Black Tide Interview

YOU ARE GETTING READY TO RELEASE YOUR SOPHOMORE ALBUM TITLED POST MORTEM ON AUGUST 23RD. YOU GUYS WERE REALLY YOUNG WHEN YOU RELEASED YOUR FIRST RECORD, BUT SINCE IT’S RELEASE YOU HAVE DONE A LOT OF TOURING. DO YOU THINK THAT HAS HELPED YOU FIND AND DEFINE YOUR SOUND?

Absolutely! We've learned a lot from touring. We've grown as musicians and as individuals from being on the road and practically performing every night for such long periods of time.

MOST PEOPLE THINK OF YOU AS A METAL BAND, BUT THIS ALBUM APPEARS TO BE MORE OF A HARD ROCK ALBUM. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT INFLUENCED THIS RECORD?

I'm horrible with genres! I feel like labeling ourselves as one specific genre would only limit our creative possibilities. We have no agenda other than writing music that we believe in and that we FEEL! I find that songs are best when they are inspired by real emotion. Our first-hand experiences in our lives throughout the past four years have inspired Post Mortem.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE? DO YOU GUYS WRITE TOGETHER? IS EVERYONE ABLE TO BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE?

This album took a while from start to finish because we didn't want to rush things. Throughout the entire pre-production process we wrote almost 50 songs! Each song has its own story when it comes to how it came about. Some of them were written collectively and some were written by one person then worked on by us all.

WHY WAS THE RELEASE DELAYED?

The release was delayed for a few different reasons but mainly because we weren't completely happy with where it was at the time of the original release date. It was very frustrating and we apologize for the delay but it's finally here!!!

PREVIOUSLY YOU WORKED WITH JOHNNY K. WHO DID YOU WORK WITH ON THIS RECORD?
Song's on this album were produced by Josh Wilbur, Garth Richardson, Jim Johnson, and Dave Schiffman.

DID YOU HAVE ANY OUTSIDE COLLABORATIONS OR GUEST SPOTS? IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WOULD BE INTO DOING ON FUTURE ALBUMS?

Yes the first track on the Album features vocals from our friend Matt Tuck from Bullet For My Valentine! We’re always open to collaborating!

IS "THAT FIRE" THE SINGLE OFF THE ALBUM? HAS IT BEEN RELEASED TO RADIO?

Yes! That Fire is our first single off the album and it has already hit radio!

THE VIDEO FOR THE SONG IS REALLY COOL. DO YOU GUYS COME UP WITH YOUR OWN CONCEPTS WHEN IT COMES TO VIDEOS? http://youtu.be/jxw6pnPfDc4

Thank you. We’ve always had a say when it came to choosing our video treatment, but from this album forward we’ve made it a point to come up with our concepts and get exactly what we want from our director. That Fire was a fun one to come up with!

I LOVE THE ALBUM COVER. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR IT AND WHOSE IDEA WAS IT?

Thank you. We fell in love with artist Chris Uminga and gave him our idea of what this album meant to us and what we wanted to see visually. He nailed it!

DIDN’T YOU GUYS PLAY AT COMIC-CON THIS YEAR? WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? WAS IT A LOT DIFFERENT FROM PLAYING A REGULAR SHOW?

Our Comic-Con experience was definitely unique to say the least. We performed on top of a gaming tent! It was pretty insane.

YOU WILL BE ON THE 2011 UPROAR FESTIVAL www.rockstaruproar.com THAT STARTS UP A COUPLE DAYS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE RECORD. ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR SPOTS ON THE TOURING SCHEDULE YOU ARE MOST EXCITED TO GO TO?

Honestly, this might sound lame, but I enjoy performing everyday in front of all the new faces. Yet, I was born in New York so it’s always great to play NY shows and have the family out.

HAVE YOU PLAYED WITH THESE BANDS BEFORE?
Fortunately for us, we’ve toured with a few of the bands before and throughout the years we've made some really good friends. It’s always good reconnecting with buddies on the road. Looking forward to meeting new people!

DO ALL OF YOU GET ALONG FOR THE MOST PART, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE LONG RIDES IN BETWEEN VENUES?

We are a band of BEST FRIENDS… I beat my guys up every once in a while, but we love each other.

THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO YOU, YOU WERE IN ARIZONA. YOU HAD BEEN MESSING WITH SOME FIRECRACKERS AND GOT TO MEET UP WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?

PaHAHAHAhahahHaHHAHAHAHA!!!! I remember it like it was yesterday!

YOU HAVE BEEN ON MANY TOURS SINCE THEN, WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST THING YOU HAVE DONE WHILE ON TOUR?

First thing that comes to mind is when I went skydiving… I also went bunjee jumping at a festival we played at in Austria.

YOU'RE FIRST TOUR WAS OZZFEST. WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU CAN GIVE TO STRUGGLING BANDS OUT THERE ON THE ROAD FOR THE FIRST TIME?

Practice, love it, have fun, stay strong. If you truly believe in yourself there's no stopping you from getting where you want to be.

WHAT ATTRIBUTE WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE FAMOUS FOR? WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT FROM THE REST OF THE BANDS IN YOUR GENRE?

We've got that latin flavor! Hahaha! I think one thing that sets us apart is our ability to perform our songs in Spanish... we're actually going to be releasing a couple so look out for em'

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD OR SAY ANYTHING?

Support music you love! Come to shows! Even if it’s not Black Tide… Do it!

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Tags:  Black Tide  , Steven Spence, interviews

Shauna O'Donnell    August 15, 2011