The Metal Crypt - Disciple of the 8 Interview

Interviews

Interview with Keeper
Interview conducted by Barbara Williams (Crowley)

Date online: September 16, 2003

Dark greetings!

Hi! How are you doing tonight?

Doing great. Thanks.

You have been making quite a stir because no one really knows who Disciple of the 8 really is. How much would you be willing to tell us about yourselves?

This much……

Would you explain the concept of the Keeper and the Master?

They came about with us keeping our identities secret… we had to have some characters of some sort and they just sort of evolved. I think their names come from old horror movies where in a dungeon you normally have the pair of them!

Is it just the two of you or will you be adding another person so you might gig? Be cool to see you play live.

Mainly it is the two of us; however, we have had a couple of guitarists in the studio to lay down some riffs for us, but then we just take what they have done and bastardize it to suit our own needs – they don't mind though as we can make them do things they would have trouble playing! They will be the only people though who will get their names mentioned on the album.

Both of you are experienced musicians who have worked on several projects and with other bands. So how was Disciple of the 8 born? Who conceived the idea?

It's a long story, but basically the Master works with a girl who has blood red hair – very striking, and not natural! – and last Christmas he created an industrial sounding track for her as she is into NIN. When the Keeper heard it he said, "We can do something with this, you know."—and the rest is history. What we decided to do was create the website first and let fans see and hear the album developing. We've even taken that a stage further and are letting one of our disciples (fans) write the lyrics for track 8 of 8.

You have one of the more interesting band names I have seen. Could you explain the concept of "the 8" for us?

When we were thinking about what to call ourselves we designed the logo first and thought that an 8 and crucifix looked great together. Then came the idea to call ourselves the 8 and do just 8 tracks for an album. We're going to be in real trouble when it comes to the second album…. 16 isn't so cool. LOL.

How will you continue this idea?

Good question! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Looking at your website, I see these wonderfully designed outfits and some pretty unusual make-up. Who chose this theme and why?

We needed to make two characters to represent the Master and the Keeper. The pictures of us are 'Photoshop specials' – cobbled together from many pictures and effects, but, if you look closely, the eyes are ours!

You have a bit of a metal/techno mix. What had been your influences?

Many influences over the years, but we both like techno edged metal.

How do you write your music? Is there a set guideline or do you write what you feel as you go along?

The master comes up with the music and the Keeper then adds lyrics and sings them… simple as that! The Master usually starts with a drum loop or guitar riff, chops it around until he finds a rhythm he likes and then it just evolves into what you hear. The last track finished started with a disciple's guitar riffs.

I understand all your lyrics are inspired by horror music. Who writes the lyrics and how do you pick the material?

The keeper writes all the lyrics. When we have finished a track we give it a name on the spur of the moment inspired by the music, and then we simply write the lyrics to fit the title – The lyrics are also basically "ad-libbed" from the title idea and then just tweaked a little to fit – easy!

Which element do you think makes Disciple of the 8 different from the rest of the bands?

Because it's not finished yet and because nobody knows who we are. We are also letting the fans get involved with the album and letting them hear it long before it is finished – we are too kind!

Which bands are on your list of favourites? If I were to look through your CD collection, what would I find?

Sabbath, Ozzy, Zombie, Manson, Budgie, Saxon, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Ian Dury, Joe Jackson (that surprized you didn't it!?)

You guys have other regular jobs? How do you divide your time? What's your typical day like?

The Master, believe it or not, is the Head of IT for a group of newspapers; The Keeper is a full-time musician.

What do the Disciple of the 8 like doing in their spare time?

Making music, the 8 or other projects; we don't care as long as it rocks \m/

Any good books or movies you would like to mention?

Anything by Dean Koontz is a good read and as for films—has to be Matrix… love the soundtrack!

When is your album coming out and how can fans obtain a copy of it?

We were hoping that the album would be finished in fall 2003, but due to a friend's band taking up so much studio time, we are on hold till later in the year. When it is released, it will be available through all the usual web MP3 outlets.