For Saltwound vocalist Spencer Timmons, the evolution of the band has never been about simply making another heavy song. Coming off their 2025 release The Temptation of Pain, the band found themselves looking beyond the familiar boundaries of deathcore, experimenting with heavier nu-metal influences and drawing inspiration from artists further outside their usual musical comfort zone.
That mindset helped shape Saltwound’s newest material and, according to Timmons, it reflects a band that is increasingly willing to challenge its own expectations.
“When we started writing the song, we were coming fresh out of The Temptation of Pain, and we were trying to build off of the heaviness and more nu-metal vibes that we introduced in that record,” Timmons explains. “Trying to take inspiration from some farther-out bands of ours than just going for the same kind of deathcore stuff.”
For Saltwound, broadening their influences isn’t about abandoning the heaviness that established them. Instead, it’s about finding new ways to make that heaviness feel fresh.
More Than Just a Name
Saltwound’s name has understandably led to plenty of jokes and comparisons over the years. Timmons is quick to clarify that the actual story is considerably more unexpected. The band’s name is an homage to Fit for an Autopsy, a band Timmons was heavily influenced by during high school. Before settling on the name, he even reached out to vocalist Joe Badolato to make sure he was comfortable with them using it. What Timmons discovered made the story even better.
“He actually shared with me that it’s his World of Warcraft account name,” Timmons says.
And with that, Saltwound’s origin story became less about stealing a band name and more about accidentally borrowing a metal vocalist’s gaming identity.
“So for everyone that comments that we ripped off Salt Wound, we didn’t,” he jokes. “We actually ripped off another vocalist’s World of Warcraft account.”
Learning to See “Drowning” Differently
One of the most revealing moments of the interview comes when Timmons discusses “Drowning.” Despite the song becoming an important entry point for many listeners, Timmons initially struggled with his own feelings toward it.
“When we released ‘Drowning,’ I actually wasn’t particularly a fan of that song,” he admits. “I felt like I didn’t necessarily give the best performance on it personally.”
The writing process for Volume Two had been stressful, with the band facing a rush toward the finish line. When the song finally came out, Timmons wasn’t convinced it represented Saltwound at their best. Then the audience changed his perspective. As listeners began describing “Drowning” as their favorite Saltwound song or explaining that it was their introduction to the band Timmons started looking at the track differently. Some listeners went on to explore the band’s older material because of it. That experience taught him something bigger than simply appreciating one song.
“It kind of changed the perspective of the song for me, and I realized that I don’t need to be so critical of certain things with myself,” he says. “I can just appreciate things for what they are and let things exist in the moment that they were created.”
It’s a particularly honest admission from a vocalist working in a genre where performances are often scrutinized intensely. For Timmons, learning to stop second-guessing every creative decision has become part of his growth.
The Road Dog Behind Saltwound
Timmons‘ relationship with touring extends beyond performing with Saltwound. He also works as a driver and crew member for other bands, putting his CDL to use transporting equipment and vehicles across the country.
“I actually drive for a lot of bands on tour,” he explains. “I just drove last year for VCTMS and Miss May I on a couple of different tours. I’ve driven for Sulfur and driven for a few bands nowadays.”
The experience has given him a perspective that many musicians don’t necessarily get: seeing touring from both sides of the stage. Being an artist means juggling countless responsibilities, while crew work can be much more focused.
“Being crew on a tour is very different than being an artist on a tour a lot of the time,” Timmons says. “Sometimes you prefer being crew. There’s less work. You only have one job you have to do, and then once that job’s done, it’s done.”
With Saltwound, however, there’s always something else demanding his attention.
“When I have to wear the Saltwound hat, it’s like I have all these different things on my plate that I’m trying to get done in order.”
That dual experience has made Timmons something of a road veteran not just an artist who tours, but someone who understands what makes a tour function behind the scenes.
“The Negative” Became the Benchmark
When asked which Saltwound song represented the moment everything clicked, Timmons immediately points toward “The Negative.” For him, it wasn’t simply another song. It was a turning point in how the band viewed itself.
“When we played ‘The Negative’ together after kind of tweaking it and writing it and everything and we actually played it live, and I heard it, I was like, ‘Oh shit. This sounds like a real band’s song.’”
That realization has stayed with him. Even now, “The Negative” serves as a benchmark for Saltwound’s songwriting. Timmons says the song contains essentially every element he wants to hear in a Saltwound track.
“It really has every single thing that I would want to include on a Saltwound song,” he says.
The track didn’t just change how the band sounded; it changed how they saw themselves.
Who Would Complete the Circle?
If Timmons could bring any vocalist onto a future Saltwound song, his first choice would be Joe Badolato of Fit for an Autopsy.
The reasoning is obvious: the band name itself is tied to Badolato’s World of Warcraft account, making a collaboration the ultimate full-circle moment.
“I think I’d want to get Joe from Fit on a song, honestly, just to have the full-circle moment there,” Timmons says. “The name being inspired by Fit, and then having him on a song, kind of bringing it all home.”
If that collaboration doesn’t happen, Timmons already has another vocalist in mind: Knocked Loose’s Brian Garris. Either way, the possibilities would make for a particularly fitting crossover.
The Metal Vocalist Who Doesn’t Listen to Much Metal
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the conversation is Timmons‘ listening habits. Despite fronting a heavy band, he doesn’t spend most of his downtime listening to metal.
“I don’t listen to metal. I rarely listen to metal,” he says.
Instead, his playlist leans heavily toward 2000s-era rock and post-grunge staples, including Creed, Hinder, Nickelback, Three Days Grace and 3 Doors Down.
“It’s objectively hard,” he says of Nickelback with a laugh.
That disconnect between his personal listening habits and the music he performs is an interesting glimpse into how musical influences can work. Sometimes inspiration isn’t found in the same genre you’re creating; it comes from elsewhere and gets translated into something completely different.
Protecting the Voice on Tour
For Timmons, maintaining his screaming voice requires preparation, especially during long headline runs where he’s also spending hours talking to promoters, sound engineers, fans and others throughout the day. His vocal warmups generally last between 30 and 45 minutes, and he incorporates breathing exercises inspired by vocal coach Melissa Cross. He also relies heavily on menthol cough drops.
“I tend to pop a lot of cough drops all day, to be honest,” Timmons says. “Especially like working merch as much as I do for us. I talk a lot, and so my voice will end up getting a little bit raw.”
While honey and tea are popular among singers, Timmons says they haven’t worked particularly well for him. Instead, cough drops have become a practical part of his routine and they have another benefit.
“They also help me not smoke,” he explains, noting that avoiding smoking helps protect his screaming voice while simultaneously giving him something to soothe his throat.
When Touring Goes Completely Wrong
Anyone who has spent enough time on the road knows that things eventually break. For Saltwound, that can mean everything from trailer problems to an alternator dying at the worst possible moment. During one incident, the wheel bearing on the band’s trailer failed, forcing everyone to wake up and immediately switch into problem-solving mode.
“Everyone got out of the van and just started trying to figure out what was going on,” Timmons recalls.
Another incident was even more dramatic. While heading to a show in Las Vegas, the band’s alternator completely died, leaving them with no choice but to push the van and trailer for the final mile to the venue. They still made the show. Afterward, the band had to replace the alternator and the person doing the repair was relatively new to the Saltwound touring family.
“That was his second show with us ever,” Timmons says. “His first tour he’d ever done was like his second show, Saltwound. I was like, ‘Damn, bro, you really regret joining this band, don’t you?’”
It’s the kind of story that perfectly captures the unpredictable nature of touring: something breaks, everyone is exhausted, and somehow the show still has to happen.
“Figure It Out”
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Timmons‘ touring stories is his philosophy when things inevitably go wrong. There isn’t much room for panic when an entire tour is depending on everyone doing their job.
“Everyone’s on figure-it-out mode,” he says.
Rather than allowing a problem to overwhelm the group, everyone takes responsibility for a piece of it. Someone calls junkyards. Someone contacts tow trucks. Someone with mechanical knowledge gets underneath the vehicle. Everyone contributes.
“If you’re an adult, you figure shit out,” Timmons says. “And if you’re a group of adults, then okay, let’s all delegate. You do this, you do this, you do this, I’ll do this, and then we all are taking care of stuff.”
That mentality seems to extend beyond broken-down vans and trailer repairs. It reflects the broader attitude that has helped Saltwound continue developing: take the problem in front of you, work together, and keep moving.
For Spencer Timmons, Saltwound is ultimately about more than writing crushing music. It’s about learning from past releases, refusing to stay locked into one sound, understanding the realities of life on the road, and allowing both successes and imperfections to exist without constantly picking them apart. And perhaps most importantly, it’s about knowing that when something inevitably goes wrong, you don’t stand around wondering what to do. You figure it out.
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