Sanaz: So you guys started the band in the 80's and you were pretty fuckin angry and crazy! Looking back at how you felt back then, what did you think about your feeling then and now? Has things changed?
Erik: We are still pretty fucking angry but we shed some of the craziness which helps a lot when writing lyrics. When you are 18, it's all about the raw emotions, the hell with thinking about things, just punch the fucker in the face and ask later if he was the one who grabbed your girl's ass. When you're grown up like we are now, you can dissect things and it makes for more interesting topics and lyrics.
Sanaz: You guys actually had Pantera Open for you! How was that like?
Erik: Yea, they opened for us at the Cat Club in NYC in 1989. Never heard of them so I went out and bought a copy Projects in the Jungle, that was on vinyl for all you young whipper snappers! Anyways, the album was really commercial, kinda Van Halenish, so I didn't really get why they were playing with us. We got to the club and they were doing their soundcheck and were like 'um, which band is this?' We hung with them after that was they were as cool as can be. They spoke glowingly about I.N.C. and how they were big fans. I have a 5 minute solo planned for our set, when Pantera played, Darryl did a 5 minute lead and I was like 'time to skip the 5 minute solo,' he was just sick on guitar. My band mates talked me into playing my solo and after the show, Darryl was as complementary as could be....just shows you how nice he was, his solo blew mine away dude!
Sanaz: INC is a very brutal band, how is the process of writing new songs?
Erik: I write all the music, always have but the process has changed. I used to site down with a guitar and kinda force the emotion out of myself. Now I am plagued with music and emotion constantly swirling though my head. People always ask me if I am talking to myself but I am actually humming riff that are stuck in my head until i can get to my mini-studio in my house. At night it's worse, once everything is silent, I hear constant music. If I don't compose in my studio at least once a week, I can't sleep well at all.
As for the brutality of it all, we have progressed with the aggression since our inception. Just want to be the heaviest band in the world now, we got back together with a mission. The lyrics are written by me and Dennis G. Lyrics come easily these days, so much shit in the world now, it's like a giant buffet of WHAT THE FUCK.
Sanaz: Do you think the sound of INC has changed from the 80's and if so, how would you describe the changes?
Erik: Sound has changed for sure, with new technology, sounds will always change. Our style is still old school but obviously over the year, lots of different things have influenced the writing. Some fans from 20 years ago hear the new stuff and say "um, why do you guys not sound like you used to.' It strange to me to think that a band that put out albums when they were teenagers will somehow have the same style, sound and attitude 20 years later.
Sanaz: You guys were about to get signed by Epic Records and decided to take a break. What was going on with the band at that point and why taking a break at a time like that?
Erik: Well the Epic thing fell through the last minute. Our management had gotten us to the point we were ready to sign and then one day we get a call and the A&R guy we were dealing with got fired and all his bands dumped so we had to start from zero. It took a toll on us, not being signed and so much time passing after The Visitor, the buzz had worn off. We were playing in front of 50 people, a year before we were playing in front of 1500. Just knocks the wind out of you like a kick in the balls.
Sanaz: When did you guys thought we should get back together and kick some ass? And what made you all feel ready to take this road again?
Erik: In Feb of last year, 2010, Dennis and I were talking about the band and all we did for the Connecticut scene and wondered what had happened to a lot of the bands we played with back in the day. We were shocked to find many were still around. We asked ourselves why aren't we giving it another go-around. We felt the scene was wide open to what we wanted to do with all this new metal stuff out there so we committed to it and here we are.
Sanaz: What do you guys expect of INC in 2011? What's your plans and goals?
Erik: The album is due out in May so we will be doing lot of press/interviews in the meantime. We will shoot another video in April and planning to tour the UK in the summer and hopefully other parts of Europe as well. We want to play the US end of summer, start of fall but things change all the time and we may tour sooner.
Sanaz: Right now you guys are working with Fredrik Nordstrom ... tell me how that came about and what's happening at the moment?
Erik: I emailed Fredrik our demo and history and he emailed me back that he was very interested in the project. He really enjoyed the tracks and we are thrilled to work with him. The bands that come out of his studio seem to find success so we hope to keep that tradition going.
Sanaz: Overall what is your take on the whole Metal industry these days?
Erik: I have been part of the metal scene for 25 years and from year to year and decade to decade, i find myself feeling the same way. There are always those bands who put out records that make me wish I had written than and then there are bands that put out music that make me wish I had the courage to poke sharpened pencils through my ears. These days I find myself feeling the latter.
Sanaz: Being a NY band, tell me about the Metal Scene there...
Erik: Well we are actually a hybrid band, Conn and NYC. Both scenes have some solid acts but nothing seems to touch the scenes in countries like Sweden and Denmark.
Sanaz: Who did you work with on your new video "GOD LOVES VIOLENCE", a lot of people love the song, the video and the title! I am sure they want to know more ...
Erik: it's an old friend of mine and young filmmaker named Justin Johnson. We learned a lot filming that video since it was our first ever video shoot. We are happy with it overall but stay tuned for our next one....gonna be something special:)
Thank you so much Erik
I will be waiting for a show in Los Angeles!
Sanaz
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