“After Neon Warship, I wanted to try some different stuff and I started jamming with Evan,” Schindel said. “We did Nineteen Thirteen together and I had another short-lived project with Shane. I was going through my head about a bunch of stuff. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time but I gravitated toward Shane and Matt, who I played with in Twelve Tribes.
“It’s great playing with them again,” he continued. “That sparked this whole ability to write and have people understand what I was doing. Things started coming out very naturally. I had been struggling some with writing so it was exciting to get back to it.”
Rattlesnake Venom Trip recorded two rounds of Garageband demos before entering the studio.
“We could hear ourselves back and see what worked,” Davell said. “Each time we recorded them, they grew into something bigger and better. The melodies, the textures and everything were really thought out.”
The material was recorded with Micah Carli at Popside Recording in Troy, mixed by Adam Dutkiewicz of Killswitch Engage and mastered by Ted Jensen.
“Micah is great to work with,” Davell said. “He’s really patient and makes sure he’s getting the best out of you. Adam D. mixed the album and he really nailed it. Ted Jensen mastered it so we’re stoked on the quality.”
Schindel altered his style, lyrically and vocally, but it wasn’t immediate. The evolution happened in stages, from songwriting and demoing to recording, mixing and mastering.
“It was a three-year process of the songs growing and blooming,” Schindel said. “It was worth the time because we found something really cool together. We can approach things differently now and actually write songs with more direction.”
Schindel and his bandmates captured something special with “Dead Empire.” Here’s hoping it’s only chapter one.
“It’s the most musical thing I’ve ever done,” Davell said. “We’re all wearing our influences on our sleeves. We embraced what we grew up on and what we really love. We’re not trying to be trendy. We’re just being authentic.”
Artist info: rattlesnakevenomtrip.com.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
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