05/07/2006

Samir: How are you doing?

Fucking good man! Thanks for asking…

Samir:Could you please present you and the band for those who don't know you ?

The band is ESTUARY. We play Thrash tinged Death Metal & have been together since 2002. The current lineup consists of myself, Ash Thomas(guitar/b.vox), Zdenka Prado(lead vocals), & Jesse Wilson(drums). We are currently on the lookout for a permanent 2nd guitarist & bassist. But we have 2 guys that help us out from time to time, so it doesn’t totally hinder us from playing shows. These 2 guys play on the record but are unable to tour because of family obligations/careers.

Samir:So we will talk about your last record. What can you say about it ?What do you think about it ?

The album is entitled “To Exist & Endure”, & was released on Ibex Moon Records in June of 2004. It’s a totally honest Death Metal release with Thrash overtones & melodic passages as well. I’m still proud of the record 2 years late, but very anxious to get the next album recorded & released.

Samir:Can you explain us the Name of your last record "To Exist And Endure"?
The title refers to us, as individuals, standing our ground & defeating all the bullshit & nonsense that is thrown our way in everyday life.

Samir:What are your musical influences ? What do you love listening to ?

There are a shit load of influences, but we never try to copy other bands. Personally my biggest influences are probably Kreator, Maiden, King Diamond, Slayer, Morbid Angel, Autopsy, Dissection & stuff like that. I love listening to Metal & am an avid fan. I listen to the sickest Death/Black, to traditional Heavy Metal, to 70’s hard rock like Rainbow, Deep Purple. It’s all killer.

Samir: What can you tell us about your first demos ?
We had one demo called “Riding the Tides of Malice”. This was released in late 2002. It has 3 tracks, 2 of which appear on the album. The album versions are way better in my opinion. The music for the 3rd track will appear on the next album, but will have a different name & title.

Samir: what is the best country in which you have given a show ?



I thought our best shows were in Colmar, France & Barreselas, Portugal. These were great experiences. Our best show in the states was definitely Seattle Washington.

Samir:And with which bands ?

We’ve played with a lot of great bands like INCANTATION, THE CHASM, MORTICIAN, BLOODY SIGN, USURPER, AKERCOCKE, KRISIUN, HATE ETERNAL, & MISERY INDEX.

Samir: Did you play any cover tunes in your early days?

My first band did covers by Massacre, Unleashed & stuff like that…but Estuary doesn’t do covers, & I don’t know exactly why. Maybe cause we have little time to rehearse on some occasions & want to concentrate on our own material.

Samir: And what inspires your music and the lyrics? Do you watch certain movies, read books, etc.? Do you have any favourite movies?

Everything around & within me is a source of inspiration. I do read a lot of books on “conspiracy theories”, obscure history & archaeology, UFOS & things like that. My favorite movies of all time would have to be the original Stars Wars Trilogy. The newer Star Wars movies can’t touch these, but I think the under lying plot of them is very close to how the world is currently being run. You have an elite force controlling both sides & benefiting from the suffering to some power wielding aim. It’s pretty obvious to me, & part of Hollywood’s purpose is to dilute lives with fact portrayed as fantasy.

Samir: do you believe in "good" and "evil"?

Of course, but I believe more in the shades of grey in between. Or society is based on absolutes. It makes it easier to “divide & conquer”. Religion & politics need this black & white point of view to simply exist.

Samir: Where do you see "Estuary" going in the next few years, 5 or even 10 years?

I really hope we can continue to release albums & tour more & more. I believe we have what it takes to be very successful with Estuary. I’ll do my best to see that it happens…it’s all I can do. It’s a group effort you know.

SAmir: Do we have to wait a long time for the next Estuary album?

Hopefully not too much longer. Early 2007 is what we’re aiming for. Personally, I would have liked to have a 2006 release, but it’s just not going to happen. That’s just the way things pan out sometimes.

Samir : What was the favorite band you toured with?



We’ve done 2 mini-tours so far. One in the US with Incantation, & one in Europe with Bloody Sign. Both of these bands are great & made up of great people. We had a killer time with both of them.

Samir: Now, could you, please give us some bands you definitely support whether they are dead or alive, young or old...

The Chasm, Incantation, Bloody Sign, Funerus, Dawn of Azazel, Soulless, Abominant, Nun Slaughter, Akercocke, Infinitum Obscure, Necrophobic, Sadistic Intent, this list could go on forever.

Samir:Give me your opinion about these bands:

Testament : I have great respect for the longevity of this band. But, honestly, have not been a big fan since Practice What You Preach. I think The Legacy & The New Order are awesome, & I spent much of my youth head banging to these albums.

Death : Fucking awesome!! I like all there albums, but have a soft spot for Scream Bloody Gore. What a sick fucking record! RIP Chuck!

Napalm death: I really loved Harmony Corruption & of course the spazz grind of Scum & From Enslavement…. It’s killer that this band is still holding their own & still making killer grind records.

Destruction: Infernal Overkill is a fucking great album. Bestial Invasion is one of the best German Thrash songs ever!!

judas priest: Priest RULES! Stained Class is my favorite by them. I didn’t discover this album until 1995 believe it or not. I used to listen to it every fucking day at work. I have all their records from Painkiller back. Didn’t much care for the Ripper Owens era. But this band help make Heavy Metal what it is!

Samir: What kind of festivals have you played ?

We’ve done the Minneapolis Mayhem, Metal Nation-Northern Aggression, Dwell in Darkness, Steel Warriors Rebellion 9 in Portugal, & Move Your Fucking Brain 2 in Spain.

Samir:What would be the festival of your dreams ?


Any fest that Maiden headlines with us playing right before them. But that’s not going to happen.

Samir:do you listen to death metal? What's your opinion, about the death metal scene of these days?

Of course, I love Death Metal & always will. I think the scene is good, but holy fuck there are a lot of bands. Plus the internet has taken over everything. This has cost the scene a lot of its passion, but there’s no stopping it.

Samir: How do you feel about downloading music?

It has its good & bad points. I’ve done it for albums I can’t find that I’m dying to hear. But I buy them once I find them in stores or mail order. I definitely don’t encourage constant downloading. That will just slowly kill bands & the scene in the long run.

Samir: Do you have any idea about metal scene in Morocco?

Unfortunately no! But I hope to learn. Any bands you’d recommend?

Samir: did you hear something about "kreator" when they played here in morocco front of 20 000 persons ?

That’s fucking crazy!! What an awesome experience!

Samir: Thank you for all of your time,Any closing comments?

Thank you very much for the interview & support. Anyone interested can check us out at www.estuarymetal.com (this is still under construction so give it time) or www.myspace.com/estuary You can e-mail us at metalash@juno.com or Our snail mail address is 7321 Hickman St/Cincinnati, OH 45231/USA. METAL TILL DEATH!!!

Genre :

Thrash Melodic /Death Metal

Members :

Zdenka Prado - Vocals
Ash Thomas - Guitar, Vocals
Jesse Wilson - Drums
Steve Eberl - Bass
Brad Howard - Guitar

Albums:

Riding the Tides of Malice EP, 2002
To Exist And Endure 2004

Links :

http://www.myspace.com/estuary
www.estuarymetal.com