- Hello! Yes, that is correct the new album will be out on March 22. As many are aware of Mike and I are brother. Unfortunately, our family went through some difficult times with a series of deaths that were in close proximity. Dealing with all the issues and emotion that come with that made it impossible to think about writing music and giving the band the attention it deserves. So, we found ourselves taking more time away than we originally thought we would. Once we decided to start writing music again we had some issues with finding the right members to work with which also contributed to the delay.

- There's certainly no doubt that we enjoy playing fast, we also have a lot of parts that we feel may fit a given song that's not non-stop blasting. "Of Pillars and Trees" is one of those occasions where we had a section that we felt this approach fit well. We have always been fans of brutal death metal, and we listen to a wide variety of metal. Eventually, it was certain something like this section would make its way into a Brodequin song.

In our opinion it sticks with the overall feel of the song and the mood we are trying to set with the album. The dark vibe of the piece, in our opinion was a positive addition to the song.

- I met Brennan at a festival, I think it was Chicago Domination and then ran into him again at the Las Vegas Deathfest. The Las Vegas Deathfest had a drum kit outside that Lille from Defeated Sanity and I were hanging around. Lots of people were playing on the kit and then Brennan started playing, he played a few Brodequin songs and they sounded great! I already had Brennan on my radar to ask about joining the band, but didn't realize he already knew some of the songs we perform live.

You are correct about Liturgy. A new album is being worked on now and the drum tracks have all been recorded. We are thinking it may be a summer 2024 release.

- The lyrical content has the expected inspiration as the other albums do. Pretty much all torture and execution techniques from across the ages, mainly from 500 AD – 1500 AD. But not 100% limited to that time range as many fantastic pieces of art and literature based on elements from that timeframe were created after 1500. I have a deep appreciation for history in general, but the so-called "Middle Ages" is where I really spend a lot of time researching. There are certainly challenges, different languages, pronunciation of some words is different depending on who you ask. I always reach out to a native speaker about any questions I have as I am putting together ideas for lyrics, etc. "Harbinger of Woe" itself comes from the idea of a person bearing/delivering something negative.

harbinger; plural Noun: harbingers – a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.

woe; interjection – a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief.

When you look at the cover art, it's easy to see that the unfortunate woman was delivered some misfortune to end up where she is.

A quick mention on a couple other songs. The first track is entitled "Diabolical Edict", which is based off of the accounts of a French priest named Urbain Grandier. He faced allegations of sorcery as he was believed to have bewitched a group of nuns. He was an early inspiration for the band as a whole, and in fact an image of him suffering the "Brodequin" is on the back of our "Instruments of Torture" shirt.

Another track called "Suffocation in Ash" deals with the practice of throwing victims into a specially prepared room, usually a pit. This room/pit was on fire with executioners turning large "fans" or "wheels" that would churn the ash and embers keeping them swirling around as the victims were thrown in. Of course death could come from the shock of scorching heat, but the intent was to have them choke to death on the ash and hot gases from the fire.

- Yes, I felt it was a perfect match to what I wanted to accomplish with presenting the album and the content. I have wanted to use it for some time, but never really had the chance to tie it to something that we were doing. I feel that the image captures the overall feel of the album, there's an almost acceptance on the woman's face as she realizes nothing will stop what is about to happen. The inquisitors arguing or discussing the situation almost are so involved in their conversation that they aren't present in what's taking place before them. Perhaps they are debating whether or not all this is necessary, or they just want the situation resolved and would rather not focus on how that happens. She is opposite and positioned in a similar fashion to Christ on the cross, which is certainly an intentional element as Christ is seen as the greatest martyr to Christians. It's there that the third Inquisitor has his back turned to the entire scene, as if he can't bear to witness her martyrdom.

Lyrically there is a certain connection to this kind of posture. The lyrics this time on some of the songs have elements from the victim's point of view or from the Inquisitor's and or executioner's. These sections are italicized in the lyrics.

For me, so much of the album deals with hopelessness, her expression captures a lot of the emotions I tried to put into the lyrics. In many cases with art we used in the past there was no artist to credit as that information was lost to time. In the case of José de Brito and this piece, we were able to obtain permission from the Museu do Chiado in Lisbon, Portugal to use his work. Which, first, we are very honored that the museum recognizes our dedication to presenting history accurately. Secondly, we want to introduce this piece of art to many who may not ever see it otherwise. That's been another element of the band from my point of view. I really want to get pieces of art that are specifically related to what we write about in front of people. Actual woodcuts, paintings etc. that were displayed to the public of that time or later as based on those times, in front of people of our time.

- Yes, I think they did a great job with the reissues. They look great and give people a chance to get them in a variety of formats. We have been fortunate in the fact that we have gained many fans that otherwise would not have been able to get these releases.

- There are certainly plans for festivals and perhaps smaller tours. Our schedule makes it difficult for any prolonged tours, but you never know what can happen. We will be working with Jon at The Flaming Arts Agency and we encourage European promoters to reach out to him in order to facilitate any appearances.

- Nothing new is on the schedule for the moment. It's hard to say what we will do with that. There are many challenges for the small labels. The cost of manufacturing is continuing to go up and international shipping costs are ridiculous. With all the fees continuing to go higher, and many people not wanting to pay more than $10 for a CD (with free shipping) it makes it very challenging to stay competitive in that market and be able to offer bands anything for their hard work.

For example, I recently had an order for one (1) CD that was to be shipped to Peru. The shipping fee was $40.25!! no one is going to pay that kind of shipping rate.

- Knoxville is not known for its extreme metal scene, or the entire state of Tennessee for that matter. Tennessee is most well-known for Nashville (The World capital of Country Music) and Jack Daniels.

Perhaps the best known metal band from Knoxville is Whitechapel. I've never met any of the members, I definitely like their nod to history/Jack the Ripper with their name. Unfortunately, the best of our music stores, at least in my opinion have closed. But there are some good places downtown to hang out, restaurants and bars mostly.

- Thank you very much for the opportunity to reach out to our friends in Ukraine! I encourage everyone to get in touch with us at any of the web sites listed below and we would be more than happy to talk! Thanks for all the support, it is greatly appreciated and we hope you all enjoy "Harbinger of Woe".