ESTUARY interview 2006

RIPPING THRASHING DEATH METAL!!!


1- ESTUARY is not really a newcomer in the scene regarding to your musical past in ESTUARY OF CALAMITY, can you introduce the band and its musicians? Are there any differences in the actual line-up?
ESTUARY consists of myself, Ash Thomas (guitar/backing vox), Zdenka Prado (lead vox), Brad Howard (guitar), Jesse Wilson (drums) & Steve Eberl (bass). Jesse, Brad & I are the only members from Estuary of Calamity. We wanted to start with a clean slate when we dropped the “of Calamity.” We consider ESTUARY a completely different band with the addition of Zdenka & Steve. The band sounds totally different now…way more straight forward & brutal.


2- You are apart from the bands of today that play as fast as possible and finally sound the same. Your style is a great combination of death/thrash/black metal added to efficient melodies, what are your influences?
Our influences range from IRON MAIDEN, KREATOR, SODOM, SLAYER, METALLICA, MORBID ANGEL, DEICIDE, AUTOPSY, INCANTATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE, FORBIDDEN, OVERKILL, etc. We like a variety of Metal styles, & that’s why you here the differences in our style.


3- Zdenka’s vokills along the album are impressive, how does she learn to sing that way?
She says she just started practicing it one day. She’s a huge Death Metal fan, & I believe she said she used to sing along a lot with old HYPOCRISY & stuff like that. She definitely sings from the gut. She really pushes it out. Here vocals are not throaty in the least bit. They’re definitely from the pit of her guts!!

4- The lyrics are quite obscure, what are the main subjects of the album? Tell me more about the song “Silence and mind”. Does it deal with some of your thoughts?
The album deals mostly with the outside forces that effect & disrupt the inner self. That’s why it’s entitled “To Exist & Endure”. It’s about all the shit that is thrown at us how we deal with it. Silence & Mind is actually based on a relative of mine & I’ll admit I can relate to some of it myself. It’s basically about an individual who is more or less a complete misanthrope & shut off from the rest of society. At first it seems like paradise, but soon the individual loses all knowledge of how to interact with the outside world. In the end the individual goes mad & even dislikes himself.


5- After your demo CD, you signed on Ibex Moon Records for the release of your full-length album “To exist and endure”, was there any others labels interested in? Are you satisfied by the work of IMR?
IMR was the only label that showed definite interest. We were approached by them as, at the time, they were just getting started & were looking for bands. We’re definitely satisfied with the label so far. John has come through on everything & that’s great.

6- Recently ESTUARY performed a show with INCANTATION, ACHERON and FUNERUS. How was the affluence and the ambience?
This show was great overall!! We had a few minor technical difficulties. But in the end it went down really well. The bands were great, & the people seemed to be really into it.

7- How is the scene of Cincinnati and more generally of Ohio?
I think the scene in Cincinnati could use a lot of help. There are bands but not many fans that support underground Metal. If a bigger band comes through, there’s usually a decent crowd. But when you turn it into a smaller (local) situation none of these people come out. We’ve passed out fliers after bigger shows on a number of occasions to tons of people, but few ever show up to the smaller gigs. I don’t know what it is…it’s just always been that way. The Ohio scene on a whole though isn’t that bad. Further North there is more interest it seems.

8- The new INCANTATION, “Decimate Christendom” will be out soon. Do you think you could be part of their European venue?
I honestly don’t think that’s possible at the moment. It would be great to come over & tour, but I don’t think the label could afford it (with the other releases coming up) & I’m not sure if
John landed the tour with Behemoth on his own or if Listenable Records took care of it. Listenable has no obligation to us of course, so I don’t see it happening this time around.

9- The next release of IMR is the first BLOODY SIGN album, do you know/like this band? Are they any French bands you enjoy?
I have only heard of them. I haven’t actually heard the music yet. I’m quite eager to check it out I must say. They sound like they would be killer. Jill from FUNERUS was supposed to lend we a copy for the road to check out while driving from the gigs we did together a few weeks ago…but I forgot to get it from her. Hopefully I’ll be able to check it out soon. Other French bands I like are MISANTHROPE, LOUDBLAST, GORGON, DISABLED, & I know MELECHESH rehearses there sometimes. They rule!

10- Well, this interview comes to its end, thank you Ash for your time, these last words are yours!
Thank you for your time & for the interview. Everyone is encouraged to get in touch about our new record. Check out our site at http://www.myspace.com/estuary to hear a sample of our music. If you like dark thrashing death metal you should not be disappointed.