Are you satisfied with "Alpha and Omega"? Would you like to change
something?
When we first finished the recording that we did with Chris Koslowski, I
was continually hearing mistakes and things that I wanted to change, but
after a while the recording took on a personality all its own and now I
wouldn't change a thing. It is what it is.

How did Mary and Matt become fulltime members?
Mary and I were each in bands that played with Penance when touring
through Pittsburgh. Mary started playing with them when their bassist Ron
moved to California. I had always admired their music, especially Terrys'
guitar playing. When I moved to Pittsburgh from Chicago(my hometown) a couple
of years ago, Mary told me that Penance were considering adding another
guitar player. I went and jammed with them and the chemistry felt good from
the start. I came to the table with a couple of riffs that ended up being on
"Alpha and Omega".

How different is "Alpha and Omega" from "Proving Ground"?
I think that the sound of Penance has definitely changed since Mary and I joined the band. Hopefully it hasn't changed for the worse! A big difference of course is the two-guitar dynamic. I've always loved playing with other guitar players because it makes things that much more interesting when you can build harmonies. We play several songs from "Proving Ground " live such as 'Cloudless' and 'Cast in Gray'. But now I play harmonies to some of Terry's existing melodies which I think adds to the intensity of the whole experience. It's fun as hell too!


How was the signing with Martyr Music Group?
So far so good. It's always a good thing to get your music out there for
people to hear. They have been doing a great job getting our CD out to press
and to stores all over. They have been very helpful and supportive.

How do you see the evolution of the band since the "Living Truth"demo?
I think that the original Penance had a very primal doominess."Parallel
Corners" brought out a much more rock element then "Road Less Traveled". With "Proving Ground" they seemed to return to the doom and with "Alpha and Omega" they are back to the rock. So I would say its been a very wave-like evolution. The new stuff we are working on has very much the heavy handed
doom feel of the past and some bazing rock as well, we are very jazzed about it.

Which proportion of your music can be described as metal and which as rock?
When I was a wee lad, I remember asking the priest if Jesus was God or a man and he said He was 100% of both. I would have to say that Penance is 100%
metal and 100% rock.

Why did you decide to play live with such different bands as Spirit
Caravan and Raging Slab?
Penance has actually played with bands that are much more different to
their sound than those two bands are. We love to play with bands that do
their thing well. We have all been friends of Wino and the Caravan for a long
time as well as being huge fans. It's always an honor to share the stage with
them. I love playing with Raging Slab as I have always had a weakness for
some good old southern rock.

Which is your relationship with Lee Dorrian´s label?
Penance haven't done anything with them since "The Road Less Traveled".
But we still keep in touch. We can't wait to go to Europe and blow Cathedral
off the stage though(just kidding:)

What do you think of stoner rock? Is it a fashion for you or just a
progression of seventies doom rock?
Maybe both. I always take a band for their individuality and ability to
rock the world and try not to lump them into categories. I must say though,
when we played at the Emissions from the Monolith festival in Youngstown, OH
that I was blown away by almost every "stoner rock" band that I saw. And I
don't even smoke pot.

Is there something more that you would like to add?
I'd just like to say, iViva Argentina!

 HOMEPAGE: www.penancemusic.com