INTO ETERNITY INTERVIEW, 2004

INTO ETERNITY have done it again - yet another brilliant album by this Canadian band. "Buried In Oblivion" is surprise of the year in many magazines around the world, and for those of us who've been following the band since day one (more or less...), it's nice to finally see the band get rewarded for their hard work and three damn good albums. We sent some questions to guitarist / vocalist Tim Roth ...

Interview by Claus Jensen

1. So let's start with the obvious question - you've lost one guy (Daniel Nargang, who did lead vocals and guitars in the past) and instead gained two new members (Chris Krall on vocals and Rob Doherty on guitars). Why these changes in the line-up?

"Danny just wasn't cut out for the business I think. He's quite happy staying here in his hometown playing acoustic guitar at the local pubs. Metal isn't for everyone I guess. Danny joined half way through our last album Dead Or Dreaming, so he was never a main songwriter or anything. This band has always been my baby in that department. We had to get two members when Danny left though because we wanted to keep the 3 part vocal harmonies. Chris is a great singer and can sing both clean and death, which is a first for us to have other death vocals on the albums besides mine. Rob came in on guitar. He was always a leader in his bands and he can do death vocals as well. They are both a great addition to our live show."

2. Chris is the brother of Scott - any nepotism going on here, or just pure coincidence? :-)

"Ha-ha. These questions are great Claus! We go way back with Chris. He was the lead singer in all my previous bands to Into Eternity. He was asked to sing for us at the beginning actually in 1997, but he had other interests at the time. I've known the guy half my life, so for us he wasn't a new guy at all! He's a bid addition to the band and we can keep our 3 part clean vocals live, plus all the new death parts he brings."

3. The addition of Chris have changed the vocal-presentation of the band a bit - Chris is a bit more nasal than Daniel, and I know several fans of the old albums (myself included) have a hard time adjusting to his voice ... any comments on that?

"Actually I sang all the lead clean vocals and death vocals on Dead or Dreaming and our self-titled release. Danny just did harmonies and a few single lines that I gave to him. Chris does have a different voice then mine, but we blend really well together when we sing. He has a good sense of melody and good pitch as well. I think when fans see us live they will get over it. I still sing a lot of the old stuff live like Elysium Dream for example, so fans should still be happy."

4. I feel that "Buried In Oblivion" is a more hard-hitting album than "Dead Or Dreaming". It is also a bit less progressive and more death metal in sound-appearance. Would you agree with me?

"I agree that this album is way more aggressive then our last disc. I think we noticed that the heavier stuff seemed to go over better live. We always tried to have energetic songs, but this album was pushed harder in that direction. Actually this album is way more progressive than Dead Or Dreaming. There are more Death parts, but the riffs are really off time and progressive, plus all of the guitar interludes and solos. We decided to have way more weird time signatures this album. Dead or Dreaming was actually a bit more straightforward compared to Buried In Oblivion."

5. Does the above have anything to do with the fact that you're now on Century Media (known for having lots of death metal acts) compared to being on DVS Records (known for their progressive metal bands)?

"That has nothing to do with it. We always have just wrote with our hearts and what we are feeling. There was a lot of grief going on at the time of the songwriting, so the aggression was a really natural thing. Dead Or Dreaming did have a lot of heavy stuff on it as well, but I guess we do fit a bit better on Century Media and their roster of acts. That was an interesting question, but something we never really considered."

6. How did you get in touch with Century Media?

"Even after signing with DVS Records, we had still kept in close contact with Century Media. I think they were waiting to see what kind of buzz we were going to generate before they signed us. After we got back from Europe, they were pretty much ready to give us a deal. In September 2002, we signed a 7 album record deal. Now we will have our album out worldwide instead of just a contract for Europe. We can reach a lot more fans now."

7. What can CM do for you, that DVS never could - and have you already begun seeing those changes?

"A bigger label for one has more money. With money, you can promote a band as much as is needed. Some big tours have to be bought, so bands can get on. Promotion is also a big deal. We have the offices in Europe promoting us, as well in the USA, so the chances of people hearing about us is much greater. For instance, I have done about 70 interviews already . That just would never happen before. Also Century Media has the push to get their bands on different good tours and festivals. We wouldn't be where we are today if DVS didn't take a chance on us. We're are still grateful to them for all their help early on."

8. Any young band trying to create a style of their own takes some time to become 100% satisfied with how they sound. You're probably having a harder time than most, since you've placed yourself between two genres (death metal and progressive metal) ... now you've made three albums, would you say that you've completely defined the Into Eternity sound? Or do you still have some surprises for us with the next album?

"I think we're are really close to our sound now. On Dead or Dreaming we had some all out Death metal songs and some all out Prog type stuff. On this album we wanted each song to be much more balanced and an even blend of both styles. There is always room to improve. I think that getting out and touring will help. Also maybe one day we will use a producer for a second opinion. We are very close to our sound now though."

9. Lyrically I think the band have always had something to say, but this time I'm having a bit more trouble understanding the theme just by judging upon the song titles. I mean, in the past it was quite clear what songs like "Shallow", "Sorrow" or "Selling God" were all about, but some of the song titles on the new disc seem to have become more complicated on purpose than it was actually necessary; "Three Dimensional Aperture", "Morose Seclusion", "Embraced By Desolation" ... heck, it almost sounds like old school death metal lyrics, hehe.

"The lyrics haven't changed all that much. It's funny that you mention those song titles because Rob(guitar) wrote 3D and More Seclusion. I can't speak for those songs, but the overall vibe of the album is still very dark and sad lyrically. Splintered Visions is about altering yourself using pills. Isolation is exactly about that. Point Of Uncertainty is about a guy that sort of screwed the band over and the words are about that. This is the first album, where I had help with the lyrics, so it's cool having another point of view."

10. I know you've been touring in USA Kataklysm, Dying Fetus and Hate Eternal ... wow, that's not exactly the package I would expect you guys to be part of. What would be the ideal tour package in your opinion?

"That tour was a lot of fun, but you are right, it was a brutal Death metal tour. We stuck to our heavier songs when we played Ha-Ha. It was a big learning experience though. All the bands were very professional and treated us with a lot of respect. I know we would be willing to tour with just about anybody. I would kill to go out with Nevermore, Iced Earth, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, Symphony X, Children of Bodom, Evergrey, Iron Maiden ect. I could go on. I love so many bands. It would be cool meeting everyone and sharing that experience."

11. With Century Media releasing the album both in Europe and in USA, what are the chances of us getting to see you on tour over here in mainland Europe?

"I have just talked with the German office and they are presently lining up something for hopefully May/June 2004. It would be cool to either be on a package or a part of those great festivals. They are working with booking agents as we speak!"

12. I know you're already lined-up for a good deal of festivals this summer in USA - Minneapolis Mayhem, Gates of LA etc. What about a real tour over there?

"Yeah we are planning on a US tour very soon. The label has submitted us to a lot of different tours, so we'll see what we get. It is going to happen though. we are also playing Progpower USA in September and we are really excited bout that! Everything is just being worked out at the moment."

13. You are from Canada - a country with a long tradition in creating classic hard rock - from Heart, Bryan Adams and Triumph to Annihilator and Rush. How have the Canadian audience been responding to Into Eternity?

"The crowds have doubled in the past year and a half. It's great because people finally know the name Into Eternity. The big magazine's, websites and newspapers have given us features, so that helps. I think it's great being a Canadian band and showing the rest of the world the talent we have. Everyone's been really supportive."

14. Any last comments? Feel free to say whatever you want to tell the people reading our webzine...

"I want to say thanks to everyone for the support. We are really excited about Buried In Oblivion and I hope fans will pick it up. We can't wait to see everyone on the road soon! Check out our website www.intoeternity.com for all the latest news! Keep it Metal!"