by Kenneth Morton

Based out of the San Diego area, Burning The Masses has been touring across the country, scorching our land with their inventive brand of progressive death metal. A brutal collective to be sure, the band has unleashed a slab of absolute fury entitled Mind Control, out now from Mediaskare Records. Here is an email interview we recently conducted with the guys…

Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?
San Diego, California. The scene is mostly hardcore but is starting to slowly become more metal. There's also a pretty good thrash metal scene too.

How has the tour with Oceano been going and what have been some of the highlights?
The tour was pretty good, pretty decent draws every night. Chicago with Suicide Silence and Bury Your Dead was definitely the best show on the tour, over 400 kids. Chris also got maced by the cops in Kansas City ha-ha; everyone was hammered.

How difficult has it been to record and tour in the past, with the band members being so young? What is the average age in the band and are your parents supportive?
Everyone in the band is 20 - 21 years old. Our parents are very supportive and touring and living on the road is hard but we do it all for the music and the fans.

An elderly relative thinks it’s absolutely enchanting that you are in a band and touring all across the nation. She then asks you to describe your music to her. What do you say?
Extreme Metal music with good musicianship and lots of intricate twists and turns for the listeners' ear. We try to mix it up and keep things fresh and original unlike some bands nowadays.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Mind Control?
No, each different song has their own theme and idea to it. We'd like to possibly do a concept album in the future.

Where do you get the ideas for some of your lyrics? Please cite a few song examples and what the lyrics are about…
My ideas from my lyrics go from everyday living to ideas I get from certain novels. Like in the song Euphoria Ends is about an everyday druggie situation that turns out for the worst. In Arms Raised, Eyes Closed is more about being force fed religion with questioning it and being open minded to other lifestyles.

What advice would you give a young band about to go on the road for the very first time?
Practice, Practice, Practice. Always be prepared for the worst. Save up all of your money and spend it on things you need, not on what you want. Always get water cups and fill it with soda. And bring lots of condoms ;)

How did an ex-member of Machine Head and Soulfly become involved with the mixing of your CD?
Baron Bodnar, our manager, had connects with Logan Mader and when we heard he recorded mixed and mastered Divine Heresy, Gojira, and Psycroptic; it sounded promising and knew he would be the right guy for the job. We are very fortunate for him to use his expertise on our debut album.

How did you wind up signing to Mediaskare?
We met Baron in Hollywood when we were in the 'Headbang For The Highway' battle of the bands contest a couple years ago and stayed in touch ever since. After a year of talking to him and switching up our lineup, we landed a deal.

What’s up next after the Oceano tour?
Writing for our new CD and hopefully touring overseas to a whole new fan base.

Any final words of wisdom?
Go buy our debut album Mind Control in stores everywhere now!!! Stay Metal and Open Minded!! Keep your eyes peeled for new talent like our friends in CHON…

BURNING THE MASSES links

Burning The Masses on Myspace: The Official Myspace Page for Burning The Masses!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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