UN: I have to start by saying that Malice is an absolute monster of an album. Are you guys excited with how the album turned out?

Justin (Guitar): Thanks. We are very proud of our work on Malice. The band has finally achieved in finding our own true, unique sound. Not many bands can say that, even with countless albums under their belt. We're all just really stoked on the record and we hope everyone else feels the same way.

UN: What was it like working with Erik Rutan? Did you guys have any fanboy moments were you thought holy shit this guy was in Morbid Angel? Not to mention he is in Hate Eternal, the guy knows death metal.

Justin: The studio was definitely quite the experience. We learned a whole lot as a band. Ive always looked up to Morbid Angel; they are one of my favorite metal bands of all time so it was really cool working with Erik. We really liked the production on KILL and the Cannibal guys said he was really great to work with. I admire the fact that he really brings out the performance in all of us. He's not just an engineer that gets a decent take and fixes it later in Pro Tools. He wants it dead on and you can hear that throughout the record.

UN: How did Nate come into the band as the new vocalist? He brings a whole new dynamic to the band and has one hell of a growl! Did you guys try out many vocalists or was he your first pick?

Justin: It was a nightmare searching for a vocalist. Prosthetic set up an e-mail address for vocal tryouts while we were in the studio. There were some good and A LOT of bad. I was constantly pulling my hair out trying to figure out the situation. We had a ton of stress from the label and our management but it ended up working out. Rutan actually knew Nate from touring with Premonitions Of War so he recommended him. We had a few other guys that were candidates but Nate stole the show. His demo he sent us was exactly what we wantedsomeone very brutal but at the same time very clear. He really compliments the music on Malice.

UN: Did you guys have any specific goals or a mission statement going into this album? Was it important for you guys to top Bloodlust? Do you feel like you have topped the last album?

Justin: I envisioned us setting ourselves apart from other metal bands in the genre with this record. We were proving ourselves. There is a lot of weak music coming out and metal is in a weird state today. The internet has helped a lot of bands but at the same time has hurt it. Labels are paying attention to MySpace friend counts rather than hard working bands that are out there on the road producing great music and a live show. I think the new record is infinite times better than the last one. The riffs, drums, vocals, everything it's there. It hits you a lot harder than Bloodlust did in numerous ways.

UN: What did the label say when they first heard the new album for the first time? I could see them being giddy with excitement. This is certainly an album that is going to kick a lot of peoples asses.

Justin: They were excited but a lot went into the record and I think they were still shaken up by the whole singer thing. I think there was a little nervousness with them seeing how people would react to the new singer.

UN: You guys toured a lot to support Bloodlust. Do you think it might get a bit easier with this new record? Have the crowds been getting bigger? Will the label put a bit more tour support up for the band now that you have a second record under you belts for the label?

Justin: Its a lot easier to get on bigger tours now. We just finished up with As I Lay Dying and that tour was incredible. As far as tour support, it kind of works the opposite way. At first, they are buying you vans because you keep getting shitty used ones that break down every tour. Once you've reached a bigger status, the label thinks you are set financially so no tour support is there anymore, ha ha.

UN: Do you prefer to be on package tours or just the normal tours? Tours like Sounds From the Underground are probably great exposure but fans of the band might be disappointed with the short set times. Not to mention it must be tough on the band and the scheduling must be pretty strict.

Justin: After doing SOTU, I really like the festival tours. Playing to a ton of kids everyday, eating like a king, drinking crazy amounts of alcoholits just a huge party with tons of friends. The shorter set times are weak but it works out and you deal with it. I honestly find myself having fun on any type of tour we do though.

UN: Do you guys have specific types of bands you like to tour with? For instance do you prefer to tour with similar bands or have a diverse package of bands? The tour packages for heavy bands seems to be getting much more diverse these days.

Justin: I honestly love the diverse packages. It brings exposure from all aspects. We did a tour with Terror and Death Before Dishonor and it was really cool to branch out to the hardcore fans.

UN: Seeing as though the last few questions have been about touring, any horror stories from the road youd like to share? Any times when a fan has gone above and beyond to help out the band?

Justin: No horror stories as of late. Our first headlining tour was a nightmare though. It was with Light This City, The Acacia Strain, and From A Second Story Window. Everyone on the tour had their vehicle breakdown except FASSW but the timing was crazy. Once someones got fixed after riding two bands in one van another bands vehicle would breakdown. No shows were missed other than Seattle, which was a bummer. We've never really had a time when a fan has had to help the band out that I can recall right now.

UN: What do you guys do to keep yourselves occupied while on tour? Do you guys have a setup to watch movies or play video games in the van? What do you guys do to help fight the odors? I'm sure tour vans can get quite fragrant especially during the summer months.

Justin: I personally read a lot and play Nintendo DS. Im addicted to Zelda: Phantom Of The Hourglass right now. Also having an iPod is crucial on tour. We used to have a TV/DVD player in the van but it kind of got in the way so we got rid of it. We try to keep the van as clean as possible. We clean it out at least every other day. We kind of learned our lesson with the last van we had. It smelled horrible!

UN: I like the fact that no matter how heavy the song is you guys always have melodic elements in there as well. Is it important for you guys to have the melody in there? It serves as a nice contrast to the breakdowns and more technical riffs.

Justin: Melody is a very crucial part to our sound. No matter how dissonant a riff is or how dark it is it still has melody. That's what I have always envisioned for the band. I'm a big fan of all genres of music so I guess thats where it comes from.

UN: Was there any specific intention behind the name of the album? It definitely follows the same ideas as Bloodlust, short but sweet.

Justin: Malice is actually the concept. The lyrical theme deals with all of the atrocious things going on in the world todaypast, present, and future. It surrounds us in everyday life so we wanted to write a record reflecting that. Our previous records dealt with a lot of fantasy horror serial killer stuff. That's really cliche in death metal so Nate and I wanted to write something people can relate to.