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I've always written and played metal, in various live bands and small solo projects, but I had taken a bit of a break when my kids were born. A few years ago, I got a bit of motivation after attending a Bumblefoot guitar camp with a bunch of really great and inspiring guys. I then worked through my riff library, wrote the song that became Transcend, and just kept writing. Eight songs later I had an album with a strong old-school death metal vibe.

The sound of the Boss HM heavy metal which is such a major part of that early Swedish scene is just so brutal and iconic. I've always loved the nasty "chainsaw" buzz and with the riffs I was writing it just worked so well with that particular vibe. As for the old-school style, it's just what I grew up listening to. It's not a nostalgia thing for me, it's just how I hear death metal. Musically I'm not sure if there's anything Irish about FLESHWOLF; there's certainly no Celtic influences, as that's never been part of my musical life. I think the biggest Irish influence is the island culture of "just make it happen:" roll up the sleeves and just go do it, no excuses, just make it happen.

All the tracks were written together, and they were completely recorded prior to releasing the first track "Trench". Due to life commitments and trouble getting artwork finished, the album release just got pushed back. I write riffs all the time, so I have a lot of ideas recorded, all at various degrees of completeness. Pulling them together into good tunes was a matter of finding a common feeling and working on that until a great tune was written. I would get the song structure basically finished then record rough vocals to get the feel of where the song was going. This allowed me to change the structure if needed, again just trying to make the song flow the best and be as good as it could be. The lyrics usually followed that, then a rough solo, both of which were worked on until the final product.

Thank-you for that compliment. The difficulty is that I am literally the only person creating, working on and promoting the music. There are only so many hours in the day, and I have normal life commitments just like everyone else. I guess it can also be a risk of not being objective about the project, but I tend to be hyper critical, so I do try to do the best possible and keep the quality high and the correspondence professional. I also do enjoy working with other musicians and getting their feedback and ideas, and sometimes wonder if the project would have been better with this input.
The joy is that it was ALL me. The fact that I single handed created this "thing" and that I, at the very least, like it, can be deeply satisfying.

I've played guitar for about 30 years so the guitar comes naturally. The bass on the recording was fairly basic, and I came to appreciate good bass players much more now;  it's really not just as simple as a 4 string version of a guitar! Vocals, I've done in previous death bands, so again that came back fairly quickly. Drums are midi drum clips which I arranged and edited to suit. They were originally played by Joe Babiak who is a great drummer, recently known for ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE (featuring bassists David Ellefson (Megadeth) and Frank Bello (ANTHRAX). Those drums were then fed into EZDrummer2 software with sounds recorded by CARCASS producer Colin Richardson.

I ran a home studio for a few years and have always recorded music, so the actual tracking was fairly easy. I take advantage of modern technology with amp sims and production software, and although I am no expert, I can make it sound OK.

To be honest, I never really get that way. I enjoy good music in general, so if I'm working on a Death Metal project and get stuck, I go and listen to or play some BOB MARLEY or PINK FLOYD or early MEGADETH or whatever, get recalibrated and come back refreshed. Also the fact that I don't only listen to Death Metal means that I don't burn out on it. So my method is either take a break, or just keep writing; it's OK to write rubbish, because sooner or later, a good riff or song will come. It certainly won't happen if you don't write at all.

There are no real death metal clichés on the album; some of the songs are more personal, some dwell on the esoteric and some on global and humanitarian issues. For instance, the "Rot" is about the hell of modern workplaces and the managerial tactics and business tropes which are so bad for people's well being. This is something I've lived for the last 30 years, and I feel you have to write about what you know or how you are feeling.
"Trench" is a horrors-of-war theme, a critique of the ruling class and governments, using the working class for their gain and games. Luckily, I've not had to live through a war, but history shows that the common man (and woman of course) are more often than not, just used as pawns for the "elite". I get angry about such things. "Born Of Anger" and "Dark Corners" are dealing with personal demons, which may resonate with many of the listeners.

I'm just happy to have completed the album and finally get it released. I think there's plenty of energy in it and the right amount of aggression and melody and as a personal achievement and artistic endeavor I am very proud of it, and if anyone else gets pleasure from it, even better.

Thank-you so much for your time.