Psycroptic interview

(Originally from 2/26/07)

We've had Cryptopsy interviewed on this site before, and now we have another great technical death metal band to add to our "roster" of interviews! The Tasmanian group Psycroptic has been gaining quite an international fanbase and reputation over the last few years, and now Joseph Haley (guitarist) takes us down memory lane, through their present day success and into the potential future of the band, along with some guitar tips and music suggestions!

To start off, can you give us a brief description of the band - for those who may not be familiar with Psycroptic's history or music?

Joseph Haley: Well, my brother Dave and I started a band way back around 1997 called Disseminate and played gigs locally in Hobart for a few years, and also managed to get a demo out as well which will never be found anywhere I have no doubt (and a good thing too). By about 98, Dave and myself were kind of wanting to head in a different direction than what we were doing in Disseminate. I actually remember playing an early Psycroptic song to the other guys in Disseminate ("Isle of Disenchantment" I think it was) and they hated it. That was when my brother and I decided that we’d start a new band. We wrote about 7 or 8 songs together in a sort of technical thrash/death style and got our high school mate Cam on bass and Chalky on vocals. We recorded The Isle of Disenchantment in ’99, before we had played any gigs, and once it was released in 2000 we tried to do as many gigs as possible to promote it and managed to make quite a name for ourselves in the local scene. With the release of The Scepter of the Ancients in 2003, we tried to extend ourselves even further by doing many national tours that in the end led to an international tour in 2004 with, who were soon to become good friends, Dismember. Unfortunately Matthew Chalk, our vocalist at the time, wasn't really committed to doing the tour and we were forced to replace him with long time friend Jason Peppiatt. Because of these touring problems with our original vocalist we were forced to let him go and replace him permanently with Jason. Things have just been heading up for us since then, as we try to tour as much as possible, and I think its helping to get our name out there a lot more. We released our third album Symbols of Failure early 2006 through Neurotic Records, and in that time have toured with bands such as Nile, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, etc.

I have not heard the new album yet, but how has the response been so far?

The response so far for Symbols of Failure has been really good – much better than the older albums considering the amount of time that the album has been released for. We were a little bit worried at first, having a different vocalist and all, because we knew that there were many fans of our old vocalist out there. But in the end Jason was very well received, especially as a front man for the band. I think our music on this album is finally starting to come together into the style that we have been progressing towards, and I think that the next album will be the sound that we have been after.

What kind of guitar/recording equipment was used for the record?

The guitar sound that I used, and what I also use for my live setup, was a Mesa-Boogie triaxis preamp, which I personally think is the best preamp out on the market. I also had that running through a TC-Electronic G-force effects processor, but all I used on that was the gates and a tiny bit of EQ. The rest was the triaxis. And I think I had all that running through a Marshall JCM2000 head and a 4x12. I have a very similar setup live, but I usually run it in stereo on stage, just to give it a bigger sound. The recording of the album was done very cheaply. We recorded the drums in the studio, and then did everything else on my computer at home. Also mixed it at home as well and then had it mastered by the great Tue Madsen.

Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you?

Well, I myself haven't really listened to a lot of metal for quite some time. Its usually the bands that we tour with that inspire me the most, with their stage shows and great attitudes. I always find myself listening to a lot of bands that we have toured with in the past. Guitar wise though, I try not to listen to too much metal because I don’t really want other metal players to influence me too much. I usually listen to different kind of guitarists, such as Guthrie Govan, Brett Garsed, Scott Henderson, Greg Howe, and im a really big fan of Devin Townsend’s work. Everything he does is genius.

Do you have a favorite Psycroptic song?

My favorite Psycroptic song is always the latest song that we have written, so my favorite Psycroptic song would be some of the new ones that my brother and I have been working on which isn’t on any albums. But I guess my favorite recorded Psycroptic song would have to be either "Cleansing a Misguided Path" or "Merchants of Deceit" as they were the last songs that were written for the last album.

Would you describe the songwriting process that occurs when Psycroptic comes up with new tunes?

These days, its mainly Dave and I that deal with most of the writing of new material. We tend to write the songs in sections. It usually starts with myself writing a section (or a group of riffs tied together). Then we’ll just jam on these sections, which would essentially be the beginnings of new songs, and keep jamming on them until we both naturally change into a similar idea at the end of them. Then I’d go off on my own and write another section based around that idea. Then we’d come back and do the same thing on that section. This keeps happening until we finally finish the song. Sometimes we’d have a section set aside for months at a time, after we’ve written several other songs, until we finally figure out what right kind of change suits that particular section. It’s probably a peculiar way of writing songs but we find it way more enjoyable to be jamming on the songs while we’re writing them, rather than just writing the whole song, and then jamming on it.

What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability?

Well, I don’t really have any strict practice schedules that I follow or anything. I think that over time, playing this type of music, your technique seems to really improve itself. I think the only thing that I try to keep conscious about is trying to move my hands as little as possible. I spent a fair amount of time over the years trying to keep my fingers as close to the fret board as possible, and keeping my picking technique as efficient as possible. I think that is the key to having good technique, not only for death metal but the playing of all styles.

How's the death metal scene in Australia today? Do you have a good following in your home town?

We do have a really good following in our hometown, unfortunately we’re quite isolated in Tasmania and there is a fair lack of decent venues to play at. Because of this we don’t really do many gigs in Tasmania. But when we do, the shows are always really good for us. Most of the shows that we do in Australia are done over in Melbourne or Sydney, but we still try not to overplay. Don’t want people getting bored of us. We have a really good following in the rest of Australia also, but our main priority at the moment is trying to play overseas as much as we can. The overall metal scene in Australia is pretty good at the moment – a lot of variety. Heaps of Different styles, not just death metal. It makes the shows great, because fans of all styles of metal come out to see the shows since there are always bands of different styles playing.

Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists?

Just stick at it, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Don’t feel like you have to play a certain way or sound a certain way just because everyone else does. I think that the more you don’t sound like anybody else, the further your music will take you.

And last of all, is there an interview question you've always wanted to answer, but that no one has ever asked?

Hmm, nah.

We'd like to extend a big thanks to Joseph Haley and the entire crew in Psycroptic for making this interview possible. Their new album Symbols of Failure is out now on Neurotic Records. You can visit their official website at www.psycroptic.com and their official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/psycroptic.

Alkemyst interview

(Originally from 2/24/07)

Alkemyst is a lesser known metal band from France that incorporates progressive elements into their speed/power metal style of music. Guitarists Arnaud Ménard and Séverin Bonneville join us for a look from their 2003 debut to their upcoming sophomore release, as well as some insights into their writing routines, and practice techniques...

To begin, can you give us a brief synopsis of the band - for those who may not be familiar with the history and music of Alkemyst?

Séverin Bonneville: Well, we started to play as Alkemyst in 1998, this is the time when we managed to form a steady line-up. Our music was very influenced by German speed metal bands like Helloween for example. We would play concerts in our area (France). In September 1999, we recorded our first 2 track demo CD called "A Path To Heaven", whose outcomes were rather positive for us in terms of reputation: a lot of people wanted to know more about us and our music. Meanwhile we had to find another singer as we didn't agree on the musical orientations for the band. As we couldn't find the right singer in France, we decided to reach someone we would be proud to work with on our first album, his name was Ramon Messina (singer of the Italian metal band Secret Sphere). Ramon was glad to take part in our project and joined the band in September 2000. We recorded Meeting in the Mist between 2001 and 2002 at the NSR studio, France but we had to record it twice because of a severe hard disk crash! During the recording of the album we had reached several record companies and Nuclear Blast gave us opportunities we couldn’t' miss. Therefore, our first album, Meeting in the Mist, was released in 2003 worldwide on Nuclear Blast. 

As I'm sure the fans would like to know, what can you tell us about the possibility or progress of a new album? 

Séverin: The recording of our new album is almost finished now and we’re looking forward to having you hear it guys! This album will be much more extreme in many ways with more dreamy and progressive atmospheres and very fast and agressive songs too; we really tried to reconcile different aspects of our musical personality in this album. Another point is that we really wanted it to be original (some people thought our musical influences were too easily recognizable on Meeting in the Mist), that’s why this album will probably sound more personal than the previous one I think. Currently, only the choirs and the arrangements are to be recorded. The mix will finally take place next summer in Geneva, Switzerland, and the album will be released in September hopefully. We can hardly wait...

Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you? 

Séverin: Personally, as a guitarist, I'm a huge fan of skilled people who use technique to create beautiful things. That's why I find John Petrucci's work very inspiring in Dream Theater. I think bands like Pain of Salvation or Beyond Twilight are great as they manage to bring something truly new and personal to the European metal scene. 

Arnaud: I have always been more inspired by riff/songwriters than by shredders, even if I was interested in some lead guitar player’s incredible performance. Marc Mc Gee (Ex: Vicious Rumours), Mike Wead or Jason Becker - the most impressive ones, to name a few, are maybe the ones I like the most, because everything they play is beautiful. But the ones which had the strongest influence on me were the songwritters. I wont give you the whole list, because they are too numerous for this interview. Your readers can ask me with a personal email, if they want to know more (laugh).

Do you have a favorite Alkemyst song? 

Séverin: The next one to be written! I'm kidding, I really like listening to "It's Time" as it combines powerful riffing with dreamy atmospheres. To sum it up, just listen to the chorus, you'll find the perfect embodiment of the speed melodic style to me. Moreover, I love the song entitled "Nameless Son": It's a 12 minute epic and catchy song. I think it's the most complete song we've written so far. Of course, there's a bunch of great songs coming up in our next album but I need to step back and wait so I can figure out which ones are my favorites.

Can you walk us through the songwriting process that occurs when you're coming up with new tunes? 

Séverin: Well, basically Arnaud Menard comes over or I go to his place with new material, we usually start out a song with a guitar riff. Then we try to get those riffs organized, giving a coherent structure to the future song. Once we're satisfied with the backbone of the song, each one tries to think it over to find how the song could be improved in terms of structure (intro, ending, etc...) and various arrangements. It's quite a long process, it can take weeks. Then, after the music, come the lyrics. On our following album, all the members of the band (including Ramon) worked together, trying to match some of the lyrics we had written with catchy melodies coming from our subconscious minds. It's a very interesting process: everyone feels involved and we're satisfied with the result! You see, the bottom line of the Alkemyst songwriting process is to make sure that we don't write that kind of ''Uhh, I think I've already heard that before'' song: we want each song to be unique, even though we know it's a difficult task, it shouldn’t remind us of one of our songs or one of any other band we know. Personally, I'd rather write a couple of albums in a lifetime than writing an album every two years. 

Arnaud: Concerning the new album, things changed a bit because we wrote one song almost together, and three titles have been composed from drum rhythms Arnaud (Gorbaty) invented at home. Then, we would find some goods riffs on it. Quite an original way of working, but a very efficient one, since drums are the basis of rock'n'roll!

What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability? 

Arnaud: Well, I'm not proud of what I'm going to say but I'm rather lazy on my instrument these days so it's rather difficult for me to answer such a question. However, I always love to do some warm up exercices: I usually play intricate riffs trying to work my way up and down the neck chromatically, and I like to work on the accuracy of my right-hand too (always picking down, up, down, up...). But there’s still a lot of work left you know...

How do you think the progressive metal scene is doing today? 

Arnaud: I don’t know if it is up to us to express a judgement on the whole scene. Well, we used to name "progressive" every metal band playing a lot of notes, writing intricate-structured songs, using different kinds of time signatures... Even if we have obviously been influenced by bands like Dream Theater or Symphony X, we have maybe a different idea of what is being "progressive"; I mean, the more we get old, the more we are into the building of atmospheres, just like the rock bands in the 70's.

Today, I would call "progressive" a lot of good bands, but not necessarily the ones you could guess: Opeth, for example, are just amazing; Pain of Salvation, Ark, Beyond Twilight, or even Emperor; they all wrote masterpieces in a very complex but understandable way, full of emotions, with deep atmospheres, and an incredible skill, without being too obviously "prog". They just make the music progress – in the right sense of the word.

Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists?

Arnaud: First, do your best to write songs you can proud of for a lifetime: good music might imply talent, but a good song doesn't come out without lots of work. In Alkemyst, we strive and sometimes fight for weeks to end up with a good song. The important thing is to be convinced of your point of view, but be able to consider other people's ideas too. You see, you can feel you're right about a song but you might be surprised to find out somebody else comes up with a different but excellent idea too. So, be truthful to your music and the people you work with, listeners will probably feel that into your songs.

Lastly, is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one has ever asked?

Arnaud: How come we haven't seen you on stage in the US? Well, that's probably because nobody there has invited us!

Lots of thanks to Arnaud, Séverin, and the other guys in Alkemyst for providing the opportunity for this interview. Their 2003 debut, Meeting In The Mist is available through their official website and still through several online stores. You can visit their website at www.alkemyst.net and their official MySpace page is www.myspace.com/alkemystmusic.

Candlemass interview with Lars Johansson

(Originally from 11/29/06)

Lead guitarist Lars Johansson of the legendary doom metal band Candlemass has blessed us with the chance for an interview and a brief look at the past, present, and possible future of the band...

Starting things off, can you give us a brief introduction to the band, for those who may be unfamiliar with the history and music of Candlemass? 

Lars Johansson: Well, the full story is long and would not fit in this document, but we are playing slow and heavy at the same time, 5 piece band: bass, vox, perc, axe and lead axe… somewhere a touch of the 70's but yet melodic and "modern" thinking... We always trying to build an atmosphere around the songs, so they also can work fine live...

I'll go right ahead and get straight to it - what can you tell us about the possibility of a new album? 

Well, all the music is recorded, so of course there will be a new album.

How is the search for a new vocalist going? 

It's out in the press by now, so we'll see what's hidden there. We have a couple of guys we have to check out...

Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you and the rest of Candlemass? 

I think we all have roots in the 70's, with bands such as: Black Sabbath, Uriah heep, Rush... bands like that... But we all have a wide range in our listening-spectra.

Do you have a favorite song that you've written with the band - or perhaps even a favorite album? 

Leif is writing all the songs for Candlemass (exept for 3 songs on the Chapter 6 album, that I wrote) And for me that’s fine, he is doing a fine job as it is... I write my own material in my corner for CreoZoth...

What do you think of the doom metal scene today? Are there any new bands around in the genre that you like? 

I listen a lot to different kinds of music you know, but I have noticed a few that can both play & act like they really are in to it. But hey... the music industry pops a lot of crap in every shelf, and not so many bands stays longer than 2 or 3 albums, unfortunately...

Can you walk us through the songwriting process that Candlemass has gone through in the past for coming up with new tunes? 

Now that we are old and lazy :) we don’t hang around the rehearsal room more than we have to... So Leif is sitting down for a couple of months, then we call eachother and make some moves in the agenda, then Leif puts together a cd with the riffs and drum-machine and support vocals, so you know where you are in the woods of riffs :) Then we listen to that for a while and then we rehearse the stuff and check out how it works...

What specific techniques or practice routines do you personally use to improve your playing ability? 

Well I just sit down on my bed, grab a guitar and jam with it for a 30 minutes or so. Then a little finger gymnastic exercise that I make up at the time I'm doing it, and after that maybe some riffs start poppin up... :)

Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or guitarists? 

Listen to a lot of different kinds of music, get inspiration from more than the instrument you are playing (piano, saxophone, harp). And the most important thing is to go with your heart and listen to what each song needs from your axe...

Last of all, is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one has ever asked? 

People ask me about pickups, strings, amps, effects... So in a way I think you covered most of the "other" questions...

A big thanks to Lars and everyone from Candlemass for making this interview happen. You can visit the official website at www.candlemass.se.

Trouble interview with Jeff Olson

(Originally from 9/30/06)

Trouble is a legendary name in the doom metal genre, often mentioned in the company of other infamous names like Black Sabbath and Candlemass. The group has been around for more than two decades, has released some undeniable classics, and now prepares to unleash their first new album in over 10 years. Longtime member and drummer Jeff Olson gives us a brief glimpse of the past and future for Trouble...

Getting started, can you give us a brief introduction to the band, for those who are unfamiliar with the history/music of Trouble?

Jeff Olson: Started in 1978 by Rick Wartell....a five piece dual guitar format with double leads and scratchy vocals... low tuned by a step in the 80's and different tunings since... Members are Rick Wartell, Bruce Franklin (Guitars), Eric Wagner (Vocals), Chuck Robinson (Bass), and Jeff Oly Olson (Drums).

I'll just go ahead and cut straight to the chase - how is progress coming on the new CD scheduled for a 2007 release?

Good it has been finished for a while... and it is ready... it sounds great!

With the exception of Sean McAllister, this is the first time the original Trouble line-up has been together again in over 20 years. What brought about the reunion of the line-up and are you guys finding it any easier or more difficult to write new songs after all these years?

It was a lot of individual writing this round... we turned in the songs and voted on them... It was a tough process.

Can you tell us who are some of the bands/musicians that have inspired you and the rest of Trouble?

Alice Cooper, Deep Puple, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, old Judas Priest, Doors, Beatles... for me jazz and be bop and modern orchestral... oh ELP.

The early Trouble albums seem to have some heavily Christian themes present in them, and although you guys have never really aligned with the Christian metal industry, the lyrics changed quite a bit around the time of the self-titled album. Was there any particular reason for this, or was it just time to branch out more?

We were too preachy...It trapped us in a catergory.

Do you have a favorite song that you've written with the band - or perhaps even a favorite album?

I wrote "Victim Of The Insane", "Till The End Of time", "Sorrows", and "Fly"... my favorite album is Run To The Light.

What do you think of the doom/psychedelic rock scene today? Are there any new bands around in the genre that you like?

Love it!!!!!!!!! Tundra Trash Radio!!!! All of it is awsome..... Sleep... War Horse... Electric Wizzard.... Today Is The Day... Mastadon.... Lamb Of God... Kyuss.... Sunn O))).... Spirit Caravan... Typo... and Wet Animal, Super Shine, Lid ,Tortured Soul and Retro Grave.

Can you walk us through the songwriting process that Trouble has gone through in the past for coming up with new tunes?

Team ups like Eric and Bruce... Rick and Bruce, Ian Brown before... Sean Mac wrote "The Tempter", "Wickedness", "Endtime" and "The Last Judgement"! We would learn riff by riff on the couch unplugged... we called it chicken pickin'... "Bastards" was written to my double bass beat and they just played a rhythm and added that double lead....Barry played a groove for "Scuze Me".

Is there any advice you might give to aspiring musicians, bands or drummers?

Never Stop... always Jam...

Do you have any specific techniques or tips you use to improve your playing ability?

Rudimental techniques and playing all of Brann Dailor's music!

Finally, is there any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but no one has ever asked?

This is a pretty cool question! ...Yes! Do I have a new record coming out?... Yes! Not to be confused with the new Trouble record... I am putting out a record called Retro Grave... by a branch of Trouble called "Trouble Again"... sort of like the Kiss records...they all did a project with the Kiss logo... the Trouble cross will show up on Retro Grave.

My thanks to Jeff for making this interview possible, and to everyone in Trouble for making great music. Trouble's new album, Simple Mind Condition, will be released through Century Media records, estimated for early 2007. To visit the band's official website, go to www.newtrouble.com.

Helstar interview

(Originally from 7/13/06)

Helstar is a thrash metal band from Houston, Texas that made it's mark upon the metal community in the mid-to-late 80s with the release of two of their most infamous, classic albums: Remnants Of War and Nosferatu. In 2006, the band has re-united under the Remnants line-up and guitarists Rob Trevino and Larry Barragan give us a look at the past, present, and future of the band - including the progress on a long-awaited comeback record!

Kicking things off, can you give a brief synopsis for those whohaven't heard of the band's history, evolution and the style of music you guys play? 

Larry Barragan: Well, Helstar is a Texas band that has been around since about 1982 or so. We started off with our roots in Maiden and Priest but we evolved into a more progressive power metal type band. Although back then we didn't call it progressive metal we just called it metal with technical parts. The band has put out I think like 7 albums since the early 80s. 

Rob Trevino: Yup, not much to add there! Larry started the group when he was still in high school. I would also say that our style evolved as it was influenced by some of the other (then) underground bands of the era. Helstar is definitely a band that never followed any trends, but we were aware of what our peers were doing...

After many line-up changes, you've recently re-united as the line-up that recorded the legendary Remnants Of War album. What exactly brought this reunion into effect?

LB: Robb Chavez of Robb's Metal Works came down to Houston to see our other band Eternity Black play and after the show while drinking some beers we got on the subject of who he was going to get to play his annual showcase. He asked what would it take to get the Nosferatu line up back together. I basically told him that really wasn't realistic. I told him it would be easier to do the Remnants of War line up since Rob and I were already playing together in Eternity Black. Also Russell Deleon is playing with us as well and he had been a member of Helstar during the later years. It just kind of snowballed from there. 

RT: Just like Lar said. I am pretty sure that he or James would not have even considered the other possibility even if Andre and Frank were still actively playing. Not because of any conflicts or animosity between any of them, but I mean, you basically had 3/5 of the band already playing together in another band. It just made more sense.

I'll go ahead now and ask the question that I'm sure all the fans want to know: is there anything you can tell us about a new album in the making? 

LB: We have a couple of songs finished and we have others in the working stages. I guess it's going to sound like Remnants meets Nosferatu. 

RT: We are working on it, but due to family and work schedules, it is a longer process these days! Not to mention that Larry, Russ, James and I all have other projects. Plus, we've been entertaining offers to perform and that is taking time as we have to rehearse and re-learn some more of the Helstar catalog for them. Once we get through our August shows we will begin writing in earnest. Of course, if an idea comes to Larry or me right now, we'll record it at home and work on it individually or via email until we can present to the rest of the band. And of course there is Jerry's material to go through... Whatever it is, it will be heavy!

Eleven years have passed since the last Helstar studio album and twenty years have gone by since the current line-up was last together. Do you feel that it gets harder to write new material after such a long time? 

LB: Yes and no. I'm not looking for the easy way out and try to do Nosferatu part two or Remnants part two. I would like for it to sound like Helstar, that neo-classical meets power metal sound that is sort of our signature. At the same time I want it to sound original and fresh and most important of all, HEAVY. Writing comes sort of natural. I just have to sit down and start playing. Sometimes an idea will stick and I record it and see if Rob can run with it from there. 

RT: I don't think so. We are both riff machines! haha... Sometimes we work on a riff immediately if we feel like it's an easy one to finish. Others we just shelve until we're ready to explore them. We just record them and name them whatever we think of at the time. some of the names can be pretty funny. Larry and I have been playing together (again) for the last 3 years and we've gotten really good at working together. We pretty much have a writing partnership now that we didn't really have 20 years ago and it works really well.

Who are some of the bands/musicians that have influenced your guitarwork and the music of Helstar in general? 

LB: In the early days it was Black Sabbath and Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. We just tried to take it a step further. As far as guitarists go, Randy Rhoads and Yngwie. 

RT: Man, too many! The big ones, Sabbath, Priest, Ozzy, Maiden, etc, but there are so many others. As for guitarists, I am with Larry; my main influences are Randy and Yngwie, but I really like Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Michael Schenker, Uli Roth, and on and on...

How do you feel about the thrash scene today? Are there any bands around now that have influenced you? 

LB: I think the scene has obviously enjoyed a resurgence. I like a lot of bands that may not be considered thrash but are still super heavy. Off the top of my head I like Killswitch Engage, Mastodon quite a bit. A Life Once Lost is another great band. 

RT: I feel that there has definitely been a resurgence. Let's see, I'm sure I have been influenced in some way by some of the newer bands... I don't keep up with everything out there, but I know of several newer bands I like, such as Lamb of God, Chimaira, Killswitch... I don't know what is considered what anymore! Some people consider Helstar thrash- we used to call ourselves a power metal band with technical parts! Hearing some of it now, I can hear elements of thrash in the music.

Being a native Texan myself, I can't say that there are many metal bands that make it beyond local territory and into international distribution. You guys started out on the infamous Combat Records label and then switched over to Metal Blade a few albums later. What was it like getting signed to such reputable labels - was it difficult to gain exposure inititally? How were you guys noticed? 

LB: It was exciting to say the least. We thought we were on our way when Metal Blade picked us up but for whatever reason it just didn't happen for us. There was a lot of talent in Texas back then and still today. Back then Watchtower and S.A. Slayer, Militia out of Austin. People just didn't think of Texas as being a heavy metal factory but it really was. 

RT: It was really cool! I remember before Remnants was released, we came out on the Combat compilation "Bullets" alongside other Combat artists. Megadeth was on it as well as a bunch of other bands and I was like, "I've made it!" Well, yeah except that we didn't have any money! Haha! I quit the band just before it signed to Metal Blade, but I was there in the beginning of the whole Metal Blade relationship. Bryan Slagel and Mike Faley came to Houston and attended one of our shows and that pretty much sealed the deal. I think that Helstar was initially noticed out of the tape trading scene of the early 80s. That's how a lot bands got signed. The Burning Star demo somehow landed in the right hands and the rest is history.

Out of all Helstar's albums, do you have a favorite? What about a favorite song? 

LB: I still am very partial to Nosferatu. It was my best writing effort and my playing was probably the best it's ever been. 

RT: I don't really. I know Larry is partial to Nosferatu, but there are really a lot of great songs on all of the albums. As for overall production, I'd have to say Remnants hands down is the winner. It just has such a heavy sound compared to the others.

Do you guys have some sort of tried-and-true method for writing each new Helstar tune, or does the music kinda just "come to you"? 

LB: No, no formula to writing. Like I said I just kind of start playing around and hope that I can come up with at least two good ideas and build on it from there. 

RT: Like Larry, I really don't have a method. 95 percent of the riffs I come up with are just a byproduct of sitting in my room jamming alone.

How long have you been playing guitar? What are some of the ways you practice now to stay fresh and keep developing your skills? 

LB: Well, I started when I was 13 and I'm 41 now so you do the math. I've been playing a fucking long time. I don't practice like I did back in the "Nosferatu" days. Back then I'd practice for about 6 to 8 hours a day. Now I'm lucky to get in an hour a day. I still practice with a metronome. It's the best way to develop a clean and precise playing style. 

RT: I have been playing 26 years. It has been harder to really get 'better' as I've gotten older. Mainly because I have a day job, family, etc. However, I do believe my 'feel' has gotten way better than 20 years ago. I will sit and try to make one note sound as many different ways as possible. I try to keep my speed, what little I have, up by practicing with a metronome. Re-learning these Helstar songs has done wonders for my overall dexterity!

Is there a single piece of wisdom that you think every guitarist should know? 

LB: Hmm, I think every guitarist should try to learn to play slow before they try to play fast. Speed should come naturally and your playing should be clean. I'm not the fastest guitarist around but I choose my notes well and I try to play my parts cleanly. 

RT: I agree with Larry; focus on learning to play cleanly and the speed will come.

Lastly, can you think of an interview question that you've wanted to answer before, but has never been asked? 

LB: Can't think of anything at the moment. Thanks for the interview. You asked some great questions. 

RT: Nah, not at the moment... Thanks for the interview! Hope to meet you sometime at a show...

Once again, I would like to thank Rob, Larry, and all the guys in Helstar for allowing this interview to happen. You can check out their official website at: www.helstar.com or their official MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/helstar.