One Step Beyond, no stepping back
Australian One Step Beyond have been taking steps beyond main stream music genres for a decade now. The band mix extreme styles such as death metal and grindcore with rock, funk, dub and whatever, making a stand for uniqueness. Just like ska band Madness put it on their song 'One Step Beyond': "Well listen buster you better start to move your feet to the rockinest rock steady beat of madness, ONE STEP BEYOND!!!"
AM contacted the band and bassist Mad Matt was kind enough to provide the answers to our pack of questions sent via e-mail to avoid huge phone costs.
AM: Greetings from rainy and cold Finland! How are things down there in Oz? Is the sun shining?!
Mad Matt: Greetings Lane! Today it is rainy and hot in my corner of Australia, no sun in sight but hopefully tomorrow!
AM: It was the first time when I heard One Step Beyond, after you had sent the 'Beyond Good and Evil' CD. The band's history is actually quite long and turbulent.
Can you shed some light over it?
Mad Matt: Sure, we began in the last summer of 1997, started playing shows in the winter of '99 when we also released a rarely heard demo. In 2002 we independently released our first CD 'Life Imitates Art', which is currently out of print but can be found from a handful of distros mentioned on our MySpace. In 2004 we recorded our second CD 'Beyond Good and Evil' which due to many complications has only just been pressed. In the meantime we had the worst of times when in the winter of 2006 our co-founder guitarist Jeremy [Lammas] passed in a car accident, now we continue in his honour with a new guitarist...
AM: Musically, One Step Beyond have managed to create something new. Uniquely blending extreme metal with rock, funk and many more styles, did this just happen or was it all intentional and a result of careful planning?
Mad Matt: A little of both. Initially the band was to be a grind band with quirks like Macabre or early Bloodduster, but as we learnt more techniques and I learnt to write more styles of music the challenge became to incorporate these styles, sounds and techniques into the extreme metal genre. It is so boring for me to write an entire album where every song has the same tones, beats, chords etc, to my ears Suffocation had mastered that in the mid 90s so I had to do something different.
AM: You seem to be an avid movie collector. Do you like soundtrack music? Are you going to incorporate soundtrack style bits to One Step Beyond's music?
Mad Matt: Yes I am nearly as crazy for films as I am CD's, from the most mainstream of Hollywood to European films by such directors as Herzog, Bergman or Argento, to the films of Takeshi Kitano and even Buster Keaton and many others I am obsessed with cinema. So because of this obsession much of our music is already influenced by soundtracks, for example the rhythm to the song 'The Party' on the new CD was written while watching the Peter Sellers film of the same name, but in terms of actual film scores as opposed to soundtracks, there will definitely be an influence in our music, but it will likely be played on the instruments we already use, guitar, bass, fx pedals and percussion, rather than incorporating many orchestral instruments or synthesised tones used in films into the band.
AM: What is the main goal for you and OSB?
Mad Matt: To be an extreme metal band like no other and to be heard by as many people as possible in the process!
AM: Lyrics are also something completely different than in metal music scene. What inspires you to write about those things?
Mad Matt: A lot of it is just getting bad shit out of my system, I am a pretty peaceful guy thanks to music because many of the negative issues I have swimming around in my head I get out of my system through writing and performing. So many of the more introspective lyrics are just emotional and psychological therapy for me. Some other songs I just try to write about topics, however absurd, that I have not heard dealt with in extreme metal songs. For example 'Foot High Tough Guy' which is about horses taking revenge on jockeys. I dig horses but jockeys fucking creep me out and they treat horses like shit so I tried to write a serious but amusing song about that. I have never heard the likes of that in metal before so hopefully it was a success!
AM: Your music is so unique that it shouldn't remain as Australia's best-kept secret. 'Beyond Good and Evil' was released independently. Why so? Is it available in other parts of the world already?
Mad Matt: Thank you for saying so! We have had much trouble getting labels to take a chance on us, perhaps because we aim to be unique musically we would be too challenging to market, or maybe ecumenically A&R's just think we are shit, hehe! Currently the disc is available from a few independent distros in Europe and north America, hopefully more soon. These distros can currently be seen on our MySpace page for any interested shoppers. Also if things go to plan an independent Aussie label will be releasing our next recording and reissuing the first cd in the early stages of next year...
AM: Internet is both an accused and a facilitating media for any band to spread their music and name. How do you see it?
Mad Matt: For a band like us who are struggling to get heard it is unquestionably brilliant, I love the internet and so should every independent musician who wants exposure. Without the internet I would not be doing this interview right now! But unfortunately when major record labels in particular initially missed the boat in regards to selling their shit online, they went on a late scramble to gain control of things and in the process tried to fuck over many established sites and systems that may have aided independent artists. Fortunately now they have iTunes and such things so shit is looking better than it was a few years back, when major labels would enlist their filthy rich artist slaves to recite bullshit about certain sites destroying the music industry and robbing them of their income. Unfortunately there are still many copyright issues in visual and aural capacities that must be established regarding the internet, but shit is improving I think.
AM: Australia is far away from USA and Europe, where metal music is (or used to be) big. How is metal music doing down there? Is there any notable metal festivals arranged in Oz? And how's it with foreign bands, are they coming there enough?
Mad Matt: We have very healthy metal scenes down here for certain. The newer styles of metalcore in particular have become very popular, but not at the expense of more extreme metal fortunately. If anything these trends can be stepping stones to more extreme music for many people. In my local city of Adelaide we have a population of over 1 million and an average local extreme metal show featuring only local bands can pull 50-150 heads. Popular international extreme acts can pull 250+ so its fairly healthy I think. Recently we have been spoilt for choice with great international acts with Napalm death, Suffocation, Vader, Nile, Cryptopsy, Behemoth, Marduk, Cephalic Carnage, Cannibal corpse, Deicide and more all playing here in recent times. For many years around the turn of the century we had almost no-one tour so things are now looking good!
AM: Do you have any recent news you'd like to tell to metal music world?
Mad Matt: New CD 'Beyond Good and Evil' out now, buy, borrow, burn or download it!
AM: Do you have anything else in your mind you'd like to tell?
Mad Matt: Yes, all hail Finland, home of Impaled Nazarene, Sami Hyypia and Archaic Metallurgy! People everywhere please check us out at www.myspace.com/onesteprockstar or just write to gligster666@hotmail.com. Thanks for you time!
Interviewed by Lane.
11/25/2007 21:17