ENDERS
GAME
The
interview with great thrash metal band from Atlanta.
ENDERS
GAME: Commercially, yes. The underground scene is still strong, but too
many bands who want commercial success decide to tune as low as they can and
groove to one or two riffs. Unfortunately this has come to be what most
people perceive as the metal scene today. As a band we don't concentrate
on the marketability of our songs, we just try to write good songs.
METAL
SIDE: What are the reasons of the crises of the metal scene? Most styles of
heavy metal aren't commercially very successful so it seems that the business
shouldn't kill the originality.
ENDERS
GAME: More and more metal bands have picked on genre of metal and tried to be
the most extreme at that style. That has taken out a lot of the structure
and diversity that can be so great about metal music. We don't try to
compete with or out-do anyone else, We just write and play music that we
like. Hopefully others like it as well!
METAL
SIDE: What trends of the American scene are in your opinion most dangerous and
what trends are most promising? Do you believe that the situation may get
better soon?
ENDERS
GAME: Labels and major media outlets are deciding what metal is, and the
general public believes it. At the same time, there are still metal
festivals like Ozzfest that draw well and expose lesser-known bands to people
that otherwise may not hear them. There is always hope for metal music
because metal fans are truer to their music than most other people who just
follow trends.
METAL SIDE: What kinds of music do you listen to? Is metal your only priority?
ENDERS
GAME: Metal is definitely the priority, but all of us listen to various types
of music, from rock to pop to hip-hop. No matter what styles of music we
all listen to, metal is the common denominator and none of us could imagine
playing anything else!
METAL SIDE: Tell us something about the bands you had been playing with before
Enders Game was formed. Were they stylistically very different from your
current style?
ENDERS
GAME: Stylistically, all of our previous bands were similar. We all have
metal backgrounds.
METAL SIDE: Why did you decide to call your band Enders Game?
ENDERS
GAME: It was either that or "Terror-Dactyle." You decide if we
chose the right one! Seriously, though, we had many suggestions and that
one got the most support.
METAL
SIDE: You sent me CD with 4 tracks and I must say that these songs are really
good. Therefore I am curious when you are going to release full-length album. I
know that you want to record one more demo soon, but not the full-length
material. Why do you wait to present your music in the wider scale?
ENDERS
GAME: Quite simply, we have no label backing us yet, so everything we do is
self-financed. Financially we have to take things one step at a
time. Keeping the music in the smaller EP formats allows us to allocate
resources to other areas such as merchandise. This gives the fans a
little bit of everything.
METAL SIDE: Are the new tracks you haven't recorded yet the continuation of the
style known from the demo you sent me?
ENDERS
GAME: Yes, although the new songs will reflect more of a full band
effort. This line-up has had a chance to play together for almost a year
now, so the collaborative effort shows in the newer songs.
METAL
SIDE: That's a prosaic question but the problem is serious. How to compose a
good heavy metal song?
ENDERS
GAME: Start out with a good, strong riff and, as you're working on it, keep
asking yourself, "is this something that I would want to hear?"
We usually write the music first and then Kevin adds the lyrics last. This
allows us to make sure the music itself is strong before the lyrics are even
added.
METAL
SIDE: Is good songwriting a matter of talent or rather hard work?
ENDERS
GAME: Both. Talent makes the music good, but hard work makes the song
good. Plenty of talented musicians aren't necessarily good songwriters.
METAL SIDE: Have you already started talks with the labels that could release
your new CD? What do you think about American metal labels? Is it easy to find
one that really cares for its bands and is able to promote them strongly?
ENDERS
GAME: Yes, we're in the process of submitting our material to different labels.
Metal seems to be more underground in America than it is overseas in Europe, so
it's hard to say how well they promote bands because the usual commercial
promotional outlets like radio and TV won't support metal.
METAL
SIDE: You have just started working with Sam Chronic, from Black Moon Records
Management. Does it mean that you didn't believe that you would be successful
without manager?
ENDERS
GAME: We were able to make a big enough name for ourselves locally that we
found ourselves spending more and more time doing promotion and booking and
less time on our music. We needed someone to take over those things for us
so that we could get back to concentrating on writing good music. We were
able to find someone in Sam who is committed to doing whatever it takes to help
us broaden our reach.
METAL SIDE: Have you any problems with booking the shows? Do you think that gigs
are the best way to promote the band or maybe reviews have bigger impact?
ENDERS
GAME: We do have problems booking shows because there aren't many clubs in
Atlanta that consistently play metal. Gigs are a great way to establish a
band. Reviews are good to get people interested in your band, but the
live shows are what bring them back…
METAL
SIDE: Is Atlanta a good place to play heavy metal? Are there many good venues
to play shows? Are there many fans of heavy metal?
ENDERS GAME: Unfortunately Atlanta is not a great place to be a local metal
band. Although there are a good amount of metal fans in Atlanta, they don't
usually support the local scene. However, we have begun to establish a
good following. There are good venues to play, but most will only play a
metal band if they are signed or have a good local draw.
METAL SIDE: What local bands are most talented in your opinion?
ENDERS
GAME: Burial Rites, Ghost Story, Dark Overlord, Halcyon Way and Last
Transgression are all good local metal bands.
METAL SIDE: One of the Enders Game's members Jarrod Johnson used to play in several
bands in Wisconsin. I think that you know other scenes too. Is Georgia's scene
strong when it is compared to scenes in other states?
ENDERS GAME: No, other states, particularly in the midwest region of the US,
have stronger scenes because there seem to be more people willing to support
metal music, even local metal music. We hate to say it, but Atlanta seems
to prefer "flavor of the month" bands.
METAL
SIDE: One of your tracks is titled 'systematic killing of the American dream'. That's
very pessimistic title if we should understand it literally. Many American
musicians are very critical when they speak about American policy and style of
life. They are probably more critical than most of people living in the United
States. What are the reasons of such attitude?
ENDERS
GAME: It's not really pessimistic, but it is pretty critical. We believe
that you can be most critical of the things you love and of which you have an
intimate knowledge. While there's no other place we'd rather live than
America, it is still far from perfect.
METAL SIDE: Thanks for the answers.
ENDERS
GAME: Thank you! These were very good questions and we had fun answering
them. Thanks for the support and the interest!
September 03
Metal
Side – www.geocities.com/deathmetalside/mainpage6.html