Float Face Down's Rich Talks Old Music Meets New Music
Metal titans Float Face Down have released their newest album to date "Exitium Verum" with that they are currently in the writing process for the follow-up due out sometime soon. Guitarist Rich discusses the band's writing style, album release, and just how everything got it's start up until this point in time and place.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Float Face Down, and how long the band has been together.
Rich: My name is Rich and I play guitar. I am an original member of FFD since the band was formed in the fall of 2006.
2. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Rich: We are based out of Central New Jersey. We come from a pretty violent music scene. When we first started out, our shows were very wild which is why we tried to make our music so heavy. There are so many talented bands located in NJ such as our friends in Existence, Trauma, My Bitter End, and Sirens. I recommend checking out all of them!
3. How did the band get its name Float Face Down?
Rich: Ron (vocals) hit me up to jam for a new project he was working on. I had known who he was from his previous band. He told me that one of his friends recommended he name his new band "Float Face Down." I was so happy with the name and I was even more stoked on the fact that I didn't have think of a band name because it's something that I HATE doing!
4. Is there any story or concept behind the Exitium Verum title?
Rich: Exitium Verum means true destruction in Latin. We wanted to have an album title that fit our music and lyrics. Calling an album "True Destruction" sounds pretty lame, so we made it a bit more interesting.
5. Select two songs from Exitium Verum and tell me what inspired the lyrics.Rich: Unfortunately, I have nothing to do with writing the lyrics. We all trust Ron with that part. I do know that the song "The Broken Switch" is about somebody completely losing their mind. I also know that "In the Lion's Den" is about slutty girls. Again, Ron would know more bout this than I do.
6. Who produced Exitium Verum and what was it like working with them?
Rich: The album was recorded by Kevin Kumetz. We had worked with him previous to recording the album. We recorded at Barbershop Studios in Hopatcong NJ. The studio was beautiful and it was a blast recording there.
7. Who did the cover art for Exitium Verum and how much input did you have on it?
Rich: I'm not sure who exactly did the album art. Originally we wanted to have a crazy scene from a mental institution as the album art, but we decided that would be corny so we went with something more simple and to the point.
8. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
Rich: Most, if not all of our songs are negative. They are usually about violence and anger but in different contexts. For example, The Broken Switch is about somebody losing their mind and causing violence.
9. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Rich: For the album, we all got together twice a week and wrote every single song except for the instrumental, which was written by myself and our other guitar player at the time. The lyrics are written by Ron once the music is established.
10. Who are your musical influences?
Rich: We all have a wide variety of influences. Personally, my influences consist of The Black Dahlia Murder, Pantera, Nevermore, In Flames, At the Gates, Darkest Hour, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, As I Lay Dying, Lamb Of God. Just to name a few.
11. Do you guys have plans for new music or a follow-up release?
Rich: We are in the process of writing it now. It's coming out awesome so far and were stoked for people to hear new stuff.
12. What are your upcoming touring plans and plans for this year?
Rich: We just got off tour with My Bitter End, Ark of the Covenant, and Reaping Asmodeia. We have no plans for future tours. We would like to get the album out first.
13. What advice would you give to fellow bands, who want to do what you're doing?
Rich: Make the right business decisions, don't give up, work hard, and make sure you are enjoying yourself. It's not easy. You're going to see all of your friends graduate college, get jobs, and make money. Just remember that you are doing something way more interesting and hopefully more rewarding than they are.
14. Any final words of wisdom?
Rich: Just a big thank you to all of our supporters. Stay metal !
