Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier joined Rocking With Jam Man for a deep conversation about the band’s new album Give Me Dirt, the lessons that only come from two decades on the road, and why leaving some rough edges in the music was the entire point.
The interview opens with a challenge. Cormier has called Give Me Dirt one of the best records Cancer Bats have made, so Jam Man asks him to prove what this version of the band can do that it could not have done five or ten years ago.
For Cormier, part of the answer is experience. Cancer Bats have learned how to write material that still hits with full force once it leaves the studio. He talks about avoiding vocal parts that leave no room to breathe, resisting riffs that only work when everyone is playing at the absolute limit, and making sure the songs can survive where the band matters most: onstage.
Keeping Give Me Dirt Raw
That live-first mentality runs through Give Me Dirt. The record was produced by Kurt Ballou and Zach Weeks at God City Studios, and Cormier says the goal was never perfection for perfection’s sake. The drums, guitars and bass were allowed to keep the kind of movement and roughness that make Cancer Bats sound like Cancer Bats.
When Jam Man asks what the band purposely left “dirty” because fixing it would have made it worse, Cormier points directly to that live energy. Cancer Bats do not play perfectly onstage, and he does not sing every line exactly the same every night. Instead of editing those human elements out, the band leaned into them.
That philosophy fits the larger idea behind Give Me Dirt: something physical, imperfect and real arriving in a music world dominated by algorithms, phones and short-form clips. Cormier says he still believes there are plenty of listeners—especially in heavy music—who want that rawness.
Stay Stuck, Don’t Trip and Long Tooth
The conversation then moves into the songs themselves. “Stay Stuck” is built around refusing to waste more time, but Jam Man flips the question back on Cormier: after writing that song, what is he still wasting too much time on? His immediate answer is trying to get his dirt bikes running, before turning the question toward the bigger idea of recognizing when you have become stagnant and need to shake something up.
“Don’t Trip” came from Cormier riding through a brutal storm in the Rockies. What stayed with him was not only the danger, but the beauty of the moment once he stopped living entirely inside his own head. He describes the song as a lesson in stepping outside a problem long enough to see that the situation may not be as overwhelming as it first feels.
“Long Tooth” turns toward self-acceptance. The discussion digs into the line between accepting the strange parts of yourself and using “that’s just who I am” as an excuse to stop growing. Cormier says getting older has also meant recognizing that some of the traits people beat themselves up over may be the same traits that helped them get where they are.
Loss, Positivity and Fools Like You
On “Ocean Crash,” Cormier talks about processing a painful break-in through music. Rather than preserving something he wanted to forget, repeatedly singing about it became another way of releasing the energy around the experience.
“Positive Grid” leads into a sharper conversation about positivity itself. Cancer Bats have always carried a positive mental attitude streak, but Jam Man asks whether positivity can become fake—a way of avoiding what is actually wrong. Cormier agrees that toxic positivity is real and says there is a difference between encouraging someone and pretending the difficult side of life is not there.
The album closes with “Fools Like You,” one of the record’s most confrontational moments. Cormier discusses how the song was informed by current events and by Efrem Schulz’s involvement in anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles. The challenge, he says, is writing from the reality of the moment while still making the song feel like more than a temporary headline.
Working With Kurt Ballou
Instead of asking the standard “what was it like working with Kurt Ballou?” question, Jam Man asks what Ballou would not let Cancer Bats get away with. The answer is unexpected: Cormier says Ballou was far more laid-back than the band expected.
Because Converge’s music can be so technical and intense, the band assumed the sessions might be grueling. Instead, Cormier remembers Ballou hearing Cancer Bats for what they are and pushing them to maximize that identity rather than turn them into something else. The result was one of the more relaxed recording experiences the band has had.
Jackson Landry Brought a Fan’s Perspective Into the Band
Guitarist Jackson Landry entered Cancer Bats with something the other members could not really have: the perspective of someone who grew up as a fan of the band. Cormier says that when the rest of the group references Sabbath, Entombed or other outside influences, Landry can reference Cancer Bats themselves.
That came through clearly while working on “Positive Grid.” Cormier says the riff reminded him of the energy from the Birthing the Giant and Hail Destroyer era, and Landry told him that was exactly where he was coming from. It gave the band a way to revisit its own DNA without simply repeating the past.
After 20 Years, Cancer Bats Can Still Have Firsts
After thousands of shows and more than 20 years together, Cancer Bats are still finding places they have never played. Their first Yukon run gives Cormier the same kind of excitement the band felt traveling somewhere new in its twenties, and he says there are still major parts of the world—including South America and much of Asia—that the band wants to reach.
Asked which new songs are already separating themselves live, Cormier points to “Positive Grid” as an early fan favorite and says “Stay Stuck” has hit the ground running hard enough that it is already getting reactions alongside long-established songs like “Bricks and Mortar” and “Lucifer’s Rocking Chair.”
If he had to keep only one Give Me Dirt song in the set ten years from now, though, Cormier picks the title track.
What 20 Years on the Road Teaches You
Experience has also changed the way Cormier handles the nights when everything goes wrong. If a piece of gear breaks now, he no longer panics. He can talk to the crowd, make jokes and effectively turn ten minutes of dead time into part of the show while the problem gets fixed.
He also pushes back on the idea that continuing until his body gives out is only about stubborn dedication. At this point, performing with Cancer Bats is part of what keeps him in shape. The shows are cardio, movement and release all at once.
And if all of this eventually ends with a last meal? Cormier’s answer is simple: pizza and black coffee.
The interview ends where it began—with dirt bikes. Cormier says the next thing on his schedule is getting back to the two motorcycles he had been trying to fix before the interview. Before signing off, he tells Jam Man: “Great questions, man. This is a cool interview.”
Watch the Full Interview
Watch Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats on Rocking With Jam Man above or watch the full interview on YouTube.