Into Eternity – Scattering Ashes And Conquering The World

I defined Into Eternity in a review I wrote of their latest album, "The Scattering Of Ashes" as "The future of metal", and I stand behind that declaration. The band infuses prog, tech death, power and grind seamlessly, and "Scattering" is one of the best metal albums I've heard these last few years. Fresh off a tour with Dave Mustaine's Gigantour, appearing with such giants as Megadeth, Lamb Of God and Arch Enemy, The band's guitarist / vocalist / mastermind, Tim Roth, gave us the lowdown on how did the band become what it is today.

Hey guys, are you in the Gigantour yet?

We just finished up the Gigantour on October 8/06 in Florida. I came home from the USA and it was snowing here in Canada. I went from humid heat to a cold snow day! It was the best tour that we have ever done and we feel very lucky to be one of the bands chosen to participate.

How do you feel about participating in such a tour?

I wish the tour wasn't over. All the bands treated us like long lost friends. The crew was so helpful to us as well. It was a real team effort day in and day out. There were only 2 theaters on that tour and the rest of the shows were all inside and outdoor arenas. I think that tour really opened some new doors for us.

What are the reactions you're getting to "The Scattering Of Ashes" as of now?

This will be our biggest selling album to date. I have done lots of interviews so far and the reactions have been perfect! I think the fans are going to really dig this album. It has a good blend of death metal and progressive metal on this one.

What does the title mean, and how does that relate to the album's cover?

The title means exactly what it says. I've been going to far too many funerals in the past few years. People around here are getting cremated instead of a casket. The cover shows the ashes falling out of a hand, which is the scattering of ashes. I think it speaks for itself. Mattias Noren did a great job with the artwork as he normally does!

The lyrics to the album seem quite depressive. What subjects do you deal with in them?

All of our albums have depressive lyrics. We don't talk about dragons or wizards. I think when we have a bad day, its easy to come home and write down some words. It's a form of free therapy for us. The new album deals with relationships, kids cutting themselves, lies and depression.

Some history, how did you guys start out?

Into Eternity was formed in late 1996. We did a few shows that year, but it wasn't till early 1997 that the real lineup was formed with Jim, Scott and I. Our sound was right there from the beginning. We took out a bank loan and recorded out first album in early 1998. Then we shopped the album and eventually got a record deal in Holland with DVS Records. We went to tour Europe in late 2001. By the time we got back, Century Media wanted to sign us. The band signed a worldwide deal with them in 2002 and hit the road in the USA for the first time. In 2004 we released Buried In Oblivion. We toured Europe twice in 2004 and stayed on tour in the US all of 2005. That brings us up to where we are today.

How did the whole idea of combining death metal with prog and melodic metal start out?

That was something that I'd always been doing in my bands, even before Into Eternity. I never could understand why a band had to be just one type of metal. Into Eternity is a hybrid metal band because we combine all these different, cool metal elements. I have always loved the power of death metal, but I like the melody and cleverness of progressive metal.

In what ways is this album different than "Buried In Oblivion"?

The biggest change is the vocals of Stu Block. Musically it is a much faster and better played album. We have all gotten better at our instruments as well. The songs are a bit more high energy as well. It comes from writing directly after we got off the road. It was a natural progression for us. The whole album is a step up I think.

What happened to the band members from "Buried"?

I think the Krall brothers have a local band now here in town. They weren't too fond of the touring life I think. We were away from home 200 days last year, so that is a lot for the average musician. Rob who played guitar moved to another city away from here and I think he has a project going now.

How and why did you choose Stu as the new vocalist?

Stu has all the traits of a great front-man. He is all over the stage with his high energy performances. His main power is his amazing vocal range. Stu can do all the high and low death vocals as well, plus he has 6 different voices that he can use at any time. Actually, Stu's band had come through our hometown in 2004 and I went to the club and saw him. I knew right away that he was a killer singer. I left to go tour Europe in October 2004 and he contacted me through my email. I talked to him and he flew down to our city in January 2005. A month later we were touring the entire USA with him singing.

How different is it working as a three-piece, compared to having 5 band members?

It was a bit of a change at first when I was coming up with the music. It's always good to have another guitar player to bounce ideas off of. This time I only had myself to count on. We ended up doing this album as a 4 piece. The only thing we were missing was a second guitar player.

How democratic is the music writing process in the band, do all band members have an equal say and an equal amount of input?

Well on this last album Troy our bass player came up with 3 riffs for us and I came up with the rest of the album. It's sort of my vision and the other guys trust that I think. Hopefully Troy will write some more for future albums. The lyrics were written by Stu and I, so it's democratic that way for sure. I hate writing lyrics to begin with. I think Troy has a set of lyrics for the next album though!

Your guitar playing seems very much neo-classic influenced, what are your main influences?

I was influenced a lot by shredders like Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert and Vinnie Moore. Thrash metal was my favorite thing growing up. Bands like Megadeth, Testament, Sanctuary, Fates Warning and old Metallica. When I head the band Death in 1990, it totally changed my perspective on metal. They added progressive elements into death metal. That's where we got our sound. Then in 1993 Dream Theater changed things again for me. I thought it would be cool to have the power of death, but good clean vocals and off time music thrown into the mix.

Based on reviews I read of the album (and the one I wrote) this album seems to be headed into being a real breakthrough album for you guys, do you share that feeling?

Yes I think this will be our biggest album. If people take the time to listen to it a few times in a row, then I know they will get into it. I'm really proud of this album. It's the best work that we have created!

What's next for the band?

We are going to take it easy over Christmas and head out on the road in January 2007. The plan is to head to the USA for the Seattle Metal Festival and continue on touring. This time we are going to cover Western Canada as well. In April we are headed to Europe for some touring as well. I think we will hit Holland, Belgium, Germany and France. Hopefully we'll see everybody on the road!