Hail the Sound of Thunder!

It was a randomly awesome coincidence in which I discovered this Washington DC based band that blends the fundamental heavy elements of Black Sabbath with the high octane dynamism of a Primal Fear/Hammerfall lovechild.  I spoke to the operatic queen of hell---vocalist Nina Osgueda---about everything a new fan needs to know about A Sound of Thunder and everything that their devout fan base has always wanted to know.  Hear what their version of heavy metal thunder sounds like at the links below!

First of all, what artist or event got you into heavy metal?

My first Dragonforce show, combined with a sudden obsession with power metal (Hammerfall, Blind Guardian, mostly) is what inspired me to become a metal vocalist.

Would you consider yourselves more of a hard rock or heavy metal group? Does it really make a difference to you? Does it make a difference to your fans? Definitely heavy metal. 

It personally makes a difference to me because I just can't get into most "hard rock". It's usually not fast enough or doesn't have enough dragons.

What is the metal community like in the DC/Virginia area? What metal genres are most popular out there? How are the dynamics of all the local bands in the area? 

We have a very thriving community. You'll find everything from power to prog metal, death black and everything in between. I think the most popular is probably thrash and death, but there's plenty of room for everyone.

I think you guys are interesting in the way you present yourselves image-wise. For the most part it's relatively simple: basic black and the occasional pair of steampunk goggles and a superhero graphic tee; not drab, but definitely not leather clad/spikes and studs, etc. Tell us about your visual aspects as a band and how that contributes to your music! 

We all have different personalities and they go into our "look". Josh and myself are into comic books, so there's often a superhero element in our wardrobe (I'll wear a comic t-shirt and my usual Decepticon belt buckle), but I also love the look of a good metal vest and spikes so I like adding those too.

What is your most prized music item (vinyl, cassette, CD, etc)?
For me, it's the Blind Guardian box set. The band bought it for me for my birthday and it's the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten from friends. 

Your music videos encompass a lot of visual interpretations of a variety of themes, but "I'll Walk With You" stands out because it is so culturally relevant with its working class Walking Dead-esque theme. But it's not a vicious death metal or thrash metal "beer zombie" tune, it's a power ballad! Can you explain the connection between how the song was written and how the video was created? 

The song was written almost as a dare to myself. Josh and I were talking about how I hate singing ballads, so I decided to write one under the condition that it not be boring. Josh was kind of addicted to Dead Island at the time, so I decided to include zombies and wrote it for him as a birthday present.

You will be touring in certain spots around the US this fall. What are your hopes or expectations for the Los Angeles show, given we are a California publication? 

I'm really hoping we can see all of those CA fans who keep asking us to visit! I think no matter what, the shows will be fun. We'll be bringing all we've got! 

In what ways did being in opera help you become a confident frontwoman both musically and performance-wise? 

It made me confident because I'm not as classically trained as my experience might lead one to believe. I always sang in school choirs, things like that, but my mom took me to auditions because she thought I was really good. I always met other girls and women who took private lessons, went to college for music, things like that. I was not like that. I was mostly self taught, but I made it anyway. From then on I decided that if I was going to pursue music, I should get some training (and I did take a few private lessons), but my confidence came in knowing what I was capable of on my own. 

As a long-time booking agent, how important do you feel it is for smaller bands to be their own businessmen?

I think it's super important to know how to handle business, because unfortunately, most of the time there is nobody who is going to do it for you. If you sit around waiting for someone else to do it, it might never happen. I've never been one to sit and wait, so I just go ahead and book us myself. 

And now a question for everyone in the band! Tell me about your favorite experience meeting a metal musician!

N: My favorite experience was meeting Fabio Lione. He was so personable, and we drank vodka together! It doesn't help that I always had a big crush on him, so I was very starry-eyed the entire time.

Josh Schwartz [guitar]: We were lucky enough to have former Iron Maiden vocalit Blaze Bayley sing on our song "My Disease."  I talked with Blaze over Skype about the song before he recorded his parts, and I was struck by what a friendly and down-to-earth person he was.  I told him that if he wanted to change any of the parts from what we had written that he should go ahead and do that because we liked his writing and singing styles.  He thanked me for saying that and told me that that gave him confidence going into the recording session.  It blew my mind that the former singer of one of the world's biggest bands would assign any value to my words, but Blaze did!

Jesse Keen [bass]: I met Marco from Lacuna Coil in 2007.  He was hanging outside of the club, signing autographs, taking pictures, and chatting with fans.  The band's eagerness to hang out and chat with their fans is something that I'll never forget and something that I keep in mind at our shows.