UN: While God Forbid has been a name that is constantly mentioned in the extreme scene, it seems like this year will see the band taking themselves further then ever before. You have your best album to date on the shelves and are playing the second stage of Ozzfest this year. Do you think 2004 will be the year that really puts God Forbid on the map?

Doc: Definitely. This album is certainly the best album we've made and I think one of the best metal albums to come out this year even thouh this year everyone it seems has a record coming out. Being on this this year's Ozzfest is really a landmark for God Forbid. We're lucky to get on because I'm sure there are a ton of bands that want to get on. But I do feel like we deserve it as well because of all years of hard work are finally beginning to pay off. I can't wait to get the type of exposure Ozzfest can give.

UN: Did you guys approach this album any differently then you did your last full length album? The songs seem more streamlined and everything is just tremendously tight and well written. Would you say that the band went in with an attitude that you had to top your last album?

Doc: Honestly, we didn't feel it would be hard to top Determination. We wanted to go in a totally new direction, and had grown so much as musicians from all of the touring we'd done. Our attitude going when writing the album was to write a classic metal record that would resonate with people, and stand the test of time. We put alot of pressure on each other to meet those standards. I don't know if Gone Forever is that classic record that will stand the test of time, but I'm very happy with it and will let time and music fans be the judge.

UN: "Gone Forever" is defnitely the bands most melodic album to date as well. Was it a concious decision to kick up the melody? I'm also happy to see that the melodic vocals are actually quite unique sounding. A lot of bands start to sound like Killswitch Engage, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was glad to see that you guys went a different approach. The clean vocals almost remind me a bit of Faith No More, or almost a bit of the singer from Queensryche actually, just not as melodramatic.

Doc: We wanted to make music that we wanted to hear. At the time, we were listening to alot of melodic rock like the Beatles, Radiohead, Alice in Chains, and all kinds of other stuff. We didn't want to be just another At The Gates knock off band with breakdowns. Also, we were looking to the great metal bands for inspiration. Metallica, Megadeth, Maiden, even Slayer sang in their music. It was a tool to make our music more diverse and also become more diverse musicians. God Forbid is a pretty melodic band, so we wanted the vocals to match what was going on musically. If we were heavy all the time like Meshuggah or Hatebreed, maybe we'd scream all the time. Our next album might have less singing or maybe more. You have to do what feels natural. As far as the Killswitch thing, they kind of set a standard with whole heavy band, melodic chorus thing so it's no surprise to see a lot of copy-cats. We're trying to do something a bit different though.

UN: Does it take a lot of work to get a balance between the sometimes technical nature of the band and the more simple breakdown riffs? You guys are obviously monsters on your instruments, but you always seem to keep a perfect balance. You aren't afraid to show off your chops, but the catchiness of the material doesn't suffer because of it.

Doc: It's always on my mind to keep a nice balance between simplicity and technicality. It's easy to overplay and be showy with guitar stuff, but the song can suffer because sometimes you just need to groove out and play something that rocks. Most popular music is very simplistic, which is why alot of bands go that route even when they are very skilled. But it takes a discplined musician to play simple music very well. Sometimes, it's not what you play, but how you play it. The identity of God Forbid's music is a techical nature which is why it will always be there. If I was in a different type of band, maybe I'd write differently. But the song is the most important thing. Play what ever you have to to make a song great.

UN: Do you feel that the leads on Gone Forever are the strongest yet for the band? I was impressed by the sheer emotion put into them. Instead of being a flourish of notes, there is almost an Iron Maiden-esque quality to them. Not in the sense that they sound like Maiden's solo, but more because their leads also fit the songs perfectly, and that's how I feel about the leads in God Forbid.

Doc: I don't consider myself to be that great of a lead guitar player. There's million guys out there who will smoke me in a second, but I do feel like I write good leads. I rarely improvise anything. Everything is planned out way before hand. I usually have a section I want solo over, and I'll jam over it. Try to find hooky parts, and take the best things I've come up with and put it togther. To me, the important part of writing solos is to have them be catchy, melodic, and also make the song more dramatic and better. If the solo doesn't add a hook or make the song better, it shouldn't be there. My favorite guitar player is Slash because his solos sing and take you on a journey. That's where I want to be someday.

UN: I was actually wondering if you could explain the concept behind the cover art. I'm sure this isn't the first time but the raven looks like it's doing the crane kick right out of Karate Kid! Now, I'm sure it was unintentional! So, what can you tell us about the art? What artist put together the cover?

Doc: The cover art was done by Travis Smith with art coordination by Tom B. Travis has been dong stuff for years like Opeth, Nevermore, Soilwork, Skinlab, etc and Tom B is actually the guy who signed us to Century Media, but he's doing graphic design now. The concept was actually based off of the Better Days EP design which was a gravestone in a snowy landscape with a rose in front of the gravestone. Gone Forever is supposed to be the same grave years later, but decayed over and withered away. Although the cover is pretty bleak, the bird flying away on the back cover is supposed to signify hope.

UN: The production of the new album is just phenomenal. I'm definitely a big fan of Eric Rachel's work. Everything he has recorded lately has turned out phenomenal. Was that a deciding factor to wanting to work with him? I'm sure he's work with many bands that you guys are friends with.

Doc: Eric has been involved with all of our albums actually. We've been friends for years. All 3 of our LPs have been recorded at Trax East studio which Eric owns. He was around here and there while we recorded Reject the Sickness. On Determination, he assisted with engineering, and also mixed the album. So it was kind of a no brainer once we heard the A Life Once Lost recording. It was a comfortable situation because we were friends, Trax East is close to us, and Eric is just very easy to work with. Having Colin Richardson mix the album was big cherry on top. His been a part of so many legendary albums, so it was amazing have him mix.

UN: Colin Richardson was brought in to mix, and he is essentially a god when it comes to recording metal. Would you guys ever consider recording an album with him? Pretty much every classic Earache album was produced by him. I'd love to see how an album in a style like God Forbid's would sound being produced by him, instead of just mixed by him.

Doc: We actually tried to get Colin to do the whole album, but it wasn't in the budget. I would love to do a whole album with Colin. We'll see what happens with the next record. Who knows who will end up producing it?

UN: Would you agree that metal in the past few years has become something that is much more easy to relate to? Bands are realizing that the lyrics don't have to be about blood and guts, or dragons and swords. I think that a lot of kids just don't get into the usual metal lyrical approach. The more personal lyrics are definitely easier to get into. Do you think this might have a bit to do with the hardcore influence coming into play?

Doc: I agree with that. The lyrics have become more personal and emotional. If you really want people to become passionate about your music and lyrics, you have spill your heart out. Coming up in the hardcore scene has had an effect for sure. Singing about cannibals or Dungeons and Dragons is just corny, ya know. I guess it's more about honesty. Honest lyrics are more relatable today. People can see through bullshit.

UN: Do you think that Gone Forever is the bands Slaughter of the Soul? I think that your sound has reached a peak, and seeing as though there is no inner turmoil to break the band apart, I can only see the band even progressing further and taking what you did on this album to the next level. Are you guys excited to see the path the band will follow in the future?

Doc: For Gone Forever to be our Slaughter of the Soul, we'd have to break up because we felt we couldn't do any better. I think we can make a better album. But making great albums is not easy. Writing our next album is going to take some soul searching. Each new album is like being reborn, and I take that seriously. We are very excited for the touring opportunities coming up. I am actually getting ready to start on the next record. I'm starting to get a bit bored of the Gone Forever material. That boredom is the spark of inspiration to write. I'm excited for the journey overall. Just seeing where this whole thing takes me.