By Natalie Perez

We recently caught up with drummer Dirk Verbeuren of Swedish death metal band Soilwork to drill him about the band’s latest album, The Living Infinite, their current US tour, their roots, influences and more.

The Living Infinite — the band’s ninth studio album and first double disc — was released in February by Nuclear Blast. It features 30 tracks, many of which are getting plenty of exposure on the band’s current run of tour dates.

For more about Soilwork, check out their official website and Facebook page.

01. First of all, how did Soilwork come up with its name?

From what I know, it was a word one of the guys invented. It means “working from the ground up.” We’ve always been a hard-working band, so it’s pretty fitting.

02. What lyrical themes do you stick to in your music? What messages do you want to send?

The lyrics are inspired by personal experiences, but they also have a strong connection to the ocean. There are a lot of positive messages in the music, even with the dark themes. We have a solid line of lyrics on this record, so really anyone can relate to them.

03. What bands have influenced Soilwork’s sound?

There are so many. I think when we formed, it began with At The Gates and In Flames. But we now listen to everything — Napalm Death, Nine Inch Nails, etc. Everything comes in different ways. We all had contributed different material with this album, so we’re all open to bringing that material, just letting it flow as it comes.

04. How would you describe the overall sound of The Living Infinite?

I’d say it has a lot of different elements in it, but it’s more like our older material. We also have some songs starting differently this time. We really just went with it, writing something and seeing where it would take us. We have a strong identity in what we play, so it keeps that Soilwork touch. Having a strong melodic metal style is the best way to describe it. It’s a great album that we’re super-proud of.

05. It’s been a while since you guys have toured as headliners. How does it feel to have the spotlight again?

Well, it’s awesome being out on the road in the US. We worked a lot throughout the years, and it’s good to be back. We can play a fairly long set, changing it up a lot. But it’s good to be back on the road.

06. What are your favorite aspects of touring in the US?

Meeting the fans eye to eye, feeling the music — those are the good moments that come together. It’s where all of your hard work pays off, showing that whole experience when you’re touring.

07. What have you done to prepare yourselves for the tour?

We rehearsed for about a week preparing the new material and playing other stuff from over the years. We wanted to add material that we may have never played before, mixing things in, but it all came together. I think it’s going good for us. We’re really excited about it.

08. You guys have toured a lot over the years, but where haven’t you been?

We’ve never been to South America. We will be going to Mexico City, China and India. Hopefully we will get to those places on this touring cycle.

09. What can the fans expect from Soilwork in the future?

Just playing the new material, getting the new ideas out there and playing shows. That’s what we’re really focusing on — getting everything stepped up.

10. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Go to our website to check us out if you don’t know who we are. Go check out the new album. We look forward to seeing you guys on the road!

Southern Californian Natalie Perez has a fiery passion for music, writing and photography. Dying to know more? Connect with her via her own reality she calls Natalie’s World.

By Natalie Perez

LA’s Hollywood Undead have been busy lately, creating a slew of videos, releasing free downloads and — biggest of all — releasing a new album.

Their latest, Notes from the Underground, was released January 8 via A&M Octone.

We recently caught up with Hollywood Undead’s Johnny 3 Tears, aka George Ragan, who assures fans that the new disc, despite some cool changes, is very much a Hollywood Undead album.

“We like to think we’re getting better,” he said. “It’s different, with some ballad-type songs, and it steps in a different direction as well — but it’s still a Hollywood Undead record!”

The new album is out now and is available at iTunes, right here. For more about Hollywood Undead, check out their official website and Facebook page.

REVOLVER: How do you think being in Los Angeles affects your sound?

I think we are heavily influenced by the LA scene, but I don’t think it changes our sound. We have written songs about being here in LA.

What was the inspiration for the album name, Notes from the Underground?

I think it’s where we come from musically as a band. A big part of it is writing songs of places and experiences people may not want to go too. I think we as a band want to show you another side of life to us that isn’t into today’s mainstream music scene.

Speaking of names (and LA), where did the band’s name come from?

We grew up in the Hollywood, the Los Angeles area, and would see everyone go out at night, so we use to call those people “undead.” So when we came up with the name, we thought of Hollywood and would become those type of people.

Has the band’s sound evolved on this release?

Absolutely. We’re always trying to evolve, but not to the point of, “What happened?” We want to make everyone happy, but we want to make it happy for us and interested. So we experimented here and there with different writing styles that the last record didn’t have, but it’s till very Hollywood Undead.

What do the masks represent?

When we started, we didn’t want to look like every other band. We wanted that representation of a band, tearing down that wall between the people who make the music and listen to it. So we kept this unknown vibe. It makes the others more involved, so we wanted that type of feel that was progressive and connect with it.

What made you want to return to your original roots?

I think what we meant by that was it’s been stripped down and the elements of what the band is sometimes you can over produce the sounds, but having enough time you can work on the songs more, so we wanted it to be basic.

Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?

George: Of course you want to record a great record, and writing it, is like an adventure you don’t know how it will turn out but you get to challenge yourself. You can write a song about this or that and hope that people will like them or write songs that will be the best that’s the goal. So we try and make sure by the end of the day, that we couldn’t write a record as best as what we could have done with this one.

Are you using any new instrumentation you’ve never used in the recording process before?

We use about every instrument there is, unless I start playing the flute or something. Using different programming, broaden the horizons a bit but didn’t get too crazy.

Did you feel any pressure to follow it up?

We put pressure on ourselves of course, but once in the studio we kept to ourselves. So when a lot of people care on what’s going on and close that door doing it as a band, because once the outside focus enters there’s too much going on. We keep those away and are delivering a record we can and how we want it to be, sticking to the honest aspect of the music.

What are your expectations for the CD?

Haha I’d expect to sell a zillion records but who knows. We would like the record to do well so we can make ourselves and the fans happy expanding on that. That’s the goal is to keep the fans new and old happy along the way. I don’t expect anything really it can be a massive success or a failure so it’s left for the others to decide.

What are the plans for you guys for 2013?

A whole lot of touring, writing, doing what we gota do playing places we’ve never been so just keep on going in that direction.

Anything else you want to add for your fans?

Go pick up the album and see us on tour and hopefully you will like the record!

Southern Californian Natalie Perez has a fiery passion for music, writing and photography. Dying to know more? Connect with her via her own reality she calls Natalie’s World.

By Natalie Perez

Female-fronted rock act Mongrel meld their punk and metal influences to create a sound that’s unique yet familiar.

Below, Mongrel guitarist Adam Savage discusses the band’s latest release, 2012′s Reclamation (released September 25 on Darwinism Failed), and how it differs from their past releases. He also looks ahead to the band’s future.

For more about the band, check out their Facebook page.

1. How do The New Breed of Old School and Reclamation differ?

Reclamation is about 22 minutes longer and has six more songs [futureusgallerylaughs]. Just being a wiseass. The New Breed EP was six re-recordings of songs from our prior full-length to re-introduce the band with a female singer after Jess Sierra joined the band. Reclamation is the next evolution in our songs, branching out into a few other directions and really bringing our range of influences to the table. I think it’s some of our best stuff to date.

2. Was your songwriting and recording process any different than usual for this CD?

Not really. Jess helped re-write the chorus for the song “The More I Bleed” on this CD, so it was cool to get her writing a bit. We work well writing together so I’m really excited to see where things go on the next album since most of this was written before Jess joined the band, though she definitely added her own flavor to the songs. We recorded at the same studio with the same engineer/producer that we used for The New Breed of Old School and Declamation, so it was very comfortable and easy for us being in the studio working on this.

3. How has the band’s sound evolved from The New Breed of Old School to Reclamation?

The New Breed EP was mostly live in the studio with some overdubs for particular parts but mostly a quick recording process. With Reclamation, we did take more time, did more layers and tracks to flush it out a bit more. I think Reclamation is a bit more refined than New Breed, but not refined in the neutered, corporate sense. I think it’s just a mix of songs that I feel were well written and a band that was a bit more experienced recording and playing together, making it happen in the studio for this one.

4. What inspired the album title? Is it a concept album?

Reclamation is a companion piece to our Declamation EP that was released in May 2011. We recorded both at the same time and from the same batch of songs we were working with. Some of the tracks we knew had to be on the full-length and just worked together better so we split the others off onto the Declamation EP as a teaser of sorts, which was very well received. But that’s why the two CDs have similar artwork and titles. With both of them, it was us declaring our independence and survival from the past lineups of the band, that the band lived on, the songs lived on, and that we were coming back stronger than ever to reclaim our band and our spot in the local/regional/and now national scene. So it’s not really a concept album in the sense of story line throughout the songs but definitely a concept in the naming and visual components of these last two releases.

5. This album took four years, five bandmember changes, two studios, two labels and more. Why so much drama behind it?

Yeah, I’d long half-joked that this album was my Chinese Democracy with all the delays, changes, etc. The parting with our old label (Screaming Ferret Wreckords) was mutual and amicable. Tim over at SFW is a great guy, and we’re really grateful for the opportunity he gave us on our last full-length album back in 2008, so nothing bad to say there. Now we’re working with Thom Hazaert and THC-Music, so it’s another great opportunity.

As far as all the drama, there were just a lot of tensions and deteriorating personal relationships in the band back when this process first started. Once some of the long-coming changes took place, it was time to start the album over with a new studio, new people and a newly liberated energy, making the band fun to be in again. While the process to get to this point was at times incredibly frustrating, sometimes things happen for a reason, and I feel we’re now at the right time, at the right place and with the right people in and around the band to make things happen. So if that’s the case, then all of the stress and bullshit is all of a sudden worthwhile.

6. Did the band have any definitive goals they were shooting for before the recording process began for this album?

To make the best album we could of course!

7. Are you using any new instrumentation you’ve never used in the recording process before?

No. We told the accordion and banjo players to sit this one out, so it’s still the guitar/bass/vocals/drums instrumentation we’ve always been thus far.

8. When did you start writing for this album? How was the songwriting process different/similar to previous Mongrel albums?

Some of the songs go back as far as 2006; well, actually “No Gods No Masters” was one of the first songs I brought to the band back in 2003. It really wasn’t that different in that I wrote nearly all the lyrics and the basic songs that got flushed out over the years into their current forms. When we get the opportunity to work on the next album, I have no doubt there will be more collaborative song writing with Jess and the rest of the band as I think we finally have a good set of song writers in place.

9. The New Breed of Old School was a sizable critical success. Did you feel any pressure to follow it up?

The critical success of New Breed was awesome since we really were testing the waters as far as seeing how the fans at large would respond to us with a female singer after years of male singers. The response we got for that was amazing to see and got us to quickly get back in the studio to start work on what would become Declamation and the new album, Reclamation, with a “If you like that, wait till you hear this stuff” as a mindset. So we were very excited to follow it up, certainly not intimidated.

10. Can you go into one or two tracks on the new album? Give us the track title and a brief description of how the track sounds and how it came about.

We can go with “Bored to Death,” which is the lead-off track of the new album and the “single” we did a video for, which is out now on YouTube and has been getting a great response. The song is a high-energy hard rock song with a punky edge to it, kinda a Rolling Stones/Dead Boys/Trashlight Vision vibe if I had to describe it. As far as the song’s lyrical basis, it’s about finding yourself in a bad relationship that just beats you down and realizing you need to do something to make changes. “Zombies of War” is a more dingy track that really shows off Jess vocally and addresses the political and military-industrial complex’s policies over the last decade where we are lied to and sent to die for profits, power and personal grudges.

11. How was the vibe in the studio?

It was a lot of fun, very relaxed, great energy and a lot of excitement over what was coming out.

12. What are your expectations for the album?

I don’t know if I’d say we have expectations. Nothing is guaranteed in this industry and economic climate, but we’re hoping the fans will respond really well to the new album, that we’ll further get our name out there and hopefully with a little luck and a lot more hard work, get more cool opportunities to present themselves.

13. What is your favorite song to perform live?

“No Gods No Masters” is always fun because it’s a high-energy song and a great crowd-participation song. I know “The More I Bleed” is a favorite for Jess because she gets to show off her aggressive vocals really well. But since the great response to the video, I’m really enjoying “Bored to Death” live and seeing more people singing along to the song, which has been awesome.

14. Any big plans for the near future?

Playing shows, promoting the new album and seeing how it all plays out in the coming months. Fingers are crossed, though!

15. Anything you want to say to your fans?

First off, thank you. We have amazing fans who’ve been so supportive and patient waiting for this new album but have stuck by us, which is so appreciated. We really hope everyone will check out the new album. If you’ve liked us thus far, I think this will be an album you’ll be really happy with. We’re also always very appreciative of hearing from the fans, so please hit us up at our website, on Facebook and Twitter.

Southern Californian Natalie Perez has a fiery passion for music, writing and photography. Dying to know more? Connect with her via her own reality she calls Natalie’s World.

By Natalie Perez

Cradle of Filth guitarist Paul Allender says their latest release, 2012′s The Manticore and Other Horrors (released October 30 on Nuclear Blast Records), is nothing like its predecessor, 2010′s Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa.

“This album has gone back to what we were doing before Dusk… And Her Embrace,” Allender says. “The groove, aggression, etc. on this new album is awesome; the band has finally got its balls back!”

Here are Revolver’s 10 questions with Allender. For more about the band, check out their Facebook page.

01. You guys now have 10 albums under your belts. What runs through your mind when you consider that?

The only thing that goes through my mind when I think about how many albums we have done is, “Bloody hell, I’m old!” [futureusgallerylaughs]

02. How would you describe the overall sound of the new album? How does it compare to your last release?

It’s nothing like our last release. This album has gone back to what we were doing before Dusk… And Her Embrace.

03. Did the band have any definitive goals before the recording process began for this album?

Yes. We didn’t want to do another album that sounded like the last few. It had to be different, refreshing and exciting.

04. Did you use any new new instrumentation on this album?

On this album, we have more ventured in the realm of synths and not so much of the typical orchestration that the world and its wife is doing nowadays. Some believe we created the symphonic sound back in the day, so that’s even more of a reason to divert away from it and try to come to come up with something more fresh for the band from now on.

05. When did you start writing for this album?

It took about seven months to write with a couple of weeks at the end to make sure everything flows properly, etc., before going into the studio. Once in the studio, it took about five weeks to record all the music.

06. It sounds like you guys went back and rediscovered some of you old ways when recording this album. Why is that?

Yes we did, something different needed to happen for this album because we really couldn’t release another album like the last couple. If we had kept going the way we were going then we would have come up with an album just the same as the last one.

07. What are your expectations for the album?

I hope people get into this and can understand where we are coming from. The new album is cool as fuck, and we are getting a really very good reception from this.

08. How does it feel to be a part of the Nuclear Blast family?

Amazing. It’s a great feeling to be on such a cool label.

09. What are your upcoming plans for the future?

Well, for the rest of 2012, we’re touring. Right now, I’m in the dressing room in Sweden. This tour finishes December 19 in London. Around February or March, we will be in the US and then onto South America, so were going to be pretty busy gigging, which will take us up to around August time.

10. Is there anything else you want to add?

Yes. Thanks a million to all our fans for their support, because if it wasn’t for you guys, we wouldn’t be able to do this. See you on the road!

Southern Californian Natalie Perez has a fiery passion for music, writing and photography. Dying to know more? Connect with her via her own reality she calls Natalie’s World.

By Natalie Perez

We recently tracked down Davey Richmond, bassist/vocalist of England’s Glamour Of The Kill, for a quick 10-question chat, Revolver-style.

Glamour Of The Kill are booked on the Inked Music Tour alongside Alesana and Vampires Everywhere!, and their debut full-length, The Summoning, was released this month via Entertainment One Music.

Below, Davey Richmond discusses the upcoming trek, the new album and plans for a follow-up release.

01. How did you come together, and what’s the origin of the band’s name?

We started in 2007. We had all gone to school together, so we played music for years. Then we started the band playing our own music. It just started from there, really. The band name was something else. A few years back, we were at a bar, all drunk with our friends in England. One of our friends had said, “Why don’t you call yourselves Glamour Of The Kill?” which did have a good ring to it. So with us, we have those aspects of the heavier and clean vocals so the meaning would just be us as Glamour Of The Kill.

02. You guys have a unique sound. Which bands would you say influence you the most?

I think we take our influences from everywhere, like Metallica, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine, As I Lay Dying. We’re not scared to write music whether it’d be heavy or light like Katy Perry. So it’s good to just be open-minded when today’s music.

03. Tell me about the album name, The Summoning.

For our debut full-length, we wanted a name that would get everyone involved and have us get noticed. So we wanted that higher power. Even the acoustic track on the album is called “The Summoning,” so that explains it.

04. Why was this album only available in the UK and not in the U.S.? Also, for the U.S. release, you changed the album artwork and the band’s logo. Why?

Well, we didn’t have a label in the U.S. to release it. We had just gotten signed with eOne Entertainment who had contacted us, so everyone can now hear it in the States. Everything is fitting really well. But everyone here in the UK are confused by it, saying, “Well, I thought you already released it.” Well, we did, just not in the U.S. As for the art, we wanted to give it a fresh look because we weren’t happy with our old logo. We’re going to be using this new one from now on.

05. What’s your favorite song from The Summoning?

I’ve got a lot of favorites and songs I’m proud of, but it would have to be the first single, “Feelin Alive.” It has big riffs and a catchy chorus. So I’d have to say that one for sure.

06. What would you say is most different about this album?

I just think the whole sound of it has all of our influences, and you wouldn’t expect my vocal style to be in, it but I think it works really well.

07. You’re about to start a fantastic U.S. tour with Alesana and Vampires Everywhere! If you could think of one thing you’d like to accomplish through that tour, what would that be?

To meet and make new fans, new friends, show everyone who we are. We’re Glamour Of The Kill!

08. What have you done to prepare yourselves for the tour?

We’ve practiced hard, always putting so much into our live shows. We just arrived in the U.S. yesterday, drinking a lot of beer and eating some good food, so we’re just preparing ourselves that way. The guys of Alesana party hard, so we’re getting ready for that [futureusgallerylaughs].

09. How easy is it to keep the motivation going on a daily basis for Glamour Of The Kill?

It’s quite easy really. We love touring so we’re going to give it all we’ve got. It’s just an amazing opportunity to be in America for the first time. It’s awesome, so we just gota live for the moment.

10. What else do you have planned for the rest of this year?

We finish this U.S. tour on November 7. On November 8 we’re heading into the studio to start recording our second full-length album, which is fully written. So we can’t wait to have it done. We’re really excited about it.

Keep up with Glamour Of The Kill at their Facebook page.

Southern Californian Natalie Perez has a fiery passion for music, writing and photography. Dying to know more? Connect with her via her own reality she calls Natalie’s World.

By Natalie Perez

We recently caught up with drummer Jussi 69 of Finland’s The 69 Eyes to discuss the band’s new album, X, their new comic book and plans for the near future.

01. How amazing has 2012 has been for you guys?

Well, 2012 has been the biggest year for us — and for me. We’re getting better and better at making better songs, making every melody more beautiful and making those rock songs rock even more, I’m proud to say.

02. The 69 Eyes have 10 albums under their belt. What runs through your mind when you ponder that?

In a way, it feels like we’re just getting started. Things are finally starting to roll since we’ve been around for nearly 20 years, but it doesn’t seem like it. With every album, it gets more exciting and takes us to new places. On our last album, we went to 27 different countries. So things are just getting more exciting year after year. Some people have asked me, “Are you getting tired of doing this?” I don’t understand that question. To me and us, it’s the only dream we’ve ever had, so we’re having the time of our lives right now.

03. What was the inspiration for the album name X?

Well, it’s 10 songs, it’s our 10th album, and X means 10 so it’s pretty logical. We had the time for the album almost a year ago and I really liked the title and it looks really cool on a T-shirt. It’s a great-looking album cover, and I really love it. I think it’s great when a person goes to a store and asks for the album, “The 69 Eyes — X.” I think it’s pretty clever and smart.

04. Why did you pick “Red” as your single?

With this album, we didn’t play any songs or demos to anybody. Usually there’s someone from the record company who thinks they’re smarter than the musicians, someone pointing out you should do this or that, but we make the choices until we had it altogether as a package. Then we gave it to the record label and told them to do their job, and they picked out the singles. So there’s no comprise when it comes to creating and writing music, but when it comes to picking out the singles, every major radio station goes and plays it, and this single has been played like hell here. So it’s their job to make the decision, but I don’t understand it. Like the last time we started with the most aggressive song on the album, “Dead Girls Are Easy,” but this time we started off with a ballad, so it’s nice to hear that every mainstream station is playing it. Last night we did a filmed charity show at an arena playing for 8,000 fans, and we played the song for the first time. So we’re only getting started right now as we speak.

05. You shot a video for the song “Red.” Can you tell me about the concept behind it?

The whole album was done in Sweden, so it was logical to shoot the video there. Patrick Ullaeus directed the video and is well known, so we wanted to go to a castle and do something there. We had the girl from the movie The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and also had some Playmate girls. But we wanted to have that type of movie video. But it’s pretty simple; it’s us, the girls and a beautiful location.

06. What was most different about recording X?

After all these years, I’m happy to tell you I still find recording to be very magical. Making music and creating stuff that works and stuff that doesn’t work to then having it work, it builds memories. I will never forget the song “If You Love Me The Morning After.” It took me to some weird place where I lost the sense of time and didn’t know how many times I had played it. So I had probably played it 200 times, over and over, so the song was playing me. I just lose the sense of time and could listen to the song forever on repeat.

07. What is your favorite song from X?

“If You Love Me The Morning After” is a very special song for me. But I think the opening track, “Love Runs Away,” is one of the best love songs. The second song, “Tonight,” is something different from The 69 Eyes and the tempo and feel of it and how the feel of it you just feel like you’re flying.

08. Your band has been around for nearly 25 years. How does this make you feel?

It’s the 23rd year, but like I said before, it feels like we’re only getting started. Every year there’s so many things we go and do, places to visit, new things to discover, and we’re not even half-way through it. Like on our last album, we went to so many different countries that it’s exciting for us. This is something we love to do, and sometimes it comes to a surprise when a journalist tells me how long we have been around. But after all we are vampires so we got a couple of thousand of years left.

09. Can you tell me about the comic book you have coming out this fall?

That’s something I am happy and proud of. We are the “comic book and movie band,” and our characters represent that. We don’t do the makeup thing, but I would like to compare us to Rob Zombie or Kiss. We are the Helsinki Vampires, so we are telling our story, and if I remember right, it started in the 18th century where Jyrki is hanging around. And after a couple of years we run into each other, having met in Hollywood one night. So for us it’s exciting and a dream come true. We had released, for the first time ever, 7-inch singles before the first album, so that had tiny comic books. If you own those you can pay your rent by selling them because they’re pretty rare — maybe 1,200 copies were printed. Now we have a real comic so that’s what we’re all about. The comics and movies that we do we put a visual into the sense of it and get really excited about it.

Also I have to add that we had wanted to have our own blood in the ink of the comic just like Kiss had done when they had printed their own comics. But we couldn’t do that because if you send your DNA across the sea it’s a crime. But it’s weird; if you send a tiny drop of blood, it’s against the law so I’m sorry to tell the fans this but there is no blood involved. But it’s still exciting.

10. What plans do you have for the rest of this year? And is there anything else you want to add?

Last night was an arena show we did for charity, and 8,000 fans were in the audience. It was shot live on national TV. Now we wanted to start the tour in Finland because the last time we had toured, we didn’t get to tour in our country. Our fans in Finland sometimes get pissed off because we never play in our country, but now we are. So up until Christmas, we will be playing in every city. Next year in January we will be touring in the UK and Europe. Before the festival season starts, we’ll be playing in the US, then later on return. The pieces are already put together for 2013, so I can’t wait.

To the fans, wait until you hear the new album because it truly is the best album we’ve ever done. It’s what The 69 Eyes are all about and it’s the album we’ve always dreamt of doing. Now it’s there so we can’t wait to tour and tour in the US because it’s our ultimate dream to be in the tour bus and play every city out there.

Southern Californian Natalie Perez has a fiery passion for music, writing and photography. Dying to know more? Connect with her via her own reality she calls Natalie’s World.

By Natalie Perez

Musician and graphic artist Steven Juliano has had an impressive and varied career. From his early work with The Silence, Fallout and Monsta Zero to fronting his most successful project, I Am Ghost, he has kept it interesting, fun and hard rocking.

After an EP, two studio albums and a live album, I Am Ghost called it quits in 2010. Since then, Juliano has fronted his new band, Requiem for the Dead, who released their debut album, Always and Forever, almost exactly a year ago.

We recently caught up with Juliano, who discussed Requiem for the Dead and his recent graphic novelization of Lovers and Kings.

REVOLVER: For those who do not know who you are, tell me in five words.

How about, “Hi, I am Steven Juliano.” They can Google me if they need more info.

Briefly, what is your graphic novel, Lovers and Kings, about?

The best way to describe it is somewhat in the vein of Pan’s Labyrinth meets the movie Seven. You know, the fucked-up film with Brad Pitt. The novel takes place in France at the height of World War I. It follows the lives of children living in the town who begin to see things coming out of their forest and moors.

It’s amazing how a writer and artist such as myself can do something this big and then get it out to the masses with little trouble. My book is in stores everywhere now, including all the online/apps stores such as iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook, Barnes & Noble, Graphically and more. I wrote/drew the entire book, so it’s a labor of love. So far, the reviews have been stellar. I haven’t seen anything bad.

Where in the recording process are Requiem for the Dead, and when can we expect to see a new album?

Requiem for the Dead is in pre-production mode. We never did it for our first release. We just wrote music we liked and then recorded it. There was no picking apart the songs whatsoever. It was a fast-paced, fun time. But this time around, we thought about doing it a little better by taking our sweet time on the recording and the songs. We are not signed, nor do we care to be signed. We just meet up when we feel like it, write songs, and then talk about it. We change things, make the songs shorter, sometimes longer. Sometimes we change entire choruses and re-write them. Pre-production is the key. We are just having a good ol’ time with the songs.

Have you picked the debut single and/or music video?

I am already having a favorite, but from my experience, it can change when we start doing the real recording. Sometimes, another song just comes out of left field and hits me hard. It sounds OK in demo format, but suddenly we start arranging it in real recording time, adding violins, cellos, synth, and it just turns into this huge, awesome monster. So right now, I’m not exactly sure. We are definitely shooting another music video, I just don’t know for which song.

When did you start writing this album?

We started to write it around January, I believe. I could be wrong. It started off very slow, but was partly my fault in a way. I was in Los Angeles at least once every two weeks, flying back and forth working on films and doing things with my graphic novel. I was super-swamped and couldn’t really do much band-wise. Ty Oliver kinda kept everything afloat by writing song after song and sending them to me via email. Bobby Burns, our other guitarist, wrote a song on the album as well. It’s been a good mix. The only difference, really, from this album from the last is that we are not rushing the recording. Again, we are kinda sitting back and listening to the songs, re working them, re recording them in demo format, then listening again.

What are your songs about? What specific themes do they cover?

There is no theme, per se. I think this album is more of me talking about my life and all the things I did right, did wrong or didn’t do at all. We all have regrets. Yet we all have good memories of our past, I think. The album is going to be called Memories, so it kinda explains it all.

Are you using any new instrumentation you’ve never used in the recording process?

We are using a lot more orchestra, it seems, in this new album. We didn’t have Bobby Burns on our first album, so the orchestra was kinda low key. We had friends in Southern California do the orchestras for us, which were minimal. Bobby is a very good piano player and has a great setup at his home with synth and keyboards and sounds. So we are using that to our advantage.

How would you describe the overall sound of the new album? How does it compare to Always and Forever?

This is a harder album by far. Its more aggressive for sure, yet we do have our moments of slow pop rock. To be honest, I am just not into this “Wrar Wrar Chug Chug” music that every mother fucker is doing. I can care less if people think we are hardcore, or punk. It really never affected me even with my last band, I Am Ghost. We had plenty of opportunity to go dark and hardcore screaming, but we stuck to our guns and did the music we liked. That’s what we are doing now.

Did you feel any pressure to follow it up?

No, not really. Of course, I want this new CD to be good. I want people to like it. If a band says they don’t care what people think, they are fucking liars. But pressure-wise, I think we are fine and don’t have much. We live in carefree Santa Cruz. Everyone is so relaxed here its kinda insane.

Can you discuss one or two tracks on the new album?

Well, one song that is pretty much finished doesn’t have a name yet. But it’s pretty fun to listen to. Again, we got a little more aggressive with our guitar playing this time around, yet kept the choruses insanely catchy. The song is my love letter to a girl I once knew, talking to her directly, saying, “Look, we were madly in love, we are to this day intertwined forever, but God damn it, the two of us together was so pathetic.” It’s not trying to be mean, it’s just saying that after thinking long and hard about the relationship, it really was not healthy and it’s best we just stay close friends. But nothing more.

Which of your own songs is your favorite out of all of the projects past and present that you’ve been a part of?

There is a special place in my heart for the song “This is Home” by I Am Ghost. Sometimes that song comes on when I’m working out or drawing, and I always find myself singing along to it. Plus, the guitar solo at the end of the song is so god damn bad ass. It is just an all around amazing fucking song.

Speaking of past projects, The Silence, Fallout, Monsta Zero and I Am Ghost, do you ever see any of these acts returning to the stage? Would you consider doing a showcase with these acts and Requiem for the Dead, even if it were for one night?

To be honest, probably not. Those were amazing times of my life. All I have our great memories of those bands, especially the earlier ones like Fallout and The Silence. We are just so god damn young, and there was just something about being young and in a band and just playing ’cause you like music. There was no labels, no management, just five dudes in a garage playing their hearts out. I don’t see us ever reuniting, even for one night, ’cause it won’t be the same. It can’t be. Time has passed, and those are just memories now.

Are you on good terms with the former members of these acts, or has everyone gone their own way?

I am friends with all my past bands except for the last band I was in with I Am Ghost. What a fucking storm of great memories mixed in with utter misery. It’s insane. I think about the times I had with that band, and it’s like a 50/50 “Oh, that was a fun time” to “Oh man, I hated that time…” It had NOTHING against the former members as people, to be honest. They are all swell dudes. I just really, REALLY, hated touring. Never liked it. I was also insane, to a degree, and handled things badly on my end. But, mix it with a major label, money, the firing of three managers, and endless array of booking agents that fucked up most of our tours… I just one day had it. I quit the band out of the blue and pissed off everyone that was a part of the band, and friends of the band. Everyone took sides, and being the fact that I was the odd man out, the guy who left everyone, they went one way, and I went the other. But I had to do it. I just had to let go.

For more info on Juliano, visit stevenjulianodesigns.com and loversandkings.com. Check out Requiem for the Dead on Facebook here.