Interview with Pitt Ripply vocals for ARMY OF IN BETWEEN (Industrial Metal) Nebraska,US
"I see that machines may have at one point a mind of their own, and look to us as their gods."...In my lyrics, I try to talk about humanity and technology and those two things combing together in the future. My music is very futuristic, ideologically." - Pitt Ripply
EVOLUTION ROCK interviewed front man PITT RIPPLY for the industrial metal band from Omaha, Nebraska, ARMY OF IN BETWEEN. This was taken from the Assorted Collection 25 show in which Ripply talked about the band's music and philosophy in life. Moreover, the live track ARTIFICE was also featured.
ARMY OF IN BETWEEN (US) industrial metal - interview with Pitt Ripply by evolutionrock
ARMY OF IN BETWEEN (US) industrial metal - interview with Pitt Ripply by evolutionrock
EVOLUTION ROCK: What can you tell us about your music, man?
PITT RIPPLY: Well, the best thing to say is it comes directly from my heart and my brain. It's the emotions I feel on a day-to-day basis. It's a way for me to express myself on an artistic level.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Musically, how would you define your genre?
PITT RIPPLY: I say, most generally, it is described as industrial metal because I'm very influenced by metal bands, and I am also very influenced by industrial music.
EVOLUTION ROCK: I got to give you some props for your vocals. What can you tell us about your influences?
PITT RIPPLY: My biggest influences probably started in the early '90s. I was listening to a lot of grunge rock. I listened to the most popular industrial music like NIN, Marilyn Manson, Ministry-things like that...like Rammstein-very big influence. I'd say, lyrically, it's much different than that. I try to talk about technology and humanity, and those two things combining together in the future. My music is very futuristic, ideologically.
EVOLUTION ROCK: 'Defrag The Earth" was your latest record out. What can you tell us about the record?
PITT RIPPLY: Well, that record was our first attempt at using completely computer and software oriented ways of implementing music. The only hardware we used to create that music was guitars and studio microphones to catch my vocals. It was a different approach than the way we did things in the past because everything was directly mic-ed on like a live type sound; and at the time we were also playing live shows. When we developed this, we had a new member join who had some experience with making drums in a drum program called Fruity Loops; and it really increased the way that our drums sounded 'cus before that we were using human-drummers.
EVOLUTION ROCK: How many guys are in the band?
PITT RIPPLY: We only have three, and all three of us work in the studio in all of the aspects of the musical part of the music.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Who's on the guitars?
PITT RIPPLY: We have two guitarists. We have Halbgott Steigen. He plays the guitars, and he's also the one who works directly with the drums; and some of the keyboards. And then we have DarC Malum who is strictly the guitarist. At some points, he'll make some interludes or intros for our concept albums.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So, the drums and bass that's the CPU working there, right?
PITT RIPPLY: Yes, it is the CPU but what we use is a midi controller; we plug it into a USB port on a computer that has processor; and we download or create our own tones; so when we hit the keys in the keyboard they come out how we want it to sound rather than us using a generic hardware keyboard where we had to rely on what the company made for us to sound like.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So post-humanism. I read some of your lyrics from DEFRAG THE EARTH quite an apocalyptic point of view on humanity and technology. What can you tell us about that?
PITT RIPPLY: I think that what I'm trying to say is that I'm trying to relate it to the Christian's Revelations of how the world is going to end. But I want people to see that the world is not going to come to an end. It's more like ideas and religious beliefs are going to come to an idea and the existence of humanity will enter a new age of existence; and that will be overcome by technology making religion obsolete.
EVOLUTION ROCK: For example, in your song Deities of The Bestial Path you talk about polytheistic points of view. What can you tell us about that song?
PITT RIPPLY: Deities of The Bestial Path is kind of a concept about how humanity came to be formed and rather than looking at in a religious point of view of how things are set to become; or an atheist point of view; it's more like the lyrics are saying that humanity were created by a scientific experiment by alien beings from another world.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So, you are an atheist, like myself?
PITT RIPPLY: I do not claim to be a certain title. That doesn't mean that I don't necessarily believe anything. But I believe certain things could be possible. I just don't believe in it because there is no proof to back it up.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Kind of an agnostic point of view on that?
PITT RIPPLY: Correct.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So, machines are our allies, don't you think?
PITT RIPPLY: Well yes. It's the machines as the creation; by-product of humanity. Sort of like how some people would see god as the creator of humanity. I see that machines may at one point have a mind of their own and look to us as their god.
EVOLUTION ROCK: The song we are going to play now was recorded live in October. What can you tell us about that?
PITT RIPPLY: The song was actually created weeks before that was recorded, and that was the reason we have not recorded it in a studio, yet. At this point, it is still an unreleased song, and we are in the process of recording it in a professional studio.
EVOLUTION ROCK: It's called ARTIFICE. What can you tell us about this song?
PITT RIPPLY: Well, the lyrics were actually the first time our guitarist had written lyrics for the band. The concept is pretty much telling how religion and when it becomes obsolete what humanity is going to do to replace it. So, that they don't cause their own destruction because of the certain percentage of humanity that relies on religion for its own existence.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Visually, if people check out your profiles on the Internet. You guys have a very creative way of presenting your music-that is using certain types of costumes. What can you tell us about that?
PITT RIPPLY: Yes. It's just an artistic style that each of us create on our own individualistic level. We don't tell each other what to do for our appearance in the band. We are not trying to be clones of each other, so we all have kind of similar interests but then we also have a lot of differences. So, what we are trying to portray is a futuristic individual look that stands out and can represent the theme of the band.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Something like cyborgs?
PITT RIPPLY: It's more like a trans-humanism type of ideal where in the future we'll be able to extend our make our selves immortal by replacing our body parts that cause our deaths.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Thanks for being on the show.
PITT RIPPLY: You're welcome.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So, the drums and bass that's the CPU working there, right?
PITT RIPPLY: Yes, it is the CPU but what we use is a midi controller; we plug it into a USB port on a computer that has processor; and we download or create our own tones; so when we hit the keys in the keyboard they come out how we want it to sound rather than us using a generic hardware keyboard where we had to rely on what the company made for us to sound like.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So post-humanism. I read some of your lyrics from DEFRAG THE EARTH quite an apocalyptic point of view on humanity and technology. What can you tell us about that?
PITT RIPPLY: I think that what I'm trying to say is that I'm trying to relate it to the Christian's Revelations of how the world is going to end. But I want people to see that the world is not going to come to an end. It's more like ideas and religious beliefs are going to come to an idea and the existence of humanity will enter a new age of existence; and that will be overcome by technology making religion obsolete.
EVOLUTION ROCK: For example, in your song Deities of The Bestial Path you talk about polytheistic points of view. What can you tell us about that song?
PITT RIPPLY: Deities of The Bestial Path is kind of a concept about how humanity came to be formed and rather than looking at in a religious point of view of how things are set to become; or an atheist point of view; it's more like the lyrics are saying that humanity were created by a scientific experiment by alien beings from another world.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So, you are an atheist, like myself?
PITT RIPPLY: I do not claim to be a certain title. That doesn't mean that I don't necessarily believe anything. But I believe certain things could be possible. I just don't believe in it because there is no proof to back it up.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Kind of an agnostic point of view on that?
PITT RIPPLY: Correct.
EVOLUTION ROCK: So, machines are our allies, don't you think?
PITT RIPPLY: Well yes. It's the machines as the creation; by-product of humanity. Sort of like how some people would see god as the creator of humanity. I see that machines may at one point have a mind of their own and look to us as their god.
EVOLUTION ROCK: The song we are going to play now was recorded live in October. What can you tell us about that?
PITT RIPPLY: The song was actually created weeks before that was recorded, and that was the reason we have not recorded it in a studio, yet. At this point, it is still an unreleased song, and we are in the process of recording it in a professional studio.
EVOLUTION ROCK: It's called ARTIFICE. What can you tell us about this song?
PITT RIPPLY: Well, the lyrics were actually the first time our guitarist had written lyrics for the band. The concept is pretty much telling how religion and when it becomes obsolete what humanity is going to do to replace it. So, that they don't cause their own destruction because of the certain percentage of humanity that relies on religion for its own existence.
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| Live 10-31-09 |
PITT RIPPLY: Yes. It's just an artistic style that each of us create on our own individualistic level. We don't tell each other what to do for our appearance in the band. We are not trying to be clones of each other, so we all have kind of similar interests but then we also have a lot of differences. So, what we are trying to portray is a futuristic individual look that stands out and can represent the theme of the band.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Something like cyborgs?
PITT RIPPLY: It's more like a trans-humanism type of ideal where in the future we'll be able to extend our make our selves immortal by replacing our body parts that cause our deaths.
EVOLUTION ROCK: Thanks for being on the show.
PITT RIPPLY: You're welcome.
LISTEN TO THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW and song ARTIFICE on YOUTUBE
