1) 12 years being, how this adventure began?
Dan: The story begins back in 2004 when Steve Gaines had a vision to put a band together that would raise the bar on what Old School Thrash Metal should sound like. Playing with different people to mold out exactly what he was looking for. The final line-up would be Steve, Rob, Eric, and myself (Dan) to move this machine forward.
2) Which bands gave you want to do this music and create this band?
Dan: We all have our influences, and we work hard to sound only like Anger As Art. If I need to name a band or bands that help mold the sound a bit I would need to say “Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Slayer”. Of course childhood favorites will always bleed through the music.
3) To prepare this interview I didn't find a lot of news of you and your biography is very short! So tell me more about you (the band).
Dan: The band consist of Steve Gaines: Vocals/Guitars, Eric Bryan: Vocals/Bass, Rob Alaniz: Drums/ Vocals, Dan Oliverio: Guitars/ Vocals. We are a band that has 1 mission, and that is to deliver the best METAL that we can to all Metal Heads around the world.
4) You work hard! 5 albums in 10 years! Why this bulimia?
Dan: I personally wish that we had 7 albums out by this time. The great thing about Anger As Art is that we all write music; we all have ideas rolling around in our heads 24/7. We could probably do another album right know if time allowed us, but we need to tour and promote “Ad Mortem Festinamus”. Nothing comes easy and we all have a passion. It never seems like hard work! Just having a great time ,,/
5) The 11th of March, you release your 5th studio album. What can we expect with it?
Dan: I can promise you and all the readers of this magazine the best CD of 2016. Well, of course that’s what I feel, but the response so far has been great and I feel that Anger As Art has done their job well in delivering a great Metal album. The album has tons of riffs (major riff fest!), solid driving bass and vocals from Eric (his first recording with Anger As Art), Killer machine gun double bass and drumming from Rob, Steve’s vocals and guitar playing is at its best. I myself feel that the solos and guitar riffs are some of the best work Steve and I have done as a guitar team. It’s also the first time that we have 2 vocalists in the band singing full parts like John and Paul back in the day. Eric has brought a whole lot to the table and really moved Anger As Art into the direction that we wanted to go. He does a great job on “Tombward” as a vocalist and bass player. This is a song he had in his back pocket and we are happy to bring it to life for everybody to enjoy and snap their necks too.
6) Can you explain to me the evolution than before?
Dan: We have had our share of member changes, and they were all for the best. Steve, Rob, and Myself have been together for many years. I’ve known Steve since I was 15 years old and been in a couple of bands with him. I have known Rob from back in the day when he was a Drum Tech for Abattoir, and later became the drummer for Abattoir. So our history as musicians together goes back many years. When the spot opened up for a new bass player here comes this guy to audition for the part after our last bassist quit, and his name is Eric Bryan. The crazy thing is that after he joins the band we come to find out that he is the kid they interview in the movie “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey”. Then he surprises us with his vocals, and history is made on the new birth of Anger As Art ,,/
7) How do you work and with who (masterisation, mixage....)?
Dan: We have worked with many different engineers, producers, studio’s, etc. This time around we all agreed to record and work with Ron Sandoval at Rev Recording Studios in Chino California. The great thing about Ron is that he has the same vision as we did in what we were aiming for on “Ad Morten Festinamus” We tried different amps from “Blackstar, Ampeg, Orange, and Kemper to come up with the best sound possible. A variety of different guitars from Les Paul’s, Schechter’s, and Fenders depending on the feel and vibe we were looking for on any given song.
8) When I listened to it, I heard several voices. Explain to me this choice that everyone of you has to sing.
Dan: The main vocals that you hear is Steve, and Eric is the other voice you hear on the album. Rob does a lot of backup vocals, as also myself. But now Anger As Art has two vocalists to expand our music catalog.
9) We can find in your music punk influences ('L.A. state of mind' and 'Two Minutes hate') and groove sound ('Hammer, Blade, and Twisting Fire'). Tell me more about that?
Dan: I actually wrote both songs that you’re asking about and early punk has always been a genre that I loved. I’ve always been a big fan of “The Exploited, English Dogs, and Bad Religion”. Hammer, Blade, and Twisting Fire is a great song that Steve wrote which has a great groove that moves the soul and mind. Steve is great at finding these rhythms, and Eric really brought that song home with the lyrics he wrote.
10) Is there a better song than others in this material for you?If yes, why this song?
Dan: Good question but hard to answer because all songs are great due to their different story and vibe. “Pissing on your grave” has a great kick you in the face, neck snapping guitar riffs that just won’t give up. Then you have “Praise of the Firehead” which I do believe one day that song will be a movie sound track.
11) You do a lot of show in America. Is a European tour expected to promote AD MORTEM FESTINAMUS?
Dan: YES!! Our goal is to get too Europe ASAP. We have been there before, and looking forward to visiting our Metal friends in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. When we do go back I would like to also hit Italy, France, UK and enjoy playing open air festivals.
12) Your 1st metal or hard rock band you listened to?
Dan: Like every other kid back in the 70’s I had a few that hit me right around the same time. Early Kiss, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple.
13) Please make me a jingle for United Rock Nations.
Dan: Jingle!!! Let’s see what has a nice ring to it. United Rock Nations! The Heaviest Mag in France bringing you the best in METAL from across the land. Bang your Head and Snap your back, show the world where it’s at. Support Underground METAL and read United Rock Nations ,,/
Dan: The story begins back in 2004 when Steve Gaines had a vision to put a band together that would raise the bar on what Old School Thrash Metal should sound like. Playing with different people to mold out exactly what he was looking for. The final line-up would be Steve, Rob, Eric, and myself (Dan) to move this machine forward.
2) Which bands gave you want to do this music and create this band?
Dan: We all have our influences, and we work hard to sound only like Anger As Art. If I need to name a band or bands that help mold the sound a bit I would need to say “Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Slayer”. Of course childhood favorites will always bleed through the music.
3) To prepare this interview I didn't find a lot of news of you and your biography is very short! So tell me more about you (the band).
Dan: The band consist of Steve Gaines: Vocals/Guitars, Eric Bryan: Vocals/Bass, Rob Alaniz: Drums/ Vocals, Dan Oliverio: Guitars/ Vocals. We are a band that has 1 mission, and that is to deliver the best METAL that we can to all Metal Heads around the world.
4) You work hard! 5 albums in 10 years! Why this bulimia?
Dan: I personally wish that we had 7 albums out by this time. The great thing about Anger As Art is that we all write music; we all have ideas rolling around in our heads 24/7. We could probably do another album right know if time allowed us, but we need to tour and promote “Ad Mortem Festinamus”. Nothing comes easy and we all have a passion. It never seems like hard work! Just having a great time ,,/
5) The 11th of March, you release your 5th studio album. What can we expect with it?
Dan: I can promise you and all the readers of this magazine the best CD of 2016. Well, of course that’s what I feel, but the response so far has been great and I feel that Anger As Art has done their job well in delivering a great Metal album. The album has tons of riffs (major riff fest!), solid driving bass and vocals from Eric (his first recording with Anger As Art), Killer machine gun double bass and drumming from Rob, Steve’s vocals and guitar playing is at its best. I myself feel that the solos and guitar riffs are some of the best work Steve and I have done as a guitar team. It’s also the first time that we have 2 vocalists in the band singing full parts like John and Paul back in the day. Eric has brought a whole lot to the table and really moved Anger As Art into the direction that we wanted to go. He does a great job on “Tombward” as a vocalist and bass player. This is a song he had in his back pocket and we are happy to bring it to life for everybody to enjoy and snap their necks too.
6) Can you explain to me the evolution than before?
Dan: We have had our share of member changes, and they were all for the best. Steve, Rob, and Myself have been together for many years. I’ve known Steve since I was 15 years old and been in a couple of bands with him. I have known Rob from back in the day when he was a Drum Tech for Abattoir, and later became the drummer for Abattoir. So our history as musicians together goes back many years. When the spot opened up for a new bass player here comes this guy to audition for the part after our last bassist quit, and his name is Eric Bryan. The crazy thing is that after he joins the band we come to find out that he is the kid they interview in the movie “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey”. Then he surprises us with his vocals, and history is made on the new birth of Anger As Art ,,/
7) How do you work and with who (masterisation, mixage....)?
Dan: We have worked with many different engineers, producers, studio’s, etc. This time around we all agreed to record and work with Ron Sandoval at Rev Recording Studios in Chino California. The great thing about Ron is that he has the same vision as we did in what we were aiming for on “Ad Morten Festinamus” We tried different amps from “Blackstar, Ampeg, Orange, and Kemper to come up with the best sound possible. A variety of different guitars from Les Paul’s, Schechter’s, and Fenders depending on the feel and vibe we were looking for on any given song.
8) When I listened to it, I heard several voices. Explain to me this choice that everyone of you has to sing.
Dan: The main vocals that you hear is Steve, and Eric is the other voice you hear on the album. Rob does a lot of backup vocals, as also myself. But now Anger As Art has two vocalists to expand our music catalog.
9) We can find in your music punk influences ('L.A. state of mind' and 'Two Minutes hate') and groove sound ('Hammer, Blade, and Twisting Fire'). Tell me more about that?
Dan: I actually wrote both songs that you’re asking about and early punk has always been a genre that I loved. I’ve always been a big fan of “The Exploited, English Dogs, and Bad Religion”. Hammer, Blade, and Twisting Fire is a great song that Steve wrote which has a great groove that moves the soul and mind. Steve is great at finding these rhythms, and Eric really brought that song home with the lyrics he wrote.
10) Is there a better song than others in this material for you?If yes, why this song?
Dan: Good question but hard to answer because all songs are great due to their different story and vibe. “Pissing on your grave” has a great kick you in the face, neck snapping guitar riffs that just won’t give up. Then you have “Praise of the Firehead” which I do believe one day that song will be a movie sound track.
11) You do a lot of show in America. Is a European tour expected to promote AD MORTEM FESTINAMUS?
Dan: YES!! Our goal is to get too Europe ASAP. We have been there before, and looking forward to visiting our Metal friends in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. When we do go back I would like to also hit Italy, France, UK and enjoy playing open air festivals.
12) Your 1st metal or hard rock band you listened to?
Dan: Like every other kid back in the 70’s I had a few that hit me right around the same time. Early Kiss, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple.
13) Please make me a jingle for United Rock Nations.
Dan: Jingle!!! Let’s see what has a nice ring to it. United Rock Nations! The Heaviest Mag in France bringing you the best in METAL from across the land. Bang your Head and Snap your back, show the world where it’s at. Support Underground METAL and read United Rock Nations ,,/
