Please tell us a few words about the new release, about the music on it as a whole or a few words on each track in part. How are you happy with the final release?
“The Music of Chance” is our third full length release. Lyrically it has a recurring subtext involving several manifestations of “chance” in day to day life. This includes stories of how coincidence and circumstance can shape a person and additionally how people take chances with gambling and drug use. We try to put a creative spin on real life situations that people can easily relate to.
Musically we are very satisfied that this album marks a solid progression from its predecessors, while also respectfully acknowledging all that has preceded it. It is very important to me that the band is constantly evolving, while retaining strong links to its past. It’s so often a kick in the teeth for fans when a band strays too far from it’s identity.

How would you describe/label the music on it? Does it sounds like anything we might have heard before?
I genuinely have struggled to label the music. I guess “extreme metal” encapsulates the most of it, with death, black, thrash and grind all contributing ever present elements to our songs. Be we never hesitate to include rhythmic and tonal references to any genre that a song might benefit from. 
Regarding bands we might sound like, I think that might be for the listener to decide, but for me as a listener I sometimes hear moments reminiscent of Napalm death, Macabre, Mr Bungle, Enslaved, Funkadelic, Suffocation, Sleep, Paradise lost, Fishbone and Edge of sanity. It’s entirely possible that another listener would make none of these connections though.

Where was it recorded and how much time did it take you to record it? Any interesting stories from the recording/producing the material?
All except the drums were recorded in my studio, The Beyond, over the course of a couple of years. The drums were recorded by our drummer Conny, in his studio is Sweden. The mixing was done again in The Beyond. It was the first time I had attempted a project of this complexity. It was a case of learning on the job, constantly re-recording and re-mixing the tracks, learning new techniques in the process. I am very proud of the result but can’t wait to improve on it with our next release.
We had it mastered in New York by Colin Marston of Gorguts and Krallice. I’m a big fan of his work. It was important that the album not be subjected to extreme compression in mastering and we chose Colin knowing he would respect this. It’s not the most dynamic recording to begin with as I had to use compression to compensate for some of my equipment flaws, but it’s not a fatiguing listen like so many recent albums are. 
Something we are happy with is that when taking all this into account and the artwork being done in Ukraine, the album was completed in four countries over three continents. 

What can you tell us about the cover artwork? Is there a link between the artwork and the lyrics? What are the topics of your lyrics?
The artwork in its entirety was created by Ukrainian artist Nurgeslag. We feel he did an incredible job of capturing the emotional core of the album. The cover image itself ties in with the text of the title track, which details the gradual failure of a marriage. It’s not standard metal lyrical fodder I know, but it has an intensity and drama that works well for me. Within the booklet each page has a beautifully crafted image inspired directly by the lyrics that adorn it. He really tapped into so much of what we were trying to communicate, musically and lyrically. We couldn’t be happier with his work.

What do you expect to gain through this release? What are the band's aims at the moment?
We want to connect with, inspire and be inspired by like minded people. The ultimate achievement for me in regards to this album is to have a positive impact on somebody’s day, week, year, or life. If people feel affected by this album we would love to hear about it. My first reason to make music is to satisfy myself. This album has reasonably well achieved that. Now it’s time for it to hopefully reach someone else.

Is there a special format the material is released in? Or is it released in multiple formats? How many copies were pressed?
Initially digital. Cd will follow and we would love to press vinyl at some point. Quantity will be decided by demand.

Where and how will you promote this new release?
Interviews and reviews initially. I could still talk about this album for days, so interviews are good fun. Beyond that we will be making a return to the stage in the near future. Perhaps some tours will be in order.

Where can we order it from?
http://www.metalscraprecords.com/
http://metalscraprecords.bandcamp.com/
and more to come

December 2014