The Return of 3 Inches of Blood: An Interview with Frontman Cam Pipes

3 Inches of Blood became one of Canada’s most popular heavy metal acts with the release of their second record Advance and Vanquish in 2004. The album – headlined by the anthemic single “Deadly Sinners” as well as several other standout tracks such as “Premonition of Pain” – gained notoriety after “Deadly Sinners” was featured in various video game soundtracks and metal sampler cds. The follow-up LP Fire Up the Blades was a worthy successor, showcasing the band’s modernized New Wave of British Heavy Metal-influenced sound that features predominantly soaring vocals along with melodic guitar work and consistently up-tempo songs. 3IOB released two more consistent albums – Here Waits Thy Doom and the aptly-titled Long Live Heavy Metal – and toured in support of both before disbanding in late-2015. The band's final performance of that era was a "hometown" show of sorts at Vancouver’s historic Commodore Ballroom.

In early-2024, the band reunited and launched a tour to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of their breakout release Advance and Vanquish at the Commodore. With vocalist Cam Pipes fronting the band and flanked by guitarists Shane Clark and Justin Hagberg along with bassist Nick Cates and drummer Ash Pearson, 3IOB triumphantly returned to the stage with a set that heavily featured Advance… and Fire Up… selections. After a successful return to the live scene, the band played before capacity crowds at several other western Canada shows as well as in Seattle. 3IOB is set to perform in Ontario’s three major cities later this summer, and will be prominently featured at New York City’s Brooklyn Metalfest in late-September.

I spoke with Cam Pipes about the band’s reunion, touring plans, setlist choices, career highlights, and his time away from 3IOB. Check out the interview here.