Fashion Bomb

MM: Are your stage costumes and image, as well as the symbolism in your videos, important to your overall band concept?
Drone1: The reason Fashion Bomb can do what we do is that we’re the real article. We are absolutely all into what we do. When you see Fashion Bomb onstage you are seeing the same people as if you ran into us at the hot dog stand or movie theater.
Val: Well said Drone1, it is true that we like to take time to make sure that our audience gets a visual show as well as a great sounding one. We also have a lot of meaning and substance to our music, so every image you see is tied into our message and who we are as a band and as individuals.
Acid: It's all part of the larger concept.

MM: You take elements of Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Tool and Fear Factory, among others from what I can decipher. How do you arrange these influences to conjure up a sound of your own?
Acid: I don't think it's really a conscious thing. While occasionally we set almost like "assignments" for ourselves to try this type of intro or that type of arrangement, writing for us is usually a very organic process where we all just do what we naturally do, and polish the result.
Val: I think for us it is easy to be larger than a sum of our influences. While we certainly draw from our influences, we also draw on our creativity as artists to push the envelope and evolve music. As writers, we endeavor to compose music that we would like to hear, and that we would like to get into a pit and throw down to. It seems to be a natural process for us.

MM: Do you consider yourself metal or strictly Industrial?
Acid: We incorporate elements from both, as well as from rock, alternative, classical, etc. I might be a little too close to the music to try to objectively determine our genre. That might be a job for fans and music critics.
Val: I feel that we are a metal band with a bit of industrial thrown in. There are others that see us as a dark rock band, and others that feel some of our tunes are true industrial tracks. I guess we are more true to the songs rather than to a genre.

MM: You are known to put on an energetic live show.What do you try to deliver for the crowd?
Val: Our live show is definitely an interactive experience between us and the audience. We are all about the exchange of energy, the emotion and performance of the music and the reflected reaction of the crowd. Metal fans have such a deep appreciation for the music, it is integrated in their daily lives. Our lives are the music. That creates a commonality that is powerful live.
Drone1: When we play live we give everything we have to our fans who come out to see us. . We play our asses off and give the people the best show possible every time we go out there.
Acid: Lots of energy. I should be exhausted at the end of a set. I love playing this music, and I love audiences that love the music as much as I do. I think it comes across when you see us.

MM: Who writes the lyrics and what is the subject matter derived from?
Acid: The lyrics, and the stories and concepts behind them, are all by Val. Trace and I focus on the music.
Val: When Acid and Trace are hammering out the musical parts for a song, I start to get an emotional direction for how a song "feels", as well as ideas for vocal melodies. I then draw from past experience or a relevant theme for an interesting story to convey a point of view along those lines.

MM: On the song "Christ Puncher," are you conveying a dislike for organized religion or Christ in general, and do you consider yourself anti-religious?
Acid: Organized religion is poison. It weakens and sickens societies. It preys on people's fear of death and the unknown and uses it to amass fortunes and assume power they have no right to. And they use fear to reinforce their marketing. It's like Coke vs. Pepsi, except you go to Hell if you pick the wrong one. And the sad thing is, both Coke and Pepsi are bad for you. Religion has been used to justify slavery, bigotry, and the massacre of millions upon millions of people. It is the main force holding back medicine, science, progress in general. Holding back moral progress, while claiming to be society's lone source of morality. If the only thing keeping you from doing horrible things to other people is some imaginary hell, then you are a bad person, and should probably find a nice agnostic or atheist to teach you about right and wrong for their own sake.
Val: Christ Puncher is definitely a song that bluntly shows a disdain for the sheep mentality. I am all about personal freedom, and if believing in God is your thing, more power to you. The song is supposed to be a reaction to those zealots who prefer to infringe others sensibilities by imposing their beliefs and values, rather than respecting alternate views. I would say I am not anti-religious as much as anti-ignorance. For my own personal choice though, I think organized religion is for cavemen.

MM: What prompted you to cover the Crüe's "Looks That Kill" and record it in the style you did?
Val: This choice was a homage to a pioneering rock band that we all respect and love. We wanted to honor them by presenting it in an alternate form, with our own interpretation.
Acid: And it's fun! I think it's the same impulse that a beginning guitarist has when he just wants to rock out and play "Iron Man." It's a lot of fun to play these songs you love. And when you record them, you have to put your own spin on them. I don't think it makes sense to just copy what the original artist did. You can't out-Crüe Mötley Crüe.

MM: What's next for Fashion Bomb?
Acid: Well, first we release Visions of the Lifted Veil this summer. Then, well, I'd like to get really fat, and then expect everyone to not notice.
Val: We also plan to tour extensively, so keep an eye out ... we should be in a city near you. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for our free email list at www.fashionbomb.net. You will get all the latest news right in your inbox.

Kelley Simms