Interview Arsis

James: “Starve for the Devil” is in my opinion the most complete and focused Arsis album to date. Things in Arsis really feel like a band at the moment; this is a first for Arsis. I feel as though it is our catchiest and best written material ever.

Can you speak to us about the recording sessions ?

James: The recording sessions for the album were very focused, yet somehow laid back at the same time. I think we were over prepared for this album, if is this possible. Zuess has such a great work ethic that everything went smoothly. Most importantly, everyone got along during the sessions and I believe that we are all very proud of the end result.

How did you proceed for the composition ?

James: The initial ideas for my compositions usually comes improvisation. I will be practicing guitar and a riff or melody stick out to me. I will then take this idea and try to “morph” it in as many ways as possible until I feel the composition is complete. Occasionally an idea for a song will come into my head out of nowhere. In this case I must a way to create the idea on guitar. I usually write the lyrics and vocal patterns as I am composing the music, so things come together rather quickly most of the time.

What are the lyrics talking about ? Where do you find inspiration ?

James: I tend to take my lyrical inspiration from my personal life. In a sense, my lyrics are therapy for me so they usually end up being whatever is bothering me at that particular moment.

Who created the artwork ?

James: The artwork was created by Mark Riddick. He has all of our album art to date and I must say that I think his work is amazing.

Did you film a promotional video ?

James: We did indeed shoot a promotional video for the song “Forced to Rock.” The video was shot in an abandoned school in upstate New York this past January; I have never been so cold in life as I was the day of the video shoot. The idea behind the video was supposed to be that we are school boys being forced to rock by a dominatrix. Special thanks to our friend Kim Dylla for assisting on the dominatrix end of things.

What’s your favourite track on Starve For The Devil and why ?

James: My favourite song on the album would have to be “Beyond Forlorn.” I feel that it one of the richer songs on the album in the sense of harmony and melody. I also feel that our King Diamond influence is very evident in this track and King Diamond is my main influence for playing this kind of music.

Which songs from the album will you play live ?

James: For the past 2 tours , we have been playing “Forced to Rock” and “A March for the Sick” live. In the future I hope to add more songs from the album to our set.

What are your touring plans ?

James: We just ended a month long tour with Arch Enemy and Exodus in the US. We will be doing another US tour this May/June and will be in Europe this summer for some festivals. I hope to be back in Europe for a full tour by the fall.

What are your favourite bands and all times albums ?

James: My favourite bands of all time would have to be King Diamond/Mercyful Fate, Depeche Mode, Skid Row, Motley Crue, Queensryche and Dissection.

Do you have funny or strange stories about the band you can share with us ?

James: Everything funny or strange that has happened to us is best not made public.

What are your projects for the future ?

James: Arsis is keeping so busy at the moment that I really don’t have time for many things outside the band; Arsis tour upon Arsis tour or so I hope.

And as a conclusion, can you say some words for my radio show called Metal Choc ?

James: Thank so much for the support. I hope to see you in France very soon!