Side Stage Magazine: You have new album that’s set to be released on January 20th I believe. What can you tell me about it?
Well it’s a new record that’s very anticipated. We’ve been waiting to release something for a long time. Something we’re very proud of. We’ve been working very hard on it. It’s only a couple of weeks away now.
From what I heard I can say that It’s heavy but it’s also melodic at times. Was that the plan to make it diverse like that?
We had all kinds of members that we were trying to find the people is what it comes down to. Then we ran into this thing with Frank. Me and the guitarist, Tom, had already been working the song ‘No Faith in Humanity’. We gave him that song, and what you hear on that song is basically what he sent us back. We knew we had the right singer. We just went from there. We continued writing and everything started to fall into place. It’ll be out soon.
How was the writing process in general? Is it a collective effort?
Before it was more like me and Tom would sit down and he would have a guitar idea and I would put drums to it and than we’d slowly elaborate and mold the song to what we want. We did do that with ‘No Faith in Humanity’, the song, but the rest of the songs on the album we started to incorporate some of the new members including the singer. We took everybody’s opinion and we worked with everybody. The outcome is what you hear. I think it’s a nice blend.
Going back into the first couple of rehearsals, what were those sessions like?
We were excited because it was a new sound for us. We hadn’t had a singer that was very melodic and at the same time very powerful like that. It was nice to us. We couldn’t wait to start writing and getting a whole album to release.
I know that when put all this work into an album it’s very hard to pick out a favorite track because I feel that when you’ve completed so much work, it’s sort of like your baby, but if you can pick a favorite song on the album or maybe what you’re liking at the moment, which one would it be?
Actually, I do like every song like you said, but there is one is particular that’s a little special to me. It’s the last track. It’s called ‘Empty Inside’. That one there we really took it in a different direction. We decided to try to be as current as possible. I think that songs reflects the most modern and current sound that’s out there today. I think that maybe some people will agree with me. If they don’t, oh well. That seems to be my favorite, but I do like the whole album.
Which one was the hardest to write?
I don’t know. It was all the same. I mean it was hard to write all of them equally. I can’t say that one song was harder than the other. It was challenge to write all these new songs. We were on a deadline so we had to have all the songs done at a certain time and that was a challenge in itself. That’s basically like I said, there was no any one song that was harder to write. They were all the same. They were all hard.
You also have a couple of shows that you’re playing in the Connecticut area. There’s a two-day festival I believe. Are there any plans to go further down the coast, and a perhaps a tour, or that’s the only thing that’s in the works so far?
No, absolutely. We want to tour to support the record for sure. There’s a lot of to be announced dates that I’m not quite sure about what they are right now but there will more flowing in and filtering in as time goes on. Right now we have this two-day festival, Friday the 13th in two days, then February 8th in Hartford at the Webster Theater, we’re opening for Non Point. Those are two definite shows right now and then there’s a bunch in the works. We’re also working on trying to get a tour going where we can tour up and down the east coast and then maybe out west too as well.
Being that you have shows coming up and you performed many over the years. Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Not really. I get nervous. I just came back from doing the reunion with Fates Warning after 30 years and I was nervous at those shows, but only halfway through the first song.
I’m sure that goes away once you start playing?
Yeah. After a minute or two I’m into the song and then I forget all about it and then I’m comfortable.
What else is the band working on besides promoting the EP and getting ready to play shows?
Let’s see. Not really. We’re continuing to write because this is only an EP. We wrote seven songs. It’s a little less than a half hour. We want to write a full length so we’re continuing to write as we go even though our schedules are very hectic with all kinds of things going on. We’re trying to do the best we can.
You mentioned that you guys are trying to put together a full length album. Is there music already that has been demoed or it’s just in it’s early stages so far?
Yeah, right now it’s just early stages. We’ve got a bunch of ideas recorded. It hasn’t really been arranged yet. We know it’s gonna be just as good if not better than the EP.
Do you have any final messages that you want to say to your fans?
I appreciate all the support that everyone’s given me throughout the years with Fates Warning and now with my new band Enemy Remains. I just hope that wherever we play in their area, that they come out and support the band. I thank them for everything so far and I’ll see you on tour.
Thank you so much and best of luck with the EP that’s coming out in a few days and with the shows that you have coming up.
Thank you , Anya
