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| Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: First, before we discuss your current release, I’d like to ask how it feels to finally be headlining your own tour after all these years of being support as well as recently winning an award for “Artist of The Year? Jordan Mancino: We actually haven’t started it yet. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Right, you’re going to be. Jordan Mancino: We’re definitely very excited for it. We’ve headlined a lot before when we use to tour on our own. When we first started out we were obviously playing our own shows. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Right, but this is the first time you’re going to be headlining a national tour, which is pretty cool! Jordan Mancino: For sure, this is our first real headlining tour. We’re pretty excited for it. All the support bands are bands that we really like and respect. It should be a lot of fun. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: What about winning an award for “artist of the year”? Jordan Mancino: (Laughs) I don’t know actually! When we got nominated for “artist of the year”, our competition was pretty hard. There were a lot of big platinum selling artists like Pop bands. So obviously, we had no clue that we were going to win. My singer and I just went down for the fun of it. Of course, ours was the last category and we were so ready to leave the whole night because we knew we weren’t going to win. Actually, when they were announcing our category, I went to the bathroom because I was sure we weren’t going to win and then I heard them call our name right when I walked out and I had to run up on stage. (Laughs) It was pretty bizarre! Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: (Laughs) Oh, I didn’t know you guy’s were there. I thought this was something just internet related. Jordan Mancino: No, there’s actually a ceremony in San Diego and something they have every year. It was all online voting. So it was our fans that voted for us. It wasn’t a committee or whatever that voted for us, it was our fans and to us that means a lot. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: When choosing a title, why the name Shadows Are Security? Jordan Mancino: That’s probably something you’re going to have to speak to our singer about. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Come on, you’re in the band, don’t give me that! (Laughs) Jordan Mancino: (Laughs) The whole concept of the album is kind of about what goes on in a relationship. Whether a relationship with a person or with god or with whoever, just the different things that happen throughout that relationship. In the beginning there’s the excitement, the infatuation, there’s a new feeling inside of you. Like finding the real true love and real true essence of the relationship and going through the different seasons of that. That’s pretty much the concept of all the lyrics on the record. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: In general, how did you approach the writing/recording of the new album vs. Frail Words Collapse? Jordan Mancino: For Frail Words Collapse, Tim and I would just jam in my room and kind of work out songs like that. This time, since we had Phil as a new writer in the band, Tim and Phil would get together and write songs together, arrange songs and bring them to me and then I would get the drums down and figure out what would be best played. We would collaborate on what I was playing and what they were playing and just the feel of the song overall and Nick would lay down some leads on a couple songs. So, the writing process I thought was really good and really effective. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Speaking of Frail Words Collapse, that album received a lot of recognition when it was released. Was the band nervous about following up to an album that had so much success? Jordan Mancino: It wasn’t necessarily that we were nervous to do it. We knew that people were going to be expecting something really good. We were more so anxious just to see how our new album was going to turn out, than nervous about it. We’ve all progressed as musicians and songwriters since Frail Words Collapse. We were just excited to collaborate with the new members of the band and get in the studio and have more time and more ability to create something exactly the way we wanted it and not just under a time schedule. That was our excitement and our mindset before we went in. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Tell me about the guest appearances on this album. Did you have these specific people in mind before recording or were they brought in after the fact? Jordan Mancino: Some just came in for the studio and put some vocals down. But pretty much most of them we were planning on having them do it. One of the guest vocalists Dan from the band Zao happened by chance. They were actually in town when we were recording our new record. They are a band that we’ve respected and listened to for a long time and we thought it would be cool if he sang on one of our songs and was a part of our record. Matt from Throwdown was one of our really good friends and then we had some friends from previous albums come in and put some vocals down. Jason from No Innocent Victim was one of our friends. Living in San Diego and going to shows, we obviously grew up watching them and listening to them so we thought it would be awesome to have him be a part of the record too. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Has there been anyone that you obviously haven’t worked with that you would like to in the future? Jordan Mancino: I can’t really think of anybody off the top of my head right now. Hopefully, next time around we’ll be able to get some more people in there, maybe some of the same ones, maybe some new ones. It’s always fun to have people that you know and are your friends be a part of your record. I think it’s fun for kids too to hear some of their bands that they like on the same record. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Also, it’s good in case someone’s maybe not familiar with some of these bands as well. Jordan Mancino: Yeah, for sure. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: On this album, I felt there was a lot of Shadows Fall in your sound and melodies. Would you agree with that and have you heard that comparison before? Jordan Mancino: I honestly wouldn’t agree so much and I actually have heard that before. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: I’m not saying exactly, just certain elements and certain parts. Jordan Mancino: Yeah, I can see that a little bit now. But most of our comparisons come from Swedish bands and that’s most of our influence. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Old At The Gates. Jordan Mancino: Yes, At The Gates. Bands that have a little more melody. Shadows Fall has melody but not so much as like bands like that. A lot of our music is very melody driven. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Earlier we talked about touring and touring is something that the band does quite a bit. Now we know not all tour experiences are pleasant so you can’t claim that they are with my next question, ok? When being on tour, what band did you find to be the best and worst to have shared the stage with and why? (Laughs) Jordan Mancino: (Laughs) I’m trying to think. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: I think the best way to start out is with the best to have shared the stage with? (Laughs) I’ve asked this question before with bands and I get some pretty funny answers. Jordan Mancino: I’m going to try to be positive in both ways. (Laughs) Probably one of the best experiences with bands to have shared the stage with would be Kill Switch Engage. We love being on tour with them. We all love them as people and as friends. Their obviously an amazing band too and an amazing band to watch. We really enjoy being on the road with those guy’s. They have always been really good to us. They are one of the coolest bands and nicest bands to tour with. (Laughs) I’d say probably the worst and not necessarily the worst would be on Ozzfest sharing the stage with Rob Zombie. It was hard. I’m not saying this in a bad way. It’s hard to put us in the caliber that they play at. Their sound and performance is so awesome and so energetic. It kind of makes you look like small potatoes. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: But you know what, he’s a different style too. Jordan Mancino: Yeah, exactly. Their an amazing band to watch and their very talented and a band that I look up to for a live performance. They all look really good when their on stage together. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: They are a tight band. Well, look how long they’ve been together too and look how long he’s been doing it. He’s not a young pup! (Laughs) He definitely has experience. Jordan Mancino: Definitely! (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: But I meant in a negative way, is there any bands that you’ve shared maybe a tour bus with? (Laughs) Jordan Mancino: We haven’t really had any negative experiences. All of our tour experiences, all the bands we’ve played with, we’ve always had fun with in many different ways. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Are there any good or bad tour stories with your own band that you’d like to share with your fans? Jordan Mancino: Yeah, when we were on Ozzfest our bus driver decided to take a short cut through the desert and we ended up in the middle of a desert on this dirt road stuck by a hill. It was not fun. We were stuck in the desert for 8 hours and it was in the summer. We had to push the bus out of mud and had to unload the trailer and load it back up. It was not a fun experience. (Laughs) Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Talk about roughing it! (Laughs) And all these people think that just because you’re signed and on a bus that it’s the laps of luxury and it’s not! Jordan Mancino: You know it’s funny, I thought the same thing too! (Laughs) You think that once you’re signed that all your problems are solved and it’s probably one of the worst experiences that we’ve had. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: The new album slams and I’m looking forward to covering your show on Nov. 1st. With that said, do you have any final words for The Metal Web!? Jordan Mancino: Make sure, if you come to the NY show to bring some sweet Halloween costumes. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Halloween costumes, why? Are you kidding? Jordan Mancino: It’s going to be Halloween! I want to see some creative costumes! Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: No, it’s not. It’s November 1st? Jordan Mancino: I know, but were playing in the city on Halloween too. Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Oh, I thought you meant when I come. (Laughs) I was just thinking, why does this guy want me to wear a costume, maybe they know something I don’t! (Laughs) Jordan Mancino: (Laughs) No, for the Halloween show on the 31st. Definitely, wear some creative costumes! Dawn/TheMetalWeb.com: Cool, see you on the 1st! OFFICIAL SITE "AS I LAY DYING": http://www.asilaydying.com HOME |
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