Interview: MASTERY

Mastery has exploded out of the gate with a high-powered EP on Spinerazor Records entitled “Lethal Legacy.” Having received considerable attention in the metal press, including high-profile write-ups in Decibel, Metal Maniacs and Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, Mastery has proven that a decidedly great metal release can in fact, be issued sans frontman. Fans beholden to the sounds of classic thrash metal bands like Megadeth and Death Angel will be immediately drawn to the intense sounds on this initial offering, but the following responses from drummer Kevan Roy and guitarist Markus Armellini indicate that even more massive metal accomplishments are surely on the horizon…


Erin Fox: Your “Lethal Legacy” disc is about to be re-released via Spinerazor Records. As of late, the EP has been highly acclaimed in the press. How do you feel about all of the attention surrounding the band at this point?

Markus: It feels great to see that our idea of putting out an instrumental album is going over so well! As far as we know, nobody has really done this kind of thing before and so we weren’t sure what reaction we’d be getting.

Kevan: Yeah, it’s been quite humbling actually! We obviously believe very strongly in the path we’ve chosen here, but at the same time there really isn’t a benchmark in this style of metal to know how we might be received, so it’s been absolutely awesome to get the kind of attention we have been getting!




Being that you have now achieved certain notoriety for playing metal without a singer, do you expect that you will continue forward as an instrumental group for the foreseeable future? Why?

Markus: With all the positive feedback we’ve been getting, it wouldn’t be a good move to get a singer now, especially when the album hasn’t even been released yet. We’re definitely confident enough to say that we will continue on this path for the foreseeable future. Unless an opportunity with a singer that we couldn’t refuse presents itself, we’re not changing who we are.  

Kevan: Yeah, with the response we’ve gotten from the fans, and how it has been received in the media, we have essentially broken this mold of how an aggressive metal band is “supposed” to be put together. That means the bar has been raised even higher for any would-be singers that wanted to give this a try with us. I think some bands add a singer to their mix…ANY singer….because that’s just what you do, you have a singer, and often they’re difficult to find! For us, we’ve established that we don’t necessarily need a singer, which means unless someone can make us sound substantially better, we’re not going to mess with the recipe simply because we need one more member. 




What was it like to record the EP with Kevan at the helm as opposed to an outside producer? Did you feel more comfortable with a member of the band overseeing the recording as opposed to an outsider?

Markus: As with everything there’s advantages and disadvantages to having a member of the band taking on a lot of the responsibility in the process of making a record. We all had a good idea what we wanted to achieve production wise with Lethal Legacy. Kevan has a lot of the know-how on the engineering side of things and so we felt confident enough to have him in the driver’s seat.

Kevan: Well, personally, I thought it was a GREAT choice! Ha!
 




Your compositions require the knowledge and execution of a wide variety of techniques. How is it that the technical aspect inherent in your songwriting came to be so prevalent?

Markus: We’ve all been influenced by a variety of bands and some aspects like technique or the progressiveness of the songwriting, so I’m sure that is coming through in our own writing style. 



Guitar solos are a key part of the band’s overall appeal. Do you think that metal needs to return to having more guitar solos? Do you believe that being a master of your instrument is critical to being in a successful metal band?

Kevan: I don’t think one needs to be a “master” on their instrument to be successful, necessarily. I mean, there are lots…and this is in no way a criticism…but there are lots of songwriters who would not be considered technical masters on their instrument. However they have the gift of being able to write catchy riffs and progressions that earn them millions! So I think technical proficiency and success are only loosely connected. That being said, for us, and for what we feel we need to get out of us musically right now, we do strive for that technical proficiency as well as good songwriting. As far as guitar solos go, I don’t know if metal as a whole needs to have more soloing, but I know we love it!

Markus: Yeah, solos always stand out in a song because they have the power to change the mood and feel within seconds. It’s definitely something we’ll keep putting in our songs. And being a master of your instrument is not guaranteeing you anything nowadays, but it sure helps!





What single event has had the greatest impact on your career as a metal musician thus far?

Markus: I would have to say that when we made the decision to move forward without a singer is responsible for where we’re at right now.

Kevan: Yeah I would have to agree. It was a real leap of faith to sorta go against the grain on that issue, early on. And we definitely got some resistance from some of the so-called “industry people” that we talked to in the beginning, who more or less responded to us that they would talk to us “when you’re a complete band.” The idea of an instrumental metal band was just something you don’t do!? But, we had a clear vision of what we wanted to put out there, and the response we’ve gotten so far says it all! That’s also what created the awesome association we have now with Spencer Cage and Spinerazor records. Cage was able to see our vision the way we did very early on, before anyone even knew our name yet….so that was key.











Which bands do you believe to be your contemporaries in the realm of heavy metal today? Why would you choose these bands above others? What factors do you find to be most appealing in a metal band’s sound?


Kevan: Wow, tough question! For me, the most appealing factor in a band’s sound is definitely the gritty, almost abrasive sound of the guitars…but with body! It’s all personal taste, but that’s one of my biggest complaints with a lot of the Death metal style…the guitar sound is so scooped in the mids, that they seem to lack a lot of the presence and almost become tinny in the high end just so they can be heard in the mix. I love a sound where the guitars just rip my face off! The other extreme in a lot of current metal is a guitar sound that is so saturated in the mids that they lose some of that grit though. But again, it’s all personal taste and each has their place. As for who our contemporaries would be…again, without having a singer, I think it’s difficult to compare us directly with the big acts that are out there now!? But as far as playing style goes, some of the bands that I think we should share a stage with, would be bands like Into Eternity, Lamb of God, Unearth, Megadeth…bands like that. Oh, and of course SSSSSSLAYAHHHHH!! Yeah!




Being that the band does not have a frontman, so to speak, what types of things does Mastery do in a live situation to ensure that the crowd is able to interact with the experience?

Markus: It starts with a good set list. It’s key to keep the audience’s attention throughout the show and as long as we play with intensity and high energy, we don’t seem to have any problems keeping the crowd interested. Even better yet, come to one of our shows and you’ll see first hand!





Will you be going on tour to support the EP, or have you already started to work on the full-length release? Can we expect anything different from the next album or will your basic songwriting style remain the same?

Markus: We’re working on putting a North American tour together right now. Once we have more details we’ll post them on our website www.masterymetal.com and at www.myspace.com/masterymetal.

In regards to the next album, it’s still a little early to comment on that now , but one thing is for sure, it’s always about raising the bar on the next one! 




What is the one thing that you want heavy metal fans out there to know about the mission of the band?

Kevan: Hmmm…I think it might be that deep down our secret mission is to sell out as quickly as possible and make millions so that we can become lazy and just write cheesy ballads for mainstream radio play!! Ha!! Yeah rrrrrrrrrright!!!!!! In all seriousness, I don’t know if we really have a specific mission. Right now we’re just doing what feels right to us, trying to express ourselves the way WE want to….without conformity. How far this instrumental thing we’re doing will go!?!....that’s up to the heavy metal fans! But if there is one thing we want them to know, it’s that we very much appreciate all the support we have gotten from them!