CHAOS THEORY - Interview with Dan Altobelli and Ernest A. Albanesius - Music

How have Mazur Public Relations been treating Chaos Theory since they agreed to release your current CD?
DAN: Mike has been a real boost for us. He's got so much experience dealing with the "music business", and he's not afraid to impart that knowledge on to us. We feel incredibly comfortable with Mike. We reached a certain point doing things ourselves, and we asked the question "What else can we do?" Mike was able to answer that question.
ERNEST: They have been absolutely fantastic, They have opened some doors for us and have gotten us more exposure since we've been with them than we got in the previous 5 years.

Dan Altobelli stated that Chaos Theory "are the soundtrack for the degeneration of society." What does this encompass to you?
DAN: Human beings are reaching an interesting point in history. Things are getting much looser so to speak; things that used to be taboo to talk about or do are now open discussion. And I'm not just talking about sex and drugs. Real social issues, real human psychological issues, are no longer swept under the carpet. Degeneration is not necessarily a bad thing. People are developing a real understanding of themselves that they never had before. We're just shedding some light on the darker corners of human existence.
ERNEST: It emcompasses mostly in my opinion all of the screwed up thinking by people today. They have less and less regard for other and most of all for themselves which leads to being miserable. And, since people always feed off each other it just spirals downward.

You recorded the new CD working with Tim Gilles who was produced SOD and Hatebreed. Was being in the studio with him a learning experience for the band? Would you work together again?
DAN: Tim may be the coolest man on earth. He just hung in there with us and let us do what we do best. He did things out of habit that we had never even realized we could do. I had never worked with anyone who really pushed me vocally to make each note count. I would love to get the opportunity to work with Tim again.
ERNEST: It was definitely a learning experience for us. We found out what we needed to do to better ourselves as a band and as musicians. Tim was all knowing and tells it like it is. I can't think of anyone else I would rather work with.

What material, if any, have the band released previously to "Chaos Theory" altogether? Do you believe you've matured as a band since then?
DAN: We had two previous releases, 1997's "Scarred for Life" and 1999's "Unholy Trinity". On both of those records, we were trying really hard to take the band in one direction or another. The problem is, we didn't know what we wanted that direction to be. With the new songs, we just played what we thought was the best possible song, we just let it flow out of us. And we were more in tune to the songwriting process. There was a lot more collaboration on this record with regard to the music and the lyrics.
ERNEST: We've had two previous releases, Scarred for Life, and Unholy Trinity. We have matured as a band. I think we've finally decided what kind of band we want to be, and that's just an extension of ourselves. We self titled the new CD because it was like a new beginning for us and we decided to let the music speak for itself.

What bands do you cite as influences, particularly for the new CD? Would you like to tour with these bands sometime?
DAN: I'm personally a big Testament and Overkill fan, band that has kept a firm hold on the "thrash", as well as updated and kept things fresh for the audience. I'm probably, the most "old school" of anyone in the band, but it's a nice mix with the other guys. As far as touring, we'd like to tour with just about anyone!!
ERNEST: Newer bands like Static X, and Powerman 5000 were influences for me. I like what they do with metal. Metal is changing in a lot of respects and I think these bands portray that, just to name a couple. It would be awesome to tour with them.

Is Chaos Theory's appearance at this year's Metal Meltdown in Asbury Park, New Jersey the first time you have performed at a large metalfest or have the band done this previously?
DAN: This is our third Metal Meltdown, and we've played the Milwaukee Metalfest twice.
ERNEST: This will be our second New Jersey Metal fest. We've also done the ones in Milwaukee twice.

From where do the band originally hail? How has the metal scene fared over there lately? Is there a healthy amount of bands over there? Do you feel the scene could be improved in any way? Please explain your answer.
DAN: I'm from Trenton myself. The Trenton scene used to be really cool. Places like City Gardens used to bet fairly big bands through there. There are no places willing to do heavy music. Bands have to put it together themselves. What arises out of that is no support from bands for other bands. We're all reaching for the same goal, we should help each other out and be happy if someone succeeds.
ERNEST: We come from Trenton mostly. The metal scene there is okay. There are a number of bands but sometimes no support for each other. It would be better if more bands helped each other out by booking shows and setting up shows, that would be the best improvement in my eyes.

Have the band been able to meet any of the other bands on Mazur's roster? If so are you friendly with any of them? Which bands have you met that you most enjoy hanging out with?
DAN: We've been so busy that it's been tough to hang out with anybody. Anyone who Mike deals with is probably really cool people, because Mike doesn't deal with alot bullshit. I'd love to do a show with RockBitch, only because I'd like to see them live. I've heard it's an....interesting show.
ERNEST: Personally, I don't think I've met to many of the other bands, if I did I wouldn't know, that's my fault though, I'm pretty much in my own little most of the time. I just try to worry about what Chaos Theory is doing.

Has there been interest from labels such as Metal Blade or the like? If not yet do you expect there to be at some point?
DAN: We've had some interest expressed by a few labels. But we're trying to hook up with a label that can do more for us than we have done ourselves. And that kind of limits us to the smaller labels, unless the indie label makes us an offer we can't refuse.
ERNEST: I think Metal Blade has shown some interest. Century Media has also expressed some interest in Chaos Theory. We've also had some talks with some indy labels.

What sort of experiences did Chaos Theory have touring with bands like Testament, Over Kill, Flotsam and Jetsam and Crowbar? Any memorable occurrences from sharing bills with them? From these bands, do you prefer their older or more recent material and why?
ERNEST: It was really cool playing shows with these guys. They were bands that we grew up idolizing and made us do what we do today. Each show was memorable in it's own way, I can't remember anything specific, it's all kind of a blur to me. As for material, I can't say I prefer older or newer. I just like to see bands progress and evolve and each evolution has it's own characteristics that I like.

How much press coverage has the band received from major magazines since forming?
ERNEST: We have been mentioned here and there in some mags like Metal Maniacs, that came after the first metal fest we did. But we have yet to get a full article or anything like that. I think they are saved for the big bands.

Which venues have you played in New York and New Jersey that you'd most want to perform again?
ERNEST: I really like playing at L'amour in Brooklyn. That's a good club with great sound and a soundman who keeps things smooth. As far as Jersey, the Birch Hill is really cool but from what I understand it won't be there anymore. That sucks.

In what way in your opinion has the internet affected the metal scene as a whole? Has it affected the scene for the better or worse? What is your position and why?
ERNEST: I am of two minds about it. It is a good thing because it allows bands to reach out farther to get exposure and get their music around. For that it is great. On the other hand, I think it cuts down on turn out at shows sometimes, for all bands, because with video and audio readily available, people don't need to go anywhere to find what they want. Or they just saturate themselves with something so much that the last thing that they want to do is spend thirty bucks on a ticket to go see a band that they just watched on streaming video.

What is the band's view of people in America who seek to censor forms of expression such as metal and other styles of subversive music?
ERNEST: It's bullshit. People worry too much about stupid crap. Most of the people who want to censor, in my opinion, are the people who can't take responsibility for their own actions. They are "worried" about the youth. Maybe if they just listened to their kids once in a while and treated them like other human beings, they wouldn't do things to get attention. If that was the case it wouldn't matter what is said on a record or in a movie or whatever. People try to find leadership and guidance anywhere they can find it. No matter what they always look to their parents first, if it's not there they look elsewhere, and that's where the problem exists. Censorship is crap. All it does is lock down creative flow, and that for anyone who is creative is like spiritual death.

What direction do you see the metal scene heading in the next few years?
DAN: I see "heavy music" popping up all over the place now. 10 years ago, if you were a heavy metal band on a movie soundtrack, it was a horror movie. Now action films, comedies, and a whole bunch of non-cinematic avenues are taking to metal. we just got an agreement signed with MTV's show "Undressed" to use some of our music in the series. Metal is not as segregated as it used to be - if it's heavy, people seem to dig it, whether their all-time favorite band is Opeth, Helloween, or Static-X. People are opening up to metal, and I hope it continues to grow.
ERNEST: It's hard to say. There are so many different forms of it now and new blends, it's still changing. I think to pinpoint how it would be in 5 years would be the death of it.

What is in the distant future for Chaos Theory? Do you plan on releasing a full-length soon?
DAN: We'd love to get signed and release a full-length. I think we have a lot of great music in us, but we need the almighty dollar to make more of it happen on CD. There are so many avenues that get offered to us, and you really have to pick and choose where you spend you money, especially when there is so little of it!
ERNEST: We hope to be signed to a label. We want to do a full length but I think we want to have some backing behind us first. We are poor bastards and that's the sad truth. We can't spend money we don't have.

Anything you'd like to close the interview with?
DAN: Just that anyone who likes heavy shit should pick up the new CD on Amazon.com or CDNow.com. Check it out. I think you'll go nuts. And come out and mosh with us, 'cause there is no better feeling than watching the crowd stir it up. Look for us in a city near you!
ERNEST: Just that everyone should keep one open eye on Chaos Theory, because somewhere and someway we will be around.

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