The trio’s second full-length, Sine Qua Non, continues the mission of paying tribute to fallen band comrade Glenn Riley Elliott, and what Elliott’s Keep do through this collection of songs is basically establish themselves as a band with a distinct sound within the world of doom. By upping the level of black and death metal influence from 2008′s In Medias Res debut, they carve a niche for themselves in a crowded Texas scene by brazenly taking on forms of extremity most bands wouldn’t dare touch. Oh yeah, and it’s heavy too.

More than it being simply heavy, though, what I enjoy most about Elliott’s Keep is the spirit behind the music and the obvious passion in playing it. Sure, they’re skilled songwriters, but the band strikes me more as friends who enjoy playing together than career-driven musicians looking to get as big as possible in the music industry. And isn’t that what doom is all about? Getting together with your buddies, playing killer heavy tunes and having a good time? How could it be anything else?

Guitarist Jonathan, bassist/vocalist Kenneth and drummer Joel have refined and intensified their approach, showing growth in both musicianship and consciousness, but honestly, given all the links above, I’ve probably said enough about Sine Qua Non. It’s time to give someone else a turn. Jonathan takes the conch in the interview to follow, providing answers as sincere as Elliott’s Keep‘s music to questions about their writing process (unlike most bands, the riffs do not necessarily come first), recording the album, working with Brainticket Records head John Perez of Solitude Aeturnus, who also provides a guest solo on Sine Qua Non, and much more.

Q&A is after the jump, as ever. Please enjoy.

Take me through the Elliott’s Keep writing process. Where do the song ideas come from and how much is everyone involved? At what stage do the lyrics come into the arrangement?

Our writing process is a group effort. We always start with the lyrics. They supply the mood of the song and are a roadmap for the various song sections. Often, the vocal melodies come early in the process as well.

Usually, one of us brings a guitar riff or drum part and then the others build on it. With the input from the other band members and the sounds of the other instruments, the original idea evolves and we record the end result. We have many different sections in each song, so this process is repeated many times – usually over several months.

We keep the best parts and discard the weak ones. If we like a part, but it ends up not fitting a given song, we move it to another working song project or bank it for later use. In “Fearless,” for example, there is a section that we loved but that did not fit into a prior song. With patience, it found its proper place and it is a core section of “Fearless.”

The arrangement process is ongoing from the beginning. When we recognize that we need a part of a certain mood to fit between two developed parts, we set about writing a part of the needed style, such as a fast double-bass part or an old-school doom riff, to meet the needs of the song.

Our lyrics are usually based on stories that we create. The subject matters are things that are interesting to us, such as history and fantasy. Often the protagonist faces a life challenge that we all experience, such as dealing with fear or loss or questions about the meaning of life. Strong emotions are a significant part of our lyrical approach.

We really enjoy the writing process and look forward to entering that phase again soon.

How was it working with J.T. Longoria again? Was there something in particular that made you want to go back to Nomad Studios?

We had a great experience with J.T. and Nomad in recording In Medias Res. Our plan all along was to return to Nomad to record the new album.

J.T. is a real pro. He has excellent musical and technical skills, and a great ear. Although our songs are locked-down when we hit the recording studio, J.T. has always been a great resource for us in the recording process. It is always fun working with him and we had many laughs together along the way.

You guys really seemed to up the intensity level this time around, especially in Ken’s vocals. Is that just what came out of the songwriting, or was there a conscious decision to play up that side of the band?

The intensity came about naturally. We learned a great deal in the writing and recording of the last record. From the beginning, we had a clear idea of what we wanted to accomplish.

Tell me about putting together the album’s art. The design for Sine Qua Non has a lot in common with In Medias Res in terms of font, the layout/alignment of the text on the back cover, etc. How much was the direction of the artwork meant as an extension of the last album?

Joel gets the credit for the artwork. We are of the “old-school” mindset that an album should have cool accompanying art. As to the consistency of the overall layout, that is a reflection of our personalities. We like that. We want all of our albums to have consistency — like matching volumes in a set of books.

Even the album titles are similar, both being three-word Latin sayings. What does Sine Qua Non mean to the band?

Sine qua non means “without this, (there is) nothing.” For everyone who really loves music, music is an essential part of our lives. It is not a passive thing. It is a dominant part of life. Without it, life would not be nearly as meaningful. For us, our band and songs have that same significance. They are a dominant part of our lives.

Is Sine Qua Non intended as a sequel musically to In Medias Res? If so, what do you think about the growth that’s evident between the two albums?

Yes, our intent was to progress and advance the same elements that comprise our musical core. I expect that will always be our mindset. From the beginning of writing Sine Qua Non, we set about to raise the bar and write even better songs. We will continue to push ourselves that way going forward. We are very proud of the end result of Sine Qua Non.

How has it been working with John Perez at Brainticket, and how was it bringing him into the studio to record on “Shades of Disgrace?”

John is great. Obviously, he is doom royalty and Solitude Aeturnus is the gold standard. John is a very genuine person, with a great passion for music. He has been a friend for two decades and I have greatly appreciated being able to talk him about band and music industry subjects. We appreciate his support and are greatly honored to have him play on the record. The day he recorded his solo is another great memory for us.

It seems like every year the Texas heavy underground gets more vibrant. What’s your assessment of the scene down there? Are bands too spread out to really come together, or is there a community of like-minded acts?

Texas is a very big place and I can only intelligently comment about the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There are a number of great doom/stoner bands here and there is great camaraderie amongst us. However, I can give one recent example of the “coming together” of “like-minded acts” across the state. Our friends in Project Armageddon from Houston came up to play a show with us and Orthodox Fuzz this past weekend. It was a killer show and a time of doom-brotherhood that really embodies what the underground is all about. That sense of music community, whatever the geographic region, really makes it all worthwhile.

How was Dallas Doom Daze this year?

Dallas Doom Daze is always a great time for the doom music community to come together to embrace the music that we all love. We were honored to play again and to be with old friends and meet new ones. Our good friend, Justin [“Jötun”] Delord, of Kin of Ettins, is the man behind the festival and he deserves many accolades for carrying the standard of doom.

Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?

We thank everyone who has sent a kind word our way. That support is very meaningful to us. We create our music because we love doing so, but knowing that it resonates with others is extremely satisfying. We encourage everyone out there to let us hear from you.

Elliott’s Keep on MySpace

Brainticket Records

And yet, a lot of the mission seems to have stayed the same. The look of the two albums is similar down to the fonts used and the layout of the back covers. Both have medieval-themed artwork (though I prefer the deep reds of the new album), Latin titles, production credited to J.T. Longoria at Nomad Studios in Dallas with mastering by Gary Long. Hell, if you stand In Medias Res and Sine Qua Non next to each other, even the logos and titles on the spines line up. Obviously, the trio of Ken, guitarist Jonathan and drummer Joel (who seem to prefer first names only) weren’t looking to revolutionize their approach, and that holds true for the music as well, though right from the start with the pummeling alliterative back-to-back heaviness of “Fearless” and “Fate,” Elliott’s Keep show their songwriting has matured. Both tracks top eight minutes both hold attention well, and with a guest solo from Solitude Aeturnus guitarist/Brainticket head honcho John Perez on the emotionally tortured 7:50 “Shades of Disgrace,” you’re 25 minutes through Sine Qua Non before you even know it.

If there’s a better example of Elliott’s Keep’s maturation as a band, though, it’s a track like “Witchburning,” and that’s because it’s mostly without flash, without flourish, just straightforward traditional doom musically, topped with Ken’s varied vocals. Yet, Elliott’s Keep prove so much more intense in the six minutes of this one song, Joel moving from ping grooves to sub-blastbeats with each while Jonathan glides from sinister riff to sinister riff. Ken’s growls and screams are expertly arranged on top of the music, and while it’s the balance of this approach with a more traditionally doomed melodic side that keep the listener guessing through the first couple tracks, an all-out blistering song like “Witchburning” has Elliott’s Keep genuinely straddling black and death metal while still retaining their doom edge, which comes out even more on the immediately-following “Damned,” where Ken switches back to the melodic singing for a harrowing tale of loss.

It’s the little things. Smart sequencing, smoother transitions, a livelier all around feel (now that I say that, maybe these aren’t little things at all) that make Sine Qua Non stand out. Elliott’s Keep have paid attention to In Medias Res, and it wouldn’t surprise me if at some point the three members sat down — perhaps even with Longoria — and discussed what they wanted to do differently this time around. You’d be amazed at what a difference that kind of thing can make. Even a song like “Maleficar Validus,” which doesn’t necessarily add anything new to Sine Qua Non in terms of style, is less a lull than a confirmation of the band’s prowess because it’s so well done. Ken’s vocal confidence leading the way, Jonathan and Joel have less pressure to hold up the band on their own, and are freer to set the utterly blear atmosphere of the album.

The closing duo of “Beloved” and “Darkest Corner,” totaling a little under 14 minutes between them, begin to show more of the formula Elliott’s Keep are exploiting for Sine Qua Non, but there’s no real dip in the quality of the material. It’s an album that’s going to take some digging into — a grower — but I think with time doom heads can appreciate the fresh approach these Texans are brining to the well-established characteristics of the genre. Elliott’s Keep weren’t revolutionizing doom on In Medias Res, and they’re not revolutionizing doom here (I’d argue that’s not the intent), but what Sine Qua Non proves is they’re a band able to offer an individualized interpretation of doom without getting caught up in pretense or sacrificing memorable songwriting. I liked In Medias Res. I like Sine Qua Non better. It’s a more realized album all around, and as the title suggests that “without this, there is nothing,” I can only respond that Elliott’s Keep’s time is well spent.

Elliott’s Keep, “Fearless” from Sine Qua Non
Fearless

Elliott’s Keep on MySpace

Brainticket Records

I enjoyed In Medias Res, don’t get me wrong, but the subtle change in approach puts Elliott’s Keep and Sine Qua Non in a different category entirely. They might still be traditional doom, but they’re refining the tradition instead of working within it. Once you hear the song, you’ll understand the difference.

And about that: The Obelisk couldn’t be more thrilled to bring you the opening track from Sine Qua Non, called “Fearless.” Stream it in high quality on the player below and get filled in on the info from the band’s MySpace:

Fearless

We recorded again at Nomad Studios in Carrollton, Texas, with J.T. Longoria (Solitude Aeturnus, RobertLowe – Candlemass, Concept of God, Absu, King Diamond) at the helm.

As with our initial 2008 release — In Medias Res — Sine Qua Non will be issued on John Perez’s Brainticket Records. We are honored that he makes a special guest appearance with a guitar solo on the track “Shades of Disgrace.”

The title Sine Qua Non is Latin for “Without This, Mothing,” meaning, “Without this part of my life, the rest is meaningless.”

I was in no hurry to get to the Millcreek Tavern, since it was just the two bands on the bill and I knew the show would be running late. Las Cruces went on first, playing tracks off of their latest, Dusk, as well as older material and a new song called “Egypt” that I shouted from the crowd was a keeper. And it was. There wasn’t much of an audience — apparently some fest was happening down the street — but the loyal few enjoyed what the four-piece had to offer, myself included, and when they played “Wizard” and “Cocaine Wizard Woman” back-to-back, I felt like life was doing me a personal favor. Two songs with “wizard” in the title — in a row! Doesn’t get more doomed than that, folks.

In general I consider myself a fan of a singing drummer, and Paul DeLeon of Las Cruces didn’t disappoint. While guitarists George Trevino and Mando Tovar (Pillcrusher) poured out killer riffs and solos and bassist Jimmy Bell windmilled a breeze enough to feel it from in front of the stage, DeLeon held down the rhythm and the melody of material both old and new. Dusk is the band’s first full-length in 12 years, but the band and the songs sounded fresh and they put on a righteous show despite the fact that there weren’t too many people in the crowd to see it.

A chicken cheese steak was enjoyed in between sets — no onions — and I had plenty of time to eat, as Iron Man took their time getting going. Vocalist Joe Donnelly must have been running late, or else waiting outside to make his grand entrance, since he came in just before the set started. Bassist Louis Strachan and new drummer Mike Rix (who has about four more toms in his rack-mounted kit than he needs for doom) make for a killer rhythm section, and Donnelly‘s Ozzy-style antics are well documented and always good for a laugh, but the essential component in Iron Man is Al Morris III, whose sheer presence while he plays guitar makes the whole set. I managed to get video of the opener, “I Have Returned,” which you can see below. Watch his solo and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Amazing.

Iron Man played a new song as well. I didn’t catch the name of it, but it’s good to know they’re working on material for a follow-up to I Have Returned. They were selling the recent Shadow Kingdom reissues of Generation Void, Black Night and The Passage as well, though I don’t know how many people were there who didn’t already have them. They played an 11-song set, which seemed like a bit much, but although it’s three days later and my sleep pattern is still thrown off, I’m not going to say it wasn’t worth the time or effort to get to the show. It was all the more special because of the sparse attendance, and with Las Cruces having come so far, and Iron Man having made the trip from Maryland, it seemed the least I could do to show up. I guarantee whatever else was going on in town that night wasn’t as doomed out as this show was.

Adding to the argument in favor of attendance was not knowing when Las Cruces would be back this way. Iron Man is killer, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve already seen them this year and worse comes to worst, Maryland is only three hours away. San Antonio is a little farther out from Jersey, and since I enjoyed Dusk so much (even the tracks not about wizards of any shape or form), I wanted to be there to support the band. I don’t know if it did them any good in terms of getting gas money to get to the next show, but there you go. Should have been a couple local acts on the bill to round it out and fill up the place, should have been more people there, but it was a killer gig and easily justified the ride down. No complaints out of me.

He sends along the following:

John Perez, doom lord of Solitude Aeturnus, has recorded a guitar solo for the new Elliott’s Keep album, Sine Qua Non. Sunday, John joined us at Nomad Studios, where we have been tracking the new record, to lay down a solo on the song “Shades of Disgrace.”

As an update about the recording of Sine Qua Non, with the completion of the bass tracking Sunday, all of the music has been recorded. Vocal tracking will get underway in a series of sessions which should commence in a week or so.

Guitarist Jonathan sent a note via the rarely-used ObeliskSpace to give the following update:

Just sending a shout out to update you regarding our band. We are headed back to Nomad Studios to record our next album, Sine Qua Non. The title is Latin again and translates to “Without this, Nothing,” as in — without this part of my life the rest would be meaningless. The album will include eight songs and should come in just over 60 minutes.

We will begin recording drums Memorial Day weekend and the entire process will likely be spread across three-to-four months because of work commitments and the like. We are working with JT Longoria again. I can’t say enough good things about him.

We were very fired up to see you mention us in a recent entry about Texas bands that should have been playing the Austin festival. That was very cool for us — thanks much!

Next up for us is the Dallas Doom Daze 3 festival [April 16-18 -- ed.] and we are excited to be playing again this year. Should be great fun.

That lesson? Never have Robert Lowe sing on your demo and expect to find someone that good again.

Last Chapter, based in Arlington, TX, did indeed employ the Solitude Aeturnus vocalist for their original four-track outing in 1993, and it would be another three to four years before they realized that no one else would rate and asked him, with the help of Brainticket head and Solitude Aeturnus guitarist John Perez, to come back and sing on what would become The Living Waters. The way drummer Jason Spradlin tells it in the liner notes, Last Chapter almost broke up from the disappointment of trying to find someone to fill those shoes after the demo. Well of course they did! Basically if you’re not calling up Ronnie James Dio circa 1983 and telling him to come on over, Robert Lowe is as good a metal singer as you’re going to find. In the lineup roster, it lists him as “Honored Guest Vocals.” Damn right.

Those who haven’t yet discerned from the people involved in making this record happen should know to expect some heavy-ass traditional doom. The Christian leanings of the lyrics — penned mostly by Spradlin and or guitarist Darrin Davis, though “Dimensions” is a Lowe composition — are veiled enough not to be directly off-putting, and the guitars of Davis and Cody Griffith are rife with riffs that are sure to elicit much approving nodding. It ain’t Trouble’s Trouble, but nothing is, and as the album progresses, there are subtle flairs of individuality that peek through, like the nuanced synth work of Bill Pohl, which adds an ethereal (if dated) aspect to instrumental cuts like “The Living Waters,” “A Warning Never Heard,” and the album intro “H Sequence.” Last Chapter weren’t reinventing the doom wheel, but they did offer a few killer cuts like “Thorn of Creation,” “In the Wake of Delusion” and the aforementioned “Dimensions,” which although Lowe’s vocals are way too high in the mix during the chorus is an unexpected sub-psychedelic left turn that does well in its place to set up the closing duo “A Warning Never Heard” and “Things to Come.”

Interestingly, the band’s original demo is included on this reissue (as well as a cover of “Escape,” which was originally included on a Dwell Records tribute to Metallica), so we get to hear “The Belated,” “In the Wake of Delusion,” “Things to Come” and “Thorn of Creation” in their original form. Having listened through, I’ll say it’s no wonder they couldn’t find someone to fill the vocalist slot. From Lowe on down through bassist Terri Pritchard and Spradlin, everyone sounds hungry, and in the rawer demo form, that comes out as all the more immediate in the songs. Trying to find someone to front the band in a way that elicited the same kind of energy would have been impossible. It’s a good thing they got back with Lowe to make the album.

Last Chapter did have one more record after The Living Waters — 2002’s Paths to Always (also Brainticket) — but by Spradlin’s own admission, this is the one that counts. For doom hounds, the accompanying demo might be even more recommended than the album itself, but both make for a quality listen despite the fact that neither is really a genre landmark. Lowe fans don’t need to be told he gives an excellent performance throughout, and for many people that will be enough, but the band surrounding him does an admirable job keeping up to his level, and that says something in itself. Just remember as you listen through, the liner notes are there for a reason.

Last Chapter on MySpace

Brainticket Records

But not only is Dusk a long time coming in the sense of it being a long time since the band put out their last release, but considering they got back together in 2004 and recorded the album between 2006-2007, it’s been a while on that scale as well. We can only wonder what caused the probably numerous delays that held it back from seeing official release, but finally holding a finished copy of the record, Las Cruces don’t seem to have missed a beat.

Dusk is dudely riffer’s doom. Mark Zamarron, who sings lead vocals on the album (since out of the band) isn’t afraid to let a little classic metal misogyny fly, as “Banished” and “Cocaine Wizard Woman” will attest, but there are souls being burned, Christians being slaughtered and no shortage of blood being spilled otherwise, so I don’t think it’s something particularly against women — they’re just also on the list. If you’ve ever felt like you need a how-to guide for penning heavy metal lyrics, a quick perusal of the Dusk liner notes will do you well.

I hesitate, though, to call Las Cruces traditional doom. Guitarists George Trevino and Mando Tovar know their Sabbath, but there’s a grittier, more uniquely American thrust to their tones that feels more in line with modern biker metal — the sans-cause lyrical rebellion of “Roll of the Die,” uncharacteristic though it is next to the rest of the album, backs up this thought. Las Cruces does play slow, at least for the most part, though, and in that they are wholly separate from any kind of cock rock or dipshit commerciality. So they’re doom. Modern doom with a gruff edge, working with a proven formula, riffs a-plenty and ass-kicking attitude. If there isn’t already a subgenre designation for that, all the better for the band.

The songs are memorable, heavy and varied enough to keep Dusk moving along, but the more you pay attention to it, and the louder you listen, the more you’ll find to dig into. Before I close out the review, it’s worth noting the bass work of Marilyn (since replaced by Jimmy Bell), who plays devastatingly heavy lines to go with the reverse snare hits of drummer Paul Deleon on the title track. The weight of that tone is among the highlights of Dusk, though there are plenty others to complement (“Revelations,” “Farewell” and “Grin,” for example). Considering the band doesn’t exist anymore in this form — Deleon having taken on the vocal role in Zamarron’s absence — Dusk thankfully arrived in time to capture this incarnation of Las Cruces, which, now that we have the album to go by, we know is something not to be missed by loyal doomers.

Las Cruces on MySpace

Brainticket Records

And it’s a record shopper’s store. CDs, vinyl, cassettes, used and new, with some t-shirts and books for good measure. It’s crowded, expertly organized (side-projects next to main outlets; Brant Bjork in with Kyuss, for example), and usually being perused by one or more of the local record store types. You know the type. Anywhere else in the world, they just don’t fit, but flipping the racks, they’re right at home.

Over the years I’ve accrued more buried treasure from Sound Exchange than perhaps any other single physical store, and this time, in addition to the latest Satyricon, I was happy to find used a copy of the 1996 debut full-length from Texas doomers Las Cruces, S.O.L. When last I heard from the band (last year at around this time, actually), they were looking to hook up a release for a new LP, Dusk, through Brainticket. That may not have happened yet, but that doesn’t make S.O.L. any less enjoyable on its own.

Las Cruces was a trio in ’96, consisting of Mark Zammaron on bass and vocals, Michael Hosman on drums and Mark Lopez on guitar. None of them are in the band since the 2005 reunion, and the sonic differences even between S.O.L. and 1998′s Ringmaster are palpable. Ringmaster may have been thicker sounding, but S.O.L. puts an unmistakable Trouble influence to excellent use on straightforward doom cuts “Sophia,” “Valley of Unrest” and “Shotgun.” Lopez‘s guitar is often double-tracked, and though it’s somewhat simplistic, the album is more than welcome to doom its way into my collection. For $6.98, you can’t really go wrong.

They began their waltz down the riff-hand path with The Gathering Dark, but Psychedelonaut is a next-level effort the dynamism of which is slow to reveal itself and willingly reverential of the lords of both classic guitar muscle-building and any and all waves of stoner rock. You got your Fus all Manchued and your Goblins are all Orange. Amps too on that last one.

Stump‘s adjoining rhythm section, bassist Tim Wilson and drummer Michael Walter, propel the huge side B jam of “Not of this Earth,” making their presence fully known among the blues-becued licks, but it was the guitarist himself who was kind enough to answer some questions via email about the inspirations behind Wo Fat‘s psych turn, whether or not they’re stoner rock and what can be expected from them in the future (hint: it involves vinyl). Interview and some listening music are after the jump.

Give some background on the band. What?s the Wo Fat story so far?

Wo Fat began somewhere around 2003 or 2004, I think. The original concept was to build from the dark hypnotic blues of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside and throw in a good helping of Sabbath and Sleep. In some ways it moved beyond that, but we do stay within the realm of a dark deep blues. We jammed very sporadically in the beginning — once every few months. As we were starting to pull some songs together, a friend of mine, Matt Watkins, started playing guitar with us. Matt is a killer guitar player and playing with us the short time that he did influence my own playing tremendously. Unfortunately, Matt moved to Kansas City. For a while he tried commuting from KC for jams, but ultimately that was just not realistic. So then there were three. He does play on three songs on our first record, The Gathering Dark.

One of the cool things about Wo Fat is the fact that we’re all good friends. Rehearsal is as much about hanging out as it is rehearsing. Michael and I have known each other for some 20 years and have played in a number of bands together. Tim played in an improvisational noise band prior to Wo Fat. All three of us have widely varied musical tastes and backgrounds which helps in bringing more depth and perspective to the music.

You?ve said that you went more psych for this album. Was that on purpose or just the way the songs came out when you were writing? Was there something in particular you think might have inspired the change?

I think it was probably a bit of both. I had in mind that I wanted a more “live” feel to this record. I wanted to capture as much live as possible and even though there would inevitably be overdubs, I wanted it to feel like the band playing live, which I think it does. We had also gradually become more jam oriented I think. Open-ended solos, free jams, etc. I had been listening to Earthless, a lot of ?70s fusion (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock‘s Mwandishi band, Eddie Henderson, etc.) and Tommy Bolin‘s band Energy, and I wanted to incorporate more of that freedom, groove and interplay/communication between players that’s present in music that involves a lot of improvisation. We strove for more freedom of all three instruments, bass, guitar and especially the drums, while still remaining within the context of the overall style.

What is the origin behind ?El Culto de la Avaricia?? Something about that song just makes me think there?s a tale there waiting to be told.

“El Culto de la Avaricia,? or “The Cult of Greed,” is song about unchecked corporate greed told using H.P. Lovecraft-ish imagery. It’s a horror story about CEOs whose thirst for more and more profits at any cost conjures up monstrosities that grow beyond their control and will eventually doom us all. While The Gathering Dark was much more political lyrically, this is really the only political song on Psychedelonaut.

You can really hear a Fu Manchu vibe in the vocals on ?Analog Man,? and that groove is killer. Was there some negative experience with digital recording that inspired the song?

I did have Fu Manchu and Brant Bjork‘s solo stuff in mind for the vocals on “Analog Man.” I guess also lyrically too. Instead of talking about hot rodded cars or something like that, I figured I’d talk about something I know well: recording. I am a recording engineer by day and I spend my days recording, using both analog and digital gear. I don’t know that I’ve had any specific bad digital experience, but I do enough work in both the digital and analog worlds that I truly believe in the superior sound of good analog gear. That’s not to say that great sounding records can’t be made completely digitally, because they can. I think what “Analog Man” is partly about is pushing back against the ever more pervasive virtual world that we live in where everything is a simulation of something that was once real and tangible. It is also arguing against the idea that because something is new, it must be better, which is more and more frequently not the case these days. True craftsmanship and quality work seems to be falling by the wayside and the world of making records is an example of that: mp3s, software plug-ins that are made to emulate vintage gear and analog tape, digital guitar amp simulators that are made to imitate the sound of classic tube amps, etc. If you don’t have the real things to compare them to, then maybe they sound fine, but ultimately they all fall short. That’s why people still pay thousands of dollars for tube amps and that’s why vinyl is making a comeback. In a lot of ways it’s a battle of convenience and expense versus quality. Analog, whether it’s a guitar amp, a recording console or pressing vinyl records is expensive and takes more work. It’s just not convenient.

Since you write the songs, what roles do Tim and Michael play in the creative process? Everyone is credited on ?The Spheres Beyond,? was there something different about how that song was composed? Is it just a matter of who does what while jamming?

Most of the time, I come into rehearsal with relatively complete song ideas, in terms of form, structure, lyrics and riffs. I don’t necessarily have ideas specifically as to what Michael and Tim will play though. They will figure that out as we play the song together, and often parts will change as we hear how things sound and see how the parts lay when we’re actually playing them. Michael and Tim supply me with invaluable feedback on ideas as well.

When we first started, there was maybe less collaboration, but more and more we are of the same vibe. We have some new songs ideas that are based on jams that we have had at rehearsal.

“The Spheres Beyond” was actually a live in-the-studio jam that we then added some more stuff to (like some percussion, B3 and some additional guitar parts). We didn’t have anything worked out in advance other than a vibe as a starting point, so it was completely a band improvisation/collaboration.

How did you come to record yourself? Did you have an idea of what you wanted Psychedelonaut to sound like before you started putting it to tape?

As I said earlier, I am a recording engineer professionally, so it was kind of a given that I would record us. Plus it’s a lot cheaper that way. Sometimes it’s hard to do both, play/perform and engineer. It’s hard to be objective. Someday it would be cool to have a great engineer like Joe Barresi or David Sardy record Wo Fat, but for now, we will do what we can.

I did have some things in mind sonically before we started recording. I wanted it to feel live and urgent. I wanted to get nice thick molten guitar tones. I love the guitar sound on the Bongzilla Gateway album and was trying to achieve something similar. I also had the super fat but still cutting through the mix snare drum sound of Fu Manchu‘s ?King of the Road”(the song) in mind. The King of the Road album as a whole has a really nice analog sound to it that I wanted to achieve also.

Michael really digs the drum sound, especially the overheads, on the Mystick Krewe of Clearlight record, so we also were keeping that in mind.

What does the Hammond add to the sound of the band?

Man, I love the sound of the Hammond B3 organ! It definitely adds more of a ?70s vibe to things. Who doesn’t love the sound of those sweet overdriven tubes running through a spinning Leslie speaker? ?I would like to use it more in the future, but maybe with somebody with more skill than I have playing.

Where did the idea for the album art come from? It?s a really cool blend of old and new school styles and it looks like one of those covers you could just stare at for a while. Did you know what you wanted visually?

The front cover was done by a very talented artist named Jessica Beethe. Her style seemed like it would be a great fit for what we were going for, so we commissioned her to create the cover for us. Her art had elements of sci fi and futuristic visions, was somewhat surreal, and she also does cool beasts and dragons. We wanted something vaguely ?70s, kind of psychedelic, kind of sci fi-ish, and something that worked well with the title Psychedelonaut and I think she nailed it. We all love album covers that you can look at for a long time and trip out on. The inside was sort of inspired by the opening sequence of The Andromeda Strain from 1971.

Do you consider Wo Fat stoner rock?

Yeah, I think so. I’m not really offended by the term stoner rock like many people seem to be. Our music is heavily influenced by ?70s rock and we strive to take you on a trip when you listen to it. I also kind of think of our music as roots metal, because we are going way back to the beginnings of metal and using those ideas: the blues, Sabbath, ZZ Top, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc., to form the basis for our music.

There are a ton of bands in and around Austin, obviously, but what?s Dallas like? I know there?s the Dallas Doom Daze fest. What else is going on down there. Any bands the world needs to know about?

The Dallas music scene as a whole is kind of strange. It’s not what it once was 15-20 years ago and it’s definitely not like Austin. Dallas doesn’t seem to do a good job supporting local original music of any kind. Dallas is a very appearance driven city and I think because of that atmosphere, a lot of people can’t decide for themselves that they dig something unless somebody, like the Dallas Observer, has said it’s cool. Cover bands and tribute bands do well here, which is pretty sad.

There are a couple glimmers of hope though. We have had the Dallas Doom Daze festival the last two years which is put together by a super cool guy named Justin [Delord], who works harder than anybody around here to try and build a stoner/doom/underground metal scene. The festival has been really cool and Justin’s managed to get killer bands from across the country to come and play. Hopefully it will just get bigger and gather more support each year. There are also some smokin’ bands around: Blood of the Sun, Justin‘s band, Kin of Ettins, Orthodox Fuzz, Little Big Horn, Dragna and Jury of Robots, to name a few.

How has it been working with John Perez? How did you get hooked up with Brainticket in the first place?

Man, it has been great so far. John is the coolest guy. I actually met John last year at the first Dallas Doom Daze festival. He started selling our first album, The Gathering Dark, through the Brainticket online store and when we were finishing up recording and mastering Psychedelonaut, we decided to talk to John about releasing it on Brainticket. John is a bit of a legend in this scene and we wanted to have some of the legitimacy and street cred that would come with his name and backing. He dug the record and we made a deal. We were really psyched about the fact that John wants to release Psychedelonaut on vinyl also. Look for that to happen soon.

What are the band?s plans going forward? Any other closing words or details you want to spill?

Our goals right now are to get Psychedelonaut out on vinyl and to try and find a way to go to Europe and play. We are also writing new songs for the next album.

Wo Fat on MySpace

Brainticket