DIVISION are one of the best known underground Progressive/Power Metal bands in the United States. With a new release coming soon through Progressive Arts,ANTHONY DE LUCA sent the questions to band and got their replies. Read below for a very well-done interview with a very good band.
U.F.-For those who have never heard of Division, please decribe your playing style and influences.
D.-Influences are pretty basic - IRON MAIDEN,METALLICA,FORBIDDEN, etc. We're
pretty much influenced by anything we listen to, in some ways. My personal influences run from classic rock stuff like YES through the NWOBHM and the
Bay Area thrash bands, with pretty much only either high-quality or underground stuff from the '90s really being much of an influence.
As for playing style, like many of the more "underground" U.S. metal bands,
we don't really sound like anybody. We're about as heavy as Iced Earth, but we're probably a little more complex than them. If you like stuff like
NEVERMORE,JAG PANZER,and BLIND GUARDIAN, you'll probably like us - but we don't sound like them.
U.F.-Go back as far as you can, and fill us in on the band's early days. Who started the band, and why the name Division?
D.-The band was originally started by Matt, our original bassist Chris Welborn (who's now in another excellent DC-area band called BRAVE), and another
guitarist. When I joined in '93, it was Matt, Chris, and drummer Steve Henson. We added Scott Stewart on vocals a couple of months later, since Matt and I had been in bands with him before and knew his voice would fit the music we were doing well. We were doing more of a doomy, SOLITUDE AETURNUS-type thing in the beginning, but that soon started to wander into
more upbeat territory. Given our backgrounds, that shouldn't have surprised us.
Steve Henson left a short while after that, and we played with a bunch of different people - writing songs all the while - until we found Steve Miller
in early '95. This lineup started playing live shows under the name VISIONARY, and recorded the demo that would become half of the "Paradise Lost" album.
Chris left soon after that, and Alex Lyman played bass on the second half of the "Paradise" sessions. Al's still a good friend, and he did the artwork for both "Paradise" and "Ascension".
We changed our name right at the same time that Steve Miller left, after being contacted by another VISIONARY that was in the process of signing a
recording deal. Humorously enough, they ended up not going through with the deal, and changing their name - to READING ZERO. We're good friends now. We
decided on DIVISION mainly because we wanted something easy to remember and that carried a "link" to VISIONARY.
U.F.-The first full length album, "Paradise Lost" was released in 1996. How was the writing/recording process, and what are your thoughts on this stepping-stone album?
D.-The album was split into two parts, with the first half being recorded in early summer '95 and the second half being done late in that year and carrying over into '96. With the exception of "Winter's Rain", the songs had all been around for a while - "Free" dates to '92 - so we had a lot to pick from.
I still like the songs on this album, and I think the production is actually pretty good, except for the crappy drum sound. Of course, the general public
never got to hear it, because we left the mastering to the repro company based on some bad advice, and their "mastering" just destroyed it. We still
play "Free" and "Beginnings" regularly.
U.F.-Did the band do any touring for this first album? Any significant memories that come to mind?
D.-We did a lot of local shows, and started to branch out from our area at this point. After E.J. Ripple joined in the Spring of '96, we really started
writing some new songs, so some of the "Paradise" songs didn't get played much anymore. There are a ton of memories, though - especially our "lost
weekend" dates with VICIOUS RUMORS, and the multitude of cool national acts we played with. Well, and a lot of drinking and debauchery...
U.F.-In 1998, "Ascension to Eternity" was released on Siegen Records. What took so long to release this album, seeing "Paradise..." was released 3 years prior?
D.-Well, we had members change - Alex Lyman was replaced by Dan Plunkett - and we were playing so much that it took us a long time to write. "Ascension"
was originally going to be an EP, with some new versions of "Paradise" songs and a couple of new ones, but it ended up growing into a full-blown album.
It was recorded in two sessions, and we actually wrote a couple of the better songs - "Children of the Stone" and "Remembrance" - between the two.
U.F.-How did the band attract the attention of Siegen Records? Do you feel they do all they can to support/push the band?
D.-Keith Menser of Seigen had recommened the studio that we recorded "Ascension" in, and after seeing us play at Powermad '97 and hearing some of the new tracks, he expressed an interest in releasing it. Since we didn't have a label at the time, we thought it would be a good deal for all of the parties involved.
We're no longer with Seigen, though. Our new album, "Trinity", will be released by Progressive Arts. They're a bigger label, with better
distribution, so it's certainly a step in the right direction!
U.F.-DIVISION has appeared on several compilation albums & tribute albums. Please mention a few, and how they can be obtained for those who wish to hear a sample of your material.
D.-Well, let's see - we're on "The Return of the Mountain King - a Tribute to Savatage" on Progressive Arts, doing "Power of the Night", and we also did
"Ton of Bricks" for their upcoming Metal Church tribute. We've also done several on Dwell, including "Hell Rules: a Tribute to Black Sabbath"
("Heaven and Hell"), "Hell Bent for Metal: a Tribute to Judas Priest" ("Desert Plains"), and "Awaken the Demon: a Tribute to Dio" ("Rainbow In the Dark"). We've been on all of the Powermad festival compilations, too, and some other magazine comp CD's. All fo the tributes are easily available.
U.F.- From these tribute albums, my personal favorite is the cover of "Desert Plains"(Judas Priest). It's done so passionately!! Whose idea was it to include those extra guitar licks in the beginning? Do you perform this song live?
D.-Yeah, we did it live a few times - it went over really well, too. Matt and I generally try to put a Division "stamp" on the guitar parts for the cover
tunes, so things like the extra guitar licks in there and the quote from the "Heading Out to the Highway" solo will tend to show up.
U.F.-Who are some of the bands you've shared the stage with? From these bands,which was the best experience?
D.-Man, there have been a lot of them, at all levels. Savatage, Bruce Dickinson, Enertia, Dio, Nevermore, Iced Earth, Jag Panzer, I could go on forever here. Savatage are great guys, and probably the best live band I've ever seen. Nevermore are super cool, very down-to-earth, and into some serious drinkin'. Playing with Dickinson scared me to death, but he and
Adrian both were very cool, normal guys. Well, Bruce was a bit miffed that he got left at the mall, but that's a long story. Vicious Rumors were awesome to play and hang out with. Jag Panzer are awesome guys and a great band. As for the less well known, Twisted Tower Dire and Enertia are great friends of ours, and we always seem to play great together.
>10. How has the fan reaction been to the band's performances, and where do you draw the largest crowds?
D.-We draw as well as any of the local bands doing our kind of stuff, and we always get a good reaction. The scene here is kind of flat. We work hard at being rehearsed and putting on a good show, and it usually pays off. The fans who see us are great, I just wish there were more of them! We seem to do well in Philly, too, for some reason.
U.F.-As a musician, whee do you see yourself and the band 5 years from now? Any goals or aspirations you feel have not yet been attained?
D.-I think our music will continue to grow - we get better at what we do on every album, and they should be coming along a little quicker now. We'd like
to do some touring, although we all still have day jobs, so it would have to be brief. Still, Jag Panzer manages to do it...
U.F.-As of right now, what's going on on the band? Any song-writing done, of a new album in the works?
D.-Yep, we have a new album called "Trinity" that's being mastered right now, and will be released on Progressive Arts this spring. It's a continuation of
the direction we started in with "Ascension", but I think all of the songs are better.
U.F.-Any plans to hit the west-coast, or even Europe?
D.-Well, we'd love to, but there are no plans as of yet...
U.F.-That's about it. Thanks for the interview; it was a pleasure! Any final comments, or something I missed?
D.-Nope, that about covers it, Thanks!
DIVISION-Discography
