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.
First off, thank you so much Edu for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this! I'm extremely honored and excited for future releases through Rotten Ears. I'm actually at work right now in the break room. I manufacture fiber optic wire for global distribution.
2. Before becoming a musician, were you self taught taking private music lessons at a young age or did you fully learn and adapt on your own from there?
I was always interested in music of all kinds for my entire life. I started in high school orchestra and jazz band playing clarinet and baritone saxophone when I was around 13. I continued with band until graduation and then went on to join a Ska band named "Skarmy of Darkness". That band was my life for about four years until we broke up. "How'd we get so old" and "Infinity and Zero" are great albums still featured on YouTube. I've taken guitar lessons but I've honestly learned more from guitar tablature online than any private lesson has ever taught me.
3. As an independent artist, what challenges have you faced in bringing your unique vision to life and reaching a wider audience? And how have you overcome those challenges?
I've yet to overcome these challenges to be honest. Reaching a wider audience is ultimately the goal for any artist out there posting their material online. How we as artists value our product is another challenge entirely.
4. As a musician from Worcester, how has your local music scene influenced your development and growth as musician?
The Massachusetts metal scene was so incredibly vibrant from the late 90's into the 2000's and has really shaped nearly every aspect of the music I make to this day. Springfield Massachusetts, Worcester Massachusetts, and Boston Massachusetts were such hotbeds for such amazing talent. Worcester Palladium and the Middle East in Cambridge MA is still going strong today.
5. You do bass/guitars and also do vocal work on all SIGW music. Who inspired you to become a musician and who would you say paved the way to get you exposed into hearing different subgenres of extreme metal?
So many of my friends growing up would trade CDs and talk about bands. And like I said, Massachusetts was filled with amazing bands at this time: Converge, The Year of Our Lord, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed; they were always playing around our area. Nowadays I listen to alot of 2nd wave Black Metal. When I started with heavy music though was probably with big groups like Metallica, Pantera, Guns N Roses, and stuff like that.
6. Your music blends different genres and styles, from black and death metal to doom and groove music. How do you approach mixing and balancing these elements in your music?
It's definitely more based on the feeling I get than any genre. I don't like to limit genre because it's hard for me to say "oh i shouldn't do this because it's not metal enough!" I grew up listening to alot of Alternative and Grunge like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots more than anything else at that time in my life so I don't ever limit myself. I actually liked alot of rap music even before that!
7. Musically you incorporate also some progressive elements to the music. Does this make the process of coming up with dynamic material easier or difficult – or do you enjoy the variety that you can develop as a result of not boxing yourselves into one particular sub-genre?
I enjoy the variety. I mean some extreme metal purists out there may not adore me or my music because of it but that's ok. I have too many influences and I can only hope to successfully blend my influences effectively. My Progressive influence probably comes from my love for bands like Pink Floyd and TOOL.
8. What kind of ambitions did you have after finishing the recording of your releases? It is a pretty solid and thoughtful work.
I have a passion for music, plain and simple. It's hard for me to live without creating. If others enjoy what I'm creating then so be it, I'm happy. Success or no success doesn't make a difference to me. I need to create and I want to share my creation.
9. Your compositions evoke a wide range of emotions. What drives you to explore such diverse emotional landscapes in your music, and how do you achieve that balance within your compositions?
I'm a big reader and I have an overactive imagination. I tend to think alot about alot of things: my life, other people's lives, social and political issues. I guess just feeling stuck inside my own head. My father's passing away had a great impact on me as well.
10. Do you ever feel any kind of pressure or lack of creating new riffs when writing new material? Does everything happen more in the flow way? Do you have to be in a certain mood?
Nothing seems to flow for me at first. Hahaha... I've also bend difficult to work with at times I suppose. It's seriously square pegs into round holes. I seriously envy those sporadic artists that can create a quality product on a whim!
11. As an anonymous multi-instrumentalist, how do you balance the creative aspects of music-making with the more business-oriented side of promoting your project?
I think nearly anyone who makes extreme music from their home computer these days will tell you how difficult it is to become successful these days. Success even in terms of just getting alot of people interested and listening since there is so much material out there. Especially if you're not playing out at shows. Creatively it makes no difference to me. I make music that i love and if anyone else loves it too then I'm happy.
12. What is your creative routine? Is there some piece of gear you wouldn’t be able to work without?
Creative routine is I start with a guitar riff and go from there. The music is the most important thing to me and vocals are the feeling created from the music. I have a few plugins in my DAW that are essential for me: SoundID Reference plugin and CLA Nx Studio from Waves because I don't have a properly treated room. For physical gear my ESP Black Metal Guitar is my go to instrument. I like Boss HM2 blended tones, Darkglass stuff on Bass but i do like the GCI Bad Larry pedal too on bass. Drum sounds I tend to gravitate towards Tama, Pearl, Paiste cymbals.
13. What makes the perfect SIGW song? Is there one in particular that encapsulates this?
My first really good song i made was probably "The Sage of Gommorah" I tried to redo it but the original might have actually sounded better. I might redo it again. I got to work with Kevin Paradis from Benighted on "On From Dystopia" which is an absolute banger and there is a video on his YouTube channel of him drumming over it. "Relentless" with drummer Chris Clough is definitely on my list as well. Also "Kingdom Gone" and "The Pit and the Pendulum" are up there too.
14. With what you cannot make compromise – in your music and in your life?
My family (my two amazing boys and wonderful and supportive wife). My creating music. The things in life I love.
15. When not making music, what are some interests you like to do on your spare time when not being in the studio that people may not know about?
I'm a purple belt in American Kenpo and I trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about a year and a half (I'm trying to get some injuries taken care of before possibly returning to BJJ). I'm an avid video game player, comic collector, and a life long fan of professional wrestling.
16. On an international level, how has your music been received? Do you try to promote your music on a large scale?
Honestly I haven't gotten a ton of attention. I believe Kevin Paradis got the most attention on his channel for "On From Dystopia" with over 5k views. That's amazing to me to think over 5k people listened to my song in a very short span of time! I also posted an ad in Decibel Magazine a few years back. I really need to revamp my Bandcamp page though just to make it look a bit more professional.
17. I want to thank you, sincerely, for your time. Before we end our conversation, is there anything else in particular you’d like to share?
Thank you again Edu! I'm very honored to be a part of your community and it's such a great positive thing you're doing for underground artists! I'm looking forward to my future working here with you through Rotten Pages, Rotten Ears, and Guts and Blood Records!
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