PREMIERE: Patient Sixty-Seven Hit New (Guttural) Lows on 'Impaired' feat. Taylor Barber

When considering who might be next in line for the throne of heavy music on the west coast, a few artists come to mind, with one of the most prominent being Patient Sixty-Seven. Beyond the Perth based group being a bunch of savvy meme lords, who will have you giggling after one look at their socials, their craft as proficient metalcore musicians transcends their comedic side as they consistently follow up each release with a more mature, varied and sophisticated sound. Which brings us to the release of their latest offering ‘Impaired’ featuring Left To Suffer’s Taylor Barber, which just so happens to be their heaviest track to date.

We spoke with the band to find out everything we can about the new track, the high calibre guest addition and everything else that may be happening in the world of P67. Questions answered by Tom Kiely (vocalist), Richard Alexander (drums) and Declan Le Tessier (Guitar).

‍Welcome back to WoS guys. It’s been a minute since we last heard from you; what’s been happening at P67 HQ since the release of 2022's Wishful Thinking?

DL: We’ve been busy, embarking on tours nationally and across to NZ, released our EP “What If It Never Gets Better” to the world, with 4 singles, writing new tracks and as usual mixing in some fun content. Not a day goes by at Patient HQ without something in the works.

RA: We have been lucky enough to tour with some awesome bands such as Crooked Royals, Lune, Redhook, Written by Wolves, Alt, Belle Haven, opening for Atreyu and so many more. We’ve also been able to grow our fan base and meet by meeting some amazing people along the way. And we can’t forget our amazing Street Team, who are engaging with us every day and creating a community that is so special to us. As for the writing side, we’ve really been enjoying the process of writing and the way it’s created (the music), we really bond as a crew over how we translate our emotions into our music.

This new track has you venturing into a heavier soundscape than ever before. What motivated that move?

RA: I think every metalcore band has their phase of heaviness and I believe this could be it for Patient. Impaired came at time in all of our lives where stresses and challenges become very prominent and that translated into this song.

Impaired is a really angry song that encompasses the feelings of being down and out. And to add more, who doesn’t love a fucking heavy song?

We wanted something that you can punch your steering wheel to and scream like a wounded badger in the car to and we really hope that’s the feeling it gives you, (but please actually pay attention when driving because we don’t want anyone getting hurt, please and thank you x)

DL Honestly, we are a heavy band at heart, we will not deny ourselves our roots and collectively felt that we needed to roll with what comes, and on this occasion -  a heavy track was what felt right!

TK: I was ecstatic to do something a little more aggressive and heavy than usual. It felt fresh when writing and recording and it’s always fun to mix things up.

‍Tom, it sounds as if you have really honed in on your abilities as a vocalist. The growls in this single are gnarly. Have you been purposefully working on your lows to cater for a heavier sound?

TK: I don’t think it’s been an intentional move, but I think over time you sort of try and experiment with different styles, different sounds. And becoming more comfortable through that process. I’ve always loved pushing myself vocally, this was a nice opportunity to do just that!

The addition of Taylor Barber is a great fit for this track, it almost seems as if everything he touches turns to gold. What made you invite him to collaborate with you on this song?

TK: Taylor is obviously an incredibly talented vocalist, when we had that middle verse – it felt like an awesome spot for a feature and Taylor immediately came to mind. He has the range and intensity – I really love how his part came out and how it flows with the energy of this one.

DL: We love Taylor and Left to suffer, such heavy, hard goodness. We felt that one of the heaviest vocalists for our heaviest track was inevitable, he was the perfect fit.

Previously you've also collaborated with the likes of Kellin Quinn, Brian Wille, and Joey Varela. Who else is on your list of vocalists lock down for a guestie?

DL: There are so many incredible vocalists out there, we love that we’ve been  able to work with so many. Personally, I’d love to do something with Andy Cizkek from Monuments!

TK: Oliver Sykes, we can dream. But for now the focus is honestly on writing brand new material after this and taking it from there!

Patient Sixty-Seven are breathing fresh life into the genre with these recent singles. Is the plan to follow in the footsteps of Make Them Suffer and become the metalcore giants of Australia's west coast?

RA: Well I think that’s definitely something we’d all love and I think that its every musicians dream, but only time will tell. But we will just continue to put in our all and have fun while were doing it. To be up there with the likes of Make Them Suffer would be a dream come true.

TK: One of the best heavy bands not just in Australia but quite honestly in the world. We certainly aren’t aiming for anything like that – just trying to have fun doing this while we can and putting our best foot forward.

You almost made it over to the US for the first time to perform at Blue Ridge Rock Fest in 2023, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Do you still have plans to break out overseas following the release of this track?

TK: We’d love that. Logistically, it’s something we’ve been working towards for a long time. It didn’t work out with Blue Ridge, but that’s okay – since then it’s just inspired us to learn and grow even more. We’ve had some conversations about the USA and hopefully it’s something that can work out in the future.

The constant stream of memes that come from the P67 socials are always amusing and entertaining. Do you ever find that it overshadows your career as accomplished musicians or rather adds further momentum to the band's awareness? What tips would you have for other artists who might struggle to engage with fans in the online space?

DL: We like to have fun, we never wanted to be that super serious metal band as that’s not who we are, we like to joke around and have a laugh and so the page reflects that. I would say that we just put ourselves out there. And the community we have grown from not being your typical online band has been overwhelming. We like to make people laugh, and then melt their face with our tracks!

RA: In the current landscape of social media and the vast amount of content that’s out there, I feel that creating a fan base that knows you don’t take yourself too seriously is just fine, we create memes to try and show a little bit more of who we are as people, and our humour.

We know it’s not the only way, but we feel like it aligns with who we are as individuals and our image as a band, essentially come for the music and stay for the memes.

We obviously want fans to focus on our music but if they stumble onto Patient from a meme, we’re more than happy about that too!

Any upcoming shows we should keep an ear out for and as we move through 2025? What else can fans anticipate from the group?

DL: Absolutely all shall be revealed in time. We can’t wait to share what we’re doing next.

TK: Watch this space!

RA: People can anticipate some of the best music we’ve ever made, in my humble opinion, which we’re planning to release periodically throughout the year, along with more shows, collaborations, and cool merch!

‍Well done on the new track. I have had it on repeat and am looking forward to unveiling it to the masses.

Thank you so much, Adam. That’s amazing. We love that you enjoyed the track and thanks for the interview. We love WOS.

Interview by Adam Rice @riceyadam

Follow Patient Sixty-Seven on Facebook and Instagram.

Pre-save 'Impaired' here