Interview with Benjamin Woods – Flametal –

B.W : There was never much music played in my house. I think the first
ablum I had was Michael Jackson. But the first songs I really started playing
were from Iron Maiden. I spent years learning their albums note for note and
that really gave me a good foundation.

M.S: How much time did you have to learn the songs before having to play
them live?

B.W : I assembled the band about 6 months before our first gig, and we would
practice once a week. I got lucky with this group. They are all stellar musicians
who would do their homework.

M.S: What kind of stuff did you grow up listening to?Is that the stuff you
listen to today as well?

B.W : In my formative years, I was a metal-head through and through. Had
my mom take in my jeans and all that! Exodus, Kreator, Testament, Voivod, and
Kind Diamond are like old friends that I continue to play. To me, it just doesn’t
get much better than that.

M.S: How long have you guys been a band?

B.W : I guess we’ve been together for almost 2 years now. The line-up hasn’t
changed other than adding another bass player(yes we now have 2), and the addition
of 2 more Flamenco dancers for the last couple shows.

M.S: Tell us about the recordings of your debut album! Fun stories, who
wrote the songs, where did you find your inspiration for lyrics etc?

B.W : Well the recording was pretty painless actually. We got together after
not rehearsing for like 2 months, then just started recording live! We did some
solos and vocals a few days later but the core of it is flamenco guitar, bass
and drums, completely live without protools tomfoolery. I think we went through
each song twice, then took the better version of it. That whole process lasted
all of about 6 hours, thanks to our very talented engineer Bob K. Doing the
vocals was a trip because, I’ll be the first to admit, "I aint no singer". However
I wrote all the music, and the little horror stories that each song had. I couldn’t
find a singer with the right vibe, so fuck it, I guess I’ll have to do it. I’ve
learned to scream a lot better these days, but you can’t look back.

M.S: How did the writing process work? Did someone bring in a song to work
on or was it spontaneous, ideas coming from jamming and just playing together?

B.W : It all started when a collegue of mine (and guitar
genious) Jason McGuire offered to record a flamenco song of mine, just being
cool. We recorded a demo of Bruja, and had so much fun, we then did demo versions
of Cuatro Caballeros, and P’alla al Infierno Vas. I wrote and played those tunes
on Flamenco and electric guitar. Jason was very generous with his talent and
provided the computer drum tracks and bass guitar tracks for those tunes. It
was definatley wild and new, and I spent the most time with the band learning
these songs and rhythmical forms correctly. The guys in the band are all so
individually brilliant, that after learning those, everything else became easy.
For this album I wrote all the songs and had a definite idea of how I wanted
each part played. And of course I wanted everyone’s individual personality coming
out strong. With our new material for the next album, everyone has more of an
equal role, and the tunes are just plain killer.

M.S: Can you tell us which songs on the record are your favorites from a
guitar point of view?

B.W : My personal favorite are Journey into Fear for it’s dynamics and flow,
classical breakdown as well as getting to play the cumbus(a fretless 12 string
turkish banjo). Then there is Cuatro Caballeros(a traditional sevillanas) for
it’s deep roots in flamenco and it’s overall crazyness in arrangement. Both
are quite challenging to pull off perfectly.

M.S: Some of the better songs from the album are "Silencio/Escobilla", "Bruja
Tortura", or "The summoning", what can you tell us about them?

B.W : Ok, the "Silencio/escobilla" are flamenco terms related to dance form
called "alegrias" in major and 12/8 time. The silencio is the guitarists individual
invention as a "breakdown" in minor, followed by a long footwork section by
the dancer(escobilla). We have made it a bit more challenging by turning it
into a tanguillos(both 2/4 and 6/8) and then into a buleria(12/8) at the end.
It is the most "flamenco" piece on the album. Just me and the dancers, recorded
live of course. Bruja is sort of our flagship song. Although an instrumental,
it really sounds like FLAMETAL, with some heavy Slayer influence. The Summoning’s
opening riff is inspired by the brilliant Vicente Amigo. From this similar riff,
I used it as a spring board, and the rest of the song just wrote itself. I had
originally recorded it as a fusion song with cello over 4 years before just
as an experiment.

M.S: Your album is only available in the USA, is there any web to buy it?
Would it be a chance to distribute it on Europe?

B.W : It is for sale now on CDBABY.com at www.cdbaby.com/flametal which
I believe is available in europe too, just not everywhere. Paid for it all on
a meager musician’s living, so without a distribution deal of some kind, I just
cant get it eveywhere myself. Hell, It’s probaly on the web for free by now,
go grab it up!

M.S: Why have you used voices closer to black metal instead of clearer ones?

B.W : I love black metal!!! And as I stated before, I’m no singer. I would
say they are more the thrash style than black metal, but that’s just me. I just
scream out my stories man.

M.S: Do you have any kind of relationship with Spain?

B.W : Well I spent some good time in Sevilla and Madrid. Learned more by
breathing in the air and hanging out than in any guitar lesson. Andalucia is
the cradle of Flamenco, which is rich with culture, music, art, challenge, and
personality. The people LIVE and the music rocks! I really feel at home there.

M.S: In which moment did you think about mixing flamenco guitar with heavy
rhythms?

B.W : From the first moment I heard Flamenco guitar. I thought to myself
"if these guys played metal, they would shred all over everyone!". Especially
when listening to Paco de Lucia. They use the Phrigian scale mostly and so does
much metal(whether it knows it or not). For me there was no other option: I
had to learn this stuff and eventually bring it to the metal-heads.

M.S: How was it working with Marty Friedman?

B.W : It was a real honor. I was lucky enough to be asked to do a little
playing on his "music for speeding" solo album up in a petaluma studio, and
in turn he threw down some solos on "Bruja" the demo version only(currently
not available). He is a very cool, stand up, honest guy with chops for days
and had a big influence on me. He did the solos in japan and sent me them in
the mail. Great guy.

M.S: Do you remember the first gig you guys played as Flametal and where
it was?

B.W : Our first gig was Halloween 2004 at La Pe–a in Berkeley, CA. It a
latin cultural center where I have performed many times in authentic Flamenco
situations. We had people there form 8 to 80 years and I think most eveyone
was just morbidly curious what the hell this was gonna sound like. I believe
we crushed with utter heaviness and gained respect from both the flamenco aficionados
and the metal-heads.

M.S: What can we find in a Flametal live performance?

B.W : Entertainment. I was sick of see ing 4 ugly dudes on a stage boring
me with their predictable 4/4 riffs. In Flametal we try to give the audience
a real stage show with integrety. Our dancers are professional Flamenco dancers,
the best california has to offer. They weave a seductive web of authenticity,
fusion and sexuality. With original choreography, they tell the tales of the
horror stories in the songs, as the band crushes the 2 genres together behind
them. The band is comprised of professional musicians and we like to challenge
ourselves with music that shreds, AND has taste with a wide range of dynamics.
We strive to bring art to these venues that may have previously only known music.

M.S: Have you any plans to tour with the album?it would be great to see
you live…

B.W : Of course. We will eventually tour, but without a label or tour support,
it is very expensive. However, we are trying to plan a west coast tour now scheduled
near the end of this year. Although many people at labels love Flametal, it’s
different, and these people just dont know what to do with it. We’ll continue
to play this type of music whether they "get it" or not. We do it to please
ourselves.

M.S: What are you currently up to?

B.W : We are 5 songs into a new product and continue to write and record.
Playing shows here and there around california right now. Each one of us are
professional artists, musicians, or dancers and we all make a living at this.
When I’m not working with Flametal, I’m working as a flamenco guitarists performing
around the country with different artists and continuing to study the art.

M.S: We’ve come to the end, thank you for spending your time with us…
If you want to say something to your fans and our readers, this is your moment.

B.W : Thank you to those who support us! Check out www.flametal.com And
for the naysayers, I ask you this: Is flamenco and metal any more ridiculous
than operatic, or symphonic metal? The intense lifestye and music of the gypsy/flamenco
culture is perhaps much more "metal" than you might have thought.

David A.
Photos: www.flametal.com