UN: Spun in Darkness is a relatively new band although the members are not newcomers to the metal community. How did the band first come together? Was it started to pay tribute to the early days of death metal exclusively?

Jeff: Well I was kind of out of the scene for a while after Goatlord broke up in 1993. In 2005 I finally got back into playing drums again. I knew Tom from work and asked him if he wanted to jam. We started playing a couple times a week and writing some songs. We had a few songs done and were kind of getting serious so we started looking for a bass player and a singer. We found Nick from an online add we posted, but could not seem to find the right singer for our style. So we finally gave up looking for a singer and I volunteered to do the vocals, at least in the studio. I could not play drums and sing at the same time so it was only a temporary fix. We had not played a show up until this point. Eventually Tom our guitar player decided that he would try and sing for us and it has worked out great. When we started the band we had no agenda as far as what we were trying to do. We did not start the band to pay tribute to anybody or any era of death metal. We are all old school death metal freaks so we just play what we like. Our sound is not manufactured to sound like the old school bands we listened to back in the day that is just the way we sound. We are not paying tribute to anyone, that is just what we like so our sound reflects that.

UN: Last year the band added a second guitar player and also switched bass players. Have both added to the dynamic of the band? I'm sure having a second guitar player must make the live shows sound much fuller.

Jeff: Well due to personal reasons Nick was relieved of his bass playing duties. I have known Paul since way back in his Doom Snake Cult days. Rene was a friend of ours who we met online. Rene was probably Spun In Darkness's biggest fan. Anyway Rene asked me one day if I knew any body who played bass, so I hooked him up with Paul. They started playing together around the same time we were having issues with Nick. So finally we had let nick go and we had the idea of asking Paul to play bass for us and to see if Rene wanted to join the band also. They both have added tremendously to all aspects of the band. Our live shows are so much better. They have added so much energy to them.

UN: How long did the writing process for Birthright take? Was it hard to keep things primitive and in the style you wanted for the record? Did any riffs have to be thrown out for sounding too modern?

Jeff: Tom and I started writing song immediately when we started playing in early 2005. So it probably took us about a year and a half to finish writing the album. It was not hard to keep the songs primitive because like I said earlier that is the style we like to play, so that part was easy. There are always riffs that are thrown out for one reason or another, but we would not necessarily throw one out for sounding to modern. Basically if a riff sounds good to us we use it no matter what it is.

UN: The recording for the album matches the primitive nature of the band's sound perfectly. Was it important to have a raw and live sound for the album? Obviously the budget wouldn't have been there for a big budget studio, but it honestly wouldn't have fit the band's sound anyway.

Jeff: Well as far as the sound of the album everybody asks us this same question, and you hit the nail on the head. Yes it was about money. We just could not afford to make it sound much better. I think it does fit our style but at the same time I still wanted it to be better. I think the overall sound is ok, but it lacks the power of the band. Hopefully we can achieve that with our next output.

UN: Can you delve into the meaning of the album name, Birthright, a bit for us? Does it tie into the artwork at all, a lyrical passage, or a completely different notion altogether?

Jeff: The title "Birthright" is a lyrical passage from our song Arrival Of Prey. Whether we like it or not it is everyone's birthright to die some day. It really doesn't have anything to do with the cover except that is where we will all end up.

UN: How did Battle Kommand Records come into the picture for the band? While the label is certainly known for dark music, Spun in Darkness is quite different than most of the bands on the label.

Jeff: I was talking to Mike from Loss one night and he asked if we had a label. I told him we were looking, and he asked if he could release our album on his label Invocation Records. Mike was just starting out but we had no luck finding a label so we went with Invocation. Right before our album was going to press Mike called with some bad news. He was having some personal problems and was going to have to shut the label down. He told me that he would talk to his friend Blake from Battle Kommand. Blake heard our stuff and loved it. He said he would release it on his label. He was stoked about it being the first death metal band on the label and we were just kind of glad the whole thing was working out for us. Blake and Battle Kommand have been great to us. Blake has done everything he said he would do for us, we have no complaints.

UN: While the lyrics are indeed bloody they are much more thought out than a lot of death metal lyrics. Was it important for the band to have lyrics that had a bit more substance than the typical gore lyrics that the genre is known for?

Jeff: Well I wrote all the lyrics on the album. I don't really have that much experience writing so I just used ideas that I have and try to turn them into mini horror movies. Yes we did want people to take us seriously.

UN: Birthright was recording in 2006 and a new album is planned for sometime this year if I'm not mistaken. How has the songwriting been coming for this next release? Is it safe to assume that fans of Birthright will be pleased with the direction of the newer material from the band?

Jeff: Definitely!! We are goring as a band. We are all getting more comfortable with each others style. We have a few things done already that I think people will like. We are trying to expand on what you hear on "Birthright", but not stray too far from it as well. We don't have any rules that we follow when we write songs. We are leaving this session kind of an open one. We are going to see where it takes us. But don't worry, no matter what path we go down it will always lead back to where "Birthright" left off.

UN: Also planned in a split with Coffins. How did the idea for this release come about? Coffins is an amazing band and definitely the perfect band to be paired up with Spun in Darkness.

Jeff: I am a huge Coffins Fan. I talk to Uchino a lot on Myspace. We have traded some merch and both bands have much respect for each other. I just thought it would be awesome to do something with those guys. I kicked the Idea around to Tom, Rene and Paul and they all thought it was a good idea. So I ran the idea by Coffins and they agreed to do it. We are planning on booking some studio time this summer so we will save a track or two for this split. Coffins won't have their track ready until November so we will have to wait until the end of the year. But I already have the artwork from Chris Moyen ready to go so it shouldn't take to long after we get the audio from them. Look for it in December or January 09.

UN: I was surprised to see that the band is from Las Vegas. Is there much of a metal scene in Las Vegas and in Nevada in general?

Jeff: No not really. There has never been much of a seen here. There are a lot of bands here but most of them suck. State Of War, Predatorial, Avenger Of Blood, Casket Born are a few of the good ones right now. At least we have places to play now. Back in the Goatlord days you had to play in the desert with generators.

UN: Sort of going against the grain with how death metal has been shifting, Spun in Darkness is a lot slower than most death metal these days. In fact I don't think there is even a blast beat in sight. Is this important for you guys to maintain with the sound of the band?

Jeff: I fucking hate blast beats. We all love more mid paced stuff that has a grove to it. I'm not saying we don't like to play fast cause we do in some songs, but for the most part we try to keep it slow and heavy. We don't give a fuck how death metal is shifting. We play what we like first and foremost. If you don't like what you are playing, and you're trying to sound like everybody else than what's the point. If people don't like us because we sound a particular way than fuck em. That’s how it is man, we all don't like bands because of how they sound or what they play. That's right. So for all the people who do like what we are doing don't worry, WE WILL CONTINUE.

Official Spun in Darkness Myspace