Rock In Review

Tiamat
Anders Iwers - Bass

1. First and foremost, how does it feel to be back off a 5 year hiatus?

Anders-It’s absolutely amazing! First and foremost, the fact that the album actually saw the light of day after all the stuff that went on, is a victory in itself. And it seems to be pretty well received too, in Sweden we even got five-star reviews, which is not common for us, so we are proud and happy!

2. How does it feel to be working with Nuclear Blast Records after having been with Century Media for so long?

A-So far, it’s good, we haven’t been on the label for a very long time yet, so it’s a little uncertain, you know, who to call for this, who do I tell this too. It was easier on CM, but that’s only cause we’ve been there since the dawn of time, hell, we were there longer than most employees would stay! But I have high hopes of a bright future.

3. On a more personal level, who are some of your influences as a bass player?

A- Well, that’s hard to answer, since I started out as a guitar player, I had my musical taste and influences pretty much formed when I made the switch to bass. But when I look at what I play, I tend to think bands more than players, as influences, but, if you must know, I would say somewhere in between Cliff Williams, Cliff Burton and DeeDee Ramone, that’s where you’ll find me! I play less notes than most Metal players, I’m more interested in grooves and locking in with the drummer, making the other guys’ jobs easier, and when I do play a little melody, I think I’m Paul McCartney…:-) I also work a lot with my picking hand, that’s where the nuances are. When we start a song in rehearsal, I play a lot more busy stuff, and that tends to simplify itself with each take.

4. Being an amateur bass player myself, I have to ask, what made you want to be a bass player?

A- Actually, truth be told, I started on bass in Tiamat because that was the vacant position. I had my eye on the lead guitar for a while, but when the chance presented itself when we did “skeleton” I had somehow turned into a bass player, and said no. I now know what every bass player knows, that it’s the most important instrument in a Rock band, and also, by far the coolest!

5. Going back to the band in general, there are quite a few genres Tiamat could be listed in. Is there a certain one you would “label” the band in or is there one you would rather be called?

A- Genre-labeling is mostly there to make journalists’ jobs easier, I do sincerely believe that there are only two labels that matters that you can put on music, and that’s “good” and “bad” music. I think we belong in the first category. That being said, you can call us whatever you see fit, as long as you can also say it to my face

We had a Swedish “journalist” calling us names, being very tough online, but two can play that game, as he found out

6. During the writing process, how do you stay in a darker mindset to really get into the song and write your part?

A-That’s never been a problem, or even something I think about. I think we can put our stamp on any piece of music, if we would play a Creedence or a Skynyrd cover, it would sound very Tiamat. That can be good thing, or just that we are not technically competent to play any other way, you decide!

7. Do you feel a more personal connection with Tiamat’s style or is it just a style you enjoy playing no matter what’s going on in your life?

A-Yeah, it’s a deeply personal connection. But when we play, I try not to think at all, the music seems to benefit from instincts, rather than preconceived ideas of what to do.

8. How would you compare Amanethes to other albums and EPs Tiamat has released?

A- I wouldn’t really. I think it stands on its own. I guess though that it wouldn’t have sounded the way it does if we didn’t make all those albums over the years, we have probably learned from them all. I can say that if we would have sounded like this in ‘92 we would have gone home to masturbate in pure happiness, this was how we wanted to sound, but couldn’t!

9. What are your overall thoughts on the final product of Amanethes?

A- I am extremely proud of how it turned out. This album, it would probably have been easier to just split up than to go through the process it took to make it, but we are just way to stubborn to even consider that! So, I know it’s a cliché, and all musicians say this, but I can honestly say that we could not have made a better Tiamat album right now.

10. What does the future hold in store for Tiamat?

A- Hopefully touring, touring and touring. It may even take us to the States, where we haven’t been since Bush the elder ran the place! I hope we get to flog this horse until it, or us, drops dead!

Keep of Kalessin
Obsidian Claw - Guitar

1. Who are some of you guitar influences? Who are some influences overall for the band’s sound?

It’s really hard to pinpoint anything because I’m influenced by so many different things, but when it comes to guitarists I would say that I’ve been influenced by Slash, Mark Knopfler, James Hetfield, Zakk Wylde, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray since I started playing guitar.

The band is inspired by much of the same like Guns ‘n’ Roses, Metallica, and Iron Maiden and the early Black metal bands to movies and computer games. And anything fantasy or sci-fi.

2. Where does the name Keep of Kalessin come from?

It’s taken from a book series about Earthsea written by Ursula Le Guin. Where Kalessin is the eldest and most powerful dragon.

3. How do you feel about the current, full-time line-up for KoK?

It’s great! Finally, we have a solid and powerful line-up. I’ve been looking for this kinda line-up for many years and it’s very satisfying to finally have people that are focused and hard working and also have amazing individual skills. I think this is one of the best line-ups from Norway these days when it comes to musical skills.

4. How was your experience with the short lived line-up including Frost (Satyricon) and Attila Csihar (MAYHEM)?

At the time it was great and it was a very unique atmosphere at that time. However, I also see that it was necessary to get new people in the band that was 100% dedicated to Keep Of Kalessin. But I definitely have great memories from recording the EP.

5. What feelings/attitude went into writing Kolossus?

We wanted to create an album that was even more epic and melodic than Armada and I think that it worked out pretty well. The album has a lot more variation as well and many different moods that the listener goes through. I think the album as a whole feels much more like a journey than Armada and that was also the intention. It’s also more organic sounding which I think is great. It gives the album more atmosphere and a unique feeling.

6. With Kolossus being KoK’s fourth full length album, what are you thoughts on the final product for the album and the success of the band overall?

I think the final product was very much as I intended and I’m very happy with that. When you do an album, there is always some things that are not as good as you hoped for, but also stuff that is even better than you imagined before you started recording the album.

It’s also great to finally see some recognition for this band that I’ve been working with for such a long time now. I always knew we had potential, but we weren’t able to really nail it before Armada and that album really did a lot for us. But I still think we have a long way to go and we also have a lot more potential on recording some really unique Metal, so it will be interesting to see how far we can get.

7. Do you think you had an advantage recording the album in your own studio instead of an outside studio?

It’s both pro’s and con’s when you record in your own studio. It’s a good thing that you have enough time to experiment with different things, but it can also be hard to keep the spirit up for 3-4 months in the studio. Suddenly you start to question the material and think everything sounds like sh*t and the next day you think it sounds awesome again. Hehe. You kinda lose track of where you are in the process until you suddenly start seeing the light in the end of the tunnel.

If you record in another studio it’s easy just to record your instrument and be finished with it to let the producer do his work. I think that can be a relief sometimes, but I also like being a part of the whole process from start to finish.

8. How would you compare Kolossus to past albums and EPs?

I think it’s a bigger album. What I mean by that is that it’s the kind of album you should listen to from start to finish and really embrace it as a varied musical journey. It’s not supposed to be ultra dark or the most brutal thing out there. It’s supposed to take you to bright moments and dark moments. I think a lot of the Black metal fans don’t realize this. I wouldn’t call Kolossus Black metal anyway so it really doesn’t matter, but it’s definitely not your traditional underground album. It’s something totally different and there’s not a band on this globe that sounds like it. And that’s the most important thing to me. It’s also an album that needs time, but when you give it time it will grow like a tumor that you won’t get rid of.

9. What are your thoughts on the rest of the Black metal scene (including bands such as Satyricon, Behemoth, and Dimmu Borgir)?

I think there are some good bands and a lot of bad ones. The biggest ones are usually the best ones as well, but I think the whole Black metal scene has a sickness in the underground. Wannabe true people that don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. Black metal is about individualism and doing your own thing, not following the rules or norms of a scene!

10. What does the future hold for Keep of Kalessin?

A lot of touring and we’ll also be back in America in Oct/Nov and will also have a new album out in 2009! So it’s gonna be busy, busy.

SiX
Lauren - Vocals

1. Who has had an influence on your vocal style?
Growing up in Long Beach, CA my biggest hero was a local guy named Joe Wood. He was the second singer of the legendary punk band TSOL. I loved Jack Grisham, the first singer as well, but there was darkness in Joe’s voice that just resonated in my soul. I seriously wanted to be him. But I also must credit Zodiac Mindwarp, Henry Rollins, Keith Morris (Circle Jerks), Nick Cave, Angry Anderson (from my favorite band in the world Rose Tattoo) and Bruce Springsteen…yes, the Boss has had a huge influence on me. God there’s so many. Any vocalist that just lets their soul and their truth come to life in recordings or on a stage.
I just have to feel it; I seek purity in singers, not “skill”.

2. Where do you get motivation for writing your lyrics?
The life I live. I’ve always been an “observer” of people, almost as if my whole life has been one big social study. I see how we hurt, bleed, love, use, hate and so randomly just try to find a connection to each other. We humans are a very strange animal that’s for sure, and I’m just trying to find the answers like everyone else.

3. What was your attitude/what were you feeling while writing “Between
the Warning and the War”?
Looking back I think the biggest theme for me was forgiveness. I was coming out of a horrible break up that I was trying to make some sense of. That experience taught me a lot about myself and my sense of love in the world. During that time I was also able to let go of a lot of the things in my past that had been haunting me. It’s a transitional album. It’s about where we are from to where we are trying to get to mentally, emotionally and musically. The whole twisted puzzle.

4. The artwork for the cover of “Between the..” is interesting. Is
there a special meaning behind it?
The balance between beauty and brutality has always been our thing. There’s a certain romance in violence and there is certain peace in pain. The cover takes the terror of a speeding bullet and pairs it with the beauty of a burning match. It’s the beginning AND the end.

5. How do you feel about the final product for the album?
I’m extremely proud of this album. We overcame a lot to get it done and on every listen I know it’s our truth. It’s 100% us. It’s not trendy and it doesn’t fit into any one category .We were blessed to have Mike Clark from Suicidal on it as well as Tony Campos from Static X. I mean f**k, for an underground band those are huge honors. And our big money record company didn’t pay them to do it. They felt what we were doing and wanted to join us. What more can we ask for? I’ve recorded a lot of music in my life, and this is the album I’m the most proud of so far.

6. What is tour life normally like for SiX?
We try to stick by the old Black Flag way of play anywhere at anytime. We’re a live band, we show up to a town and our goal is to take it over, burn it down and have you beg us to return. It’s the pirate life we stand by. Show up, destroy and disappear. It’s full blown rock ‘n’ roll or its nothing.

7. Do you prefer playing larger or smaller venues?
DMX said it best “we don’t care where or when we play…we’re the headliner!”
And that’s the attitude we have. We just love to do what we do.

8. How has being in SiX affected your life the most?
My band keeps me sane. These are my brothers, this is my outlet and this is my family; but one thing about SiX is that it’s way more than just the people in the band. It’s our whole 1605 Family that keeps this machine turning; I’m simply the voice. We are a community of like minded people all trying to find our place in the world. Those that are a part of our team know exactly what I’m talking about.

9. What can we expect for the future of SiX?
See the answer to question #6….lol
More music, more shows, more blood, more sweat, more friends, more family, more Jager, more miles, more late nights more, more, more ,more.

Eyes Set To Kill
Alexia - Vocals / Guitar
Brandon - Screams / Keyboards
Greg - Guitar

1. Who are some of the influences for your musical style?
Alexia: I grew up listening to Blink-182 and Green Day, but I like to
think that my biggest influences were Thrice and Muse. Not only their
music, but their attitudes and the way they play with passion.

2. What was your attitude/what feelings went into writing “Reach”?
Alexia: We didn’t really set out to write certain songs for the album
purposely, but whatever I felt on the road or in relationships went
straight to paper. I mostly wrote about longing, hoping, and frustrations
as negative things that most people deal with. Hopefully anyone who
learns our lyrics will be able to relate, and let us help them through
times they thought were impossible to get through.

More positive lyrics were written towards our fans like in “Only Holding
On”. The songs about how life on the road can be discouraging when you
miss what’s home, but fans keep us touring and inspire us every day.

3. How does it feel to be on tour supporting such a great album?
Brandon: It’s awesome because we worked so hard on the album, and now we
get to play all of our new songs for our new/old fans. It’s also cool to
see kids sing along to our songs.

4. How does tour life typically go for Eyes Set To Kill?
Greg: It’s so much fun. We are all best friends…so if you can imagine
touring the country for months at a time, with four of your best
friends, you’ll understand what I mean. Aside from playing shows our
nights usally consists of WAL-MART super center parking lots (because
they have 24 parking). It’s our home away from home.

5. Do you prefer to play big venues or smaller ones?
Alexia: It never really matters to us, just as long as the venue is
packed with people excited to see us as much as we are excited to see them:)

6. What keeps you entertained during down time while on tour?
Greg: Well since we’ve toured so much in the past year, we have made
lots of friends in different states, so if we get lucky, we will find
ourselves spending our down time with friends. If not, it’s all about
the phone games.

7. Is there a meaning behind the cover art for “Reach” or did it just
seem like a good picture?
Alexia: The cover of reach is related to the video of reach. The video
takes place in an old room of an eerie victorian home.

8. How do you feel about the final product for “Reach”?
Alexia: We couldn’t be any happier with the album. We worked really hard
on carefully formating and constructing the songs in between tours. It’s
our first finished album with our most solid lineup and it was Greg and
Caleb’s first time recording with us so they were extra excited when it
was finished.

Farewell to Freeway
Richie - Drummer

1. Who are some of your influences for your drumming style?
John Bonham from Led Zeppelin is my biggest drumming influence. Also, Vinnie Paul, Carmine Apice, Morgan Agren is incredible, Neil Pert, etc.

2. When did you first realize you wanted to be a drummer?
I used to watch the Muppets and Animal was the one who always rocked out on the drums, he’s my first drumming memory. I also used be a huge fan of this kids rock band called KIDEO and I always loved watching their videos and TV show. The first time I saw them when I was 5 or 6 I knew I wanted to play drums, luckily my uncle has as old Royce kit and he let me learn on those.

3. What was your attitude/what feelings went into writing “Definitions”?
Its a very positive record. We wrote it gradually over the course of about 8 months. During that time we still toured as much as we could staying on the road and persevering and working as hard as we could. We toughed it out through a lot of hard times so it deals heavily with staying determined to what you want to accomplish. We knew it would be our first major release when it came out so we wanted it to encompass everything that we’re about. Its a very honest record.

4. How does it feel to be back on tour supporting a great album?
Thanks! It feels awesome, the record comes out real soon on February 19th, so we’re thrilled to be playing all the new songs and supporting something we’ve put so much into. We can’t wait for everyone to hear it. We’ll be on tour for the next 5 months as well all over North America.

5. How does tour life typically go for Farewell to Freeway?
It’s day to day, thats what we’ve come to realize, is to just take things as they come, stick together and work towards our bands goals, whether you have a good show that day or not. We try to always have that in mind. We all have a great time on tour, its an amazing way to see the world and to be playing music every night is what we always want to be doing.

6. Do you prefer to play big venues or smaller ones?
We like playing all size venues, thats the exciting thing about being in a different room every night. I think though at this point we like playing bigger venues just cause we’ve been playing smaller ones for the last 4 years and we like big sound systems!

7. What keeps you entertained during down time while on tour?
I try to spend a bit of time seeing some of the area that we’re in, sometimes we don’t get much time so I try to get as much in as I can. It’s always cool meeting new people all the time too. Other than that we usually just hang with the other band(s) we’re on tour with or play video games and watch movies.

8. With a name like Farewell to Freeway, people may assume you guys are an Emo band. What might you tell someone who makes this assumption? What would you classify FtF as?
I would tell them to just listen to the music and try to see us live to make an accurate assumption. It’s hard these days, but I usually describe our band as Hard-Rock with Metal, Pop, and Punk influences. I know it’s pretty vague but it best suites us as we do have a lot of varied sounds.

9. How has being in Farewell to Freeway impacted you the most?
Just being on tour all the time, It has a huge impact on my life as you have to say goodbye to everything at home and know that your going to be living out of a van for a month or longer. Also, just being a musician that is able to play so often has been one of the most important things in my life, I always look forward to it.

10. How do you feel about the final product for “Definitions”?
I love it! We couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. We recorded in Westfield, MASS just outside Boston at Zing Studios with Eric Arena (A Day to Remember). It’s the same studio that Adam D records all the Killswitch Engage records. Most recently, he recorded Parkway Drive there, so it’s awesome we got the chance to record there, it was awesome! It’s our best sounding and best written material to date, and to know that it’s being released all over the world is pretty amazing. I’m super proud of the record.

Bloodjinn
Joel Collins - Vocals

1. Who are some of your influences vocally?
I’m gonna have to say I’m really into various different singers. It’s hard to pinpoint just one. If I had to choose a few current ones it would be Bjorn from Soilwork, Lajon from Sevendust, Randy from Lamb Of God, & Jens from Meshuggah.

2. What are some of the influences on your lyric writing?
Lyrically I write about mostly about relationships. It’s just a subject that has always stuck with me. I don’t like to be too opinionated. I want people to relate to our songs and hopefully feel the energy, emotion and meaning of what’s being said. We’ve all been through horrible times in life. We’ve all had the friends that stab you in the back or treat you like you are nothing. And let’s not forget the great times as well.

3. What was your attitude/what were you feeling while writing “This Machine…”?
I felt a lot of rage on “This Machine Runs On Empty”. I locked myself in my bedroom for days on end, only leaving to get food and such. I just wanted to really re-live the moments I wanted to capture on paper. I’ve been through depressing times in relationships, and when I put myself back into that mentally, its the ultimate release. There’s nothing like being on stage and really feeling the meaning of your songs. I’m a very laid back quiet guy but that’s when it’s time to let it out.

4. Do you prefer playing larger or smaller venues?
Both have their ups and downs. I love the feel of a smaller room, because it is more intimate. I want to be able to reach out to the kids in the front row and crowd surf on top of them or give them the microphone. The bigger rooms however are awesome too. Especially when they are full of people. It’s really like nothing but people’s heads staring at you and judging your every move. I guess that’s kinda freaky, but thats the rush of being on stage. I want them to remember us so. Big rooms are also way more exercise, which I need!!

5. What is the meaning behind the name Bloodjinn?
Bloodjinn means to hit with heavy force, just like the original spelling and meaning. When we first started, we chose that name because we thought the spelling was cool. The name has a strong meaning in general, and being the way its spelled, it looks cooler than the original way of spelling.

6. How has being in Bloodjinn had an impact on you?
It really has changed my life. I remember 12 years ago, not ever thinking I would be on a stage, much less a vocalist. When we formed Bloodjinn 9 years ago, it was like my ultimate chance at being a front man. My brother gave me the opportunity and when we started Bloodjinn, it was something we created together. Brian Lewis took his place in 2004, but I’ve never given up this band. Regardless of the ups and downs I have been through, it’s been my dream. I still feel the passion that I had in 1999, even though I’m getting older by the minute. Roger of Agnostic Front once said to me, “hardcore has had half my life” and I realized… “Bloodjinn has had almost half my life as well”. I thought that was an interesting way of looking at it.

7. How does Bloodjinn compare to your other projects?
Bloodjinn is obviously my number 1 goal. The other projects I am involved with are just other forms of musical outlets.

8. Does working with Forsaken Records and Pluto Records ever really “clash”?
Not even. Pluto is an entirely different label out of Texas, ran by Brian Cobbel. He’s an awesome dude. I run Forsaken Recordings here in North Carolina, and I spend all my free time working with that, or my music management company, The Direct Agency. I try to stay busy, but I do have a manager and very close friend by the name of Jay Tavernese of Indegoot Entertainment, who keeps me straight as well. After all, music and the friends I’ve made, are my life! Wouldn’t trade it for anything.