Hello Matt and thank you for this interview. Your first album "Theocracy" has been on the stores' selves for a few months now. What is the reaction of the fans and the media so far?

Very positive so far, overall. I'm very pleased with the reactions; it's quite humbling to read what people are saying.

Give us some more details about the recordings of the album, such as where did it take place and how long have you been preparing and recording it?

The recording took place at my home studio, which actually wasn't a studio at all, but just some gear that I moved around from place to place. I did some of it in my basement and some of it in a spare bedroom. I think it took around a year and a half from start to finish, though a few of the songs were written several years earlier.

What are the sales of your cd so far? Are you satisfied or did you expect something more?

It's been steady. Not mindblowing, but it's still selling consistently, which is good. We're actually having a third pressing made now, so that's great.

Although I'm really cautious when it comes to a "one man band", I must admit that, in your case, I was really amazed by the final outcome, one of the best neoclassical power metal albums for the year 2003. Why did you decide to play all the instruments, instead of forming a regular line up, let's say of about 4-5 musicians? Is it a matter of total control of your music?

No, it was just a matter of using what I had available at the time. There just wasn't anyone around at the time who was up to the task, and since I knew all the songs I decided to just do it all myself. I really hope to form a solid lineup and start playing shows. That has already begun to take shape with the addition of Shawn to the Theocracy ranks behind the drumkit.

In the future are you going to continue in the same motive, or are you already in search of new members?

We're looking. We've played with a couple of other people as well, and plan to hold some more auditions soon. So, Lord-willing, we may be well on the way to becoming a "real" band, hahaha!!

A regular line up is also going to help you in promoting your music with some live performances, isn't it? Have you planned any live shows? Which do you prefer between the studio and the stage?

I really want to get out and start playing some shows. The only drawback is that I don't really enjoy playing guitar and singing at the same time. It's pretty tough trying to do that in this kind of music. I'll do it if I have to, but we're hoping to find two guitarists so I can just concentrate on vocals and being a frontman onstage. As for whether I prefer stage or studio, hmm…I'd have to answer that once we're able to play shows with a proper lineup. I usually get pretty frustrated when recording, so a lot of times that's pretty miserable. But then I always look forward to getting back in there and doing it again, so go figure. I'm really looking forward to recording the next album; I'll say that. We're building a real studio, with two separate rooms, so I'll be able to sit in there and concentrate on the engineering and producing part of it, and on my vocals and guitars/keyboards, and won't have to worry about programming drums or mixing the album or any of that stuff. That will be nice.

Let's return to your album again. There is a Christian concept that enriches your music and I'd like to know why you decided to deal with this subject. What I mean is, that neoclassical power metal bands rarely write such lyrics. They usually write about fantastic heroes and things like that or at least that's what I think.

You are correct. But really, not to be cheesy, but who could be more of a hero than Jesus himself? We don't make it into something out of a comic book or what have you. We deal with real life situations and topics. Life can entail the highest of highs or the lowest of lows, and we examine those things through eyes of faith. The lyrics on the album also touched on historic events, spiritual struggles and triumphs, etc. As for why I chose to give a Christian slant to the lyrics, well, I'm a Christian so that will obviously influence the way I see things anyway. We're called to spread the gospel, and music is a great way to do that. I'm so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to do what I love that I want Him to be glorified through it. And some of the stories I've received about how people have been touched by the album have shown that it has indeed been used in a powerful way. That just continues to blow me away!

Will Christianity remain your source of inspiration in your future releases as well?

Yup, Theocracy will always be a Christian band.

Give us some more detail about the cover of the album. Which is the basic idea behind this contrast?

The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Good vs. evil. God's system vs. the world's system. It's very simple, really. But the album doesn't have a specific theme or concept overall, so it was kind of hard to decide on a cover design. That's why we ended up using something very general, but very fitting. Certain images from the cover reflect certain lyrics, such as "New Jerusalem" or "The Serpent's Kiss." I had some ideas, my friend Renee' had some ideas, and then Mattias ran with them and added his own ideas to create the beautiful picture. I think I can say this without sounding conceited since I didn't design it myself, but I think it's one of his best covers ever, if not the best. I was so pleased with it. I remember the first time I showed my friends and they all went nuts. I've been working towards releasing this album for so long that it was very cool to see that cover for the first time.

Although from the States, your music is closer to European power metal. Which are your main influences and bands? What kind of music do you listen to lately?

All of Tobias Sammet's work is a big influence, as you can probably hear. Steve Harris' songwriting with Maiden as well, obviously. Some Prog Metal bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X, some thrash stuff. You can hear elements of all those styles in our sound. As for what I've been listening to lately, I've found myself getting into a lot of really aggressive stuff, some with rough, unmelodic vocals for the first time. Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage, stuff like that. I'm a big fan of Andy Sneap's production work, and have been enjoying a lot of that stuff just for the killer riffs and the massive grooves and the muscular production. On the other side of the spectrum, I've gotten way into Neal Morse's stuff over the last year or so. He plays lighter prog-rock, which I've never been very into, but his songwriting is just incredible and he scratches a certain itch for me. So I've been discovering all his Spock's Beard and Transatlantic work, and his new solo album, "Testimony," was my album of the year last year. It tells the story of how he became a Christian, and is just so emotional and powerful. Mostly though, I still love all the Power, Prog and Classic Metal stuff. That's my musical home and first love.

More and more good heavy/power metal bands are "born" in the states lately. It seems that after a long period of absence U.S metal strikes back. Do you agree with that? What do you think was the main cause of this "metal decay"?

The "metal decay" was caused by the same thing that causes any drastic shift in mainstream taste, and that is oversaturation. By the time Nirvana hit in '91 or so, there were so many copycat hairbands and Metal bands with no real substance that people were dying for change. I hate grunge with a passion, but that's how it always goes. That's why grunge died out as well and bubblegum pop came back in a big way, which wasn't any better. And now we're wherever we are now. It all goes in cycles, especially in America where so much of what people are "allowed" to hear is decided by ClearChannel and corporations like that, via MTV or whatever. But yeah, I agree that things are looking up for our music for the first time in a long time.

I'd like you to give us some more details about your "musical" past. I mean if there are any other releases we're not aware of, or if you have participated in other groups.

No, the Theocracy album is the first professional thing I've ever done. I've sang my whole life, and been in love with music pretty much literally from the time I was born, so I've done a lot of stuff just for fun or in church or whatever. But this was the first "official" release for me.

You are under contract with metalages, a really pleasant surprise in the world of metal that has done a great work with the whole layout of the album. How did you come up with this cooperation? Are you satisfied so far with metalages?

Deron from MetalAges sought me out when he heard some demos. I'd heard his name batted around, but he told me he was planning to expand MetalAges into a record label, and he wanted Theocracy to be the first signing. The rest is history. As for satisfaction, well, it's hard for me to be satisfied with anything in a sense because of my nature, but MetalAges has been great so far and I love Deron. It's a small label just starting out, so of course there's a long way that I'd like to see us go, but we're working hard and things have been great so far.

If I told you to choose only one instrument to play from now on, or only vocals, which would you choose?

Vocals without a doubt.

Final question Matt regarding your future plans. Do you plan a release of a new album soon?

No, it will be a while. I'm still writing and we're building the studio. Then I have some other things I need to take care of while we're between albums, and then we have to buy some more gear. Then I think we'll finally be ready to record. The first album just came out in October though, so it hasn't been out very long, really.

Matt thank you very much for honoring our webzine with this interview. I wish you all the best and I hope we will be able to listen you next album soon. I leave the closing to you.

Hey, thank you very much as well! I really appreciate Metal Perspective taking the time to support Theocracy. It really means a lot! And to the fans reading this, thank you so much as well! All of this would not be possible without your support of the album and spreading the word, so thank you!!