1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
I'm doing well. I just got home from work so I am in my apartment.
2. The band just started as a solo-project of you Ron, was this intended or it just happened to not find more members for the band?
The band was and still is intended to be a solo project. I have a full lineup to play live shows.
3. Now, you´ve completed the line-up as a trio. How did you get along with the others?
The live lineup is actually a 4 piece. I met Kevin (bass) through the local music scene. Wade (guitars) played guitar in an old band I was in, and Will (drums) is in another band with Wade.
4. You have a new album, “Persistent Acrimony”, and the new songs sound very fresh and strong, though your musical influences are obvious; how did you work over this album? What did you plan to put into it?
I put more emotion into this album. The songs on the first album [Universal Deterioration] were the first ones I ever wrote. I wanted "Persistent Acrimony" to have stronger songwriting.
5. It took you only a span of 4 days to come out with this album during a very emotional time in your life. What happened after the release of “Universal Deterioration”?
After the release of Universal Deterioration, I started getting more involved in the business side of music and the good and bad that comes with that. That meant working with different personality types that could be difficult to get along with. After some not so pleasant incidents, I wanted to put all of my frustration into a second album.
6. What rules and canons do you follow when writing music? How much is this process free and artistic? Or maybe a more technical and academic approach prevails?
Almost all of the music I write is created on a whim without thinking about it. I know very basic theory and only use it for solos. I just pick up a guitar and start playing. I will record myself and see what I like, and then I will keep creating riffs and structure them together.
7. How did you approach this second album compared to the debut “Universal Deterioration”, as far as the writing and recording was concerned?
I definitely put a lot more emotion into the second album. I wanted to incorporate other techniques that I did not use on the first record as well.
8. What is important to you when crafting your music and songs? Explain to us how the recording process has been for you album to album? What are some of the challenges in the studio for you and how do you prepare for it?
I begin recording at the studio when I have the rhythm guitar part of a song finalized.
I will start playing the song on guitar and figure out how I want to program the drums. After the drums are finalized I will record the guitar parts. Next, I will take the recordings home to listen to and create bass lines, solos, and lyrics/vocal patterns based off of what I envision when I listen to the guitar/drum recordings.
The biggest challenge in the studio is remembering everything I wrote exactly how it is. I practice the songs for about a week before I record them so everything goes smoothly. I really enjoy the studio a lot. I feel at home and it tends to be pretty low stress.
9. How much of your work is the result of conscious deliberation and how much is spontaneous inspiration? How, if at all, has your approach changed over the years?
Almost everything I write is spontaneous. I'm only deliberate when it comes to specific playing techniques I want to use. My approach to songwriting and recording has remained the same for each album.
10. Are there particular songs that you feel best define the Helpless Agony sound or perhaps ones you find most notable for whatever reason?
I think every song is unique and has its own character. For a first time listener, I would recommend "Victim of Circumstance".
11. What does Death metal mean for you? Can Death metal be good if it's too based on brutality or doesn't contain enough of it?
As much as I admire the evolution of metal over the last 50 plus years, I see death metal as just another style of music. There isn't anything really special about it besides the influence it had on me to start playing guitar. I think what makes the genre good is when bands sound original.
12. What’s your opinion about underground and death metal, underground or not, these days? In which aspects the scene got better and in which aspects did it get worse?
I think there are a lot of people trying to sound like other bands and taking it too seriously. I find that when people obsess about a certain underground band or genre, they go into tunnel vision and want to replicate that specific sound. I admire the enthusiasm I see in a lot of underground/death metal fans, but I think it becomes silly when they obsess about it or talk down on other genres.
13. How much of a DIY scene is there still left around the world that can support you if you want to tour or release an album on your own?
I think DIY is going very strong. I have noticed a lot of shows popping up at some really interesting places I wouldn't expect to find a metal show.
I find releasing albums DIY style very easy since recording hardware/software is easily accessible.
14. Death Metal has come a long way today. Are you keeping track of the new bands in the DM scene? What do you think of the various sub-genres that are mushrooming each day?
I do not keep track of bands as much as I used to. I think there are a few good bands that are relatively new. I think the subgenres are a way to classify bands from a fan's perspective.
15. Could you give us a little insight into the metal-scene in Pennsylvania? Are there many bands that play metal, and especially death metal? And how are gig-possibilities et cetera?
There are a lot of bands that play metal in Pennsylvania. Here in the south central region, there are a few death metal bands, but there are also many bands that play other styles of metal. This area of Pennsylvania has a few venues to gig at, but there are many DIY spots.
16. What do you love to do in your free time when you are not busy with any of your music projects these days?
I enjoy skiing in the Winter. Other than that, I like to explore different areas and travel as much as I can.
17. You´re already recording a new album (pretty fast!). What can we expect from the forthcoming album?
The next album will sound different than the last two. I do not want to write or play the same kind of riffs constantly.
18. We have come to the last question of the interview. What are the last words for fans out there?
Thank you for supporting the band! I'm glad you enjoy the songs I write.
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