Bell, Aaron (Degree Absolute) (June 2002)

3.1415926535...

It's difficult to find a band that is not only technically proficient, but also very original in the music world in the present day. Degree Absolute is one of those bands. With two demos and a soon to be released debut album, this Iowan-based band should take the progressive metal community by storm. Here are some questions I asked Aaron Bell, the founder, vocalist, guitar player, main writer, and leader of Degree Absolute. Hopefully, you will see that there is a time to make decisions, and Aaron made one that many musicians should think about making as well.

Shawn Lakhani: From your biography, it seems that forming a true band or getting involved with other bands was a very difficult experience. When and how did you come to the realization that you had to make this music no matter what, even if you had to do it by yourself?

Aaron Bell: For the most part, being in a democratically organized band has always been very frustrating for me. It seems as though I've always been involved with people who either don't want to pull their own weight, or aren't into music for the creative aspect, but merely to have a good time or make money. That's fine if you're in a cover band with no real desire to be more than that. I wanted more, I guess. When you're writing your own material and putting it out there for public consumption, you need like-minded individuals around you, and I didn't.

The first time I realized that I needed to start my own project was during one of my former bands' live shows. We were playing a three-set show of mostly covers with about ten original songs scattered throughout the sets. At one point, a handful of audience members began to scream for AC/DC tunes. When the majority of the band wished to comply and proceeded to entertain the audience's wishes, that's when I knew I needed something different. I hated it. I quit shortly thereafter, and that's when Degree Absolute began to form in my mind.

SL: The biography also mentioned that your older brother had a profound effect on you musically. Can you describe how and to what extent he had an impact on you?

AB: Some of my earliest memories involve listening to records with my brother when I was very young ... probably around five years old. I can remember listening to "Toccata" off of ELP's Brain Salad Surgery with him and thinking that it was incredible. (I still do, by the way.) Things like that definitely helped to shape my opinions. He's also a phenomenal pianist. I would hear him play in our living room and think, "Wow. I'd really like to be able to do something like that." Plus, he's always been very supportive through the years. He was there in the beginning to show me my first "real" song on guitar, and he's there now to engineer the drum and vocal tracks for the upcoming CD.

SL: Since you have put some of your songs on mp3.com, do you think that mp3s truly help out bands, or are they a problem for the music industry?

AB: MP3s are great as a tool. When Dave (Lindeman, bass) was attending school in Boston, I would rip working versions of the songs for him. I did the same for Claus (Jensen, Intromental) so management could hear how certain songs were progressing. MP3s are also great for discovering new artists and different genres. They've definitely exposed me to several bands that I wouldn't have otherwise known about.

However, I think that MP3s are generally difficult to listen to in large doses. But then again, I'm one of those freaks who feels the industry should re-adopt vinyl as the standard format. It's too bad that the public has sacrificed quality for convenience.

Also, file sharing has been abused. Sure, I used to make my share of MP3 CDs, but it's gone too far. I know many people who have adopted the "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free" attitude when it comes to music. If they have downloaded the CD already, they don't feel the need to shell out the cash for the actual product. It's going to kill the smaller labels and bands that depend on sales-related income. If there's no money coming in, there's no money to pay for studio time, replication, etc.

SL: Now, being that your main instrument is guitar, was the decision to sing based on necessity? Or, was it something you also really wanted to do? Also, have you taken any singing lessons or anything to that degree to strengthen your voice?

AB: A bit of both, actually. In the beginning, I knew that if I wanted the lyrics to convey what I felt when they were written, that I needed to express the emotions within the lyrics myself. I've performed vocals in the past, but when I decided to completely dive into this project, I realized that I definitely needed to work on my vocal abilities if I wanted the final release to be something that wouldn't make me vomit every time I heard it. Some of the vocal performances on the original DA demo recordings do just that ... make me wretch. I haven't taken any formal vocal lessons, but I've worked hard to improve over the past few years. I used to teach music, so I've tried to adopt and reverse that same mentality, becoming both teacher and student, if that makes any sense. I've been able to research different vocal techniques, as well as get some hints from quality vocalists.

SL: It seems that many bands that play technical progressive metal are sometimes technical for the sake of being technical. How do you try to find the right balance between technicality and melody in Degree Absolute's music?

AB: During the writing process, it's never really been a conscious consideration. In most cases, I heard all the instrumentation and different sections in my head before attempting to play them. Of course, something like "Pi" is a different story, due to the fact that it's based on random digits, for the most part. That song was written in a completely different manner.

SL: You just got signed to the Sensory label not long ago, congratulations!!! From what I've read, that was your first choice for a label. What made Sensory THE LABEL, and how has Intromental Management helped Degree Absolute out?

AB: I was impressed with the consistent quality of Sensory's releases. They have a reputation within this genre that is unmatched, in my opinion. They're small and put out a fairly limited number of albums each year, which to me, implies a high degree of selectivity. The Gordian Knot and Spiral Architect albums both came out while I was working on the Degree Absolute material, and the level of musicianship, production, and packaging on both albums is impeccable. After the band finished up the second demo for label submission, Claus and I discussed our options, and I decided to submit the demo to Sensory first. When Claus telephoned me and told me that Ken (Golden, Sensory) was interested and wanted us to refrain from sending it to any other labels, well ... I was floored. I couldn't believe it.

Claus has been great over the past few years. Besides being the one to initially contact Sensory, he's always been able to assuage my paranoia and temper tantrums, due to the fact that I'm a bit neurotic and possessive about my material. Plus, he and Lars are like family at this point; that makes it very easy to have a healthy and honest working relationship.

SL: Can you basically explain the self-titled album, which is supposed to be released this fall (September), both lyrically and musically? How do you try to incorporate the different genres, especially jazz, into your musical concept?

AB: Musically, it's quite diverse. I know that's a bit cliché, but I honestly think there are quite a few different genres rearing their ugly heads from song to song. There's a bit of jazz, some ambient sections, some doomy dirge-type material, and quite a bit of progressively influenced, shifting time signature junk. Again, it's not really a conscious thing ... the different parts just seem to fall into place in my head. I think the varying moods of the music are necessary to convey the different emotions expressed throughout the tunes. Most of the time, lyrics are the last thing written, but I usually have a basic lyrical concept in mind from the beginning of the writing process. All the songs on this release will tie in with each other. I wouldn't call it a concept album, per se, but it could be loosely interpreted as one.

SL: That leads to my leads to my next question. How does Mattias Noren's cover of the album depict the ideas that you are trying to express?

AB: Mattias' cover ties in perfectly to one of the main themes of the album's lyrics, which I'm not going to give away yet. It's probably most closely linked to "Exist," but it's relevant to everything that occurs throughout the course of the album. Hopefully, it will all make sense after it's released.

SL: From what I have seen around the Internet about your band, many people compare you to Watchtower, Fates Warning, Cynic, and other bands in that spectrum of music. Who have you taken the most influences from? And, what other bands do you feel are creating their own original path in the music scene nowadays?

AB: I definitely love all three of those bands, and they've all impacted the Degree Absolute material to varying degrees. However, DA is nowhere near the technical level of a WatchTower or Cynic. I wish I had chops like that!

Rush, along with the prog-rock bands of the 70s, were a big influence on me when I first started playing. Eventually, I started gravitating towards the heavier side of things and started listening to a lot of 80s thrash (especially Mustaine), as well as Maiden. Bands like Fates Warning and Queensrÿche were also a big influence at the time.

Over the last few years, I've expanded my listening preferences quite a bit. I still like some of the more original-sounding heavy artists ... Death and Control Denied, Meshuggah, Nevermore, and Devin Townsend, as well as more experimental projects like those of Mike Patton. Of course, Bad News remains the quintessential metal act of all time. I listen to quite a bit of Holdsworth. In the end, it's all balanced out by artists like The Cure, Radiohead, David Bowie, and Björk.

SL: What do you see as the purpose of Degree Absolute, and what do you see the music becoming in the future (more heavier, jazzier)?

AB: No real purpose at all, except as an outlet of some sort. Sure, it's important to me, but that's about it. Although I've begun to write material for the second release, it's still hard to say what it will sound like. I'm predicting that it will definitely be less song-oriented and more experimental in nature, incorporating more jazz and ambient textures. Definitely heavier.

SL: The word is that Neil Kernon is going to do the final mix for the album. Is that for sure and how will he compliment the album?

AB: Yes, Sir Neil will perform the final mix, although the dates have not been set at this time. I'm really looking forward to working with him; I'm sure it will be an incredible learning experience. He'll be able to bring the best out of the recorded tracks.

SL: The mp3s ("PI," "Laughing Alone," and "Distance") I have heard are truly phenomenal to my ears. Can you explain your background musically and maybe the background of the other members of the band right now?

AB: I guess I already covered my background in the rant above.

Doug (Beary, drums) has played with Defyance for over 12 years now ... that's his main gig. He's an incredible drummer who was able to pick up the DA material very quickly. We only practiced together five or six times before entering the studio for the second demo. It was amazing. He's been incredibly easy to work with ... I'm really lucky.

Dave is a fairly recent graduate from the Berklee School of Music. I believe his first band was Chaos Game, a local band that I was in as well. While at Berklee, he played live in various bands and was utilized as a session man on different recordings. He'll play on five of the eight songs for the DA album.

SL: Will you guys be playing any live shows in the near future? And, will there be any other band members being added in the future, maybe like a second guitar player?

AB: At the present time, there are no plans to play live. As you might have guessed, I've been a bit soured by the whole experience. However, if a great opportunity presented itself, such as a slot at a European festival, it would be foolish to turn it down. A second guitarist may be added in the future ... it's hard to tell. If we ever actually play live, it will definitely be necessary to have another guitarist in the line-up.

SL: Now my final question. Basically, what lies ahead for Degree Absolute?

AB: I honestly have no idea. Right now, I'm just focusing on getting this sucker finished and released. Wish us luck.

Degree Absolute: l to r: Dave Lindeman, Aaron Bell, and Doug Beary

Discography:
Degree Absolute (2006)
Cleanse (EP) (2007/2008)