Entropy disbanded for a while after a disappointing run in a "Battle of the Bands" competition, held at Yesterday's Draught House and Stage. They were, by all accounts, the band to beat, and were taken out in the third round.
"When the air leaves the room...you can't force this shit," Wood says about their performance in the final round. Prior to the battle, Williams had left the band because of creative issues, and Corey Roth filled in on guitar to help out with the upcoming battle. Wood says he got frustrated with everything, and then he had to leave for work, so he put everything on hold.
When he came back, Roth wanted to try and form a different band without him playing guitar, but being on vocals, so Hercules, Wood, and Roth tried working on that for a while. But Roth had a lot of projects, and the new one didn't work out. Wood and Hercules began jamming together, and then they started playing Entropy tunes. Fahner lived with Wood, so he would jam with them, and Wood began realizing that what they were slowly crawling towards was re-forming Entropy. Wood spoke to Williams about rejoining the band, and he decided to give it a try.
But this was a new Entropy. Before they broke up, Hercules was having financial problems, Williams wasn't in a good place in his life, and neither was Wood. Now, Hercules has a good job at a local gaming center, Williams is married and expecting his first child, and Wood has a good job and more dedication to the music.
"Even when we started that new project, it was forced. I had a lot of emotion in Entropy, and it felt a lot better to come back to this," explains Wood. "We've been through a lot with this band even though we've only played a handful of shows. It just feels better, I take a lot of personal pride in Entropy. I just want us to be the best we can be and the best we can be is pretty goddamn good."
He knows that Entropy has a lot of good music to make, and demands nothing but the best. "I want the best for me, and what's best for all of us is...I don't want us to suck, I don't want us to be mediocre. If you wanna be lazy, be lazy on Sunday when you don't wanna mow your grass, not when you play your guitar."
When asked about the addition of Jason Fahner (aka "The Kernel") to the band, everyone has positive things to say. Williams says that the shift from going to an all male band has been a positive one, because they are all about the music, and not what they look like on stage. "It's a guy thing," was the easiest way he could explain it.
Wood appreciates the fact that he can have theoretic conversations with Fahner, and he can adapt to changes in a new song or an existing song without much problem. Hercules agreed, saying that Fahner's knowledge of music, music theory, his own instrument, and his ability to adapt has been positive for the writing of new songs, and the tweaking of old ones.
Fahner discovered Entropy in a rather accidental way. "A copy of the three song demo mysteriously appeared on my coffee table one day," he says. "I became hooked on the band out of my personal interest in the second law of thermodynamics (entropy) and death metal. I met Justin when another band I'm still involved with began practicing at the old Compound," which is the nickname for whatever home Wood lives in and the band practices in.
"Every now and then, we'd discuss music theory, Steven Hawking, and listen to some of the most bad-assed tunes imaginable. Ultimately, with the reformation, I was offered the spot to play bass and immediately accepted."
When asked how he feels about being in Entropy, Fahner says that this band has pushed him to play harder, and learn more than in his other projects. "The technicality of the band and the uncompromising attitude has helped me work on my chops a bit, and it's helped out in the other projects I'm involved with. Dan, we're like Rush brothers here, Justin, he's the most crazy, intelligent redneck I've ever met," which is met by a thunderous round of laughter, "John is one of the most awesome people I've ever known." Needless to say, he feels right at home with this band.
Entropy has a show on September 13th at the VooDoo Lounge on Wheeling Island, where they will be re-releasing their CD, Godless Demise, in conjunction with Death Star Records, an independent label operating out of Charleston.
"We never had an official release party, we just rushed and put the CD out." The CD was originally recorded in the Summer of 2007 at Sacred Sound Studio in Martins Ferry, Ohio. It was a five-song EP, and the band managed to have it packaged in less than a week. This time, they will have an official CD release party, and sharing the stage with Beckley's Liquid Filth and Disobey from Wheeling. Fahner is a bassist in both Disobey and Entropy, so he will be pulling double duty that evening.
The re-release will be the "Godless Demise" CD, and the original 3-song demo, remastered by Sacred Sound. Anyone wanting the CD can get them through the band's MySpace page, Hot Rod Tattooing in Martins Ferry, OH, Dyagon Alley in Wheeling, or contact Anthony at Death Star Records MySpace page.
After the interview, Entropy went back to practice, and this time the magic was there. They will be playing a few new tracks not included on the CD at the show, so this is definitely not one you want to miss.
--- by Stephani Hagood
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The CD is not available through Death Star. Contact the band for a copy.
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