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1) You recently moved from Ohio, to "The Sunshine State", how do you like it down here compared to up there? I think it's okay here. I've noticed that the people are a little happier. (laughs)
Up north everyone is bitter as hell. But, I can tell already that I'm gonna miss the Fall. I thrive on September through November.
Eventually, I'll have to head back up north. Not in the near future though. Things up there were getting real dead. The music scene has been non-existent for
years now. Pittsburgh used to be the scene, but not anymore. It's all the same washed up cock-rock bands playing the same
shitty holes and that's all anyone wants. Then you got all the businesses closing up and the area is just dying out. It was
time to run. I had no choice. Drew Blood exited the band in July of 2005, right before the release
of "The Road To Hallow's Eve." Musicians are impossible to find up there, so I knew I'd never get a serious guy in there quick
enough to go out and support the new release. And we never did find anyone. Things were at an all-time low. When 2006 hit
I just packed up and left. Damien and Johnny stayed in Ohio. Johnny has solid roots there, but Damien has been expressing
interest in coming down here. We'll see. I split with Coffin Records in March of this year. It was a mutual agreement, seriously.
Coffin Records was having trouble marketing us. Hallowmas was having trouble getting out steadily because of the drummer problems.
Both the lable and the band were getting hurt, so we decided that it was best to split. Hallowmas was going to do the Kiss thing....we were all going to release a solo disc
to be sold exclusively at our shows. No one really got going on theirs except me, and when things got really slow for Hallowmas
I turned my full attention to it. It was something that I wanted to do by myself. At first, I entertained the thought
of having other musicians play on certain songs here and there, but realized how much longer it would take to organize that.
Musicians are hard to work with. (laughs) So, I got in the studio and started pounding away. One month later I had 26 tracks
for the release. I write with a formula alot. With Hallowmas, I use alot of poppy set ups and commercial
appeal disguised as abrasive music. Writting the solo material was very easy because it was September when I started on it,
and being a practicing Pagan, I poured all of the energy and electricity of that time of year and the coming Harvest season
into that album. And I really set out to show people that Paganism isn't a dark and evil thing. People are evil, not religions.
So, with the album, the music is dark. But if you get in there and read the lyrics you'll find that it's not blood and guts,
fire and brimstone, and killing. It's dominantly Earth worship and some voodoo. I really think it comes across too. I enjoy being in a band more. I'm not the kind of person that refuses to deviate
from a vision. I'd rather work off of other musicians and bring my songs to them and let them work their magic with it. Alot
of the time they add things and spawn ideas that otherwise you wouldn't have thought of. So, when I write a song for a band
that I'm in it's always just a template. Then, it goes to rehearsals and each member works with me on what they feel should
be their interpretation of it. With a solo project, first and foremost there's always the fear of being viewed as egotistical.
And, honestly, it's not as rewarding for me. I like having the gang around. The boys club. (laughs) For right now I'll continue pushing the solo project. But if I can pick up some guys
down here I'll be taking it out to people. As for Hallowmas? I'd like to say that if Damien moves down here then Hallowmas
will be back. Hallowmas was the best vision that I've ever worked with and had the most potential for growth. I'd love to
continue with it. But there's alot riding on that, so you never know what could happen. Yes. There are 18 tracks finished and ready to roll. There are some great songs in
the mix too. I really feel that this was our opus, so to speak. We put alot of time and creativity into this one. I made sure
that we did some things that we haven't done with other releases. The guitar work is alot different with this stuff. I did
alot of different things with my vocals as well. I don't think that I'd want to put it out on Pagan Club records because there's
no distribution there. I talked with Coffin Records last week and they actually expressed some interest about maybe doing
something with it. Again, with the industry, you never know. Tomb Dragomir is a good friend of mine. He hosts Rue Morgue Radio and also writes
reviews in Rue Morgue magazine. When they were really starting to get the radio thing going I wrote a theme song and just
sent it to him, no strings attached. He loved it and they used it right away. He recently extended an open invitation to do
some instrumental music, background sounds, and stuff like that for the show. So, I'll be working on that little by little.
It's a great show. I recomend that any horror fan go to the site and listen. It may be a while. I've got some things to do in the studio first. But I have been
thinking about it. The Hallowmas discs were coming out left and right because it was written in abundance. So we could release
CDs all the time. With the solo stuff it takes a little longer. Plus, another solo would have to be in a different vein. So,
I'd have to hash that out. It could be happening at the end of this year or early 2007. I've got a project that I'm hitting in the studio. It's been elaborated on at my
website. And I'll be busy doing the Rue Morgue Radio thing. I'm very excited about that. And in the back of my mind I'm always
thinking about Hallowmas and playing with a band. Thank you. Your interviews always rule. Music-wise this cd couldn't get any better. Randall has really stepped
up and shown what he is all about in every aspect. Note: this album isn't limited to Horror Rock or Punk for that matter.
More or less, it's Death Rock laced with enough dynamite to make you go BOOM after the initial lines of the first tune, "The
Witches Wheel". Randall does wear his influences on his sleeve a good bit, although it's not exactly what you'd expect. Bauhaus,
The Doors and Samhain, are all artist that quickly come to mind when listening to this cd; it encompasses the deepness of
Bauhaus and The Doors while achieving and harnessing the aggression and brute strength that was Samhain. The tune "In Flames"
gives me a feeling like I had when I first heard the November's Coming Fire disc. It's dark, hazy and features a ton of great
guitar riffs and melody lines. "Candlemas (Black Shadows)" is another splendid tune dripping with addictive riffs and vocal
stylings. Randall, slows the pace down almost to a screeching halt on "Waiting On The Hand Of Death", a brooding Death ballad
of sorts that spins an unforgettable web of forbidden bliss. Those who are familiar with Randall's band, Hallowmas, may identify
with the intro to "Hallowtide". In a strange and almost unknown way it sounds like the intro to "The Hanging Girl". In the
breakdown there seems to be a chant of sorts that I cannot get out of my head for anything, maybe it's subliminal, either
way it's good stuff! I also get the same feeling with the track "Embrace The Embers" only without the chants. The tempo of
this track is mid-paced and holds up fairly well, while the chord progressions are the backbone of the track. The crooning
vocals seal the deal for me, Randall's voice is angelic-like in a ghostly way.
Season Of Death is chocked full of many more excellent tunes deserving
of an honorable mention; "Sin Again", "Become The Night" and "Brand The Witches" are just a few of them and last but not least,
"Broken Wing". This song is worth the price of the cd alone; the lyrics are heartwarming, the music is breathtaking and the
vocals break all boundaries of human expectation. At times it feels like an old, kindred spirit takes over my being. This
is nothing new, Boris Randall has always had the ability to write songs that have this affect on the listener. This cd has
been a blast and I cannot for the life of me see how one could go without it in their collection. I strongly suggest you check
it out, only fifty are being pressed! There could very well be a chance that once they're gone they're gone for good! Don't
miss out....pre-orders are being taken now.
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