1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Immediately after we recorded, we took it easy for about a month or so, then we went into full swing to start promoting the album and playing shows again. As I sit here and type this, I am on an airplane heading towards Houston, TX to headline the Building Temples from Death Festival. Next week we head out on the road with Suffocation, Kataklysm, Pyrexia and Jungle Rot. Should be a killer tour. I’m thankful that we have all these great opportunities and that the band stays pretty busy.
2.You have a new album coming out during the end of September, how would you describe the musical sound of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I think the key word to describe this new album is DIMENSIONAL. When you listen to the album, you’ll say to yourself “yeah, that sounds like Internal Bleeding”, but you’ll also notice a lot of songs have sections in them that the band has never tried before — I think that’s the key difference. When we wrote Imperium, we made a very conscious effort to introduce one new element or idea that we never tried before to every song. We thought by doing this we would both enhance our music and push the slam genre forward.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Most of the lyrics on the album focus on the effect society has on the human spirit and psyche — you could say that Imperium is very sociological. We explore a lot of different things lyrically but when you view the album overall it’s definitely a commentary on society, the human race, and what we’ve become.
4.The band was broken up for 7 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
Well, the split kind of just happened. It was weird. I left the band right before the recording of Onward to Mecca, and after that album was released, the band toured twice and then fell apart. I cannot pinpoint the exact reasons why it did, but I think that there just was no clear vision or direction to the band and it kind of just ran out of steam and died. When I saw this happening it was like watching one of my children suffer through a long and painful death — it was very hard on me emotionally. After the dust had settled for a little bit and people had time to chill out and regroup, I started making calls to some of the original members to see if we could get things up and running again. A few years later, here we are, up and running with a new album. It’s been an incredible journey.
5.You have been considered one of the pioneers of the slam death metal style, what are your thoughts on the newer bands that have taken up this musical direction?
I think it’s pretty cool to look out over the whole scene and see so many bands that we directly influenced — it’s all very exciting and humbling. There are some absolutely killer slam bands out there, such as Soils of Fate, Devour the Unborn, Devourment, etc. However, I fear that the genre is becoming a bit stale because everyone seems to be writing the same songs, playing it too safe and not trying to push any boundaries a little bit. Things are just starting to sound the same and not evolving to a more exciting place. I think things need to be shaken up. I hope Imperium does this by showing bands that slam can go into all kinds of cool directions without every losing its heaviness.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I still think the best show we ever played was in Amqui, Quebec (Canada). It was in a hockey arena, and the crowd went so frigging wild that we ended up playing the same exact set twice because the crowd wouldn’t let us off the stage. Incredible show. Other great shows I can remember were the Milwaukee Metal Fests in the mid 1990s, the Mountains of Death Festival in 2011 and the Neurotic Deathfest in 2012. As for our stage performance, it’s very high energy and very intimate. I like to think we get a pretty solid connection with the crowd when we play.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Yep! We’re heading out on the Carnival of Death tour with Suffocation, Kataklysm, Pyrexia and Jungle Rot in about two weeks. That’s a full US tour, so it should be a wild friggin time. Then, back home to rest up until springtime and then off on the road to Europe in April.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your comeback by fans of brutal death metal?
I’m happy to say people are really excited about it. It’s funny — and I know this really makes me seem old — but a lot of people wrote to us saying they were excited that we were back because they were too young to see us when we were first touring back in the 90s.
9.What is going on with some of the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part off?
We’re all married to Internal Bleeding, so there are no real side projects.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I honestly couldn’t tell you. Sometimes when you are writing music, it takes a life of its own and goes in directions you never contemplated. I would like to say that we’ll keep heading in the direction we started on when we wrote Imperium, but I cannot give you a specific place where we’ll end up. I do know that we’ll keep pushing the boundaries of what slam can be. I think we have an obligation to do that.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We looked back at a lot of 70s hard blues and rock: bands such as Black Sabbath, Mountain, Blue Cheer, etc. all had a lot of great groove to them with some really great riffing. There is definitely a very strong blues element to Imperium, even though it’s in a highly twisted and bastardized form.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I’m a pretty hard core Muscle Car freak. I own and race a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. Other than that, I love reading history books and watching history based television shows.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks so much for the opportunity. I really appreciate it. I hope everyone who reads this checks out Imperium. Give us a like on
Immediately after we recorded, we took it easy for about a month or so, then we went into full swing to start promoting the album and playing shows again. As I sit here and type this, I am on an airplane heading towards Houston, TX to headline the Building Temples from Death Festival. Next week we head out on the road with Suffocation, Kataklysm, Pyrexia and Jungle Rot. Should be a killer tour. I’m thankful that we have all these great opportunities and that the band stays pretty busy.
2.You have a new album coming out during the end of September, how would you describe the musical sound of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I think the key word to describe this new album is DIMENSIONAL. When you listen to the album, you’ll say to yourself “yeah, that sounds like Internal Bleeding”, but you’ll also notice a lot of songs have sections in them that the band has never tried before — I think that’s the key difference. When we wrote Imperium, we made a very conscious effort to introduce one new element or idea that we never tried before to every song. We thought by doing this we would both enhance our music and push the slam genre forward.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Most of the lyrics on the album focus on the effect society has on the human spirit and psyche — you could say that Imperium is very sociological. We explore a lot of different things lyrically but when you view the album overall it’s definitely a commentary on society, the human race, and what we’ve become.
4.The band was broken up for 7 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
Well, the split kind of just happened. It was weird. I left the band right before the recording of Onward to Mecca, and after that album was released, the band toured twice and then fell apart. I cannot pinpoint the exact reasons why it did, but I think that there just was no clear vision or direction to the band and it kind of just ran out of steam and died. When I saw this happening it was like watching one of my children suffer through a long and painful death — it was very hard on me emotionally. After the dust had settled for a little bit and people had time to chill out and regroup, I started making calls to some of the original members to see if we could get things up and running again. A few years later, here we are, up and running with a new album. It’s been an incredible journey.
5.You have been considered one of the pioneers of the slam death metal style, what are your thoughts on the newer bands that have taken up this musical direction?
I think it’s pretty cool to look out over the whole scene and see so many bands that we directly influenced — it’s all very exciting and humbling. There are some absolutely killer slam bands out there, such as Soils of Fate, Devour the Unborn, Devourment, etc. However, I fear that the genre is becoming a bit stale because everyone seems to be writing the same songs, playing it too safe and not trying to push any boundaries a little bit. Things are just starting to sound the same and not evolving to a more exciting place. I think things need to be shaken up. I hope Imperium does this by showing bands that slam can go into all kinds of cool directions without every losing its heaviness.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
I still think the best show we ever played was in Amqui, Quebec (Canada). It was in a hockey arena, and the crowd went so frigging wild that we ended up playing the same exact set twice because the crowd wouldn’t let us off the stage. Incredible show. Other great shows I can remember were the Milwaukee Metal Fests in the mid 1990s, the Mountains of Death Festival in 2011 and the Neurotic Deathfest in 2012. As for our stage performance, it’s very high energy and very intimate. I like to think we get a pretty solid connection with the crowd when we play.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Yep! We’re heading out on the Carnival of Death tour with Suffocation, Kataklysm, Pyrexia and Jungle Rot in about two weeks. That’s a full US tour, so it should be a wild friggin time. Then, back home to rest up until springtime and then off on the road to Europe in April.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your comeback by fans of brutal death metal?
I’m happy to say people are really excited about it. It’s funny — and I know this really makes me seem old — but a lot of people wrote to us saying they were excited that we were back because they were too young to see us when we were first touring back in the 90s.
9.What is going on with some of the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part off?
We’re all married to Internal Bleeding, so there are no real side projects.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I honestly couldn’t tell you. Sometimes when you are writing music, it takes a life of its own and goes in directions you never contemplated. I would like to say that we’ll keep heading in the direction we started on when we wrote Imperium, but I cannot give you a specific place where we’ll end up. I do know that we’ll keep pushing the boundaries of what slam can be. I think we have an obligation to do that.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We looked back at a lot of 70s hard blues and rock: bands such as Black Sabbath, Mountain, Blue Cheer, etc. all had a lot of great groove to them with some really great riffing. There is definitely a very strong blues element to Imperium, even though it’s in a highly twisted and bastardized form.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
I’m a pretty hard core Muscle Car freak. I own and race a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. Other than that, I love reading history books and watching history based television shows.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks so much for the opportunity. I really appreciate it. I hope everyone who reads this checks out Imperium. Give us a like on
No comments:
Post a Comment