Hello
Here is a new interview with the Chicago based blackend death metal band Against The Plagues.If you like blackend death metal with ssome other influences mixed in then this is defintly a band for you so feel free to continue reading and order the new cd.
Metal Regards
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com
Interview with Shaun Albro – vocalist/lyricist of Against The Plagues done by Patrick
1.Hails SHAUN when did you first meet the other members of Against The Plagues? Was it long before you all started the band?
Hails and thanks for having me! When I first got the call to audition for Against The Plagues, it was by Milo Kovacevic, who replaced Novy on the bass guitar. He alerted me to ATP's ambition to consolidate the lineup to musicians all in the Chicago area so the band could be active and begin to work on a new album and tour. The lineup at the time was Logan Perez, Marco Martell, Varyen Chylinski and Milo Kovacevic.I didn't know Marco or Varyen at the time, I was however familiar with Varyen's other project Forest Of Impaled. I have been friends with Milo for a few years, we are from the same town, living a few blocks away from each other, and playing shows together in other bands we were in. Once I joined ATP, I brought with me Aaron Covarrubias to fill the position of second guitarist. I actually went to high school with Aaron in Hammond Indiana at a very terrible and ghetto high school called Hammond High. Not a very 'metal" are or school for that matter so we naturally became friends. Aaron also jammed with me in a band I had in 2007 called Ebonmortis, which Aaron filled in as bassist for a short time. When Marco left the band in 2014, we had a few session guitarists who were friends from the local scene, help us out with live performances until we recorded the "Purified Through Devastation" album. Milo actually wrote guitar riffs and arrangements for some of the material on the album. We felt that it was kind of a natural selection type of situation, Milo assumed the position of rhythm guitarist. Finally having the guitar section established , we brought in Kevin Ariel, who was working as a tech for ATP, to take over as bassist. I have known Kevin for over 10 yrs and have jammed with him in several projects in the past like ApotheCarrion and Human Extinction.
2.What is Against The Plagues current line-up? For the readers who have never heard Against The Plagues music. how would you best describe the band's sound?
The current lineup for Against The Plagues is Shaun Albro (myself) as vocalist/lyricist, Varyen Chylinski as drummer, Aaron Covarrubias as lead guitarist, Milo Kovacevic as rhythm guitarist and Kevin Ariel as bassist. I always describe ATP's sound as heavy and aggressive, brutal and melodic, dark and epic. We are an Extreme Metal band. We are influenced by the extreme. We don't try to fit one specific genre, and would rather stay away from painting ourselves in a corner. There is a lot of poetic storytelling and intense dramatic emotion. No 2 albums will sound the same, but we will always be ATP. If you are into Morbid Angel, Dimmu Borgir, Vader and bands of the like, Against The Plagues is sure to compliment your collection.
3.Who usually takes care of the lyrics what are some topics/subjects you all write about?
I write the lyrics for Against The Plagues. A few of the songs on the album were written before I joined the band and I kept those songs generally the same and preserved Logan's lyrical contribution but did make minor adjustments to better suit my style of execution. The concepts and subjects are discussed by the whole band. We all have input when it comes to the overall theme and/or story that the band is trying to tell. We discuss certain topics and ideas and then I formulate lyrics that reflect everyone's image.
4.Besides the new cd "Purified Through Devastation" . does the band have any other merchandise available for the fans? If yes where can the readers find it ?
Yes we have the first album "Architecture Of Oppression" for sale through Varyen Entertainment, we also have the import version which is "Decoding The Mainframe" put out under Vic Records in the Netherlands, also available through the band. We have a full line of t shirts, stickers, pins and we are working on patches, 7' vinyl, and dvds. You can purchase our merchandise online at our bigcartel.com store, which is linked through our Facebook page www.facebook.com/against-the-plagues
5.Does Against The Plagues ever play "live" or do you prefer to work in the studio only? Who are some bands you have had the opportunity to share the stage with?
Of course we play live! Haha, we actually just performed over the weekend at Chicago's Premiere Metal Venue Reggies Rock Club with The Ox King, THEORIES, Jungle Rot and Decapitated! It was a great show! We got asked to jump on the show very last minute to fill the spot for Black Breath, who dropped off the tour. Prior to this recent show, we opened for Cattle Decapitation and Cannibal Corpse on Halloween Night Oct 31st 2015. We were honored to perform with Arsis, Destruction and Sepultura for Sepultura's 30 Year Anniversary Tour. We also had the extreme pleasure of playing direct support for Nile and Necrophagia.
6.What have been some of your most memorable shows to date? Are there any tours or shows planned for 2016?
I think we'd all agree that opening for Cattle Decapitation and Cannibal Corpse on Halloween Night will be one of the most memorable shows we've done. We are lifelong fans of Cannibal Corpse and over the years have developed a friendship with them. Having the opportunity to open for them on Halloween was one of those once in a life time opportunities! And of course it was a packed, sold out show, with a crowd full of ghouls and zombies! We even had friends come down from Canada to see the show! We do have tour plans for 2016. We have a few agencies we are in talks with and getting some details worked out but we will be announcing tour dates soon! We have some opportunities to do some Canadian dates as well as the US and South America.
7.Against The Plagues comes out of Chicago's metal scene what is your opinion of the metal scene in Chicago? What about Illinois as a whole?
Chicago is a strong city for Metal. There are always a ton of shows going on every weekend and often during the week. Between major touring acts and the vast local scene, there is no shortage of new talent. I will say there is, as there is in any scene, the click/elitist/douchenozzles who are a negative cancer on the scene and cause division amongst bands and promoters. We are extreme metal, we carry ourselves as professional musicians who are expressing our art and we don't limit ourselves so we'll perform with any bands who are metal. Black metal, death metal, thrash metal, doom, grind, slam, hardcore, it's all metal, it's all extreme! Chicago is pushing to bring the strength back to the region with Fests like The Chicago Domination Fest and in southern Illinois there is the Full Terror assault Fest, which is an open air fest, 3 days of extreme metal on a campground where fans can camp out and cookout all weekend!
8.Who are some of your all-time favorite Illinois bands? Are there any new bands you feel the readers should watch out for?
I guess my best answer for this question would be to credit some of our friends. Withering Soul, Jungle Rot, Usurper, Disinter, Narcotic, The Everscathed, Ditheist and Beyond De-th to name a few. I would also like to mention my good friend Dan Klein, who is an amazing musician and studio engineer/producer who has recorded many of Chicago's metal bands as well as performing drums in numerous projects such as Relentless, FIN and Disfigurement.
9.What does underground metal mean to you?
I think all Metal is underground. We are the screaming voices of those cast aside. The ones the "world" tries to ignore, oppress and stifle. Metal has a fighting spirit. The spirit of revolution, overcoming adversity and devouring the opposition. There is much more to this world than what is on the surface, its contents, it's guts and glory are brewing in the underground.
10.When not working on band music or business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
When I am not working on the band, I enjoy spending time with my two sons, Seth and Jacob. They are my greatest achievements in life, I love being a Father. my boys are gamers and we enjoy playing video games and card games like Magic the Gathering.. I also enjoy writing poetry and odd stories. I hope to publish some of my writings in the near future. I have a full time job that is flexible and allows me to take time off to dedicate to the band, which is awesome and I am also a college student, studying Business Management. When I'm not doing all of that I like to go for rides on my mountain bike and get in some good weight lifting sessions.
11. Do you have any final comments for the readers?
Thank you all for your constant support in Against The Plagues! We hope you pick up a copy of our latest album "Purified Through Devastation" on Varyen Entertainment and Non Serviam Records out now worldwide! Go to YouTube and check out the videos for TerrorForm and Enblightened! Stay in touch and we'll see you on the road in 2016!!! Keep supporting METAL!!!!
