Loana: [Boisterous laughter ensues] Well believe me; you don’t need to feel that!

Karma: [Laughs] Oh no, I do!!

Loana: If anything, I think that FourteenG has really made a name for itself with all of the bands that it’s featured…the honor is definitely, like on me.

Karma: Uh-unh! I don’t have those hellcat vocals that make you want to happily surrender your first-born Loana! [We both laugh] I can growl but not like that!

Loana: [Laughs hysterically] Hellcat? Wow! That’s interesting!! Have you ever picked up a microphone that’s hooked up to a PA and screamed? I recommend it! It’s really great, it’s very therapeutic!

Karma: I wouldn’t dare but I am sure it is judging from how you deliver but I find it to be a good release and therapeutic “singing” along to my favorite tunes, so there you go.

Loana: Right on! Again, try it with a microphone; it’s awesome.

Karma: Well if and when I do, we’ll all know whom I will credit! [Laughter ensues]

Loana: [Laughs] Good deal, good deal!

Karma: For those that do not know, you are the publicist for Nuclear Blast [at night, she turns into a complete hellcat being the voice behind DoD]. How big of a transformation to be in the spotlight as opposed to in your other role shining it on others in reference to press? Does it feel natural for you being in the forefront?

Loana: Definitely, I know that my everyday job has given us an advantage that a lot of bands don’t have in terms of contacts and knowing who to send an album to. For someone who was…I grew up and I really didn’t [pauses] draw attention to myself, you know, [I] was one of those everyday kinda, plain janes! [Chuckles] It’s definitely a… [searches for the right word] it’s not something I’m used to in terms of having an audience but I do recognize that that is a responsibility. Like if I have the luxury and the privilege of being able to be on stage and have a microphone, you know, than what I want people to come away with; what I would like to say to them. I really want to stress positive things.

Karma: Understood.

Loana: Like you know find another way to channel all of these potentially harmful emotions and do something positive with it. I think by nature, just being a publicist doesn’t necessarily mean that you get to be in any sort of spotlight; it’s just that you get to make relationships with people be it phone, or via email, or however way. But I think that really kind of mimics what life really should be about! It should be about positive relationships; it should be about people wanting to talk to each other, not about avoidance or you know just “checking in” with each other. It really touches me that say for instance when you were going through what you were going through [Note: as in my grandfather being ill before he passed], that you would even let me know what was going on. Because that affects a lot of things you know; and to be able to acknowledge that and not ignore it just because of the nature of the work or however busy people are. We’re all human beings; we’re all on the same planet and let’s invest a little respect in each other! A little bit of [pauses] what’s the word in English…in Spanish its cariño, a little bit of the affection so that we can get to a better place. The work should not dominate! [We both laugh]

Karma: You are so right, it shouldn’t but…

Loana: It shouldn’t be like I can’t respond to this in the realm of my jobly duties…we’re all people and we need to acknowledge that!

Karma: That was VERY well said! After the demise of Necropolis, how difficult was it for you to right yourselves and get back on track?

Loana: I think that the band had a lot of issues to deal with, originally we wanted to release something with Necropolis, but you’re right, Necropolis went down a different path and if anything it really created an opportunity for us to really sit down and say, “Okay, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna shop this or put it out ourselves?” And we knew just judging from everybody’s corrective contacts, we knew we could do it ourselves. So it’s just making that decision, mapping out our goals and then kind of putting the building blocks together. Like if that’s our goal, let’s put everything on the table what we can do, with what we’ve got to be able to reach that goal. Everything I do believe happens for a reason.

Karma: Absolutely! I say that all the time!!

Loana: We may not know what it is when it happens. You know but in hindsight when you’re able to look back and go, “Ohhhh…well Necropolis went down, but it gave this opportunity”. It needed to happen! Everything this band has gone through, needed to happen in order for us to be where we’re at right now for us to put Epic Tales of Vengeance. Everything happened for a reason and we’re at peace with that! [Chuckles]

Karma: Okay, totally understood…it’s like your right of passage. Like you said, everything happens for a reason and who knows if you would have been where you are today providing these chain of events hadn’t have happened.

Loana: Right, exactly! We might be some place we didn’t want to be!

Karma: Life is funny that way!

Loana: I agree with that!

Loana: They are actually our manufacturer.

Karma: Oh, okay.

Loana: Erika Records [exhales] I can nothing but sing praises for them! They have been present in the metal scene since day one. If you look at oh my god Dark Angel’s We Have Arrived it says it was pressed as Azra Records, was the label that put it out. Azra Records had an exclusive production contract; they brought all of their business to Erika Records. When you walk into their office, they have all this old-school vinyl.

Karma: Oh, wow…

Loana: They almost exclusively produced all of the metal picture discs.

Karma: [Gasps] The sky opens up now!

Loana: Alive and Dead is still up on the wall; Savage Grace After the Fall From Grace is still on the wall… Yeah, they do a lot of stuff! Jim [Durkin] used to work there and actually, when I left Century Media, I worked there as well, so we have a really good relationship. It’s a family run business, and they do vinyl: 12”, 10”, 7”, shaped discs… We’re really lucky to have a relationship with them!

Karma: That is so cool Loana that it all worked out the way it did and has for you.

Loana: Yeah, we really do wanna spread the word about them because if anyone is looking for something for vinyl, that really is it because they do quality work. Their stuff isn’t automated; they have people making sure it’s the right thickness, all of that stuff! It’s high quality control.

Karma: That’s a rarity indeed; well we will definitely help to spread the word…

Loana: Oh, thank you Karma!

Karma: We are a bunch of vinyl junkies here at FourteenG! I have King Diamond’s Them and a LOT more so I personally am all about collectible vinyl, etc.!! Well I would have to say your story with Erika Records as well as with the band itself, it’s has that classic fairy tale ending.

Loana: [Excitement really fills her voice] Yes, exactly!

Karma: It's the best story known to man! A diehard fan goes to show to get their [Dark Angel] vinyl signed [by Jim] and later winding up the vocalist for the revered artists’ band… Wow! That is so cool!

Loana: [Rendered speechless] I…I…I…on the one hand it leaves me dumbfounded. It confounds me…I don’t know! [We both share a hearty chuckle] I don’t know, but if I can pinpoint it to anything, I would have to say that I owe it to what Jim saw in me that I didn’t see! He believed in me from the get go! Like, we had met up, he signed my vinyl, then he invited me over to a practice and it was when the band was playing cover tunes. When they did Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”, no one was singing so I just kind of grabbed the mic and just kind of went with it. After their practice, he pulled me aside and said, “I want to do a side project with you!” And I’m like….

Karma: Whoa!

Loana: [Indistinct animation then breaks into laughter] I couldn’t believe it! People would KILL to be in my shoes! So he gave me a song, I came back with lyrics and he was like, “Ummm, no actually I want you to be in the band!” And I was again, just completely floored! He saw something in me that I didn’t. One of the things that I am really, really grateful for is that he treated me as an equal from the beginning.

Just working on new music together, actually “Bloodletting” was the first song that we did together! He never prompted me to what he thinks the song should be, he just says, “Here’s the song!” I got to write the lyrics to it and you know, he trusted me with that! I don’t know how many people would! Maybe different people in the same circumstances would be trying to guide someone or just say, “it’s got to be this…” And you know, he never did that! So to have his belief in me, just as human beings, it’s like it’s amazing just what one person can achieve when someone believes in you!

Karma: No truer words have ever been spoken!

Loana: I feel the same way in this band, like I didn’t know I could do this! I didn’t know! [Laughter ensues] But he saw something, so I owe it to him. Again, we established a friendship based on mutual respect, like right away! He’s definitely been someone in my life that…had the surprise of being able to experience this with someone is just like you meet somebody for the first time and you feel like you’ve known them, like your whole life.

Karma: I can relate to that, it’s amazing to be able to click like that with another soul.

Loana: And I felt that with him and we felt that with each other…we go way back. It…actually I think that the album is a good example of our mutual belief in each other and our mutual belief in the lineup. And again, the band had to go through certain things that it went through but then here we are. We’re really proud of what we got on the final recording; we think that it speaks well for what we want this band to be known for. But also, I guess the underlying text of all of this is that there’s really a lot of love and respect that guides it all. And oh man, on the one hand [Jim’s] brave, you know…to take a risk like that! [Inflection in her voice rises] Because he’s a well-known name, and it never seemed to me that, it appeared that he worried about his reputation or how he was going to ruin it or whatever. [Laughs] He was never motivated by that. He gave me a chance and I am now constantly trying to let him know that he didn’t make a bad decision! [Chuckles] I don’t ever want him to regret his decision so I have to work really hard.

Karma: As far as that connect is concerned, it must be exceptionally rewarding to be able to create music with someone that you respect so highly; someone that you do care for…and on top of it, Jim has one hell of an ear; it’s nice to see that people can just go by their instincts!

Loana: Um-hmm, right! And I think that’s one of the things I will always praise about him, no, I don’t think, I always will is that he has never played anything but thrash music. What I want, with this album is that definitely, people know his name and I wanted his music to be back in circulation again! His riffs, how he comes up with them, I have no idea. But he’s definitely a viable source of a lot of aggression, a lot of anger that he can articulate. A lot of people, especially within the thrash scene can appreciate and he’s been gone for a long time, I mean music wise.

Karma: Right, right.

Loana: Even with Let the Violence Begin, that first EP that came out on Necropolis [back in 2000] that was him getting his toes wet after being gone for so long. But I think that this really captures an essence of all the music he’s had brewing inside him. We’re really lucky to have worked with someone, Chris Trent, who engineered the whole thing, mastered, and mixed it and all that. Who was also a Dark Angel fan…

Karma: It just all comes full circle doesn’t it!

Loana: [Laughs] It does! Yeah, we’ve had a lot of help and there’s that saying, “It takes a community to raise a child” well it takes a community to put out an album as well! There’s a lot of fans, a lot of supporters that have come out of the woodwork and helped us along the way. Again, I think that all of us were guided by what Jim contributed to our lives with Dark Angel. It’s almost like; it’s time for us to give back, ‘cos those albums were just completely monumental which is why I was shaking when I went up to ask for his autograph! [Boisterous laughter erupts] I was a nervous wreck you know!

Karma: Being such a fan and now working with the legend…

Loana: …pinch me! [Hysterical laughter] I still can’t! The look of surprise from some people with the mere mention of his name, you know. It definitely kicks my butt and you know what, this man can work with anyone he wants to! He had his pick of people. You better do your work, earn your place…not that he’s ever threatened me with that.

Karma: Not that he would even have a need to.

Loana: Yeah! It’s an honor, it’s an honor! And believe me Karma, if you would have told me when I was thirteen years old, that I’d be doing this, I’d be like “You’re out of your mind!” [We both laugh] No way, I mean that was SO unobtainable, it wasn’t even a thought that could have entered my consciousness!

Karma: And look at you now!

Loana: [Sighs] Well, it’s a shocker! I’m really lucky and believe me, I know when I'm lucky, I just don’t want to blow it.

Karma: Oh Honey, you won’t that should be the least of your worries Loana!

Loana: Oh! [Laughs aloud] Well I'm still learning!

Karma: Aren’t we all, such is life…

Loana: Well I remember when I was starting out, my voice was very monotone, and I knew that was something I needed to work with. Finding your diaphragm is something that can change a lot!

Karma: Oh so you’re not classically trained!

Loana: OH NO! Not at all!

Karma: [Laughs]

Loana: If anything, okay…I’m from a Mexican family, it’s a total of eight kids!

Karma: Oh, wow!

Loana: And if anything, we had this really big back yard and my mom would like yell at us like, “HEY!” [Laughs] So if it came from anywhere, it came from that! Screaming at us to get us all back in the house, you know to get washed up for dinner! [Voice softens] No, I’ve never done this before.

Karma: Well with pipes like yours, you put most men to shame!

Loana: [Humbles further] Oh!! Believe me; what I will always say honestly is that I can’t sing! I cannot sing, I cannot sing along, there are these really beautiful voices, you know, and I cannot sing that way. I'm more kind of like a screamer but if I could, God, I’d love to but I can’t! So, I’ll never be able to sing along to a lot of things but, I’m just lucky what I am able to do, has a place in the scene…and I can’t believe that I got matched up with Jim Durkin! [Laughs]

Karma: Going back to when you were thirteen listening to your albums, what started you off listening to metal...or did you ever envision yourself doing this as a profession in the first place?

Loana: You know, you daydream a lot, and I daydreamed a lot! I daydreamed about how it would be so cool to be in a band, not knowing anything! Not knowing any of the mechanics of what it takes to be in a band. It all seemed so magical, you know. It’s true, I daydreamed a lot doing something like this, but I never knew that you could take steps to kind of realize it. You know, it always just kind of stayed in the daydream stage and, and I can’t even say I daydreamed about being a vocalist! It’s more like, “Wow, it would be so cool to play bass or…” you know, something like that! But you know I never took the steps like, “Okay, let me buy a bass!” Let me take lessons…I never did any of that! But I also never did anything vocally; ummm…I mean how many daydreams come true? Again, I’m lucky where I was when I was because I’m not known for having good timing!

Karma: [Laughs because many including myself can attest to this phenomenon]

Loana: I’m not!

Karma: Well then, it was meant to be Loana!

Loana: Yeah!

Karma: Speaking of the new CD [Epic Tales of Vengeance]…I am completely blown away!

Loana: [Stops] I’m flattered!

Karma: I especially love the instrumental, leaves you like a dangling participle…because you’re not sure what you're about to get yourself into. It's the quickest 28 minutes, of your life!

Loana: [Laughs heartily]

Karma: But it leaves you wanting so much more. I was in disbelief. I had to play it again it's completely addictive! [Claps] Congrats!!

Loana: [Self-effacing] Thank you VERY much; you definitely seemed to catch what we were after! We didn’t want to, we know there are a lot of albums out there that people can catch wind of and go get. But our approach is that we wanted to leave people knowing a little bit more about the band and yeah, the album’s only about twenty-eight minutes long but with ADD being prevalent out there, and with people being so busy, and not having time. It really falls into a kind of niche market I the sense that, “Hey, you only have a half-hour, what are you going to do with it?” And we wanted to be able to fill, that! And we really wanted to be able to raise curiosities about the band and yours is the reaction we were hoping to get!

Karma: Mission accomplished then! [We both laugh]

Loana: Wow, it worked!

Karma: Yes it did! How has initial press been for it?

Loana: We did 2,000, and umm…we are actually hoping to do something in vinyl.

Karma: [Geeked out] Oh wow that would be so cool!

Loana: And again, the great thing about putting it out yourself is that YOU get to make those decisions! It’s not something you have to convince somebody to do! So uh, yeah, 2,000, we’re working with distributors right now and so it’s…everything is working out wonderfully!

Karma: That is so awesome to hear Loana!

Loana: And again, we are doing this at the time where it is possible for someone to put out their own record; we’re really lucky that times have changed and that we can collectively use all of our contacts and use it for the benefit for the band.

Karma: Definitely! And if you decided to do vinyl, you could always put droplets of blood inside the vinyl…

Loana: Oh, I know! The options are endless! The company that we’re working with, Erika Records, of course has a history of working with underground bands with metal. Again, you walk into their office and they have all these albums, picture discs, just specialty items that they did. We know we’re working with the right people because they can literally do anything, anything with vinyl!

Loana: Yes, yeah!!

Karma: It’s just nice to see the fairy tale dreams come true, come to fruition!

Loana: [Laughs] Believe me, fairy tales just don’t happen to me so I’m glad to be able to stretch this out as long as I can!

Loana: Well, Jim named it. I think [pauses] everybody’s got a story that they kind of carry with them maybe it be a sad story one that’s kind of rooted in anger or one that’s rooted ion compassion. Everybody’s got something within their own life that is something that they carry with them. One of the differences with music, let’s say for instance in literature, you get a whole book to express that story. You can get introduced to characters and really reveal how the story came to be. Like I think of the “Count of Monte Cristo”, that’s a great story about revenge you know!

Loana: But there were certain things that lead up to that but with an album, you only have a certain amount f time to be able to express an emotion. Like you’re gonna get a condensed version of the story. I think that the thread with all of the songs on the album is about not sitting back and being content with doing nothing Everybody’s gonna read into what they want to read into the lyrics.

Karma: Naturally.

Loana: And we’re fine with that, we’re happy with that because things can be interpreted in so many ways based on a person’s own personal life story. I think that, for me, the bottom line is historical anger can be very life altering. A lot people do carry a lot of anger, whether or not they express it in a very physical way or if they find another outlet for it. I think that what you hear, what the album is a collection of this historical anger that we’ve carried, and that we just want to get out. It’s not necessarily about doing damage to ourselves; it’s just that we want to be able to solve it! Whether the story ends in our favor or not, I mean honestly it’s more about the expression of that anger, that aggression…even if it’s getting the album done, in of itself; that’s an accomplishment for us! We’re getting to tale a lot of naysayers, the people who aren’t really supportive of what we’re trying to do or whatever. Well, we’re gonna do it or way; we don’t need you to be a part of the formula! But, let our attempt of success I guess you can say, you know just getting our name out into the scene, let that be our vengeance! Let that speak for itself!! So Jim came up with the title but seeing that his life and my life had been very parallel, we’ve gone through very similar experiences, I think again, I am fully behind what the name of the album is.

Loana: Everyday life and trying to seek your own justice like wanting to say what maybe you couldn’t say. Like for me, God how can I even get around this is it out of all of the lyrics like “Patricide”, the lyrics to “Patricide” hit home for me a lot. When you’re a kid in a situation where you have no voice. You know you have an adult that you kind of fear and you don’t get to articulate what you want to say and for me, that’s what I wish I could have said. It’s what I wish I could have done.

Karma: [flabbergasted] Oh wow! That’s pretty powerful.

Loana: Again, from the mind of a child who’s really angry, there really was no outlet but now you’re up and you’re grown and you have ways of expressing something then you can make it very personal letter and that is a very personal letter that’s out there.

Loana: OH! Oh my gosh! You see, this has taught me like to be able to engage your anger, ummm…it does become where you reach a point where it transforms itself into something else. To have carried, and again it’s that whole thing about historical anger. You live with it everyday, then you find a way to overcome it in a way that you didn’t think you could by just addressing it, by just looking at it, and having a conversation with it; having a conversation with your younger self that you can come to a resolution and say “I can put this past me now!” It doesn’t [pauses] it’s not so much a part of my life anymore, I am at peace. It’s not about forgiveness! It’s about looking at it, I’m putting this aside now cause I have a forward path to walk now and I’m not letting this get in my way.

Loana: Absolutely! It is! We’re taught so many things about what are negative emotions, you know, we know what the positive ones are but we’re taught to fear a lot of our own emotions.  What we really need to be told is like these emotions are fine but recognize you have choices. A lot of times we are engrained that anger means one thing, anger to me the lesson I learned the way I was taught is that the only way you can express that is violence. And it is the only way you can express it but you can work your way through it! I’m lucky enough to have been able to have found a way to do that. To undo all the things I learned that I wish I didn’t learn. So it’s a way of unlearning and then starting over again.

Karma: That was perfect Loana; you just answered so many of my questions contained in that last part… [Laughs]

Loana: Oh, well cool!

Karma: What's going to be the first single?

Loana: Well we like “Eaters of the Dead” [Laughs] It’s pretty much straight and to the point about what we’re all about and it also talks about the end of the song, it’s about victory. Where you go through this violent battle whether it be a battle of will, a battle of morals, battle of a family…If are guided by the right emotion, I wanna say, you can be led to a victory that is one that means more which is one inside of you. It’s not what the scoreboard says! It’s something that you can feel good about. Yeah, that’s our single.

Karma: Seeing it is the last song off the album; it’s a cliffhanger; it is truly the song that leaves you wanting more. [Chuckles]

Loana: Again, that’s something that we were hoping for! Just after a seven course meal and it’s time for dessert; you get enough of it, you know you like it and you want more…that’s exactly what we trying to achieve! I’m glad!!

Karma: What’s your favorite song off Epic?

Loana: [Without hesitation] “Eaters of the Dead” [Laughs] It’s my favorite to listen to and perform. My favorite on an emotional level is “Patricide” because it really got a lot out. Two songs for very different reasons.

Karma: I know we kind of covered arrangements of songs and how you don’t know where Jim comes up with a lot of it.

Loana: [We both laugh] I really don’t! You know even when he’s resting, his fingers are constantly moving; he’s constantly doing stuff. Am I’m like, “What is he hearing in his head”? So, yeah, his mind is mystery as I’ve said before.

Karma: In regards to the cover art, etc. Anthony Clarkson’s artwork is amazing; he shines again.

Loana: Oh, we agree! We agree, and again it’s something we also wanted to achieve visually in a sense that it’s a book; it’s a very old book because these are emotions that people carry for a very, very long time. Although sometimes storylines don’t ever resolve themselves, [however] we wanted to give the feeling as if you’re looking into someone’s past. You know, stories that are very, very old but somehow or another, they do find resolution collectively.

Karma: Well your message comes across loud and clear as the total package, it really does.

Loana: Oh thank you!

Karma: Peering inside crystal ball, what does the future hold for DOD? Tours?

Loana: Oh absolutely! I mean we would love to be able to tour; we would love to be able to play some festivals. We’re very lucky in the sense that Jim is very well known in a lot of circles and we’ve had some open and really generous invitations. Like with Krisiun [said in her best Spanish accent], I love the guys in Krisiun! They’re huge fans of his work, they essentially gave us an open invitation for us to come down to Brasil and play a show with them, and we’re like “WHOA!” So we’re definitely getting offers and opportunities that because of Jim, we’re definitely going to take them up on it. We want to get word of the album in circulation and hopefully this will create some more opportunities down the road so that we can get on the road and play some shows and go out of the country.

Karma: And get the ball to start rolling.

Loana: Yeah! Definitely, meet some people who are fans of thrash and open the doors to communication and I think that it’s amazing that music does that! I mean it’s really kind of a world community when you keep yourself open to that.

Karma: Here’s a quick Speed Round of Questions.

Loana: Okay!

Karma: Creation or evolution?

Loana: Definitely evolution! [Laughs]

Karma: If _____ asked me to join their band…DOD, Dreams Of Damnation who?

Loana: NO ONE! [Laughs] No one!! Thing is I can’t sing anyway so the Beatles or Led Zeppelin would never ask me to join anyway! [Chuckles] I can’t sing! I have what it takes to be there but I really found my niche with these guys.

Karma: Heels or flip-flops?

Loana: Oh! Barefoot! [Laughs] Flip-flops! High heels are just a conspiracy against women! [We both laugh hysterically] It just doesn’t work well with the anatomy!

Karma: What DOD song sums up your life in a nutshell?

Karma: Hmmm…that’s something I hope will not ever happen!

Loana: [Laughs] Well, it isn’t a pretty song!

Karma: It isn’t a pretty concept! I shutter to think.

Loana: It’s just being fed up with the same stuff that constantly happens.

Karma: But how great is that?

Loana: Totally, it’s like an indulgent fantasy. Hey, I have a lot of respect for women who devote their lives to service and making the world a better place. And I know sometimes patience runs out. What would happen to the world as we know it if women just got fed up and said, “You know what, I'm tired of cleaning up the mess you make!”

Karma: Again, it would be one scary place Loana, worse than any war torn war zone!!

Loana: [Laughter] Oh yes, it would be!

Karma: What CDs are you looking forward to, that you are jonesing for?

Karma: Speaking of spotlights earlier, who would you like to see blow up in the scene next…asides from yourselves?

Karma: Name of CD's or albums that you've worn the grooves off from overplaying?

Loana: Oh wow, well definitely Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends, The Haunted’s first album, god…At The Gates, actually several albums by them but of course Slaughter of the Soul, of course!

Karma: Of course, yes indeed!

Karma: Without a doubt their best one!

Karma: Being a frontman yourself who in your opinion is the perfect epitome of a front person?

Loana: Wow! [Repeats question] Wow, that’s a tough question. For me, what I like to see are people who give a little bit of themselves, their personal side; it’s not a mechanical performance that they always say the same thing between songs.

Karma: Gotcha.

Loana: That they always have the same moves and that sort of stuff. I think that a rally good front-person is someone who can engage their audience and give them a little more about themselves as most people are kind of apt to... [Pauses] My mind is kind of going right now; I can’t come up with something under the gun like this! [We both laugh]

Karma: That’s perfectly fine, these questions are designed for the first thing that pops off the top of your head so you’re not suppose to pre-think the answers anyway.

Karma: He is amazing, period! They are one incredible band!

Loana: Yes they are! Oh, also Peter [Wiwczarek] from Vader, he’s right in front of a boom stand and he's playing all of the time but he really does capture an audience just from his gestures and facial expressions. So he’s amazing that way, and then there’s Tomas Lindberg; I he jumps into the audience with his performances and stuff! His voice is just [gasps] amazing!

Karma: Oh that it is!! That it is!

Loana: And Angela’s so physical when she’s on stage with Arch Enemy it’s hard not to want to get physically involved by jumping in the pit and just watching them. She’s very energetic on stage.

Karma: Very much so!

Loana: Again, her delivery as well!

Karma: Well it’s nice to know we have some good ones that are this way, such as you and Angela [and a handful more].

Loana: You know I don’t even think I’m near her…

Karma: Okay, well you keep thinking that!

Loana: No, I really don’t! You know she has a lot of pressure on her shoulders as she came into this already established band, the pressure was really on, and she did a lot to take care of herself to be able to meet the expectations we were all putting on her. She's matched it and gone beyond!

Karma: She sure has.

Loana: So I’m really not there, I’m following her example of what she did. She really takes care of herself and I still have a lot to learn. You know every time I see that band I'm watching and I’m enjoying but I'm also making little notes! So I’m happy! [Laughs giddily]

Karma: As well as you should be! Introvert or extrovert.

Loana: I'm actually both. I can be very...yeah… I love people, I love being in-group event, and that sort of stuff but what has been very important to me is being able to be alone. My little cave of room, I kind of block everything out. I unplug the phone, I get a good book, or I just sleep. That’s important to me for me to be able to maintain a kind of balance in my life.

Karma: You have to be able to do that in order to rejuvenate self and recharge your batteries.

Loana: YEAH! Definitely, sometimes there’s too much world and you need to take a break. And you know being alone allows you to have that conversation with yourself that you can’t have with yourself when you’re in kind of a group environment. That self-conversation is really important, in which I don’t follow that credo of “If you talk to yourself its bad if you respond!” It’s like no; I think that responding to yourself is very important to maintain mental health. [Laughter ensue] Talk and respond.

Karma: Who do you think is most underrated musician/band in the genre today?

Karma: Yes!

Loana: Also Defleshed, both of them have split up but I don’t know what their album sales were in terms of getting their due if we use album sales as a gauge but they contributed so much! I mean God, like Defleshed, they were just soooo awesome! And they’re just a three-piece. The Crown [sighs] just perseverance and just the quality music they always turned out. It’s sad when you see a band who’s got so much going for them finally just say, “All right, we’re done!”

Karma: When The Crown split, it was a very sad day in history for me!

Loana: Yeah, [pauses] it was! Those of two off the top of my head. Wow [laughs] those are good questions because its stuff I don’t think about but it’s good to talk about.

Karma: If you could commission a band to cover a song of yours who would it be which song and from which band?

Loana: WOW! And it can be anybody?

Karma: And it can be anybody, past, present…whatever, sky’s the limit.

Loana: Okay, I would say….oh God. I would ask Defleshed [laughs] to do “New Flesh” since they always seemed to have that flesh theme with their song titles and stuff.

Karma: That would be perfect.

Loana: But I would commission UFO to do the intro, “Crimson Vengeance” and “Beyond Salvation”!

Karma: [Gasps] Oh wow, what amazing choices.

Loana: With the classic lineup with Michael Schenker

Karma: Well it just wouldn’t be UFO without Schenker! [We both laugh]

Loana: Now that’s an interesting question.

Karma: If your job were to interview bands, name one that you would want to interview and something you would definitely want to know about them.

Loana: Oh, wow if I can interview a band. Any genre?

Karma: You’ve got it!

Loana: [Excitement really fills her intonation] Well like I said before, I’m a huge fan of Beatles and a huge fan of Van Halen. God! I would probably want to interview Eddie Van Halen; I mean I don’t know what I would ask him. [Laughter ensues] God! I think in terms of, I mean I’m not a guitar player but I don’t need to be essentially because he reinvented the electric guitar. I think I would just want the opportunity to be able to say, “Hey, I interviewed Eddie Van Halen and didn’t know what to ask him!” ha!

Karma: Here’s one more on the role reversal do you have any questions for me?

Loana: [Immediately] Yes! Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?

Karma: Yes.

Loana: Do you believe the time will come where a co-existence and extraterrestrial life and life as we know it will come to pass?

Karma: Perhaps in the end but it won’t be pretty in the beginning.

Loana: Ahh!! What would make it not pretty?

Karma: By nature, humans are greedy.

Loana: Maybe these extraterrestrials are women who are fed up with the world and maybe this whole “Women of Sodom” thing will just come to pass anyway!

Karma: [Laughs hysterically]

Loana: The apocalypse you know brought on by women of a different species from another planet.

Karma: Wow that would be a sight!

Loana: Actually, I do have a question for you; it’s a little more personal…

Karma: Shoot…

Loana: I know what karma means but Omowale…your name being what it is, do you believe in karma?

Karma: I do strongly!

Loana: Do you believe things ever come to justice?

Karma: What’s interesting is with my name being Karma, I’m not so sure about things “coming to justice” all the way at all points in time but I’ve seen a lot of people’s just desserts come to them that have screwed me over. Not that I revel in other’s misery but if you do something to someone you should expect it to come back to you. The part that cracks me up when people do these things its like, “Dude, you knew my name was Karma, what’s wrong with you?” [Laughter ensues]

Loana: Yeah, people should know better.

Karma: As far as Omowale part is concerned, my father changed the family name back in the 60’s... [Well since this interview is not about me, we so will not go any further with this]

Loana: …Thank you for what you give and what you bring.

Karma: You know I feel the same about you and the band…so in saying that, do you have any parting words for our fans Loana?

Loana: I wanna say it’s really important for me to have Jim’s name back in circulation, being a fan of his and his music. He hasn’t played any type of music except this. I just hope that people recognize that he is a creative force and contributor to thrash. Vocals aside, listen to the riffs, listen to what he’s doing because he is truly amazing to me and I know a lot of people would share that awe. So yeah, to me, DOD is about Jim Durkin! That’s what this band is about!

Karma: Thank you so very much Loana!

Loana: Thank you very much Karma!