Hello France; this is Byron Davis, frontman for the band God Forbid from America.

About "IV: Constitution Of Treason"

What sparked the idea to make a concept album, and how did the concept"story" come together?

Well it didn't start out as a concept album. We basically started with a working title, then we started writing the music then the lyrics and it kinda just came into play. We knew that we wanted to create a darker record than the last one and that was the only thing which was planned. The music began to speak for itself and then the lyrics came together, creating IV Constitution of Treason.

MTV had posted an interview with Doc Coyle, stating "The concept was written to the material, as opposed to the other way around - having a story serve as the basis for the lyrics". Concept albums usually have a story to tell, told through the lyrics. Is there also a "musical" concept running through the album regarding melodies or other form of thematics?

No, we knew that being the band we are, it is important for us to grow musically. We have never been a band that's satisfied, we have always continued to push and strive to the next level in our songwriting. It was a natural progression for us. We are very pleased with our efforts and look forward to letting the album be heard and let the people let us know what they think of it.

Regarding lyrics; aren't you afraid that some fans might be disappointed because they are getting something they might not relate to?

I dont think so, with this record the lyrics are all down to earth, regarding situations we all must go through despite our cultural differences and countries we may live in. It's real music for real people. No one I know is going through life without any type of problems, so I think it is very relative to everyone.

If Hollywood might be interested in making a movie about the story; who should make it and who should star in it?

Well I think it would be a great movie if it were made by Oliver Stone. As far as actors I think it should be Sean Penn and Joe Pesci.

Some other questions:

The limited edition of "IV" has some added video content. Are there any plans for an elaborate God Forbid DVD?

Well right now we are currently talking about a DVD, but like most things we do, it has to be amazing. So we are gonna take our time and make it the most informative and entertaining disc it can be. We truly believe in giving people their monies worth. In these times it is alot for someone to spend money out of their pocket, just because money is sometimes not easy to come by. The economy really sucks.

Are there things you might have done differently in your career?

I think that we are right where we are supposed to be, everyone always has some things that if they knew then they would do differently now, but I am proud of the fact that my band has stuck together through it all over the years and we look forward to playing to everyone in the world very soon.

When is God Forbid coming back to Europe? What are your expectations about this tour?

We are returning in November with the Haunted and Mantiss. I think our expectations for this tour are just to continue where we left off, when we came through with Machine Head. We believe that we are a band for all people and we get to show those who were at those shows and the new comers what God Forbid is all about. Looking forward to getting started again. It's an exciting time right now.

Thank you for taking the time and pick our brains. We look forward to bringing you an amazing show when we return in November. And if you are interested in learning more about God Forbid and what we have planned for the future check out these following sites for news and updates:

www.godforbid1.com
www.myspace.com/god4bid

www.centurymedia.de

See you all very soon! Long live the struggle, the band will play on.

Metalrage likes to thank Byron Davis for his time, and Century Media for giving us this opportunity!