INTERVIEW: Lee McKinney – Born of Osiris
Progressive metal has evolved considerably in the last decade. With creativity and innovation rife, wave after wave of bands are pushing the scene forward. BORN OF OSIRIS can be considered a vanguard of the movement. With a career stemming technically back to 2003, the group have been a central part of the progressive metal movement since the release of the exceptional second record The Discovery in 2011. Whilst what followed may not have met the lofty heights set by that album, with album number five, The Simulation, set to drop in this Friday, we spoke to guitarist Lee McKinney (you can read our original feature from this interview via our Patreon page) to get the lowdown on the new album, how the band have developed and why Lee is more focussed on the legacy of BORN OF OSIRIS.
So, you are gearing up to release your brand The Simulation in January. What can people expect from this upcoming album?
Lee: I like to think you are getting an album that is the lessons and things we’ve learned over our 11 years of touring and writing. I think we have learned our crowd and what they want, whether that’s live or via the album. I think the next step is meeting somewhere in the middle of what they want and expect from you while also keeping your musical integrity. I’m not gonna say we do everything for the fans. I’m also not gonna sit here and say this is all selfish and personal. We’ve aimed to find the middle ground. Don’t get me wrong, none of these views are opposites. These are fine details of something we’ve been building and creating for a long time.
The new album follows on from 2015’s Soul Sphere. How has the band progressed in that time?
Lee: I think most of all, we’ve matured as people and as musicians. We’re at a different point in our lives now. Getting close to our 30s. I think we all just take the music more seriously. We’re fans of our instruments more than ever. We’re fans of writing a song more than ever. We care more than ever. I think as you get older and life gets more serious, everything you do inside of it is taken more seriously. I know we have this insane party reputation, but that’s been a little untrue for a while. We do like to have fun, but this is all about the music now – without question.
Unlike the time between your previous records, The Simulation arrives after a four year wait as opposed to a two year cycle. Why did you take longer with this release and did the extra time help make the creative process even better?
Lee: While this is a true statement, we did release the Eternal Reign. This is a re-imagining of our first record. While a lot of other bands will just send the same stems off to get remixed and remastered, package it in a shiny new box, and sell it all over again – we re-tracked it. We changed tiny aspects. We wanted to give the album again to celebrate it, but now you have it with all the ways we’ve grown. From the diversity of Ronnie and Joe‘s vocals, to the more flashy drums and guitars fills and solos, and the modernised recording – you have an entire new experience. That being said, doing all that took time. We did an entire cycle with it. That’s why this record took longer. That being said, we were writing this one the entire time. We are always writing. So in a way, you could say we took our time even more with this one.
The new album will be Born of Osiris’ first with new bassist Nick Rossi. How has he settled into the band and what does he bring to the fold?
Lee: He’s settled in beautifully. Nick is one of the kindest, most talented guys I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in all of my years in music. I also do In Motive with him. He plays guitar with me in that band. When David decided to step away, there were a million options. People were asking us to hit up some of the most talented bass players on the planet. That being said, it was a delicate time in our band. David is a brother and it was heart breaking to lose him. We needed a nice person and soul, not just a “shreddy” bass player. Nick is all that and more. He also is an incredible song writer. He stepped into the band and immediately wrote two incredible songs. One is on this first half of the release, and the next is on the other. I don’t know why this doesn’t get talked about more by the way, this is a two part album.
Can you describe the writing and recording process for The Simulation?
Lee: Yeah. It was insane. We wrote it as usual. Nothing new there except new inspiration and a new vision. This time around, I produced and engineered it. We rented a studio in Chicago. I drove up from Dallas with my studio necessities. Basically my studio computer tower and some other things I felt I needed. We spent December of 2017 tracking the record there. We tracked all day, the dudes would go home, and I’d stay up editing it and tracking whatever else I wanted. Slept on the pullout couch in the studio. I obsessed over it. Vocals were meant to be tracked upstairs in a different studio at the same time. That didn’t end up happening, but they got tons of writing done. They went later to Nick Sampson in Michigan and tracked the record on vocals. I thought we were done. Then Sumerian wanted more. At the time I had already moved on to writing my solo album. I thought my job was done and I was proud. This was all frustrating at first. In the end, Nick Rossi came into the picture with some new songs and fresh inspiration. We re tracked those. The guys then went to LA to Ash Avildsen‘s Sumerian studio and did vocals for those and a couple other spots on the album. Then we sent to Nick Sampson to mix and master. This took the majority of 2018. It felt like it took forever, but in the end we have a much stronger album because of it.
Already, you’ve released two singles from the upcoming record, how have they been received?
Lee: I can honestly say the response has been overwhelming. I stopped reading comments on the internet years ago. I would judge everything based on in person interactions at shows. I’ll listen to a fan tell me something positive or negative to my face, or I’ll see how the crowd reacts to new music. I’ll never take anything from keyboard warriors. These songs came out and everyone was like “man go read the comments!” I held out and refused for a while. I eventually caved in because the guys said I’d be stoked. I checked it out and it was definitely overwhelmingly positive. It’s nice to see. As far as playing them live on this past KILLSWITCH ENGAGE tour, they went over better than some of our all time fan favourites.
The themes on this record seem to indicate towards our reliance towards social media, the development of AI, virtual realities and so forth. Can you elaborate on the themes and messages you are looking to address with this record?
Lee: While I didn’t have a hand in writing the lyrics, I was definitely part of a million conversations with Ronnie and Joe regarding these topics and their influence on the lyrics. I think Elon Musk really had an amazing conversation with Joe Rogan about this that you can find on YouTube. Our phones have become an extension of our body. Something that never leaves our pocket or our hand. We’ve integrated ourselves with them. That’s just the start. We have robots beating humans in chess matches. The future can be a beautiful thing if we tread carefully and intelligently, or it could be chaos if we just let these things continue to progress at this alarming rate without considering consequences and risks.
The development of AI alongside dystopian virtual realities has long been covered in science fiction. How much influence did you pull from science fiction or were these themes pulled from what is actually happening in the world?
Lee: I can say movies like The Matrix cover this brilliantly. I know that’s one of Ronnie‘s all time favorite movies. Joe mentioned watching a couple movies and even incorporated some of their quotes into our intro and live set.
The Simulation will be the fifth studio record from BORN OF OSIRIS. At this point, what do you hope to achieve with this new release?
Lee: I just hope we get closer to making everyone that has supported us and let us live this dream happy with an album they can have forever. I’m started to become more and more attracted to the word Legacy. I want to make something people will enjoy long past our touring careers and lives.
Following its release in January next year, I imagine the focus will be towards touring to support the new album. Can you shed some light on your touring plans for 2019?
Lee: At this point I can only say we’ll be touring the world in support of this record. We’ll also be releasing the second part of it and again supporting that.
Are there any particular songs from the new album you are really looking forward to performing live?
Lee: I know everyone in the band has different moments on the record they are most proud of, but I’m personally most excited to play Analogs In A Cell. All of the guitar parts are really fun to play and I think the energy and vibe of the song will go over well.
To close, we’ll offer you a chance to leave a parting message to our readers. Do you have anything to say to the readers of Distorted Sound?
Lee: For all of those that have supported us or given us a listen or a stream, thank you. You really allow us to live this dream. For those who haven’t checked us out, hopefully you’ll give the new record a listen and enjoy it!
The Simulation is set for release on January 11th via Sumerian Records.
For more information on BORN OF OSIRIS like their official page on Facebook.
