Well, right now the line up is me, Myke, on vocals, Erik on guitar, Nathan on bass, Zack on drums and the other guitar slot is yet to be filled. Sam quit the band to start a death matal band, so we're still looking to replace him. We also used to have a dude named Craig playing bass, but he left, also, for a death metal band. We started early 97. Erik asked me if I wanted to start a band with him after his other band, Outbreak, had broken up. I always wanted to join a band, so I said sure. He went out and found two high school kids, Zack and Craig, to play with us. We started practicing. A few months down the line we recorded the 'Twilight Eternal' demo. Erik happened to get it to this dude by the name of Sean who worked for Immigrant Sun records in New York. Apparently he liked it because he offered to do a cd. So like a year later, after recording a really sh**ty version of the cd, and then recording the 'On Broken Wings' 7" on Undecided Records in Florida, we finally recorded the 'For The Lust Of Prophecies Undone' CD. Then Sam decided he was gonna quit so we thought we were gonna just go ahead and break up so we played our 'last' show with the new Morning Again and we thought that was it. But now we're actually getting back together.

Well, I can only really speak for myself. I know this sounds played, but I actually do like a lot of different music. True, the main type of music that I listen to is metal. Death, Black, Power or whatever. Just metal. Some of my favorite bands are In Flames, Night In Gales, Arckanum, Mercyful Fate and Dark Tranquillity. Then I still listen to some punk like Propagandhi and OLD Pennywise. I don't like a lot of hardcore, but I like some old hardcore like Gorilla Biscuits and Uniform Choice, as well as a little "90's" style hardcore like Chokehold, Iconoclast and Dragbody. Then I listen to some goth stuff like Christian Death, Moonspell, My Dying Bride and Nosferatu. Then there's my girlie side that likes Tori Amos, Portishead, Alanis Morissette and Ashes. I like all kinds of music. I really find that it helps me center where my lyrics are comming from. A person that listens to one type of music limits the differents aspects of emotions that he gets. Like, a person that only listens to hardcore may never get to feel the pain that Tori Amos brings through her music. Or someone that only listens to girlie stuff may never get the aspect of anger and frustration that Marduk can bring. All types of music have different affects on me. One thing I will say is that for the most part I f**king hate modern hardcore. I think it's absolute garbage. Nobody knows how to play their instruments and no one has a very good grasp of the English vocabulary. Is quite irritating.

Well, I think both of those things are great for certain people. I've been drug free for the past seven years. Why? Not for some kinda revolution. But because I know myself. I know that if I ever touched a drug of any kind I would be a dead man. I tend to stay away from the whole sxe term, because I don't like to be grouped with some of the people who wear that term nowadays, but if asked I would say yes to being sxe. I've also been vegan for the past six years of my life. Why? Not because the vegan war is comming. It's natural for me. I can afford it and it's easily accessable for me. But do you think I'm gonna go preach to some dude that lives in the eastside projects and works as a janitor at the local high school just to put food on his table for his family? F**k no! It really pisses me off when people think that the choices they've made are the only ones that are right..never taking into consideration the fact that not everyone is under the same circumstances they are.

Well, to be honest, I don't know too much about politics and I really don't try to learn about them. I probably should. Yeah, I truly think that the government is in serious need of reform, but I'm just one of those people that thinks that the government is set up by the rich for the rich and as long as it is set up in such a manner, the poor (which make up at least 3/4 of the population, maybe more) will never get the voice they deserve. And I'm just a pessimist thinking that that's not going to change any time soon.

I think a society misleads people with misinformation through false education. By this I mean that the school system (pre-college) is set up to teach kids only what the government wants them to know. And most of the time it's lies. The government doesn't want anyone growing up to be that one person who one day leads the revolution that overthrows the entire system. Why do you think we're not taught about government conspiracies...cover-ups....UFOs? We're trained to think all these things are ridiculous. And then we're given shows like X-Files and Unsolved Mysteries to make us even more ignorant to the fact that these things actually happen. It's all a big plan to keep us as dumb, blind, desensitized and numb as possible. Children are bred to be zombies. Instilled that the only normal human being is the rich, white, heterosexual male. And these people are the ones who end up being the big players in society like judges, lawyers, politicians or cops. And we wonder why the states are so morally f**ked.

Well, I'm assuming you're talking about the events that happened in Columbine and the one that followed in Conyers, Georgia. Well, I can't speak factually for Columbine, but I can speak factually for Conyers. See, I grew up in Conyers. I used to take graphic arts class at the school where the shootings happened. From what I understand the kid that did the shooting was considered a nerd. He was picked on and what not. I know how that place was. It was just like any other high school. Only the cool survive. Unless you're up in the latest trends with clothing, lingo, whatever then you're doomed to spend your high school cereer being told you're a loser. I can totally understand why he snapped. Pressure builds and sometimes you can't find any other way to vent. I'm not saying he did the right thing. In fact, the total opposite. I'm just saying, I can understand how it happened. And then it comes down to who to blame. TV. Education. His parents. How about we put the blame where it belongs. Nowhere and everywhere. You can't single out one thing in a situation like that. How many times do you think his schoolmates noticed him being picked on? How many times do you think his teachers noticed? Hell, his parents probably even knew. You can tell when someone isn't socially accepted as being cool. So I really doubt this was totally out of nowhere. It's just the fact that no one thought he was actually capable of doing such a terrible thing. See, that kid was probably always looking for a way out...and hearing about the events in Columbine gave him an idea on how. Like I said there's not really one thing to blame.

The title is mainly about the loss of faith. It stands for all the people who have had the common sense to see Christianity for everything that it is. An evil, hypocritical, prejudicial religion that only serves to divide, conquer and kill. On Broken Wings stands for the fact that we could all be "angels" by living our lives following Jesus Christ and his bullsh**t teachings. To live our lives worshiping a god who would have us burn in hell for not following his strict laws of servitude. Jehovah is a god who, if he did exist, has totally turned his back on humanity. Insted we choose to deny him. It's now our turn to turn our backs on him. Reject every lie he's taught us. If it means we must fly on broken wings for the rest of our lives and spend eternity in some make belive lake of fire, so be it. But at least we have our freedom on earth.

Well, I guess you're talking about the 7" lyrics. Well, I'll say the On Broken Wings 7" was a very emotional record. For me at least. I put a lot of heart into those lyrics. That record covered the three main emotions I carry...pain, hate, and love. That record was all three emotions wrapped up into one. You had, first, Sown Into Flames, which was basically about self pity or self loathing. It's about slowly killing yourself as you go along in life. It's like you see everyone around you living lives you wish you had, but still you're burried alive in s**t. And you wonder why. But no one can answer that question for you. Then you have On Broken Wings which is, again, about losing your faith. Finding out that the one you worship is nothing but hate incarnate. Then you finally wake up one day and realize what you're doing. Who you're following. What he stands for. You realize that you've lived your life following a god of war who promises you a beautiful kindom at the end of your life as a slave. But at what price? How many people have died for this promised kingdom? It's about a love for god turning into an intense hatred for him and all his dogs. Then finally you have For Dying Eyes which is essentially a love song gone bad. It's about putting all your faith and love into a person only to have it metephorically ripped out and spit upon. I'm sure everyone can relate to this. This song is about loving someone like no other. Only thinking of her. Only seeing her when you close your eyes. Imagining being with her forever. Never imagining yourself with anyone else. Then finding out that you were only fooling yourself. That it was all a lie. You feel like you have nothing remaining. They were everything to you. You're left standing in a pool of self-worthlessness and wishing nothing but for her/him to be feeling the pain you are...only a thousand times worse. What do I expect to change with my lyrics? Absolutely nothing. My lyrics are an emotional outlet. That's all. I want people to be able to relate to them. To think "yeah, I fell that, too". I'm not looking to change the world here. Only give it a glimpse into how I feel inside. The lyrics I write nowadays, however, are more involved. The same feelings, just more obscure. Basically, I just sit down and whatever I'm feeling at the time comes out onto paper. It may take some revision, but basically what you're reading is pure emotion.

Hmmm...I guess stealing. I remember when my mom worked at a daycare center. I was probably like three or four. We used to have cubby holes where we kept all our stuff like toys and extra clothes. I used to go around and steal other kids toys out of their cubby holes. Well, only if they were Go-Bots or Transformers. The rest I left alone. I remember that carried on to me later stealing this kids entire Mask action figure collection out of his room when he wasn't there. I eventually grew out of that, though. I wouldn't even think about stealing anything now.

Boy. Your asking a lot for me to cut it down to five. Sorry, but number one has to be a tie. I can't pick one or the other. That's like asking a man to choose his favorite testicle. He's so attatched to both he really can't pick. Anyway...

Erik?

I don't watch South Park. I saw it once and it really wasn't funny at all. I think people only like it because it's little kid cartoons that curse. It's pretty lame to me.

Well, yeah, we did a CD on Immigrant Sun. That was cool. We had a few problems with the layout and promotion and whatnot, but all around I guess it went ok. As far as bigger labels go, I'm the type of guy where I'm like whatever's whatever. In other words, whatever happens happens. We haven't really sent our disk out to labels or anything, yet. We may do that soon, though. We'll see what happens. As far as Victory or Revelation goes I'm not really interested in either of those labels. I don't know, Erik may feel differently about that.

Well, we just got back together so right now we're just focusing on re-learning the songs. That and writting all new all better ones. Music to kick your a**. I'd hope to go on tour late this year (2000), but we'll have to see what happens. As far as Europe goes, we'd love to come if you can find someone to pay for it!

15. Last Words?

Thanks a ton for providing us with an entertaining interview. I really enjoyed it. And may you take part in the downfall of the Kingdom of Lies. Rock.