Shaun:
Thanks!  We've been waiting on the record to come out for a while now.  In fact, the record still isn't even out yet. One more week !!(at the time this interview was done).

PoM : Can you tell our readers shortly about the history of the band?

Shaun:
Aryn and I have been working together on music for 6 years now.  We made a few adjustments to the line up of the band a couple of years ago in order to ensure quality and the right attitude.  It's been a painful growth process to get this far, but we finally have some results.

PoM: Is there a main songwriter in the band or how have you divided the work with the song writing?

Shaun:
Just about every song is a democratic and collective work.  Some songs may have more parts written ahead of time, but everyone ultimately has the freedom to put their personal stamp on it. Arrangements are always the hardest part, so that's definitely where we have to come together in agreement.

PoM : Tell us how media has responded to "Scorpion Child" so far?

Shaun:
Just about every review so far has been outstanding.  People are really enjoying it!  Strangely enough, most of the reviews are from metal magazines or blogs and we don't consider ourselves metal at all.  It's easy to have rose-colored glasses at this point in the game, but we'll really see what the press thinks when the record actually comes out (June 25th).

PoM: I especially likes the long closing song ‘Red Blood (The River Flows)'. Can you tell me more about that track?

Shaun:
Red Blood was a song that I wrote the vast majority of.  When we recorded the song, we hadn't even really rehearsed it at all because the guitar parts were to complicated to teach Chris in such a short time.  So I just stayed in the drum room with Alvear, banged out a couple takes with him, and we put the song together in the studio. Aryn wrote some words on top of it and Cowart learned how to play it after the fact.  It was a totally backwards process, but the result is phenomenal.

PoM: The heavy first track ‘Kings Highway is also a great song, what can you tell us about that song?

Shaun:
It's definitely one of our older songs.  It's the prefect opening song - not only on the record itself, but also when we play live.  It's a terrifically arranged song.  It displays some powerful vocals and really gets the room going - especially if you've never seen us before.

PoM: The heavy track "Polygon Of Eyes" is one of my favourites. Can you tell us something about the work with that song?

Shaun:
That killer riff - it just grabs you immediately.  It's like a huge train just barreling straight towards you.  It's one of those songs that make's you wanna roll the windows down and speed down the road with the wind in your hair.

PoM: Any other track that means something extra or special for you on "Scorpion Child"?
 
Shaun:
Every song means something to us.
They represent a point in our incarnation where a sketch became a finished painting.  Each song is a painstaking process - some more than others - and we really pour ourselves into the arrangements, parts, melodies, and sonics.

PoM: How does the future look for the band? Any gigs or tours dates planned?

Shaun:
This year has been really busy for us.  It's the first year that I've personally spent more days away than at home.  Next week we leave for a month-long tour on Mayhem Fest with other bands like Mastadon, Rob Zombie, and Machine Head.

There's whispers of a Euro tour this November with label mates Orchid and maybe a even a stateside autumn tour with our friends in Orange Goblin.

PoM: Which bands or persons has been the musical inspiration for Scorpion Child?

Shaun:
Bands are so hard to name off.  It's like trying to remember who to thank when you've won some big award.  We obviously love 70's classic/ hard rock bands, but we also draw a lot of influence from the new wave/ punk, and pop movements of the 80's, the hardcore and 'grunge' movements of the 90's, as well as Motown and country music.  We really are a mixed bag and I think you can hear all those elements in our music if you really listen.

PoM: Tell us something about the artwork - who made it and is it important for you with a cool artwork?

Shaun:
Anything that reflects the image and representation of this band is extremely important to us.  We put a lot of thought into the record cover because we wanted it to reflect the vibe of the album itself.  It's cyclical.

PoM: Thanks Shaun for your time. Do you have any last words for our readers?

Shaun:
We really hope that you enjoy the album! We're also looking forward to one day getting over to your part of the world. Until then!!