To paraphrase the Grateful Dead (one of the rare times you’ll ever hear me do that), but for Memphis band Egypt Central, it has been one long, strange trip so far. The band released their independent self-titled release back in 2005, [...]]]>

John and Egypt Central play the Hayloft in the 'Clem tomorrow night.

To paraphrase the Grateful Dead (one of the rare times you’ll ever hear me do that), but for Memphis band Egypt Central, it has been one long, strange trip so far. The band released their independent self-titled release back in 2005, only for the album to get picked up by a bigger label and receive its re-release in early 2008. After a significant amount of touring behind that album, the band is gearing up to get back in the studio and work on their sophomore release, due out sometime early in 2011.

But until the band hits the studio again, the band is out on a month long tour with Nonpoint, with dates going through October 7^th. As the band started on the opening night on the tour, I had a chance to talk with lead singer John Falls. John and I discussed the tone of the upcoming record and the struggling with the two releases of the first album.

Here’s my interview with John:

AM: How is the new material coming along so far?
JF: So far, its going really good and really excited about it. For us, it’s like our first big Christmas- that level of excitement before you get a really good gift. It’s kinda like getting my first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (laughs). We’ve been fortunate to make music like this and when I sit back and start to listen to the new music, I just sit there amazed and can’t believe that this is us. There is a lot more maturity on this album and the music so far shows that. It’s all happening real fast.

AM: What do you consider to be the major differences about the band’s current mindset versus your previous album?
JF: There have been some changes in the band’s management and that has helped stabilize things. We wrote the album throughout most of 2009, and finished up the writing process earlier this year. We expected to be recording a lot sooner, but with the re-release of the album in 2008, we spent most of 2009 on the road. Once the touring was done, we all needed some fresh faces and ideas and went about making the appropriate alterations. Our original guitarist, Jeff James, also came back into the band- which helped make the writing easier this time around.

AM: What do you think will be the mood and sound of the album?
JF: I may be a little biased, but Joey Chicago (bassist) is one of my favorite writers around and brought a lot of stuff to the table. The other guys in the band really stepped it up a notch. We were advised about taking different approaches, but at the same time- we didn’t want to lose our edge. We like to maintain a positive, yet aggressive edge to us. I think with this new album, it will portraying the energy of what you see out of us live more than anything.

AM: Did the success of the band’s first two singles give you guys some vindication?
JF: Oh, most definitely. For as many people that told us no over the years, there is some vindication when you have some success like that. It’s not a hateful attitude towards them, but more of a victory for us, our fans and anybody who supported us along the way. It’s as much a victory for them as it is for us.

AM: When looking back at that first album, what do you consider the strengths and weaknesses of that album?
JF: When I look back at it, I think a lot of why the first album wasn’t a bigger success than it was due to the fact of timing. We released the first version in 2005, and did the re-release in 2008, so it was an uphill battle with the industry all the way. A lot of people were hearing us for the first time when it was re-released, but to the industry- we were trying to sell them something that they had first heard a couple years back. Because of that, we never had the full on push on the charts that we will have the chance to do this time around.

Egypt Central plays at the Hayloft Liquor Stand this Thursday (September 9^th). Tickets are $12 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.egyptcentral.net.

God Forbid has been quite the touring machine since the release of their February 2009 release “Earthsblood”. The band started touring with Lamb of God last spring and have continued well into 2010. The band was a last minute replacement for Throwdown [...]]]>

God Forbid at the time of the release of "Earthsblood"

God Forbid has been quite the touring machine since the release of their February 2009 release “Earthsblood”. The band started touring with Lamb of God last spring and have continued well into 2010. The band was a last minute replacement for Throwdown on the current Five Finger Death Punch tour and will be heading out on the road with Kittie in March. As the band was making their way to a show in Buffalo, I had a chance to talk with guitarist Doc Coyle about the less pessimistic tone of the current record and how their new guitarist has been working out. Here’s my interview with Doc:

AM: How did the band become a last minute addition to the Five Finger Death Punch tour?
DC: Originally, we thought we were on the tour. Our manager thought we were on the tour as well, so we were kinda pissed off when we found out we didn’t get the tour because it was already on our radar. We had planned another tour because we didn’t get the tour- but when the second opportunity came around, we jumped at the chance to get on the tour.

AM: What is the major difference between “Earthsblood” and previous records?
DC: I think with the previous two records, there was a more apocalyptic vibe, perhaps more reflective and focused on dire events. During the writing of those albums, we had a difficult world view around us and it showed in the music, which had more of a political slant to the music. With “Earthsblood”, we went for a more organic approach to the music and made it more personal. We didn’t focus in on apocalyptic material. You can call it upbeat, at least from the music standpoint, but I cant speak for Byron (Davis- lead vocals) as to whether you’d consider his lyrics more upbeat.

AM: Do you think there has been one album or one moment where the evolution of the band that has stood out?
DC: I think every album is a evolution for the band. But if I had to say if there was one point, it was between the albums “Determination” and “Gone Forever”. There was more melody put into the music at that point, and the band moved away from a more metalcore sound to a more thrash metal tone. But as time went along, I think the band has moved into a far more traditional metal band and took it from there.

AM: How has new guitarist Matt Wickland(ex-Himsa) worked out so far?
DC: After Dallas left last April, he knew Matt from just being a friend we were from being on tour with over the years. After he played with Himsa, he did some work with Nevermore. Matt’s a good player and really interested in always getting better as a musician. You get a good vibe from him and we’ve connected on a personal level with him. We started writing during the holidays and looking forward to seeing what we do in the future.

AM: How has the current state of the music industry and economy affected the band?
DC: Not much (laughs). We’ve been real fortunate to be on some big marquee tours. We did the Lamb of God tour, then the Mayhem tour last summer. We haven’t been affected as much as other bands. The industry and economy is struggling right now, and everybody is having problems. I think we may see some of the effects of this when we go on tour with Kittie, but I hope not.

AM: Will the band be touring through the summer?
DC: At this point, we aren’t going to tour in the summer. We are going to go back in to record the next album. We want to tour for a purpose and not just because we can. We’ve had a good run on this tour and look forward to the next record.

God Forbid plays with Kittie at the Hayloft Liquor Stand on Wednesday, March 17^th (yes, St. Patrick’s Day). Tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates can be found at www.godforbid1.com.