Albums of Purgatory interview Endangered Reign
Firstly, whats the band up to right now?
We are currently rehearsing new material for our next album tenetively
titled 'Unbalanced Skies'. I have written 12 new songs and Brian and Karl
have been helping with the arrangements. Brian is working out some killer
leads and Karl is developing the drum and bass parts. We hope to be in
studio this fall to begin the recordings.
How would you describe the Endangered Reign sound?
Pretty much straight forward Metal! Some have described us as Power/Thrash
which is cool too. We are definitely on the heavy end of the scale similar
to bands like Iced Earth, Nevermore, and Angel Dust but we still have our own
personal sound I think. Our next album will sound a lot more modern than
Fallen Breeze because of how I wrote the songs and because we have a much
improved drummer in Karl who really knows Metal drumming and how to use the
double bass pedal.
How did you get involved with the band?
Actually I started the band along with Brian. We had some cool songs so we
got with Brian's brother Brad who started playing bass for us. Then we found
Dave on drums to complete the band. Brad moved to Arizona and Dave left the
band to go to college. We met Karl who happens to be awesome on bass and
drums so we lucked out.
Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?
I don't recall our actual first gig, we are not gigging much now as we are
concentrating on the new album. Besides there is hardly a metal audience in
the US so we don't do a lot of gigs currently. I am sure if we lived in
Sweden or Germany we would gig a lot more. We play in Endangered Reign
because we love metal and we are not trying to win a popularity contest.
Are you involved in any other projects and if so how do they compare
to Endangered Reign?
No, just Endangered Reign, we are busy with our regular jobs and family so
this is all we have time for.
What are your favourite Endangered Reign tracks?
Becomes the Hunted, 15 Candles, Never Fading, and Ash Lands are among my
favorites.
What are your favourite all time songs?
Pull me Under(Dream Theater), Edge of Thorns, Strange Wings (Savatage), Holy
Wars, Reckoning Day (Megadeth), Reckless, Screaming for Vengance (Judas
Priest), Return to Serenity (Testament), Mystery (Dio), Bleed (Angel Dust),
Heart Collector (Nevermore), Flight of the Icarus (Iron Maiden), Badlands
(Metal Church), Last Train Home (Armored Saint), Kiss of Death, Dream
Warriors (Dokken), Master of Puppets (Metallica), The Hunter (Iced Earth),
Your Darkest Hour (Evergrey), Darkness Calls (Lynch Mob), Tears of a Mandrake
(Edguy), Servant of the Bones (Tad Morose), The Fire Burns (Valleys Eve),
Round and Round (Ratt), I could go on and on but I will stop here.
What the first record you ever bought?
I don't recall my very first album.
Which album was it that got you into metal and can you explain why?
Albums like Def Leppard (Pyromania), Quiet Riot (Mental Health), Ozzy (Bark
at the Moon), and Motley Crue (Shout at the Devil) were a few of the albums
I
would say got me hooked on the hard rock/metal sound as a kid growing up. I
guess I couldn't resist the power of the guitars and the catchy hooks.
Whats the last album you purchased and what did you think of it?
Lanfear (The Art Effect), I read some good reviews of the album and it
sounded like something I would like. I had to order it because its not like
any stores around here carry Massacare label artist. Suffice to say the
album is killer! I like it very much and has not left my CD player yet, I
would rate it 9/10.
What would be your dream band line-up?
I would like to bring back Criss Olivia from the dead and pair him up with
Jeff Loomis for the guitars. The riffs and leads would be out of control.
There are so many good vocalists nowadays like Matt Barlow, Dirk Thurnish,
and Toms Englund just to name a few. I would have to take Zak Stevens though
I just love his voice! It sounds like gold to my ears. Take any of the top
bass players and drummers to round out the rhythm section and that would be
my dream line up.
If you could do a cover for a tribute album to any band, which song
of which band would you pick and why?
Maybe the song Mystery for Dio, this is a very under-rated song I think and
would sound cool with a thicker and modern sound. Knocking at your Backdoor
from Deep Purple would be another good one.
What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?
It pretty much sucks here in the US for true metal heads. Its all nu metal
or alternative that pollutes the american radio air-waves. Most people here
listen to the poor quality music that is shoved down their throats by the
media and that seems to be fine with them. Their loss I guess. It's ashame
that talented US bands like Iced Earth and Nevermore are so little known in
america while in the 80's america embraced so many heavy metal bands. From
what I read metal is much more alive in many European countries which is
great. It seems like all the albums I buy nowadays the band is from Sweden
or Germany.
Which other bands stand out for you at the moment?
I like Nevermore, Iced Earth, Evergrey, Angel Dust, In Flames, Tad Morose,
Brainstorm, Nocturnal Rites, and Edguy just to name a few.
Do you have any funny stories about the band you can share with us?
Nothing really comes to mind right now
and finally, what do you see in the future for Endangered Reign?
Well hopefully our next album will land us a record deal.
Thanks again for the interview and good luck for the future.
Thank you for the interview and for keeping the faith in metal!