| Interview by Burt Wolf with guitarist, Stacey Murray of KAOS. Interview done on May 5th, 2004! |
KAOS HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, BUT I'M PRETTY MUCH NEW TO YOU
GUYS. CAN YOU GIVE SOME OF THE BACKGROUND HISTORY ON THE BAND? ANY PREVIOUS
BANDS YOU GUYS WERE IN?
Long story short, KAOS formed in 1988. I left my group, HATE in 1993 to fill the second guitar position. KAOS
had a great run in 1996. The music scene in the Bay Area basically disappeared & we decided to pursue other
aspects of our lives. We got back together just to have a little fun in 2000 & it has now spawned into something
we never expected. Here we are...ready to storm the world.
WHY WAS THE NAME KAOS CHOSEN AS THE BANDS NAME?
The band wanted a name that was short & to the point, powerful & symbolic, without it being half a sentence.
How do you make a logo out of those things anyway?
WHO OR WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES IN CREATING YOUR STYLE & SOUND?
Speaking for myself, it's a huge list. I will just touch on some over a time line. KISS, VAN HALEN, old
METALLICA, SLAYER, MERCIFUL FATE, KREATOR, EXODUS, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT,
NUCLEAR ASSAULT, S.O.D. and VIO-LENCE. I could go on, but these bands made a huge impact on me.
Not just musically either...I live by it!
GUYS. CAN YOU GIVE SOME OF THE BACKGROUND HISTORY ON THE BAND? ANY PREVIOUS
BANDS YOU GUYS WERE IN?
Long story short, KAOS formed in 1988. I left my group, HATE in 1993 to fill the second guitar position. KAOS
had a great run in 1996. The music scene in the Bay Area basically disappeared & we decided to pursue other
aspects of our lives. We got back together just to have a little fun in 2000 & it has now spawned into something
we never expected. Here we are...ready to storm the world.
WHY WAS THE NAME KAOS CHOSEN AS THE BANDS NAME?
The band wanted a name that was short & to the point, powerful & symbolic, without it being half a sentence.
How do you make a logo out of those things anyway?
WHO OR WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES IN CREATING YOUR STYLE & SOUND?
Speaking for myself, it's a huge list. I will just touch on some over a time line. KISS, VAN HALEN, old
METALLICA, SLAYER, MERCIFUL FATE, KREATOR, EXODUS, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT,
NUCLEAR ASSAULT, S.O.D. and VIO-LENCE. I could go on, but these bands made a huge impact on me.
Not just musically either...I live by it!
HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE YOUR
STYLE & SOUND?
to it. I don't know where people are coming up
with all this Metal-core, Hardcore, Thrash-core
stuff. If it helps someone else specifically define
We are a fucking Metal band & that's all there is
us in a sea of a million bands, they can call us
whatever makes them feel like the professor of
hard music! If you ask me, we are a Heavy Metal
band...plain & simple!
YOU'RE NEW CD "KAOS AMONG US" HAS
BEEN OUT FOR A LITTLE BIT NOW. WHAT
HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN FOR THIS
GREAT RELEASE SO FAR?
Yeah, we released it in August 2003. We had a
huge CD release party & played the DEATH
ANGEL comeback show immediately after.
We ran into a couple of snags that prevented us from pushing the CD, so it took from the middle of August to
January 2004 to iron out the wrinkles. Then we hit it as hard as we could. You can see the responses on our
website. The reviews have been incredible! It's a great feeling to see our album in columns with bands that have
had multiple albums out on well known record labels & get better marks than them...it makes it all worth it.
WHAT IS SOME OF THE SUBJECT MATTER IN YOUR SONGS?
Life, death, Hell, Heaven, GOD, Satan & War.
WHO DOES THE MAJORITY OF THE SONG WRITING? IS IT A WHOLE BAND COLLABORATION?
TAKE US THROUGH THE PROCESS?
The whole band collaborates in one form or another. Jason, our vocalist, is a major part of the process for me. I
can write down a bunch of random thoughts pertaining to a particular subject, and he can turn it into things I
would never have imagined. The whole band brings ideas to the studio. It all comes together in different ways. I
don't think there is any real process involved. Almost half of "KAOS AMONG US" was put together in the
recording studio.
I ONLY HAVE YOUR NEWEST ALBUM, CAN YOU TELL A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PREVIOUS
RELEASES & THEY'RE AVAILABILITY?
KAOS has put out 5 demos & 2 full length albums over our career. We have decided to make all of the demos &
the first full length "VISION BEYOND" unavailable for the time being. We feel very strongly about the "KAOS
AMONG US" and want it to get as much attention as possible. There will be a time & place for the past, but that
time is not now.
January 2004 to iron out the wrinkles. Then we hit it as hard as we could. You can see the responses on our
website. The reviews have been incredible! It's a great feeling to see our album in columns with bands that have
had multiple albums out on well known record labels & get better marks than them...it makes it all worth it.
WHAT IS SOME OF THE SUBJECT MATTER IN YOUR SONGS?
Life, death, Hell, Heaven, GOD, Satan & War.
WHO DOES THE MAJORITY OF THE SONG WRITING? IS IT A WHOLE BAND COLLABORATION?
TAKE US THROUGH THE PROCESS?
The whole band collaborates in one form or another. Jason, our vocalist, is a major part of the process for me. I
can write down a bunch of random thoughts pertaining to a particular subject, and he can turn it into things I
would never have imagined. The whole band brings ideas to the studio. It all comes together in different ways. I
don't think there is any real process involved. Almost half of "KAOS AMONG US" was put together in the
recording studio.
I ONLY HAVE YOUR NEWEST ALBUM, CAN YOU TELL A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PREVIOUS
RELEASES & THEY'RE AVAILABILITY?
KAOS has put out 5 demos & 2 full length albums over our career. We have decided to make all of the demos &
the first full length "VISION BEYOND" unavailable for the time being. We feel very strongly about the "KAOS
AMONG US" and want it to get as much attention as possible. There will be a time & place for the past, but that
time is not now.
HOW DO YOU FEEL THE BAND HAS IMPROVED
BETWEEN THE RELEASES?
Ten Fold!!! "VISIONS BEYOND" is great for what it is, but the
process was something else. Recording "BISON BEYOND" gave us
a better understanding of what to do & what NOT to do in the
recording studio. The outcome of "KAOS AMONG US" is a record
that is right up there with bands that have the major backing...thanks
to Mark Keaton, our engineer & co-producer (who just recently
engineered "T.T.A.O.E." by MACHINE HEAD). I can't say enough
about that guy.
HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN APPROACHED BY ANY LABELS
YET? IF SO, WHO?
Start up indies have pursued us quite a bit. The ones that have been in touch, haven't been able to do for us that
we haven't done, or are already doing, for ourselves. I'm not sure that a prominent label could work as hard for
us as we do.
DOES KAOS PLAY OUT A LOT? WHERE ARE SOME OF THE PLACES YOU'VE PLAYED & WHO
ARE SOME OF THE BANDS YOU'VE PLAYED WITH?
We play locally a lot. We just played the Metal Metaldown VI with TESTAMENT, VITAL REMAINS,
OBITUARY & M.O.D. in March. We will be playing the Milwaukee Metal Fest in July, which will be
AWESOME!!! We have played with all the Bay Area greats plus some like DEATH ANGEL, VIOLENCE,
NUCLEAR ASSAULT, SKINLAB, GWAR, TESTAMENT, BODY COUNT, EXODUS & EXCEL.
DO ANY OF YOUR SHOWS STICK OUT FOR ANY REASON? ANY INTERESTING STORIES?
We have had many great local shows, so maybe negative situations stand out more than the good. Road
stories...Well, flying to New Jersey was interesting because we had a 2 hour wait to get on our plane and we
were all drunk by 6;00 A.M. They put us on the plane & delayed our flight. Jason, our vocalist, was polite
enough to remove some lint from one of the stewardess' ass. Needless to say, we almost didn't make it.
ARE YOU INTO ANY OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC BESIDES WHAT YOU PLAY? WHO ARE SOME
OF THE BANDS YOU HAVE BEEN CURRENTLY LISTENING TO?
All kinds of heavy music, old & new. There are so many bands I like to listen to. Three of my newer favorite
albums are ARCH ENEMY, CARNAL FORGE & DEFLESHED.
we haven't done, or are already doing, for ourselves. I'm not sure that a prominent label could work as hard for
us as we do.
DOES KAOS PLAY OUT A LOT? WHERE ARE SOME OF THE PLACES YOU'VE PLAYED & WHO
ARE SOME OF THE BANDS YOU'VE PLAYED WITH?
We play locally a lot. We just played the Metal Metaldown VI with TESTAMENT, VITAL REMAINS,
OBITUARY & M.O.D. in March. We will be playing the Milwaukee Metal Fest in July, which will be
AWESOME!!! We have played with all the Bay Area greats plus some like DEATH ANGEL, VIOLENCE,
NUCLEAR ASSAULT, SKINLAB, GWAR, TESTAMENT, BODY COUNT, EXODUS & EXCEL.
DO ANY OF YOUR SHOWS STICK OUT FOR ANY REASON? ANY INTERESTING STORIES?
We have had many great local shows, so maybe negative situations stand out more than the good. Road
stories...Well, flying to New Jersey was interesting because we had a 2 hour wait to get on our plane and we
were all drunk by 6;00 A.M. They put us on the plane & delayed our flight. Jason, our vocalist, was polite
enough to remove some lint from one of the stewardess' ass. Needless to say, we almost didn't make it.
ARE YOU INTO ANY OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC BESIDES WHAT YOU PLAY? WHO ARE SOME
OF THE BANDS YOU HAVE BEEN CURRENTLY LISTENING TO?
All kinds of heavy music, old & new. There are so many bands I like to listen to. Three of my newer favorite
albums are ARCH ENEMY, CARNAL FORGE & DEFLESHED.
WHAT DO THE MEMBERS OF KAOS DO WHEN THEY'RE NOT
DOING ANY WORK FOR THE BAND?
We all have day jobs...construction, package handling, printing press & sales.
We just do what we have to so that we can survive & keep KAOS going.
YOUR SOUND CONTAINS MANY ELEMENTS FROM DIFFERENT
STYLES OF MUSIC LIKE HARDCORE, THRASH & DEATH. WHAT
TYPE OF FANS DO YOU SEE MORE INTO YOUR MUSIC? WHAT
STYLES OF BANDS DO YOU SEEM TO PLAY WITH MORE?
We just play what comes out. Our surrounding sets the mood of the music.
We are very aware of what's going on in the world. We talk about it, debate it,
see how different situations can be perceived & it all plays into our music. We
are what we are, a Metal band...That's just the way it is. We have not made
any attempts to sound like this band or that band, this style or that style. The
tape starts rolling & this is what you get. I think we appeal to a broad fan
base. It's hard to say what kind of fans we see the most. They all wear
t-shirts & have holes in their pants. HA! HA!
WHO ARE SOME OF THE BETTER BANDS, LABELS, ZINES, ETC... FROM CALIFORNIA IN YOUR
OPINION?
BLOODSOIL, OSMIUM, DOWN FACTOR & THE VENTING MACHINES are some & the list goes on.
POWERSLAVE.com has been a staple for all of us here in the Northern California area, but they have recently
gone through a change in ownership so we will see what happens. TWISTEDMUSIC.net, our buddies at
ROKHEDZ.net & the Northern California Headbangers Alliance (NCHA.com) are all cool websites
WHAT IS THE BEST & WORST PART ABOUT BEING IN A BAND?
Playing on stage in front of a lot of people is the greatest. Promoters are not all bad, but I think a lot of them just
rip off local bands.
SINCE YOUR NAME IS KAOS, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL THIS KAOS GOING ON IN THE
WORLD AT THE MOMENT WITH THE WAR GOING ON?
It's an extremely volatile situation. This thing could erupt at any minute. I think our media is equally the enemy. I
can't understand how people can't see what they are doing. It's so blatant that they have their own agenda. I
believe in protecting our way of life...get them before they get you!!!
OPINION?
BLOODSOIL, OSMIUM, DOWN FACTOR & THE VENTING MACHINES are some & the list goes on.
POWERSLAVE.com has been a staple for all of us here in the Northern California area, but they have recently
gone through a change in ownership so we will see what happens. TWISTEDMUSIC.net, our buddies at
ROKHEDZ.net & the Northern California Headbangers Alliance (NCHA.com) are all cool websites
WHAT IS THE BEST & WORST PART ABOUT BEING IN A BAND?
Playing on stage in front of a lot of people is the greatest. Promoters are not all bad, but I think a lot of them just
rip off local bands.
SINCE YOUR NAME IS KAOS, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL THIS KAOS GOING ON IN THE
WORLD AT THE MOMENT WITH THE WAR GOING ON?
It's an extremely volatile situation. This thing could erupt at any minute. I think our media is equally the enemy. I
can't understand how people can't see what they are doing. It's so blatant that they have their own agenda. I
believe in protecting our way of life...get them before they get you!!!
DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU
WERE & WHAT YOU WERE DOING
WHEN THE TERRORIST ATTACKS
HAPPENED HERE ON
9-11-01?
Yeah, I was at the office where I work.
We have a TV that runs the news all day
for background noise. Good Morning
America was on. We all watched it
happened. The whole band recently visited
"Ground Zero" together. It was so quiet...a
very somber experience. I will never forget.
NAME ONE THING YOU'D THINK
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO
KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I built some guitars that were used in the
recording of the first MACHINE HEAD
album.
IF YOU COULD TOUR WITH ANY BAND WHO WOULD IT BE & WHY?
SLAYER, because they are the kings!!!
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE NEAR FUTURE FROM KAOS?
We will be in the studio to start recording the follow up to "KAOS AMONG US". We have been discussing a
video too.
IS KAOS REALLY AMONG US?
Yes, we are. Get used to it!
THANX A LOT FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW. FEEL FREE TO PLUG ANYTHING OR MAKE ANY
COMMENTS YOU'D LIKE. I'M OUT!!!
Sure thing man! Thanks for having me & for supporting KAOS. Visit the site. Horns up Fuckers!!!
SLAYER, because they are the kings!!!
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE NEAR FUTURE FROM KAOS?
We will be in the studio to start recording the follow up to "KAOS AMONG US". We have been discussing a
video too.
IS KAOS REALLY AMONG US?
Yes, we are. Get used to it!
THANX A LOT FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW. FEEL FREE TO PLUG ANYTHING OR MAKE ANY
COMMENTS YOU'D LIKE. I'M OUT!!!
Sure thing man! Thanks for having me & for supporting KAOS. Visit the site. Horns up Fuckers!!!
