Craig Mabbitt just can’t quit heavy music. Ever since leaving Blessthefall in 2007, the singer’s taste for the aggressive has manifested itself in one way or another—whether it be in his former side project, the Word Alive, the heavier-than-the-norm tracks he’s been able to sneak into Escape The Fate albums, or his new side project, the Dead Rabbitts, which also features members TJ Bell (bass), Alex Torres (guitar), Augustus Cryns (guitar) and Chris Julian (drums). Now, Mabbitt is ready to unleash his latest metallic bombardment in the form of a new Dead Rabbitts album. AP caught up with Mabbitt after Escape The Fate’s Bury The Hatchet Tour with Falling In Reverse to get the details on the new album, collaberations and how touring with his old rivals has been.

How was the Bury The Hatchet Tour?

It actually went pretty damn well, man, aside from some contractual shit—which is obviously just paperwork bullshit. We pretty much get to play a headlining setlist every night, and the inner workings of Escape The Fate personally are going really, really well. The band’s getting along and the energy onstage is amazing. I was on Falling In Reverse’s tour bus the other night and we were singing happy birthday to Jacky [Vincent, FIR guitarist], drinking Fireball, having some laughs and sharing old stories and talking about why did any of us ever hate each other. It’s really cool. It’s very therapeutic. I’m almost positive were going to end up doing a round two of this tour. I’m, like, 200 percent positive that we’re going to do it again, hit all the cities we didn’t in the U.S., and then take it across the globe.

I’m sure fans will be excited to hear that.

Yeah, that’s the most important thing. I know a lot of people have been saying shit about fans. I don’t know if you read that blog that Chris from Motionless In White wrote?

Yeah, we ran a news story about it.

Yeah, I thought that was fantastic. It’s kind of a bummer, because after I read it, every single night, a fan will be like, “You saved my life,” and I’m like, “Goddamnit.” [Laughs.] I can’t get that article you wrote [Ronnie Radke vs. Escape The Fate] out of my head. It’s actually really amazing, and it’s so true, and it’s so cool to see fans come to the show every night, because, obviously, both bands had a big feud with each other, and it didn’t stop there. After our two bands had that big feud, it started happening among other bands, as well. It’s cool to see kids come to the show and see us both go up on the stage and call a truce. I told the crowd the other night, “Life’s too short to live it full of hate.” It seems like everybody comes, and it’s just a positive vibe. That’s what I’ve always wanted our fans to leave the shows thinking.

So what’s going on with the Dead Rabbitts?

It’s been on the backburner for a little bit, even though a lot of things have been happening behind-the-scenes with the band, as far as recording and getting stuff prepared. It’s been all about this Bury The Hatchet Tour. We were on tour with Five Finger Death Punch, and I had to fly out, to do that AP interview with Ronnie and all that stuff. But during the time before the tour, we flew out to Florida and recorded six songs with Andrew Wade, who has done all of the A Day To Remember records, among other ones. I ended up finding out that he did the Word Alive’s first EP, and we were talking about that. He was like, “I had no idea you started that band!” So those songs turned out fucking awesome. I’ve literally been laying down in my bunk every night, putting on Beats and listening to those songs every night. I’m really, really excited for people to hear it.

I meet people every day, and they’re like, “I love Escape The Fate. I’m not knocking Escape The Fate at all, but, man, I wish you would do your heavier stuff again.” This stuff is what I was trying to do with the Word Alive, before the Word Alive decided they didn’t want to be on the backburner and be a side project. They wanted to go full force with it. I don’t blame them for it. Now they’re doing well, and they’re killing it, and I’m proud of them. But the Dead Rabbitts is what I was trying to do with them.