ECHOES OF ETERNITY
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 5th October 2009.
Echoes Of Eternity is a female fronted progressive heavy metal band from L.A.. They've recently released a new album - As Shadows Burn - so we thought we'd throw a few questions their way to find out how they tick.
Guitarist Brandon Patton answers questions on behalf of the band.
Hi Brandon, is life treating you well?
Brandon: I am doing very well, thank you. I am very excited and inspired by the overall positive response to our new album. The reaction has been excellent. The general consensus is that its a major step forward for EOE. I would have to agree.
When did you start playing guitar, and how quickly did you become good enough to play in a band?
Brandon: I started playing guitar in August of 1991. I saved up every penny I had and bought my first guitar at a pawn shop. It was a Dean Z. I bought it because it was black and looked mean. Of course it was a total piece of shit. I was good enough to play in a band about a year later. I advanced quickly on the guitar, as if I already knew how to play it somehow and was just trying to remember. I devoted a lot of time to it and I was obsessed with it for the first few years.
Who or what inspired your playing style - how did you end up playing rock and metal as opposed to say classical guitar?
Brandon: I was a huge Yngwie Malmsteen fan. I still am. I was also heavily influenced by James Hetfield's right hand on Master Of Puppets and Justice. Those were my two biggest influences by far and I'm unsure how evident that is in my playing. I was drawn into classical music by Yngwie. I discovered the entire Baroque era of music by way of his playing, which at times was blatant musical plagiarism of Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart.
Have you had formal training or are you self-taught?
Brandon: When I first started playing, a friend of mine showed me how to make a power chord and how to get distortion from the amp. Then I met a local drummer named Derek Roddy (Nile, Hate Eternal) who worked at a music store and was an incredible speed metal guitarist. He introduced me to Dunlop jazz series picks and emphasized the need to have fast, clean and articulate picking. I took the ball and ran with it from that point.
How did Echoes Of Eternity meet, and was the band's sound a deliberate decision or did it just develop that way?
Brandon: The band's sound was indeed a deliberate decision. The fact that Francine didn't have a traditional metal vocal style and would be a stark contrast to the instrumentation, was not lost on us. We felt it would be a strength. We have a unique sound. I don't think listeners really know what to make of us, which can be frustrating for them and us at times.
Let's be honest, Francine Boucher hasn't got the worst voice in the world...okay, she's amazing! Did dollar signs flash before your eyes the first time you heard her sing? :)
Brandon: I agree with that assessment. Francine is amazing. And she doesn't get enough credit for her vocals, her ability to somehow sing over the riffs we present her and make it work. It only becomes EOE once she has added her voice to it, then it all comes together. I never got into anything in life strictly for monetary gains....I would have been a surgeon instead of a musician.
Does it feel good getting the new album, As Shadows Burn, released?
Brandon: It's an incredible feeling to create something from nothing. To have 5 people collaborate and manifest an artistic statement from a void, have that statement documented, then disseminated worldwide is an accomplishment independent of the audience's reaction to it. Its nice to have a positive reaction to it, however. That seems to somehow validate it no matter how much you condition yourself not to be influenced by such forces.
How does the vibe and sound of it compare to previous release, The Forgotten Goddess?
Brandon: To my ear, the vibe is much more aggressive and less sentimental. I think the last album was prettier, with lush acoustic guitars, layers of vocals and more atmospherics. This album is more personal. Darker. Angrier. But still incredibly melodic. The first thing the listener will notice is the sound of Francine's voice, the more natural, powerful quality it possesses. It's much stronger.
How did Logan Mader get involved in the production, and what do you think he brought to the album?
Brandon: He brought a sense of utter professionalism to it and an immaculate ear for sonic detail. I hope we have a chance to work with him on the next album.
Do you have any favourite moments on As Shadows Burn?
Brandon: My favourite moment on the album is in the last minute and a half of Descent. Francine does a vocal line over that section that gives me goose bumps. The power, emotion, conviction and delivery are stunning to me. Fuck anyone who dismisses her as a pretty face and a pair of tits. The people who do are tone-deaf misogynistic morons who cower behind the curtain of online anonymity and simply don't know what the fuck they are saying.
Is there any concept behind the album - either musically or lyrically?
Brandon: There is no intentional concept...there exists, however, a thematic thread that runs through the songs and concerns issues of love and loss, life and death etc....
We love the contrast between the massively heavy guitars and beautiful vocals. Is that something you really work on?
Brandon: Thank you. Its something that Francine manages to make work somehow.
Are you planning a big tour on the back of this release? Any desire to come to the UK?
Brandon: We have tour plans in the works for 2010. We would love to come to the UK of course!
What are your favourite albums of all time?
Brandon: The albums that have had the biggest influence on me are:
Metallica - R.T.L, M.O.P and Justice,
Megadeth - Rust In Peace.
Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force
Death - Human and Symbolic
Morbid Angel - Covenant and Domination
Suffocation - Breeding The Spawn and Pierced From Within
Deicide - Legion
Dissection - Storm Of The Light's Bane
Cynic - Focus
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Fates Warning - Parallels, Inside Out and No Exit
Do you collect guitars? If so, do you have any interesting ones you'd like to mention?
Brandon: I have probably owned 30 guitars over the course of my playing. Everything from an '89 Jackson USA soloist to an Alvarez Dana scoop.
Anything else you would like to mention in?
Brandon: I'd like to thank you for your interest in EOE and the insightful questions. I also want to say hello to our fans and hope to see you all on the road in 2010!!
Echoes Of Eternity's album is out now. Check out the Rock Realms review here.
http://www.myspace.com/echoesofeternity
