- Hello, Michael! Let's talk about The End. First of all, how did you meet Rick and Mike? - I met Rick in 2010 through a mutual friend. We were talking about Rick doing some whammy on a record I was writing for my band Death Before Dying. I met Mikey when DBD did a few shows with Massacre. The three of us hit it off well, and kept in contact through the years. - Who and when came up with the idea of creating the band? Was it originally planned to be as a trio? Or do you still consider any reinforcement to come? - Rick and Mikey had written the music for the last Massacre record " Back From Beyond ". They had written a fallow up record, but Massacre split up. Rather than throwing it away, and wasting all their hard work. Rick and Mikey decided to pick out the strong songs, and begin a new project. After spending time writing some new songs. They debated to get someone with a name to front the band, or get a fresh new face. So one Saturday morning, I received a call from Rick. He asked if I wanted to try something, and I jumped at the chance. Exactly one week later I wrote and demoed 4 songs. The very next day, I was asked to join THE END. Together, we decided it was best that we make things simple and be a powerful trio. - As I understand, the idea of playing the old-school death metal was straight on the table, wasn't it? When did you first start rehearsing? - Yes. One of the reasons I was chosen, was the fact that I had an old school background. The three of us believe that the old school way, is the only way. There are billions of bands trying to be the most brutal band on the planet. That is fine, they can have it! We just want to write some good straight to the point death metal. We started rehearsals in October. The chemistry is brutal. We have a great time playing these songs. Can't wait to play them live. - At the moment you are working on the upcoming EP, "Age of Apocalypse". Tell us a bit about this record. How many tracks did will you include? Who is working on the mix and mastering? - The EP is finished. There are 4 strong songs on it. Each with a feel of their own. These songs are aggressive, melodic, groovy, and to the point. We are very excited to get this to the masses. Tim Vazquez recorded, mixed, and mastered the EP at CGM Studios. He did an amazing job capturing the dark feel of the music. I really like the fact that the drums that you hear are real. They are not triggered nor have they been replaced by some digital program. Even though it was recorded digitally. It sounds warm and real. That's the best thing about the " Age Of Apocalypse " EP. It's old school with a modern take. We're not trying to recreate guitar tones an drum sounds from 1988. There is nothing nostalgic about THE END. This is old school in the now. - Where do you record it and what label will release it? Or will it be a self-released edition? - CGM Studios in south Florida. We are in negotiations with a major label. We have received offers from many labels. So we shall see what happens. It'll definitely be out in 2016. - On your Facebook page I saw 2 versions of the cover, so have you already decided on the cover? And who is the artist? - We actually have 3 versions. We're waiting on label stuff, so that we can decide how we want to deal with that. - Your South American tour has been announced. How long will it last and how many cities do you plan to visit? How are the preparations going? - It takes many months to plan a tour like this. You have to figure travel, lodging, back line, and food. Just to name a few. So we are still working with promoters, and getting things in line. So far it looks like 15 dates in 10 countries. But that could change. - What bands will you go with? How many songs will your play-list consist of? Your EP has only 4 tracks, so will you play any covers? Maybe something from Massacre? - We have been given a few choices, with a few really well known bands. Its all about timing, and making the numbers work. Keep an eye on our page for updates. As for our set list. We already have 10 songs for a full length record. So we have plenty for a live set. We may play a Massacre song live. We don't wanna use anything as a crutch, but we recognize that Massacre fans may want to hear a song or two. We shall just have to wait an see what happens. - Do you work on some other gigs as well? Do you plan to visit Europe any day soon? - We are doing a few Florida dates in January. Look for us in Europe, summer 2016. - Tell us a bit about another your band, Death Before Dying. Is this project still active? Do you plan to have any other records or activities with those guys? - I formed DBD in 2006. Recorded many demos, 2 full length records, all independently. I decided to put the DBD to rest when i was asked to join THE END. Reasons being the band wasn't really doing anything, and i don't believe in doing multiple bands. When you have multiple bands going, one of the bands will suffer. It's just a hard thing to balance, and it becomes unfair. I don't wanna have to do that to anyone. These guys already had to do that before. Not again. I put 200% into THE END. I live it! - Alright, Michael. Thank you for this interview. Hopefully, we will see a full-length from you soon! - Thank you very much Dima for the interview, and we are thankful for the support. Hope all is well, we will see you soon. Cheers |