IMMORTAL DOMINION
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 27th January 2011.
Colorado-based Immortal Dominion have a new album "Primortal"coming out in March, so we thought we'd blag ourselves a chat with guitarist Brian Villers to find out more...
Hi Brian, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Brian: I am. I hope you are well also, thanks.
What’s the history behind Immortal Dominion? How did the band form and what’s the background of the various members?
Brian: We have quite a long history having put out our first EP in '96. Our lead vocalist- Ray- and I were roommates out of high school and started writing songs together. Now here we are putting out our third full length album and planning on doing some big things.
Two of our other band members - Ed and Louie - were members of another Colorado band called Skinned. Our current drummer, Casey Glass, has been in a few local bands, but we saw a video of him on youtube in a Guitar Center Drum Off and knew he would fit our style perfectly.
Who were the early influences?
Brian: Our early influences were very wide ranging. Everything from 90's thrash like Exodus, Testament, Living Sacrifice, to death metal like Morbid Angel, and Cannibal Corpse. Probably everything else from Pantera to Fear Factory, and the Seattle bands, like Alice in Chains, were influencing everyone back then, whether people will admit it or not.
A bunch of crazy experimental stuff like what Mike Patton and John Zorn were putting out. Also our first two recordings were at the Blasting Room here in Fort Collins CO, a place most famous for recording big punk bands. So, we played with a lot of punk type bands.
Did you know what sort of sound Immortal Dominion was destined to have at the start, or has it developed a lot since you began?
Brian: It has definitely been an evolution. When we started out I think we wanted to be a diverse as possible. Everything from extreme metal to really catchy stuff, sometimes all in the same song. As we have progressed we seem to write more focused songs.
How would you actually describe your sound to somebody who hadn’t heard you before? I’ve read it’s somewhere between Cannibal Corpse and Elton John. Discuss...
Brian: That quote is from our bass player Ed. I think he is alluding to what I mentioned before - the diversity. I know every band says they are hard to describe, but we have developed an interesting style with our new album. It is really catchy, and heavy at the same time. Maybe like a mixture of bands like Clutch and Black Label Society with aggressive riffs mixed in.
Has the Colorado/Fort Collins music scene helped or hindered the band’s development? Are there many clubs and venues around where you live?
Brian: That's a tough question. It is a small town. But I heard Robert Plant once on a radio interview, and they asked him if he had any advise for bands trying to make it. He replied, "Stay underground as long as you can. Bands get signed and dropped everyday, but if you have a fan base and a name for your self. No one can take that away from you."
We have great metal bands from Colorado. Currently Cephalic Carnage, and Havok from Denver are doing well. Here in our town of Fort Collins we have a band called Allegeaon that just signed to Metal Blade, and a band called Arcanium that recently toured with Megadeth. I think we have a lot of talent brewing here. We have several venues that showcase hard rock and heavy metal.
How long did new album “Primortal” take to write and record, and how easily did it all come together?
Brian: Well, it took almost two years to record. We had some changes we needed to make to the original recording, but Sterling (our producer) had to go start recording the new Hellyeah album and it took several extra months for that to be completed. By then we had a great new guitar player - Louie - who added 6 solos to the album. We reorganized some stuff too. It was painful to be that patient, but in the end the songs sound way more focused.
How do you feel it compares to your other albums, both in terms of style, power and quality?
Brian: In terms of style it is more rhythmic, and has much tighter songwriting. I feel that it is very powerful. Even when we slow down it is not wimpy sounding. The quality is absolutely head and shoulders above anything we have done before.
How do you typically go about writing a song? Are you a jamming band or more methodical?
Brian: We use a variety of methods. Most of the time someone brings in a finished song that is "the bones" of the song and we all color it in. Sometimes we collaborate with several of us writing riffs. Once we get a feel for a song we add fitting vocals, rather than cramming vocals that don't fit into the song.
Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing ideas?
Brian: Mostly just creative ways of describing real life events and emotions. Try to keep our songwriting based in our real experiences.
Is there a story/theme running through the songs or is it more a collection of standalone moments?
Brian: We have found that when we keep it all based in our real life, we can string along a bunch of standalone moments and a theme emerges.
Do you do anything special or unusual to get your sound?
Brian: We tune to C# but that is not all that strange. Mostly a lot of nude meditation, ha - not really, but we do have a few secrets...
Do you have a favourite track or moment on the album?
Brian: My most memorable moment was when Sterling was finished with the Hellyeah album and could come finish ours, one of the things he did was sort of remix the song "Become Wise". The morning after he did the remix they told me we needed all new lyrics for the verse. On my way to the studio I had to pull over two times because I was flooded with ideas for lyrics. And those ended up being the vocals on the song.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Brian: I really do like both. While we are creating in the studio, our goal is to make something that is extremely powerful live.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Brian: Pure energy that they can feel and relate too. We are not fake people. So, we put forth raw emotion from the stage.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
Brian: A definite highlight was landing 5 songs in the Lionsgate film TEETH. Also, bands we have gotten to play with, that I really respect like Fear Factory, DRI, Opeth, and Malevolent Creation.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Brian: I love being asked my shoe size, it is a 26 EEE. Just kidding, I can't think of anything you were very thorough.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Brian: I am going to watch the rest of the AFC championship game.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Brian: Just want to encourage your readers to go to some outlet and please give us a listen. At that point the music will speak for itself.
Thanks again to Brian for his time.
http://www.myspace.com/immortaldominion
http://www.facebook.com/immortaldominion
http://www.purevolume.com/immortaldominion
