For five years straight, A Life Once Lost were moving as an integral cog in the metal machine, touring 10 months out of the year and only taking breaks to write and record new albums. But after guitarist Doug Sabolick suffered through a bike accident, being hit by a car, the band was forced to slow down. And even after their axeman recovered, the tech-metal outfit decided to embrace the time off -- purging their sound and reexamining how the band works.
"Taking that time away from the band and just allowing everyone to retouch with their families and such made us all grow up, and take that step back look at this band from an outsiders point of view," frontman Robert Meadows told Noisecreep.
Always known for his uncontrollable performances -- oftentimes smashing the microphone into his head until blood covered his face -- Meadows has been taking the down time to see how far his voice can go. "I'm trying to push myself harder," he added, noting that he had recently gone back to not only taking vocal lessons but was teaching them himself. "I feel like I'm working on making more of a presence -- not that I haven't made a presence on prior records, but I feel that this is a make or break record for us."
Known for embracing the schizophrenic tempo styling of bands like Meshuggah (a style now called djent), the band took flack for it on their 2003 album 'Hunter.' But times have changed, and djent is in full force as bands like Animals as Leaders continue to gain acceptance.
"From my point of view, just watching the scene evolve and seeing things unfold and change, build and grow ... you're just watching everything happen, and you're not as much a part of it as you once were," the frontman
