WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:04.679 Welcome everyone to episode 430 of Signals from 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:08.300 Mars. I'm your host, Victor. And for this episode, 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:12.880 we have a very special interview with Tony from 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:17.320 the band Condition Critical. They're my paisans. 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:20.359 They're from New Jersey like I am. And you guys 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:23.960 have to thank Ed Ferguson for turning me on to 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:27.199 the band and making me want to do this interview. 00:00:30.410 --> 00:00:59.979 I'm ready. Quick reminder that in addition to 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:02.859 hosting Signals from Mars, I've also worked behind 00:01:02.859 --> 00:01:05.859 the scenes helping other podcasters. 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If you 00:02:20.110 --> 00:02:23.310 want to connect with a loyal rock and metal audience, 00:02:23.629 --> 00:02:26.810 head on over to the sponsorship page on SignalsFromMars 00:02:26.810 --> 00:02:43.139 .com to learn more. bringing Ed in to help doing 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:46.659 the album reviews, the monthly reviews that we 00:02:46.659 --> 00:02:49.599 do, bi -monthly sometimes, because we're going 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:52.840 to be doing October and November together in 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:56.699 a few weeks. But one of the reasons why I wanted 00:02:56.699 --> 00:03:01.379 to bring Ed in is because he's a huge fan of 00:03:01.379 --> 00:03:05.979 extreme metal and of different types of metal 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:09.930 that perhaps Jeremy and myself are not. as into. 00:03:10.189 --> 00:03:15.030 It is very important to me to keep metal going, 00:03:15.189 --> 00:03:18.409 to keep hard rock going, to keep people in the 00:03:18.409 --> 00:03:24.009 know of great new bands, great old bands that 00:03:24.009 --> 00:03:28.669 are putting out new music. And to me, it's very 00:03:28.669 --> 00:03:31.509 important to keep that torch going, you know, 00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:34.129 whatever other cliche you want to throw in there. 00:03:34.469 --> 00:03:41.120 And to our surprise, ed has been really good 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:45.219 at pointing things out from across the board 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:48.180 and saying hey you know this has this type of 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:50.740 influence you're gonna like it even though it's 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:53.280 maybe a death metal band or a black metal band 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.280 or thrash which is something that the three of 00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:02.740 us tend to um agree on uh ed has a Long commute 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:06.419 a lot of times. So he gets to listen to a lot 00:04:06.419 --> 00:04:10.139 of different things that perhaps Jeremy and I 00:04:10.139 --> 00:04:14.780 don't. For example, this Condition Critical album. 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:21.939 And when he reviewed it a few episodes ago, he 00:04:21.939 --> 00:04:26.660 instantly said, this is the thrash album of the 00:04:26.660 --> 00:04:31.360 year. And he's actually backed that up. I've 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:34.379 interviewed someone else today, actually, for 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:36.660 an upcoming episode. And I mentioned the band 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:39.319 to him. So I kind of returned the favor. And 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:41.860 he says, wow, this is a great year for thrash. 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:45.620 Anyone that kind of doesn't think that, you know, 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:49.500 you're not taking the time out to actually check 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:51.639 some of this great new music that's coming out. 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:56.439 So do yourself a favor. Listen to the interview. 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:00.470 Hopefully you enjoy me and Tony. uh talking back 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:06.230 and forth and uh hopefully it gets you to check 00:05:06.230 --> 00:05:28.459 the album out Welcome, everyone, to the latest 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:31.620 episode of Signals from Mars. Joining me today 00:05:31.620 --> 00:05:35.060 is Tony from Condition Critical. How are you, 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.360 sir? I'm doing well, man. Thank you for having 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:41.379 me. I really appreciate it. Awesome. So, first 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:45.540 of all, you guys are from New Jersey? Okay, well, 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:47.839 we are technically from Jersey, so I live in 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:52.670 Jersey. But our singer lives in Miami. Okay. 00:05:52.790 --> 00:05:55.069 Our bass player currently lives in Massachusetts, 00:05:55.069 --> 00:05:57.790 but two of the four members are in New Jersey. 00:05:57.850 --> 00:06:01.449 So yes. Okay. Whereabouts in Jersey? I live in 00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:04.149 North Bergen and the drummer lives somewhere 00:06:04.149 --> 00:06:06.870 around like Sayreville area. We're originally 00:06:06.870 --> 00:06:09.310 from, so the majority of the members were from 00:06:09.310 --> 00:06:11.009 like South Brunswick. So like New Brunswick, 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:14.290 Central Jersey, but I've been in Jersey my whole 00:06:14.290 --> 00:06:18.230 life, you know? So you can't get me out of this 00:06:18.230 --> 00:06:21.689 state, man. Yeah. The end of the intro video 00:06:21.689 --> 00:06:24.910 there has a doc coil of God forbid, who's from 00:06:24.910 --> 00:06:30.930 East Brunswick. Um, yeah, I'm wearing a Jersey 00:06:30.930 --> 00:06:33.430 metal t -shirt. I'm originally from a town in 00:06:33.430 --> 00:06:37.269 North central Jersey called Dover, which, yeah, 00:06:37.829 --> 00:06:40.250 which is where, uh, Kirk Hammett played his first 00:06:40.250 --> 00:06:43.649 show, uh, with Metallica at a place called the 00:06:43.649 --> 00:06:48.209 show place. And, um, It's funny because I've 00:06:48.209 --> 00:06:53.750 been living in Europe since the end of 03. And 00:06:53.750 --> 00:06:57.870 I went back for the first time in like 14 years 00:06:57.870 --> 00:07:02.170 last year. And seeing that specific place, which 00:07:02.170 --> 00:07:05.709 was a recording studio and a go -go bar, is now 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:10.949 some type of restaurant. So it was a trip to 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:16.149 see. So again, anytime that I can support fellow... 00:07:16.829 --> 00:07:19.329 uh, people from Jersey, I'm more than happy to, 00:07:19.389 --> 00:07:23.430 to do so. Oh, we appreciate you, man. Yeah. I 00:07:23.430 --> 00:07:25.670 love that. And Dover's an interesting area. I 00:07:25.670 --> 00:07:27.410 feel like it's changed a lot. So I could see 00:07:27.410 --> 00:07:29.670 why that, you know, venue is no longer there 00:07:29.670 --> 00:07:31.790 and it's a restaurant because, you know, it just 00:07:31.790 --> 00:07:33.850 kind of seems to be the direction in which they're 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:36.209 going. Like there's a lot of like new, like things 00:07:36.209 --> 00:07:38.350 being built up, like in that part of Jersey is 00:07:38.350 --> 00:07:40.610 something that I've noticed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:07:40.970 --> 00:07:44.209 Absolutely. So for you today, is it technically 00:07:44.209 --> 00:07:50.050 mischief night? I guess so, yeah. The hair's 00:07:50.050 --> 00:07:52.509 down, dude. I'm going to be punching walls. Who 00:07:52.509 --> 00:07:56.970 knows what I'm going to do? So for people that 00:07:56.970 --> 00:08:00.769 are outside of the area, it was always an interesting 00:08:00.769 --> 00:08:03.490 debate when I went to college where people were 00:08:03.490 --> 00:08:05.149 like, no, this is called Devil's Night where 00:08:05.149 --> 00:08:07.069 I'm from. Like, no, man, North Jersey, this has 00:08:07.069 --> 00:08:09.750 always been Mischief Night, the day before Halloween. 00:08:10.230 --> 00:08:13.339 So you were good for finding... toilet paper 00:08:13.339 --> 00:08:16.319 in trees. You were good for finding cars that 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:19.980 were soaked up and eggs, all types of different 00:08:19.980 --> 00:08:22.819 shit. So in South Jersey, we used to call it, 00:08:22.819 --> 00:08:25.040 we used to call it a mischief night as well. 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:27.220 So yeah, I'm with you there. I'm with you there. 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:32.000 Okay. There you go. How much does being from 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.639 Jersey play into what you guys do as a band? 00:08:37.359 --> 00:08:39.120 man, I think that's a, it's a big part of it. 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:40.820 I mean, listen, we, this, we live in an industrial 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:44.120 state. Like it's like a, there's a certain vibe 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:46.740 that comes out of here, you know? And you know, 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:48.580 right next door is New York and there's New York 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:52.879 hardcore. Right. And so. with our music it's 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:54.639 obviously it's thrash metal right but we got 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:57.559 some hardcore element in it too and you know 00:08:57.559 --> 00:08:59.580 believe it or not like our singer while he is 00:08:59.580 --> 00:09:01.860 from miami he's really into like new york and 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:04.639 new jersey hardcore so like he brings that element 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:07.500 and his vocals and certainly and you know some 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:09.419 of the riffs that me and mike mike dreyer the 00:09:09.419 --> 00:09:12.450 bass player right it's kind of stems from that 00:09:12.450 --> 00:09:14.769 you know i'm a big fan of anthrax and i love 00:09:14.769 --> 00:09:17.129 their vibe you know and i think that comes from 00:09:17.129 --> 00:09:19.309 like kind of being from this area you know it's 00:09:19.309 --> 00:09:21.750 just yeah it's so constraining there's so many 00:09:21.750 --> 00:09:24.370 people it's like you know sometimes it can just 00:09:24.370 --> 00:09:27.149 feel a little bit uh like claustrophobic right 00:09:27.149 --> 00:09:30.009 and it brings out that like inner rage you know 00:09:30.009 --> 00:09:31.809 so to speak and you know it comes out in the 00:09:31.809 --> 00:09:33.549 riffs and it comes out in the vocals you know 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:37.279 on ryan's behalf Yeah, I think that's definitely 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:40.100 a great point because there's definitely a vibe 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:43.460 or an attitude of being from that general area. 00:09:43.580 --> 00:09:46.720 You feel it with a lot of the bands. It's funny 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.659 because as we've been talking about your band 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:52.799 on my Patreon and just with different people 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:56.940 on social media and stuff, a lot of things have 00:09:56.940 --> 00:09:58.879 been coming up with, oh, well, they sound like 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:00.620 this band or they sound like that band. And I'm 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:03.600 like, man, listen to the bass. it sounds like 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:06.519 overkill to me. There's a definite like Didi 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:09.720 Verney type influence. The bass really sticks 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.019 out and stuff. And I'm like, that's definitely 00:10:12.019 --> 00:10:14.740 a homegrown sound that people from the area are 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:19.019 proud of. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's a, so Mike, 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:21.080 like that was a, he's such a stickler for it, 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:23.100 man. And let me tell you, so we worked with a 00:10:23.100 --> 00:10:25.840 guy by the name of Mike Lowe, the master of the 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:29.500 album, right? okay he played with the tech death 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:32.519 band called in fury right for years and so like 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:34.700 he has never like i mean maybe he has before 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:36.279 like mixed a couple thrash bands but that's not 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:38.000 what he's known for he's known for tech death 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:40.419 and like that kind of stuff symphonic death metal 00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:43.379 black metal whatever right you know i'm good 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:45.039 buddies with him and i tasked him with this i 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:47.480 was like dude We need you to make this bass pop. 00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:51.039 And Mike is so specific about his tone. Like 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:52.580 you were just mentioning how important that is, 00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:55.179 right? Yeah. You recognize it. You want to hear 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:57.019 that. It's almost like a piano note, like smashing 00:10:57.019 --> 00:10:58.460 it, brown, brown, brown, brown, kind of, right? 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:01.659 And so I remember getting the first mix and being 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:04.320 like, oh, this is fine, right? But Mike was like, 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:08.139 no, absolutely not. So he was a pain in the ass, 00:11:08.179 --> 00:11:11.559 but in the best way possible, because the way 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:14.480 that it came out is to perfection. But if it 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:16.600 wasn't for him to keep like pushing it and pushing 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:18.740 it, because for me, it was just like, I'm a guitar 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:20.320 player, man. So I'm like, yeah, it all sounds 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:23.700 good. Bass is fine. Yeah. It was him really being 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:26.440 a stickler for that specific type of tone. that 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:28.240 got it to where it was. And I'm so glad he did 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:29.460 because you're right. It does have that kind 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:31.620 of like overkill sound. And, you know, when the 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:33.919 bass needs to be prominent, it's up in the mix. 00:11:33.980 --> 00:11:35.779 And then when it, you know, the riffs are really 00:11:35.779 --> 00:11:37.320 fast, the bass is a little bit lower because 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:39.700 otherwise it muddies the mix. So Mike Lowe did 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:42.220 a really good job, you know, kind of with the 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:44.019 levels and making sure that it pops when it needs 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:46.100 to. And it also is within the mix when it has 00:11:46.100 --> 00:11:50.659 to as well. Yeah. Okay. And you actually worked 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:53.240 engineering the guitar and the bass on the new 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:57.080 album, Degradation Chamber. or did I say that 00:11:57.080 --> 00:12:04.340 right? Um, what was it like for you to work on 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:07.779 that side of the recording of the album? So I'm 00:12:07.779 --> 00:12:09.659 a little tinkerer, right? I've been doing that 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:11.659 stuff for years. Like I have like my own like 00:12:11.659 --> 00:12:13.600 projects and stuff like chaos X or whatever, 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:16.039 like that. I'm always like, uh, I'm always the 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.399 one recording them and perhaps not always mixing 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:19.860 them. Sometimes I've mixed and mastered my own 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:21.600 stuff. Just, you know, it depends. I do my own 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:25.389 like solo instrumental stuff, yada, yada. you 00:12:25.389 --> 00:12:27.590 know, that side of it has always fascinated me. 00:12:27.649 --> 00:12:30.090 I enjoy the production side of things. I love 00:12:30.090 --> 00:12:34.110 doing it. I also, um, you know, there's, there's 00:12:34.110 --> 00:12:37.509 part of me that maybe, I mean, this sounds like 00:12:37.509 --> 00:12:38.750 a perfectionist attitude, but it's almost kind 00:12:38.750 --> 00:12:40.269 of like, man, I got to do it. I want to do it. 00:12:40.309 --> 00:12:41.830 I want to have my hands on it. You know, I want 00:12:41.830 --> 00:12:43.529 to make sure the riffs sound the way like that 00:12:43.529 --> 00:12:46.909 I wrote them. Right. And, um, you know, part 00:12:46.909 --> 00:12:48.490 of that is like being the guy that's like, no, 00:12:48.590 --> 00:12:50.350 dude, you got to do that again. You know, and 00:12:50.350 --> 00:12:52.929 even to myself, man. I'll play something like 00:12:52.929 --> 00:12:55.049 seven or eight or nine times over and over and 00:12:55.049 --> 00:12:57.009 over again. I'm like, not good enough. Delete. 00:12:57.230 --> 00:13:00.029 You know, it's like, it's part of that. It's, 00:13:00.029 --> 00:13:02.370 it's, I like having a little bit of like that 00:13:02.370 --> 00:13:04.809 creative say into it because when you're recording 00:13:04.809 --> 00:13:06.929 with an engineer, it's like, sometimes they give 00:13:06.929 --> 00:13:08.429 creative input. Sometimes they don't. But when 00:13:08.429 --> 00:13:10.129 you're recording with me, it's like, I can have 00:13:10.129 --> 00:13:11.990 that creative input with the other guitar player 00:13:11.990 --> 00:13:13.889 or with the bass player. And then in addition, 00:13:14.029 --> 00:13:15.889 there's times where it's like, you know what? 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:18.679 let's change that riff by one note. Cause we're 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:20.440 just in the process of doing it, but you know 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:22.059 what, musically, this would make more sense and 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:23.419 this would sound better and this would resonate 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:26.139 better with the crowd. Right. And so that kind 00:13:26.139 --> 00:13:28.480 of stuff doesn't necessarily happen in the studio. 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:29.980 If you're not the one engineering it, right. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.179 You're kind of just coming in with your riffs 00:13:31.179 --> 00:13:32.399 and you're all nervous and you're just like, 00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:34.379 all right, let's just play it. Right. Versus 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:35.899 this, it's comfortable. It's in my own little 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:37.940 environment. I got my little home studio set 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:40.580 up, you know, and we just kind of get to it. 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:44.580 Yeah, that's cool. And it's. Funny because not 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:47.240 every band can do that. Like you see, or you 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:51.220 hear a lot of bands that produce their own stuff 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:53.720 and they're not good at cutting themselves off. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:58.240 You know, whether it's just the mix isn't right, 00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:00.600 or maybe there's a guitar sound that isn't right, 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:02.960 or maybe there's a riff that you hear and you're 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:05.220 like, wow, you know, given their legacy, I'm 00:14:05.220 --> 00:14:07.759 surprised they're putting that on an album. So 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.340 it's not always easy to be critical of yourself. 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:14.039 I know what you mean, man. And so. this was the 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:15.620 most important thing for me too in this production 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:17.480 process and this is why I really liked being 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:21.679 a part of it was I didn't want like a very and 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:24.399 what it's tight we were tight players but I didn't 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:26.919 want something like inorganically tight does 00:14:26.919 --> 00:14:31.080 that make sense I wanted real performances right 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:33.740 as much as possible and so I feel like sometimes 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:36.000 with like the the the modern engineer and I'm 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:37.980 not downplaying it this this it's this is necessary 00:14:37.980 --> 00:14:39.980 in certain types of music like technical death 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:41.519 metal death metal in general like it's got to 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.990 be pinpoint accurate but I think sometimes with 00:14:43.990 --> 00:14:46.509 like thrash, it's like those naturally organically 00:14:46.509 --> 00:14:49.210 type players. It comes across and resonates a 00:14:49.210 --> 00:14:50.669 little bit better. You know what I mean? Like 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:53.029 you can almost get a live feel from it. And that's 00:14:53.029 --> 00:14:54.929 really what I wanted. I wanted the performances 00:14:54.929 --> 00:14:57.730 to kind of have that tonality to it. And I feel 00:14:57.730 --> 00:14:59.610 like, again, sometimes in the studio, man, you're 00:14:59.610 --> 00:15:02.129 rushing. You got to move quick. Maybe the engineer's 00:15:02.129 --> 00:15:04.289 moving too fast. They're editing, chopping, clipping 00:15:04.289 --> 00:15:06.590 all the way, right? Versus just allowing the 00:15:06.590 --> 00:15:08.669 performance to breathe. Hell, if you got to do 00:15:08.669 --> 00:15:10.669 it 10 times, you're doing it 10 times. Like that's 00:15:10.669 --> 00:15:14.100 the way to be. Get it tight. guitar track on 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:15.980 your own. And then if you got to like, you know, 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:17.600 clean some stuff in the, in between here and 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.000 there, that's okay. But to me, it's like to give 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.320 that organic sound, it was so important to me. 00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:25.159 And, you know, that's another reason why I wanted 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:27.059 to kind of have my hand in it as well. And yeah, 00:15:27.179 --> 00:15:29.399 it worked out. I think it worked out, you know? 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:32.419 Yeah. Yeah. I think that's important too, with 00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:35.340 a lot of metal that's become homogenized with 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:38.940 just kind of being same Z and too perfect. Like 00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:42.970 the essence of thrash was. so not that it was 00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:46.029 energy and and there was stuff that was being 00:15:46.029 --> 00:15:48.809 messed up and you know it was more of a vibe 00:15:48.809 --> 00:15:51.389 and an attitude what we talked about before more 00:15:51.389 --> 00:15:54.250 than perfection you know so i think it's important 00:15:54.250 --> 00:15:56.470 to keep that and get it across the music as well 00:15:56.470 --> 00:15:59.029 absolutely and you know you have to think back 00:15:59.029 --> 00:16:01.049 to this as well it's like you know you have like 00:16:01.049 --> 00:16:04.750 metallica it's let's see uh we just had some 00:16:04.750 --> 00:16:06.610 technical difficulties here so we're picking 00:16:06.610 --> 00:16:11.639 things back up um The way that the album was 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:14.940 put together, it sounds like it could have come 00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:19.000 out in the mid to late 80s. At the same time, 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:25.419 it sounds fresh to today's scene. Was that something 00:16:25.419 --> 00:16:27.759 that you guys purposely did or is that just a 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:30.799 happy byproduct of just putting the material 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:33.679 together? Well, first of all, thank you. Cause 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:35.879 that's awesome to hear that. That's certainly, 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:38.200 you know, what we were going for. We wanted to 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:39.980 have like an old school sound, but with like 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:44.600 a modern presence for sure. When we're writing 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:47.419 riffs, we're not like, Oh, I'm trying to sound 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:49.639 eighties today. Right. We're just writing riffs 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:52.299 that like resonate with us. And like, we feel 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:55.159 are just, you know, bring a certain energy. Right. 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:59.539 And so, you know, I think once the songs were 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:02.379 tied and done together, that's when we decided, 00:17:02.460 --> 00:17:04.859 hey, listen, this is kind of the edge that we 00:17:04.859 --> 00:17:07.339 have. It's sounding kind of old school, but the 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:09.299 sound that we want from the mix and the mastering 00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:12.940 perspective is where we wanted to kind of modernize 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:19.000 it. We wanted to have a fresh sound to it where 00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:22.140 it's clear, the guitars, and the drums have a 00:17:22.140 --> 00:17:25.220 nice boom to them, and the bass is in the mix. 00:17:25.589 --> 00:17:28.309 And the solos are modern, right? Like kind of 00:17:28.309 --> 00:17:30.529 like modern shred style. So like all that was 00:17:30.529 --> 00:17:33.609 definitely like factored in. But again, you know, 00:17:33.609 --> 00:17:35.170 when we're writing riffs, man, we're not thinking 00:17:35.170 --> 00:17:37.089 like, hey, I'm trying to sound like, you know, 00:17:37.089 --> 00:17:39.430 1985. It's just kind of coming out, you know? 00:17:39.690 --> 00:17:41.750 But not all the riffs. I feel like there's certainly 00:17:41.750 --> 00:17:44.329 some like modern, like power trip kind of style, 00:17:44.470 --> 00:17:47.329 like, you know, slow breakdown sections, of course. 00:17:47.470 --> 00:17:50.670 But I think it's like a good mix of different 00:17:50.670 --> 00:17:54.650 kind of things going on there, you know? even 00:17:54.650 --> 00:17:57.170 still you're bringing up power trip but even 00:17:57.170 --> 00:18:00.670 they're heavily influenced with uh or from hardcore 00:18:00.670 --> 00:18:05.289 music as well so i think that definitely lends 00:18:05.289 --> 00:18:08.730 to what you guys are doing also yeah yeah you 00:18:08.730 --> 00:18:10.670 know this is what i was always saying i said 00:18:10.670 --> 00:18:12.809 like we were trying to make the slow parts slower 00:18:12.809 --> 00:18:15.950 the faster parts faster and the technical parts 00:18:15.950 --> 00:18:18.049 even more difficult to play like that's that 00:18:18.049 --> 00:18:20.470 was kind of where we're at and i always write 00:18:20.470 --> 00:18:23.369 like the like the like those kind of like riffs 00:18:23.369 --> 00:18:26.269 where it's just like finger, just like all over 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:28.329 the place kind of stuff. Like, like the, the 00:18:28.329 --> 00:18:30.529 cryonic intestinal preservation chorus riff, 00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:32.569 for example, it's like, you know, just really 00:18:32.569 --> 00:18:34.990 just, I don't know. You get like tongue tied, 00:18:35.049 --> 00:18:37.710 like playing it like, Oh, right. And it's like, 00:18:37.829 --> 00:18:40.329 those were the kinds of riffs that I wanted to 00:18:40.329 --> 00:18:42.190 kind of like elevate. It's like, you know, on, 00:18:42.230 --> 00:18:44.309 on extermination plan, which I was a part of 00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:45.690 the writing process. Cause I wasn't with the 00:18:45.690 --> 00:18:50.200 band for the first album. It was like, I kind 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:52.339 of came in with like those like techie kind of 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:54.500 reps, right? Kind of switching it up. And then 00:18:54.500 --> 00:18:56.220 with this album, I wanted to kind of, again, 00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:58.819 elevate that experience and make them even more 00:18:58.819 --> 00:19:01.259 annoying to play live. Like that's my goal, right? 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:04.160 How can I make this as difficult as possible 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.640 just for no reason, you know? And it's fun, you 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:08.160 know, all the triplets and stuff. We even like, 00:19:08.259 --> 00:19:11.980 I don't know, it's crazy. Like you have to like 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:14.339 warm up seriously before you play these tracks, 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:18.619 otherwise you're cramping. Gotcha. Okay. And 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:21.839 you just mentioned you weren't an original member 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:23.980 of the band. How did you end up joining the band? 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:29.380 Yes. So I actually, so I've been in the metal 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:31.619 world for quite some time. I've been playing 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:34.160 in bands since I was like 14 years old. I'm 34 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:38.740 now. Okay. Been a long time. And, you know, it 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:42.329 was around 2009, 2010, 2011 -ish. where I was 00:19:42.329 --> 00:19:44.150 like playing shows in a band called Legionary. 00:19:44.150 --> 00:19:45.509 It's a death metal band. They're still kind of 00:19:45.509 --> 00:19:47.910 around now, but I just do like guitar solos for 00:19:47.910 --> 00:19:49.569 them. And then it's just like a studio project, 00:19:49.650 --> 00:19:53.990 right? It just does it for fun. And back then 00:19:53.990 --> 00:19:55.670 we were playing a lot of live shows, but there 00:19:55.670 --> 00:19:58.430 was one point where we played with the guys from 00:19:58.430 --> 00:20:00.009 Condition Critical, but they were in a different 00:20:00.009 --> 00:20:03.390 band at the time called Strip. And so I kind 00:20:03.390 --> 00:20:07.690 of met them in that way. And they, so they knew 00:20:07.690 --> 00:20:09.569 who I was. They knew I was like the little shredder 00:20:09.569 --> 00:20:11.190 kid with long hair because I had long hair at 00:20:11.190 --> 00:20:14.309 the time as well. And, you know, when it came 00:20:14.309 --> 00:20:16.670 time to them, you know, looking for a lead guitar 00:20:16.670 --> 00:20:19.069 player, they're like, what about that guy? Right. 00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:22.190 And it just kind of worked out. And it's, it's 00:20:22.190 --> 00:20:24.750 been awesome because, you know, me and Mike Dreher 00:20:24.750 --> 00:20:27.029 have become best friends, you know, and I'm really 00:20:27.029 --> 00:20:28.970 good friends with Ryan Donato, the drummer as 00:20:28.970 --> 00:20:30.650 well. And of course, Ryan Taylor, love him as 00:20:30.650 --> 00:20:33.130 well. But those two guys were the guys that I 00:20:33.130 --> 00:20:36.299 met back then. So we can think about 2009, 2010, 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:38.519 right? So I've known those guys for the better 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:41.180 half of 15 years. And so it's just wonderful 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:43.339 to still be in a band with them for so long and 00:20:43.339 --> 00:20:45.839 so consistently. And to be able to release several 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:48.480 albums together has been tremendous, you know? 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:51.920 So it's a small world often, and you never know 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:53.680 who you're going to end up being in a band with, 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:56.460 so to speak. And that ends up being successful, 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:58.779 and you're with these guys. Perhaps at that time, 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.980 I would never have thought, right, that I would 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:05.210 be doing this. Right. Okay. And Degeneration 00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:09.150 Chamber took nine years to come out. Is there 00:21:09.150 --> 00:21:12.190 any specific reason why it took so long? Yeah, 00:21:12.190 --> 00:21:14.630 of course. So I wrote a lot of the songs back 00:21:14.630 --> 00:21:21.829 in like 2016, 2017, 2018 or so. And there was 00:21:21.829 --> 00:21:24.710 a point where we kind of like we parted ways 00:21:24.710 --> 00:21:28.430 with our singer, Ryan, and we got a new guy in 00:21:28.430 --> 00:21:31.019 like 2020 and then COVID happened. And things 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:32.579 just kept kind of like getting pushed off and 00:21:32.579 --> 00:21:34.700 pushed off. Right. And so during that time in 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:36.500 between like 2016 and 2019, we're doing a lot 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:38.500 of playing out. Right. We're doing a lot of touring. 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:40.839 We're just we were really promoting the album. 00:21:40.900 --> 00:21:42.740 And I had those songs in the back burner just 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:44.819 like kind of like waiting to roll. And again, 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:46.720 when 2020 hit, it seemed like everybody kind 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:49.400 of like paused on the brakes. And, you know, 00:21:49.480 --> 00:21:52.220 you start focusing on your career. You start 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:55.119 focusing on other elements in life. And, you 00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:57.720 know, the band ends up taking a backseat. Now, 00:21:57.740 --> 00:21:59.359 while those songs are still there, you know, 00:21:59.380 --> 00:22:01.140 they're sitting on the back burner, you know, 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:02.839 they're kind of not really doing much. And I 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:06.220 think the motivation, you know, in 2021, 2022, 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:09.019 just wasn't there. Right. Like I think collectively. 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:12.640 Okay. And, you know, there was a certain point 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:14.200 where I was like, yo, we got to start doing this 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.640 thing. We got these awesome songs written. We 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.400 got to get to it. Right. And so we ended up kind 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:22.980 of like slowly getting back into the groove. 00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:26.400 And finished writing, I think it was two or three 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:28.380 more songs to make sure that it would be nine. 00:22:29.259 --> 00:22:33.240 And we got in the groove when we brought back 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:37.299 our old singer, Ryan, to the band. One of the 00:22:37.299 --> 00:22:40.539 things for us is we wanted to have two albums 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:43.730 in a row. with the same you know vocal intensity 00:22:43.730 --> 00:22:45.849 vocal style we had this guy michael chavez is 00:22:45.849 --> 00:22:48.869 a great dude from out in the bay area he plays 00:22:48.869 --> 00:22:50.789 in a band called hematoxin ripped to shreds if 00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:53.470 you're familiar with them so great dude's doing 00:22:53.470 --> 00:22:56.069 a great thing out there like he's awesome love 00:22:56.069 --> 00:22:57.490 the guy he's a great guitar player too would 00:22:57.490 --> 00:22:59.569 have been awesome to kind of do dueling shred 00:22:59.569 --> 00:23:02.430 solos with him right but you know trying to fly 00:23:02.430 --> 00:23:04.390 him out from california was insane like it was 00:23:04.390 --> 00:23:07.670 just a logistical nightmare right right and part 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:10.720 of that consistency of having somebody from Album 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:13.339 two on album three, again, also was like something 00:23:13.339 --> 00:23:15.500 to kind of think about, you know, we wanted, 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:18.359 we wanted consistency because here's the thing. 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:20.779 I think this is such an important thing. When 00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:23.339 you remove a variable, how do you measure it 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:25.900 from what was done previously? Right. Right. 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:28.559 So we wrote these, these songs and we were thinking, 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:30.099 okay, these are the best songs we've ever written. 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:32.599 But if it's not consistent to what was brought 00:23:32.599 --> 00:23:34.299 before, like how are people going to know that 00:23:34.299 --> 00:23:35.900 it's better? Right. Because potentially they 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:37.420 look at the vocals immediately and they just 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:40.410 turn it off. I hate it. Right. Who knows? Because 00:23:40.410 --> 00:23:43.089 sometimes people are like that. I know I'm, I'm 00:23:43.089 --> 00:23:46.529 guilty of this. Sometimes people put it on and 00:23:46.529 --> 00:23:49.289 I didn't even give it a chance. Right. Right. 00:23:49.369 --> 00:23:52.150 That was my biggest concern. And so when we brought 00:23:52.150 --> 00:23:53.750 back Ryan, it was kind of like that idea of like, 00:23:53.769 --> 00:23:56.390 we're going to keep that consistency and, and 00:23:56.390 --> 00:23:58.509 we're going to see how this plays out. We think 00:23:58.509 --> 00:24:00.549 these songs are better. We'll see what, you know, 00:24:00.549 --> 00:24:02.630 the people think. And hopefully, you know, from 00:24:02.630 --> 00:24:04.609 what I've seen, it seems like the response has 00:24:04.609 --> 00:24:08.789 been great. Okay. Was it difficult to get Ryan 00:24:08.789 --> 00:24:13.509 back into the project? I mean, nine years is 00:24:13.509 --> 00:24:16.690 a long time. So I'm assuming, you know, everyone 00:24:16.690 --> 00:24:21.250 is grown. Maybe things that separated you guys 00:24:21.250 --> 00:24:24.910 at one point seemed trivial. And maybe, I don't 00:24:24.910 --> 00:24:27.349 know, the band was more important than the initial 00:24:27.349 --> 00:24:30.289 issues. I don't know. Yeah. So we're brothers 00:24:30.289 --> 00:24:33.009 at the end of the day, right? And brothers can 00:24:33.009 --> 00:24:35.630 squabble. And sometimes brothers might not talk 00:24:35.630 --> 00:24:38.049 to each other for years, right? And that happens 00:24:38.049 --> 00:24:40.150 in life with your own family, your own flesh 00:24:40.150 --> 00:24:42.509 and blood. And again, these are my brothers. 00:24:42.670 --> 00:24:46.289 And so I think there's a point, man, you get 00:24:46.289 --> 00:24:48.609 a little bit older, you think to yourself, like, 00:24:48.630 --> 00:24:50.769 there's not a lot of time on this earth. And 00:24:50.769 --> 00:24:53.130 there's no reason to hold any grudges for whatever 00:24:53.130 --> 00:24:57.089 it is, right? And so I believe if somebody is 00:24:57.089 --> 00:24:58.910 sorry for, like, let's say if they did something 00:24:58.910 --> 00:25:00.950 wrong and they're apologizing for it, man, you, 00:25:01.049 --> 00:25:04.980 all right, man, that's good. This is great. Come 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:08.480 back into the fold. It doesn't have to be a contentious 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:11.140 thing where you've got a hatred for somebody 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:12.500 for the rest of your life. That makes no sense, 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:15.180 especially somebody that you spent days and days 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:17.680 and days in a band with each other, and you're 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:19.140 so close. You're laughing about the same thing. 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:21.140 You're doing all this. One incident or whatever 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:24.039 it is shouldn't separate you, and I'm a big believer 00:25:24.039 --> 00:25:26.000 in that. Again, the older I get, the more I start 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:31.029 realizing and recognizing this. At the end of 00:25:31.029 --> 00:25:33.029 the day, you know, this is also a business and 00:25:33.029 --> 00:25:34.930 we wanted to keep it consistent, but also this 00:25:34.930 --> 00:25:37.609 is a friendship, it's a brotherhood. We wanted 00:25:37.609 --> 00:25:41.670 that guy back as well, right? So I'm glad it 00:25:41.670 --> 00:25:43.809 worked out. You know, we had a good lengthy discussion 00:25:43.809 --> 00:25:45.769 when we were down there for a wedding. Me and 00:25:45.769 --> 00:25:48.009 Mike Dreyer were down for one of our buddies 00:25:48.009 --> 00:25:50.150 was getting married, you know, somewhere in like 00:25:50.150 --> 00:25:53.710 the Fort Lauderdale area and Brian lives in Miami. 00:25:54.670 --> 00:25:57.609 So, you know, I think we spent like three or 00:25:57.609 --> 00:26:00.490 four hours hashing it out, you know? And it's 00:26:00.490 --> 00:26:02.690 like, it's one of those things where it takes 00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:04.490 like a case of beer, you know, and you're just 00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:06.869 kind of, you know, the moment you just go through 00:26:06.869 --> 00:26:07.970 it. And once you go through it, you're like, 00:26:08.029 --> 00:26:15.289 that's it. Time to move on. Yeah. Awesome. Glad 00:26:15.289 --> 00:26:17.829 you guys were able to, to, to work it out. And 00:26:17.829 --> 00:26:19.369 I mean, what you're saying makes sense. I mean, 00:26:19.390 --> 00:26:21.890 you want consistency with the band. You want 00:26:21.890 --> 00:26:24.710 something that people are familiar with and it's 00:26:24.710 --> 00:26:26.269 awesome that you guys were able to work everything 00:26:26.269 --> 00:26:30.480 out. Yeah, no, I agree, man. Really is. Yeah. 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:33.339 Tell me a little bit about your gear. I see a 00:26:33.339 --> 00:26:35.299 Les Paul behind you. I see a Marshall behind 00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:39.240 you. Yes. Yes. Okay. So I'm putting the wrong 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:43.079 way. That Les Paul is the one that I used to 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:47.099 record the album. Okay. And you can see there's 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:50.819 also the, the artwork, the original artwork that 00:26:50.819 --> 00:26:54.650 Andre Buzikoff painted. uh back there as well 00:26:54.650 --> 00:26:56.549 you know there's the vinyl on the shelf and so 00:26:56.549 --> 00:27:00.230 for me it it means a lot like that Les Paul it 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:03.130 signifies something to me right and it's it's 00:27:03.130 --> 00:27:05.849 the fact is is that's that's the beast that recorded 00:27:05.849 --> 00:27:07.809 this album and I wanted out you know on display 00:27:07.809 --> 00:27:11.509 you know for me it's it's um it was instrumental 00:27:11.509 --> 00:27:13.869 in creating the album you know it gives it that 00:27:13.869 --> 00:27:16.710 chunky tone that I really was looking for because 00:27:16.710 --> 00:27:19.240 hell listen on stage I'm using a Jackson And 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.440 it sounds great. But there's something about 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:24.759 these Les Pauls that just produce a really crunchy, 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:28.240 thick tone that I really wanted for the album. 00:27:28.380 --> 00:27:29.819 And so that's why I have it out there on display, 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:33.900 you know. And that Marshall cab is the one that 00:27:33.900 --> 00:27:36.920 I use live, right? And the amp on top of it is, 00:27:36.940 --> 00:27:39.440 let me try to move out of the way, is the JSX. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:43.039 Okay. That is actually the amp that we used to 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:46.460 re -amp all the guitars for Extermination Plan, 00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:49.509 so for our second album. Okay. And, you know, 00:27:49.549 --> 00:27:51.829 I'm like one of those sentimental guys, you know, 00:27:51.829 --> 00:27:54.789 it all means something to me. You know, somebody 00:27:54.789 --> 00:27:56.430 who comes over my house is just like, oh, what's 00:27:56.430 --> 00:27:58.750 all that crap? But there's a meaning behind it. 00:27:58.869 --> 00:28:03.190 Yeah. And it matters to me. But yeah, so in terms 00:28:03.190 --> 00:28:05.910 of gear, like, again, I use a Jackson Live. It's 00:28:05.910 --> 00:28:09.869 actually got 27 frets of pure madness. And by 00:28:09.869 --> 00:28:13.210 the way, I use the 27th fret on the album. You 00:28:13.210 --> 00:28:15.529 got to go all the way up. What's the point of 00:28:15.529 --> 00:28:17.289 having it if you're not going to use it, you 00:28:17.289 --> 00:28:22.460 know? And in terms of live tone now, I actually 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:25.779 use a Kemper. And something I found is the consistency 00:28:25.779 --> 00:28:28.059 of it is just gorgeous, man. Like, I don't have 00:28:28.059 --> 00:28:29.839 to worry about getting these tubes changed, this 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:32.339 and that. And listen, sometimes beer gets spilled 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:34.319 on that thing. I don't know how many times beer 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:36.759 has gotten spilled on that JSX, but it's more 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:38.660 than I can count on two hands, and I'm not even 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:41.279 kidding. So I don't have to deal with that anymore. 00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:43.339 It's, you know, I got just a digital amp with 00:28:43.339 --> 00:28:46.900 a consistent tone. And I basically model it directly 00:28:46.900 --> 00:28:51.660 off of what we did on the album, which is a PV 00:28:51.660 --> 00:28:57.140 6534 plus, I believe is what it is. And I mean, 00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:01.099 to me, it sounds really good and replicates what 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.259 we did in the studio. And I think that's so imperative, 00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:05.640 you know, if you're trying to come to different 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:08.559 audiences and bring that same like anger, that 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:10.119 same sound, it's good to have that consistent 00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:16.690 tone, you know? Yeah, cool. What influences that 00:29:16.690 --> 00:29:20.369 you have that may surprise people? So what, like 00:29:20.369 --> 00:29:23.690 out of left field, if you say, oh, well, I learned 00:29:23.690 --> 00:29:25.750 this from this person or that person might catch 00:29:25.750 --> 00:29:29.450 some people off guard. I mean, it's not that 00:29:29.450 --> 00:29:30.630 it's going to catch people off guard because 00:29:30.630 --> 00:29:32.309 people know me as like a solo guitar player. 00:29:32.490 --> 00:29:34.369 But, you know, you can think of like Paul Gilbert, 00:29:34.589 --> 00:29:38.230 Steve Vai, you know, Joe Satriani. Like, you 00:29:38.230 --> 00:29:40.289 know, Joe Satriani is very melodic. So maybe 00:29:40.289 --> 00:29:42.029 that's like shocking to people like, oh, he likes 00:29:42.029 --> 00:29:45.339 melodic music. Weird, you know? Right. But, um, 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:48.079 I even listened to a lot of the modern guys. 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:50.500 So animals as leaders, I love the, the strange 00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:52.319 time signatures, like all that kind of playing. 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:54.440 I got an eight string guitar and I kind of write 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:56.839 some stuff like that as well. So I'm a big fan 00:29:56.839 --> 00:30:01.160 of like modern, uh, instrumental solo music. 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:04.019 So with guitar music, rather, uh, intervals, 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:07.440 cleaning, you know, I don't think people realize 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:08.660 that I'm listening to that guy kind of stuff 00:30:08.660 --> 00:30:11.859 too, you know? And I'm actually a fan and believe 00:30:11.859 --> 00:30:14.480 it or not, like of like old school, like, pop 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:18.339 punk even so like even like a blick 182 and so 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:22.339 for me it's their their melodies are so like 00:30:22.339 --> 00:30:25.480 it's like almost like i'm not gonna call it corny 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:28.980 but it's like so like happy and so major mostly 00:30:28.980 --> 00:30:32.200 like a lot of it and so like for me it's a good 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:34.579 way to like listen listen through and like come 00:30:34.579 --> 00:30:37.480 up with ideas for melodies when it comes to solo 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.079 guitar playing like you know a lot of that stuff 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:42.559 it applies like you're not going to just shred 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:43.920 all over the place because that's going to bore 00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:46.440 people you want to create like a story and you 00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:47.980 want to create something with melodic tension 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:50.680 and listen and stuff like that like it's even 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:53.279 i know it's so simple but you know it has a lot 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:55.279 of that even like green day like old school green 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:57.579 day has that kind of stuff as well and so you 00:30:57.579 --> 00:30:59.119 take that and you apply the guitar and you think 00:30:59.119 --> 00:31:01.380 to yourself okay how can i apply that sort of 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:03.380 melody and try to like put it in the thrash metal 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:05.559 and not necessarily it's not always happening 00:31:05.559 --> 00:31:08.339 right But, you know, you find a way to kind of 00:31:08.339 --> 00:31:10.819 like incorporate a little bit of melody to create 00:31:10.819 --> 00:31:13.279 a story as you're soloing. Because for me, I 00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:15.180 don't want people to be like, dude, what is this? 00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:18.799 Like, none of it makes sense or like Carrie King, 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:21.720 you know. The goal is to kind of like craft like 00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:25.680 a nice story, nice melodic piece that, you know, 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:28.160 kind of goes and ebbs and flows from like some 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:31.440 speed stuff, some melodic stuff. And then, you 00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:32.960 know, maybe some not so melodic stuff. Right. 00:31:33.019 --> 00:31:37.589 So that's kind of where I'm at. Okay. Could you 00:31:37.589 --> 00:31:39.930 see yourself recording an instrumental guitar 00:31:39.930 --> 00:31:43.029 album at some point in the future? I'm so glad 00:31:43.029 --> 00:31:46.269 you asked that. I already recorded one. It's 00:31:46.269 --> 00:31:49.029 already mixed and mastered. Okay. Ready to go. 00:31:49.329 --> 00:31:52.529 I just am waiting for, uh, I'm going to condition 00:31:52.529 --> 00:31:54.170 critical to get its love because condition critical 00:31:54.170 --> 00:31:56.869 deserves its love. You know, I put so much work 00:31:56.869 --> 00:31:58.670 into this. This has been nine years in the making. 00:31:59.119 --> 00:32:01.240 that solo stuff the majority of it i wrote in 00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:04.720 like you know 2023 onwards right so it's relatively 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:08.500 all new stuff but uh very melodic the opposite 00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:10.839 of this there's no metal really there's like 00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.799 perhaps just a few metal sections where there's 00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:16.880 like chugs here and there but it's it's very 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:19.259 melodic and probably not what people are going 00:32:19.259 --> 00:32:21.460 to be anticipating is what i'll say but i can't 00:32:21.460 --> 00:32:23.740 wait to to you know unleash that but i'll definitely 00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:27.029 start like you know throwing out some more teasers 00:32:27.029 --> 00:32:28.809 and stuff every once in a while like my instagram 00:32:28.809 --> 00:32:31.089 story i'll put like a video of me like playing 00:32:31.089 --> 00:32:33.509 something and somebody's like what is that you 00:32:33.509 --> 00:32:35.869 know it's just like a random like jazz fusion 00:32:35.869 --> 00:32:39.309 section on like my solo album or something so 00:32:39.309 --> 00:32:44.569 to come it's it's to come soon okay thanks for 00:32:44.569 --> 00:32:46.890 asking though yeah yeah yeah that's that's cool 00:32:46.890 --> 00:32:52.029 um The other thing that I noticed on your Facebook, 00:32:52.089 --> 00:32:55.069 you guys posted a picture of Ace Fraley who just 00:32:55.069 --> 00:33:00.910 recently passed away. Yeah. What's your favorite 00:33:00.910 --> 00:33:04.549 Ace Fraley moment? Do you have a favorite album 00:33:04.549 --> 00:33:06.789 or song or anything like that you can share? 00:33:07.210 --> 00:33:10.009 Shock me. That's that's I know that's what everyone 00:33:10.009 --> 00:33:12.950 says, you know, but that's that's dude as a kid, 00:33:13.049 --> 00:33:16.910 like as a young kid in his teens, like that was 00:33:16.910 --> 00:33:21.349 the dude for me. Right. And so I used to look 00:33:21.349 --> 00:33:23.470 up, like, I remember scouring the internet for 00:33:23.470 --> 00:33:27.349 clips of him, you know, of course, like Eddie 00:33:27.349 --> 00:33:30.309 Van Halen, guys like that. Ace Frehley is like 00:33:30.309 --> 00:33:33.289 a, I mean, to me, he was a legend because as 00:33:33.289 --> 00:33:37.170 a, you know, nine, 10 year old, like you start 00:33:37.170 --> 00:33:40.809 with Kiss. And as I was getting my teenage years, 00:33:40.849 --> 00:33:42.950 when I started playing guitar, I was like, I 00:33:42.950 --> 00:33:44.710 want to be like that guy. Dude, I thought he 00:33:44.710 --> 00:33:46.410 was the coolest freaking dude on the planet. 00:33:47.250 --> 00:33:49.170 And of course I'm bummed that he passed away. 00:33:50.130 --> 00:33:56.049 And I don't know, man, you just, it makes you 00:33:56.049 --> 00:33:59.170 remember like those things when it sucks because 00:33:59.170 --> 00:34:01.529 he had to pass away for me to get those memories 00:34:01.529 --> 00:34:04.309 back. Right. And you don't think about that stuff 00:34:04.309 --> 00:34:05.849 daily because you're moving on. You got other 00:34:05.849 --> 00:34:07.690 things going on in your life. And then you see 00:34:07.690 --> 00:34:09.150 that and you're like, Holy shit. That's the, 00:34:09.230 --> 00:34:12.170 that was my dude. Yeah. That's a guy that are 00:34:12.170 --> 00:34:14.170 really, truly was inspired by looked up to and 00:34:14.170 --> 00:34:16.639 was one of the reasons why I. play guitar the 00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:20.820 way that i do you know so you know rest in peace 00:34:20.820 --> 00:34:28.199 ace really man cool and um if people want to 00:34:28.199 --> 00:34:31.159 check out degeneration chamber i got it right 00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:36.579 this time um uh where can they go to pick the 00:34:36.579 --> 00:34:39.760 album up and get the most amount of money into 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:43.599 your pockets into the band's pockets okay so 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:47.920 we have a merch websites with uh set up with 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:52.340 indie merch um you can also buy the tracks off 00:34:52.340 --> 00:34:56.659 of band camp okay and honestly man streaming 00:34:56.659 --> 00:34:59.780 services are free you stream the album i don't 00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:01.719 care just listen to it right i don't even care 00:35:01.719 --> 00:35:04.639 if you're i mean i it's great if you pay for 00:35:04.639 --> 00:35:06.599 the album we really appreciate it but at the 00:35:06.599 --> 00:35:08.599 same time i'd rather you listen to it if it's 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:10.539 the difference of paying 10 bucks and not listening 00:35:10.539 --> 00:35:13.760 to it i'd rather you just listen to it okay So 00:35:13.760 --> 00:35:15.440 check it out. You know, it's on Spotify. It's 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:19.179 also, you can find it on Apple music and all 00:35:19.179 --> 00:35:21.760 those other streaming platforms as well. And 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:26.860 yeah, man, I just, I'm just excited about this 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:28.699 thing. Cause we, again, it took nine years. You 00:35:28.699 --> 00:35:30.559 just, you know, you were just eloquently stating 00:35:30.559 --> 00:35:34.300 that earlier. And it's one of those things where 00:35:34.300 --> 00:35:38.260 I just want as many people who can't hear it 00:35:38.260 --> 00:35:41.829 to hear it. Cool. Yeah. And, and so they should, 00:35:41.909 --> 00:35:43.829 like I said, before we started the interview, 00:35:43.989 --> 00:35:49.309 uh, with our September albums review, um, Ed 00:35:49.309 --> 00:35:52.250 Ferguson highly touted the album and said, in 00:35:52.250 --> 00:35:54.789 his opinion, it's the thrash album of the year. 00:35:55.949 --> 00:35:57.849 That's, I mean, that's awesome to hear that, 00:35:57.909 --> 00:36:00.929 you know, and when we were making it, it's not 00:36:00.929 --> 00:36:03.269 like we're thinking like, can't wait to get, 00:36:03.349 --> 00:36:05.130 you know, louded with the album of the year, 00:36:05.170 --> 00:36:07.090 right? It's, you're just, you're just trying 00:36:07.090 --> 00:36:09.829 to create awesome music. And an awesome experience 00:36:09.829 --> 00:36:11.909 for the listener. And something where it's like, 00:36:11.989 --> 00:36:14.389 hey, this will translate to fun live. Like I 00:36:14.389 --> 00:36:16.550 said, thinking that you're going to die and that 00:36:16.550 --> 00:36:19.230 your forearms are going to freeze is an awesome 00:36:19.230 --> 00:36:21.929 live. You're like, oh my God, what is going on, 00:36:22.010 --> 00:36:24.010 right? Who doesn't want to do that, right? And 00:36:24.010 --> 00:36:27.190 so that's why we do this, man, because we love 00:36:27.190 --> 00:36:30.010 to play music. We love to play this stuff live. 00:36:30.150 --> 00:36:31.849 We want people to hear it. We're not thinking 00:36:31.849 --> 00:36:35.230 about album of the year, but to hear stuff like 00:36:35.230 --> 00:36:39.219 that and the positive. you know reviews the eight 00:36:39.219 --> 00:36:41.239 the nines the whatever out of tens like this 00:36:41.239 --> 00:36:44.179 is this has been awesome dude it's like exactly 00:36:44.179 --> 00:36:46.500 what you look for and i'll tell you what it's 00:36:46.500 --> 00:36:48.300 motivation to write the next album i already 00:36:48.300 --> 00:36:50.800 started writing songs we already i'm i'm personally 00:36:50.800 --> 00:36:53.159 two songs in and i'm sure the other guys are 00:36:53.159 --> 00:36:54.599 going to start you know kind of doing their thing 00:36:54.599 --> 00:36:59.739 as well and um definitely excited for what's 00:36:59.739 --> 00:37:01.739 to come you know we're going to keep trucking 00:37:01.739 --> 00:37:03.179 along i'm not saying it's coming anytime soon 00:37:03.179 --> 00:37:05.440 i'm just saying right starting to work on it 00:37:05.440 --> 00:37:07.340 because you know, you get this kind of positive 00:37:07.340 --> 00:37:10.159 feedback and I'm in the year and this is so awesome 00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:12.059 and this and that, like, it's wonderful. And 00:37:12.059 --> 00:37:14.440 it gets you just like jazzed up, man. It's like, 00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:17.079 all right, onto the next one. Right. Yeah, absolutely. 00:37:18.119 --> 00:37:20.300 Uh, where can people go to keep up with you guys 00:37:20.300 --> 00:37:23.719 online? So we're on Instagram. We're on Facebook. 00:37:24.199 --> 00:37:26.420 Um, we also have a YouTube page where, you know, 00:37:26.420 --> 00:37:28.260 we'll have the, you know, certain like things 00:37:28.260 --> 00:37:29.440 being posted on there every once in a while, 00:37:29.460 --> 00:37:32.489 like our music videos are on there. Um, And then 00:37:32.489 --> 00:37:35.070 you can also follow us all on like Instagram 00:37:35.070 --> 00:37:37.070 as well. So like I have a personal Instagram, 00:37:37.329 --> 00:37:39.349 uh, baseball player does as well. Mike Dreher, 00:37:39.369 --> 00:37:41.889 uh, Ryan Donato also does. And so does Ryan Taylor. 00:37:42.010 --> 00:37:43.869 So you can find us all on the internet. If you 00:37:43.869 --> 00:37:45.849 want to find us, we're on there and we're friendly 00:37:45.849 --> 00:37:47.630 too. So if you, if you shoot me a message, I'll 00:37:47.630 --> 00:37:49.869 answer. There's actually, you know, this one 00:37:49.869 --> 00:37:53.070 awesome, this young kid, dude, he's like, Hey 00:37:53.070 --> 00:37:55.570 man, I'm trying to figure out how to play the 00:37:55.570 --> 00:37:58.730 solo to post mortal simulation. And I'm like, 00:37:58.769 --> 00:38:02.119 I got you. So like I just real quickly like recorded 00:38:02.119 --> 00:38:03.679 like a video and kind of just like explaining 00:38:03.679 --> 00:38:06.219 it, right? Because it's like, yeah, they're like 00:38:06.219 --> 00:38:07.719 the diminished seventh chords and this and that. 00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:09.679 And so I do like a little weird like sliding 00:38:09.679 --> 00:38:11.980 technique and it's something that maybe he hadn't 00:38:11.980 --> 00:38:14.880 like come across before. So I was like, but if 00:38:14.880 --> 00:38:16.739 somebody wants to try to like figure out how 00:38:16.739 --> 00:38:18.539 to play a riff or something or ask me how to 00:38:18.539 --> 00:38:20.880 play a solo, like I am more than willing. You 00:38:20.880 --> 00:38:23.739 can reach out to me on my Instagram at Tony Barham. 00:38:26.139 --> 00:38:28.820 I love like educating stuff on like music. Like 00:38:28.820 --> 00:38:31.969 that's my shtick, man. My life. I love that's 00:38:31.969 --> 00:38:34.510 my passion. I love to do this thing. And, you 00:38:34.510 --> 00:38:35.789 know, when people ask me questions like that, 00:38:35.809 --> 00:38:39.750 I'm like, I got you. Awesome. Well, I'm sure 00:38:39.750 --> 00:38:43.110 that more than one of my followers will be hitting 00:38:43.110 --> 00:38:47.329 you up with stuff like that. So I'd love to, 00:38:47.349 --> 00:38:51.730 but the answer. Awesome. Tony, thank you so much 00:38:51.730 --> 00:38:55.050 for your time. Thank you. Appreciate you, man. 00:38:55.230 --> 00:38:58.679 Yeah. I appreciate you coming on and. Wish nothing 00:38:58.679 --> 00:39:03.059 but luck to you and the band. Yeah, enjoy the 00:39:03.059 --> 00:39:05.239 rest of your day. Awesome. On that note, we end 00:39:05.239 --> 00:39:08.840 the interview with Tony. Check out Condition 00:39:08.840 --> 00:39:11.039 Critical, and we will see you next time right 00:39:11.039 --> 00:39:23.320 here on Signals from Mars. See you, folks. Thank 00:39:23.320 --> 00:39:25.719 you for listening to the Signals from Mars podcast. 00:39:26.139 --> 00:39:28.400 You can subscribe to the show on all your favorite 00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:31.519 podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 00:39:31.940 --> 00:39:35.920 Google Podcasts, Amazon, and more. Go to signalsfrommars 00:39:35.920 --> 00:39:38.579 .com for more information. This concludes our 00:39:38.579 --> 00:39:38.800 show.