The Metal Crypt - Beyond The Flesh Interview

Interviews

Interview with Rick Flanegan (Lead guitar)
Interview conducted by Sargon the Terrible

Date online: October 30, 2003

One of the more impressive debuts this year, the self-released CD "What The Mind Perceives" from New Jersey metalheads Beyond The Flesh has been kicking some major ass up and down the eastern seaboard. With a brutal but riff-based and catchy sound, BTF seem poised for big things. I was lucky enough to get some words from guitarist Rick Flanagan about the band:

Sargon: Can you give us a short history of the band? (Or a long one, we aren't in a rush here.)

Rick Flanegan (guitar): We formed in January 2000. Our goal was to create a brand of metal that was equally brutal as it was melodic. By early 2001 we had recorded our first demo and were ready to storm the metal scene.

Sargon: What bands have most influenced Beyond The Flesh? I hear a lot of different styles in your sound.

Rick: Our two main influences are definitely Death and Carcass. It's always such an honor when we get compared to those bands, because their work is legendary as far as we're concerned. We're fans of all kinds of metal and try to incorporate it into our sound.

Sargon: Tell us about the recording of the album, how did you get the remix at Morrissound? How is the CD doing?

Rick: We recorded at a place called M-16 Studios. We started in late October 2002 and we finished sometime in March 2003. Once recording was done we sent it out to a few different studios to be mastered. We weren't happy with the results, so we gave Morrisound a call, and they agreed to master it for us. It was all through the mail, we never went to the studio. They knew what to do, and they did a great job. The CD has been selling well at certain retail stores, from our web site and at shows. We've gotten some amazing reviews as well. The press has been really good to us.

Sargon: Do you have a local following? What kind of live shows have you done?

Rick: I'd say we have a strong local following. We play all over New Jersey, but we've also played all over the East Coast. There is a huge Metal Fest every year in Jersey, so we always play that.

Sargon: Has the new CD gotten you any label interest? It seems like a lot of US bands have a harder time getting signed with the scene the way it is.

Rick: We had a few offers from some smaller labels, but we want to make sure our music is properly promoted and distributed throughout the world, so we're holding out for the right offer. The US is mostly dominated by hardcore and metalcore, so it's hard for the true metal bands to get noticed.

Sargon: Speaking of the US metal scene, what do you think of it? Are there any US bands that you especially like? Any good underground bands in your local scene?

Rick: Like I said before it doesn't seem like there is much of a "True Metal" scene. It's all pit music, just breakdown after breakdown. Beyond The Embrace (Metal Blade) is a great band and also good friends of ours. I'd have to say the best-kept secret in the states is Divinity Destroyed (Unsigned, but not for long). They're our partners in mayhem around here. If you want to hear some ground breaking shit, check them out. www.divinitydestroyed.com. You'll thank me for it.

Sargon: Do any of you have any side projects, or is BTF a full-time proposition right now?

Rick: We're really trying to focus 100% on Flesh. I think it's important in this stage of our development to keep our eye on the target.

Sargon: What about live shows for the new album? Do you have any plans?

Rick: We played a successful CD release show in June. Other than that, we're just going to play shows like we always have and try to kick as much ass as humanly possible.

Sargon: There are traces of Black Metal in your sound, but you are obviously not a BM band. What do you think of the whole Black Metal scene?

Rick: We're not into the raw production. Most of the time you can't even tell what the hell they're playing. Justin (Vocals, Guitar) is into bands like Naglfar, Dissection, Emperor and stuff like that. We all like Dimmu Borgir. I mean how the hell could you not?

Sargon: What are your plans for the future of Beyond The Flesh?

Rick: Right now the plan is to promote this album as much a possible, and hopefully it will lead to a good offer from a good label.

Sargon: Anything else you'd like to say?

Rick: Visit our website www.beyondtheflesh.net and buy our CD, Merch, and all that good shit. Listen to us at www.mp3.com/beyondtheflesh.

"Let the Metal Flow" - Chuck Schuldiner.

Other information about Beyond The Flesh on this site

Review: What The Mind Perceives