Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Since forming in 1996, Orange County’s Project 86 have been making waves in the metal and core scenes. Releasing the double album Omni in two parts this year, the first having released in March, the band is ready to further expand their rise. Frontman Andrew Schwab spoke to TGEFM about the new project, the future of Project 86 and the transhumanistic concepts behind Omni.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the release of “OMNI Part 1,” and the upcoming follow-up. This seems to be quite a massive undertaking, what can you tell us about the project, where its genesis came from and to expect from the resolution later this year?
Good question. For starters, there were several major boxes that had not been checked in terms of our catalog that we had a hankering to explore. First, we wanted to do something darker and heavier sonically…something more metal-leaning. Really, ever since we dropped our second record, part of me (Andrew) has wished we would have gone in this direction. Instead, we went in a more rock direction. So, I guess I have been sitting on this bubbling maelstrom of metal for quite some time 😉 Second, I personally always wanted to marry the visual, narrative and sonic mediums into some sort of immersive experience. Third, there was always a desire to tie animation into things somehow. So, here we are: a book, a hybrid animated/live action film, and an ominous, heavy record of alternative metal. And finally, there was always a desire to do a double album, as well, for the sheer ridiculousness of the idea. The double album is actually a single album with two EPs. They function as an equilateral triangle of sorts. At the top is the main album, a hybrid metal/electronic sound, and the two EPs sit on either side of the base, representing the polar ends of that sonic spectrum; one is more digitally influenced, the other more brutal. It’s a lot…but we are super excited about it all!
How did this recording compare to the experiences you had with the previous 10 albums you’ve released?
OMNI has been a very different experience, to the point where it has felt like a second life of sorts…an optimized version of P86, if that makes sense. We had a larger team working on this one than any record. Big shout to Cory Brandan, Matt Putman, Beau Burchell, Darren King, Grayson Stewart, Michael Palmquist, Matt Marquez, Abishai Collingsworth, Phil Farris, and Donnie Phillips for helping to bring this crazy project to life! As far as the actual recording process went, it was a pretty fast-paced thing. Because our team was made up of some very prolific guys (with their own busy schedules which needed to be balanced), we had to work efficiently. And the process was somewhat segregated to maximize the strengths of each guy’s role. Pre-production and writing took place in Nashville, Arkansas, and SoCal over the span of about two years in total. Tracking took place in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Springfield, Missouri, Temecula, California, and Nashville. It’s been a wild ride, and tons of work, but when it’s all done it will be super satisfying. There are so many talented people who have touched this thing, and it definitely shows!
The world has been going through some stuff over the last few years. It seems as though OMNI is at least partially based on possibilities that could spring forth from that. What affect, if any, have the cultural (and/or political) landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
Great question. It would have been impossible to not reflect (in the music) all that has happened, and IS happening, in the world. I have always been very interested in globalization and technology, especially as it relates to the trajectory of civilization as a whole. I am a sci-fi nerd of sorts, and I absolutely love Cyberpunk and the like. I am not very political, but it’s difficult to ignore much of the madness going on in the world in terms of polarization. I am always trying to understand where everything is headed, big-picture-wise, so to speak.
With all that in mind, what I really wanted to explore is how the stream of history is propelling us toward a confrontation with the ideas of Transhumanism. Specifically, I wanted to explore what would happen if mankind could actually, finally, make the cheating of death possible through a metaverse of sorts. I guess I envisioned a pretty clear path to this, connecting the dots from our current world to one where this could actually happen. A one-world currency and totalitarian state, headed by a Big Tech company, uses a series of global crises to promote its innovations and re-engineer human life itself.
In the end, what I really wanted to explore is how mankind’s nature plays a huge role in this “cheating of death,” and the ramifications of it in light of deity. One of the greatest debates in philosophy throughout history is whether we are good or evil, inherently. I am of the belief we are the latter. And if so, what would it look like if mankind were actually to achieve god-like status?
In the end, it is fiction, of course, but I tried to base a lot of ideas on the present reality.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
Health, Vildhjarta, Barrens, Silent Strike, BackWhen. Not all of these are super under-the-radar, I realize, but these have been staples in my music library recently.
Not to put the cart before the horse, but what’s next for Project 86 after the release of OMNI Part 2?
I usually don’t think past the next set of immediate tasks, so it’s hard to make predictions. Right now I am just trying to finish this album, the book, and the film, then play some shows in the fall and into next year. We will see after that!
Was there anything we missed or that you’d like to put more focus on to?
We have a very amazing community on Patreon. Join us and get access to many hundreds of hours of content, exclusive music, and much more. Pre-orders of everything from vinyl to cassettes to rare merch are still available (but not for long!) @ project86.com. Please check out the first THREE live action/animated music videos from OMNI, Part 1 (which are small parts of the forthcoming film based on OMNI, Part 1) – WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THESE VIDEOS and you all should check ‘em. They are unique!
Finally, listen to the new music on Spotify or wherever you stream music. We feel it is probably the best thing we have ever released. OMNI, PART 1 just dropped 3/24/23, and part 2 is coming in September!
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
