Trials Interview is up

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1. For Those very new to Trials tell us how the band came to be and created its Thrash, Power , Melodic Death metal mix came from?

The band started when Mark and Sasha started jamming the first few songs together. We aren't very heavily influenced by power metal, but Mark and Sasha definitely grew up listening to thrash and death metal/melodic death metal. Usha (our bass player) had been in bands with the guys before, and was a natural fit. I had basically been living in New York playing with another band, and was ready to start a new life, and the quality music and awesomeness of the city of Chicago compelled me to move here and join the band.

2. The Band being from Chicago that is a major metal home for bands like Trouble, Macabre,Broken Hope,Pelican and Nov Doom just to name a few Where do you see Trials fits in the Extreme music scene of this City?

I don't think we fit in very well at all, hahaha. The real popular bands here right now are Nachmystium, Indian, etc (a.k.a. slower, sludgier stuff than us)...while they're great bands, we are just nothing like that. I think that actually fires us up a bit and motivates us, but yeah, I personally think we're totally unlike the big bands that make up the Chicago extreme metal scene right now.

3. Your album reminds me a mix of Pantera, Machine Head and Inflames with way it all intertwines how did this Thrash meets Prog Death Metal style come to be?

None of us listen to much In Flames, but I agree a bit with the first two bands you mentioned. We don't set out to "copy" or be like anybody, but I think we share similar influences to Pantera and Machine Head when those guys were writing their classics. We share a "no fucking bullshit" quality with those bands, and we definitely have a total disregard for writing easy-listening music or shit that will sell well. That's just not how we roll. We write what we like, we try to be as heavy as we possibly can, and I think we have that in common with those bands.

4. You self released " Witness to the Downfall" do you feel as a band in 2011 you don't need a label just good promotion and distro?

We're self-releasing out of necessity. We've talked to a bunch of labels, we've weighed all the options, and this makes the most sense for us. No one makes money playing metal anymore, unless you have an established, international fanbase (which we, and most new bands, don't). And even that really doesn't guarantee anything. We want to write and record the songs as we envision them, play them live when we want to play them, and keep our homes and our jobs, which frankly are things not promised when you sign to a label. Obviously, if we found the right deal with the right label, we'd be open to it. But that hasn't happened yet.

5. Your working with Clawhammer PR they are a powerful PR force how is the feedback and press so far in a very DIY fashion for Trials?

We've gotten a lot of positive AND negative feedback. I think thats a good sign. Clawhammer has been good to us.

6. Do you prefer to go into Studio or is the Live side the true love of Trials?

I personally am more of a studio guy. I like albums with multiple layers of guitars and vocals; I like when there are tons of details that you don't notice until you listen to the album over and over again. I like spending time recording and tweaking until everything is perfect. I think "Witness" has that. We love playing live shows, but thats my personal preference.

7. Is there a running theme to " Witness to the Downfall" ?

Not particularly.

8. I read Sasha of Nov Doom was the drummer on the album how did that work as it seems he has rejoined Nov Doom again?

Sasha was our full-time drummer, decided to join Novembers Doom again, and decided that was just more of a priority. They do more live stuff (especially European festivals) than we do, so that made more sense for him. We kept his drum tracks, because they absolutely fit what we were doing at the time, but Adam Kopecky is Trials' full-time, permanent drummer now, and he's fucking awesome.

9. Whats Trials thoughts on the Digital Age ( Myspace, Facebook, Sat Radio, Webzines, Mp3s) do you which there was less digital and more old school print zines and Physical releases or is this the new Underground ?

The digital age enables new bands so much these days, but it also cripples them under the old record label business model. We love the extra exposure, we love the way things are, and we hope someone figures out a way to monetize it, hahahah.

10. If there is one label that you would or could work with who would it be ... Or is that not the goal or direction for Trials?

We aren't trying to make the big bucks. If the right label deal comes along, we'll sign it. Otherwise we'll keep writing, recording, and playing live as we have these past few years.

11. Will the band be touring or just more staying regional at this time? From You Tube your shows look intense...

We're going to stay regional for the time being. We love playing live, we love just playing as loud as possible and freaking people out, but its tough these days to take an act like that cross-country. We're staying local, playing shows in the midwest to people who care about us.

12. I don't see an official Trials website are Facebook, LastFM, SoundCloud and Myspace the best way for bands in 2011?

We may set up an official page eventually, but there are so many social media sites right now that its not really necessary.

13. Where do you see the direction of sound heading for future Trials releases?

We have most of our second album written already. We're striving to be more unique, more thought-provoking, heavier, faster, slower, and just better. The new stuff is a totally different animal from our old stuff, but it's clearly still Trials.

14. Any closing thoughts place here thank you again for the time...

I want to thank you guys for interviewing us, and for giving us exposure. The internet is where all the promotion is these days, and we're trying to capitalize on that as much as we can. I think we write great music, and we just want to provide solid metal to as many people as we can. That's all we want. You're doing us, and metal fans, a favor by doing this, and we thank you for that. And if you like solid, straight-up metal, check out our album, "Witness To The Downfall", when its released August 1st. It'll be available on a multitude of mediums.