Metalheads love history, for some reason. Unlike other genres — except for perhaps folk and bluegrass — the number of metal bands that are solely inspired by historical events and pay homage to specific eras is many., admits to being a fan of such music, particularly European groups that leaned into local lore through lyrics and imagery, and approaches his Denver band the same way.
For McCarthy and his bandmates, Isaac Faulk , Jamie Hansen and Joe Strong-Truscelli , it’s about being authentic to their roots. “I think it comes down to that we are all from here. We've grown up around the mountains and plains and the history of the West our whole lives,” McCarthy explains, adding that a love for Western films and spending time on his grandfather’s ranch “planted the seeds young.
McCarthy brushes off any talk that Wayfarer is ushering in the “new” Denver Sound. For now, there is no band out there, locally or elsewhere, that is playing black metal alongside Old West Vaudeville numbers. In that sense, Wayfarer is making history metal. “We are definitely making an effort over the last several years to kind of honor that world of music and carry the torch in a new way that is also genuine to us and who we are,” McCarthy concludes. “So we are honoring it, but it seems like a new vein of it, if anything.”, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way.
is an award-winning journalist and editor, as his pieces have been recognized as some of the best in the West over the years.Inspired by heavy metal and the unusual, Justin’s work has been featured in the Denver Post, Westword, Salt Lake City Weekly, Phoenix New Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. His first collection of essays,