1.BRIEF US REGARDING THE BAND HISTORY. DAY ONE TILL TODAY. HAS EVOLUTION
OCCURRED INT HE BAND?

• Scott: TTD started back in 95 releasing demos, split EP’s and just spreading the word in the underground as hard as we could. There were many line-up changes through the years. The last founding members from the first demo remaining are Marc Stauffer and myself Scott Waldrop. Current guitarist Dave Boyd and singer Tony Taylor joined in 1998 just in time to collaborate on our debut CD “The Curse of Twisted Tower”. With the dedication of these two new members TTD was able to become a real band gigging out and pushing to get noticed on a higher level. In 2001 we released our 2nd album “The Isle of Hydra” which has definitely been excepted more widely than our debut and has positioned as a formidable contender in the roster of up and coming metal bands (I think at least).

• Dave: It was borrowed from a set of lyrics that a former guitarist wrote for his band Thokk.  It sounds fantasy oriented and we decided that it was a good, original name. We have based several songs on the fantasy world that the tower exists in - "The Curse of Twisted Tower" is an example.
• Scott: Moreover, to me TTD is about individuality, anti fashion, epic proportions, cryptic meanings, mysterious places, ancient stories, and triumphing true metal from the nether chasms of a parallel dimension which entraps dreamers in its hungry mists! We selected the name because of it’s medireview and sinister overtones. I think it sounds arcane and totally original. I also like the fact that the name makes it hard for people to determine our style solely based on the name. It shrouds us in mystery, ha ha.

• Scott: The song is about a dragon that lives on the Greek island of Hydra. it’s not supposed to be a bout the mythological creature with 8 heads or whatever. This is a common misconception. Mythology is definitely an ingredient in our influence, especially the Norse and Celtic myths. Influences are also drawn from Tolkien and Lovecraft. Most of Tony’s lyrical inspiration comes from life though. He writes about what goes around him using mythic and arcane imagery to veil its meaning.

• Scott: No, all the songs on “Hydra” have individual meaning. Almost every band toys with the idea of making a concept album every now and then. If we ever chance upon (in our collective conscious), the inspiration that could potentially birth a truly monumental concept album, then we’d try it. We’re huge fans of the old masters and we wouldn’t want to do it unless we felt it would have a chance of meeting the standards set by albums like Pink Floyd “The Wall”, The Who “Tommy” or Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of A Seventh Son”. At the moment our song concepts are so vast and varied that we’d like to pay attention to getting everyone's individual ideas out. Between Tony (vocals) , Dave (guitar), and myself Scott Waldrop (guitar), the ideas just don’t stop. Marc (drums) and Jim (bass) are the experts at polishing over our ideas and tightening them up. It would be an interesting challenge though to one day put all our heads together and write the ultimate heavy metal epic concept album!

• Dave:  We love the artwork on the cover too!Martin Hanford is the artist that did it and he's done a lot of work for Bal Saggoth as well. He's doing a cover for a "Dagger's Blade" vinyl single that is coming out on Maniacal Records soon. It's funny to hear what people say the cover looks like. Most say Manowar, but it does remind me of March of the Saint too.
• Scott: No, "March of the Saint" is boring in comparison I think. They look like midgets in that painting, ha ha. Our looks tougher! Dave forgot to mention that he's also doing another TTD cover for a 12" picture disc on Stormbringer Productions. This will contain our 2000 demo and some covers.

• Dave: We'd love to re-mix and master curse and we think it would sound a lot better.We just need to find the money to do it.If anyone is interested in funding the project, let us know!!
• Scott: Yes, we'd love to remix it, have it mastered, and have the artwork re-done like Castle did for the first Maiden album. I guess the reasons for the bad production can attributed to a small budget in a mediocre studio coupled with a general lack of production experience on our and our engineer's behalf. As much as like to blame this one on alcohol I cannot, ha ha.

• Dave: We play very few shows here because the scene is so screwed up. That's not a bad thing because we spend more time writing new material. Our shows are usually with a few choice metal bands - October 31, Deceased, Division, and a few others. There are good bands here, there just aren't people willing to support them!
• Scott: Yea, I’m squeamish about saying I play “metal” in America because the idiots here think I’m talking about Korn. What ever the media calls “metal” is what the average dickhead on the street is going to consider metal. So if someone I’ve just met asks me about my music I’m straight forward with them. I tell the we play old style metal and that I worship Iron Maiden. Usually it shuts people up but if it interests them then great! Those are the people I want to talk to, not media-influenced assholes that don’t understand. That’s why we have to plug our music elsewhere on the globe. At the very heart of our culture media is embraced as some sort of modern life deity. Americans want to fit in. It takes one hell of an eccentric American to embrace art for art’s sake.

• Dave: We enjoy playing Europe because people appreciate what we're doing over there. It's basically a working vacation. The bad thing is that we're forced to do short tours because we're paying for a lot the expenses ourselves.  If we had more tour support we could go to more places and play in many different countries.

• Dave: Rich has done a terrific job supporting us and promoting the band, we wouldn't be where we are without him.  We have no plans to leave Miskatonic Foundation, but if a bigger deal was presented we'd certainly look at it. Rich wants what's best for us and I think he'd understand if we made the decision to take an offer with a larger label. Right now I hope we just stay with Rich!!

• Scott: I would probably just focus on my art if I never developed my musical knowledge and skills. I think I’m much more of a natural artist rather than musician but my life just happened to lead me in the direction of metal! I’ve always believed that it’s good to have multiple interest but you can only have one TRUE passion. Many people are in love with the idea of being the well rounded “Renaissance Man”. That is, they want to be a tennis pro, award winning literary scholar, and an astronaut all in one. But the fact of the matter is, if you want to be the best (or at least extremely good) at something, you have to be focused on it all the time.

• Scott: All the HP Lovecraft stuff. If it was done right that would be awesome. They could do a whole series like Creepshow (only better than Creepshow). Ha ha. I think it would also be awesome to see someone do a good job with Samuel Taylor Coloridge's “Rhime of the Ancient Mariner” poem. That could definitely be turned into a two hour movie with all kinds of freaky imagery.

• Scott: If TTD could go back in time and do a soundtracks I think we could have done an awesome job with the following movies: HEAVY METAL, THE ROAD WARRIOR, and BABE. Ha ha ha

• Scott: Most irritating question: I think your new album sounds like Hammerfall, don’t you??? Never asked question: Have you ever met Hammferfall and are they cool guys? The answer is yes I’ve met them and no they’re not cool. They sat there eating salads and scowling at me while I smoked *** and drank a beer with Chuck from Death (no I was never buddies with him, he was just hanging out with me because I had an illegal cigarette). Then I fell down while stumbling off their tour bus and vomited in the bushes while people where standing in line for autographs. Always wanted to tell that story in an interview: That I know Hammerfall like salads and not beer, ha ha.

• Scott: Fire, Leather, Beer, Sex, Epic Battlescapes, Blood, sharp edged guitars, death, blackness, debauchery, mysticism, and waking up with smell of cigarettes in your beer crusted hair! Conan, what is best in life?

• Scott: Fuck those towlhead faggots that attacked us! All terrorists suck. FUCK THEM ALL! Fuck the Irish ones. Fuck the Japanese ones. Fuck the Middle Eastern ones. Fuck the American ones. They’re like a bunch of bratty children vying for attention. They're just another group of assholes trying to push their ideals on the rest of the world. Guess what people: MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS! When the doors are closed in your home you can dress up like a clown and shove chickens in your ass for all I care. Just don’t rise up and start bombing innocent people. I hope Osama gets a one way ticket to hell where he'll eternally have red-hot prods rammed simultaneously in his mouth and ass. Fuck they're religion, Jihad is fucking gay. Let's bomb that piece of shit place tell it falls into the sea and is forgoten forever.

• Scott: Thanks for the interview!!! Death to sports metal, rap metal, goth fag metal, drink beer and listen to Iron maiden! PERIOD! Our CD’s “The Curse of Twisted Tower” and “The Isle of Hydra” are both available for $16 postage paid  anywhere. Brand new “Hydra” T-shirts (they look killer!!!) are $18. Please send money orders or well concealed cash to: Twisted Tower Dire, PO Box 223508, Chantilly VA 20153-3508, USA, check out our website at:  www.twisted-tower-dire.com Any other inquires, naked photos of your mom, and hate mail can be sent to: twisted [email protected]