Interview w/ "Lords of Metal Magazine"

INTERVIEW from LORDS OF METAL

Name of the band: name

Website band / artiest: http://www.myspace.com/name

Magazine: Lords Of Metal

Website LoM: http://www.lordsofmetal.nl

Questions by: Richard G.

Answers by: Wes Fareas (preferably)


(This will be published in their next issue.)


Interview:

First off many congratulations with the Lifeforce release of your new record ‘Internet Killed The Audio Star’. The music that is on display there blew my mind completely! Could you give a short description of what our readers can expect when they put on your record?

Answer: First off, thank you sincerely for the kind words. But, the record encompasses the long, hard road it took to complete this beast of a record. Its an amalgam of everything we've ever been influenced by. That being said, we feel there is something for everyone to appreciate on the record. We've never limited ourselves from taking in influence of all the music we've come to love, the art we appreciate, the films we relate to or adapt to, the literature that inspires us, etc. We just reflect the product of this melting pot of influence. If you listen to it with an open mind, you will definitely be able to understand where we're coming from.

The title of your album asks for a short explanation as well. The play on words and reference to ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ is obvious, but what is the theory behind this idea that the internet is responsible for the death of music?

Answer: The concept of the record focuses on the obvious evolutionary step we've come to take in music. I feel the internet has damaged the integrity of artists. Yes, it has opened so many doors and created a wonderful platform for exposure. Yes, it does make it easier to connect with your fans. But, I feel it also limits the work ethic behind being in a successful band. Some "bands" don't tour at all, they just make music on a home recording device, upload it to myspace and add a million people. All of a sudden, this false sense of legitimacy takes over, others believe that bullshit, and then suddenly they're making money. I just feel its a slap in the face to those who get out their and work to make it happen. I do believe the internet is a great tool to take advantage of and use in your favor, but not to rely on.

I am sorry to be the umpteenth interviewer to ask you this, but another aspect of your band that begs for some explanation is of course your band name. Could you enlighten us what it stands for and why you chose this as your moniker?

Answer: The name itself is an acronym for "the new approach to martyrs expressions". The name applies to us with the aspect of how we treat our art. Its part of us, we have no say in the matter. Our bodies and minds and infused with art and music. We accept it and find peace in it, regardless of what style we choose to approach on any song. Or from now until the future, for that matter. That being said, the name "name" though allows us some breathing room with our genres. We feel some names can limit you in your genre. "name" just implies you'd have to listen to us for yourself to decipher it, in some sense, and call us whatever style you may.

Stylistically you guys are all over the place, though musical extremity seems to be at the core of everything you do. What is your philosophy behind making music?

Answer: We believe in honesty. The mind of anyone with a vision or goal is as sporadic as any of us could imagine. The music simply represents that trait. The chaos and extremity behind our music is as cerebral as the ideas that put these sections in our music in the first place. We believe to make any good thing work, you need to do it with total conviction. That's why, when we apply odd styles in our aggressive, metal sections, we try to make it as authentic as possible. From the gear we use, to the state of mind we're in when we write and record. But referring back to the aforementioned point, I feel if you aren't honest in your music, you're just going to look back at your body of work and wish you had done things different. No one should feel guilt because of their art.

How do you feel about bands that adhere to different principles?

Answer: There are going to be varying, unique views on their music and art as a whole. I think its refreshing to know that can't be controlled. Even if they are opposing views to my own, as long as they believe in what THEY are doing, I can respect it. I don't respect those that deliberately set out to be a carbon copy. But alas, there will always been new bands with an identity crisis.

Are there any bands out there that you feel stylistically, or maybe philosophically related to?

Answer: Not really any bands specifically as it is more the aesthetic we feel related too. We respect the bands from the 60's and 70's big time. We usually make that pretty apparent, because we really respect their ethic. They played honest music. Didn't matter if the songs were 3 minutes or 27 minutes. They were a band of musicians on a similar plain. They had to be, they recorded the tracks all together because they felt it. They toured for years on end behind the music. I just appreciate how hard the pushed to make it a career. Nowadays, they aesthetic is alive and well in certain bands that are aware that they have to go out and make it happen. But for the most part, bands have just gotten lazy.

While composing songs, does the thought ever occur to you that all those styles might be experienced as incoherent by your listeners?

Answer: Yes, we're totally aware of that. We make music for us. It is kind of selfish in a sense, but that's what has made us fans in the first place. Which, in turn, forces us to be more selfish every time we go back to write more material. Its kind of a funny cycle. We commonly make the joke that we love fucking with people. Which more means we like the fact people don't know what to expect. By applying different styles into the album collectively, we feel people can approach the record as somewhat of a soundtrack. Listen to the album as a whole or listen to the tracks that pertain to your mood at the time. It also allows us to play with different genres of bands, giving us the ability to adjust a set list to whatever we feel is necessary to the bands involved.

One piece that stands out on your record is the four-partner ‘Emphatic Communicator’, why did you decide to cut this up into parts, whereas ‘Mare’ and ‘The Sycophant, The Saint and The Gamefox’ are pretty long (nine and ten minutes respectively)?

Answer: "Empathic Communicator" is roughly 22 minutes in length. It is intended to be looked at as a story with 4 chapters, musically and lyrically. As natural as it would be to make it 1 track, we're aware of some peoples attention spans not being able to handle it, so we felt it was smarter to split the tracks up so listeners could experience all 4 songs equally, in their own right, rather then get impatient and anxious 14 minutes in and skip a track. We feel it worked better this way.

Should we consider you guys releasing an album of 77 minutes length with so much diversity on it as a statement against the current state of music?

Answer: To be honest, we just happened to have a ridiculous amount of material. Upon choosing the songs for the record, we still had a shit load of songs that we didn't even get to. We're constantly writing at home, on the road. So, expect EPs and what not probably happening next year... But, the aspect of making a statement still stands relatively true. We understand that its incredibly easy to just download the album on some torrent page, but we thought by putting as much music on there as possible, it would be easier to pay $10 or so. I can understand if the album costs $13 and there's only 9 or so tracks on there. We approached it with the "more bang for your buck" ethic.

Is there a way back according to you guys? What should change?

Answer: Due to evolution, art will always be an adaptive element. I don't think theres a way back and I slightly take comfort in that fact. Its frightening, but exciting, since we don't know how music will be 10 years now. In retrospect, we are slowly learning as a culture about where these subtle influences come from, and I'm not limiting it to just music, and applying that ethic. I have my own theories as to what should be different, but its more introspective with a sense of opposition than a demand towards our current music makers. We're ready for whatever the future brings. I just hope we progress as a culture, rather then treating music like a fashion show.

So when looking at your MySpace, it seems that name is actually a three-piece, how the fuck do you pull off that wall of sound live?

Answer: I don't really know how to answer that, haha. Sonically, we've seemed to find the sound we wanted to make it sound warm, honest, and big. But other then that, we've never really looked at it as anything other then just play the songs how we wrote them. We are proud that we've successfully managed to re-interpret our record to the stage, while still giving the songs a unique personality live.

Speaking of which, what can we expect from an average live show by name?

Answer: You can expect one of the most intense shows you've ever been too. We love music and enjoy the music we make. Yes, we have a serious standpoint on our music, but that doesn't change the fact we became involved with music in the first place because it was so much fun. We make sure to keep that trait live. We have fun every show, every night. We're just happy to be up there. Being that we play aggressive music, it definitely fuels the ol' proverbial fire. Especially if the crowds respond in turn with intensity. We guarantee you'll have fun at a 'name' show. Just do yourself a favor and don't hold back. Never hold back.

And the most important question, of course, is when will we be able to see you guys play over here in Europe?

Answer: A big goal for us is to get out over seas before the end of the year. We're hoping to get that email or phone call sparking the opportunity being that its figuratively and literally foreign territory. Like I said, we just need that spark that can take us over to you folks and play everywhere possible.

These were my questions for now. Thanks a bunch for your time, but even more so for your music! Hope to see you guys soon over here and good luck promoting ‘Internet Killed The Audio Star’! If you have anything to add, please go ahead.

Answer: We sincerely appreciate anyone who takes time out of their day to just learn more about 3 music nerds from the bay. Thank you for checking out the record, thank you to those who will be checking out the record and an extra special thank to those who have already purchased it. Keep in touch with us through our various streams of media and keep checking back for tour dates as the WILL show up. Thank you again and spread the word to your friends. Cheers.