Jeff: Non-existant. Stow is a rest stop between Akron and Cleveland. There's a few bands from Kent which is about 5 minutes east of Stow... but the majority of them fall into the unfortunate category of 'rap-core.' Akron isn't much better... there's a couple of alright clubs, but still most of the metal bands are of the Korn and Tool variety... which translates to 'pretty derivative'. Akron is the home of Blood Coven, though... so I guess we get points for that. Really the only band out of Cleveland that's worth mentioning is Boulder.
Alan: The metal scene in Stow (Akron area) is about as strong as a wet tissue. There are several metal bands in the area and some of them are very talented but there just aren't many places to play at anymore. There was a great metal-only radio station out of a local high school here for a long time but it shut down at the beginning of summer 1999 due to pressure from brain-dead parents I believe. There used to be a decent free local magazine called "Scene" that covered a lot of local metal but it was bought out by some national corporation that apparently decided that local bands were no longer worth covering. So now we're back to metal being completely underground.
2. What club do you consider the best to play at?
Jeff: Europe Gyro in Kent. Free gyros and beer and it never gets too crowded. Plenty of elbow room.
Alan: Euclid Tavern in Cleveland books a lot of national acts that I like (Melvins, Nebula, and Helios Creed for instance). But I can't say it's the greatest place to play. The stage is very small and it's not laid out for maximum viewage of the band.
3. Describe how you guys met.
Jeff: Well, Abdullah's seen it's fair share of members. The original guitarist was an old friend of mine who went from high school quarter back to drug addict/mama's boy. He was around in the beginning, but not much longer. He still wants to "lay down the heavy" (as he calls it) every now and again. Abdullah's original (and only) bass player was my step-brother, so I guess we met through my mom. He moved on to bigger and better things like ex-wives and child support. We had 2 other guys who ended up in grindcore bands. And then there's Alan...
Alan: I saw a flier Jeff put up at a local record store in Akron. It had about 20 obscure bands listed as influences and I happened to be a fan of most of them so I gave him a call. I don't believe in coincidences, it was pre-ordained from the beginning of time that we would get a band together. You can look it up in the Necronomicon or something.
4. What one thing made you want to play music?
Jeff: When I was a very young man, my parents used to dump me at my Grandma's house on weekends. Luckily one of my uncles still lived there who listened to such wonders as Uriah Heep, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Nazareth, and of course, Black Sabbath. From there I quickly moved on to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and before I knew it Metallica and Slayer. I was in 7th grade and figured 'why not emulate my heroes?' 15 years later and I'm finally doing it. That wasn't one thing though, was it?
Alan: I can't make up my mind if it was sex, drugs, or rock and roll. How about a combinatin of sex, drugs, and rock and roll? Would that count as one? Actually, I think it was Iron Maiden. I remember watching a video (Flight of Icarus? maybe The Trooper?) where Dave Murray was jamming out and at that moment I wished I could be that cool. Seriously! Or maybe it was just Satan that made me do it.
5. What do you see for the future of death/blackmetal/grind/etc.?
Jeff: I hope that with the merging of so many different styles of metal that the majority of the fans can open their minds to some new sounds. I mean, bands like Assuck or Deicide or Darkthrone who epitomize a certain sub-genre of metal are fine, but people need to open their minds to such eclectic greats as Arcturus, the Gathering, Mr. Bungle, etc. who bring an assortment of styles to the table. Everyone's going to have their own 'thing', but it doesn't hurt to open your mind to others.
But I think metal's doing fine going into the new century. The music's still going strong, there's no lack of talent or originality, there's an abundance of cool labels, and best of all... metal is, was, and always shall be the true underground of music. The fans are rabid and loyal, and the bands (in most cases) are down to earth and care about their fans. That's why this form of music has been able to survive (and with integrity no less) for so long.
Alan: Um, what he said.
6. Are you prepared for this apocalyptic event called Y2K?
Jeff: I've already amassed an impressive surplus of guns, canned food and pornography to last me well into the year 3000. I have no money in the bank as it is, so if my account's wiped out it'll be no big loss. I'm gonna overdraw on the 31st just to see if I can get away with it. Hopefully the Y2K bug will wipe out some of my debt.
Alan: I'm a little worried that those kooky fundamentalist Christians are going to swoop down in black helicopters, round us radicals up in underground bunkers, and sell our precious bodily fluids to the aliens from Sirius while the world burns around us. But mostly I just ignore the hype.
7. Any favorite splatter film?
Jeff: To say I have one favorite is to do a grave injustice to all of the hard-working men and women who have brought me many hours of entertainment on slow weekends. If you had a gun to my head I'd have to say Cannibal Holocaust... I loathe the animal slaughter, but god damn does that film stay with you for weeks after watching it. The Blair Witch Project ripped off Ruggero Deodato and you know it!
Alan: If we're talking *splatter* as in blood and guts I'd have to say "Dead Alive" for sheer quantity of gore. But if we're talking about horror movies in general I like it when they're actually scary as opposed to comedies with death thrown in. I don't have a favorite but the last time I got spooked was probably "Exorcist III".
8. What should first time listeners expect to hear from you?
Jeff: Although we don't conciously go for it, our sound has endlessly been compared to that of Black Sabbath's... right down to the vocals. I take that as a compliment but in no way are we trying to copy off of the masters. We bring all of our influences into the mix... mine being Acid Bath, Paradise Lost, Hawkwind, Sisters of Mercy, The Gathering, EyeHateGod and a whole host of other 60's and 70's luminaries. It's definitely slow and heavy, but still kind of melodic.
Alan: They should expect to hear variety. I'd say we're the type of guys who get bored quick so you're not going to hear a whole album where every song is just a minor variation on one basic style. Don't expect Butthole Surfers or Helios Creed type of experimentation but we mix it up while keeping it mostly heavy.