Metal Southern Belles Media

Hello, all! Metal Southern Belles Media is back! And the band we have here today is also back. Coming at us from New Jersey is Melodic Metal band, Condition 1 (stylized as COND1TION). After a hiatus and several setbacks, they’ve risen from the dead and persevered. We are joined by their very own, Michael Reineck AKA Iblis Adramelech to tell us what’s been going on behind the scenes and how COND1TION is stronger than ever before. As the band’s founder, vocalist, song writer, and mastermind, Iblis has such sights to show you…

MSBM: Hey, Iblis! It’s an absolute pleasure to be speaking with you. Let’s jump right into it. Can you tell us about your beginnings as a musician and how COND1TION was formed?

IA: From an early age, I was heavily influenced by music. My father played guitar and my uncle was a drummer. They played together in a band, which rehearsed at our home. Our basement was set up as a rehearsal space. I played a little guitar, but the drums came more naturally for me. I also loved keyboards/piano as well. John Carpenter and his beautifully orchestrated horror scores were an early influence as well. I was very eclectic when it came to music. I grew up being influenced by Rock music, but I also took a liking to Hip Hop as a child; which was in its infant stages during the 80’s. My grandfather, who was very eclectic, actually bought me my first Hip Hop record. I also discovered Heavy Metal as a child in the 80’s, discovering bands like Sabbath, Metallica, and Iron Maiden… My mother, her life and her love of music was a huge influence as well; she even played a little bass guitar. Technically, my first concert was The Rolling Stones in 1981. My mother went while pregnant with me at the time. If she wasn’t blasting music on the stereo when I was a child, my father, my uncle, and their band mates were jamming in the basement. I would sometimes sit in for my uncle on drums. I always wrote lyrics and poetry from an early age and I played the drums into my teenage years. I also got into Hip Hop as a teenager in the mid 90’s; not just listening, but actually writing Hip Hop lyrics/songs and recording demos. I joined the military out of High school and didn’t bother with creating music in anyway for some time. It wasn’t until I was 30 that I rediscovered my creative side. I missed writing stories/lyrics/poetry, etc.. It was at this time I realized that I wasn’t tone deaf and was a decent singer. I started writing again. I’m sort of self-taught with my heavier vocals as well. I was very influenced by early Korn, Slipknot, and Avenged Sevenfold when it comes to heavier vocals. Obviously, there were many bands incorporating heavy vocals into their music by the late 90’s. At that point, I began searching for like-minded musicians. Other individuals who loved music and wanted to write original material. I found a guitarist and a drummer in 2013 and we started a Hard Rock/Metal project. We were in search of a bassist and in 2014 I met Kyle, who would become Condition 1’s bassist. Because of differences, and the initial project in a general state of decline, Kyle and I stepped away from that project and hooked up with our lead guitarist, Doug. We then started the project, COND1TION, in the early part of 2015. I came up with the band name “Condition 1” (COND1TION), which is a term I learned while in the Marine Corps. There are several conditions of readiness in which a weapon can be carried. Condition 1 is when you have a full magazine inserted with a round in the chamber. Locked and cocked essentially; it seemed appropriate for a Metal band. Another band name I came up with was “Fire for Effect”, but we stuck with Condition 1. However, we all liked Fire for Effect so much, I kept it for a song title.

MSBM: Wow, you have quite the lengthy history with music. It seems like you were born with it in your veins. Very amazing. Thanks for your service, by the way. So, your band is in the Melodic Metal genre. What combination of influences inspired you to go with this particular sound?

IA: As I mentioned before, I’m pretty eclectic. My influences range from Rock, Heavy Metal, and Classic Country to Hip Hop, Punk, and Classical Music. There are so many artists/musicians that have influenced me personally; it’s impossible to name them all. But as for vocalists, I’d have to say James Hetfield, Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy, M. Shadows, Corey Taylor, Jonathan Davis, Mikael Akerfeldt, Howard Jones, Chris Cornell, Martin Persner, Tobias Forge, Serj Tankian, David Gilmour, Freddy Mercury.

MSBM: Your list of influential vocalists is absolutely fantastic; definitely some of the best in the business. Now, let’s dig into your band’s richly inspired music. COND1TION dropped a few demo tracks in 2019 entitled, “Unhollowed”, “Echoes of Silence”, “Fire for Effect”, and “A Sinister Heart”. Where did you draw influence for these songs?

IA: My lyrics/vocals/song titles are mainly influenced by my own personal experiences and convictions intertwined with darker themes. There’s a certain amount of tongue in cheek, but there’s also some truth in jest. I’m very much a fan of the Dark Arts and Black Magick, The Left Hand Path, Horror films, Spiritualism, the paranormal, etc… “Unhallowed” is an unholy track, just as the title suggests. As I stated before, the darker themes are tongue in cheek to an extent, but there are some truths in jest. It very much addresses the pretentious ones, the sanctimonious religious institutions. It speaks to those who follow the Left Hand Path. “A Sinister Heart”, this song sort of speaks to the “establishment” and how they continue to tell us that they’re here for us. We can trust them. We can trust that they have our best interests in mind, when in reality they do not. By the establishment, I’m obviously speaking to religious and political institutions, especially those with sinister agendas. “Echoes of Silence”, this track speaks more to the religious institutions rather than the political; similar to ‘A Sinister Heart’. It addresses the contradictions and hypocrisy of the sanctimonious ones. “Fire for Effect” speaks to religious extremism and how it has created war over millennia. The track is loosely based on the experience of war and taking a life. “The Curse of Blackwood Morris” is the story of an ancient spectre whom haunts the The Black Woods, collecting souls that fuel his essence. This track is my attempt at creating an entire world with this character and I feel like the possibilities are endless. Perhaps there can be follow up tracks, continuing his story?

MSBM: Fascinating. You touch on a lot of deep and intense stuff. By the way, thank you for being so in-depth with your answers. I really like to get insight on the motivations, messages, and stories told through music. Let’s go deeper with COND1TION itself. The band went on a hiatus during the world’s 2020 shutdown. This was a very difficult time for bands and the music industry, in general. Many bands called it quits during this time with no plans of returning. But COND1TION is back! Tell us about reuniting the band after a rough couple of years.

IA: It wasn’t until 2016 that we landed our permanent drummer, Pete. Even then, trying to find a 2nd guitarist was tough. We went through several prospective guitarists. We finally landed Bill in 2018. Even though we had written a lot and rehearsed a lot, it wasn’t until late 2017 when we began recording tracks for demos and playing gigs. By 2020, we had our demos completed and we had gained a little traction by playing shows. But then the pandemic came, which like most, affected us greatly.

MSBM: I’m so glad that you guys are here on the other side of things and moving forward as a band. With that being said, what is to be expected of COND1TION going into 2023?

IA: As I mentioned before, we didn’t get much of anything accomplished during the pandemic and post pandemic (2020/2021). The little bit of momentum gained prior to the pandemic came to a screeching halt in early 2020. 2022 didn’t see much progression, due in part to our lead guitarist having his first child and other unforeseen circumstances. However, we plan to re-record the demo tracks that we have already completed, plus another handful of songs we’ve written over the past few years. We will begin rehearsing regularly again, then begin recording a full length in 2023 and have it completed by 2024. We want to get back to playing shows again, so hopefully towards the end of 2023 and most definitely into 2024 in support of the record.

MSBM: Sounds like a plan! I’ll be on the look out for the new music and future shows. Piggybacking on the topic of the band’s return, what is the song writing and recording process like, particularly since returning? Also, how will the re-recorded demos and brand new songs differ from the previous? Are there certain factors and circumstances that are taking the music in a different direction? Or are you guys still on the same path and are experiencing a natural progression of the band?

IA: There are some subtle differences with the original demos and what will be the final product. Our direction and overall sound hasn’t changed much, but there’s definitely been a natural progression in our sound and writing process over the past 7-8 years. A lot of times, Doug or Bill (guitarists) will approach us with an initial riff idea. Then I’ll try to create a basic vocal line to fit that riff with no lyrics just yet. It’s kind of funny, because I throw random words out there just to get the vocal rhythm, melody, and cadence I’m looking for. It always sounds ridiculous, but it works for me and it makes for a good laugh as well. Once I get the sound I want, then the initial lyrics come. Sometimes, the melody I come up with might work better as a lead guitar riff, or vice versa. Once Pete (drummer) and Kyle (bassist) have a general idea of what they want to do with their prospective parts, we record the initial demo. We then have the basic idea for our song and when we meet for rehearsal, that’s what we practice. We usually like to write together, so at these rehearsals when working on a new song, it’s usually when we fine tune it. Leads, solos, drum fills, finalized vocals/lyrics, etc… It’s definitely a collective and a collaborative effort. Everyone plays an important role.

MSBM: Awesome! It seems to me that you guys work well together and have an effective formula and process. Moving on from the creation of music, let’s discuss performing it. What are shows like for you? And when you get back to performing them, what do you look forward to the most?

IA: We introduced our sound live in late 2017, playing smaller gigs in 2018 and 2019 with bands such as High Council, Percussor, The Hixon, Anabasis, and Winter’s Wake. All very talented bands! Some of them are very good friends of ours. Whether we’re in front of 10 people or 100, we genuinely love playing live! Having guys like Pete and Kyle with their high energy stage presence, makes for a lot of fun! Like I mentioned before, whatever momentum we might have gained those two years, it came to a halt in early 2020 due to the pandemic. We never talked about calling it quits. Like everyone else, we weren’t sure how long the pandemic would last. At the very least, we knew we wanted to have a full-length record completed and play shows in support of it. That has always been a goal of ours and we intend to see it through. I look forward to completing this record and playing shows again, but even more so, I genuinely look forward to COND1TION writing and rehearsing regularly again. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years, whether it’s been playing shows, rehearsing for shows, writing material, or just jamming and bullshitting in general. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us! There’s a lot of talent within this project and everyone plays an important role.

MSBM: I hope to see you guys accomplish everything you’ve set out to do. I wish you all the best! Since you have a very wide range of influences and artists that you enjoy, what would be the dream lineup for you? This should be interesting!

IA: My dream lineup? That’s tough. There’s a lot of bands I’d like to throw on there, but I’d definitely want Percussor and High Council with us! Those are two very talented bands with very different styles, but they’re also good friends of ours. Are there a limited number?

MSBM: Make it a whole festival, if you want!

IA: I’d say Metallica, Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Eluveitie, Slipknot, Opeth, Behemoth, Ghost, System of a Down, Korn, The Human Abstract (with vocalist, Nathan Ells), Killswitch Engage (with vocalist, Howard Jones), Black Sabbath, Dio, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Candlemass, Mastodon, TOOL, Percussor, and High Council. Of course COND1TION would headline…

MSBM: That’s badass! Definitely a festival that would draw a big crowd, no doubt about it! To wrap up this lengthy but awesome interview, where can our intrigued readers go to keep up with and check out the band’s music?

IA: Everyone can keep up with Condition 1’s music on my YouTube channel, Iblis Diabolus, where you’ll find lyric videos for our previously released demo tracks and the music video for “The Curse of Blackwood Morris”… Any and all content can be found at that YouTube channel… I will be posting a lyric video for “The Curse of Blackwood Morris” shortly as well. A little about that track; that is actually the first song we wrote together back in early 2015. Early on, we would rehearse at Kyle’s house. Doug came to us with the initial riff and the idea to write a story about a character, a legend and/or myth, if you will. Me, being into horror themes and horror stories in general, I thought it was a great idea and I immediately got to work creating a story and a character. That character would become Blackwood Morris, a name we initially joked about because at the time Kyle lived on Morris Ave, in Blackwood, NJ. However, the name stuck and the title became “The Curse of Blackwood Morris”.

Iblis’ YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@iblisdiabolus1752

COND1TION’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Condition1rocks?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Yes, Blackwood has his own Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/BlackwoodMorris?mibextid=LQQJ4d

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