As Halloween nears, we all tend to embrace that spooky feeling. Maybe we carve pumpkins, watch scary movies… some freaks even get excited for Christmas. I’ve spent the better part of the last week listening to The Lycan - their blend of metal is the perfect soundtrack for this time of year. Their video for “Unborn” is a full-on production. I got the chance to ask the band a few questions and got a better look at what makes them go.
Who is the best band or artist you’ve seen live?
• Of all time? That’s tough, but we would have to go with Metallica. They’ve spent years perfecting their live show, and it definitely shows. That said, it’s hard to ignore bands like Parkway Drive and Slaughter to Prevail when it comes to best live bands. They’re reinventing what it means to throw a metal show.
How long has the band been together and how did you form?
• We started this band in January of this year, so we’ve only been together for about 10 months. But we were working behind the scenes, getting our lineup prepared for at least another 9 months prior to that. Our bassist, Mark Kelly, and our first drummer were the first ones that started scouting us out. We quickly found our first guitarist, Ben Weaver, then our other guitarist, Dane Houshower, and the last piece of the puzzle was our vocalist/frontman Cliff “Worm” Albright. There were lots of tryouts held for pretty much every position - so you’re looking at all the winners here.
What kind of music do you guys listen to, and how does it factor into what you write?
• Our music tastes are pretty varied - each of us comes from a different background of metal. Anywhere from the classics like Metallica and Pantera, Nu-Metal like Korn and Mudvayne, to old-school deathcore like Suicide Silence and Whitechapel, or modern metalcore like Architects and Ice Nine Kills. They are all factors when writing, and on any given song, you might hear influences from any one of them.
The video for “Unborn” is top notch - great production and visuals. “Dead Skin Pity Party” captures the energy of a live show. What lies ahead for The Lycan?
• We have another single we just got done tracking last week actually, and we start filming that music video in a couple of weeks. We think this next one will be our best music video yet (with the help from our team at Ethera Productions) and the song itself has serious potential to capture a broader audience. We can’t wait for everyone to hear it.
You’re playing the pre-party for the Extreme Music Awards on January 16th. The Albany Metal scene is so impressive -who are some bands you look forward to working with in 2026? I am talking local and your dream national acts you could play with at Empire Live.
• You aren’t kidding - the scene is brimming with talent. Being a part of the Extreme Music Awards Pre-Party is one of the highest honors in our scene, and we are so grateful to be on it with such heavy hitters. 2026 is going to be all gas and no brakes for us, and we’d love to get on some shows with Iced Over, Altar NY, Against The Reign, or even some more shows with KAKOS. The guys in those bands are all writing wildly good music, and they’re all so hungry. We love it.
As for National acts, opening up for Killswitch Engage would be a great fit -their last show at Empire was amazing. All That Remains are due to come to Empire Live soon and that would also be nuts. We look forward to finding more people who are into that kind of music and showing them there’s a new kid on the block.
