END OF LEVEL BOSS "The owner of the studio, Lewis E Childs, was our engineer on 'Inside The Difference Engine', and was great to work with. He's not so familliar with the dirtier genres of the metal world, which I think helped us find an interesting middle ground as far as the production turned out." UK's End of Level Boss are infuriatingly hard to categorise, and while they are definitely all about the riff, they are also about creating interesting and contrasting soundscapes that don't necessarily conform to lore of Iommi. After listening to the band's new album, "Inside The Difference Engine", one gets the feeling that former Hangnail guitarist/vocalist Harry Armstrong enters an entirely new sonic vista as the album is a very satisfying brew, incorporating elements of 70's progressive rock, the jazz core dynamics of Helmet, and some very attractive, almost avant garde elements of Canada's mighty Voivoid. The release date of "The Difference Engine" is scheduled for May 21st through Exile On Mainstream records. End of level Boss will be touring heavily throughout the year. Keep an eye on www.eolb.com for more information. Words | Harry 'Inside the Difference Engine' was recorded in Hampshire, England between February 2nd - 11th. We recorded, mixed and mastered the whole thing in 10 days straight, all onto analogue 2" tape. Despite our computer related name, we're strong believers in capturing the live feel of the band to tape, and I think we achieved that again. The studio is located in the middle of nowhere - just farms, fields and a solitary pub within walking distance. The only distraction was the fridge full of beer! Perfect for a full-on, 14 hour-a-day session like this. Before recording started, we spent 2 weekends in pre-production, demoing all the tracks. This is something we have never done before -including the recordings I made with Hangnail. It turned out to be invaluable as we knew exactly what to expect from each other. This recording session was with a drummer and guitarist that we hadn't recorded with before, so it really smoothed the whole process out. For those guys and me! The owner of the studio, Lewis E Childs, was our engineer on the album, and was great to work with. He's not so familliar with the dirtier genres of the metal world, which I think helped us find an interesting middle ground as far as the production turned out. Now we're just gagging to take this album out on the road. INSIDE THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE > On to the songs... Selfishnegativeibemerchant An album opener that will hopefully get a few heads nodding! It's the End of Level Boss's retaliation against those who ruin everything that should be great about life. The polititians, corporations and bog-standard idiots in the street! Mr Dinosaur Is Lost Sludgy and straight-forward, this song is for those people who desperatly cling onto a past that should have died long ago.! Retiscence Here's where the record starts to kick off. A more in your face song that deals with peoples inability to share their thoughts and dreams. Corners Originally a song from a band I was in 10 years ago called 'Collapse', we dusted this one off and re-wrote it to suit the EOLB philosophy of groove meets prog! I guess it's "retro-progressive"! Words Have No Meaning Mostly instrumental track that's been part of our live set for a while now. Always seems to go down well, just like a fine whiskey! The title says it all. Instinktivitus After a frantic opening, everything slows down a gear to reflect the melancholy of the subject matter: the human race losing trust in instinct and the repercussions as it dies. End of Line This is where we allow the doom to flow! We've been playing around for this number for a while, and discovered it's true worth shines through the slower we play it. In true doom style, it announces the end of the line for all! Connortations This grew from an idea we had while watching the first Terminator movie over a few cases of beer one night. Taking the background computer generated soundtrack, and converting it to a cacophony of bass, guitar & drums. It worked out so well that we had to include it on the album. There's a video of us recording this on our website. The response to it so far has been incredible. The stuff that has influenced us throughout this recording is wide and varied. During the writing process I was listening to a lot of King Crimson, especially the much underrated recent stuff like "Power to Believe" and "Construction of Light." I also found myself listening to Entombed's "Clandestine"album repeatedly. The energy on that record is awesome. And of course a regular blast of Voivod's "Dimension Hatross." Can't go without that work of genius.