– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with CARNIFEX?

We are currently in Witchita, Kansas on the Die Without Hope Tour. Everything is going pretty well actually.

– You took a hiatus from touring from 2012 to 2013. Has this had any kind of impact on you? Has this made you come back with new energy?

It gave us a chance to recharge our batteries as well as really focus on writing the best record we possibly could.

 

– Now you have just released your new album, entitled «Die without Hope». What are your expectations on it? And how is it’s feedback being so far?

We expect this record to do really well for us. The feedback has been very positive and with Nuclear Blast backing us we have very high hopes.

 

– «Die without Hope» is a quite straightforward title. How does it fit the lyrics on this release? What do some of the lyrical themes deal with?

Well it’s part of the lyrics so I guess it fits that way. The lyrics for this album deal with a very dark time in my life that I went through. That’s why they seem so grim.

 

– There are a few things that caught my attention off this record. For instance, I would dare say this is your heaviest album, with a huge focus on the overall atmosphere. Considering the tough lyrics on it, is the atmosphere built upon the mood of the lyrics?

Yes. The music is something that influences the lyrics and then we tend to add atmospheric content to fit the mood of the lyrics written.

 

– It’s also more melodic compared to your previous releases, and more innovative in general. Was this something you were striving for?

Absolutely. We’ve always written heavy melodic music though. I think it’s a result of the band being able to dedicate more time to the writing process.

 

– In fact Deathcore seems to be a bit stagnant lately. Is something important for you to stand out among most bands in the genre? As I think you have know managed to create a trademark sound; your own sound.

We just write the music we want to hear. We’ve been doing that for five albums now. Luckily that has translating into having our own sound.

 

– If on your previous «Until I Feel Nothing» we could already find some keyboards, on your new effort they play a bigger role. What’s the main reason behind this? In fact its being utilized in different ways; as a piano or even providing a subtle symphonic feeling.

It just shows how we’ve grown as song writers I think. The main reason is because we’ve developed the foresite in our writing to leave room for keys. It also allows for new ideas to come in that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

 

– Overall I feel like the songwriting is more well-cared and you have developed it better so, has the songwriting process changed at all?

Not really. The parts that changed are that we were not on tour and that Jordan joined the band. Other than those factors the actual process remained the same.

 

– You have used unusual song structures into the style, without going too far with breakdowns. Was this something you had in mind for this record?

Definitely. We always learn things from our previous albums. We figure out what we like and where we can improve.

 

– In fact I consider this album as a big development for the band, and it also shows a new level of maturity. Is this your musical climax or is there always room for more? Is maybe this just a starting point to keep on exploring further and improving the path you have taken here?

We’re always refining our music. As artists we’re always going to keep looking at what we’ve done and try to improve. Nothing we do will ever be perfect so there’s always room for more.

 

– The guitar work is also superb. I personally think Jordan Lockrey, your new guitar player, has been a great addition to the band, adding melody and solos in almost all the songs. In fact these solos are something that stand out off this release. Was this your idea or did Jordan did his parts?

When Jordan started writing with us we told him that he would be soloing a lot so it was something that we’ve wanted for quite some time but have never had the resources to do.

 

– This has been your first album with Nuclear Blast, probably one of the biggest labels in Metal so, how does it feel? And what are the pros and cons of working with a big label? Maybe you get more coverage but they are not so focused on you as a smaller company could be?

It feels great! They’ve been an amazing label so far. We haven’t experienced any cons as of yet. We’ve been on smaller labels and it wasn’t awesome. Nuclear Blast has shown us the love.

 

– All this about «Die Without Hope» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

I’ll give you two words. Epically Brutal.

 

– And finally, what are your nearfuture plans?

We’ll be announcing a couple of U.S. tours in the next couple of weeks and we’ll be going to Europe this summer for With Full Force and the U.K. for Sonisphere.

 

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Order a copy of Die Without Hope from Nuclear Blast, Impericon(EU, AUS), or Indie Merch(U.S)

 

Tania Giménez

tania@queensofsteel.com

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