one box that a vine pops out of that lets you climb to the cloud world to collect coins.

GAGE: As for our difficult to characterize sound, some people say it's thrash, but I think it has way too much of a groove to be thrash. We have some faster parts, but by and large, when I think of thrash, I think of bands like Testament and Slayer....and I don't think Erebus sounds much like either of them. I think as you'll find out when we get our new material out, it's going to put us in an even harder spot to classify because we're approaching it with a lot of influences from all kinds of music.

ADRENALIN: You describe your music as "political" metal. The music is passionate to very important issues such as the war in Iraq. With such a direct approach to these issues, do you find that your emotions take over while on stage?

DAVE: Definitely, at least for me, since I am singing the words. I don't know about the other guys, but the words really give power to my performance. I often grab people by the shirt and scream in their face, and I'm always gesturing to the crowd, pointing at them as though they are to blame. The song "Funeral for a Culture" is about how our culture, the death of which is often lamented by nationalistic and ethno-centric "culture warriors," is, in actuality nothing more than a culture of laziness, of vanity, of pride and of luxury. We are addicted to convenience, so much so that we turn our back on the issues that matter. This song really gets to me. I often just pick an audience member and stare at them as I scream the words. I sometimes get goosebumps.

GAGE: You know, I don't even think about that aspect of

the band when I'm on stage. I more or less feed off the energy of the crowd than I do about anything else. I've read over the lyrics on paper and really like what Dave is saying, but I can't usually tell what he's saying on stage because I'm focusing on my own parts.

ADRENALIN: Your live show is so high energy, with high audience participation. Can you describe for us a little bit about your most memorable show?

DAVE: That's a tough one, all of our shows are memorable in some way. It could be the show at the roller rink where I accidentally broke some guy's nose, or that show at the fairgrounds, where Gage (the guitarist) and I ran on long rows of picnic tables while playing, grabbing people and pulling them into the tent in which we were performing. I always remember the show where I smashed a pumpkin on stage and threw the pieces at the crowd, and the one where I grabbed some guys cell phone he was using and yelled into it. We always try to do something different every show so we don't get bored or look mechanical to the crowd, like a Chuck-e-Cheese band.

Some of our favorite shows are at a little basement in Green Bay. There are always a ton of kids that show up, pack themselves into a tiny room, and hit each other the entire time. They all pump their fists, sing the lyrics and participate to the fullest. That's what metal is about to me. Some people go to a metal show and sit there. They stand back from the stage and

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