Pic courtesy of: Flametal "Well, I'm always surprised when someone embraces my crazy ideas!"

CR: I don’t want to fall in the typical opening question “what’s your music like” but very shortly to put up to date a couple of readers… what do you mean metal and flamenco?
Benjamin Woods: We're trying to make something completely new. With my best effort, I try and put equal parts
flamenco and metal for a 50% / 50% mix. FLAMENCO-with my nylon, flamenco guitar and flamenco technique. Using authentic flamenco rhythms and song forms (such as bulerias=12/8), and the addition of flamenco percussion (palmas, taconeo (footwork), and castanets) as well as a HOT flamenco dancer and choreography to better tell our horror stories live. METAL with leather-lunged thrash vocals, distorted shred guitar, and brutal drums and bass. We also indulge lyrically in horror and evil subjects.

CR: You were in Japan lately, promoting “The Elder” your site has a Japanese version that tells me that Japan is crazy about you guys, are you surprise of the way Japanese metalheads embraced the album?
Benjamin Woods: Well, I'm always surprised when someone embraces my crazy ideas! However, Japanese metal fans have a very diverse palette in their musical tastes, and very much enjoy technical shred guitar stuff, so I suppose Flametal works there. They also have the biggest flamenco community outside of Spain.

CR: Flametal is recording an EP, is that just going to be released in Japan? How many songs are going to be included there, and is there any from your next full length?
Benjamin Woods: Well, we recorded the EP but then decided not to release it. It's mostly live tracks of the acoustic version of the band "The Skeletons" with a lot of new material from the next album, plus some nice old covers from the 70', and 80's. Instead we're concentrating on the next full length album, and have this on the shelf for when we need some extras.

CR: It’s been a while now since “The Elder” was released in the US, how was it received over there? Has there been interest in the “flamenco” scene about the album (hey man I don’t know if flamenco has a scene, I’m just guessing… just if the question sounds retarded to you jejeje)
Benjamin Woods: Well, truth be told, we have no distribution or label in the states. There has not been a US label to approach us with deal that's even near fair. And although we may have a following of devoted fans, many of the big labels prefer a band they can classify/catagorize, a band that sounds like another succesful band, so there's no risk. FUCK THAT! We do it on our own. So I sell the CD on CDBABY exclusively and they ship all around the world. It's a fair deal for everyone involved. In the flamenco scene we are viewed as a "curiosity", but with respect, at least.

CR: Let’s talk about “The Elder” I just saw a video on youtube for the album, very nice, love the song, it does look like an amateur video was that something you guys put yourselves together or someone else worked on it?
Benjamin Woods: Amateur!?!?! Go watch some Norwegian Black Metal videos, and come back and call it amateur! Ok, ok, I just put some old footage together in imovie and called it a video. WEEEEEEEE! It was fun syncin up the music to the video. We did however film a professional video for the song "Anda Jaleo" which can be found on our website or on youtube.

CR: “The Elder” really is a nice breath of fresh air in the metal scene, would you like people to focus more on the way Flametal plays and approaches the songs or in the fact that the band is very unique in what it does?
Benjamin Woods: I would really like people to focus on the music, the song, our sound. The way we play is WHY we are unique! We're not trying to make any social statement, or change the world of metal. We're just playing music that we like, and we happen to like it fast, technical and influenced by flamenco and metal. Breaking form the norm and doing things differently has been going on forever. Change is always weird at first, but then it gets accepted and perfected. I think we are still "weird" you know?

CR: To record the album do you guys need of a certain type of studio for the “zapateo” (you know the bits were the stomping takes place…. Sorry I don’t remember or know the actual term of the style) and the clapping, or any studio is equip for this?
Benjamin Woods: For the Zapateo, just a wood floor and some talented flamenco dancers is all you need, and the palmas are just hand claps, or are they? In Flamenco, palmas are the main percussion instrument and are deceptively hard to play well. A really good palmero is never without work.

CR: Most of the album is acoustic, there a couple of songs with vocals in it, why so many songs acoustic and is this the path you will be taking in the future?
Benjamin Woods: I would say that much of the album is instrumental, not just acoustic. I'll admit, I'm not much of a vocalist, and when we recorded this, I still wasn’t sure what kind of vocals would fit. Since then, we've remixed and remastered that album for Japan with new vocals, and added vocals to many of the instrumental tracks(I finally figured out how to use my voice). There will always be at least 3 or 4 instrumental tracks on every Flametal album. As the flamenco guitarist and vocalist, some guitar parts I write are just way too difficult to sing and play at the same time. Flamenco technique is very busy and demanding, so on some of the coolest songs, there will be no vocals.

CR: What’s your normal writing process, I mean you probably just come up with the guitar lines first, but generally how much time does it takes you to write a full song for Flametal?
Benjamin Woods: I have been working on just how to write songs combining these elements for over 10 years, and just now it's becoming clear. It usually starts as a complete flamenco guitar song I could play as a solo, then I may simplify some parts and figure out the electric guitar parts to go with it, or rewrite certain sections to be heavy. By the time the entire band has had their input, it usually becomes more complex than how it started, and I have a big shit-eaten grin on my face.

	Pic courtesy of: Flametal "The nice thing about this band, and doing everything independently is that we can do whatever the fuck we want! Fuck them if they don’t like it"

CR: When you guys play live you have the flamenco dancers with you, are they part of the band or you just hired them for the shows, that visual aid really enhances the live experience, how much preparation does a Flametal show has?
Benjamin Woods: Being a professional flamenco guitarist, I make a living by accompanying flamenco singers and dancers, so in the very beginning, it was just me and two dancers, and we worked very hard on the choreography in a very "flamenco" way to make something special. Now we're much more concerned with the musical side and the metal. We still have dancing at our bigger shows and it takes a very talented individual to dance to our music(we have a wonderful new dancer with us now). At the same time, since our music is all in "compas"(term used for being in tradition flamenco rhythms and forms), it's very easy for a flamenco dancer to adapt. She starts by dancing pure flamenco and puts more theatrics and metal edge and attitude into the performance. It's not a gimmick, and it's not gay or artsy. This is a big part of my musical background and it just feels natural to have flamenco dancing on stage with us.

CR: You have Marty Friedman as a guest on “The Elder”, how did you got in touch with?
Benjamin Woods: Marty Friedman wrote and played the solos to "Bruja Tortura" on our first demo. Brian now plays those solos note for note on the album. The demos are currently unavailable to the public, although it may be nice to release it some day. I met Marty in Oakland at the infamous Soundwave studios while he was there rehearsing for his album "Music for Speeding". I was playing guitar and he approached me to do a little playing on his album, which I of course was very excited to do. A few months later I asked him to play a solo on my demo, which he did remotely from Japan. His playing was awesome with 3 part harmonies and everything. He's a very nice guy and true to his word. A real musician that I take great pride in meeting, and great honor in his participation at Flametal's very beginning. He said he liked the craziness of Flametal. He's awesome!

CR: Most of the reviews on the album are very good, but they all seem to “complain”…well maybe not complain but they do point out that the song “Red Cobblestone”sounds sort of out of place, one review said this…“Doom metal/Warpigs worshiping” is the song really focused on showing the doom side of the band?
Benjamin Woods: The nice thing about this band, and doing everything independently is that we can do whatever the fuck we want! Fuck them if they don’t like it, we do. We don’t make music to please anyone but ourselves and "red cobblestone" is a lot of fun to play. No, it may not be complicated or have any flamenco authenticity, but whatever. If we wanted to follow the rules and do what's expected, we wouldn’t be playing metal. I wasn’t thinking "hey, let's do a DOOM song", I was thinking lets do an easy song with lots of power. With these musicians we literally could play jazz, funk, rock, classical or whatever, but flamenco is a direction, not a standard. I'm very lucky to work with musicians this talented.

CR: Ben, we can say you are the mastermind behind Flametal (off course the rest of the guys sound incredible as well!), what move you to mix metal and flamenco I would have never though of such a combination in my live (that’s why there are artists and journalists :), was there any specific moment in which you decided to fuse both styles?
Benjamin Woods: I have 2 shelves for my CD collection: one is all flamenco, and the other is all metal. I wanted to hear something in between, and searched the world for it. It didn’t exist, so I had to create it.If you compare Speedmetal to Rock, I have always thought of real flamenco guitar as the Speedmetal of acoustic guitar playing. When I originally started studying flamenco guitar, I only wanted to augment my electric guitar playing skills to sound more unique. And when my roommate stole all my gear and vanished, I didn’t have much of a choice. I never would've guessed how deeply I would become involved in study to the point of never picking up a pick again. When I first heard Paco de Lucia, I thought to myself, "Shit! If this guy played in a metal band, he would destroy the world!". So then my journey began to try and master flamenco so I could someday combine it with the metal I already knew and loved. I played and studied intensely for years, ten hours a day. Traveling to Spain, and working with different flamenco artists around the US. Learning the fine art of accompanying flamenco singers and dancers is where the true essence of flamenco guitar playing lies, so I have been doing that ever since. Finally having enough knowledge in both styles (although I'll always be a student of flamenco), I started to calculate this crossover and began to write and search for the highest caliber of musicians. Luckily, the bay area has some of the best in the world!

CR: You also work doing the artwork for the band… how exhausting is it not only to write, direct, record but to also be involved in the graphic design of Flametal, are you going to continue to do all this or eventually you will delegate some activities?
Benjamin Woods: If I have it my way (and I will), I'll continue to do all of these duties. Flametal is my baby, and is the one vehicle that I can put all my illustration experience in (I used to illustrate for metal band t-shirts: Slayer, Pantera, etc.), my experience in metal, and my experience in flamenco together. It's like I've unknowingly trained my whole life for this project! It's not exhausting, it's fun! People can be way more creative than this world gives them credit, if you just put your mind to it. I look at King diamond as my inspiration.

CR: Did your junkie roommate really stole your electric guitar and gear? If it is true, then if he had never fall in love with crack (I’m making shit up now) you would have never discover flamenco!
Benjamin Woods: Yeah, my gear was ripped off, and I started playing my classical guitar to practice, that's how it started. If that didn’t happen, honestly, I think I would still be playing electric guitar, and have a day job in an art department, with the band on the side, a wife, a house with a 2 car garage and 2.3 kids. I would be horribly miserable!!!!!!

CR: Do you have any other connection to the Spanish culture, other than your passion for the music?
Benjamin Woods: I have some ancestors that live in Toledo, Spain. Not really the cradle of Flamenco, and I don’t really know them or just how much of their blood runs in my veins. As an American, I'm starved for culture, and with so much mixed blood out there, it's rare to find anyone of pure decent. Now that the world has gotten so small and reachable, why not seek out that which pleases you, there is sure to be someone who you can learn from, regardless of the nationality.

	Pic courtesy of: Flametal "You know, people say a lot of things, some say we're not metal, or its gay to have dancing on stage, or it's just a gimmick. Well I say FUCK THEM! "

CR: You have another project on the works “The Skeletons” what can you tell us about it?
Benjamin Woods: "The Skeletons" are basically the same members from Flametal, just instrumental and not as loud. It's a band that would fit perfectly at a jazz venue. We still play Flametal tunes, as well as many other forms like jazz and flamenco and rock. Instead of a drumset we use a cajon(wooden box originally from Peru, now the standard percussion instrument in Flamenco), and slower, softer dynamics into the music. Every once in a while we'll break out a fast Flametal tune and shred away. It's a guilty pleasure, and the Skeletons give us another avenue to improvise and play to a completely different audience.

CR: With what bands do you think Flametal could go on tour?
Benjamin Woods: Hard question. I'd say the bands that have a technical and theatrical side to their music, such as King Diamond. That would be a dream come true. Symphony X, Nevermore, Necrophagist. I would be honored to share the stage with any of them. Or maybe Ojos de Brujo from Spain, for the more open-minded Flamenco audience.

CR: What’s in the future for Flametal, man a live DVD would be awesome!
Benjamin Woods: Well the DVD will happen, we are video recording every live show we do and plan to do a lot more videos for the next album. This next CD is already written and the recording process has begun. It is by far the best thing I have ever heard, and I think it will raise a lot of eyebrows in both communities of music lovers. Still searching for the right label, distribution and management team to take us out on tour. But since we are doing well in Japan, we will be going to tour there first. I'm already writing new material for the 3rd Flametal album and going to South America is a huge goal. If course I'd like Flametal to be successful around the world, and blaze a trail for this new genre. When playing metalfests, I've noticed that at first, our concept goes over a lot of heads, because it's so different, no one expects to see and hear these things. But metal fans are very smart, and they always show us great support by the end of our set.

CR: I’ve been asking this to pretty much every band on this issue, I know is a bit off topic but I just wanted to get some insight in what the metal artist are thinking lately… what do you think about the situation in Iraq?
Benjamin Woods: Just one thing. Leave them alone. Oh, and it's time to stop using oil and develop a personal kinetic flying vehicle. I'll call it the human wing.

OK man, thank you very much for your time, please if you have anything else to add, feel free to do so… and yes congrats on a kick ass album!
Benjamin Woods: Thanks man. You know, people say a lot of things, some say we're not metal, or its gay to have dancing on stage, or it's just a gimmick. Well I say FUCK THEM! We play music that we like and try to entertain our audience with a little more than just 4 ugly dudes standing on stage playing rehashed riffs. It's good to be different! There is no better feeling in the world than playing a live set and knowing that you just musically crushed every band before you. For me, that's what it's all about, and I look forward to doing some more of that! We'll see you all out on the road soon! Until then please check out
www.flametal.com
www.myspace.com/flametal
Thanks.