Halloween just passed us again and a fitting, frightful band to cover for this all-hallowed of eves is Regina's FPG with their October 31st 2021 release of their album, Spirit World. Taking influence from Hardcore, Thrash Metal and the more Goth-leaning vocal stylings of giants such as Peter Steele, FPG are a feast for the ears that does not let up and Spirit World kicks it up a notch with a horror concept that rides through the entire release.
To find out what makes Spirit World such a captivating concept album, I - NSMZ's resident Metalhead - reached out to Eliot Torrens, the band's guitarist, for answers.
***
MARK: Thanks for joining me, Eliot. First and foremost, Spirit World sounds amazing. From what I've heard from you guys, I sense a strong concept vibe from the lyrical content of your music. Can you tell me what the story is behind the Spirit World album?
ELIOT: Thanks so much for reaching out! It’s totally awesome to have somebody resonate with what we do and we appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and expand on the album a little bit. Here at FPG our main intention is to create an otherworldly experience for the listener through intense Rock music. Spirit World is a trip through the realm of horror and the occult, much more spooky and sinister than any of our other releases. It is designed to shock and amaze, in the same way that a film might. The lyrical themes involve the terrors of this world and the next, both real and perceived.
M: There is so much to the sound of FPG, I can hear a big '90s Hardcore influence, a Thrash Metal influence and even a Goth influence in the clean vocals. What are the sources, musicians and bands that you guys draw your inspirations from?
E: Originally we played a style of crossover Thrash that combined elements of Hardcore Punk and Metal, but over our various releases we have taken the same spirit of fusing genres and incorporated different styles of Rock whether they be more melodic and easy going or more heavy and dark sounding. This album happens to be the heaviest and darkest sound we have had yet, drawing it’s primary inspiration from Goth and Black Metal as well as the usual Thrash and Hardcore Punk. Bands like The Misfits and Type O Negative definitely influenced the overall gloomy and horrific atmosphere as well as the classic Black Sabbath, the greatest band of all time.
M: The illustrated cover art of the FPG releases screams underground Hardcore and I love it. I suspect that someone in the band is a seasoned illustrator who creates this artwork. As a comic book creator myself, I'd love to know who that is and what their illustration inspirations are?
E: The way we choose to represent our band through artwork is in direct reference to classic Metal and Punk album covers in that old school style that we have always loved. Everything is conceptualized by us for each respective release, although up to this point the artwork is usually outsourced, with the exception of our last album "Sonic Awakening" that I did myself, although I only wish I could call myself a seasoned illustrator. Somebody who definitely is though, is Ken Terror, the artist who created this latest cover for us, as well as our current logo and our 2016 Demo cover. He is a truly fantastic illustrator who has done tons of work with many underground Hardcore Punk and Metal bands. Everybody should definitely go and check him out if they like the cover.
M: Finally, what's next for FPG after Spirit World?
E: Currently we are already deep into the process of formulating our next instalment of musical mayhem. We’re continuing to experiment with new directions on each release, so expect a slightly different sound and another full-length release sooner rather than later. Cheers everybody and welcome to Spirit World!
***