Interview with Forever In Terror bassist Josh Owen

One of the most punishing new bands to emerge onto the metal scene is Streetsboro, OH’s Forever In Terror. Their Metal Blade debut album, Restless In The Tides, is a punishing display of technical brutality that fans of Lamb of God, Chimaira and Shadows Fall will freak out for. All this from a group of ambitious youngsters that were signed to Metal Blade Records when they were still in High School! We caught up with Forever In Terror bassist Josh Owen to talk about their debut album, their young age and why the price of gas is killing the band, before Forever In Terrors upcoming Canadian tour dates.

Give us some insight into the record and the meaning behind its title?
Josh: The record is our first full length and we’re very proud of it. It doesn’t have an overall meaning. All of the songs are written to be badass songs and with no particular theme. Mainly the title is the title of track 10 which is the title track but over the past year we’ve faced a lot of shit and it’s come to mean that we’ll never give up until we crash and burn. We’ll always be restless in the fight to be the best.

Give us some insight into the album lyrically. This is super pissed off sounding record.
Josh: For the most part the record is very pissed off. Chris as a new vocalist was offered an opportunity to have a new route of expressing anger and I’d say he did just that on the album. A lot of the words and songs are mainly about life and things that go on around us and in our daily lives.

Mark from Chimaira makes an appearance on the record. Tell us a little bit about what it was like working with him in the studio on Face of the Faceless?
Josh: It was awesome working with Mark. He and Chimaira are true professionals and he knew exactly what went on and how the process went and came in and pounded out some brutal shit with Chris. Some of the song is just Chris, some is just Mark and there are a couple parts where both of them scream and it is just really brutal because the power that both of them carry in their voices.

You guys were all in high school when you got signed to Metal Blade. Are you worried people might try and discredit you because of your young age?
Josh: Many already have. When the initial press release came out a lot of people just wanted to talk shit and not listen to us. We don’t care though. We like being young, it’s fun and we have a lot of time to develop and become better musicians and songwriters. We’ve always tried to compare ourselves to the best and become better and that’s how we will always rock.

You got some pretty high acclaim recently from Revolver Magazine. What was your reaction when you read the review?
Josh: I was fucking amazed. It still makes my jaw drop to think that we were even mentioned in a magazine with such prestige. We are really happy with the reviews we’ve been getting and we’re ready for people to experience it live.

What is the hardest part about being a touring metal band and what is the biggest obstacle your band faces?
Josh: Money, everything is money. Time is money, food is money, shelter is money, and most of all Gasoline is money! Gas prices nowadays are killing bands like ourselves and we live from day to day, show to show, hoping we sell some merch to get to the next venue. One of the biggest obstacles on tour is cancelled shows. When you’re already strapped for cash and lose a show, it hurts. But you just have to keep pushing and say fuck it. The twenty-five minutes a night that you play, makes it all worthwhile in the end and I strongly believe that.

How has MySpace and the internet impacted the industry and your band and do you think downloading helps or hinders new artists?
Josh: MySpace and internet are great. There are so many amazing bands I might not know about if it weren’t for the combination. On the subject of downloading, it kind of sucks but at the same time, if someone wants to hear our shit bad enough to download it that’s okay by me.

What can the music business do to stop the decline in record sales?
Josh: Make shitty bands quit and help promote the ones that deserve sales and recognition.

What can fans expect if they pick up Restless In The Tides?
Josh: They can expect to be torn a new one. I have faith that every song on the album is kickass and I promise you won’t be disappointed. We worked very hard on the album and I would totally spend the money on it myself. Thank you PureGrainAudio and don’t forget to check out our MySpace www.myspace.com/fitmetal and pick up our album RESTLESS IN THE TIDES!!!  [ END ]