Q. Hi. How is everyone in the IN camp?
A. Very well man! Thanks for asking!
Q. What have you guys in been up to lately?
A. Well after releasing our debut album and playing a ton of
shows in 2013, we decided to have a couple of weeks off to recharge and refocus
for this coming year, 2014. It’s been nice to just kick back for a little while
and enjoy the holiday period.
Q. What is the metal scene like down in Melbourne
A. It’s great man. So many amazing bands and although there can
be too much on all at once sometimes, the turnouts and support are generally
great across the board.
Q. Australia has some truly talented metal bands
around at the moment, how would you rate them up there against some of the
bigger know international bands?
A. Man we have some world class bands here for sure!
Unfortunately there seems to be this opinion among general fans that local
bands are all shit so they don’t bother rocking up to gigs of overseas bands until
it’s time for them to start, yet they forget that even the international bands
they have paid good money to see have also once been local bands trying to make
a name for themselves. It is a shame, but there are definitely some bands that
have made waves overseas and then also here that get the respect and
recognition they deserve. It can be a very hard market though in Australia
Q. How has
your album been received by the fans? Any feedback from the fans on the album?
A. It’s been
received really well! After roughly 6 years as a band it was amazing to finally
get it out there! We’ve had some great feedback on it actually and it’s always
nice when you get compliments on your playing from other players you respect
and admire.
Q. What kinds of
things inspire you musically and lyrically? Are there any types of themes that
you like to write about and incorporate into your music? Is there any message
in your music that you are trying to get out there?
A. I guess
personally it’s anything I feel strongly about or that I feel I need to get out
for therapeutic purposes. It can be incredibly cathartic to inject whatever it
is that’s goes on in your mind into your art and out into the world in this
way. I guess it’s the way I see and feel the world. A social commentary on what
I see in my life, the shit that I have been through and dragged with me and my
interpretation of it all and my beliefs and observations from where I was to
where I am now. I am a constant observer and analyzer of the things around me
and particularly human behavior, and the age old and eternal question ‘What
makes people do what they do?’, so I’ll sometimes try and get people to perhaps
look at these situations a little bit deeper than just the perception level to
see what else may be behind it. This is something I learn to do all the time.
That area of study is something I just can’t get enough of.
Also I might inject themes of rising up and empowering
people to pull themselves up out of their situation as I am very passionate
about empowering people to take control of their lives and letting them know
that they can change their lives for the better. I can also be quite
anti-authoritarian as well so these references and themes of not being dictated
to or told how to live or told what or who you are definitely come through,
even just in my everyday conversation if you spend any time talking to me.
Q. How did you
come up with the album name, and the album cover? Who was the artist that did
the cover, and why have 2 different album covers?
A. I believe
Paul came up with name “Chaos Reborn” actually but I can’t be certain, ha-ha.
It signified the end of an old Internal
Nightmare era and the birth of a new era, with new lineup, new songs and a
new style. I came up with the main album cover theme of a person sitting in
amongst chaos while still remaining strong, powerful and centered because it
represented to me exactly what I had to be during the rebirthing period,
otherwise we wouldn’t be doing this interview. It also signifies where I am in
my life today and where I am heading as opposed to where I used to be. The
artwork and concept means a lot to me and it’s currently being tattooed on my
back.
The reason for the 2 covers was to let the fans choose
whether they wanted the more spiritual cover or the brutal cover because we
wanted to have a bit of both as well. It seemed to go down well! Although
sometimes people think they are 2 different CD’s, ha-ha. We could be making
double the profit, ha-ha.
We got Brent and Bam Bam from QWAK Art in Melbourne
Q. Do all of
the band members have a say in the writing process of the music and lyrics?
A. Paul (bass
player/vocalist) and I will generally have a full song written musically that
we bring in, or a full set of lyrics and we’ll kind of just get together and
run through it as a band after it’s already been demoed on Powertab or through
a rough recording. Sometimes though it may sound good on CD or Powertab as a
demo but once we get in and play the song as a band we may realize that we need
to tweak the structure or add sections depending on the flow of the track and
how it sounds and feels to actually play together. We really don’t do the whole
‘just get into a room and jam and see what comes out’. I find it quite
counterproductive for us and quite time-consuming with generally no result or
outcome. The ‘play with stuff until you have a full song and we’ll go from
there’ seems to be the best way for us.
Q. IN recently
played the Death / Chuck Schuldiner tribute show, how did you become
involved, and what was it like to be involved in such a moving and emotional
show like that?
A. It was incredible! Such a great vibe and cool crowd! We’d
been talking about getting back up to Sydney again for a while and had been
talking to a mate about it and he got in contact with the promoter of the Chuck
show about us jumping on the bill and we couldn’t have said yes any quicker!
They got shirts done and everything and with our band name on the back is makes
an awesome memento!
Q. What does the future hold for IN?
A. More albums, more shows, more videos. An overseas tour this
year would be nice, as well as getting to some of the places we haven’t been to
in Oz yet.
Q. Thank you for your time for this interview.
A. Anytime man! Thanks so much for the questions. I had a blast
picking apart my own thought processes which I incorporate into my band’s art
and every day life. It’s not until you get asked stuff like this that you
really become aware of exactly what drives you. It was fun.....
Interviewed by Collin Brophy, February 2014
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