How was Rune formed originally? How different is from 23rd Chapter?
Rune existed before any of the members were in 23rd chapter.
likewise, 23rd chapter was around before anyone from our band was in it.
ohio bands tend to switch members a lot. we were called amputation then, and
we weren't that serious or motivated about the band. all of us were in
pretty weak bands when we first started, and the element that brought us
together was we all loved to smoke weed and listen to brutal music. so we
started jamming, hanging out every day, and listening to records...

How was your 7" EP received by the public and the press?
Well, at first there was no press. the only people who we knew that heard
it, bought it from us. but that's just because both labels that put it out
were a little strapped for cash at the time. so promotion came later.
crucial blast has done a great job of getting the word out. so far all the
press on it has been good. i haven't read one bad review yet. the only
comment people usually have is the recording could have been better. we all
fully agree. we basically spent one day and like $200 recording it. not to
mention the engineer never recorded a metal band before that- but is much
better now.

Can your music be described as grindcore or do you think that Rune´s
music is beyond that description?
call us what you want. if you're labeling it, that means you probably heard
it, and that's a small victory for us. our style is so different now, that
whatever judgments one makes from hearing our CDep are probably invalid now.

Are you satisfied with the way the 7"EP came out? Would you have changed
anything?
i kinda touched on that in question #2, but i would probably spent more time
on the recording. we recorded live, and did almost everything on the first
take. plus, the lineup is very different now. two new singers and a new
guitarist(the second replacement since the EP was recorded). overall i'm
satisfied- it's an ok first release. everyone else in the band hates it.

Why did you choose to release your music on Crucial Blast Recs.?
First of all, adam is a great guy. the overall feel of his label fits with
our idea of music- extreme and atypical. he likes to put out bands that
don't sound like everyone else.
plus, he works hard as hell promoting his releases and keeps the bands posted
about what he's doing when he's doing it. also this release came out on
clean plate records in 7" format. both labels offered a release, and agreed
to split formats.

Why did you decide to do this extremely heavy music including blast beats
but with a clearer type of vocals instead of the growling one?
Well, i still listen to some death metal, but everyone in the band agrees
that the all-low vocal style just doesn't work for us. i do some lows on the
7", but have gradually gone away from that. basically we all struggle to
develop our own sound, and that means doing things differently than everyone
else. we mix styles a lot and just try to keep it heavy.

Which is going to be your next step after the Rune EP?
right now we have material for an LP waiting, and more coming. we're looking
for a label to help us out. so, when we find one, keep an eye out for our
full length. we're constantly writing and constantly developing as a unit.
so, the next step could be anywhere- hopefully up!

What is the meaning of the rabbit in the cover of the Rune MCD?
we let germ? have free reign with the artwork. to austin, the ep was about
friendship, lack thereof, or violations of friendship. germ? likes to do
things in threes- three dots in the logo, three panels in the background, it
helped that there were three songs too. three "shady" bunnies and one with
three knives in the back. kinda relates to "friends" stabbing you in the
back.

What Are Rune´s lyrics about?
our lyrics have always been very personal. austin wrote about personal
experiences in his life: friendship, love, anger. very basic, raw emotions,
but for the most part, painted in a positive manner. doug and jeremy, our
current singers, write much more darkly. we try to avoid political topics,
still mostly about personal experiences, or fundamental problems with
humanity. it was a very conscious switch, because we felt our music is very
dark, so we switched the subject matter appropriately.

Which are your main influences as a band and each member individually?
well, our guitar players were heavily influenced by early death metal bands
such as morbid angel, suffocation, malevolent creation, etc. but i don't
think our influences come out too much in our music, beause everyone in the
band listens to a very wide variety of music. any one of us are just as
likely to listen to santana as slayer; al di miola or discordance axis; frank
zappa or frank sinatra. i think that's what has helped develop our sound to
be a little different, although it doesn't fully comethrough in the music, is
that we were influenced by many many different genres of music.

Something more to add?
thank you for taking the time to read this interview. i'm constantly amazed
by how connected the music scene is. at rune.iuma.com you can download a
piece of one of our newer songs. it also has a link to a very basic homepage
that our guitarist, kevin, programmed himself. keep an eye open for our next
release.