KYRA

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM BARNES
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/kyra
COUNTRY: United Kingdom STYLE: Rock / Hardcore / Alternative

NO DISRESPECT; BUT IT SEEMS THAT YOU GUYS PLAY LIVE A LOT MORE THAN YOU RECORD. THE BEST WAY TO GET NOTICED AND BUILD A FAN BASE IS TO JUST PLAY LIVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IT SEEMS IN YOUR CASE?

Yeah live is definitely the best way for gaining fans, although online sites such as Myspace are invaluable for reaching new fans especially in countries where we are unable to tour. We've been receiving a great response to our new music on Myspace from people all over the world, it's amazing!

The reason we haven't been recording all that frequently is because we wanted to do it right, quality over quantity is always the best in our opinion. We always strive for the best we can achieve at the time. We wanted the new songs to be better than the last EP so we took our time writing and didn't rush into the studio with the first four songs we wrote. Also we wanted to record in the best studio we could find but as we fund everything ourselves it took us a little while to save up the money for the studio time, the best don't come cheap haha!

THE BAND RELEASED A FOUR TRACK EP IN 2007 AND NOW YOU ARE RELEASING ANOTHER FOUR TRACK EP TITLED “THESE PRECIOUS THINGS” SOON; OR IT CAN BE DOWNLOADED AT:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/these-precious-things-ep/id347572032. WHY NOT MAKE THAT LEAP TO A FULL ALBUM YET?

Most of it comes down to money, there is no way we could fund an album ourselves at this time at the standard we wanted to do it. Plus I don't think we are really ready for an album yet, we are still very much an unknown band, we have a lot of work to do to build our profile up, that's what this EP is for.

I LIKE THE COVER PHOTO FOR THE EP. WHAT DOES THE BLEEDING HEART SYMBOLISE FOR YOU AND HOW DOES THE COVER RELATE WITH THE LYRICAL SUBJECTS ON THE EP?

Thank you! Well I guess the artwork is open to interpretation, the way I look at is that someone has given their heart to this girl but she couldn't care less about it anymore, paying no attention to it, leaving it on her dresser with the rest of her disposable items, the heart obviously being the precious thing. I think once you listen to the lyrics it's pretty obvious how it relates to the artwork and the concept.

Tom Barnes shot the artwork, he is an amazing photographer and a really great guy, he was my first choice when it came to searching for a photographer. He has worked with so many massive bands and is so in demand I think it's really cool that he still takes the time to work with smaller bands. You can check out his portfolio here - http://www.tombarnesphoto.com/

ARE THERE ANY SUBJECTS THAT YOU ARE TIERED OF AND TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM LATELY WHEN IT COMES TO WRITING LYRICS?

I don't think so the first EP was very aggressive lyrically and this one is pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum, when it comes to lyrics I know the most important thing to Daniel is that it means something to him and I think that comes through. His lyrics are very open and honest, he's never been one to write cryptic lyrics only he knows the meaning to, he's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.

EP’S HAVE PLAYED A MASSIVE ROLE FOR “EMERGING” BANDS WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING MUSIC OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO A WAITING PUBLIC, BUT DOWNLOADING SEEMS TO BE REPLACING THE EP; WOULD YOU AGREE?

Yeah it seems to be, I mean we have released our EP digitally first just to get things moving for us, that's a cool aspect of the digital side, as soon as we got the songs back from the studio they were sent to iTunes and before you know it people have it on their iPod! There is no waiting for the printing and pressing of the CD, and then sending the CD's out. It's all so much easier and quicker and that's why it's taking over, why wait when you can have it now? It will be interesting to see how our CD sales compare to the digital sales.

WHAT EXCITES YOU THE MOST ABOUT “THESE PRECIOUS THINGS” AND THE DIRECTION THE BAND HAS TAKEN MUSICALLY WITH THIS EP?

The most exciting thing for me about These Precious Things is the quality, working with such an amazing producer (Romesh Dodangoda) made all the difference, he took all of the hard work and stress out of the recording process, it was so relaxed. I can't believe that something that felt so easy came out so great! Musically I have never been more happy to be in Kyra than I am now, it's the band I've always wanted us to be! I genuinely love our music.

YOUR SONGS HAVE HEAVY “SCREAMING” PARTS BUT THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF MELODIC “SINGING” PARTS IN THERE. DO YOU GUYS TRY TO KEEP A “BALANCE” OR IS IT JUST A CASE OF FOLLOWING A SONG AND SEEING WHERE IT ENDS?

A little bit of both I guess, we are allot more conscious now of trying to keep a good balance between the singing and screaming and making sure they blend well together, it just makes for a better song, rather abusing peoples ears by screaming constantly track after track. We expanded our style quite allot with this new EP. The second track 'So Where Do We Go From Here?' is the "pop-iest" song we have ever done, there is no screaming in it whatsoever.

With that song it was a case of following the vibe of the song and the lyrics, it was originally started in the mind set that it would be an acoustic song but once we tried it with the band it worked too well not to do it as a full band. We have a wide range of influences and enjoy allot of popier bands as well as heavier bands we've always wanted to incorporate the more melodic side into our music but we were just never very good at doing it in until now.

YOUR SOUND COVERS A LOT OF “GROUND”. AS MUSICIANS ARE YOU ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW GEAR TO EXPAND ON THAT SOUND OR ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU ARE USING NOW AND WHAT GEAR AND GUITAR TUNINGS ARE YOU USING AT THE MOMENT?

Yeah we like trying out new things to expand our music and improve our live sound, being the guitarist I am a big fan of effects pedals and I'm always on the look out for cool new ones, searching the Internet finding out what my favourite bands use. They can offer so much, just one effect can spark an entire song or help you accomplish styles you never thought you could. It's a delicate balance though, you don't want to over do the effects thing, a little goes a long way I think.

Coming away from recording These Precious Things I ended up buying two new pedals that I had used in the studio and our bassist (Gary) ended up buying two new pedals and a new bass! He has also recently bought a new cab. I'm also trying to learn piano now, I'd really love to be able to introduce that into our songs in the future, but I need to get good enough first!

At the moment I am using a Hughes & Kettner Trilogy Amp (through an Orange cab), it's by far the best amp I have ever used it's so versatile which is exactly what I need. I use two guitars live a Gibson SG Standard and a Gibson Les Paul Studio. All of our songs at the moment are in Drop D tuning. Pedal wise I use a Line 6 Distortion Pedal, a Line 6 Delay Pedal, a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Pedal, Two Boss Delay Pedals, a Holy Grail Reverb Pedal, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer, and of course a Boss Chromatic Tuner. The only thing stopping me from expanding my pedals more is lack of space on stage, I'll have to wait till we hit the stadiums haha! I don't know the exact details of what the other guys use but to the best of my knowledge:

Bass Equipment - Fender Jazz Precision Bass, Warwick Pro Fet Amp, Ampeg stack, Sans Amp pedal, Bass Big muff pedal and more pedals I can't remember!

Drums Equipment - Yamaha Jazz Fusion Kit, Sabien & Stagg & I think Zildjian cymbals, I think Remo drum heads and also some sticks haha!

I SEE YOU GUYS ARE PLAYING A KERRANG! TOUR WARM UP SHOW ON THE 20TH OF JANUARY. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2010 WHEN IT COMES TO THE TOURS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF AND THE REGIONS YOU WANT TO TRAVEL TO?

Well we were recently approached by a great new management company and we have signed up with them, we knew getting management was something we needed to do to step things up, cause we suck at finding shows haha! So hopefully there will be allot more touring in the new year, I think they are looking to book us a February tour and we will keep touring throughout the year as much as we can.

No ideas on who we will tour with yet, we aren't fussed really we just want to get out there and do our thing, obviously we'd love to be supporting cool massive bands or on tour with our idols playing to sell out crowds every night, but we're realistic and know that's not going to be the case, as I mentioned before we are not a very well established band throughout the UK and we have allot of ground work to do before any of the bigger tours come knocking but it's definitely where we have our sights set.

EVERYBODY ALWAYS WANTS TO HEAR A FUNNY STORY ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED ON THE ROAD. CARE TO SHARE?

Haha yeah we have a pretty good one. If you have ever seen us loading our gear in or out at shows you may have noticed our red van has a black roof? Well this wasn't always the case. It was the result of a disastrous trip for a gig in Dumfries (about three or four hours drive from where we live). Basically we got to the venue loaded our gear in then Gary and Daniel took the promoter with them in the van to find cigarettes and a parking space, I don't know the exact details having thankfully not been there, but basically Gary tore half the roof off the van by trying to get into a car park with a height restriction barrier our van was not designed to fit under haha!

The roof was made of fibre glass which covered them all and is extremely itchy stuff I'm told. So we are in Dumfries with our new convertible and no way to get us our equipment and our van home. All of this happened before the show too, but ever the professionals we stuck around to play the show trying to forget the burning question "how the hell are we gonna get home?" probably harder for Daniel and Gary to forget with the itchy fibre glass constantly reminding them haha!

So after the show and exhausting all of our ideas on how to get home the only choice we were left with was to drive the roofless van the four hours home! It wasn't the most relaxing journey we have ever had but it was the funniest! Also surprisingly the whole thing was quite a bonding experience for us and the promoter he even invited us back there for another show! We will forever be known in Dumfries as the band that tore the roof of their van haha!

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR ANYTHING ELSE FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

I guess just please support us as much as you can, buy a CD or a t-shirt, we are an unsigned band and do pretty much everything ourselves, we need your support to survive, to fund tours and to fund studio time etc. Please spread the word, tell your friends about us and come see us live!

Thanks!
Chris KYRA x

OUTCRY COLLECTIVE

PHOTO COURTESY OF OUTCRY COLLECTIVE
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/outcrycollective
COUNTRY: United Kingdom STYLE: Rock / Hardcore

THE BAND HAS BEEN GOING FOR A WHILE. WAS IT A CASE OF WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME TO RELEASE YOUR DEBUT ALBUM “ARTICLES”?

We have had enough songs to record an album for a long time but we wanted to graft something truly original. We have heaps of demos that sound great but will never be released. Every now and then I give them to fans if they ask. The album was in a troubled time for us. We had a change in drummer and musical direction but I'm really proud of it.

YOU RECORDED “ARTICLES” BY YOURSELVES. WOULD YOU SAY IT WAS THE BEST WAY TO GO NOW THAT YOU HAD TIME TO LISTEN TO THOSE RECORDINGS, BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT SOME “KILLER” TUNES ON THERE?

I think we were very brave to produce it ourselves. We built our own recording studio and it has a unique sound. I think in the future I'd like to work with an outside producer who wouldn't be afraid to speak his mind and put in some suggestions. The album has come out raw and sounds like four guys playing in a room which is exactly what we wanted to go for.

THE BAND HAS THAT RAW, NO “FANCY” STUDIO PRODUCTION TYPE OF SOUND. IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THE BAND TO SOUND THE SAME ON YOUR RECORDINGS AS YOU DO LIVE AND GIVE PEOPLE A FEELING OF THAT LIVE ENERGY?

People tend to come up to me after shows and say that we are better live and I agree. We like to play loud and you can't recreate a live environment with a crowd in the studio. I don't like it when albums by rock bands sound so polished that it could be a 'pop' record. We have left in feedback and mistakes to remind the listener that we're a real band - not a pieced together stick of candy.

HOW WOULD YOU SAY ALL THE BAND MEMBERS HAVE “GROWN” AS SONGWRITERS OVER THE YEARS, AND WOULD YOU SAY YOUR PLAYING, AND VOCAL STYLES HAVE CHANGED MUCH AS THE BAND HAS PROGRESSED?

Yeah we've gotten significantly better. When we were younger all we wanted to do was to play as heavy as possible. These days we listen to EVERYTHING and it shows in our songs. We have been writing new material recently and it's a departure again. I'm putting more melody into my vocals and pushing my screaming. The other three are so comfortable playing together now that they can just jam for hours. I'm really excited to hear the songs we're going to write in the future and our fans should be too.

DO YOU HAVE SONGS THAT YOU HAVE LOOKED BACK AND WONDERED, “WHY DID WE EVER THINK THAT WAS A GOOD SONG” OR IS EVERY SONG ONE WRITES AS A MUSICIAN A STEPPING STONE TO SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER MUSICIAN LATER ON?

There are some songs that haven't been used that I wish were out there because they were just so much fun to play. I don't love everything we've done, none of us do. We all have a different idea of our strongest songs but we tend to compromise well on which ones we'll play live. Every song is a stepping stone and sometimes you can step in shit instead but as long as you realise and clean you're shoes I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of.

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR VIDEO FOR THE SONG “DEAD IN THE WATER”; WERE YOU AIMING TO PRESENT THE SONG VISUALLY AS CLOSE TO WHAT THE SONG WAS ABOUT LYRICALLY, OR WAS IT MORE ABOUT CAPTURING THE “ENERGY” OF THE MUSIC?

We got sent through a treatment of the video from Sitcom Soldiers and it sounded cool. We are at a point in our career whereby we are being heavily judged. People are hearing about us for the first time and they are going on first impressions. We're not hiding behind anything in the video - it's just us playing. I love the location - it was an old train workshop and it looked really cool with hundreds of tires being back lit. We all had some drinks and shot through until six in the morning. Visually we had to work to a budget but I'm pleased with it - Sitcom Soldiers are pros.

THE BAND CONFIRMED THE DATES FOR THE “TRIPLE THREAT TOUR” THAT FEATURES YOU GUYS, GAY FOR JOHNNY DEPP AND BLAKFISH A WHILE BACK WHICH STARTS ON THE 13TH. ARE YOU ALWAYS MORE IN A “RUSH” BEFORE A TOUR, AND MAKING SURE EVERYTHING WILL BE LOOKED AFTER WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR HOME FOR A MONTH OR LONGER?

I have always left everything to the last minute when it comes to preparation for anything I've ever done in my life. I was up till 4 in the morning the night before tour labelling our merchandise. I have a check list of things to remember and things to do like turn off my electricity and hot water.

DO YOU GUYS BASICALLY LIVE ON TAKEAWAYS WHILE ON THE ROAD?

It's so hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle whilst on the road. We live on rider food which is basically sandwiches and crisps. I try and take care of myself but with all of the drinking, partying and crap sleep I'm not exactly looking my best. Eventually you get pretty sick of Burger King and pizza because they just bring regret. Don't get me wrong though - touring is excellent.

HAVE ANY OF THE BANDS YOU HAVE EVER PERFORMED WITH OVER THE YEARS HAD ANY BIG IMPACT ON YOU GUYS AS A BAND; THAT MADE YOU KIND OF “RETHINK” THE WAY YOU WERE DOING THINGS UP TO THAT POINT?

I think I've taken something away from every band we've played with like "don't do that" or "that's a good idea". At the moment I'm on the road with Blakfish and Gay For Johnny Depp and it's been cool because we're all different bands and we've been able to just be ourselves and have that be enough.

HAVE YOU OR DO YOU GUYS EVER PERFORM COVERS, AND EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE WAY PEOPLE AND BANDS HAVE USED COVERS TO GET RADIO AIRPLAY AND FURTHER THEIR CAREERS; IS THERE A RIGHT OR A WRONG WAY IN YOUR OPINION?

We've played the Doors's 'Roadhouse Blues' once for a charity show but that was an exception. We used to play RATM songs in practice and do the Strokes every now and then. I don't judge a band that releases a cover because it's hard enough as it is but I don't think we'll be doing it anytime in the near future.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR ANYTHING ELSE FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

We've been carving our own way in the rock world for a while now and we haven't taken any short cuts. We're going to be around for a while and we're getting better daily. If you like it loud and passionate then come check us out. Oh and Merry Christmas, Steve

FALLEN MARTYR

PHOTO COURTESY OF FALLEN MARTYR
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/fallenmartyr
COUNTRY: United States STYLE: Metal / Progressive / Thrash

YOU HAVE A VERY “EPIC” SOUND. HOW DO YOU GUYS NORMALLY APPROACH THE SONG WRITING PROCESS?

GABRIEL: I usually write alone, and Michael will write his songs alone, and we collaborate here and there or add ideas to each others songs, but we usually write separately. Once we finish writing a song, we tab it into a program called Guitar Pro, which then allows us to program drums and that lets us hear what it would sound like...then we add synths and tweak stuff up.

Then we record our own rough demos with the rest of the band....so all our songs get demo'd a lot before the final recording to make sure they are as solid as possible. We record our solos, go over drums with Jake, make sure the bass lines are solid with Doug, and it allows Ryan to write lyrics and vocal patterns without all the extra noise of a live band jamming.

THE BAND HAS VERY SKILLED MUSICIANS. IS IT HARD SOMETIMES TO NOT GET CARRIED AWAY DURING SONG WRITING AND LEAVE SOME “ROOM” ON THE SONGS FOR VOCAL PARTS AS WELL?

We just write the songs....we don’t really think about where the vocals will go...once we figure out where the solos will go we let Ryan figure out what to do with the songs. It might make things tough for him, but I think it helps keep things interesting because we never know what he’s going to do. Most metal "vocalists" would just end up screaming over crazy fast riffing, but Ryan will usually take the opposite approach.

He has the ability to sing cleanly, and was singing before he ever started the more aggressive screaming/growling he does. So its something we can use to expand our music. Plus, in my opinion, most people end of "singing" your lyrics for the most part...not everyone will walk around humming a growl or scream. So we feel like its a channel that really allows us to connect with people. Plus, we have concepts we want people to understand, so singing allows it to be heard a lot more clearly.

THERE ARE A LOT OF SAMPLES IN YOUR SONGS. WHO WRITES AND PERFORMS THOSE PARTS ON THE RECORDINGS AND HOW DO YOU INCORPORATE THOSE SAMPLES INTO YOUR LIVE SHOW?

The synths are actually a backing track, live we use a laptop and we have a rig set up that splits the signal so our drummer can play to a click track and stay on time with the synths, choirs etc and it splits the signal so the PA system only plays the synths with no click track. We write all the synth parts on our laptops, I have an understanding of music theory and can read music and have played other instruments...but...a lot of times music needs to be written not by knowing, but by doing.

It’s all about how the end product sounds ultimately. You don’t have to be a musical virtuoso to write and appealing song. But we have the technology now that you can create music using midi notes, and turn them into symphonies, or choir vocals, electronic sounds all sorts of things. It’s awesome to be able to experiment with sounds and make music just using your computer.

THE BAND RELEASED THE EP “THE SIX ROOTS OF TRUE WILL” A FEW MONTHS BACK, BUT YOU GUYS PROBABLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SOME NEW SONGS SINCE THEN. IS THERE A FULL LENGTH ALBUM ON THE WAY ANY TIME SOON?

We currently have 11 new songs in rough demo form, and plan to have a lot more. We are hoping to be able to put a full length out sometime, but we have touring plans that will be taking our focus away from that for a bit. But we will keep writing so we can be as prepared as possible, at this rate we may have over 20 solid songs by spring. And what we have written so far i feel like is very solid...no filler, and will also be a continuing story that picks up at the end of the EP.

THERE IS A GREAT BALANCE BETWEEN THE HEAVY AND MELODIC ELEMENTS OF THE BAND’S SOUND. WITH THE BAND ALREADY PERFORMING MUSIC THAT IS VERY TECHNICAL HOW FAR DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE “FORWARD” MUSICALLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

There’s a lot of new things we'd like to try with the band, we just want to write music. Overall we are a metal band but we have many non-metal influences. I guess we will see how things unfold for us sound wise later. Also, we are always constantly practicing, and as we mature with our skill I believe our music naturally will to as well.

WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND HAS A “THEME” THAT RUNS THROUGH ALL OF YOUR SONGS LYRICALLY OR MUSICALLY?

Yes, it does...Ryan will explain his concept and I try to create the right mood for what I think compliments the story. I’d explain it, but we'd like people to get into the lyrics and follow it the way they think it goes.

YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT SOUND. WHAT GEAR DOES THE BAND CURRENTLY USE AND ARE YOU ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW EQUIPMENT OR TECHNIQUES THAT CAN IMPROVE THE BAND’S SOUND EVEN MORE?

Thanks man! Myself and Mikey use 7 string guitars...I use Schecter and Mikey uses a brand called Agile (underground company; keep your eye out for that). Doug uses a 5 string Warwick bass. But I’m a firm believer that good equipment is only a small part of your sound. Your hands and technique will determine how clean you play and your style. My rig is really expensive, but if I make a mistake it’ll be heard loud and clear. So I think its all a matter of your playing ability. Practicing is in my opinion what gives you a good sound.

TALKING ABOUT SOUND. IF YOU HAD TO COMPARE WHAT THE BAND HAS ACHIEVED IN STUDIO WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND HAS COME PRETTY CLOSE TO ACHIEVING THAT SOUND IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT?

I would say we do...there have been a few shows where we get rushed to set up and we don’t get sound checked properly and something may not go as we planned...i.e. not being able to have the synth or everyone else properly in the mix etc....but for the most part I think a lot of our sound is pretty spot on. And if something messes up...well it’s a live show, just got to keep playing, headbanging, and having a good time.

I SEE THERE IS ONE GIG A MONTH LISTED ON YOUR MYSAPCE FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. I GUESS THERE WILL BE MORE ADDED SOON OR ARE YOU GUYS CONCENTRATING ON SONG WRITING FOR NOW?

We have really big tour plans for early next year, so we are focusing on that. We just want to practice as much as we can, and get everything as solid and prepared as possible. We have to sell presale tickets for our shows, and that can be stressful sometimes, so we just want to keep things as comfortable as possible for now.

LOOKING AT THOSE GIGS THAT ARE LISTED ON YOUR MYSPACE, YOU GUYS SEEM TO PERFORM ON THE SAME LINE UP AS MUSICIANS THAT PLAY A WIDE VARIETY OF HEAVY MUSIC. IF YOU LOOK BACK, WHICH ONE OF THOSE BANDS HAS HAD THE BIGGEST “IMPACT” ON YOU?

I couldn’t name one in particular...but we are all fans of progressive, forward moving music(metal and non-metal) and a lot of times its not the sound of the music that impacts us. Just seeing those musicians setting up gear; selling their merch; talking to their fans, or even watching their interviews online etc....that really has an impact on us to really push ahead and one day be able to share our music with as many people as possible.

ANY COMMENTS OR ANYTHING ELSE FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

Thanks a lot for reading this and the support! We are working on coming out and meeting all of you soon, keep an eye out for it!

HYPNO5E

PHOTO COURTESY OF HYPNO5E
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/hypno5e
COUNTRY: France STYLE: Metal / Experimental / Ambient

I HAVE NEVER HEARD MUSIC LIKE YOURS EVER AND IT REALLY MADE ME LOOK AT HEAVY MUSIC FROM A WHOLE OTHER PERSPECTIVE. WAS THAT WHAT THE BAND WAS ORIGINALLY AIMING FOR; TO CREATE MUSIC THAT WAS UNIQUE IN EVERY WAY?

GREDIN: To play music that has already been done is useless. When you enter the process of creation you’re supposed to translate your individuality into music, your emotions are yours only, so your music can only be different from any other. We wanted to create a total artistic show that’s why we ally visual arts with music, our movie is a big part of our music, if it is not on stage with us an instrument is missing.

WITH SONGS STRUCTURES THAT TAKE MANY DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS IN ONE SONG ALONE HOW DO YOU GUYS EVEN START TO PUT YOUR SONGS TOGETHER DURING THE WRITING PROCESS?

We find different riffs and try to see which ones fit with each other. Some riffs are better for opening, some others are better for outing, and between the two we try to find the right recipe for a tasteful cuisine.

WITH MUSIC THAT DRIFTS BETWEEN PEACEFUL, AMBIENT SOUNDS AND ALL OUT DOWN TUNED GUITAR DESTRUCTION, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE THAT HAS LEADED YOU ON THIS MUSICAL PATH TO WHERE YOU ARE MAKING THE STYLE OF MUSIC YOU ARE MAKING NOW?

I can hardly speak for Manu (the main composer) since he is not with me, but I think he would say Chopin, Liszt, or any romantic composer of classical music.

TALKING ABOUT DOWN TUNED GUITARS; YOU GUYS MUST BE USING SEVEN STRING GUITARS TO TUNE YOUR GUITARS THAT LOW; AND IF POSSIBLE CAN YOU TELL US WHAT TYPE OF GEAR YOU USE TO CREATE YOUR UNIQUE SOUND?

We use Ibanez 7-stringed guitars, and B.C. Rich bass guitars. Live we play on numeric preamps, and in the album we mixed numeric and tube amplifications.

THE BAND PLAYED ITS FIRST SHOWS IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA A FEW MONTHS BACK. WAS THERE ANYTHING SURPRISINGLY DIFFERENT THAT YOU NOTICED BETWEEN THE MUSIC SCENE IN EUROPE AND THE PLACES YOU VISITED ON THE TOUR?

Hell yeah! Musicians are rarely considered in US entries, on the organisation side friendly people were rare to find. We never ask to be considered as rock stars, never, but we tour to meet people and share something with as many people as possible. Human relationships are pretty important to me, when you consider music as a pure business you make it uninteresting.

In Europe you get food, hosting, drinks, sound checks almost everywhere you play at, this way you talk to people, get closer to them… In the USA it happened that the people from the venues didn’t say one word to us, not giving a shit. What’s the point of having a live venue if you don’t like the bands coming to your bar?

I myself own a musical venue and consider it really interesting to get to know the bands I invite. Fortunately there were really good places we played in, with really good people, and I sincerely hope to go back and see them on our next tour in the US. I noticed that many bands came to play and then went away as soon as the concert was over, in Europe we tend to come long before the show to have a chance to drink together and get to know each others and then we leave the place as long a time as possible after the show so we can talk and/or party altogether.

WATCHING THE TOUR REPORT VIDEOS WAS A LOT OF FUN, AND THEY ARE DONE REALLY WELL. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR VAN THAT KEPT BREAKING IN THE FIRST VIDEO AND HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE VAN YOU HAD IN EUROPE WITH THE ONE YOU HAD IN THE STATES?

The van we use in France is mine, it is an old van from 1995, and as any old van it plays tricks as to break while we’re going to play far north. I already lost one van once while we were travelling from Germany to Switzerland: we had done 4000 Kilometers (2485 miles approx.) in one month and it was quite exhausted! To tour in the USA we used a RV with 2 beds and a convertible couch, it was quite comfortable and it saved us hostel costs. It was a Ford and it held the tour quite well, driving an automatic car was strange at first (it was like driving a bumper-car) because you don’t have full control of what you’re doing but then it was fine.

DOES THE TIREDNESS THAT COMES WITH TOURING EVER CATCH UP TO YOU WHILE ON THE ROAD OR DO YOU FIND THAT NO MATTER HOW TIRED YOU ARE DURING THE DAY THAT YOU SOME HOW STILL GET THE ENERGY TO DO A SHOW?

We usually enjoy staying at the entry to chat with the audience so we tend to go to bed quite late. But when it comes to the live show the adrenaline makes it possible and tiredness is rarely felt during the performances. Still, I have to admit that I was jumping higher during the first American shows than during the last ones, in the end my whole body was adrenaline and dopamine, no muscle nor brain anymore.

THE BAND HAS A REALLY COOL VIDEO FOR THE SONG “DAYBREAK AT SLAUGHTER HOUSE”; TELL US MORE ABOUT THE VIDEO AND HOW THE BAND LIKES TO INCORPORATE VISUALS INTO ITS LIVE SHOW?

The “Daybreak at slaughter-house” video is made of Manu’s archives and we shot some more images to insert a more linear side into it. The video playing during the whole show is a filtered compilation of our own archives. It is not there to give the audience an interpretation of our music but to drawn them into an other world, ours.

WOULD YOU EVER CONSIDER DOING A LIVE DVD AND ARE YOU PLANNING ANY MORE VIDEOS IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

We are currently in Bolivia shooting landscapes and people to make the second film.We almost finished the making of a compilation of live and behind-the-scene footage from our first tour in the USA. We’ll be filming the second tour as well, I guess there will be enough tape then to make a DVD.

I SEE THE BAND HAS BEEN BUSY WITH A SIDE PROJECT CALLED “A BACKWARD GLANCE ON A TRAVEL ROAD” AND THE ALBUM OF THE PROJECT CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE AT http://www.dl-abackwardglance.com/. BY DOING THE SIDE PROJECT ARE YOU GUYS INSPIRED AGAIN TO WORK ON NEW MATERIAL FOR HYPNO5E?

It’s done. We almost finished the recording of the second Hypno5e’s album. Inside of it we put the violence we couldn’t put inside ABGOATR, so let me tell you that it will be pretty violent!

WAS IT FUN TO DO SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT WITH “A BACKWARD GLANCE ON A TRAVEL ROAD” AND EXPLORE THE AMBIENT SIDE OF YOUR MUSIC AS FAR AS POSSIBLE?

Fun is not the right word, in A Backward Glance On A Travel Road we expressed all the 5 years we had just spent on the Hypno5e project, giving up family projects, giving up school, giving up jobs, isolating from the moving city to spend all our time on it… I think all the dark side of our music expressed there. We were kind of depressed having to fight bare hands against the music industry wall, trying to have legitimacy; A Backward Glance On A Travel Road is a result of the low times.

WHAT DOES THE BAND HAVE PLANNED FOR THE REST OF 2010?

We come back to the USA on the “Metal as Art Tour” with Revocation and The Binary Code from January the 6th to February the 6th, and we go on touring by ourselves until the 6th of March to visit the states we couldn’t hit in one month. Then we’ll tour France from end of March to mid-April, then tour Europe until May, and eventually tour in Australia and Japan in June. This is what we plan to do and we’ll do our best to achieve, because that’s what we do.

ANY COMMENTS OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

First thank YOU for this interview, for your interest and your support. Having the opportunity to do it I’d like to thank all the people who kindly hosted us in their homes or venues during our last tour, it was really awesome, if you hadn’t been there we wouldn’t be coming back, so see you there once more!