Society’s Plague: A Canvas of Intensity

If you are into melodic metal bands such as Killswitch Engage and In Flames, then you will surely enjoy the canvas of intensity spewed forth by Society’s Plague.  Based out of Lexington, KY, the band has just unleased a disc of compelling tunes entitled The Human, The Canvas on Stand & Deliver Records.  A thrilling band well on the way to making their name and music known throughout the States, we decided it was time to catch up with this mighty metal plague!  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Society’s Plague, and how long the band has been together.
Hey everyone, my name is Matt and I am the front man for Society’s Plague. We’ve been together for about 7 years now, building our fan base, touring, and working our way to a national level.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
Society’s Plague is based out of Lexington Kentucky, and for the time being the scene here is good, but it seems to go up and down a lot. Since it’s a college town we have a ton of different genres of music around.

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title The Human, The Canvas?
The overall theme for the album is being yourself. “The Human” part of the title refers to people in general and how everyone is able to make their own decision, whether they’re good decisions or bad decisions. Everyone has a chance to make life what they want it to be, some people will make the most of the opportunities and choices they have and others will not.
“The Canvas” part of the title refers to being able to start with a blank canvas.
Just like a painting every person starts as a blank canvas, who you are and what you stand for is up to how you paint yourself.

Where did you get the ideas for some of your lyrics? Please cite two songs in particular, and what the lyrics are about.
I try not to got into personal meanings behind the lyrics in our songs. I like for everyone to take a listen and get their own meaning out of it and relate it to something that has taken place in their lives. I think people can connect with music better that way, If I tell you a song it about politics and you thought it was a love song, it ruins the listeners perception on the song.

What was it like opening for Lacuna Coil and did you get to meet Cristina or any of the other members?
It was pretty crazy honestly, because it was such a busy event we really didn’t get a chance to mingle too much, we would have loved to meet Lacuna Coil – we just didn’t have the chance. We did get a chance to hang out and chat with the guys in Spineshank and Bury Your Dead – all those guys were real cool and gave us some good advice about touring and stuff.

What could one expect from a live Society’s Plague show?
Intensity. We really go all out at our shows; there are no gimmicks or anything, just pure emotion. We want people to feel what we feel when we play and I think it really sets us apart from a lot of bands out there that are just trying to play songs that they think kids will like. A Society’s Plague show is never boring that’s for sure. We are working on some new live show ideas right now for our East Coast tour in October.

Some of the members were involved in a van accident towards the beginning of the year. Has everyone recovered and what exactly happened?
Yea, it was right in the middle of recording for “The Human, The Canvas” up in Cleveland at Spider Studios. Mike, Joe and Kate were on their way to the store to pick up some food and a drunk guy driving a Ford F-150 crossed the line and hit them head on. There were a few broken bones and some sore backs and necks but everyone has fully recovered. Luckily Roger knew most of the guitar parts and we were able to have him step in and finish a couple parts we were looking to change.

Has the band ever played here in the Los Angeles/OC area or plan to do so in the future?
We haven’t yet, after our East Coast tour in October we are going to start routing a tour for January/February and we are planning to hit the West Coast then. Let me be honest – nobody wants to tour the East Coast with 3 feet of snow on the ground, Ha Ha Ha.

Combined, Tony Gammalo and Ben Schigel have some pretty impressive Producer credits. What did they contribute to the overall recording process and did they give you any advice while in the studio?
They both really brought a professional ear to the sound we were trying to bring to the album. Their advice was invaluable. They make sure all the bands they record know exactly why they were tweaking this or changing that. It was a great learning experience.
We worked with Tony for almost the entire album and Ben jumped in when he heard something he really liked or thought we should tweak.

Does your keyboardist Kate go on tour with you, and how does she feel about the prospect of touring with a bunch of guys?
She sure does and I’m not sure how she feels about touring with a bunch of guys. So far we’re all still alive so I guess that means she’s found a way to manage. We’re all like family though, so it really is a lot easier to get along than most people think.

How did you wind up being signed to Stand and Deliver Records?
We had been looking for a way to get our music and band to the next level and Stand and Deliver Records was a label that really stuck out to us as being a family and not just another record label.
Our manager was able to get in contact with them and after several talks we were able to strike a deal. Its been great so far. We are just working on getting all our stuff together so we are able to be on the road full time.

What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most after hearing The Human, The Canvas for the very first time?
I would like everything to stand out, to a first time listener, but most of all I want listeners to be able to connect with the album, even if its just with one part, lyrics, a great guitar riff, or one of the drum beats.
I hope our album is a memorable one to everyone who listens to it.

Any final words of wisdom?
To unsigned bands: It only gets hard being signed, its more work and pressure then being able to just promote and tour whenever its convenient for your band.
To fans: Thanks for supporting us through everything, continuing to support us, and check out our new tour dates, Merchandise and Dinglife.com

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

Society’s Plague on Myspace