SONS OF AURELIUS
During this interview we talk to Cary Geare from Sons of Aurelius. During the interview we discuss everything from gear, graphics, to what’s in store for the band. All of you gearheads should be pleased.
1. Why SONS OF AURELIUS?
-The name “Son of Aurelius” was originally going to be a song title. Josh our vocalist, really went all out with these lyrics about gladiator combat and ancient Rome imagery. Everyone thought it was a cool idea to expand on it, make it a theme for the band. We all dug on the name, so we decided to use it as the band name which at that time still had not been coined.
2. Why did you decide to get together?
-For me it was an opportunity presented to me to work with some great musicians and do a professional recording with ZACK OHREN at CASTLE ULTIMATE. It started out purely as a recording project, do 3 song demo for fun. It came out great though and we knew we had something good going. I didn’t know any of these guys that well back then, it was just a last minute thing that turned into a really fun band.
3. How long had you been playing together before being signed?
-About a year. We did the demo project in February of 2009. We got picked up by GOOD FIGHT pretty quick and we’re stoked to get label support so fast.
4. What is your song writing process like? Does one member compose the majority of the music, or is it a group effort?
-It’s a group effort so much in that everyone contributes a song they wrote. Generally one member writes one song, there might be a riff or idea contributed here or there but mainly if someone in the band starts writing a song they will finish it. With everyone contributing this way we tend to get a more diverse sound song to song which is what we want.
5. How long did it take to write and record The Farthest Reaches?
-There are songs I wrote over a year ago that ended up on the album so it’s hard to say how long the writing really took. The bulk of the material was written in the three or four months leading up to the recording though. The actual recording took 15 days, and we really needed everyday of it. It actually worked out perfectly time wise. The whole recording process is such a blur now, I was there every single day and saw everyone’s sessions. Lot’s of driving and meals on a the studio couch. I loved being there and watching the record come together bit by bit.
6. Who comes up with the graphics that are associated with the band?
-Our main artist is JOSHUA BELANGER, he did the album cover and the Myspace art. Josh had worked with him before and we all like his style. Josh (our vocalist) really gets specific about the graphic stuff, he really has a passion for the visual side of the band. He comes up with a lot of ideas, the album cover for instance. I mean we all wanted a busy, unique and almost over the top album cover but Josh came up with the idea of having Pandora with the box, and chaos overflowing everywhere.
7. It is interesting that you mix both bright and dark colors when most bands usually tend to go with one or the other. Why did you decide to break that mold?
-We wanted something different. There are so many great new death metal bands showing up every year and most of them opt for what I call the “tech-death art style”. It generally means dark, detailed, hyper realistic kind of stuff. It’s very epic and it looks amazing but everyone does it now so covers are starting to look alike and bleed into each other. We went with a more colorful, almost comic book art style because we wanted to stand out.
8. What is the biggest compliment the band has received to date?
-Well we get some pretty hyped up comments and reviews on the net from folks. I remember one review said that “you don’t get any more technical than SONS OF AURELIUS”. It’s a really flattering compliment but the moment I read that I could name at least ten bands that destroy us haha. It’s so cool when people are stoked on our music, we put a lot of work into it and it makes my day when someone digs on it.
9. What gear are you using?
-I’m using a PEAVEY 5150 right now with my trusty IBANEZ RG series with active EMG pickups. I used to rock out on line 6 HD147 but it busted and so I graduated to tubes. Chase uses ESP guitars with active EMGs and his awesome ENGL POWERBALL. Max our bass player uses SCHECTER basses and AMPEG amplifiers, as well as, you guessed it, EMG pickups. Our Drummer Spencer rocks out on PEARL DRUMS, PAISTE CYMBALS and AXIS pedals.
10. What should people be listening to outside of SONS OF AURELIUS?
-Great question. One band that we’re all really into is GOROD, who needs to have way more recognition as a catchy technical band. Another band you can’t go wrong with is DECREPIT BIRTH, they have a new album coming out this year and it’s going to melt faces. There are tons of great death metal bands out there, just keep looking!
11. What does 2010 hold in store for SONS OF AURELIUS?
-We’re gonna be going out on the road, writing new material and generally having a great time playing music! we’ll be touring with WHITECHAPEL in May and will almost certainly be on tour this summer so come and check us out!
12. Where can people pick up The Farthest Reaches?
-You can get it almost anywhere, Best Buy, Hot Topic, iTunes. We’re all pretty stoked on the Distro we got for it.
13. Where can they find out more information on the band?
Well we have our Myspace page of course http://www.myspace.com/sonofaurelius
you can find us on Facebook too. check us out and let us know what you think!
April 22nd, 2010
Victor M. Ruiz
Tags: Ampeg, Axis, Cary Geare, Castle Ultimate, Decrepit Birth, EMG, ENGL Powerball, ESP, Gorod, Ibanez RG, Joshua Belanger, Paiste Cymbals, Pearl Drums, Peavey, Schecter, Sons Of Aurelius, The Farthest Reaches, Whitechapel, Zack Ohren
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