I first heard Lions Among Wolves when I was on Facebook checking out some new music. Most bands have a few songs on their Band Page tab and some even have a full album to stream. Lions Among Wolves have a demo titled "Mind of a Child." I love the forward thinking of this band; a demo is a great way to get your music heard and they even have a $5.00 promo that will get you the EP when it gets released.

I chatted online with Zac Buras, one of the guitar players, and he was kind enough to do an interview.

Rough Edge: I love it that you guys have a demo on Facebook. Most bands wait for an EP or a full-length disc before creating a page. Whose idea was it to get your (raw) music out there?

Zac: As a band we were really excited to record and show people how we sounded. We had an even more raw song up before the one that is currently up called "Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." The quality was terrible there is no doubting that, ha ha. Then soon after that we recorded "Mind of a Child." It came out better than the older demo. So we were pretty happy to post it.

Rough Edge: Your music is labeled as Metalcore. Which bands have influenced your sound?

Zac: Many genres of music actually influence our band, not just metalcore. A couple of bands that influence us are: Oh, Sleeper, August Burns Red, As Cities Burn, The Chariot, Blink-182, Parkway Drive, Haste The Day, Minus The Bear, Killswitch Engage, Everytime I Die, This Or The Apocalypse, Texas In July, Underoath, etc.

Rough Edge: You guys are based in Louisiana. Are there a lot of Metalcore bands there or have you started a new movement?

Zac: There are actually a good bit of metalcore bands here. Although, we really try to make our own sound.

Rough Edge: Your demo song, "Mind of a Child," has a lot of keys and strings wrapped around heavy guitar with in-your-face vocals. How did you come up with the arrangement? Where does the song title come from?

Zac: When our band formed we originally had a bassist (Jesse) who also played piano. He wrote the lyrics to this song. It is about his parents' divorce and is a very emotional song. The title, "Mind of a Child," is referring to the difficulty in dealing with the obstacles that he had to go through at his age.

Rough Edge: The band's name, Lions Among Wolves -- does it have a special meaning? Who helped name the band?

Zac: Jesse originally pitched the idea for the name. Lions are the kings of the jungle. Wolves are the thieves and deceivers of the animal kingdom. The name means Good Among Evil.

Rough Edge: How do you guys write music? Is it a collaboration or does somebody come in with an idea or riff and you guys go from there?

Zac: Mainly, the way we write is one person will write a song or a base idea and will show everyone, then everyone else will add their own twist. Then we decide whether or not to keep the song. We go though A LOT of song ideas, ha ha!

Rough Edge: I know you guys are working on a demo that will eventually lead to an EP. Will that spawn a full-length album? Do you guys tour around Louisiana or do you stay local?

Zac: Well, actually, we just recorded a single that will be apart of our "Dreamer" EP, which will hopefully be released in February. Who knows if it will spawn a full-length. We'll see what happens, I guess! We have played shows in Metairie, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Covington, and Slidell. All are in Louisiana.

Rough Edge: Can readers find you anywhere else on the web? Anybody on Twitter?

Zac: Pretty much the best way to find us is on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/lionsamongwolves. Also, we can be contacted at lionsamongwolves@yahoo.com.

Rough Edge: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions about your band and how you make music.

Zac: We all appreciate your interest in our band. Thanks for the interview!

Lions Among Wolves: Vinny Stagni-Vocals; Scott Harpster-Drums; Zac Buras-Guitar; Austin Niel-Guitar/Vocals; Patrick Lloyd-Bass/Vocals.

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Revised: 06 Oct 2019 11:48:48 -0400 .