Posted on Aug 2, 2006

by Anders

When I earlier this year heard the album "Trinity" with the LA based outfit Prototype, was I pretty much blown away. Their superb blend of melodic power metal, heavy and ass kicking thrash and loads of progressive elements, is a killer! After some time with the album, I hooked up with guitarist Kragen Lum from the band and got a great talk!

How are things in LA these days, is the metal scene still great and blooming?

The metal scene in Los Angeles is turning around a bit, but it’s definitely not as good as the scene in Europe. Unfortunately, we have a lot of people that are interested in following trends instead of listening to what they really like. Prototype is definitely striving to restore the integrity of the music scene in LA. Haha!

Will you please introduce yourself, tell us why you play metal and how your metal adventure started?

I'm Kragen Lum, guitarist for the band Prototype. It all started when I was 8 years old and heard AC/DC's "Back In Black" on the radio. From that point forward I was hooked on heavy music and I had to have a guitar. I love the sound of metal when it's played well. Bands like Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer really pushed my guitar playing in my teenage years and made me want to create and play some innovative metal. With Prototype, that's exactly what we're trying to do.

It will be great with an introduction of your band mates and a summery of their strong and weak sides!

Vince Levalois is the vocalist/guitarist for Prototype. My good friend Vince and I have been playing together now for about 13 years. He is a great rhythm guitarist and vocalist and has the ability to look for unique ideas and expand the band's sound. Kirk Scherer is the Prototype bass player. Kirk has been in the band for the last 4 years or so and has brought his solid bass playing and stage presence to the fold. Kirk's playing can best be described as very solid and melodic. Drummer Sam Aliano is the newest member of Prototype. He's been with us now for just a few months. His playing is rooted in jazz fusion and progressive rock. His great drumming technique and analytical ability are a welcome addition to Prototype.

You are ready with the European release of your album "Trinity", how has it been received in Europe?

So far, the European metal press has been very positive. We've been fortunate enough to get some really good reviews for "Trinity" and hopefully that will continue. We're very happy with Massacre Records and their promotion of the album in Europe. Now we just have to get over there and play some live shows!

How well was the album received in USA and do you know how many copies you have sold?

It's really hard to say how "Trinity" did in the USA. Unfortunately, the label (WWIII. ed) that released it here has pretty much folded. They released the album and then called it quits, so we were left with no promotion in the USA.

How do you yourself feel about the album these days?

We're all very proud of the album. "Trinity" was recorded by the band with our own equipment in our own studio. We're very pleased with how everything came out, especially considering that it was not done with any type of label funding. We still love playing all of the songs too, which is great!

I guess you have written a lot of new material, since you've finished "Trinity", so is the music on "Trinity" up to speed with your new material?

We actually have a complete EP consisting of songs written around the time of "Trinity" that has already been recorded. It just needs to be mixed at this point. In addition to that, we have been writing the next full length. So far, the material sounds incredible. We've been writing a lot on our 7 string guitars, so the new album will be heavier and darker than "Trinity". At the same time, it’s also more melodic and diverse. We can't wait to finish writing and start recording!

How much have you developed since the writing/recording of "Trinity"?

I think Prototype continues to develop and evolve all the time. We're always adding things to expand the sound that the band has, but we always retain the sound and influences that we've had since the beginning. We always try to challenge ourselves so that we don’t repeat what we've done in the past.

You started out as the thrash outfit Psychosis, what did happen and what made you change your name?

It was a combination of things really. We received a letter from another band called Psychosis who had a record deal with Massacre Records, strangely enough, claiming that they had rights to the name. Our music was also evolving and we had written some material that would end up being recorded for the first Prototype demo, "Seed". Since the music was changing, Psychosis no longer seemed to fit. We decided to solve two problems at once and give the band a new name that represented the kind of music that we wanted to make. Vince suggested Prototype and that was the name.

What made such a big impression on you, that you changed your style from "normal" thrash into the hybrid of thrash, progressive and melodic metal you are delivering now?

There were certain bands that we loved during that time that were starting to add some progressive elements into the music. Bands like Forbidden and Death were exploring some new areas. We wanted to incorporate ideas from other bands like Rush and Dream Theater and take them in a new direction. For me, personally, I think hearing the Cynic "Focus" album gave me inspiration to explore new ground. The originality of that album still blows me away. We listen to many styles of music from metal to jazz fusion to classical and we want to incorporate influences from all of them into the music.

Why is the thrash influences sticking with you?

Our roots are in thrash. There's just some aggressive, raw quality about it that we love. We've always enjoyed listening to and playing killer thrash guitar riffs. It will always be a part of our sound in one way or another.

How is your deal with Massacre Records, are you going to release more albums on the label?

Our deal with Massacre Records is going great. They licensed "Trinity" from us and we've been very pleased with their promotion of the album in Europe. We hope to release the next album with Massacre as well.

What do you expect from the label?

The most important thing that any label can do for a band is get them exposure. By promoting the album, getting reviews and interviews, getting radio play and really selling the band to music fans. So far Massacre has done a fantastic job of this.

What do you expect from the European release of "Trinity"?

We look at "Trinity" as an introduction to the Prototype. With "Trinity", we want to introduce the European metal audience to Prototype and get them interested in the band. It's really a building block for the band to expand our audience in Europe.

When will you are you ready with a new release? I'm pretty sure a lot for people would like to hear more of you, after a listen or 2 to "Trinity" (I for sure would!).

We're hoping to begin recording the new album later this year and release it early next year. We can't wait to release another album!

Is there an European tour in sight for you?

At this point, there’s no European tour planned. We are hoping that "Trinity" does well enough so that we can come to Europe and at least play some festival dates.

Where is the biggest market for your kind of music, in the states or in Europe?

Europe is definitely the biggest market for our music. European metal fans are very open-minded and loyal to the bands that they like. Our fans here at home in LA are great, but the metal scene in Europe is definitely better.

Is the signing with Massacre marking your breakthrough?

The Massacre Records release of "Trinity" is definitely the first step for us. We just want to have our fan base grow from album to album. When we release the next CD, we definitely would like to tour Europe and make Prototype known to all of Europe!

How do you think the future for Prototype seems right now?

We've worked hard to get our music out there on compilations, tribute albums and video games. We write and play this music for ourselves with integrity. Hopefully people can see that it's honest and original metal. From our perspective, Prototype can only get bigger in the future.

Will you share your 3 all time favorite albums with the European headbangers?

I would be glad to. It's going to be difficult to narrow it down to just 3 though! I would put them in this order…

Cynic – Focus
Forbidden – Twisted Into Form
Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman

Thanks a ton for answering my questions! The last remarks are yours!

Thanks for the great interview! The European version of "Trinity" has 2 exclusive bonus tracks not available anywhere else. To get more information or hear samples of Prototype music, please check out our websites at www.prototypeonline.com and www.intromental.com/prototype. Please help us spread the word about Prototype!

Conducted sometime in the end of 2003 or in the beggining of 2004.

Review of "Continuum"
Prototype interview 2006

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