Reverence
T: Thank you very much. I take that as a nice compliment. When Bryan and I got together, we found that our musical interests were very similar. We focused on writing the kind of music that we really liked and what you hear is the result. Clearly, we were strongly influenced by old school metal growing up, so what we gravitated toward writing ended up with a similar vibe. We hope that we were able to put out own twist on things. (i.n.: It is a nice compliment, I think 
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How did the need for forming Reverence come about?
T: Bryan Holland was really the main impetus behind forming the band. He had just finished reforming and playing guitar in Tokyo Blade and he was looking to start a new project. Bryan searched Myspace for singers in the Michigan area and stumbled across my page and listened to some of my previous recordings. Bryan liked my voice and contacted me to see if I would be interested in starting a new project.
Once we got writing, we then turned to our friends to help fill out our ranks. Bryan was friends with Doc Killdrums and he signed on immediately. Doc then suggested Pete Rossi for the second guitar slot and then I asked Ned Meloni, my friend from Burning Starr, if he would like to play bass.
What did you have in mind to do as soon as you started putting the Reverence-puzzle together?
T: I had been wanting to write a straight ahead metal album for some time and Bryan was looking to do the same thing. From the beginning, the focus was on heavy guitar oriented music with soaring melodic vocals and we fell into a writing groove that really suited us very well.
All the members have participated in some great bands. That thing made several guys call you a super-group. Do you accept that term for Reverence?
T: It is flattering that anyone would even think of saying that about us, but I do not think it is an accurate use of the term. In my mind, a super-group is one that is made up of individual members that have accomplished a lot and are really well known. I will not speak for the other guys in the band, but I know that I am not really well known in metal circles.
You see the term super-group is kind of a double edge sword. Most of the so called super-groups have failed their fans far too many times. Others just by reading the band’s bio will become ecstatic about you. Is there a perfect balance between these things?
T: As I said, I don’t consider us a super-group, so no issues regarding it ever really entered my mind. We have all done a few things and you hope that whatever notariety that you have might help gain interest in your new project. However, in the end, you are only as good as the album you release, so we just tried to write music we thought was good and hoped people would like it.
Did you have a certain way to go when you begun writing music & recording the album?
T: Reverence really started with just Bryan and I getting together to write some songs and we had most of them written before the other members got involved. For When Darkness Calls, the song writing usually involved Bryan focusing on the music and crafting what he thought was a good song structure. At that point, he would hand it over to me for lyrics and vocal melodies. My writing process involves listening to the music and letting it sing to me. Typically, words will start popping into my head and I settle on a topic and start finalizing some lyrics and melodies.
We have enough recording equipment in our own home studios that we can rough out pretty good demos without having to go to a studio. For the actual final recordings we wanted live drums though, so we went to a studio to get that done.
Thus, what happens “When Darkness Calls”?
T: The song “When Darkness Calls” was originally called “Darkness Calls”, although the lyrics have always said “when darkness calls”. When Bryan and I were thinking of what to name our new album, we were not sure what to do. None of the song titles seemed appropriate to us, until we thought of calling it “When Darkness Calls”. Perhaps for no other reason, than we just thought it sounded cool, and after all, it was the name of one of the songs, or so it was after we changed the name slightly.
Within the context of the song “When Darkness Calls”, I am really talking about negativity, depression or nagging self-hate. I see two possible results, one of which I am clearly hoping that people avoid.
What does that skeleton King-Sorcerer represent in the cover artwork?
T: That is a very good question, but I don’t know that I have a good answer for you. We started with a base image that we thought was cool and then asked Jobert to help us make it come alive, so to speak. With a name like Reverence, we thought it would be fun to have an image with a slight religious vibe as well. Other than that, we really do not have a message to tell with the cover. We just think it looks cool.
Please give us a hint about each one of the songs…
T: “When Darkness Calls”: (see above)
“Bleed for Me”: Will you still love me once you know the real me?
“Phantom Road”: Sometimes your mind wants to take you places you cannot go.
“Devil in Disguise”: Some people like to take advantage of others.
“Too Late”: Don’t cry over spilled milk.
“Gatekeeper”: Being happy is a choice.
“The Price You Pay”: The things you really want have negative sides too.
“Monster”: Some people are real jerks when they get unhappy.
“Revolution Rising”: Power corrupts. Sometimes the masses need to take control.
“After the Leaves Have Fallen”: Will I leave this world a better place?
“Vengeance Is Mine”: Treat people well so you don’t have to worry about them.
Are you satisfied with the production of the album? I think it was great of you to avoid making it over-polished & too compressed as most of the albums sound today. It does have a “lively” 80/90s feeling in it. What do you say?
T: I am really pleased with the production of the album. Sid did an awesome job of making our vision come to life. Bryan and I just explained what we were after and then gave Sid some feedback until we liked what we heard.
Hence, you have released two videos, “Bleed for Me” & “Too Late”? How did you decide which song to choose for a video? Are you happy with the work done in general?
T: I am really proud of every song on the album, so it is difficult for me to pick a favorite, but for some reason Bryan and I thought Too Late would make a great video right from the start. We ended up with a great setting and some cool visuals to help tell the story and I am really happy with the resulting video.
Bleed For Me seemed like an obvious second video to us, because it has a great riff and a memorable chorus. The video was really just meant to give you a fell for what the band looks like in a live setting.
How hard is it to compete with the bands that are behind every band member? What do you wanna achieve with Reverence in the future?
T: I don’t really see music as a competition. We just focus on doing what we love and hope people enjoy the music. It would be nice to have enough people like our music that we can play some cool live shows and sell enough albums to pay for producing them.
Are there any plans for a tour or any live appearances anytime soon?
T: We definitely have plans to play live. That is one of our main motivations for forming the band. It can be tough to put tours together, because we all have jobs and other responsibilities. We tried to do a little tour in November of 2012, but it just did not work out. We are currently booking some shows for the fall of 2013, so hopefully we will be out on the road soon.
You know “When Darkness Calls” brought all those great US power metal albums that had been released in the late80s/early90s on my mind. Yet, various European metal elements can be found as well. Has this thorough lexis & music genres explanation crossed the line in our time? Once, it was enough to say that a band plays heavy metal… huh?
T: I really start to lose track of it. I realize that people naturally want to categorize things, but I say just listen to it and see if you like it. If it is good (to your ears) then it really doesn’t matter what category it is in.
T: It is very difficult to know what other people will think of your music. I think the songs are simple on one hand, but there are a lot of little elements, guitar parts, layers of vocals, and lyrical meanings that come more to light with repeated listens. In that regard, I would agree that the album gets better with every listen.
Will you give some songs or probably the whole album to the fans for free in the near future as some bands did… or you are not so much into this downloading notion?
T: I cannot say that I would never give away music for free, because I have actually uploaded my old Harlet music for free down load on my personal web page. In general though, I very against illegal downloading. No matter how you slice it, you are stealing from an artist and I cannot reconcile myself to that. Everyone knows that if you walk into a store and take something, it is stealing, yet they think it is OK to take your songs. There is no justification for it, period.
What must an artist do in order to avoid losing time and money…while dealing with that downloading generation that only sees an album as a file on their pc? Will these magic old days ever come back?
T: I think the cat is essentially out of the bag on that one. I don’t know how you can ever fix it, but artists are definitely being hurt by it.
OK now it’s time for you “weird” questions!!! How did you come up with the name Reverence? Are you aware that there are a couple of other bands with that name?
T: We struggled with thinking of a name for the band. We wanted something that we felt meant something to us. Bryan’s wife, Tracy, suggested the name Reverence, which came to her from lyrics I had written for the song Revolution Rising. The lyrics include the line “Bow down in reverence, bow down in fear. They don’t care as long as you adhere.” We thought the name projected a strong image, but also seemed fitting, because we revere 80’s metal and so in our minds the name makes reference to that. We were not aware of the French band by the same name until long after we started promoting and then it appeared they were inactive, but they ended up releasing a new CD. What to do? It seems everything you think of is already taken. Hopefully it is not too confusing for people.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
T: There are a lot of albums I could put on this list, but Operation Mindcrime would be a nice one I suppose.
Which are the top 3 heavy metal bands & albums of all time?
T: This is an impossible question, but I will throw some out there: Iron Maiden – “Piece of Mind, Manowar – “Kings of Metal”, Queensryche – “Operation Mindcrime”.
If you could go back in time and see any band live in their prime & open for them who would it be and why?
T: I would probably choose Iron Maiden because they were huge, so I know it would be a good crowd. Heck, they are still huge.
Which is the most overrated band today?
T: I am not into slagging others, so I will leave this one alone.
If you could be a member of another band… which one would it be and why?
T: As a singer, it seems pointless to think about, because the singer is always such a crucial element. From a fantasy perspective, probably Iron Maiden, because they have always stayed pretty heavy and true, they have lots of hits, and lots of fans.
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
T: That is impossible. I’d probably make them a mix tape with songs from a lot of varieties of music. Or if I had to pick one album, maybe one by Elvis, since he was at least rock and roll, but probably acceptable to more people.
Beautiful or ugly woman? For girlfriend or for wife?
T: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so there is someone for everyone. I would say beauty, because who wants to be with someone they think is ugly? At this stage in my life, I would say wife, because I value long-term relationships.
Supposing you could experience an adventure in an unreal-horror world of a fantasy writer (Poe, Lovecraft etc.)…which one would that be and why?
T: I have never been a fan of horror movies and things of that nature, so I cannot really think of one I would like to visit. Maybe something futuristic, I suppose.
What is missing from today’s music industry? Are most heavy metal albums missing that quality they used to have back in the 80’s?
T: Sales! I don’t listen to enough different albums to provide an intelligent answer.
If you were dating a very beautiful woman- who hated metal music and you knew it- on a loft with a beautiful view in the evening… which song would you choose to play to make her feel comfortable, to break the ice… and why?
T: If I had to stick to metal, I would go with those great metal ballads from the 80’s, like Without Your Love from TNT’s Knights of the New Thunder album. Why? Because Tony’s voice is awesome and that is a great song and one a woman might like. Otherwise, I would probably put on some Sade. I love her voice and most people consider it sensual music.
Imagine that your wife/girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
T: I really enjoy having the physical CD’s in my possession, so I wouldn’t be very thrilled. At the same time, I have them all ripped on my computer, so I would at least still have the music.
Thx very much for this wonderful interview Todd. Thx for the music as well. The last words of this interview belong to you… Take care!
T: Thank you very much for inviting me to do this interview. I appreciate you helping to spread the word about Reverence and I hope all of your readers give us a listen and watch our videos on youtube. Best wishes to you all.
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