UN: Enforsaken seems like a natural combination of European melodic death metal and the sound Death forged during their careers. Was it a conscious decision to combine the two styles, or has the sound just come together over time? I like the fact that the band shows off European influences from bands that aren't the norm. I actually hear a bit of Naglfar in some of the riffing and how it seems to use open chords to accentuate a few riffs. It's nice to see band embracing something more then just Slaughter of the Soul.

Eric(bass): Essentially, as a group we have pretty diverse listening habits. All of us like every sub genre of metal (thrash, death, black, brutal, melodic, progressive) along with a variety of non-metal music which we find either entertaining or inspiring (ambient, rock, classical, jazz). Don't get me wrong, we all dig At The Gates, but we have other musical influences outside the sphere of Swedish Melo-deth. We aren't trying to "copy" or "mimic" a certain style. Instead we simply write tunes, audition them for each other, and hammer away at whatever music we deem fit until what we create has been formed into something cohesive. At that point we realize we have a worthwhile song and we just run with it. We all chip in and do our bits of musical work till the song sounds like group performance, then we just practice practice until we're happy so we can move on to other material. Is the whole process conscious? I would say that like most creative aspects of life, music is both conscious AND unconscious. Since both states reside in the same brain I find it hard to distinguish one from the other when it comes to the creative process. I remember reading a review for the Forever Endeavor a while back, and the reviewer expressed that American bands could not compare with European bands because European metal is somehow "subconscious". Bunk to that. People create metal in Europe the same way they create it here, or anywhere else for that matter. They pick up a guitar and start writing riffs.

UN: The Forever Endeavor was recorded early in 2003, but didn't come out until just a few months ago. What caused the delay in the album being released? Was the album recorded before everything was finalized with Century Media/Olympic?

Eric(bass): As the record industry is an economic engine (like any other industry), when sums of money are involved people like to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Seems to me that on occasion, going smoothly requires some time and patience. And hell, if someone else is footing the bill for the release of our album it makes sense that someone else (CM/Olympic) is going to take their time and make sure everything falls into place. That's not to say we were jagging around, but the stuff takes time. There is mastering, artwork, layout, pressing, promotion, all kinds of stuff that has to happen post-recording pre-release. We inked the deal with CM/Olympic prior to the recording of the album, and then after the album all the external factors just took a bit of time. Patience is a virtue, right?

UN: Do you think that having Century Media/Olympic behind the band will take Enforsaken places you never thought possible? You guys might be a young band, but you have a lot to offer the metal scene. Being on a label this size will allow the band to reach ears that might not have been possible otherwise.

Eric(bass): I truly hope we do have something to offer the metal scene. In fact, that's probably why the group is even around. As is true of any musician, we desire for our music to be heard on a broad scale. CM/Olympic allow us to accomplish that goal through their ardent promotional skills and excellent distribution. Blows my mind that when I walk into Borders Books to visit my girlfriend there is a copy of our album in their music section. Fucking incredible. The label has already begun to take us places we never though possible. The shit is coming out in Japan!

UN: Can you explain the concept behind The Forever Endeavor? I think the cover art is extremely interesting. It's must be cool for the band to have someone involved with a scene that has obviously influenced the band handling the cover art.

Eric(bass): To me, the Forever Endeavor is indicative of a quest for creation. Every person has a creative drive and in the case of Enforsaken's members that creative drive is focused squarely on making music. I feel that I will always be involved with music whether I am in a band or not. I want to keep making music for the rest of my life, and if my hands fall off I'll play piano with my feet or something. That's what the Forever Endeavor means to me, the will and drive to be creative is never ending. Niklas really did a great job on the art work. The colors and images somehow match the music. No idea how he came up with it but we're all glad he did. Guess that is the positive side of getting a person from a similar branch of music to contribute artwork, they know what you want, even if you don't know what you want.

UN: I know that James Murphy mastered the album, but would you guys ever want to record with him? I'm sure he would have absolutely no trouble getting the sound you guys want. After all, he did a phenomenal job mastering the album. Are you guys excited about the guitar solo he contributed to the album? It must be an awesome experience to have an influence on the band contribute to one of your songs.

Eric(bass): Right now we are not even thinking about were or how we are going to record the next album. As for the mastering, I wasn't impressed, but the guitar solo was spectacular. When I first heard it I almost shit myself it sounded so cool. That was before we even had it mixed or anything while were still in the studio. Murphy has some serious shredding chops and everybody knows it. That guy gets around, too. I just read his newsletter and he did solos for 5 different bands since his surgery.

UN: Would you agree that the band manages to stay memorable without really using conventional song structures? The songs seem to flow more linear then anything and don't really follow the common verse/chorus/verse formula. It almost gives the band a progressive edge, but the riffs are never overly technical or flashy.

Eric(bass): No, I strongly disagree with you Mike...sorry, just kidding. Actually I'm not sure if I can objectively answer a question about the memorable qualities of our music since I'm in the group, which taints my judgment. What I can say is that we try to go a step ahead of the common or conventional and attempt the complex in most cases. I'm not sure if we would even be able to write a pop style verse/chorus/verse song. We prefer songs that have their own personal trajectory which goes along with the riff structures. Maybe we should write some pop style songs so people will want to do nice things for us like pay for our houses and cars so we can all quit our jobs. Nah, fuck it, we'll stick to the death metal.

UN: The band has already begun work on the follow up to The Forever Endeavor. Would you say that material shows a progression for the band? I'm sure it'll be along the same lines, but can we expect any surprises?

Eric(bass): So far we have been pounding out some new tracks and there are going to be some excellent songs on the next album. If the new material is a progression or a regression I can't quite say. The new stuff is a bit different, for sure. Yeah, that's what I'd say, the new material is just a bit different. Some of it has a more "true" metal sound than anything we've done so far, with the Enforsaken metal amalgam influence of course. Personally, I would like to have more brutal songs along with a few shorter, softer, instrumental tracks. What will come out of the next album is not exactly known to us quite yet, but I can tell you it will be a continuance of our musical personality. The one surprise you have to look forward to is the Latin conga section we plan on adding, along with a southern Gospel choir, two tubas, and a cowbell player.

UN: Do you think that being from Chicago helped get the name around in the scene? The scene, while it doesn't get as much respect as say Florida, has produced a number of high quality bands who have moved on to bigger things. Macabre, and Jungle Rot come to mind. Would you say that the scene has been supportive of Enforsaken over the years?

Eric(bass): I am far from an authority on the "scene" in Chicago, but I don't think our location was the main factor in our name being anywere. The reason our name has got out there is because Steve Stell promotes the fuck out our band on his own time, which is how we ended up on CM/Olympic. Most of the places we have played at and most of the people we have played for in and around Chicago have been positive and accepting towards our brand of death metal. We've played with both Macabre and Jungle Rot. True metal fans support us, and occasionally punk or hardcore type kids will get into the music. To me, the only scene I know are the other bands which I see on a regular basis at our rehearsal room (Withering Soul, Veneficum, Nachtmystium) and I have to say that they do help pay the rent, so yeah, the scene has helped support us.

UN: I noticed that you guys are mainly playing just a few concerts here and there. Are there any plans to put together any full blown tours in the future? Is Century Media supportive of getting you guys out there and on the road? Or do you guys have obligations that don't allow a lot of touring?

Eric(bass): I'll put it this way: 5 grown men CANNOT support themselves on a tour (or anywhere else for that matter) on $100 a night. That's the type of cash we’re getting offered to go out with bands like Vital Remains. How are we supposed to quit our jobs and make $20 a night and expect to stay alive. We wouldn't even be able to pay for gas and food, let alone even a cell phone bill at the end of the month. If we had gone out on tour this summer under those conditions, my guess is that the band would have split up or at least been under severe strain. If pushing ourselves onto a tour before we are ready contributes to the destruction of the band, wouldn't it make more sense to simply wait for the appropriate time for touring and go out on the road when it is feasible and enjoyable for all involved?

UN: What's next for you guys? I know the writing for the next album has begun as mentioned earlier, but how long off would you say the album is?

Eric(bass): What's next? I'd say strippers and heroin. No wait...another album is next. Give us another year and we will give you another slab of metal.