Chester and Rob interviewed by the Japanese magazine Geki-Rock, Read the full interview here, or the interesting quotes below:
Chester:
"There was this song that Mike was working on before, I liked it, because I knew that we could turn it into something cool. But Mike , he decided midway through the project that he hated it, and started on a new song. This eventually became 'Guilty All the Same,' but when he first let me listen to the opening riff I shouted out, 'Yes! It's great. This is the only way to go! The entire album should go in this direction.' I was really excited. 'Let me start screaming right now,' I told him (laughter). Do you understand? There was this feeling we hadn't felt for a while, this hard and heavy sound that had been lost. Keeping a song original while maintaining its coolness is difficult, but it was awesome finding that direction. Once you have that, the path ahead becomes pretty clear."
"Each song has a story to it. For example, ‘Guilty all the Same’ represents what we’ve been making, and the expectations of our fans. With ‘Rebellion,’ we wanted to create a new kind of sound. Not in the sense that we get a new producer or anything, but with a musician we respect. We thought along the lines of Daron (from System of a Down), Rakim or Page Hamilton. We had the idea, and then Rakim really came (laughing). Everyone was really happy, because Rakim’s rap was everything we’d been looking for, it spoke what we wanted to say. It might be a rude way to put this, but that song wouldn’t have been much without Rakim. It’s a fucking epic song. As for Daron, we let him listen to the song and he liked it. He didn’t want to add guitar or anything though, because everything was already there. The song was perfect, and all that we’d hoped to create. ‘All For Nothing’ also has an interesting story. We liked it from the very beginning, the melody was cool but Mike was having trouble singing it. It was rare for him to struggle like that. I asked him, “doesn’t your voice sound like Helmet?” and he responded, “I thought so too, but is that a good thing?” Of course I told him it was great, I love Helmet. We hadn’t done it intentionally but it sounded very similar and that was cool, so we discussed whether to have Page (guitarist from Helmet) come in and work with us. Next thing I know, Page was in the studio!"
Rob:
"This is why I train around 4~5 hours a day in my home studio. I practice until my arms are numb, and then take the next day off, the way I always have. I have to be able to keep going from the beginning to the very end. The drum sounds are recorded in one take, because there's nothing you can edit in or out. That's why I have to be able to keep drumming for longer. Since it's been a while since I've played anything this intense, I'm enjoying it. As I understood the aim of the album and got involved in its making, I realized I was changing as well. I became more aggressive, stating my opinions and pouring in my own energy. It really feels like this album projects what we want to be. I'm happy with the energy, and pushing my own limits. I can't wait for everyone to hear it too."
Translated by the Karin from Blackout Show Online.