1. How and when did Semper Tyrannis start?
We started in Spring 2002, when I was 15. My friend Alex (current guitarist) and I were interested in starting a metal band since that's what we were into at the time. At first it was just me and him and we sounded like At The Gates and Dissection. Between then and now, with numerous lineup changes, we evolved from what could be described as more progressive hard rock (with our old singer), to what is now death metal with a variety of other genres serving as influences.
2. Who are your biggest influenes?
I can't really speak for other members of the band, but my biggest influences include Agalloch, Ulver (only on "Bergtatt" really), Immolation, Suffocation, At The Gates ("The Red In The Sky Is Ours" specificlly), Kreator, Celtic Frost, Gorguts, Skepticism, The Chasm, Atheist, Coroner, Sadus, Blut Aus Nord, Incantation, Slayer. Less metal oriented bands who influence me include Porcupine Tree, King Crimson(Fripp=THE guitar god!), Godspeed You Black Emporer, Grieg, Berlioz, Mort and Tchaikovsky.
3. How would you describe a live Semper Tyrannis show?
To be honest, our shows don't always go too smoothly, especially if we've been somewhat our of practice for a while, but we've been told that we look like we enjoy what we're doing and tht we come across as honest and aggressive. I think we have a ways to go before we re a tight live band, but since we don't gig that often i can forgive myself. Hehehehe!!
4. In your opinion, how does New Jersey's metal scene compare to the rest of the country?
What suprised me is that there IS quite a metal scene in New Jersey. Of course, NJ is probbly the biggest Emo state, as well as grindcore, so they generally get all the shows and promotion. We've often had to share the stage with these bands because getting on a decent all metal show was nearly impossible, however, there are some noteable bands. One of my friends is organiing a 2 day festival in Asbury Park, which showcase alot of bands from this state and area. I really like Distorted Mind, Soni Minos, the legendary Mortal Decay, Sinter, Divinity Destroyed and Beyond The Flesh. There's quite a few bands with a suprising amount of talent, just not many venues and poor promotion. Overall, I'd say we stack up well to the rest of the U.S. Not quite as big a the metalcore scene in Massachusetts, but definately better than the scene in Bumfuck,Wyoming.
5. Do you guys plan on recording a full-length album anytime soon?
Unfortunately, no, a full-length isn't feasible right now. We will probably release another 3-4 song EP before the end of the year to show our progression, but we really don't want to do a full-length if there isn't a label backing us. Our gols first are to build a bigger following and to hopefully get signed.
6. What inspires your lyrics?
Since i write a majority of the lyrics, I'd say that pretty much anything inspires me to write lyrics, usually on the negative side. I tend to focus lot on death, the experiences of the mourning as well as from the perspective of the dead/dying person him/herself. I often make subtle jabs at organized religion since I'm not a fan of that, and I make that a point more overtly more than i did, in our new song "The Fall From Grace." Ultimately, i guess what I write is supposed to have a transcendental quality. I talk about negative things, but I ultimately want to reach a better end.
7. Will you guys be touring in the near future?
We're always up for a mini-tour. We might do shows this summer in Massachusetts, but with our budget it's unlikely that we can actually "tour" at this point.
8. Have any of you been in other bands? Any current side projects?
Me and my bassist were in a comedy punk band at one point, many years ago. Alex, our guitarist, has never been in another band and our drummer had been in a few rock bands before joining us.
9. Besides music, how do you spend your free time?
I'm a music nerd! I collect CDs, play guitar and write music. Other than that, i like to read, mostly about history,politics and philosophy. I jog once in awhile. I've previously worked in a warehouse and trucking dock as summer jobs.
10. Where do you see Semper Tyrannis in 5 years?
Hopefully still together with at least one full-length album out that is respected among true metal fans and brings us a decent amount of recognition. MTV exposure or being on something like Sounds of the Underground tour isn't really for us. It's my personal mission to remain true to the sound and attitude of metal and to not fall to trends like metalcore, hardcore and pseudo-thrash bands like The Haunted or something. I'm not sure how succesful we'll be in keeping together since we'll all be attending college in the fall, but I'm hoping for the best.
11. Thanks alot for the interview. Any final comments?
Thanks Chad once again for reviewing us and letting us have this interview.
www.sempertyrannis.com www.myspace.com/sempertyrnnis
