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VM UNDERGROUND Catches up with Kansas City based Frost Like Ashes. We had the pleasure to speak with guitar player "SEBAT" about their extreme sound and production! 

VMU:  Hey guys how's it going?

 (Sebat answered all the questions in this interview)

SEBAT: It's going great! We have been working on some new material for the upcoming Frost Like Ashes full length, and I am quite excited about it.

VMU:  Where exactly are you from and who is the current line up?

SEBAT:  Frost Like Ashes is from Kansas City, and is Azahel - Vocals, Me - Sebat - Guitars, Adonijah - Drums, Syntyche - Bass, and our newest member Qoheleth - keys. Qoheleth actually lives in Omaha and commutes to practice.

VMU:  Death Metal has come a long way, how long have you guys been together and what other projects have you guys been in?

SEBAT: We have been together for about 3 years or so now. FLA went thru a bunch of members at the beginning but really solidified when Adonijah joined as the drummer, it just fell into place then.  
Azahel - was formerly in Possession, Adonijah was formerly in both Possession and Steadfast (HX Band), Syntyche was in Lutrosis, I am not sure about the bands Qoheleth has been in, and I have been in World Funeral, Coven, and Comatose (all in the Pacific Northwest).

VMU:  I've noticed in the bio you guys were in some bands titled "Possession" and "Coven", these wern't bands from back in the day (80's 90's)?   I used to be in a indie death metal group "Ritual" in the early 90's and there are so many "Rituals" then and now.

SEBAT: Yeah they were the 80's bands, Possession was one of the more extreme Christian groups out back then, and they were quite successful. Even had a one armed guitarist. (Write Azahel@priest.com to find out more about them) I wasn't in Possession I was in Coven; I was a hired gun and played just a few shows as the singer. I was never able to record with them. This happened right at the end of their run as a band. It was fun, got to sing McDonaldland Massacre, but really it wasn't much.

VMU:  To save on the drama, VMU only ask questions about live shows, gear and CD production, so lets get those out of the way!  How many releases have you put out?

SEBAT:  We have released an EP, Pure as the Blood Covered Snow; on the now defunct label Sounds of the Dead Records. We also included a song on "A Brutal Christmas" also on SOTD. And have appeared on a couple other comps..

VMU:  Who produced the releases and where do you record?

SEBAT:  We produced them ourselves at Real Machine Studio in Kansas City.

VMU:  Was the recordings done digital or analog?  (if computer what programs)

SEBAT: They were done digital, used a Yamaha HD recorder.

VMU:  Were all the releases fully mastered?  I heard only 1 track on your web page and it was phenominal!

SEBAT: They were mastered, and the sound is ok. I think that the sound falls short a bit on the recording. We have since started purchasing our own studio and I believe that the future of recording for FLA is quite bright!

VMU:  As far as your influences and not to judge on stage looks  (which personally I think is AUSOME!)  Are you guys influenced by groups like Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, One Mans Child, Emperor or Gorgoroth?   What are your musical influences?

SEBAT:  Oh yeah we are definitely influenced by the black metal scene in whole. I would say Old Mans Child is the most prominent of those bands in my mind as an influence, but our singer is definitely a Dani Filth fan. We felt that Black/Death metal was a logical step in all of our musical journeys, especially since all of us have been into extreme forms of music for pretty much all of our lives. So instead of trying to live back in the days of our youth, we sought to incorporate our roots in a style that was a bit fresher. And hopefully we will continue to stay fresh with what we write.

VMU:  How do you feel about the energy in their lyrics (or any black metal/death metal)?

Do you expose those types of messages or what do you guys sing about?  (i heard something about wars on your web site)  could you ellaborate?

SEBAT:  It just seems that in all areas of extreme metal you are going to find strong view points, FLA hasn't tried to veer away from a strong message, actually we have strived to embrace a strong message with our lyrics. One could say a violent message, but in all honesty we are simply taking what we believe and making art out of it. We tend to sing about the death of pagan gods, the annihilation of the wicked, and the judgment of God and so on. Honestly we talked about it and thought that Black metal is about spiritual warfare, Death metal is about death so we took those types of thoughts and put them into our lyrics. We just did it from the perspective of Christians. (Something that all the members of FLA are) the result is sometimes horrific, but honestly if you read the bible you will find that it also contains some horrific things.

VMU:  Did you guys hear about the last "Gorgoroth" show in Poland?  (severed sheep heads, blood and naked girls on crosses)  How do you guys feel about that?   It seems to alot of bands its not about music but about what a band believes.

SEBAT: Yeah that guy wasn't going for record sales and free publicity was he? Seriously I find this kind of stuff just typical and I think Alice Cooper did a much better job of being horrific without being stupid.

About beliefs, well it seems that music is a platform from which to preach from, whether the message is Satanism, Paganism, Christianity, or Anarchy. I think that if you look thru history that many of a king's downfall might be traced back to the words of a poet or the songs sang about them.  Right or wrong, it seems as if it's going to stay this way. I personally like it when people know what they believe and are vocal about it, at least you know where you stand. And if someone is really about finding out truth or hearing a different perspective you may even be able to dialogue with them in a good way.  Personally I dig hanging with the lost, so the satanic rhetoric doesn't faze me much, I would just love to see them get to know Jesus!

VMU:  Could you guys give in detail what gear you use in studio and live?

SEBAT:  We are currently using a Roland 1680 to record with, and are in the process of getting all the proper microphones and some good preamps to make it sound right.

As for live, I use a Marshall JCM 900 SL-X 50 watt head with a 6x10 Peavey Guitar cab. I am currently using the Behringer V Amp 2 as a preamp. I use a Jim Dunlop Wah Wah pedal and play an old Charvel neck thru body model with Jackson pickups.

I know our Bassist has an Ernie Ball bass, an Ampeg Head and an SWR Megalioth cab. She has another bass too, but for the life of me I don't remember what. Adonijah our drummer plays a nice Mapex set and uses the Roland V Drums brain and both D Drum triggers and Roland ones. I am not sure what his cymbals are either; I know he has a Wu han gong though!

VMU:  What was the worst experiance playing live?

SEBAT:  Well the worst thing we have had happen live so far is blowing out a P.A. System. Since we use the V Drum Triggers all our drums disappeared along with the vocals. Luckily I had brought our practice P.A. and that was up and running in about 10 minutes.

VMU:  This is a very stupid question that I ask every band  (because I know what the answer is going to be).  Do you preffer live or studio recording?   And do any of you own a home studio?

SEBAT:  I prefer the ease of live and the sound of studio. I think I could easily lose myself in the studio doing music though. So I guess I would say Studio, despite the difficulties associated.

VMU:  How is it playing live with other bands?  And how do you feel about being on the Freakshow 13 in Las Vegas CA with such a wide variety of styles?

SEBAT:  So far nothing but good things happening with all the other bands, and we are quite excited and blessed to be included in the Freakshow 13 line up!

VMU:  I noticed you were on "A Brutal Christmas Compilation" with "Eversinceve" and "Royal Anguish"  We just recently interviewed them on the VMU!  Any other comps or CD releases we should look out for?

SEBAT:  Matt Blanchard from Shadows Fall recently included our song "Nightfall's Cold Kiss" on his label, Lifeless Records latest compilation "A Treasury of Sorrows".

VMU:  Thanks very much guys for your time any last words? 

SEBAT:  Thanks for the interview; I look forward to being in Vegas this fall! God Bless you!

(hope you guys didn't mind the new fan art I did for you!)

SEBAT: Cool! Keep it up!!!! We like fan art!

VM UNDERGROUND

FOR MORE INFO CLICK ON:

www.frostlikeashes.com
Listen to them here

  JULY 20 2004