Interviewee: Joe and Jeremy
Year: 2009
Website: myspace.com/avisiongrotesque
MySpace: myspace.com/avisiongrotesque
Label: to be updated
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Exclusive... So far!
A Vision Grotesque recently crept (well, as much as one does creep when they're playing metal that will tear your head off!) into my consciousness and it seemed only right to annoy them with questions...
Lou: Thanks for taking part in this interview. Would you mind filling us in on who is in the band?
Joe: Joe - vocals
Jeremy - guitar
Chuck - guitar
Matt - bass
Jeremy: Steve - Drums (Joe left him out earlier)
Lou: Can you describe your music in 5 words?
No, and I won't try... that was five words.
Lou: Where does the name A Vision Grotesque come from?
Joe: We used to be called Art of Dying originally, a soft alternative rock band from Canada decided to steal our band name instead of coming up with something original (we had a demo released under that name, and established websites before they ever existed), they had an expensive entertainment law firm to back them and they threatened legal action if we didn't change our name, being poor and not willing to go through an international legal battle, we opted to change the name to A Vision Grotesque which was the name of a song we had at the time. It just seemed to fit well with what we were about.
Lou: Which bands have influenced you the most?
Joe: It's different for everyone, we all have an appreciation for old school thrash and death metal (Swedish death metal in particular) but there are other bands that are a bit "newer" that have also given us influence as well as early rock bands. I can't answer specifically for everyone because the influences are so vast, but for me it would be: Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Judas Priest, Dio, Death, Hypocrisy, At the Gates, Morbid Angel, Amon Amarth, Emperor, Satyricon, and the Misfits that have influenced me in some way be it my vocal styling or simply my stage presence, either way they are the bands that made me want to be in a band.
Jeremy: Lots of Swedish death metal, bands like In Flames, Dark Tranquility and newer bands like Darkest Hour and The Black Dahlia Murder
Lou: You told me that you had been on hiatus for a while. I hope you don't mind me asking, but what was the reason for this?
Joe: I think this ultimately came as a result of the shitty scene, not only state wide, but regionally in the south eastern United States. Don't get me wrong there are die hard metal heads out there, some that come to all the shows, I'm not bashing fans in general, we would be total hermits if not for those folks, I'm just talking about the scene as a whole. Playing the same places, venues treating bands like indentured servants rather than treating them as their entertainment, bands not getting along with other bands, stupid melodrama, etc. etc. We almost broke up completely as a result, but ultimately decided that this band was our passion and we'd be suicidal without it. So we simply took the hiatus to step away from the stage and focus completely on writing for a while.
Lou: I found out about you because of MySpace. How useful would you say that MySpace has been with putting you in touch with potential fans?
Joe: I think it has done wonders for a lot of bands, it isn't an original platform as it's predecessor was Mp3. com, but it's become much more of a monster I would say. It's put us in contact with people all over the world (obviously), it gives everyone a chance to be heard that's for sure.
Lou: I've noticed that you're based in North Carolina. There just seems to be a wealth of decent bands emerging from that area at the moment... it's almost tempting enough for me to re-locate over there! lol How would you describe the metal scene in North Carolina at the moment? Are there any other bands that we should check out?
Joe: The metal scene in North Carolina sucks! There are a shitload of bands, only a handful of actual good bands, most of the really good ones are on labels and are known worldwide already, some of the great bands that are FROM here, have wised up and moved to different places. I won't plug any bands because I know I'll end up leaving someone out and pissing them off if they read this. But yes, there are a few really good bands around here that are unsigned.
Lou: I'm really enjoying "Genocide Politics" from your MySpace at the moment. The vocals, the guitar sound, the drums... dude, they're all just spot on! What's the story behind that song?
Joe: Glad you dig it, that song, as well as every other song on that EP, entitled "Waking Up To Hell" is a metaphorical attack on the sinister agenda that is not only of the U.S. government, but of the One World Government that the majority of the world's population is naive about. "Genocide Politics" specifically, is about the war in Iraq and the politics behind it but with a much deeper perspective, which I won't go too far into it, but it would certainly piss off the pseudo patriotic war loving idiots here in the U.S. if they had the intellect to decipher it for themselves. War, politics, organized religion, government control etc. are platforms for power and greed, nothing less, nothing more, and people are brainwashed into thinking this is a good thing because they buy into the candy coated fairy tale they are supplied with. That's more or less our lyrical content (as a whole) in a nutshell.
Jeremy: That song actually came together fairly quickly, it originally didnt have a lead at the beginning but we felt it was missing something so that was added.
Lou: Which is your favourite AVG song so far?
Joe: It's one that is going to be on the new record, can't give the title just yet....
Jeremy: Everytime we write a new one haha
Lou: You've got a couple of albums available already - Where can we get hold of them and what are they called?
Joe: Our first real record, "King of the Massacre" can be found just about anywhere worldwide, online. Just google it and you'll find an assload of places you can order it from. "Waking Up To Hell" ,as I mentioned before, only saw a very small print run but it will be included as a bonus on the new record, so if you got a copy from the limited print run, good on ya because there's only a handful of other folks out there that have it.
Lou: Do you have any other merchandise available?
Joe: We have a limited number of shirts left that we had prior to the hiatus and we've got brand new shirts coming this month.
Lou: I understand that you have some new stuff in the pipeline... How is the new album progressing?
Joe: The writing process is almost complete, we'll be entering the studio on May 2nd. We're recording with Jamie King once again (who has recorded Between the Buried and Me, The Human Abstract, Through the Eyes of the Dead, etc.) at the Basement Studios.
Jeremy: Very good actually, we are going in a slightly different approach this time, focusing more on melody and song writing than anything else we have done. The new record should have a huge sound!
Lou: Does it have a title yet?
Joe: "Metaphysical Hypnosis"
Lou: What sort of subjects will you be covering on this forthcoming album?
Joe: It's a continuation of "Waking Up To Hell" but lyrically it delves deeper into the belly of the beast so to speak. It's basically going to be about how we are all brainwashed into a false existence. It's going to contain some very real shit. Some people may read the lyrics and think it's something out of Science Fiction....
Lou: Do you have any gigs coming up?
Joe: We're planning to hit the stage again before too long, but nothing is set in stone just yet, we're going to wait on the completion of the new record first.
Lou: If you could tour with anyone who would it be?
Joe: Steve would say RUSH hehe, but for me it would probably be Maiden, I'm sure Chuck, Jeremy, and Matt would be cool with either. As far as it being a situation where we would compliment another band's style I would say bands like Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, eh... the possibilities are endless.
Jeremy: I'd like to go on tour with Amon Amarth, Darkest Hour or The Black Dahlia Murder to name a few
Lou: What does 2009 have in store for AVG?
Joe: Hopefully a lot of good things, our first music video for sure, in conjunction with the new album. I'm sure we'll do our fair share of gigs before the year is up.