Interview with Bobby Williamson

When it comes to new Meta act's there's not many about that really attractive my attention, what was until I heard this awesome Progressive Power Metal act from Texas. This guys are yet un-signed but this is about to change as the band are getting a lot of attention from Finland's 'Lion Music'. The label who also put out Rusty Cooley's solo album, which is complexe Progressive Metal. Outworld are an awesome band which I highly recommend especially if you like the following bands - Psycho Scream, Symphony X, Yngwie, Dream Theater and the heaviness of Pantera, Meshuggah, Fear Factory, then all these bands can be heard in this killer new act. I managed to get some questions to keyboard player Bobby Williamson to find out more about Texas new hopefuls, here's what he had to say. In the meantime spread the word and check out their soundbytes on their website: www.outworldband.com

Could you tell me when the band was formed and by whom?

'Outworld was born in October of 1997 by Rusty Cooley and Brent Marches....and then came along Darren pretty quick, then me shortly thereafter in November. Kelly didn't come along until early 2001. But the music you hear in Outworld today is made by all current members. We don't use the older songs anymore as they don't fit our current genre focus.'

Has there been any line-up changes up until recently since the band was formed?

'Yes!!'

'So who has left the band and who has replaced them?  What are the previous members doing now?'

'Only one band member change, Brent Marches on bass guitar is no longer and Shane Dubose filled the shoes. Brent is in a band called Azrael's Bane now. It's kind of a Skid Row/Tesla sounding band. We didn't feel Brent could keep up with the schedule demands so we let him go.'

Are you still friends with them?

'Yes still friends, but not best friends.'

So why the name Outworld and how does it reflect in the music you are playing? 

'The name Outworld came from Mortal Kombat, the video game where there is a place called the "Outworld" where there are monsters. Nobody wants to go there. However, our name doesn't reflect that same meaning....it's almost the opposite, we created the name in the sense that it's a place where people wanting to get away from the norm would want to go, a place to escape, to the Outworld.'

What other names did you have?

No other names.

Who are the bands influences and how do they reflect within the bands music?

Mainly the bands influences came from 80's Metal bands like Ozzy, Maiden, Priest, Queensryche...bla bla bla but of course we all have grown into loving bands like  Symphony X, Pantera, Dream Theater, Meshuggah etc. We don't think about how we can make a song sound like our influences, we just play what we want and hopefully it sounds like us!

Do you agree you come across between Symphony X, Dream Theater, Zero Hour, Psycho Scream and the heavy side of Pantera, Meshuggah, and Fear Factory?

I agree with all except one, I don't think we sound like Zero Hour at all..........but if I listened to more maybe I'd change my mind. Zero Hour sounds like extreme Prog and we are more of a mixture between all kinds of Metal. I'm glad to be compared to the likes of Fear Factory and Psycho Scream because that adds a little extra edge into our music.

As the band are not signed up yet, but very close to signed with a label, just how many demos has the band recorded, and were they sold to the public? If so how many demos did you sell and if not why have they not been sold to the public?

We have not sold even ONE demo. We don't intend to sell the demo. We are waiting to release the debut CD then sell the hell out of it instead! :)  We decided that we didn't want the whole world having half of our songs before we could even release the full CD so we are holding back and trying to get airplay and promote the best we can through people like you!

How many songs have your written and how do you see the songs as a progression from the bands early days up until now?

As a band we've written 6 songs total and have 2 more on the plate right now. 2 of those songs are on Rusty's solo CD on Lion Music, those are more of a straight ahead Metal sound but do have tidbits of Prog. Our latest material is heavier and proggier with each song we write.

How do you desricibe your music, Power, Prog power or what? Also do they think it's getting out of hand with all these catgory's these days labeling different styles of metal?

I don't think it's getting out of hand because I like to know what I'm buying in a band when I get there CD. I like to think that Outworld is a melting pot of all Metals!

When will we see the band releasing an album?  If you don't get a deal which I hope you will, will you release an album yourselves?

We hope to have the material ready to record in May. So hopefully having a product by the end of September. We will get a deal soon I'm confident, but if not...yes we'll find someway to release it ourselves.

How many songs will be on the record and what are the songs called?

We don't yet know how many songs will be on the CD, but somewhere between 8 and 12.  So far we have 'Raise Hell', Prelude To Madness', 'Concentration Camp', City Of The Dead' and 'The Never'.

Will it contain various styles of songs like fast, ballads, instrumentals etc.?

There will be one ballad, and the rest will be brutalizing relentless riffs with powerhouse vocals.

Have you many idea where it will be recorded and by whom?

We are expecting to do it ourselves to keep costs down. But we'll hire an audio engineer with experience to come to our studio and help.

What about a title of the album and art work? Any ideas for a cover?

No and no not yet.

Do you think the music will remain the same or will you jump on the bandwagon, hope not!!

No bandwagons here baby!!

So what labels are showing interest so far?

Lion Music and Intromental Management.
 

I heard Rusty your guitar player has released an album for Lion Music, tell me a little bit about it, like where it was recorded, who played on it and does it feature any vocals? Is he happy with it and does the music differ from that of Outworld?

Rusty's solo CD was recorded by Karim Korsheed, a longtime friend. Rusty plays all guitars, I play keyboards on it, Brent Marches is on bass and Kelly sang 2  songs. Rusty is satisfied with it....it could have been a better production, but considering the budget...it was satisfactory production-wise. His playing is phenomenal on it though. The music does differ from Outworld in the sense that it's more about extreme lead guitar playing, as where Outworld songs are more focused on song writing content to support vocals.
 

Did it sell well? Is he recording another cd?

At one point Rusty's CD was the top selling at Lion Music. Not sure if it still holds that status. Rusty is not planning on recording another solo CD, he's busy with Outworld.

Has Lion Music shown interest in the band?

Oh yes, they really seem  to dig it! I respect that label for being a real "go-getter" outfit.
 

What bands have you played with and who would you like to tour with within reason?

Outworld played with Helstar, Solitude Aeturnus and New Eden at the Bang Your Head Fest in Houston in 2001. We'd love to tour with bands like Symphony X, Dream Theater, Magnitude 9, Evergrey, etc.

What is the scene like in Texas, it seems like you know a lot of people  I know, small world!! It is getting bigger and what bands do you admire?

In Texas things used to be a lot better in the Metal scene. The top 40 scene here is the only thing thriving. However, it's not so bad....it seems people here dig lots of different Metal and there always seems to be a decent crowd for the Metal bands. As far as local and regional bands, I like Stride, Magistral, and Power of Omens. All of those bands seem to have what it takes to make a lot of noise in the industry.
 

Well thanx for your time, best of luck and remember who got you noticed  first in the UK, ME!! Do you have anything to say before we finish?

I just want to say thanks to people like you who use their free time to help promote the unsigned bands with potential. Don't forget to breathe, eat and sleep music for the mind!

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