THOUGHT CHAMBER INTERVIEW

THOUGHT CHAMBER is a new American progressive metal band, that have just released their debut album "Angular Perceptions" on Inside Out Music. A very good album, that ties in well with the sound already established by the genre-greats Dream Theater and Symphony X. I sent a few questions off to guitarist Michael Harris, and here is the interview that came out of it …

Interview by Claus Jensen

Hey there Michael. Congratz on the new album, I think it is a really great prog-metal disc. Perhaps you could start by telling us a bit about the line-up on the album, and what part each guy has in the band (I guess you writes 99% of the music, right?).

Much thanks and yes, I write most of the music, but it wouldn't be Thought Chamber without everyones' contributions. The members are Ted Leonard from Enchant on vocals; drummer Rob Stankiewicz & bassist Derek Blakley both from Haji's Kitchen and Somsara; Bobby Williamson from Outworld on keyboards; and myself on guitar, guitar synth, piano, and keyboards.

How did you decide on suddenly doing a progressive metal disc with vocals on it? Previously you've mainly done solo projects of the instrumental "neo-classical" sort.

Well, my first recorded band was ARCH RIVAL, a hard rock band with a vocalist (Steve Snyder), so I had written vocal rock music before I got into instrumentals, which are both equally challenging in different ways. SURGEON, although very heavy, was also a vocal project of mine with many progressive metal touches. So I have written a lot of prog vocal stuff over the years. The opportunity to play with musicians the caliber of Ted, Rob, Derek, and Bobby just made this that much sweeter. Not only are these guys fabulous players, but they are all dedicated specifically to the genre of prog.

Was it different this time around in terms of composing the songs? I mean, there are certain things you can and cannot do in progressive metal, whereas with an instrumental album like your previous ones you have more "freedom" in writing …

Very true. With vocal music in general, you are limited by the range of the vocalist, so you really have to put some thought to both the vocal range and style. If the guitar or keyboard is playing the melody, there is a lot more freedom of both sounds and range. Having said that, there's not a lot Ted Leonard can't do vocally!

I'm guessing a lot of people will say that the disc reminds them of Symphony X and Dream Theater .. what's your "defense" J ?

Those are two of prog's best, and 2 bands that many proggers (especially those not deep into prog subgenres) identify the whole genre of prog metal with, so they are bound to make that comparison. To my ears, the biggest influences on "Angular Perceptions" are Kansas, Rush, ELP, and Yes.

How did you get in touch with the different musicians, and were they your first choice on their respective instruments?

Yes, I was fortunate enough to land the players I wanted right off the bat. Ted responded to an ad I had put out on the internet; I used Alex's invention (the telephone) to check in with Derek & Rob; and Derek piqued Bobby's interest.

Ted sings a lot more powerful here than he does in Enchant - how did you push him to do this new style of singing for him?

I had him in a much lower range on the original demos. When he reached for high notes, it was just gooseflesh man. So although TL has great conviction even on lower lines (a la the very first vox on the record - "Sacred Treasure"), I knew we had to raise the pitch of a lot of those demo vox. I also consciously wanted Teds' vox to sound different than they do in Enchant.

I'm guessing that since Enchant is on Inside Out, it was quite logical for you to get Thought Chamber signed to the same label, right? I know you were in negotiation with another label as well …

We only shopped to 3 labels, and with all due respect to the other labels, IO gave us the best offer.

"Thought Chamber" was also the title of one of your solo projects … why did you choose that for the band name?

I didn't really think we would end up with that name, although it was on my list of names. But after the longest "name game" in rock history, we settled on Thought Chamber.

The title of the album is "Angular Perceptions" - was does that mean, and how does that correspond with the cover artwork?

Ted had mentioned to me once that he liked album titles that were also a lyric (not a full song title) and "Angular Perceptions" just struck me as being a perfect example. It sounded so "prog" and to me means looking at things in an abstract or "angular" way, which is what proggers do. Plus "Angular" is a math term, which fits so well into the technical element of prog. Thought Chamber is all about the musical marriage of math and melody. We will always have the technical or "chops" side to us, but never at the expense of dynamics and songs.

Is this a one-off project or do you plan on touring with this line-up and perhaps make more albums?

The 2nd record is already in the works and although there are always intangibles, our goal is to have it ready within a year. It will definitely be different than the debut.

Thanks for doing the interview Michael. Best of luck with the disc. The last words are yours …

Music can heal the world. (www.myspace.com/thoughtchamber)