Interview by Chris - March 2008 -The Metal Show
After the Straight Line Stitch interview late last month I began to notice a need for alot more depth in the 'views. It's just fair to everyone and especially to the bands!
With that in mind, I approached our next interview. I've had some 'here and there' contact with Jay of Senate since last year and he was willing to be my first target! Jay had a wealth of knowledge to share with us about the band, the Canadian metal scene, their release 'The Great Northern Scenekill', and just what it all means! We hope you'll enjoy it! -Chris
TMS: You've received great reviews from Metal Maniacs, Exlaim!, Blabbermouth, and many others and especially toward the quality of production on your debut. In fact, it's also been labeled as 'as the third best independent album of 2007'. What can you tell us about the direction of your late 2006 release 'The Great Northern Scenekill' and what metal fans who have not yet heard it can expect? Of note, there was a false sense of security in the Intro before my ears were kicked in by Victorious Hatred...very appropriate, I'd say!
Jay: Well, when the band started it was nothing serious at all, I came into the band when Matt and Hudson were still playing with another drummer and bass player, as they were in search of a lead guitar player. Six songs were already written, that none have survived except Queen Of Sorrow, but the version on our album is quite a bit different then the original version of song.
I had always been in bands were people never really valued or accepted my ideas, the first set of ideas I wrote for the band ended up being part of Recommit Rising, Crucifixer and Whispers. It was great to finally have my opinions valued, and song writing commenced for the album. Once the original drummer and bass player exited the band, we began working with programmed drums and we really worked on the songs, worked them to death and we knew we were onto something special.
We originally had the idea of going into the studio with programmed drum tracks to garner attention from some real drummers, but the one day when I went over to Matt's for a writing session, he suggested we email some drummers and do a proper record for our debut album. I agreed that it was a great idea, so we emailed several metal drummers from Quebec and after a few responses we knew we had our man. Patrice Hamelin agreed to record with us and we were totally stoked! We knew he was the perfect man for the job and we had been a fan of his for years.
So basically we wrote the record that we had always wanted to write, a lot of the ideas for the record spanned from before the inseption of the band (2004) up to of course new ideas right before we recorded the record in June of 2006. So if you wanted to know the direction of 'The Great Northern Scenekill', it's a straight ahead aggressive metal album, with influences from all the styles of metal we grew up listening too; from black metal, death metal, to progressive metal in some instances. I think the album is a nice mixture of a lot of styles and I'm extremely proud of it. A lot of people like to dismiss us as just a melodic death metal band, while yes, there are influences from that style, of course... I think we're far from some generic death metal band and if you do think that... you obviously haven't listened very well.
TMS: So Patrice Hamlin was brought into the studio as a session drummer? When did he officially join Senate?
Jay: Yes, after Matt sent off several emails to different drummers, Eric Galy from Galy Records received the original correspondence email and gave Pat a call and gave him the low down. Interested, Pat got in contact with Matt via phone and after a few conversations, arrangements were made for him to come to Ontario and record with us. So Matt and I sent him all the pre-production tracks and tabs and Pat began learning the songs. We went up to his house and jammed for a weekend just before we went into the studio, not only was it an audition it was also a feel out session, not only for us, but for Pat as well. We all had to make sure we could stand being in a room together for more than five minutes. You don't want to go on tour and kill each other after the second day! He officially joined the band shortly after we recorded the album in June / July of 2007.
TMS: And what about bassist Colin Lernell?
Jay: Well, Colin is actually our third bass player. After the unceremonious exit of our second bass player, we actually played without a bass player for almost a year and a half. We had a few friends fill in for shows hear and there, but for the most of the time were either playing as a four piece... we even went through a stint as a three piece with a multitracker playing a more intricate version of the programmed drum tracks from our pre-production.
Anyway, the one day I was surfing a local metal forum. Colin had put a YouTube video of himself and a guitar player friend of his jamming "Mutilate The Stillborn" by Necrophagist. So I immediately emailed him, and asked if he was interested in trying out for us. He accepted, and learned the songs in record time. Colin joined a few weeks before we did our Ontario run with Martyr in January 2007.
TMS: There are many points to go over about your debut but one strikes me in particular. You've chosen to finance your recording as well as distribute The 'Greath Northern Scenekill' on your own. Why did you choose to do this and, secondly, how was Senate able to take such an endeavor? (Continued...)
Senate 2007
Jay: Well, with the over saturation of metal bands out there, we knew we had to do something special to get people to notice us. We've been around for a while, but when we released the album, we were this band that came out of no where, with a professionally pressed record, recorded by Julius "Juice" Butty (Alexisonfire, City&Colour) and mastered by Tue Madsen (Rob Halford, Kataklysm, The Haunted). That move has seriously turned some heads, we've been approached by big labels and management as well as received great reviews and notice from some big metal publications, as you mentioned some earlier, UNRESTRAINED!, Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Blabbermouth thus resulting in us being voted #3 in Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles top 10 demo / indie releases of 2007.
With all of us being working stiffs and some members even owning and running their own business'... we pooled together all the money we had and a lot of money we didn't have (haha) and just put everything on the line and went for it.
TMS: Do you feel this has been to your advantage? And of personal curiousity, what did collaborators like Marco Bresette (former Threat Signal) think of this bold move?
Jay: I definately feel it was to our advantage, with the way the music business is these days, you have to do as much as you can on your own. It's not like it used to be where you record a $500 demo send it away, and then a record label shows up on your door step and offers you a multi-million dollar record deal. A lot of bands, do sometimes several records, merch, tours all out of their own pocket just to garner label attention.
Pat and Marco both saw the hard work and dedication we had to this band and to doing the record so it wasn't very hard to convince them to participate in the recording. Marco originally was only going to do one or two bass tracks, but we asked him to do the whole record he reluctantly agreed (due to time restraints) but he worked his ass off and got it done and we all think he did a fantastic job. Pat learned the whole record in roughly a month, we went to Pat's house in Trois Rivieres, Quebec to do a quick rehearsal and things clicked so well, not only did he come to Ontario to record with us, he's now a full time member of the band!
TMS: The tracks are very 'together' and contain some incredible thought and I'm going to steal one of Heri Joensen's words 'unmistakable' when I speak of the guitar ability I heard with solos conjuring delightful memories of the old Testament and Legacy albums. Saying that, I want to ask what's happening in the studio now and how will that work compare or contrast with that on your debut? (Disclaimer: Heri Joensen was speaking of something entirely else but I found it appropriate. -Chris)
Jay: Well we're not in the studio just yet, we're working on new songs as we speak. So far we have 6 completed and many more ideas and parts are in the works. Some of the songs are longer and more technical, some are shorter and more to the point... it'll be a little more of everything. It's still going to be Senate, but it will be a step forward in playing and song writing. We might lose some fans, we might gain some. Who knows.
TMS: Was there something the band wanted to say in this album and, if so, is Senate satisfied that the point was made clear?
Jay: Well basically it's the album we always wanted to write and we did it. No apologies and no comprises. We actually lost a member over the direction change for this album... at the time we thought the original drummer quitting was a disaster but it turned out to be one of the best things that's happened to the band. While a lot of people listen to us and get confused by our influences passing us off as metal-core or generic melodic death, but most who have listened to us do get what we're doing, and hear just a balls out extreme metal band. There's no fucking "CORE" in our sound.
TMS: With all that's been invested into 'The Great Northern Scenekill', what can you tell us about the songs themselves?
Jay: Well, the songs written for our record are collection of new ideas and old. Some of the ideas were taken from songs that we had ditched, but thought some of the ideas were still worth using. Lyrics for some songs were taken from various poems Matt had written over the years. They signify everything we hold dear about metal from when were growing up. Some of the members have over 15 years of experience of playing and listening to metal. We even have attended a lot of the same shows, when we were young even though we didn't know each other at the time. I remember seeing "Cynic" of the "Focus" tour in ' 91 at Blind Melons in Buffalo NY with Cannibal Corpse and Sinister. It turns after talking about the show Matt was there as well. Yeah we're old. heh
TMS: Can you give us a sneak preview of what the rest of 2008 has for Senate? (Continued...)
Senate at The Embassy in London 2007.
Jay: Well as I said, we're writing new songs... we're looking to enter the studio hopefully in early 2008. Also we're working to get on a tour. We would really like to get out there and play for as many people as we can! We're really curious to hear people's reactions of the new material.
TMS: Are any of your members involved with other bands?
Jay: Well as some of your might or might not know, our drummer is Patrice Hamelin of Quebecois tech metal gods Martyr, he also did a stint with Despised Icon in November and Decemeber of 2007, as well as the many other projects he's involved in. Matt, has been singing in some covers, it's fun and it keeps him sharp. Colin, does all kind of jamming with various people, like school jazz ensembles and stuff like that. Myself and Hudson, Senate is it for us at this time.
TMS: Can you tell us something about the metal scene in Canada? You're sharing the scene with bands such as Despised Icon and Beneath the Massacre and as a longtime fan of Voivod I'm willing to place that it's intense...
Jay: Well Quebec has a huge metal scene. Despised Icon, Martyr, Beneath The Massacre, Kataklysm, Cyrptopsy all come from there and the scene is booming. As for the rest of Canada bands are spread out all over, out west there are bands like Into Eternity and SYL, Ontario has us, Thine Eyes Bleed and Threat Signal, and there are bands down east well. The Canadian scene is not as intense as one might think, it just has certain localized areas that are doing well for the Canadian metal scene. Luckily those areas are receiving big attentions from right people and it's opened the doors for alot of Canadian bands.
TMS: Back to the beginning... how did Senate come together and what made you want to pursue metal?
Jay: Well Senate started with Matt and Hudson jamming with another bass player and drummer, they were in search of a lead guitar player so after trying out a few differents guys (including me) I landed the job. I immediatly saw the potential in the band, and I had basically given up on trying to find a band where I would be happy and indentify with the other members as well as the direction of the music. I was sitting at home one night, and the drummer contacted me on ICQ and asked me to come jam with his new band. I was reluctant at first as I wasn't even sure I wanted to be in a band. I gave it shot, and I've never looked back.
I've been listening to metal for over 15 years and playing guitar almost as long. I knew the first time I heard Alex Skolnick, on "Practice What You Preach" I knew I had to play like that. I went through different phases of metal... progressive, death, black, thrash... and shred. I've always had a special place in my heart for extreme metal. So when I write for Senate... I try to incorporate all the different styles into our music. I hope people hear that when they listen to us.
TMS: Inspirations and influences. Everyone has their own. Who or what inspires you when you hit the studio or even practicing? (Continued...)
Jay Siebert shredding at Canadian Music Week where Senate staged with Thine Eyes Bleed 2007.
Jay: Well the list of inspiration and influences could go on for ever, but at the top of my personal list are: Ihsahn, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, Satyr Wongraven, James Murphy, Chuck Shuldiner, Dave Mustaine, The Amott Brothers. I'm also really digging Jeff Loomis as well... the guy can shred!
Band wise: Carcass, Emperor, Cynic, Death... you get the idea. I don't want to bore you with a list of all the same bands everybody lists as their influences.
TMS: Would you like to add anything that you feel hasn't been covered?
Jay: We're always looking to hear from our fans, if you ever have any question or comments... anything! There's several ways to contact us, whether it be MySpace, Facebook, or email. If you have want to contact a specific member our individual emails addresses are on our website in the contact section. We answer pretty much every message we get sent... so don't hesitate.
TMS: To your fans and and those who haven't checked you out yet, what do have to say to them?
Jay: To all the people who left all the cool comments and words of inspiration, thanks so much! You can buy our debut album 'The Great Northern Scenekill' through us at our website www.senatemetal.com or our myspace www.myspace.com/senatemetal. We've also provided the whole album for streaming on our website so you can check it out! If you prefer to order our album through a local CD store. Send us a message with your area and we'll let you know what record stores closest to you have our album available!
TMS: Ok, shameless plug ... tell us and our viewers some more killer Canadian metal we need to check out...
Jay: There are quite a few bands in the area, or Canada for that matter that have really started doing things that are note worthy. Gates of Winter and Wood Of Ypres just brought out indepedant releases that are doing very well. Threat Signal, on Nuclear Blast Records are doing extremely well. We did a quick run with Thine Eyes Bleed in December of last year, they're on The End Records and The End all bands on major metal labels that are doing very well for themselves. Martyr, Pat's other band is really well known and is especially popular in Quebec.
Mostly recently Alberta's Divinty just released there debut album 'Allegory', which got them a world wide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. There's alot going on in Canadian metal right now. I'm proud to be part of this scene.
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