Recently we were given the opportunity to ask Andrew Wetzel of Attack Attack! Some questions about their new album “This Means War”
MD: “Thank you for taking time out to talk to us!
MD: Where did you get the inspiration for the new album and what does “This Means War” mean to you? How do the track titles fit into the story?
AW: When we sat down to do this record, we decided we wanted to put together an extremely heavy album. Aside from that, once the music began to take shape, we decided we should just fully commit to a concept record. The track titles and lyrics form together to describe a story of 4 soldiers returning home from an unpopular war by an unpopular government, and describe the effects of not only war, but of the rejection of friends and family alike.
MD: Since it was pretty easy to tell that you didn’t rely as heavily on techno elements for this album, what made you want to switch out of the heavy techno sound?
AW: We really just wanted to take a whole new approach to our normal writing style. Focusing mainly on the heavy/melodic side of what our strings can provide, and adding Caleb’s brilliant singing voice to tie it all together.
MD: It seems Caleb decided to do more clean vocals on this album. Well, ALL clean vocals, but there seems to be more in general. How did that come about?
AW: We wanted to make sure that we fully utilized Caleb’s talent as a singer. Having such a great voice in your band definitely merits a change in writing style.
MD: How have you guys grown and changed as a band since your 2010 release?
AW: With exception of our obvious member change, we’ve definitely taken a lot more time to work on our personal skills at our instruments, and have also spent a lot of time experimenting with new styles of music.
MD: Do you think there is room for growth in your music? This album is almost like a start over for the band, with just Caleb on vocals and Andrew Whiting on guitar.
AW: There is always room for growth in any musicians career. This album is definitely the beginning to a new era for us as a band. We’re very excited about it as well!
MD: Was the writing process any different with just one guitarist and one vocalist?
AA: The writing process for TMW was definitely a lot more streamlined than before. Just having 4 dudes working on stuff definitely makes it easier to work quickly.
MD: Bands like Attack Attack, Asking Alexandria, Sleeping With Sirens, The Word Alive, and so many more are the most popular bands in metal today. What do you think could attribute to that?
AW: Guys like us are always down to try new things. Attack Attack being a prime example. We’ve never hesitated to roll the dice with our career. We are always in pursuit of whatever we think is going to be new and fresh.
MD: Music piracy is a huge topic right now. Where does the band stand on people downloading their music?
AW: This is a very complex subject to get into. I could literally talk about this all day. Basically, technology will always change faster than this industry can keep up with it. The way I see it, if you want to have real success in this industry, you need to be flexible, and ready to cater to your fan base no matter what. If that means you have to go out on your own and start giving your music away for free, then so be it. Where one stream of revenue disappears, another much greater one always appears. This is the time for us to be innovative and take risks and that’s exactly what you can expect to see from Attack Attack.
MD: Any details you can give us about your upcoming tours and what you’ll be doing in 2012?
AW: We have a year jam packed with tours. Go out and pick up our new record, and keep an eye on us. We’re going to be all over the place in 2012!
Make sure to keep an eye out for these guys throughout the year; I have a feeling they are going to be bringing a show that you won’t want to miss!!
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