WITHIN THE RUINS / Joe

First of, congrats on your Victory Records debut, the riffs are amazing and the whole thing sounds fucking huge. I bet you're pretty happy with the final result?

THANKS! WE WORKED OUR ASSES OFF TO MAKE THIS ALBUM HAPPEN. WHEN WE SIGNED AND FOUND OUT WE'D BE DOING A FULL LENGTH ALBUM WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, WE HAD ONLY HAD LIKE 4-5 SONGS PREPARED. SO WE WROTE MOST OF THE ALBUM IN ONLY A FEW MONTHS. BUT YES, WE'RE REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW IT CAME OUT!

Tell us about the guitars you used for the recording, model, pickups, and what you like about them.

I DID EVERYTHING ON THE ALBUM WITH MY CAPARISON DELLINGER II. I HAVE AN EMG85 IN THE BRIDGE AND 81 IN THE NECK. CAPARISON IS THE BEST GUITAR I'VE EVER OWNED!

What's your tuning and what strings do you play on?

WE TUNE TO DROP G#. I USE DEAN MARKLEY STRINGS NOW. ITS A CUSTOM SET 70-15 GUAGE.

What amps were used on the album and what made you choose these?

WELL, WE DID ALL THE GUITAR TRACKS WITH MY KRANK REVOLUTION BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO RE-AMP THE GUITARS BEFORE MIXING WE ENDED UP USING A MODDED FRAMUS COBRA FOR ALL THE RHYTHMS. WE USED THE KRANK FOR THE LEADS TO GET SOME CONTRAST. THE FRAMUS JUST HAD SUCH A UNIQUE SOUND WHEN WE A/B'd IT WITH THE KRANK. REAL TIGHT AND CLEAR. WE USED AN OLDER MESA BOOGIE RECTIFIER CAB ALSO. MESA RULES!

There's so many metal bands out there and with these days technology it's getting a lot easier to make everything sound really heavy, how did you try to stand out and what tone were you looking for?

OUR NUMBER 1 GOAL WAS TO MAKE THIS ALBUM AS CLEAN AND CLEAR SOUNDING AS POSSIBLE. THERES LOTS OF SHIT GOING ON ALL OVER THE PLACE IN MOST OF THE SONGS. WE PLUGGED IN THE FRAMUS AND JUST GOT A NICE TONE AND THAT WAS IT!

For your live rig what rackmounts and pedals do you use?

MY LIVE SETUP IS PRETTY SIMPLE. THATS THE WAY I LIKE IT. LESS THINGS CAN GO WRONG. I USE 2 KRANK REVOLUTION HEADS, 1 FOR BACKUP. AND 2 MESA BOOGIE OVERSIZED CABS. I JUST RUN A BOSS TUNER, NOISE SUPPRESSOR AND AN IBANEZ TUBE SCREAMER IN FRONT OF THE AMP. THATS IT!

Now let's go back in time a little, when did you start playing and what made you pick the guitar?

I STARTED PLAYING WHEN I WAS 10. FOR SOME REASON I WAS JUST OBSESSED WITH GETTING A GUITAR. ALL I LISTENED TO WAS METALLICA, I GUESS THATS THE REASON I STARTED PLAYING. I WANTED TO BE JAMES HETFIELD. HAHA

What was your first guitar and amp?

HAHA, I HAD A WASHBURN LYON, AND A 10W CRATE 1X12 PRACTICE AMP. SOUNDED GOOD AT THE TIME!

Which guitarists influence you the most?

EHH LIKE I SAID, JAMES HETFIELD IS THE MAN. I LOVE THE AMOTT BROS FROM ARCH ENEMY TOO.

Did you ever take lessons and for how long?

YES I TOOK LESSONS FOR A FEW MONTHS WHEN I GOT MY FIRST GUITAR. LEARNED A FEW CHORDS AND HOW TO HOLD A PICK HAHA THATS ABOUT IT. I NEVER GOT INTO THEORY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE NOTES ON THE GUITAR HAHA. JUST PLAY WHAT I FEEL.

I know you guys just started one huge tour that will end in june and you probably got less time to practice, but when you do, what do you practice? What techniques you'd like to expand?

WHEN WERE HOME AND I HAVE TIME TO PLAY, I JUST WORK ON NEW MUSIC. I REALLY DON'T PLAY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE STUFF I WRITE. MY GOAL IS JUST TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND ADD NEW THINGS HERE AND THERE TO MY PLAYING. IT'S DEFINITELY FRUSTRATING BEING ON THE ROAD AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GET ENOUGH PRACTICE IN. IT CATCHES UP TO YOU AFTER A WHILE

Finally what's your advice for young metalheads who aspire to one day shred like you?

HAVE FUN WITH IT. ALWAYS REMEMBER THE REASON THAT YOU ARE PLAYING! ENJOY IT, AND PRACTICE!

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/withintheruins