INTERVIEW WITH FICTION KILLER: 

Ty (Guitars, Programming) and Omar (Voice)

by Salvo Russo

Full length album "Wake Up Screaming" Fall 2013, available as a FREE download.

Romantic,  aggressive thing you get from Zeromancer.

1)      Well…it’s a pleasure for me to make this interview…and our typical first question is to ask about you… where do you come from?

Ty- Thank you for the opportunity, it’s greatly appreciated. Myself and Finn are from Northern California, Omar is from Mexico, and Samus is from Jersey.  We’re pretty spread out.

2)   I see that this band was born only 3 months ago…and the first single sounds very powerful and invites us to be curious about the full-length album….what could you tell about it? How far are you with the work?

Ty- You’re right, this band is brand new, and pretty much started officially in November 2012. The first single “All My Enemies are Dead” is a good example of the vibe/energy we have to bring to the table with the rest of the Album. The Material is all pretty much written, it’s just a matter of taking the Demos and Re-recording them in a finalized format. It will be 10 tracks, and like the first single it will be available as a Free Download. “Wake Up Screaming” will be the title, and I’m hoping we can have it out by June, if not sooner. We’ll release another single before then to keep things interesting.

3)   Reading about all your influences, I notice a very awesome list; Modern metal and electronic are the main one! Can you tell us about them?

Ty- Well musically, I really draw from like you said the modern end of the Hard Rock/Metal/Industrial/Goth type bands. I love that Dark, Romantic almost sexy but aggressive thing you get from a band  like Zeromancer or The Birthday Massacre.  Those elements combined with synths and Electronics, I love it. Musically, that’s what I was after with this album. Lyrically, and vocally, that is Omar’s area of expertise.

Omar- Well those are some influences but I like a lot of genres, the key to be a creative musician is to have an open mind, I love Bjork, Eminem, Avenged Sevenfold, 30 Seconds to mars, Papa Roach , Rammstein ,Filter , Pierce the Veil and I’m always looking for new music, that helps me a lot to learn new things and have new ideas .

4)   Modern metal is not listened by the typical metal fans….but I’m a great supporter and listener of modern sounds…which are (in your opinion) the most important bands who supported this evolution?

Ty- You know, that’s hard to pin point. I typically don’t even use the term “Metal” I guess that movement of bands in the early 2000’s like Killswitch, Lamb Of God, etc kind of took what had been done and modernized it for the current generation as far as Metal goes. That scene has kind of faded and now you have the hardcore and Screamo scene, it’s all an evolution.

5)   Let’s talk about the band….who are the members? Could you tell us about your previous musical experiences?

The band is- Omar Montanez (Vocals, Graphic Design) Ty Oliver (Guitars, Programming) Samus Paulicelli (Drums) Finn Stobbe (Bass)

Ty- Myself, I was pursuing the Solo Instrumental Guitar path for several years, that ran it’s course and I briefly played Guitar in a backing band for Wind Up Records singer Megan McCauley in 2009. That inspired me to go the band route. I crossed paths with ex I Am Ghost singer Steve Juliano and we started Requiem for the Dead in 2010. That was a great 2 years, and I split off from that to start what is now Fiction Killer.

 Omar- I've been singing for 5 years now, I play guitar, drums, piano and bass and have been in a lot of bands, I'm 21 now and I'm currently singing and playing guitar for Soy Suspenso in México .. It's been such an honor working with Ty,Finn and Samus, they are talented as fuck, It's crazy... "Wake up Screaming"is something I've never done before, I've never recorded vocals for a full length album in my country to release the songs in another one , it's definitely a new experience, and we love how everything's coming out, you're gonna love what we're preparing for you guys.

6)   Sticking to the topic… I have heard that many of you are not “only” band members, but you also design your own graphics, mix your own songs, etc. Can you tell us more about that in detail?

Ty- We self produced the music yes, and Omar is fully responsible for all of the band Art/Graphics. He’s the mastermind behind Lock and Load Design as well as the frontman for the band.  The mixing and Mastering is done by a friend of mine, J.D. Keiser. He’s got a great ear for production, and is a very talented Electronic Musician and DJ.

7)   The band is called “Fiction Killer”, which made me really wonder: Who came up with this name, what does it mean and is there any hidden message behind?

Ty- Honestly, the name just popped into my head a few months ago. I thought it sounded rad, and had a great vibe to it. It doesn’t hold any particular meaning, although it’s up for individual interpretation.  I actually was blown away it wasn’t taken already!

8)   “All my Enemies are Dead”, your debut single has only been released today – what does this release mean to you? How does it come you provide the song for free?

Ty- It’s us introducing our sound and vibe to the world (or the part that’s listening at least) I figure give people the music Free. Make it as accessible as possible, I don’t want anyone to have a reason to not have it.

9)   Is “Fiction Killer” just a hobby for you guys, or where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

Ty- Music has never been “Just a Hobby” and never will be. The fate of this band is honestly determined on the reaction and demand it gets from the audience. I’m open to taking it as far as it can go, time will tell.

10)  Even with only one song released by now, your Facebook page already counts more than 2000likes. What does the support and trust of the fans into your talent right from the start mean to you?

Ty- We’ve been very fortunate to have support right from the start. Very fortunate. It means the world to us. Without fans, what we do would fall on deaf ears. 

11)  Once the album is released, are you also planning to go on tour? And do you have any past touring experience?

Ty-Again, it all depends on the reaction the album gets, and the demand for it. I would love to get out there and take this on the road. Samus and Finn have a lot of touring experience between them.

12)  Imagine our readers to be quite critical about newcomers. Any words that could convince people to have a listen to your debut track?

Ty-Give it a listen, I’m quite confident you’ll like what you hear ;)

13)  What is the message you want to transmit with “All my Enemies are Dead”?

Omar -  There is a lot of anger in this new single, there were a lot of things I actually wanted to say about the people who never believed in me, my “enemies”, the people who want to see me fail every day, It’s about a revenge in a metaphorical way ,you know.. succeeding . I’m taking this band as a new beginning , I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve and we’re not letting anything or anyone getting in our way, we’re gonna show the world that we can overcome any obstacle, this is just the beginning.

14)  Are you all “just” able to play the instrument you have chosen as your main instrument in the band, or are there further hidden talents and musical skills you could tell us about?`

Ty- Samus is one man Dream Theater! The guy can play Bass, Guitar and Drums all at a professional level, it’s kind of insane. Omar is a guitar player, as well as a Graphic Designer and as he mentioned plays Piano and Drums. I started out on drums way back, but my focus is Guitar and Programming.

15)  How can we imagine the writing process? What comes first: Lyrics or music? And do you prefer to write at day or night? What inspires you to write something at all?

Ty- I’ll make a completed demo with everything except Vocals. I hand it off to Omar and he puts his words and melodies over it. Samus gets it, puts his Drums on it. Finn comes in and puts his Bass on it. That’s the typical formula. As far as inspiration? I get inspired by music and the bands I love, as well as the sweet pain of life. 

Omar- Life, experiences, emotions.. music has saved my life countless times and I want people to find inspiration in what I do, hopefully someday I'll change their lives as music has changed mine.

16)  Last but not least, any last words to our readers..?

Thank you for taking the time to find out about us, and of course for listening to the music we make. Full length album “Wake Up Screaming” coming soon. www.fictionkiller.com