Metal Mayhem: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!
Scott Jeffreys: My pleasure!!

MM: You guys were originally formed way back in 1986, can you tell us a bit about how the band came together?
SJ: Well, Graham Frye (guitar) and I were in a high school band called, No Comment and then he started jamming with Cary Rowells (bass) Brain Shoaf(guitar) and his brother Jim Shoaf (drums)(who went on to do lights or drum tech for various bands such as, Corrosion of Conformity, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Pearl Jam) doing some originals that were very "Trouble'ish. Graham asked me to come over and check it out and then I basically joined the band. 1/2 year to 1 year later we decided to make a drummer change and that’s when Steve Shelton joined Confessor.

MM: After three successful demo’s 'The Secret' (1987), 'Uncontrolled' (1988) and 'Collapse' (1990), you guys were snapped up by the legendary Earache, how did the deal come about and was there any interest from other labels?
SJ: Well, from what was told to us, there was an Earache band that was recording in Florida and they were saying good things about us to the Earache people and that’s what sparked their interest. There was a strong interest from Peaceville Records, but it was in the beginning of their business and I think the funds were tight at that time.

MM: You were described as having no contemporaries and no obvious reference points, as one would expect, people either loved the band or hated it. Where exactly did you draw your main influences?
SJ: In the beginning there was certainly a Trouble influence. I can’t really tell you who the influences were as we progressed. I can tell you that we were all listening to a lot of Nasty Savage, King Diamond, and Destruction at that time. Whether or not any of that rubbed off on us I don’t know. But we all listened to other types of music too, so that might have had an influence too.

MM: At what point did it hit you that Confessor was more than just your regular band?
SJ: Well, it hard for me to really understand that even now. You only know you are different because people tell you that you are. When you are engulfed in what you do, it’s just what you do, and you aren’t trying to make a statement to be different, you just write what you enjoy and hope that it will be interesting to others. We know we aren’t like most radio bands but there are certainly many underground bands that have there on style and sound.

MM: With a second album in the works the band just imploded, what were the main reasons for this?
SJ: The main reason was probably due to the run around we received from Earache. We were planning on a second album and then they decided not to support that decision. I think we were just getting worn out with all of the regular music business crap and needed something else. I went on to the university, and form a side project called Drench and Cary, Steve and Brian went on the form Fly Machine. Brian would leave 1 year later. Drench would disband then also.

MM: Just before your split, you headed out on the 'Gods of Grind' tour with Entombed, Cathedral and Carcass, what was this like and what other bands have you played alongside?
SJ: The tour was great. All of the other bands were great to be with, there were never any conflicts.There were certain occasions when we would play live that the crowd did not "get" us. It seemed as if the music went right over their heads. We expected that and always said, "well next time they will know what to expect". After that tour went toured with Nocturnus. That was a pretty dismal tour with a few occasional good shows.

MM: You’ve recently decided to resurrect the band, what were the reasons for this?
SJ: Well, a couple of years ago our guitarist Ivan Colon, passed away due to cardiac complications. He had a huge medical expense and had just gotten married 6 months prior to his death. His wife was left to incur the medical expenses and we thought we could help her out if we did a Confessor show for a benefit to help raise money for her. So, that’s what we did. We did a show in Raleigh, NC our hometown, and give her all of the proceeds. Then, I guess it was so magical that the feeling of playing together was so missed. So we decided to get back together and start writing new material. And here we are now. We’ll see what happens next!!

MM: What have you guys been up to since you disbanded?
SJ: As I stated in question #6, Brian, Steve and Cary went on to form Fly Machine, and I form Drench, but that only lasted a year or so. Cary and Steve are the two members who have kept the Confessor backbone together for all of these years.

MM: Apart from Ivan Colon, who sadly passed away last year, is the line-up still the same?
SJ: Yes. The guitarist that is with us now is Shawn McCoy. He was originally in a band called Faceplant. The others are Steve Shelton (drums) Cary Rowells (bass) and Brian Shoaf (guitar) and myself.

MM: You’re planning to return to the studio after 11 years to record a demo, what can we expect?
SJ: Well as I write there words the demo is complete and we are expected to start shopping it in the next week or so. As far as what to expect, Well, it’s hard to say but I think there will be some getting back to early influences but additionally there are be plenty of the messed up Confessor riff and drum patterns. We have posted a few of the songs on our website www.confessorband.com for streaming. These early songs are a bit more straightforward but you haven’t heard everything yet!!! There are certainly some head scratchers that will be on the album, that is if we get a deal!! The one very noticeable thing will be that the vocals are in a lower range than they used to be. It’s not that I can’t hit the notes of the old tunes, because I do that when we play live, it’s just a more matured style that allows me to do more harmony work and really be more creative vocally.

MM: If Earache showed interest, would you resign to them or do you fancy doing things differently this time?
SJ: I guess you never know what could happen, but our mindset right now is to "do things differently this time".

MM: Can we expect any live performances this year? Tours/festivals etc?
SJ: Touring is probably going to be hard for us but if we get offered to do some festivals that would certainly be something we would consider. You can always see us in Raleigh!!! We play there twice a year. I guess that’s would be a bit far!!!

MM: What do you hope to achieve this year?
SJ: As it is almost July now and we know how slowly things move in the music business, I would say if we could nail down a record deal by the end of the year we would be happy. We would be REALLY happy to do that and start work on the record before the end of the year and release it album in the spring. That is all dependant on how the shopping of the demo goes.

MM: Thanks again for answering our questions, any last words?
SJ: I think we would just like to say that we appreciate your interest in Confessor. We are always blown away by the kind words and support of people like you guys at Metal Mayhem. Additionally, we would just like to ask that everyone who reads this will help spread the word that Confessor is back together and turn other people on to us, who maybe haven’t heard us before. The best way to do that is to visit the website http://www.confessorband.com and they can learn everything about us there. Again, thanks for the opportunity to do this interview and take care everybody!!!!