INTERVIEW: IMMORTAL GUARDIAN

There’s always a silver lining. And this post is living/digital proof. Because if my shitty camera battery wouldn’t have gone dead the night these blokes tore up some SXSW sidewalk on Red River – I’d still likely be sitting here without as much of a clue as to who or what the hell an IMMORTAL GUARDIAN is.

Thank you dead camera battery. Thanks to you, I was able to witness one of the wickedest outdoor sidewalk blazing saddle shred sessions I’ll probably ever see.

RT: Cheers on the ‘Super Metal’ release, mates. You must be stoked. How does it feel to have the record out finally?

Foster: It feels great! It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been working really hard on this album for a long time. It’s good to see our ideas come to fruition.

RT: Also, congrats on being named San Antonio’s best metal band. Are you going to Disneyland?

Wesley: No, we will be busy writing and recording the next EP, but maybe our album will fund a little vacation.

Photo: Clark Terrell facebook.com/igmetal

RT: You guys pulled-off some pretty rad shit at SXSW. What do you think of SXSW? How was the whole experience for the band, overall?

IG: SXSW is a great platform for artists on both levels of the spectrum – for up and coming bands as well as nationals. Even though we were not able to play on a huge stage in front of thousands of people, we were able to set-up on a street corner and bring our metal to the masses. Despite a few interruptions by Austin PD and some disgruntled club owners, the band had a great time and enjoyed making that personal connection with every person who stopped by to rock out with us.

RT: We thought it was pretty damn badass. And thanks for the cool lighter by the way. Did you guys get to go to any cool shows/parties? Or were you pretty much shreddin’ the whole time?

IG: Most of the time was spent shreddin.’ But on Wednesday, our manager Brett (who was doing some photography for the Austin Chronicle’s Austin Music Awards), got Gabriel and Cody in to see Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen. We were also fortunate enough to check out the Metal Alliance Tour Kickoff show at the Scoot Inn after being invited in by the booking agent who saw us playing on the street corner for the line waiting outside. Even cooler, we got to meet members of The Faceless as well as Wretched who saw our street corner performance. Great night.

RT: Holy f*ckballs. I’d say so! How did you guys get so good at shredding bullets? There must be a secret ingredient??

Gabriel: I ain’t never shoot no gun! I don’t know what you talkin’ ’bout. But seriously, the secret ingredient is hours of practice and MOTAvation.

 
RT: Talk about the Shred-Sled. Did you guys build that yourself?

IG: Brett and our videographer/production engineer, Andrew Gonzales, constructed the sled out of industrial strength dollies, a broken shopping cart, and random items picked up from the hardware store. The band’s scaled down production rig included two guitar pre-amps, bass pre-amp, electronic drum kit, keyboard, vocals, a small PA and light show, which were all powered by a 4000-watt gas powered generator.

We made sure to make it compact enough to fit through tight spaces like barricades and mobile enough to move quickly from one metal showcase to another. They’re currently remodeling it and we’re expecting to see Shred-Sled 2.0 in action by the end of this summer.

RT: Gabriel – What’s up with the Blackguard gig? How did that come about? What does this mean for IG in terms of plans this year?

Gabriel: We opened up for them a couple of times in 2010 and kept in contact since then. One day I got a call, and they asked if I could fill in on lead guitar on the Evergrey tour. Of course, I said yes, because I wanted to help out my brothas from Canadian muthas! As far as IG goes, I will only be gone for a couple of months, but I will be writing on the road and working on a tab book for the “Super Metal” EP.

 

RT: Talk about the term “Super Metal.” What does that really mean? Who/what are your some of your influences as musicians?

IG: The term “Super Metal” was coined by Chris Marchiel from the band Powerglove. It describes the many musical influences from every member into one heaping amalgamation of metal! Our influences range from Cee Lo Green, Symphony X, Iron Maiden, and Into Eternity to Dimmu Borgir.

 
RT: Besides shredding peoples’ faces off, what else do you guys do outside of the band?

IG: There’s life outside of music?!?! :-O

RT: Talk about the local music scene in San Antonio. What’s it like? Do you guys have to bounce around ATX, HTX, DFW a lot?

Wesley: San Antonio has a great metal community that we sought when leaving the Rio Grande Valley. Making it our new home was a huge step not only for the band, but for us as growing individuals. Usually we play those areas on tour, but occasionally we make a trip that direction to play gigs.

Photo via facebook.com/igmetal

RT: What’s your take on the social web and the current state of the digital music/download marketplace?

IG: The social web is a great tool for artists and we can see great opportunities to capitalize on new technology and innovations on the rise. The download marketplace is something that’s constantly evolving so we’re just trying to keep up and get our music out there to the best of our ability. You can find the new EP “Super Metal” on iTunes and other online retailers as well as streaming on Spotify!

RT: What’s the best tip(s) you could give to younger aspiring musicians coming up in the industry?

Wesley: Be as professional as possible before you emerge in the scene. It will not only help you progress as a band, but it will save you a lot of time and money.

RT: Do you read books? If so, which of your favorite authors would you recommend?

Cody: The Twilight Saga is a masterpiece. Stephanie Meyer is an amazing author! Also, Thomas Lang’s Advanced Foot Technique and Coordination is a great read.

 

RT: Name some other bands/artists we should check-out soon.

IG: Check out our boys (and girl) from Blackguard, Fallujah, Wretched, and From the Embrace.

RT: Any last words, shout-outs, special requests?

IG: We released our EP “Super Metal” on 3.24.12, so if you haven’t picked it up, you can purchase it on our official merch store, iTunes, Amazon MP3, and other digital music retailers.

Shred City.