How long has Final Stage been together, and where are you based?

The band has been together for three years now. We originally started as a cover band simply hoping to play a few bars so we could afford to drink that night. As time went on, we began experimenting with a few original songs and developed them over time. Currently, we’re based out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada – right on the boarder of Detroit.

Who would you say are the band’s biggest influences? This could include non-metal or non-music related influences as well.

Without pulling out the overly pretentious list of everyone from Zeppelin to Jesus to the city of Birmingham England, there are a few bands that have been tremendously influential over the years. A short list of which are your classics: Sabbath, Metallica, Skid Row, Queensryche, Sword, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and even Culprit. There are also more contemporaries such as Dream Evil, Dream Theater, Edguy and Symphony X. Basically, we’re influenced by heavy, melodic metal. I listen to a lot of rare old school metal such as Culprit, Steel Angel, Sacred Warrior, and many others. Our drummer has a punk background, while still being quite a feverish metal head. Our bass player’s favorite band is the Chili Peppers, so he brings a lot of funk and groove to the band while still performing some incredibly intricate, melodic and downright catchy bass lines. If I had to sum it all up in a few words though, I’d probably say Terminator 2.

How would you describe the band’s sound to someone that hasn’t heard the album?

A few of the Genres we get associated with commonly are Classic or Power Metal, NWOBHM or even a few hints of Hard Rock and Thrash. The sound is heavy metal, with a lot of power, groove, hooks and killer production values. As one reviewer aptly put it, “If Judas Priest had recorded Screaming for Vengeance on Painkillers.”

What track off the Flight of the Phoenix is your favorite and why?

Personally, it would be a tie between "Flight of the Phoenix" and "In the Night." Both songs contain a high enough dosage of ass-kickery to keep Chuck Norris on his toes, and are probably the two of the best-written tracks on the album. In terms of live performance, The Heretic would get my vote, because it offers enough of a challenge to play and at the same time, allows us execute the song well.

What track has taken the most time to work the bugs out of?

Probably “The Heretic.” I began writing it at the beginning of summer 2004 and took me the entire season to hone it down and find all the pieces that made it flow. It probably would have helped if beer, siestas, and tackling sharks at the beach didn’t tie up a lot of my time either.

Flight of the Phoenix boasts a slick yet brutal sound. How does an underground band get such phenomenal production values?

Put Glenn on speed dial and harass him constantly! But in all seriousness, we got very lucky through some connections that got us in touch with him. He owns the best studio (Spectre Sound – www.spectresound.ca) in the county and we were lucky enough to record there for a very reasonable rate. We share the same vision for both the music and production, so working together became that much easier. I’d urge all metal bands to try and find someone who can capture their sound as well as Glenn can.

You’re a three-piece band, why? Is it better to split the money three ways rather than four?

That’s exactly the reason. Let’s face it; with four people everyone brings home less money. Each person gets 25% except the singer with LSD, who steals some of the drummer’s cut. We still use an abacus to do our finances, so it makes the 33% figure that much more difficult to divvy up, and probably means there’s a drummer who plays in Final Stage that’s getting screwed out of money. In the future, we’ll probably add a fourth member to the band. However, until we can find a guitarist who plays for free, or a migrant worker, it’ll have to wait.

What have been some of the biggest struggles of getting the band off the ground?

Mostly, exposure. We’ve tried everything from naked promo pictures of our bass player, billboards featuring a phoenix with a laser beam on its head, to back alley tattoos. In today’s clutter of corporate bands and awful singers with huge knockers, at times it can be difficult to have your band heard above the rest. I feel that the Internet has been a huge help in this regard. It’s given fans all over the world a chance to hear and interact with us that otherwise never could.

What’s been the highlight so far and why?

There have been many highlights in this band, including favorable reviews and great audiences at shows, but in my opinion, the main highlight is having many who listen to and enjoy the music you’ve released.

What’s been one of the most challenging and difficult moments you guys have encountered?

Trying to keep our admiration for Hugo Drax a secret! Oops. For those wondering who that is, he’s the villain in many of the Bond films. We’ve had many challenging moments, from member changes, to arguing over song structure, to how bad ass the phoenix on our CD cover should be, but the biggest challenge has been literally finding gigs. Every time we set out to find a venue we haven’t been to before it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. We often drive 5 miles in the wrong direction, hold up traffic for many miles trying to turn around, or park at the wrong end of the venue and having to carry our equipment for hundreds of feet. We’ve been the recipients of some true Spinal Tap moments.

Have you guys toured in the United States before? Are there any plans to do so in the near future?

As much as we would like to, we sadly have not. The major issue has been being crossing the boarder, as you know in recent years. We need loads of documentation to play a single gig. We would love to play the states and tour really anywhere that will take us. There have been some recent talks of getting us over to Germany, but I don’t know what will become of that. Should we play there, I’ll have to break out my glockenspiel and start doubling my bratwurst intake.

How’s the metal scene in Canada presently?

Currently, it’s not too bad, but overall is still very similar to the United States. Pop, rap and alternative rock dominate the charts and except for an exclusive few of metal bands, it’s quite hard to find any metal in the mainstream any more. The diamond in the rough is Montreal, which has one of the reigning metal scenes in the world. It doesn’t surprise me though, as that city gave birth to the greatest Canadian metal band, Sword.

I hope you got a chance to check out our review of Flight of the Phoenix on Pivotal Rage? Where can the readers pick up a copy of the disc and how can we get some more information on the band?

Yes I have. If you want more information than the web can provide about us, by all means, shoot us an email and I’ll give the ladies my phone number and the boys my mailing address, so we can further discuss issues such as: how Final Stage fits into globalization, why you’re boy/girlfriend won’t make up the bed, who really sank the Titanic, or what the best remedy is for stained teeth. But if you wish to call, please know, I’m not a councilor (for less than $250 an hour). For, all band info you could hopefully want on us, you can visit us out at our website – www.finalstage.ca or at www.myspace.com/finalstage. There, you can find out the latest gig information, watch us goof around in the studio or even support the band by purchasing a CD. 

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. You have a fine album in Flight of the Phoenix and we’ll see you on the road.

Thanks for the compliment brother. Hopefully we’ll see you on the road too. If you’re passing by, make sure to honk!

Well what have we learned out of all of this? Well, it’s better to have as few band members as possible. Each member will get more dough that way. Spectre Sound could be North America’s best kept secret and someone sank the Titanic?! All this time I thought it had hit an iceberg. Please do check out the review and also buy the album Flight of the Phoenix.