- Hey, Chris! Finally Internal Bleeding is back! It's been a long time, what did you do in the gap between your 2 last releases, from 2004 to 2014?
- I was really busy between 2004-2014. I left my job and started my own business, bought a house and started a family which really kept me busy with little or no time to focus on music. Things finally settled down in my life around 2010 and I was able to resurrect Internal Bleeding and get things running again. It was really hard to go through those years without playing, but it needed to be done. On top of that, Internal Bleeding name needed a break to heal itself - You were the initiator of the reunion, what was the reason for you to bring the band back to life? Who did you contact first with that idea? - There were a few reasons I brought IB back. First, I missed playing music. It is something that is in my blood and I don’t think I will ever be able to stop again! Second, I never felt Internal Bleeding achieved what I think we should have achieved the first time around because circumstances just overtook the band in 2004 and just of beat the life out of it. Nothing good was coming out of us, we were depressed, dispirited and lost our drive. It was really upsetting. I kept in constant contact with Bill and Brian about bringing the band back “one day”; and in 2010, I gave them a call and said “let’s fucking do this!”. Here we are, already doing more than we did in the 1990s. I am really proud of that, and I hope that with this return we can reclaim the band’s reputation.
- How did it happen that Keith DeVito joined you? Did you suggest this place to any previous singers or was it rather an idea of creating something new?
Keith was the first person on our minds and Brian gave me his information so I could contact him. We wanted his vocal attack in order to continue and expand upon where the Driven to Conquer album left off. He has a lot of talent and can create incredibly original phrasing that leaves a lot of people’s heads spining. On top of that, he is a good lyricist, which is something important to all of us. We want our songs to paint a picture—and words are just as important as music. We didn’t want to go backwards, and Keith is definitely someone who helps propel IB forward.
- However we can hear Frank Rini's voice on some tracks! Who invited him? And what is he doing now?
- We all wanted Frank on the album, and I contacted him and asked if he’d do it. He was excited to be a part of it. Frank is a very special person in the history of IB. Not only was he a legendary frontman and appeared on two of our albums, but he has been a good friend to all of us through all these years. He never lost touch with us and has always offered advice, friendship and encouragement. He is the true essence of what a brother really is.
- Frank appeared on Pattern of Force, and it's actually very interesting as on the album this song is presented as trilogy. Why did you decide to do it exactly this way? What is the meaning behind it?
- The trilogy of songs kind of developed through a lot of conversations me and Keith had about the band—and music in general. Once we decided that we wanted to do a trilogy, we began writing three songs with the express purpose of creating a trilogy. The idea for calling it "Patterns of Force,” came when I was watching an episode of the TV show Star Trek. I’m a big Star Trek fan, so whenever it is on, I watch it very closely. Anyway, the episode I watched on this particular night was actually called “Patterns of Force”. The whole episode hit me in an emotional way and thought it would be a great starting point for a song. I called Keith with some ideas, then he pitched a few ideas and next thing you know, we had a whole story! Here’s the overview: Mankind is finally at peace and the world is a a paradise. The only problem is that everyone thinks and acts the same. It’s an era of total conformity. However, there is a small group of people who don’t believe in all the conformity, peace and harmony and they set about conquering the world. In the end, they overwhelm their enemy and take over, throwing the world into chaos. Now to break down the songs: Part I The Discovery: Ancient texts are discovered by a man which discusses conquering and plundering the world. This man puts the ideas in this book into action and sets about raising an army to take over the world. Part II Plague Agenda: The war to conquer the world is going to slow, so a virus is introduced to rid it of those who are resisting. This is a hideous virus that dehydrates people and there is nothing they can do to save themselves. No matter how much they try to hydrate themselves, they keep dehydrating and losing fluids. Eventually the resistance succumbs. Part II The Aftermath: This song talk about what happens when the war is over. Mankind is enslaved and becomes the servants to one man’s selfish needs.
- Do you think that "Imperium", your new album, is the heaviest in your discography? Can you compare it to your previous CDs?
I definitely think Imperium is the best release in our discography. It has a maturity to it that I don’t think previous albums have — that’s not to put down our other releases, which I think all have their merits — but I think this one has it all: the groove, slams, production, dimension, heaviness and the lyrical depth. I also think this album is groundbreaking, just like Voracious Contempt was when it came out in 1995. Imperium shows that slam doesn’t have to be one-dimensional with the same boring ”breakdown” riffs over and over again. - In the past you used to help in creation of albums' covers not only for IB but for some other bands as well. Did you work on the new album's cover too? - On this album I did not do the cover. I designed the packaging, but I stayed away from the cover art. We really wanted someone else’s vision to be involved with the cover of the album. - As you know nowadays it's kinda difficult to find your early stuff on CDs, do you have any plans to re-issue your first albums? - We’re working on it, but there is so much legal bullshit that we have to deal with, I think it may be impossible. We’re working through it though and hopefully one day we will see re-releases and remixes. Let’s hope we can navigate these legal seas! - How is the cooperation with Unique Leader going? Did you finally find THE label you wanted? - So far, things are really good and they have been very supportive of the band. Only time will tell if they are truly the label we always wanted. So far though, I have to say they are really good people and really do care about the band.
- Could you share any plans for 2015?
- 2015 is shaping up to be great. We’re going to be touring Europe in 2015, then hopefully another US tour. We already started writing the next album as well. Things are busy, but they are good. We’re really excited about this coming year. - Thank you, Chris, for the interview. What would you like to say to our readers in closing? - Thank you for the interview bro! We appreciate the support and friendship. Thanks to your readers for checking this out and thanks to our longtime friends for the years of support. Please drop by at any of the addresses below and say hello: facebook.com/internalbleeding reverbnation.com/internalbleeding youtube.com/internalbldng twitter.com/internalbldng Most importantly, make sure to check out Imperium. It’ll crush your fucking skull in! |