Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Depravis and I met way back in ’85-’86, in gym class of all places. Neither of us were particularly fond of what was called "dressing out,” so when sitting out, we would talk about metal. A couple of years later, we began jamming together and had the beginnings of a group as young teens. Then life interfered and we were separated for some time. This was around ‘92-‘93. As fate would have it, we ran into one another in ’99 I believe at a MORBID ANGEL show. I think they were touring for Formulas Fatal to the Flesh…
At any rate, we started hanging out again and reconnecting on a personal level. We began discussing the possibility of jamming again. I hadn’t actually touched a drum kit in quite some time. But he had been playing and writing throughout. In ’05, I bought a house and a drum kit and we were back in business! Didn’t take long at all for the rust to wash away from my playing and SPECTRAL MANIFEST was born!
How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music? We tend to call it wraith metal. It’s a fine blend of many styles of extreme metal, black, death, thrash, definitely an old school approach. As far as specific bands, it differs for both of us, for different reasons. There was definitely a lot on the plate between the two of us, that is for sure!
Why should a metalhead buy your demos/albums?
We keep the price low, so that our fans can still grab a bite or a beer. Hell, our dvd is cheaper than beer at some venues!
What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?
So far, we only have two releases. The In Shadows Unseen rehearsal demo, which was recorded at two different places, we have basically been giving away for free. We pressed a 130 of those, still a few left. And then, we have the Wraith Insurrection dvd, which is essentially a chronicle of our first live show. We believe the quality of this is far superior to that of the rehearsal demo, and so, it almost serves as a better demo for us. The feedback has been great so far. We got a few negative reviews for the rehearsal demo, but they were strictly on the production, not the music itself, which is reassuring. Nothing but positive feedback on the dvd.
Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?
Yes, we recently opened for NINTH KINGDOM at their cd release party which was killer. We have been playing solely as a two piece due to not being able to find the right bass player. The reception to our performance as a two piece has been amazing, we were definitely worried about it at first, but no longer. Next up we will be playing the 12th annual Anti-Christ Mass show here in Houston mid December, which will be headlined by the legendary IMPRECATION. And then we will be starting off next year by opening for Heavy Artillery recording artists EXMORTUS and VEKTOR when they come to town.
What sould labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
We love the music we make, we love to create and perform, being a little older the work ethic is pretty well instilled. We’ve made it through our youth, still alive, gone through all the phases.
What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
We are hoping to get into the studio soon to record our next demo, tentatively titled Portal To Origins. There is also talk of a Texas tour next year, maybe in May.
Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
The best place to reach us is at www.myspace.com/spectralmanifest it is run by myself, no middle person to go through. There are some distros out there that stock our stuff. Legion of Death Records out of France has our dvd at www.legionofdeathrecords.com while The Dread Lair has our t-shirts as well @ http://thedreadlair.vstore.ca
November 2009