and Obituary.
Q1: What drives you creatively when you make your music!?
Mike: “For me, it’s a combination of emotions and storytelling. When Red Vinter began, I’d just come out of a horribly bleak time in my life marked with the sudden deaths of three family members I was very close to that left me asking “why am I still alive?” All that pain and depression came out in the music I wrote, ultimately ‘evolving’ into Red Vinter.
I’ve heard and seen lots of different ways to write songs…the process is often as unique as the songwriter themselves. For us, we approach it like telling a story/conveying an emotion. That initial emotion was depression and despair, but in newer songs it’s given way to anger.”
James: “Partially catharsis, partially a desire to connect with others. Creating music gives me an outlet to place the negative emotions I experience, and at the same time it hopefully will speak to someone else out there who is struggling. There has been plenty of music that has helped me throughout the years, and if I can help one person get through a tough spot by making them think “someone out there gets what I am going through”, then I think I’ve done my job.”
Q2: Who influenced you (or who’s your greatest inspirational influence) to get into the local music industry!?
Mike: “I found myself immersed in the local metal scene in the MD/DC/VA area in my late teens – alongside bands like Deceased, Spine, Abominog, Sadistic Torment, Caustic Affliction and others we had legendary shows, incredible parties and made music that has stood the test of time. But most importantly, we made lifelong friendships/relationships. After moving to the St. Paul area, it’s obvious that there are a lot of like-minded metalheads here doing similar things. Bands like Living Through Ghosts, VolsungaSaga, Northern Hammer, Caustic Abyss and so many more. How could you not want to be part of that?”
James: “I mean everyone starts somewhere, usually a garage or basement. I’m influenced by a variety of drummers, from Chris Adler and Vinnie Paul, to Danny Carey, Esben Willems, Dave Grohl, and others. Each of them gives me a piece of what makes up my drumming character. The local scene in the Twin Cities is great. We didn’t want to sound like anyone else and were glad to see that while there are some other great low/slow bands, no one was doing it quite the way we wanted to. So, we went for it.”
Q3: From a business perspective, what are you looking forward to creating for yourself (selves) as a band or artist!? (i.e. future plans)
Mike: “I think James touched on this a little, but when we started we just wanted to have fun and hopefully make some music that helps people in some way. Most people who say music is an important part of their lives have at least one song that got them through a tough time. If we have a single person tell us one of our songs is that for them, we’ve won.
The business of music is barely viable these days, with 95% of the bands out there operating on the honor system hoping fans will do the right thing and pay for their work. Unfortunately, it’s become acceptable to steal music which has forced bands to give it away in the hopes of building a loyal fan base.
Knowing that unfortunate truth going in means we’re more interested in the fulfillment the four of us get from writing, recording and gigging than “building a brand” or gaming the algorithms.”
James: “I would love to see us get to the point of being invited to play festivals. As Mike already pointed out, the reality of making a living via music these days is very unrealistic for all but the most homogenized popular music acts. So for me, it’s again the satisfaction of thinking that maybe our music helps people when they need it.”
Q4: Where do you see yourself (selves) in 10 years from now in the local music industry!?
Mike: “Hopefully we’re still going strong, surrounded by a decade worth of fans who enjoy experiencing the music as much as we dig creating it.”
James: “I would love to see the fanbase grow across the world, perhaps landing us as a staple of the scene.”
Q5: What’s your greatest accomplishment to date!?
Mike: “Oh man – that’s a tough question (laughs). I’m not sure I would define anything we’ve done as “great”. I’ve known, been associated with and met a lot of great musicians in my life and know better than to count myself among them. When you go to the same High School as Marty Friedman the bar is set really high right off the bat (laughs).
I have read stats that say only like one in a thousand bands started ever actually get to the “first show” stage. Of those, a fraction ever make it to the “album release” level. So, I guess the “greatest” thing we’ve done so far is beat those odds. And, for that, I’m forever grateful to James, J and Dylan. And a major thank you to Will Maravelas at 14:59 Studios for helping us bring it to life.”
James: “On a personal level, being able to recover and play the drums after a hip replacement ranks right up there. Apparently the other hip will need replacing eventually, but I will conquer that as well. From a band level, I would say that none of us had any connections to the local scene when Mike and I started this in the summer of 2023. Since then, we are getting to be more known, we are being asked to play more gigs, etc. And we’re making a lot of great new friends along the way. So just starting from literally nothing music-wise to where we are now is a huge accomplishment in my view.”
Q6: If the opportunity arose, who would you want to collaborate with on a song together!?
Mike: “We’ve not really given that a ton of thought, even though we’ve been asked that in other interviews. We tend to think more “what would make this part of the song killer?” which is how we wound up with Susan Mitchell of Wasteland Coven singing backups on Escape Velocity. We wanted a “galactic choir of angels” in the song and Susan was the perfect choice. And man did she deliver!”
James: “Oh wow, how long am I allowed to make this answer LOL? There are way too many to list, but off the top of my head there are tons of talented local musicians like Matt Schrampfer, Will Maravelas, Felicia Wray, Braeden Telstad, Matt Parkins, and many others who would be fantastic to partner up with.”
Q7: What’s more important, in your opinion… winning music awards/accolades OR building a strong fan base following… and why!?
Mike: “Without hesitation it’s the fan base. Awards are about us/me/being selfish. A fan base is about others. I’ve won several awards in my time, and not a single one of them helped someone out. Life is rough out there and, as the saying goes, everyone you meet is fighting a battle you might not see. If we can create a song(s) that helps people get through this thing called life, that’s winning – not being handed some self-serving award.”
James: “If we wanted awards and accolades, we picked the wrong style of music to do that! The only accolades I seek are from those who can relate to this music, those who feel it speaks directly to them on a personal level, those who hear it and think “I am not alone, these guys GET how I feel”.”
*Wow – now that was truly an amazing interview from you guys! Words that come to my mind after reading this are: humble, intelligent, well-grounded (down to Earth), entertaining, knowledgeable, and obviously very talented, too!
I honestly appreciate your insightful wisdom of how you perceive the world according to your experiences but also how you encompass your work, through using your lyrics, that can have a positive impact on a person’s soul. That’s just deep, brothers- so thatnk you for all you do! This is definitely one of my top 5 interviews, and only like my second multi-person one. Dynamitr stuff…thank you for sharing with us Red Vinter. 
(created by Stephen M. Walters of JUGGERNAUT Promotions)