STRENGTH WITHIN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELISSA RUSSELL
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/strengthwithinband
COUNTRY: United States STYLE: Hardcore

ONE CAN HEAR A LOT OF OLD SCHOOL HARDCORE INFLUENCES IN YOUR MUSIC, BUT HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND HAS TAKEN THOSE INFLUENCES AND MADE THEM SOUND “CURRENT”?

DAVID: When we first started the band we all decided we wanted to go back to the earlier sound of hardcore with every aspect of the music, from vocals to instruments. I grew up in the 90’s hardcore scene with a lot of music that wasn’t extremely technical but it was filled with a message and was just fun music. We wanted to create something that was filled with energy and kids could have a good time to. One thing that was important to me was that the music was able to stick in my head and have a catchy element to it.

I have nothing against all the shredders out there blazing a new trail in guitar skill and technicality. It is just not really what we are trying to go for. As far as making it “current” there are definitely aspects of our music that include the new-school “beat down” or whatever style you want to call it. We write music that we like and that pumps us up, I think age might also bring us forward some as we have some younger guys who come from the new-school of hardcore and add that new stuff into my old ears.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BIGGEST “TREND” MUSICALLY AMONG HARDCORE BANDS THESE DAYS?

DAVID: I guess the breakdown is becoming something that gets out of hand with a lot of hardcore bands anymore. Discords are ruling the genre in a lot of places. I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite here…We have a lot of breakdowns ourselves but I think how you use them is pretty important in your music. What is your goal behind it? Are you just dropping a 45 second sludge breakdown because you figure out something else? I love breakdowns. Just used in the right context.

HARDCORE IS ALSO ABOUT BRINGING A POSITIVE MESSAGE TO PEOPLE THROUGH MUSIC. DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE REACHED ENOUGH PEOPLE SO FAR WITH THAT MESSAGE OF STAYING POSITIVE AND LIVING A STRAIGHT EDGE LIFESTYLE?

DAVID: I am not sure if we will ever feel like we have reached enough people with our message. Everywhere we go we see people who have so much crap in there life and are struggling just to make it through the day to day. Some of the stories I hear from people about things going on just makes me cringe inside. I don’t understand how we can do some of the things we do to each other in this world.

Some people take this as a weakness because we as a band care about the ones who are broken or messed up but our values and beliefs call us to care about those who are hurting. I have been through a lot of things in my life and the only way to get past the hate and everything else I deal with is to put other people in the front. I know the other guys feel the same, if we didn’t we wouldn’t be out on the road all the time away from friends and family trying to hopefully shed some light in a dark places.

THE HARDCORE “SOUND” HAS ALSO INSPIRED MANY SUB GENRES LIKE METAL CORE. WOULD YOU SAY THESE GENRES HAVE CAUSED HARDCORE TO BECOME HEAVIER OVER THE YEARS?

DAVID: I would have to say yes to that one. Yes, because I believe that in people’s minds hardcore is a ton of different genres anymore. When we first started we got compared to some crazy different styles of bands. I think one of the funniest things was when I read someone comparing us as a band to “Winds of Plague” and “Suicide Silence”. I have nothing against either of those bands but to compare us to them is kind of ridiculous.

I would never think of us as one of those bands but with the new generation of kids a lot of the boundaries in what “Hardcore” is have been generalized into one massive group. We are from where “The Devil Wears Prada” started off, they actually played some of there first shows maybe 2 minutes from my house and because of that we constantly get asked when we are adding a keyboardist…which is never.. Hardcore as a whole is getting heavier simply because defining what is and isn’t in the hardcore genre is getting harder and harder to put into place.

IS YOUR FIRST FULL LENGTH TITLED "WORDS TO SPEAK OF" AVAILABLE YET, AND ARE THERE A FEW SONGS THAT FANS WILL RECOGNISE OR ARE ALL THE SONGS NEW?

DAVID: It currently is not available yet. We are not entirely sure if we are just going to release the album on our own or shop it out to labels. We get a lot of messages asking for it and more than likely we will end up releasing it in January either with a label or without. We are very proud of it and I think it is a strong release from start to end. As far as songs on it, we definitely have the more popular ones on it like “Grave Digger” and “Stand United” but we also have some news ones on there that I think will surprise some people.

HOW MANY TRACKS DID YOU FINISH FOR THE ALBUM AND WOULD YOU SAY THE RECORDING PROCESS WAS AN EASY ONE?

DAVID: Our recording process is really enjoyable. Our drummer Travis has his own studio in his basement where we practice so if we write a new song then we can record it right then and really take it apart and make sure we are happy with each part of the song. It makes it where writing new songs is pretty enjoyable because unlike other bands that have to wait months to get into the studio and lay down there stuff we can have it within a week of writing it.

As far as tracks go, we have around 16 tracks as of now that could go on the album that will probably be taken down to 12 when it finally comes out. Some of those are re-done tracks from our earlier EP we released a year ago and those probably will not be on the record.

THE BAND ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST THAT YOU HAVE ADDED A SECOND GUITARIST, CHRIS CHAPMAN TO THE LINE-UP. THIS MUST HELP A LOT WHEN IT COMES TO THE SONG WRITING PROCESS?

DAVID: Chris has been a big help to us all-around as a band. He brings in an element that we were headed towards before but were still just skimming the surface of. Chris is all about the fast punk side of hardcore and he constantly is coming into practice with parts written that push us to explore that side more. If we would let him he would have the D-beats in every song. Dude is awesome hahaha.

IF YOU GUYS LOOK BACK AT THE “ROAD” YOU HAVE TRAVELLED SO FAR, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGES TO BEING A D.I.Y. BAND?

DAVID: Honestly the best part of it is that everything rests on us. I don’t have to worry about other people falling through on what they say they are going to do. We take everything we are a part of very professional and unfortunately that has not always been returned. Nothing upsets me more than when people are unprofessional and end up letting the ball drop. D.I.Y. ethics are so lacking in the hardcore scene a lot of times and it has always been the way to do things for me.

Getting your name out there comes easy to a lot of bands with labels and stuff. We have been working hard to get our name out there. A lot of fans are responsible for a lot of what we have from requesting us to venues and promoters to posting Myspace bulletins and stuff.

HAVE ALL YOUR SHOW EXPERIENCES BEEN GOOD OVER THE YEARS OR IS THERE A PART OF THE WORLD THAT WILL NEVER SEE YOU GUYS AGAIN?

DAVID: Honestly we have been treated well pretty much everywhere we go and we continue to play pretty much anywhere. Sometimes it is frustrating because we realize when go to certain areas there are going to be 10 fights during our set and our set will get cut short. We don’t really stand for all that, but with our sound it is almost expected to deal with it at times.

WHO ARE SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE YOU HAVE MET WHILE OUT ON TOUR, AND IS IT ALWAYS INSPIRING TO BE ON STAGE AND SEE PEOPLE “CONNECT” WITH YOUR MUSIC AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING?

DAVID: We have a lot of good friends from other bands that it is always awesome to hang out with them. We met some lady in Kentucky that wanted to trade some chickens or corn for merch that was pretty crazy. Also we played a house show one time that was filled with moments that were pretty interesting. We walked into the house and the person at the door started yelling “Can someone please get me a line of Xanax”. That night was filled with stuff that has yet to be reproduced in our touring.

There is nothing better than seeing people sing-a-long and connect with the words in the songs. I think all of us get pumped when we come into a new venue and people already know all the words and chants. We played last night and had some good friends of ours from Louisville drive almost 2 hours to see us play that is inspiring to have people care enough to drive that far to see us and they inspire us to keep going.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

DAVID: Thanks to you for the interview and the interest in us. Thanks to all the people keeping the scene going and working hard on booking shows. Thanks to the kids who come out no matter who is on the bill and show support to the venues and bands. Thanks to those who have every helped us in anyway. Peace.

BLEED FROM WITHIN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM BARNES / http://www.tombarnesphoto.com/
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/bleedfromwithin
COUNTRY: United Kingdom STYLE: Death Metal

EVERYBODY HAS THEIR FAVOURITE BANDS AS THEY GROW UP. HOW WERE YOU INSPIRED BY THOSE BANDS EARLY ON IN YOUR MUSIC CAREER AND MORE IMPORTANTLY HOW DID THOSE INFLUENCES HELP YOU TO CREATE YOUR OWN “SOUND”?

ALI (DRUMS): We all have the same main influences, and grew up listening to the same bands such as Pantera, Lamb Of God and Metallica. Working together over such a long time, taking influence from those bands and from all the new music presenting itself these days, we managed to forge a sound that we could finally call our own. There are lots of factors that affect this though; relationship between band members, difference in playing styles, overall image. You just reach a point where all this becomes apparent, you are honest with each other and honest about the band. It was at that point, we suddenly all knew what the band was going to be about.

Our debut release, Humanity, is our first major step in putting a brand on our sound. Something that people can hear and immediately tell that it is us. It was however the first proper studio session that we have ever had, and with the ability of hindsight, there are a lot of things that could have been done better. But we have learnt a lot since then, and our new album has given us a lot to think about in terms of song structure and musicality.

BLEED FROM WITHIN FALLS UNDER THE “YOUNGER GENERATION” OF EXTREME BANDS I GUESS. WITH BANDS BECOMING MORE TECHNICAL AND FASTER AS EACH YEAR PASSES, HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED TO STAY IN THE “GAME” AND PROGRESS?

ALI: We are definitely one of the younger bands on the circuit, and as I have said in previous interviews we find this works to our advantage. There is very little that we have to distract us from the writing process and touring. Nothing like marriage or mortgages to keep us tied down.

With each year, and each song we write, it isn't so much about comparing yourself to others and judging how extreme or technical the band is. We have stayed true to our sound since day one, and we have all worked together to make the songs that fit to our abilities. We are playing harder material on Humanity than we have ever done before, and with the second album coming very soon, the barrier is there to be raised, but at the same time, we don't want to lose all the groove that has became associated with the band.

We won't leave that style just to put ourselves up there with the fastest most technical bands about. We have made a name for ourselves in this genre for doing what we do; it's simply a case of perfecting your sound and sticking to what you know. That is the key to success.

WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND HAS MADE IT, OR IS THERE STILL A LOT OF HARD WORK LEFT TO REACH A HIGHER LEVEL OF SUCCESS?

ALI: This is a funny question. On the scale of things, it may look to some people as though we have 'made it', but the reality is that we are only on the first step of the ladder. We have yet to take our touring all over the world, we have yet to see some money, and we certainly haven't trashed any hotel rooms. We need a lot more chances at touring to get our songs around the world. There is just so much more to consider.

The hard work has only just begun. We have scraped together to get our own transport, and now we are just gearing ourselves for the release of the second album. It is a very exciting time seeing everything fall into place, but only time will tell whether major success is coming.

THERE IS A NEW SONG TITLED “MONSTER” POSTED ON YOUR MYSPACE. ARE YOU GUYS AIMING FOR THE SAME SOUND WITH YOUR UPCOMING RELEASE OR WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE TO HAVE IT SOUND A BIT DIFFERENT COMPARED TO YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUM “HUMANITY”?

ALI: Monster was a song wrote very late on for the first album, and the Thrash aspect is something that we have returned to on a few songs in the second record. On the most part, the songs are very different. The majority have taken on the groove and power as opposed to speed, but obviously we have songs there to cater for that as well. Thrash Metal has always worked its way into our music one way or another. The new material certainly has a different feel to it, for example, a further sense of maturity and overall better musicianship. A year of touring and an album under our belts has certainly taught us a lot about ourselves and what we are capable of.

YOU BASICALLY RECORDED THE BEST MUSIC YOU COULD IN THAT PERIOD WHEN THE BAND DID “HUMANITY”. WHILE CURRENTLY WRITING YOUR NEXT ALBUM; AS MUSICIANS DO YOU SOMETIMES THINK, “HOW ARE WE GOING TO BEAT WHAT WE DID WITH THE LAST ALBUM”?

ALI: That is something that is always present during the writing process. Every riff, every fill, every lyric, is constantly compared to the previous songs/album in one way or another. There is a fear that everything is too different, there is fear that everything is the same, then of course, you finish a new song and think it isn't as good as what has been made in the past. But these are just natural reactions to new material. We are changing with every year, personally and musically, so it is obvious that it will have some effect on the songs.

We have approached this album with a completely different mentality given our delayed release of the first album, and a recent line up change. This is more of a new beginning, a document of the last year, and of what is still to come. We feel that we have already pinned the last album to the post, but it is essentially a waiting game. The band will have to wait to see reactions from the fans, and, of course, the press. But after getting the pre production demos back, and hearing the power of these songs, I am confident that people will open their ears and listen to what has been made in wake of a long, frustrating year.

YOUR MUSIC SEEMS TO BE ROOTED IN A LOT ENERGY AND AGGRESSION. IS THAT WHAT MAKES MUSIC SO APPEALING TO YOU; THE FACT THAT YOU CAN EXPLORE ASPECTS OF YOUR PERSONALITY IN THE MUSIC WHERE YOU NORMALLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ANYWHERE ELSE?

ALI: Yes, our music has always been a place to vent our frustration and anger, or any emotion to be honest. It’s the pleasure of being in a band, you can convey all your emotions through the music and the end result is so much more rewarding than say, punching a wall. The energy is amazing as well. Between the 5 of us, you can watch a live show, and physically see us throwing everything into the music. That is one thing that some bands forget about, and whilst they sound flawless on recording, they can't handle themselves live, and they fall to pieces on the stage.

I think heavy music especially is a genre that demands a tight performance live, otherwise it just falls into a mess of downtuned guitars, slappy drums and observers will not get the full picture.


I MUST ASK; WHAT GEAR AND GUITAR TUNINGS IS THE BAND CURRENTLY USING?

ALI: Gear wise, the band are endorsed by Krank, Peavey and Orange. Craig uses a 6505+ and Div has been using a Krankenstein head for a while now. The cabs are Orange, and the tuning is drop B. Davie plays Spector and also uses Orange gear. My drums are Pearl, with a Black Panther snare and my cymbals are all Sabian. Finding the right gear is crucial in getting the right sound you want live, so it has taken a while to get everything perfect.

THE BAND HAS OPENED FOR SOME BIG NAMES IN THE PAST, AND YOU HAVE PERFORMED AT THE DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL AS WELL. ARE YOU HOPING THAT YOUR NEW ALBUM WILL OPEN MORE DOORS TO BIGGER TOURS AND BETTER SHOWS?

ALI: Download Festival was a massive jump in terms of gigging experience and live situations. We went out in front of that crowd as a band, and came off the stage as a changed group of people. That was when we began to notice a following, and we took a lot of confidence from that gig. Due to a late release of Humanity, we missed out on the touring schedule across the summer, and that is really bad for a band just making their name out there in the industry. You really need that big break early. So yes, I guess we are expecting a lot of good things to come of this second record.

It would be amazing to get out on the road with some big name bands just to get in front of a large crowd every night, and play our music to people who have never heard us before. And obviously, to play Download again would be an honour. It is an even that we have all attended in the past and it takes first place as the biggest baddest Rock/Metal festival out there. We are heading out on tour with the mad thrashers, Hatesphere, in December. Can't wait to get back out there again. It will be a sick tour without a doubt.

TALKING ABOUT ENERGY AND AGGRESSION. YOUR SONGS MUST HAVE CAUSED SOME REALLY COOL MOSH PITS IN THE PAST. WHILE PERFORMING DO YOU LOOK OUT AT THE CROWD OFTEN OR DO YOU JUST CONCENTRATE ON PLAYING AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE?

ALI: On our recent headline tour of the UK in promotion of our album, there were some pretty insane crowds. People hanging from the lights, stage diving, throwing themselves from the PA. We were amazed! Our hometown of Glasgow always promises some madness as well. Playing live we are usually immersed in the music naturally, but if something catches our eye like a wall of death spanning the width of a room, or someone throwing themselves from a PA rig, then we just have to laugh! But as I said earlier, our live performance is what we pride ourselves on most, therefore we are concentrating for the full time on stage. We take the energy of the crowd and use it to our advantage.

PLAYING A FULL SET OF THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOU GUYS DO MUST TAKE ITS TOLL AFTER A WHILE. HOW WERE YOU GUYS COPING DURING THE LAST PART OF YOUR PREVIOUS TOUR OR IS IT SOMETHING YOU GET USE TO AFTER A WHILE?

ALI: Touring is without a doubt the greatest part of being in a band. Having the opportunity to travel around with your best mates, playing the music you have made together, partying in a different city every night; it is brilliant. It's what we look forward to most. It can be hard with relationships back home, not seeing family, friends, not being able to keep a decent job, but these are all the sacrifices we make to be able to do this. Recently, we have noticed how the band has taken over our lives, becoming everything we do. This isn't just a hobby anymore, this is our life, and to make the best of it, we need to stay on top of things constantly.

Our last tour was 3 weeks over the UK, but we came home craving more. The first show or first couple of shows are always the hardest, just getting into the rhythm of the tour, then every show after just becomes second nature. Every day; wake up, cheap breakfast, drive, load in, sound check, warm up, gig, party. That is the routine, and I’m sure almost every other band will follow the same rules.

ANY COMMENTS OR THINGS FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

ALI: Our debut release, Humanity, is in stores or can be purchased from the band directly via our Myspace, so people should buy it and let us know what they think. We are also on the road around the UK in December with Hatesphere, and should hopefully be touring next year across Europe which is overdue I know. Our second album will be released in Summer 2010. Keep an eye for that one! Cheers to our fans, and anyone who has shown their support. Without you, we are nothing.

Thank you for your time!

the MARCH

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE the MARCH
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/themarchband
COUNTRY: France STYLE: Metal / Down-tempo / Screamo

HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND’S MUSIC HAS PROGRESSED TILL NOW SINCE THE BAND STARTED?

SÉBASTIEN: the MARCH's current music has truly evolved and is different from the one at the beginning. Now it is more self-assured and assumed. We've succeeded to compose a coherent music in spite of our 5 different musical universes.

At first, we placed a lot of importance on the effects. But too much effects kills the effect. So we settled for just a good reverb, a good delay. Also, at first we wanted to be and we thought we were psychedelic, Post-Hardcore kind of band; it would have been a mistake to go on this way. We've refined our influences and our playing for something going more towards one direction only. From the 60's to Black Metal, to Folk music, to Metal / Hardcore stage in general, we think we might have succeeded to “think beyond the box” indeliberately.

We don't claim to be part of any particular genre. Whatever will happen to our music in the future, we will always be true to our personal musical culture; then people will like it or not. It doesn't really matter to me. We don't owe anything to anyone.

OLIVIER: It's true that at the beginning we tried to put different parts together although it didn't suit very well. Now it's more coherent. I think the best illustration of that would be the song “Ancient Seed” which is the last one we've written and of which the parts, I think, are the most coherent with each other in comparison of the rest of the songs of the EP. This is the most fluent song. Then, personally, I think our main influences are still around Post-Hardcore or Sludge-Metal...

DOES THE MUSIC YOU USUALLY LISTEN TO DIFFER MUCH FROM THE MUSIC YOU MAKE IN THE BAND?

SÉBASTIEN: I'm musically hard to please because of my very particular tastes. To pretty much situate my musical universe, I listen a lot to bands like for instance Acid King, Neurosis, Black Cobra, Ufomammut. But it happens to me to blow my mind listening to classical or solemn music…
Since I was a kid, I've always liked “the dark substance”. So I think that in some way I find myself in the MARCH's music.

OLIVIER: There is not any specific style of music that we all listen to, that we all have in common. I think we all listen to very different kinds of music. The list would be too long but I mostly listen to Post-Hardcore and Punk-Hardcore kind of stuff, in the middle of many other styles, while some of the other guys listen mostly to Rock music of the 60's or Pop, Folk, and so on... But there are bands we can just all agree on!

THE BAND STILL MANAGES TO KEEP THAT “HAUNTING” ATMOSPHERE IN YOUR SONGS EVEN IN SOME OF THE DOWN TEMPO PARTS. IS THAT THE TYPE OF FEELING THE BAND AIMS TO ACHIEVE WITH EVERY SONG?

SÉBASTIEN: I think there will always be an atmosphere both oppressive and aerial in our music; we appreciate it that way.

OLIVIER: It wouldn't upset me if sometimes we would play more loud, dirty parts (I really enjoy listening to what The Abominable Iron Sloth or Admiral Angry do) in a song but I believe this haunting atmosphere is a big part of our identity.

THE TWO SONGS THAT I LISTENED TO ON MYSPACE DON’T FOLLOW CONVENTIONAL SONG STRUCTURES. HOW DOES THE BAND APPROACH THE SONG WRITING PROCESS AND HOW DO YOU GUYS USUALLY DECIDE ON THE DIRECTION A SONG TAKES?

SÉBASTIEN: It's always chaos during the writing process.

OLIVIER: For the 5 tracks of the EP, most of the time JB (guitar) came up with a riff or a part of a song and we all worked out around it with our own instruments. And so we built each part of each song progressively. Usually the screaming parts came the latest but most of the time I write my lyrics before a song is created and I adjust them while the song is being built.

We don't agree all the time with what part to do, when and where but generally we modify it until everyone does agree. Now, the line-up has changed and Guillaume (new guitarist) is fully part of the writing process. He comes with new ideas and the music we are currently writing is definitely imbued with his musical identity.

YOUR LATEST EP HAS A COOL TITLE “DEAD ENDS AND BLIND SPOTS”. WHO CAME UP WITH THE TITLE AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE MUSIC ON THE EP?

OLIVIER: When I started playing music, my personal goal was at first and above all to put a bitter, painful, intense and loud music on my lyrics, to express them (I started to write a few stuff before actually joining a band). And so the title of the EP is above all the title that I think suits the most with the lyrics I've been writing for the last years, that summarizes the best what I say through my words, how I sometimes feel.

WERE THERE ANY SPECIFIC GOALS THAT THE BAND WANTED TO ACHIEVE MUSICALLY WITH THIS EP AND HOW LONG DID THE WRITING PROCESS TAKE AND WHERE DID YOU RECORD IT?

SÉBASTIEN: The writing process was long because the line-up changed a lot and so we redefined the music in a more mature way thereafter. It took about 8 months recording the EP but 2 years to build the band. For now, it doesn't have any specific goal but to materialize our music on a CD. Soon, if it can help us to continue playing music, then that's perfect.

OLIVIER: It was recorded by Olive from ElectrikBox (http://www.myspace.com/electrikbox) in the area of Lille (North of France).

THE BAND HAS A “STANDARD” FIVE PIECE LINE UP WITH YOUR MUSIC BEING BUILT AROUND VOCALS, GUITARS, DRUMS AND BASS. DO YOU SEE THE BAND EXPERIMENTING WITH ANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS IN THE FUTURE AND WHAT GEAR DO YOU GUYS CURRENTLY USE?

SÉBASTIEN: Sometimes, we discuss about trying to introduce some Sampler-guy, I don't really feel like it, we'll see… What I would like is a symphony orchestra.

OLIVIER: I don't feel like recruiting a sampler-guy at all either. Actually I don't think I would like to experiment any other instrument of which I know the existence … May somebody prove me I'm wrong, you never know... I prefer the music to be raw.

THE PACKAGING FOR THE “DEAD ENDS AND BLIND SPOTS” EP LOOKS REALLY GREAT AS WELL. DO YOU THINK THAT IN AN AGE WHERE EVERYTHING IS MASS PRODUCED IT IS BETTER TO SOMETIMES STAND OUT AND OFFER YOUR “PRODUCT” IN A DIFFERENT PACKAGE TO WHAT IS NORMALLY AVAILABLE?

SÉBASTIEN: Thanks for the compliment. I wish in the future, if we can distribute our music on a bigger scale, to keep a strong visual, to give the people something else than just a 2-page booklet with 5 guys posing. I give a lot of importance to the artistic design. If we had more resources we would have gone more far in the concept of the visual of the EP. But I am shocked to see and to hear people for who the substance doesn't have any more importance. They only have the style left. This is the problem.

OLIVIER: Yes. I think that music is not only about the sound. It's a whole. I believe the lyrics and the visual make us feel the sound differently. When one soaks up this other sides of music, one has a better idea of what one band wants to express, wants to say as a whole. When you release something that's concrete it should be worked on as a complete piece of art.

I SEE ON YOUR MYSPACE THAT THERE ARE A FEW PLACES UNDER YOUR UPCOMING SHOWS SECTION THAT SAYS “BOOK US”. I GUESS THAT AS AN INDEPENDENT BAND ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS GETTING SHOWS?

SÉBASTIEN: Yes, you're right, especially in France; I don't really know how it goes at your place or on other continents but in here everywhere you go you have machines that restrict the sound... (Decibel counters, they are machines that count how loud you play and in the bars, you cannot play if the volume rises to a certain amount of decibels). So you have a lot of bars where a lot of shows take place but they are not adapted for it. It's a paradox. Our music is pretty diverse, we need a lot of “power” in our amps; we can not do differently.

We don't run after gigs and they are mostly set in order to communicate with the audience. We have time; we're not in a hurry.

OLIVIER: Maybe it's going to be a bit easier since we've released something out. When you don't have anything to make people listen to, it's a pretty hard time to find some gigs. Moreover, France has never been a country where rock music (of any kind) is one of the prevailing music of our culture. So we might have less resources and structures adapted for loud music than in some other countries such as the US, the UK or Germany.

SÉBASTIEN: France has never been “Rock 'n Roll” and will never be. More ever, we can observe that we are unfortunately going back to a reformism that is of a conservative type, which makes the global culture regress. Soon, you'll see “Napalm Death acoustic show” written on posters. You know, in France people really like French singers who make Pop-songs. Heavy and loud sound “frightens” them or is not seen as serious.

WHERE WOULD THE BAND LIKE TO PERFORM IN THE NEXT YEAR AND ARE YOU PLANNING A FULL ALBUM IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

SÉBASTIEN: We would like to go and play in the south of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK. A band must move around (get their fingers out) otherwise you stay in your cellar with your friends playing Metallica covers. A full album is conceivable but as we said, we are not rushing.

OLIVIER: I would go to the US, even though it's just a dream. I think it's musically the most innovative, original country. But if you can work something out in South Africa, we would be glad to come! About a full album, we'll see how long the writing process of the new songs is going to take. I'd like to experiment a new way of writing lyrics inspired of Surrealism and of André Breton's book Les Champs Magnétiques.

YES SIR! MISTER MACHINE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCHALK VENTER
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/yessirmistermachine
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Hardcore / Punk / Other

YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW LOCAL BANDS THAT HAVE TAKEN THE “NORMA JEAN, UNDEROATH” DIRECTION WITH YOUR MUSIC. AS FANS OF HARDCORE WAS IT THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP FOR YOU AS MUSICIANS TO TAKE MUSICALLY WHEN THE BAND STARTED OUT?

Well I wouldn’t say that we took the “Norma Jean” direction or any other band for that matter. When we first started out we were looking to play a style of Hardcore that gave us the freedom to write what we wanted to free of any set rules or anything like that and more importantly put on a crazy, energetic live show.

Fair enough, bands like the Chariot are renowned for their on stage energy and complete disregard for any set song writing patterns so I guess it was a good starting point for us. We’ve come into our own since our EP and started changing and adapting our sound accordingly. I think it’s all about content more than anything. Like sounding and moving and dressing like other bands only works for so long. We don’t want to be part of that. Having influences is all good and well but at the end of the day if that’s what you sound like you’ve failed.

SOME OF THE BAND MEMBERS HAVE PLAYED IN BANDS WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STYLES THAN YES SIR! MISTER MACHINE. DID IT TAKE MUCH TIME FOR YOU GUYS TO PROGRESS TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

Surprisingly not hey. We did all come from different musical backgrounds but our mindset on the type of music we wanted to get up on stage and play is what actually brought us together. There was no disagreement as to what we envisioned for the band from the get go. During the time Paul and I were in our previous bands, we always talked about playing a heavier, faster style of music so I guess when the time arose we hit the ground running.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE BAND AVOIDS CONVENTIONAL SONG STRUCTURES TO KEEP THAT EXPERIMENTAL VIBE GOING. DO YOU HAVE CERTAIN “RULES” THAT YOU KEEP TO WHEN WRITING SONGS?

No I wouldn’t say so. I guess our only rule is that the song can’t sound like shit. Nah, we just write whatever sounds best. If it’s conventional structure, then we go with it. If it’s not then that’s just as good. It all comes down to the individual song really. It’s also important to us to write songs that a crowd can really move around and get into so experimentation only goes so far.

THERE ARE A LOT OF EXPERIMENTAL “SOUNDS” IN YOUR MUSIC. HOW DO YOU GUYS DECIDE WHAT WORKS AND WHAT HAS TO GO DURING THE SONG WRITING PROCESS?

Um, well like I said before, it really comes down to the individual song we writing at the time. The content of our songs are really important to us so building up a song from the ground takes time. We are hardly ever happy with a first draft. We really like to take a song as far as possible, pushing all instruments and vocals as much as we can. The experimental “sounds” are just part of the process for us.

THE BAND HAS RELEASED AN EP SO FAR. ARE YOU GUYS PLANNING A NEW RELEASE ANY TIME SOON?

We looking to release a full-length album as soon as we can so we busy writing for that now. We’re also trying to get back to playing more shows again since we took a break when Paul was in London so the two compete with each other for our attention. Writings going well though and we pretty happy with what’s come out so hopefully in the not to distant future we can give you more details about an album.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS YET HOW YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR MUSIC TO PROGRESS AND WHAT YOU WANT TO ATTEMPT MUSICALLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

Not really hey. I mean if we knew what we wanted our music to progress to we would just change it now. I think not knowing what we going to be capable of or what we might attempt is what being in Yes Sir! Mister Machine is all about for us. As long as we playing music that we are happy with regardless of what anyone else thinks or says we’ll be happy.

WHAT GEAR AND GUITAR TUNINGS ARE YOU GUYS CURRENTLY USING, AND DO YOU GET “ATTACHED” TO YOUR INSTRUMENTS AS TIME GOES ON OR ARE YOU ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING BETTER?

We use Epiphone guitars and a Fender jazz bass. As far as amps go, guitars go through a Hughs & Kettner switchblade stack well the bass goes through an Ashdown. We all tune to C sharp. As far as getting attached to our instruments go, I’d probably say the relationship is an abusive one. I really can’t think of another band that we’ve played with that has been so hard on their instruments.

We’ve been through countless guitars, leads and cymbals and I guess the reason we use the ones we do now are simply because they are the only ones in working order. Instruments are tools of the trade and with the type of live show we aim to put on, we count on our pockets being empty due to repairs.

HAS THE BAND HAD ANY MEMBER CHANGES SO FAR AND IF SO; WOULD SO SAY THE BAND IS STRONGER NOW THAN EVER?

Nope, we started with the bunch of guys we have now and I think that’s the strength.

NOW THAT HASTE THE DAY FEVER IS WELL AND TRULY OVER, HOW MUCH OF A GOOD IMPACT DID THAT SUPPORT SLOT HAVE ON THE BAND?

It was great playing with Haste the Day. It’s one of those things that can only strengthen a band. We really just wanted to treat it as a usual show play accordingly and I feel that’s what we did and I think the crowd felt that too.

WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND HAS REACHED A CERTAIN “PLATEAU” WITH YOUR LIVE SHOWS, OR IS THERE ALWAYS ROOM TO GO BIGGER AND BETTER?

Ah no. Definitely not! Live shows are what this band is about. If we don’t give it our all at every show, regardless of the venue or crowd size we feel disappointed in ourselves. I don’t feel there really is a plateau for us to reach and I think if we ever do, we doing something wrong.

ANY COMMENTS; THINGS FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

We’ve got a string of shows lined up and a festival or two so just keep checking our Facebook for updates. I think as a band we would want to thank every kid that has been to a show of ours and all the bands that we can call friends regardless of the music.

Thanks.

INBRED

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOLANO PICCARDO
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/inbredmetal
COUNTRY: Spain STYLE: Metal / Death Metal / Hardcore

WHAT WAS THE FIRST METAL BAND YOU EVER HEARD AND WHAT “CONVINCED” YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER AS A MUSICIAN?

Well, the truth is that we have very different stories about this. As teenagers we started to love Metal with several bands, from Iron Maiden to Metallica, Megadeth, Helloween, Manowar....I think it was the beginning... When We Started to play together and Inbred was born there were a lot of awesome bands that inspired us...

We were looking for a brutal sound like these big bands, you know, As I lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, All Shall Perish...

IS THE BAND STILL MAINLY INFLUENCED BY HEAVY MUSIC OR BY OTHER GENRES AS WELL AS THE BAND HAS PROGRESSED?

I think the most important thing is that we love music; we believe Music is only one and we listen to a lot of different things, Metal, Classical Music, Jazz, Blues…I don’t know, we love music, sometimes you have to fight against the “styles” and people trying to put names to everything. We think at the end music is music.You can find the most brutal sound in Vivaldi and lovely music from Heaven Shall Burn for example. I think when we create music we all are inspired by different things but It is true that we love to make it loud…

LISTENING TO YOUR SONGS I GOT THAT FEELING AS IF I WAS STANDING IN THE CROWD AT ONE OF YOUR SHOWS. IS IT IMPORTANT TO CAPTURE THAT LIVE ENERGY OF YOUR MUSIC IN YOUR RECORDINGS?

Yes, Music is a perfect way for us to express how we feel. The live show is the best way to share this with people and we think is very important to capture this energy and let it flow in our recordings, I am glad you feel this “live feeling” when you listen to our music.

We don’t want to say how people must feel about every song, we love every one have different points of view and particular thoughts about our music. It is very nice when people tell us how they feel about one Inbred’s song. It is great because most of times they are different and we think this is such a great thing.

WORK ON THE BAND’S SECOND ALBUM WAS DUE TO BEGIN AT 37 STUDIOS IN DETROIT IN THE US THIS PAST AUGUST. HOW FAR IS THE BAND WITH THE RECORDING PROCESS FOR YOUR LATEST ALBUM?

Well, we finally recorded the album at Dark City Studios (Detroit). It was a fantastic experience. It was our first time in USA and we learned a lot of things there. People from our label (Statik Factory Records) and from the studio made everything easier. We think we have made a great job in the studio and we are sure the album will sound really good. It was great to work with people who know how to do it. We are really excited with the album and we are waiting for share it to all of you.

WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE TO TAKE A HEAVIER OR MORE MELODIC DIRECTION WITH THE MUSIC FOR YOUR NEXT ALBUM?

Melodic sounds are very important for us, but I think this album is more brutal than the first one. We wanted to do a heavier and more aggressive album and we did it but we have tried to have a balance between these melodic sounds and extreme music. We trust people can feel it when they listen to new music.

DOES THE BAND USUALLY GO INTO THE STUDIO WITH ALL THE SONGS FULLY WRITTEN OR DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE IN THE STUDIO AS WELL?

Yes, we like to go into the studio when the album is done. We like to feel that everything is finished, you know. We always have our mind open in the studio because sometimes songs can have little changes, but yes, we like to have that feeling every detail is done before we start to record.

WHAT ARE YOU GUYS PLANNING TO DO DIFFERENTLY THIS TIME AROUND TO GIVE YOUR UPCOMING RELEASE THE MOST AMOUNT OF EXPOSURE POSSIBLE?

Well, we have been working hard last year, playing everywhere we can, and trying people know our music. Now we are working to get a solid fan base in USA and Europe.Our label is doing a great job too to get it. We also are working on Myspace and we will do something exclusive with them here in Spain for the promo when everything is ready. The new label and this album has been a big step for Inbred and we are ready to work our best to grow.

A NORTH AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TOUR WAS MENTIONED ON YOUR MYSPACE BLOG IN MARCH. IS THE BAND STILL GOING AHEAD WITH THOSE PLANS, AND WHERE WOULD THE BAND LIKE TO PERFORM THE MOST?

Absolutely. We will be touring next year with our label mates Martyr Defiled through Europe in January (Spain, Portugal, UK, Belgium, Holland and Germany) and we hope we will go USA after this to make a tour there. We are very excited to do it. Answering to your question I must say USA is a very special goal, because the scene there is huge but Inbred would love to perform everywhere, we love to play and share the energy with people in everyplace.

WATCHING YOUR LIVE VIDEOS ONE CAN SEE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A REALLY “INTENSE” SOUNDING LIVE SHOW. DO YOU WEAR EAR PLUGS ON STAGE OR WORRY ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING, OR CAN ONE WORRY ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT WHEN YOU ARE OLD?

Thank you very much; I am happy you feel this intensity. The truth is that we never wear ear plugs on the stage; we love to feel all the sounds when we play but we use them in the practice room. Health is a serious thing and we think it is important that everyone know that listen to loud music could be dangerous, specially young people, education is always good, this is not only a problem for old people.

BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU THAT YOU REMEMBER FROM ONE OF YOUR SHOWS; AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT SPANISH HEAVY MUSIC SCENE?

We have a lot of good memories from our shows, let me see... I remember one show in Mechelen ( Belgium ) last March. The venue was very small but there was a very special energy. People went crazy and it was awesome. The best memory is for sure from our last show in Madrid with Parkway Drive. It is our home and we were really motivated, I can remember a lot of crazy faces in the crowd having fun and making brutal things...haha.... We have our best time that day I think. Hope there will be a lot of these moments in the future.

The scene in Spain is getting bigger now. Some years ago it was smaller but I think now people are more educated with music, not only Metal, and we think this is one of the best things. Young people wants more and different things now, we have seen great shows over the last year and I hope the big bands will play in Spain as more as they play in the rest of Europe. We have some great Spanish bands here that are growing very much, this is good because people can see that there is good Metal too in Spain and of course we wish everything will be bigger in the future.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS; THINGS FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

Well, I think people should look out for a heavier, louder and better album, we are really excited with it, we are very happy with this new label and we are sure we will have great moments touring next year. We would like to say thank you Neil and say hello to all people who read this and support music.

DANE TAYLOR TRIO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEAN LOGIE
WEBSITE: http://www.danetaylortrio.com/
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Blues / Rock

WERE ALL OF YOU PERFORMING SOLO OR IN BANDS BEFORE THE TRIO WAS FORMED?

Yeah. Before the trio, I was playing a few solo gigs, with Justin, but as soon as we started rehearsing and getting things ready with the trio, it soon became all we were doing. It still is… Rob plays in another group too, New Altum.

WHY DID YOU GUYS FORM THIS BAND AND WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WORK TOGETHER WELL AS A “UNIT”; IS IT BECAUSE YOU ARE FANS OF THE SAME TYPE OF MUSIC AND THAT SORT OF THING?

Well, we all love blues music. The minute you hear it, time stands still. And so, we love this stuff so much that at one point it was all we were playing when we’d get together and jam. So we decided to form a trio and share this music we’d come to enjoy playing so much. I think that’s the biggest thing. Sharing something you’ve come to enjoy and love so much with others. Nothing feels better…

THE BAND IS CALLED “DANE TAYLOR TRIO”. DOESN’T THAT MAKE THE OTHER BAND MEMBERS FEEL A BIT LEFT OUT, OR IS THIS DANE TAYLOR’S BAND IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

No, not at all. Dane Taylor Trio is something we’re all part of. It’s just a bunch of words we put together really. The minute someone feels left out that’s when I gotta take a look around and see who’s there.

BLUES INFLUENCED ROCK HAS ALWAYS BEEN AROUND BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR WITH A MORE “MATURE” AUDIENCE. DO YOU THINK THAT YOUR APPROACH TO THE GENRE; ESPECIALLY WITH SONGS LIKE “SAY YOU DO” WILL ATTRACT YOUNGER AUDIENCES?

Well, a few decades back, a lot of the young people were heavily into Blues and Rock music. They still are. However, I know a lot of “mature” people are into other things other than Rock, Blues, or even Electro music. Sometimes we can be old and other times we can be young. It depends really… A lot of the time we’re not really thinking about that though. If something sounds real good it doesn’t matter how many birthdays you’ve had, I know plenty of people over sixty listening to the same stuff high school kids are into.

YOUR DEBUT EP “FOREWORD” WAS RELEASED IN SEPTEMBER. HOW CLOSE DID THE END PRODUCT COME TO THE ORIGINAL IDEAS AND SOUND THAT YOU GUYS HAD IN MIND?

Pretty close. What you hear on “ForeWord” are the original ideas. We did no tampering or arranging to the song structures once they were tracked. We rehearsed maybe once or twice the week before we recorded, and then we did most of it all live in three days.

Most of the albums we love and cherish are mostly all done live and have a certain organic entity to them. We definitely wanted to try and capture that sort of energy and honesty on this one. I’m definitely not a fan of layers and layers...That’s one way to make a record sound small.

WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU COVER LYRICALLY WITH THE SONGS ON “FOREWORD” AND DO YOU FIND THAT YOU WRITE BETTER SONGS WHEN TIMES ARE GOOD OR WHEN THINGS DON’T ALWAYS GO YOUR WAY?

Anything from the weather, the streets, words, people, automobiles, deserts, moonlight, knocked up girls, promises, old worlds, colours. Stuff like that… Ships, remedies, murder, shooting suns, sounds, time, driving, and even speaking …Its all in there somewhere.

NOW THAT “FOREWORD” IS DONE, HAS THE BAND STARTED TO THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE APPROACHING RECORD LABELS/DISTRIBUTORS, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO KEEP THE BAND AS INDEPENDENT AS POSSIBLE?

We’ve thought about it. Record labels definitely help and being part of a real good one would be awesome. We want to do everything we can that’ll help the Trio expand, grow and mean something to as much people as it can.

WHAT INSTRUMENTS DID YOU USE FOR THE RECORDINGS AND DO YOU GUYS LIKE BUYING NEW INSTRUMENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS OR DO YOU HAVE A “WORK HORSE” INSTRUMENT THAT HAS A LOT OF SENTIMENTAL VALUE AND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE?

For me instruments definitely have to mean something. You can tell buy just touching an instrument if they have a soul or not. They are just a tool though. I mean, a room full of a hundred guitars means nothing if no one’s playing them.

With regards to equipment, well, I’ve got some real old gear that I really love which was used on most of the tracks. Some great sounding old vintage amps, cabs and some old guitars. Justin plays a real fun Gretsch setup and he’s always tinkering here and there.

Rob plays Fender too and he’s always working on tones and colour, even more than I do…

IS THE INSTRUMENT YOU ARE PLAYING NOW THE FIRST INSTRUMENT YOU LEARNED TO PLAY; AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO REACH THAT POINT WHERE YOU WERE CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO WRITE AND PERFORM YOUR OWN MUSIC?

We’ve all been through a few different instruments since we started. Think I got my first electric when I was about 12 or something. And started playing all day and night learning and figuring things out…I think I do this more nowadays than when I started out though. Yeah, you have to keep yourself thinking up new things and learning everyday as much as you can. That’s the fun part, learning something new and sharing with these guys. It’s nice to keep each other on our toes. We’d get bored otherwise.

As for writing and performing, we’ve all been making music since we were real young and, like everyone else, were in a few groups and played around our suburbs and in Cape Town. Wasn’t long till we thought, “Hey, this feels real and we should do this” So we’re just following that through. And now we all have something we really love doing.

ARE THERE PLANS FOR THE BAND TO PERFORM LIVE ANY TIME SOON?

Yeah, busy sorting out a whole lot of shows at the moment. Watch the Facebook and Myspace pages for details. Everything is on there.

Check out http://www.danetaylortrio.com/

ANY COMMENTS; THINGS FANS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR?

Thanks to everyone that’s supported us so far. It means a lot!

Please check us out online and if you haven’t got your copy of ForeWord, go get one!

THE LAST WARNING

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LAST WARNING
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/lastwarning1
COUNTRY: Austria STYLE: Metal

WITH A NAME CHANGE; A NEW LABEL AND A NEW ALBUM YOU MUST BE HAPPY THAT THINGS ARE FINALLY MOVING AHEAD TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN NOW CONCENTRATE ON SUPPORTING YOUR NEW ALBUM AND NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE?

That’s very true. We still worked very hard on this production and we spend a lot of time in preparation of the release. We are very happy with the new material and also with our new label. It is very hard to get a deal with a label these days, because there are a lot of bands out there who are very good. But, as you say, now we are concentrating in promoting the Album and we are sure that people will love it.

HOPEFULLY IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN BUT IF YOU HAD TO CHANGE THE BAND’S NAME AGAIN WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT?

Haha, that’s a good question. I never thought about that case. We changed our band name from “Last Warning” in “The Last Warning”, so it is just an adaption of the name. If it happens again I would propose “The Storm Warning” or something like that.

DID YOU GUYS SIGN TO A NEW LABEL BECAUSE YOUR PREVIOUS CONTRACT ENDED OR BECAUSE YOU WERE LOOKING FOR BETTER OPPORTUNITIES TO PROMOTE THE BAND?

We signed to “7 Hard” because we wanted to have a Metal Label behind us. Our old Label, Ton 4 Records; was very passive with our band, because they are more in mainstream music. So we looked for a better opportunity to promote the band worldwide. We feel really good now to have a “Metal Label” behind us.

AS MENTIONED THE BAND HAS RELEASED ITS THIRD ALBUM TITLED “ELEGANCE OF BLOODINESS” ON THE THIRD OF OCTOBER. DOES THE ALBUM TITLE HAVE A SPECIFIC MEANING OR WERE YOU JUST LOOKING FOR A TITLE THAT ACCOMPANIED THE MUSIC ON THE ALBUM REALLY WELL?

The Title “Elegance of Bloodiness” is a synonym for the statement we want to make with the Album. It means that we, the human race in general, are very innovative to create weapons, instruments of torture, or fear. Today it looks very elegant when we see the daily news full of war and other violent stuff.

But the title means also the individual person itself. We work more and more and try to make money out of everything until we are mental ill. In the lyrics we speak about this topics and how we can overcome it. So, “Elegance of Bloodiness” is a rough title, but with a positive attitude.

HOW LONG DID THE RECORDING PROCESS TAKE AND HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM WITH THE SONGS ON YOUR PREVIOUS TWO RELEASES?

It’s not easy to say how long we needed to record the whole Album, because our Guitar player Roland has his own studio, so we recorded it in a lot of sessions. I think we did it in 6 month, part by part when every musician had the time to make his part in the studio.

Compared to the last album, the new songs are much more Metal and less Hardcore. My voice also goes more in the direction of Death Metal on this production, what was a big step forward for the sound of the band.

WHAT THEMES DOES THE BAND COVER LYRICALLY ON “ELEGANCE OF BLOODINESS”?

As I said before, the lyrics deal on the one hand with the “Bloodiness” of the human race in general, as you can hear in the song “We all are murderer”, and on the other hand very personal and individual “Bloodiness” in a psychological way. You can hear a lot of things in the lyrics about self-confidence and how to manage the darker days in live.

I want to make it a little bit more personal on this production because I believe that if we want to have a better world we should start with our own live and our own actions.

DO YOU FIND THAT AS TIME GOES ON YOU GROW AS MUSICIANS AND THAT YOU INCORPORATE MORE “MUSICAL INFLUENCES” INTO YOUR OWN MUSIC?

Oh yes, that’s for sure. When you get older, you see many things from other sides and you also find more and more bands you like to hear. Today, all musicians of “The Last Warning” hear a broad spectrum of music. I think that goes on with the personal experience and that we all are more open minded now, as ten years ago.

WHAT GEAR ARE YOU GUYS CURRENTLY USING TO GET THE BEST RESULTS FOR RECORDING AND PERFORMING LIVE?

I personally use a Shure SM58 Microphone, it is old but good. Our guitar players use Ibanez and ESP Guitars with Mesa Boogie and Peavy Amplifiers and our bass player use a Hughes & Kettner Bassbase 400 and Ampeg SVT PreAmp. Our drummer use Tama stuff.

WERE THERE ANY BIG CHALLENGES THAT THE BAND FACED DURING THE WRITING PROCESS OR IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE STILL LYING AHEAD WITH PROMOTING THE ALBUM AND THE BAND SO THAT YOU CAN PLAY BIGGER AND BETTER SHOWS?

One of the biggest challenges was to go on with the writing and recording process, because some band members fought with diseases during this year. A big challenge was also to find the right sound for the whole Album, because if you listen to modern productions the sound varies so much. So we wanted to make a modern production but also find a sound what is not too overmastered. The good thing now is that the label makes a lot of the promotional work, so we can concentrate in booking and playing shows.

THE BAND HAS PLAYED BIGGER SHOWS IN ASIA THAN IT HAS IN EUROPE; LOOKING BACK ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THE BAND HAS RECEIVED MORE INTEREST OUTSIDE OF EUROPE THAN IT HAS AT HOME?

When we look back to our Asian Tour activities, I think we are very lucky that we got the chance to do this. We started the first Asia Tour with no expectations; we thought that we will play small club shows and smaller festivals. But when we arrived there, our Tour Manager told us that we have the opportunity to make a show on those big festivals. So I think it was our strong believing in the band and in the Tour that we received that interest outside of Europe. Or you can call it luck; it depends on your point of view…

THE BAND IS PLAYING A HOMETOWN GIG FOR YOUR CD LAUNCH OF “ELEGANCE OF BLOODINESS”. HOW OFTEN DO YOU STILL PERFORM HOMETOWN GIGS AND ARE THEY ALWAYS A HIGHLIGHT FOR THE BAND COMPARED TO OTHER LIVE SHOWS?

We still play not that often in our hometown, but I hope we will have more opportunities in the near future. This hometown gigs are always very special too us, because we are always sold out and the people come exclusive to see “us”. What I mean is that it is not like a festival where people come to see some bands and it’s nice that “The Last Warning” play also, at this shows people come to celebrate with us.

NOW THAT YOUR ALBUM IS OUT WHAT DOES THE BAND HAVE PLANNED FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND THE BEGINNING OF 2010?

We will play several shows in middle Europe to promote the Album as good as we can. We have a strong Album in our backpack and we definitely want to be on the road to play as many shows as we can, see new locations, meet new and old friends and bring our ideas of Metal to the masses.

ANY COMMENTS OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

I want to thank you for this interview and I hope that people in your country will have a look on “The Last Warning”. Maybe one day we will have the chance to play on a festival in South Africa. Thanx