Brandon Miller of Athanasia

by Anabel DFlux
– Sr. Photojournalist —

Athanasia is a power trio playing a highly original hybrid of Classic Arena/Black/Thrash Metal styles. Recently the band changed its name from Ascension to Athanasia and are set to release the full-length release entitled The Order of the Silver Compass.

Hardrock Haven’s Anabel DFlux recently caught up with bassist Brandon Miller who discusses the name change, new album and more…

Anabel: Hey! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Athanasia, formerly known as Ascension, recently went through a name change. What was your involvement with that?

Brandon: Well, it’s been a huge process. As an independent band, the challenges are almost insurmountable. Sourcing the material, ideas, money, and commitment necessary to present a new band on a commercial level, takes a lot of work on everyone’s end. Caleb and I have overseen and coordinated all of this from the ground level. With the help of a small team of good-hearted fans, talented artists, and people who just love metal, we’ve been able to push this idea a little further.

Anabel: The first single, “Spoils of War,” was recently released as a music video premiering on Revolver. What was it liking filming this video? What was it like working with Matt Zane on this production?

Brandon: Filming that video felt so good. It was a really exciting time for all of us because we finally had things rolling and this was our first opportunity to show off what we’d been working towards. The director, Matt Zane, is a twisted genius. He’s a professional through and through. Extremely talented and made a lot of good moves in capturing exactly what we were going after, scene by scene.

Anabel: The Order of the Silver Compass is the name of your upcoming LP, what song is your favorite to play?

Brandon: Hmm, I would have to pick “Mechanized Assault!” That one’s definitely a headbanger, for sure. On bass, locking into the higher-tempo rhythm and keeping the attack of the pick on the strings super tight and aggressive produces a sound and groove that is just so awesome to my ears. Makes it really exciting for me to play that one.

Anabel: Future music video plans?

Brandon: Yes, and shockingly soon. We have a lot to prepare. Our deadline to do this is within just a few weeks but we’re currently cooking up some epic ideas to follow up “Spoils of War.” It’s all scheduling, hiring, location, equipment, transportation, power, props, budget, etc., which, as I mentioned earlier, is the responsibility of no one but the band to arrange. It’s a lot of work for three dudes who just want to play music!

Anabel: A little birdie told us that you play bass a little differently from other musicians. Tell me about this! And for the gear heads, tell me what you play.

Brandon: Hah, those who have seen the band live may have noticed me playing a right-handed bass, in a left-handed orientation, without reversing the order of strings. People give this a lot more credit than it’s worth, but I just grew up learning bass this way. Aside from some mechanical picking and fretting differences, it’s about the same as learning from a standard perspective. In the “Spoils of War” video, you’re actually seeing my new standard orientation, lefty V-bass. About time!

Anabel: How did you meet your band members, Caleb Bingham and Jason West? Tell me more about them. There is quite a unique mixture of past bands going on here, from Five Finger Death Punch to the Murderdolls and Wednesday13.

Brandon: Yes, colorful backgrounds for sure! Haha! Caleb is a talented and smart individual. Nobody meets this guy and forgets they ever met him. By the end of your conversation, you can only hope that you’ve taken away a slight portion of what makes this guy so unique. He was hired to record and mix a few tracks of my then-band many years ago. The dude made some slick records and we wanted a part of that! Jason, on the other hand, we officially met after flying him in from Texas in hopes he’d have an interest in playing in our band. The dude is a really great player. His feeling, comfort, and presence on the drums is wildly professional.

Anabel: What are your long-term career goals?

Brandon: As far as long-term career goals, I hope to be successful in something I’ve worked hard for. That’s the place you want to end up when you look back and ask yourself if your time was well spent. There are a million opportunities out there to go and live a menial life. I want to avoid every one of them and do everything I possibly can to end up some place I’m proud of.

Anabel: How would you define the word “success”?

Brandon: When I think of “success,” there’s only one picture that comes to mind. It’s comfortable paying your bills, living your life, being adventurous, and doing the things you want to do. That’s my version of “success”. Everyone has their own, but these are the things that are important to me.

Anabel: What type of recording process did you use? Who produced your recording?

Brandon: Oh, man! “The Order of the Silver Compass” was recorded over a long period of time. It was first tracked on tape and eventually transferred over to digital mediums. Over the course of at least a year, numerous overdubs and re-tracking of instruments took place to create the final version of what’s on the record today. Chris Collier ended up being the final mixer on this project after a long and arduous process of finding the right person for the job. Nobody else came close to making the record sound so sonically good.

Anabel: What should fans expect next from Athanasia?

Brandon: Next? It’s gonna be more music videos, a lot more press, and more promotional material we’re going to put out there. We think this kind of material will be very interesting for existing and potential fans who want to learn more about this very interesting record and the people who make up this extremely amazing team. Thanks a bunch, Anabel, for the interview.

‡ Athanasia ‡ “Spoils of War” Official Music Video: