this interview is with Xtreem Music out of Madrid Spain. this december 2010.
-Yeah, Andrew! What’s up, man? It’s really great to have you and MEGATON LEVIATHAN today in Xtreem Music. Bro, lately I cannot stop listening to your first album “Water Wealth Hell On Earth”, absolutelly colossal and epic! What bands or albums are you more listening in these last days?
Thank you! Our plesure!As for recent stuff I picked up the Christian Mistress –“Agony And Opium”LP… i walked into Jackpot Records here in portland and was like … “whoa rad! We totally played shows with those guys(and gal)”… they played my basment this summer they where great!… man i listened to that record for a week straight… great stuff. This cool “groom” band Galdr from Seattle just released a cd this summer, they played our basement also… there cd has been in steady rotation. Oh i picked up a L’Acefal -Malefeasance LP i cought them at a Wolftown benifit here in Portland. They blew me away, i thought it was brilliant, and was like yeah! This is what i want to hear from the Experimantal metal underground! I had no idea, i apperntly have been living under a rock. As far as insperation, i listin to a lot of Joy Division , Spacemen 3, Can , Cluster , The Stooges and early David Bowie.
-Andrew, MEGATON LEVIATHAN is a project created in 2007 with ex-members of bands like BILLY DIRT CULT, LORDS OF LIGHT SPEED and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM... Can you explain to us how did arise the idea of creating a Doom/Drone band as MEGATON LEVIATHAN? From whom did idea arise? WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM is a really known band, but, what style BILLY DIRT CULT and LORDS OF LIGHT SPEED did play? Had these bands some relation with Doom or Drone? Andrew, tell us about these bands and about the first days under the name of MEGATON LEVIATHAN.
Well this project started out souly with Matt Brim on drums and myself on bass, it was named at the time “Esrevinu”.we spent a few years in the basement recording, jaming with other assorted wierdos… Erick “Hermit The Flog” from the Hopfrog collective/ Drum Jester Devotional/ Catistrophic Mermaid On Parade/ Urck records-standing out the most , he sat in on synths… and really helped pave the way for the drone/ expermental side of Megaton Leviathan. We did a few basement show live improve jams with that line up under the name “Esrevinu”. I then started collecting recording gear, and that is where it statred to pick up. Erick left, then I started to write songs on my own in the “studio”. I still played bass in practice , then after failed attemps of recruiting guitarists, as i really had been a bass player for years… i decided that i would just play guitar. And we would play the songs i wrote in the studio.That is when Chris came into the picture. He responded to a ad for a bass player. We met up and was like “look, im your guy- i want to be in this band.” We jammed and sure enough, he was right. So he was in Olympia WA Bands, Lords of Light Speed with Nathan And Aaron of Wolves In The Throne Room and the singer from Behead The Prophet. He was also a brief member of WITTR, and helps them with art/ photgraphy and things still to this day from time to time. I was in a lesser known Anchorage Alaska band called Billy Dirt Cult. I just threw out that name to pay homage to the small Anchorage Alaska music scene. I think what sums up both Lords Of light Speed and Billy Dirt Cult would be extream punk metal insanity… crusty loud and noisy…as far as the first days of M.L. we took the name Megaton Leviathan… we felt was more fitting, and we ran with it! We played one or two local shows and then hit the ground running as far as touring.. i think Megaton Leviathan is a departure from both chris and mine’s musical past projects. we feel it is good to mention in paying tribute to the past.
As I have just said, MEGATON LEVIATHAN appears in 2007, and our first known release (I will explain later why I have said “known”) is a CD-R Demo released on November 2009, with five Doom/Drone songs (“Water Wealth Hell On Earth”, “Guns And LSD”, “Repeating Patterns Of Love”, “Time Fades” and “Turlock”). Andrew, during what period of time did you compose these songs and where did you record them? Tell us about the song writing and recording process of this Demo, dude! Did you remain satisfied with the obtained result?
i think Guns and LSD was the first song i wrote in the winter of 2007. I was playing around with different tunings on the guitar. I recorded all of the tracks in the basement or my bedroom and the last song i recorded for the demo was “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” right before we rleased the demo in September 2009. I spent time with all of the tracks, really expermenting with ideas, different approaches throught that period of time. Ultimatly i just let it go , let music flow from me freely without contrived idea or notion…i let insperation take over. there was no “oh this will be doom, or this will be metal.” just –“this will be, i will be open…and will be from my true self .” this musick is spiritual in nature for me, personally- and i view it as a gift. So the songs came about i feel as they intended to come. there meaning constantantly evolves. I am grateful, satisfied, and am happy.
Andrew, I think that the MEGATON LEVIATHAN style is very personal, but, what were your main influences at the moment of create these five songs? What bands or añbums (in general) were they those who more influenced you at the moment of creating the five songs that we can listen to in this Demo? Which do you think that the essential bands or albums to understand the MEGATON LEVIATHAN’s sound in this Demo are?
Well Judas Priest and Black Sabbath are the heavy eliments more or less internalised by the colective conscious of the band. I was listining to a lot of Can, Spacemen 3, Bailterspace,Loop, Coil, 13 Floor Elivators, Chrome, Nue, Stooges, Amon Duul II, The Pretty Things, Slowdive, Cluster…KK Null and other noise and experimental stuff. I willl admit Corrupted -Paso Inferior is a huge influince so is Neurosis- Trhough silver in blood .again albums/ bands that have left a huge impact on my creative psyche. I really honestly had no intetion of this being a “doom” band… in fact that was the farthest from my intent. It is a surpise that reavealed itself to me at the end of the creative process, and it was well embraced.
-Yeah man, I have seen a lot of good reviews praising this Demo... Were you waiting for so good comments on the part of the people when you released this work almost a year ago? Andrew, of all the reviews that you have read about this Demo, which is the one that you have more liked or surprised? There is someone that you have been upset with or infuriated?
I diddnt expect much. Chris was the guy who was really motivated in getting the demo done. I picked the song order… but we gave a copy to Aesop Dekker of Ludicra when we playd Gilman Street with them in Berkely CA , (i wasnt expecting that eather) and he in turn reviewd it on his Cosmic Hears Blog…even at the show the Ludicra guys i think John Cobbett was like”thanks for not screaming, it was actually refreshing” i was like, really? I was not sure what to think, was he kidding?…then the review… and i was like wow people like this stuff? All of the reviews mostly online blogs have surprised me. My favorate one was a blog review of our show with WITTR here in Portland and the demo… where the guy says “sounds like J Spaceman and Sonic Boom(Spacemen 3) smoking fat ass blunts with Dylan Carlson of Earth…” then he goes on about wooly mammoths and dino bones… “i was like exactly man… dino bones”. I have been happy with all the input we have recieved. There was one kid in Phoenix that was like” it was music to kill my self to, it was horrible… too slow… “ he kept going on about how he hated the music, i found that to be a valuable experience as well… i was like hay dude your intitled to your opinion… thats cool. I think he just wanted to hear some crust.
-Since the first song of this Demo, we can see three elements with great importance in the MEGATON LEVIATHAN’s music. Three elements that, by the way, are very promoted in “Water Wealth Hell On Earth”, your first album. These three elements are the use of synths, vocal reverb and dissonances. What can you tell us about these three aspects of your music, Andrew? What degree of importance do you give to each of them? How do you think that they have evolved, throughout the time, in your music? Do you think that they are three indispensable elements to characterize the offer of the band and to separate it from that of other bands?
Well we use/ abuse reverb that will never change. Lots of it…. On everything. Synths filters and feedback, there is a lot of feedback tracks this album… some of em’ ran through filters and modulation effects. We crashed Gabes computer several times with all of the delays and everything we had going on in the mix while he was mixing and mastering. The dissonance might have something to do with that and my singing capabilities being very limited, so it just comes out that way… thus all of the effects, I liked how Helios Creed did super thick effects on his vocals/ everything, so I did my take on it and added a splash of J Spaceman and Sonic Boom for good measure. I think I might scale back to a light echo and reverb on vocals on some songs in the future. Those elements will be the mainstays of Megaton Leviathan… but the idea was to be experimental, so we will change and constantly reinvent ourselves, the challenge is to do this while still remaining true to these elements that are our foundation. So, we will see how that works out. what separates us from other bands?… sure the aforementioned elements. Im just seeing what kind of sounds I can get, it is art…expression. it was my way interpreting and transmuting a experience. This music came from my heart, my soul… and now there are five of us, when it was just one in the beginning. So it is now a collective conscious that is heart and soul of the Megaton Leviathan, it lives. It has it’s own dna if you will.
Some questions ago, I have said that this Demo edited on November 2009 is your first “known” work. It’s your first known work because, if I’m not wrong, MEGATON LEVIATHAN recorded one more Demo that, for example, included the first recording of “A Slow Death In D Minor”, the song with that your debut album “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” finishes, but I think that you didn’t remain satisfied with the result of this Demo, isn’t it? Andrew, did this Demo become released? Is it possible to listen to it in some way? What did happen in order that the result of this Demo was not considered to be suitable for the band? What songs it was including, apart of “A Slow Death In D Minor”?
our first output for sure was the 2009 demo. Chris wanted to have another demo for the 2010 WITTR shows we wher doing, before our first real tour. There where only 50 copys made of the 2nd demo, and there will be no more.i was writing new songs, A Slow Death In D Minor Being one of them. We had just added Kathryn to the line up, and we hurrried through the recording process. The demo Verson of “I Will Meet You At The End OF Forever” starts the disk, and that is from the sessions i did with matt. … that was o.k. but all together, the rest of it was rushed, and it does not stand up next to the 2009 demo. I think if the 2009 demo is ever released on a cd or lp format, i would like to ad some of the other songs from those earlyer sessions with matt on it, they fit great together in my opinion. Unfortuanatly the demo stuff we did with Kathryn just did not turn out, howver the album “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” Turned out great. The songs on the 2010 demo will be the title tracks for possible future albums “A Loop Of Radiance” and “Past 21 And Beyond The Arctic Cell” they just need to be worked a lil more. We took the demo version of slow death in d minor and went to town with it when we did the album, so it is far supior, that is what we want you to hear. This whole thing is a Learning process for us, nothing is ever really perfect. I dont know how one would get a copy of the 2010 demo, it makes me cringe a little actually… ha ha.
-Well, Andrew, let’s forget the Demos and let’s go on to another thing... “Water Welth Hell On Earth” is the title of your first full-lenght album, released by the Spanish label Féretro Records. Andrew, how did contact with Eduardo and Féretro Recoirds arise? Who did contact whom? Eduardo with you or you with Eduardo? Féretro Records is still a little label, but it is releasing amazing bands like MONKEYPRIEST, BORGIA, BONGRIPPER, MARASME or you, MEGATON LEVIATHAN. Had you more offers, apart from that of Féretro Records, to release the album? What did make to you decant on this offer? Are you satisfied, so far, with the promotion and distribution process that Féretro Records and Eduardo are doing?
Eduardo actually contacted us. We really haven’t put out requests to other labels. Or heard from any one else. Eduardo contacted us at the right time. We too where impressed with his roster, and where like man, this is perfect. For the size of label and our band.. I think Eduardo is doing a great job, I am very happy and we are in constant communication. We are doing what we can to help over here in the states by touring and sending off copy’s to US Distros as well.
-If I’m not wrong, “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” has been recorded by Chris Beug (bass player of the band) and you, and mixed and masterized by Gabe Castro. The fact that the album has been recorded by Chris and you makes me suppose that Chris or you have a studio, right? Andrew, what can you tell us about this studio and about the recording process of “Water Wealth Hell On Earth”? What kind of equipment did you use for the the recording of the album? And who is Gabe Castro? I don’t know him, sorry... Tell us about him, Andrew!
Yes I actually have a small studio. As I have mentioned briefly before. I picked up a Presonus Firestudio and had some mic’s, and ran it through my first generation intel Macbook. We did all of the tracking in my basement, here in Portland. I did some guitar/ feedback tracks and vocals in my bedroom. Part of the process was we needed blood, for a offering. We got necked and sacrificed a goat, came home then poured the blood over Kathryns drum kit under a full moon , while summoning the spirit of Aliester Crowley. There was a bunch of grunting in latin and running around in circles like maniacs. We took several hits of LSD and asked the Aliens and earth gnomes for divine guidance. Im just kidding., seriously kidding… we only burnt some Sage, Frankincense and lit some candles, standard for us. We already had the first two tracks done, we just needed To re-track the drums with Kathryn, and some guitar parts. A Slow Death In D Minor was the challenging song. I had the noise and synth parts down, but that was not enough, I wanted to have more to it than just your typical half hour drone doom epic… we had our work cut out for us on that one. I know Gabe from Anchorage, I played briefly in a band with him, and Ryan Sollee (Builders And The Butchers) called The Born Losers. Gabe was the go to guy if you wanted a amazing recording in that town. In Portland he got a bit of a reputation in certain circles for recording, he then ended up working in Professional studios in LA, Most recently he did sound for the movie “Resident Evil 4” I think he even mixed the album on that soundboard.
-“Water Wealth Hell On Earth” contains four songs (“Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part I”, “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part II”, “Guns And LSD” and “A Slow Death In D Minor”) and 57 minutes of pure, magical and epic Doom/Drone. First of all: I think that this album is more Drone, more Ambient and more dissonant than the previous Demo. In the fourth question of this interview, I asked you about the main influences that you had to compose the five songs of that Demo... Regarding to this album, would influences be the same? As I have just said, I think that “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” is more Drone (with two colossal Drone songs like “Water Wealth Hell On Earth – Part II”, and, especially, “A Slow Death In D Minor”), more Ambient and more dissonant than the previous Demo... It makes me think that, probably, you have incorporated more influences into your music. Am I in the certain thing? Tell us about this question, Andrew.
Yes influences would be the same. Just more experience behind it.after a few tours we really started to get a better idea of what we wanted those songs to sound like we got progressively slower, the album reflects that. We brought the vocals out more , rather than under the mix as it is in the demo. We had more to work with, gabe knows his stuff. he really did a amazing job with the album.
-In your known Demo, “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” was a twelve minutes song with six minutes of “normal” song and six minutes of Drone/Ambient song created from synths, drum snare, very low vocal whispers and dissonances. In your debut album, we have “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part I” and “Water Wealth Hell On Earth – Part II”. The first part corresponds with the first six minutes of the “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” Demo song (the “normal” part), and the second part is also a Drone/Ambient piece created from synth, vocal whispers (with a more important and definite presence than in the Demo song), snare drums and dissonances, but it’s a twelve minutes song, and not only the six minutes part that we had in the “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” Demo song closing the song. Andrew, can you tell us about this change? Why did you decide to separate the song “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” in two independent songs of six and twelve minutes? What are, for you, the main and most important changes that we can find between the six minutes Drone/Ambient part of the “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” Demo song and “Water Wealth Hell On Earth – Part II”, that is the Drone/Ambient twelve minutes continuation of “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part I”? What din of question, hahaha!
Well initially we just never separated the tracks for water wealth hell on earth. I intended them to be two separate tracks, for the demo we just felt that it would be better to keep the drone part shorter. In the album we separated the tracks and had the full version of water wealth hell on earth II. There is actually a synth in there, but most of the noise is in fact layers of guitar feedback. I didn’t intend for the whispers to be so prominent but we decided on leaving it like that in the mix.
-As I have said two questions ago, your debut album “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” has four songs: “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part I”, “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part II”, “Guns And LSD” and “A Slow Death In D Minor”. In the previous question, we have talked about “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part I” and “Water Wealt Hell On Earth – Part II”. Now is the moment for “Guns And LSD”, another song that we could listen to in your known Demo and that you have re-recorded for your first album. On what talk this song? What’s your opinion about drugs? Are the members of the band consuming drugs or narcotics? Do you think that they are a useful element to inspire at the moment of composing this kind of music
no members of this band use or condone the use of heavy narcotics. i personally don’t use drugs or play live under the influence of drugs or alcohol, I feel honestly it would stop the creative process of this band completely if I did.. In My personal opinion I believe Drugs are a short cut.I feel it is as cheating. I had a friend in my past we where close, she was in a rehab for women in Oakland ca, for heroin addiction. I have had a similar experience. We would write letters, share stories. she mentioned that her life story should be called Guns And LSD. As when we where hanging out in younger days, there where guns everywhere and most if not all of us would be on LSD. So I thought I would write a song for her, our first song.
And, closing the album, we have the masive, hypnotic, epic and magisterial 33 minutes Drone/Ambient song titled “A Slow Death In D Minor” (that, if I’m not wrong, it already appeared in your “unknown” Demo) . We can divide this song in three parts... In the first part, we have synth, very simple guitar and bass hits, a very hypnotic guitar chords sequence and several dissonances. The second part would start with the entry of the drums and of its different elements, with a most powerful guitar and more dissonances... Absolutelly hypnotic, man! The beginning of the third part remains marked by the entry of diverse string instruments (violin, viola and cello) played by your bass player Chris Beug, that form an absolutelly EPIC third part of the song, that finishes plunged in a calm end... The end of the storm. In “Wather Wealth Hell On Earth”, this is the only song not composed only by you, because it has been signed by you and Chris Beug. I guess that to create a piece of these stratospheric dimensions has to be really complicated, isn’t it? Andrew, can you talk us about this song and about the composition process that Chris and you followed to complete it? How much time you used in its composition? By the way, is the song really in D minor? Hahaha!
I just wanted to do a over the top drone piece. I guess steve reich would be a influence on this one. Taking a simple concept and building on it. I am a minimalist I also love feedback… so I thought what if black Sabbath and spacemen 3 where droning out on top of Lou Reed’s metal machine music? So I went to town. It took about 5 billion years…, really just a few months sorting out the specifics, and getting it just right. chris and I shared ideas for the later part of the song at this point I was like, man you just have at it…I trust you , so he did. So from the point of bass build up on it was him. I had some input, but he wrote the string section and bass progression himself. Kathryn and I did the bells . the root is D ,Yes it is in D minor of course!
-Yeah, man! Chris Beug, your bass player, is a fucking master! Bass (obviously), violin, viola, cello... Does he play some instrument more apart from those that I have mentioned? Is he a professional musician? Have musical studies and official musical titulations? And you, Andrew? Do you play more instruments apart from guitar and synth?
I am very fortunate to have chris in Megaton Leviathan. He plays anything with strings on it it seems. He is in fact classically trained. He has been plying the viola for years. I find this amusing, him being the actual musician, and myself doing what I can creatively with my limitations… navigating this creature we call Megaton Leviathan. I play guitar, bass and not really synth, i play with sound on the synth. I think of this whole process as painting with sound. We work great together when he chooses to have input. We think alike.
Returning to your song “A Slow Death In D Minor”... How do you do it to play live this huge song? I guess that it wouldn’t be easy... How do you recreate all the sounds that in this song appear? I guess that you will have several pre-recorded things, isn’t it? For example, I don’t think that Chris could play bass, violin, viola and cello at the same time, right? Hahaha! The same thing with you regarding to vocals, guitar and synth. Well, Andrew... Tell us about the live performance of “A Slow Death In D Minor”.
We havent quite tackled that yet. We have ideas of possible guest muicians playing parts, and chris possibly at the helm of the string section. I am currently working on using software for backing tracks live. So we hope soon, we will be able to do this song live. Were all excited about it. A lot of this is contingent on the growth of the band. The more support we get from a audience, the more we can do. Hauling a sound system for the backing tracks to small clubs and peoples living rooms is a bit uncalled for. Tho we do that with the live video… but still it would be nice to have a well rounded sound.
But the backing tracks have been in the floor plan sence the inception of the project. We had to get the vocals sorted out first, those where tricky.
-And talking about live shows... MEGATON LEVIATHAN is a band that now is formed by you on vocals, guitar and synthesizers, Chris Beug on bass, Matt Brim on studio drums (for the next album, as I have read), Jason on live drums and Jay on VISUALIZATION. I have seen some MEGATON LEVIATHAN videos on YouTube and I guess that Jay is the man in charge of the screen that you have behind the drums projecting images, right? Andrew, could you define to us how a MEGATON LEVIATHAN’s live show is? Knowing that in the band there is a component in charge of the “visualization”, I guess that the visual aspect will have an enormous importance in your shows, right? For MEGATON LEVIATHAN, is musical component so important as the visual one in live shows?
Well it seems that we will just have jason on the drums for live and recording he earned it on this last tour, he’s the guy.It also has been recently reviealed to us that Megaton Leviathan live and on recording are 2 different things.on our last tour chris thought it would be a good idea to have live visuals, and was like- “i have this friend in olympia he has a projector “… so we gave him a shot , and it worked out great. The thing with jay is he is mixing the vidio images live while we play, some of these images we pick up while on tour, or from home here in cascadia- the forest… we ourselves dont really know what is going on on the screen. We just let go , and let the music take us where ever it wants us to go. The visuals i feel give us a balance. we can do our thing as preformers, but having a visual aid to help guide the listiner through the experience takes a lot of the waight off our shoulders. All we need to do is so our thing without ego… it feels good and right. From where i stand on stage or the basement/ living room etc… a Megaton Leviathan show for me concists of a lot of sweat and raw power… chris and i have shared stories of like … “yeah that part, of that song- i lost it, my eyes where rolling in the back of my head”… and a retort”yeah me too, i just was on auto pilot” yet everything would be played perfect … i dont know how that comes off from a audince standpoint, but we feel like we just did some power yoga after every set very alcheamical. I feel all of this is equally important. We have done shows without jay, but we prefer to have him, not only is he great at live V.J.’ing but he is a exclent cook.
Let’s continue with live shows... I have read in your MySpace (www.myspace.com/megatonleviathan) that you are preparing a tour (to promote your first full-lengh”, and that you will be on the road late October/early November. What can you tell us about this tour, Andrew? Have you already all the live shows booked? What places are you going to visit? There is going to be at some time possibility of see you in Spain? What bands are going to accompany you along the tour?
Well the tour is actually called “water Wealth Hell On Earth” tour, or “WWHOE”
For short. Hails to the beatles!!!(not metal i know) This tour has been amazing. We did it all diy, contacting diy and underground vevues, warehouse’s, houses from Portland Oregon to Austin Texas. Some of these places are so underground, it is by word of mouth only. This was the first time we played Austin Texas, and her reputaion for being Portlands sister city is more than true, we felt at home. Emo’s-
The Roller and Shitty Car Wash are great venue/bands and guys, and we made some long lasting friends there for sure. Oakland, the warehouse scene was great, the bands the people- it was beutifull.. Flagstaff AZ- was the poster child for how a diy underground space should be run, chris grecko man, that guy i mean they had a underground radio station … so rad there. Las Cruces NM was a great place to play too, as it is really close to El Paso Texas. We just played a homecoming show here in Portland at Plan B and we felt the love –it felt good to play to a full room of family and friends. On tour we played a few shows with The Roller in Austin and in Portland, there HEAVY, you can feel that bass pumping in your chest…. Great guys and band… we met up with The Makai, Badr Vogu, and Canadas finist in grindcoreWake in Oakland. Also Dreaming Dead, the gal can shred on that guitar, for real… and Exausted Prayer- they shared drummers and he just calmly slayed the blast beats through two sets in Richmond CA, unblevable! So many amazing bands we played with, it was a hounour to play with Actuary , Deglet Noor Fakirs, and Amps For Christ in LA… WE WOULD LOVE TO PLAY SPAIN!!!! Yes we hope some day soon to make it to Europe and play. We arent sure what bands we would come with as of yet. Tho we have some ideas.
-In this tour, Jason from NOYOUYESME signed up to take on the tour on drums, since your drummer, Kathryn Joy, has left the band recently (though she has recorded “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” with you and Chris). Andrew, why Kathryn has left MEGATON LEVIATHAN? There has been some kind of problem? Tell us about what has happened, please! As I have just said, his position will be occupied by Jason from NOYOUYESME... How did you contact Jason? Did you know him previously? Are you friends for time?
Well Kathryn joined up right before we had been offered those Wittr shows to take over for matt, who subsiquintly came up missing. Intially we where very excited to have a woman in the band. We felt femanin energy was called for in this project.We did those shows and toured, and recorded some materail together. She joined a touring band, and she ended up not being able to tour. There where many, many other factors. For one the recording sessions/ demoing up songs and ideas which i found to be crucial in our devolpment as a band did not translate with her.She is more of a punk/ rock and roll drummer. With no ill will intended i will just say she ended up not being a good fit. When it became obvius that Kathryn was not working out, chris was like “well, i have this friend who play’s drums”. I was kind of cynical, as i wanted to have matt back. I had spent years with matt. Chris insisted, this guy”jason” could tour, and was allready learning the songs… i came down to the basement and there was jason “noyouyesme”… i was like “no you!... i didnt know you played drums!!!” and jason was like “yes me! I Play drums!” chris did not tell me it was “noyouyesme” jason. we had played several shows together, and he was allwase very full with enthusiasm tword this project. Chris knew jason for quite some time allready, so it was instantly good vibes in the band room.
-I have also read in your MySpace that your old drummer Matt Brim will be re-joining up for recording with you your second album... Andrew, tell us about the Matt’s return! When he left the band and why now has he decided to return? Once this second album is recorded, he also will be the drummer for the live shows, or will be Jason from NOYOUYESME the man that will continue playing drums in live shows?
Well i at the time had it in mind to have matt back in the band. We talked, and he even himself was like; if jason workes out better, then go with it. So we did a tour with such great success internally as a unit, that i think it would be a offence to jason to not go ahead and record with him. If we where to release the 09 demo on a cd or lp ide like to re-track matt brim for the sake of doing it right and prosperity. I believe that as much as the song structure is solid, his drumming on that makes it shine. As far as Jason, he has been well recieved and we think he is a valuable addition to the band. We will carry on live and record with jason.
-And what can you tell us about this second album, Andrew? Do you already know when you are going to start recording it? Will it return to be edited by Féretro Records? Do you already know when it will be? What can we expect from MEGATON LEVIATHAN’s music in this new album? What differences will be between this new work and “Water Wealth Hell On Earth”?
the album had been written in 2007/2008 by myself basically from the the same time frame i wrote water wealth hell on earth and guns&lsd. Wich is the last 3 songs of the 09 demo and the first song of the 2010 demo, plus a few that have been demoed for personal referance but not released on one. I think the difference is that it will be as equally as heavy, just not in the obvious and same way water wealth hell on earth is.
There will be phsychedelic wah wah and more heavy delays. The vocal style will be the same. It will not be your typical doom album, for it is not one… it is just heavy. I dont know who is to release it, but we plan on starting the process of re-tracking and getting studio drums here soon.
Another thing that I have read in your MySpace is that, after the tour, you want to add a second guitar player for the band... Which is the motive of this, Andrew? I have seen the explanation in your MySpace, but tell us here for all our readers, please! Have you already thought about some candidate to occupy the position? What requirements have to be assembled by the person who wants to join to MEGATON LEVIATHAN as guitar player?
It has been in the agenda to have 2 guitars this whole time. Just we had spent so much time in the basement, we decided that we could get it done with just myself on the guitar in the meantime. So now we are at a point where we can ad a second guitar player. His name is also andrew. We have been friends for years, and mentioned that he wanted to be in a touring band. I filled him in on what i needed, and he was like, oh i can do that- here is what i can also bring to the table. He is good with theory and is a actual vocalist, so he will be backing me on vocals as well. With a secod guitar we can elaborate more on textures drones and so forth. There are a few songs i wrote that we arent able to play without a 2nd guitar, or i dont feel it will translate right. There is one song in particular “ I Will Meet You At The End Of Forever” that we do live, i wrote with a rythem and a lead guitar- and 2 different rythem and lead parts. Right now it works with just me live- it is our set ender, but with the second guitar it will take it to the next level.
-Well, Andrew, in spite of the fact that we are already talking about the release of a second full-lenght, the truth is that the first one, “Water Wealth Hell On Earth”, was released a very little time ago (late September). How are, on the part of the fans and of the specialized media, the reactions towards this first album? Are you satisfied with the reviews thar you are obtaining? By the way, “Water Wealth Hell On Earth” is limited to 500 copies... Have you thought of doing a reissue if it becomes sold-out?
Yes we are happy with the reviews we have been getting on this album. We have read some reviews or promo spots and where like;” wow… thanks!!!!” it was just released and we are doing all we can- the label and the band to promote it. I think on this tour we may of sold 50 cd’s. A lot of people ask if we have viynil, so we are hustling to get these sold, so we can get a possible re-release with vynil. I dont know if feretro would be into that, but we plan to continue working with him.
Does it seem to you likely that we talk now parallel projects? You have played in BILLY DIRT CULT, and Chris in LORDS OF LIGHT SPEED and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM (I think that, nowadays, you aren’t already in these bands, isn’t it? Correct me if I am wrong, please!). And your live drummer Jason is now also playing in NOYOUYESME. Well, apart from Jason, there is some MEGATON LEVIATHAN member playing in another band? Do you, Chris, Matt or Jay play in some another band apart from MEGATON LEVIATHAN, or have thought to create a project paralel to?
No Billy Dirt Cult is dead, so is Lords Of Light Speed. Chris still helps WITTR, but is not a member. NoYouYesMe is just Jason, and he is still doing that. Some points on tour especially with the more experimental shows: Actuary and Amps For Christ. We collaborated Jason has a few circuit bent toys and effect racks, samplers and synths… it was quite inspirational for us all, and we know we can do it now. Jason plays actively with NOYOUYESME. Jay has a project called Blind Physics. he plays a didgeridoo through effects patches, he is pretty damn good. Matt is in a few bands around town now, none of which I know the names. Chris has a project called Cascadian Winter, it’s a blackened folk thing. I have a project called Esrevinu, it is sound experiments and drones less rock oriented . I am in another Psychedelic band called Antikythera. Andrew our 2nd guitar player is in a rock and roll band called “The Penalty”. Some of the guys, Chris and Andrew even have had several parts in small plays /acting over the years. Despite these other outlets we are focused 110% on Megaton Leviathan. This is what we want to do.
Thank you for the awesome interview cheers to Xtreem Music fanatics in Spian!!!!!
Andrew James Costa-
