How much less time has it taken?
Tom: The last one was 25 days, and this one’s taken 16.
How does the album differ from your past material?
Tom: It’s both the most stripped down and the most experimental we’ve ever been. It’s a lot more open-minded and there are some things in there we would never do.
This is your second album on Sumerian, a label that isn’t necessarily known for its hardcore roster.
Tom: Yeah, they have bands like I See Stars and Periphery that aren’t really hardcore, but for us it’s cool. We’re a very self-sufficient band, and Sumerian lets us steer the ship and do our own thing. It’s important for us to have freedom: musically, business-wise, we just do everything, and it’s cool that they’re on board with that. It’s no secret that they have bands that are huge, like Asking Alexandria and I See Stars, they’re priorities, but with us, it’s like ‘just let us do our thing and go our way,’ and it’s cool.
What else can you say about the new album?
Tom: It’s going to be out in the Fall, hopefully. We’re going to be doing some headlining shows in the States, Canada and Europe heading into it. It’s our best one yet, but I hate saying that because every band says that. It’s not like Rising Sun, just like Rising Sun wasn’t like Make Your Own History. You’re never going to get the same record from us every time.
How would you say it’s a progression from the last one?
Tom: I wouldn’t even say progressed, it’s just different. It’s more stripped down and more song-oriented. Vocally, there’s some different stuff, and musically, I know with guitars, we put some weird shit on there. I think that no one is doing the stuff we’re doing on this record, and that’s why it’s my favorite.
Any song titles yet?
Tom: ” Landmines” is the song we’ve already put out. It’s still coming together and we’re working on the titles now. We’ve got a few guest appearances from two of our friends that we’re trying to keep under wraps. Some people are already guessing already on our social networking sites. They’re no secrets, but they’re fun. Definitely not [Jonathan] Vigil from The Ghost Inside again, fuck him. He’s been on our last two records, and everyone’s like “Vigil again?” Not this time, fuck that bitch.
