1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
I started this project in 2008, coincidentally that was the same year I started to believe and become interested in the ufo/alien subject matter. I thought it would be interesting to start some type of alien-themed metal band. This was always a studio project (no band practices or live performances), but over time I realized I was not good enough and stretched myself too thin for the whole “one-man band” approach and brought in other members more proficient in drums, vocals, guitar solos so I can focus solely on rhythm guitars, bass, effects/synth, songwriting/lyrics, etc. I would say that I always wanted this project to have somewhat of a profound and spacey atmosphere that reminds listeners of aliens or ufos. I’ve also read and researched a ton of UFO/Alien cases since, selected the ones that I found the most interesting and believable to write songs based on.
2.In September you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep's?
I would say overall the approach was to focus on more atmosphere and melody versus heaviness or brutality. As far as the EP’s go, it was somewhat of a gambled “mad-scientist” type approach in which both EP’s were completely different from each other but equally trying to be unique/original/weird in their own way and just seeing which one succeeds over the other. “Cosmic Realms” was somewhat of a melodic black metal project whereas “Ignotum Anomalia” was more brutal death. Both featured weird guitar effects/undertones. Overrall, as a first efforts I thought Ignotum Anomalia turned out good, Cosmic Realms unfortunately was an experimental failure. Naturally, musicians evolve, and I wanted to combine elements that worked and others that didn’t from my experiences with those past efforts and “consolidate” the overall songwriting and direction into this new album.
3.This is also your first release in over 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
There were plenty of setbacks and mistakes along the way of writing/recording/finishing this album, which considerably added to the delay. However, at some point after all the modifying, re-recording, ‘fixing’ of every audible detail that you notice with a recording, you come to a point where the final product is “good enough”. That is all that matters in the end as you want to be proud of an album years after its release rather than have second thoughts or regrets after the fact.
4.One of the main inspirations on your music is the 'Metroid' video game series, can you tell us a little bti more about your interest in these games?
I felt that the music and desolate atmosphere of that series truly transports you to a habitable alien world filled with eccentric wildlife and vibrant flora. Musicians sometimes search outside of their respective genres to add elements to make them somewhat unique. I don’t listen to much music outside of metal, but I do have admiration of certain “epic” movie and video game scores usually coming from my childhood. As far as ZeTA goes, I wanted to have certain passages that sounded unearthly or “extraterrestrial”, and I took inspiration from Metroid to try to achieve that.
5.Your main lyrical themes goes into the U.F.O sightings and the government cover up's and the conspiracy theory's involving this topic, can you tell us a little bit more about the time and research you have put into this topic?
Prior to 2008, I never paid any attention (let alone thought they existed) to aliens or ufos and just assumed they were fictional entities no different than vampires, zombies, ghouls, etc. But at some point that year, I randomly viewed a random youtube video (I believe it was a ufo over Mexico city) which sparked some curiosity and one of the comments referenced the disclosure project. I then watched the conference which featured former airline pilots, air traffic controllers, and others that explained what they’ve seen in detail. They all sounded genuine and believable, so I started to truly to dig into more cases through online articles, watching documentaries and reading certain books such as Richard Nolan’s “UFO for the 21st Century Mind”. Some of the most notable ones which made the biggest impressions include Bob Lazar, Fredrick Valentich disappearance (which especially scared the shit out of me at the time), Jesse Long Abduction, Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter, along with more famous cases like Roswell and Rendlesham Forest. I’ve come across a ton of cases and stories throughout the years, and I wouldn’t say that every single one of them could be reasonably deemed true or had any substantial evidence. However, the biggest argument to claim that aliens exist is the fact that there have been so many cases throughout the years, decades, even centuries. The probability that every single encounter and sighting can be explained through conventional or natural phenomenon is unrealistically low. However, I never truly tried to convince or “convert” others to believe in aliens or ufos. Anyone can decide themselves if they want to take the time to research the subject and use their own judgement to draw a conclusion, or simply completely ignore it and just assume they do not exist.
6.The band has been around since 2008 but waited until 2017 to release any music, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?
I don’t remember much from the start of the project, but I know I experimented with different effects and guitar/bass tones while trying to forge an “original” identity. At the same time, I did my own amateur recordings and plenty of mistakes and re-recordings were made throughout the years that added to the delays as I was very picky with my own material. In addition, I was in school, had other projects I was involved in, etc. As far as doing all the musical instruments and whatnot, I had to resort to using a drum machine that I honestly could never make it sound decent or anywhere near natural. I give a lot of credit for one-man bands that can pull off everything to their own satisfaction, but I learned in the end it’s not the best approach for me.
7.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'ZeTA'?
Originally the project was called “Zeta Reticuli”, which was named after a binary star system that Bob Lazar claimed that the alien “Greys” originate from. However, I noticed through metal archives that a black metal band from Australia had the same name. I dropped the “Reticuili” to just name it “ZeTA” to avoid confusion, and the logo itself is far cleaner and easier to read now with just that.
8.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The cover is essentially inspired by the famous UK UFO encounter, the "Rendlesham Forest incident". The cover specifically depicts the event that Jim Penniston walks up to a black triangular craft hovering over the forest floor, notices "hieroglyphic" type markings and touches one of the symbols. He claimed that he received a "telepathic download" of binary code that he believed was a message. The cover sets the overall tone that the album is mostly trying to express, the mystery and morbid curiosity that we have regarding aliens and UFOs. Different from the typical Hollywood depiction that aliens are up to something sinister and are hostile (if they wanted to destroy us, they would have already). We do not know exactly why they are here and their true intentions, we just know they exist and regularly visit this planet (and likely numerous others) and can only speculate.
9.All of the band members live in different parts of the United States, what impact does this have on the recording process?
There are pluses and minuses with a studio project compared to say a traditional band that practices on a weekly cadence and records all at once on a weekend in a studio. Some advantages are everyone can practice and record their own parts during their own time and not have to be pinned to a schedule. Disadvantages include everyone would have to have decent recording equipment and knowledge to pull it off, and sometimes the classic band creative synergy or ideas can be lost. Luckily, we all were able to communicate effectively whether it be through email or a phone call to discuss certain ideas or revisions and I’m proud of how it all came together in the end.
10.Are any of the band members interested in taking this project to the live stage?
I haven’t discussed it with anyone, but obviously to get everyone onboard would be a challenge due to distance. And just doing a few select shows with the original lineup may or may not ideal considering we wouldn’t have enough time to gel as a live unit which could result in a sloppy live performance. I don’t look too far ahead and currently am just focusing on promoting the album now, but if there is enough future interest, I may consider it.
11.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
There was a record label (which I won’t name) that recently showed interest in a month or so ago. However, he was booked up with new releases for the rest of the year and could only launch this album by this December or possibly January 2023 at the earliest. My original goal was to release this album no later than the third quarter of this year and considering how delayed it already has been, it was best for my personal sanity to continue with an independent release. However, I very much appreciated his interest. Previously I’ve hit up other labels with little to no interest since the 2017 EP releases. I won’t lie to you and say I haven’t taken that personally and used it as motivation to work harder and prove something with this new album.
12.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
So far, the current premier track “Suspended Colossus” hosted on Metal Vault has recently positive feedback from both those that I’ve known from the Cleveland scene and others I do not know personally who randomly checked it out. But of course, this is only one track whereas the rest of the album is yet to be revealed. Plenty of more work to be done from my side when it comes to promoting this project online, which I was never comfortable and good at selling my own material, but that’s all I can do as this is a studio project with no tours or live performances to help support the LP launch.
13.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Dan’s black metal outfit Gravelust released a new album “Passage to the End” last February. Evan’s new Death Metal/Grindcore project Paranoia Apparition released an EP “Phantasmic Visions” from last March. Both great and interesting releases, I suggest you check them out.
14.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I have not planned too far ahead in the future. Currently I am just focused on promoting the current album as much as I can for what it’s worth. I’ve written some new material, but I am nowhere near satisfied with it. Nor am I inspired to write or record more to eventually plan for an LP or even an EP release. For quite some time, I had the mindset for this album to be the last piece of music from ZeTA. In essence, this would help me focus on just making the album as good as I can, not looking back at previous releases or diverting attention to writing for the future. I wanted to put maximum effort and grit, like the last Byzantine Emperor “Constantine Palaiologos” fighting until his bitter end against the Turks during the Fall of Constantinople.
15.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I would argue, Swedish melodic black metal of the 90s such as Sacramentum, Dissection, Vinterland, and Dawn is probably the most beautiful and epic music that ever existed and a good amount of riffing on this album was influenced by those bands. Arghoslent was a big influence, as well as Immolation. Contemporary bands such as Aevangelist and Blood Incantation influenced a good amount of the synth additions to the songs. As far as new bands, I was very much impressed by the Earthshine, Dungeon Serpent, VVilderness and Worm(US) releases from last year. Probably my favorite releases thus far this year is from Moonlight Sorcery and Grenadier. Also, I started to understand the buzz that Suffering Hour has been getting after watching them at Maryland Deathfest and being completely mindblown by their performance.
16.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
For anyone reading, check out the premier track “Suspended Colossus” if you have not already, and if you’re into it, set a calendar reminder for the album release on Bandcamp September 2nd. However, if you’re not into the project, that’s fine as well. I always encourage those into metal to constantly research and check out bands whether it be online scavenging or going to shows featuring either local or international acts. Plenty of bands that can appeal to anyone’s taste out there in the vast and diverse world of metal that just require some effort to discover.
https://ufometal.bandcamp.com/album/binary-enigma
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