The Gauntlet: The new album is a concept album – what’s the concept?

Will Jackson: The main concept is to try to deal with the way humans speak and interact, and how that affects the issues that are surrounding us daily in the world. I tried to write the songs lyrically from two different people’s points of view in certain situations. I wrote short stories to get a better feel for the characters that I was writing the lyrics from. The song “Severed Heads Open Minds” is about the diamond crisis in Africa – the whole “blood diamond” issue. It’s from the point of view of a woman who is on one of the camps, and she has stolen a diamond and is about to have her head cut off. One of the captains or generals or whatever is screaming at her and she is rebelling back with her words.

The Gauntlet: So each song is its own little short story?

Will: Yea. I have the short stories and I’m gonna release those on our Web site pretty soon. My favorite one is from “Self Admitted.” It has to do with two people who are in a mental institution. The song title means that one of the guys can leave but he doesn’t want to because he’s afraid of the world that’s outside. It talks about what’s out there, and how safe it is in there. His friend is in his room trying to coax him through this little breakdown he’s having. I really enjoyed writing that story.

The Gauntlet: Did you give the band your ideas for the lyrics for each song and have them write the music around them, or was it the other way around?

Will: Actually I would say they had the majority of the music written before I started writing lyrics. We took a small break to write all the songs and stuff, and I hadn’t been home in forever so I went home. They were sending me tracks, and I was sort of writing and idea-ing as they sent me things. Once I got back to Ohio from North Carolina I really delved deep and started writing intensively. They were really supportive of the idea for the record. They threw ideas down as well and I would try to write them into the songs as well as I could. It was cool that way. Each song has its own mood. I was able to get into that mindset of the way the song was making me feel already, and then create these lyrical or story atmospheres. I would just lock myself in my room and jam the demo tracks, and just start freewriting, and come up with the ideas for these stories. Then I’d start thinking about the characters and start writing lyrics. All the lyrics are what the people say in these stories. The dialogue of the stories are the lyrics.

The Gauntlet: So each song is sort of an enactment of a play?

Will: It is, it is. I’m super interested in all that. I love writing scripts and plays and all that stuff. It was just a really fun way for me to flex some of my other interests in our songwriting.

The Gauntlet: You’re known for your funny song titles. The funniest one I noticed this time around was “When Harry Lost Sally.” Can you tell me a little about that one?

Will: Being a metal or hardcore vocalist or lyricist, you’re sort of pigeon-holed into this thing where you have to write these lyrics that are really heavy or dark. I wanted to write a song that was pseudo-whimsical and also meaningful and kind of lovey-dovey emotional. With that song title we were throwing around ideas, and it was going to be something else, and then something else, and I just decided to name it “When Harry Lost Sally” because it’s about someone losing someone and trying to get their attention back, and the other person just saying no. Everyone knows “When Harry Met Sally” so I just thought it was a good way to make the name stick.

The Gauntlet: Do you have a favorite song on the album?

Will: I would say either “A Swarm of Bees” or “Self Admitted.” I really enjoy a lot of em, all of em actually. I love playing “Self Admitted,” I think that song hits really hard.

The Gauntlet: Will you guys be doing a video for any of the songs?

Will: We’re working on it right now. We’re kind of on a bit of a hiatus. We had some stuff go down and we’re taking a little bit of a break. I’m working with Metal Blade right now and we’re gonna try to shoot a video, and if we do I think it’ll be for “Self Admitted.”

The Gauntlet: So was there a fight in the band or something?

Will: No, there was just basic business issues. Massive amounts of debt. In any band when you seem like you’re on top, sometimes you’re not. At least in my experiences. We’re nowhere close to busting up. We’re just chilling right now and trying to work some new things out, get some new tours.

The Gauntlet: Do you have any touring plans lined up right now?

Will: We’re gonna go back out in the fall. I had a death in my family, so that was the one thing that really made me come home. I’m still kinda dealing with that. We’re gonna get back out there. We’re trying to work things out and keep it moving full force.

The Gauntlet: Vince [Bennett, vocalist] from The Acacia Strain says they write better song titles than you – that yours are too long. How would you respond?

Will: Vince man, that kid (laughs). Yea, print up that Vince and I have a song title feud going on. Nah, his are super funny. Mine are kinda long. I’m a little bit of a long-winded guy. I’m just a little more imaginative than Vince.

The Gauntlet: Do you have any favorite albums of 2008 so far?

Will: The new Coldplay record is amazing. I don’t really listen to a lot of metal much anymore these days.

The Gauntlet: It’s always cool to find out what all the metal and hardcore dudes other musical interests are.

Will: Yea, I spent so much of my life just devoted to metal and hardcore and shit like that. I think that I’ve just had this brain thing going on where I’m like, “I think I’ve been missing a lot of stuff.” I’ve always listened to Pink Floyd and The Beatles and Lynyrd Skynyrd and stuff that is really relevant to where I’m from.

The Gauntlet: The popular stuff.

Will: Yea. I’ve really been trying to get into some more rocking, more folk stuff. I enjoy that because I feel like if I don’t listen to what everyone else is doing then I’m gonna be able to do something different. That’s my whole goal as a musician, as a writer, as a person is to just be myself. I’m hoping that’s what we’re doing with our music. I think that when our band put out the records that we have put out, you know, the chaos, grindy hardcore stuff, which really caught on I think. A lot of kids grabbed a hold of it, and flexed it super hard. Which is amazing, I don’t think there’s anything negative at all about that. But I think it’s up to us to look at ourselves and say, “That’s amazing, we’re so lucky to have been a part of that. How can we take that sort of momentum and through listening to other music and thinking about other ideas try to make ourselves a little more flexible as dudes, and as musicians and writers?”

The Gauntlet: In a similar vein, what do you think of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s recent direction?

Will: I think anything they do is going to be cool. In anybody’s life who likes metal of any sort, that person has to have some sort of affinity for the Dillinger Escape Plan. I think the new record’s rad. I think it’s cool because it has a lot of, like, 43% Burnt songs, and then a lot of crazy reggae influence, and ambient sounds. They’re another band who’s trying to maintain a sense of self while trying to venture forward in creativity. I love their new stuff.

The Gauntlet: Who do you like the most on Black Market Activities besides your band?

Will: Definitely Animosity. I think they hold it down. They’re one of those bands that do what they say they’re gonna do. They preach the word “brutal” and they just deliver on it.

The Gauntlet: Thanks for the interview Will!

Will: My pleasure!