Interview by Tony Cannella
With their latest album, “Tales From the Deadside”, the Washington, D.C. metal outfit have brought things to a whole new level. The album features some stellar musical performances from Josh Schwartz (Guitar), Chris Haren (Drums) and Jesse Keen (bass) as well as the soaring vocals of Nina Osegueda. “Tales From the Deadside” is a concept record based on the comic book “Shadowman”. Recently Nina was kind enough to answer some questions and tell us all about it.
Welcome to Femme Metal. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
Anytime, I’m happy to do it!
You’ve just released a new album called “Tales from the Deadside”. What can you tell us about it?
It’s a concept album based on the Shadowman comic book by Valiant Comics. Lots of voodoo and spooky stuff!
“Tales from the Deadside” tells a story. Can you tell us a little about the concept?
Yes, the Shadowman is a superhero based in New Orleans. There’s voodoo, witchcraft and all sorts of spooky things. The style it was drawn in really reminds me of horror comics and it can get pretty ugly. I love that about it.
The lyrics are great and really immerses the listener into the story. Why did you decide to write a concept record and what drew you to this specific story?
We’ve been wanting to do something involving comics for a long time. We were drawn to Shadowman specifically because the themes and elements of voodoo and Louisiana brought a certain style and feel that we felt we have a good connection with, musically.
How did this relationship with Valiant Comics come about?
Josh and I were at Baltimore Comic-Con, and we stopped at the Valiant booth. Josh introduced himself and talked about how much he loved their new universe. We gave them our album and said if they were at all interested in us doing something with their property, we’d be happy to do it. They actually agreed, so we’ve been in contact with them ever since.
Are you a comic book fan and were you already familiar with this title?
I’m a huge comic fan, but I wasn’t into Shadowman before we decided to do the album. I started collecting it immediately and have since become a big fan of Valiant‘s universe.
Who does the narration on “Tales from the Deadside”?
A friend of a friend from Parts Unknown.
Is it much harder to write a concept album rather than an album of songs that are independent of one another?
I would say it’s a bit easier, if only because we have an idea of progression. When you write independent songs, you’re not always sure how they will fit together on an album. When you do a concept, there is already a story so you sort of have the “bones” of your album laid out. From there, it’s all about adding the meat.
What can you tell us about the recording process for “Tales from the Deadside”?
Well, we tend to record in stages. Drums, bass, guitar and me. We were working on this while I was in Sweeney Todd, so it was a hectic schedule.
Congratulations, I heard “Tales from the Deadside” charted on Billboard. How did you feel when you got the news?
I was ecstatic!! Our last album, “The Lesser Key of Solomon”, also charted on the Heatseeker‘s chart. This one however did a way better job and we were ahead of a bunch of other more well-known metal bands so I was super impressed by our fans. Not being on a major label has always been a worry of mine but I guess we proved that our fans are even more devoted than I realized.
The band has played shows with many cool artists. Do you have any favorites that stand out?
Sabaton is a big favorite. Joakim is always cool to hang out with after shows and they’re just so inspiring on stage.
Any bands you would like to share the stage with, that you haven’t already?
Blind Guardian is a major inspiration, so I’d probably cry a little but that’s a big dream of mine.
Speaking of playing live, do you have any touring plans?
We sure do! I can’t reveal them yet but 2016 is already looking very busy!
What can fans expect when they come see you live?
A lot of fun and energy! I’m not so much the “sexy lady siren” that you see in a lot of bands. I’m a goofball in goggles and I like to strike silly poses and run around.
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Best of luck to you and the band in the future. In closing, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans to wrap this up?
Thanks for believing in us and THANKS EVEN MORE for supporting us! We really couldn’t do anything without our awesome amazing fans!!