I, Joel, recently sent Daniel Rosen, vocalist for Bitter End, some questions by e-mail which mainly inquire about their new album coming out. Check it out.
Bitter End is:
Daniel - Vocals
Griff - Guitar
Jacob - Guitar
Jason - Bass
Ely - Drums
TftH: First off, just a little general info and band history for those who haven’t heard about you guys yet.
Daniel: Bitter End played our first show with Merauder in March of 2005. Soon afterwards we recorded a demo, then rerecorded all those songs for our Mind In Chains EP which has been out for a while now. We've done some touring with bands like Shipwreck, Palehorse, Blacklisted, Like It or Not, Think I Care, etc., and we just recently finished recording our Climate of Fear
LP.
TftH: What do all the band members do outside the band?
D: A couple of the dudes have kids, most of us go to school, most of us work, one of us loves kayaking.
TftH: What are the immediate plans for the band? What’s been going on?
D: Right now, we are on a 3 week tour with our friends in Shipwreck. After that we will be home for like 2 weeks; then on the road for 6 weeks with the Mongoloids. Parts of that tour will also be with War Hungry and Bracewar. Sometime in the middle of that tour we hope to have our new CDs. Our van has no air conditioner, and we are sweating a lot, but we have been having a good
time.
TftH: You guys are coming out with a new full length album titled Climate of Fear. What are the basic details?
D: Climate of Fear is our new LP, and whatever you expect it to sound like...it doesn't sound like that. Close friends who have heard it are saying it blows away our first EP, and I agree. The album will hopefully be out in time for Sound and Fury Fest on July 26th. The CD will be pressed by Malfunction Records, and the vinyl should be out on Six Feet Under Records.
TftH: You guys recorded with Craig Douglas at Origin Sound in Houston. How was that?
D: Craig Douglas is insane, but a real good dude. Overall, we had an awesome time recording the record. Griff now loves Otep because of Craig.
TftH: How do you think this new full length will compare to the previous 7”, Mind in Chains? Was there a certain direction you guys were trying to go with it?
D: Like I said, it's way more "mature" than the 7". We had some ideas of the direction we wanted to take with the band, but we ended up doing some things none of us really expected. There are a few 4 minute songs.
TftH: In the lyrics insert for the promo you guys have been selling, you have a bunch of clips of newscasts about recent tragedies and political events, and on the insert you have written “If you’re not scared...you should be”. What do you mean by that, and what should we be scared of?
D: If I live to die of old age, I will be surprised. The direction humanity is heading will bring our own demise, and you have to be blind to not see it.
TftH: Do you have strong feelings toward any current situations in our country?
D: Yes and no. To be honest, I am not super informed on the detailed specifics of political situations, but I've read and seen enough to send me into a somewhat paranoid state for an indefinite time period.
TftH: Are there any spiritual or political messages in the new album?
D: As far as politics go, the message is pretty basic: those in power are making some decisions that are sending the whole world into a "climate of fear." When people are scared, they tend to let leaders get away with odd things in the name of safety.
On the spiritual side of things, there is one song in specific about people who think drug use can cause some sort of expansion of consciousness. I think that is BULLSHIT. People can do what they want with their own time, but if you think drugs can bring some kind of inner peace you are truly mistaken.
TftH: Is there anything that you hope people will get out of this album, and do
you hope it will impact people in a certain way?
D: I want people to think. If this record makes people think, then I will be satisfied.
TftH: Are there any side projects or future projects for any of the band members?
D: Not at the moment.
TftH: Any thing else? Shout outs, awesome bands to look out for, band news, etc.?
D: Look out for the new LP. It's no Age of Quarrel, but some of you might dig it.
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Thanks to Daniel for taking the time to answer my questions on tour. You check
their MySpace for tour dates, and be sure to see them and pick up their 3 song sampler, along with the Feed demo.
More interviews to come later...
Joel.
