INTERVIEW: Seraphim Shock

The following original interview with Mr. Charles Edwards, the lead singer of the musical group, "Seraphim Shock", is made possible with the permission of interviewer, Steven Holiday, Executive Director of"Gothic Beauty Magazine".

GB: Your new album has been postponed until Fall of 2001. Can you tell us why it's been pushed back?

SS: Originally I planned on releasing the new album in the Spring of 2001. After looking at our schedule over the next year and being generally dissatisfied with the engineering on "Nightmares For The Banished". The band and I decided we should wait until next Fall so we would have an entire year to do nothing but write and record. I came away from the last CD felling really good about the quality of song writing but very let down by our engineer. The next CD will be engineered by myself and our former guitarist Greg Kammerer ("Red Silk Vow").

GB: Is there a working title for the new album?

SS: The working title for the next CD is "Flesh Doctrine". I have several other names in mind, but it's almost a year out, so we'll see.

GB: How will the new album be different than previous release? Anything you're focusing differently about on now?

SS: I believe the next CD will be even more diverse than "Red Silk Vow" was. "Nightmares" was really just a continuation of "RSV". I think people are going to hear some styles they would have never associated us with before.. Not necessarily the entire disc but certain songs are going to really fuck with peoples pre-conceived ideas of what "SS" is. I believe that this band can do pretty much anything because my vocals tend keep everything intact.

GB: How has "SS" been received in Europe and the rest of the world?

SS: "SS" has been very well received in countries like Brazil, Chile, etc., etc. Not exactly what one would have imagined when we first started out. In the past six months, we have begun to see genuine interest in the U.K. It's simply a matter of exposure for us. Everywhere we are exposed, the reaction is the same. It takes time. We are very patient and eventually European audiences will get to see our show. Places like Denmark and Norway are definitely targets for us because of the "Black Metal" crossover.

GB: Your new single "Prey" is out and, if it's any indication of what lies ahead from the new album, I think your fans will be excited. Can you tell us the story behind "Prey"? What is the message of the song?

SS: There isn't any particular message behind "Prey". It was written specifically for the soundtrack with an obvious vampire theme. What I wanted to do was give our listeners a more sinister look into that world. It does exist but I don't think the average person understands the harsh reality involved -- kind of the "it's too late by the time you understand".

GB: Who are your musical influences?

SS: Oh Christ! Where do I begin? My influences are such a sick conglomeration. The funny thing is: I'll hear that said in interviews with bands that are notorious for being clones. Hmmmm..."Ozzy", "The Ramones", "Billy Idol", "Queensryche" -- everything from punk to black metal to glam to death rock to techno. If you listen to our music and take away the vocals, you'll really hear what I'm saying. "Cradle" has a very techno feel, where as "Annabell" is a three chord punk song, slowed down. I mean, listen to "Beyond Forever" and then skip over to "Flowered Mary". If you didn't know us, would you think that it was the same band? I think this is one of our strengths.

GB: What's your favorite piece of Gothic clothing?

SS: Definitely my top hat. It survived two national tours and twelve weeks on the road in '99. Don't know if that's so gothic but it saved my ass when my hair was long and we were touring in the middle of summer in 100 degree heat.

GB: SS headlined GothCon 2000. Will you be back for GothCon 2001?

SS: I hope so. I believe it's going to be held in New Orleans this year? At this point it's up to the promoters.

GB: You're playing in New Orleans over Halloween. Can you tell us the specifics of the venue for those of us that will be there?

SS: Actually, I'm about as informed as you are at this point. I have seen pictures of the hall and I am sure that it's going to be one hell of a show. We always strive to kick people asses. For those of you who are coming to New Orleans: better be careful what you wear on Halloween night. That's all I'll say for now. See ya there.

End Of The Interview.