I first found out about Winterthrall when I was browsing through a Lokisson Records bulletin on MySpace. I'd never heard of the band before but (after a quick listen to a track on their MySpace page) I decided to order the album. When the album arrived I realised that my impulse buy had paid off - "Nightmares for the Sleepless" was a fantastic collection if Blackened Death Metal tracks that were perfect for banging your head to. Anyway, I recently got Steve to answer a few questions about the album... and a couple of other things as well...

Lou: Thanks for agreeing to this interview - I really appreciate it. "Nightmares for the Sleepless" is one of my favourite purchases of this year. I need to ask one very important thing before we started? was the album released in 2006 or 2007? I just need to know so that I can put it in my 'Favourite Albums of 2007" list on Loucifer Speaks!

Steve: Thanks! It was released in 2007, I think in May (It took forever to come out, it was recorded in early 2005)

Lou: You guys play, what I would describe as, Blackened Death Metal. How would you describe the music on "Nightmares for the Sleepless" in your own words?

Steve: Blackened Death Metal seems to be the appropriate description, we tend to think of it that way too.
"Nightmares..." is our vision of metal. Aggressive, melodic, and at times slow and doom-like, each song is a unique chapter of audio landscapes and emotions. We try (mostly) to not pigeon-hole ourselves with one style of metal. Most of us, as most people do, grew up listening to a variety of different styles and types of music, and unintentionally the music writing just started going in that direction, leading up to this first album.

Lou: After listening to the album, I was quite surprised to discover that you hail from California since you have quite a European sound. Was the 'European sound' intentional? Do you enjoy listening to a lot European metal bands - if so, which are your favourites?

Steve: I don?t think it?s intentional. I've always enjoyed bands like Dismember, Bolt Thrower, Abigor, Carcass, Sodom, At The Gates, etc. and a lot of US bands too, the list goes on and on. Back to the point though, in my opinion, European metal has always had a classical polished sound that grabbed my attention. Great harmonies, flow, expression, and I'm not ruling out that it has influenced my way of playing/writing at all.

Lou: How long has Winterthrall been together and are there any other Winterthrall releases out there that I need to add to my collection?

Steve: As a full band since 2002, Rob and I had been kicking around song ideas before that while we were in Noctuary, and at one point we thought we would run with it. The only other "release" is our demo, "Autumn Caskets", which we put out in 2003. The title song was the only one to make it to the album (the others may pop-up on the new one, maybe). And the only other "unique" recording is ironically a Brutal Truth cover that was a hidden track on 1/4th of the promo CDs we distributed before the album was mastered.

Lou: Who is in the band?

Steve: At the moment Winterthrall is;
Rob Alaniz, our drummer, hailing from such bands as Evil Dead, DespiseYou, and others. Ruben Lugo on bass/vocals, we had played in a different band years before. On guitars is Josh Standifer, amazing and energetic guy, having just joined us over a year ago. And I, Steve Nelson, handle guitar/vocals/ and the guitar synth.

Lou: The lyrics to your songs are fantastic. I particularly like the ones in "Autumn Caskets" and "Edifice Of Betrayal" and "Blood From A Broken Wing". Where do you look for inspiration?

Steve: I wait until a song is completed, and try to express the emotion or image I get from it. I've anyways enjoyed horror novels ( H.P. Lovecraft, A. Blackwood, King), which sometimes tend to influence my writing. Plus my general malaise for organized religion creeps in too.

Lou: The riffs on the album are incredibly memorable. How do you come up with them? Do you find that they come to you instantly, or do you often tweak them a bit before you're happy with them?

Steve: Usually I've got an idea, and by the time I'm done tweaking it, its something different. Sometimes a riff is born out of me challenging myself to try something new. Other times a song will just write itself with no mental effort. And even then, once it?s presented to the band, they add to it even more. Plus, since hes joined, Josh is an ever flowing stream of ideas, and I have no idea where they come from.

Lou: Are there any tablatures available online so that we can play along to the album?

Steve: No, not yet. I do have every song we've ever played tabbed on paper, its just a matter of me finding the patience to transfer it.

Lou: Which musicians do you really admire?

Steve: Specifically I don't think I can name any particular one. I've met a lot of them and I usually tend to admire the ones that have got a level head, great attitude, and constructive advise.

Lou: I enjoy all of the tracks on the album, but the three tracks that especially stood out for me were "Autumn Caskets", "In Frozen Apathy" and "Light Of A Failing Sun". Which are your favourite tracks from the album and why?

Steve: "In Frozen Apathy" is one of mine too, because it was so different for us, especially after Janis (Tanaka) came in and did all of her vocals completely unscripted. "Edifice Of Betrayal" and "Cycles Of The Flesh" are up there too. Those two I just like playing overall. "Blood from a Broken Wing" tends to be an overall band favorite.

Lou: Is there anything about the album that you would do differently if given the choice, or did everything go according to plan?

Steve: Certainly...There is a long list of things I would've liked to have changed or redone. It was our first attempt at doing a full length, we tried to record too many songs (9 out of 14 made it), plus dealing with a budget really can keep you from doing what you like and some songs suffered for it. We definitely learned a lot from this recording and we hope to improve on certain things, and avoid others, the next time around.

Lou: Do you have any gigs planned outside of the US? Would you consider playing some shows in sunny England?

Steve: Ha, That?s always the goal isn't it? Trust me, we're trying. I?ve played in France and Germany before and I would like to get Winterthrall over as well. Europe embraces metal in a way that is totally different from in the US (that?s not a negative US Metal statement either). And If we can pull it off anytime soon, England would definitely be on the list...

Lou: Do you have many fans in the good ol' UK?

Steve: Hmmm... I really don't know, but I?m working on making some.

Lou: What would your ideal Winterthrall gig be like? Who else would play and where/when would it be?

Steve: Good question, there are a lot of different bands I think we would like to play with, the re-uniting of Carcass (if only for little while) and At The Gates, or Suffocation, cripes, the possibilities are many. And as I said earlier, a general European tour would be awesome. I could've think of some other US bands they we're friends with that I would bring too.

Lou: OK, I'm going to do a few 'Top 3's now? basically because I like making lists! So...
Top 3 movies of this year?

Steve: I liked (for this year) Smokin' Aces, Grindhouse, and Hot Fuzz

Lou: Top 3 reasons why the Loucifer Speaks readers should listen to Winterthrall?

Steve: Geez, Its always good to try something new, hopefully its got something for everyone, and we're not pretentious or egocentric. We write and play metal because we enjoy it, not as an attempt to get famous or rich.

Lou: Top 3 albums of 2007?

Steve: Well the top 3 I?ve listened to this year would be, Arkhon Infaustus' - "Orthodoxyn", Evoken's -"Caress The Void", and Impaled's -"The Last Gasp".

Lou: Top 3 beverages?

Steve: Alcohol wise - Guinness, Newcastle, and on occasion a good Sake.

Lou: Top 3 Winterthrall songs to play live?

Steve: "Blood From a Broken Wing", "Autumn Caskets", and a new one, "Council of The Lost"

Lou: Top 3 songs you would like to cover?

Steve: Abigor's "Revealed Secrets of the Whispering Moon", Gorefest's "The Glorious Dead", and probably a Bolt Thrower song, maybe "Rebirth of Humanity".

Lou: Top 3 bands you'd like to share a stage with?

Steve: Grrrrrr, too tough, too many to list, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Lou: Now I've got the list making out of my system, we can move on! Are you involved in any other bands?

Steve: I'm involved in a couple, Noctuary (with Rob as well, which has recently split, but has one more album prepared), an "extreme" metal band. Then Deathevokation (Xtreem Records), an old school death metal band in the vein of Asphyx, Dismember, and Unleashed. Plus a couple of other projects which have yet to really see the light of day.

Lou: Where can we buy Winterthrall merchandise from and what is available?

Steve: Well, you can order it directly from us at either www.winterthrall.com or www.myspace.com/winterthrall. Or it can be found at www.CDbaby.com, Root of all Evil/Lokisson Records (the links on our myspace page), and lastly at Century Media US (They may still have some).

Lou: What can we expect from Winterthrall in 2008?

Steve: Well, we have about 95% of the new album written so far, its really just a matter of working out the kinks and then recording them. This new album, which is tentatively titled "Within The Church Of None", will be longer than the last, yet just as diverse. Beyond that, trying to up our regularity in playing live shows, going to new places, especially out side of the west coast or the US.

Lou: Thanks for your time and - I know it sounds incredibly cheesy but ? thank > you for providing me with a superb album. It's got me through many a boring day at work!

Steve: Thank You as well! Glad you enjoyed it and hope to make it your way soon! Cheers!


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