AM : First can you briefly tell the evolution of the band since its foundation?
EOE : The band was founded about 2 and a half years ago with a dream to make heavy, aggressive music with ethereal vocals. Kirk, Brandon and Duane all know each other from High School in South Carolina. Back then they were in local death metal bands so that's where the sound comes from. Kirk, Brandon & Francine all met in college at an audio school in Florida and moved to L.A. for work in studios and formed a band. Duane who was living in a Japan and playing in a grindcore band also moved to L.A. to complete EOE, we wrote our music and started performing in the southern California area.
AM : How was the album composed ?
EOE : Generally Brandon writes all the riffs, then together we all play a part in the song structure, Kirk writes his drum parts, Duane his bass parts and Francine the vocal melodies. Both Brandon & Francine write the lyrics.
AM : How did you get the deal with Nuclear Blast ? How did it worked ?
EOE : We put out a 3 song demo and sent it out to anyone who would listen, it peaked the interest of several labels, until finally our music got into the hands of NB, they're a reputable label with some of our favorite bands so of course we were thrilled to sign a contract with them.
AM : Who is this "Forgotten Goddess" ? What are your lyrics talking about ?
EOE : She is not one Goddess in particular, rather all the Goddess but more specifically she is a symbol, a metaphor for the feminine side of human nature, one that respects the planet and each other, and that has compassion. I feel society these days leans very much on the male side which leads to things like war. Like Yin & Yang I think it's important to have the right balance. You don't want too much female energy then it's all talk, no action and you care so much about other people you forget about yourself, too much male energy and it's the opposite, too much action, no talk and too much ego! This is the only song that deals with this subject matter, our lyrics are varied. Some deal with the immortality of our souls, losing a loved one, one talks of the visionary plants of shamans and one song is about the death ritual of the Zoroastrians. Our subject matter is somewhat spiritual and reflective, they should be interpretated in a way that best reflects your life.
AM : You have a really nice sound on the album... Where did you recorded the album ?
EOE : Thank you, we recorded at a studio in Venice Beach, California called Ravenswork. Kirk works there as an assistant engineer. Eric Ryan mixed, recorded and co-produced the album with us. Although we had free studio time, it was very difficult because we all had full-time jobs, we worked on the album every night and weekend and worked all day, we didn't sleep much, but it was worth it!
AM : In Europe, there's a lot of female fronted gothic bands... what about America ?
EOE : It's definitely more of a European thing, but I think it's starting to catch on more in America, I see more and more of these style bands springing up.
AM : What do you plan for the future of Echoes Of Eternity ?
EOE : We plan to tour, tour, & tour!! Probably starting in spring. If all works well, we'd love to be in the studio by late winter to record album #2.
AM : For our last question, our ritual one : ask you a question you always wanted to be asked and answer it...
EOE : What is 318 multiplied by 714 divided by 2 and subtracted by 4? 113522.
AM : Thanks for this interview... You have the last word !
EOE : Thank you Nicolas! We look forward to seeing everyone on tour!! \m/