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Many of your songs are so hard and intense that I am sure they translate well into a live setting taking on a completely new life in front of a live audience. How does it make you feel when the emotion and power that you envisioned in the recording studio, come to life while playing in front of a crowd?

 

“The number one thing that we think about when writing songs is the crowd. Our goal is to make sure that everyone in the crowd has a good time at our shows. It would be more accurate to say that we try to make the emotion and power that we feel at shows translate into our recordings.”

 

The name of the band Solemn Vow is interesting to say the least and sounds as if there is a story behind it. Where did the name come from and what is the story?

 

“As interesting as the name may sound, the truth is that we just kind of pulled it out of a hat. Five years ago, we just kind of brainstormed and came up with a bunch of names and literally put them into a hat. Solemn Vow was what we drew out and we have kept with it.”

 

Now that your brand new CD titled The American Dream is complete how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?

 

“We are really happy with the way the CD turned out. I cannot say that I am unhappy with any aspect of it. The whole thing was self-produced and self recorded so it really is kind of my baby. As someone with little to no experience recording, it really took a lot of sleepless nights to get it finished. I am very proud of what came out and I think it is a very strong release.”

 

What was the writing process like for this The American Dream? Did you guys all write together? How long did it take?

 

“The writing process for us is different for every song. The general formula is that either me or Josh Weeks usually come up with a song idea. We then take that idea into practice and jam out on it until we find something that everyone can kind of agree on. We then perfect all of the individual parts. The last thing that comes are the lyrics and that is almost always Kyle’s department.”

 

Are there any songs on The American Dream that are personal favorites or that have good stories behind them?

 

“Well my personal favorite is “Cheer Up Charlie, Give Me a Smile.” Almost every song title has a profound meaning that ties it into the subject of the song. Here are some explanations:

“The Gates of Hell Never Stood A Chance” - This is a clip from The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King where Aragorn is rallying the troops before a siege on the Black Gate of Mordor. Even though they were highly outnumbered and it made no logical sense to attack, they stood their ground and fought for what they believed in. I feel like it is a direct parallel with life as a Christian. Although it seems like you are outnumbered and it makes no sense in your mind to make a stand for your beliefs, you always have Christ on your side and with Him, the gates of Hell really have nothing against you. It fades perfectly into the next track on the CD.

”The Sound of Courage” - We had this song written and titled a long time ago and never recorded it. The chorus speaks about men standing at a gate and siege beginning. I was watching Lord of the Rings, saw the clip of the Siege of the Black Gate, and knew immediately that we had to make that clip and intro into this song. It fits so perfectly and really sums up the content of the song. It just talks about the true meaning of courage through struggles and adversity.

 

“Cheer Up Charlie, Give Me A Smile” - We had a few complaints from several churches that our music was too heavy and too dark to be about Christian values. This spawned an idea to write the heaviest song we have written to date, and then take the lyrics and make them the most upbeat and Christ-centric that we could. Although the song gets pretty heavy at parts, if you pick apart the lyrics, they are very similar to a normal praise song that you would hear at any normal church. The song is meant to be hopeful and make people smile. I then named it after a song in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the good one). I still cannot keep from smiling at the end of the song where it gets really heavy and the clip from The Dark Knight says, "Lets put a smile on that face!"

 

“Legalism: The Fall of Man”- This song title is pretty straightforward. It pretty much discusses how too much formality, or legalism, has destroyed the picture of the Church that Christ gave us through his teachings.

 

“Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are” - This song was written as a cry out to God. I am not really sure about the lyrics but I think they have some deep personal roots with Kyle. In the song Kyle screams "ARE YOU EVEN THERE?!" That is where I got the idea for the title.

 

“Our Daydreams Darken Into Nightmares” - This song is basically a musical interlude. I came up with the title because the song can be looked at as a kind of musical metaphor of a good dream gone bad. It starts off very soft and progresses into a kind of piano ballad. This is the "daydream" portion of the song. The music fades out then Kyle screams out to God "Bring us hope!" and the song gets heavy. This can be viewed as the "nightmare" portion of the song. The end of the song gets soft again. This can be viewed as God answering the cries for hope. It kind of shows that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark things get. This song is also thematically loosely tied in with "Wake Up Nemo" and "Even the Darkest Night."

 

“Somebody's Poisoned The Waterhole” - Although it could be compared with many different subjects, I like to view this song as bringing to light the corruption of Corporate America. I took the title from "Toy Story" and it relates to how Somebody (Big Corporations) has poisoned America's "waterhole" (the mainstream media, what most Americans depend on for everyday living).

 

“You're Killin' Me Smalls” - This is actually an older song that we rerecorded at the requests of some fans. I am at a complete loss to connect the title of this song with its content. I am pretty sure the song is about a girl that goes for all the wrong guys and always ends up broken and alone. The title comes from the movie "The Sandlot.” I am sure we had made a connection between the title and the song a long time ago but that has been long forgotten.

 

“Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain” - This song sheds light on how the people of today are led to follow a false "American Dream." At the end of the song, Kyle compares the American Dream to the Wizard of Oz. I got the title from that movie. The mainstream media represents the man behind the curtain, simultaneously corrupting the public and convincing them that the media is not at fault, beckoning them to "pay no attention" to the real problem.

 

“Wake Up Nemo, How Many Times Do I Have To Call You?” - This is actually our oldest song. I actually came up with most of the lyrics to this one. All of them stem from Ephesians 5:14 "Arise Oh Sleeper, rise up from the dead, and the light of Christ will shine in you."  It deals with the fact that so many Christians live their life "asleep," not living up to their full potential. It is a call to wake up and be what they are called to be in life. The title comes directly from an old Nintendo game called "Little Nemo: Dreammaster." It is loosely based on an old comic strip from the early 1900's. Nemo is Latin for "nobody." This title parallels "sleepers" with "nobodies" and is a call for them to "wake up" and become who they were made to be.

”Even The Darkest Night Brings Hope Of A New Dawn” - This track is actually the outro to "Wake Up Nemo." It just repeats Ephesians 5:14 over and over again in different voices. The title is meant to explain that no matter how bad things may seem, there is always a chance to start anew.”

 

What song off The American Dream is the most exciting to perform live?

 

“That is probably a three way tie between “Cheer Up Charlie,” “Man Behind the Curtain,” and “Legalism.” They all three have a lot of crowd participation written into them. Now we do have a Fall Out Boy cover of “Sugar We’re Going Down” that we play live that is by far the most exciting song we perform simply because EVERYONE in the crowd knows the words whether they want to or not. I think everyone definitely has the most fun playing that song.”

 

It is good to see a number of bands breaking away from the usual gore/horror, misogynist and anti religious themes usually associated with this genre. What prompted you to pursue this specific course in lyrical concept?

 

“Well, while we don’t taut ourselves as a “CHRISTIAN” band, all of our lyrics tend to have Christian themes. I am totally against pushing my beliefs on someone else, especially from on stage. But, when you are writing songs, you always have to write about something you are passionate about or the songs have no substance. We are all passionate about people and the relationships we share with people. So, if you take that passion and apply it through the filter of a Christian perspective, you get the main substance of what we sing about. No pressure, No judgment, Just passion.”

 

 

You guys have put a different spin on the whole metal scene. In a genre known for dark and often demonic themes, you have done the exact opposite, adding spiritual even religious themes. Has there been any backlash from the Metal community? What about backlash from the religious community? 

 

“There is definitely some backlash from both groups. As crazy as it may seem, the Metal community is a lot more open and understanding than the religious community is. Most bands that do not share our beliefs still respect us as human beings and our right to believe what we choose to believe. We do the same for them. I do not think we have ever gotten into so much as an argument with another band (and we have played with everyone from Christian praise bands to Anti-Christian black metal bands). I think the atmosphere in most (not all) of the Metal community is mutual respect for the other’s beliefs. The Christian church is another story. First of all the church is by far and away less unified than the Metal community. I am not going to go on a rant about the church because there are some really amazing people and amazing churches out there and I would be remiss to just go on a church bashing rant. I just personally believe that the church must become unified if they ever want to accomplish anything in the world. But yes….there has been backlash on both fronts.”

 

Every band has its musical influences. What are some of the other bands and artists that have greatly influenced you guys and your music?

 

“Believe it or not, I believe the bands that truly influence us the most are unsigned local bands. Bands that we saw play in our hometown before ever becoming a band ourselves. Bands that we play with at home and on the road. There are so many amazing bands that never get any attention from labels or sometimes from their own scene. I think the true talent is right in your back yard and it is something that so many people overlook.”

 

What is the one thing you travel with that you just cannot live without?

 

“Well that would definitely be different for every band member. I think as a band we would all agree that a small charcoal grill is the best $15 we have ever spent (even if we did run over it twice with the trailer). On tour, we spent less than $1 per meal per person by grilling hot dogs instead of eating fast food. It truly is a lifesaver when you are on the road and all you have left in the bank is 35 dollars to last you a month.”

 

What is the toughest lesson you ever learned in the studio and on the stage?

 

“In the studio the toughest lesson I ever learned was to ALWAYS back up your hard drive. I lost about 500gigs of recordings prior to leaving for tour. I am still a little sore about it. On stage the biggest lesson I would say I have learned over the years is that no matter how well you play the songs, if you do not perform and give your best on stage, people WILL get bored and leave.”

 

 

What does the future hold for you guys as a band?

 

“Well we are busy promoting our new album (which you can buy at solemnvow.bigcartel.com for very cheap. I am also working on writing a concept album. I cannot really give all of the details because it is definitely a personal labor of love and probably will not even be close to being finished for a long time. Until then, just keep up with us on Myspace. We have a lot of interviews and CD reviews and that kind of thing coming out every day. Thanks.”