Living The Dream: A Conversation With Mutiny Within

Every lover of music has those moments when you check out a new band and realize that “these guys are going to be big.” Usually, nothing becomes of them and the world misses out on yet another great talent. With Mutiny Within however, it will happen – and you’ll be able to say that I told you about it.

I had the pleasure of seeing Mutiny Within at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana back in late April. From the opening strains of “Images” to the closing bone crushing “Lethean,” the band obliterated the venue for the next forty minutes, even to the point of blowing headliners Sonata Arctica off the stage (half the venue left after Mutiny’s set).

What truly sets the band apart though are the soaring vocals of Chris Clancy, an Englishman who crossed the pond to join an American metal band, bringing with him the melodic chops that made late 70s/early 80s British rock and metal bands so great. Before the show we had a chance to sit down with Chris and talk about his journey thus far…

Chris: How you doin’!

C6M: Chris, let’s start off with the good stuff. Mutiny Within, as it is now, how did it all come together?

Chris: A lot of work for a long time. I’ve been in the band for three years now. The bands been going for probably about eight or nine. We started out playing Children of Bodom covers and stuff like that and as different members joined, it progressed and turned into what it is now. I came in with my influences which are more like Queen and classic rock, stuff like Maiden. I guess it evolved into what it is now actually, which is all sorts of different types of metal thrown together, I guess.

C6M: Now with your influences would you say that brought in more of the melodic aspect into the band or was that there already?

Chris: Yeah definitely, especially vocally. I think I kind of simplified things a lot. The band were into very fast passed, very technical, guitar driven music. There was always a lot of melody in it, but it was always screaming. So I did the singing in there, but there wasn’t whole lot of room for singing ‘cause there was so much going on. So I tried to simplify that out a little bit and create some space for vocals. So it kind of turned the technical guitars into more of a backing rather than up front all the time and at that point it just shines. I think it made it a little more accessible.

C6M: What were some of the challenges moving from England to being in an American band?

Chris: Let’s see…the ocean got in the way.

C6M: (laughs)

Chris: The biggest challenges, obviously, was the visa to be honest. Obviously that and financially, I’m in ruins. I could only come over for two or three months on a vocational visa. I would come over and was extremely limited on what I could do. So up until the point when I got a visa, which was after we got signed, I had to come in for two months and leave for three months. So we did a lot of work over the internet, actually. We’d go in and write a lot of songs and then I would take them home with me. I would work on the vocals for two months and send them back. As soon as I got the visa, it worked. I think that was the biggest problem was not being able to, on a daily basis, just be there and do normal things that bands normally do. It was totally different degree. It was all about song writing. That’s why we ended up with 50 different demos for our album just because we couldn’t play shows while I was out of the country. So we just had to keep writing and writing. It helped us out in the end.

C6M: Have you been able to play in your home country yet?

Chris: No, not yet. We’re hoping next year we’re going to get over there. Yeah that’s going be great when we get over there. Obviously my dad had helped me out with this financially, friends…members of the band. So to get home where I came from is going to be a really good thing. Yeah I really want to go to the UK as well because obviously that’s where I grew up. Dan the guitarist as well grew up in England. It would be nice to just take it home because we’ve got a lot of support over there as well from friends. But if you go on the music channels as well videos are getting a lot of comments every day, saying “Come to the UK.” And I’m going, “I wish.” But I think we’re booked on touring the U.S. to the end of the year. Definitely next year.

C6M: Now you guys got signed fairly quickly. Has that changed the dynamic of the band at all as opposed to being able to mature over the years on the road together?

Chris: Um, I think it made it harder for a little bit, yeah. Obviously we got signed. We spent six or seven months working on the material before we went into the studio. And then in the studio we spent seven or eight months on the album. The first tour we ever did was with Soulfly, so to go into that it made us learn fast. We liked being up against it…a ridiculous obstacle. That show first show we played, we had no idea about touring. We had driven all the way down to California from New Jersey and we played the Key Club and no one really knew what was going on, but we took to it pretty quick. I guess we had to. Yeah, everything gets easier every tour now. The first tour was with a few heated moments obviously because everyone has been around each other so much and especially crammed in the bathroom. It’s getting better every tour. Most of the band, we actually live together, there’s four or five of us that live in the same house pretty much. So we’re used to living together.

C6M: Any interesting road stories from that first tour?

Chris: There’s a lot, I can’t really say them though.

C6M: (laughs)

Chris: No it was a great tour though. All the bands were really fun. Just making that transition from, I guess personally, being a guy in a bedroom just making music and going all over England trying to do different bands. And doing little things and then going on tour with Soulfly and having so many people knowing who you are. People wanting to come up and shake your hand and sign things. You know…girls! You know it’s like…it’s fantastic. I guess I’ve been music since I was ten, I spent all that time trying to do something. And when I was 24 we toured with Soulfly, it was a reward for those 14 years of dedication every single day. It’s always been the first most important thing in my life. And then to actually have some fun, it was fantastic. It was well worth it.

C6M: The new album. Describe to me the album in your words.

Chris: In a nutshell what it’s about…it’s kind of accessible. People just keep trying to put us into these little categories…little homes…of like death metal with melodic whatever or power metal whatever…it’s just metal. It’s a combination of all these different kinds of metal. We’re all into different music, so it kind of comes together like that. It’s got singing in it, a lot of singing. A lot of screaming. The epic parts in it, fast parts, a lot of guitar shred, a lot of keyboard solos…piano. I think it’s got everything. If you like metal of any kind, I think there something on there that you’d like.

C6M: What’s your favorite song off it right now?

Chris: Right now, would be a “Year of Affliction.” I guess that’s a personal favorite . And have the kids sing along, it’s fantastic. It honestly depends upon the mood I’ve got if I’m in a different kind of mood I’ll have different kind of favorite song. “Reflections” is generally one of my favorite songs. But “Year of Affliction” is my favorite song doing live every night.

C6M: I’m in a “Falling Forever” mood, right now.

Chris: Oh yeah! You see at the start of the tour “Falling Forever” was a good one. We had never done that live before. It’s nice singing it, but knowing the beginning you do it and it’s ‘Thank God that’s out of the way!’

C6M: Now you received a lot of positive reviews from some pretty major bands, Dream Theater being just one of them. Now does that affect the writing process in any way for the next album? Do you feel you have to up your game a little?

Chris: Definitely. We have these 40 or 50 demos from the first album. We always get asked, “Well you have these 35 songs left what happened with those? Are you going to use them on the new album?” No we’re not. If they weren’t good enough for the first album how would they be good enough for the second album? We actually started writing now…I think we have 8 songs. We’re hoping to write 20 to 25 before we actually go into the studio. Yeah it’s going to be challenge. We spent so long on this album. I don’t know how we’re going to do it. We’ve got to step it up somehow. We’ve got a few idea. Maybe make some things a little darker or more abstract. I want to get more emotion into the new album, I think that’s my thing, we discussed. Because my lyrics can be quite emotional. People seemed attached to them, we thought it could be cool to take that direction for a few songs and really make the music…really you know – you could take the lyrics away still the music can say the same thing. Really tie that in on the next album. So that should be fun. Yeah, and also getting these comments from these bands is fantastic. We heard Rob Flint from Machine Head, he said he loved the album. He listened to it.

C6M: That’s fantastic. Him and Petrucci and Portnoy now.

Chis: Yeah and Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden is a fan of ours.

C6M: Really?

Chris: Yeah, he plays it on his rock show in the UK.

C6M: That has to make you feel good.

Chris: Yeah he’s one of our biggest influences, I mean Dream Theater is a huge influence for me as well, but I heard that I was like, “Wow.” Bruce Dickinson’s like the guy I listened to on his albums and to hear that he likes the band also, wow.

C6M: So would that be one of your dreams to play with Iron Maiden?

Chris: Yeah I would love to. I really wanted to try and get on the tour – the Dream Theater/Iron Maiden tour, that would have been incredible. But they didn’t want any more bands. So we were told it’s not going to happen.

C6M: Maybe you’ll get some comp tickets at least.

Chris: I hope so – that would be incredible.

C6M: Evolution and maturity are obviously necessary to have a successful career in the industry. Stylistically where do you see yourself five years from now?

Chris: Honestly I don’t know. Obviously in five years we’ll have the second album out. I don’t know. Like I was saying before with fast guitars, we’re never going lose that. But as a lyricist and vocalist, I’d like to explore some more emotional kind of things. People can identify with the lyrics, I guess with some slower songs or something like that. I really don’t know. We talk about it sometimes and say maybe we’ll do this or maybe do that, but we all have different opinions on it. At the end of the day we all just sit down when a song is written, it is what it is. The one thing our producer, Jason Bieler, told us not to be afraid of things. We were a metal band on Roadrunner and we went there and it was like ‘We shouldn’t do this business, this little bit – you know, it’s a little bit happy.’ And Jason said, “You know what, just do whatever the song requires. Don’t worry about the label. Don’t worry about the fans. Don’t worry about whatever. Just do what feels right and what’s right for each song in context. And after that don’t worry about it.” So we didn’t. And that’s how we got to where we are.

C6M: Who’s producing it again?

Chris: Jason Bieler

C6M: Is that of Saigon Kick?

Chris: Yes, Saigon Kick guitarist

C6M: I thought that name sounded familiar

Chris: One of the funniest guys I’ve met in my life. Very dry sense of humor. He’s a lot of fun. We’ve got some videos online when we were recording the album. You’ve got to watch them. He’s so funny.

C6M: Fantastic

Chris: Yeah the guys great. He really helped us out vocally. He really pushed me on the lyrics and made everything happen. But made it near impossible live as well. So thanks Jason.

C6M: Throw in a little Chris and Jason “Love is on the Way” duet?

Chris: (Mutiny Within guitarist) AJ actually learned that song on guitar and he (Jason) walked in one day and we started playing it. And he walked in and went, “That’s mine.”

C6M: Fantastic. Chris, always a pleasure. Thanks a lot!

Chris: Thank you.

If you haven’t had a chance to pick up Mutiny Within’s self-titled debut, you need to do that post-haste. It’s one of the best records of the year and the best metal debut since Dream Theater’s Images and Words. Check out more on the band at their website, mutinywithin.com. Horns up!