PW: Firstly congratulations on the new album; one thing I have always noticed about Pro-Pain is the label hiatus. This new one is on AFM, you have been through so many labels (Candlelight, Continental, Spitfire, Nuclear Blast, High Gain, Energy, Roadrunner) what keeps going wrong and how are things going support wise with AFM; fingers crossed you might stick with them for another album?

GM: Thanks for the congratulations. OK, with regard to the apparent revolving door of record labels: While it's no secret that we have partnered with quite a few different labels and distribution companies throughout the course of our career, it's a misconception that things "keep going wrong". The only label in which we had a full fledged standard artist agreement was with Energy Records (1992-1996). Since then, we have strictly licensed our albums to various partners via our own Rawhead, Inc. label. The reasons are varied for various discontinued partnerships (as one might expect). In some instances, our partners simply went out of business (example: High Gain, Energy). In other cases, we received better offers for future product(s) (example: Nuclear Blast). In certain instances, key personnel had left the company and we followed suit (example: Spitfire, Edel). Pro-Pain were never "label slaves" for the standard 7 or 8 album record deals. We have conducted ourselves like a small business, and we are proud to say that we have done it successfully.

PW: On the same subject I always remember reading that you are one of these people who just goes out and arranges things yourself; tours, labels, releases, distribution and basically everything to do with the day to day running of the band. I take it this is pretty much a full time occupation. Do you have to take up a day job to survive and if so how the hell do you fit it all in?

GM: It's been a full time gig for us since the start. We were very fortunate to have had some success early on in terms of album sales, chart entries, etc..., and we were able to capitalize on that soon after by implementing our own business model. We simply took over the reigns after Energy and Roadrunner gave us a solid platform. Some of the members (including myself) have invested wisely in other areas (real estate, other businesses, etc...) in order to plan for the future and to take the pressure off of the band to constantly "produce".......which can make things less "fun".

PW: Who contributes what to the band and the recording process, I believe you are responsible for the lyrics. I take it the musical side of things is a diplomatic process?

GM: With regard to our latest record, the musical contribution and arrangement process was fairly democratic. We were shooting for more "spontaneity", and so we gathered ourselves collectively in the studio in order to write riffs and arrange songs. As for the recording process: Erik Klinger and Tom Klimchuck are the main engineers, and I handle many aspects of production. We really enjoy the challenge of making good and competitive sounding records and trying to "up the ante" with each new project.

PW: As far as the band are concerned, you have worked with Tom Klimchuck (Lead Guitar) for a number of years (in fact he was a founding member, left and rejoined I believe). JC Dwyer & Eric Klinger have both been around for a while now. Does this current line-up see Pro-Pain at their most stable? You must have got a good working ethic together having collaborated on the last 3-4 albums together.

GM: Yes, this is one of our more stable line-ups. In my opinion, it's the best since our "Contents Under Pressure" days. We all have a lot in common outside of the music business, and so I think that might lend itself to further stability. It helps if the members of a band enjoy each others company, and we do.

PW: Moving onto latest CD Age Of Tyranny – The Tenth Crusade itself, you continue thematically with an album bristling with indignation over the situation in Iraq and war in general. Use us as a platform please and give us your opinions on the ‘war on terrorism’ and the current situation of America’s involvement with it?

GM: I think that the lyrics on Age Of Tyranny are very focused, unlike most of our politically inspired contemporaries. In my opinion, there is a great deal of information being served up in our little brown CD booklet, all poetically versed and doused with 100% pure American blue collar sentiment. There are many references (both obvious and hidden) made to the likes of Leo Strauss, Plato, Orwell, The Council On Foreign Relations, The Federal Reserve, Presidents of the past and present, Globalization, Nationalism, Fascism, Religion, as well as the usual suspects and current cast of characters. As much as I dislike George Bush (Jr. & Sr.), it is naive to blame the world’s problems on one man. George Bush is simply (and I use that term loosely) a key player in the Neoconservative movement, and is a champion of the New World Order (which is International). As you may or may not know, the roots of the Neoconservative movement are not conservative at all, but stem from the extreme left. Therefore, Neoconservatives are for mass globalization, global dictatorship, one world government, erasing borders and sovereignty, hi-tech feudalism, etc... Look no farther than the Euro to prove that many European leaders are of the same philosophy and mentality. Similar plans are in place for a North American Union by 2010 which seeks to consolidate America, Canada, and Mexico. As a result, our sovereignty will be erased, and our dollar will be abolished and replaced by a single North American currency called the Amero. Further erosion of the American working middle class will take place via outsourcing of jobs and "open borders". Eventually, the entire Western world will fall under the same umbrella of Mao influenced "corporate slavery". Those are some of the plans that have been put into place by some very scary yet powerful people over at least the course of the past several decades. One must look deeper than George Bush's America to begin to see the "big picture". I'm sure that our allies over in England can identify with what I'm saying, as their society (one nation under Blair) currently serves as the Orwellian template of things to come for us "Yanks". As for the phony "war on terrorism": It's a sham, and we need to bring our troops home now !!

PW: The albums ‘Tenth Crusade’ moniker not only implies the fact that it is your tenth album but also makes an analogy of what is happening today in Iraq and The Crusades of past history. It is as though nothing has changed throughout all these years and the same mistakes are still being made. The only thing different really are the size of weaponry and the devastation being caused. What similarities have you seen cropping up when you researched this? I take it the album could loosely termed as a concept album?

GM: The term "Tenth Crusade" goes well beyond a seemingly cool play on words. There are striking and scary similarities between the tragedies of modern times and bible prophecy. To the "rapture ready" Christian, these modern tragedies are all part of the end times and tribulation. To many others, it is all part of a devious elitist plot so meticulously scripted, that all of Christianity will welcome their own demise and will eventually be led like sheep to slaughter. When something goes against the grain of common sense, then there is usually an ulterior motive at work. It's fair to say that the high percentage of governmental decisions lack common sense. We say that "we never learn from our mistakes" when we look back at war, senseless death, and carnage. Our common sense tells us that war is bad, and therefore it is a mistake to go to war. However, those with an ulterior motive may not see war and tragedy as a mistake, but as highly profitable great leaps forward that are all just part of a bigger plan.

PW: ‘We’ve got the end in sight, it’s in black and white.’ Cite the lyrics on ‘The New Reality’ yes it strikes as business as usual with the punchy immediacy of the bruising musical swagger here. You kind of ruin any chances of radio airplay with your, ‘fuck the system’ chant though. It strikes me very much that you are using music as a weapon with this diatribe; bad language can certainly be effective if not overstated as it is here, care to comment?

GM: Yeah, I suppose it boils down to what the band is shooting for vs. the listeners threshold for foul language. Getting good radio airplay is a beautiful thing, but we're not going to sacrifice one ounce of our art, spirit, or integrity for it. So, if I want to say "fuck this" or "fuck that", then that's what will become part of the lyrics (no edits, bleeps, etc...). It's very pure that way, and I think that's one of the main ingredients of good honest music. In my opinion, too much good art gets sacrificed and or altered for the sake of commercialism. For me, it's about pure, raw, and honest emotion.

PW: There are some surprises in store and you have perhaps broken the record with some unexpected experimentation here. The gospel sounding female vocals on ‘All For King George’ came as a complete surprise on first listen but worked really well. Who provides these and what made you decide to give this a try?

GM: Haha!! Well, I've been called a lot of things.....but this is the first time I've been called a female (hehe). The truth is, I did 16 tracks of clean vocals in 4 part harmony for the chorus in "All For King George". What started off as a QOTSA style chorus ended up sounding more "choir like" or gospel inspired. I might have gotten a bit carried away with my newly discovered voice......and femininity of course.

PW: Oops well that is hopefully the biggest mistake I will ever make in an interview but in defence the label sent out a burnt CDR of the album, label notes and credits would have been a luxury, thanks for taking that on the chin.

PW: ‘Beyond The Pale’ sees Pro-Pain pushing all the buttons. You have backing vocals from Matt Bizilia of Icarus Witch and even some flamenco guitars. Memorably one should never forget the excellent pairing of Pro-Pain with Ice T on ‘Put The Lights Out.’ What was it that brought Matt into the picture and are there any other singers you would like to work with in the future (my perfect matches would be Al Jourgenson or Jello Biafra)?

GM: We had envisioned a "classic metal style" voice in the chorus of Beyond The Pale. Once the idea was established, then it became just a matter of "who", "when", "where" and "how". I was scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh to begin mixing the album, and I started to think about potential vocalists in that area. Eric Klinger had produced a couple of CD's for Icarus Witch, so I asked Eric to call Matt to see if he would be interested in "laying down some vocals". Well, Matt did a fine job and he was a pleasure to work with. As for future collaborations, it's hard to say. We never bring a "guest" on-board unless we feel that the collaboration has artistic value. I think Jourgenson and or Biafra would be interesting to work with. I am a big DK fan, and I like some of what Ministry has done as well.

PW: ‘Leveller’ strikes with almost death metal intentions. Genre is a funny old beast. You used to be called straight up hardcore, now there are all these different musical definitions out there. To quote an armchair critic on the ever reliable Blabbermouth, “Anyone who thinks Pro-pain is metalcore is a complete douche,” couldn’t agree more, its all got a bit silly hasn’t it? Do you have an opinion on this?

GM: Labelling just seems to be something that is media created and or media exploited. Putting a bow on a turd doesn't change the medium. The public is guilty for "buying into it" though. I mean, aren't we all "metalcore" to some degree?? But if we tagged ourselves Metalcore, we become part of the hype, part of the trend, and part of the sudden and swift death of that trend once another trend is established. Pro-Pain is just a Rock N Roll band with a variety of influences including hardcore, metal, and classic rock.

PW: I think it is fair to say that all the reviews of the album are good, after all these years do you still get nervous in the run up to releasing a new album and do you take any notice of what the critics say?

GM: The overwhelming percentage of reviews for "Age Of Tyranny" have been outstanding, and we are quite proud of that considering that there are no industry politics involved in the good press that we have received. I do still get nervous in the "run up" to release. Naturally, I want people to appreciate our music. I do take negative criticism with a grain of salt, and have made some beneficial adjustments in the past as a result. However, personal attacks are always disheartening.

PW: Speaking of critics, with the widespread use of the internet, any fool can be one (me included). A lot has changed since you formed way back. You now have to contend with a radical departure of the way the industry used to be, even to the extent of the way your music is marketed and the format it is sold in. What are your opinions on the way things have changed and how do you consider that leaking of albums via the internet has affected you as a band?

GM: Well, the internet is certainly a great tool for marketing one's music. It can also wreak havoc on sales via downloading and filesharing, as we all know. As a result, we now have a vast new generation of talented artists doing it "on the cheap".

PW: As far as your website is concerned, it pretty much contains the bare bones of information concerning the group. Would I be right in assuming that you let the music on both disc and live do the talking rather than having a flash all bells and whistles website? Is it the band who are behind this and the MySpace page, there seems to be a couple of unofficial examples of these lurking in cyberspace too?

GM: We run our website at http://www.pro-pain.com No bells and whistles, just the essentials. Same with our official Myspace account at http://www.myspace.com/propainspace There are some fansites out there as well.

PW: You have been playing a lot in support of the album and your decade and a half of existence. There’s been plenty of gigs in Europe but I don’t remember you making it to the UK this time? How has life on the road been? I should be catching you in action at With Full Force festival myself.

GM: We still tour quite a bit, although not as frequently as "back in the day". We recently completed a very successful 15 Year Anniversary tour of Europe. The UK has unfortunately always been a bit "spotty" for us. I suppose it can be a tough market if you're not "media darlings". We've played some very cool London gigs over the years, and we definitely plan on returning someday, as our fans there are just great!! Yeah, we'll see you at With Full Force!! That's one of our favorite festivals!

PW: 15 years is a hell of a long time to be involved in the somewhat cut-throat world of the music business. What would you say is it that has kept you going all this time?

GM: Yes, it is a long time. However, it goes by incredibly fast. The main driving force behind Pro-Pain is the fact that we honestly and thoroughly enjoy what we do.

PW: What would you say are the high and low points of your career and how many other anniversaries are you aiming for with the band?

GM: Well, the high points have fortunately outnumbered the lows. High points being Dynamo Festival 1996 (yep that was great and the sun came out finally just before you played at one of the wettest festivals I have ever been at PW) , Bohse Onkelz Tour 1998, Lausitzring Open Air 2005, Body Count Tour 1992, etc... Low points being various line-up changes, bus crash of 1997, cancelled Crumbsuckers tour of 2007, etc...

PW: That’s about all I have for you, thanks for the interview and the various bruises in the pit over the years. Any final words?

Thank you very much for this interview. Check out our new album "Age Of Tyranny / The Tenth Crusade". For more info. log onto www.pro-pain.com or visit us at www.myspace.com/propainspace

Interviewed by Pete Woods
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