Former MUSHROOMHEAD Singer, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD Drummer Discuss PITCH BLACK FORECAST

May 8, 2008

D.X. Ferris of the Cleveland Scene recently spoke to Jason "J" Popson (MUSHROOMHEAD, IN COLD BLOOD, Fractured Transmitter Records) and drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT) about their new collaborative project, PITCH BLACK FORECAST (formerly ABSENTEE).

"I always wanted a record of everything I liked about metal," Popson said. "I grew up listening to metal and even death metal. But I never dug the cartoony evil and the blood and horror of the genre. I wanted to make music that sounded like that, but had something to say something more human. What I liked about hardcore was that it was something people could relate to."

Popson first met Hoglan when the former MUSHROOMHEAD singer was touring with MESHUGGAH as the Swedish band's "merch guy." STRAPPING YOUNG LAD was also on that tour. For weeks, Gene knew Popson as simply J the T-Shirt Dude.

"He was just a cool guy," recalled Hoglan. "He never brought up [his band] once. And one of my dudes brought it up, like, 'That guy's in MUSHROOMHEAD.' Like, no shit? Later, [Popson] said, 'I'd like to get you to do a song or two on this project.' And I always wanted to do it, because I dug J."

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