Eli and Andrew bring you new music drops and bands that have come back after being away from music for years. We also discuss AI generations and the controversy around Pestilence. We talk with Dominic from Announce The Apocalypse about the band and the great new disc Experience Machine.
Eli and Andrew bring you new music drops and bands that have come back after being away from music for years. We also discuss AI generations and the controversy around Pestilence. We talk with Dominic from Announce The Apocalypse about the band and the great new disc Experience Machine.
We are back. Welcome to the second episode of Riffs Across Generations. How's everything going, eli? Good, good, if you didn't guess, I'm Andrew and this is my co-host, eli. We are embarking on a second episode which is a little different than the first episode, right, eli?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we got some news for y'all. We have some music reviews, some new music that's dropping, some bands doing some kind of odd stuff, and then at the end we have an interview with Nancy Apocalypse, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know we talked about those guys in the first episode and we finally got the lead singer guitarist on. That's about a half hour long, so it's a very interesting, very cool interview with them. Is there anything happening on your end of the world, eli?
Speaker 2:Weather's good Tiring week yeah. Yeah just a lot.
Speaker 1:The school blahs, huh, yeah, yeah, I think we get into this time of year and school just becomes a grind. But March, you're off for spring break. That's cool. Hey, eli, do you have any shows? We're going through this week? Anything cool happening?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have FrogMallet and Trashpanda. That's cool.
Speaker 1:Trashpanda is a Florida band, but FrogMallet's cool, they're from New England, maybe Connecticut, maybe Boston.
Speaker 2:Both slam bands.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's going to be a great band. It's going to be a crazy show and there's a couple other bands playing on that. I forgot the name, but I'm sure we'll talk about it next week after the show.
Speaker 2:Is it Peeling Flesh?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, they're coming with Sanguisquebug. Oh yeah, did you see that shirt I sent you of the new merch for?
Speaker 2:FrogMallet yeah, that's pretty cool. I'll bet you're God frog With a mallet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's going to be a fun show. A band that just sings about frogs.
Speaker 2:Chased through a cave by a shitting frog.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's it, that's the band. So, eli, I was reading this article about AI and specifically the pushback from the art world against AI. I created images. It seems to be everywhere on TikTok Magma filter shows you what you'd look like in a Japanese comic style, or would show you what if you look like Superman flying over an ocean. You just type in the words and it pretty much tells you anything. Well, the implications of AI generation are far reaching, could impact everything from film to graphic novels.
Speaker 1:According to an article in the Guardian, children's illustrators were quick to raise concerns about technology and social media. Among them is author and illustrator Rob Bidolf, who says AI generated art quote is the exact opposite of what I believe art to be. Fundamentally, I have always felt that art is about translating something that you feel internally into something that exists externally, whatever form it takes, be it a sculpture, a piece of music, a piece of writing, a performance or an image. True art is about the creation process much more than it's about the final piece, and simply pressing a button to generate an image is not a creative process. You agree with that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree with stuff like that. Yeah, it's not art. It's you asked an AI. That's not allowed, whatever like just it's not art, it's generating an image. You didn't do anything, you typed in a prompt Like that's. Yeah, some of that's true, some of it's like just all of its mumbo jumbo sometimes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I think what that artist said like further down into the paragraph of the article, fundamentally he thinks art is translating something you feel internally into something that exists externally. And that's kind of the point of music, right, like especially heavy music. You're really translating those inner feelings out into music and usually comes out as aggressive and in the lyrics kind of combine with the aggressive music to kind of paint a picture of what that artist is feeling.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so why am I bringing this up and talking to you? Let's start this pod talking about a little band called Pestilence. A little history of the band. Pestilence is a Dutch death metal band founded in 1986. They've been through various membership changes throughout their existence, with vocalist Patrick Mamel as the sole constant member. After disbanding in order to pursue other musical directions in 1994, pestilence reunited in 2008 and was put on permanent hold in July 2014. However, the band reunited once again in 2016.
Speaker 1:Fast forward to now 2024, and Pestilence is set to release their 10th studio album on Agonia Records. The most interesting part of this release is not the lineup, it's not the music, it's not the name of the album, which is levels of perception. Most of the talk revolves around the artwork and the artist, or the lack of artist. So if you've seen the new Pestilence album, there's an AI creation of the four members of the band, right? So I mean it looks okay. I mean I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But Pestilence in the past has been known for all their cool artwork and all their artists, and there's been a lot of pushback that they used an AI generator for this. Yeah, the band announced the upcoming album Levels of Perception. A re-recording of the Greatest Hits, but a reimagining of some way. I guess.
Speaker 1:The band credits the cover artist as Peter Suki. Have you ever heard of Peter Suki, eli? No, no. Have you ever looked around social media forum? Maybe a portfolio? No, no, you wouldn't find any Peter Suki. The named artist doesn't even exist.
Speaker 1:The cover image was made by AI and the band thinks you're stupid enough not to notice. Going so far is to make shit up. So they made up that they use this artist and the artist doesn't exist, and what they did was put all this information into an AI generator and then they got their their AI album cover On its surface. It's a slap in the face to Doug Johnson, michael Whelan, dan Siegel, dan Siegre, vincent Locke, don Brodingham, larry Carroll, ed Repka, wes Bonscott, derek Riggs and all the other great artists who have created the most memorable album covers ever. But it's also a slap in the face of every music metal fan, because metal is supposed to be real. Yeah, I mean, I think that's what that even that children's author was coming up with. It should be all real. It should be from the heart. It should be something you create, not something you tell something to create that's just has no emotional feelings.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And a post from the band's Facebook page. They try to explain themselves out of this mess and they try to push back on all their fans who are really upset about this. There's no AI generator yet which could produce pestilence members just by typing the prompt At the time, as experimenting with it, it was a technique where you have to feed AI with a lot of data. Blah, blah, blah. He goes in to try to defend himself. Pestilence response goes deeper. Are we so caught up in the past that we do not embrace technology? Is recording with tape better than digital? Does I'd say no, right? Is taking a Polaroid picture better than newest tech phone? It's all about the music and lyrics and that's real. So what do you think about that, what he just said there, eli?
Speaker 2:Some of it, I get like, yeah, we can't stay caught up in the past, but there's a reason you pay. Like artists don't usually don't get paid, they don't make a lot of money and that's one of the reasons you're supporting that artist. And two, there's also the other side of it, which it's not asking AI for a prompt. He had to physically, most likely paid for the AI generating service, because a lot of those that you have to feed images and stuff into you have to pay, but you're paying. A big corporation that's, I mean, the company that he used is unbelievably. They make a ton of money because other things are using AI and it's just a whole. There's no feeling behind the image, it's just something that you could. If you look at it, you can tell it's not drawn by an artist. It's definitely like some of the stuff's all weird, but it's like just not art. I mean there's no creative force behind it. There was nothing behind it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, and I agree 100%, and I think that at least when I was young buying an album or a cassette tape, the artwork was part of the album. It was part of the whole experience, and I think maybe and hopefully not I know some other genres have gotten away from it, but so much digital listening, people don't even know what the artwork looks like, so it's become an afterthought and this is one of the reasons that this is going to accelerate it being an afterthought. Nobody wants to look at AI pictures that are very uninteresting and just stamped on an album. So that's unfortunate. I hope the band has a change of heart because they have used some great artists in the past and created some very good album cover artwork. So please, pestilence, change your mind for all the artists out there. Ai has enough business. They don't need the art world given a more business, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, on to the next story.
Speaker 1:You want to take this one, Eli.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Slayer is back after Boom. Yeah, after five years. They're playing a couple of shows upcoming. Most people think they might tour. Probably not going to tour, but they're going to play September 22, Riot Fest, Chicago, Illinois. September 27,. Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think the lineup is familiar. Right, they're sticking with the same lineup, yeah.
Speaker 2:Hariah Kerry King, gary Holt and Paul Bastoff.
Speaker 1:The fans seem to have mixed emotions to this and I really don't understand that. It's Slayer Before Slayer called it Quits. It's not like it's Tom Hariah and a bunch of people who've never played in Slayer. The world's a better place when Slayer's playing shows, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's like oh, they had their last tour or whatever. They ended it and then they came back. There's so many other bands have done the same thing. I guess it's just because Slayer's so big. It's also like Slayer's going to play again and you're mad that Slayer's going to play again. What's why? Why are you mad?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's crazy, especially for all the generations that didn't get a chance to witness Slayer when they were in their heyday right Like you. So I'm happy that they're playing dates and there might be a chance in the near future that you get to see Slayer.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:How awesome would that be? Great, yeah. So the most interesting part that I find of this whole Slayer reunion, though, has nothing really to do with Slayer, but more to do with Cary King and the Cary King band. Where do they go?
Speaker 1:from here. They're set to release their debut album from Hell I Rise on May 24th, and they're a super group of sorts, right? So it's Cary King. It's Paul Bestoff, so he's in Slayer, and he's in the Cary King band along with Mark Ossigweta, who's one of my favorite vocalists, vocalist for Death Angel, and then Phil Demmel, who's been in violence in Machine Head. He's on rhythm guitar, and then Kyle Sander, who's the bass player from Hell. Yeah, so Cary King has dropped a single Idle Hands. What do you think of that song?
Speaker 2:Eli, that was a good. It definitely sounded a lot like Slayer. You could definitely tell it had that Slayer energy to it. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And he said that I think in interviews I wrote with him that it's going to be. It's a kind of a continuation with that next Slayer album. He said it was going to be the next album.
Speaker 2:It was just he said. I think what he said was this album that we released would be it's like it almost if Slayer didn't quit. And they created another album which I guess like the, at least from the song that we got, which was idle hands. It was definitely you could tell it was like Kerry King and it definitely sounded so much like Slayer, but it wasn't, definitely wasn't like all of Slayer wasn't there. It wasn't like fully Slayer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, especially the vocals, right. So I think the vocalist kind of kind of Separated it, that you knew it wasn't Slayer, because Mark Ostegueda has a very unique style and I was thinking they could call the band something else, like maybe Slayer Angel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not, it's it's I, kerry King. Naming it something like that is just like I Guess yeah, it's Kerry King, but there's so many other big people in there who've done so much other stuff. It's like it's like Kerry King's project. It's not Kerry King's band, it's like his other side project that he's now doing. It's like a solo thing, but it's yeah, so I'm. He may change out like People in his band for the future, but probably most likely he's not. But I think those everyone in there will stay. But most solo artists if that's what he's going for will change out the artists every so often. But yeah, yeah, they're. Yeah, they could go buy a million names in it. What's so you could tell it was like oh, this is Kerry King.
Speaker 1:Yeah or half, Slayer Angel.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I don't think I mean for the people who think that Slayer is gonna be touring Not in the near future, because we know the Kerry King band is on tour right now, or getting ready to go on a tour with Machine head and Lamma. God, right yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah they're playing some pretty big venues yeah the one that we Well we're trying to go to. They sold out so fast that they had to go and Like, go do other, like they had to move it to a bigger place so they could sell more tickets, because there's so many people who wanted to go see Kerry King that they sold out with in whatever like five minutes they sold out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was. I was supposed to be in a smaller Place, a smaller like a like a big big club, but yeah, then they moved it to like a like a fairgrounds type. Yeah, cool, so that's, that's what we got in the news. You know there's so many other bands we could talk about in the news. Yeah we have to pick and choose our battles here. Let's get into some new music. The first band we want to catch you up on is gate creeper. Yeah, they just released a song called cotton the treads.
Speaker 2:Yeah 끓임. Cen stood in the development line.
Speaker 1:So Gatekeeper Gatecreeper are from Arizona and if you're a metal fan you're probably thinking Arizona's probably not a hot bed for metal bands. But I can tell you anything that's coming out of Arizona that catches on are pretty freaking good. You got bands like Sacred Rite, atrophy, nuclear Death and Flotsam and Jetsam all coming from that burning state.
Speaker 2:This new single seems like Gatecreeper are returning to their original death metal sound. It's complete with Eric Wagner's constant guitar noodling on top of grinding death metal. A lot of Gatecreeper fans can breathe a sigh of relief. This is not an extension of the previous split album with Iron Ragon that was made Gatecreeper dig more into that punk rock sound.
Speaker 1:When I listen to that EP. I wasn't the biggest Gatecreeper fan, but I've heard all their old stuff. And then when I heard that EP, it was definitely a switch to what they were doing. They got away from some of that Swedish sound, the death metal chugging and it was more punk rock and choppy. But this new single sounds like it's a return to the original form, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah definitely the next single we saw dropping, with an album coming out soon, is Riding Christ, like Father, like Son, just like us, like father, like son, right, I play just as their corn pigs, covered like a per goblet, playing ole the fav, trying toadaki it From zero.
Speaker 3:No way to go. Send them away like Father, like Son.
Speaker 1:This seems like it's album number 1,000 for Rod and Christ. It seems like they put out albums all the time. Founders Themis and Sarkis Tolis remain in the band and Costa's Helotus and I'm killing these names and I'm sorry, they're Greek names and I am not Greek and Costa's folk on guitar fill in for the rest of the album. So there are four pieces, two new members, but the two founding members are still in the band. This song is very anthemic. It's marching black metal.
Speaker 1:Rod and Christ have tuned down from their previous albums so they were getting into that flighty, lofty black metal sound. But with this one they've definitely tuned down. It's a deeper tone, the soloing is beautiful and heartfelt and the vocals are definitely returned to a meaty sounding vocalist. So he's sounding bigger and more full and again less of that black metal kind of airy kind of sound. But only hearing one song we don't know what's coming up in the album Pro Ristoie it's tough to gauge the album's going to be like. I know some of the previous Rod and Christ albums have been all over the place with styles and everything else. But I tell you, if the rest of the album has found the power that this one single has in it. You can consider it in rotation over here at the Riffs Across Generations board.
Speaker 2:Guitarist, vocalist Sokus, said this album was inspired by the might of the ancient pagan wisdom. It's a tribute to those who resisted the coming of Christianity, which destroyed all the values and traditions of knowledge of the ancient world.
Speaker 1:That's true fashion for all the Rod and Christ albums, right? I guess we wouldn't expect him to say anything different than that? That's pretty cool. So next music we have to talk about is from a band called Necrot. They have a new single called Cut the Cord. This is from the band's fourth upcoming album called Lifeless Birth. Music, music, music, music, music, music Music.
Speaker 1:In case you've been living in a cave or under a rock, necrot is a three-piece death metal band from the Bay Area since 2012. So what is that? Like 12 years this band has had the same three members and this helps to lock in that sound and a feel for the music that stays consistent from album to album. Notice that a lot of bands will change out two or three members of the album and you'll get like totally different sound and music from album to album.
Speaker 1:But Necrot has stayed very consistent for the past decade and that sound is very old school death metal, early Swedish, finland type bands. There's a very hollow and I mean that in a good way feel to the raspy death metal vocals that add another dimension to the constant barrage of riffs that the guitarist, sonny Reinhart spills out. They release great music without any special effects. They don't really push out and try different things. They pretty much have a formula to how they want to play death metal music and they do it really well. Seems like Necrot is always on the road now, and right now they're out with supporting Municipal Waste and we saw them not too long ago, right, eli?
Speaker 2:Yeah, municipal Waste yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they have a crazy live show, so Necrot, looking forward to it. You are a fan of that old school no frills type death metal and the vocals sound a little bit like Max Cavallera's new band with his son, so it's got that kind of hollow deep in the background type vocals. Next up we want to talk about Feared. You know the band Feared Eli.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:So they're releasing new music after a seven year absence.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:They've released five LPs, including a double album called Snyder that has 13 songs with vocals and another same 13 songs with just instrumentals. So that was kind of weird. I guess that's what you'd expect from Middle Folk or Ola England something like very instrumental, very heavy on the guitar sound. So they've released their first demo way back in 2008. And it seems like they've been releasing LPs there pretty quick for a long time and then they took that hiatus for seven years. Do you think their new stuff sounds like those albums at all?
Speaker 2:Production-wise, no, maybe Briff-wise, and just like that whole how they kind of sound. Not too much, no Do you think they sound different? Maybe a little, not much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it seems like it's a progression. Better production? I think yeah, but it seems like it's a progression even after seven years, of where they kind of left off. And speaking of seven years, darkest Hour had a seven-year hiatus as well, and we saw them before they released this new album.
Speaker 1:I had a new album called Perpetual Terminal, which dropped actually the whole album dropped last week. A lot of bands are returning from long gaps and Darkest Hour at seven years it's just another one of those comeback bands that sound really good. They haven't missed a beat. It's a melodic metal ride with new lead guitar work from Nico Santora and he was with Cirrus, soft Tendencies, liliac Fallujah, and he really knows the way around the fretboard. There's plenty of earworms in here and headbanging to be had Again. They're very new metal sounding without being that obnoxious new metal sounding.
Speaker 1:The last new music we're going to talk about is from a band that we like over here a lot, band called Exordr. They are back and right now they are touring Europe. They have two new singles out Year the Goat and Forever and Beyond. They've been released from their fourth upcoming LP, defectum Omnium. It's kind of a weird name for an album, but don't expect that trudging Louisiana, dirty, distorted sound of yesteryear Exordr. They've tuned higher and they're way more punchy and thrashy with some swirling guitar work that gives a dimension to the tunes and there I say there's some punk and hardcore feel really creeping in there. There's a lot of talk about Exordr were a huge influence on what Pantera did. So they were just right before the Pantera turned from power metal to Pantera metal. Exordr, of course, doesn't take credit for any of that, but they were definitely in existence and in the conversation when they tried their turned their sound around. Yeah, so they have a new guitarist as well.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure if they're new. Guitarist ex Kenable Corpse, ex monstrosity, ex Nevermore, pat O'Brien, has brought his style to the band. If so, he's not content with rehearsing death metal music or death metal riffs, which is a relief.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think he really brought that Kenable Corpse sound or the monstrosity sound of the band. He's more just. If he I don't know how much work he did with this new, I'm assuming he had some say in it. I know he's not touring with the band right now, but I know he had some input on the new music and it's definitely a neck break straight ahead no bullshit type of type of music. And they got signed by a Nuclear Blast records and they'll be releasing the full album in mid March. So we have some Pantera news of sorts as well, right. So yeah.
Speaker 1:Zach Wilde said they might be writing new Pantera, new Pantera songs, kind of Eli yeah. Yeah. Here's quote is that, while it was quoted, as I think you would have to call it something else, you know what I mean. Pantera is those four guys. So yeah, you can't replace that. He also added, if there was a bridge, that if there was ever a bridge we crossed, we'd have to wait until we get there. But right now it's just the four of us celebrating classic Pantera.
Speaker 1:Wilde clarified his dance, saying he's down to make more music with the members of Pantera, including Charlie Bonante, just not as Pantera, unless the stuff was already written. So what he's saying there is leaving the door open. If Dimebag and Vinny Paul and the rest of Pantera created music, he's open to redoing those pieces and recording them. But as far as new songs, he says it would have to be, you know it'd have to be called something else. So there's a lot of people freaking out about Pantera touring, which was odd. You know they made it clear that it was just a tribute tour, but there are people freaking out with that. So I'm imagining Pantera fans who really die hard. Pantera fans are freaking out that Zach Wilde will even bring up creating new Pantera music. But that's not what he's saying. He's saying if it's already written, we'll do it. If not, then maybe these four guys can go on to maybe do a different band. What do you think the reception of the different band would be? Eli, eli-.
Speaker 2:Eli A lot of Pantera fans would come over and listen to that, I'm sure, and then there'd be some new fans, I bet, and some fans, I'm sure, from the death metal scene will come over or from Black Label Society. I know a lot of other Black Label Society fans have also come over just to see the current Pantera do covers and tours and stuff like that. When now they're touring they're going over the songs. New songs will be interesting for people because they'll not like it as much because it's not like, not Pantera, but they'll probably make it sound like Pantera, but it won't be Pantera and new, just anything like that, as like new songs is, I don't know. Just it'll be a weird thing. Cb-.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure they can't, Even if they tried not making it sound like Pantera just with Phil singing.
Speaker 1:I don't know how you would not sound like Pantera in some sort. Yeah, such a distinct vocal style and sound that I think anything they do will obviously sound like Pantera, kind of like Kara King playing in Kara King band. No matter what he does, he's been doing the same thing for a lot of years, like Slayer or something he's been doing for decades. Okay, so we are closing in on our interview and the interview is with a local Tampa band, signed to Eric Distribution, called Announcing Apocalypse. We pre-recorded that, so we recorded that. Yesterday we did the interview with Dominic. I think it came out well. How do you think Eli, eli-.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it came out good CB-.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this band has a fiery new album out Progressive Death Thresh. You know you could throw a whole toolbox of sounds and then what they sound like. We're really excited to have them on there Before we get to that. Thanks for listening and I hope you share this and are patient with us as we continue to grow the podcast and especially the format of the podcast. So I think next podcast we're going to have more of a division of the news. Here's some new songs and I also wanted to throw in maybe a mention of a very underground band, maybe some band that people haven't heard of, and we'll do that every week. We'll like pull from those demo tapes that we're hearing flying around and stuff, just like old school style. Do you have anything to leave everyone with before we get to the interview? Eli? Eli no, cb I don't, eli no, nothing tonight, huh. Okay, thanks so much for listening and again, enjoy the interview and we hope to see you next time. Oh, next time Maybe we'll give a little preview of who the interview is next time Eli CB-.
Speaker 2:We have Atrophy right, Eli-.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Atrophy is going to be on. Atrophy is one of my childhood type bands. I remember going to them when I was a teenager still, so that's very exciting that they're coming on the pod. So that'll be episode three. This is episode two. Until next time everyone Cheers and sleigh on Something cool like that, maybe Take care Bye.
Speaker 3:Bye hey. So welcome to the interview part of Riffs Across Generation.
Speaker 1:We're here with Dominic from the band Announce the Apocalypse, and so I'm Andrew. This is Eli, my co-host, so I guess just to jump into it a little bit. According to Encyclopedia Metallum, it said you, originally from Detroit, moved around North Carolina some. How'd you end up in Tampa?
Speaker 4:Yeah, correct, I'm originally from Detroit, michigan. That's where the band was formed in 2007 initially, and the band, you know, we broke up when I was in high school and we didn't get back together until about 2016. And that's when we started recording our debut album, which was Ruins, and that was released in 2017. And the first lineup split up around 2018, something like that and eventually just work got me moving around. You know, I moved around to North Carolina where I obtained a certain position, and that's when I was recording the second full length, nefarious means, and ultimately I wanted to go to Tampa because of the death metal scene that originated there and I just thought that Tampa would be a good spot, considering the direction I was moving in with the new Announce the Apocalypse sound. So that's how I ended up in Tampa.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how has that worked? How was the scene different from Detroit or North Carolina moving to Tampa? Was it a big shift in what you've seen in the scene or was it pretty the same everywhere?
Speaker 4:It was definitely a different shift because when we were playing in Detroit around 2017, 2018, during the Ruins release, it was hard to find an audience that really resonated to what we were doing, because we were essentially at that time playing a very retro, aggressive style of thrash and in the Detroit area the only really there was no thrash scene. I don't even know if there is to this day. Really it was very much focused around metal core, post hardcore things of that nature, right. So we were playing to audiences and we didn't really seem to fit in. So it was hard to find our spot in that particular scene and moving to Tampa.
Speaker 4:It's been a complete different experience. All in all, we've been able to find audiences that resonate with our sound and we've had really good opportunities as well. We've opened for monstrosity obituary. Those have been pretty much the two significant shows that we've done thus far in the Tampa area and we've had very good responses for both.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's great to hear what was the, I guess, the evolution of the announced apocalypse sound from your first album to this last one, Experience Machine.
Speaker 4:So when we released Ruins in 2017, a lot of that material was literally just material taken from 2007, when we were in high school, and just revamped. You know it was 10 years later. We took a lot of those songs, we literally just that and we kind of reconstructed them. But there wasn't a lot of preparation in making that particular record. We literally went in with four days to make the whole album, to track guitars, vocals, bass, drums everything in just four days. It was a very gritty process and I mean the record kind of speaks for itself as far as that experience, because when you listen to it it's a very raw album. There's like missing notes and a lot of the solos. It just has that old school vibe and a lot of people.
Speaker 4:There's definitely an audience for that Some people appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's me. I think that first album of yours is pretty solid still not compared to what you're doing now, but it's still pretty solid music.
Speaker 4:Sure, yeah, no, and I definitely see that there's an audience for that. For me, though, I definitely wanted to create, once the first lineup split, I wanted to create something a little more that was indicative of my potential as a songwriter and as a musician, because I started playing, you know, during that 10-year gap between 2007 and 2017, I really didn't play a lot of guitar, so once I picked it back up and really consistently played, I wanted to kind of I wanted to make an album that showcased my consistency with how I've been playing throughout those from between 2017 to 2020, right, that consistency. So I guess I started listening to a lot of different music too, because I was focused.
Speaker 4:I was really into 80s thrash metal growing up, you know, just like the big four and definitely the new wave of American heavy metal as well influenced me drastically, like Lama, god, trivium, those kind of bands, kill, switch, engage, they still do, and so a lot of my influences earlier came from that. But as I you know, when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, I was definitely listening to more death metal. Like, definitely death is one of my biggest inspirations, and Swedish melodic death metal as well. I listened to a lot of them. So you know, just listening to those different artists and whatnot definitely inspired me.
Speaker 4:You know, I don't know if it inspired my sound per se, but it just as an artist like it kind of gave me a new perspective on music and the extreme element in what you can do with it, right. So I was trying to incorporate that plus my own experiences, and try to create a form of new sound with ATA moving forward. And plus I also hired during the pandemic I hired Adrian Hurlinson from at the Gates to be my session drummer for nefarious means, so. So having him involved in the making of that album also attributed to a different sound for the second LP.
Speaker 1:Right, nice, nice. And so the experience machine has all new band members except for yourself, correct? So how did you go about looking for musicians to join you? It's a complicated album. It's definitely a progressive thrash death. You throw a lot of different. I guess, from your background listening, there's a lot of different styles going on at once. There's nothing simple, I guess, about it. I mean there's a couple of simple parts that are more melodic, but it's definitely a riffage type album. So how did you find musicians around the area that could keep up with what you were doing or wanting to do? I?
Speaker 4:found Kelly, so Kelly Burns is a second guitarist. He was the first guy that I found when I was looking for a full lineup moving to the Tampa area. I found him on Craigslist at all places and I got lucky.
Speaker 1:Nice yeah.
Speaker 4:He's definitely an amazing guitar player. So he was the first guy I found and that was really it was just me and him. You know, when I moved to Tampa I met up with him and I had a basis in mind that I also found through Craigslist, but he ended up it just didn't work out. And then I ended up going to a death tribute show at the brass mug one night in Tampa where they pretty much were honoring the life of Chuck Scholdner. So I met my current basis, who's Sean Loretto, and he was there and you know we exchanged phone numbers and eventually I called him up to see if he wanted to jam because I needed a basis, and he came over with me and Kelly and that ended up working out.
Speaker 4:And it was just really us three. For a while we were. We were just writing. You know, we had this new material. I had this whole concept already planned out. For what experience was experience machine was going to be? Because I it's going to.
Speaker 4:It's a full length, linear story. You know it's a concept album. So I had this concept laid out and the three of us were starting to arrange these songs and and we were playing shows here and there and we had a couple of like odd shows where we played to samples, where it was just either me and Sean or me, sean and Kelly playing sample tracks with no drummer, right from the nefarious means album. So we did a couple of those shows but it was really hard finding a drummer. For a long time, I mean, we almost came to the point where we were going to give up because it was just we couldn't find somebody to keep up with that material. Everyone was either taken or you just couldn't find the guy.
Speaker 4:And eventually Kelly he was in a side project and the drummer in the side project he heard announced the apocalypse and he really was interested, right, and that turned out to be Adrian Baptist. So Adrian Baptist came in the picture and we, you know, we jammed with him a couple of times and the chemistry was there. He's a great guy, he's a, he's definitely a veteran in the area, he's played in a lot of bands and he just automatic. It was just fluid, right, there wasn't. It was just a fluid process overall. And once we found, once I found, those three guys, we went straight in and started writing the material and pretty much that's how it happened. I mean, it was a, it was a quick process. Once we found Adrian, once we got the drummer, and, yeah, the writing process was pretty easy from there on.
Speaker 1:Nice. Was it the lyrics first or was it the music first?
Speaker 4:Yeah, for me it's always the music first, for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Sometimes I find I think there's been a trend when I'm writing music where I'll have maybe a hook like a, like a sentence of words and that attributes a particular melody and I'll keep that and that'll either be the title of the song or just maybe the core or something like that, and I'll always keep that and it will just stick with me. But I won't write the entirety of the lyrics until later. I just I just need the concept of the song and what it's about and almost like where the melody is going, and then I'll start writing the lyrics. They always typically come secondary in the writing process.
Speaker 1:Let's dig a little bit deeper into the experience machine. It's distributed through Eric, but is it on the label Eric or just distribution agreement with them to help you get what more widespread?
Speaker 4:Correct. Yeah, so it was just. Essentially, they offer this digital platform where you can go on their distro label and they'll distribute your music. Yeah, there's, we have no binding terms with them, nothing like that. We're not on here, right? It's just we. We can. We paid for their services, right? So they helped us out with that.
Speaker 1:Has that? Has that helped a lot, you think with with distribution and getting ears onto your music?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think this album has definitely surpassed the predecessors as far as any kind of recognition. When I release ruins and nefarious means, they kind of went under the rug. You know, definitely some outlets reviewed it. They put it on a few best of the year lists for underground music. But this album by far has received much more recognition and that also kind of coincides with us as a band definitely putting in a lot of effort into the campaigning and the music videos. All just a bunch of different resources how we you know, for us to be able to showcase the new album as an independent artist.
Speaker 2:How like has been using physical copies versus digital copies. Like did you like? What was the difference? Like, would you rather do? Like physical copies, would that like be something you'd rather do than digital, or digital would be preferred, or like what's the thing with that?
Speaker 4:So, considering we are a relatively unknown band in the scheme of all things, definitely digitally, this has been an advantage for us because we've been able to reach audiences internationally. You know, through these campaigns and everything, a lot of our audiences have come from places such as Brazil, mexico. We've noticed that a lot of the the, the streets have come from those kind of areas. So, yeah, I think physical copies will definitely they can be an advantage if we play, if we have better opportunities to play for audiences that will really resonate with our music live, because I've noticed that once when we do play in front of audiences that really get what we're trying to do, then we sell some copies. You know what I mean Once they hear our music live. Yes, totally, the physical copies are a huge advantage that they need to be there for sure, because some people prefer that. But definitely in this modern digital age right now, independent artists can definitely strive through using those various digital platforms and that's definitely been an advantage for us with this album.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we like both. We of course got the copy from you in the t-shirt when you first launched the album, so we're grateful that you're still putting it out on CD. But it's also nice to have it digitally where you can just take it on your phone and plug it into your car and you don't have to worry about bringing CDs and changing stuff out. So I think we over here see that, yeah, that positive in both, and it's definitely positive for podcasts that everything's digital. Now you can reach an audience older than you. So I remember I was in a band early 90s and it was all just trying to get your demo out there and sending cassette tapes to everyone and trying to sell it at a show and it was hard to get out of your region. So I think you know, I appreciate that you can reach that audience and I think it's good for bands like you that have a different sound and have a more progressive sound to reach that audience outside of just the Tampa death metal area as well. Yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:So Experience Machine is a concept album. You touched on that a little bit. Whenever I hear a concept album, I think of Operation Mind, crime, of course, the key by Nocturnus Seven Sun of a Seven Sun, abigail, by King Diamond. Is the concept album inspired by any of them, or how did the whole concept come about?
Speaker 4:It's something I've always wanted to do. Growing up. I've been inspired by a lot of these very notable records, especially Pink Floyd's the Wall. That definitely inspired me a lot in my teenage years. And you mentioned Operation Mind Crime. Definitely their particular style for their album inspired this one, Because I've noticed the way Experience Machine is laid out.
Speaker 4:It's different from a lot of concept albums, but it's very much inspired by Operation Mind Crime in that they use a lot of dialogue throughout the whole album to tell the story. It wasn't just music, right. Dialogue definitely was a very key element to that album and so, especially with Experience Machine, we use a lot of dialogue and that also helps tell the story. So I always tell anybody if they want to listen to this album you should probably start from the beginning and listen to it all the way through, because you'll understand what we were trying to achieve and just the element of the story. Otherwise, if you start the album randomly, you might get lost or just not really get a good understanding of what the album is trying to say yeah.
Speaker 1:So Eli and I have went through the album quite a few times and we were trying to piece everything that was happening with every song and first we appreciate that at least what we came away with was the emotion of the music, fit what you were saying in that part of the storyline. That was really good. But let me go down and see if we got it correct, the whole storyline, and you can piece where we're missing. So there's a main character and he's angry and goes to protests about gun violence, has issues of some sort with his girlfriend. She kills herself. Then he goes to the funeral.
Speaker 1:He meets a character called Dr Draven who says he can relate to him because he lost his son as well and invites him to come for an experiment. The experiment is called the experience machine, which is basically hooking him up to an AI world where he's famous and always happy and doesn't feel bad emotions. He comes back again and is sad right off the bat because of another mass shooting. Then the doctor gets killed and then the main character goes back into the machine forever. How do we do?
Speaker 4:pretty good sir. Yeah, pretty spot-on, yeah, yeah, no, there was just one, one element. So there's the songs forever the pariah that's about, I think it's track. Yeah. Album. So for that moment when he does go back, you know when the when the mass shooting happens, after he's unplugged, he returns home it's Suggestive in the album that he returns home and encounters his mother and she kind of blames him for what happened to his girlfriend.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, we missed that part and that, yeah, it's very, it's a very subtle song. But and then he at the end of the track here him plugging back into the machine, so so, yeah, I was sick, I don't know. I mean, that's really up to the, to the listener, what they want to interpret based on that particular part of the story. But that's kind of the idea he makes an encounter on one on one, a last time encounter with his mother and he kind of just Tells her I mean, it is what it is, you know, you're gonna hate me forever, and and he wants to go back in the machine because he was happy there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good and bad. I guess it's the whole matrix thing. If you, if you're hooked up and having a good life, do you want to get out of it or not? Absolutely so. How would you describe the music, would you?
Speaker 4:yeah, music as far as like how would you describe the muse?
Speaker 4:I would yeah, it's. It's different, right, the music, I think we're definitely there. One reviewer, I think he, nailed this particular album. He called it extreme progressive metal, and I think that's what it is, honestly, because there's definitely thrash metal components, death metal components as well, but in the scheme of all things, the album definitely deviates from those two genres heavily. Right, there's a lot of different things going on and but, but there's always that component of Aggression like visceral aggression throughout the whole album that I think is missing heavily in modern today, or modern metal today is just that visceral energy of Anger. Right, there was a lot of that in earlier metal and I feel like that's missing into this metal drastically.
Speaker 4:Everything is just so saturated and you know, when people review this album or even hear us, they always they mention how angry we sound, and I think that's kind of ironic, because isn't that? What metal was. You know, isn't that what metal supposed to be? It's about rebellion, and and I feel like metal has become almost so deluded now and so Conformatory I don't know that I always I'm gonna keep that element in our music going like it's always gonna be raw, and and so that's the one factor I think that distinguishes us is yeah.
Speaker 4:The extreme element and just the precision too. I definitely wanted us to capture a certain precision Encompassed through that aggressive nature. So I don't know, it's really hard to explain our music as a whole, but that's, yeah, the direction we're going right. We're not trying to copy anybody. We're now trying to like mimic a particular genre or say we get compared to like death often when we play. But I don't think really, you know, I don't even want to touch the legacy of Chuck Schollner. What he did, that's just, that's totally that's their thing. You know well, we're trying. We're trying to do something different, we're finding our sound and that's, I think we're definitely getting there with this particular release as well.
Speaker 1:Nice, we do as well.
Speaker 2:One of the things that we really thought was cool about the mix is it you could almost hear every instrument like the bass wasn't like Just like sounded like the guitar. You could all hear it individually, but it all mixed very well together and all sounded very well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no I was gonna say it was, it was mixed at more sound.
Speaker 4:No, so that was we recorded. Nefarious means the second, the sophomore LP at more sound. The majority that album was recorded more sound. This album was mixed by mixed a master, by Jamie King in North Carolina. He did the mixing on this record. He's he's most famous for working with between the buried in me. That's that's his Most notable act that he works with. So he's an amazing, amazing guy. Definitely, definitely didn't really well on this album.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as you I said, I think we're Listening to it a lot and we could notice, like the other, though you didn't hide the bass guitar in the background and nothing is like kind of smudged together. You didn't compress anything. Everything is is is highlighted, I guess, as the music goes along.
Speaker 4:Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you could definitely. You can hear, I think out of all three albums it's definitely the bass is the most you get, it's most prominent on this record. Like you said, nothing was hidden and I think the drums Also play a huge part on this album. When those kicks come in on certain parts they definitely they take over. Yeah they stand out.
Speaker 1:And it was. It was really refreshing to hear such an aggressive band not just have double bass and blast beats throughout the whole thing. There's some some complex drumming going on in the background that helps build the song overall.
Speaker 4:Exactly. Yeah, for sure I think, and I think also the vocals are different. What we were trying to do, I think, and I think that goes back to how people say we sound angry because the vocal approach isn't just like those deep, guttural for a lot of death metal and stuff like I actually want. I don't know, I don't really have a technique when I'm doing vocals, I just go in there and I really just pour it out. You know, like I just Passion and what the song entails. And yeah, I think it's. It does sound pretty angry and extreme, but I Don't know, I think it fits our sound.
Speaker 2:Complicated enough, like, but the guitar was being so complicated. How do you work your singing into that Like it's? You're going through all those complicated guitar riffs and you could sing at the same time crazy.
Speaker 4:Yeah, thank you. Definitely. Some some songs take practice we it's funny because State of nihilism in the wake, those are the first couple tracks on the record. When I first started rehearsing those songs, I Immediately could do it right. I could just pick it up and play guitar Simultaneously and do the the vocals. But then other songs, like forever, the pariah or something, if they take some rehearsing to be able to balance all that out. So yeah, I think it just depends on the song, because I don't. Sometimes I'll write a lyric or a particular vocal melody to to match the guitar part, so that maybe it's more easy for me to do live, and other times it's not really a thought, I don't really think about it, I just want to write a great song. So eventually I'll just have to prepare myself at home and practice so that I can do both at the same time and Eventually it works out and the album cover of the album.
Speaker 2:Wait, is that the experience machine? Okay, and who designed that album cover?
Speaker 4:Yes, so that was that was made by an artist named Gregoth, and he did that. I like to have my album covers done prior to the whole process of writing and Recording the album. I always like to have a visual of what the out the, because that's essentially like the blueprint for me. When I see the cover like this is what this, what the songs are going to be like, this is, I need to get that visual element in order to sonically create. So he made the cover back in 2021 and we didn't start recording until 2023. Yeah, I just pretty much. I gave him the concept of the story, I told him what it's about and then he came up with that. He did an amazing job nice.
Speaker 1:One song on the album For us kind of stuck out as being different than all the others, like this one doesn't fit, kind of thing. It not in a bad way, but in a good way. It's a dr Draven. That's actually one of our favorite songs and the music you know we were talking about, you know what we hear and it's kind of like and this may be a I don't know whatever, but Halloween meets death is kind of how we. It's kind of happy, but it's also raw and aggressive. I don't know what to say. But I don't know what to say. My name is Dr Trevon. I rule out.
Speaker 1:What is the meaning of your life? I'm being exiled, smashed and denied, destroyed and died. I risk it. So let this fucking hell put you down Like the son of a perspective, after a pretty ancient time, you'll be in my head. Respect me, I'm a wimp, just a leader. I am prepared to be supreme Without your worry. Come your peace of mind. Reluct in your sin? So let this fucking hell put you down. I'm being exiled, smashed and denied. Reluct in your sin? So let this fucking hell put you down Like the son of a perspective After a pretty ancient time. Respect me, just me. I'll show you life. So can you talk a little bit about how that song came along, and does that in your head like stick out from the rest of the music that you guys made for the album?
Speaker 4:It's ironic that that song has become like the popular song on the album. Every single interview we do that song gets brought up. It's funny. I was not expecting that writing Dr Trevon. Dr Trevon is just. It's one of those songs that has to be there because you got to introduce the character and when I was writing the song I wanted, like you said, I wanted it to feel uplifting. You know, like, almost like it's because that's the purpose, right, the vocals are higher. Sure.
Speaker 4:It's not as low as the rest of the album because it's a character and he's it's almost like a mad scientist. That's what I was envisioning. He's trying to help this man, he's trying to help this machine. He's excited for this Because he gets to fight. He thinks this is the perfect subject for this machine that he's created and so he's excited for him. I mean it's so. I wanted to exude that element of that. Something good is about to happen, and that's essentially the last song on, because if this album was a vinyl, if we were to distribute vinyls, you know side eight and then you turn over to the vinyl and that's nice yeah.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean. So it's like a duck right. He introduces himself. You know this character is going into this world and I'll flip it over, right.
Speaker 1:So Love it Awesome. Um, yeah, let's talk a little bit about um announce the apocalypse live. The last time we saw you was at that hot as hell obituary show at the mug, where we were just melting in the audience. Um, how hot was it on stage? And do you have a favorite place you guys like to play that maybe isn't so hot all the time.
Speaker 4:You were there. Huh, that's funny yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we were there yeah.
Speaker 4:That show was notorious, notoriously hot, I mean insane. I remember there was a point where they had to take the yeah, we saw some.
Speaker 1:We saw some people. We saw some people dropping off in the crowd having to be carried out and stuff. It was pretty nuts.
Speaker 4:Oh my God, that's funny. Yeah, oh yeah it. You know it was it was. It was an amazing experience being there. There were definitely times where it was hard to play our music because I was sweating so much that, literally, sweat was almost causing a lot of my dick Right. It was just insane.
Speaker 4:I I was not expecting it to be that bad and cause I never played in Florida in in July, you know, I mean just like the peak of summer and and just all those people encompassed in that little building I mean it was. It was so crazy. And on top of it we were they were kind of rushing everything because I guess there was a I don't know the schedule was behind.
Speaker 4:So we were on stage and we were just trying to do our thing, you know, pump out our five, six songs, and it was. I mean, honestly, it was one of the best experiences, regardless of how intense it was. I mean it was totally an uncomfortable environment, but that's kind of that's a good thing in a way, especially with the music we're doing. You know, like we want to, we want to have that uncomfortable vibe because it is an aggressive music overall. That's the point.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was definitely an aggressive show. We could. We could feel it from the bands on stage and then also with the crowd. It was, you know, shoulder to shoulder there's not much room. You know, the pit in that small area was going crazy. So, yeah, it was there. So what's your favorite place to play, if, if not, the brass mug?
Speaker 4:I'll tell you this the brass mug definitely has the best sound. Shout out to Rick, great sound guy, Amazing. So I definitely like playing there because of that particular component. But we recently played cage brewing in St Pete. I thought that was a really cool venue, the way, the way it was set up and almost felt like a mini amphitheater, just the whole vibe of that. That was pretty cool. So overall I'll just say the brass mug, because for me sound is very important. We've definitely played venues where just the sound messed up what we were trying to do, the whole atmosphere, everything I mean. So having that sound guy that is competent and delivers makes a huge difference. So, yeah, probably brass mug.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it seems like the mug is is the brass mug is really supportive to the scene as well. They have a lot of local shows and a lot of local bands opening up for the National Act. So, yeah, we like supporting them.
Speaker 4:Yeah, to be on obituary. That was. That was crazy. I remember Adrian, our drummer, saying that he he's been wanting to do that for years to open for obituary Right.
Speaker 2:The fact that they gave us that opportunity.
Speaker 4:It was so amazing.
Speaker 2:What was some of the gear that was used on the album, like guitar amps, guitars, stuff like that?
Speaker 4:So I used my ESP. Actually that's behind me in the corner, I don't know if you can see it, but I use that and I always use my PV 6505 plus, that's. That's really my go-to head and I can't really speak for the guys what they use. But yeah, that's. I've typically always go with my PV for my, my sound. I don't use a lot of effects. I've been. I've been experimenting with a little bit of delay recently, but for that particular album cycle it was kind of just plug in and go from there and we'll throw some effects in post and whatnot. But moving forward I think I'm definitely. I've been experimenting more practically from home, you know, with different kinds of pedals, cool.
Speaker 1:Is there one piece of gear you guys maybe you personally can't do without. So if you're playing out or going to the studio, you have to have. Is it the guitar or is it the head, or is it one piece you have to have?
Speaker 4:Yeah, the head is definitely my thing. I love the PV. It's, it's aggressive, it's I mean, I think it's a kind of I'm not sure something. I think it's a. I think the model was based on something that Eddie Van Halen created. I couldn't like, don't quote me on this, but I just, I just love this particular head and as far as guitar.
Speaker 4:I'm still looking for the guitar I want. I just ordered, actually a new Jackson like a Jackson USA, so I'm going to see how that works out, because the ESP I don't know, it's just for me, it's not working out right now. I'm kind of over it for the time being Definitely has its mental value for me, but I want to find a new guitar because it's kind of I think it's inspiring me moving forward in the writing process and everything.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's next for the band shows, tours, anything big coming up. You want to plug?
Speaker 4:Sure. So yeah, we do have a show coming up locally in St Pete. That's if I brood, or yeah, if I brood the world. I don't even know what the hell the freaking venue is called.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's in St Pete though.
Speaker 4:I'm my apologies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll put a link in. Yeah, we saw it come up on social. I put a link in for you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, but that's the name of the venue in St Pete and that's in May, and we do have some festivals as well that are currently pending. So that's really the goal right now we're trying to get on a couple of festivals to, to you know, reach out a little bit and get in different areas maybe larger audiences and whatnot, and and we're still definitely, you know, doing our thing with this particular album.
Speaker 4:We got campaigns running virtually as well so we can increase streams, and the writing process is slowly happening for the follow up album. But we're not. We had a meeting and we're not rushing anything for the time being. We're definitely going to take our time with this new album and, yeah, see, see where it goes.
Speaker 1:Nice. So what else can we or fans like you to help support you guys and find you? Or you are on all all I'm assuming you're on all platforms Spotify, apple Music, amazon, those things. Do you have a band camp where people can buy merch?
Speaker 4:Yes. So yes, we are. We're on every single and pretty much major streaming platform. Whatever you want Spotify, apple, we're on all of them, and but, yeah, preferably. Yeah, we do have a band camp for this album too, so you can buy if you want. We'll have copies, you know, physical copies of experience machine. We still have t-shirts as well. So, yeah, if you want, you can definitely reach out on the band camp and that supports us directly. But whatever you like ultimately I mean hey, there's so many different resources now, whatever fits your needs.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So anything else you want to leave our audience with how to remember you guys by or besides going and checking you out?
Speaker 4:All I can say is, if you do, anyone that's first hearing this album, listen to the whole thing. If you, if you definitely want to invest your time into listening to what we created, then listen to the whole album, linear, from beginning to end, because that that will really give you the full experience and that's really all I have to say.
Speaker 1:Well, we appreciate your time. This show will probably drop on Monday. We were going to do every other week with this, but we've had a lot of good luck here lately, so we're going weekly. So, yeah, this will probably come out Monday and I'll let you know. And you'll see us on social media as well. I think social media is actually harder at this point than getting actual listeners. We've had a struggle on yeah, we've had a struggle on social media compared to how many downloads we've had on the podcast. So it's weird that it's kind of flip flopped what I thought it would be. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it. It's nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll see you at a show in the upcoming future.
Speaker 4:Thank you guys for the support too. I really appreciate. It means a lot. Where have you been? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.