UN: The cover and layout of the new album are quite eye opening. I was wondering if you could explain what happened in the accident? I read that it had something to do with a transport rear ending you guys.

Carley Coma: We got hit by a tractor trailer that was going approximately 95 miles per hour. Our vehicle flipped over about 4 or 5 times . In the process of flipping over Mike, Eric, John and Ken got thrown from the vehicle, then the van continued to skid upside down for about several hunderd feet on a busy highway.

UN: Was it a hard decision to put the pictures of the van on the album? It must bring up memories of the accident. Yet at the sametime the name of the album is a positive thing.

Carley Coma: It wasn't a hard decision at all. It's a reminder of how close we came to death and that nothing should be taken for granted. I feel reborn everytime i see that cover. It's makes us feel stronger.

UN: Would you agree that this is Candira's most concise album to date? It has all of the elements that made Candiria amazing in the past, but the songwriting flows much better now I think. It's like everything you've tried to achieve in the past is fully realized on this album.

Carley Coma: I definitely feel that this is the best piece of work we have ever put out. The songs are more focused. The lyrics are more personal and have more meaning. This band has always been about exploring new ideas fearlessly and this album is a direct result of that.

UN: The lyrics also seem a bit more stripped down to me. They are just as well written as always, but don't seem as lenghty as they have been in the past. Would you say it was a concious decision to possibly make them a bit less cryptic, or did they just come out this way?

Carley Coma: They just came out that way. I wanted to get a little more personal on this album and by doing so i naturally stripped down a bit. I wanted the listener to feel like i was having a conversation with him or her. I didn't want them to feel like they were listening to Gandolf from the lord of the rings, lol.

UN: I found something a bit funny about the back of the cd. It says "Play this Cd Loud or Go Listen to Jazz." I'm somewhat assuming it might have been the label that put that on there. It seems a bit out of place on a cd from a band that has jazz songs and interludes.

Carley Coma: My drummer Ken put that on there,lol He simply meant that if you don't want to listen to these heavy songs loud then you shouldn't listen at all. you should go home drink some warm milk and read a book by the fire place.

UN: To my ears, the new album seems to be the most melodic the band has ever done and also features the most memorable choruses. Would you say it was a concious decision to create a more memorable record? It still requires mutiple listens to absorb, but a lot of elements are easier to get into upon initial listens.

Carley Coma: We just wanted to go into the studio and create a great album. Great albums are memorable. If no one remembers your album you have a problem.

UN: While the band is definitely rooted in hardcore, and metal, do you think that Candiria fans have to be a bit more open minded then the average hardcore kid or metal fan? Some people don't like any bands that stray from the beaten path, but many people can see innovation. Do you think that Candiria offers a change from the metalcore norm?

Carley Coma: Most of our fans are more open minded than the average metal or hardcore fan. A true candiria fan knows that we have always been about change. So, for the most part they might be suprised by the new sound , but not at the fact that we tried something new. Our goal is to offer a change from the metal core norm. We want to stand out and give the listener more options to chose from.

UN: I was curious to ask, have you guys ever thought about adding full out hip hop parts to the heavier songs? When the band does use elements of hip hop it's usually for an entire song, and not in conjunction with a heavier sound. Are you guys trying to stay as far away from the whole rapcore thing as much as possible?

Carley Coma: We had a song called "Without water" that we recorded on 300% density. It fused hardcore, metal and hip hop together. I would like to do more of that on our next album. It has naturally happen though, I wouldn't want it to be forced. If we did do that then it would sound like a cheesy rap core band.

UN: You guys are on a fairly lengthy tour with Kittie, 36 Crazy Fists and Twelve Tribes this July and August. That's quite a bill! Twelve Tribes are also another band that adds elements of hip hop to a heavier sound. How did this tour come together? It's a very heavy bill, yet every band has a unique sound. It'll also draw different crowds as each band is associated with different scenes.

Carley Coma: This tour started out as a Headling candiria tour with 36 and 12 tribes, then our booking agent told us that kittie wanted to join the package. It made sense to us and everyone else on the bill so we went for it. We're having a great time and enjoying each others company.

UN: Would you consider coming away from the accident as a rebirth for the band? Are you guys going to try and take the band further then you have been able to in the past? The new album is amazing and should turn heads of fans into heavy music.

Carley Coma: We are reborn. We should've died, but each and every single one of us survived. I feel that we survived for a reason. And with a new shot at life we will do whatever it takes to push this band as far as we possibly can.