WARBRINGER Interview with John Laux

XM: Let’s start off by getting our readers up to date on what you and the band have been up to so far this year.
John: At the end of 2010 we wrapped up a 2 year touring cycle with a final US tour with Nevermore in November and then a few scattered Halford shows. Since then Carlos Cruz joined our ranks as the band’s new drummer and we spent the first half of the year writing music for our new album and recording Worlds Torn Asunder. Right now we are enjoying our first summer in years at home, playing some regional California shows on weekends and gearing up for our first headlining run across the United States which we are all very excited about!

XM: “Worlds Torn Asunder “is a highly anticipated album this year. What was the recording process like this time around? Did you do anything differently than before?
John: We were finally given a reasonable amount of time to recharge and refocus our batteries from all the consistent touring we had been doing the last 3 years. To add a little perspective, we had 2 months to write 'Waking into Nightmares.' Then I had shoulder surgery, followed by 12 days in a studio to get the record done before we had to leave for a tour with Soilwork. For 'Worlds…' it was a relief to have more time to work out songs and structures. We used most of the extra writing time for pre-production. We basically would demo the new cuts and ideas in our rehearsal space and listen to them a few times over, change a few things, and go at it again until we were completely satisfied. We booked a month in the Omen Room with producer Steve Evetts. At first I thought we booked too much time, but honestly we were just as stressed. The production value was much higher, and we wanted everything to be organic and natural. No triggers, copy pasting, etc. Steve demanded the best from us, and laying 4 guitar tracks down is unlike anything I have ever done before.

XM: How many songs did you write to get down to the 10 tracks?
John: When I am writing my main goal has always been to keep songs short, dynamic, and focused. If we are going to write a longer song, I want to make sure there is no excess fat or predictable repetition. We also focus on using different riff styles for every track to keep things interesting. I think these elements are key to writing extreme music and to hold a crowd’s attention live. We won't finish a song if we don't think it’s going anywhere special. We pay attention to the tiniest details for all of our songs and we treat them all as singles when we are working on them. I don’t see much to gain from writing or even wasting time recording a ‘few average songs.’

XM: What are the difficulties and differences between playing live and when you are recording?
John: I think our band is much more comfortable in a live environment. You get an adrenaline kick playing fast as hell in sync with 4 other musicians, feeding off the energy from the crowd, and performing for the audience. The difficulties are pretty simple; traveling can be very hard depending on the season and conditions. We are used to every worst-case scenario possible, hell even any combinations of weather – ride – personnel - and money trouble. I feel very comfortable on the road, at lot of bands can't get used to lack of sleep and peace found in a beef-jerky and beer-based lifestyle. The studio is a different beast altogether. Depending on the energy from and of the producer, things be easy-going, or tense and serious in a studio. Still, the thought of recording and finalizing our music in a studio is what keeps me writing and touring. Collaborating with the band and challenging myself creatively can be a very stressful, especially when everyone is starting at square one. When everything is said and done however I am very relieved to have the first copy in my hands thinking John Kevill, Adam Carroll, Andy Laux, Carlos Cruz, and myself have all accomplished our goals and our music can come to life on stereos across the globe.

XM: Dan Seagrave returns once again to handle the cover art for your album. Could you briefly describe the concept of the artwork for us?
John: We went through 20 or 30 sketches with Dan Seagrave while we were working on this cover. The concept evolved over time though the basic premise was the same. We wanted a mixture of a symbolic Atlas image with a darker twist. Eventually we decided to go for a dark, astral presence to be depicted draining the earth of life and essence. This was tricky because we wanted it to look unique, tasteful, and original. Seagrave is an excellent artist and the band is very proud of his work.

XM: Can you tell us how this album will be different from the previous releases?
John: I believe it’s simply our best work so far. The production is excellent, including the performances and the organic feel and sound of the record. We all feel like this is some of our best material and I am really excited about the wide range of influences and dynamics we incorporated into the record.

XM: As far as writing the music is concerned who is the brainchild for all this?
John: The band is a democracy and everyone is involved. I wrote most of the music on the first record. However once Adam joined the band on guitar we pretty much split the writing process and work with each other and the whole band on the songs. After we finish a rough version of the song we start working with Kevill on the hooks. He writes the lyrics and has a final say in the delivery, but the themes and stories for the lyrics can come from anywhere or anyone else in the band. Usually with my songs I have a pretty good idea of the lyrical direction I would like him to take beforehand. We were surprised when we learned Carlos was also a very talented guitar player, for the new record he wrote “Echoes From the Void” and performed and collaborated on the instrumental. I touched on this earlier, with this style of arrangement; arguments are bound to happen, but if an idea is good it’s worth the effort to convince everyone else why. As a result the music belongs to and represents everyone in the band. I think that’s very important.

XM: How has the transition with the new drummer Carlos Cruz been so far? Do any of the band members still keep in touch with Nic?
John: We knew Carlos had the chops, since he already was playing with Hexen, another local area band who we’ve played a number of shows together, and we just asked him to help us write and record while we would have been looking for a permanent and most likely, long-distance replacement. When we started rehearsing together there was an instant chemistry. Musically we were already on the same page and his no-nonsense style took the songs exactly in the directions we needed them to go. It was a very natural transition for everyone. He is easy to work with and is an excellent musician. We talk to Nic now and then through the internet, The split was a mutual decision and there are no hard feelings between us. From what I understand he has moved back to his hometown in Oklahoma to complete his education.

XM: With your lineup you have two guitarists. Why two guitars instead of one? What is your take on the big debate between one guitar verses a band with two guitars? The pros and cons?
John: This shouldn’t be a debate. It just depends on the artist and the sound the band wants. For our band I think we have always been inspired by the possibilities dual axe-men can provide –harmonies, rhythms that don’t drop off behind solos, bigger, bolder chordal voicings, and a thicker guitar sound. Think Judas Priest and even Slayer. There is no con, it’s just preference. Motorhead isn’t any worse off than Priest because they only need (or wanted to work) with 1 guitar player. Besides, Lemmy’s bass is heavier than the guitar half the time. The most important thing is that the band has a good chemistry between the musicians themselves; there are no rules when it comes how you should form your band.

XM: How do you feel the band has evolved within the last three albums and which album are you happiest or least happy with?
John: The first record is my least favorite. I am proud of the songs, but we were inexperienced and I am not crazy about the performance or the production. Hindsight is 20/20 and a year straight on the road touring gave us all the experience we needed. We when did the second record we had a much better idea of the sort of production we needed for the record. We also had high standard for the sort of songs we needed to be writing to distance ourselves from a sea of Retro Thrash bands that were not experimenting with any Ideas they could say they owned and created. Honestly I am proud of all of our records, to finish anything with a group you do have to give up on the idea of making anything in complete perfection under one vision. If there weren’t critics to challenge us or band members to argue and collaborate with, I couldn’t say making records would not be challenging or exciting.

XM: I read about a recent incident where your van broke down. Care to share the story and how did things turn out afterwards?
John: You should have been more specific, that happens, more than we would like to admit and usually we can make it to a show on time regardless. We have blown tires in all the last places you would want to deal with a blown tire. We have dealt with a busted radiator that couldn’t hold water in the desert, drove in a car that blew its transmission on the way to pick up Vital Remains after they broke down. We had to drive home from Washington to California nursing a trailer that was splitting in half with rope and a questionable welding job. Recently we have had catastrophes in between every local show. One recent one was the catalytic converter melted in San Diego, and the other was just last week on our way up the Grapevine to Bakersfield. Normally despite the setback we can still make the show but that one we wound up missing and we hate missing shows, and plan on making that gig up to Bakersfield early next year.

XM: If you could have been involved in the recording, production or writing of any album which would it be and why?
John: If could have merely spectated the production and tracking of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Black Rose’ I would be a very happy dude.

XM: What are your favorite bands? Any new good bands from your area you’d like to mention here?
John: In the local scene Witchaven is one of my favorites. They have been around since we started and I wish them the best of luck. I personally don’t spend so much time trying to keep up with new bands. I heard Black Breath not too long ago and was blown away by their Entombed-influenced sound. When it comes to metal right now I am listening to a lot of Exhumed, Napalm Death, Demolition Hammer, and a fair dose of hardcore like Ringworm and Converge. In general I also listen to a lot of Surf, Goth, and Shoegaze type bands that aren’t exactly metal. We all listen to a wide variety of music and have different tastes that keep the speakers in the van interesting.

XM: Any Warbringer exclusives you can give us?
John: Unfortunately not, we are a very public band. For any late and breaking news check out our Facebook, We update regularly and it is maintained by all the members of Warbringer. It’s a great place to ask us any questions you may have.

XM: On behalf of xplosivemetal.com I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions with us. Please feel free to add anything else you would like our readers to know about Warbringer.
John: Thanks for the Interview, Be sure to catch us on the road this Fall with Lazarus A.D., Landmine Marathon and Diamond Plate !

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