In this interview, I was able to catch up with Andy, Collin and Daniel of the U.S. based Heavy Metal band
'Central Power' to ask them a few questions about their album 'ANTEDILUVIAN'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band.
(Central Power) Thanks for having us! We’re very happy to do this today.
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry
and what is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(Andy) I have always had a love of music and started at a very young age with piano lessons
then guitar. From there it grew into writing songs and learning the art of music production
and recording. The ultimate goal for me was to share my spiritual side in YHWH through
music.
(Collin) Vocals have always amazed me, and it is something I got addicted to. Analyzing
different vocal techniques has always been fun to me. I started just coming home after
school during my high school days and started practicing. The ultimate goal is spreading the
word, and having fun!
(Daniel) It's always been about having fun for me. When I was 14, me and a group of friends
liked the same type of music and everyone played instruments so we started a band and
played over a couple dozens of shows just to have fun. I have the same mindset now in my
30's.
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Andy) Collin and I decided to start the band as a way for us to enjoy doing something
together as Father and Son. It was also a way for Collin at a young age in 2013 to develop
his voice and become active in music.
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the
meaning behind it?
(Andy) Collin came up with the original idea for the name. Honestly, we were just throwing
ideas around putting words together we thought were cool and all of the sudden this one just
stuck out. YHWH is our Central Power, YHWH is the Central Power.
(Colin) Yeah, I think we had a word document with a bunch of cool words marked down, and
our name really stuck out because of the meaning behind the band.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand
over another?
(Andy) I have always been a huge fan of Fender guitars. I started on a strat as my first
instrument and have tried many others, but can’t find anything as comfortable as that
contoured body.
(Daniel) I have a Tama Starclassic Birch/Bubinga drum kit that I play at home and also use to
record. I’ve always been a fan of Tama’s sound and reputation.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire
creativity within your music?
(Andy) Music is pretty much my only hobby, but also play around with electronic in Ham radio
as a general class license holder.
(Collin) Video games, electronics, and keeping up with the UFC.
(Daniel) Besides spending time with my family, I like playing video games. I also play soccer
and work out. Playing drums is a workout on itself, so staying in shape definitely helps me
maintain a certain level of stamina.
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your
band along with your band's sound?
(Andy) For it all started way back in the 80’s with Dokken and George Lynch. Then in the
2000’s and beyond just about any and all Power Metal out of Europe became a huge part in
the sound we developed.
(Collin) My largest influence by far is Roy Khan ex-Kamelot and current singer of Conception.
I also feel Jorn and Symphony X also have a big influence on a lot of my rough vocals.
(Daniel) I grew up listening to NuMetal and Alternative Rock, so bands like Linkin Park and
System Of A Down are my favorite bands and a big influence on me personally. However;
and since Central Power is more of a Melodic Metal type of band, my passion for Symphonic
and Power Metal music have more of an influence when it comes to writing and arranging
our songs. Some of my favorite bands in that style are Angra, Rhapsody of Fire, Heavenly
and Stratovarius.
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you have had to overcome as a band?
(Andy) We have all had such great chemistry together that we have not had any issues
except maybe how heavy our songs should be LOL.
(Collin) Yeah I agree with Andy.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about the musical direction on your latest release
Antediluvian?
(Andy) This album was an opportunity to explore some heavier riffs and utilize much lower
guitar tunings to achieve an aggressive sound. We also record and mix our own material so
we have learned a lot in the last couple of years and wanted to share what we are able to
do.
(Collin) From a vocals perspective, we wanted to do more vocal layering for more dynamics,
which I feel we achieved.
(Daniel) I think we just picked up where we left off with 'The Chronicles of Time'. On that
album, we went heavier than ever before, and also used some Power Metal influences on
songs like Maid of Orleans and Ode to a Master. Antediluvian is intentionally even heavier,
so the energy on the songs is great. We had fun writing breakdowns and making the songs
fun to play live.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Andy) I believe we did. It was very satisfying to hear the finished product and realize our
efforts to take it to the next level were pretty close to the target of what we wanted to
achieve.
(Collin) Most definitely!
(Daniel) I think so. I feel like this is our best sounding album and also the best collection of
songs we’ve put out as far as the quality of the music. There are no fillers. It was also the
most collaborative album we’ve done, so a lot of the songs came from just jamming or
sharing ideas together.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in studio, and why?
(Andy) Probably "Father William Gill" from 'The Chronicles of Time' and I am really excited to
play The Intervention live.
(Collin) "In the Abyss" for sure. I am looking forward to playing "Legend of the Ancients" from our
new album live!
(Daniel) From our past records, I really enjoy playing "In the Abyss" live. It has a great groove
and it’s constantly building up until it explodes at the end. When we end our set with it, it’s
always a great time to go crazy. From our new album, I’m really looking forward to
performing "The Intervention".
(Jacob) Were there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the
album?
(Andy) This was the first time we recorded pretty much everything at our separate homes
then transferred the material to the cloud where we could download and mix the songs.
(Daniel) I think the fact that we worked on some of these songs remotely due to the pandemic
was challenging but very rewarding at the end.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any
plans for future projects in the works?
(Andy) Getting back to playing live is our current focus. I believe soon we will start working on
new material as we love to be creative. Probably another couple of years we will plan to
have another release.
(Daniel) We are hoping to be able to play more gigs to support this album than we did on our
previous one. As far as future projects, we’ve talked about doing a remaster of our first
album and put it on streaming platforms since it’s not available at the moment. We’ve also
talked about re-recording some of our old songs and give them a more modern or metal twist
and put them out as an EP. We recorded a new version of In the Abyss in 2017 so
something along those lines, we’ll see what happens.
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am
excited about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in
the future.
(Andy) Thank you for this opportunity to get to share with you and your readers!
(Collin) Thank you! Cant wait for what’s to come!
(Daniel) Thank you for your time!
'Central Power' to ask them a few questions about their album 'ANTEDILUVIAN'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band.
(Central Power) Thanks for having us! We’re very happy to do this today.
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry
and what is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(Andy) I have always had a love of music and started at a very young age with piano lessons
then guitar. From there it grew into writing songs and learning the art of music production
and recording. The ultimate goal for me was to share my spiritual side in YHWH through
music.
(Collin) Vocals have always amazed me, and it is something I got addicted to. Analyzing
different vocal techniques has always been fun to me. I started just coming home after
school during my high school days and started practicing. The ultimate goal is spreading the
word, and having fun!
(Daniel) It's always been about having fun for me. When I was 14, me and a group of friends
liked the same type of music and everyone played instruments so we started a band and
played over a couple dozens of shows just to have fun. I have the same mindset now in my
30's.
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Andy) Collin and I decided to start the band as a way for us to enjoy doing something
together as Father and Son. It was also a way for Collin at a young age in 2013 to develop
his voice and become active in music.
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the
meaning behind it?
(Andy) Collin came up with the original idea for the name. Honestly, we were just throwing
ideas around putting words together we thought were cool and all of the sudden this one just
stuck out. YHWH is our Central Power, YHWH is the Central Power.
(Colin) Yeah, I think we had a word document with a bunch of cool words marked down, and
our name really stuck out because of the meaning behind the band.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand
over another?
(Andy) I have always been a huge fan of Fender guitars. I started on a strat as my first
instrument and have tried many others, but can’t find anything as comfortable as that
contoured body.
(Daniel) I have a Tama Starclassic Birch/Bubinga drum kit that I play at home and also use to
record. I’ve always been a fan of Tama’s sound and reputation.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire
creativity within your music?
(Andy) Music is pretty much my only hobby, but also play around with electronic in Ham radio
as a general class license holder.
(Collin) Video games, electronics, and keeping up with the UFC.
(Daniel) Besides spending time with my family, I like playing video games. I also play soccer
and work out. Playing drums is a workout on itself, so staying in shape definitely helps me
maintain a certain level of stamina.
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your
band along with your band's sound?
(Andy) For it all started way back in the 80’s with Dokken and George Lynch. Then in the
2000’s and beyond just about any and all Power Metal out of Europe became a huge part in
the sound we developed.
(Collin) My largest influence by far is Roy Khan ex-Kamelot and current singer of Conception.
I also feel Jorn and Symphony X also have a big influence on a lot of my rough vocals.
(Daniel) I grew up listening to NuMetal and Alternative Rock, so bands like Linkin Park and
System Of A Down are my favorite bands and a big influence on me personally. However;
and since Central Power is more of a Melodic Metal type of band, my passion for Symphonic
and Power Metal music have more of an influence when it comes to writing and arranging
our songs. Some of my favorite bands in that style are Angra, Rhapsody of Fire, Heavenly
and Stratovarius.
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you have had to overcome as a band?
(Andy) We have all had such great chemistry together that we have not had any issues
except maybe how heavy our songs should be LOL.
(Collin) Yeah I agree with Andy.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about the musical direction on your latest release
Antediluvian?
(Andy) This album was an opportunity to explore some heavier riffs and utilize much lower
guitar tunings to achieve an aggressive sound. We also record and mix our own material so
we have learned a lot in the last couple of years and wanted to share what we are able to
do.
(Collin) From a vocals perspective, we wanted to do more vocal layering for more dynamics,
which I feel we achieved.
(Daniel) I think we just picked up where we left off with 'The Chronicles of Time'. On that
album, we went heavier than ever before, and also used some Power Metal influences on
songs like Maid of Orleans and Ode to a Master. Antediluvian is intentionally even heavier,
so the energy on the songs is great. We had fun writing breakdowns and making the songs
fun to play live.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Andy) I believe we did. It was very satisfying to hear the finished product and realize our
efforts to take it to the next level were pretty close to the target of what we wanted to
achieve.
(Collin) Most definitely!
(Daniel) I think so. I feel like this is our best sounding album and also the best collection of
songs we’ve put out as far as the quality of the music. There are no fillers. It was also the
most collaborative album we’ve done, so a lot of the songs came from just jamming or
sharing ideas together.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in studio, and why?
(Andy) Probably "Father William Gill" from 'The Chronicles of Time' and I am really excited to
play The Intervention live.
(Collin) "In the Abyss" for sure. I am looking forward to playing "Legend of the Ancients" from our
new album live!
(Daniel) From our past records, I really enjoy playing "In the Abyss" live. It has a great groove
and it’s constantly building up until it explodes at the end. When we end our set with it, it’s
always a great time to go crazy. From our new album, I’m really looking forward to
performing "The Intervention".
(Jacob) Were there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the
album?
(Andy) This was the first time we recorded pretty much everything at our separate homes
then transferred the material to the cloud where we could download and mix the songs.
(Daniel) I think the fact that we worked on some of these songs remotely due to the pandemic
was challenging but very rewarding at the end.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any
plans for future projects in the works?
(Andy) Getting back to playing live is our current focus. I believe soon we will start working on
new material as we love to be creative. Probably another couple of years we will plan to
have another release.
(Daniel) We are hoping to be able to play more gigs to support this album than we did on our
previous one. As far as future projects, we’ve talked about doing a remaster of our first
album and put it on streaming platforms since it’s not available at the moment. We’ve also
talked about re-recording some of our old songs and give them a more modern or metal twist
and put them out as an EP. We recorded a new version of In the Abyss in 2017 so
something along those lines, we’ll see what happens.
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am
excited about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in
the future.
(Andy) Thank you for this opportunity to get to share with you and your readers!
(Collin) Thank you! Cant wait for what’s to come!
(Daniel) Thank you for your time!