Soulscar guitarist/vocalist and ringleader Andrew Staehling has a knack for finding parallels in music that is both technically sound as well as being substantially dark. On the latest Soulscar outing, «Endgame the band ups the ante on its prior achievements, maintaining plenty of melody amongst the riff barrages and showing that they have moved up in degree along the way. Staehling talks Endgame with Death Metal Interviews.
What was one thing that you wanted to do with Endgame that you had
not been able to do on your previous albums?
With Endgame, the one thing I wanted to do was make an album that I
myself would put in my top 10 of 2006. I'm a fairly picky listener, so
this meant every riff and every song and every solo and lyrics had to
be excellent. There could be no parts that would make me cringe or
wince or wish I could go back on. It also meant the production had to
be substantially better than in the past, so that it could stand up
next to big-name metal releases with no excuses or "it's good for an
independent band" type stuff.
On the whole, Endgame is an album that will sit well with a wide
variety of metal listeners. Do you feel like the new record can be a
breakthrough for the band?
It's very hard to predict what other people with slightly different
tastes will think of something, but I think this is easily the best
Soulscar album in every possible respect, so I do expect it to do
better than past discs. The approach on this one was to focus on the
biggest strengths of Soulscar, which are for me the riffs, the
melodies, and the writing. Every single song has top-notch guitar
action in it, so I expect the riff-heads to dig it...I know I do.
You spent a very long time recording the new record and the effort put
forth really shines through in the final product. Please tell us about
some of the more memorable moments you enjoyed while recording this
record...
The memorable moments that came from the recording of "Endgame" all
stem from the contributions of the other musicians who worked on this
with me. Brent and Cory blew me away with their solos, and set the bar
very high for the leadwork on the album . . . Stas ripped it up as
usual and had some great chord change ideas we used in 'Identity' . .
. Alex performed her vocals *exactly* the way I heard it in my mind
when writing the songs. These experiences were great and gave me the
hunger to work with all these guys again.
Precisely what were you looking for from a production standpoint on
Endgame? What was the most crucial factor in obtaining such a
powerful sound?
It's hard to quantify production stuff. Guitar-wise, the tone had to
be thick but not too gainy, to allow every note of the all-important
riffs to be heard. The drum sound had to have loads of punch without
being overly sterile. The leads had to be striking, while not drowning
out the rhythm riffs entirely. I guess it was a matter of toeing the
line between thick punch and clear definition of all instruments.
Guitar solos are a vital part of the sound of Soulscar. The melody
inferred by the amazing work on "Endgame" really tops off the songs,
injecting plenty of color against the backdrop of dark, brooding
riffs. Was it difficult to get these takes in the studio?
I think it was a bit different with each player, as there are 4
soloists in total on the album. My keyboard solos were easier for me
to nail than my guitar solos, because I'm a better keyboard player
than a guitar player. Brent nailed his with frightening quickness.
Stas did his in true Stas style, but I guess you'd have to know him
well to understand that. Cory recorded his at the Silent Strain
studio, so I don't know if they were hard to nail. Listening to his
solos without any backing music is wild because they're so damn tight.
What is it about "Endgame I" and "Endgame II" that ties these tracks
together? Is it merely a thematic thread, or does the connection go
deeper?
It's a very strong thematic thread. The lyrics came from one longer
song written by Alex. The subject matter involves a very difficult
time of uncertainty, fear, and sadness, which is reflected mostly in
'Endgame I'. 'Endgame 2' focuses more on the positive outcome that
resulted from this difficult time and as such has a semi-mirrored
version of the 'Endgame I' lyrics. The use of the instrumental
'Sertraline' to separate the two tracks has specific significance.
How much of an impact has the songwriting and playing of Megadeth and
in particular, Dave Mustaine had on Soulscar?
I'm a big Megadeth fan, and I love several of their albums. I would
say the Mustaine impact is a relatively big influence, considering
that "Rust In Peace" is one of my top 5 albums of all time, and that I
taught myself guitar mostly from learning that album.
Tell us about the ways in which you stay disciplined as a player…
I wish I could claim I practice, but I don't. The only times I've
improved as a player lately are when I have to learn to play stuff
I've written because it's harder than the previous material...I think
I got burned out on practicing from the years of piano I did. Metal
and guitar is for my enjoyment, so I don't kill myself rehearsing.
In any type of technical music, focus is critical. What outside
factors help you to retain your inner focus as a musician?
I can't say for sure, as I've been playing music for 20 years now. I
did a lot of training with classical piano and school bands, so the
whole focus on complicated tunes is not a relatively new thing to me.
What's one thing that nobody knows about the band?
I credit a session drummer on our first album 'Character
Assassination', but it's actually drums I wrote and programmed in the
studio. With the debut album, I was worried about putting people off
with no drummer credit.
Can we expect extensive touring in support of Endgame?
Unless an incredibly huge opportunity arises, I wouldn't expect us to
launch out on a tour of our own or anything of that nature. I've got a
full-time job, a wife, two young children, and a Corvette I spend my
weekends working on, so setting out on a money-burning tour of Canada
is pretty impossible for me at this stage.
Are you pleased with the reaction to the new record thus far?
I'm quite pleased with the reaction. It's a little tougher with this
CD, because for the first time ever, I'm not finding much fault with
the album. This time around, I'm expecting strong positive reaction,
so it's more challenging when someone doesn't love the album. Still
waiting for reviews from my two fave writers Popoff and Stewart-Panko,
so we'll see how that goes!
What is it that you most want for metal fans to know about Soulscar?
This is music written without any efforts to fit in a metal subgenre
or trend. It's music written with the express effort of making the
listener feel something strong, whether it be a melancholy reaction to
a melody, or a fistclench/headbang to a potent riff. It's music
written by a discriminating metal fan for discriminating metal fans.
© 2006 Erin Fox ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No comments:
Post a Comment