What was it like to work with Brendan O'Brien and how does he push you as musicians? Brendan was so great to work with. He is a musician as well as a producer so it's easy to relate to the way he thinks. He has so much experience in this business and we have so much respect for him.
How would you say this album compares musically to your prior releases? We dont like to compare them too much because we approach each album as a stand alone project and are so proud of our work in every case.
Since you guys recorded this album with Troy McLawhown he has now left to be in Evanescence, how surprised were you when he left, and how weird has it been playing these new songs without him? Being a three piece has always been in our DNA having started out as a three piece, so the transition was fairly smooth. It was a shock for us when Troy decided to leave but these things happen in any type of relationship.
Can you tell us a bit about how the artwork came together? I mean you got to work with Mark Kostabi right who also did some work for Guns N' Roses!? A mutual friend put Shaun in contact with Mark because he had shown interest in working with the band. We are a fan of his work and thought it was a great opportunity and we loved his idea for the artwork. He really nailed the essence of the record and Shaun loved the piece so much he actually bought the original painting from mark.
How great was it to have the album hit number 2 in the U.S. Billboard 200? Fuck you Adele for stealing #1 from us (and every other artist this year!) Ha- obviously just kidding it was an amazing feeling debuting that high.
Country Song has also done really well, but it has a slightly different feel to the track (compared to the rest of the album), can you tell us what the influences are behind this track, and a bit about how it came together? The song is a metaphor for us as a band. We're like the black sheep of the industry. We aren't heavy enough to be metal or indie enough to be really alternative.
With the fantastic reception the album has already received, how excited are you to finally have it released here in the UK? You have no idea. We've been fighting for this to happen for almost a full year.
What else does 2012 hold for Seether? After touring around the world we head out with Nickelback and Bush in the US and Canada and then back to Europe and ending the year with a world headline tour. Basically world domination!