Hi M!k!ll, how are you doing?
I'm doing great ;) Happy to be reuniting with CyberAngels!!!
Angels on Acid has been around for quite some time, can you give us a brief introduction to the band for the people who haven’t heard about you?
M!K!LL:Angels On Acid was founded in 2003 first as a solo project and eventually adding The Omen as our permanent guitarist. Our style ranges in everything from Synthpop, Industrial, and EBM. However it's our psy-trance influence that set us apart from others in our genre.
Your music has so many elements of different styles in it, how would you like to describe your music yourself? What is the funniest description of your style that you have encountered so far?
M!K!LL:Our music has roots in METAL, EBM, GOTH, SYNTHPOP, INDUSTRIAL and PSY-TRANCE. Though as I get older my influences seem to grow broader and broader. Angels On Acid always tries to make every song sound unique. It's impossible to put your finger on our sound with just one song. Most of our fans have their favorites but we try to never replicate the past. We keep pushing forward and leave the future open to limitless possibilities.
How do you take the elements of older music such as Celtic and African influences and councile them with more modern day sounds?
M!K!LL:I think most modern music is influenced by the past in one way or another. We take the tools and technology available to find new ways to communicate. Even pop music has turned very futuristic in the last 20 years. In my opinion it's not the format in which you express yourself, but the soul you put into your craft.
What does music mean to you as a person; Has it helped you to get over rougher periods in your life?
M!K!LL:Music reflects life. To me it can be a double edged sword. So beautiful and bittersweet. There is a song for every moment in our lives. I'm sure we can all relate to pain, love, struggle, and our own personal triumphs. When we look at the at the many problems in the world today it's hard not to fear the future of humanity. Things can often seems so bleak. As musicians we express the world as we see it. We try to speak form the heart reaching common ground our fans can relate to in their day to day lives.
M!K!LL:I think that sequencing can be great for certain functions but, nothing compares to the raw sound of live application. For our new album "Blood Sweat and Tears" alot of the leads, guitars and vocals were recorded in takes in order to get that raw "LIVE" sound that our fans experience in our performances. We cut back on alot of the extra accoutrements stripping away a lot of extra audio manipulation and sampling for a much more pure sound.
You started the band in 2003, what were your ideas, goals and dreams back then? Have you achieved them or have they changed over the years?
M!K!LL:When I started the project I never thought that we would reach an international audience. When "Misery Loves Company" was featured on Alfa Matrix' Endzeit Bunkertracks it opened up alot of doors for us. Thanks to the media and marketing tools available to us now we can communicate with our fans no matter how far away we might be. For an underground band like us it means the world that our fans have embraced us. As we continue to progress with Angels On Acid our goals will continue to change. Once "Blood Sweat and Tears" is released in August we will be touring nationally and eventually internationally.
Besides you Angels on Acid consists of The Omen and J3551c4, how did you meet them and what is their role in Angels on Acid?
M!K!LL:We each have a unique role indeed. I write the songs and Damien adds his power to the tracks. Jessica tends to be the den mother since both me and Damien tend to live rather freely. She is a great help to us live and offers alot of fashion sense that me and Damien don't really have...hahahaha
Have you ever thought about letting J3551c4 do the main vocals for a track to give it a different sound?
M!K!LL:I have tried to get Jess involved in the vocal process for some time now. It's not something that she feels is necessary. She tends to be a fan of male vocals over female. I'm sure that we will have her on a tracks or two at some point. I just have to keep bugging her about it.
M!K!LL:As an artist I am never completely satisfied. I think that this helps us become better musicians. When I look back on "The Dominate EP" and "Eyes Behind The Curtain" I see faults from a technical standpoint but overall the soul and energy infused into the songs is strong. An there a few tracks I feel to be timeless. I try not to look back on the past but, there is still a certain magic that I feel performing these songs and our fans feel it as well.
On Myspace you state the album was successful, in what ways was it successful?
M!K!LL:Being our first album and a previously unknown band without label support, we had solid sales. We were all very surprised by this. We never thought that we would have that type of response from the public. Our first full length came at a time when people were looking for something different plus we were touring alot which helped with awareness. After selling "Eyes Behind The Curtain" for some time independently we signed with DSBP to re-release the album and were able to connect with alot of other great labels that will be distributing for "Blood Sweat and Tears". We consider ourselves to be very lucky and remain humble with our small moves.
All the tracks paint a gloomy picture of the future for mankind except for maybe 'Salvation', do the lyrics reflect you as a person or is it a somber view you have on mankind?
M!K!LL:So much of life is our perception. We are influenced by our environment and world around us. This also applies in terms of how the world perceives you. Unfortunately the public only gets to see a small piece of who you really are. Though our message can be dark we still like to provide hope despite the uncertainty of our future. We find solace in the shadows and beauty in all things.
Is there a particular meaning or message that you like people to take away from your music or would you prefer them to make their own interpretation?
M!K!LL:While some content is more literal it's my opinion that music should be left to interpretation of the listener.
The album was originally self released but shortly after that it got re-released by DSBP, why not bring out a new album instead of a re-release?
M!K!LL:DSBP has been doing distribution for "EBC" and was getting alot of pressure from fans to sign with the label. Our sales were strong independently so the partnership only seemed to make sense. It was a great learning experience but we are now operating independently for the release of "Blood Sweat and Tears". This time we will be working with a larger list of physical distributers as well as through digital sources such as I-Tunes, Rapsody, Zune ect.
M!K!LL:Absolutely. We all faced alot of personal struggles with family, death, economic crisis during the making of the new album. Though it was hard for us I believe we cut our teeth on this album and truly came into our own. Unfortunately I lost about half of the album when my computer crashed and wiped my hard drive clean. It was a big setback but it allowed us time for growth both personally and in terms of production. "Blood Sweat and Tears" pushed our sound even further into diversity. We hope that our fans and critics can appreciate that.
It’s a common saying that the 2nd album is the hardest to make because for a debut you have years to optimize it, how was this for you?
M!K!LL:It was difficult until I got into a rhythm of how we would produce it. There is zero VST's used on this album. It was all done with hardware and synths. We tried to strip things down a bit and capture the elements of our live shows. And our next album will have a new format and process as well. We will evolve along with our fans.
What progress can be heard when listening to the new album? Did you bring new elements into the music of Angels on Acid?
M!K!LL: The theme of the album is centered around a future primitive state. A world of struggle, heartache, pain, adversity, political chaos, mortality, and the uncertainty in humanity's future. We like to experiment with dynamics and creating atmosphere in our music. This album we chose to strip down our style into its rawest elements with a more "Live" approach to recording. Fans can expect "Blood Sweat and Tears" to carry on the torch from "EBC" touching the deep in the soul on what was a very personal and introspective journey. We are excited to have the opportunity to share it and can't wait to see all of you again on tour this fall.
You have come up with a signature sound that is unique. Are you going to stick with similar elements or how are you going to develop your music?
M!K!LL:Fans can expect the unexpected. We will continue to challenge ourselves to push our music as far as we can. The future is wide open.
M!K!LL:Every live show has its own vibe. It's always fun to play with other artists. You learn something new everytime. I really enjoyed touring with End: the Dj earlier this year and can't wait to tour for "Blood Sweat and Tears". We will exploring new ground so maybe we will see some of our European friends before the end of the year. For those who want to pick up the new album before the official release date (August 13) please come out to Freaks United 2010 in Washington DC July 4th to see Nachtmahr, Uberbyte, Mindless Faith, Life Cried, Angels On Acid, Panic Lift, and some of the best Dj's in the US. Rick from Mindless Faith will be playing drums for Angels On acid that night as well.
A good show is usually a show where the band really connects with the audience, how do you try to do this? How do you get the crowd involved?
We try to be down to earth and make the audience feel like we are all one big family. We care for our fans and appreciate them. It's our duty put on a kick ass show and give every bit of energy we have to them. Anything less is considered failure to me. In that way we try to hype up the crowd by any means necessary to get them involved and keep the energy up. We want our audience to feel empowered by the experience because they deserve nothing but the best.
You have a very unique image, what inspired the artwork for your debut album? and can you release what we might expect from your new album ?
M!K!LL:We all have our own style and bring a different piece of the puzzle together. Damien is mostly influenced by black metal while Jessica has a very futuristic, Gothic Lolita style. She is very fashion forward compared to me and Damien. We are all influence by a very dark undertone. The new album theme and art is a reflection of our maturity. It was a coming of age for us and we are proud to share our journey with you.
A good way to promote the album is of course a tour, are there any plans for a tour?
We will definately be doing another national tour this fall. We have a few options that we are looking yet so check back with us as we draw closer to "Blood Sweat and Tears" release August 13th.
Any last words for the readers?
M!K!LL:We would like to thank anyone and everyone who took the time to read this interview to learn more about Angels On Acid. Thank you to all of our fans for supporting us through the thick and the thin. I would also like to take the time to thank Cyberangels for doing this interview with us. You contribution to underground artist like us is greatly appreciated! See you all soon...
Thanks to Amber Foxx for her help in creating this interview.