Becoming The Archetype's Seth Hecox says I Am Who I Am!

Becoming The Archetype spoke to us previously a few years back and now years later they are still doing what they do best making music! Going on what is their fifth full-length album entitled "I Am", guitarist, mastermind and band nucleus Seth Hecox is the man who talked to me about the band's latest telling me what it's all about!


1. This is your fifth full-length release how does this make you feel?

Seth: Old, haha.  We're starting to enter that hallowed level of longevity that not too many metal bands reach.  Feels kinda cool, you know?

2. Where does a title like "I Am" come from is there a meaning behind it?

Seth: It is a representation of the lyrics that permeate the record and are all written in first-person.  I AM is a first-person affirmative and was used by Jehovah when speaking to Moses in the Old Testament.  This statement is a powerful affirmation of being and of positive existence.

3. How has the band’s sound evolved from Celestial Completion to I Am?

Seth: It's become more focused.  We found a great groove and didn't allow anything to distract us from that groove.  We dug in and wrote pure heaviness to counterbalance the far-flung zaniness exhibited on Celestial Completion.

4. Was your songwriting and recording process any different than usual for this CD?

Seth: Not a ton, no.  We write over the course of several months while we're going about our lives and then when we've got a full album, we enter the studio and record it.

5. What inspired the album title? Is it a concept album?

Seth: It has a loose concept, yes.  I AM is a straight-forward, intensely focused sound and concept.  This is an explanation of purpose and action.


6. What did you feel was different about the production of the new album?

Seth: We recorded with Shane Frisby.  We'd never recorded with him before, but we liked his work on other albums.  He did a great job of getting superb guitar tones and drums sounds.  Then we had Tue Madsen mix it, and he's a genius at creating huge metal mixes.  He has a unique, trademark sound and he came through in spades.  I loved it.

7. Who writes the songs?

Seth: I've written nearly half of the music in the band if you look at the whole BTA catalog.  On I AM, Daniel wrote most of the music, then I added some on keyboard, then I wrote the lyrics and we both worked together to fashion the vocal patterns and vocal melodies and harmonies.

8. How does the songwriting process work?

Seth: On I AM, the first step was Daniel writing riffs and sending them to everyone else.  Then we'd get together and flesh out all the instruments and details of the song.  It was a fairly simple process because Daniel wrote such great riffs and crafted such great songs.

9. What do you have in the future for Becoming the Archetype?

Seth: We have some CD release shows coming up.  After that, we've got holidays to enjoy and then we'll hit the road again next year!  We just released a music video which is very fun to watch and is a unique experience to the heavy metal music video world.

10. What are your expectations for the CD?

Seth: I think it'll please our fans and draw in some new fans.  It'll probably perform a little better than Celestial Completion because it doesn't hit the ears as strangely as CC did.

11. What are your upcoming tour plans?

Seth: Other than the CD release shows, basically just a heavy schedule in the summer.  Maybe we'll get over to Europe in the Spring or Fall.

12. Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t covered?

Seth: I'd like to remind our fans to brush their teeth and do their homework!