January 2006
Hi there. Since I last wrote, a lot has happened. If memory serves, in my last entry we had all the drums done for the new record except for the last tune “The Confession”. I believe we even had a date set for the last session. All was going well and back on track.
First let me say that Steve “Zildjian” Richardson (our drummer) has shown more dedication to this band, both before and after his hiring, than I could have ever asked. This guy inspires me to do my best. But the poor S.O.B. has fallen victim to the Esucarys curse, not just once, but twice in the last year.
With only a few days before his trip down to California for his final session, he was involved in an accident at work which could very well have ended his time on this earth…not to mention, the band! But, in his now legendary fashion, he has healed in incredible time and completed his drum tracks.
That's right. I said it. THE DRUM TRACKS ARE IN THE CAN!!!!!!! We are so damned proud of Zildjian for this. It has been a long, hard road for all of us, but he has born the brunt of the physical pain end of it.
So, with that said, we are finally on the downhill slope of this triple diamond run we call “Shadows of the Past”.
With the drums done, I can finish the rhythm guitar parts on the last tune, record the rest of my solos, and finish the last of the vocals. Koelling can wrap up his few remaining keyboard parts, do his vocal tracks and then it's all about final production and mixing. That may sound like a lot, but it's an amazingly little bit of work in comparison to the rest of it.
Side note: During our down time, Koelling and I came to the conclusion that one of the songs on the record ( I will not say which) was due for a long-needed facelift. It was written long ago, and reflected where our heads were, at the time. Being such an important song on the record, we felt that it needed to be treated with more respect, so we axed the longest “progressive” section on the whole record and added a much more appropriate guitar solo and drum break.
We never want to be one of those bands that are just “progressive for progressive's sake”. If a song needs a prog-shred section, then by Gawwwd it's gonna get one! But, we won't sacrifice a song just to get our musical jollies. Well, that's not completely true…it has to at least sound like it belongs there. Anyway, the song is much better now. It makes me proud when I hear it. I think our friends and fans will really like it a lot. And that's what really matters.
Talk to ya soon.
Steve Sorrell
