OBLIVION MYTH: Unveiling the Myth Through Faith and Fire

Nashville’s Oblivion Myth have emerged in recent years as one of the most talented, intense and spiritually relevant U.S. power metal bands. Their perfect blend of progressive, symphonic and old-school heavy metal with charismatic and melodic singing, blistering guitar leads and pummeling rhythms is both captivating and inspiring – their sound and execution the epitome of greatness and credibility. But beneath the musical prowess and daunting metal armor there is a pure heart – one with deep understanding and empathy for humanity’s struggle to survive in a world of sin, and one with a desire to reach mankind with the message of hope through Jesus Christ.

Despite some recent changes in the line-up since 2016’s Inside The Mirror, and despite some significant obstacles and events (detailed below), OM have just released their new collection of metal anthems under the cover title, In Your Arms. The new release once again features Keith Smith (guitars), Bob Schulz (drums) and Tim McDonald (vocals) and sees the return of original guitarist Chris Selby along with the addition of Ryan Mark (bass/programming) to the OM family. In a rare (for me) convergence of events, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to drop these metal brothers some questions only to discover that they were more than eager to talk about everything I could throw at them. Read on to hear all about the Oblivion Myth story, the new music (I still call them albums), a drummer’s fiery “slow burn” deliverance ordeal and of course, why playing and singing along to music in your bedroom makes you a better musician!

The New Release

First off, congratulations on the new album. After multiple listens it shines … really stands up well to repeated play. Do you feel you have accomplished your goals for this record and in what ways are you most satisfied with the end-result?

Keith: I think we achieved the goals we set for ourselves for this record and then some. Setting the bar higher for each album and each song is a challenge. Everyone’s performance is amazing.

Tim: In the words of George Lucas, you never “finish” your work … you simply abandon it. I’m pleased with the final result – in a way you always kind of wake up from the dream and realize it was the hard work of a group of people that accomplished it – but at the same time I think there will always be regrets and little winces about things that we hear, “Yeah, probably should have fixed that, etc. etc.” I’m most pleased with the fact that it’s simply, finally, truly done and published. This one took a while to birth.

Bob: There were a lot of steps to bring this album about. From the initial demos to the songs that had collaborations to the multiple versions of some songs to even the album artwork. There were some processes that were really labored over for a long time.

As an example personally, just for the song “In Your Arms,” I had at least five or six different drum part renditions for that song alone. It spurned many musical ideas for me drum-wise and I really had to sort it out. It is amazing all the other drum parts that I did not play on that song. A simpler approach served the song better. I really dig the groove; particularly when the second verse kicks in. Overall, I am very happy with the result of the album and am proud of my bandmates. 🙂 

Chris: I came back into the fold about 75 percent of the way through recording, so learning this entire album and picking which songs to put my touch onto was a real challenge. You know, I was in the band early on and just have so much love for the way the music has evolved over the years and I’m just so blessed to be back playing with these guys and my longtime friend and collaborator Keith Smith. Absolutely love the way the album came out. There are always things you wish you could go back and add but that’s when you add it to your live show.

You have released this independently. Has there been any interest from labels or is this a purposeful choice to stay independent?

Keith: Throughout the entire history of OM, I personally have always sought out professional interests and it’s been basically just the fans and promoters. God has a plan for us. The door will always remain open to whoever wants to be a part of what we are doing.

Tim: We did talk to three or four labels but the economics of 2020 are that they are probably nearly bankrupt. The offers we got did not give us very much for the control they would have gained. It didn’t take long to realize that we’d already done all the work, paid the costs, had a product ready to market. Why not independent? Because the internet gives you global reach. Youtube can be viewed anywhere, iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, etc., and we can sell physical merch from our web site, which can also be viewed by anyone anywhere in the world. At this point a label can only serve as a booking agent for us, so perhaps we should just talk to a booking agent, eh?

The Band

A few years have passed since the last album Inside The Mirror, but obviously a lot has happened/changed during that time both in the world and no doubt for Oblivion Myth as a band. What kind of challenges have you faced in bringing this new release into reality, especially with all of the restrictions and hardships the pandemic has imposed upon us?

Keith: The Covid-19 pandemic did not have an effect on us to finish the album. We started recording demos in the fall of 2016 just after Inside The Mirror was released. Tracking started during the summer of 2017, drums started in the summer of 2018. We had 2 line-up changes in 2018, bass and 2nd guitar. It wasn’t until a year later in the fall of 2019 when every track was recorded. Our drummer Bob was involved in a fire accident during that summer of 2019. There were many obstacles during the whole process, but we persevered. It was tough, but we came out stronger and better as people, musicians and as brothers. OM is a family.

Tim: (drummer) Bob Schultz has quite a story to tell – he was literally caught in a fireball in a freak accident and spent 12 days in a burn unit and months in rehab. The significance of the song “Slow Burn” about the unquenchable fires of hell suddenly became a very important song on this disc, because for about two seconds Bob got a very clear vision of what it would be like to burn in Hell, and he’ll be the first one to tell you that you do not want to experience it. He emerged from the flames full of the fire of the Holy Spirit, and it is a remarkable change in him. Everyone knows Bob as a cheerful, genial, happy, friendly guy, quick to smile, but now he is quick with scripture, quick to quote, quick to remind, quick to gently even rebuke his brothers. We are seeing an anointing in him and it’s amazing. 

Like most bands, we took the summer off of rehearsal and bunkered down with our families when we were told to stay home, etc. – this is all a new experience for just about everyone in the world. The good news is that pretty much everything was done when Covid hit for real, and Andy Freeman already had it in his hands for final mix and master. So, you could say Covid didn’t really affect this production at all, because it was realistically finished by April. Of course, there were many details to attend to once the work is finished. Copyrights. Publishing. Talking to labels. Lining up our art and packaging. Getting metadata and codes embedded in the master disc. Streaming. All those DIY things.

Bob: I am a better man today than I was but am not there yet, lol.

Speaking musically, I really worked to make the songs as cohesive as I could for their sake. These songs are generally more melodic than the ones on Mirror. I really had to approach them differently. I think these needed to breathe a little more – speaking drum-wise – to bring out the best in each song. Less is more. Again, cohesion. Ultimately, a little more simplistic and rocking very hard with no compromise.

You’ve had a few line-up changes since the last release. Tell us about the new guys and what role they have played in reshaping the OM sound.

Keith: Ryan Mark joined OM in the Spring of 2018 and he is an amazing musician. He wrote the intro to the album called “Diadem” and provided unique and tasteful bass lines throughout the entire album. Ryan is a blessing to the band. He’s a strong writer/composer as well and we are very excited about what he will bring to OM in the future.

Chris Selby has been in and out of the band since 2005. Chris came back in the Spring of 2019 and recorded some tracks to a few songs on the album. Chris is a big part of the DNA of OM. He was there at the beginning. Chris is a great songwriter and he co-wrote many of the songs on the first and 2nd OM albums. Tim, Ryan, Chris and I have material for at least 2 more albums right now.

Tim: It is funny that we always seem to lose men overboard (haha) when we enter the studio. This last time we had some good guys who essentially just weren’t sharing the vision, and we had to reluctantly bid them farewell.  They’re still our friends and we still talk to them. I met Ryan while doing 6 demos that would become finished songs for In Your Arms. He was a quick study, obviously an ace bass player, and I discovered he was far more. A music teacher who knows theory cold. A multi-instrumentalist. A classical composer. He’s really added a lot with his bass lines, but he also composed our symphonic intro. 

Chris Selby was one of the original members of the band and his return is a very triumphant homecoming. I will let him tell his own story, but he needed some time in the wilderness, and the prodigal son has returned. And I can’t tell you what a difference it makes – he’s the perfect cog in this machine.  His rapport and experience and understanding of how to play alongside Keith is remarkable. I think my jaw dropped the first time he rehearsed with us (again) and I heard the songs from the first OM album played … correctly!! Wow, that still kind of amazes me what a difference it makes to have Chris in the band. He’s really creative and a very solid player, he really anchors the sound and adds a lot of technical precision to make the music tighter.

Bob: I have been in OM since January of 2012 and have seen many musicians come and go. Great players and people. There is something special about having both Ryan and Chris in this band. Ryan is the newest member and immensely talented. Just a sweetheart of a guy. Fits right in musically. I think he could do that in pretty much any musical style in almost any band.

Chris was in the band when I first joined and what God has done in his life since him leaving in 2013 is a miracle. A lot of stuff man. Big story there. I tell him frequently that I do not take it for granted that he is back. The musical chemistry is really quite amazing and undeniable. He has an almost uncanny ability to add just exactly what is missing. And he loves Jesus.

Chris: Well what can I say, we all have a story – just glad that I can be here to play for God who got me through the storm. Musically I have done some other projects here and there and even played worship at a church for 2 years. Metal is in my blood and has been since I picked up playing back in ‘98. These new songs just really struck a great chord within my soul. Really thankful for these guys.

The Process

Great songs were the core strength of Inside The Mirror and that quality shines through on these new songs as well. What is your approach to crafting new music and in what ways did the songwriting process change/improve/evolve with this release?

Keith: In the fall of 2016, I started working with Tim on songs he had been hanging onto for several years, molding and shaping them into place and I had a couple as well that were just waiting to be recorded. Plus, we wrote a few brand-new songs during the recording process. Inside The Mirror has songs that were written mostly by drummer Patrick Nickell, Chris Selby and I and those songs were performed live from 2007 up to recording them in 2016 so that album has a more live feel to it. In Your Arms has a more polished studio feel and has more of Tim’s writing style than mine.

Tim: The truth is that we have a backlog of songs so we’re just pulling tunes from our catalogs and making them finally “real recordings.” ITM has a lot of backlog from Keith, and IYA is backlog by me. But there are always new songs that appear right during the production.

“Battle Angels” was a brand-new song that came out of nowhere during the ITM production, and “Thousand Years” was the new one that came out of nowhere this time. It amuses me that they’re both very triumphant Scandinavian Power Metal kind of musical melodies, this is definitely a kind of music I enjoy, and writing songs in that genre seems to be something I must do or probably explode! 😊 

There is a desire to “write as a band” on the next disc, as it seems obvious that Ryan and Chris have a lot of ideas and a lot of things to say and contribute. Keith and I will almost certainly continue to write on our own and contribute some things, but on the next album you’ll definitely get some “ensemble,” group-written material. Ryan and Chris seem to have some great skills towards making a more ambient, prog, atmospheric kind of album, and that’s going to be fun. We decided to skip the “interludes” and make In Your Arms a more straightforward work, but the next one, we want to get a bit more complex, prog, concept.

Similarly, In Your Arms sounds incredible. What changes did you make this time around in the recording process? Did you guys record together in the same studio or were some parts recorded from other sites?

Tim: We used the exact same team. We recorded at AudioTopiA studios in La Vergne, TN, and Curtis Erdek is a remarkable engineer, coach, and he helps shape the production. I don’t think he wants to be a secret and in fact we tell everybody, “you gotta record here,” because his price is very affordable and what you get for the money … I just cannot imagine a better bang-for-the-buck value, really cannot. But yes. Best kept secret in Nashville – a city of hundreds of music studios – this one is as good as anywhere and mere mortals can afford it. 

We also again used Andy Freeman – the first-album Oblivion Myth vocalist, now living in Florida and emerging as a producer too – as our final mix and master and producer (he does a very good job in final mastering). He takes his time and we don’t rush him, but it happens in stages. You get a mix from him, you listen, you make notes, send it back. He dutifully makes the requested changes. It’s really rare that we have any difference of opinion on something – he mostly just tries to make it good and make it what we want it to be. He also contributes some nice production values and adds things to improve a song – “Slow Burn” is the best example, as he probably did the most to tweak that song and the end-result is absolutely better. The keyboards he added gave it a nice tragic minor-key feel to it, which fits the theme of the song well.

Bob: On Inside The Mirror we had played those songs for a long time. They were written and solid. We knew our parts and just had to record them well. This album was different as it is a studio album. Drums for Mirror were recorded in one weekend while this time around I recorded all the songs in two and a half days initially. Several months went by and I wanted to record a few songs again as I had listened to them back and some things needed changing. I re-recorded “In Your Arms,” “Slow Burn” and I think one other one. I was glad I re-recorded those songs. I also went back in and recorded some percussion parts I had worked out for the second recording session. Did some cymbal mallet rolls, tambourine and yes, cowbell! 

The Players

I have to say, the guitars on this release totally shred. It seems you upped your game in terms of lead and solo work. In fact, all the instruments (including the vocals) seem more technically polished. It is refreshing to see a group of Christian artists committed to delivering the truth without compromising on musical excellence. Are you all formally trained on your instruments or mostly self-taught? And as a follow up to that, what techniques or habits do you employ to expand your individual skill sets?

Ryan: I have a formal background in classical and jazz, but heavy music has always been my favorite performance avenue.

Keith: I started piano in 1979 and guitar in 1984. Everything I learned about music on piano, transferred over to guitar. I had private instructors for both. I’ve been into thrash metal since the 80’s, so I played a ton of that over the years. I also love progressive rock and metal music like Yes, Rush, Dream Theater and Symphony X. Over the years, I have been playing songs from all my favorite recording artists. Since 2017 I’ve been one of 2 lead guitarists in an Iron Maiden cover band in Nashville called Iron Tribe, so playing a lot of Adrian Smith guitar solos are probably, possibly a contributing factor for the guitar work I did on In Your Arms. Plus, I was playing a lot of Ritchie Blackmore songs at home that he did with Rainbow and Deep Purple and always studying the work of Yngwie Malmsteen.

Tim: Each must answer this question for themselves but I am certain that Keith and Bob and Ryan are formally trained, and I believe Chris has had lessons from pros as well. I took voice in college and learned good habits and how to better control and shape my voice into what it is today. Years of sitting in my bedroom as a teen singing Judas Priest songs gave me a strong falsetto range (looks around the room for another singer to debate me on what is and isn’t falsetto … haha). Any skill requires a lot of practice and we definitely work on our craft. I sing scales when I am in the car, I do hard full rehearsals on my own, singing at top volume, performing to the posters on the wall of my bedroom, even now. Funny, because that’s where it started a long time ago…

Bob: Yes, the guitars completely shred on this album! If there is a Most Improved Trophy it goes to Mr. Keith Smith!

I had band in high school and took a few music courses in college. Had some personal lessons for a time from Eddie Knight in South Bend, Indiana my hometown. But the majority of my learning has been self-taught. I can tell you I played a lot in college. I also have taught many drum students over the years and that has been a great joy as well!

I practice to keep up my hands and of course double kick. And I always try to have fun practicing and I do. It is yet another thing I am thankful to be able to do. I did not know if I would get all of my abilities back after my burn ordeal but I am 100 percent. Relaxing while playing has been key for me, especially playing the fast stuff.

Tim has a habit of writing songs just out of my playing comfort zone. In particular “Thousand Years” and “Lovechild” were just a little bit faster than I could play on the kick drum at first. I worked for months to be able to play and then record and perform those tempos.

Chris: I’ve taken a couple of lessons from some great guitarists in the metal circuit. Some of the best training I ever had was learning to play songs in my bedroom and that’s something I need to get back into as well.

You’ve previously invited guests to participate in OM. I noticed this time you have 3 guest singers. What role do these guests play in terms of shaping the OM sound? And, if/when live performances resume, would they be part of the live show? 

Tim: Yes, the desire was to go beyond the somewhat (in my humble opinion) empty production of ITM and provide much richer choirs and vocals. I’m not great at harmonies and I also wanted multiple voices – recording your own voice 20 times never sounds as rich and real as recording multiple voices to get a real choir. Being a big fan of bands like Queen, with rich vocals, and of course the awesome symphonic/operatic metal coming out of Scandinavia, I wanted a richer choir this time. So I invited my buddies Cat Fritchman (who sang with me on the song “Everlasting Fire” and “Battle Angels” on ITM) and Carmen Sanders and Vicki Reid to sing as our choir. And I think the end result is SO much better.  There were moments where the female voices really added a lot – like “Thousand Years,” “In Your Arms” and “The Price.”       

Yes, the ladies do attend the live shows, but not always, and not always all of them. Our gig last weekend featured Carmen but the others had gigs of their own to attend. They have bands of their own, are very professional, work very hard, I do admire them.

The Message

Lyrically, I notice a progression with this release in that the words are more deeply spiritual. We are currently in the midst of major spiritual warfare – a time like no other that I can recall in my lifetime – where the intentions of Satan in the United States are no longer “cloaked” in the “normalcy” of life in America and where being neutral is no longer an option. Was the more direct lyrical approach in response to current events or are they just a reflection of where you all are in terms of spiritual walk/growth at this point in time? 

Keith: We have noticed a continuing pattern of demonic attack on us personally and on the band every time we start the recording phase of a new album. The Enemy wants us to stop. We spend a lot of time in prayer to combat this. I wrote all the lyrics for the first album back in 2006, and that was when we were not established as a “Christian” band.

That foundation was established in 2011 with former vocalist Ray LeGrand and me. We had responses from fans in Europe about the first album saying they love the music but can’t get past the Christian lyrics. I didn’t intentionally write lyrics that were Christian, I just wrote lyrics based on what I believe in, after all, I was the very first lead vocalist for OM. We have continued to write from the heart and our faith, about real life and issues.

We have fun with some space metal type songs, but generally we’re a very heavy and deep lyrical band. The lyrics on this album have been from a personal point of view of things we’ve been through and are still going through. There are lyrics on all 3 albums that reflect current events and our current spiritual walk with God. We’re always growing in faith.

Tim: I think OM’s lyrical material is usually coming from one of two standpoints – the first is pure fantastical, themes of angels and demons battling, the realms of Heaven and Hell at opposition, apocalyptic conflicts.  Keith and I are also fans of “space metal” so sometimes we write themes of that kind as well.  

The other side of the coin is that OM music is very frequently about the inner struggle we are all going through as targets of the Enemy who would like nothing better than to see us brought down – as C.S. Lewis once quoted a demon in The Screwtape Letters, “Why should the creature be happy?” This is how they see us. Demons hate humanity. We are God’s favorites and their pride, then jealousy, led to their rebellion against Him and has caused this terrible spiritual war. So yes, there are many “internal struggle” themes on the album here too. “In Your Arms,” “Love Child,” “Another Life” are great examples of that. Everyone has a hole in their soul, so to speak, and people seek to fill it with a great many things. Money, drugs, sex, music, video games, whatever. The nature of addiction is the same. None of those things will fill that hole, however, because it is separation from God. From the moment of birth we yearn to be back home, because even before we were born, God knew us. But now we have this vexing, complicated, often painful life to live, where we are trained and corrected into being sons and daughters of the Most High God. So what that means in practical terms is that the angst of that “hole in the soul,” the separation from God, is a driving force of an awful lot of art and poetry. It’s that human existence. We are trapped in animal bodies with the souls of angels. Pretty confusing, and the Apostle Paul probably had the best things to say about that.

The Songs

I would like to hear your thoughts on some of the songs more specifically. I was surprised by the opening instrumental and the very Euro power metal opener “Thousand Years.” At first I thought I was listening to Stratovarius. LOL! I assume this was a purposeful nod to the genre?

Tim:  Oh yes. I love European power metal, symphonic/operatic metal, and I definitely wanted to move the band closer to that kind of a genre and sound. Since I am a clear-voice singer, it really makes sense for us too as far as what our fan base would be, simply based on the vocals alone.  There are a lot of dude-bros who are seething with testosterone who probably would prefer gruff cookie monster vocals … unfortunately I don’t sing that way, so my thought process is to play to our potential audience.  Just based on vocal style alone, that pretty much means Euro power metal fans. And yes, we have been played in Belgium, Germany, Czech radio, the irony is that these are our target audience and most likely to appreciate the music. Just lately I have been absolutely wearing out the disc Dawn of the Dragonstar by Twilight Force. When I listen to it I just shake my head, wishing I could have a production that is rich and complex. Maybe someday. 😊

Bob: “Thousand Years” seemed to come together very fast. We did an initial demo version in the studio and I remember knowing even then that this was going to be a great song. There is just something about it. It is epic and glorious because it is about Jesus and He is glorious!

“The Veil” is such a powerful song, both in terms of the rhythms and the imagery. What was the inspiration for this one?

Tim: It’s all based on that moment when Jesus gave up his soul on the cross. There was an earthquake. Dark clouds. Thunder. A REACTION when the Holy Son of God was murdered by humanity. Yes, it had to happen – He was born a sacrifice. But what happened in that moment was, suddenly, all were shown undeniable proof of His divinity. Even the pagan Roman soldier in attendance looked in awe and said, “surely this Man was the Son of God…”  So think about that for a minute. The Hebrews had said “let it be on our heads.” And now, any doubt about Who Jesus was had been blown away by what happened. An Earthquake. Thunder. The dead walked in the street. The Veil was ripped in two in the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies, in the temple in Jerusalem signifying that the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, the doctrine of making burnt offerings to pay for sin (because only the shedding of blood atones for sin, the wages of sin are death) was ripped in two.

There was a New Covenant, a New Testament, because Jesus, as (in a way) Adam returned (He called himself the Son of Man, after all) to fix original sin and restore man to his rightful place with God … imagine the feeling of dismay when they realized Jesus was exactly who He said He was. The feeling of dread, of doom, of “oh No … we have really screwed up here… he was legit” had to be a feeling like nothing we can imagine. And that’s what the song is about. That realization that they had just executed the Son of God. The REAL Son of God. They did it. The feeling of guilt and dismay. I bet it was like nothing we have ever felt in our lifetimes.

“In Your Arms” is one of the two songs that really have that Iron Maiden vibe to the lead guitar, but then you change gears in the chorus section to a more laid-back melodic color – I love that contrast back and forth, this a good example of the solid songwriting I alluded to earlier. Oh, yeah … the guitar solos in this one smoke!

Keith: Raising the bar. On our faith personally, within the band, the lyrics, the music, the message and yes, the guitar solos. I was in heavy wood-shedding mode during the last 3 years. The music called for it, a step up in the lead work. I was coached, encouraged, and trained by my vocalist Tim McDonald and engineer/co-producer Curtis Erdek.

I write out all my music and solos on paper. If something written doesn’t work out in the studio, I have to come up with something on the spot. It was tough and all worth it. It’s the best guitar playing I’ve ever done. It’s not easy when music is part-time and there’s more important things in life than just music. You must have your priorities straight.

Tim: Very glad that you like it. Yeah, I guess anytime you have a guitar harmony over the rhythm people will compare it to Iron Maiden. From my part, it is far more inspired by bands like Judas Priest, but that’s OK. I enjoy hearing people’s takes on the music and I understand that their references are coming from their own personal experience and that’s how they are articulating it. I do enjoy hearing those opinions very much. Hopefully you’ve seen the video, which we continue to geek out about. It was made by Joey Herro, a Nashville videographer who has worked with the cream of the Country music scene, and what that means is the dude is a flat-out pro who has worked at the highest levels of his profession. We think he really enjoyed the chance to be creative and make a metal video and the end-result speaks for itself. From early on it was the working title of the album and “In Your Arms” was the title track, etc., and I’m so pleased that it also has a smoking music video to help promote it. 

Bob: I love that “In Your Arms” has two guitar solos separated by a jam section that totally rocks! Tim wrote it that way very purposefully. And I love how big it gets at the end of the second solo and at the very end! It is one of my favorites.

Talk about “Slow Burn.” Was this inspired by Bob’s fire/burn ordeal? I also notice this song is a bit of a departure musically with a more Southern rock/bluesy Molly Hatchet feel.

Tim: Yes, the first time I heard Keith play that riff I was like, hey, this is kind of a funky bluesy thing, we could do something very cool with that riff.  So as we sat on the couch and he was showing me these parts, we kind of sat down and built the song out of Lego blocks. This part, ok that’s our intro, and our bumper between the chorus and next verse. Ok this part, that’s clearly going to be the bridge, etc. etc. I was kind of thinking along Hendrix/Zakk Wylde in my own mind and urged Keith to really mash on that Wah pedal to accentuate that.  

He’s got a really nice intro to this he plays live which is a tribute to an Alex Lifeson early-career solo to start it off. But, this song was written a while before Bob’s accident. That’s when you start to sit back and wonder a little bit. It seems the Lord was driving this from a hundred angles all through the process. We decided to write a song about the unquenchable fires of Hll. We realized that Mark 9:44 is skipped by a lot of Bibles – it goes from verse 43 to 45. That confused me. It’s like we discovered a Biblical anomaly – so we went with verse 44 to send people scrambling to discover why this verse is so commonly left out, yet it exists, because when omitted, it still jumps from verse 43 to 45.  But yeah, this was before Bob’s accident, which he will call very formative and very redeeming, so it’s like the song became part of Bob’s transformation.

Bob was always a good Christian man, but now he burns with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Maybe the album should have been called “Slow Burn” because it emerges as the central story for Bob and a cautionary tale for any who are spiritually asleep.

Keith: “Slow Burn” originally had sections written years ago that again, never made it to an album, and was brought back to life and was worked out differently. Lyrically, it’s about the dangers of Hell and it was written before Bob had his fire accident. Now it’s part of his testimony.

Bob: The Lord works in mysterious ways. It’s funny. A lot of people think talking about fire or being burned around me will bring up bad memories or make me feel uncomfortable. Quite the opposite actually. It reminds me how fortunate and how blessed I have been. I have never been more willing and or ready to relate my little story so that the Holy Spirit would speak to hearts.

I was shown just a tiny glimpse of eternity without God and it is way, way beyond terrifying. I am not just talking about fire and eternal burning (which is way more than bad enough) but also eternal separation from God. Complete and utter hopelessness, despair and pain in every conceivable way it can be experienced for all of eternity. No do-overs.

In the metal and hard rock genre alone there are so many songs that have as a theme some part of Hell or mention thereof. Those songs would be so different if any one of those song writers actually had some sort of accurate understanding of what Hell actually entails. If we comprehend even a little of that, then we can just start to see the mercy of God and His incredibly deep and unfathomable love for us. Hence Jesus.

The difference between eternal life and eternal death cannot be exaggerated or overstated. But His mercies are indeed new every day!

“Love Child” – really hearing Steve Harris-like bass coming through on the Maiden gallop. Lyrically, though, this song is kind of the antithesis to “Wrathchild” – the angry heart replaced by one which beats love. Thoughts? 

Tim: I’m honestly not a big Iron Maiden fan. I was once, but to be honest when Number of the Beast came out, it just creeped me out. I know a lot of metal fans sneer, but it’s my soul I’m worried about, thanks very much. I was digging the Hammer-film inspired themes of the Paul Di’Anno days, but when they started chanting the number of the beast and leading people to do that in a crowd, my spider sense started tingling. I did keep tabs on them and would say Piece of Mind and Powerslave were enjoyable, but in my heart, and after those albums, I kind of moved on. It would be difficult for me to call it in any way Iron Maiden influenced. 

This was a song my buddy Ralph had sent me as a 6-minute jam, very chaotic and lots of parts. But out of all of that I heard this wonderful chorus progression, and I wrote the lyrics and melody mostly around that. When I went in the studio I asked Ralph if I could just take that idea and completely rewrite it. Sitting in the studio with Curtis making the demo I had no idea how to start the song. I finally just said, “let’s do a gallop.” People love gallops, especially live.” And so we started it off like that. 

I do find your comparison to “Wrathchild” to be interesting. I’d never considered it, but yeah, in both cases it’s kind of a sad/angry child talking.  But in the case of “Love Child,” the chorus is saying essentially this – “I am not who you see. There is God’s version of me. When that is allowed to shine, it will blow you away. You’ll see a new version of Me arise.” When we cast off these mortal cloaks we will shine.

“Another Life” is a very melodic, laid-back rocker with wonderful lyrics and melodies. Like “Slow Burn” it represents a bit of a departure from the core power metal sound.

Tim: I think that I should probably answer this as part of a trio of songs, because they do have some interconnected themes. “Second Skin” is about the moment of achieving one’s fondest wish or dream. However, sometimes our wishes or dreams are not what is BEST for us. That is the warning of “The Price.” Yeah, you can have what your heart desires, if you’re willing to die for it, and lose your soul.  But that price is far too high for earthly needs, earthly goals, earthly pleasures. (Mark 8:36). 

So clearly we cannot lose our souls to merely appease our earthly appetites – that is also why “Second Skin” seems so sensual and worldly – it’s that moment where earthly desires are fulfilled. But it comes with, yes indeed, a Price. 

Now, the song that completes this (the song order was based more on the flow of the music than the order of the things I’m telling you) is “Another Life,” where I kind of just look up to the stars with a tear in my eye and say to God, “well, I guess it ain’t gonna happen here, in this life. Maybe my next one?” This notion of being imperfect on earth and looking towards a perfected self in the Afterlife is kind of the core sentiment of most of the album I think, and yeah, even “Love Child” echoes that.

“The Price” – plenty of dynamic contrast musically with a slightly symphonic vibe. What were the motivations behind this one?

Tim: See above 😊 you can have what your heart desires, but, the Price would be your soul. Probably not a good bargain! One great thing about “The Price” is the closing vocals, answering my lines, by Cat Fritchman.  She makes me sound bad in comparison – what a great singer!  And coincidentally, years ago, she once was going to audition to be OM’s lead singer. They had JUST settled on Ray when Cat inquired, so she never got that audition – maybe we should be glad – because the job would never have been open when I came along, she’d still be the OM singer if she had!  Powerhouse vocalist and wonderful lady. I like to think of her participation as a kind of “circle is now complete” concept.

Musically, I wanted something almost industrial metal, almost like Rammstein. Massive, powerful, mechanical, steam-hammer rhythms. I feel like we got that. Nice counterpoint to the pop sensibilities (“3 chords and the Truth, son”) of Another Life.

There are some very heavy songs near the end of the album, the first of which is “Awake In The Night.” As an insomniac myself this is a particularly inspiring song lyrically, but I love the darker tones musically and that frenetic guitar lead. Was this a challenging song to execute as it sounds like one of the more technically difficult songs on the album both from a vocal and instrumental standpoint?

Keith: “Awake In The Night” was originally intended for the 2nd OM album. I had written the main riffs on a 4 string bass and it developed into my love for progressive metal. This is officially the first 7 string song on an OM album. “Absence of Malevolence” from the Inside the Mirror album and “Dimensions” from the Between Light and Shadow album were intended to be 7 string songs, but I didn’t own a 7 string at the time. These 3 songs plus “Heirs To The Throne” off the new album, are all on a 7 string guitar live and it’s glorious! I want to write more with 7 strings. It’s Ryan’s voice that screams “Wake Up!”

Tim: I’m sure it is for the guys – I write more basic chord changes around a vocal melody, whereas Keith writes for guitar first. So his writing on “Awake” and “Heirs,” it’s almost entirely Keith there, and that’s why the guitars are far more complex and expository. He had written it originally as a song called “Spirits Wrath” and so you do hear that quoted in the song. The lyrics are a co-write, I had this idea of how when you’re alone, frequently, too often alone, that’s when the demons come. They want you alone. They want you isolated. They want to keep you from reaching out to someone for help. For me, I would not say this song was difficult to sing.  However, it is the only song on the album where we went back and tuned my vocals a bit in Melodyne (pitch correction software). I listened to the playbacks and felt like I just had an off day or something. I probably should have re-recorded my vocals on “Awake in the Night,” honestly, because I feel like I sing it with a lot more confidence and life at rehearsal and at gigs.  I’d mentioned before that I had a couple of regrets and things I wished we had corrected – this song is one of them. Otherwise I very much resisted the idea from start to finish of doing any pitch correction or fixing of my voice.  

I decided that I wanted a very human performance that had sharps and flats, although of course, I sing as well as I can and do what I can, I also work under a budget and you have to settle sometimes for cost concerns, you can’t just stay in the studio forever and do millions of takes and still actually release something and actually get something done. You have to step away at a certain point and (as Lucas said earlier) abandon it.

Bob: I really like how much contrast exists on this album not only song to song but even within each song. “Awake In The Night” has a chorus that is kind of sing-songy while elsewhere it has a thrash element to it. And it has the fastest double kick spot on the album lol. Intense song!

“Second Skin” – more great power/prog with orchestrations and breakout choral sections. I take it that we will be hearing more of this kind of symphonic element to the music going forward with the addition of Ryan Mark?

Tim: I hope so. This was probably my most ambitious symphonic metal song yet. With Ryan on board, I think the future for more complicated songs is very bright. One thing about “Second Skin” I am really proud of – the middle breakdown is all my voice. Vicki Reid did double my vocals (quite meticulously I might add) in the verses and choruses but that middle part is me singing in 3 octaves and I am really pleased by how it turned out.

Ryan’s grasp of symphony and the proper place of each instrument in a symphonic work continually amazes me. He sat there and muttered over his Mac for about 90 minutes and voila, “Diadem” as you know it today was born from a simple introduction he’d created previously. So having a classical composer in the band (you should hear his synth choral things he’s done, lovely church kyries and things like that, too) is going to be a very interesting proposition for making a much more advanced work next time.

As a lover of epic symphonic progressive metal (Theocracy, Symphony X, Nightwish) I would have to admit that “Heirs To The Throne” may be my favorite song on the recording. Killer guitar and drum work on this one. Please talk about the genesis of this epic track! 

Keith: I’m a big fan of Dream Theater, Symphony X, Steve Vai, Pink Floyd, ELO and Queen. I hear those influences in this song. My goal was to write something that was longer than our song “Knightserrant” which is 9 minutes, 41 seconds and “Heirs To The Throne” is 9 minutes, 40 seconds. I missed it by 2 seconds! The opening 3 note pattern with the low A note that changes to a 4 note pattern with a low C has been with me for the past 7 years. It sparked the beginning of this song and the sections between the verses and chorus’ is a piece of music I’ve held onto since the late 80’s. I don’t throw anything away. All the lead work is clearly inspired by Petrucci, Malmsteen and Vai. I always have plans to write a song that’s over 20 minutes long. Yes, Rush, and Dream Theater are great at that.

Bob: “Heirs To The Throne” which is Keith’s epic baby! There were at least two versions of this song. I remember him giving me the raw demo on guitar and I learned it only to have him do a major rearrangement of the song with some new parts as I recall. It got longer lol! I was inspired by the music and I think it grooves pretty hard especially in the verses. And to point out Andy Freeman’s lead vocal on the second verse!

It is a very meaningful song for him and it was originally going to be called “Prodigal Son.” And now Keith wants to write a twenty-minute song lol!

The Influences

From where do you guys draw your musical inspirations? What artists/bands do you guys listen to on a regular basis?  

Tim: Each guy will have to list their personal influences and it will range far and wide. I was raised on Judas Priest and British metal but in the 90s when I discovered Helloween I set my eyes on Europe and have never looked back. So for my part, my current and newer influences would include Khan-era Kamelot, Nightwish, Epica, Lost Horizon, Battle Beast, Therion, Rhapsody of Fire, Twilight Force, Dark Moor. I know Chris is also a Dark Moor fan. Bob listens to almost exclusively Christian Metal and I know the guys like Stryper a lot.

Keith: I listen to Classical music almost daily. My iPod has every album by Dream Theater, Symphony X, and Rush. KISS was the first rock band I ever got into. I grew up listening to Boston, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Journey, The Who, Kansas, Uriah Heep, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Alcatrazz, Metallica, Megadeth, Exodus, Testament, Anthrax, Moody Blues, Randy Rhoads, Styx, Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen etc. As for Christian music, that hit me in my late teens after high school with Stryper and Holy Soldier.

Bob: Yes, I was raised on Christian music. I used to attend these “Rock Exposes” as a teenager and knew about many of the mainstream “secular” bands and their messages. I suppose that is why I look at music and the spirit behind it so much. Petra, Stryper, Whitecross, White Heart, DeGarmo and Key, Rez Band, Barren Cross, and so many other bands. I also played a lot of praise and worship music in church. Later I discovered Van Halen, a little Judas Priest, AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Rush just to name a few. 

The Cover Art

What does the album cover signify? Looks like that fire theme again. 

Tim: It is, yes, and my daughter Xena did the artwork. We were wrestling over various different ideas for album covers and had reached a frustrating impasse. My wife and daughter took a weekend trip to the beach, and while there, Xena said she felt a powerful conviction that if she could design a good cover, it would break that deadlock and get things back on track. And as a very proud father I am glad to say it was apparently the Lord’s work again and solved the problem and ended the debate.

Bob: There was a pretty big divide in the band about the artwork. A lot of prayer and I mean a lot, went into this situation. I really feel God had his way. Even the wives got involved prayerfully. I believe it was a test for us. I am happy to say the Lord showed up. Sometimes we have to let go and let Him.

The Essence

One word to describe the essence of Oblivion Myth? 

Tim:  Fire. My marketing mind demands that I answer the “one word” question with the central theme that’s emerged through Bob’s experience, rebirth, the album art, and the concepts within.

Keith: Faith. Oblivion Myth is a blessing, an experience, it’s spiritual, it’s worship, it’s faith, it’s family, it’s home. Our motto is “Eternity is real, Oblivion is just a myth.”

The Final Thoughts

Finally, anything you want to add, that you want fans/listeners to know about your music, your mission or just the band in general? 

Tim: God is real. Jesus died to pay the high price we have earned through sin. The wages of sin are death, so the only atonement we can make for our own personal sin is through our own death, the shedding of our own blood. But “it is not His will that any should perish,” and the Good News is that God gave His only begotten son to pay this price for us – His blood was shed, not ours – so that we might live. It’s the greatest mystery and miracle of all time, of all creation, and it means we are loved by Him more than we could possibly imagine.

Keith: This new album astounds me. I’m truly amazed at how great it turned out. Before, I only dreamed about being on an album like this. Even if our music, the message in our lyrics leads just one person to Jesus, then everything we’re doing was worth it. We want to perform live as much as possible to as many people as possible. That’s our goal. That’s our mission. Glory to God.

Bob: This band is ramping up in so many ways. Lyrically, musically and spiritually. I really wonder what God is up to with us. But you know what? Wherever He leads is just fine with me. There is so much negativity in the world today. We want to be a blessing to all and a light pointing to the Way.

Chris: The Myth is alive and pointing in such a positive direction, don’t ever be afraid to remain in a positive light or to move out of the darkness…

Ryan: I would have to say that heavy music is alive and well. Even in the Christian scene. I hope that we offer a unique contribution to the music scene that will impact hearts and lives.

Thanks, guys, for taking the time to share and wish you all the best.

The new release, In Your Arms, is available now at oblivionmyth.com

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