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Legion Within

The Empty Men is your third release. As the band was founded in 2000, how has the band developed over time? What's different since the band first started in terms of your approach to making music, and how does The Empty Men present these changes?

Wilson: When the band started out, it was more of a means to an end, assembled to manifest a number of song ideas that had been accumulating in my head. Over the years, I've had the good fortune to work with some very talented individuals that have been able to work together as a team. Shannon, Raven and I have been together now for over five years and have gotten to the point where there is a definite unspoken communication going on. We feed off each other musically and can anticipate each other's moves, which leads to a certain degree of fluidity in the songwriting process. We have learned to trust one another's judgment. As a vocalist, I have developed as well. I can do things now with ease and confidence that simply were not an option five years back. The Empty Men illustrates the versatility, range and depth of skill Legion Within has garnered over the years. We are quite pleased with the way it has turned out.

Legion Within was started by William Wilson, but the music is credited to the whole band. What is the songwriting process like for the band? How much of the music and lyrics are an actual collaborative effort among the band members?

Wilson: It is constantly evolving and varies on a case-by-case basis. On The Empty Men, I was responsible for all the lyrical content and a good deal of the melody lines and arrangements. As I previously mentioned, the band works together in a very synergistic fashion these days. Due to the nature and level of our musical interaction, the band will often come up with a compelling groove that serves as a song's foundation. I sometimes feel like my role now is more that of a director than a songwriter. I have this amazingly talented group of musicians coming up with fantastic ideas and sounds. My job is to make sure all the material gets put together cohesively and sees the light of day, and of course come up with lyrics that do the music justice.

Jules Hodgson of KMFDM produced and mixed a majority of The Empty Men, with Steve White, Sascha Konietzko and Andy Selway also contributing to several tracks. How did your association with KMFDM begin in the first place?

Wilson: I first met Sascha back in 2004 when I was working on Aeons. I needed a club/radio remix done, and he was my number one choice. Once we had come to a mutually beneficial arrangement, he and Jules reworked 'Cover Me' into one of the coolest songs I had ever heard. I knew from that point I was doomed. I would never be satisfied working with any other producer/engineer again.

The last time around, I started off working mostly with Jules. We did all the tracking and mixing at the Black Lab, his studio in Seattle, for quite a few weeks until we had everything just so. After recording 'Led Astray,' he had to fly off to London for a few weeks. I ended up finishing the album with Steve and Sascha, with Andy laying down additional percussion. They are really great guys, and nauseatingly good at what they do. Hands down the best producers I have ever worked with.

As the sound of Legion Within is rather different from KMFDM, what was it like to work with them for this release? How did their production and remix work affect the sound of the band? What sort of difficulties arose and how did you overcome them?

Wilson: Quite honestly, although our sounds are rather different, it was the remix work Jules and Sascha did for me on Aeons that opened my eyes to what Legion Within is ultimately capable of, so in that respect, their influence on my music has been significant. I became much more aware of how to utilize dynamics and arrangement to more dramatically impact a song. As for difficulties, we really didn't encounter any to speak of. My one fear going into the project was for the song 'Wrath of the Empty Men.' The choruses are super mighty and I knew that would pose no difficulty, but the verses were another matter all together. They were dark, lush, and ambient, very much true to our darkwave roots. I was nervous Jules just wouldn't get it or that he wouldn't capture the appropriate mood for the piece. As it turns out, it ended up being the first song to be mixed, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I was floored.

Both this and your second album, Aeons, are being sold through the KMFDM Store. What are the chances of this distribution leading to a possible signing to KMFDM Records?

Wilson: I think that is more of a question that should be directed to Sascha and company. We would of course love it. I am a huge fan of the D.I.Y. approach to the music industry. The majors are a thing of the past. Stalwart and guerilla tactic indies like KMFDM Records are the wave of the future. For an artist, it's a much more grassroots and hospitable environment. I don't find the concept of working for a corporate subsidiary label all that enticing.

You've also had your music sold through Projekt Records, and have even shared the stage with such groups as Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Voltaire and Audra. Having your sound based as much in darkwave as it is in industrial, do you ever find yourself leaning more towards one style than the other?

Wilson: Not necessarily. It depends upon the mood of each song. The Empty Men content certainly lends itself to more aggressive musical styles. I'm just pleased that we have such a diverse palate of sounds from which to choose while creating our music.

Unlike most darkwave groups, your lyrics seem more overtly politically-minded, which is even reflected in your artwork for The Empty Men. What drives you to pursue politics as a subject for your lyrics? What message are you looking to convey, if you have one?

Wilson: They haven't always been so overtly political. I think we are living in such desperate times that, as artists, we would be suspect in our duties to turn a blind eye. No one should sit idly by as a simpleton dictator marches America's youth off to an ill-managed and ill-conceived war. Things are getting eerily Orwellian as of late, and it is time for it to stop. As for our album cover, I see it as a visual amalgamation of the overall sentiment of this album. Cull, the artist, did a fantastic job with it.

As the vocalist, you have a distinct tonality, very similar to Audra's Bret Helm or even Peter Murphy, though it's almost certain those comparisons are commonly made. How do you respond to such comparisons? How would you say your vocal approach differs, if at all?

Wilson: I think Bret and I have a similar curse/blessing in that our natural vocal resonance and timbre is similar to that of goth icon Mr. Murphy. While it is nice to be lodged into such a camp, as opposed to Weird Al or Tiny Tim, it is something I try to differentiate myself from. I have spent years studying voice in order to develop my own tone and make it more distinctive. I have a fairly diverse range and falsetto that I feel has a more Bryan Ferry quality to it, if anything, but ultimately, I have to accept the grim fact that I sound a hell of a lot like the seminal dark lord of goth, and that's that. There are worse fates.

What's next for Legion Within? What are your plans for the band's future?

Wilson: We are already working on material for the next album and have plans to get back into the studio with Jules this summer. We are working on firming up tour dates for August, as well as planning on playing as many festivals as we can manage between now and then. It should be a very busy year for us. We are quite excited.