1. Who are your main influences for your musicianship and composition?

There are many bands and artists that have influenced me over the years, especially in the start. I began my career back in 1992, forming a band playing a straight forward kind of Rock n’ Roll, influenced by bands like Guns n’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, and that kind of stuff. After a short period of time, I got introduced to the UK Gothic rock scene and bands like The Sisters of Mercy, The Fields of the Nephilim, and The Mission. I was really drawn to the dark and melancholic atmospheres that these bands were able to get across. At the same time, I was getting interested in harder Metal bands and got into the idea of combining the atmospheres of the UK goth scene with Melodic metal. This was back in 1994. Afterwards, it has been all about perfecting my style as a musician and composer.

2. When/how did you decide to become a guitarist?

I have always been very attached to music, ever since I was a little kid. And the interest was just growing and growing with the years. I did my first attempt playing guitar when I was in the 4th grade, I took some classical guitar lessons but it never quite did the trick for me so I quit. Then I picked it up again at the age of fourteen, but with an electrical guitar this time. And then there was no turning back.

3. How would you compare playing in Sirenia to playing with Tristania?

Playing in Sirenia is like a dream come true in many ways, it felt the same way with Tristania too in the beginning, but that was about to change. Hehe.

4. What are your thoughts on the final product for The 13th Floor?

This time I wanted to write an album that kind of reflected what we have done musically with Sirenia so far. I mean that there is material on the album that has strong parallels to what we have done on all our previous albums in addition to some new stuff that the listeners might not have heard from Sirenia before. There’s a lot of variation in there, and it feels like taking 3 steps behind and one forward in the same time. My personal opinion is that there should be stuff on The 13th Floor that will please all our fans, whether they prefer At Sixes and Sevens, An Elixir for Existence, or Nine Destinies and a Downfall. It can be a problem for some listeners when a band goes through changes in their line-up, but in this case I find it hard to believe that people will get disappointed. When I listen to the final product now I feel very satisfied with every aspect of the album; I feel that we were able to achieve what we set out to achieve.

5. How would you compare the line-up for The 13th Floor to Sirenia band line-ups?

I am very happy with the line-up we got today. We have a great feeling in the band and we focus on the music and enjoying the ride. Everybody is really devoted to the music and we all take a lot of joy and pride being a part of the band. The line-up just feels right in every way – both musically and socially. Personally, I think it’s the strongest Sirenia line-up to date, and I really hope that we are able to keep it this way for a long time.

6. While touring, do you prefer touring Europe or the US?

Touring is something that we really enjoy doing. So far we did not tour the States yet, so this is something that we hope we’ll be able to do very soon. It’s always exciting to tour new places, as you never really know what to expect. That being said, I personally think that a US tour would be extra cool, there are a lot of places over there that I would like to see. And you know I grew up listening to a lot of US bands, and there a lot of legendary clubs over there I’d like to see, or even better play.

7. What can we expect in the future from Sirenia?

First and foremost, I think people can expect a lot of great music in the years to come. Furthermore, you all can expect a lot of great live shows. As I already mentioned touring is something that we really enjoy doing, and we’ll do our very best to tour as much as possible in the future. We would like to make it possible for everyone that wants to see us live actually gets the opportunity to do so.

8. Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring guitarists and/or bands?

I think the best advice I can give is to never give up and to believe in your own thing; don’t get too caught up in what others tell you, but go your own way musically. And enjoy the ride at all times, do things in a way that allows you to enjoy it.

1. Who are the main influences behind your excellent guitar playing?

Thank you. My favorite guitarist has always been Dimebag Darrell, but I don’t think my playing is too similar to his. I really like James Murphy. Also, Peter from Soilwork is awesome. I don’t really listen to solo artist guitarists, I like people who do their thing within a band context. Mark who used to be in Vicious Rumors is awesome too.

2. Do you feel like Sylosis may be the band to carry the Metal flag for the UK scene?

I think there are some killer bands coming out of the UK at the moment and we just want to help bring some attention back to the UK scene.

3. Getting to Conclusion of an Age, how did each member of Sylosis correspond throughout the writing process?

I handle most of the writing duties. I usually sit in front of my computer writing stuff and demoing it for the others to check out; then we get together at practice and jam it out. Once the song’s finished and I’ve got a rough recording of it, we give it to Jamie to put some lyrics over.

4. What are your thoughts on the final product for Conclusion of an Age?

We’re really pleased with all the aspects. We really pushed ourselves in the studio and we’re really pleased with all the songs. Also, we think Scott did a great job on the production and Colin’s artwork is great. I’m really into buying CDs and having a product in my hands so we paid a lot of attention to getting the artwork right too.

5. How does it feel to finally have your full, debut album out?

It’s awesome, a dream come true. We’ve been a band for yeeeears so it’s really cool to finally say we have an album out worldwide.

6. If you had to pick a favorite song from the album, what would it be?

Probably “After Lifeless Years”, “Conclusion of an Age”, and “Last Remaining Light”. It’s really hard to pick just one. I guess I’m most proud of the guitar playing in “Last Remaining Light” though.

7. What does the future hold for Sylosis?

More touring! We’ve even started writing for the next album already to make sure we don’t rush anything as writing our stuff always takes us forever.

8. Do you have any comments for aspiring guitarists or bands?

For guitarists, I’d say practice to a metronome all the time and rhythm playing is more important – don’t overlook rhythm tightness.

For bands I’d just say stick at it, make sure you push your songwriting until you’re really happy with it and just tour and work hard! We started around 2001 and our first album came out in 2008 – you need patience and determination.

1. Who are some of you main influences musically and/or vocally?

GTR- Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck

VOX- Chris Cornell, Dio, Ian Gillian, Axl Rose

2. Where did the name Joetown come from?

It was the name of my studio, then people just started calling me that. I stopped fighting it and hence the artist name. Hell, you gotta have one name to be huge— Bono, Prince, Madonna…..

3. What are your feelings on the end product of Pills and Ammo?

GREAT!! Very proud of it. Soon I’ll be offering 2 more tunes from the same sessions via download that didn’t make the CD. Not that they didn’t hold up — they just didn’t get finished.

4. What went into writing the lyrics for the album?

DIVORCE, FAILURE, TRAVEL, DRUGS…pretty standard stuff.

5. Is there an advantage to producing your record on your own label versus releasing it on a different label?

Yeah…I do what I want , when I want. No suits to 2nd guess art from a business angle… the downside is I have to pay for everything.

6. How would you compare Pills and Ammo to past albums and projects you been involved with?

HEAVIER. A lot of what I’ve done in the past has been a bit more “party-fun” than this. This is a dark record.

7. What does the future hold for Joetown?

West Coast Tour in early 2009! Then Germany…then who knows… “The Devil laughs at those who make plans”

8. Any advice or tips for aspiring Rock bands/musicians?

TAKE SONGWRITING THE MOST SERIOUS!!! Little else matters.

Chrome Division
Björn Luna – Bass

1. What made you want to be a bass player? How long have you been playing?

- Coincidence. I started to play guitar, and the band I was with needed a bass player. So I skipped two strings and from there I’ve been totally comfortable with it. I’ve played since I was 15. I’m 36 now, so it’s been a while.

2. Who are some of your main influences?

- I’ve been influenced by whole bands and not just single musicians. So I must say Kiss, as they were my very first contact with the Rock world. They meant a lot to me in my teenage years. After that bands like Iron Maiden, Motörhead, ZZ Top, Black Sabbath, etc, made my life more livable back in the teenage years.

3. Getting a bit more personal, I understand you like Monty Python. Do you prefer the movies or the actual show? Why?

- I prefer the movies. Because they are so worked through and successful. The series was more varied in quality, even though some of the classic hilarious stuff is from there.

4. I also understand that you like the TV show Futurama. Who is your favorite character?

- Yeah, I love Futurama. It’s a shame that they were canceled. It’s of course a relief that they have started up again and have released two good films. But I prefer shorter episodes. My favorite character is Zapp Brannigan, but I think the whole community (Bender, Fry, Leela and the Professor) is very strong characters and they all work so good together.

5. Getting back to the band, how would you compare Chrome Division with other bands and projects you have been in?

- Once I played in a band called Sideburn Satan. This band had a lot of the same attitude. It was more Punk Rock, but still. I’ve, in fact, transferred lyrics from that band to Chrome Division. It’s the song “Raven Black Cadillac”, which was a song that never made it to an album with Sideburn Satan. The differences are much more evident comparing with my main band Ashes to Ashes. The music in that band is almost the opposite of Chrome Division. Very long songs with layers on layers of music. Theme and time changes and of course lyrics that are far more dark and complex. So playing in Chrome Division is in a way more relaxed and easy. And more fun .

6. What are your feelings on the final product of Booze, Broads, & Beelzebub?

- You know, that’s a bit strange because we recorded this as early as January this year. So we’ve been living with the album for a long time now. I was a bit skeptic to what the studio guys could do with the sound. They make tremendous Metal sound, but we’re more Rock ‘n’ Roll and need a more live and dirty sound. I take it all back. It was real powerful and rough. It couldn’t be better.
The cool thing is that, in spite of the time, the album still sounds really cool and I don’t get tired of it.

7. How would you compare the new album to Doomsday Rock ‘n’ Roll?

- There’s no huge differences, but the variation is more evident. We’ve incorporated a little bit more Punk and good doze of Metal in addition to our Rock ‘n’ Roll basis. The songs are stronger and more instantly catchy. Also this time the production is better. It sounds more powerful due to a good and expensive studio. The debut was a very spontaneous album, and this one is more worked through.

8. What motivation did you use in writing your bass parts for either album?

- The motivation, I guess, comes from the other guys in the band. We all give a lot from ourselves, and that makes us give a lot back to each other. I follow the guitars for the most parts, but some places I stick to the rhythms.

9. Lastly, what can we expect from Chrome Division in the future?

- Hopefully a lot of live shows. We’re really eager to play live now. We’re currently rehearsing a killer live set, consisting of the best from the two albums, plus a surprise or two. After that we will make more songs. We’ve already made one song for the third album, and we have a lot of good riffs lying around. So we’ll see what the future brings. Either way I can promise more fist banging Rock from us in the future.

Cheers, and thanx for the support.

Equilibrium
Helge Stang – Vocals

1. How long have you been a vocalist?

8 years by now. First I just did it because nobody else wanted to do this. But on Equilibrium I joined as a singer. For the first time, hehe.

2. Who are some of your main influences for your vocal style?

We started with cover songs of bands like Dimmu Borgir and Hyprocisy. At this time I tried to match their style, but then I developed my own way of singing. Okay, I did not invent the wheel again, but it works fine for me. Meanwhile, I take big inspiration of Taake or Novembre for example.

3. How does it feel to have your debut album coming out on Nuclear Blast Records?

Hehe, that is cool! The album even made it on the German album chart! That really feels better than the last time with last album on our old label that they still have not paid us for… grrrr.

4. What are your feelings on the final product of Sagas?

This time I am satisfied with the final product, unlike our first album Turis Fratyr. We all were involved in the production so we could avoid bad surprises.

5. What feelings/attitude went into writing the material for the album?

Puhhhh … many! I used lots of personal experiences I made during the last years. My journey to Norway for example, or my personal revenge on a guy I don’t like. From my side, this album is very personal.

6. Getting a bit more personal, I understand your favorite show is The Simpsons. Who is your favorite character? Why?

That must be Homer! I really can identify myself with this beer-drinking character.

7. Would you rather see Homer and the guys from The Simpsons in a commercial for Brennevin or would you rather be a character on the show drinking Duff?

What a question!!! I see commercials every day and keep ‘em in my mind for 15 up to 45 seconds, but being a character in “The Simpsons” … woo hooooo!! This reminds me of artists like Metallica or the Rolling Stones who appeared there once … so this would mean: Immortality!! And I always wanted to know how Duff tastes.

8. Getting back to the band, is there any talk of music videos for any of the songs from Sagas?

Yeah! Before doing this interview, I was working on the NTSC version of the bonus DVD, coming with the “Sagas” digi-pak. Next I’ll be downstairs to continue working on the “Blut im Auge” video clip.

9. If there is, do you think your experience in the visual effects industry will give you a bit of an edge over other bands’ videos?

Well, if you want “big cinema,” you always have to have a lot of money. Or time. We have neither nor. So I do the best I can besides my daily job and work on our video at night. But of course, because of my job, I look at video clips from a special point of view. But if you ask me as a singer of a band, I wouldn’t dare to judge other band videos. Call me tomorrow morning when I am at work, then things will look different, haha!

10. Lastly, what does the future hold for Equilibrium?

Tell me!! Who knows!? I don’t. But we got some wishes: touring across the world, doing great albums, and last but not least: to have at the minimum as much fun as we just had!!!

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.

Cradle to Grave
Greg Cavanagh – Vocals

1. Judging by the overall sound of Cradle to Grave, there are a few obvious musical influences, but who are the biggest specific influences for your sound?

Greg: When I was 16 I remember saying (shouting) to everyone who’d bother to listen that someday I’d sound like a cross between James Hetfield and Oderus Urungus. At least that’s what I wanted at the time. What I actually sound like now might not sound like that but hey, f**k off. As far as songwriting or performance goes, I look up to Mike Patton and Eddie Vedder. Not really Metal, and it’s amazing how far removed they are from typical Metal ‘heroes’ but without either of those guys to look up to, I’m not sure if I’d even be singing. I don’t think I would’ve ever tried. As far as the rest of the band goes, I know that Sasquatch is heavily influenced by Ted Nugent and Voivod, Matt has his love for old school Metal like Slayer and Iron Maiden, and Glenn not only loves the old-school Thrash like Anthrax and Testament but also bands like The Deftones and The Beatles. And when it all comes together and we fight and cry and vomit our way through the songwriting process the end result is Cradle To Grave. Something we can all enjoy to do and hopefully never limit ourselves in any way doing it. But we’ve been also been influenced by everything from authors to actors to the personal heroes that we have in our everyday lives. I know that I take a little something I like from anything and almost everything that I come across and try to put it into the man I want to be and hopefully that will spill over into the music I create. I probably sound like some blow-hard douche bag, but I hope that the heroes that we’ve looked up to would be proud to hear their influence somewhere in our music.

2. What attitude/feelings went into writing Texas Medicine? How did this affect the lyrical content?

G: I write about what I know. I’ve never had lunch with Satan, I don’t have humps, I’ve never banged strippers in Hollywood, and I’ve never known how hard it is for a pimp. I just put down what I know is true. If other people are affected by what I say then that’s perfect. There’s nothing better than having your own songs yelled back at you during a live show. I mean, that’s the ultimate goal. To have the music you create actually stick with somebody through all the other bullsh*t they have to deal with. I went through a period in my life awhile ago that changed what I thought was the way I was defined. I had to change perspectives without any warning. That’s what ‘From Nowhere To Nowhere’ is about. You’re something, you’re forced to change, you’re something else. But through it all, you’re still yourself. And then you die. Like I said before, we don’t try to limit ourselves and that’s true for the lyrics. I write about love in ‘Nothing Left To Taste’, death in ‘Light’, rape in ‘F**k It Up’, and the passion it takes to survive in ‘Five Years Of Fire’. Anything’s up for grabs. Maybe even lunch with Satan someday.

3. What made you go the Southern Heavy metal route?

G: Back in the day, Sasquatch used to roam the swamps of Jackonsville, Florida on a constant hunt for mescaline. In between his blackouts, he played in a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band. Now, I’ve always been a fan of Skynyrd, way before I met him so that mutual love for the Southern Rock easily rears its ugly head whenever we write together. But he’s also turned me onto other Southern Rock acts like Black Oak Arkansas and Drive By Truckers. The intro to our live show is ‘Cocaine Blues’ by Johnny Cash. Pure Canadian rednecks!!

4. Which market is better for your products? Canada or US?

G: Definitely the US. I love Canada and I love being a Canadian, I believe it’s the best country in the world. But our sound/style has American market all over it. I know that people are generally the same but the last time we went down to California, there was a slightly different vibe from the crowds. They seemed to appreciate it more. So when we come down there in August, you better be ready! We’re gonna f**k you up! And you better f**k us up! But then again when we played Montreal, it was f**king insane! Maybe there’s something in the air here in Vancouver that puts people in a vegetative, zombie-like, peaceful state….

5. Do you prefer touring in either place over the other?

G: Well, from Vancouver to Calgary is a 10-hour drive, and that’s one of the shortest drives you can make before you hit Ontario. And then when you get to Ontario, you’re IN ONTARIO! Brutal. Just kidding all you Ontarioans. Or whatever the kids are calling ya these days. We went across Canada on our last tour and although the shows were great and the people were awesome, it nearly broke us. Physically, mentally, financially. It’s a long haul across those prairies. When we went down the West Coast, the longest drive was 10-hours! There’s just so many more cities and people. And let’s not forget…THE IN-N-OUT BURGER!

6. Being a newer band yourselves, what are your thoughts on the ever-rising international Metal scene?

G: I think it’s great. The more kids that get into Metal, the better. There’s really no downside…the competition will be tougher, the music will be better. Who wants to go see a f**king New Kids on the Block reunion? What are they, 60? Metal has always been a haven for true expression and creativity. It’s rare to see some contrived Metal band posing for the camera all over your television. And when it does happen, you can see right through it. That sh*t is constantly pumped down everyone’s throat for some reason. Who makes these calls? Who out there that you know actually owns a Hinder album? It’s weak music for weak minds. And as kids get older and wiser and they see how sh*tty and phony all these mainstream acts are, they’re gonna come to Metal. It’s happening already. And if the rising Metal scene doesn’t pan out right now, it doesn’t matter…Metal can’t die. It’s too honest. It’s too brutal. It will always be there, right under the surface.

7. With the album being as insane as it is, it’s obvious that everyone did their part working on it. How was your experience working with Devin Townsend?

G: Devin F**king Townsend. Words are hard to describe how grateful we are to have the opportunity to work with him. He took the album to a whole other level all by himself. Any ideas we would bring to him seemed so minuscule to the ideas he’d already had in mind. He captured the energy of the performances and captured the essence of what we were trying to accomplish. And that’s only by mixing and mastering it!!! He’s going to have a bigger hand in the next album, but we’ll talk about that bridge when it’s time to cross it. And I can’t say enough about the owner/engineer of the studio where we laid the tracks down, Clay from Speaker Freaker Studios. He had the patience to stick with us until we were satisfied with our parts. He’d push us for more to try to capture ‘the perfect take’. And he did it on more than one occasion. Everyone in the band stepped up and tried to push whatever personal limits they had just to add to the song. None of us wanted to be ‘that guy’ who, y’know, ruined the song with a sh*tty performance.

8. What are your thoughts on the final product of the album?

G: It turned out better than I could’ve imagined. As a musician you always have the final product in mind when you’re working on a project. It’s sometimes hard to hit the goals you set for yourself. But I think we all accomplished what we set out to accomplish. If you would’ve played this album for me a year ago and said, “this is your next album”, I would’ve told you to f**k off. Never in a millions years would I have thought that we’d be working with Devin and the finished product was damn-near perfect. Not that I’m selling ourselves short, but sometimes it’s just that much easier to prepare for failure. I’ve been preparing my whole life!

9. What does the future hold for Cradle to Grave?

G: I’m hoping for a relatively minor hit soon so I can get on the third season of Celebrity Rehab. Other than that, in the short term we’ll be included in an up-and-coming movie, we’ll have a video out for ‘Broken God’, we’re on a soon-to-be released Nazareth tribute, and we’re gonna destroy the West Coast in August!!!!! And I can tell you one thing, it’s not going to take four years to release our next album, like we did with Texas Medicine. We’ll be back sooner than you think!!! As far as our long term goals go, well, hopefully more of what we’re doing right now. To continue to grow as a band, to continue to push our songwriting and performance limits on the next album and to continue to reach more and more people. We’re going to be around for a long time….we’ll never quit. We’ll never stop. That’s a threat AND a promise. We’ve been doing this for a long time and it’s in our blood. It’s in our tears. It’s in our sh*t!! We’re passionate about the music we create, and we’re passionate about the fans we have. Thanks for all the support and we’ll see all you f**kers soon!!!!

Synastry
Jimmy Anastasopoulos – Vocals

1. In listening to your debut album Blind Eyes Bleed, it is easy to tell that Synastry is different from pretty much any other Death metal band out there. Who are some of your musical influences?

Synastry as a band have many musical influences. We listen to new bands and songs all the time and as such absorb as much as we can of the good and try to not retain any of the suck. If I have to narrow down to specific bands, I’d say Fear Factory played a big role in us forming this band, not just through the musical style, but also cause they are a shining example of staying true without being stupid about it. Other musical influences would be Mnemic, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Meshuggah.

There’s way more, but I cant think of any right now. But I will say this, we have been influenced from these bands because they stood out to us in a sea of other bands who either imitate or emulate them. And like them, we want to create our own sound so we can always be referred to as SYNASTRY, and not a ‘such n such clone’.

2. The use of Industrial effects helps make Synastry a unique band. Where did the idea to incorporate those effects come from?

As I mentioned in the influences, we like bands that use effects and synths in their songs, but it goes beyond that. All of us in Synastry have listened to (and from time to time still do) Electronica and Techno. We don’t want to have a keyboardist or a sampler on stage as a fifth member, but we love it in recording and we use the samples live. We always wanted to have our music incorporate a fresh and industrialized sound.

3. Lyrically, what were motivations and your attitude/feelings that went into Blind Eyes Bleed?

All of the lyrics were written by me, Jimmy Anastasopoulos (vocals), and I had to write lyrics in a time of constant and heavy changes in my life. Whether it be a friend leaving or a group dispersing, the lyrics on Blind Eyes Bleed were all about loss with a hint of darkened hope. Mostly the lyrics reflect how I was feeling about my life going into overdrive and I used the situations as metaphors to reflect social situations that we may not even realize we put ourselves in. Hence the album name Blind Eyes Bleed.

4. How did the collaborations with Johan Liiva and Alisa Whit Gluz come about?

Simply put, I asked both of them. I had met Johan online and began speaking with him, and he was interested. I have known Alissa for many years now, so I just called her and asked her if she’d do it. I’m really glad both of them agreed to it.

5. What are your overall feelings for the final product of the album?

We are all happy about how it came out in post production, and are glad that we are finally able to share it with the world.

6. What are some of your favorite tracks from the album? Why?

I love em all, but I think my favorite is “Beast Of Myself” because it’s a fun song to listen to and play live. The crowd gets pumped! Also, I enjoy “To Catch A Glimpse”. It’s nice and mellow while still being heavy. And of course the song for all the beautiful ladies, “My Burning Desire”, with the cool intro sample.

7. With Blind Eyes Bleed as your intense debut album, what brutality can we expect for the future of Synastry?

More brutality, more samples, and more aggressive vocals!! We already have 14 songs written for the 2nd album. But more on that another time.

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.