Holy Grail interview: "There's a lot of amazing guitar players out there but I think what people remember is how the shredding was presented"

One of heavy metal’s unique characteristics is that bands like Holy Grail emerge from it. Bands that are based on its traditional elements while adding personality and constantly refresh the excitement for this music. Their new, sophomore album “Ride The Void” is the first great metal album for 2013 and that’s why we had a talk with the band’s guitarist Eli Santana.

Hi there from Greece and Rocking.gr. How are you doing?
I’m doing Awesome. Super excited about the New Year, thank you.

Congratulations for your new album. I think it’s a big step forward to your career.
Thank you so much for the Congrats. I agree that this is a big step forward for us. We’re really proud of the new album and think it’s going to help get us to where we want to be as a band.

Tell us a few words about the history of the band, how it was formed etc, for those who are not that familiar with you yet.
Holy Grail started in Pasadena, California when our vocalist James Paul Luna, Drummer Tyler Meahl and Guitarist James Larue left the band White Wizzard to form something not so confined to one time period of Metal. They brought in a second guitarist, which was myself and Blake Mount was added on Bass. After completing "Crisis In Utopia" James Larue left the band and we later employed Alex Lee from Bonded by Blood on guitar. That is the current line up who played on the "Season's Bleedings" EP and on "Ride The Void".

What changes took place after the release of "Crisis In Utopia"? What are the main differences between the two albums?
We changed guitarists after the release of "Crisis in Utopia" and we used a different producer on the new album. I think the main difference between the two albums was the songwriting. We tightened things up and really trimmed the fat on a lot of songs and we just had a better grasp on what we were doing. We were definitely missing the wild innocence we had on the first album. But, it’s important to grow, which I feel we did. We also had a lot of songs to choose from on the new album that we really liked. And on the first one we didn’t have that option.

How was it working with Matt Hyde who is known for more thrash and darker stuff like his work with Slayer?
It was amazing working with Matt. We learned so much in the making of this album. He really made us approach the songs as songwriters and not as just a Metal Band throwing a bunch of riffs together. What was great about Matt was that he made us take pre-production really serious so when we actually started tracking there were no surprises. It was very efficient. I guess it helped that Matt and the whole band lived in the same city.

You know, there are several trends in heavy metal running this period and the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal is one of them. There are some quite interesting bands, but what in my opinion makes you differ is that you are not depending that much on the old sound. Are you aware of the any bands of this genre? How does it seem to you?
I am aware of a couple bands in this genre and I really enjoy them but sticking to one specific genre isn’t really for us. We are all big fans of NWOBHM and heavily influenced by it but we’re also influenced by other metal genres like Death Metal and Prog Metal. It just doesn’t seem fun for us to only pull influence from one genre and time period. We’re just trying to make the music that makes us happy.

There is some astonishing guitar job on the album. It’s fantastic and I would point out that it’s your main advantage. Would you agree?
Well, thank you very much for those kind words. I’m definitely flattered. I think that the guitar work gives an edge but I don’t think it’s our main advantage. I really think it’s our songs and our vocal melodies. There’s a lot of amazing guitar players out there but I think what people remember is how the shredding was presented. I think we’re lucky to get to showcase the guitar work in good songs.

My favorite track on the album is "Crosswinds". A little bit more thrash maybe, but a great tune. Do you have any favorite tracks on the album?
That's great to hear. "Crosswinds" is one of my favorite songs too. We actually play that live already and it’s a lot of fun to play. I find myself listening to "Too Decayed To Wait" a lot. I think my favorite might by "Sleep Of Virtue". It changes everyday. The title track is my favorite to play live right now.

On the press release it mentions that the album is about 'morbid tales of serial killers'. Can you tell us a few things about the lyrics and how important part they are for Holy Grail?
There is one song about a serial killer but the overall theme of the record is triumph of the human spirit. A lot of the lyrics might be really bleak and dark but all the songs have strong sense of hope. The lyrics were really important for us because we wrote from a more personal place. "Rains Of Sorrow" is based on a series of text messages I received from my uncle while he was battling cancer.

One thing I’d like to see Holy Grail trying is maybe something slower or a power ballad (more clearly than "Rains Of Sorrow"). The interlude of "Wake Me When It's Over" indicates that you can try something on acoustic guitar and string arrangements maybe. Would you see it possible?
I could definitely see us writing a slower ballad someday but it would have to happen naturally. Nothing’s worse than a forced power ballad. We would love to do more with acoustic guitars and strings in the future. That was some of the funniest stuff to record on this album. I wish were able to be there when the strings were recorded but it happened when we were on tour.

You’ve toured with some important names such as Blind Guardian and Dragonforce. Right now you’re on tour with Anthrax and Exodus. Which band has made the biggest impression on you and why?
I would actually have to say that the band that made the biggest impression on us would have to be 3 Inches of Blood because they were the first band we ever toured with. They really taught us how to tour and how to balance having fun and being professional. The greatest thing I learned from all these legendary bands was how kind they all are. It seems like the music industry is so tough that I think it weeds out all the assholes and people in it for the wrong reasons.

Two years ago I pointed out "Crisis In Utopia" as the best underground metal release for 2010 and now two years later you’re part of the Nuclear Blast family, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) metal labels. Is it a kind of recognition for you? I bet you had various offers. What lead you to NB?
That’s awesome. Thank you. I do feel like being brought into the Nuclear Blast Family as a kind of recognition. It feels like we made an impression with our debut album and relentless touring. We did have some other offers but teaming up with one of the biggest metal labels in the world just seemed like a no brainer.

How important is nowadays the role of a label for a group like you?
I think it’s really important for a band like us. We had a very grassroots approach to being in a band and none of us are very big on social networking. And I think every great band has a great team behind them. And I think we really have that right now.

What differences are there between the metal fans in U.S.A., Europe and Japan? If I am not mistaken you have already established a good fanbase in the land of the rising sun...
We haven’t had much experience in Europe other than a couple festivals but we found them to be crazy about their metal. Fans in the U.S. make you earn it a bit. And fans in Japan are very punctual. We played a festival in Japan at 11 in the morning and the place was already packed. We can’t wait to go back there and really excited to spend more time in Europe.

Would you share with us your favorite albums of 2012?
I really loved the new Neurosis album “Honor Found in Decay”. I listened to the new Gojira all the time. And Royal Thunder’s album “CVI” is definitely one of my favorite albums in a long time. We actually got to tour with Royal Thunder this past summer and they were great live. I’ve also been really enjoying Deftones “Koi No Yokan”.

Thanks for your time. Hope to see you soon in Greece for a show.
Thank you so much. I really hope we get to play in Greece in the near future.