Pic courtesy of: A Gruesome Find " It’s funny how when you write something, you think/hope that other people will like it as much as you do. It turns out that is not often the case…ha ha. Everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinion"

CR: Hey man how are you? first of let me extend my apologies for taking so fucking long to write this interview, I really appreciate your patience with me!
Lord Mininger: Hey! Thanks for the interview! No problem on the delay, we’ve been very busy also.

CR: “Of Blood and Nobility” your latest release, doing some research I can see that it has been quite well received. Why don’t you give us a sort of introduction, propaganda, preface of the album, what can and will the listener find in this new work from A Gruesome Find?
Lord Mininger: If listeners are familiar with our past releases, they will find that this is the next step in the evolution of our music. They will find better production than the past, along with more complex song writing and groovier riffs. All in all, we feel it is our best work to date and that really stems from the addition of new band members that really helped to give the album a fresh injection of energy. If you liked the old material, then you will REALLY like the new material on the new disc.

CR: Reading your site news, I found out that A Gruesome Find will be on the next Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles - Knuckle Tracks #110 CD Sampler; what does something like this mean to you guys, are you finally getting the exposition you wanted with some of this “free advertisement”?
Lord Mininger: The BW & BK CD sampler is unfortunately not a free advertisement. It costs quite a bit, but we felt that it was an economical way to get at least one song into the hands of those who may not otherwise hear our music. The magazine is heavily distributed and they sell out of each issue with the CD every time, so there is a good chance that we may have some new listeners enjoying our music from that exposure.

CR: Before we go any further, why don’t you give our readers a brief bio of A Gruesome Find! It was sort of hard to find on your web page! (But eventually I got it from your Myspace page, still could you please indulge me?)
Lord Mininger: Sure thing! A Gruesome Find started as my musical project after a failed death metal band back in April 1998…hard to believe it’s been 10 years! After several lineup changes and many shows, I found myself at square one again and had to pretty much start over. This time, I wanted a more blackened metal and after finding a new drummer and bassist, we were on our way to doing just that. A few months after this new lineup formed, we donned corpse paint and recorded our first EP – Ravens of the Full Moon Eclipse in 2002. A few months later, we hit the studio again for our first LP – The Fire that Burns in Hell, released in 2003, but this time we had a new vocalist as the guy on Ravens turned out to be an untrustworthy fuck. All the while, we continued writing more material and eventually another 10 tracks were ready and we recorded Minions Engage, which was released on Crash Music (assholes) in 2005. They virtually did nothing for us other than press the disc – which we had done on our own in the past anyway, so it was really a waste of time and didn’t do anything but lose the rights to the music for 5 years. We even paid for the magazine ads ourselves. So avoid Crash Music at all costs….he he. After a few shows and the crappy label deal, longtime drummer and bassist decided to quit the band and pursue who knows what. It really sucked for me at that time because we were ready to record many of the songs that are on the new release and I was quite pissed off to have been left hanging without the next recording. I didn’t jam for about 9 months and then I learned that a local drummer was available after his band had parted ways. I approached him about his involvement in recording the new CD and he was all for it! So, we rehearsed like hell and 6 months later we had found a new bassist and were in the studio recording Of Blood and Nobility. We chose to remove the corpse paint with this new lineup of the band as we felt it was the next step for the band and we didn’t need to rely on our appearance to make our music.

CR: I have to be honest with you and you probably know this if you read my review of “Of Blood and Nobility”, but this record wasn’t my first “encounter” with AGF, in fact it was back in 2005 with “Minions Engage” and with the respect that anybody that can write music deserves I really didn’t like it, so I was sort of predisposed to hate this new record, but it really blew me away, I mean it transformed me from a non believer to a faithful follower! Well now after all that pandering… in between albums have you and can you see how people, magazines, and other bands start to notice AGF after this record?
Lord Mininger: It’s funny how when you write something, you think/hope that other people will like it as much as you do. It turns out that is not often the case…ha ha. Everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinion. When I listen to our past releases and then I hear the new disc, I notice an evolution of sorts and a progression and growth in musicianship and song writing. Not only has the production improved with each release, but you can really hear a renewed energy on the new disc. It got to the point with the former members that they just were not liking the music as they once did and that started to become very apparent in their playing, so it was for the best to move on and start fresh.
I have had people tell me that they think this new CD should have been our Crash Music debut, but I think Minions Engage did not get the promotion it deserved and thus the CD kind of fell on it’s face. Regardless, we felt we were on to something special with this new lineup and recording. As if things were finally falling into place…and I think that is evident on the new disc, which may play a role as to why this new disc is being so well received.

CR: On this latest record you guys had a new line up right? How many different line ups have AGF had in the past, and can we consider the band to be mainly a one man project, I mean not that the rest of the guys are not important they certainly make this album a success but without Lord Mininger can there really be A Gruesome Find?
Lord Mininger: Correct, we have a new drummer, Lord Cessna (ex-Forever Lost), and new bassist, Lord Albrecht (Genocya). AGF has had several lineups over the last 10 years...guitarist change (removal), bassist change, several drummer changes, and ultimately, a vocalist change (Naberius). The longest a single lineup endured was with Deathcrush on drums and Isaac Cain on bass…that lasted close to 5 years, which was a great run up until the end. Even though the guys who jammed prior to that 5-year lineup still say they were in the band, I really don’t count their involvement toward the current progress of the band. While a couple of them did help write material way back at the beginning (and were credited), the band has changed so much without them that I just don’t look at them as contributing members. Maybe that came across wrong, I just mean that it’s silly to ride the tail of something that they didn’t really like doing in the first place…otherwise they would still be here doing it. And I don’t count being in the band for 3-4 weeks as really being IN the band. I would have to agree that yes, this is my project and that if I quit, then AGF will be no more…but not worry, AGF is still going strong!

	Pic courtesy of: A Gruesome Find "Trying to put A Gruesome Find into a particular sub-genre is difficult. Because, as you say, some songs cannot define the band – or that one song takes the band out of one category and places them in another. All along, we have just said our music is Blackened Death Metal, but I like the phrase “Extremely heavy, melodic music with atmosphere”

CR: In these latest years I have notice a sort of trend with some metal purist, they seem to despise the words melodic metal, yet you guys use it not only in your music, but in your bio on Myspace, why do you think some people have develop this allergy to those two words, melodic and metal?
Lord Mininger: Well, I think you have to look at the metal scene as a whole. When I look at the scene, I see very limited fields of view when it comes to metal heads. They either love the gore-soaked grind and love everything dissonant or you have guys that love the raw black metal from the 90’s and everything else is crap, or you have power metal fans that don’t like death or black metal. Very rarely do you have metal fans that just love metal for metal, regardless of the sub-genre. I know for a fact that some people didn’t like us from the very beginning – simply because we wore corpse paint. Whatever….in my eyes and ears, metal is metal. I grew up listening to classical music, so melody is ingrained in my mind and I have to have it in the music I listen to. Years ago, I was into the more grindy death metal, but after awhile, to me, that all becomes noise and not very thought out. Sure, some of it is insanely technical, but I, myself, would rather focus on melody, catchy grooves, and song structure than just playing as fast as I can and technically trying to impress.

CR: The entire record (still talking about Of Blood and…) has some amazing raw aspects as well as a very clear melodic line that gives the band a powerful personality; there is a song, properly named “Piercing Divinity's Armor (Interlude)“ a clear interlude as the description implies, really a beautiful piece of the record, how important do you think this song is for the album, and for the listener to catch its breath with its “mellow-sort of romantic” feeling?
Lord Mininger: Glad you like the interlude! I think the piece is a very important part of the CD. First, it is completely unexpected after the first 4 brutal tracks. Second, it shows that we are capable of branching out into other musical realms. Third, it really helps transition the CD to the second half of the CD, which highlights more advanced song writing and composition. Not to mention that I really worked hard to arrange the songs based on the starting and ending musical key, so that the entire CD flows musically from track to track and it just happened to work out that the interlude fit so well at track 5.

CR: Of Blood… has some clear, death riffs, some influenced black shrieks, and raw blast beats that appear from time to time; with “ingredients” such as the ones I just mention, how would it be best to describe the band, off course never forgetting just how melodic some songs can be? Melodic black metal, death/black, or can we venture on saying that AGF might become an Avant-garde band?
Lord Mininger: Good question! Trying to put A Gruesome Find into a particular sub-genre is difficult. Because, as you say, some songs cannot define the band – or that one song takes the band out of one category and places them in another. All along, we have just said our music is Blackened Death Metal, but I like the phrase “Extremely heavy, melodic music with atmosphere”. But I don’t think there is an official category for that. I think in any category, no two bands will sound the same. One blackened death metal band will sound completely different than another and may be more thrashy and should almost be placed in a Blackened Thrash category, but at the end of the day, it’s just METAL and people will like it or they won’t, regardless of musical category.

CR: You guys recorded and promoted this album without the support of any label right? How hard is it in the US to find a decent label that can take care of the distribution of the material? Do you think that perhaps in Europe a band like AGF would be more welcome?
Lord Mininger: Yes, I have paid for everything for all the recordings, CD pressings, and shirts/hoodies. (except a minor contribution from the former drummer). In the US, our music is not embraced by record labels. Maybe back in 1996 Century Black would have taken an interest, but these days, the labels are into a completely different type of metal these days. I have found that I can do way more for the band myself than any label can or would. The simple fact that a label only has so much money to spend and then they have to spread that over however many bands are on the label. Only the bands that tour forever and make a ton of CD sales get the money from the label to properly record a CD and have quality merchandise available. (even then, they get limited cash from the label) In our case, I work very hard and my band is my passion, so I am willing to take a great deal of my income and put it toward the band. I don’t think that a label would have given me the money to record OBAN as I did it myself. Sure, it cost a lot of money, but as with all things in life, you get what you pay for. I like spending the money on the band and then hearing the final and saying YES! That’s it!!! I sent the CD to several labels all over the world, but I think none are interested because we already recorded and pressed the disc. They would want their name all over it and then I would lose rights to the music and then never get any money for my hard work. Let me state that I am not in this for money at all! There is no money in metal, that’s for sure, especially with all the CD pirating going on. Rarely, does anyone actually PURCHASE music these days. Oh well, what do you do?

CR: Who did the layout, and the entire graphic design of the album? And why that cover artwork you know a sort of knight in the middle of battle.
Lord Mininger: I did the layout myself with some input from Lord Cessna. We both know Photoshop pretty well, so that helps a lot when it comes to band marketing material. The cover art was chosen back when Minions Engage was recorded and is by an artist name Miles Teves who does a lot of work in Hollywood as a concept artist and sculptor. The knight on the horse artwork is by the same artist as the angel/devil from Minions Engage. In fact, I have 2 more of his pieces that I want to use for future AGF releases. The next one is really, really, awesome and I cannot wait to see that one finished. We felt that the intense imagery of battle suited the title well and gave a sense of foreboding and danger. Imagine standing on the ground and looking up and seeing that guy on the horse! Holy shit, look out! Ha ha…

		Pic courtesy of: A Gruesome Find "While we are not doing anything ground-breakingly new, we have a high level of energy that comes across in the music and I guess I’d have to say it’s the quality of production combined with the grooves and melody that makes people like our music."

CR: There is another “curious” track Ominous Illusions (Piano Sonata Pt. 1), who’s playing the piano in that song?
Lord Mininger: That is me playing piano. I used to have an old piano that was a family friend’s and when Lord Cessna and I were writing the interlude, I decided I should invest in a new piano, so I did. I recorded the piano for the interlude and the sonata in my living room last summer. It was a challenge, that’s for sure. I did not use any keys on Minions Engage – mainly due to the refusal of the drummer at the time, so this time, I did not want to limit myself and I did what I wanted.

CR: I presume you guys are planning or already have set a sort of promotional tour for this new album; how hard is it on the states to go around the country promoting a record without the backing of a label?
Lord Mininger: I wish that were the case. However, shortly after the release, Naberius moved away for family reasons and Lord Albrecht moved away for similar reasons, so playing shows has been few and far between. With both of them living 3-4 hours away, it has put a damper on the band. I have looked at the possibility of putting together a 3-week tour in the US, but since everyone has day jobs, it really is difficult to get out and tour for any length of time. We might be able to do a 1-week tour at some point, but we will have to wait and see.

CR: What would you say is the best characteristic AGF has to offer? I mean what makes AGF a band not only worthy of listening but to worthy of appreciation?
Lord Mininger: Wow, let me see….While we are not doing anything ground-breakingly new, we have a high level of energy that comes across in the music and I guess I’d have to say it’s the quality of production combined with the grooves and melody that makes people like our music. We are able to use simpler (in some cases) song structures that are easy to follow and remember and I think that keeps people listening for more.

CR: What were the main influences that made you decide for metal as the craft that you wanted to pursue as an artist?
Lord Mininger: I have been a metal head all my life, so it just came naturally. I used to listen to a lot of death metal bands and in some cases I really liked the music, but thought they needed a thicker guitar sound, so I pursued that realm to try and achieve similar heaviness, but with a killer guitar sound.

CR: Can a metal musician living in the USA completely isolate itself from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, or that reality is now imprinted in every single person that lives in your country?
Lord Mininger: Well, I am not a political person. In fact, I have never even voted in any election here, so I am not very up to speed on current politics. While I disagree with a lot of US policy, there isn’t much that I can do one way or the other, so I just play my music and tend to forget it’s even happening. Maybe that’s a cheap way out, but I’ve never really cared that much, to be honest.

CR: I just read someplace that Deicide is in the playlist used by the US military to use in “coerce interrogations”, would you prefer it to be “A Gruesome Find” in that list?
Lord Mininger: Wow, I had no idea Deicide was used for torture! I don’t know that I would want people being tormented while listening to our music, I’d rather them have a cold beer in hand and headbanging about the place!

CR: To you what’s the importance that web sites and social networks like Myspace, Facebook, have had on the metal community? There are certainly different ways of looking at this, but measuring what the free share blogs, and P2P have done for some artist and the record labels by allowing people to download full albums without paying a single dollar, and then comparing that to a sort of “free exposure” world wide with web pages, and sample music, do you think the music industry will eventually destroy free sharing sites and software? And will that be of the best interest for the artist?
Lord Mininger: I think MySpace has been a great tool for bands. But that comes with a downside, too….now anyone can throw a garage or basement tape together and say they are a band. Then you have people manipulating the system to show they have 100,000 friends and they’ve been together for 3 months. So, while it’s a great tool to expose your music, it just has some downsides as well. As I mentioned earlier, P2P and digital distribution is not only hurting the big labels, it’s also hurting bands like ours. I’ve seen all 3 of our previous releases available online. I used to just have 4 of the 5 songs from Ravens as free downloads simply because I knew they were going to steal them anyway somewhere else. Noone pays for metal anymore. Computers and CD burners have paved that path and I don’t see it changing for the better anytime soon.

CR: Who are you voting for man? The entire world is waiting for Bush Jr to step down, who are you supporting in this upcoming election…if I may ask of course!
Lord Mininger: Ah ha….see above…I won’t be voting. But if I were to vote, I would have voted for Ron Paul, since he seems to have been the only candidate that was in favor of upholding the Constitution…the very thing that helped found the country. He seems to have the right attitude for the what America needs for the future, but alas, the Clinton/Obama race has all but made people forget why we even have a Constitution.

CR: All right I just run out of questions, hope I didn’t bore you man, and thanks again for your time, fucking awesome record!!!! If you will like to add something else please do and don’t hesitate to come over and visit us in not so sunny Costa Rica these days!
Lord Mininger: Thanks again for the interview! We’re very happy that you like the new CD! Perhaps one day, some big label will pick us up and we’ll be able to tour worldwide! If that happens, maybe we can work our way to your town. Thanks again!