Pennsylvania’s ARGUS just finished recording their second full-lenght, and first Cruz Del Sur Music release, “Boldly Stride the Doomed”. Recorded at Soundscape studios, it is expected to take the world of metal by storm after its official release during the next spring. To clarify some of the questions several fans asked, and to get you into a “band insight”, we decided to ask the boys in ARGUS a few questions regarding the recording, their feelings towards this second accomplishment as musicians, and what is expected for the upcoming future… please read on, and do not forget to check out “Wolves of Dusk” , one of the album tracks, on Cruz Del Sur Music Myspace page…
“Boldly Stride the Doomed” is just finished recording. Which are the first impressions? Are you guys satisfied with it?
Kevin – I was actually blown away when I heard everything together. I’m very proud of what we accomplished on this one. The songs are killer and the production is amazing.
Jason – I am really excited about how great the record turned out, I think we had a clear vision of what we wanted this record to sound like and made it happen. We’ve honed our writing skills and this is the first album (of hopefully many) that we’ve written as a group more consecutively with the idea that this would all go on one album.
Andy – That it sounds better than I had imagined. I’m very happy with the way it turned out and I think it’s better than our debut in every way. The songs all fit together well as an album and the production turned out great.
Erik – I am very pleased with how this album turned out – from the tones to the intensity of the performances and atmosphere we got on it!
BUTCH – I haven’t heard the master yet but I couldn’t be happier with the songs and the recording. Honestly, I’d have to say it came out even better than I thought it would. We went in with a good number of loose ends but we really brought it all together in the studio. I think we’ve exceeded the debut in every way.
Can you tell me something more regarding the choice of Brad as the cover artist? Does it fit your vision for the album?
Kevin – Brad did such a great job on the debut, that he was our first choice for this one. I was glad he was able to fit into our rushed time frame. As with the last one, he exceeded all of my expectations. It’s one thing to discuss the artwork theoretically, but when you finally see how he interpreted it and put it down on canvas, it takes it to a whole new level.
Jason – Brad does great work and we all love his uniqueness and vision with what we tell him. I think his art for this album tells quite well what we wanted this album’s feel to be, when you hear the album you’ll know why.
Andy – Brad was our first choice because we were happy with his work on the debut. He does a great job, works quick and for a very reasonable fee. I’m very happy with the art for this album. Brad chose to work with watercolors this time and was able to create a bleak atmosphere which vibes perfectly with the album.
Erik – The cover art for Boldly Stride the Doomed totally captures the vibe of the album to the T! Brad took our initial concept and hit the nail on the head with it. Very surreal, cold and dire!
BUTCH – Brad was someone who I met at the doom fests of the late 90s/early 00s like Stoner Hands of Doom, Emissions from the Monolith etc…. I always liked him a lot as a person and have also been a big fan of his artwork. When it came time to do the first album he was my first choice and he was the first choice for this album as well. I think this cover is even better than the first and that one was brilliant. Brad was great at interpreting the concept we gave him and making it simply killer.
TO BE CONTINUED