Exclusive Interviews Only Found Here at MetalCore!
Flesh Engine
Flesh Engine is a band I recently saw in NJ opening for Faith of Fear. I really enjoyed their set and the CD that they gave to me. Here is a interview I did with band member
MC: Let's get the boring question out of the way. how did the band form and how many line ups have u had so far?
FE: Well, lets replace the word
"Boring" with holy this shit is long. First of all the band didn't
even start off with any one except Dustin. When the Band "Flesh Engine"
Was, it was really a name change from "Leave of Absence" which was
started even before Dustin. But
Flesh Engine when named, was Dustin the singer, Ray the guitarist, Alex the
Bassist, and John the Drummer. The name change came shortly after the quiet
quitting of a man named Rich. For little over a year that line up when very
shaky and eventually Ray and Dustin decided John and Alex were not serious enough
to do this 'Flesh Engine project so they split off. After a couple weeks they
found drummer Dale. And about a month or two after that they found Paul. All
via Internet. After a while Flesh Engine decided to expand to dual guitars and
so they brought in guitar player Dave, which happen to be Paul's brother. Time
went on that way fine. Flesh Engine started to accumulate a fan base. But then
due to the pressure of traveling Ray left the band. Not too long after Flesh
Engine sought another second guitar player. They found Rob, which only lasted
5 months before personal life caught up with him as well. Since the band's core
members now frustrated with constant lack of dedication, they finally sought
fit to keep it a 4 piece. Dustin Hamel, Dale Mcallister, Dave and Paul Orkin.
MC: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you?
FE: Ehhh well you could say you would get different opinions out of everyone
in the band. Dustin says "it sound like a blender on its highest setting,
sounding perfectly in key but still brutally mash all contents with in",
Dale says, "Its an original sound, mixing in old school thrash. Dave is
too lazy too answer, so I would say Dave would probably just say its "Nice"
and Paul is not here to answer cause he's too busy getting laid across town.
MC: Are there any goals for the band at all?
FE: There's always goals so says Dave as he farted. LOL But everytime we talk
about it, it always ends the same. Our only real goal is to entertain our fans,
and if someday, somehow we can get somewhere and get paid for it. Well, look
at it this way. We will have more time to make music then to think about it
at our dead end jobs. Boy being a musician is great lol!
MC: What is your opinion on the CD that you release not too long ago? How has it been selling and what have the reviews been like?
FE: Our opinion on the CD is, demos are like assholes everyone has one. The
one we gave you was just a demo and nothing else. The reviewer from TartareanDesire.com
named Apoch put it the best "the demo shows promise, and that's really
what a demo is all about." It really was more of an experiment with an
old guitar player, but we are currently putting to work some of our best material
on a new demo that will be release hopefully sometime this year. As for the
07 Demolition, we "sold out" of them pretty much, but then again its
really easy to do that with a zero cost. And the reviews were 90% in the "its
got potential field" and with this new demo we are looking for at least
90% in the "Holy shit, there is metal coming out my ass field."
MC: Is it tough being a band from South Jersey?
FE: It WAS difficult being a South Jersey band, but since 75% of the band lives
in Philly now and we practice in Chester, we are now a South Philly band. Which
surprisingly is better. Since the music scene in Philly is a lot better.
MC: Do you feel your a good live band and how has the response been for the band when you play out live?
FE: Like most bands might go through, it really depends where you are, what
slot you have, and how closely related to the other bands genre you are playing
with is. But for us that's only been a little problem really. When we get done
playing we NEVER hear ridicule or boo's. We have gotten cheered more often then
not. And even though people are not jumping around during the show, we do notice
they are intent on listening to what we have to say. Cause not one of them really
ever move or stop looking in our direction. Dustin even saw a guy holding in
piss until after our set and that manran for the bathroom right after.
MC: Is it hard to write songs or do they come pretty easily for the band? About how much time per week is spent doing band related things?
FE: To answer the first part of the question, it can be give or take depending
on everyone's mood and level of energy. But usually it takes about 6 to 8 hours
of rehearsal time ..to know exactly how we want the song. Sometimes it takes
weeks. Depending on the song style and level of difficulty we are going for.
99% percent of the writing process we leave to feel. We used to try and be technical
sometimes but realized the best way to problem solve timing issues, or riff
significance is to feel it out. I mean come on, people love to feel the music
so you have to create the product the way the customer takes it in.
To answer the second part, I would be a liar if I told you this wasn't another full time job. We spend approximately 11 hours rehearsing. And that's almost straight through until there is either a drum stick graveyard and wall of dead drum heads or broken guitar stings and bloody vocal chords. 3 of us live together, so there is a lot of writing going on at home all the time. Constantly looking for good spots to play, writing riffs and lyrics, promoting the band, doing interviews like this one. We see each other so much Dustin probably does most of his screaming out of disgust of seeing the others. But we are like a tightly knit family, like four brothers. We love music and music sorta loves us, most of the time. But it is a commitment. Like right now me, Dale and Dave are sitting here doing this interview together. Except Paul is off getting laid, and somehow had the time to text us about some big breasted woman that he saw, on the way to getting laid.
MC: How did you come up with your name and were any other names considered?
FE: Well, Flesh Engine was an alteration of "Motor-Flesh" which I
...came up with back with the original line up. Like I said before we originally
were called "Leave of Absence" when the band tyrant Rich was around.
But after he left his homoerotic name had to go with him to homo heaven. But
when I had said Motor-Flesh, Ray at the time said it sounded too much like Motorhead,
so Alex said "say Flesh something" and I said how about Engine. So
it came to be Flesh Engine.
MC: The making of the CD, was it is easy for you in the studio? About how many hours did you spend in the studio and where did you get the CDs printed up at?
FE: We are not going to lie. We kinda rushed 07-Demolition. We were trying to
just get some music up with the newer line fast. So its just a taste. It was
about a month. And we got them printed up in different parts and put them together
ourselves. We did our recording at Satan's Palace in Cherry Hill NJ. The Covers
were printed at some place in Pine Hill. And the sleeves we used were ordered
through ULine. com
MC: Have any of you been in any other bands and how does a song come together?
FE: Dustin/ Flesh Engine, and
various side projects .. Dale/ Blungeon, Casualties of Life, Flesh Engine, and
various bands with no names Dave/ Sludge!, Warnock, Extant, Scarred for Life,
Throatwrenched, Flesh Engine Paul is not here to answer this question, but I
am pretty sure that loser has been in every band his big brother was in, but
who cares right? Songs come together like this for us: Someone throws a riff
out. Dale trys to play it. Dragons bust into the room with pot. Everyone gets
high except Dustin and the pigs. Then a troll comes along and farts a melody
that we copy and play. Then Dustin writes some fantasy bullshit on top of it.
Which you wouldn't know what he's talking about unless your a DND nerd. Pretty
much sums it up. And to answer the unasked question.....................yes
we are fucked up.
MC: Do you guys as a band pretty much get along all the time?
FE: Like four farting brothers trapped in a van on the way to Maryland.
MC: Does any of the band members have a favorite song they like to play live?
FE: Dustin loves The Pact Primeval. Dale loves to play them all, Dave pretty
much said DITTO to that. And where is Paul?
MC: Are you currently writing any new music?
FE: If you read above, you would know that answer.LOL But yea, always!!
MC: Do you have a website or My Space page where people can contact you?
FE: www.myspace.com/FleshEngine
Other booking info,
Call or text 856-655-7863
Band Address
Flesh Engine
713 Dudley St.
Philadelphia, Pa 19148
MC: What merchandise do you have for sale?
FE: Think of a store, where everything in it has our logo on it.lol
T-Shirts
Demos..
Hoodies
Quarter Sleeves
Long Sleeves
Try- Out jerseys
stickers
pins
Window decals
and soon to be Porn featuring our music.
MC: Any last words. Horns up for the interview.
FE: Come in peace my brothers and sisters. Leave in pieces. Nah but really check
us out. We are great to drink with and some of us to smoke with.See you at our
after party!!!