A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED FELIX EMAILED ME ONE DAY AND SAID I NEEDED TO CHECK THIS BAND CALLED OUTWORLD OUT. I WENT TO THEIR PAGE AND LIKED WHAT I SAW BUT THEN ONCE I HEARD THEM I WAS BLOWN AWAY. THESE GUYS ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT METAL AT IT'S BEST.

MUEN: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT OUTWORLD...

OUTWORLD: Hi Shauna, thanks for the interview! That�s funny you mentioned Felix. For a while there, I received lots of messages from Metal fans saying that their friend Felix told me to come check Outworld out. We really appreciate Felix for spreading the word! Outworld are five guys, two of which (Rusty and Bobby) are deeply seeded in the Houston area. Carlos comes from Brazil, Matt from Seattle, and Shawn from Atlanta. All three guys being devoted to music, decided to leave behind their stomping grounds and move to Houston to join Rusty and I in the attempt to attain our common dream, to design a kind of Metal music that can invigorate minds and reach the masses on a large scale.

MUEN: WHY DO YOU CALL YOURSELVES OUTWORLD?

OUTWORLD: Outworld, to us, means a place of escape from the world around you, in a mental sense. If you�ll see on our CD cover, you�ll see a distraught fellow standing in the middle of an opinionated, claustrophobic and overwhelming world. His only escape is through his mind. You�ll see a portal in the background on the artwork, it represents a means of leaving the turmoil behind, which symbolizes the escape the fellow needs to find in his own mind. We enjoy the name �Outworld� because we feel it comes from a deep meaning, our own meaning, and it represents our endeavor to invigorate people�s minds through our music and lyrics.

MUEN: LISTENING TO YOUR MUSIC IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING THIS A WHILE BECAUSE YOU ALL ARE VERY TALENTED IN MY OPINION. HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER TO FORM THIS BAND AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER?

OUTWORLD: Rusty and I worked on music together since 1997. However, I guess you could say Outworld has been together since 2004, which is when we started writing the debut CD. Rusty and I have been working on getting the right guys in the band for a long time, and we feel in the last 2 years that we�ve accomplished that goal. This is a real band, where there are no leaders, everyone being equal.

MUEN: THE MEMBERS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR BAND RIGHT NOW, IS THAT THE ORIGINAL LINE-UP OR HAVE THERE BEEN CHANGES IN THE WAY OF BAND MEMBERS?

OUTWORLD: There have been changes, but it was in efforts to find the correct lineup. It was our original intent to keep the vocalist on the debut CD as a final and long term member in the band, but since his conduct didn�t coincide with that attempt, we had to let him go. Our lineup is complete and you will hear what Outworld�s clear vision is on the sophomore release in 2008!

MUEN: YOUR SELF TITLED DEBUT ALBUM WAS RELEASED ON JUNE 25, 2007. HOW MANY TRACKS ARE ON IT? WHO PRODUCED THE CD? WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF MAKING THE CD? WHAT WAS THE BEST PART?

OUTWORLD: Actually, June 25th was not when our debut CD was released��I believe that date is when Replica released the idea of selling it as an import to Japan and a couple other countries not in Europe. We are still a bit confused about that.

MUEN: HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE IT'S RELEASE?

OUTWORLD: The official release date of our debut was November 13th, 2006. That happens to be my birthday! Is it fate? J We had a CD release party over at Rusty�s house, just the band and family. It took so long to get that CD out, through trial and tribulation somehow it finally got released and we were happy to say the least.

MUEN: THE CD JACKET ARTWORK IS AMAZING. WHO DESIGNED IT?

OUTWORLD: Yes he�s great. His name is Matias Noren and you can find his webpage here at www.progart.com. However, I just took a look at his site, and there is a disturbing message from him on the first page. Apparently some record labels haven�t lived up to their end of the bargain and have ripped him off. Rat bastards!

MUEN: I WATCHED YOUR WEBISODES AND THOUGHT IT WAS SOME PRETTY HILARIOUS FOOTAGE. IT BECAME ADDICTING, LIKE I HAD TO WATCH ALL OF THEM TO SEE WHAT YOU WOULD DO NEXT.I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GO TO YOUR PAGE AND SEE THEM. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DOCUMENT YOUR TIME IN THE STUDIO ON FILM?

OUTWORLD: We didn�t want our fans to forget us, so we thought we�d show what we are up to. J Gotta keep reminding them of the Outworld Machine! We thought it was important to get some more footage involving our new vocalist�.while at the same time show Outworld is a fun band!

MUEN: WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

OUTWORLD: Outworld is the only focus right now. We are zealous to get the sophomore release into the fans hands as soon as we possibly can.

MUEN: ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH ANY ORGANIZATIONS? WHO ARE YOUR SPONSORS?

OUTWORLD: No organizations per say. Several of our endorsement companies have really helped out quite a bit, two of which are Dean Guitars and Intellitouch tuners. Our close friend, Brent, who has given us financial advice and sponsorship. All of our endorsement deals certainly help get our name out there a lot more than we could do on our own. We are thankful for it all, of course.

MUEN: WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING IN A BAND?

OUTWORLD: Working together, and creating awesome music with your buds is a great thing.Watching that hard work pay off, sitting back and listening to your own creation, these are all great things. But, hearing the appreciation from the fans, is first and foremost the best thing about being in a band.

MUEN: SO... ARE YOU TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD ANYTIME SOON?

OUTWORLD: We hope so, but it won�t be until after the next CD comes out. We need a record label to hear this CD and sign it up!

MUEN: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SAY TO THE WORLD OR AT LEAST OUR MUEN READERS?

OUTWORLD: We would like to say thanks for reading the interview, and thank you for the interest in Outworld. Also, be looking for our sophomore release in 2008�..it�s shaping up to be one hell of a disc!

MUEN: WE AT MUEN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I HOPE YOU HAD FUN DOING THE INTERVIEW. WE WISH THE BEST FOR YOU AND HOPE THAT BIG THINGS HAPPEN FOR YOU.

OUTWORLD: Thank you Shauna, you�ve been most helpful and kind. See you on tour!

Interview by Shauna O'Donnell