It’s like there is no pressure for a new album, which is a comfortable scenario!
There is some pressure from the label, but they are on our side, as far as our time line. I would not expect a new album until this time next year, maybe January 2008. We have two months of headlining, then we go to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia and South America to tour this year. So we’re busy from January to March. For us to get an album out this year, we’d have to write, write write and record, record, record, and throw our whole lives into it, and we’ve done that for so long that we’re beat down. Sometimes, that motto, of working to live or living to work applies to us. We feel like it’s important to have separate lives from the band. There is nothing wrong with taking your time and being meticulous. That’s what Tool does. That’s what Machine Head did with their new album, which I heard. It sounds like they took their time and didn’t rush it! A lot of labels expect an album every year, and if you tour a lot, you have no time for anything. You record, tour, record, tour. We killed ourselves doing that. Working harder or being out there for the sake of being out there on tour didn’t really help the cause as much as we thought. It’s about getting our heads on straight and tackling our band. We’re doing it on our terms. You change, grow up, get older, you have new interests. Your band life has to coincide with that. We’re not just about the road and partying anymore.
That helps sustain the longevity of the band!
We’ve been around a while as it is. God Forbid has been a band since 1996. Some promoter said ‘You’re like an old band now!’ and I am like, ‘What? When did we become an old band?’ Funny how the tables turn, you become this veteran band, when we only have four albums and an EP. We got a catalog, but I’m only 26!
What’s your favorite thing about Jersey?
I think the reason why it’s so populated is because it’s in the middle of a lot of places: an hour from NY, two hours from Philly. It’s a progressive area and a vibrant music scene. What is popular here is usually popular around the country in two years. People here are on top of their shit. It’s a diverse place to live. It’s one of those places where there are a billion different cultures. It’s very integrated and I like that.
And God Forbid TV… can you give us a little insight into it?
It’s the brainchild of Dallas and Corey, and it’s to get the personality of the band out there. We’ve done video stuff here and there, and people tell us how funny the band is. When we get together, we’re funny guys! With YouTube taking off, it’s important to give people something fresh and new to absorb from your band. More recently, we’ve tried to become as fan friendly and accommodating to our fans as possible, to show them how much we appreciate them, and showing them the personality of the band, know who we are. We’re crazy dudes. Our album has been out for a year, and we have a new tour, so we have to create a buzz any way we can, to keep our name out there. If you’re not everywhere, in every magazine, kids put you in the back of their brains, since there is so much media and so much momentum. You have to keep momentum, because if you lose it, it’s hard to get it back. We’re also finalizing the details of a DVD, which may come out this summer. But it can also be pushed back. We want to get something out this year but not a full album.
You guys sported black metal corpse paint at last October’s Saints And Sinners festival. That illustrated the God Forbid sense of humor!
It’s an ongoing joke. So many people come up to us and say, ‘You guys are black metal’ and they think it’s funny and original and that we haven’t heard it before. We gave each other black metal names, like ‘Morpheus,’ ‘General Zod,’ ‘Decimus’ and ‘Necrodamus.’ Beeker is just John. That is his black metal name. The show was around Halloween, so we thought we’d do corpse paint. It was fun and funny. I swear to God, more than half the people didn’t get it. They thought we were all about the makeup and that was our thing. That’s weird to me. We’ve never done anything like that.
Any last words?
It’s been such a roller coaster with the machine behind the band. I’m amazed that we’re still here and still standing. We’ve changed managers again. We’ve changed booking agents and lost half of our label people. We’ve been ostracized by the underground for being too mainstream sounding. We’re not ‘pretty’ enough to be a mainstream metal act, either. I don’t have a problem with being at middle ground. I want to be as successful as possible, obviously, but I am proud of what we accomplished. We don’t really fit in anywhere, and we’ve become a ‘songwriting band.’ We’re interested in hooks and things of this nature.
Constitution Of Treason is available now through Century Media. God Forbid will be appearing live at B.B. King’s in NYC on Jan. 9 and at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville on Feb. 18, with Goatwhore, Mnemic, The Human Abstract and Arsis. For more info, check out godforbid1.com or myspace.com/god4bid
